Joe Ely - Letter To Laredo

Artist:

Ely, Joe

See Also:

Silverstein, Shel Bare, Bobby Los Super Seven Walker, Jerry Jeff

Description:

Personnel: Joe Ely (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Bruce Springsteen (vocals); Lloyd Maines (dobro, slide guitar, steel guitar); David Grissom (acoustic & electric guitars); Teye (Spanish guitar); Ponty Bone (accordion); Glenn Fukunaga (bass); Davis McLarty (drums); Chris Searles (percussion); Raul Malo, Jimmie Dale Gillmore, El Gato (background vocals).
Engineers: Little Johnny Fader, James Tuttle, Jim Wilson.
Recorded at Spur Studios, Austin, Texas. Includes liner notes by Joe Nick Patoski.
LETTER TO LAREDO was something of a departure for Joe Ely, especially after the aggressive, roots-rock energy of his late-1980s work. Yet LETTER is a stand-out in his discography. Reflective and lovely, the album is buoyed by Ely`s high lonesome voice, steel guitar, accordion, and flamenco guitarist Teye`s lilting fretwork. Like many of Ely`s albums, LETTER is filled with story-songs, but this is a particularly evocative collection, painting a vivid, dusty picture of the Southwest with its ranches, cantinas, and startling landscapes, and its hybrids of cowboy and Mexican life.
As such, the songs on LETTER are very much of a piece, and play almost like a collection of short stories. While the flamenco guitar casts a vague gypsy spell over the proceedings, the musical backdrop is colored with regionally specific allusions to ranchera, mariachi, and hard country, over which Ely unfurls captivating tales of outlaws and outsiders. Former bandmate Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Bruce Springsteen are among the guest artists contributing to this distinctive, absorbing release.

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. All Just To Get To You
2. Gallo Del Cielo
3. Run Preciosa
4. Saint Valentine
5. Ranches And Rivers
6. Letter To Laredo
7. I Saw It In You
8. She Finally Spoke Spanish To Me
9. I Ain`t Been Here Long
10. That Ain`t Enough
11. I`m A Thousand Miles From Home

Album Information

Release Date:

02/06/2007

Type:

Performer

Genre:

Country

Subgenre:

Progressive Country

Label:

CBUJ Entertainment

Producer:

Joe Ely

Catalog Number:

071920

Original Release Year:

1995

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

Runtime:

51 : 52

Guest Artist:

Bruce Springsteen; El Gato; Jimmie Dale Gilmore; Ponty Bone

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