TOM
RUSSELL
The
Rose of Roscrae: A Ballad of the West
Frontera
Records
The
Rose of Roscrae: A Ballad of the West is the third
in a series of extraordinary concept albums Tom Russell has delivered in addition to the many other superb
albums he’s recorded over the past three decades.
The first release in what should now be
regarded as a trilogy was The Man from
God Knows Where, a brilliant folk opera, released in 1999, about
immigration and the American dream partially based on Tom’s own Irish and
Norwegian ancestors and the generations that followed. Then came the equally-brilliant
Hotwalker, released in 2005, an audio
collage of original songs, poetry, stories, rants and outside voices that paid
tribute to forgotten aspects of real American culture.
Expanding on the forms he developed in the
two earlier works, The Rose of Roscrae,
running two-and-a-half hours on two CDs, is perhaps Tom’s most ambitious work
yet, a folk opera whose plot, although fictional, incorporates ideas and
experiences drawn from a number of historical figures and from Tom’s real life sister-in-law
who spent decades running a ranch on her own.
Much of the story is told through the eyes
of the main protagonist, Johnny Dutton, an old man looking back on a life of
adventure and misadventure that began in Ireland in the 1880s when the teenaged
Johnny is beaten up by his girlfriend’s father and he escapes to America to
become a cowboy and outlaw in what was by then the rapidly dying old west.
As the plot unfolds, Johnny works as a
cowboy for the legendary real life trail boss Charles Goodnight, escapes the
gallows with the help of a crooked judge, reunites with his Irish girlfriend,
Rose Malloy – the Rose of Roscrae – and then marries and loses her due his
philandering ways, outruns the lawman/preacher on his trail, and becomes
enraptured with the story of Father Damien and his leper colony on the Hawaiian
island of Molokai. Johnny’s travels also take him south into Mexico and north
up to Canada. As a prisoner in Louisiana and Texas he encounters the likes of Lead Belly and other prison singers
recorded by folklorists like John and
Alan Lomax.
Other parts of the story are told through the
eyes of Rose. How she follows Johnny to the American west, marries him, throws
him out, and spends decades as a woman alone running her ranch. Some of the
specific things that happen to her are based on the experiences of Tom’s
sister-in-law, Claudia Russell.
Eventually, the elderly Rose returns to
Ireland and Johnny follows – no longer as her husband, but as her old friend.
Tom’s performances are riveting throughout
the long piece. So, too, are the other singers who take on various roles in the
folk opera. These include Jimmie Dale
Gilmore, David Olney, Joe Ely, Augie Meyers, Jimmy LaFave,
Thad Beckman, Sourdough Slim, Maura O’Connell,
Eliza Gilkyson, and Gretchen Peters. The orchestral
overture, incorporating melodies from traditional folksongs, is played
beautifully by the Norwegian Wind
Ensemble, the orchestra that Tom collaborated with a couple of years ago on
the Aztec Jazz album.
There is an embarrassment of riches among
the songs Tom composed for The Rose of
Roscrae but I’ll mention that some of the standout moments include Tom’s
performances of “The Rose of Roscrae,” “Johnny Behind the Deuce,” the several soliloquys,
“Poor Mother Mexico” “Damien (A Crust of Bread, A Slice of Fish, A Cup of
Water),” and “The Bear,” sung as a duet with Eliza Gilkyson.
Two of the most stunning performances are
by Maura O’Connell singing “I Talk to God” and Gretchen Peters singing “When
the Wolves No Longer Sing.”
As well as vehicle to tell the story
through about 25 new songs written or co-written by Tom for The Rose of Roscrae, the piece also
serves as a homage to traditional folksongs and to the singers who sang them on
field and commercial recordings – as well as to some contemporary singers and songwriters
who have added to the tradition. Among the borrowed
voices we hear singing songs or fragments of songs are Johnny Cash, Moses “Clear
Rock” Platt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott,
Jack Hardy & David Massengill, Tex Ritter, A.L. Lloyd, Finbar Furey,
Blackie Farrell, Ross Knox, Glenn Ohrlin, Henry Real
Bird, John Trudell, Ana Gabriel, Ian Tyson, Bonnie Dobson,
Lead Belly, Guy Clark and Dan Penn.
 |
| Mike Regenstreif & Tom Russell in Montreal (2012). |
In addition to the 2-CD set, Tom has
released an almost essential companion book which includes the folk opera’s
libretto, as well as extensive background information on the piece, all of the
songs and the many contributors.
The
Rose of Roscrae: A Ballad of the West is yet
another masterwork by Tom Russell. It is a work of rare ambition and rare
brilliance that is beautifully and artfully executed. Bravo to Tom and to his
many collaborators on this project.
--Mike
Regenstreif
