Times Like These
, released posthumously, is
Rick Danko
's last studio album. There's a tendency for fans to under-appreciate the singer/bassist's later work, opting instead for some sepia-toned memory of the Ontario farm boy amidst his original
Band
colleagues in the '60s and '70s -- but that's only part of the story of a 40-year career. Later in life,
Danko
's voice, while remaining the distinctly mournful instrument of his youth, mellowed to equal parts milk and whiskey. Here, a less urgent and wiser artist wraps his pipes around his signature tune
"This Wheel's on Fire,"
which is drawn out on both ends by elegant instrumental passages. This version of the song is a fitting coda to
's life, lingered over lovingly and masterfully by
the Crowmatix
with
cohort
Garth Hudson
, a veritable one-man
Fellini
soundtrack on accordion.
"Let the Four Winds Blow,"
a
Fats Domino
/
Dave Bartholomew
cover recorded live, showcases
Levon Helm
on harmonica and longtime
and
associate
Professor "Louie"
on piano and vocals, rolling and stomping in the finest spirit of
the Band
.
"All Our Past Times,"
a return to a song the artist co-wrote with
Eric Clapton
in 1976, is wistfully gorgeous and heart-wrenchingly appropriate. And a cover of
The Grateful Dead
's
"Ripple"
-- with
Hudson
Helm
once again making appearances -- is delivered with the rustic charm of a back porch session (albeit a highly skilled one). While the album can drip with sentimentality or sound too polished at times, ultimately
, co-produced by
(aka
Aaron Hurwitz
), is a thoughtfully rendered reflection on a great musical life. ~ Erik Hage