MY NAME IS BUDDY - RY COODER
Even on his 1970 solo debut, Ry Cooder was looking back, plucking sounds from the history of American folk and blues roots music. Here Cooder goes deep into what Greil Marcus has called “the old weird America.” Like 2005’s spellbinding “Chavez Ravine,” it tells a story (though a highly metaphorical one) about the travels of a red cat named Buddy, his pals Lefty the Mouse and Reverend Tom Toad. The symbolic threesome wander through time and space, struggling through the Great Depression, hanging with Hank Williams, organizing striking mine workers and fighting for the right to vote. Cooder has fine musical companions on his journey: Flaco Jimenez on accordion (”Christmas in Southgate”), jazz players Stefan Harris (vibes) and Jacky Terrason (piano) on “Green Dog.” A highlight is Cooder on guitar accompanied by brothers Pete and Mike Seeger on banjos in a tale about a pig named “J. Edgar.” (NONESUCH/PERRO VERDE) Billboard
