Guy Clark

Workbench Songs opens with the delightfully defiant �Walkin� Man� that leads one to believe that the 65 year old Guy Clark still ain�t ready to hang up his spurs just yet.  After just one listen to the song�s chorus you get the feeling that
Clark
still has a lot of walkin� to do: �Hand me down my walkin� shoes / hand me down my cane / tune me up my mandolin / I�ll be on my way�.

 �Walkin� Man� is followed by one of the album�s strongest cuts in the form of the ballad �Magdalene�, a song that in many ways is very similar the classic �L.A. Freeway�, in that it involves a man looking to get out of his current life and head off into a new world of possibilities with the woman he loves.  �I�ve heard

Mexico

is easy / I wouldn�t stay here if I could / Don�t come along just to please me / Let�s go while the going�s good / Move with me Magdalene / I�m tired of the same ol scene�.

Clark
�s mastery of wordplay is on full display on the album�s third cut �Tornado Time in

Texas

�.  The song is a full on toe-tapping, country shuffle complete with sing-a-long chorus:  �Tornado time in

Texas

/ Take the paint right off of your barn / Tornado time in

Texas

/ Blow the tattoo off of your arm�.  Some of the images
Clark
creates are down right funny and others are just pure genius.  My guess is that this one is going to be a crowd favorite for years to come.

From there, we move on to a tale of love-lost in �Funny Bone".  It�s the story of a rodeo clown who loses his love to the new young bull rider on the circuit but instead of taking us down a trail of clich�,
Clark
finds a new way to bring us heartbreak.  �And he don�t laugh much anymore / Since she locked her trailer door / Tears and grease paint will not mix / And old dogs will not learn no tricks / He�s got that smile painted on /  And we all knew what was wrong / She broke his funny bone�.  That�s what great songwriters do; they find new ways to tell the familiar.

The four tunes that open Workbench Songs are indeed some of Guy Clark�s best songs in years and that�s just the beginning.  Other high points include a re-visiting of an older song, �Out in the Parking Lot�, which was originally released on the live record Keepers back in 1997 but until now was never given the proper in-studio treatment.  And as is the case with just about every Guy Clark record, he always makes room to pay tribute to his late friend Townes Van Zandt, this time by laying down a superb version of Van Zandt�s �No Lonesome Tune�.

Other highlights include the rare topical piece �Analog Girl� and the upbeat, fiddle driven country number "Expose".  Also be sure to check out
Clark
�s duet with long-time touring partner Verlon Thompson on the traditional �Diamond Joe�

The production of Workbench Songs is clean and uncluttered so that the musicians and Guy�s beautifully worn and ragged vocals can all shine.  Joining
Clark
in the studio this time around is Thompson on guitar, Bryn Bright on bass and cello, multi-instrumentalist Shawn Camp on fiddle, mandolin, and guitar, and producer Chris Latham on trumpet, violin, and guitar.  Songwriting credits read like a who�s who of

Americana

greatness as
Clark
teams up with Darrell Scott, Chuck Mead of BR549, Rodney Crowell, and Lee Roy Parnell.

In the end Guy Clark has crafted an album of songs guaranteed to delight any and every long-time fan while hopefully bringing many more new listeners to the fold.  Workbench Songs is easily one of the best records to be released this year.