During
the Band's original run (from 1968 to 1976),
Robbie Robertson may have been the group's strongest songwriter and the idea man behind most of their best work, but
Levon Helm was truly the group's heart and soul with his tough, sinewy Arkansas vocals and his indomitable, loosely tight drumming.
Robertson' solo work since leaving
the Band has been the product of a man whose lofty ambitions outstrip his ability to make them interesting, but
Helm's music has been the greater disappointment; with the exception of 1980's
American Son, most of his solo recordings have been thoroughly disposable, offering plenty of good-time boogie but none of the gravity one might hope for from the man who made "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" come to such compelling life years ago. Which is why
Dirt Farmer is such a pleasant surprise; it's easily
Helm's best recorded work since
American Son, and an absorbing look back at his roots as the son of a farm family in the rural South.
Dirt Farmer was produced by
Larry Campbell, a session guitarist and member of
Bob Dylan's road band, in collaboration with
Amy Helm,
Levon's daughter, and they've assembled a solid but clutter-free acoustic band for these sessions, and the simple but iron-strong backdrops and superb songs are just what was needed to bring out the best in
Levon.
Helm survived a bout with throat cancer that was diagnosed in 1998, and his voice is noticeably more weathered than it once was, but in many respects the additional nooks and crannies suit this material beautifully; his interpretations of traditional rural folk songs like "Poor Old Dirt Farmer," "Little Birds," and "False Hearted Lover Blues" sound thoroughly authentic but with a bracing sense of force and commitment in
Helm's vocals, and if
Steve Earle's "The Mountain" and
Buddy & Julie Miller's "Wide River to Cross" aren't venerable classics, they sound like they should be once
Levon's done with them. Though
Helm adds a touch of boogie to "Got Me a Woman" and a jumped-up interpretation of
the Carter Family's "Single Girl, Married Girl," in this context they add some welcome spice to the stew, and
Helm's drumming remains superb.
Dirt Farmer is a hard-edged but compassionate and full-hearted set of roots music from a master of the form, and it's a welcome, inspiring return to form for
Levon Helm after a long stretch of professional and personal setbacks. ~ Mark Deming