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COME ON BACK
BY TED DROZDOWSKI
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The Texas singer-songwriter’s latest is a wistful tribute to his late father as well as to classic honky-tonk. Gilmore applies his keening, tear-splattered voice to 13 milestones of the genre including Harlan Howard’s "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down," Johnny Cash’s "Train of Love," Hank Snow’s "I’m Movin’ On," Ernest Tubb’s "Walking the Floor over You," and his namesake Jimmie Rodgers’s "Blue Yodel No. 9." There are no surprises, and why should there be? These tunes were done so well the first time that there’s no need to rejigger their arrangements, which concentrate on melodies and frame Gilmore’s singing. The disc was produced by Gilmore’s Flatlanders bandmate Joe Ely, who keeps the baritone guitar twang, tasteful slide lines, and bright flares of fiddle all on point. These tunes were all favorites of Gilmore’s late father, a roadhouse guitarist who died from Lou Gehrig’s Disease — which makes Gilmore’s performances of Hank Williams’s "I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive" and the gospel closer "Peace in the Valley" especially poignant.
