this is todd’s 18th album, but there is a good chance you are not aware of his work. a nashville staple for decades, he is a strong songwriter with a wicked sense of humor and might be best known for his highly entertaining live shows. the first cut, ‘working on a song’, maybe encapsulates some of this as it describes his struggle with writing a particular song for over thirty years. it is a good start to a very good outing, recorded entirely acoustic at johnny cash’s personal rustic recording studio on the family property in hendersonville, tennessee. snider plays all instruments, including cash’s martin guitar, and gets some help on backup vocals from jason isbell and amanda shires. oh, and by the way, there are no volumes one and two. snider has never been shy about his political opinions, but he is one of the rare artists who can incorporate those thoughts into a song without sounding preachy. mostly because he utilizes humor and self deprecation to soften the edges.

this album is another good example of why i buy my cd’s instead of downloading them. the liner notes are superb, and are critical in understanding the nature of the overall theme to the recordings, and also the stories behind some of the songs.  maybe the best example is ‘the ghost of johnny cash’, which is partially about a dream he had about passing out drunk in the cabin and being awakened by the man in black himself, and partially about a true story regarding loretta lynn dancing with cash’s ghost at three a.m. when she recorded there. a great introduction to his work if you are not familiar with him, and another great reason to see him live when he comes through your town.

not many people would open a blues song with a line like ‘i woke up this morning, and realized i done peed myself’…….