"I've been thinking about Elvis - the day that he died"
Well no not really, but driving through the high desert plain from Durango to the mountain town of Leadville my thoughts were certainly drawn towards the dust bowl blues that dominate this album.
It is certainly something to see miles of straight highway in front of you as the desert plain stretches out as far as the eye can see..... well at least until it hits the mountain range that is. Then a wall of rock rises upwards and seems to surround the plain. Wide desert plain and mountains. CinemaScope in the real world.
Time (The Revelator) is not an album strewn with hit singles, or for that matter upbeat toe-tappers. But instead of short lived thrills you get slow atmospheric bluegrass-folk-blues. And it is wonderful stuff.
'My First Lover', 'Red Clay Halo' and 'Elvis Presley Blues' are fantastic tracks - slightly melancholy but expertly played. There is a moment of lightness, albeit fleeting, in 'I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll'. But the best is saved for last. 'I Dream A Highway' is a slow burning epic. At nearly fifteen minutes long it's not an easy listen but well worth the effort; and with each passing minute the CinemaScope picture is built up.
Pretty soon the high desert plain is going to be met by the foot of the mountains. In a few miles anyhow. Then the road will rise once again, the temperature will drop and the dusty open plain will give way to river valleys and mountain tops. Time perhaps for a change of pace?
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