Here are this week’s five songs worth listening to. A few weeks off edition.

Two of my three paying gigs have been super busy of late, so the blog took a back seat the last couple of weeks, including the Fab Five Friday, but we are back this week.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band–The Times They Are A Changin’

I have a buddy who hates it when I say this, but I really like Dylan songs…when someone else is singing them. This is no exception. Jeff Hanna and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, godfathers of the genre at this point, recruited a murderer’s row of talent for this cover. Jason Isbell, Rosanna Cash, husband and wife pair War and Treaty and my close, personal friend who I met once Steve Earle all take turns. Yeah, that will work on this folk classic cover.

Chapel Hart–You Can Have Him Jolene

Dolly Parton wrote Jolene way back in 1973. It took until this year for someone to answer what the reaction would be if that man Jolene was chasing wasn’t worth keeping. Chapel Hart is sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and cousin Trea Swindle. And it sounds like maybe they no a no-good man when they see one.

50 Cent–Part of the Game

Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Listen, sometimes you just need nostalgia to make you think it is 2002 again. And this song oozes early-career Fiddy. So sit back, put down the high-grade medicinal and throw some ditch weed in a philly for old time sake.

Charley Crockett–I Can Help

Charlie Crockett is a walking honky tonk jukebox. In fact, some of my favorite work of his has been honky tonk classic covers. This one is a Billy Swan tune Charlie did for the Next Waltz Vol. 3 album recorded at Bruce Robison’s studio. It only took a couple of takes to get it the way they wanted it. Charley was a festival discovery for me a few years back and I’ve been happy to follow along since.

Ross Cooper–Named After A River (For Brazos)

Ross Cooper, out of Lubbock, Texas, has written songs for William Clark Green, Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen and a few other Texas stalwarts. He also has presumably never met my wife, but he still managed to write a song about her.

We’ll be back with five more next week. Until then, remember the immortal words…
“Songs are really just interesting things to be doing with the air.” Tom Waits