Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute to John Anderson

If you only know John Anderson from his 1983 novelty crossover hit "Swingin'," you're missing out: In the '80s and early '90s, he was real-deal country, with a backwoods Florida twang and a completely unique delivery—you could never predict if his timbre was going to swoop or take flight. Anderson fell off radio playlists but has remained a favorite of other artists, and an impressive roster of them has lined up for a tribute album produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach for his Easy Eye Sound label. (He and engineer David Ferguson also worked on Anderson's 2020 comeback album, Years.) Auerbach really lets the musicians' personalities shine through. You can easily imagine these versions on the artists' own albums, and that's mostly a good thing.  Eric Church's take on "Mississippi Moon" is a highlight, stripping away the dated synthetic production of the 1994 original. The piano here sounds warm, not processed, and the gospel choir's restraint is just right. Modern yet classic, it's totally suited to his voice. Gillian Welch delivers a plain-spoken version of "I Just Came Home to Count the Memories," simplifying the old-fashioned syrupy sweetness of Anderson's take. While "When It Comes to You" has always conveyed the ache of betrayal, Sturgill Simpson gives it a different brand of moodiness—a simmering anger—and a psych-lite sheen. Luke Combs retains the mysterious swampiness of "Seminole Wind," with Auerbach layering on a bottom-heavy thump. It's easy to imagine Ashley McBryde torching a song like "Straight Tequila Night," about a bar patron you should avoid when she orders the titular drink, but she turns it into a terrific slow burn. Bluegrass legend Del McCoury's quirky voice is a fine match for "Would You Catch a Falling Star," and the lyrics of Bobby Braddock's jokey cautionary tale about a once big-time country hero who had a "silver-plated bus and a million country fans/ Now there's just a few of us and he drives a little van," feel more poignant with time. Anderson's excellent "Wild and Blue"—marked by his high-lonesome delivery and sister Donna Kay's molasses-rich backing vocals—has long been a favorite cover for alt-country acts like Lucinda Williams, Freakwater and Mekons; here, Brent Cobb does a more grounded take on the waltz. And Nathaniel Rateliff moves the sly "Low Dog Blues" out of the honky-tonk and into a blues club. The album is also notable for featuring one of the last songs John Prine recorded before his death in 2020, a gorgeously ragged version of the nostalgic "1959." Amid all these big names, newcomer Sierra Ferrell holds her own, shining a bright light on "Years," a recent contribution to Anderson's catalog; her songbird twang, accompanied by Cajun bluegrass fiddle, banjo and mandolin, is a marvel. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz