'Bound For Glory' for cats. Cooders' homage to dust-bowl politics.

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Product Description

With a concept that could have failed on so many levels in lesser hands, Ry Cooder stuns once again in MY NAME IS BUDDYand demonstrates why he is one of America's most adventurous musicians. His chosen material is a loose collection of animal character sketches--the titular Buddy is a cat--based on labor struggles and the lower class in Depression-era America. Think of it as Woody Guthrie meets Beatrix Potter.
While an odd construct on page for a man that jammed with Beefheart, the Stones, and the Buena Vista Social Club, MY NAMEIS BUDDY flies with every track. The stellar cast of musicians includes the brothers Seeger, Van Dyke Parks, Jim Keltner, Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, and Flaco Jimenez, and grounds the fairy tale atmosphere with musical blood and guts. The ensembles tear through early-19th-century forms (country blues, bluegrass, and old-time arrangements) with a rollicking flair.

Track Listing

1. Suitcase In My Hand
2. Cat And Mouse
3. Strike
4. J Edgar
5. Footprints In The Snow
6. Sundown Town
7. Green Dog
8. Dying Truck Driver
9. Christmas In Southgate
10. Hank Williams
11. Red Cat Till I Die
12. Three Chords And The Truth
13. My Name Is Buddy
14. One Cat One Vote One Beer
15. Cardboard Avenue
16. Farm Girl
17. There's A Bright Side Somewhere

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6333 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .35 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though this release carries the deceptive subtitle Another Record by Ry Cooder, the virtuosic guitarist and ethnomusicological adventurer has never released another album quite like this. And neither has anyone else. After brilliant side trips into the music of pre-Castro Cuba and pre-baseball Chavez Ravine, Cooder returns to the Depression-era and Dust Bowl ballads that marked his earliest solo releases of the 1970s. Yet most of this material is original, offering a populist parable of three fellow travelers: Buddy Red Cat, Lefty Mouse, and the Reverend Tom Toad. The tradition of putting pointed social commentary in the mouths of animals extends from Animal Farm to Pogo, and Buddy seems like a feline cross between Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill--a troubadour of union solidarity, interspecies brotherhood, and radical populism. Though Cooder's cartoon vocals occasionally sound a little mannered, the music throughout ranks with his best, as he reunites with conjunto accordion master Flaco Jimenez and soul singers Terry Evans and Bobby King, enlists banjo brothers Pete and Mike Seeger, and receives inspired support from the Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, pianist Van Dyke Parks, and drummers Jim Keltner and (his son) Joachim Cooder. Whether he's channeling his inner Chet Baker on "Green Dog" or closing with the utopian vision of "There's a Bright Side Somewhere," Cooder shows more sides of his multifaceted music than he has on any previous release. --Don McLeese

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Customer Reviews

an "old-fashioned" Cooder-album!
The problem I had with the last two Cooder-albums (Mambo Sinuendo and Chavez Ravine) was the fact I found them too elaborate; large ensembles, many instrumental ideas. This album is in line with the Ry Cooder I know (and love) from the early- to mid '70s! Most of the tracks have a blues-country-feel with hints of Tex Mex (Flaco Jimenez!)and Irish Folk (Paddy Moloney!). There are rockers (The Rolling Stones should be jealous of 'Three Chords and the Truth'!) and acoustic ballads. It's a concept-album about the travels and adventures of Buddy Red cat and his friends, complete with stories and illustrations...
This could be a very nice journey!

Well Ry, what a great surprise!

With this new record, Ry Cooder returns to sounds and themes that he often explored on his first four Warner Bros albums (1970-1974). These are now considered as classics.

Ry Cooder's return to this kind of material is good news indeed if, like me, you have been less enthralled by the recorded output he came up with after the "Long Riders" (OST, 1980.) Actually, since that time, apart from the superb "Paris, Texas" (OST, 1989), and "Music By Ry Cooder" (1995 soundtrack collection), I must confess that his only other projects that I have thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end are "A Meeting By The River" (1993) and - of course - "Buena Vista Social Club" (1997.) It should be added, though, that there was always something worthwhile on most everything he did release.

The material here is centred on topics related to the life of the poor folks living (sort of) in the USA at the time of the Great Depression, their incessant travels, their whereabouts in the work camps... as described by fictional characters. Boomers stories indeed which remind of Woody Guthrie (himself a Cooder favourite).
Cooder composed most of this material but it is firmly steeped in the old folk tradition (a tradition that Ry Cooder, always the ethnomusicologist supreme, intimately knows.) The lyrics show much more of a (left of centre) political stance than on Cooder's earlier recordings. Humour is also put to good use.

The tunes are of a consistently high quality, but, at this moment, I would single out "Suitcase in My Hand", "Red Cat Till I Die" and "The Dying Truck Driver."

The production and musicianship are, predictably, superb.
Alongside long-time acolytes like Jim Keltner, Flaco Jimenez, Bobby King, Terry Evans and Van Dyke Parks, there are appearances by banjoists Mike and Pete Seeger as well as by the Chieftains' Paddy Maloney.

This album is a gem on a par with the best previous Cooder offerings. It is a must if you already enjoy Ry Cooder's early albums.

Buddy, can you spare the time?
I honestly do not understand the first review of this album. Anyone who does not understand the allegorical nature of "My Name Is Buddy" must be the kind of persion who thinks George Orwell's classic tale of Stalinist Russia, Animal Farm, is a poor kind of children's story.

Cooder can fairly claim to be the living guardian of dust-bowl Americana. This is a finely crafted album which takes us back to Cooder's acoustic roots. There is an authentic feel to the tracks with some very fine playing in Cooder's instantly recognisable style - be it on guitar, bajo sexto or mandolin. On many tracks Cooder collaborates with Flaco Jiminez (acordian) and one of the best drummers around, in my humble opinion, Jim Keltner. For those who are impressed by such things, Peter and Mike Seeger add some lovely banjo flourishes.

This is a story, from start to finish. You need to listen to it carefully and read the beautifully presented notes in order to truly benefit from the experience but if you only dip in and out of it you will still admire the stylish, tasteful music. Incidentally, do NOT buy this album via iTunes - you really, really need the CD package to enjoy this experience to its full and when you hold it in your hands you'll understand why you need it.

I think Ry Cooder must be on a mission to give something back to his loyal fan base. Both this album and his previous, Chavez Ravine, appear to have been made for the pure joy of reliving history and telling a story. They have also come with extensive liner notes and beautiful packaging. And at a fair price. Kinda makes you wonder exactly why many popular CDs come with nothing and cost double, doesn't it?

My personal recommendation, if you have young children in particlar, is buy this album and read the story from the liner notes to them while they listen to the music. Although it is not a children's story, what child could not resist the imaginative use of animals as a way of making history accessible? Perhaps only an adult who thinks Animal Farm is for kids?