Americana Master Series: Best of the Sugar Hill Years

Guy Clark is considered one of the best songwriters to come out of the Texas scene during the '70s (or any other scene). He earned his rep and royalties penning classics like "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting for a Train." Like so many of his fellow songwriters, however, Clark's quiet observational style never quite jibed with major-label status, eventually leading him to join Sugar Hill's roster. Best of the Sugar Hill Years captures Clark between the mid-'90s and the early 2000s, comfortable in his craft and joined by a number of fine pickers including multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott. There are a number of solid selections on Best of the Sugar Hill Years, including the sardonic title track from Cold Dog Soup and the jaunty "Sis Draper." One somewhat odd aspect to this collection is that it was pulled from only three albums, Keepers (1997), Cold Dog Soup (1999), and The Dark (2002), and the first of these is live. This is an around-about way of saying that the collection is a rather narrow one, concentrating on a six-year period from someone who's been in the business for over 30 years. The collection works best, then, as a companion piece to Rounder Records' earlier two-set disc from 1995, Craftsman. Best of the Sugar Hill Years will nonetheless provide a solid overview for those unfamiliar with Clark's later accomplishments. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi