Charlie Louvin died yesterday morning from pancreatic cancer. I had heard Louvin Brothers songs here and there throughout my life but I had never listened to any of their actual albums until a few months ago. I'm by no means a big country fan and can't stand almost all contemporary radio country but a lot of classic country music is really good. The Louvin Brothers definitely qualify as being very good. While I'm not familiar with a large amount of their work there are two albums I've listened to multiple times now. This and it's accompanying review will be my tribute to a very important act in country music history.
The Louvin Brothers always sang a mix of gospel and country music. Tragic Songs of Life is a secular album consisting largely of dark, heartbreak songs and murder ballads. While most of the songs focus on the very dark side of life, the beautiful harmonies that Ira and Charlie sing make it easy to not notice the subject matter. Ira's high tenor and Charlie's regular tenor make songs like "Knoxville Girl," "In the Pines" and "My Brother's Will" seem a lot less threatening than the lyrics alone would be. There's a genuine compassion in their voices and that helps to keep the songs from becoming overbearingly bleak.
The music is simple, classic country. Only a few tracks are upbeat ("Let Her Go, God Bless Her," "A Tiny Broken heart," "Katie Dear") and the instrumental backing is sparse. There's only a faint snare drum and some basic bass chords to hold the rhythm. Charlie's guitar is also very minimal although Ira does get to add some mandolin flourishes to a number of songs.
Tragic Songs of Life is my favorite Louvin Brothers album (though I've only heard a couple and a best of album). The harmonies are so beautiful and the subject matter is more universal than a lot of their gospel recordings. It's never too late in life to discover a new type of music and even if it takes Charlie's death (Ira died in a car accident in 1965) to do so, I'd encourage everyone with a love of beautiful harmonies to get your hands on a copy of this album. It's a true classic.
Rating: 5/5
Track Listing:
1. "Kentucky" (2:40)
2. "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight" (3:14)
3. "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" (2:55)
4. "What Is Home Without Love" (3:00)
5. "A Tiny Broken Heart" (2:34)
6. "In the Pines" (3:15)
7. "Alabama" (2:43)
8. "Katie Dear" (2:34)
9. "My Brother's Will" (3:16)
10. "Knoxville Girl" (3:49)
11. "Take the News to Mother" (2:48)
12. "Mary of the Wild Moor" (3:11)
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