Music Man

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The supremacy of rhythm over melody in today's music has devalued songwriting to the point where the efforts of master songwriters are slowly being forgotten. Fortunately for Layng Martine, one of that older generation, he has a renowned music producer, Tucker Martine, for a son. The younger Martine, who in recent years has produced albums for My Morning Jacket, Neko Case and The Decemberists among others, gathered a group of musical notables, in particular guitarists Bill Frisell and Peter Buck, to fashion a living tribute to the neglected work of his talented father. Best of all, Layng, who has a low key but sneakily good voice for his own material, is the star singer here. Tucker effectively concentrates the inherent energy of a track like "Summertime Lovin'." With help from k.d. lang on background vocals, the crafty original country pop number—the kind that once gave Nashville-made singles such wide appeal—bounces along on a '60s pop beat with lines like "The night was so warm/ And the feeling was so strong/ Summertime lovin'/ Kinda swept us along." The same is true of the driving "Try Me Again," which pleads for another chance in an irrepressible chorus: "Let go of the past/ Let the future begin/ I'll do you right baby/ Try me again" and is, in a word, infectious. Throughout these twelve songs the son continually does his father right, arranging and highlighting the strengths of each track, making correct decisions on tempo, and adding supporting players to capture each number in its best light. On "Little Bit of Magic" another of Layng's happy pop numbers, the added handclaps and beautifully exact background vocals by Annalisa Tornfelt, Michael Finn and Laura Veirs (Tucker's ex-wife) are nothing short of masterful—a svelte resurrection of how and why '60s pop tunes were so sweet and seductive. Repeated listens beg the question of why these tracks weren't bigger hits in their own time.  © Robert Baird/Qobuz