Resurrection

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The passage of time has seemingly mellowed the previously irascible Kinky Friedman, or at the very least, made him less cranky and more thoughtful. After years away from the studio, Friedman recommitted himself to recording with 2015's The Loneliest Man I Ever Met and 2018's Circus of Life, spare and primarily acoustic sessions that traded his usual sarcasm and cheerfully offensive nature for more contemplative material and a rueful tone that was a bit unexpected from the man who gave us "Asshole from El Paso." By comparison, 2019's Resurrection is a more upbeat and full-bodied album; producer Larry Campbell has filled out the arrangements and made this a more inviting listen, a solid exercise in tasteful acoustic Americana that fills the gap between folk and country with grace and flatters the slightly grainy tone of Friedman's voice at the age of 74. If Resurrection is a more approachable album, that doesn't mean the mood is strikingly different than the albums that immediately preceded it. There's a bit more wit in these songs (which came from Friedman's pen), but belly laughs are off the menu, and though he's still capable of wordplay like "What's in my heart is in my soul is in a day-old donut hole eaten by an off-duty cop in San Francisco," Resurrection is very much an autumnal work. Friedman takes the perspective of a man looking back on his life in more than one of these tunes, especially when he recalls his earlier career in "Me and Billy Swan," says goodbye to his most loyal friend in "A Dog in the Sky," and charts the unexpected directions that life can take in the title song. Ultimately, Friedman the Smart-Ass has given way to Friedman the Philosopher on Resurrection, and the new persona fits him well, both as a vocalist and a lyricist. This falls short of a late-career masterpiece, but if you want to contend that Resurrection is Friedman's best realized album since the mid-'70s, the evidence suggests you're correct.
© Mark Deming /TiVo