Times Like These, released posthumously, is
Rick Danko's last studio album. There's a tendency for fans to under-appreciate the singer/bassist's later work, opting instead for some sepia-toned memory of the Ontario farm boy amidst his original
Band colleagues in the '60s and '70s -- but that's only part of the story of a 40-year career. Later in life,
Danko's voice, while remaining the distinctly mournful instrument of his youth, mellowed to equal parts milk and whiskey. Here, a less urgent and wiser artist wraps his pipes around his signature tune
"This Wheel's on Fire," which is drawn out on both ends by elegant instrumental passages. This version of the song is a fitting coda to
Danko's life, lingered over lovingly and masterfully by
the Crowmatix with
Band cohort
Garth Hudson, a veritable one-man
Fellini soundtrack on accordion.
"Let the Four Winds Blow," a
Fats Domino/
Dave Bartholomew cover recorded live, showcases
Levon Helm on harmonica and longtime
Danko and
Band associate
Professor "Louie" on piano and vocals, rolling and stomping in the finest spirit of
the Band.
"All Our Past Times," a return to a song the artist co-wrote with
Eric Clapton in 1976, is wistfully gorgeous and heart-wrenchingly appropriate. And a cover of
The Grateful Dead's
"Ripple" -- with
Hudson and
Helm once again making appearances -- is delivered with the rustic charm of a back porch session (albeit a highly skilled one). While the album can drip with sentimentality or sound too polished at times, ultimately
Times Like These, co-produced by
Danko and
Professor "Louie" (aka
Aaron Hurwitz), is a thoughtfully rendered reflection on a great musical life. ~ Erik Hage
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