Steve Goodman was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and just 11 days after his death in September 1984, the Cubs made it into the National League playoffs, something that never happened in his lifetime. With similar luck,
Goodman won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album following the release of 1987's
Unfinished Business, a set of live takes, unreleased studio recordings, and radio sessions that his manager
Al Bunetta compiled and released posthumously.
Unfinished Business was in many ways similar to 1983's
Artistic Hair and 1984's
Affordable Art, two late-period
Goodman albums that mixed material from various sources and time periods. All three albums show off the wide range of
Goodman's talents as a songwriter and performer, and on
Unfinished Business,
Goodman gracefully embraces the complex emotions of "In Real Life," the eager silliness of "Don't Get Sand in It," and a bit of both at the same time on "God Bless Our Mobile Home."
Goodman could attack the rockabilly grooves of "Millie Make Some Chili" and wrap himself up in the evocative acoustic tones of "Colorado Christmas" and sound like a masterful performer in either context. He wasn't by nature a flashy guitarist, but on his interpretations of "The Dutchman" and "My Funny Valentine," he accompanies himself with confidence and style.
Unfinished Business is full of fine moments and this material most certainly merited release, but it also feels a bit less satisfying than
Artistic Hair or
Affordable Art; "Don't Get Sand in It" was one of the sillier moments in
Goodman's repertoire, and while the performance of "The Dutchman" featured here is splendid, it's also a song that had appeared on more than one
Goodman album before this. But the aptly titled
Unfinished Business is a testament to the unpretentious genius of
Steve Goodman, and if there are better introductions to his work, nearly every track here is one nearly any musician would be proud to have in their catalog, and it will bring joy to anyone who ever loved his music. [In 2019,
Omnivore Recordings brought out a series of reissues of the albums
Goodman cut for his own
Red Pajamas label, including an expanded edition of
Unfinished Business. The remastering on
Unfinished Business sometimes reveals the differing levels of sound quality of the ten tracks, but the audio is strong overall and is clearer than the previous
Red Pajamas release. This edition also adds nine bonus tracks, including several solo acoustic performances, two songs that sound like they were written for a children's television show ("Kidstown USA" and "Good Gang Express Theme") and the eccentric "Ballad of Flight 191 (They Know Everything About It)," a mock live recording in which the "audience" offers an occasional commentary on the song and its lyrics. The booklet includes a fine essay from
Lee Zimmerman with thoughts from
Goodman's friends and colleagues, adding to the quality of a package that's a must for
Steve Goodman fans.] ~ Mark Deming
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