Ry Cooder

Credible Muggins

Ry Cooder — My Name is Buddy

Suitcase in My Hand
Cat and Mouse
Strike!
J. Edgar
Footprints in the Snow
Sundown Town
Green Dog
The Dying Truck Driver
Christmas in Southgate
Hank Williams
Red Cat Till I Die
Three Chords and the Truth
My Name Is Buddy
One Cat, One Vote, One Beer
Cardboard Avenue
Farm Girl
There’s a Bright Side Somewhere

After many years in film soundtracks and in Cuba, Ry Cooder has returned to his “Boomer’s Story” landscape of 1973 — dusty, traditional-sounding songs (although all of them here are written by Cooder), played almost entirely on acoustic instruments, and so redolent of the blues and traditional country sounds.

There’s a political edge to some of the songs in this extended story, perhaps best exemplified by one of the backing musicians employed on the album — none other than Pete Seeger. Elsewhere, Cooder is backed by old friends, Bobby King, Terry Evans, and Jim Keltner, as well as the amazing accordionist Flaco Jimenez, and Seeger’s son Mike. Even Cooder’s singing, which was never that noteworthy, sounds just right.

This is not an album about to set the charts on fire, but it is a collection of strong, folksy tunes, performed with superb musicianship and the level of dedication and commitment we have come to expect of Ryland P Cooder.