Singer/songwriter
John Stewart
's musical career reaches back to the early '60s with
the Kingston Trio
, and so a new collection of his songs, presented with fairly basic arrangements, must seem like something of a homecoming.
Stewart
's smoky, weathered vocals (with just a touch of reverb added) brings an authentic style to
"Baby, It's You,"
"Jasmine,"
and the title cut. He's joined on a number of cuts by bassist
Dave Batti
, percussionist
John Hoke
, harp player
Henry Diltz
, and, in one instance, the background singing of
Penny Roberts
,
Bianca Batti
Kate Wallace
, and
Cina Batti
. With such a simple setup, what really stands out on
The Day the River Sang
are the singer and the songs, one man's interpretation of his own work. This gives songs like
"Sister Mercy"
an intimate, revelatory feel. Overall, the work here is fairly mellow, so it's nice when upbeat songs like
"Amanda Won't Dance"
and
"Midnight Train"
mix things up a bit. The album closes with the relaxed, bluesy
"Slider,"
complete with some nifty electric guitar riffs by
. For those who appreciate
's gift as a singer/songwriter,
offers a new chapter in an ongoing musical saga. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.