Ry Cooder
The Prodigal Son

LA RECENSIONE

Ry Cooder is one of those guitarists who receive recognition and appreciation in a cross-cutting manner. All justly deserved, given that he is firstly a great musician, and secondly (but this is no less relevant) one of those figures who enhance the history of rock and the world of music in general. His talent lies not only in having engaged in different experiences, always with great results: Taj Mahal, collaboration with the Stones (including the "ghost" album with Edward and the controversies with Keef), and other giants of rock history like Captain Beefheart or Neil Young, and his solo production, of which one cannot fail to mention his work as a session man and soundtrack composer. That of "Paris, Texas" by Wim Wenders (1984) made him immortal. But aside from all this, I think one can recognize in his style, both as a guitarist and as a composer, his specific "cut," and in the "Americana" genre, which has a long history and an even larger number of protagonists, it is a gigantic merit. It means you are good and also that you are a kind of school leader.

Therefore, the fact that he still makes new albums today, after almost sixty years of an honorable career, whether these include new unreleased tracks or pieces that are classics of American musical tradition (in this album, specifically, we find both), means that he evidently still has something to say. Furthermore, his discography as a solo artist in the strictest sense cannot be considered particularly extensive, and from his last album, the discussed and politicized "Election Special" of 2012 (Perro Verde/Nonesuch), a good six years have passed. This time, however, instead of a protest song album (he had done the same with "Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down" in 2011), Cooder returns somewhat to his natural habitat, and without transcending political and social commitment, he tells pieces of his country, dedicating this work primarily to what he defines as "reverence." An important word, whose content is considered somewhat obsolete, but which instead digs deep into each of us, seeking that authentic respect for oneself as well as for others and everything surrounding us.

Recorded and produced as always with his son Joachim (an excellent drummer and percussionist, by the way), "The Prodigal Son" is released on Fantasy Records and on Perro Verde (Ry’s label) on last May 11. The album contains unreleased pieces like the Dylan-like "Shrinking Man," the Paul Simon-like "Graceland" of "Gentrification," and a typical Ry style piece like "Jesus and Woody." The rest are reinterpretations of American music classics and traditional pieces, starting with the "The Prodigal Son" that gives the album its title, which perhaps cannot be classified as "unforgettable" but which I sincerely feel like recommending to anyone.