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Here, on Blood and Candle Smoke, he's perfected this method of songwriting and learned to record in a completely new way, to boot.
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It’s not a game-changer, career-wise--Russell doesn’t need one--but it’s perhaps a work that will gain him the broader recognition he has long deserved.
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His dark visions are overpowered by his colorful writing and pure humanity.
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That drive encapsulates Tom Russell and his artistic and spiritual sensibilities nicely, a drive whose end result places Blood and Candle Smoke head and shoulders above the songwriting rabble of today.
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UncutThe backing are stately, most elegant on the trumpet and Wurlitzer of 'Mississippi River Running Backwards.' [Oct 2009, p.108]
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MojoRussell sings with heartfelt authority, while Calexico's cool elegance balances the emotional ticket. [Oct 2009, p.106]