I, Flathead

The ending of Ry Cooder’s Californian trilogy

Legendary American guitarist, singer and composer Ry Cooder is famous not only for his playing slide guitar but also for the interest to the culture of America and other countries. During his career he has several times played with Rolling Stones, traveled a lot and is a great expert of music genres. The latter is especially interesting. On Cooder’s albums several styles and directions co-exist harmoniously which makes it often quite difficult to classify them. This year Ry closes the so called Californian trilogy, a record series that began in 2005 with Chavez Ravine devoted to a Los Angeles Latin enclave that is now gone, followed by 2007’s creation My Name Is Buddy, a story told by a traveling cat. Finally today Kash Buk, a salt flats racer and the main character of Ry Cooder’s new album I, Flathead tells of the modern world’s most interesting and notable events. The author has added some written comment to each of the three conceptual albums, in particular, I, Flathead is released along with a 104 pages long novella which helps to understand better with what this or that track is associated.

I, Flathead can be called irksome by no means

I, Flathead presents a collection of unserious music telling of rather unserious things. The album opens with an absolutely stunning track Drive Like I Never Been Hurt with a lazy rhythm and mariachi tubes, and a more energetic composition Waitin' For Some Girl will make you smile due to its humorous lyrics. Song of the famous musician Johnny Cash with its merry guitars sounds like a soundtrack for a cowboy comedy while Can I Smoke I Here? – reflective blues – pleases with Cooder’s wonderfully nice vocals and a light unrestrained tune. A splendid guitar playing has refined another unusual song Steel Guitar Heaven on which Ry permits himself to have some spoken word whereas Ridin' With The Blues beginning with the divine sound of a starting engine is a great composition with country rock elements. A greeting from Mexico, Filipino Dancehall Girl, is a bright example of the work with various styles as well as My Dwarf Is Getting Tired on which there appear amazingly beautiful jazz notes. Jazz meets blues on almost a title track Flathead One More Time and here Ry once again speaks the text against the background of tubes and 5000 Country Music Songs is a smooth autobiographic composition about the performer’s creative path. The album closes with a surprise Little Trona Gir, the only song performed by female vocals and a beautiful ending of a long journey which is by no means irksome.

One of the greatest guitarists of all time

It looks like Ry Cooder’s life creed is searching for interesting things known to a narrow circle of people and drawing the audience’s attention to them. Thus one of the brightest and successful projects in which he has taken part as a producer lately is the 1997’s world famous recording of Cuban musicians Buena Vista Social Club with the eponymous documentary nominated for the Oscar in 2000. A perfect confirmation of the musician’s talent is the fact that Rolling Stone magazine has put his name on the eighth position on its list The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. As for his new album it is not likely to make a sensation but definitely proves to be a great representative of Ry’s creative work. The title’s full version is I, Flathead: Songs Of Kash Buk And The Klowns, and one can imagine how much unusual detail of Kash Buk’s life can be found in the attached novella. Cooder mentions various popular contests in his lyrics like eating hamburgers and also the latest technical achievements, most famous places of interest that is everything that makes an inseparable part of history to his mind. It’s hard to say what he is going to write about next time and obviously there is no use trying to guess that the best decision being to prepare for a new surprise that is waiting for us after the great and joyful album I, Flathead.