Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down

Cooder is not slowing down

For the forty years of his exciting stage life, Ry Cooder has walked a long way from a young lad who imitated his favorite artists to a legendary performer with a unique style. We have seen him change his guitar play approach, and his relations with press growing from bad to good; but there is one thing in Ry’s art that’s always been the same. Just like forty years ago, the musician prefers to sing about most irksome questions. Instead of sugary tales of eternal love, he offers the audience stories about a life speaking of which might be too scary, or too uncomfortable. However, to keep these songs from turning into dull news report, Ry chooses irony to narrate them, and the music has always been his indispensable tool. An amazing instrumentalist and music art connoisseur, Cooder feels acutely where and how music is supposed to meet lyrics. The musician’s latest works, particularly the so called Californian Trilogy, show that he keeps his music research and still grows as a performer. In 2011, Ry Cooder presented another studio work, Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down, to shine in his supremacy once more.

Smiles with tears behind or stories of New Depression

They used to sing about Great Depression, and now it is New Depression. Ry Cooder’s new album, Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down, is a collection of stories about rich and poor who have their own problems in this uneasy time. Cooder treats the former with hardly concealed sarcasm. To the latter is he sympathetic, but he is not going to cry for either of them. No Banker Left Behind, the album’s opener, tells about bankers who deceived decent citizens and are on the run now. The development unfold on the background of simple bluesy theme as if borrowed from Ry Cooder’s own deep past. Not flaming passions, but, quite oppositely, playful manner is the key that opens all the tracks here. In the meantime, music tends to change on the album. This can be lively rock and roll, like in Quick Sand, a story of an unlucky immigrant, or gospel, like in Lord Tell Me Why. Still, in most cases we can hear blues sounding. The best bluesy songs on the whole record are, most likely, antiwar Christmas Time This Year, and Baby Joined The Army. We also have to mention that, apart from guitar, Ry also played on banjo, mandolin, bass and keyboards for the album. Still, what else did we expect, if Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Dow is a work done not just by another musician, but a virtuoso who made music his god to worship.

Album that only Ry Cooder could make

Just like Ry Cooder’s other best works, Pull Up Some Dust & Sit Down has only one drawback that may call for attention from both specialist and regular listeners. Being an exemplary musician, Ry does not sing as well as he plays. In other words, speaking of technique or execution, the record might have been better should there be someone else behind the microphone. However, the audience does not measure or analyze the music, but tends to feel it; and replacement life that could lessen the impact. Ry sings of something that is not only interesting to him, but what bothers him most. The musician makes it completely clear that he is not satisfied with both economic and political developments in his native country. If there were a different singer, even one who actually has a much better vocal that Ry does, we would hardly perceive all the urgency of these messages. In fact, it does not look possible to imagine anybody replacing Ry to propose his great inspirer John Lee Hooker to US president post. John Lee Hooker For President is sure pure irony, but look at how it is done, and think of the problem standing behind it! And speaking about music, we find no problems here. Cooder is still in his prime.