In the liner notes of Rounder's reissue of
Mary McCaslin's 1981 album
A Life and Time,
Terry Kitchen notes that she'd returned to "a more organic sound, with subtle touches of electric guitar, Fender Rhodes piano and percussion" on the album. Anyone familiar with
McCaslin's classic mid-'70s albums will likely be incredulous about such a statement. It isn't that she was ever a folk purist, but her sound was organic, and didn't include electric guitar and piano.
A Life and Time's success or lack thereof rises and falls on
McCaslin's use of a more contemporary production. Her new version of the self-penned "Northfield," for instance, pales in comparison to the '70s take, and her attempt at
the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" brings nothing new to the song. Just when one's ready to give up on the album, however,
McCaslin offers a straightforward country take on "Fair and Tender Ladies" and follows it with a pretty good version of
Jim Ringer's "The Band of Jesse James." Even at its best, though,
A Life and Time doesn't reach the artistic height of her '70s work. Simply put,
McCaslin's heart doesn't really seem to be into the music, and the production and half-realized arrangements further that impression. For those unfamiliar with her work, the compilation
Things We Said Today will serve as a much better introduction. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.