Reissue Wednesday: Tony Rice

Tony Rice
Night Flyer: The Singer Songwriter Collection
Rounder, 2008

Behind the drab cover and awkward, inaccurate subtitle (Rice is not a songwriter, and not all of these songs come from the singer-songwriter cannon) is actually an interesting, well-chosen compilation covering an overlooked era in the music of the maverick guitarist and vocalist Tony Rice. From about '83 until '92, Rice cultivated a kind of acoustic roots music art song. He applied his bluegrass chops to slightly more sophisticated material from singer/songwriters, country, and jazz, along with vividly reimagined folk and bluegrass songs...the result was a series of wonderful records like Cold on the Shoulder, Native American, and Me and My Guitar. The records have been somewhat overshadowed by Rice's major triumph's like Manzanita, the first records with Crowe and Grisman, and his recent work with Peter Rowan. Hopefully this collection will correct that oversite.

There are two particulars worth noting -- first off, the liner notes by Ron Block are great: insightful, passionate, thoughtful, and conversational. Secondly, and this is not really mentioned in the promotional literature or on the sticker, this collection contains Rice's last recorded vocal, "Pony."

I've had some trouble with my voice lately...nothing major, but some unwelcomed wear and inflammation brought on by a combination of bad habits and gastro-intestinal issues. But even this mild threat hit me really hard. I mean, your voice is who you are. It's how you express yourself to other people. It's how you communicate emotions and thoughts...it's how you talk and sing and interact. That said, when I was struggling (and I still am a little) with my voice, I got really depressed. It seems like a basic right, you know? Something we all take for granted.

Tony hasn't sung in ages, due to some strain of dysphonia. No one knows exactly how -- maybe the upcoming biography on Tony will address it, but I doubt it. Bluegrass people don't talk about it. It's an extensive sort of denial that persists...

In 2000 or 2001, during a break from recording a Rice, Rice, Hillman, and Pederson, Tony sat down with John Carroll and recorded a version of "Pony," a Tom Waits song. First off, it's a brilliant song, with a cascading melody and a resonant, powerful lyric. So many Waits fans that I know seem to be into his music just for the weird factor...they always say "Listen to this -- it's like two hobos beating on an oil can inside a factory!" They never say "Listen to this -- it's such a beautiful, well-crafted song!" Waits' own performances, I feel, sometimes undermine the grace and beauty of his craftsmanship.

This version of "Pony" is devastating...maybe it is the circumstances. You can hear Rice's voice fraying. You can hear the great amount of effort he is putting into pushing air through his throat and over his vocal cords...his struggle goes hand in hand with the lyric of the song, and the result is just hard to take. My wife made me turn it off. I only listened to it once. That was all I could stand...it's really sad. But kudos to Tony for having the balls to release it. Tom Waits may pretend to be raspy and broken down...Tony Rice is raspy and broken down. I'm not sure if its art or documentary, but it deserves to be heard.