T-Model Ford is an old Mississippi Delta curiosity and a holdover from the early days of Fat Possum Records, an Oxford, Mississippi label originally formulated as a platform for a dying breed of blues — old, mostly African-American men with inscrutable relationships with their out-of-tune guitars.
Oh, remember when Madonna promised to lead us through the wilderness with a witty, ambitious combination of disco sex appeal, businesswoman savvy and cardinal danger? Remember when she had her own cheekbones?
If the only stupid question is the one not asked, then Danny Schmidt, a Charlottesville expatriate and a founding father of the local folk scene, is thumbtack sharp, a songwriter with the curviest question marks.
The thing about nostalgia is that it's deliciously indulgent, like turtle cheesecake, and Worrell's record is comparably rich. The Honey Guide is thick with string, twang, and image-heavy writing, and the elements that make it perfect for certain occasions are the same elements that make it a little too much for everyday listening.
Red Letter Year is a string of songs that, more often than not, sound heavy instead of layered, muddy instead of nuanced, and bury Ani's trademark percussive finger picking and vocal flexibility.
