The Man of Somebody's Dreams: The Songs of Chris Gaffney (Yep Roc, 2009)
Various Artists
Reviewed by Brian Baker
The roll call is a who's who of contemporary roots music and a potent testament to the friendships that Gaffney made along his musical path. Joe Ely does a spirited version of Lift Your Leg, Los Lobos smolders on the title track, Peter Case tears through Six Nights a Week, The Iguanas swing and sway with Tex Mex abandon on Get Off My Back Lucy and Alejandro Escovedo invests the post-Viet Nam ballad 1968 with a palpable heartbreak.
Two of the most moving moments are Alvin's very personal dedication on Artesia, and the closing track provided by Gaffney himself on his final recording, his prescient and ironic reading of The Guitars of My Dead Friends. Although Nashville routinely rejected Gaffney as a songwriter, the illustrious guest list (further including Calexico, James McMurtry, Robbie Fulks, Big Sandy & Los Straitkackets, John Doe and Boz Scaggs) and devastating performances are solid evidence of Chris Gaffney's talent and, perhaps most importantly, his enormous creative spirit.
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