For Once and For All (I.R.S. Nashville, 2014)
Cowboy Jack Clement
Reviewed by Lee Zimmerman
When Clement passed away last year, he left a legacy as rich as any in the entire sphere of contemporary music. He also gave fans a final album, the posthumous "For Once And For All," an aptly named and appropriate epitaph. It finds Clement in his traditional musical motif, thanks to a series of easy, ambling narratives ("I've Got a Thing About Trains," "Miller's Cave," "Just a Girl I Used to Know") and the occasional rugged reflection ("The Air Conditioner Song," "Got Leaving On Her Mind").
Clement's association with Cash couldn't be clearer; his earnest vocals frequently recall the Man in Black's rough-hewn vocal inflection. With a support cast that includes many of Clement's most ardent admirers (producer T Bone Burnett, John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Bobby Bare, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Rodney Crowell, Dierks Bentley and the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach), it culls several of his classic songs and recasts them in a modern context.
The results, then, are both striking and sublime, a suitable homage to a man whose influence will always remain eternally indelible. As its title implies, "For Once And For All" offers the definitive word on Clement's credence. Long may this Cowboy ride.
CDs by Cowboy Jack Clement
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