Cold Dog Soup

Guy Clark | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 26, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 26, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B00002067S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,410 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Indie Music > Country > Traditional Country
  • #13 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Singer Songwriters
  • #49 in Music > Indie Music > Country > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

If this front-porchy set disappoints, it's only because, as dean of singer-songwriters, Guy Clark has established such imposing standards. Rather than offering the exacting, patient craftsmanship we've come to expect, many of these new tunes feel like playful ephemera, the result of a friendly all-night song swap--though it hardly hurts if your friends include Emmylou Harris, Verlon Thompson, and Darrell Scott. Closer inspection, however, reveals a more serious purpose. Starting with Steve Earle's "Fort Worth Blues," through "Water Under the Bridge" (in which all things pass away), on to Richard Dobson's "Forever, for Always, for Certain," a recognition of the tricks that time can play, Cold Dog Soup is suffused with visions of mortality. The album ends with three exquisite hymns to life in the face of death. In "Red River," Clark celebrates his family history; in "Die Tryin'" life is defined as risk; and in "Be Gone Forever," penned by Anna McGarrigle and Keith Sykes, Clark finds consolation in memory and music. Even if much of Cold Dog Soup isn't up to Clark's best, this closing autumnal suite, played with devil-may-care élan and joy, certainly is. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guy Clark Turns Toward Appalachia, November 14, 1999

By 

Ken Craycraft (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Dog Soup (Audio CD)

What makes this wonderful album especially delightful is the way this son of Texas has turned his attention east toward Appalachia. You'll swear that Edgar Meyer was beside Guy Clark as he wrote these beautiful melodies. And I'll be damned if there are no cellos on this record; something is making those soulful, hollow sounds. On top of it all, Clark has written a pocketful of witty and clever lyrics. Guy Clark is an American treasure; Cold Dog Soup is another gem for the chest.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great CD from the godfather of Texas songwriters!, November 6, 1999

By 

Roger D. Kirkpatrick (Abilene, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Dog Soup (Audio CD)

Guy Clark has got an old soul. He's not that much older than me; yet, listening to his songs is a lot like listening to my granddad. For instance, on the first listen to this collection of great songs, I found myself thinking, "How's that again?" or wondering "What the hell does THAT mean?" So, I'd go back and really LISTEN again, and it'd hit me! "Man, that's great; I mean, that's REALLY great!" I'm reminded of the Joni Mitchell line, "The times you impress me the most are the times that you don't try." Guy doesn't even seem to be trying; he just sings it the way it is, and it bowls me over every time! My favorite songs are Cold Dog Soup; Sis Draper; Ain't No Trouble To Me; Water Under the Bridge; Red River; and, Die Tryin', but all the songs get better with every listen! Verlon Thompson's guitar and Darrell Scott's mandolin provide excellent accompaniment for Guy without gettin' in the way of the words. Thanks, Guy, for another great CD!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a near miss, March 17, 2000

By 

Jason Wilson (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cold Dog Soup (Audio CD)

Although this album sounds great thanks to his stellar sidemen, the songs lack the focus of Boats to Build or Old No. 1. The title track is razor sharp, but the album falls too often into fuzzy sentimentality (Sis Draper and Indian Head Penny)and ends up sounding too precious. The cover of Steve Earle's Ft. Worth Blues is solid if unexciting. The album comes off sounding less like a cohesive work and more like a one-off done with friends-- which has it's definite charms but this batch of songs just lacks the distinctive character and earthy bite of his earlier work (including the superior Dublin Blues.) Buy this one to complete the collection but, coming from a fan and slavish admirer, I think it's a little weak. The problem with being Guy Clark is that the bar is just so impossibly high.....