Parr, Charlie / Last Of The Better Days Ahead
Album: Last Of The Better Days Ahead   Collection:General
Artist:Parr, Charlie   Added:Jun 2023
Label:Smithsonian/Folkways  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2023-08-09 Pull Date: 2023-10-11
Week Ending: Oct 15 Oct 8 Oct 1 Sep 17 Sep 3 Aug 27 Aug 20 Aug 13
Airplays: 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2

Recent Airplay
1. Nov 04, 2023: Everything
Everyday Opus
4. Oct 07, 2023: Music Casserole
Decoration Day, 817 Oakland Avenue
2. Oct 17, 2023: Traditions
Walking Back From Willmar
5. Sep 30, 2023: Everything
Decoration Day
3. Oct 10, 2023: Traditions
817 Oakland Avenue
6. Sep 16, 2023: Hanging In The Boneyard
Bed of Wasps

Album Review
Mr. Bones
Reviewed 2023-06-11
You wouldn't expect a white guy from Duluth to follow in the delta blues tradition of the masters like Robert Johnson and Leadbelly but Parr does it with aplomb. Perhaps it is because he, like them, is a self taught musician. The sound he creates on both 6 & 12 string resonator guitars is truly amazing, simultaneously picking sliding high notes and raspy bass tones while singing poetic verses of the common man with his powerful vocals. Together the mix evokes the serene beauty of the boundary water region in his native Minnesota. Looking for a contemporary take on the likes of Dave Van Ronk and Doc Watson with out of this world, psychedelic inspired picking, this is your disk.

RIYL: Robert Johnson, Doc Watson, Dave Van Ronk, Leo Kottke

1 Last of Better Days Ahead - powerful vocals lamenting one's long gone youth over exquisite finger picking (fast, 3:35)***

2 Blues For Whitefish Lake, 1975 - haunting, almost spoken word, reflection on life (slow, 4:00)*

3 Walking Back From Wilmar - fast, syncopated picking with rich harmonics offset by driving vocal style (fast, 4:18)**

4 Anaconda - upbeat toe tapper with a delta blues vibe (fast, 3:47)***

5 Everyday Opus - bleak, poignant story of a man struggling to keep afloat with eloquent minor chords (med, 8:05)

6 On Fading Away - spooky vibe with steady beat broken by blood curdling breaks (med, 5:15)*

7 817 Oakland Ave - captivating celebration of life and spreading joy to others (4:18, fast)***

8 On Listening to Robert Johnson - eery story of hearing blues in the distance while walking a rural dirt road in the dead of night nicely accented with backing bass. (med, 5:58)

9 Bed of Wasps - moving lament on loneliness with desperate vocals over beautifully simple minor chords (slow, 3:52)**

10 Rain - minimalist guitar with bass & fiddle accents (med, 6:07)

11 Decoration Day - instrumental in style of Embryonic Journey by Jorma Kaukonen (slow, 15:54)

Track Listing
1. Last of the Better Days Ahead   6. On Fading Away
2. Blues for Whitefish Lake, 1975   7. 817 Oakland Avenue
3. Walking Back From Willmar   8. On Listening to Robert Johnson
4. Anaconda   9. Bed of Wasps
5. Everyday Opus   10. Rain
  11. Decoration Day