Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

The liner notes on this new CD by Americana legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott are full of awe; fortunately, the music lives up to the claims. A student of Woody Guthrie and mentor of Bob Dylan, Elliott took a page from the Johnny Cash/Rick Rubin playbook and invited an eclectic group of musicians to join him on I Stand Alone. Flea provides bass on most of the tracks, and Elliott’s also got help from Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney and alt-country diva Lucinda Williams, among others. High points include “Driving Nails in My Coffin” (with harmony by Tucker), a nice cover of Leadbelly’s “Jean Harlow,” a haunting rendition of “Remember Me” and Elliott’s spoken-word piece “Woody’s Last Ride.” I put it on shuffle with June Carter Cash’s Wildwood Flower for a beautiful all-American mix.