Tom Pacheco - Woodstock Winter - - VBR

This album could have been credited to Tom Pacheco & The Band, as it is the cooperation between the singer/songwriter and the band with a capitol B that makes this album successfull. Pacheco can be labeled as a "friend of Norway", because of his work with Steinar Albrigtsen and his Norwegian record contract. But this album is recorded in Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, New York, where Pacheco himself lived for seven years. It's been a long time since Pacheco has released such excitingly arranged music (created together with producer and guitarist Jim Weider). The backing is dominated by the new members of the Band, and Weider's copying of Robbie Robertson's guitar sound in certain songs are bordering on theft. Randy Ciarlante's drums and Richard Bell's acoustic piano are often in front, while the contributions of Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko are limited to a few guest appearances. The songs from Pacheco's bottomless well are better than in a long time, the lyrics are strictly narrative, and his voice is just as ragged and loose as it should be.
-- Øyvind Rønning, Dagbladet, Feb '97 (translated from Norwegian)

Yet another criminally neglected artist. Give him a listen.

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