Rhonda Harris - 'Tell The World We Tried' (Auditorium) Released 19/03/07

A Danish indie band embarks on an album-length tribute to Texan troubadour Townes Van Zandt. It can only end in disaster, right? Wrong. 'Tell The World We Tried' is a rare 24-carat gold chunk in the dreaded cover album category.

Alt. country icon Steve Earle calls the late, great Van Zandt the finest songwriter ever to pick up a guitar, and that's not much of an overstatement. With a PhD in poetic heartbreak and a doctorate in finely turned phrase, such was Van Zandt's natural prowess in desolate balladry that his strongest tunes could still stun if stripped down to one-string banjo accompanied skeletons. Which is what Van Zandt often opted for in his output, resisting any extra ornamentation beyond his bone-dry drawl and sparsely plucked guitar, resulting in a back catalogue wherein the punishing starkness of the delivery occasionally steps on the toes of the songwriting genius.

Which is where this album steps in, with ten accessible, electrifying and imaginative renditions of choice picks from the Townes Van Zandt songbook. On first encounter, the diverse, from-banjo-to-brass arrangements seem a bit too rich considering the gloomy starkness of the source material. For example, pumping up the dust-blown desperation of 'Waitin' Round To Die' - a weary shrug of a tune every bit as cheerful as its title suggests - into a well-oiled, widescreen alt. rock vehicle that cruises down a desert highway with the roof rolled down seems almost sacrilegious, but soon the efforts of wispy-voiced Rhonda Harris mainstay Nikolaj Norlund and his chums (including two of the Raveonettes) start to make glorious sense.
Put simply, these radical yet respectful re-imaginings aim to update the Van Zandt catalogue to better meet the demands of a modern listener. From the foreboding full moon groove of 'Rake' to the Band-esque loose thud of 'Two Girls' and the rare ray of warming sunlight provided by the languidly lovely 'No Place to Fall', the strike rate is awe-inspiringly impressive, with only the ghostly 'Kathleen' collapsing underneath uncalled-for clutter. Of the highlights, 'Marie's bleak portrayal of homelessness and poverty turns into an ominous, stuttering stomp worthy of prime Bad Seeds and the gentle 'If I Needed You' is charged with pulsating vintage psych vibes, whilst 'Tecumseh Valley's heartbreaking tale of dashed hopes and death is sweetened by a folk lilt of almost unbearably poignant prettiness that resonates long after the album's finished.

If you're already hip to Van Zandt's downtrodden magic, 'Tell The World We Tried' is guaranteed to bowl you over. If you're not, this is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted.