If
Guy Clark isn't the greatest of all Texas singer/songwriters (that honor would doubtless belong to
Clark's friend
Townes Van Zandt), he typifies the style as well as anyone you could name, and the subtle literacy and novelist's detail that mark his best work typify what made the Texas "outlaw" scene important without succumbing to its excesses.
Clark also knows enough to make records when he's good and ready, and no sooner, and for someone who's been recording since 1975 he's produced a relatively small body of work, eleven studio albums in 32 years, but
Clark's lack of enthusiasm for the conventional wisdom of the music business may well be one of the reasons his albums have been so consistently strong. Hindsight 21-20: Anthology 1975-1995 is the first multi-label anthology that's attempted to present a concise overview of
Clark's career, though significantly it covers his first two decades of record-making before he left the major labels for the more comfortable pace of independent record making. Given that
Clark has had little in the way of hits, this sampling from seven albums leans more towards great songs that were well-served in the studio rather than familiar tunes, though his best-known compositions do make the cut, including "L.A. Freeway," "New Cut Road," "Home Grown Tomatoes," "Texas 1947," and "Texas Cookin'."
Clark's voice and lyrical style undergo an understated evolution over the course of this set -- there's a weight and maturity in "The Randall Knife" and "Boats to Build" that he couldn't quite reach in his younger days -- but there isn't a song here that doesn't have something to say that's worth hearing, all set to melodies that only add to their strength. If you're not familiar with
Guy Clark, you could hardly do better than to introduce yourself to his artistry with this CD, and even longtime fans will be pleased with how well this collection serves these fine songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
