Hank Williams: Alone With His Guitar

When Hank Williams died in 1953, his death gave rise to a virtual subgenre of songs mourning his passing. Country music knew then what time has only confirmed: His contributions and loss were incalculable. This feeling eventually allowed Williams to enjoy a posthumous career that anticipated those of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, and Tupac Shakur, a testament both to labels' ability to exploit artists beyond the grave, and to the profound connection such artists made with their fans. Countless hits and rarities collections—and even a few "duets"—followed in the wake of Williams' death, a trend that continues with Alone With His Guitar, a fine new collection of solo performances. Owners of 1998's 10-disc box set will have heard this material before, but it easily stands on its own merits. Divided almost evenly between pre-Nashville radio performances and demos recorded after he became a star, Alone offers an intimate look at Williams as an unaccompanied performer and helps reveal what made his career so extraordinary. Drawn entirely from early 1949, the radio performances, almost all of them covers, hint at the diversity of Williams' influences. They range from recent hits (Jimmy Work's "Tennessee Border") to less familiar material (mentor Fred Rose's "Blue Love (In My Heart)"). The sole original, the eerily moving "Alone & Forsaken," has an energy entirely its own, though that energy is found in abundance on the album's second half. Demos of "I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You," "Honky-Tonk Blues," and other Williams compositions may not surpass their official versions, but their intimacy is striking. Posthumous albums should illuminate their subjects while paying tribute to them. With reverence (in the form of an excellent essay by William Gay) more than matched by the material presented, Alone With His Guitar ranks among the best.