Tucker Zimmerman – Dance Of Love (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 43:21 minutes | 469 MB | Genre: Folk, Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © 4AD
Across Tucker Zimmerman’s over 50-year career, the Belgium-based/US-born octogenarian folk singer-songwriter has maintained a level of obscurity, earning a reputation as one of American folk music’s most underrated talents. His discography – a gorgeous collection of records that explore his wide range of influences, from 12-bar blues to full-band rock concertos and classical piano compositions – is a deeply personal sonic memoir; a tribute to the people, experiences, and sounds that have shaped his life. Over the years Zimmerman has received praise from contemporaries such as 4AD labelmate and collaborator, Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker (“Tucker Zimmerman is one of the greatest songwriters of all time”), and even David Bowie, who called Zimmerman “too qualified for folk” and placed his debut 1969 record Ten Songs on his list of 25 favorite albums for Vanity Fair. In the spirit of celebrating his past, opening up his world to more audiences, and continuing to build his legacy, Zimmerman resurfaces with Dance of Love, his 11th studio album and 4AD debut. Produced by Big Thief; listeners will find meaningful friendships, hard-but-valuable lessons, worldly experience, and ultimately, lots of love.
The cover image on Dance of Love—a photo of a slightly grizzled octogenarian gripping a giant walking stick with one hand while his other arm is draped around his significant other—could lead one to believe that this album is some earnest indulgence by a hippie who just made his way out of the woods, but that is definitely not the case here. Tucker Zimmerman is not an accidental musician; his first album, 1969’s Ten Songs was produced by Tony Visconti and was claimed to be one of David Bowie’s favorites, and Dance of Love is anything but some piece of folkie self-seriousness. Zimmerman’s career as a singer-songwriter has been, putting it mildly, somewhat sporadic since Ten Songs. He released five albums between 1979 and 1983, then none until 2003, and has released four in 2024. Dance of Love is the most notable of those four—produced by the members of Big Thief, who may be even bigger fans of Zimmerman’s approach than Bowie was. While the band respectfully allows Zimmerman to be himself throughout, their confidence and energy shine through, most obviously when Adrienne Lenker joins for harmony vocals on many of the songs, providing additional texture and depth without dominating. Big Thief also help keep the proceedings loose and personal, even though Dance of Love is tonally sad and wistful numbers like “The Season,” with its twangy mournfulness, dominate. More pensive numbers are balanced out with plenty of moments of rollicking acoustic arrangements, whether on the singalong “Leave it on the Porch Outside” (featuring Zimmerman’s wife, Marie-Claire), or the jaunty “The Idiot’s Maze,” which may or may not be might be about death (its lyrics involve both breathing tubes and pancakes). Zimmerman’s grizzled but delicate voice shines on the bluesy, bouncy “Nobody Knows,” evoking a little bit of Tom Waits and Mark Knopfler, and while the “does anybody have a kazoo?” that opens “The Rama Lama Ding Dong Song” understandably could lead to reservations, the combination of his wizened approach and the gleeful energy of his younger musical compatriots helps elevate it into a moment of joyful silliness. – Jason Ferguson
Tracklist:
1-1. Tucker Zimmerman – Old Folks of Farmersville (04:19)
1-2. Tucker Zimmerman – The Idiot’s Maze (06:03)
1-3. Tucker Zimmerman – Lorelei (04:11)
1-4. Tucker Zimmerman – The Season (06:11)
1-5. Tucker Zimmerman – Burial At Sea (04:01)
1-6. Tucker Zimmerman – They Don’t Say (But It’s True) (03:29)
1-7. Tucker Zimmerman – Leave It On The Porch Outside (03:17)
1-8. Tucker Zimmerman – The Ram-a-lama-ding-dong Song (01:50)
1-9. Tucker Zimmerman – Don’t Go Crazy (Go In Peace) (03:20)
1-10. Tucker Zimmerman – Nobody Knows (06:36)
