My Name Is Buddy - Music (Ry Cooder)

Though this release carries the deceptive subtitle Another Record by Ry Cooder, the virtuosic guitarist and ethnomusicological adventurer has never released another album quite like this. And neither has anyone else. After brilliant side trips into the music of pre-Castro Cuba and pre-baseball Chavez Ravine, Cooder returns to the Depression-era and Dust Bowl ballads that marked his earliest solo releases of the 1970s. Yet most of this material is original, offering a populist parable of three fellow travelers: Buddy Red Cat, Lefty Mouse, and the Reverend Tom Toad. The tradition of putting pointed social commentary in the mouths of animals extends from Animal Farm to Pogo, and Buddy seems like a feline cross between Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill--a troubadour of union solidarity, interspecies brotherhood, and radical populism. Though Cooder's cartoon vocals occasionally sound a little mannered, the music throughout ranks with his best, as he reunites with conjunto accordion master Flaco Jimenez and soul singers Terry Evans and Bobby King, enlists banjo brothers Pete and Mike Seeger, and receives inspired support from the Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, pianist Van Dyke Parks, and drummers Jim Keltner and (his son) Joachim Cooder. Whether he's channeling his inner Chet Baker on "Green Dog" or closing with the utopian vision of "There's a Bright Side Somewhere," Cooder shows more sides of his multifaceted music than he has on any previous release. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews of My Name Is Buddy

Pete Gage
Somerset, England
4th July 2008

Ry's Journey
After hearing/reading/listening to this album absolutely spellbound, I was left with tears in my eyes as the final song, "There's a bright side somewhere", was playing. The brilliant musicianship, the simplicity of the music, and the expression of hope in this whole album, touched me so deeply. And that's what I want from Ry Cooder: to hear him and enjoy the sound, but also to identify with him, and to be taken on his journey with him through each and every one of his recordings. I can always trust him to speak directly to me through his music. "My Name Is Buddy" is no exception. Thanks Ry Cooder for being true on your journey, and giving me a legacy of music that never dissappoints as long as my ears, mind and heart are open to receive.

catlover
edinburgh, uk
28th December 2007

an old red cat - and how!
if a cat took human form, joined the IWW and went on the road, this is what his songbook would sound like. i'm guessing ry cooder didn't vote for dubya? - not with songs like "j edgar" he didn't. it's poignant, edgy, funny, cutting, satirical, and shows signs of cajun, appalachian, and malian influences. it's a real tour de force from a master of re-invention and pioneer of non-mainstream music. loved it.

Burnie

25th November 2007

A Mature Classic
I love this record. I have all the others and really enjoy the range on this album as it covers most of his musical adventures. Touches of the first album, then Boomers Story and even The Slide Area...Sonically superb as usual with great dashes of humour. It's a gem.

Will
Belfast
6th September 2007

OK, Good, Brilliant or, some of the above?
I think you'll either love it or hate it. Old fashioned country style protest / working man / story songs. Falls awkwardly into that space after Guthrie and a long way before Springsteen. Definitely quirky. Theres even a polka tucked away in this album. Different and irreverent - liberties are taken with American folk music, concepts, values and practices. Nevertheless,this is a humorous and enjoyable collection.

Mr. W. Kirkham
stanmore
3rd July 2007

Complete an utter rubbish!!!!
On the strength of the revues i purchased this CD, on listening to this CD i found it quite boring! Very dissapointed, complete rubbish!!!

Musical content (-5)

The ideal venue for playing this CD would be a Crematorium, where the dead couldn't complain!!!!