Tom Paxton - It Ain't Easy (1998/2019)

Veteran folk-pop singer Tom Paxton was still delivering excellent albums in the early 1990s, one fine example being It Ain't Easy. Paxton was always a thoughtful lyricist and a masterful storyteller, and as usual, he gives us a lot to think about. "Billy Got Some Bad News Today" describes a man who has just learned he has a serious illness, while "Living the Street Life" examines the horrors of homelessness without preaching. "Something Going On" finds Paxton portraying a parent whose son is using crack cocaine, and on "Mister Can't-Go-On," he tries to dissuade a man from committing suicide. True to form, Paxton really makes us feel for his characters from the man calling a suicide prevention hotline to the homeless man, the singer-songwriter brings these individuals to life in a most insightful, moving fashion.