John McCutcheon - Trolling for Dreams (2017)

Trolling for Dreams, John McCutcheon’s newest (and 38th!) album is, according to early reviews, “a tour-de-force of songwriting…these incredible 14 songs are the most thought-provoking songs of his career!” It is what people have come to expect from the 6-time Grammy nominee, forty-five years into a career marked by excellence at every turn. Whether he’s plumbing historical depths and breathing in new life, as he did with Folk Music chart-topping album, Joe Hill’s Last Will, or exploring the minutia of daily life in this intimate collection of songs, McCutcheon’s work is marked by pristine production, top-notch musicianship, and spot-on arrangements that make each new album both a pleasure and a surprise.

First out of the chute is Gone, an old man, a diner, and a piece of paper taped to the window. Suddenly everything is different. Y’all Means All, in less skillful hands would have been a topical flash-in-the-pan. But here it takes on universal meaning, an anthem of dignity and pride. The Dance takes us back to prom night, seen from four different perspectives. It is McCutcheon’s storytelling at its finest. Sharecropper’s Son is the first of two homages to McCutcheon’s mentors, this one to fiddler…and sharecropper…Beachard Smith, of Scott County, VA.