![]() ![]() Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, like much of his greatest works, resists any easy categorization, and Young’s Homegrown (originally recorded in 1975 but shelved thereafter) is an essential chapter in his legacy, according to our critics. And both albums, at least according to Paste, are critically sound. This week we also received new albums from some of Denver’s more prominent peers: Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Perhaps you’ll even be moved to listen with your dad this weekend on Father’s Day, at which time he’ll probably back me up on this. I’ll be damned if there aren’t some roots-rock bangers on there. This is not to say that Jim Croce is considered “cool” by the music community at large (in fact, it’s safe to say he’s probably thought of as the opposite), but I’d still urge anyone who’s read this far to revisit his 1972 breakthrough You Don’t Mess Around With Jim. ![]() Meanwhile, here at Paste, I, for whatever reason, fell under the spell of Jim Croce (certified dad music by almost any standard), another of Denver’s contemporaries. ![]() How so, you ask? Well, fellow folk-rocker beloved by dads everywhere James Taylor, whose classic 1968 song “Carolina In My Mind” is spiritually akin to “Country Roads,” recently released his latest album American Standard to surprisingly favorable chart success. Whether you hail from the innermost corner of one of America’s biggest metropolises or the same Appalachian foothills so eloquently described in the song, there’s just something undeniably comfortable about “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” It is not your American duty to respect our president, but it is your duty to respect the hell out of this song, no matter where you’re from. But you don’t need to be Southern to appreciate this classic. I’m from Alabama, not “West Virginia,” but this song may as well be about traveling along any sliver of southern highway, beelining back to the “place I belong,” because it always imbues me with deep emotions and an appreciation for our region’s natural surroundings. And it doesn’t get old.Įvery time I hear that first wisp of steel guitar, Denver’s sturdy tenor and mention of his “mountain mama,” I’m smacked with a bittersweet sense of peace. “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” John Denver’s beloved signature song written along with married songwriting pair Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert back in 1970, remains one of the most blissful country tunes ever sung. ![]()
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