Although the critical rock cognoscenti may not regard him in the same pantheon of roots-rock pioneers as the likes of Gram Parsons, Gene Clark or Uncle Tupelo, there's no doubt the long-serving JASON RINGENBERG is more than overdue some real kudos for his major contribution to the rich Americana tapestry.
Ringenberg's mid-80s suit still hangs on permanent display in the Country Music Hall of Fame, so he's certainly earned his spurs in Nashville thanks to his hard-hitting work with Jason & The Scorchers, the band who will probably the point of entry to his work this side of the pond. However, the self-explanatory 'Best Tracks & Side Tracks' proves resoundingly that he remains a creative force to be reckoned with to this day even without his incendiary former charges.
'Best Tracks & Side Tracks' is an exhaustive collection of Ringenberg's work away from the Scorchers, concentrating mostly on the post-Millennium years. The first disc culls primarily the best moments (and they are numerous, believe me) from Ringenberg's albums 'A Pocketful of Soul' (2000), 'All Over Creation' (2002) and 'Empire Builders' (2004) and fleshes out these selections with a further generous garnishing of re-worked Scorchers tunes and some fine, previously unreleased tracks.
And, especially for the relatively uninitiated, it's an embarrassment of riches. Disc One opens with a pair of 2007 re-workings of Scorchers highlights in the resigned, regretful and Byrds-y 'Shop It Around' and the rockin' roustabout 'The Life Of The Party', both of which are bar-room rockers par excellence. They're by no means the only occasions where Ringenberg and his cronies (not least his exceptionally talented guitarist/ musical director George Bradflute) push the pedal to the rock'n'roll medal either: witness the hard-knocks anthem 'Born To Run', the simply smokin', harmonica-addled 'Prosperity Train' and the cranked guitars and hard-bitten home truths of 'One Less Heartache' where Ringenberg is backed up by long-term UK devotees The Wildhearts.
All of these are gritty and convincing, but often it's when Ringenberg slows it down a little that he really comes into his own. Like Steve Earle (who duets with Jason on the typically passionate and plaintive 'Bible & A Gun') Ringenberg's songs of hard times for honest men are often peopled with the downtrodden and forgotten and his vivid narratives are beautifully realised on tunes like haunted, anti-dam building protest song 'The Price of Progress' and the truly heartbreaking 'Eddie Rode The Orphan Train'. Arguably even better, though, is 'Tuskegee Pride', the potent lament of a forgotten fighter pilot ("we took our share of bullets/ while back home our wives took their share of bigotry, neglected and alone") married to a ghostly, Appalachian-style backing track and benefitting from a vocal delivered with some feeling by Ringenberg.
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Songs like these are good enough to be regarded with respect regardless of genre, but even the 'Side Tracks' disc (Disc 2) - a quixotic selection of rarities curated by Ringenberg himself - has its' (often unlikely) moments. If you don't believe me, make straight for the skittering, railroad rockabilly of 'Help There's A Fire' laid down in 1980 by Jason's pre-Scorchers, pre-Nashville band Shakespeare's Riot, the weepy countrified take of former Scorchers rocker 'Cappuccino Rosie' or the supremely daft, but undeniable 'Moose On The Loose' from Ringenberg's Farmer Jason children's music project. All of these probably shouldn't works by rights, but only a talent as steadfast as Ringenberg could openly offer up potentially mawkish tunes like the self-explanatory 'Mum's 70th Birthday' and the utterly schizophrenic Patsy Cline-gets-mown-down-by-the-Ramones 'Lovely Christmas' and make them work with goodness to spare.
Jason Ringenberg sometimes seems to relish walking towards a potentially deadly sonic car crash only to pull something wonderfully alive from the wreckage. Ally this with his penchant for wearing his big heart on his sleeve and you probably have the reason why the rock fraternity at large maybe feel he's a lesser footnote in the roots-rock bible. 'Best Tracks & Side Tracks', though, quickly makes you realise that it's not such a leap of faith for Ringenberg's name to be uttered in the same hallowed breath as Messrs. Parsons, Clark and Tweedy. At his best, he really is that good.
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