Borrowed music has been around since year dot under a variety of guises such as covers, interpretations and renditions. Separating the art form of performing and writing can be an act of purity, although contemporary popular music has spawned the combo approach especially in the field of rock. Jason McNiff has garnered lavish praise over the years for both his guitar and songwriting skills. For his latest project he has parked the latter largely to one side and decided the time was right to turn his hand to covering or interpreting a batch of songs ripe for some Jason McNiff treatment. The result is TONIGHT WE RIDE, and certainly innovative enough to steer clear of the cliched cover.
The title track is a fairly left field choice to kick off a commercial outing as Tom Russell has tended to appeal more to insiders rather than a wide world. Not that the wide world wouldn't be richer with more of this exceptional songwriter. The version here showcases the merits of both parties with a pointer to digging out more of Russell's work that tends to get unwrapped only when he tours. This focal track is one of eleven covers that McNiff bravely tempts folks to hook up with including a few that are particularly well known.
Possibly leading the way on the populist front are stabs at slightly twisting 'Fisherman's Blues' and adding another notch to versions of 'Tunnel of Love'. Die hard fans of The Waterboys and Dire Straits can have their say, but McNiff does it for me. Listening to 'Hard Times' has a familiar feel to it as the steps of many others are being followed, but slightly less is known of 19th century American writer Stephen Foster who includes this in a monster catalogue of popular songs.
Those with any knowledge of Jason McNiff will be aware of his humble appreciation for legendary guitarist Bert Jansch. Therefore no points awarded for guessing a couple of inclusions from him in the shape of opening number 'Running From Home' and the centrally placed 'The Open Road'. At this point there is a temptation to seek out the originals for comparison. The choice is with the listener.
Safe ground is sought in terms of source for the next four covers as a pair of Dylan tracks ('Precious Angel' and 'One Too Many Mornings') join Leonard Cohen's 'Moving On' and 'Tomorrow Never Knows' from the huge Lennon-McCartney vault in a collection brimming with artistry. If the latter had been included in the Glastonbury set, McNiff may have backed a bigger winner. Alas even Macca didn't go that left field!
The final cover choice possibly has most appeal to core Americana fans and there were no complaints here with an excellent take on Townes Van Zandt's 'My Proud Mountains'.
However the ultimate word has to go to Jason McNiff the songwriter, and no higher acclaim can be afforded than his own compositions - 'I Remember You' and 'Shadow Ships of Deptford' sitting seamlessly pretty amongst a parade of big hitters. It is understood that this project came about as a whim from an artist who fully embraced the digital fan connection during lockdown and was absolutely won over by experimenting with covers across the wires. These last two tracks are a reminder that songwriting is very much in the DNA of Jason McNiff and he will likely return to that to a greater extent in future releases.
In the meantime, TONIGHT WE RIDE is a handy companion to the classic covers albums in your collection. Jason McNiff knows these songs are treasured artefacts and the time he borrowed them was duly a considered act of innovation and respect.
