This week’s edition is inspired by the envy I feel for anyone going on this cruise.

How flippin’ cool that would be. John Hiatt and Emmylou Harris alone would be worth the price.

Anyway, it made me think of Hiatt, also known as “the pride of Broad Ripple, Indiana,” and in the opinion of your humble Agitator, one of the most underrated musicians in rock.

Hiatt has a number of five-star songs on the Agitator iPod. He also put out what I believe is one of the best albums of the 1990s, 1995’s Walk On, which the normally reliable All Music Guide shamefully gives only three stars.

I’ll list just three songs tonight, and save the others for a five-star Friday the next time I see Hiatt in concert.

“Cry Love,” from Walk On

Begins with a funky little mandolin riff that stays with the entire song. Big, sing-aloud chorus. Hiatt’s gruff rasp. Just an all-around, feel-good window rattler.

“Walk On,” from Walk On

Moody, broody ballad about moving on from bad times. Hiatt wails like a bloodhound in this one. In tune, of course. Evocative lyrics, including the great line, “Steam rising from the sidewalks of New Orleans after an evening rain.” Sorry, can’t find video for this one.

“Buffalo River Home,” from Perfectly Good Guitar

Everything a John Hiatt song should be. Great blend of roots, country, and rock; a needling guitar riff; earthy lyrics accented with wit and folksy wisdom (”just when you think that you’ve been gyped/the bearded lady comes and does a double back flip”); and another of the soaring choruses the guy does so well.

Also, I’ve only seen Hiatt in concert once. But it was amazing. He plays at a venue less than a mile from where I love a few times each year. Unfortunately, tickets are usually $85 or more, and all three shows usually sell out in minutes. But if you get the chance, you should catch him. The guy’s an amazing musician.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 7:42 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Five-Star Fridays/Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.