Mark Twain: Words & Music | |
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![]() Tri-fold album cover includes 40-page booklet of liner notes with photos, narrative and lyrics. | |
Studio album by | |
Released | September 2011 |
Recorded | Nashville, August 2010 – January 2011 |
Genre | Americana |
Length | 84:53 |
Label | Mailboat Records |
Producer | Carl Jackson |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mark Twain: Words & Music is a double-CD produced by Grammy Award-winner Carl Jackson, a Bluegrass and Country music artist, as a benefit [2] for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, a non-profit foundation in Hannibal, Missouri. The project tells the life story of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) in spoken word and song and features many well-known artists. "Run Mississippi" by Rhonda Vincent reached #2 on the Bluegrass Today charts the same week that "Comet Ride" by Ricky Skaggs reached #7. The album was released on September 21, 2011 and is the most downloaded Americana album of all time on AirPlay Direct, [3] an online music source for radio stations, with more than 7,000 downloads its first year.
The spoken word passages include narration and excerpts from Twain's writing to form the biography. Corresponding songs follow each spoken word track to further tell the story of the Missouri boy who grew up alongside the Mississippi River and eventually became America's most popular author. Jimmy Buffett provides the voice of Huckleberry Finn, Garrison Keillor narrates, Clint Eastwood voices Mark Twain, and Angela Lovell performs as Twain's daughter, Susy Clemens. Singers include Emmylou Harris, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Rhonda Vincent, Bradley Walker, Carl Jackson, The Church Sisters, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Marty Raybon, Val Storey, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, and Ricky Skaggs. The album includes several new songs written specifically for the project. Museum director Cindy Lovell conceived the project. She wrote the narrative for the spoken word passages and served as executive producer with Carl Jackson.
Disc One
Disc Two
The reviews of the album have been positive. [4] Shortly after the album's release the "L.A. Times" review noted, "Producer Carl Jackson and his co-executive producer Cindy Lovell show deep respect and affection for Twain’s estimable place in American culture." [5] Allmusic wrote that the album was "a celebration of Twain's life and work that, if a bit muted and careful, is a pleasing journey through the world of Twain", while Americana Music News noted the "remarkable line-up," [6] and "Outlaw Magazine"'s Gregg Andrews wrote, "Thanks to the excellent interplay between the narrative and songs, the CD gives listeners a fascinating introduction to Mark Twain." [7] The album ranked 28 in Folk Music the week of July 6, 2012. [8]