Album Review- John Doe- Fables in a Foreign Land

One of the consistent albums in 90s cutoff bins was 1990 Geffen/DGC release Meet John Doe. The solo debut from the X leader featured Richard Lloyd on guitar and writing contributions from Exene Cervenka and John Hiatt. It is a decent album that I’ve played quite a bit over the years. It’s easy to second guess why it wasn’t a bigger success. Maybe it needed to be released a few years sooner (in the prime days of Tracy Chapman, Cowboy Junkies and Roseanne Cash), I’m not sure, and maybe it’s naive to suggest it ever would have been a big seller regardless. It’s nothing flashy, just a country and blues tinged raw roots record. I have followed Doe’s solo career, and have always expected him to do an album that surpassed his debut and is on par with the great X albums. I don’t think he has quite managed to do it. 2016’s The Westerner came close- an album that paired him with Howe Gelb of Giant Sand. So I guess it is a little surprise that the follow up to that album and the acclaimed 2020 X album Alphabetland- that Doe may have his best solo album yet. It could be called the John Doe Trio (which is the way the tour is being marketed) but that’s probably why it’s a consistent listen. Making up the trio is Kevin Smith (Willie Nelson, Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks) on upright bass and Conrad Choucron (Patty Griffin, NRBQ) on drums. Occasional accompaniment There’s an impressive list of songwriters too that includes Cervenka, Shirley Manson and Doe co-writes with Terry Allen and Louie West (Los Lobos). I’m reminded of Chuck Mead’s recent work- songs that harken to an older time -not only musically (to the early rock n roll years), but also lyrically (big 19th Century western vibes); are often serious but occasionally punctuated with humor (see “El Romance-O”), and can only fit in some uncategorizable Americana singer-songwriter box like say, David Alvin or Neko Case or James McMurty.