Anti Music Reviews

Dawson is a Canadian living in Nashville, known for his guitar playing prowess and he opens Eyes Closed, Dreaming with a cover of "Long Time to Get Old," a cut written by fellow Canuck, the late Ian Tyson. The soulful mid-tempo song features Dawson playing sweet slide guitar and harmonizing with guest singer Allison Russell. Dawson switches to nylon string guitar for the lead instrument on the self-penned (with pal Matt Patershuk) "A Gift;" mid song he plays a haunting pedal steel solo. Other covers included are a nice take on Bobby Charles' "Small Town Talk" (covered decades ago by Rick Danko), the Cowboy Jack Clement chestnut "Guess Things Happen That Way," famously covered by Johnny Cash, and album closer "Let Him Go on Mama," a wordy vocal with delicate picking that was written by John Hartford. About half the album is original Dawson or Dawson/Patershuk material though, including highlights "The Owl," an eerie cut again with Russell on additional vocals, "Waikiki Stonewall Rag," an instrumental where Dawson tears it up on his favored Weissenborn guitar as well as National guitar and ukulele, and the melancholy "Polaroid."