Kris Kristofferson Albums (25)
What The Critics Say
On Closer to the Bone, Kris Kristofferson avoids the production mishaps of 2006's This Old Road (the whole album sounded deliberately out of tune), though he works with the same team: producer Don Was (who also played bass), drummer Jim Keltner, Rami Jaffee on keyboards, and guitarist Stephen Bruton, who passed away shortly after finishing this album -- it is dedicated to his memory. Closer to the Bone's 11 songs are simply jaw-dropping for the most part: some pay tribute to friends; others give props to loss, grief, pleasure, and pain; and they all offer gratitude for the experiences. The sound of the record is close, intimate, and immediate but less shambolic than This Old Road -- but it doesn't sound falsely polished. It's an exceptionally intimate recording filled with songs that are always direct and sometimes uncomfortable. The melodies are as simple and classic as they've always been, but lyrically, the man is on a tear. On the opening title track, Kristofferson brings back an old Waylon Jennings-styled gospel shuffle, marked by Keltner's kick drum and brushed snare and illustrated by acoustic guitars, mandolin, and a harmonica. He sings about the experience of life while moving through one, and about how it's often the latter years that provide the richest experiences. And there's another voice that kicks in during the refrain: "Coming from the heartbeat/Nothing but the truth now/Everything is sweeter/Closer to the bone...." with backing vocals by Bruton. These two underscore in every line that, as one comes closer to whatever the eternal is, it's all encapsulated in today, and all experiences have their own beauty (and they do it without a hint of schmaltz or melancholy). "From Here to Forever" is a love song, but an unconventional one, written for his children: "And darling if we're not together/There's one thing I want you to know/I'll love you from here to forever/And be there wherever you go...." His harmonica appears after the refrain and Jaffee's ghostly upright slides in as well. Kristofferson sounds like a young lion in "Holy Woman" and a lost, displaced warrior in love in the country waltz that is "Starlight and Stone." The tributes are brazen: there's one to Sinéad O'Connor, written as a paean to what she suffered in the aftermath of the incidents at Dylan's 30th anniversary concert and on Saturday Night Live. He claims in the lyric: "And maybe she's crazy/And maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints...." "Good Morning John," for Johnny Cash, was written for the Highwaymen but never recorded by them. There's also the heartbreaking "Hall of Angels," dedicated to the daughter the late Eddie Rabbitt lost. There are divorce songs ("Love Don't Live Here Anymore"); current, burning love and devotion songs ("Tell Me One More Time"); and a story-song in "Let the Walls Come Down," with its Civil War melody and back-porch instrumentation, imparting memories as revelations. "The Wonder" can only be described as a wisdom song, whose elementary power and beauty need to be heard, not written about. If Kristofferson never cuts another record, Closer to the Bone will have been a proud note to end his musical career on. That said, if it is any indication of the level of untapped inspiration that remains, the man still has plenty to say and listeners can hope he continues writing and singing this kind of truth. And there's one more thing this album asserts very plainly: that we will all miss you, Stephen Bruton; rest easy. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live from Austin TX'
Release Date 5/30/2006
Tracks 16
Label New West
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What The Critics Say
This volume in the Austin City Limits series Live from Austin, Texas features Kris Kristofferson in 1981 playing a solid program of his hits -- "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Lovin' Her Was Easier Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again," "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," "The Pilgrim," "Silver Tongued Devil," and material from his classic yet under-heard album To the Bone -- his post-divorce record after his breakup with Rita Coolidge -- from the same year, such as the opener "Star Crossed," "Magdalene," and "Nobody Loves Anybody Anymore." Kristofferson is in fine form here: he's rowdy, full of piss and vinegar, and has a crack band including guitarist Stephen Bruton, bassist Tommy McLure, drummer Sammy Creason, keyboard boss Donnie Fritts, and Billy Swann and Glen Clark -- both of whom double on guitars and keyboards. There are 16 tunes in this program and it is one of the finer editions in the Live from Austin, Texas series. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This Old Road is the first recording of all new songs by Kris Kristofferson in the 11 years since Moment of Forever was released by Justice. (Interestingly enough, that album was originally recorded a few years earlier by producer Don Was for his Karambolage label, which lost its distribution deal.) Was is on-board here as a producer and as a musician, as are drummer Jim Keltner and old friend Stephen Bruton on guitar. Most of these 11 songs, however, are simply Kristofferson accompanying himself on guitar. The years -- Kristofferson turns 70 in 2006 -- haven't softened the old poet's social conscience -- "Pilgrim's Progress," "Wild American," "In the News," and "The Burden of Freedom" are every bit as radical as those found on his last two Mercury records, Repossessed and Third World Warrior in the mid-'80s. But Kristofferson is also wise enough to believe in love and forgiveness -- "Thank You for a Life," "The Last Thing to Go," "Holy Creation," "Final Attraction" -- and still remembers how to write a killer outlaw country song (check out "Chase the Feeling"). The tunes with the band are solid, but there is something utterly irresistible about the man with only his guitar. His voice is no better and no worse than it was in all those years form the 1970s on. But his phrasing as a singer has improved considerably. Kristofferson is dead-on here, razor-sharp, economical in his language, and to the bone in his insight. This is a welcome comeback for Kristofferson; as an artist, he proves he still has plenty to offer to anyone willing enough to listen. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Help Me Make It Through the Night'
Release Date 8/16/2004
Tracks 16
Label Delta No 1
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What The Critics Say
This European compilation drawn from Kris Kristofferson's recordings for Monument Records in the 1970s and early '80s is oddly put together. It does contain among its 16 tracks five of the singer/songwriter's six big hits -- "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "For the Good Times," "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)," "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," and "Why Me" -- but it leaves out his best-known song, "Me and Bobby McGee." The rest of the tracks are a random selection, mostly from Kristofferson's earlier, more popular albums, though the B-side of his final Monument single, "The Bandits of Beverly Hills," originally released in 1981, is also included. Collectors should note that there is one song, "He's My Buddy," a humorous tribute to Kristofferson's friends and bandmates, that did not appear on any American album or single and presumably was an international B-side. The package is shoddily put together. Four of the songs listed on the back cover of the CD are not on the album at all: the sixth track is "Help Me," not "If You Don't Like Hank Williams"; the 13th track is "Billy Dee," not "Shake Hands With the Devil"; the 14th track is "The Taker," not "Shadows of Your Mind" (there is no Kristofferson song of this title, though "Shadows of Her Mind" turned up as a bonus track on a reissue of Kristofferson in 2001); and the 16th track is "Josie," not "Daddy's Song." ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Repossessed/Third World Warrior'
Release Date 4/27/2004
Tracks 20
Label Oh Boy!
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What The Critics Say
This reissue of two Kris Kristofferson recordings from 1986 and 1990 might seem a strange project to undertake. These are not regarded by most as his "necessary" recordings; and other titles from his classic period, like Border Lord, Spooky Lady's Sideshow, and the amazing To the Bone (that fetches 129 dollars on the Internet when you find one) are not even in print. But the folks at Oh Boy understand something fundamental: if ever there were a time to hear these records, it's now. In fact, the argument can be made that they need to be heard more now than when they were recorded. The two albums here, Third World Warrior and Repossessed, are placed in this two-CD set in reverse order for aesthetic reasons. One can guess from their titles that these recordings are political in nature and one would be right. These two records take on the topical natures of the day like the rise and fall of the Sandinistas, the waning conflict with the then Soviet Union, the plight of veterans, the "nation building" policies in Central America under Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. that made the region a killing ground by armed brutes trained by the CIA as counterinsurgents, pacifism, economic devastation in the U.S., and other topically important themes. Musically and lyrically, the material is top-notch; these are fine efforts by Kristofferson that number among his best outings, though they were virtually ignored at the time of their original issue. His songwriting was creatively taut, his singing was strong and clean, and his band, the Borderlords, was amazing, with cats like Stephen Bruton, Donnie Fritts, Billy Swan, and Danny Timms in the lineup. Listening to them again years later is like a cold slap in the face at dawn. They offer a portrait of America as a country that refuses to learn from history, that refuses to partake in a dialogue that might thwart its military and economic interests no matter who is left holding the bag and how the innocent are often killed or displaced in the process. Take its moral and social instruction -- and Kristofferson was just offering his opinion (he's never wanted to be a spokesman for anybody) -- which were negated to the margin during apolitical times, and combine it with passionate and intuitive heartland rock, and you have an indispensable listening experience and a way, through pop culture -- the best teacher in the mass media age -- to revisit, re-engage, and re-evaluate recent American history, a history that has been all but swiped out under the propaganda of patriotism and might versus right that is post-9/11 America. Highly recommended. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Broken Freedom Song: Live from San Francisco'
Release Date 7/8/2003
Tracks 15
Label Oh Boy
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What The Critics Say
There are many who can claim that since Kris Kristofferson never had much of a singer's voice, his songs were always better served by someone else's interpretation. This view is dead wrong, however. While Kristofferson may not possess a golden throat, that doesn't mean he isn't a great singer. He is. No one sings his material -- with the possible exception of Willie Nelson's interpretation of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and Janis Joplin's "Me & Bobby McGee" -- better than he does. (No, Johnny Cash's read of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" wasn't forgotten in the list, and it's a good one, but Kristofferson's is devastating.) Broken Freedom Song features the singer/songwriter in a stark yet romantic setting, accompanied only by guitarist and mandolinist Stephen Bruton and Keith Caper on bass. Both musicians provide backing vocals, and Kristofferson accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. He has never been in better voice, and the collection of songs here is stellar. Along with "Darby's Castle," the title track, "Here Comes That Rainbow Again," and "Shandy" are four new songs, such as "The Circle," written after two significant events, the story of the disappeared ones (los Olvidados) in Argentina and the late Iraqi artist Layla Al-Attar, who was killed during the Clinton administration's bombing of Baghdad--the pilots missed the target. Al-Attar's name, and those of her husband and children, were never mentioned in the American press. Also, "Sky King," a song sung by Vietnam veterans during the war and others later, is a perennial live offeriing by Kristofferson that's never been recorded before; finally "Sandinista" from the excellent Third World Warrior album offers a widely divergent view of the truth about Nicaragua from the U.S. government's. And herein lies the beauty of this recording: It was never planned as a live album and features none of the "hits" except for the title track. It was recorded as a way to find a track for a Bread and Roses Foundation compilation. Broken Freedom Sing a record of love songs and topical protest tomes. But there's no placard-waving here. Kristofferson is a humanist and an intimate performer who doesn't give a damn whether people agree with him or not, nor does he presume he's right or superior. He asks questions and feels it important to preserve the names of victims in historical memory. And he asks a lot of questions here, amiably but unflinchingly. He also engages his audience so intimately that it feels as if he's playing in somebody's back yard. This is easily one of Kris Kristofferson's finest moments on record; it's the way a songwriter's album should be done -- full of unpretentious songs that offer wisdom, a sense of community and empathy, and a performance that is as soulful and humorous and humble as they come. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Kristofferson'
Release Date 2/6/2001
Tracks 16
Label Monument/Legacy
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What The Critics Say
Kris Kristofferson was approaching his mid-thirties and had been kicking around Nashville for several years when he belatedly became an overnight success in 1969-1970. The impetus was "Me and Bobby McGee," which he co-wrote with Fred Foster, who ran Monument Records. Roger Miller cut the song, and his recording peaked in the country Top 20 in August 1969. By that time, Kristofferson had performed at the Newport Folk Festival at the behest of Johnny Cash, and Foster decided to sign him to Monument as a recording artist. Before this debut album was released in 1970, Ray Stevens had scored a pop and country chart entry with Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down." On the evidence of his first collection of songs, Kristofferson was ahead of his country music peers in realizing that, despite Nashville's conservative political tilt, there was a natural affinity between the country archetype of a hard-drinking, romantically independent loner and the rock & roll archetype of a drug-taking, romantically free hippie. (Of course, lots of rock musicians, especially in Los Angeles, had already noticed this similarity, and formed bands like Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers to exploit it.) He opened the album with what sounded like an answer to the criticisms of the Rolling Stones in the wake of Altamont. "Blame It on the Stones" contrasted various conservative stereotypes, starting with "Mr. Marvin Middle Class," with the supposedly evil rock group, its chorus a parody of "Bringing in the Sheaves." Needless to say, that was not a typical way to open a country album in 1970 (or any other time), but Kristofferson quickly followed with the somewhat more reverent "To Beat the Devil," which he dedicated in a spoken introduction to Johnny Cash and June Carter, and in which he established a persona he would maintain through much of the album, the character of a poor songwriter struggling against despair. "Me and Bobby McGee," a classic on-the-road song, was next, with Kristofferson, despite the country grammar, displaying his background as an English teacher in its chorus, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose/Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free." Then came "The Best of All Possible Worlds," which used a reference to Voltaire to reflect wryly on the viewpoint of a drunken vagrant. (You could see what attracted Roger Miller to Kristofferson in a song like this, which clearly was influenced by Miller's "King of the Road," though Kristofferson's treatment of the subject was grittier.) Of course, the ultimate example of the subject was the album-closing "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down," which was basically a first-person description of a hangover. The romantic side of the hard-living drifter character was glimpsed in the album's two tenderest statements, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and "For the Good Times," both of which were pleas by the narrator to sleep with the object of his affection. A sleeve note suggested that Kristofferson had been reluctant to record, but while he didn't have much range as a singer, he brought a conviction to his vocals and a complete understanding of the nuances of the lyrics. The songs were so personal that they seemed to demand a personal interpretation. Nashville, as it turned out, didn't have much use for countercultural songs like "Blame It on the Stones" and "The Law Is for Protection of the People" (which had some choice words for the police), but the country music community could recognize a good love song with an erotic edge that was on the cusp of the era's changing mores, and Ray Price quickly cut "For the Good Times," which topped the country charts. Then, Johnny Cash covered "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" for a number one country hit, leading to its winning the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award for 1970, and Sammi Smith gave a twist to "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by recording it as a woman's song for yet another country number one. The finishing touch to Kristofferson's sudden renown was Janis Joplin's cover of "Me and Bobby McGee," released shortly after her death, which topped the pop charts. When it was released in 1970, Kristofferson did not reach the charts. By the following year, however, its creator was on his way to becoming a major star, and after his second album, The Silver Tongued Devil and I, broke into the pop charts in July 1971, Monument re-titled the first album Me and Bobby McGee and reissued it. This time around, it made the pop and country charts and went gold. (On February 6, 2001, Monument/Legacy reissued Kristofferson as part of its American Milestones series. Featuring 24-bit remastering, the CD added four previously unreleased tracks from the same sessions that produced the album, among them an early version of "Come Sundown," later recorded for a Top Ten country hit by Bobby Bare and re-cut by Kristofferson himself for his Shake Hands With the Devil album in 1979.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'The Austin Sessions'
Release Date 8/24/1999
Tracks 12
Label Atlantic
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What The Critics Say
For the follow-up to Moment of Forever, his first set of new original songs in years, Kris Kristofferson decided to record a set of stripped-down new versions of his classic songs. This project, released on Atlantic Records and entitled The Austin Sessions, was a star-studded affair, featuring harmony vocals from Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Matraca Berg, Vince Gill, Marc Cohn, Alison Krauss, Catie Curtis, and Mark Knopfler. In one sense, it's easy to question why Kristofferson needed to record these songs again, since much of his catalog seems to consist of reinterpretations of these songs, but taken on its own terms, it's a good listen. In a way, Kristofferson's voice -- which never had too much range, even at its peak -- sounds better now that its older; the ragged edges and wear give it more character, which lend character to the songs. Ultimately, The Austin Sessions isn't a major addition to his catalog, but there's enough warmth and personality to these recordings to make it worth a listen for longtime fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After salvaging several recording careers, producer Don Was formed his own imprint, Karambolage, to continue such efforts in the early '90s, and among other artists worked with Kris Kristofferson, dormant as a solo singer/songwriter since the commercial failure of his two politically oriented Mercury albums Repossessed and Third World Warrior in the late '80s. But A Moment of Forever, the comeback album Was produced for Kristofferson, was shelved when Karambolage lost its distribution deal, and the album wasn't released until the summer of 1995 by the independent Justice label. That means it's a far more ambitious undertaking than you might expect, packed with Los Angeles studio heavyweights like drummer Jim Keltner, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, and Heartbreakers organist Benmont Tench, as well as studio wiz Was on bass and behind the glass. In his late 50s, Kristofferson has retreated slightly from the agitprop, but fighting is still a recurring motif in his songs, along with an old favorite subject, freedom. (Picking up on this, designer Cynthia S. Kinney even sticks the dictionary definition of freedom into a collage on one of the CD booklet pages.) But the songwriter often comes off as a sage elder rather than an active combatant, and the album is as concerned with emotions as it is with politics. Two old songs, "Casey's Last Ride" and "Good Love (Shouldn't Feel So Bad)," and two later ones, "Shipwrecked in the Eighties" and "Under the Gun," join the new compositions, and the old ones have a lyricism and clarity that makes you wish Kristofferson's mature writing wasn't so rhetorical. A Moment of Forever doesn't seem like the place to start in listening to Kristofferson, but those who have been following his work thus far will find it a good representation of his philosophical concerns, expressed in strong musical performances. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Live at the Philharmonic'
Release Date 6/2/1992
Tracks 23
Label Monument
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What The Critics Say
Having gone above and beyond the usual effort for the sort of discount-priced, secondary-market compilations that are the typical province of its division with the elaborate Kris Kristofferson double-CD Singer/Songwriter in the fall of 1991, Sony Music Special Products followed it in the spring of 1992 with another special Kristofferson title, Live at the Philharmonic. The album of previously unreleased recordings was drawn from a concert performed at Philharmonic Hall in New York City on December 2, 1972. It was an unusual show, packed with guest stars and including three cover songs that never appeared on Kristofferson's studio albums. The singer/songwriter, who was near the peak of his musical popularity and not yet a movie star, had just released his fourth album, Jesus Was a Capricorn, and after opening the show with John Prine's "Late John Garfield Blues," he quickly played five songs from the LP, interrupted only by one of his hits, "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)," and a new song, "Late Again (Gettin' Over You)," that he would not put on record until 1974's Spooky Lady's Sideshow. The unfamiliarity of most of the early material made for a slow start to the concert, but there then followed half a dozen songs from earlier albums that were greeted with cheers of recognition, among them "For the Good Times" (which was tossed off perfunctorily) and "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down"; also included was a version of Merle Haggard's right-wing anthem "Okie From Muskogee" with altered lyrics (after which Kristofferson spoke admiringly of Haggard, though not of the song). Next up, the star of the show introduced a guest star, Willie Nelson, who would have been largely unknown to a New York audience in 1972, but who was greeted generously, performing a four-song mini-set including two of his better-known compositions, "Funny How Time Slips Away" and "Night Life." Taking back the spotlight, Kristofferson soon brought on the woman he called his "better half," Rita Coolidge (though the couple would not marry for another eight months) and then another unknown country musician on the verge of stardom, Larry Gatlin. The encore song was Tom Ghent's "Whiskey, Whiskey," a 1970 country chart entry for Nat Stuckey that wouldn't turn up on a Kristofferson studio album until 1979's Shake Hands With the Devil. It's notable that "Help Me Make It Through the Night" was not performed, and neither was "Why Me." Kristofferson had just released the latter, which would become his biggest hit as a recording artist, on Jesus Was a Capricorn, but it was still months away from being issued as a single. If those omissions keep this album from being a definitive live document of Kristofferson's career, it is nevertheless a special performance that occurred at a key moment in that career. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
