A spare shuffling, the tinkling banjo moves tentatively through the intro, fading as the bass fiddle takes its place. D.E.E. sing-talks. “Alone and forsaken by fate and by man” – the banjo comes back, then the band for one minute and forty seconds: guitar, drums, and concertina; bass fiddle, banjo, and choral b-vox. In both key and presence, 16HP’s cover of Hank Williams’ “Alone And Forsaken” is a minor masterpiece, a subtle orchestration of loneliness. The band arrives at a lonesome folky vibe like it were a secret no one else had sussed, and through a simple two-chord progression (and a couple more in the chorus), they create a symphony.
16 Horsepower – Alone And Forsaken
Posted in: Song Review
– November 1, 2002