John McCutcheon – “Field of Songs”
Album Reviews | Jan 13th, 2025

Record Label: Appalsongs Records
Genre: Folk/Singer-Songwriter
He’s back! Again. On “Field of Stars,” the prolific John McCutcheon, now 72, has more folk inspired by the Georgia Appalachians that have provided his home for decades. McCutcheon started this album in early 2020 but then, well, you remember what happened. (Though he released three other albums instead.)
At long last we get to hear the likes of “Here,” with some amazing fiddle work backing up McCutcheon’s still-crisp vocals. Carrie Newcomer joins the songwriter for the titular track, which talks of pilgrimages and “some things we just have to carry along” on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in Spain (though you need not have any faith at all to appreciate the many-stranded story). McCutcheon, who has released several baseball-themed songs before, steps up to the plate again with a tribute to Hammerin’ Hank Aaron on “The Hammer,” a touching song about the indomitable African American slugger who received a stadium-wide cheer in Atlanta—heart of the Deep South—in 1972 as he shattered Babe Ruth’s home run record.
Pay attention to “MS St. Louis,” in which the songwriter weaves a tear-jerking tale about a real-life ship that brought several Jewish refugees to the New World in 1939 but was turned back by Cuba, Canada and, yes, even the United States. The album sags a bit in the middle, but the singer is back with some greatness on “Tikkun Olam,” which translates from Hebrew as a plea to fix the world—and is told in microcosm about a Gentile narrator and a Jewish homeless person who have a meeting of the minds. The celebratory “Redneck” is one of the disc’s best, with McCutcheon singing about the strength of people often looked down upon, followed by the darkly humorous “Too Old to Die Young,” which the seventysomething sings not with regret but sardonic wit.
However, the humor disappears on the following song, “Tired,” which channels a coal miner’s ennui about his broken body and soul. For history buffs, give a listen to “Peter Norman,” about the third man who stood on the Olympics podium with Tommy Smith and John Carlos, with fists raised, in the famous 1968 photo. And as he so often does, McCutcheon ends the album in fine style, teaming up with the talented vocal harmonizing group Windborne for a plaintive song to the heavens.
Though not as solid front to back as McCutcheon’s other recent albums— “Bucket List,” “Together” (with Tom Paxton), “Leap!”, “Cabin Fever: Songs from the Quarantine,” to name only four—“Field of Stars” is a sonically solid way to kick off 2025.
Notable Tracks: Field of Stars, The Hammer, MS St. Louis, Tikkun Olam, Redneck, Too Old to Die Young, Blessing
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