2000 Great Songs #1346: Paradise Here Abouts
Howe Gelb has been cranking out dark, cinematic Americana for decades, both as the leader of Giant Sand and as a solo artist, a broad array of desert blues and rockabilly and gospel, with just enough post-punk jangle to keep it indie rock-friendly. Yet while I've got countless Gelb/Sand records in my collection, I don't pull them out all that often; they sit there gathering dust until I haphazardly stumble across them, instantly kicking myself for not playing them more. So, belatedly, here's "Paradise Here Abouts," from Gelb's 2006 release 'Sno Angel Like You . Gelb's in full-on preacher mode, narrating sermons to the congregation with the gospel choir chiming in. It's short and sweet, beauty and truth. Live 2016: See the entire Top 2000 to date in a sortable database !
