I'm actually kind of surprised this artist hasn't been picked yet. In order to correct this egregious mistake, in the
Folk category I'm proud to select
If You Could Read my Mind, by Gordon Lightfoot
Gord's music is just easy to listen to, with his melodies feeling warm and inviting even as to topics find ways to really tug at your emotions. A fairly personal pick for me.
1. "Minstrel of the Dawn" – 3:26
2. "Me and Bobby McGee" – 3:38 (Kris Kristofferson/Fred Foster)
3. "Approaching Lavender" – 2:56
4. "Saturday Clothes" – 3:20
5. "Cobwebs & Dust" – 3:20
6. "Poor Little Allison" – 2:30
7. "Sit Down Young Stranger" – 3:26
8. "If You Could Read My Mind" – 3:48
9. "Baby It's Alright" – 2:58
10. "Your Love's Return (Song for Stephen Foster)" – 3:55
11. "The Pony Man" – 3:27
Quote:
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Originally released as Sit Down Young Stranger in the summer of 1970, this album was reissued under this name a few months later, as the song "If You Could Read My Mind" began its climb up the pop chart. The single peaked at number five, while the album reached number 12. It seemed as though "If You Could Read My Mind" was everywhere in the early months of 1971. Its appeal crossed genres and age groups, and its simplicity and acoustic arrangement fit in nicely with the burgeoning singer/songwriter scene then storming the airwaves and record stores. "If You Could Read My Mind" was not the first track released as a single from this album; Lightfoot's recording of Kris Kristofferson's soon-to-be-classic "Me and Bobby McGee," the only non-original in this collection, preceded it but barely dented the charts. The entire album is rich in the simple beauty of its folky melodies and personal lyrics. Lightfoot is accompanied here by his regular band of the time, Red Shea on guitar and Rick Haynes on bass. This trio is expanded on several cuts with Warner/Reprise labelmates Ry Cooder on bottleneck guitar and mandolin, John Sebastian on autoharp, harmonica, and electric guitar, and Van Dyke Parks on harmonium. In addition, there are subtle string arrangements by Randy Newman on two tracks, Nick DeCaro on three. There are no drums to be found anywhere on this disc. This album fits in very well with the acoustic-based music being made at the turn of the '70s. Even so, the music here is timeless, still feeling and sounding great many years after its release.
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http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...0:kjfoxqt5ldae