Tom Rush: “Gardens Old, Flowers New” (2024) CD Review

In the 1980s, when I was in my teens and beginning to get heavily into folk music, one name that came up over and over again was Tom Rush. Many of the musicians that I was seeing in concert were big fans of his work, and had tremendous respect for him, and so, eager as I have always been to hear great music, I began digging into his output. At the time, he was known in part for delivering the work of other songwriters, playing traditional numbers and covering songs by Woody Guthrie, and then Joni Mitchell and James Taylor and Jackson Browne, among others. But he also included some of his own material on his records, songs like “No Regrets” and “Starlight” and “Wind On The Water,” and these were among my favorites. Tom Rush has a knack for interpreting other artists’ material, no question, but he is also one heck of talented songwriter himself. And on his new album, Gardens Old, Flowers New, he delivers almost entirely original songs. There is just one exception, and even on that one he has contributed new lyrics. Tom Rush plays acoustic guitar on these tracks, and is joined by some incredible musicians and singers, including Matt Nakoa on keyboards, guitar, slide trombone, percussion and backing vocals (Nakoa also produced the album); Mike Reilly on drums, percussion and backing vocals; Craig Aikin on bass; Abbie Gardner (from Red Molly) on dobro and backing vocals; Joe Nerney on saxophone, mouth harp, pennywhistle and backing vocals; Monica Rizzio on fiddle and backing vocals; Seth Glier on accordion, harmonium and backing vocals; Dave Eggar on cello; and Mikhail Pivovarov on baritone guitar, hurdy-gurdy and percussion.

Tom Rush opens the new album with “Sailing,” immediately establishing a pleasant and hopeful sound. Here he is urging someone (perhaps us) to go sailing, repeating the line “Come on, let’s go sailing” early on. There is something appealing about being on the water, or even near the water (I could never reside more than a thirty-minute drive from a body of water), and this song captures that feeling. “We’ll steer by star, play an old guitar/Come on, let’s go sailing.” He then offers this wonderful bit of advice: “And don’t you hide from love, child, though it may bring you sorrow/Don’t you hide from love, though it can cause you pain/We’ll pay to yesterday what we’ve borrowed from tomorrow/In tears for love that never was and, oh, what might have been.” And there is a beautiful Celtic feel to the brief instrumental sections, uplifting and glorious. Everything about this song makes me feel good about the world, about humanity. Don’t we all need that sort of feeling? If it doesn’t come from other realms, we can get it from music. Tom Rush continues to raise our spirits with “Glory Road.” The guitar work that begins this track has a delightful energy to it, rousing us, getting us to our feet. “You better get on home/You’ve been gone too long/At fourteen years I left my home, the moon was in the trees/Mama’s voice was in my ears calling after me.” It’s a song of rambling, and of going home, a song of life, really. “I ain’t a man to worry much/I very seldom pray/I pray right now I’ll see my home/When springtime passes by this time/Springtime comes that way.”

“Gimme Some Of It” is the album’s sole cover. It’s a traditional blues song titled “Custard Pie,” but, as I mentioned, with some new lyrics (and a new title) by Tom Rush. And it’s fun, featuring some delicious work on keys and a catchy rhythm. The lines “The billionaires are telling old John Q/We need your money more than you/We’ve got to have some of it” make me think of a certain bloated cretin who claims to be a billionaire but keeps taking money from his sad followers. Tom Rush delivers an excellent vocal performance, and this track also features some great stuff on harmonica. He stays in the blues realm with “Nothin’ But A Man,” another highlight of the album. I love the verse about the musical instruments: “If I was a guitar, I’d play just for you/I was a bass drum, I’d go boom boom boom/I was a slide trombone, you could play me all night long/But I ain’t nothing but a man to love you, honey.” I love the cheer in his delivery, and I love that lead on saxophone. It’s a sweet song, with a playful and joyful vibe. “I’m doing the best I can/Working night and working day/Trying to steal your heart away/Working day and working night/I’ll work until I get it right/So many things I’d like to be/To show you what you mean to me.”

There is some beautiful work on guitar at the beginning of “If You Will Love Me.” This track features a wonderful, heartfelt vocal performance. “If you will stay/I will be your month of May/And I will love you too/I already do.” I especially love the way he delivers that last line, almost as spoken word. From that delivery, we know his love is fact. So good! This song almost has me in tears. It leads straight into “Lullaby In E,” which also features some excellent and moving guitar work. This is the album’s only instrumental track. It is followed by “Toy Boat Song.” This is one that has been around for a while. He wrote it when his kids were young. The song begins by taking us to a scene from childhood, his friend and he making a boat and letting it go on a stream. And then he addresses his children: “Now may you sail as you were made to/May rocks and rapids set you free/And far away on a distant day/You may sail the sea.” This song features some gorgeous work on cello. “We made a child, my love and I/And we did teach him how to dream/Now where he’s gone we cannot follow.” This song did get the tears rolling. It’s beautiful.

“And it’s one more dance before we’re done/And if the ladies will allow/If the ladies will allow, we’ll dance ‘til dawn,” Tom Rush sings near the beginning of “One More Time Around The Sun.” This track features some good backing vocal work, and it’s a song that seems to invite us to sing along too, the way a good folk song does. “Let’s raise a glass and dance this dance together/Let’s raise a glass to them that’s gone and wish ‘em ‘fare thee well.’” And the lyrics mention Boston, making me think of home. There is even a reference to a childhood song. Keep dancing, folks. That’s followed by “It All Comes Down To Love,” a lively, upbeat number. Its title speaks truth. Love is what it’s all about. What else are we doing here? “Don’t matter who you are/Don’t matter where you go/Don’t matter how much stuff you got/It all comes down love.” This track features some good work on guitar. And hey, around the two and a half minute mark, does it remind you briefly of Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose”? Then “Siena’s Song” has a sweet vibe. It’s a song of innocence, of childhood, and it contains the album’s title in its lyrics. “And until then, my darling, dance and dream.” Dancing is a recurring images on this album. “Lots of music, love and laughter,” Tom Rush sings at one point on this track. That is exactly what I hope for everyone I know.

“I think I remember my father/I think that he sailed on the sea,” Tom Rush sings in “The Harbor.” Sailing is another recurring image in this material, and this is another beautiful song. “I think remember my children/I think there were two, maybe three/But won’t you tell me your name/You’ve been very kind/To come spend this time with me.” And just as my tears begin to fall, he sings, “Oh, I can see you’ve been crying.” This track contains some sweet backing vocal work. That’s followed by “To See My Baby Smile.” “The simple things are hard to say,” he sings at one point, but he clearly has no trouble saying anything he wishes to convey, as these songs attest to. “It’s been a long and lonely day/It’s nothing without you/And the one and only thing/That makes it all worthwhile/To see my baby smile.” This song also contains the album’s title in its lyrics (yes, there are two songs that make use of that line). Then at the beginning of “Won’t Be Back At All” Tom Rush sings, “The only way from here is up/I’ve run clean out of down,” and I love it. “I might go way out west, maybe way down east next fall/And all I know is wherever I go, I won’t be back at all.” There is some gentle, pretty work on keys. One thing I love about this music is that it comes from the better side of humanity, reminding us of what we can be. The album concludes with “I Quit,” a bluesy delight with a good rhythm. Sometimes we have to leave. “That’s it, I quit/I’m out of here, I’m gone/Out the door and down the road/I do believe I’m done.” This track contains some wonderful stuff on horns and keys that give the song something of a party atmosphere.

CD Track List

1. Sailing
2. Glory Road
3. Gimme Some Of It
4. Nothin’ But A Man
5. If You Will Love Me
6. Lullaby In E
7. Toy Boat Song
8. One More Time Around The Sun
9. It All Comes Down To Love
10. Siena’s Song
11. The Harbor
12. To See My Baby Smile
13. Won’t Be Back At All
14. I Quit

Gardens Old, Flowers New was released on March 1, 2024 through Appleseed Recordings.