Emory Joseph on Labor & Spirits:
1. Carolina Princess
Writing this song started the whole project, so I put it first in the sequence. The girl in the bridge, "Lucinda," was on her way to her wedding. We met sticking up for a deaf man, who's "specially trained hearing dog" was giving the porters fits. The dog ended up being no kind of special, and the man could hear just fine. It was quite a ride. Dear Penthouse,…"
2. Rhum and Coffee (for Guy Clark)
I dedicated this song to Guy Clark because of the great food songs he writes. One of the very best moments I had producing the album was heading into the studio to do backups for this one with Jon and T-Bone and turning around to find Levon coming to sing with us. There really is no one else like him in the world, and this track swings like it does because he was with us.
3. The Same
Thankfully, some things really never do change…I spent my crazy years with horses, living in a stone house that's long been leveled. There were lots of guns and dogs there, and a tendency to go through with really bad ideas. Although I'm older now, with responsibilities and things, I still have a tendency to use the reptilian part of my brain to come up with ways to get kicks. I guess this song is saying "hey" to the folks I ran with back then. I miss 'em.
4. Trinkets
This song has just about everything I love in it. It's silly, greasy, funky, spacey, and it talks about the little things that make the world special. I'm sure T-Bone didn't mean to suggest that Sly Stone groove in the intro, but I love the reference. That's my thing I guess, like Sly Stone meeting Ry Cooder at Hank Williams' house.
5. Early in the Morning
This cut came out nice I think. The accordion and piano together give it that sad and lazy thing it needed to bring out how wrecked the guy in the story is. Duke's Gretsch guitar tone helps that along too. I think everyone's had one of those utterly pathetic "it's over" moments in their life. I hope they have. It's a great one to come back from.
6. Daddy John
I know a lot of men that really are affected by their old man not having been around. Now that I have a child I'm super aware of how important it is for me to always be there for her. Maybe if I used the right rattle and chant, my old man will be calling the house here any day now. No kidding Johnny, where y'at?
7. Be Home Baby
Anybody who's spent time doing the trucking thing knows how it feels to be almost, but not quite, home. This one came out with just the right smiley combo of country and soul for me…It reminds me a lot of Stuff, one of my all time favorite groups. I wonder if folks will hear that?
8. Work To Do
We had so much fun cutting this song. It's my favorite cut on the album 'cause I gave myself the green light to rear back and howl the lead vocal, AND I played the kind of southern rock dobro I love so much. Elvis' band laid out the recipe for how to combine gospel and rock n roll, so as to make it interesting to both camps. God, he did so many things well didn't he?
9. Sweet William
The kid telling this story is so perfectly matter of fact. Teenagers can come home after seeing a horrible car wreck and tell you, "yeah the guys head got chopped off--do we have anything to eat around here?" without changing their voice a bit. I hope I grow up to be a man like Sweet William Johnson. And I hope songs like this keep coming to visit me.
10. Family Dog
Considering the shared attributes we have, I always thought this subject would make for a good song. Like a dog's dog does, smelly ol' boys have to "learn a lot of tricks to get to stay inside." This is the other track on the album that has the "cathouse" swing feel only being around the great Levon Helm could have brought out in us.
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