Ravine, Continued

Last words for now on Chavez Ravine, which I listened to again this morning. First, this review from the Guardian is as good a representation of my viewpoint as anything I'm likely to throw together in the next few hours. Personal update on second listen-through: this is a fine set, a politically spirited attempt to recapture a piece of history and the vibe of another time and place; it's an ambitious effort that's surprisingly successful. The package includes a thick booklet with all the lyrics and an individual introduction to each track, illustrated with drawings and photographs. My current favorite song is 3rd Base, Dodger Stadium, a soft Latin-tinged ballad in which an aging groundskeeper who used to live where the ballfield now stands talks about the past, mapping the vanished community that haunts the infield - a sort of geographical palimpsest (and how often do I get to use that word). The voice is the distinctive one of Bla Pahinui, a Hawaiian musician whose own culture is also disappearing, and who brings a genuine feeling of loss to the lyrics.