The nation’s bleak economic picture has transcended the financial world, and has become something of a national psychological crisis. It has permeated the psyche of every American, sometimes to profound effect. Worries about job security dominate conversation. The weekly headlines blare the continuing bad news of job loss and corporate bankruptcy. Family breadwinners are committing suicide, and sometimes tragically taking their families along with them, citing money problems as motivating factors. We’re embroiled not only in a financial recession, but in a national Great Depression of the mind.

Enter 77 year-old Ramblin’ Jack Elliot with A Stranger Here, a collection of material culled from Depression-era blues artists. The album builds a musical bridge between the time of these songs’ classic origins and our current struggles. The songs sound strangely present despite the years between then and now, and Elliot’s backing band serves them well, artfully moving through each number and allowing Elliot’s haunting voice to arc powerfully overtop the music.

“Rising High Water Blues” serves as a bellwether for the rest of the album, showcasing Elliot’s worn, warbling voice calling out the blues.

“Rambler’s Blues” is a piano-driven, deliberate march through the mud that sounds like it could have been recorded in a saloon in one of the run-down backwater towns Elliot passed through in the notorious travels that helped to form his “Ramblin’” nickname.

“Soul of a Man” is the singer’s beleaguered demand to know what man is made of, knowing that there has to be more to a man than possessions and what can be measured here on earth. Despite his cracking voice, Elliot delivers the vocals powerfully as the band conjures a dark tone toward the stark acapella ending.

“Richland Women Blues” is a playful tale of country romance, complete with “sweet daddies” and “cockadoodle-doos”. It’s clear that Elliot doesn’t want the album to get completely lost in a funeral durge. “Richland Women” brings a needed smile, while still communicating a more primal desire.

The sparse, grim Son House original “Grinnin’ In Your Face” wipes the smile off quickly, however. Elliot is barely accompanied by light brushwork on the drum kit, tinkling piano keys, and a carefully strummed upright bass. The restraint that the ensemble shows on this track adds to its power. It’s hard not to let your mind jump to thoughts of our economic collapse when Elliot croaks lines like:

“You know they’ll jump you up and down,
They’ll carry you all round and round,
Just as soon as your back is turned,
They’ll be tryin’ to crush you down.”

“New Stranger Blues” helps lighten the mood once more, lamenting the hard luck and mistreatment of a stranger in town, all while maintaining a breezy air bolstered by a sprightly mandolin lead and propelling piano work. In the end, the stranger gives up and declares he’s headed back home to the South where he won’t have the “stranger’s blues.”

“Falling Down Blues” is a gem, and is the track that Elliot’s voice fits most perfectly on the record. The band keeps things simple, and affects a subtle build in sound w/ each verse, adding piano here and an additional guitar there. This song is in no rush, and neither is Elliot, delivering the verses in a lilting wail that isn’t quite anguished but isn’t comfortable either. “Falling Down Blues” is also served well by some atmospheric fades that bookend the track.

“How Long Blues” features a rarely heard accordion in a standard blues number, and the light sound once again keeps things from getting too morose. Elliot is looking for an escape from bad luck, and demands to know how long it will be until the train comes:

“Sometimes I feel so disgusted, so blue,
I hardly know what in this world I’m gonna do,
How long, how long, baby how long?”

“Please Remember Me” is a proper way to close out the album. Elliot manages to make the following, seemingly heartfelt sentiment sound like a cynical tell-off to someone he doesn’t have much faith in:

“True love covers everything,
Just as snow covers the cold, cold ground,
And if you have that kind of love, love for me,
You will never let me down.”

This album may not have resonated quite the way it has had it been released 2 years ago, before the economy plunged, fortunes were lost, and our future was cast into doubt. Truly a sound for sore ears, A Stranger Here is a soundtrack for the wronged but doesn’t take it too far. The sometimes gloomy lyrics are offset by a sometimes jaunty element in the instrumentation or tone of Elliot’s voice. He’s not really trying to soothe us, but is telling us that he has seen times like these before, they are a bitch, but we’ll make it through the other side.