The term legend gets bandied about a lot in the music biz, but it’s entirely appropriate for describing Tom E. Lewis. He was the star of The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith in the ‘70s, a fixture on stage and screen in the ‘80s, and he travelled the world playing his unique blend of jazz and traditional didge music in the ‘90s. And today he’s releasing his new album, Beneath the Sun.
The album tackles big themes of identity, love, murder, and respect in the tradition of great singer-songwriters like Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, and Wilco.
“I survived the dark side, marrkap [mate, although like a lot of indigenous words its meaning is so much more],” he said in a press release. “Now I can sing about it, be the lucky one to come out the other side.”
Lead single “Can’t Change Your Name” gives you a taste of just how good this album is, and how incredible Tom’s backing band sounds. It’s hardly surprising though as it features Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool), Michael Hohnen (Gurrumul), Tony Floyd (Black Sorrows), Stephen Teakle (Barry Morgan), and Craig Pilkington (The Killjoys).
Tom remains remarkably humble about the company he keeps and the quality of this album, simply commenting “I’ve been lucky, marrkap. Music, it heals. There’s medicine in art. I don’t know where this CD can go. I really don’t know. I’d like to write another one, yeah? I feel like there’s more coming.”
Image used with permission from SCG Media
The project is the brainchild of Sallie Campbell, who composed the song as well as playing mandolin, five-string violin, nyckelharpa, hammered dulcimer, and baritone bowed psaltry on the recording. She enlisted a bunch of friends to join her to raise awareness of the impact of palm oil production on the world’s orangutans.
