Iris Dement Review

Missoula, MT
April 7th, 2007

Iris walked on stage in her olive green dress that looked like my grandmother's sofa. She casually sat at the grand piano and began to belt out "Sweet is the Melody" in such a fashion I was sure she was drunk. However, as the tune went on, the song drifted into its lyrical lilt and I knew my twenty bucks were not wasted. She played for two hours, basically covering everything off of her first two albums, Infamous Angel and My Life. She played from the rest of her albums sporadically, which was okay with me. Those two albums encompass her finest work, and it was a treat to hear her new interpretations. "Easy's Gettin' Harder Everyday" and "No Time to Cry" brought the house down, as did her finale, "Our Town." She noted that her token hit, "Let the Mystery Be", has become a funeral song, much to her dismay (she noted that she thought it was one of the happier songs she had written). She also covered, husband Greg Brown's "The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home" and Lefty Frizell's "That's the Way Love Goes," giving both that atypical Iris twist. Unfortunately, John Prine wasn't around, so "In Spite of Ourselves" went unheard.

One of the best things about living in a small town is the ability to see these performers in such an intimate setting. After the show, she sat in the lobby of the University Theater and chatted with the locals for a good hour or more. I talked my way into being an usher for the upcoming John Prine show, which means free tickets. Yes!

*If you don't know who Iris Dement is (which I'm guessing is everyone save Rye), make the effort to find out. You have to listen more than once though, because she definitely boasts a unique style which can be difficult to adjust to.