Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas ed. by Craig Clifford and Craig D. Hillis (review)

Much has been written about the music of the Southern Plains, especially Texas. Songs about cowboys, outlaws, and spirited independent Texans are as singular and varied as the diverse and widespread geographical locations in which these musicals styles matured. Craig Clifford and Craig D. Hillis's Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas (2016) examines the work of Texas singer-songwriters whom they describe as "profoundly rooted" in the traditions of Texas and its people. The authors have dubbed these singer-songwriters as "ruthlessly poetic," with text-driven songs that reflect complex narratives and engaging storytelling.

The book is a collection of essays written by Clifford and Hillis and other invited authors, including journalists, freelance writers, singer-songwriters, and musicians. The book is divided into three sections and organized by similar genres, styles, and songwriters. Part 1, titled "The First Generation: Folksingers, Texas Style," is a collection of several nine-to ten-page essays, and shorter two-to three-page "Vignettes." Essays on Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson, and the vignette about Don Henley, are among the highlights of this section. Part 2, "The Second Generation: Garage Bands, Large Bands, and Other Permutations," contains seven essays on such songwriters as Lyle Lovett and Lucinda Williams. Part 3 is titled "Epilogue: Passing the Torch?"

The first-person voice used in the essays makes the writing compelling and personal, authentic and entertaining. Each essay is specific to its writer, a story that is waiting to be shared. The essays are of sufficient length to do justice to the songwriter, and the vignettes provide a quick glimpse into the work of musical artists included for their vital contributions as "ruthlessly poetic" Texas songwriters.

In the introduction, Clifford and Hillis explain the term "ruthlessly poetic" as the work of songwriters for whom "the poetic quality and substance of the lyrics are front and center." They credit songwriter Townes Van Zandt as having said that he wanted to write songs that were so good that no one would understand them. That is to say, songs that "however much admired by aficionados, are not going to appeal to a broader popular audience." The frequently enigmatic lyrics of these songwriters are at the very core of these works, reflecting songs about their own origins and people.

Clifford and Hillis have chosen dynamic musical artists as representative of "ruthlessly poetic" singer-songwriters. The essays are written in a manner that is accessible to a broad audience of readers and fosters further examination of Texas singer-songwriters.