Townes Van Zandt – Flyin' Shoes

Caught up in legal issues between Van Zandt’s producer and his record company manager, Van Zandt didn’t record a studio album for five years after 1972’s The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. When Flyin’ Shoes emerged it featured material from an aborted 1973 album named 7 Come 11. Van Zandt had a broken hand during recording, but producer Chips Moman provided a state-of-the-art Nashville sound with musicians like Spooner Oldham and Randy Scruggs. Flyin’ Shoes instantly sounds more commercially appealing and more thoughtfully arranged than Van Zandt’s earlier efforts

It’s also one of his strongest and most consistent sets of songs; the first side in particular is stacked with quality compositions. The upbeat opener ‘Loretta’ is energetic, while there’s a fun cover of ‘Who Do You Love?’ There are also the more typically downbeat songs like the eerie title track, and the meditative ‘No Place To Fall’.

The studio sheen works on Flyin’ Shoes, resulting in one of Van Zandt’s best studio records.

Even 10 years after the release of his first album he was still writing music this strong. It's amazing and if the title track doesn't reach your soul, you might not have one.