Featuring music
recorded between 2005 and 2010, The Midnight Ramble Sessions, Vol. 3 is
the most entertaining installment in the series so far, mainly because
it’s the most diverse; Helm only takes the lead vocal on four songs here
(doubtless in deference to his weakened vocal cords), but he’s engaged
and authoritative when he has the strength, especially on the feisty
“One More Shot,” and his drumming is typically splendid as he and his
band make their way through country heartache (“Turn Around”), slinky,
hard-as-nails boogie (“The Same Thing”), blues-shot gospel (“God Don’t
Never Change”), strutting uptempo Chicago-style blues (“I’m a Jealous
Man”), and bluegrass gospel harmonies (“The Beautiful Lie”). A few
guests add some extra star power here, with Allen Toussaint lending fine
vocals and excellent piano to “A Certain Girl,” while Chris Robinson
brings some suitably wiry vocals to “Shake Your Money Maker,” and a few
of the tunes get a fresh twist, most notably Brian Mitchell’s New
Orleans-style reworking of Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate.” Like most
of Levon Helm’s shows in his last decade, The Midnight Ramble Sessions,
Vol. 3 feels more like a revue than a headlining performance from the
man who was the soul of the Band, but this is all music that spoke to
him, and he brought out the best in his accompanists; no matter how much
fate tried to bring Helm down, once he stepped on-stage, he gave all he
had, and this album testifies eloquently to that.
Vol. 1
01 - Sad Hours 04:12
02 - Oh, Baby 04:25
03 - I'm Ready 04:16
04 - Blow, Wind, Blow 04:42
05 - Blues Without A Feeling 03:28
06 - The New Scratch My Back 05:24
07 - I Ain't Lyin' 04:30
08 - I'm Crazy About You, Baby 03:25
09 - Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights 03:13
10 - Forty Days And Forty Nights 04:13
11 - Going Down To Main Street 05:04
12 - Everything Gonna Be Alright-Wrapped Up In Love Again 04:38
13 - California Blues 06:29
Vol. 2
01 - Battle Is Over But The War Goes On 05:07
02 - What Kind Of Man Are You 04:21
03 - Don't Ya Tell Henry 04:02
04 - Blue Shadows 05:23
05 - All About John 06:45
06 - I Want To Know 05:26
07 - A Fool In Love 05:07
08 - Borrowed Time 07:34
09 - When The Battle Is Over 05:30
Vol. 3
01 - Same Thing 06:15
02 - Ain't That Good News 03:55
03 - God Don't Never Change 04:22
04 - Driving Wheel 02:49
05 - Jealous Man 05:14
06 - Stagger Lee 04:32
07 - Simple Twist of Fate 06:43
08 - One More Shot 04:14
09 - Turn Around 04:24
10 - The Beautiful Lie 03:50
11 - A Certain Girl 04:48
12 - Shake Your Money Maker 03:58
13 - Take Me to The River 04:52
