AMG Review of Orphans of God

Dave Sleger
All Music Guide

Perhaps if tribute albums were restricted to saluting artists no longer performing, they would be greeted with more enthusiasm. The Mark Heard tribute Orphans of God fits that hypothetical, as he passed away in 1992 after suffering through 15 years of professional obscurity. Although his music failed to impact the masses, Heard was recognized and appreciated among fellow recording artists. 34 tracks comprise this project, many by his contemporaries but also featuring a surprising contingency of post-Heard artists. This divergent roster is entirely appropriate given Heard's bevy of influences, be they rock, pop, Cajun, Appalachian or country. Mark Heard reached his creative peak during the early '90s on three brilliant albums -- Dry Bones Dance, Second Hand and Satellite Sky -- and it is from this trio of recordings that most of these songs are derived. Standout tracks include Tonio K's saucy rendition of "Another Day in Limbo," Chagall Guevara's exhaustive anthem "Treasure of the Broken Land," and project coordinator Dan Russell's funked-up take on the foreboding and erstwhile-Cajun "I Just Want to Get Warm." John Austin applys an uncharacteristic Windy City touch to "Big Wheels Roll," and Ramona Silver digs deep into the archives with her sweet a cappella rendering of 1980's "Remarks to Mr. McLuhan." Other notable contributors include Bruce Cockburn, Brooks Williams, Vigilantes of Love, Pierce Pettis, Colin Linden and the Williams Brothers. With the exception of Victoria Williams' ditzy "What Kind of Friend" and the ridiculously out-of-place Olivia Newton-John singing "Big and Strong," there isn't a dud on this two-disc set. So, for those vaguely familiar or entirely unfamiliar with Mark Heard, this is a superb introduction. In a perfect world Heard would be mentioned alongside such influential songwriters as John Hiatt, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Richard Thompson and Steve Earle. Ironically, it was due to the misfortune of being rebuffed and ignored that Heard's mystique was created and now preserved. There is something perversely redeeming about that.