John Wesley Harding: Awake

John Wesley Harding may have taken his name from Bob Dylan's 1968 album John Wesley Harding, but Awake sounds like he's been spending time listening to Dylan's mortality-minded 1997 album Time Out Of Mind. The title can be read either as Awake or A Wake, but a note on the sleeve and the contents of the album imply the latter: The subject of death runs throughout the record, in both its up-tempo tracks and its slower numbers. While Harding has been accused of being derivative—a strange allegation to level at someone whose chosen name pays homage to one of his forebears—he can't be accused of being a poor songwriter. The better tracks on Awake, and there are more than a few, rank among his best. After an introductory sound collage, the catchy "Your Ghost (Don't Scare Me No More)" kicks things off in fine style. It's followed by several impressive tracks that culminate in the lovely "It's All My Fault," a collaboration with Kelly Hogan. Only the morbid "Sweat Tears Blood And Come" and the maudlin "Poor Heart" bog things down; the remainder of Awake is focused, tentatively hopeful, and memorable. The day when Harding received support from big labels may have passed, and his material may have grown darker, but his self-described "gangsta folk" is in fine shape.