Words by Sam Zimmerman
Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest — the new album from legendary folk singer-songwriter Bill Callahan — is, in many ways, his best since abandoning the Smog moniker in 2007. Callahan’s last studio album, 2013’s mystical Dream River, was a tightly woven and compact record for night-listening. Shepherd, by contrast, sounds like it’s meant to be listened to in the late morning; in headphones while on a nice hike; through living room speakers with a cup of hot coffee. It’s a wonderful new addition to an already extensive catalog that dates back to 1990. And though a lot has changed, Callahan remains strikingly familiar.
“Shepherd’s Welcome” finds Callahan offering up some hospitality (“Well it’s been such a long time/Why don’t you come on in?”) in exchange for the listener’s willingness to ponder some of his deepest questions (“Have you ever seen a shepherd afraid to find his sheep?”) It’s a kind gesture from a guy who’s experienced some pretty significant life changes – marriage, fatherhood, and the death of his mother – since we last heard from him.
On the early album highlight “Writing,” Callahan wonders, “Where have all the good songs gone?” over a gorgeous, fingerpicked acoustic guitar and some dimmed percussion. It’s a song about writing songs and singing songs and singing the songs you just wrote – the pleasures (and joy!) songwriting can give to the soul. What’s unclear in this moment is whether or not Callahan blames himself – his absence from songwriting – for the absence of “good songs.” A few tracks later on “What Comes After Certainty,” he sings what could potentially be the greatest line of poetry this year (“True love is not magic/It’s certainty”). If what they say is true – that with age comes wisdom – then Callahan is basically a sage at this point. No, he isn’t old, but he’s been writing songs for over three decades, and he is as enlightened as they come.
For fans of the genre, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest is an essential journey to take. There is a lot of music to unpack here, but the songs are short and sweet; full of love and laughter; and ready for you to listen to them when the sun comes up.