After a wobbly debut, this indispensable Texas troubadour bounced back in 1969 with a sophomore disc that shows his songwriting style--audibly influenced by Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and any number of Texas bluesmen--emerging via a batch of memorable originals. His straightforward hound-dog vocals were never more affecting than on the early discs. An overabundance of atmospheric flute accompaniment mars the orchestration, but this is one of the few violin-laden folk albums from the late '60s that still holds up, at times projecting a dusty, Western aura, at others a more formal, almost classical vibe. The parade of classic Van Zandt tunes continues here with a second, more fully realized try at "St. John the Gambler," "Tecumseh Valley," and one of his earliest original talking blues songs, "Snake Mountain Blues." Like that of all Van Zandt discs, the tone here is mournful from start to finish, but once you're hooked it becomes an essential part of the sweetness and greatness of this irreplaceable songwriter. --Robert Baird