Wounded Bird Records
2009
Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame / To The Bone
About This Album
It's difficult to figure out Wounded Bird's scheme for its ambitious Kris Kristofferson reissue program. The four volumes in the series contain eight albums. Only half of them are issued in chronological order. Why they chose to skip around and not simply release these two-fers in historical release sequence is a mystery; it would have made it a lot easier for the listener to pick and choose. This set, combining 1975's excellent Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame and the songwriter's final album for Monument, the truly brilliant and criminally underheard To the Bone, which was released in 1981, is an excellent case in point but does prove an exception to the rule in this reissue program. The reason for the latter is that thematically, these recordings link up spectacularly. The former title features a stellar studio band including guitarist Fred Tackett, keyboardist Mike Utley, and bassist Leland Sklar. Backing vocals were provided by everyone from Kristofferson's then-wife Rita Coolidge, Herb Pedersen, Clydie King, Venetta Fields, and even actor Warren Oates! The nine songs focus on themes of moral compromise, particularly those within interpersonal relationships.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 and 15)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.