The Tennessee Theatre welcomes the veteran
to its stage on January 31
When: Sunday, January 31 at 8 pm
Where: Tennessee Theatre

How: Tickets are $37, plus applicable service
fees, available at the Tennessee Theatre
box office, all Tickets Unlimited outlets,
by phone at 865-656-4444, or online at
www.tennesseetheatre.com.

Kris Kristofferson returns to the essentials
of his finely honed craft on his New West album, Closer to
the Bone. Like the master singer-songwriter’s 2006 New
West bow, This Old Road, the new album is produced by
Grammy Award winner Don Was.

Kristofferson says, “I like the intimacy of the new
album. It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all
are at this end of life.” Much like its predecessor, Closer to
the Bone is a deftly observed, honestly executed work
about love, separation, loss and mortality. The subject
matter ranges from the musician’s family (“From Here to
Forever,” “The Wonder”) to Kristofferson’s late friend
Johnny Cash (“Good Morning John”). Was views the new
album as a sort of sequel to its acclaimed predecessor: “The
recording conditions were a little more controlled, but it’s
based around Kris singing and playing guitar, and nothing
was to get in the way of that. If anything got in the way of it,
we pulled it out. I think the two albums are completely of a
piece. I love This Old Road. There’s something really
immediate about it, and really profound. I personally think
this is a better record, overall. It’s the songs.”

Such searing, contemplative songs as “Closer to the
Bone” and “Hall of Angels” gained a melancholy
resonance in the days following the completion of
sessions for the album. On May 9, 2009, Bruton closest
friends and musical associates for four decades at the age
of 60 after a long battle with throat cancer. The album is
dedicated to his memory. “He was there while I was
recording, and he was in great spirits at the time,”
Kristofferson says of Bruton, who replaced Billy Swan in
his band at the age of 20. “Stephen was more like a
brother than a guy that worked with me. We went
through a lot of years, a lot of laughter, a lot of heartache.
I really felt close to Stephen. His spirit’s on the album.”

Was says of Bruton’s unique contributions to
Kristofferson’s sound, “He and Kris just had a lock that
Kris is never going to be able to get with anybody. It’s
what comes from 40 years of playing together. They just
had a way of weaving together.”

Kristofferson’s New West albums mark the culmination of
a distinguished career that has encompassed the authorship
of such classic American songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,”
“Sunday Morning Coming Down” and “Help Me Make It
Through the Night”; stardom in such feature films as Pat
Garrett & Billy the Kid and A Star is Born; honors including
three Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and
years of outspoken political and social activism. In
November he was feted as a BMI Icon at the performing
rights organization’s Country Awards.

In the wake of the rave reviews accorded This Old Road,
the now 73-year-old performer has undertaken a vigorous
schedule of international solo appearances. Kristofferson
says, “I was overseas doing a film when I got the
opportunity to work in Ireland, and I didn’t have time to
martial the troops. So I went out by myself, and it worked.
I’ve been really surprised at selling out the shows
everywhere. People are filling up the houses.

“Something was making a direct communication with
the audience,” he adds, “and I guess it must be down to
the essence of the songs. Because God knows, there’s
better guitar players and singers. But it seems to be
working with my material.” EK