All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

NOW Magazine

Comeback of the year.

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New York Magazine

Dirt Farmer is an iconic album, this year’s "Time Out of Mind" or "Freedom." Just give him a Grammy.

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Observer Music Monthly

As wonderful as it is unexpected, Dirt Farmer is a strong candidate for comeback of the year.

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The Phoenix

Fans of old-time music, that vague notion of a genre called Americana, and bedrock artists like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard should find Dirt Farmer, Helm’s first solo disc in 25 years, appropriately haunting.

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Entertainment Weekly

The Band's Levon Helm turns in a modestly charming album of 13 cover songs. [30 Nov 2007, p.131]

Hot Press

This collection sees Levon return to his roots to reinterpret classic songs from his childhood and pay homage to those who influenced him along the way.

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Mojo

Earthy, reassuringly calloused country and bluegrass is its currency. [Dec 2007, p.110]

The New York Times

It’s Mr. Helm who holds the spotlight, playing drums as well as mandolin and acoustic guitar, and singing the lyrics--however bleak or jubilant--with a steady ardor.

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Uncut

The result is a collection that sounds like nothing so much as a modern-day Dock Boggs signed to the Lost Highway label.

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Amazon.com

Helm takes material from a variety of sources and makes it all his own.

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Hartford Courant

Helm’s voice is still poignant even if it’s nowhere near as strong as it once was.

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Austin Chronicle

Dirt Farmer thus proves a revelation, not only through Helm's amazingly rich vocals but also in the return to his Arkansas roots with a perspective and emotion that testifies to perseverance and faith.

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Los Angeles Times

Traditionals such as 'False Hearted Lover Blues' and 'Poor Old Dirt Farmer' go right to the core of music as expression of primal human experience.

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All Music Guide

Dirt Farmer is a hard-edged but compassionate and full-hearted set of roots music from a master of the form, and it's a welcome, inspiring return to form for Levon Helm after a long stretch of professional and personal setbacks.

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PopMatters

On Dirt Farmer, Helm works primarily with Amy Helm and Larry Campbell (recently of Bob Dylan’s touring band) to create new arrangements for these pieces that not only fit the songs' original ideas, but also give the album a unified feel.

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Prefix Magazine

The older songs blend well with the more recent numbers; Helm and his menagerie of backing musicians use bluegrass instrumentation throughout the album and ably blur the lines between traditional pieces and modern songs by the likes of Steve Earle and Paul Kennerley.

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Rolling Stone

His victory over throat cancer cost him some of his old soulful weight. But in 'Poor Old Dirt Farmer,' a Cajun waltz about a man left with only stones for harvest, Helm's drawling howl is heavy with the outrage and sorrow of someone with a deep connection to the land and those who live by it.

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The Guardian

His gently driving percussion work, so important for the Band's success, is still there, and his singing is helped by the impressive harmony work of his daughter Amy.

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Q Magazine

Whether reworking Steve Earle's 'The Mountain' or the traditional heart-tugger 'The Blind Child,' it represents a small yet very real personal triumph. [Dec 2007, p.121]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Byron L J gave it an8:
I am not a fan of country music, cause it mostly all sounds the same (especially modern country). Would I call this country? Lots of people would, I wouldn't. I'd just call it a good record.

Paul F gave it a10:
Best Album in the last few years. Great to hear him again. This album needs to be un your music collection.

D E gave it a9:
A fine albumn in the Americana style; listening to Levon's singing takes me back to his vocals with The Band.

Philip D'Amour gave it a10:
This is a wonderful album! "Little Birds" is one of the best tracks of the year!

Bob M. gave it a10:
I can't stop playing Dirt Farmer. Levon moves me in a way that its hard to describe. I'm so glad he decided to do this cd. Levon Helm IS a national Treasure.

Chris K gave it a9:
As the host of an Americana based radio program, I get nearly every release that comes out. By far, one of the most compelling and authentic albums of the genre for 2007, Levon's friend Larry Campbell, and Levon's daughter have crafted Levon's aged voice into a career masterpiece. This is NOT "Americanapolitan," but more truly a rural, farmland, dry red dirt "no depression" style album,, complete with covers of the Carter Family and Steve Earle. Very Highly Recommended.

FM Fats gave it a10:
Beautifully played and achingly sung. An instant Americana classic.

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Dirt Farmer

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