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Description
**Kris Kristofferson - *The Silver Tongued Devil and I***
**(Monument Records, Z 30679, 1971)**
Kris Kristofferson's 1971 sophomore effort, produced by Fred Foster and cut at Monument in Nashville, stands as a cornerstone of outlaw country's emergence from the Nashville elite. Recorded just as Kristofferson was being courted by country's power players, the album marks a deliberate pivot toward a grittier, less polished sound that would define his legacy.
The session features a rotating cast of session greats-Norman Blake on dobro, Charlie McCoy on harmonica, and a string section led by Byron Bach-supporting Kristofferson's own compositions that blend folk sensibility with country's working-class edge. The title track, "The Silver Tongued Devil and I," opens with a wry, self-aware title that betrays Kristofferson's growing confidence as a songwriter. "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" became his signature ballad, its soaring melody and melancholy chorus proving that even in country's most sentimental territory, Kristofferson could inject genuine emotional resonance.
Notably, Joan Baez contributes a single harmony on "The Taker," credited only as "The Lady." The record would later find cinematic immortality in Scorsese's *Taxi Driver* (1976), where Travis Bickle purchases a copy mid-movie-Kristofferson himself played a supporting role in Scorsese's earlier *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore*, establishing a directorial connection that few artists enjoy.
Critical consensus leans toward *The Silver Tongued Devil and I*'s greater maturity compared to Kristofferson's 1970 debut. Gold-certified by 1973, it remains essential for collectors of 1970s Americana, particularly for its blend of pathos, dark humor, and a voice that would soon redefine American storytelling. This vinyl is a must-have for those who appreciate album-oriented country from its most formative moment.
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