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Special thanks to my brother Danny Timms for the songs and the spirit on the road, where it all came together. To my wife Lisa and my children for the freedom their love and support give me. To Don Was whose insight, imagination and inspiration made this album such a creative experience. — Kris Kristofferson
Thanks to Randall Jamail, Mark Rothbaum, Ken Kushnick, David Passick, Jack Leitenberg, Bill Dooley, Claris Sayadian, Jack Woltz, Vernon White and everyone at Ocean Way. — Don Was
Sleeve Notes
Fifty years ago, Hank Williams set forth on this continent a new standard for basic songwriting. His lyrics distilled complex human emotions down to their basic essence; he was eloquent, honest and unhappy. A decade later, Willie Nelson and his contemporaries upped the stakes considerably — adding in intelligence, humor and sophistication to the pot. When Bob Dylan appeared with his blend of Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, William Blake and Allen Ginsberg, he unleashed possibilities in the popular song that were so daunting, they still induce cases of writer's block in the faint of heart.
Enter Kris Kristofferson, who maintained the level of Bob's poetic artistry and intellect but replaced the oblique impressionism of "blonde on blonde" with a return to Hank's emotional directness. Although that was 25 years ago, kris remains the most often imitated, and yet never equaled songwriter around.
Why is he so good? Probably because Kris is both an acutely sensitive guy and the most intelligent human I've: ever met. That kind of enhanced consciousness can be a psychic burden to the poor soul who's got to live with it 24 hours a day, but it sure makes for some great music. At times, Kristofferson has done his utmost to drown the intensity of his perceptiveness. But, like a wild dolphin, his buoyant artistry continues to explode past the surface — unbridled by ego, greed or the need of others to cast him in a mold they can categorize and mass market.
A lot of people who know what they're talking about think that this is his best work in 20 years; maybe his best ever. I know that, from the first time we pushed the record button, everyone involved with this album knew that they were part of something special and unique. There's absolutely no one like Kris Kristofferson.
Don Was
