Loudon Wainwright III

One of a slew of great singer-songwriters who began recording in the early 1970s, Loudon Wainwright III isn’t just a fountain of song, he’s a kind of dynasty. Son Rufus and daughter Martha have become critics’ favorites—the latter inspired by good ol’ dad to pen the tender “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole” in candid, um, tribute. Fans have been inclined toward kinder assessments.

Wainwright’s work ethic has yielded a seemingly endless stream of terrific songs, filling 23 albums so far. In all that time, the performer has never fallen far off the radar, whether he was playing the singing surgeon opposite Alan Alda on M*A*S*H or laying down whimsical funny-sad truths on the soundtrack for Knocked Up (a perfect Wainwright song title, by the way).

The current tour takes a retrospective lead from last year’s Recovery. Leaving the inspired-by-rehab songs to Rufus, the album includes remade versions of vintage Wainwright tunes like “The Man Who Couldn’t Cry” (memorably covered by Johnny Cash) and “Saw Your Name in the Paper.” This show also offers a sneak preview of new material from High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project. Wainwright’s salute to the old-time country songster features his entire extended clan (who, unsurprisingly, won’t make it to Evanston), Poole chestnuts and new tunes written about the North Carolina banjo player, who died in 1931. The multigenerational affair emphasizes Wainwright’s affection for legacy, even as the singer restlessly refuses to gather moss.

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