Covenant is an album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 singer/guitarist Greg Brown, released in 2000. It was released only a few months after Over and Under

Over and Under

Over and Under is the title of an album by folk singer/guitarist Greg Brown, released in 2000 on the Trailer Records label, a brief departure from his normal Red House Records label....

.

"Rexroth's Daughter" was covered by Joan Baez

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

 on her album Dark Chords on a Big Guitar

Dark Chords on a Big Guitar

Dark Chords on a Big Guitar was a 2003 album by Joan Baez. The sound was more "rockish" than her prior releases, and it was composed of work by mostly Generation X songwriters, including Natalie Merchant, Ryan Adams and Steve Earle. The title was taken from a line in Greg Brown's song "Rexroth's...

.

After the album's official end there is a "hidden" track titled "Marriage Chant".

Reception

Music critic Jeff Burger praised the release in his Allmusic review, writing Brown "remains a national treasure, and so does his songwriting, which has gone from great to better over the years. Wisely keeping the production simple and his voice upfront on this release, he unveils some of his best songs about love, life, friendship, dreams, and the American scene." Jim Musser of No Depression called Brown "a remarkable artist whose peak powers apparently reside somewhere between the present and the next time out."

John Kenyon added Covenant (and Over and Under) to his list of the Top 10 of 2000, writing "A parochial pick, to be sure, but that doesn’t lessen its value. Brown is a buried treasure of sorts... he sings about both the loss of and search for love on songs that are the most accomplished of his career." Writing for Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange, Moshe Benarroch highly praised the first two songs, "'Cept You and Me, Babe", and "Rexwroth's Daughter", but dismissed the rest of the album, writing "with song after song we get just second-rate 60's and 70's songs. Although these are all original songs, they sound like covers of any rhythm and blues band from that period... a mediocre album that will appeal more to convinced fans than to newcomers."

Track listing

All songs by Greg Brown.

1. "'Cept You and Me Babe" – 4:32
2. "Rexroth's Daughter" – 4:55
3. "Real Good Friend" – 3:55
4. "Blues Go Walking" – 3:19
5. "Waiting on You" – 4:28
6. "Living in a Prayer" – 3:45
7. "Dream City" – 4:12
8. "Lullaby" – 4:20
9. "Blue Car" – 4:11
10. "Walkin' Daddy" – 4:45
11. "Pretty One More Time" – 5:14

Personnel

• Greg Brown – vocals, guitar
• Bo Ramsey – guitar
• Rob Arthur – organ, Wurlitzer piano
• Steve Hayes – drums, percussion
• Eric Heywood – pedal steel guitar

External links

• "Greg Brown" (interview), All Things Considered
  All Things Considered
  All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
  
  , NPR