Daniel Lanois 2: For The Beauty Of Wynona

As Acadie had been such a nice surprise, by the time Daniel Lanois’s next album came out it had earned the tag “long-awaited”. Unfortunately, the bar had been set pretty high, and those seeking a straight continuation of the debut would be disappointed.

For The Beauty Of Wynona is an okay but not altogether stellar follow-up; could be his dealer in New Orleans was lacing his supply. This time out he stuck with a small team of players and engineers, and for the most part they provide a harsh, almost sinister edge to the proceedings, symbolized by the cover shot of a nude with a knife. “Beatrice” and “The Collection of Marie Claire” are fairly unsettling, and throughout the album there’s little gentle fingerpicking, replaced mostly by heavy distorted guitars. “The Messenger” has a title that will immediately recall “The Maker”, but beyond that it’s a slow foreboding tale. “Sleeping In The Devil’s Bed” and “The Unbreakable Chain” will most likely please casual listeners, but the highlight by far is the aching centerpiece “Death Of A Train”. Here the vocal gets a slapback echo over brushed drums and an archetypical keyboard bed, and when the guitar does finally come crashing in at the end, the track explodes into light.

For The Beauty Of Wynona had an awful lot to live up to, so perhaps it’s unfair to expect so much from it. It’s worth throwing on once in a while to reconnect, but again, “Death Of A Train” makes it all worth it.

Daniel Lanois For The Beauty Of Wynona (1993)—3