One of the most gifted and clever of the 70s singer/songwriters, Steve Goodman (1948-84) left us too soon, but Omnivore Recordings has done a great job of not only reissuing his classic albums, but (as demonstrated here) has also gone into the Goodman vaults for more obscure material. This latest release features 20 of his acoustic demos, giving the Goodman fan a chance to see the marrow of his famous tracks. Thus, you get an intimate and earnest “City of New Orleans” with folksy slide guitar, twelve string strumming on “Jazzman” and sardonic humor on “You Never Even Call Me By My Name”. His guitar work is rich, as are his roots, as he gives an impressive read of “The Auctioneer” while showing his avuncular side on “Eight Ball Blues” with his band. This era had a surfeit of clever guys with the pen and guitar, when you could throw a rock across the street and hit a Jim Croce or Danny O’Keefe making you wonder how this present generation became such a wasteland of such talent, where you can’t find even one with Google Maps.