Profound, moving and beautiful reveries on posthumous release from ‘Outsider Folk’ poet.
Ed Askew was a New York artist, poet, songwriter and genuine underground legend. Having first broken through with his self-titled album in 1968 (subsequently known as Ask The Unicorn), he made ripples in the Woodstock generation, and ploughed a furrow similar to the likes of The Incredible String Band or Vashti Bunyan on this side of the Atlantic. However, this did not translate into commercial success, and he soon settled into a life of painting, writing, and teaching art. He never stopped making music, although this was generally of the home recording variety, without any particular label interest.
In 2002, a re-release of his lost second album, Little Eyes, gradually started to garner some attention, and eventually led to 2013’s For The World, produced by Jerry David DeCicca, and with assorted guests such as Sharon van Etten and Marc Ribot. The success of this record led to some European tours, and a re-awakening of interest in Askew’s musical work.
As he moved into his 80s, and with his health declining, there was a reuniting with DeCicca, and also with van Etten and others (notably Americana favourite Bill Callahan). The result was The Last Painting, his final contribution. Askew passed away in early 2025, at the age of 84.
Opening with the meandering, lyrical Winter Song, accompanied by the soft brushes of jazz percussion, while a saxophone weaves around Askew’s observational words, it all feels of another age, the bohemian 1950s scene, albeit without the harsh edginess of that period.
The songs that follow continue the musical and lyrical themes; reflections of the world we live in, slightly detached, wry, gentle but also fully engaged. This is very much an album that works as a collection, to be listened to in its entirety; no skipping or randomising the tracks required here. With Askew’s fragile yet purposeful voice half-singing, half-speaking the words, and DeCicca conjuring a beautifully nuanced backdrop, it is a quietly intimate experience.
This record may not be for everyone, with its open-ended approach to both music and words, and Askew more than fitting the description of “outsider folk“. However, if your tastes run to the likes of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, post- Blue era Joni Mitchell, Laurie Anderson, the aforementioned Incredible String Band, or if you just like your music to transport you to other places, you will likely find much to enjoy here. Askew has left us with a reverie full of wit and wisdom, deeply held thoughts that are lightly worn. It is an immersive and deeply moving experience, demanding the listener’s full attention, and rewarding with a heartfelt and rather beautiful meditation on the world we inhabit.
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