 by Julian Spivey Grammy-nominated Americana singer Iris DeMent performed at The Center for Humanities and Arts on the campus of Pulaski Tech in North Little Rock, Ark. on Sunday, April 7 as part of a charity show benefiting Compassion Works for All. Compassion Works for All is a nonprofit organization that helps those in prison through therapeutic programs like meditation and yoga. DeMent’s set on Sunday night was certainly one filled with compassions and much of her work dealt with the theme in one way or another, including a number of gospel hymns, which is interesting from an artist who is the first to admit that she isn’t quite sure whether or not there is a God. However, compassion runs through DeMent’s body and words passionately and her Episcopal upbringing mixed with learnings from life bring out a very spiritual performance from an artist whose work has explored religious skepticism in the past. DeMent began her show with an excellent cover of Merle Haggard’s “Pray,” a lesser known track of his from his 2007 album The Bluegrass Sessions. Performances of “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “He Reached Down” and the original “The Kingdom Has Already Come,” from her most recent album of original work 2012’s Sing the Delta, were very moving and beautifully showed off DeMent’s one-of-a-kind voice that’s both startingly unique and incredibly beautiful at the same time. DeMent is an Arkansas product having been born in Paragould but moved at a very early age to California when her father sought a better life for his 14 children. Still, the Arkansas Delta is in her blood and spirit and this come through in the excellent performance of “Sing the Delta,” the title track off her 2012 release. A couple of remarkably enchanting performances from DeMent’s set on Sunday were the back-to-back “Like a White Stone” and “Song About Songs,” which come from her most recent album 2015’s The Trackless Woods which has set the words of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966) to music. DeMent spoke very eloquently of Akhmatova’s work and beauty and how she accomplished much of her work while in a sort of incarceration of her own, being an enemy of Joseph Stalin and Communist Russia. DeMent has proven to be one of the highest praised Americana songwriters since her debut Infamous Angels in 1992 and was recently honored by the Americana Association with the Trailblazer Award, which according to the Association “exemplifies what it means to forge your own path in the music industry.” Previous honorees of that award include Old Crow Medicine Show, Lyle Lovett and Don Henley. DeMent’s songwriting skills were on full display on performances like “Livin’ on the Inside,” “My Life” and “Mornin’ Glory” on Sunday night at the small, but cozy venue that features great sound. One of the true highlights of DeMent’s entire set was what was seemingly her debut of her fan-favorite “Our Town” on piano. The song was requested by someone in the audience and she claimed she couldn’t do it because it was “a guitar song” and she was only performing on piano during this show. But she offered to give it a shot and maybe do a verse. She ended up performing a lot of the song, and it was truly fascinating to see her perform this song beautifully on piano that she had said she’d never even messed around with before at home on the instrument. She had previously told the audience earlier in the night that the piano was a magical instrument that she basically taught herself and thought any novice could make sound nice. DeMent finished her set with “Justice Rolls Like Water,” which was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in which he paraphrased from the Book of Amos. It was a terrific message to end the night that was benefiting Compassion Works for All. Before DeMent’s set the evening was opened up by singer-songwriter Claire Holley, originally from Mississippi, but hailing from Los Angeles, who dazzled the audience with her beautiful voice and originals like “Beauty School,” which was inspired by the friendship of Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette, and “Kudzu,” which was inspired by a poem from Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly. Holley also put a different spin on Bob Marley reggae classic “Three Little Birds.”
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