Little Wonder

Vic Chesnutt's At the Cut

by M.J. Fine

Vic Chesnutt's death on Christmas, at age 45, didn't come as a huge surprise to loyal listeners. Like so many other depressed artists, he'd been dropping hints in his songs throughout his career. A car accident when he was 18 put Chesnutt in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and subsequent ailments left him with hospital bills he thought he'd never be able to pay. Given his often bitter lyrics, it's not hard to read his intentional overdose on muscle relaxants as a final fuck-you to a broken health care system and a cruel world.

Which isn't to say he wasn't loved. Try to think of another singer-songwriter who's been covered by Madonna and Smashing Pumpkins (who both appeared on 1996's Sweet Relief II: The Gravity of the Situation, a benefit album to help musicians with medical bills), or one who's been backed by jam stars Widespread Panic, alt-country collective Lambchop and psych-pop stalwarts Elf Power.

At the Cut, one of three albums Chesnutt released in 2009, employs Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Fugazi's Guy Picciotto to eerie effect, and it's a fitting capstone to a rich catalog. With its tense strings and stark drums, "Coward" is a grand opener, heavy of hand and heart. Wistful piano turns "Chain" into an elegy, and sparse guitar gives "Granny" a respectful send-off. But it's "Flirted With You All My Life," Chesnutt's last stand against suicide, that carries the most weight. "Oh, death/ Oh, death/ Oh, death," he sings over a chilly organ and warm guitar. "Clearly I'm not ready." But he would be, soon enough.

For all the collaborations that would come later, 1990's Little is a cozy debut. On nine of its 10 songs, Chesnutt's accompanied only by producer Michael Stipe and Stipe's sister Lynda, who adds subtle harmonies to his scratchy twang and measured acoustic guitar. His portraits of bewildered lovers ("Soft Picasso") and dreamers ("Isadora Duncan") convey a convincing certainty of self. "I'm not a victim/ I am an atheist," he proclaims on "Speed Racer," Little's centerpiece. Chesnutt knew who he was, and you should, too.

(m_fine@citypaper.net)