Grammy Nominations Bring A Nod

I’m usually one to shake my head and roll my eyes when awards nominations are announced. As the Grammy nominees were released today, I was actually raising my eyebrows, with a bit of a smile.

Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill… all on the list for Grammy nods. Did we turn the clock back 30 years? Nope. It’s a testament to the resilience and relevance of country artists of previous decades who focus more on good music and less on what’s going to be ‘a hit.’

Tanya was nominated for overall Song of the Year, Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song with “Bring My Flowers Now” as well as Best Country Album for “While I’m Livin’.”

Tanya will be going head-to-head with Willie for Best Country Solo Performance, which includes Willie’s “Ride Me Back Home.”

Reba McEntire got a nod for Best Country Album with “Stronger Than The Truth.”

There’s no sign of slowing down for Dolly Parton, who has a nomination for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for her collaboration with for King & Country on “God Only Knows.” She also has a second nomination, which is for Best Song Written For Visual Media, “Girl In The Movies” that Dolly wrote with Linda Perry for the movie, “Dumplin’.”

Rosanne and Vince will be going head-to-head for Best American Roots Song. Rosanne’s “Crossing To Jerusalem” co-written with her husband, John Leventhal, goes against Vince’s “I Don’t Wanna Ride The Rails No More.”

Looking at the list of nominations also reminded me of how the last two years have been huge for Brandi Carlile, not just as a singer, but also as a songwriter, producer, collaborator and an overall do-er. Brandi was a producer for Tanya Tucker’s album, “While I’m Living’” as well as co-songwriter for Song of the Year & Best Country Song nominee, Tanya’s “Bring My Flowers Now.” Brandi was also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Maren Morris on Maren’s “Common.”

I also need to give a nod to recognition for Ashley McBryde, who was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Girl Goin’ Nowhere.”

A few other ladies to be recognized for Grammy nominations include the Pistol Annies with Best Country Album for “Interstate Gospel” and Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna for some songwriting credits.

Jewel - Sweet & Wild

With Jewel’s latest release comes a bit more of a pop-y flavor, with a touch of country – including a hint of fiddle & mandolin.



While some of the melodies may be standard mainstream fare, the lyrics are all pure Jewel (even one not written by her). Thankfully, she’s able to intersperse the more pop-y flavored songs with the countrified ones to make a very nice, cohesive compilation - some being a bit sweet, some a bit on the wild side.

The combination of the ‘Sweet’ and the “Wild” here makes me think of the latest release from Laura Bell Bundy, “Achin’ and Shakin’” , where half of the album was a “heartbreak” tone and the other half was upbeat, “dancin’” tone – and it turned into a bit of a bi-polar album that seemed out of place. With “Sweet & Wild”, Jewel takes that same type of concept, but intersperses the songs to make a much more cohesive unit.

Take a listen to some of the songs:

Fading:


Bad as it gets:


Stay here forever:


Ten:


"Sweet & Wild" will be released on June 8th. Be sure to pick this one up

2009 album reviews

I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to finish all of the reviews from the 2009 albums that I've heard, so let's just go with what I've got done - in addition to the Top-15 albums of 2009 I posted previously.

A--

-- Alice Peacock – love remains
“I’d like to get stoned, never come home. I’d like to be free, not do what I should. Do what feels good with whomever I please.” – All About Me

A diverse compilation of rugged & reflective stories is what this album is all about; From Hard Way (“I could make it easy on myself, Taking the advice of someone else. But if there's a road that goes through hell, That's what I'd take.”) to If I Could Talk To God (“If I could talk to God - I’d have a million questions. If we could sit down face to face, I’d inquire how He likes to spend his days and if he has any regrets about this world he made.”) combined with nice instrumentation, makes this album a must-listen.


-- Adam Lambert – for your entertainment
“you feel the weight of lies and contradictions that you live with every day. It's not too late
Think of what could be if you rewrite the role you play. Take a step before you leap, Into the colors that you seek. You give back what you give away, So don't look back on yesterday.” - Aftermath

I don’t watch any of that reality show crap, so didn’t know what all of the hype was over this guy, and I guess I still don’t. After listening to the album, I would rate it as ‘average’. At first listen, I felt like I was thrown back to 1980s rock. The songs themselves aren’t too bad, but the album, as a whole, is kind of all over the place in terms of continuity. If I had to pick a favorite song from this collection, I’d go with Broken Open. If this is the best that American Idol has to offer these days, then it’s a good thing I’m still not wasting my time watching.


Alecia Nugent – Hillbilly goddess
“I turned up my bottle, poured his memory down. Took a hard look at my bible, almost made me turn around. Then that moon started shining, casting shadows of doubt. That’s just me wreckin’ the train. Just when things are going my way, that need for rambling gets rolling through my veins. Don’t try to change me, no I ain’t gonna change.” – Wreckin’ the train

The grass is mighty blue to begin this album and I guarantee that you’ll be tapping your toes by the first 30 seconds of this album with the rollin’ Wreckin’ The Train. You’re afforded a breather with the slower paced, Don’t Tell Me, a song that I’ve heard recorded by LeeAnn Womack previously. I like this version with the bluegrass sound much better than LeeAnn’s smoother, mellow version. The album continues with the mixed up & down tempo. As with most bluegrass music, the songs tell great stories, and Alecia’s voice is the perfect ingredient to add the final touch in making this a great album.


B --

-- Bearfoot – doors and windows
“you don’t have to talk about me. It won’t change who I am. I’ll be traveling down some road to nowhere, before you see me again.” – Northward Bound

Bearfoot is a five-member bluegrass group from Alaska, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a typical bluegrass album. While it may offer some of the traditional bluegrass sounds, the album kind of evolves into a blend of Americana-Folk. If you want a real taste of this quintet, take a listen to the album finale – the five-part a cappella original, Good In The Kitchen. Even the Beatles’ cover, Don’t Let Me Down, is quite lovely.


-- Billy Ray Cyrus – Back to Tennessee
“He was 17, and his heart was broke. The middle of the night, a bottle full of pills and a goodbye note. Sittin’ on his bed, but then he bowed his head. Now I see him every week, and every now & then he talks about that night and the peace that came over him.” – Somebody said a prayer

Riding on the coattails of his daughter, Miley, Billy Ray comes out with a new album that really doesn’t say much. He’s kind of lost his musical touch from his previous decent singles through the years, like “Busy Man,” “Some Gave All,” and “Could’ve Been Me”. Here, “thrillbilly” tries to imitate something that sounds like Big & Rich. As much as I don’t like B&R, I think they do a pop-hillbilly sound much better. “Country as country can be” tries to make him sound like a ‘country’ boy, but he never pulls it off successfully. The fiddles seem so out of place with the rest of the over-production. The cover of Sheryl Crow’s Real Gone – Oy! The finale to this album is a Billy Ray duet with his daughter, Miley, on Butterfly Fly Away, which seems kind of a rip-off of Butterfly Kisses. What I actually do like from this album is Somebody said a prayer and give it to somebody. Two decent songs with great messages.

Bomshel – fight like a girl
“Bein free bein wild being bullet proof back then we were rebels without a clue. nothing in the world that we wouldn't do. Didn't give a damn what people say we were doing it doing it our way i wish that we could always stay 19 and crazy.” – 19 & crazy

Kelley Shepard replacing Buffy Lawson to sing in tandem with Kristy Osmunson hasn’t brought forth any changes in sound for the duo of Bomshel. In fact, I hear many similarities between their previous songs and this new album – 19 & Crazy is the ‘rebel’ theme, much like Ain’t My Day To Care back in 2006. The title track, Fight Like A Girl is lyrically similar to The Power of One, which the duo had included on the Evan Almighty soundtrack. And how can you not compare Karma is a female dog to It Was an Absolutely, Finger Lickin', Grits and Chicken, Country Music Love Song? The song from this album that raises an eyebrow (maybe both) is the cover of No Doubt’s Just a girl. Interesting, to say the least. However, none of the songs on this album can unseat Calling All Angels as my favorite Bomshel song.


Brad Paisley – American Saturday night
“When I was 10 years old, I remember thinking how cool it would be, when we were going on an 8-hour drive, if I could just watch tv. I’d have given anything to have my own PacMan game at home. I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade. Now I’ve got it on my phone.” – Welcome To The Future

Oh how this man continues to confound me! He continues to be sweet and sensitive, with songs like She’s Her Own Woman, Then and I Hope That’s Me. Then he’s Mr Old-School American with American Saturday Night, and Welcome to the Future. And finally he pokes you in the gut with the wacky & absurd, like Catch All The Fish. That’s been his recipe for success from the beginning. Thank goodness he’s not changing anytime soon.

D --

-- Dolly Parton – Dolly (4 disc set)
“ Just because I’m blonde, don’t think I’m dumb, ‘cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool” – dumb blonde

Normally, when an artist has been making music for as long as Dolly has, the ‘greatest hits’ albums usually become much of the same. This one, however, is quite different. This 99-song collection includes all of the Dolly favorites in a 4-cd set, including Jolene, 9 to 5, I will always love you and Coat of Many Colors, and of course, the great duets with Porter Wagonner and Kenny Rogers. But the treasures here are the a number of previously unreleased songs, and there are some from her very early days where she almost sounds a bit like Brenda Lee.

The greatest thing about Dolly’s music is her down-home songwriting. It’s usually all straight-forward lyrics and not a lot of metaphors to try and decipher.

-- Donna Ulisse – walk this mountain down
“They say I’m young, and I don’t know how sure love lasts, how fast it goes. But I don’t care. I’ll risk the pain, ‘cuz I want to ride love’s crazy train.” – Love’s crazy train

How do you like your bluegrass? Me? I kind of like it Donna Ulisse style – rockin’ acoustic instruments, good stories, and great harmonies. Classic bluegrass. Enough said.


E --

- Eilen Jewell – sea of tears
“There’s only one constant in this whole world, that’s nothing ever stays the same. Someday my life will be over, and no one will remember my name. That’s alright, ‘cause what’s in a name? Who needs another one to memorize anyway? Make no fuss over my grave. Just plant something pretty and call it a day. Let’s just listen to the rain roll in. I don’t feel like we gotta do nothing. Years go by and before too long, even the very last one is gone. The very last one is gone.” – Rain Roll In

With tiles like I’m Gonna Dress In Black, One Of Those Days, Final Hour, and The Darkest Day, you’d think this was going to be a depressing album. Not so. Those titles may suggest lost love or lost loved ones, but some of the beats are anything but. Take The Darkest Day, for example. It’s a break-up song disguised in a country swing. Final Hour brings you the blues. The title track brings a bit of rockin’ to the mix.


-- Eric Church – carolina
“You say you’re the real deal, but you play what nobody feels. You sing about Johnny Cash. The ‘man in black’ would’ve whipped your ass. And I don’t think Waylon done it that way. And if he was here he'd say Hoss, neither did Hank. I ain't dogging what you're doing, But boys come on let's get real, You still got a lotta boot left to fill”. – Lotta boot left to fill

I liked a few songs from Eric’s first album, Sinners like me, including the title track, Two Pink Lines, and Guys Like Me. However, this new album is a bit too much of the mainstream country that I don’t really enjoy. That being said, there are some nice tunes, such as Love Your Love The Most, His Kind Of Money, Hell On The Heart, and Faster Than My Angels Can Fly. However, one listen to the story of Those I’ve Loved will keep me from skipping to the next album. And how about Where She Told Me To Go? “When I said baby, it's all for the better. Yeah what do you know, I think I wound up where she told me to go.” Lotta Boot Left To Fill pokes fingers at those using the Johnny Cash name in their songs. Uh, hypocritical much?


F --

-- Flyleaf – Memento Mori
“Here you are down on your knees again, trying to find air to breathe again. Only surrender will help you now. I love you, please see and believe again.” - Again

Yeah, not the usual type of music that I listen to, but hey, it has the same title as a Stargate SG-1 episode, so I had to check it out. The one problem I have with hard rock music is that it takes me a long time to actually understand what the lyrics are. Most of the time they become distorted in the music. When I could finally understand them, I realized they were a bit Christian-themed at times. It’s nice to hear lyrics in the hard rock genre that are fairly positive in nature.


G --
- - Gemma Hayes – Oliver EP:
Just five songs, but yet a very nice compilation. Most of the songs are very thought-provoking, or introspective, like These Days: “These days I seem to think a lot, about the things that I forgot to do. And all the times that I had a chance to.” My favorite from this five-song set is Ghost. “This is what I see. This is what I believe in.” This EP is more mellow than last year’s, The Hollow of Morning LP.

J --
Justin Townes Earle – midnight at the movies
“Well when John Henry died, he laid looking at the sun. He said ‘Lord take me now, my work is done. Lord, Lord. Lord, take me now, my work is done’. Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy, they laid that hammer by his side. Lord, lord. Laid that hammer by his side.” – They Killed John Henry

He’s got the name and he’s got the voice. He’s got a pretty nice knack for making good music, and he knows how to mix things up. He can do old-school, he can do swing, he can do rockabilly, and more. It’s nice to hear an album that’s got a little bit of everything, yet has that voice that brings it all together seamlessly.

K --
Kris Kristofferson – closer to the bone
“Cool shadows fall through the moonlight. Soft as a breeze through your hair. And the smile on your face while you’re sleeping is the answer to anyone’s prayer. Fill your heart for the morning tomorrow. You still got a long way to grow. And the love that you’re dreaming will guide you, and live like a song in your soul.” – From Here To Forever

He’s never been a real great singer, but Kris’ songs have always been at the forefront. That’s quite evident with his latest album. His voice is quite ragged now, but he can sure tell a story. Just take a listen to Sister Sinead. From Here To Forever is a song he wrote for his kids. And one guess at who Good Morning John is about. You wanna put some 'Cash' on that bet?

L --

Lyle Lovett – natural forces
“I think I’ll look around for a drinking stream. I think I’ll look around for a drinking stream. They say you turned the water into wine. That must’ve been right this time, ‘cause I look around for a drinking stream and I can’t find one.” – Whooping Crane

Where this wacky, wonderful talent gets his ideas is anybody’s guess. He just always keeps me shaking my head in amusement and tapping my toes in enjoyment at the same time because of his strange songs. Case in point on this album: Farmer Brown – Chicken Reel. Absolute ‘shake-your-head-and-laugh’ entertainment. But he also has a serious side. Don’t You Think I Feel It Too, Sun And Moon And Stars, Empty Blue Shoes. This one is all about the many sides of the man with big hair.

M --
Martina McBride – shine
“Look at you standing there, you look so out of place. I turn around one more time, regret still has your face. I can read your mind right now. You want me to stick around. But nothing ends if I don’t leave right now. Let me go, let me walk away. Walk away, baby. I can’t stay. Walk away. Walk away, baby. I’ll be fine. I will recover, and I will learn to love another. Sometimes goodbye’s the hardest thing to say. So, I’ll walk away.” – Walk Away

Whether she’s bright & cheerful (Sunny Side Up or Don’t Cost A Dime) or sad & sorrowful (I’m trying or Walk Away), Martina’s voice is always front & center, and she’s turned that into an art all in itself. Her voice seems to turn every song into an interesting story, even if it’s just a happy-go-lucky, I Still Call You Mine or Sunny Side Up. Through the years, Martina has become a master at choosing songs that give her voice the spotlight. What makes me smile even more with this album is that I still hear mandolin, fiddle, and steel sounds amidst the guitars. That’s going to garner a two thumbs up almost every time. Also, for a great ‘story’, be sure to check out Wild Rebel Rose.

N --
-- Nanci Griffith – the loving kind
“this house is full of memories that aren’t mine. Pieces I thought I would clear out over time. Life takes over, I get ahead of myself, I turn around and I’ve filled up the shelf with things I don’t need that weigh me down. Things I don’t want, but still keep around. I woke up today and I made up my mind. From now on I’ll leave all those things I don’t need behind.” – Things I don’t need

Nanci has always been one of the great musical storytellers, and this album continues that tradition. Her voice is made for ‘story songs’. However, this album isn’t just filled with story songs, but also includes a few ‘drinking’ songs – like Tequila After Midnight and Pour Me A Drink – the two songs which conclude the album.

-- Naomi Sommers – gentle as the sun
“It’ll be alright. Yes, it’ll be alright. Any time, place, country, day or night. It’ll be alright, and I’ll be good if you stand by me when I say you should.” – It will be alright.

Gentle as the sun is an album of all original songs from Naomi Sommers, and one cover, Sea of Heartbreak. CDBaby.com lists this as bluegrass/folk/alt-rock all in one. Personally, I only hear a watered-down version of that. I hear more of a smooth, easy-listening style for most of the songs, mainly because that’s what her vocal style presents itself as. Her voice doesn’t really seem to have the strength to be in any of those genres, it’s too smooth. Other than that sticking point, this is a nice compilation of tunes. Rosanne Cash also did a cover of sea of heartbreak on her album this year, and there’s no comparison between the two. Rosanne is able to give her version a much more ‘real’ style.

-- Natalie Imbruglia – come to life
“I climbed the walls, You hit the bars. I am from Venus, You are from Mars. You got your brand new friends And I got a broken heart. Doesn’t matter who we are…Everyone has their scars.” -- Scars

Come to Life is Natalie’s first studio album since 2005, and the first on her own label, Malabar Records. The album includes three writing collaborations with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, including the first single release, Want. My God, Lukas, Twenty, and Scars are all great tracks to check out.


-- NCIS – official tv soundtrack
“Are you scared of the dark? Are you afraid they’ll break your heart? Are you afraid you’ll lose yourself? Are you afraid of your own health? Are you scared to lose? Are you afraid to choose? Are you afraid you’ll win? Are you scared of your own sin? Are you scared to forgive? Are you afraid to live? Are you afraid to die? Do you think it's all a lie To live When you think you’re dying? To laugh When you feel like crying? To stand When you think you’re gonna fall? It’s just fear after all. It’s only fear after all.” -- Fear by Stop Making Friends (aka Pauley Perrette)


TV show soundtracks usually don’t get me excited. However, when the soundtrack includes songs sung by some of the main characters of the show, that’s another story. The first NCIS soundtrack released this year included songs from two of the main actors – Pauley Perrette (as ‘Stop Making Friends’) on Fear, and Cote De Pablo on Temptation. Add songs by Jakob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Dashboard Confessional, and John Mellencamp, and you’ve got a pretty nice compilation.


-- NCIS – official tv soundtrack Volume 2
“I haven’t been happy in such a long time. Cloudy & gray skies instead of sunshine. I guess that’s how I’m looking now, so pale, like I’m in disguise. I’m thoughtful and I’m gloomy and bitter & blue.” – Bitter & Blue

It’s a bit rare to have two full soundtracks from the same show released in the same year. The NCIS Volume 2 compilation includes songs from Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp, Joss Stone, Otis Redding, and more, including songs from series star Michael Weatherly. And don’t be surprised with Michael’s songs, he’s got a great voice. It kind of reminds me of Sting. Now, all we need are songs from Mark Harmon, Sean Murray, & David McCallum. As a Sheryl Crow fan, I was a bit disappointed in the song she has included in this compilation. For some reason, the song doesn’t seem to work well with her voice. The greatest song on this album is That time of year by Sick Puppies.


-- Norah Jones – the fall
“You've ruined me now, But I liked it - but I'm ruined. Do you have a plan, 'cause I'm in your hands. You've ruined me now, though I liked it now I'm ruined. I had no choice when I heard your voice. I know you said, can't be mislead. Now I'm the one whose face is red. You ruined me now, though I liked it, now I'm ruined. Your child-lit eyes like buttons of lies.” – You’ve ruined me

We get a bit of a different sound from Norah this time around. The first two songs, Chasing Pirates and Even though, start the album on a great note. The album has a fairly guitar-heavy tone to it, in contrast to her more ‘normal’ piano-driven style. This album delves into more of the ‘soul’ sound. It’s quite a nice change for Norah.

R --
Reba McEntire – keep on loving you
“Her husband left on Saturday for a woman that was half her age. Sunday she just stayed in bed with the covers pulled over her head. But on Monday morning she woke up and loaded up her pickup truck. Took one last look at her old life then hit the gas & said goodbye in her faded jeans and her old baseball cap. All she knows for sure, she ain’t coming back.” – She’s Turning 50 Today

You’ve got to hand it to Reba. After all these years of venturing into different projects (TV show, Broadway productions, etc) this lady still knows how to make music. Just like Martina McBride, Reba can turn a good ‘story’ song into a masterpiece. Take a listen to She’s Turning 50 Today, Eight Crazy Hours (In the story of love), or Over You. She even let’s you kick up your two-stepping heels with I’ll Have What She’s Having .

Rhonda Vincent – destination life
“I’ll make a brand new start, give love a second chance. I’ll put away the blues, you won’t get another glance. You’re nothing to me and baby that’s a fact. I’m looking to the future and I’ll never look back. When the tears come falling down like rain from the sky, leaves me feeling lonely and I hang my head and cry. But there’ll be another day & I’ll start my life anew. It’s a fast break from heartache and the last time loving you.” – Last Time Loving You

There are many who are contending, but Destination Life keeps Rhonda atop the pedestal as the queen of today’s bluegrass. I was intrigued by Rhonda’s cover of Stop the World (and let me off), a song I usually associate with Patsy Cline in her inimitable style. Another interesting cover is Crazy Love. I’ve heard lots of versions of this, but I love Rhonda’s voice with the banjos & fiddles – and of course the harmonies. That’s always a must in bluegrass. You’ve got to have the harmonies. A great way to wrap up the album is the a cappella When I Travel My Last Mile. Lovely. Very lovely.

S --
-- Sarah Darling – every Monday morning
“If this is the way it feels, I don’t wanna feel it anymore. I’m out the door, baby. If this is the way it goes down, don’t wanna be around to see how low it takes me, ‘cause if this is love… baby don’t love me.” – Don’t Love Me

I think of this album as kind of 1970s California Country-Rock. Thankfully, this album doesn’t have the over-production that you hear in a lot of today’s mainstream country. It kind of reminds me of a LeeAnn Womack album. “Jack of Hearts” is the first single off the album, and is probably my favorite from this collection.

Steve Earle – Townes
“If I had no place to fall and I needed to, could I count on you to lay me down? I’d never tell you no lies. Don’t believe it’s wise. But you got pretty eyes. Won’t you spin me around. I ain’t much of a lover it’s true. I’m here then I’m gone. And I’m forever blue. But I’m sure wanting you.” – No Place To Fall

Yes, it’s a tribute to Steve’s hero, Townes Van Zant. He’s enough of a hero for Steve to name his son after the guy. Oh and in case you don’t know your music history, Townes was a pretty darn good singer & songwriter too. It took me a while to warm up to Steve’s version of Pancho & Lefty. It’s a song that I highly associate with Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard. After listening to that version for so long, it was hard to enjoy the change in sound. In usual Steve Earle style, the album is quite raw and old-school. If you’re not familiar with the songs of Townes, this is a great place to start without actually hearing the originals.

Susan Boyle – I dreamed a dream
“when I was a child, I could see the wind in the trees and I heard the song in the breeze. It was there singing out my name. But I’m not a girl. I’ve known the taste of defeat. And I’ve finally grown to believe it’ll all come around again. Though I may not know the answers, I can finally say I’m free. And if the questions led me here, then I’m who I was born to be.” – Who I Was Born To Be

They’re always rare in today’s age of reality shows. They’re the exceptions to the rule. I’m talking about those who are actually worthy of receiving their ’15 minutes of fame’. Susan Boyle is one of those people. There are many cliché’s you can use while describing her success, but the best one is probably “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. It seemed that everyone in the audience (including the judges) on Britian’s Got Talent was groaning and snickering at her before she even sang a single note, I’m guessing because of her appearance. Chalk one up for Susan! One line of lyrics from her voice, and those same groaning & snickering people were gasping in awe at the treasure that they’d all ‘discovered’. With the story of her ‘rise to fame’ aside, the music on this album is comprised of standard covers – Wild Horses, I Dreamed A Dream, Cry Me A River, How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace, Daydream Believer, etc. Yet once again, it’s Susan’s voice that reigns supreme to make this a compilation worthy of your time to listen.

T --

Terri Clark – the long way home
“In the basement of the church, I took the last chair in the room. Embarrassed & ashamed, but that all began to change when she stood up & spoke her truth. She said I came here years ago when I lost my sanity. I hit an all-time low, but then I found serenity. I took shelter hiding from the pain, in any place to make it go away. In the arms of a stranger, keeping company with danger, or staring down the barrel of a gun. At the bottom of a bottle, getting numb with every swallow, ‘cause it’s easy when it’s what you’ve always done with a million ways to run.” – A Million Ways To Run

Truthfully, Terri lost me back a number of years ago with the Pain To Kill album, or maybe even back to How I Feel. She seemed to lose her ‘Countriness’ in favor of the more popular mainstream sound. She hasn’t really roped me back in the fold since then. This album is getting a little bit closer to being back on the right track. I hear mandolin, I hear banjo, I hear shades of what used to draw me to her music to begin with. She seems to have the country sound back, but now she just needs to work on the choice of songs. A Million Ways To Run, The One You Love (featuring Vince Gill), Poor Girls Dream, If I Could Be You, and Tough With Me are all pretty darn good songs. It’s a shame that the most mainstream song from the record, Gypsy Boots, is the first single released. That’s definitely not one that I’d highlight. In fact, it’s probably my least favorite of the entire album. And it also really doesn't represent the rest of the album at all.

W –

- - Willie Nelson/Asleep at the Wheel – Willie & the Wheel
“Bring it on down to my house honey, there ain’t nobody home but me. Bring it on down to my house, honey. I need your company.”

Willie’s done some great duets over his many years in the music business, and his collaborations with Asleep at the Wheel have been some of the best. If you’re in the mood for some Western Swing, this album is the one for you. You’ll recognize Right or wrong, Hesitation Blues, I’m sittin’ on top of the world, and other favorites.

The collaborations don’t end with Willie & the ‘Wheel’ gang. South also features instrumentals from Paul Shaffer (from David Letterman’s show) and Vince Gill.

-- Webb Sisters - Comes in twos
“Love. Hate. Oh what a fine line we walk. Close. Bloom. When do we learn how to talk? Hopes & dreams come in twos. So what do we do when one is gone. Gone.” – Baroque thoughts

Just five songs on this one, but they’re a very nice compilation. Very nice harmonies with these as well, and I love the inclusion of the mandolin sounds without making it bluegrass-ey. They remind me of The Murmurs. If it be your will features the wonderful Leonard Cohen giving them an intro to his song.

Take Your Pick

There are those certain songs that turn out great no matter who ends up singing them. Take the wonderful "You'll never leave Harlan alive", for instance.

I first heard this great song on Patty Loveless' 2001 album, Mountain Soul. She did an incredible job with it. Then I heard Brad Paisley's version of the song on his album, Part II, which was also released in 2001 - about a month prior to Patty's. Kathy Mattea also recorded the song and included it on her wonderful 2008 album, Coal.

I find all three versions of this song to be wonderfully recorded. I'd still consider Patty's version to be my slight favorite, probably only because it was the first one I heard - and maybe because Patty's one of my all-time favorite singers (but Kathy is too!).

So take a listen, and decide which one would be your favorite.

Patty Loveless' Version:


Brad Paisley's Version:


Kathy Mattea's Version:

Back to County: October 1991

Let's take you back in time in Country music. To start with, we're not going back that far, really...just October of 1991. This is when some of the first music cds were being released to my radio station. Before that time, the music was still arriving mainly on 45's and some cassette singles.

Even with the arrival of music on cds, my station still was a bit slow in getting a cd player, because we weren't sure exactly how much the new 'invention' of cds would catch on. So for the first few months of cd arrivals, one of our employees who had a cd player at home would have to take the discs home and dub them to cassette so we could play them through our cassette player over the air.

The cds sent to the radio station aren't usually your normal 'albums' or cd singles (though we do get them from time-to-time). They're actually a cd compiled of all the singles being released in that week or two of time.

So, let's take a look at some of the Country singles that were released in October of 1991.

First of all, there is one of my favorites (both singer and song), Lacy J Dalton's "The Deal".
"you promised forever, I promised the same; gave each other bands of gold and I agreed to take your name. A shower of rice, a toast with champagne, we drove away into a setting sun, a cloudless sky, a perfect life, no chance for rain. That was the deal. That was the way we planned it. We signed on the dotted line, but did not understand it. It's not easy to change the way that you feel. And it's hard to live up to the terms of the Deal."

Another song from October 1991 is one that became one of the biggest hits for Collin Raye - "Love, Me" - A sad, but beautiful love story of a song that's also been played at many funerals, anniversary parties and more.
"If you get there before I do Don't give up on me. I'll meet you when my chores are through. I don't know how long I'll be. But I'm not gonna let you down, Darling wait and see. And between now and then Til I see you again, I'll be loving you. Love, Me."

Then there was the up-and-coming group, Pirates of the Mississippi with their single, "Fighting For You".
" Cause there's just so much one man can take, even the strongest heart can break. When the tears start to roll, it's like trying to hold back the sea. But I won't give up, you know how I am. I'll fight 'til I fall, and make one more stand. How can I lose fighting for you?"

Some other songs that came out in October of 1991 include:
Brooks & Dunn - My Next Broken Heart
Dan Seals - Sweet Little Shoe
Holly Dunn - No One Takes The Train Anymore
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Going out Tonight
Mark Chesnutt - Broken Promiseland

Take a listen to the songs. See how many you remember.

Patty Griffin brings the Praise

Patty Griffin's seventh album will be released on January 26th. However, it's a slight variation from her normal repertoire of music. "Downtown Church" is a gospel album. It was recorded in the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, and will include Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and gospel group The Fairfield Four as guest vocalists. The album will feature a wide range of influences, from the traditional country sound to a more blues-oriented style.

Some of the tunes include: "Death's Got A Warrant", "Wade in the Water" and "Move Up", as well as covers like Hank Williams' "House of Gold" and traditional songs such as "Never Grow Old" and "If I Had My Way". The album also will feature a few of her own tunes, including "Coming Home To Me" and the ballad "Little Fire."

So be sure to stop at your local record store or online music shop to pick this one up.

My Top 15 Albums of 2009

2009 was an interesting year for music. I discovered some great new artists, some of my favorites had new releases, and there seemed to be a bunch of mediocre albums that I gave listens to, but didn’t catch my ear.

Let’s start with my Top 15 of 2009. There were three albums vying heavily for the top spot. I went with my new musical ‘discovery’.

1. Those Darlins – Those Darlins
“If you don’t want a wild one, quit hanging ‘round with me. You knew right from the start that’s my personality. If you can’t handle crazy, then go ahead & leave” – Wild One

I was intrigued the moment I saw this album listed as being ‘cow-punk’. That’s exactly the best way to describe it. It’s a bit old hillbilly, a bit punk, a bit alternative, and great three-part harmonies. It’s kind of Carter Family and Loretta Lynn meet the Murmurs or the Dixie Chicks with a bit of a punk-ish edge.

2. Brandi Carlile – Give up the ghost
“when you’re outside looking in, you belong to someone. And when you feel like giving in, or the coming of the end, like your heart could break in two, someone loves you”. – Looking out

It’s hard to top her previous release, The Story, as I think I had it on ‘repeat’ for over a year, but GUTG is a pretty good follow up. The album begins with looking out, which is kind of in the vein of the Story as it starts a bit soft and melts into a full-blown Brandi rocker. Dreams is the first single released, and is kind of a ‘typical’ mainstream single. One of the album’s highlights is the duet with Elton John on Caroline. If there was no you reminds me of something that would have been sung by Peter, Paul & Mary (including the whistling).

As with most of Brandi’s music, Give up the ghost really highlights the instrumentation, which complements her voice tremendously. Guitar, cello, piano, and harmonies from ‘the Twins’ are each allowed their chance to stand out. While I wouldn’t rate this album better than the Story, it’s certainly a great compilation of songs.

3. Patty Loveless – Mountain Soul II
“She’s an old friend. She’s a good friend. Hair of golden, eyes of saddened. She’s a won’t be long friend, til she’s gone, then leaves you hangin’ in fool’s thin air.” – Fool’s Thin Air

Mountain Soul II is a sequel to Patty’s incredible 2001 album, Mountain Soul. As with most things, sequels have a hard time living up to the originals. That’s somewhat the case with this one. While II is a great album, it still can’t rival the original. It might have helped if she named it something else to give the album its own identity and not incur the comparisons of the first one.

As for the album itself, it contains a great compilation of ‘mountain music’ – with acoustic instruments like mandolin, dobro, fiddle, banjo, etc. The one thing that is continuously highlighted – on both albums – is the wonderful harmonies. If you meld great harmonies with great instrumentation, you know you’re going to have an album that’s included in my Top 5.

The album starts off with an old-style version of John Conlee’s classic, Busted. I like Patty’s version here. I think it actually works better for the song than the original ‘mainstream’ version done by John. Another remake that I enjoy here is Blue Memories, a song that I usually identify with Gail Davies. A few highlights of the album for me are Fool’s thin air, When the last curtain falls, You burned the bridge, and Bramble and the rose.

4. Jack Ingram – Big Dreams & High Hopes
“wishing on stars only when you see ‘em is like asking God for help only when you need it. But, I’m wishing anyway. Yeah, I’m wishing anyway.” – Seeing Stars

There are those semi-mainstream country artists that actually keep me tuning in each time they crank out their next album. Jack Ingram is one of them. With Jack, it’s not just the melodies that keep me hooked, but he’s a great songwriter. There are two featured guests on this album. One is Patty Griffin, who provides splendid harmonies on Seeing Stars. Dierks Bentley joins in on the bar sing-a-long, Barbie Doll. There are a number of highlights on this album. The biggest one being Seeing Stars, followed by King of Wasted Time, In the corner, Barefoot & Crazy, That’s a man, and Not giving up on me. All of them are wonderfully written.

5. Rosanne Cash – the list
“Motherless children have a hard time when the mother is gone. Motherless children have a hard time, there’s all that weepin’ and all that cryin’.” – Motherless Children

There are run-of-the-mill cover albums, and then there are cover albums like The List. It’s the story behind this album that actually makes it more than just another cover album. Back in the mid-70s, Rosanne’s father, Johnny Cash, gave her a list of 100 essential country songs. With this album, Rosanne re-works a dozen from that list.

So, what else does an artist do to ensure having a not-so-run-of-the-mill cover album? You include some great guest artists to help you sing them. In this compilation, Bruce Springsteen ads a touch of star power on Sea of Heartbreak. Elvis Costello makes an appearance on Heartaches by the number. Rufus Wainright sings on Silver Wings, and Jeff Tweedy adds his talents to Long black veil. Rosanne’s daughter, Chelsea Crowell, also makes a brief appearance on 500 Miles.

The greatest thing this album does is brings light to some great songs from the golden age of country music for a new generation to hear.

6. Lonesome Wyatt & Rachel Brooke – a bitter harvest
“and I’ve been watching through your window, and I’ve been swallowing the rain. Oh I’ve been worried ‘bout tomorrow, ‘cuz everything is gonna change” – This Painful Summer

You know how much I LOVE harmonies, and acoustic harmonies even more. That’s what drew me to this album. Well, that and Wyatt’s deep voice. His voice is kind of like Tex Ritter’s, or maybe some of those western tv show theme songs, like Lorne Greene’s Bonanza. In fact, this album feels like it should be a soundtrack to an old western movie. There’s even some yodeling on Someday I’ll fall. At one point, Crippled farms, reminded me a bit of Pink Floyd’s another brick in the wall.

7. Kelly Clarkson – All I ever wanted
“remember all the things we wanted. Now all the memories, they’re haunted. We were always meant to say goodbye. Even with our fists held high it never would have worked out right, yeah. We were never meant for do or die.” – Already gone

I’m glad that Kelly has found her niche as more ‘rocker girl’ rather than another run-of-the-mill dancey-pop artist. Her voice is allowed to shine much brighter and more powerful this way. The album opens with My life would suck without you – which, as the title suggests, is kind of the standard “don’t leave me, I need you” song, but has a dance-y beat that get stuck in your head. Along with the opening track, Already Gone and Save You are also amongst my favorites.


8. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – speed of life
“Waitin’ for the resurrection. Fire from the ashes & the tears. The resurrection. You know dreams die hard. Dreams die hard around here.” – The Resurrection

You can never go wrong with the boys of Dirt. Harmonicas, mandolins, banjos, great harmonies, and more. Even after all these decades, the music never gets old. And what can I say about this album that hasn’t been said about their music throughout the years? It’s just more of the same great Dirt Band music from beginning to end. They don’t try to make it different because it’s been a winning combination throughout all the years. It’s just like sitting on the porch and having an acoustic jam session.

9. Willie Nelson – Naked Willie
“I just dropped by to see the house I used to live in. I hope that you don’t mind. I won’t stay very long. So long ago someone & I lived here together. And then so suddenly I found myself alone. I couldn’t stand the thought of living here without her. And so I moved away to let my memories die. But my memories outlived my better judgement. This may sound strange to you, but I just thought I’d drop by." – I Just Dropped By

There’s no one more prolific at putting out music than Willie Nelson. With so much Willie music available, you would think it would get old. Yet, I still look forward to all of them. Willie’s voice is still as strong as ever. Yes, the title of this album may conjur up horrifying images, but Naked Willie (the album) is quite a pleasure to listen to. The title refers to Willie singing by himself. While he’s singing by himself, the songs aren’t all his. He has some great covers, like Sunday morning coming down, Johnny one time, and The Party’s over.

After identifying Sunday morning coming down mainly with either Johnny Cash or Kris Kristofferson, I was a bit hesitant to hear Willie’s version of the song, as it is Willie, after all. I need not have worried. I was pleasantly surprised at how great his version is.

10. Jill Sobule – California Years
“went to the desert on a mission to have a vision or write a song. I left real early, I left my cell phone. I took the Prius, it gets good mileage. Something’s gonna happen to change my world”. - - “wild horses, hawks circling, Gram Parsons inspiration. Big cactus, coyotes… something’s gonna happen to change my world” – Palm Springs

How can you go wrong with an album when there’s a song titled, Where is Bobbie Gentry? Of course, the song has a bit of an ode to Billie Joe feel to it. This album gets off to a great start with what is probably my favorite song from this compilation, palm springs, which is what the above lyrics are from. As the title of the album suggests, most of the songs have a bit of a California tie-in lyrically. The album ends on a comical note with the donor song, as she sings the names of the people who helped make the album – “these are some of the people who gave me money to make this record so I said I’d sing their names. There’s….” Now THAT’S something new!!

11. Miranda Lambert – Revolution
“I ain’t the kind you take home to mama. I ain’t the kind to wear no ring. Somehow I always get stronger when I’m on my second drink. Even though I hate to admit it, sometimes I smoke cigarettes. Christian folks say I should quit it. I just smile and say ‘God Bless’. ‘Cuz I heard Jesus, he’d drink wine, and I’d bet we’d get along just fine. He could calm the storm and heal the blind, and I’d bet he’d understand a heart like mine.” – Heart like mine

Miranda Lambert is one of those enigmas for me. The music is the usual boring mainstream country, but yet she keeps it enough on the ‘country’ side to keep me listening. This album has a number of high points – including White Liar, Heart Like Mine, Me & Your Cigarettes, and Airstream Song.

12. Indigo Girls – poseidon & the bitter bug (3-24-09)
“Every day that you get up and force your cards, Playing your story in fits and starts. You take your prospects and your pickaxe and you trudge down to the stream. And you bloody your hands digging for your dream.” – Digging for your dream

This album is everything that you’d expect from the duo of Amy Ray & Emily Saliers. The best part of this collection is the second disc, which features acoustic versions of the songs from the first disc. Of the two, that’s the cd that I usually listen to the most.

13. Holly Williams – here with me
“so paint a picture of my memory to hold on to. Just remember I was the one that you belonged to. My heart is pouring out here in this song. Like a song without an ending, I hold on.” – I Hold On

As the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr, Holly has a lot of history to contend with. She handles it well and takes her own style. Yes, some of the songs address her family, (like Mama) but she doesn’t seem to exploit the legacy. Without Jesus Here With Me highlights the 2006 car crash that nearly killed her and her sister, yet she admits right from the start of the song, “I don’t talk to him that much. I know I never pray enough. I don’t know where I would be without Jesus here with me.” The best way to describe Holly’s writing style is “honest”, and that’s quite refreshing to hear. An interesting coincidence – Holly’s album was released on the same day as her dad’s.

14. John Mayer – Battle Studies
“clouds of sulfur in the air. Bombs are falling everywhere. It’s heartbreak warfare. Once you wanted to begin, no one really ever wins in heartbreak warfare. If you want more love, why don’t you say so?” – Hearbreak warfare

I guess I was quite surprised that I enjoyed this album. There have only been a few JM songs that I’ve enjoyed through the years – one being Waitin on the World to Change, which he sang on an episode of CSI. Right from the opening track, Heartbreak Warfare, this album seemed to keep me intrigued and I didn’t impatiently search for the ‘next track’ button. I was actually tapping my fingers and toes to the beats. All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye would be my favorite track on this album. It almost reminded me of Seals & Crofts, or something on that order.

15.
- - Brigitte Demeyer – red river flower
“How many times must I say goodbye til I’m through, til I’m through? How many lies did you tell & I never knew, never knew? How many why’s must I ask myself? How my skies must I up & sail.” – without you

While this isn’t Brigitte’s first album, this is the first one that I actually heard. It seems to be a bit of a menagerie of styles – some pop, a bit of blues, a little swing, and even a bit of rockabilly on without you. Most of this album was recorded live in Nashville with everyone playing together. It’s great to know that concept still exists.

Coming soon... look for my full 2009 album reviews.

My Top 50 albums of the decade

As I was working on my 2009 album review, I realized that the end of the decade is just over a month away. It made me think of what albums I'd put on my 'best of' list for the decade. Here's what I came up with:

1. Brandi Carlile – The Story
2. Patty Loveless – Mountain Soul
3. Those Darlins – self titled
4. Kelly Willis – Translated From Love
5. Alison Krauss/Robert Plant – Raising Sand
6. Lacy J Dalton – The Last Wild Place
7. Lonesome Wyatt & Rachel Brooke – A Bitter Harvest
8. Alison Pipitone – I’ll ask her
9. Serena Ryder – Is it okay?
10. Stevie Nicks – Trouble in Shangri-la
11. Mary Gauthier – Mercy Now
12. Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
13. Chely Wright – Metropolitan Hotel
14. Tegan & Sara – The Con
15. Joan Osborne – Little Wild Ones
16. Shelby Lynne – I am Shelby Lynne
17. Kid Rock - Cocky
18. Pink – Missundaztood
19. The Wreckers – Stand Still, Look Pretty
20. Lucinda Williams – Little Honey
21. Brandi Carlile – Give Up The Ghost
22. Loretta Lynn – Van Lear Rose
23. Jack Ingram – This Is It
24. Patty Griffin – Children Running Through
25. Rosanne Cash – The List
26. The Wrights – Down This Road
27. Heart – Jupiter’s Darling
28. Steve Earle – Transcendental Blues
29. Ryan Bingham – Mescalito
30. Jill Sobule – California Years
31. LeeAnn Womack – There’s More Where That Came From
32. Willie Nelson – The Great Divide
33. Beth Hart – 37 Days
34. Blake Shelton – Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill
35. Dolly Parton – Backwoods Barbie
36. David Ball - Amigo
37. Sheryl Crow - Detours
38. Patty Loveless – On Your Way Home
39. Rosanne Cash – Rules of Travel
40. Lisa Brokop – Hey, Do You Know Me?
41. Anne Murray – Duets: Friends & Legends
42. Kathy Mattea – Coal
43. Sheryl Crow - Wildflower
44. Becky Hobbs – Swedish Coffee & American Sugar
45. Todd Fritsch – Sawdust
46. Lisa Marie Presley – To Whom It May Concern
47. Jewel - Perfectly Clear
48. Justin Townes Earle – the Good Life
49. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Welcome To Woody Creek
50. Jessi Colter – Out of the Ashes

So, what did I miss?

Give Mainstream Country its own name and let 'Country' get its identity back

The CMA Awards are coming up this wednesday night. It's usually billed as "Country Music's Biggest Night". Well, for that to be true, I think there'd actually need to be some "country" music involved, right?

I give a big standing ovation to Country icon George Jones for having the balls to speak up on that subject: George Jones: New Country Music Needs A New Name

He's absolutely right. There's no "country" left in today's Mainstream Country Music. I cringe to even add the word "country" in that title. I can count on one hand the number of artists that make up today's Mainstream Country Music who actually have a hint of 'Country' to their music. Let's see: George Strait, Alan Jackson, a little bit of Brad Paisley (however, his music keeps morphing to mainstream and losing its country feel more each time out), Joey + Rory, The Wrights (does radio play them anymore?), and ... is there anyone else? That barely fills up the fingers on one hand.

I think George explained it well in that interview: - "They had to use something that was established already, and that's traditional country music." -
That's exactly what I've been saying for the past two decades. "Country" is the easiest genre for an artist to get their name in the spotlight. Once their name is established, they get the liberty to make any kind of music they want and Mainstream Country Radio will play it because the Teeny-boppers will listen to it, as long as the artists are cute enough. And how many of the Mainstream Country artists of today can actually play an instrument, let alone write a country song?

The sad thing is - the people who actually sing & play real country music are still out there. They've just been pushed back behind the curtain. Thankfully, with the advanced technology of this age, fans of the real country sound are able to at least find some of them. Matraca Berg, Kelly Willis, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Patty Loveless, Todd Fritsch, Ryan Bingham, and oh so many more.

You might think that I hate the Mainstream Country Music of today. That's absolutely untrue. I love quite a bit of the music that's released by those artists. What I highly object to is them actually calling it "country" music. As George said, give the music its own name and let "country" music get its identity back. What is the identity of country music? Well... that's for another rant all by itself.

On a dark flat land she rides, on a pony she named Wildfire

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Michael Martin Murphey has done a remake of his wonderful song from the mid 1970's "Wildfire". The remake is a duet with Carrie Hassler and is done in more of a bluegrass style than the original. I love the new version. I always thought the original had a bit too much 'mush' of musical instruments, but loved the lyrics and melody.

Check out the new version: MMM & Carrie - Wildfire

the real duets

What ever happened to the 'real' duets in country music?

I don't mean those 'groups' that always get the awards for 'duet of the year', like Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, The Judds, Sugarland, etc. I'm talking about 'real" duets where there are two separate artists who aren't part of the same group that get together to sing a song. I guess these days they officially call it "collaborations", but whatever label you put on it, it still seems to be a dying entity.

Remember the good old days of country music? George & Tammy, Conway & Loretta, George Jones & Melba Montgomery, David Frizzell & Shelly West, Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius, Johnny & June, or how about Barbara Mandrell & Lee Greenwood or Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton.

There have been very few real duets to emerge in the past decade, but when they do, they seem to be big hits - remember Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss with "whiskey lullaby"? Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow with "picture", or how about Reba McEntire & Linda Davis with "does he love you"?

Duets featuring two or more female artists is even more rare. Remember Lorrie Morgan & Dolly Parton (best woman wins), or Faith Hill & Shelby Lynne (keep walkin on), or how about Dolly Parton's "Romeo" which featured Kathy Mattea, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tanya Tucker & Pam Tillis. Mary Chapin Carpenter sang "he thinks he'll keep her" on a tv show and featured Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Pam Tillis, and Suzy Bogguss as her backup singers (that was a great show!) Then there's Reba's "on my own" with Martina, Trisha & Linda.

CMT tried to bring the duets back a bit with their "Crossroads" series, and it was great for the first handful of collaborations they had - Willie Nelson/Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton/Melissa Etheridge, Martina McBride/Pat Benatar, Dixie Chicks/James Taylor, Lucina Williams/Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris/Dave Matthews, Lyle Lovett & Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash/Steve Earle. Then the pairings became very weird and not really musically appealing (Taylor Swift/Def Leppard?).

I know a lot of artists collaborate on stage with other acts they're touring with at the time, but why don't they make an effort to go into the studio and record an actual duet that doesn't include screaming fans in the background to take away from the song itself.

They say that all things old will be new again, hopefully that includes the 'real' duets in the foreseeable future.

new music

Two new albums to pick up this week:

Patty Loveless has a sequel to her highly acclaimed 2001 release, Mountain Soul.
Mountain Soul II will be released on Tuesday.


Also released on Tuesday is the new album from Kris Kristofferson titled, Closer to the bone.



Two releases for October 6th include:
the new album from Rosanne Cash titled The List.


and Brandi Carlile's new one, Give up the ghost


Be sure to check them out!

RIP Mary Travers

There’s nothing that can draw me to a song faster than hearing some great harmony.

Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers – collectively as Peter, Paul & Mary – were among the artists who could hook me in a heartbeat. As I was growing up, Peter, Paul & Mary was a group that I regarded as having the highest standard of harmony. After all, it was usually the three of them singing together with just a soft guitar. Unlike a lot of groups you hear - both current and past - all three of Peter, Paul & Mary’s voices were prominent throughout the song. Many times they’d each sing a verse and they’d all sing the chorus together.

Peter, Paul & Mary’s music was loved by all ages. That’s very rare in the history of music. However, their music wasn’t fluffy. Many of the songs they sang served as anthems for different causes – “If I had a hammer”, “blowin’ in the wind”, etc. They were also known for their political activism, and performing at rallies.

Tonight, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mary Travers at age 72. She finally lost her battle with leukemia.

“Don’t let the light go out! Let it shine through our love and our tears.”

The fascination of singing actors

After all these years, I have yet to figure out what attracts me to the (sometimes horrible/sometimes good) music that's sung by celebrities who are more known for their acting abilities than their singing.

The latest one on my list is Pauley Perrette, who stars as Abby Sciuto on CBS' tuesday night drama, NCIS. The NCIS soundtrack was released a short time ago. Pauley sings one of the songs on it, called "fear". It's a song she wrote as well as sang vocals, and IMO, it's a great song.

see my LJ entry for the lyrics & audio

Pauley also did a little singing in her small appearance in a season 3 episode of CSI, titled "Lady Heather's Box".

Speaking of CSI, kudos to former CSI'er Jorja Fox for putting a couple of her originals on the internet for all to hear - even though she may not be the greatest, I give her a big thumbs-up for the guts it took to do it.

Jorja Fox-satellite
Jorja Fox-under 41 (guitar instrumental)

Through all of my growing-up years, I think I've always been fascinated with actors who actually make music. It might have something to do with the fact that my all-time favorite movie, "the sound of music", is a musical. That may have made me realize that actors can actually carry a tune - well, some of them anyway. There are those few who really should just stick to acting.

Of course, back in the day, there were some greats, like Sissy Spacek doing her own singing on "coal miner's daughter", and even releasing her own solo country record. Now, she's passed her singing ability to her daughter, Schuyler Fisk, who's starting to make a name for herself.

Back in the early seasons of "Knots Landing", there was Lisa Hartman in the role of Ciji Dunne, who was an aspiring singer. Lisa also had released a solo album back in the day - of which I have on vinyl somewhere in my collection. Years later, Lisa married country singer Clint Black, and she's recorded a few duets with him as well.

An excellent singing actor from the 'good old days' is Maureen O'Hara. She's got an incredible voice, and even released a couple albums. One, titled "Love letters from Maureen", can be found at my LJ in the albums uploaded post

You'll also find links there for some of the other better singing actors including Gloria Loring, who's probably most well-known for singing the theme song for "the Facts of Life" sitcom in the 80s, as well as the mother of current artist, Robin Thicke.

Another singing actor that I consider a great voice is Katey Sagal, probably most well known for her role as Peg Bundy on the sitcom, "Married with children". She's released two albums, "well", and "room".

other singing actors of note would include Bruce Willis, Dolly Parton, Kristy & Jimmy McNichol (from back in the day), Dennis Quaid, Michael J Fox, Olivia Newton-John, Kris Kristofferson, Reba McEntire and Leisha Hailey (formerly with The Murmurs, currently with Uh Huh Her). And I can't forget Robert David Hall from CSI. He's an old radio guy from back in the day who can sing and play guitar as well.

One of the latest is Kevin Costner, who recently released the album, "Untold Truths", as Kevin Costner & Modern West.

Then of course, there are those which are hard to define between singer or actor, like Bette Midler, Cher, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Lopez or the ever annoying Miley Cyrus.

In the last decade, the line between musician and actor has become blurred, with seemingly everyone doing it now. It was a much more special gift to have a singing actor appear 20 or 30 years ago than it is today. Back then, you didn't have AutoTune and filters to make a person sound good. There were no computers that you could hook up anywhere you wanted and record yourself and send it to someone who could make it sound like something other than warbling.

Back then, you needed to know how to sing as musicians played with you in the studio, and get your notes on key.

Here's a salute to those from back in the day who did it, and did it well.

KayLyne's 2008 music year in review

As I was compiling my list of 2008 releases to include in my year-end wrap up, I realized that this was a darn good year for music. The list never seemed to end. I’d look through my music collection and keep finding more new releases that I had checked out. So, let’s get started on the list.

KayLyne’s Top 10 albums of 2008:

1. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (10/14/08): You just can’t get any better than Lucinda’s latest release. It’s much more happy/upbeat than her previous album, West, which followed the loss of her mother. The duet with Elvis Costello, “Jailhouse tears”, is great. She’s also got appearances from Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs, Jim Lauderdale, Tim Easton and Charlie Louvin on this album, which makes for some great harmonies. The album is full of highlights, including ”Circles & X’s”, “Little Rock Star”, and ”If wishes were horses” to name a few.

2. Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain - CHHR2: (7/29/08): The new generation of bluegrass is truly alive and well, as evidenced by the great talents of Rhonda Vincent, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Dan Tyminski, Cherryholmes, the Infamous Stringdusters, The Greencards, and add Carrie Hassler and the wonderful musicians known as Hard Rain to that list. CHHR2 is their second album. Their debut album back in 2006 was highly praised, and they still haven’t disappointed with their sophomore effort. There are two incredible songs that you need to hear from this album. First, “I don’t want to wake up” – a first-person narrative about a cancer diagnosis. Right from the start, the lyrics to this song hit me full force: “Doctor says I’ve got a chance to make it. It’ll be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never been the kind scared of dying, but the burden on my shoulders weighs a ton. You’ve been wrapped up in your work until we’ve shattered. Faithless nights have ripped us both in two. I need to know you’ll be here while I’m climbing. If not, there’s nothing left I wanna do. (And the chorus:) “I don’t want to fight for life without you. There’d be no reason left worth fighting for. If I can’t wake up knowing that you’ll be here, then I just don’t want to wake up anymore.“ The second song from this album that you need to hear is “Stranger in his mind.” - a ballad about living with a spouse who has Alzheimer’s. Just two of the highlights from this wonderful album. A few of the others include full-out bluegrass toe-tappers, mixed along with some great slower songs.

3. Sheryl Crow - Detours (2/5/08): a stark contrast to her previous release, Wildflower, which was more mellow and introspective with lush arrangements. Detours is more rough around the edges with lyrics of social issues of today’s messed up world. The record kind of evolves from the sparse, social diatribe first half to a more hopeful outlook message in the second half. Then, as usual, Sheryl has those damn songs that get stuck in your head (Out of our heads, Love is free, Diamond Ring). You know the ones – they pop into your mind out of the blue and you keep singing them over and over, even when you don’t have them playing on your cd/mp3 player. As great as this album is, it still can’t top Sheryl’s The Globe Sessions or Self-titled albums, IMO.

4. Patty Loveless - Sleepless Nights (9/9/08): I absolutely LOVE Patty Loveless, and I would probably consider her my favorite female artist of today. So why, you ask, is this album not #1 on my year-end list? The only reason is that it’s comprised of cover songs. That being said, it is an EXCELLENT selection of songs for Patty to cover. Lots of country greats: He thinks I still care; There stands the glass; I forgot more than you’ll ever know; Please help me I’m falling; Cold cold heart, etc. It’s great that Patty can bring new recognition of these songs to a younger generation that may not have heard them previously. Patty’s voice is as strong as ever in this compilation. For those that don’t know Patty’s music, check out her classic album, Mountain Soul. It’s one of the best you’ll ever hear. I rank her on top – along with Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, and Vince Gill – as the best harmony voices ever.

5. Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction (8/19/08): Okay, we’re doing a total 180 degree turn from the previous album selections. We’re kicking things up now with some Techno/ Electronica/ Pop/ Rock (it’s hard to describe) from the duo of Uh Huh Her – comprised of Leisha Hailey (previously of The Murmurs, currently on the tv show, The L Word - and she even did a guest star as a werewolf on an episode of CSI) and Camilla Grey. It’s Cam’s voice that you hear as the main vocal. Leisha is the harmony. Their vocals blend very well. Whereas their first self-titled EP was raw and sparsely produced, Common Reaction was pleasantly different in nature with a much smoother sound. The songs will have you bobbing your head and shaking your booty without even being aware of it. Yes, I’ll admit that I probably wouldn’t enjoy this album if it weren’t for Leisha singing/playing. I do prefer Leisha’s previous duo The Murmurs (with Heather Grody) a bit better than Uh Huh Her, only because it’s not as techo/electronica, and is more geared to my usual taste. However, the album as a whole is a pretty cohesive unit, and worth a listen.

6. Justin Townes Earle - the good life: In a word – WOW!! First off - Let’s get the musical pedigree thing out of the way right away: yes, he’s the son of Steve Earle and he’s named after the legendary Townes Van Zandt. His current step-mother is Allison Moorer. Now, let’s get down to business, talking about one of the great throw-backs to good old raw country/Americana music. “the good life” album as a whole is such a breath of fresh air. Raw, sparse instrumentation, combined with a strong voice. It’s a winner in my book.

7. Joey + Rory - the life of a song I very rarely watch any of that reality tv crap that seems to be everywhere these days. The husband & wife duo of Joey Martin & Rory Feek were on CMT’s “Can you duet” show (which I never watched), and finished in 3rd place. This is one time where a reality show FINALLY gave recognition and deserving limelight to two excellent singers whom, when singing together, are even more wonderful with their harmonies. It also brings the spotlight to their traditional country sounds – something you don’t hear much these days. Their “sweet Emmylou” tribute to Emmylou Harris brought even more of a smile to my face. This duo reminds me very much of another husband & wife duo, The Wrights (Adam & Shannon). For those looking for good, traditional country, this is one album you have to check out. On a side note: I tracked down Joey’s solo album that she released a few years ago. I can’t believe I missed that when it came out. The same kind of music, the only thing different is that it doesn’t have the male harmonies on it.

8. Lisa Brokop - Beautiful Tragedy (8/19/08): as I mentioned in my review when the album first came out, this lady could sing the phone book and I’d be enthralled. I just absolutely LOVE her voice. It’s very unique. Therefore, you’re probably wondering why this is only #8 on my top-10 list. On a normal year, this would make the very top. However, 2008 was packed with incredible albums that this one just can’t top. Beautiful Tragedy does have a few flaws and a few songs can be considered uninspiring. If there’s only one song you take time to listen to from this album, it should be On the radio. It’s just a great song – lyrics & melody. Band in the window is a song Pam Tillis had on her last album. I’m still not sure yet which version I prefer. They’re both great. November Trees brings a little upbeat flavor in a subtle way.

9. Dolly Parton - Backwoods Barbie (2/26/08): After all these years, this lady still never disappoints. After over 40 years in the music business, Dolly keeps reinventing herself to the newer generations. The album debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart – her highest debut ever. I’m not very fond of the covers - Drives me crazy, and Tracks of my tears, but love Better get to livin’, Cologne, Shinola, I will forever hate roses, Jesus and Gravity, The Lonesomes, and the title track. She’s sure come a long way from Porter Wagoner’s ‘girl singer’.

10. Joan Osborne - Little Wild One (9/9/08) : I consider this one an improvement from her last album, Breakfast in bed, which was comprised of cover songs. Little Wild One brings back the feel of the ‘good old days’ of some of her best music – like the Relish album. It’s only appropriate, since she’s got her Relish production team back with her for this one. Cathedrals is the highlight for me on this album. It has a feel of crescendo and working towards something big that’s about to come. I’ve heard a few other versions of this song, but Joan’s tops them all. It almost makes you feel that you’re in a Cathedral. Hallelujah in the city comes in a close second on this album. The rest of the songs aren’t too far behind, making it a pretty good overall album, and definitely one to check out.

- - - - - - -

I bet you’re not surprised that 9 of the albums on my top 10 are by female artists! (Yes, Joey sings the lead vocals for Joey + Rory, so I consider that a ‘female artist’ album!) LOL Well don’t fret; there are a number of guys on the rest of the list! So, let’s continue:

- - - - - - -

The rest of the 2008 albums I’ve checked out include (by release date):

1/8/08 -
Rhonda Vincent - Good thing going: Quite the apropos title. Rhonda & the Rage have a good thing going with their mix of contemporary bluegrass and country sounds. It’s a great way to kick off the new year of album releases. Along with the kick-up-your-heels, toe-tapping songs (a few reminiscent of the great duo Flatt & Scruggs), the album allows you to catch your breath with the hymn-like rendition of “the water is wide” that includes Keith Urban on guest vocals.


1/15/08 -
Anne Murray - Duets: friends and legends: - There’s only one song you need to hear from this album in order to call it a great album: Anne’s duet with Amy Ray & Emily Saliers (as The Indigo Girls) on the ‘updated’ version of Anne’s classic A little good news. If there was ever a song that could continue to be updated & current, this is it. The changes include mention of Diane Sawyer instead of Bryant Gumbel, and “the hills of Gaza” instead “the streets of Ireland”. Amy & Emily’s harmonies, as always, just bring a whole new dimension to the song. The enjoyment doesn’t stop there. There are great duets with k.d. lang (“a love song”), Olivia Newton-John (“cotton Jenny”), Emmylou Harris (“another pot o’ tea”), Martina McBride (“danny’s song”), Nelly Furtado (“daydream believer”), Shelby Lynne (“you won’t see me”), Amy Grant (“could I have this dance”), Carole King (“time don’t run out on me”), and more – including Anne’s daughter, Dawn Langstroth (“nobody loves me like you do”). So, if you’re a fan of songs with great harmonies, like I am, this is a good pick.

Catherine Britt - little wildflower: After the first single “what I did last night” arrived at the radio station, I was eager to hear the rest of the album. “how am I gonna get my life together, as long as it’s gettin’ it ain’t getting’ any better. I don’t know where to start, I’m falling so far behind. Mama says I’ve gotta start acting like a lady. Daddy’s just worried ‘bout his baby. How am I supposed to straighten up and fly right, when I don’t even remember what I did last night.” Her voice sounds quite like Heidi Newfield – especially on this song. Yes, she’s a bit mainstream country, yet I could actually hear fiddles, acoustic guitar, and a few bits of good old country sounds – at times. The rest of the album has a few good moments, like “if only he were you”, “dirt cheap”, and “bruised” – where she really lets loose with the vocals.


1/22/08 -
Chuck Wicks - Starting Now: The first single, “Stealing Cinderella” was a big hit on the country charts. That can usually be a problem for an artist if there’s nothing as equally strong on the album to back it up with. (think: Jason Michael Carroll with “Alyssa Lies”) However, it seems that Chuck has enough to follow it up – upbeat songs like “all I ever wanted”, “good time coming”, and another medium-tempo one, and probably my favorite from the album, “man of the house”. It’s a song about a 10-year old taking over the ‘man of the house’ role when his father’s gone. The only thing that bothers me about Chuck is that his voice sounds just like every other mainstream country male artist. There’s nothing to distinguish his voice from the others.


1/29/08 -
The Wrights - self-titled: The downside with this album? It’s only an EP; Just 8 songs from this marvelous husband & wife duo and their great harmonies. If you ever wanted good country music with great harmonies, this is the duo to listen to. Adam is the nephew of Alan Jackson, and you can tell that good music runs in the family. The EP starts out strong with “rewind”, highlighted by the classic steel guitar sounds that made the good old country music great. Not too crazy about “you’re the kind of trouble”, Probably because I prefer the version Patty Loveless did with Solomon Burke.

Shelby Lynne - Just a little lovin’: This album is Shelby’s tribute to Dusty Springfield, make up of remakes of Dusty classics, plus one Shelby original, “pretend”. The good part about this album is that Shelby’s voice is powerful enough to bring the songs to life. That being said, I’d like to see Shelby put out something original again. Her style was all over the place right from the start of her career, beginning with the good country of “sunrise” and “tough all over” (still my favorite Shelby albums), then a little swing, then the wonderfully raw “I am Shelby Lynne” produced by Bill Botrell. That was followed by a few lesser efforts. She needs to come out with something breathtaking again. This one just wasn’t it.


2/5/08 -
k.d. lang - watershed: well, it’s not “absolute torch & twang”, but it IS k.d. lang. (hey, that rhymed! LOL) The first k.d. album I remember hearing was “angel with a lariat”. I figured that anyone who could do justice to a Patsy Cline song (“three cigarettes in an ashtray”) was great, in my book! Then she got the cold shoulder from the country music world, and I’ll be darned if she didn’t put a boot in their ass and come back with “ingenue” and perked my ears with “constant craving”. This new album, however being highly praised, didn’t really catch my ear with any standout song. Don’t get me wrong, the songs that comprise this album are very good as a whole set. But, I usually find at least one song that I get stuck in my head. That doesn’t happen here.

Lenny Kravitz - It is time for a love revolution: even though this album came out early in the year, I didn’t actually find it until about a month ago. As with some of the more rock artists/groups, my listening to their music is usually in limited quantities. I was hoping to discover another song like “again” – a song from his “greatest hits” album that I actually enjoyed listening to on a regular basis. I think “good morning”, “I’ll be waiting”, “a long and sad goodbye”, and “I want to go home” are close to that mark.


2/19/08 - :
Allison Moorer - Mockingbird: like her sister, Shelby Lynne, Allison also released an album of cover songs. While she does nice covers of the songs, they really don’t bring out her fabulous voice. Songs like “both sides now”, “orphan train”, “where is my love”, “go leave”, and “I want a little sugar in my bowl” seem light & airy despite being slow and heartfelt. A few songs, such as “I’m looking for blue eyes” and “dancing barefoot” and “she knows where she goes”, are better suited to her voice. Even her version of “ring of fire”, while quite original in arrangement, still falls short of her great vocal talents.

Chris Cagle - My life’s been a country song: Another male mainstream country artists whose songs sound the same as everyone else. “What kinda gone” and “no love songs” give the album a decent start. Then is a nice little change up with “I don’t wanna live”. “Never ever gone” and “if it wasn’t one thing” sound the same. Maybe it’s the overproduction with loud guitars and the same beats over & over, but this album just seems to be lacking in the creativity department.


2/26/08 -
Missy Higgins - On a clear night: I hadn’t heard of Missy before taking a listen to this new album. On first listen, she sounded very familiar, like someone I listen to a lot, but I still can’t figure out whom it is she sounds like. That’s probably a good thing. There’s a nice blend in music between the more piano-driven songs and the guitar-driven songs. They complement her voice well.


3/4/08 -
Alan Jackson - Good Time: I’ve never been much of a big Alan Jackson fan. However, he did redeem himself in my books when he had Patty Loveless provide harmony vocals for the fabulous song, “Monday morning church” a few years ago. The first single from this album, “small town southern man” was pretty decent. The one thing that Alan has been able to do quite successfully throughout his career is mix the slower songs in with the more upbeat ones to make complete albums. It usually seems to be the slower songs that I enjoy from Alan the most – and it started with “wanted”, one of his first hits nearly two decades ago. “I wish I could back up” is one of those great slower songs from this album, and it also includes the wonderful sounds of a mandolin (which adds points in my book!). “Right where I want you” is another of those. “I still like bologna” harkens back to the days of good old country songs with funny titles. “Never loved before” is an upbeat duet with Martina McBride, and here we’ve even got a little harmonica action!

Ashton Shepherd - Sounds so good: “taking off this pain” was the first single released to me at the radio station. I enjoyed the small drawl Ashton has in her voice. The one thing I noticed while listening to the rest of the album is that it doesn’t have the dramatically over-produced sounds that you hear so frequently with other current female mainstream country artists like Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler or Taylor Swift. Thank God! With Ashton’s album, I can actually hear the individual instruments, including steel guitar, mandolin, banjo & fiddle. (can you see me smiling?) I would prefer even a bit less production, but it’s still a huge improvement from the aforementioned other female artists. Anyway, if you’re tired of Carrie, Taylor or Kellie’s pop music, and want something a little closer to country, check out Ashton’s album.

Meg Hutchinson - Come up full: As with Missy Higgins, Meg was someone I hadn’t heard of previously. I’m actually still unsure about this album as a whole. While I enjoy Meg’s great storytelling & lyrics, I’m not overly fond of some of the songs themselves. That became prevalent through the first three songs, “ready”, “home” and “whole bird”. I’m not sure if it’s the melodies of the songs that don’t sit well with me, or if it’s just her voice. After those three ‘duds’ to start the album, I did enjoy the next few – beginning with “a good day to die”, then “America (enough)”, and “seeing stars”. “Song for Jeffrey Lucey” was quite powerful with its lyrics. It’s based on the real story of Lance Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, who returned from Iraq suffering from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This song makes the album a keeper.

Carlene Carter - Stronger: It’s quite possible that I was expecting too much from Carlene’s latest release – her first studio album in 13 years. However, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the album as well as just hearing Carlene’s voice again on some new material. Put it in perspective: in a matter of 8 months, Carlene lost her mother (June Carter Cash), her step-father (Johnny Cash), her sister (Rosey), and her longtime companion (Howie Epstein). Let’s start at the end first. The final cut of this album is the title cut, and it’s a heartbreaking tribute to her sister, Rosey. “Sweet baby sister, held the world up on her shoulders. She had a spirit like a twister. This life could not hold her. Always one who runs so fast down a track heading nowhere. She was cool until the train crashed, and she died trying to get there. What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” Other highlights here include: “to change your heart”, and “break my little heart in two”. While “the bitter end”, “I’m so cool”, and “bring love” remind me of Carlene’s early days in the music business when she had the more rockabilly type songs like “I fell in love”, “come on back” and “every little thing”.

Kathleen Edwards - asking for flowers: “every pill I took in vain, Every meal for you I made, every bill I went & paid, every card I signed my name, every time I poured my heart out, Every threat you made to move out, every cruel word you let just slip out… Asking for flowers is like asking you to be nice.” Lyrics from the title track of Kathleen Edwards’ latest album get straight to the point, and that’s what I like about this album. The lyrics are straight forward and not hidden in some metaphorical meaning – like on “I make the dough, you get the glory.” That’s as straight forward as you get. The great part of this album is the instrumentation on the songs. It’s not hard to see why, with great musicians like Benmont Tench (keyboards) and Greg Leisz (pedal steel) lending their wonderful talents to the album.

Chatham County Line - IV : Who, you ask? Well, they’re a quartet featuring music with great harmonies, banjo, fiddle, steel guitar, and yet offer a blend of music somewhere between pop, bluegrass, and Americana. Birmingham Jail was the first song I’d listened to and it hooked me from the first line. This was the first of their albums that I’d heard, but as the title of the album would suggest, this is their fourth album release.


3/17/08 -
Bryan Adams - 11: To some, Bryan Adams would be considered a guilty pleasure. For me, his music is just a pleasure, and I don’t feel guilty about listening to it. “Please forgive me”, and “(everything I do) I do it for you” would probably make some of my ‘best of’ lists. I just enjoy his voice and his type of music. With this latest album, I don’t really hear anything extra special, but it’s just more of the same good pop/rock music that he’s done throughout his career.


3/25/08 -
Counting Crows - Saturday nights and Sunday mornings: Yes, I’ll admit. I’m not a real big fan of CC. There are a few songs that I enjoyed from them previously – like their “American girls” duet with Sheryl Crow. I only got a bit more interested in them when Sheryl’s former drummer, Jim Bogios, switched from one Crow (Sheryl) to a flock of Crows (CC). “Los Angeles” is a keeper, “Sundays”, “insignificant”, “on almost any Sunday morning” caught my ear with the harmonica sounds; “when I dream of Michelangelo” includes a soft banjo, there are also mandolin, steel guitar and dobro sounds in this album, which makes my listening worthwhile.


4/1/08 -
Kathy Mattea - Coal: Talk about throwbacks! Kathy goes back to her roots with this, in much the same way that Patty Loveless did with ‘mountain soul’ back in 2001. While Patty’s was more bluegrass-oriented, Kathy’s new album is more in the crossroads of country-meets-folk-meets-bluegrass-meets-great instrumentation. The two albums do have one commonality: “you’ll never leave Harlan alive”. Kathy’s version is a bit faster and not quite as sparse as Patty’s. I prefer Patty’s version. Another cover song that Kathy has on this album, “dark as a dungeon”, kind of surprised me. I will always associate this song with Johnny Cash’s extraordinary live “at Folsom Prison” album. Kathy’s vocals are very strong on the song, and makes a nice addition to the album. “Black lung” is sung a capella, and shows off Kathy’s strong vocal. Overall, it’s an album full of mainly depressing songs, but Kathy makes them shine bright.

George Strait - Troubador: As with Alan Jackson, George Strait is also a country artist that keeps me as just a moderate fan. On one hand, I like the fact that he stays true to country music. On the other hand, much of his music sounds quite the same. And again, as with Alan, George keeps me in his good graces by adding vocals from Patty Loveless. This time it’s as a small tribute to the ‘man in black’ on “House of Cash” (‘no one sleeps in Cash’s bed, ‘cept the Man in Black and the woman he wed). So, it’s no surprise that’s my favorite song from the album. The first single, “I saw God today” was an instant hit on the country charts, and the winner of numerous awards. “Brothers of the highway”, “river of love”, are more upbeat songs. I’m sorry, but IMO George just never seems to work well with anything upbeat. He works much better with the slower songs, or even something with a beat like “make her fall in love with me song”, and the swinging duet with Dean Dillon, “west texas town”.

R.E.M. - Accelerate: I’m not a big R.E.M. fan – usually only listening to “losing my religion” and “everybody hurts”, and not much else – so I was a bit hesitant to actually listen to this album all the way through. And was I ever glad that I ignored the urge to quit after the first three songs, “living well is the best revenge”, “man-sized wreath”, and “supernatural superserious”, as they didn’t catch my ear. The songs to follow – “hollow man”, “houston”, “accelerate”, “until the day is done”, “Mr Richards”, and “sing for the submarine”, had me listening intently and enjoying the great vocals. It made me think of Harry Chapin or Gordon Lightfoot. Unfortunately, the album had to end with “horse to water” and “I’m gonna DJ”, two songs that were more upbeat, and I didn’t care for. So, for me, this was kind of a ‘sandwich’ album – crusty whole wheat bread on the front & back, and sweet fruit jelly in the middle.


4/8/08 -
James Otto - Sunset man: I was very hesitant to listen to this album, knowing it was produced by John Rich (Big & Rich). Most of the albums he’s produced end up in my ‘why do I torture myself like this’ pile. With this album, I was surprised to actually enjoy a few songs. “these are the good old days”, “you don’t act like my woman”, and “when a woman’s not watching” are easily the best tracks here. The rest, while decent songs, just seem a bit ‘blah’. As with most John Rich-produced music, it’s too mainstream for my taste.

Hayes Carll - Trouble in mind: Now, this is more like it. Let’s get ourselves out of the mainstream and to some ‘good’ music again. “It’s a shame” was the first single sent to radio. Right away, I was smiling at the fact that I could actually hear all of the instruments. None of that annoying over-production with this guy. His music kind of reminds me of Rodney Crowell back in his early days, and even a bit of Lyle Lovett. And Carey Kotsionis’ background vocals the music even better. “Beaumont”, “don’t let me fall”, “knocking over whiskeys” and “I don’t wanna grow up” make the album a keeper. There are some honky-tonker songs too, like “a lover like you”. I saw someone refer to this as ‘intelligent country’. I think that sums it up quite well.


4/21/08 -
Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson - Rattlin’ Bones: I’d classify Kasey & Shane as the Aussie version of Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison: a husband & wife teaming up to play & sing great down-home music. Kasey caught my ear a number of years ago with her solo album, “the captain”. I will admit that this album is even better. Shane’s vocals help complement Kasey’s twang so it’s not quite as pronounced. Making it all come together is the great sparse instrumentation – banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and soft drums that just give a little enhancement. It makes you feel like you’re sitting around a campfire, just enjoying the way good music is done.


4/15/08
Bonnie Bramlett - Beautiful: Bonnie was another artist I hadn’t heard of previously. As I was just reading some background info on Bonnie, I find out that she was on a couple seasons of Roseanne as one of Roseanne’s co-workers. I didn’t really watch the show very often, just occasionally as I was channel surfing. I do remember her on the show. As for the music, it’s not really the type of music I usually listen to – slow jazz/blues – but it was a nice change of pace and pleasurable to hear. Her bare smoky-type voice is nice. The songs themselves are nothing really special, but “some of my best friends” stands out as a highlight for me.

James McMurtry - Just us kids: I had heard lots of good things about James and seen a lot of raves over this latest album, so I had to check it out. I didn’t really hear anything that was worthy of a raised eyebrow and a heap of praise, other than the music is just different from anything else. That in itself makes this an album that I’d encourage you to check out. “God bless America (Pat McDonald must die)” and “Cheney’s toy” do have eyebrow raising titles and political lyrics. “brief intermission” is a nice little instrumental in the middle of it all. “fireline road”, “ruins of the realm” and “hurricane party” would be my picks for best on the album. I guess the hype was that this guy doesn’t pull any punches and lets it all out.


4/22/08
Shelley Short - water for the day: another artist whose music was new to me. Shelley has a bit of a twangy voice, that reminds me of Stacey Earle or Kelly Willis. The first thing I noticed about the music is that it’s the way I like it – sparse instrumentation (but very creatively done), and not much production. Yet, it’s her voice that brings a fullness to the music. “godamn thing” was kind of cool with the multi-voice humming segment. That was quite original in the way it was brought to the forefront. The one thing I really enjoyed is that all of the songs sounded different from each other.


4/29/08-
Madonna - Hard Candy: Well, it’s Madonna. Now, I’m not a big fan of Madonna’s dance-type music, but there will be the occasional Madonna song that gets stuck in my head (“like a virgin”, “Material girl”, “ray of light”, etc). My overall favorite being a slow song, “this used to be my playground” – which was used in the movie A league of their own. I was surprisingly intrigued by “4 minutes” with Justin Timberlake & Timbaland. “miles away” is actually pretty good as it seems that her vocals are more prominent and not hidden behind the music and the beat. As I continue through the album, it’s clear that most of the songs are starting to sound the same – one dance beat after another. I guess that’s what I kind of expected. As I said to begin with – it IS Madonna, after all.


5/6/08 -
Jakob Dylan - Seeing things: Jakob has Rick Rubin at the helm on this project. The one thing I’ve noticed is that Jakob is quite limited with his voice, so as a solo artist, he’s had to rely on his lyrics as his main crutch. As part of the Wallflowers, he had more vocal & instrumental support to overcome his vocal weaknesses. So, in listening to this album, the main focus needs to be on the songs and lyrics themselves, not the vocals. In that regard, this album is very good. If you don’t listen closely, you wouldn’t realize that “war is kind” is a soft protest song. “evil is alive & well”, “all day and all night”, and “everybody pays as they go” make for a good listen.


5/11/08 -
Snoop Dogg - Ego trippin’: Okay, I know y’all are thinking “Snoop Dogg?!” Yeah, definitely NOT my usual listening music, and I’m probably not going to review this full album, but you know, any guy who’s man enough to be a guest star on an episode of The L Word deserves a mention. But that’s not the only ‘gold star’ for Snoop in my book. The only reason I even thought about listening to this album is “my medicine” – a song that Snoop dedicated to his “main man, Johnny Cash. A real American gangster.” It doesn’t matter that the ‘medicine’ he’s talking about is drugs. It’s a cool song. Yes, I did listen to the rest of the album as well. I do like the way that Snoop keeps everything sounding different. “why did you leave me”, “waste of time”, “one chance”, and “can’t say goodbye” are all worth a listen.


5/13/08
The Old 97s - Blame it on gravity: this seems to be the year where I checked out a lot of music that normally wouldn’t be on my music list. The Old 97s would fit that category as well. This is another one that I had heard lots of great reviews on, so had to check out. It’s actually nice to hear a different type of Alt-Country sound. Even though they’ve been around for about 15 years, this is the first listen I’ve had. It’s kind of a cross between rock, punk, pop, and country. Very hard to define. That’s probably why I enjoy the sound, because it’s different. Unique.

Duffy - Rockferry: I’m starting to sound like a broken record. Here’s another artist whose music is new to my ears, but yet I had heard lots of praise and good reviews. However, I discovered that it’s just not to my taste. Her voice can be a bit annoying at times, but yet she even kind of sounds like Skeeter Davis on “end of the world”. Some of the songs do have a bit of a Motown feel to them, like they could have been part of the 50’s & 60’s sounds. That’s probably the reason for some of the good reviews I’d seen.


5/16/08 -
Slow Down Tallahassee - the beautiful light: I actually discovered this one while searching online. No, they’re not from Tallahassee, they’re from the UK. SDT’s sound is kind of indie-pop, I guess – kind of a mix between The Murmurs, Uh Huh Her, Tegan & Sara, and even Madonna at times. With all of the peppy, upbeat tunes on the album, it’s refreshing to come across the slower “the prettiest tree”. It really shows off their nice harmonies.


5/27/08 -
Eliza Gilkyson - Beautiful world: Summed up in two words - beautiful music. “the party’s over, we had a blast. We brought in the lawyers to cover our ass. Left a note for the children to clean up the mess. The party’s over. It was a big success.” I could play that song - ‘the party’s over’ - on repeat for days on end. A great beat, interesting lyrics with meanings hidden in metaphors. And how about “dream lover” - “It’s a man’s world that we’re living in, and I don’t want to talk about it.” One thing that kind of bugged me throughout this album was that Eliza’s vocals seemed to be over-powered by the music at times. But there’s great instrumentation throughout this album, combining with the strong lyrics, to make it one you should check out.

Usher - Here I stand: Here’s another one that anyone who knew my music tastes would say, “huh?” Yes, definitely not in the music genres I usually listen to. However, Usher is actually an artist that I am able to stand listening to in limited quantities. After to long, the songs all start sounding the same. “his mistakes” and “moving mountains” would be the two songs I listen to from this album.

John Hiatt - same old man: Yes, he’s the same old man with the same great music. His conversational-style lyrics on the opener, “old days”, make for a refreshing change from everyone else these days. At times I think his voice has become even more rough & gravelly. His daughter, Lilly, also does harmony vocals on a couple songs. He’s at his usual greatness on “hurt my baby”, “two hearts”, and the title track. Keep on rollin’ old man!!


6/3/08 -
Aimee Mann - @#%&*! Smilers: I’m guessing most people’s reaction to the title was ‘what the @#%&*! is that all about’? Hey, it’s Aimee! “you got a lot of money but you can’t afford the freeway” is the oft-used refrain on ‘freeway’, which kind of turns into a synth-infused anthem. “I thought my life would be different somehow. I thought my life would be better by now.” is the insightful refrain on “thirty one today”. “phoenix”, “it’s over”, “Looking for nothing”… actually, there’s not a bad track on the album. Classic Aimee Mann – the great lyrics, the catchy music, @#%&*! I can’t help but smile!! LOL

Jewel - Perfectly Clear: Much ado was made that Jewel was coming out with a new “country” album. Considering what many call ‘country’ these days, I knew that Jewel basically didn’t need to change anything to be considered ‘country’. She’s always been right there on the fringe of the genre since she started making music. So, ‘perfectly clear’ isn’t much of a change from what you’re used to hearing from her. There’s a bit more pronounced fiddle and steel guitar sounds, which helps to enhance her fragile vocals. This is another album that, on a normal year of music releases, could have easily been on my top-10 list. “anyone but you”, “I do”, “love is a garden”, “stronger woman”, “thump thump”… all highlights on a very worthwhile album.


6/10/08 -
Emmylou Harris - All I intended to be: Strangely enough, on the first few listens of this album, I wasn’t overly impressed with Emmy’s latest effort. However, as I’ve come to listen to it through the past few months, I’ve realized that this is a nice complete package. While she does a nice job on “all that you have is your soul”, it still can’t beat Tracy Chapman’s version. There are nice harmonies on “kern river”, but it still doesn’t beat out Merle Haggard’s classic that includes Janie Fricke on harmony vocals. If you want the epitome of an Emmylou song, take a listen to “how she could sing the Wildwood Flower”. It’s a sweet story of Sara Carter (of the Original Carter Family) and the man she secretly loved but was kept apart from, eventually coming together and staying ‘til the end. Emmy’s vocals bring such a sweetness to the story. Also a highlight is her duet with John Starling, “old five and dimer’s like me”. It’s Emmylou. Enough said!

Alanis Morissette - flavors of entanglement: Oh Alanis. How intriguing are thee, as usual? Strange lyrics filled with metaphors, combined with, at times, supernatural music. Part of the fun of listening to Alanis’ music is trying to figure out what the heck the lyrics actually mean. With titles like “straitjacket”, “versions of violence”, “in praise of the vulnerable man”, and “giggling again for no reason”, you know it’s going to be an interesting album. It certainly lives up to that. The lady certainly keeps me guessing throughout the album. Guessing at her sanity, that is!

The Stairwell Sisters - Get off your money: Yee Haw!! After figuring out the puzzle of Alanis, let’s get to some music that doesn’t need much thinking. Kick up your heels, do a little two step, a square dance, or just tap your toes and enjoy some sweet bluegrass from a quintet of ladies. You’ll discover excellent instrumentation, great harmonies, and wonderful music overall. You know I’m a sucker for great harmonies, and these ladies know just how to draw me in. It’s no surprise that I thought it almost sounded like a more stripped-down version of the Dixie Chicks. Lloyd Maines (‘Chick’ Natalie’s dad) produced this album. It also kind of reminds me of Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard from way back when.

Martha Wainwright - I know you’re married, but I’ve got feelings too : I guess if the title doesn’t get you to either chuckle or raise an eyebrow, then her straight forward lyrics will at least draw one of those reactions. The title of the album is taken from a line in the opening track, “bleeding all over you”. But this isn’t some angst-filled album. There’s a nice variation and balance of intensity with more subtle melodies and gentler arrangements.

Haley Bonar – big star: I found this one on the recommendation of a friend. Am I ever glad I did. Another smile was added when I realized that she’s from my home state. It’s a neat mixture of folk, pop, country, and rock which makes it hard to define – that’s a very good thing!


6/17/08
Katy Perry - One of the boys: This is one of those albums that I had to check out just to see what all the hype was about. I’m still not sure if I’ve figured out an answer to that. I did enjoy the sassy attitude that she displays on the album, and the somewhat feisty, confessional songs. The songs may have the same annoying pop beat, but it’s her strong vocals that set the album apart from most of the other bubblegum pop. “Lost” is a welcome change from the annoying beats.

Ashleigh Flynn - American Dream : Going from horns to banjo seamlessly, this album comes to life with stories about the down-trodden, both young and old, and all still with a gleam of hope for the future – looking for the “American dream”. And Ashleigh has the voice to bring the stories all to life.


6/24/08
Mark Chesnutt - Rollin’ with the flow: Mark has been one of the few male country artists who is able to stay a bit in the mainstream, yet seems still entrenched enough into ‘real’ country to keep my interest. Fiddles and steel guitar are still an important part in his music, and that’s evident in most of the songs on his latest album. The title track, of course, is a cover of the old Charlie Rich classic, and you know, it’s not too bad! The rest of the album is even better.

The Higgins - real thing : It’s not a coincidence that family groups seem to usually have the best harmonies. It’s no different here. A trio of siblings – John, Eileen & Kathleen – hail from Canada, but their music seems to transcend any specific area or genre. I hear a hint of bluegrass, some country, a little pop, and a mix of a few other styles. For me, the music is secondary. The thing that really catches my ear is their fabulous harmonies, which kind of reminds me of Little Big Town.


7/8/08
Melinda Schneider - Be Yourself: “do those blue jeans make you look fat?” Ha! That’s the first line from the first song on this album, which is the title song, and it made me laugh. That was the first sign that this was going to be a fun album for me to listen to. “isn’t there someone you’d rather be? Be yourself. Everybody else is taken. No one else will do the things you do.” This album keeps taking you on a journey of a bend-but-not-break attitude, and stand strong. “I die a little when I think about the days that passed us by. And I cry every time the fiddle plays.” is sung on “cry a little”, and probably my favorite song from the album, “People don’t change” -- “You wanna believe and you hold out hope, But if you're asking me the answers nope. I know people don't change.” In all, a great ‘positive’ album and a wonderful glimpse of Melinda ‘being herself’.

Beck - Modern Guilt: As usual with Beck, it’s the lyrics that are more interesting than the instrumentations on the songs. I’m not much of a fan of the songs themselves, but I usually enjoy the lyrics and that’s the case here. I’d call it a so-so record.

Mamma Mia Soundtrack Beware! This soundtrack (and the movie) has supernatural powers. For some reason, it has possessed my mother. She has seen the movie four times, and has two copies of the soundtrack – one in the house and one in her vehicle – and she plays them constantly. As for the songs themselves, I knew a few of the ABBA songs previously, so it was easy to sing along with. I loved the songs that Meryl sings. And how can you not love Christine Baranski singing “does your mother know?” Most of the vocals are pretty good, with the exception of Pierce Brosnan. While he gives it a good try, his voice doesn’t have the strength it needs for the music. So, if you’re listening for the songs themselves, then I’d suggest getting the ABBA originals. If you’re listening to hear certain actors singing, this is a pretty good one to check out.


7/29/08
The Lost Trailers - Holler Back : more mindless, uninteresting upbeat music that is disguised under the ‘country’ label. Three songs into the album and I swear they’ve all sounded the same. So, for the mainstream country fans who wouldn’t know ‘country’ if it kicked them in the butt with a cowboy boot, this album’s perfect for you. For me, I’ll pass and move on.


8/5/08 -
Heidi Newfield - What am I waiting for : In an answer to the title of the album… THIS is what I’ve been waiting for! I always loved Heidi’s voice when she was with Trick Pony, but I wasn’t always thrilled with their music selections. Now on her own, Heidi can offer up more variety and highlight her voice even more. It’s apparent right from the first song – “can’t let go” – which offers up a rockabilly ditty. The first single released off the album was “Johnny & June”. A great story about searching for the ‘perfect love’ – just like what Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash had for over 35 years. As with a few songs on the album, she starts out a bit soft & slower, but then she gets to rear back and explode into the chorus. “Wreck you” is also another favorite – “I don’t know how to pull you back. I don’t know how to pull you close. All I know is how to wreck you. Some thing between us changed, I’m not sure if it’s you and me, but lately all I do seems to wreck you.” In all, an excellent album, and in my opinion, an excellent decision by Heidi to go out on her own.

Amy Ray - didn’t it feel kinder : I’ve heard quite a bit of music by the Indigo Girls over the past few years, but this was the first solo album by Amy that I’d heard and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The first thing I learned immediately, DON’T expect to hear the folky, acoustic music you’re used to from the Indigo Girls. Amy’s solo music is raw, has more gritty guitar sounds, and even a bit grittier vocals. However, the lyrics are just as straight forward as you’d expect. “SLC Radio”, “bus bus”, “who sold the gun”, “birds of a feather”, and “stand and deliver” all make the album worth a listen.

Carrie Rodriguez - She ain’t me : If you’ve ever heard either of Carrie’s duet albums with Chip Taylor, you might think you have the wrong lady here. Just like Amy Ray’s solo albums are different from the Indigo Girls, Carrie’s solo albums are nothing like “red dog tracks” or “let’s leave this town”. Much of the difference in sound from her first record, “seven angels on a bicycle” can be attributed to the fact that this time Carrie co-wrote most of the songs here, collaborating with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks, as well as Mary Gauthier, and Dan Wilson. The surprise on this album is the appearance of Lucinda Williams on “mask of Moses”. Lucinda’s not featured prominently in the song, but provides nice backing vocals. While the album is decent, I still prefer the simplicity of her duet albums with Chip Taylor.


8/19/08 -
Amy MacDonald - this is the life : This is an album that just kind of sneaks up on you. One listen through and you think “yeah, the album is okay”. After a couple more listens through you think “yeah, I like this album”, and even a few more full listens through it hits you “this is a darn good album”. “And you’re singing the songs thinking this is the life and you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go? Where you gonna sleep tonight? Where you gonna sleep tonight?” Does she ever take a breath in this song? LOL That’s the title song, and it’s one of those that gets stuck in my head. I saw one review that called Amy an “old head on young shoulders” and I absolutely agree with that. She’s only 20 years old, but her writing seems much more mature and wise than you’d expect.

Julianna Hatfield - how to walk away : This marks Julianna’s 10th solo album, and you get a chance to notice the subtle changes that having a different producer makes. Here we get more of a rhythm guitar beat rather than the driving guitar sounds. Considering the title, you’d think this would be an album about break-up songs. However, instead of broken romance or loss, you get the feel of melancholy or disappointment - “then it was over and I will never be the same. I finally wised up, but the fact remains I stayed too long.” – is the heart of the opening song, “the fact remains”. It’s kind of a refreshing change from the usual mopey or pissed off end-of-romance songs.

Chris Knight - heart of stone : Chris is an artist who’s a songwriter first. Some of his songs have been turned into hits by some of the mainstream country artists. I think that’s a bit of an injustice, because Chris has more of a unique voice than most of the generic mainstreamers of today, and probably would bring more flavor to those songs. However, we are blessed to have his voice on these songs, and he turns them into gold. He’s often been compared to Steve Earle & John Mellencamp, mainly because of his writing style. That’s quite evident in “Danville” – ‘She ain't going back to Danville till she's dead. He got the whole town believing that she was to blame. But it’s half-filled with people with his last name.’ And “Crooked Road” is just as powerful – ‘Logan, West Virginia is 100 miles behind; Coal mine took my boy's life & my Janie's peace of mind. All I know is back in Logan, and I ain’t never been that smart, but I know I had to leave there to heal my Janie’s heart.’ Just goes to show that he’s one hell of a storyteller.


9/2/08
Sonya Kitchell - This Storm : I had heard great reviews for this album, so I had to check it out. I have yet to make up my mind about it. There’s nothing that really steps up and grabs me on the album. Individually, there are some good songs here – “running”, “here to there”, “fire”, and “effortless” - probably more of the upbeat tunes as I’m not a big fan of her voice, and the up-tempo tunes hide the voice better.

Rodney Crowell - Sex and gasoline : Rodney has kind of been a staple in the country/Americana genres for a couple decades now, after emerging (as a few people did) as a member of Emmylou Harris’ “Hot Band”. “this mean old world runs on sex and gasoline.” Well, that’s one way to sum it up, and Rodney does it well. He still is able to write songs about current events, or current state of the world, and not have them too straightforward that they offend people, but rather make them think. “If I could have just one wish, maybe for an hour. I’d wanna be a woman and feel that phantom power. Maybe I’d want to stick around for a while, until my heart got broke. Maybe then I could find out if I’m a half decent man, or if I’m just a joke.” LOL When I first heard that in “the rise & fall of intelligent design”, I burst out laughing, then I realized Rodney is a genius. The rest of the album is much the same way – the songs just make you stop and think. I think that’s the greatest thing a singer/songwriter can do.

Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby - self titled : another husband & wife teaming up to make some good music. I like how we keep seeing a bit more of that these days. It used to be fairly prevalent in the good old days of country music, then turned into an endangered species. It may just be coincidence then that this album ends with a cover of “I still miss someone”, the tune forever identified with Johnny Cash, who with his wonderfully talented wife, June Carter Cash, made one heck of a duet team. At times, I’m often annoyed by the strange background sounds throughout this album. Otherwise, it’d be a great package. Their voices blend well together.

Bruce Robison – The new world : Bruce has always been recognized as a wonderful songwriter. Vocally, I still think he’s at his best when singing with his wife, Kelly Willis (take a listen to their ‘live’ duet version of “angry all the time”. It puts the Tim McGraw version to shame.). “the new world” brings together a nice collection of heartfelt, good country songs. “Echo” would be my favorite from this album. It’s a great story.


9/9/08 -
George Jones - Burn your playhouse down: the unreleased duets: It’s not often that you get to hear music by parents with their children. Therefore, it’s a pleasure to have this album start off with a duet from George & his daughter, Georgette (‘you and me and time’). Her mother was the wonderful Tammy Wynette. At times I can hear a bit of Tammy in Georgette’s voice. Interestingly enough, the album closes with a duet by George & Tammy (“lovin’ you, lovin’ me”). In between, there are some interesting collaborations – Leon Russell, Keith Richards, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Shelby Lynne, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs & more. The duet with Dolly, “rockin’ years” was actually a duet Dolly did with Ricky Van Shelton a number of years ago. The title track is the duet with Keith Richards, and it’s pretty cool.

Catie Curtis - sweet life: yes, there is such a thing as sugar overload, a little too much sweetness can make you ill. That was my first thought after listening to this album for the first time. After a few more listens, I came to the conclusion that it’s really not that bad. It could use a bit more grit, but it does have its highlights – such as “happy”, “sing”, “fools” and “over”.

Dar Williams - Promise land: “it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright” Yes, the opening song sums up the album – it’s alright. I guess I wouldn’t stack it up next to some of Dar’s best work, but it’s not bad. The vocals are wonderful as usual. There are just some songs here where the melody doesn’t grab me. Some of the songs that intrigued me were “buzzer”, “go to the woods”, “it’s alright”, “troubled times” and “midnight radio”

9/16/08:
Lindsey Buckingham - Gift of screws: I guess I’ve never been a fan of Lindsey without Stevie. This album is no exception. However, Lindsey’s guitar work is always worth a listen. He makes things sound so different from normal guitar players. “did you miss me”, “wait for you”, “love runs deeper”, “the right place to fade”, “underground” and “treason” are all fairly decent songs, but would be much better with the Fleetwood Mac harmonies.


9/23/08 -
Ralph Stanley II - This one is two: I was surprised when this album arrived at the radio station. I didn’t realize Ralph II was doing music himself. When you’ve got a name with a numeral behind it, that usually means you have something to prove. With Ralph Stanley II, it’s a big mountain to climb. Ralph Sr is an icon in the bluegrass world. That’s why it’s great that Ralph II has his music more countrified. His music and his voice remind me a lot of Randy Travis. From beginning to end, this is a great album of pure country music.

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue: Choose whatever phrase you want – “K.I.S.S.” (Keep.It.Simple.Stupid), “less is more”, “overdone is overused” - It seems that Jenny kept those phrases in mind when recording this album. This album is ‘nicely simple’. “Carpetbaggers” includes guest vocals from Elvis Costello, which I still don’t think fit well with the song. “Jack killed mom” is an interesting listen.

Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher: The boys are back with their third Nettwerk release. Produced by legendary producer, Don Was, this one sounds more like a Bob Dylan/Neil Young combination, with a tiny tinge of R&B in their country. Whatever you call them – Americana, Folk, Bluegrass, Country, etc - it’s still darn good music and a darn good album from beginning to end.


10/7/08
Rachael Yamagata - Elephants… teeth sinking into heart: I had never heard Rachael’s music before listening to this album, but had heard good things about her music. The first thing I thought when beginning playing the album – the music reminds me of Dido. I will admit that the first few songs from the album had me yawning, and itching to hit ‘fast forward’. They all kind of sounded the same – same tempo, same sound – but then things seemed to pick up a bit. “over and over” seemed to bring more emotion. Disc 2 starts with “sidedish friend”. Now we’ve got my toes tapping and my head bobbing. This is more like it!! It’s songs like this that really bring out her voice so much more than those first quiet/mello cuts on the album.

The Pretenders - Break up the concrete: I don’t know about breaking up the concrete, but I will say ‘break out the champagne’ as Chrissie & The Pretenders have a new album out!! That being said, there really wasn’t a song on the album that blew me away – nothing that really could compare to ‘Brass in Pocket’, ‘Back on the Chain Gang’, ‘Middle of the Road’ or any of the other Pretenders classics. There’s quite a bit of rockabilly (which had me tapping my toes), a little bit jazzy/blues, some classic rock sounds, and of course, Chrissie’s wonderful voice.

Crystal Sands - self titled: My eyes nearly bugged out when I saw “a bottle of wine and Patsy Cline” as one of the songs on this album. Wow! I haven’t heard that song in about 20 years when Marsha Thornton released the song somewhere around 1989-1990. I was still playing it on vinyl ’45 at the radio station. I can’t totally remember Marsha’s version, but I think it was a bit better than this one. Nevertheless… This is a nice ‘throwback’ country album – some good old country sounds. “These are them” sounds quite familiar, but can’t think if I’ve actually heard it before. “Every time I think it’s over” is a nice duet with Ron Williams. “not any closer” is a song co-written by John Wiggins. That’s quite noticeable after listening to it. The song sounds like something that John & Audrey Wiggins would have been singing back a decade ago. I loved their harmonies and wish they would still be in the mainstream.


10/21/08
LeeAnn Womack - Call Me Crazy: I wouldn’t call her “crazy”, these days at least. I actually called Lee Ann “crazy” back at the beginning of the decade with the release of “I hope you dance” – when she gave up her originality just to follow the crowd and turn to the mainstream country audience to get her name recognized. She redeemed herself a little with “There’s more where that came from” a few years ago. This one is a bit more of the same, thankfully. It’s got a decent country feel, but yet sounds a bit over-polished at times. I think Lee Ann is at her best when the music is more raw & sparse. “We can just go on like this or say the word, we’ll call it quits. Baby you can go or you can stay. I won’t love you either way”. I’ve never had a problem with the lyrics of her songs, just the occasionally over-production of the music. Throughout this album, I hear the nice sounds of the pedal steel, fiddle, and acoustic guitar. Leave it to a country ‘troubador’ to provide guest vocals on the best track of this album – George Strait duets with Lee Ann on “everything but quits”. “The bees”, “either way”, “I think I know”, “If these walls could talk”, “the king of broken hearts”, and “the story of my life” are pretty good songs, and together they make up a great album. “Solitary thinking” is more of a blues tune and kind of feels out of place with the rest of the album.

Craig Morgan - That’s why: - “If you’re on your feet before the sun comes up, and out there in your truck making hay, rain or shine, break a sweat before daylight; A guy that ain’t afraid of work, elbow grease & good clean dirt. Taste of whiskey make from corn, you save your Sundays for the Lord. It’s a good chance you were born & raised in the sticks.” – When I first heard that song, “sticks”, from this album, I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t an Aaron Tippin song. It sounded exactly like something Aaron would sing. “Love remembers” was the first single from this album released to radio. The song was “okay”, but basically sounded like most of the other mainstream songs on radio these days. Originally, I was hesitant to listen to this album as male country mainstream artists usually don’t get much space in my music listening rotation. While I consider it still a bit too mainstream for my taste, the album does have a few good selections – such as the aforementioned “sticks”, “God must really love me”, “summer sundown”, and the title track. The best track, however, would be “lookin’ back with you”. Now, if Craig could just get rid of the over-meshed music and ‘countrify’ it a bit more, this would be a great album.

Hank Williams III - Damn right rebel proud: For me, listening to Hank III’s music usually includes some eyebrow raising and a few chuckles along the way. The guy just lets it all hang out – “They were nervous about Waylon, cuz he had a crooked smile, for many, many years they never wanted Bocephus, he was just too god damned loud. Do you really think they ever wanted Johnny Paycheck hanging around? Hell no, cuz they’re too uptight wild But real rebels like to get down. And the Grand Old Opry ain’t so grand any more. They done f*cked off the people that made it work shit before. Hell, they didn’t even want Johnny Cash back in ’74.” – and that’s just the first song!! Most of the rest really aren’t that blunt. They’re just some good honky-tonkers. “Me & my friends”, “candidate for suicide”, “long hauls & close calls”… Hank’s whiny, gravelly voice just makes the music so much more than what the songs are themselves.

10/28/08 -
Pink - Funhouse: I still keep asking myself, “why Pink?” Except for a few songs here & there, I usually don’t care for the poppy female artists – like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, etc. But Pink has been the one glaring exception; the one artist whom I can usually listen to quite faithfully. I think the conclusion I’ve come to is that she has a ‘rock’ edge to her songs and her voice has enough strength for that to shine through. That’s was highlighted most with her wonderful, thought-provoking song, “Dear Mr President”. With her latest effort, Pink takes us to her ‘funhouse’, which is… what? Well, I think I’d consider it the ‘funhouse’ of life’s ups & downs – the good, the bad & the ugly – all rolled into one. “I could’ve had everything, I should’ve had everything, you almost got me thinking I screwed myself over.” Some may consider this her ‘divorce album’, and they’d probably be right. The highlight would be “crystal ball” – a folky ballad. “sometimes you think everything is wrapped inside a diamond ring. Love just needs a witness and a little forgiveness, and a halo of patience, and a less sporadic pace and I'm learning to be brave in my beautiful mistakes.” The rest of the album is pure Pink too.

Susan Tedeschi - Back to the river: Thankfully, Susan wasn’t afraid to bring in a fine lineup of guests for this album. As you’d expect, her husband, Derek Trucks, makes an appearance with his slide guitar, as well as producer and co-writer of “Brothers” with Susan. Also appearing are notables Gary Louis and Doyle Bramhall II. Susan’s voice is as strong as ever, with that hint of a rasp that gives the music an extra little kick of the blues vibe.


11/4/08 -
Mark Wills - Familiar strangers: Mark is another of the very few male mainstream country artists that I occasionally enjoy listening to. He started out his career with some great ballads (“don’t laugh at me”, “wish you were here”) that allowed him to get noticed. There are a few good ones on this album too – “the likes of you”, “her kiss”, and “entertaining angels” – but they’re not quite in the class of his first ones, but come close. This album is a fairly decent total package, and he keeps it just countrified enough to keep me listening from beginning to end.

Dido - Safe trip home: After the first listen through this album, I realized it was appropriately titled. Dido’s voice is mellow & soothing, and it kind of makes you feel safe. With this new album, I was hoping to find another “white flag”, “here with me” or “thank you” – one of those songs that kind of grabs you and sticks in your head. I’m sad to say that I didn’t really find it. However, “never want to say it’s love” and “don’t believe in love” come close. This happens to be an enjoyable album if you’re in an introspective mood.

Hinder - Take it to the limit: So, those of you who know my musical taste are probably thinking, “huh? Hinder?!?” Yeah, I can’t quite believe I actually listened to the album myself. Well, I’ve been trying to expand my music listening selection, and I did enjoy their version of “lips of an angel” a few years ago, so I figured I’d give the new album a shot. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed “loaded and alone”, “last kiss goodbye”, “without you”, “the best is yet to come”, and “thing for you”. That being said, I still probably wouldn’t listen to them very often.

11/11/08
Tracy Chapman - Our Bright Future : The future is usually bright when there’s Tracy Chapman music in the air. Since this album was only released a short time ago, I haven’t had the opportunity to really sit down and listen to it uninterrupted as a full album. (the only reason it’s not on my Top 10) The songs themselves are typical Tracy. I really didn’t hear a song that stood out the way “subcity” and “Fast car” do (my favorite two Tracy songs!), but there’s always something great about new music from Tracy Chapman.

Seal - Soul: Here’s another artist that I occasionally enjoy listening to when I want to hear something different. I love his smooth, mellow voice. On this album, Seal re-does some of the classics – and does them very well. Some of the songs I have heard so many times by many different people, but Seal is able to turn them into gold with his smooth delivery.

Kevin Costner & Modern West – untold truths: yes, it’s the actor. I’ve got a fascination with singing actors, like Katey Sagal, Maureen O’hara, Lisa Hartman, Sissy Spacek, Stepfanie Kramer, Kristy & Jimmy McNichol, Crystal Bernard, Bruce Willis, Gloria Loring, Mare Winningham, and a few more I can’t think of right now. Yeah, I’ve got music from all of them, and I pretty much like them all – even if a few of them could use a bit more fune-tuning. It’s just interesting to hear them sing. With this one… well, I like Kevin on screen, but I think his voice on this music is going to take a lot more getting used to. The songs themselves are actually pretty good, mainly light pop with a twinge of country – kind of like it can’t make up its mind if it wants to be pop or country.

Serena Ryder – is it OK? (Canadian release) : Is it okay? Oh, hell yeah! I’d say ‘okay’ is a bit of an understatement. Serena is someone I recently discovered while searching for 2008 album releases. I’d almost call her a tamer version of Beth Hart. At times she has the raspy growl like Beth, but her music isn’t quite as abrasive. I like it. It’s an angst-filled album, but doesn’t come across as pouty or grouchy. The album closes with ‘Dark as the Black’ “one world, one love; means nothing if you’re just pretending.” And features a short haunting harmonica melody. There’s also a reference to the great Gopher State - “There’s a crack in the ground from old New York all the way to Minnesota/I can see by the way 10,000 lakes are screaming for more water.” I found an interesting tidbit as I was finding out more info about this artist and album – it was recorded in the same studio where Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumors. The U.S. release is set for February 2009. Definitely add this one on your list to pick up.

Heather Nova – The Jasmine Flower: Here’s another instance where an artist uses the ‘less is more’ approach. With this album, Heather relies on her voice, a guitar, and occasionally a string quartet. It makes for a great sound as the sparse instrumentation brings a stronger highlight to her soothing vocals.


11/18/08
Blake Shelton – startin’ fires: Blake is an artist that I just can’t dislike, no matter how much I want to. He keeps it country enough for me to be entertained, but still walks that line where I’m so close to turning it off. Right from the beginning he has me smiling with “green” – “I got a hundred acre farm, I got a John Deere in my barn, I got a garden in my yard full of corn, peas & beans. I got a guitar I play unplugged, I got a home grown girl I love, and when the summertime hits we skinny dip in the stream. I was green before green was a thing.” The rest of the album is a fine mix of faster & slower songs with great instrumentation. I think the thing about Blake that keeps me tuned in is that his voice sounds ‘real’. No matter if it’s a slow ballad or an up-tempo toe-tapper, his voice always sounds honest & sincere. The album finishes quite nicely with a duet with his girlfriend, Miranda Lambert, on “bare skin rug”.


11/23/08
Guns N Roses – chinese democracy: Well, after what… 15 years (give or take)… It’s finally happened. That’s right, hell has finally frozen over… ummm, I mean Axl finally quit pissing around. I have to wonder what the hell all of the fuss was about. Yes, I know, I’ve never been a GnR fan – except for “sweet child of mine”, but this album doesn’t seem like anything a person would fuss over for 15 years.


11/25/08
Akon – freedom: Here’s another of those artists that I really like, but can’t understand why. Maybe because the music isn’t definable. You get pop/rap/r&b all wrapped together. The album is aptly named because it gives you a feeling of being free. It’s more of the pop and less of the R&B/hip hop. Akon’s high and whiny voice is just so different than most anyone else that it’s actually refreshing to listen to and almost gives the songs a brighter outlook, even if it’s dark lyrics. Akon welcomes a few special guests on this album – Wyclef, Ray Lavender, T-Pain, Lil Wayne & more. They don’t always complement his vocals very well, but they do add a little bit more flavor.

- - - - - - - - - - -

I know there are many that I’ve missed as well, but that’s the majority of the albums I’ve checked out throughout 2008.

- - - - - - - - - - -

That means it’s time to look ahead. So, what’s on the horizon? Well, here’s what I can find so far:

Billy Ray Cyrus - “Back To Tennessee” 1/13/09
Chris Cornell – “Scream” 2/3/09
Michelle Branch “Everything Comes and Goes” Winter 2008
Eminem “Relapse” Dec 23rd?
Goo Goo Dolls [Title TBA] Late 2008?
Indigo Girls [Title TBA] Feb 2009
Matchbox Twenty [Title TBA] 2009
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band “Working on a Dream” 1/27/09
Melissa Auf der Maur “Out of Our Minds” 2008?
Schuyler Fisk - TBA [Feb 2009] (it’s about time! LOL Have you heard her mom, Sissy, sing? Check out her country album from back in the 80s in my albums uploaded post)
Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel - Willie And The Wheel 2/3/09
Michael Martin Murphey - "Buckaroo Blue Grass" 2/10/09

- - - - - - - - -

So, what have I missed? What are your thoughts on the albums?