ALEJANDRO
ESCOVEDO
Real Animal
 Blame
a midlife crisis or a fury prompted of any number of dramas in Alejandro Escovedo’s
life, from divorce to a near-fatal bout with Hepatitis C - but at age 57, the
veteran Texas roots-rocker has returned for the first time in his long solo career
to the aggressive, at-times punk-rock sounds of his earliest band, the Nuns, with
a few hints of pioneering alternative-country combos Rank & File and the True
Believers thrown in for good measure. -- Jim DeRogatis, Chicago Sun-Times (Back
Porch)
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Behind The Scenes of Real Animal
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the Popmatters.com review
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ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
Real Animal
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LP $18.98 | RECKLESS
KELLY
Bulletproof
 On
'Bulletproof' roots/rock rogues Reckless Kelly explore fragility in relationships
and the state of our country. The band's fifth studio album shows their signature
duality of barroom ballads and rocking fight songs at its pinnacle. 'Bulletproof'
features a superb songwriting collaboration between frontman Willy Braun and country
icon Robert Earl Keen on "God Forsaken Town," a song about a person
holding out from evacuating during Hurricane Katrina. The grit and gristle of
Braun's voice brings the vulnerability of love songs like "A Guy Like Me"
and "Bulletproof" to life without the threat of ever being saccharin.
(Yep Roc)
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RECKLESS KELLY
Bulletproof (2 LP 180 Gram)
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LP $22.98 | CROOKED
STILL
Still Crooked
 The
self-styled, alternative bluegrass group Crooked Still has pretty much made a
perfect album; no frills, no fancy studio production, no gimmicks, just great
songs and stellar performances that have been recorded with unparalleled intimacy
and taste. . . Crooked Still sounds more powerful than ever and the constant play
between cellist Clarridge and fiddler Hass is addictive. It is obvious that Crooked
Still is a stronger band with the new additions and these new additions are carrying
the band on this release. Lead singer Aoife O’Donovan’s voice still
has a striking resemblance to Alison Krauss, but her delivery has more passion
and feeling than Krauss could muster up on a good night. -- Jonathan Keller, marqueemag.com
(Signature Sound)
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CD $15.99 | JESSIE
BAYLIN
Firesight
 Firesight
makes good on the critical praise and grass-roots fan support that's already been
heaped upon 24-year-old Jessie Baylin. The 2008 album offers a vibrant, soulful
showcase for her talents as both an uncommonly insightful songwriter and a deeply
expressive, effortlessly charismatic vocalist. Recorded in the artist's recently
adopted hometown of Nashville with noted producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo,
Rogue Wave), Firesight features contributions from some of Nashville's most respected
rock players, and songwriting collaborations with such notable co-writers as Whiskeytown
member Mike Daly and grammy-winning songwriter/performer Jesse Harris, L.A. Troubadour
Zack Hexum and the Rembrandts' Danny Wilde. (Verve Forecast)
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CD $10.99 | LUKE
DOUCET
Blood's Too Rich
 It
was easy to see, even back in the Veal days, that Luke Doucet was a guitar hero
with many musical tastes. So it comes as no surprise then that Doucet’s latest
album, “Blood’s Too Rich“, traverses a few familiar genres. “Long
Haul Driver” starts the record off right with country beats and a weathered
intuition, all while telling the tale of a man’s tedious work on the road.
As the album progresses, Doucet leaves behind the cheap motels and stale cigarette
dankness to pursue a more upbeat, Shins-like bubbliness on “The Lovecats“.
Further on in the disk Doucet finds himself delving into the more laid-back, acoustic
folk tunes that reveal a pathway into the centre of his mind and heart. “Cleveland”
rolls along for a good seven-and-a-half minutes, while “Beacon On The Southpaw”
shreds some guitars alongside growling vocals. In its entirety, Blood’s Too
Rich comes across as a neat little package decorated with warm colours and a Falcon-headed
Doucet, but underneath the minimal artwork emerges a soulful, feel-good disc with
a whole lot of zip and zeal. -- newbandnoise.com
Listen
to Luke on his myspace page
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CD $16.98 | RUBY
DEE & THE SNAKEHANDLERS
Miles From Home
"Sure, these
Seattle honky-tonkers are cutting a familiar path, one paved in hardwood slick
with beer and littered with broken hearts, but with such a swell bunch of songs,
that's not a problem," said No Depression's review. "[It] ... mines
country and rock's past glories with swagger and skill. Ruby Dee's ... energy
and instincts can't be denied. She's at her toughest on 'Don't Need a Man,' a
blaster featuring guitarist Jorge Harada. She's also adept at late-night lonesome
fare ('Round and Round,' 'Cry All Over Me') and mid-tempo, narrative-based songs
('Cold Pines and Red Dirt'). ... Harada's cool instrumental 'Gunfighter (Return
of Nobody)' is a winner. Miles From Home is affectionate of history but far from
a museum piece ..." (Dionysus Records)
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to Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers
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| LIZ
PHAIR
Exile In Guyville (Bonus Tracks/DVD)
 Two
CD set archive release of her 1993 album. Liz Phair is a US singer-songwriter
and guitarist. Her signature guitar, which she is often seen playing (and is prominent
upon the cover of her self-titled fourth album), is a Fender Duo-Sonic II. Her
album Exile in Guyville was chosen as one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums
of All Time. This two disc set includes four previously unreleased audio tracks
and a DVD with a documentary about the album's genesis. (ATO)
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LIZ PHAIR
Exile In Guyville (with CD)
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LP $19.98 |
AMOS
LEE
Last Days At The Lodge
 Last
Days at the Lodge is Lee’s third record, following his first two critically-acclaimed
and tremendously successful records, Supply and Demand (2006) and his 2005 self-titled
debut. This 2008 record is produced by Don Was, and features Lee on guitars, Doyle
Bramhall, Jr. (Eric Clapton) on guitar, Spooner Oldham (Neil Young, Aretha Franklin)
on keys, Pino Palladino (The Who, D’Angelo) on bass, and James Gadson (Bill
Withers) on drums, along with many others. 11 tracks. (Blue Note)
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CD $16.99 | |
GRAHAM NASH
Innocent Eyes
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GRAHAM
NASH & DAVID CROSBY
Graham Nash & David Crosby
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DINOSAUR
JR
Hand It Over
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HUSKER
DU
Living End
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MADNESS
One Stop Beyond
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PRETENDERS
Packed
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REDD KROSS
Third Eye
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OTIS REDDING
Love Man
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WARREN
ZEVON
Mr. Bad Example
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To The Top
| IT'S
A CRACKER!
OFFRAMPS
Split The Difference
 The
dreaded sophomore slump is not only avoided but ground into the earth by the firm-soled
boots of raging rock n roll. The Michigan band's brand of riffing roots-pop is
tighter, the leads are a little louder, the melodies are a little more catchy.
Their debut "Hate It When You Are Right" was such a hot record that
the bar is set high for "/Split The Difference." The band hails from,
Michigan, the part of the country with a long history of smoking garage rock.
"/Split The Difference" should make their musical forefathers proud.
-- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Deluxe)
REVIEW
+ SOUND CLIPS
CD $10.99 | IT'S
A CRACKER!
PATRICK
BLOOM
Moses
 There
is an honesty and generosity in the way Patrick Bloom presents his carefully crafted
studies of the human experience. His subjects are not extraordinary. In fact,
it is their ordinariness that makes them special. They are stories about you and
I. Bloom's jangly folk-pop infuses every track with a gently beating heart creating
a beautiful collection. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music
REVIEW
+ SOUND CLIPS
CD $11.99 | HACIENDA
BROTHERS
Arizona Motel
 The
final studio album by The Hacienda Brothers, whose Western soul sound received
worldwide acclaim in the course of their career, served as an unexpected memorial
to the band’s lead singer and original member Chris Gaffney, who tragically
passed away after a short battle with cancer. The recordings, split between Dan
Penn-helmed sessions in Nashville, an recordings back in Arizona caught the band
at their creative as the melded country and soul. (Proper)
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CD $16.99 | |
BOXMASTERS
Boxmasters
 You
may be aware that backwoods Brando Billy Bob Thornton released a few moody singer/songwriter
albums over the last few years that are unlikely to make anyone forget Leonard
Cohen, but it turns out he just hadn't found his groove yet. June 10 sees the
release of the self-titled debut album by the Boxmasters, Thornton's country-rock
band. Not only is their mix of caustically witty tunecraft and rockin' honky tonk
better than any of Thornton's other musical efforts to date, it's actually better
than most of the alt-country acts out there at the moment. This might be at least
partially because The Boxmasters are more specifically old-school "country
rock" than self-conscious "alt country." Hell, their album comes
with a bonus disc of covers that includes two tunes by cosmic-cowboy cult fave/former
Monkee Michael Nesmith! If that doesn't give BBT some cred with the Gram Parsons-loving
crowd, nothing will. -- Jim Allen, prefixmag.com (Vanguard)
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CD $16.99 | RY
COODER
I, Flathead (Deluxe)
 Ry
Cooder completes his California trilogy (which began with 2005's 'Chavez Ravine'
and 2007's 'My Name is Buddy') with 'I, Flathead', an album of music by the fictional
musician Kash Buck and his band the Klowns, characters in Cooder's 95-page novella.
The
novella (which is only available with the Deluxe Edition of 'I, Flathead') tells
the story of Kash Buck and his friend Shakey the alien, along with various friends,
lovers, enemies, and associates in a bygone California filled with deserts, salt-flat
racing, Native Americans, seedy dance halls, amusement parks, and sinister plots.
The album comprises fourteen songs by Buk, a hard-boiled salt flat racer and roadhouse
musician.
With the story and the music, Cooder creates a universe where
"strange people are the norm," drawing from country western music, popular
mechanics magazines, and science fiction films.
Following 'Chavez Ravine',
which examined loss of place and history, and 'My Name is Buddy', which explored
the loss of solidarity and unity, 'I, Flathead' reflects change and disruption
in a young, post-war do-it-yourself culture of outsiders obsessed with racing
cars fashioned from military surplus parts and flathead engines. (Nonesuch)
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DELUXE CD $24.98
RY COODER
I, Flathead
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CD $18.98 | CAMPER
VAN BEETHOVEN
Popular Songs of Great Enduring Strength and Beauty
 Popular
Songs features 18 tracks, 5 of which have been re-recorded specifically for this
release. Explains Camper Van Beethoven band spokesperson, Col. Jack 'Cheese' Sandwich
(ret.) of Limone sul Garda, Italy : 'We endeavored to present an enticing set
of popular songs from the much-acclaimed, secondary and tertiary recording periods
of the band, 1985-1990. We were, however, thwarted in this effort by a certain
recording company which had released the later (tertiary) output of these original
recordings. We made offers to buy back our own catalog, but they were rebuffed.
Hence, still owning the publishing rights, we decided to re-record a few of these
later songs.' (Cooking Vinyl)
Read
Paul Colletti's review.
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CD $13.98 | WATSON
TWINS
Fire Songs
 'This
folky set has enough going on to stave off ennui, though: there's a torchy slow-burner
('Only You'), a horn-fueled shuffle ('Map to Where You Are') and a loping, twangy
cover of the Cure's 'Just Like Heaven.' But what each song does boast is an impressive
warmth, which Leigh [Watson] attributes to recording in analog at the studio Elliott
Smith built (where there are, the singer reveals, "some definite ghosts in
the boards.") And each track has a weighty narrative, exploring themes like
emotional and physical bruises on 'Lady Love Me' or disengagement from an abusive
relationship on 'Dig a Little Deeper.'
"These
are story-telling songs, and not celebratory at that," Leigh explained. But,
as the title alludes, they lend themselves to a fireside session. "These
songs carry emotions that we all have, so they create this listening environment.
We don't perform the songs so much as we share them." -- Julie Simon, Spinner.com
(Vanguard)
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to the Watson Twins
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WATSON TWINS
Fire Songs
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LP $24.98
| TOWNES
VAN ZANDT
Live At The Old Quarter (2CD)
 Reissued....
again.... On this 2 CD set, recorded in 1973 at Houston's Old Quarter club, Townes
Van Zandt performs 26 songs along with several amusing anecdotes. This is a terrific
album that reveals why Van Zandt is such a revered artist. (Fat Possum)
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CD $19.98 |
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