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Recorded over two nights in Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland earlier in 2006, In
The Dark is a double CD / DVD set that captured Idaho born singer Josh Ritter
at a pivotal moment in his career. With four albums behind him (3 of them gold
in Ireland), Josh broke out from cult artist in Ireland to a singer songwriter
with a worldwide career. The DVD which accompanies the live album is so much more
than your standard concert DVD. It's a movie which takes the listener on a journey
with Josh. Again it features plenty of performances over two nights are Vicar
Street as well as plenty of intimate interview footage with Josh and plenty of
color and context around Dublin.(Independent Ireland)
How do you build on a quarter-century legacy and catalog as a living legend and
trailblazer of alternative rock? When you're 47-year-old vet Bob Mould, you ignore
such accolades, and go straight to making hair-raisingly emotional, undeniably
catchy, loud, mature guitar rock albums. Yes, he was an '80s punk pioneer with
Husker Du, and indie rock god with '90s juggernaut, Sugar. But in between and
since, Mould has unleashed a half-dozen uncompromising solo LPs, unafraid to follow
inspirations where they've led - from 1989's Richard Thompson-influenced Workbook
to 2002's dancefloor-minded Modulate. Now, following 2005's acclaimed, return-to-bracing
Body of Song, Mould is poised to rip the roof off further with the hard-hitting,
elastic District Line - his first for Anti Records. Ace Fugazi drummer Brendan
Canty returns from Body of Song, as the perfect backbone to Mould's determined
guitar riffs, insistent basslines, and passionate, vulnerable singing. (Amy Domingues
also again adds beautifully bittersweet cello.) Recorded in a Washington D.C.
warehouse space with a mobile studio, District Line is a dozen flavors of Mould's
inspired, instantly memorable, melodic songwriting and playing. (Anti)
For
his second album, Mando Saenz knew he had a different musical direction to take
as compared to his acoustic-tinged, DIY debut. "Watertown had a definite
underlying theme, kind of revealing a lot of hidden truths," he says. "I
knew Bucket would be a rock record, and I wasn't afraid of using pop sensibilities
in my approach, or falling into a straightforward love song." On Bucket,
Mando and producer R.S. Field partnered with some of roots rock's most potent
musicians --Kenny Vaughan, Richard Bennett, Tony Crow and Chris Carmichael - to
punctuate Mando's haunting tenor and unexpected phrases with distorted guitars
and chiming acoustics. (Thirty Tigers)
"Lang
weaves her tales over pared-down arrangements - acoustic guitars, muted keyboards
and discreet percussion augmented now and then by silky strings. This is her first
self-produced album, with some tracks recorded at home, often in one take. There
is nothing slipshod about the results, simply the sound of a woman who knows what
she wants to convey. Stylistically, every era of Lang's career - from cowpoke
to torch singer - informs Watershed, a set that marks the return of a singular
talent to the top of her game. " John Bungey - timesonline.co.uk. Deluxe
packaging includes UniBox with cloth wrap and embossed foil stamp, box contains
3 photo insert cards, 2 babyjacket CD sleeves, and 16-page 4/C booklet. Second
cd includes 4 bonus tracks and interview. (Nonesuch)
"Two
CD collection from the Soul singer. The profound honesty and sensitivity found
in his timeless music has made Bill Withers one of America's premier singer/songwriters.
Combining soulful warmth, a genuine folksy feel with his immediately recognizable
voice, Withers has sung his way into the hearts of millions worldwide. His ability
to say what so many feel is uncanny. Features 36 stunning highlights from a singing
and songwriting genius of the '70s and '80s, including hits 'Lean On Me', 'Lovely
Day' and 'Ain't No Sunshine'. (Music Club Deluxe)
"That
title isn't offhand or whimsical. The instrument so inextricably associated with
white Appalachian bluegrass has its roots in Africa several hundred years ago
and was brought to the States by slaves. Taylor and his guests-Keb' Mo', Corey
Harris, Don Vapple, Guy Davis and Alvin Youngblood Hart, all of whom play the
banjo here-set out to bring it home by applying it to a series of blues-based
originals and carefully chosen traditional covers. Gritty tales of wrongdoers
and the wronged, lovers and haters, this is not entirely acoustic music-"Hey
Joe," of Hendrix/Byrds renown, is pierced by Taylor's nasty guitar licks,
and his "Absinthe" takes an ethereal turn via Hart's lap steel. There's
a history lesson to be learned here, but Recapturing the Banjo doesn't aim to
be a musicologist's wet dream-banjos (even in the hands of Bela Fleck) have never
sounded this vibrant. Standout tracks: "Absinthe," "Five Hundred"
" - Jeff Tamarkin, Harp Magazine (Telarc)
2007
soundtrack to the acclaimed film starring Brad Pitt. The soundtrack's composers,
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, come from the internationally celebrated bands Nick
Cave And The Bad Seeds, The Dirty Three and Grinderman. Cave and Ellis composed,
played and produced this compelling and intense soundtrack for director Andrew
Dominik's savage tale of the true West, The Assassination of Jesse James By The
Coward Robert Ford. This soundtrack perfectly captures the charismatic and unpredictable
nature of the film's central protagonist. Like the film, Cave and Ellis' music
cuts through the mythic figure of Jesse James to reveal the complex, contradictory
man beneath. Daring and passionately delivered, this beautiful soundtrack retains
its captivating power even without the benefit of Dominik's images. (Mute)
It
has been over three years since the psychobilly blast of Reverend Horton Heat's
last studio offering, Revival. Since then, The Rev (aka Jim Heath) has been doing
what he was born to do, touring the world non-stop and preaching the rockabilly
gospel to sold-out crowds. With Hi-Fi Stereo, the first album from his new side
project Reverend Organdrum, the long wait is over. Always looking to expand his
musical vocabulary, Reverend Organdrum is the result The Reverend Horton Heat
(aka Jim Heath) giving in to his love of vintage roots music and his growing obsession
with Hammond B-3 organs. On the way to a relaxing day of golf with RHH studio
collaborator, legendary keyboardist and musical mentor Tim Alexander (Asleep at
the Wheel), Heath expressed an interest in improving his legendary guitar skills.
Alexander immediately thought of gigs he had done around Texas with a just a drummer
and a guitar player. With Alexander holding down the bass parts with his left
hand and feet, the music had natural space for some serious guitar explorations.
Tim remarks, "There's a million trios in Texas, nearly all are guitar, bass
and drums. With our line-up of guitar, organ and drums, we've got a fuller, unique
sound with a lot more possibilities." The group's rhythm section is filled
out by Texas drummer Todd Soesbe on drums. To force Heath's hand, and therefore
guitar, even further, the combo decided to explore some out of the ordinary (for
them) roots music styles, most of which the world has never heard flow from the
fingers of The Reverend Horton Heat. (Yeproc)
Produced
by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, Sons & Daughters' sophomore full-length
finds the Glasgow-based act coming into their own and hitting upon an infectious
mix of muscular, slightly dark guitar-driven Britpop, with touches of glam-rock
insouciance and Northern Soul energy thrown in for good measure. The musical focus
of This Gift, however, is certainly on the sultry vocals of leadsinger Adele Bethel,
who leaves her own distinct mark on the tradition of the rock frontwoman. (Domino)
The
Here Come the 123s CD features 24 infectious tunes about numbers such as "Here
Come the 123s," "Number Two," "High Five!" and "Zeroes"
The Here Come the 123s DVD has 23 accompanying music videos for kids to move to
at home! The DVD features the all of the animation, puppetry and live action footage
made famous by the duo! Plus a video for "Here Come the 123s," "Hot
Dog!," "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Theme" and all-new video by the
Brothers Chaps of Homestar Runner fame! 
The
complete George Jones United Artists recordings, 150 songs compiled in one package
for the first time ever. The Collection compiles every surviving title including
six previously unissued tracks.Including his greatest hits from the era: She Thinks
I Still Care, You Comb Her Hair, A Girl I Used To Know, She Once Lived Here and
The Race Is On along with lesser-known Jones gems including Open Pit Mine and
Jones's overlooked original composition In The Shadow Of A Lie. Also includes
his complete UA duet recordings with Melba Montgomery including their admired
'Bluegrass Hootenanny' album. Along with revealing the complete scope of Jones's
two and a half years, the collection also includes rare photos and extensive,
detailed liner notes by Rich Kienzle including comments from Jones, Montgomery
and the late Buck Owens. (Bear Family)
The
other Monroe brother! Bill Monroe split from his older brother, Charlie, and went
on to invent bluegrass music. This is the story of what happened to Charlie after
that rift. Striking out on his own, Charlie developed his own ample talents rooted
in his affable personality. His group, the Kentucky Pardners, like Bill's Blue
Grass Boys, could operate at high speeds without discomfort. Though Charlie might
not have conquered as much new musical territory as Bill, his music had a vivid
personal sound. And he scored some hits, notably Bringing In The Georgia Mail.
Charlie's voice was high, sweet and animated, radiating boundless good cheer that
buoyed the spirits of his wartime audiences and sustained his popularity through
the 1940s. Because Charlie's music has rarely been available since then, he's
been unjustly consigned to historical neglect as little more than Bill's occasional
sparring partner. Until now. In 2002, Bear Family added all the Monroe Brothers
material to a comprehensive Bill Monroe collection (BCD 16399). This collection
is very much the companion to that highly-praised volume, and we may now enjoy
and re-evaluate Charlie Monroe's recorded music from 1938 to 1956... including
every recording for RCA/Bluebird and Decca. Charlie knew how to create inspired
music on his own terms, and with this historic release, Bear Family completes
its comprehensive Monroe series, making all the studio recordings of both Monroe
Brothers available on state-of-the-art sets with skillfully restored sound, authoritative
annotations, and original photographs. A bonus disc features live performances
from 1955 and 1956 at the New River Ranch recorded by Mike Seeger (Bear Family)
The
first definitive package devoted to a true rockabilly pioneer. The collection.
Following their national emergence in 1957, the achievements of two small town
Texas boys would shake the music world for decades to come. Still remembered for
the enduring classic Party Doll, Buddy Knox was the first rockabilly singer-songwriter
to score a number one pop hit, and enjoyed more follow up successes than many
of his peers (Hula Love, I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself and several others). Jimmy
Bowen, whose Roulette waxing of I'm Stickin' With You was a solid Top 20 hit,
later produced major smash hits by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tillis, Reba
McEntire, and George Strait. In the process, he revolutionized the Nashville sound.
Knox and Bowen began their careers in the Rhythm Orchids, a freewheeling quintet
that rose from college fraternity parties to national prominence virtually overnight.
"Those were the pioneer days of rock," Knox said in an interview, "most
of us won't trade those days for anything." The complete story is here. Every
hit and every rockin' single from every significant label affiliation. Bear Family's
'Rocks' series continues its commitment to definitively rockin' packages. 31 Tracks.
(Bear Family)
First-ever
single CD reissue of his highly-acclaimed 'Tales Of The Yukon.'Tales Of The Yukon'
based on the popular poems of Robert Service that he had learned as a child in
Canada. Who better than Canada's biggest-ever country star to set Robert Service's
poems about the Yukon to music? (Bear Family)
The
1993 release of Wild Wood single handedly changed Weller's persona. No longer
was he only "Paul Weller of The Jam/Style Council," now he was the larger
than life "Modfather," the patriarch of Britpop and all things hip.
Led by a renewed creative spark and expanded influences including Nick Drake,
Traffic and even Crosby, Stills & Nash, Weller produced, according to Q Magazine,
a "pastoral coming of age masterpiece." This deluxe edition reissue
includes an expanse of bonus material including b sides, demos, BBC session versions
and unreleased tracks reinforcing the fact that Wild Wood, as Uncut Magazine put
it, "...made the Modfather, it changed British rock." (Yep Roc)
The
fourth LP from San Francisco's Stoltz. Its fourteen songs are a stereophonic advance
on the lo-fi psych-fuzz of 2004's "Antique Glow" (Beautiful Happiness)
and the mid-fi of the piano-rock of 2006's "Below The Branches" (Sub
Pop). Both made #24 in MOJO magazine's "Best Albums" list for their
respective years. "Circular Sounds" is very much a pop record in the
classic 60s mold. Radio-ready yet retaining the organic warmth that gave his earlier
work its character. (Sub Pop)
Here's
To Being Here captures the essence of Jason's live performances and features the
energy and musicianship of his touring band, Paso Mino. "This is very much
an old school guitar record, in the sense of it being very tasteful...that's one
of the greater accomplishments of this record" says Collett, "recording
in bigger spaces and live off the floor allowed us to capture some of the band
energy. This allowed for spontaneous creations, which led to many wonderful little
accidents." Here's To Being Here was recorded and produced in Collett's hometown
of Toronto, Ontario, by musician/producer Howie Beck. The album also features
guest performances by fellow Broken Social Scene member and Apostle of Hustle
front man Andrew Whiteman, as well as long time friend Tony Scherr (Norah Jones,
John Scofield, Bill Frissell) and Liam O'Neil (The Stills) to name a few. (Arts
& Crafts)
Beth
Nielsen Chapman's Prism: Human Family Songbook, is an impressive double CD, seamlessly
weaves her voice through an eclectic mix of songs from many different languages,
cultures and spiritual traditions. The product of a decade of hard work, Prism
combines songs of devotion from Buddhist, Jewish, Sufi, Muslim, Shaker, Negro-spiritual,
Hindu, Catholic, Protestant and other traditions, and also includes an entire
CD of new music. It is a sequel to 2004's acclaimed Hymns. 
Sleep
Through the Static was produced by JP Plunier, who was the producer of Jack's
first album Brushfire Fairytales. Jack's band consists of long time members Adam
Topol (Drums) and Merlo Podlewski (Bass), and Zach Gill (Keys) who joined the
band during the tour to support In Between Dreams. The Album was recorded 100%
on Solar Energy. (Brushfire)
The
Covers EP is 5 tracks from the artists that have most inspired the band. These
songs have been a staple of the Shortstack live show for years. The 5 track EP
represents a wide range of divergent originals, all treated to the Shortstack
interpretation. Featuring covers of The Kinks, Credence Clearwater Revival, Captain
Beefheart, The Pupils (Daniel Higgs and Asa Osbourne of Lungfish), and the traditional
song Pretty Sara. The Covers EP is Shortstack's attempt to push the boundaries
of what people expect out of a band that is classified as Americana. (Gypsy Eyes
Records)
Their
third release finds the band perfectly poised between the raw punk energy of their
2004 debut, "Hell Yeah", and the brash, singalong pop of 2006's "Bring
It On". While never dropping their trademark sexy, horror flick flair, "Kiss
Kiss Kill Kill" brings back the rawness and immediacy that's made them the
premier touring band in the scene. RIYL: Nekromantix, Rev. Horton Heat, Siouxsie
And The Banshees, X, Stray Cats, surf, punk, ska, and good ol' rock 'n' roll.
(Hellcat Records)
Lucky,
the title of Nada Surf's fifth album, is at once literal and ironic. Like the
songs that singer-guitarist Matthew Caws, bassist Daniel Lorca and drummer Ira
Elliot crafted for their previous two albums, let go (2003) and the weight is
a gift (2005), lucky is filled with images of restlessness, longing and the elusiveness
of love. Yet the band counterbalances the lyrical bittersweetness with a musical
buoyancy. Intimate songs become in-it-together anthems, thanks to the chiming
guitars, propulsive rhythms, and the emotional candor in Caws' vocals. A song
like beautiful beat segues from a sparsely arranged, confessional first verse
into a harmony-laden chorus and reaches multi-layered, canon-like proportions
before the track fades out. If Caws is often suggesting that romance and resolution
may still be an inch or two out of reach, he's also proffering immediate musical
solace. Turn up the volume, hit the repeat button, and your troubles, for a blissful
three minutes or so, will disappear. (Barsuk)
Radio
station KNON in Dallas, TX wrote, "Mark Jungers with his solid Midwestern
roots has an ability to put perfect little pictures of life and all its many detours
and dead ends into songs. He's like that really funny friend with those great
stories except he sings them." Jungers and The Whistling Mules create a warm,
no-frills backing for Jungers' clever songwriting. This is top notch meat-and-potatoes
roots rock, solid from beginning to end. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (American
Rural Records)
Elliot
Randall glides through his songs like a smooth, aged whiskey. Whether he is burning
slowly, or the band is at full throttle, Take the Fall is, easily, one of the
best independent releases of 2007. There are elements of Ryan Adams and Thad Cockrell.
The band cooks like a rocking Flying Burrito Brothers. Randall follows the show-biz
adage of "leave 'em wanting more." Every one of the 10 tracks on this
album is a winner. This young man from San Francisco is one to watch. -- Jeff
Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
The
long-running father and son duo comprising the Spanic Boys consistently do their
thing. That is to say, even when they are ripping through Telecaster runs, it
is substance over style. They mix roots-rock elements with a hint of vintage British
Invasion and tight harmonies. A bit like Rockpile (Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds)
when they did the four song Everly Brothers EP. The duo shines on "What Will
You Do" and "Honey" (both sampled below) but every track is a winner.
The rhythm is propelled by T-Bone Wolk (Costello, Hall & Oates) and Brad Elvis
(Elvis Brothers) which gives the Boys room for their guitar runs and harmonies.
There is a reason they`ve been at this for 20 years. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music
(Cinaps)
"Costa`s voice sometimes seems to betray a bit of a Liverpool or Manchester
twang, especially audible in the choruses of the title track. In fact there`s
a distinctly British tinge to the whole album, from the Belle and Sebastian infused
``Vienna`` to the Beatles-esque title track ``Familiar Faces`` and first single
``Mr Pitiful``. To his eternal credit though Costa dodges the wilfully meaningless
lyrics of swaggering mop-top mini-me`s, Oasis, in favour of beautiful 4-4 descending
piano, quirky choruses and a dash of well-applied clapping. ``Heart of Stone``
shows Celtic influences crossed with a good dash of mid-phase REM and the album
is rounded out by the good-time harmonica and gee-tar of ``Miss Magnolia``, a
great song which, if you met it late at night, you might just think was Mungo
Jerry`s ``In the Summertime``." --Harry Holgate, bbc.co.uk (Brushfire) 
Just turned 21 and beautiful beyond words, Wanda Jackson ripped through a red-hot,
live Town Hall Party rockabilly session in 1958 that helped define the parameters
of this raw, young music. Discovered singing on an Oklahoma radio station only
two years earlier by honky-tonk recording star Hank Thompson and encouraged to
cut loose musically by genre superstar/touring partner (and onetime boyfriend)
Elvis Presley, Jackson was a perfect fit for Town Hall Party, the Los Angeles-based
TV show that had already welcomed sets by rockin' luminaries Gene Vincent, Carl
Perkins and Eddie Cochran. Backed by old friend and "King of the Strings"
guitarist Joe Maphis, Jackson was in her element for the Town Hall Party session,
tearing into "Mean, Mean Man," a career-defining tune she'd recorded
only a few months earlier. Highlights of Jackson's set also include "Rock
Your Baby," her current Capitol Records single, and "Alone (With You),"
a Faron Young chart-topper, as well as her show-stopping finale, Jackson roaring
through "Hard Headed Woman," a scorcher from Elvis' current movie, King
Creole. Jackson would soon become a substantial force on the country music charts,
specializing in aching, honky tonk ballads for the rest of her career. Still touring
today to rabid fan reaction, Jackson has never forgotten her red-hot rockabilly
roots. And no live session ever caught Wanda Jackson as wild and rocking as she
was on Town Hall Party in 1958, now available on Sundazed's high-definition, ten-inch
vinyl. (Sundazed)
"What runs through A Blessing And A Curse like a low murmuring hum is a sense
of disappointment with the way things sometimes turn out, which is invariably
not the way we would have wanted them to. So the album is largely about learning
to live with degrees of failure, the 11 songs covering faltering relationships,
personal meltdowns, a yearning for long-gone better times, mortality, and bereavement...A
Blessing And A Curse is perhaps a more personal and introspective record than
usual. But there`s still a lot to marvel at, especially the album`s musical diversity...sheer
rugged resilience...and laconic defiance. Other bands...have careers. Drive-By
Truckers have a calling, to which their music is the only answer." 4 STARS
-- Allan Jones, Uncut (New West) 
Named for the day Southern churches reserve for laying flowers on the graves of
the dearly departed, the Drive By Truckers` new album marks their eagerly-anticipated
fifth effort. Written during the making of the highly-praised Southern Rock Opera,
but recorded in later, happier times, the album is an amazing synthesis of wretched,
Southern Gothic themes and brilliant, well-oiled rock. Clearly influenced by their
exhaustive years on the road and the toll taken on their personal lives, these
all-to-real accounts speak of divorce and gun violence. Guitars squeal like truck
tires bolting from the driveway, and the band`s transcendent story-telling continues
their country rock evolution. (New West) 
Against the backdrop of strip malls, boarded up houses and crime scenes, the Drive-By
Truckers emerge offering grizzly greetings from The Dirty South. Within their
dark tales, the gritty realities of factory closures and disappearing farms force
desperate residents to survive any way they can, and as always, DBT are there
to vividly capture their gut-wrenching struggle. Soaking up the local flavor of
their hometown, they recorded for the first time at the storied Fame Recording
Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where some of the greatest soul and R&B
records ever were made. The current stellar lineup featuring three guitarists,
three songwriters and three front men is the tightest yet, and veteran local bassist
Shonna Tucker is new to the group for this release. Just a few of the highlights:
Mike Cooley waxes on the music industry in "Carl Perkins` Cadillac",
Jason Isbell scores a hero`s obsolescence in the technological revolution of "The
Day John Henry Died", and Patterson Hood warns not to piss off "The
Boys From Alabama" if you`d like to keep your life. The language is gruff
and the instrumentation is transcendent, from intimate acoustic numbers to angular,
factory-like soundscapes piercing the story lines. Is there no stopping this band?
(New West) 
"This is our weakest album and we didn't really know how to do what we were
trying to do yet.It does, however have The Living Bubba, which is still the best
song I've ever written, Panties In your Purse, which was one of Cooley's earliest
creations, and Late For Church, which was written by our original bass player
Adam Howell and is one of the weirdest and sublime things we ever recorded.Jim
Stacy's artwork was great, appropriate and misunderstood. I still love it. On
the original CD we tried to make it sound like 2 sides of vinyl. Here on vinyl,
it is actually 3 sides and sounds so much better than the original release that
it is like a much better album to me. I wrote Demonic Possession during Pat Buchanen's
speech at 1996 GOP convention, which was on the TV in the kitchen where I was
(hardly) working at the time." - Patterson Hood (New West)
"...turned-up guitars scrape elbows with mandolin and pedal steel throughout
proving that the band is comfortable with both ends of the roots-rock label...
It`s wallop-packing country rock that recalls fellow Athen-ites the late Dashboard
Saviors and, when it`s peaking, even channels some of the passion and furious
pride of those exemplary blue collar warriors Credence Clearwater Revival."
- Rick Cornell, No Depression (New West) 
On a late spring evening in 2007, Chris Smither performed two concerts for an
intimate audience in Lyme, Connecticut. Footage from these shows plus excerpts
from a rare concert Chris performed with a full band at The Somerville Theatre
in Boston in 2006 are brought together in this first-ever concert video from Smither.
The DVD captures Chris performing in his usual solo style, with feet mic'd for
percussion, from the Lyme concerts, and backed up marvelously by multi-instrumentalist
David Goodrich, drummer Mike Piehl, mandolinist Sean Staples, vocalist Anita Suhanin,
and bassist Lou Ulrich in Somerville. The concert footage is enhanced with a never-before
released personal interview, providing the viewer with additional insight into
Chris' performance techniques and influences. Honing a synthesis of folk and blues
for more than 40 years, Chris Smither is truly an American original. His music
draws deeply from blues and American folk music, modern poets and humanist philosophers.
A profound songwriter, a blistering guitarist and, as he puts it, a "one-man
band to the bone," Chris melds the styles of his two major influences, Lightnin'
Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, into his own signature guitar sound. (Signature
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