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Seattle's
North Twin is a boot-kicking combo of Tony Fulgham's honey-rock vocals (think
Kenny Roby from Six String Drag) and the dual combo of X and it's country offshoot
The Knitters with the guitar attack of the Bottle Rockets. This album is hook-filled,
slows down in the right places, and kicks your ass the rest of the way. Truly,
a thrilling debut! -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
Spanking
Charlene is roots-rock Grrll power for those who don't easily blush. What started
as a "drunken slutty song fest" by pub patrons Charlene McPherson and
Mo Goldner turned in Spanking Charlene. McPherson and Goldner vocal trade-offs
are John Doe and Exene. Songs about love gone wrong, misogyny and body issues
mingle with a sound, produced by Eric Ambel, that draws from the New York punk
scene, circa 1978. The language and content is forthright, but appropriate for
the song subjects. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
Head
First Through The Sound Lead Stickpony Brit Jones has a vision which "had
led him on a long, torturous path of catastrophic illness, substance abuse, mental
illness, and the replacement of every fellow band member several times over. He
doesn't care.He just wants to rock." This five song EP fulfills that goal
with raucous country rock, insistent vocals, and chiming and twangy guitars. Jones
focuses his songs on the dark and the absurd. Not a surprise for a guy that has
been through so much, but presses forward. - Jeff WEiss, Miles of Music (Club
De Musique)
In
the summer of 1996 inside a sweltering singlewide trailer outside a small Kentucky
mining town, an unknown singer-songwriter named Chris Knight recorded an 'unofficial'
batch of tracks prior to the release of his major label debut album. Over the
next decade, through a combination of leaks, bootlegs and legend, those sessions
would become something much more. "People have been talking about these tapes
ever since I recorded them," Chris Knight says. "To me, they were rough
and stark and I never thought they'd see the light of day." Ten years and
four acclaimed albums later, The Trailer Tapes remain a remarkable moment in time
less captured than cornered, a portrait of the artist as a ferociously talented
young man. And for the artist The New York Times would soon call "the last
of a dying breed…a hard-nosed iconoclast with an acoustic guitar and a college
degree", The Trailer Tapes have now arrived as the longmissing first chapter
of one of the most uncompromising careers in music today. Track Listings: Backwater
Blues/ Something Changed/Rita's Only Fault/Spike Drivin' Blues/Move On/Hard Edges/Here
Comes The Rain/Leaving Souvenirs/House And 90 Acres/If I Were You/My Only Prayer.
(Drifters Church) 
"Todd
Snider's Peace, Love and Anarchy (Rarities, B-Sides and Demos, Vol. 1) is a carefully
constructed collection, and a testament to the potency of a catalogue built during
Snider's five-year tenure with the small-but-stout Oh Boy Records' family. For
the listener, the album is an unprecedented window into Snider's workroom. It's
an invitation for us to peer in and watch a gypsy whittle, and for us to whistle
along while he works." -- Peter Cooper The Tennessean. Track Listing: Nashville/Feel
Like I'm Falling In Love/Missing You/Barbie Doll/Old Friend/Combover Blues/I Will
Not Go Hungry/Stoney/Some Things Are/Deja Blues/Dinner Plans/East Nashville Skyline/From
a Rooftop/Cheatham Street Warehouse. (Oh Boy)
For
the first time in his four-decade career, Billy Joe Shaver fans can find eighteen
of his most popular songs in one place.Outlaw poet laureate Billy Joe Shaver has
had his songs covered by an impressive list of performers including Elvis Presley,
Willie Nelson, George Jones, Bob Dylan and The Allman Brothers Band, to name a
few. Waylon Jennings' 1973 Honky Tonk Heroes album, widely credited for launching
the Outlaw movement in country music, featured ten of Shaver's compositions. While
other artists have been successful singing their versions of Shaver's tunes, no
one can deliver the lines with as much soul and honesty as the writer himself.
The five-time Grammy nominee was recently crowned with the Songwriter Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. He was also inducted into
the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Track Listing: Live Forever (with Big
& Rich)/Good ol USA/Freedom's Child/Try And Try Again/I've Been To Georgia
On A Fast Train/Old Chunk Of Coal/Step On Up (with Eddy Shaver)/When Fallen Angels
Fly/Honky Tonk Heroes/Melody/West Texas Waltz/Black Rose/That's What She Said
last Night/You Asked Me Too/Old Five And Dimers/Light A Candle For Me.(Compadre
Record)
"... an excellent third album from the Kings. Because of the Times, named
after a Southern preachers' conference that the boys used to attend with their
Pentecostal minister father, is a whole album full of songs inspired by the only
topic the Kings seem to care about: no-good women, the kind who turn nice country
boys into thieves, fugitives or corpses, and make them love every sordid second
of it. These are sons of the preacher man: singer-guitarist Caleb, bassist Jared
and drummer Nathan are brothers, while cousin Matthew plays lead guitar. The Followills
grew up living in a car with their defrocked itinerant minister daddy, Leon, and
they basically went into the same business, except they've got sticky fingers
for sin. On anthemic (poop) kickers like "Black Thumbnail," "My
Party" and "On Call," they flare up like Black Oak Arkansas on
a jag with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and the Amazing Rhythm Aces." 4
STARS -- Rob Sheffield, rollingston.com (RCA) 
This was recorded live at AB Box in Belgium on 11/4/04. The 6 song limited edition
ep showcases the raw energy of what Kings of Leon do best. A must-have for the
KOL faithful, all 6 of these songs originally appeared on the band's two prior
RCA releases, the critically acclaimed Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak.
Grand Champeen "has a distinct flavor influenced as much by its own Austin
scene as the one in Minneapolis almost two decades ago" says Rolling Stone.
With their new album, Dial 'T' For This, the band still delivers the rock, but
this time with more polish and pop hooks, giving listeners a more melodies than
loud guitars. But, don't be mistaken. This is still Grand Champeen in full effect.
Relentless touring over the last few years, and time spent crafting the songs
on Dial 'T' For This has made it their strongest effort to date. One that long
time fans of Grand Champeen will quickly embrace, and the record new converts
to the Grand Champeen camp should first explore. (in Music We Trust)
The follow up to the acclaimed Red Tandy EP (Camera Records, 2005) and the first
full album for The Hips since 2001's Green Hills of the Earth. Featuring 12 new
songs. Kiss The Crystal Flake reintroduces the world to The Mother Hips' own brand
of California rock, blending a natural psychedelia with their own 21st century
musicianship and songwriting. It is produced by The Mother Hips with Badman Recording
Co. founder Dylan Magierek (Mark Kozelek, Call and Response, Erlend Oye.) The
package includes a bonus 50-minute DVD providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse at
the recording process while also shedding light on the individual personalities
of band members and producer Dylan Magierek. Included in the DVD are interviews,
videos of six full songs being recorded in the studio and montages of the band
working thru song arrangements. Also caught on tape are band injuries and comedic
tabloidal portrayals uncovering secrets of each band member. (Megaforce) 
This was originally recorded at the 11th Annual X-Mas Jam in Asheville, NC in
December of 1999, and was originally released under the title of Wintertime Blues.
This re-issue comes stocked with two brand new mixed and mastered tracks from
Gov't Mule's electrifying set that have never been heard before. This was the
Mule's last X-Mas Jam with original bass player Allen Woody. 
When people think of roots-rock, the Southern half of the USA usually springs
to mind. But for the last seven years, singer-songwriter Leeroy Stagger has been
spreading his own whiskey-soaked, jean-jacket-sportin' style of Canuck-bred Americana.
With the release of Stagger's third full-length album, Depression River one thing
is evident -- Stagger has veered away from his past mainstream pop appeal and
run headlong into playing country music with the sweat, tears and swagger of a
potent rocker. Produced by John Ellis (Be Good Tanyas, Long John Baldry), Depression
River has the energy, firepower and heartache that has alt-country music fans
already comparing it to such classics as Steve Earle's Copperhead Road and Neil
Young's Harvest. (Boompa)
Originally released on Sweedens Kite Recording. Tomorrow`s Sound Today has enough
post `66 Beatles love at its core as to make the title seem somewhat ironic. Yet
what Mellowmen prove on this terrific little pop gem is that the music has endured
with influence for so long, and certainly well into the future, for a good reason.
Although the Fab Four are at ground zero, this Swedish group have brought to the
here and now that timeless sound we all know will outlive us all. Ergo, Tomorrow`s
Sound Today. A bit of Badfinger and others of that ilk inform these great tunes.
But the bottom line always has to be whether or not the songs are good. Simply
stated: Yes! -- Robinson, Miles Of Music (Rainbow Quartz) 
A
Hundred Miles or More: A Collection is comprised of 16 tracks, highlighting Alison
Krauss' career outside of her traditional releases with long time band Union Station.
The album features Krauss' collaboration with John Waite on the single "Missing
You," as well as Krauss' contributions to film soundtracks, including the
Oscar® nominated songs "The Scarlet Tide" and "You Will Be
My Ain True Love," written for the motion picture Cold Mountain and "Down
to the River to Pray" from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? Known for
her collaborations, Krauss also includes several duets in the collection such
as the 2003 hit with Brad Paisley, "Whiskey Lullaby," and her duet with
James Taylor for the tribute album Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of The Louvin
Brothers, "How's the World Treating You." The collection debuts five
new songs - "You're Just a Country Boy," "Jacob's Dream,"
"Simple Love," "Lay Down Beside Me," and "Away Down the
River," all of which feature Krauss as a producer. Track Listing: You're
Just a Country Boy/Simple Love/Jacob's Dream/Away Down the River/Sawing on the
Strings/Down to the River to Pray/Baby Mine/Molly Ban/How's the World Treating
You - Alison Krauss and James Taylor /The Scarlet Tide/Whiskey Lullaby - Alison
Krauss and Brad Paisley/You Will Be My Ain True Love - Alison Krauss featuring
Sting/I Give You to His Heart/Get Me Through December - Alison Krauss and Natalie
Mac Master/Missing You - John Waite and Alison Krauss/Lay Down Beside Me - John
Waite and Alison Krauss. (Rounder) 
Los Straitjackets have teamed-up with Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, rockabilly belter
Big Sandy and east L.A. legend Little Willie G. to deliver Rock En Espanol Vol.
1, an all Espanol album of vintage Rock n' Roll. Rock En Espanol is inspired by
Mexico City's great sixties garage and rockabilly madmen (Los Teen Tops, Los Rockin'
Devils, Los Apson and many more) who took American hits and wrote new Spanish
words as well as by the great border rock of Freddy Fender. The album also makes
a nod toward east L.A. with the inclusion of Thee Midnighter's classic instrumental
'Whittier Boulevard' and the presence of Midnighter's lead vocalist Little Willie
G, on three cuts. With production by Rosas throughout, the Straitjackets hard-edged
twin guitar onslaught drives propulsive rockers like 'De Dia y de Noche' (The
Kinks' 'All Day and All of the Night') as well as tender ballads like 'Tu Te Vas'
(Barbara Lynn's 'You'll Lose a Good Thing'). With Rock En Espanol Vol. 1 Los Straitjackets
take their considerable chops to the heart of the Spanglish universe, bridging
the cultural gap across decades and the Rio Grande. (Yep Roc) 
Jeff Finlin's Angels In Disguise is a musical and spiritual journey into the heart
of the everyman. A natural Americana poet with raw, emotional honesty and intensity,
Finlin's gruff vocals tell immediately engaging stories of joy, pain, love and
despair. (Rykodisc) 
On her album, The Story, Brandi Carlile opens up her heart, soul, and psyche in
a series of memorable songs that invite you into her world. The intensity and
authenticity of her music brought her to the attention of the Grammy Award-winning
producer T Bone Burnett (Counting Crows, Roy Orbison) who came on-board to produce
The Story. Yahoo.com describes The Story as building "... on the plaintive
aching melodies, moody atmosphere and heartfelt lyrics characterizing Brandi's
first album with nuanced arrangements including electric guitar ("My Song,"
"Losing Heart"), piano ("Wasted") and cello ("Turpentine,"
"Late Morning Lullaby")...Driven by Carlile's dynamic vocals, the album's
13 tracks pulse with a raw and road-worthy intensity that is much closer to her
live concert sound than her self-titled debut album" (Sony)
Track Listing:Shine/Late Night Radio/Coming Down/Birds Without Wings/The Light/Everytime/A
Century Ends/Lullaby/Faster, Sooner, Now/Wisdom/Falling Free/Sell, Sell, Sell/Debauchery/Flesh/Hold
On To Nothing. (Astralwerks)
In April 2005 Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang made good on a decade long promise to
record together, resulting in the intensely passionate Dislocation Blues. Working
in Lang's home base of Melbourne, Australia, they recorded twelve songs, including
new tunes by each artist, some choice Bob Dylan covers and reworked versions of
songs from previous releases. Dislocation Blues is a magical recording, bringing
together two artists unafraid to tread their own paths, where blues is an emotional
reference point but not one which either player is harnessed to or hemmed in by.
Sadly, Dislocation Blues would turn out to be Chris Whitley's last studio recording.
He passed away in November of 2005 at the age of 45. (Rounder)
Track Listing: Strange Form Of Life/The Seedling. Also as part of this EP package
is a video enhancement of 'Strange Form Of Life' video (directed by Jennifer Parsons).
"These smartasses also happen to write the best hooks extant in rock music,
and their delicious power pop is guaranteed to make old farts like me jump on
the couch and play air guitar. The fourteen songs here borrow shamelessly from
every great band from The Beatles to Weezer, and if they don't really do anything
here that they haven't done on their previous three albums, songs like "Someone
to Love" and "New Routine" certainly reinforce the notion that
that there is, and always will be, an exalted place in the rock 'n roll canon
for three-minute songs with clever lyrics and singalong choruses. Best of all
is "Fire in the Canyon," where the smirk is replaced, finally, by some
honest, melancholic soul-searching, sweetened by spot-on Simon and Garfunkel harmonies.
--Andy Whitman, Paste Magazine (Vigin Records) 
Old School takes listeners back to the rough and tumble blues of Koko Taylor's
early Chicago days, as she teams up with an all-star band of the city's finest
players. Koko conjures deep blues spirit from back in the day with five new originals
and revitalized classics by Willie Dixon, Magic Sam, Memphis Minnie and more.
It's gritty, unvarnished old school blues and proud of it, as Koko infuses every
track with ageless energy and passion. (Alligator Records)
Hailing from Spain, The Shake are an extremely cool neo-garage, slightly mod,
very psychedelic pop/rock band offering up an album of perfectly sculpted songs
dripping with harmonies, with guitars both jangly and crunchy - it is truly Revolveresque
material - reminding us of the glory days of Cotton Mather. And yes, they sing
in English! A quick listen will easily convince that The Shake grew up on a steady
diet of Sonics, Easybeats, Kinks, Who, and Flaming Groovies (Rainbow Quartz)
24 carat pop classics so perfectly, melodically exhilarating, the Milk and Honey
Band channels The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Moody Blues through to Elliot Smith.
These recordings were completed between 1995 and 2003, mostly at the Milk House
in Brighton where the group is based. (Ape) 
Return Of The Kildeer, demonstrated why Hille is considered one of Canada's most
innovative musical voices and one of it's leading figures in art song. Her music
is challenging but it is also by turn beautiful, touching, funny, dramatic and
moving. Classic intelligent song writing and performance in the tradition of John
Cale, Nick Cave, and the Magnetic Fields. (Ape) 
Track Listing: Coat Of Many Colors/Traveling/My Blue Tears/If I Lose My Mind/The
Mystery Of The Mystery/She Never Met A Man (She Didn't Like)/Early Morning Breeze/The
Way I See You/Here I Am/A Better Place To Live/My Heart Started Breaking/Just
As Good As Gone/The Tender Touch Of Love/My Blue Tears (Acoustic Demo).(Sony)
Track Listing: Jolene/When Someone Wants To Leave/River Of Happiness/Early Morning
Breeze/Highlight Of My Life/I Will Always Love You (Original Version)/Randy/Living
On Memories Of You/Lonely Comin' Down/It Must Be You/Cracker Jack/Another Woman's
Man/Barbara On Your Mind/Last Night's Lovin. (Sony)
Track Listing: The Letter/I Remember/Old Black Kettle/Daddy's Working Boots/Dr.
Robert F. Thomas/In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)/My Tennessee Mountain
Home/The Wrong Direction Home/Back Home/The Better Part Of Life/Down On Music
Row/Sacred Memories. (Sony)
You think the young man with that middle name and surname might chooseto not take
up music just because, you know, of the inevitable comparisons. After doing time
as a member of a couple of local Nashville bands, Earle, son of the legendary
inger/songwriter, fearlessly tackles storytelling... in a style reminiscent of
his namesakes. The good news is Earle is his own man, and his own songwriter.
Earle`s rich voice and delicate guitar provide a comfortable bed for his songs
of love and loss. Maybe, the day comes when writers say, "Wasn`t Justin`s
daddy a famous songwriter?" Until then, Justin will have to keep proving
his worth. This six song EP is a good start. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released)
"An Irishman, an Englishman, and two Canadians walk into a recording studio.
That may sound like the setup for a joke, but it actually works as a description
of Richard Ferreira`s Somewhereville, which brings to mind Van Morrison, Elvis
Costello in King Of America mode, Rick Danko, and, on the album-capping "Guilford
Mill," Gordon Lightfoot. Working with some familiar names from non-mainstream
Nashville (Greg Trooper and Gwil Owen are among the co-writers, and the players
include bassist Dave Jacques and drummer Rick Schell), Ferreira has created an
album full of memorable songs -- some of them blessed by horns, all of them soulfully
delivered. At the center of Somewhereville is the majestic "Moon Over Memphis,"
the best rendezvousing of roots and soul this side of Solomon Burke`s recent record."
-Rick Cornell, MoMZine (Self Release) 
This record captures Cary Hudson and his music in an acoustic setting proving
to be his most introspective to date. The tracks emphasize the unique yet powerful
songwriting that has made Hudson's music so vital and timely. (Black Dog)
Chris Knight`s fourth album, Enough Rope, solidifies his place along premier heartland
songwriters like Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. In fact,
Knight, a Kentucky-native, might have most in common with Mellencamp`s exploration
of life in the unglamorous small towns that inhabit the middle of the US. Knight`s
finest moments of this album - "Jack Blue", "Dirt", and "William`s
Son") - showcase a highly skilled writer who paints an aural picture so explicit
you can smell the dirt being turned by heavy machinery. Like his peers, Knight
writes songs that are both mini-dramas and hook-filled. This is a keeper. -- Jeff
Weiss, Miles Of Music (Drifter`s Church) 
3 years is too damn long a time to wait for a new release from singer/songwriter/troubadour
Chris Knight, but in this case good things do come to those who wait. "Pretty
Good Guy" proves that his first self-titled masterpiece was no fluke but
a prelude of things to come. And with this second release, producer Dan Baird
(Georgia Satellites) surrounds Chris` road weary vocals and acoustic guitar with
stellar players while also helping out on guitar and backing vocals. There is
an enduring spirit found here in songs full of honest truths, hard lessons, and
the kind of songwriting that stands up to the likes of John Prine and Steve Earle.
(Yeah them`s are fighten` words, but Chris Knight delivers) It`s not "Pretty
Good" It`s "Exceptionally Good"! (Drifter`s Church) 
On his third effort, Knight`s contemporary Americana retains its rural roots,
drawing comparisons to Steve Earle and John Prine. With each song, he slips into
character and brings a richness of voice to darkly tinged stories about getting
even and getting by. The title track finds a man speeding through pouring rain
after a love gone awry, yet even with sirens in the rearview, he brings himself
to say, "Then again / I ain`t never been the jealous kind". The album
was co-produced by Joe Hardy (Steve Earle, Replacements) and Dan Baird (Georgia
Satellites). (Drifter`s Church) 
The appropriately titled second studio album from Austin's Stickpony sounds every
bit developed in a beer-soaked tavern. You can practically smell it coming off
of lead singer Brit Jones' weary howl. Ragged guitars drive raucous country-rock
rumblers with titles that speak for themselves: "Pill Cocktail", "Little
Ol' Wine Drinker Me" and "Drunk Waiting", to name a few. Naturally,
there are songs about cross-dressing, broken hearts, bar fights and getting pulled
over. If it's a half hour plus of sloppy fun yer looking for, Stickpony are going
to give it up, with inebriated hooks and a carefree performance that'll knock
you off your barstool. (self-released) 
Bow Thayer's low-key, literate country-rock works against him if all the listener
wants is atmosphere. The attentive listener will be rewarded with a very promising
songwriter and musician. On Spend It All, Thayer uses wit and candor to tell tales
of his life in Vermont. Musically, he draws on the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia's
bluegrass leanings. This is a gentle elegance to his music. Levon Helm gets "with"
billing on this release. While Helm expertly handles the heart of the songs, his
getting mention on the cover might overshadow Thayer who is worthy of solo billing
on this excellent release. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Crooked Root) | Alt Country | Americana Music | Bluegrass Music | Country Bluegrass | Folk Music Folk Rock | Roots Rock | Singer Songwriter | Sitemap |