| Stone City
Stragglers - Little Misfortunes & Innocent Mistakes
The ghost of Gram
Parsons often visits Little Misfortunes & Innocent Mistakes, the
debut from Joliet, Illinois’ Stone City Stragglers. While the Stragglers
proudly wear Parson’s influence, they still manage to craft songs with
a sound all their own.
The opening track
Love Is A Stranger tells the story of two lovers separated for the
last 10 years by prison walls. While many others in country music have
covered this subject matter, the Stragglers somehow deliver it without
sounding cliché.
Nobody is a melancholy tale of loneliness
and despair and features the haunting backing vocals of band mates Alison
Moroni and Karen Moats. The chorus is gorgeously gloomy as they and lead
vocalist Brent James sing “Do you know how it feels to be / A nobody just
like me”. Songs as good as this simply don’t come around very often.
SCS shows that
they can change gears and rock as they kick up their heels on Fire Of
Your Own Flame.
The Parsons catalog
is mined on a respectful rendering of Sin City. While this version
doesn’t stretch the song’s original parameters, it works as tribute to
a master.
Little Misfortunes…
is filled with first-rate songs throughout. Innocent or not, it would
be a mistake not to pick it up.
by
Steve Schmidt
www.stonecitystragglers.com
Buddy
Miller - Midnight and Lonesome (Hightone records)
Buddy Miller
is a wonderguy and he got something magical. When there is a new album
or when you know he is playing on a sobody's project you want to hear it.
His new album Midnight and Lonesome is that kinda special. The opener is
the only thing I don't understand because The Price Of Love of the Everly
Brothers is done before many times and maybe he had to put it at the end
of the album. The most of the songs are from Buddy's wife Julie and I have
to say they are realy good. The mucians on the this CD are top of te bill.
Emmylou Harris, Brady Blade, Al Perkins and Lee Ann Womack are a few names
on the list. The music is a trip into country music from the old days to
this time. Wild Card is honky tonky from the saloon, Midnight and Lonesome
got a Steve Earl feel, When it comes In got that swing of Sheryl Crow's
All I wanna Do and Oh Fait Pitie D'Amour (Love and have Mercy On Me) got
the sound of Louisiana. This album is more than only okay and I can tell
you I want hear! more but I have to wait.
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Jay
Farrar - ThirdShiftGrottoSlack (Artemis records)
What can you
tell about Jay Farrar. He is one of those guys who bring the country rock
back on the map under the name Alt country. First off course with Uncle
Tupelo and after that with Son Volt. His first solo record Sabastopol was
a smasher and there is hope we get more. ThirdShiftGrottoSlack is an mini
album of the alt country master. Only 5 songs and one of them is a remix.
Dan Shame is from Sabastopol and the guy who worked with Beck and R.L Burnside
took this song under his wings and it worked. Greenwich Time, Station to
Station (not Bowie), Kind of Madness and Dues is what we wanna hear and
the songs are fairytails on their own. A great mini from Mr Farrar.
Songs
for Bumpy Wagon Rides. The Bottle Let Me Down - various artist (Bloodshot
Records)
The 6th compilation
of Bloodshot records is one with songs for children. The whole bunch of
big names are on this one and I have to say it is funny. Alejandro escovedo,
Rosie Flores, Robbie fulks, Split lip Rayfield, Waco Brothers and many
more are on this album. You can hear rockabilly, pure country and blue
grass. The first thought I got this like the Land Of Yahoo the children's
compilation from Rounder. Bloodshot record got those albums and they are
always good. Those compilation are maybe the modern answer of the Harry
Smith boxset.
Jan
the Lazyman
Kindred
Spirits: A Tribute To the Music Of Johnny Cash - Variouse Artist
In the past few
years you got a few realy good tributes to music from the past and there
is a good celebration for those artist. Timeless (Hank Williams), Poor
Little Knitter on the Road (the Knitters), For the Sake Of the Song (townes
van Zandt) or the three tribute Albums for Blaze Foley said enough. Johnny
Cash got his tribute with the creme the la creme of the music bizzenizz.
The opening of this album is supurb. Dwight Yoakam doing a killer version
of Understand Your Man. The big names come and go Bob Dylan, Steve Earl,
Emmylou Harris, Little Richard, Hank Williams jr and many more are on the
album. The muscal leader is Marty Stuard on most of the songs and the last
song you can hear the man in black himself in the song Meet Me In Heaven
with Janette Carter feat Johnny, June Carter, Earl Scruggs, Connie Smith
and Darrin Vincent. It is a pleasure to hear this album.
Jan
the Lazyman
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