Settin' The Woods on Fire - This Week's Charts

After a few requests I am bringing this feature back. I will post every 2 weeks on AWT the top albums and debuts in the airplay charts from Americana Music Assoc. and the FMQB Non-Commercial Adult Alternative chart. I have dropped the XM Cross Country Chart because it is a reporting station to the Americana chart. The links to these charts are included on my Blogroll at the right.

Americana Music Association - Airplay Week of 10-13
1) Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson – Rattlin’ Bones
2) Todd Snider - Peace Queer
3) Rodney Crowell - Sex & Gasoline
4) Lucinda Williams – Little Honey
5) Little Feat and Friends – Join the Band
6) OCMS – Tennessee Pusher
7) Chris Knight – Heart of Stone
8) Carrie Rodriguez – She Ain’t Me
9) Darrell Scott – Modern Hymns
10)Band of Heathens – Self Titled

Debuts:
25) Bob Dylan - Telltale Signs
28) Charlie Haden - Ramblin' Boy

FMQB Non Commercial AAA Chart - Airplay Week of 10-13
1) Calexico - Carried to Dust
2) The Pretenders - Break Up the Concrete
3) Michael Franti - All Rebel Rockers
4) Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
5) Bob Dylan - Telltale Signs
6) Taj Majal - Maestro
7) Dar Williams - Promised Land
8) Coldplay - Viva La Vida
9) Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
10) Ben Folds _ Way to Normal

Debuts:
28) Snow Patrol - Hundred Million Suns
29) Joseph Arthur - Temporary People

Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever

I have to admit I didn't want to like this album. I was not at all happy with the fact that Kenny Chesney was producing the album. Preconceptions are often wrong. That is a lesson I have learned in my life, and this is one example of that lesson. This is definitely one to have for all Willie fans. What makes this album good is the man himself; in spite of Chesney and not because of him. By this I am referring to the overproduction this album suffers from on a few songs. In particular the opening song "Over You Again." Some other Twang bloggers like Twang Nation and the 9513 have speculated this song sounds like they were trying, unsuccessfully, to go for a Daniel Lanois sound. Well Mr. Chesney I have heard Daniel Lanois and you are no Daniel Lanois. For proof if this break out Teatro and listen to what Lanois accomplished with Willie and compare the two. One more criticism before I get to praise. The choice of the Big Kenny penned "The Bob Song" was terrible and the production was pretty cheesy too.

This album has far more high points though. The understated title cut written by Kris Kristofferson is stripped down and powerful. The Dave Matthews song "Gravedigger" is an innovative arrangement. To be fair, Chesney deserves a lot of credit for that. "Worry B Gone" is a Guy Clark song that makes for a good duet with Willie and Chesney. Although the Clark version only says a "puff of that Worry B Gone," the duet version has Willie puffing and Chesney sipping. I guess Chesney's soccer mom fans can't handle the fact he might have inhaled. If the witty "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore" doesn't make you laugh then you have no sense of humor, especially if you are male and married. The album ends on a powerful and transcendant note with a rendition of Dylan's "You Gotta Serve Somebody." So while this album has its flaws, it is still a Willie Nelson album, and in the end that is all that matters.

Willie sings Moment of Forever


This review also appears on Twangville

Traveling Wilburys

Spontaneity is often the key to success. Plan a big party and it will usually disappoint. The best parties start with a few guys buying a keg and calling their friends at the last minute. The same is true for the Traveling Wilburys, formed by accident by George Harrison who needed to cut a B-side for a single. If this had been the brainchild of a major label marketing executive, the total would probably never have equaled the sum of it’s’ parts. But instead we get five friends jamming. OK, five friends who happen to be rock royalty jamming, but friends none the less. Fortunately, these friends put together something special that Rhino records has now reissued.

Critically, Volume 1 received the better reception. However, Volume 3 (there was no Volume 2) is very good as well. It falls short of the original mostly because of the death of Roy Orbison, whose vocals were so vital in creating the sound of the band on Volume 1. The reissue includes four new tracks, two on each Volume. On Volume 1, “Maxine” has a Tejano feel reminiscent Los Lobos “Saint Behind the Glass” off their Kiko album. “Like a Ship” is a sad love ballad led by Bob Dylan. On Volume 3 “Nobody’s Child” is a heartbreaking country song about orphans worthy of any classic album to come out of Nashville. The cover of “Runaway” is very well done but would have been much better with Orbison’s vocals if recorded during the first album. There is also a DVD, which I have not seen, but has videos and unreleased footage of the making of the albums.

Link to this video trailer:

http://travelingwilburys.com/assets/movies/history_trailer.mov