Marty Stuart - Ghost Train , The Studio B Sessions

The new Marty Stuart release, Ghost Train , The Studio B Sessions, has everything a real Country album should have. The album was recorded at the famed RCA Studio B in Nashville. The studio was designed in the 50's by Chet Atkins and quickly became the Country Capital's premier recording venue. In fact, It would be easier to make a list of the "Nashville Sound" era artists that did not record there than a list of the ones that did. Marty Stuart has always played the role of being a bridge from the past to the present. He works hard to keep the traditional styles of Americana vibrant, even in the current Idol winner tuned hillbilly world of Country Music. Along the way he has been able to buck the trend and record some big hits of his own.

On Ghost Train  he decided to include as many of the styles and themes of traditional Country as possible. Of course there is the unmistakable influence of his former father-in-law, Johnny Cash. In fact, the executioner's tale, "Hangman", was co-written with Cash shortly before the Man in Black passed away. Ghost Train begins with the outlaw Honky-Tonk of "Branded", then follows it up with a Rockabilly number, "Country Boy Rock". The most emotional song is the heheartbreak ballad "Driftin' Apart". When Stuart sings "I'm a stranger in your world now and it's driving me out of my mind", you feel the pain of a love torn apart over time. Along the way he even works in a Bluegrass tune and themes such as the plight of the working man. It is as if Stuart is on a missionary's journey to preserve the history of Americana Music. Hopefully, he wins a lot of converts along the way.

Check out Stuarts newest venture:
The TV network RFD-TV

Beautiful Loser Society - The Long Slow decline

Following up their brilliant effort Aim Low, The Beautiful Loser Society delivers a somewhat lighter effort. Don't get me wrong the album is haunted by a similar cast of characters as the previous release. They even take you on a highway ride with Lucifer. That's right ol' scratch himself is on "Highway 666 South." Also on "The long slow decline 'Elvis is in the building.' The song is "Elvis, The King," which captures the King in his young cool style as well as sequined jumpsuit Elvis.

As I said, much of the characters are unchanged. Like the Honky Tonk anthem "Shade Tree Mechanic" (which could easily be about a particular uncle of mine), "Rich folks spend their time countin' money and the poor spend their time gettin' drunk. Whose to say what is worse what's a blessing what's a curse but old Billy is just shit out of luck." A dark character on the album is the "Suicide Trucker." One touching romantic ballad shows the beauty of the one relationship you can count on in "Good 'ol Dog." "Hot Rod Daddy" combines guitar work that could be mistaken for Dick Dale with a Rockabilly back beat.

Straight from Colorado to your ears "The Beautiful Loser Society" is a social club I want to join. The initiation fee is only a 12 pack and the will to drink it. Long Slow Decline is a more Country affair than its predecessor. So put the sawdust on the floor. I'm ready to go.

MySpace

8) Charlie Robison 9) Sam Bush 10) Grant Langston

Sam Bush and Grant Langston have previous reviews here on AWT. Coming in at number 8 Charlie Robison rates higher than both. Beautiful Day is both a kiss off to Emily, his Dixie Chick ex-wife, and an embrace of new found freedom. It has three main ingredients heartache, piss and vinegar. It also has an awesome cover of Bobby Bare Jr.'s "Nothin' Better to Do."

Grant Langston - Stand Up Man

When I first looked at the CD and saw a song called “Shiner Bock and Vicodin” I thought it had possibilities. Then I listened to the song, which featured a naked guy in a wedding, and knew that Stand Up Man couldn’t miss. Then I remembered that Grant Langston was the guy who dared to do a Country cover of “Fat Bottom Girls” and even made it work. Talk about an oddity, a Honky Tonk Freddie Mercury song sounds more like a bad porno, but it is hilarious. “Burt Reynolds Movie Brawl” is a tongue in cheek reference to the obligatory donnybrook that always seemed to be included in Reynold's movies. In that song Langston referred to, “The guy in the L. S. U. T-shirt that looks just like Terry Bradshaw” and I almost drove my car in a ditch. Langston also provides a fresh perspective on aging in “The King of Sunset Hills,” which is the story of man who finds renewed vigor when he is sent to a retirement home as a “Thoroughbred champ turned out to stud… The doctors they cannot believe their eyes, he’s lost 14 pounds and his prostate’s the normal size.”

If humor was all there was, Stand Up Man would fall short. Fortunately there is so much more. The melodies and musicianship are great and there is a mix of traditional country and modern roadhouse sounds. I highly recommend this CD, but I don’t recommend going naked to weddings. Do us all a favor and save the nudity for the honeymoon.

Check out the title cut.



This review also appears on Twangville

Red Stick Ramblers - My Suitcase is always packed

The Red Stick Ramblers derive their name from where their hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their music is also derived from the cultural influences of their native region. Baton Rouge is located along a corridor that runs from New Orleans to Houston. Consequently the Red Stick Ramblers deliver an eclectic mix of Zydeco, Country, Bluegrass and Swing. They also deliver a shindig that is a festive Jamboree whether it is in Cajun country or anywhere else in the country for that matter. Their new album My Suitcase is Always Packed was released this week on Sugar Hill Records, and it is a perfect example of the diversity of influences that dwell in the collective soul of this band.

The album is aptly named as it takes the listener on a road trip of Honky Tonks, Cajun dances and Southern countryside. Along the way they find love and lose it and they get happy and get the blues. The Ramblers are accomplished musicians. In fact, Linzay Young, better known for his smooth vocal styling, has been nominated for fiddler of the year by Offbeat Magazine and he may not be the best fiddler in the band. In the end on the final song of the journey, “The Barnyard Bachelor” the Ramblers give us the moral of the story, “There is only room in the barnyard for just one rooster and that means no chicks for you.”

Check out Lazy Summer day from the new album:

Lucinda Williams & Elvis Costello - Jailhouse Tears

After listening to Little Honey it is great to see Lucinda Williams happy again. I'm also glad she is still sassy. She has recorded her share of memorable duets over the years, but "Jailhouse Tears" is in my opinion the best duet of her career. Previously my favorite duet of hers was "Down to the Well" with Kevin Gordon from 2000. The duet with Costello ranks with some of the great country duets. Paste Magazine feels the same way. Costello and Williams first hooked up on CMT's Crossroads. They certainly capture the magic again on this call and reply style song, in which a woman telss her man "how it is." The song is traditional in its vocal styling but thoroughly modern in every other way.

Check out this video from the CMT performance to get a taste:

Chris Knight - Heart of Stone

Suffice it to say that Chris Knight knows what Nashville has forgotten, that country music is the original narrative of the common man. It grew out of the Great Depression and forged a transcendent bond with its' fans. Country music turned the struggles of rural America into poetry that helped ease the pain of fans for decades. Knight hasn't forgotten the ability of music to sing to the soul of listeners. Probably because he is from coal mining country in Kentucky, which has been in economic upheaval as the rest of America has prospered. Dr. Phil and Deepak Chopkra do not resonate with someone who loses their job or their land or perhaps both. However, the songs on Heart of Stone will speak to them.

There is a certain moral code on this album. Even when times are hard Knight does not glorify people who lose their perspective. Hard times are no excuse to cook meth in your basement ("Hell Ain't Half Full"), or abandon your family ("Heart of Stone"). Conversly he also sings about hope on "Something to Keep Me Going." The power of faith and the fight to keep it is at the heart of "Crooked Road." The latter song is gut wrenching and powerful. In this one song, Knight goes through a lifetime of complex emotions with the central character, who is emerging from the depths with an eye on the future but carrying the scars of the past.

This record also rocks. Knight returned to work with Dan Baird of Georgia Satellites, who produced Pretty Good Guy and The Jealous Kind. In fact, the album comes out of the gate rocking on "Homesick Gypsy." Another great rocker is the song "Another Dollar" that addresses the greed in our society. When people talk about the great songwriters they need to include Chris knight in the conversation. His body of work has earned him that distinction. He certainly sings to the common man in the manner of Cash and Haggard. The album releases on August 19th.



This review also appears on Twangville

Sara Lynn Single and Video to be Released to US Country Radio in early 2008

Steel Jack Music Group released Sara Lynn's debut album Thing for You on September 30th. However, they are going to do a major US radio promotion for the album and the first single, which is the title cut, in early 2008. The Canadian Country Diva has all of the ingredients to a popular mainstream country star in the US. The only problem is that she plays "real" Country music. However the recent success of Miranda Lambert and others offers hope to more traditional artists and suggests a new willingness on the part of Nashville to play more traditional music.

Sara Lynn both exemplifies and defies the typical Nashville formula. She exemplifies the formula because she is good looking and has a voice that is equally as stunning. She defies the Nashville formula in that she was not "created" by the industry. She is a truly well rounded and talented artist. In fact she wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, and co-produced it along with Todd Ostrowercha and Tim Hearsey. The album was recorded in her hometown of Vancouver, but was mixed and engineered in Nashville.

The songs she writes reflect on her personal experiences and feelings. The album is typified by catchy, high-energy tunes in which she mixes in fiddle and even some accordion to pump the energy into the album. Although she grew up on Country music she also sites The Band, Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones among her influences. I hope Nashville picks up on her. She certainly has what it takes and US mainstream audiences deserve the opportunity to experience her for themselves.

Check out her Website

Check out her video:


This review also appears on Twangville

Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time - Took Down and Put Up

Larry Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time have recently released an excellent Bluegrass album Took Down and Put Up on Lonesome Day records. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and will certainly move toward the top before it is through.

Most widely known as a songwriter, rural Kentucky native Larry Cordle has had songs recorded by Ricky Skaggs, Garth Brooks, Alison Krauss, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Rhonda Vincent and Trish Yearwood among others. Founded in 1990, Lonesome Standard Time was formed by long-time friends Larry Cordle and Glen Duncan. Success came quickly for the band, yielding a Grammy nomination for the group’s debut album. However, in 1995 they took a hiatus because Cordle's songwriting skills were needed in Nashville and Duncan devoted more time to studio work. Larry Cordle put Lonesome Standard Time back together in 2000.

The feature song on Took Down and Put Up is "Rough Around the Edges" with Travis Tritt on lead vocals. On this song he shows he is not politically correct or ashamed of who he is. The style of the album is primarily traditional Bluegrass with excellent musicianship accompanying superb songwriting. Cordle's songs give us everything we could want from a Bluegrass or Country album. We get Cheatin,' Lyin,' revenge and women who leave. We have a train robbery and a muscle car. He even mentions mama a few times so all of the ingredients are in place to make David Allan Coe proud.

Listen to The First Train Robbery

This revie also appears on Twangville

Teddy Thompson - Up Front and Down Low

Teddy Thompson's new album Up Front & Down Low is a self-produced collection of classic country covers released by Verve Records. Thompson is a folk singer by trade and birthright. He is the son of legends Richard and Linda Thompson. Teddy says his parents raised him on country music. He says, "it's the music that is closest to my heart." Even in these genre bending days, country cover albums can often go awry even turning into parody. But Thompson's love of country music is apparent. He respects the songs as he interprets them. He uses string arrangements on most of the songs that add a richness to the traditional tunes. He doesn't simply re-record the songs and he also doesn't throw tradition away in his revisions. These are all versions the original creators would approve.

He does songs like George Jones' "She thinks I Still Care," Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You," Merle Haggard's "(My Friends are Gonna be) Strangers" and a Lesser known Dolly Parton song "My Blue Tears." He also has one original tune "Down Low." Guests on the album include Greg Leisz on Pedal Steel and Dobro. Guest vocals include Iris Dement, Tift Merrit and Jenni Muldaur. Thompson is a crooner who can sing with Nashville's best and the musicianship and arrangement of the album are superb. If you love the classic Country Country this is one to own. If you don't then by this album and you will learn to love it.

Listen to Teddy sing George Jones:




Check out his interview on CMT:
http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1568447/20070828/thompson_teddy.jhtml

This review also posted on: http://twangville.com

Putumayo Presents - Americana

Whenever someone puts together a compilation CD choosing the songs can be difficult. When the compilation is of something like Americana Music, the very definition of which is elusive at best, the job is near impossible. If anyone could do it Putumayo, who has developed an entire international catalog of impossible compilations over the years, can. This compilation of 12 songs, which I outline below, was well chosen. In truth the songs lean more to the "Alt" side of Americana than the "Roots" side. However, to criticize Putumayo for this would be nitpicking.

Here is a listing of the song with a word on each. 1) Robinella - "Down the Mountain" provides a nice mix of Jazz and Old Time. 2) Mulehead - "Frankie Lee" was an odd selection considering they are not even together any more and were a flash in the pan at best. However, the song is a good example of alt-country so it works well. After all, picking the right songs is more important than the artists when putting together a compilation. 3) The Little Willies - "It's Not You It's me" has a real juke joint feel to it. 4) Robert Earl Keen - "Ride" has twin dobro slide guitars played in traditional blues fashion. If that does not impress nothing will. 5) Eliza Lynn - "Sing a New Song" see the video below and you will understand. 6)OCMS - "Wagon Wheel" an old timey feel provided by the young men in Old Crow. 7) Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez- "Sweet Tequila Blues" a mix of old and new. 8) Tim O'Brien- "House of the Risin Sun" a lesson by the professor of Americana. 9) Alison Brown - "Deep Gap" features Brown on guitar and with more tradition than Jazz. 10) Terri Hendrix - "A Prayer for My Friends" her distinctive voice is a good example of the powerful female voices that are so important to the Americana scene. 11) Josh Ritter- "Harrisburg" there is no Americana album complete without a story song. 12) Ruthie Foster - "Hole in My Pocket" last but not least a Gospel singer.

Check out the web site:
http://www.putumayo.com/en/catalog_item.php?album_id=243

Eliza Lynn Video:

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