Tift Merritt - Travelling Alone

Tift Merritt has outdone herself. She just released the best CD of her career. I am not kidding. Bramble Rose was her ground breaking first release. Another Country equaled Bramble Rose, but it didn’t best it. With the release of Travelling Alone, she has set a new standard for herself. The album is truly a masterpiece in every way.She chose Tucker Martine to produce it. His other credits include My Morning Jacket and The Decemberists. Many of the songs are unembellished and simple. However, they have a feel that is evocative of Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball. There is a subtle dreamy echo on many of the songs, and that sound fits the theme of the album. The title track opens up and lays out an interesting premise. Merritt redefines the word alone. Alone is not isolation. Alone happens in relationships and community. It happens when you are among or with others.

“Drifted Apart” is an excellent emotional but subtle duet with Andrew Bird. In this song there is loneliness is a faltering relationship. In truth our significant others have the ability to make us feel completely insignificant. “I am going to lose everything I love, only for a minute just to be alive”, she sings on “Spring”. Later as the song begins to cut loose with some up tempo ethereal blues riffs she says that “Beauty is defiance in the face of death”. It is a powerful metaphor and certainly not how beauty is thought of by the general public.  

In addition to great production, she enlisted an all-star cast of musicians including Rob Burger (Lucinda Williams, Iron & Wine, Rufus Wainwright), John Convertino (Calexico), Eric Heywood (The Jayhawks, Son Volt, Alejandro Escovedo). As for the songwrting, there is only one writer. We can thank Tift Merritt. She wrote them all on her own, but hopefully not alone.

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

Patty Griffin has just released her new album Downtown Church. The album was brilliantly produced by Buddy Miller and has an excellent supporting cast. On this album Griffin captures the soul of the traditional African-American Church, as well as the beauty of more traditional hymns. The mix of songs on this album capture a spirit of forgiveness that is truly the central message of Christianity. These songs don't have anything to do with the exclusive legalism of the mainstream American Church. Instead there is a soothing redemption given.

I don't care what your affiliation, songs like "little Fire," which features Emmylou Harris, will warm you deep in your soul (even if you don't believe in one). She reinterprets classic Gospel songs and hymns like "Tear This Building Down" and "All Creatures of Our God and King." Buddy and Julie Miller both join her on this project. On "Never Grow Old" Buddy's voice adds an authentic roughness to complement the softness of Griffin's voice. Downtown Church offers no condemnation, just beauty, soul and hope.

WSM starts new show - Music City Roots

The legendary Nashville radio station WSM, the broadcasting home of the Grand Ole Opry, has a new show, Music City Roots. It is broadcast from a new venue, The Loveless Barn, just outside of Nashville.

This week was Sam Bush and Mike Farris. The first episode was Emmylou Harris. Check out the website .

The Upcoming Lineup is unbelievable. You can also go to the WSM Website for on demand streaming

We Can't Make it Here Anymore

DEL MCCOURY AND FRIENDS PAY TRIBUTE TO THE STRUGGLES OF RURAL AMERICA

Del McCoury has put out a compilation project that sings about the plight of rural America. The album enlists a stellar group of artists to tell this story. Moneyland, which is also the name of the title cut, invokes the spirit of FDR and his New Deal to tell this story. The first and last cut on the album are excerpts from a couple of FDR’s famous fireside chats, which makes this the first and likely last album review I will do which includes tracks by a dead president. Speaking of dead presidents, money is really the central subject on this project. Every song is really about either the lust for or lack of money, as the greedy are pushing the less fortunate to the margins, especially in rural America.

The songs and musicianship are as compelling as concept. The Del McCoury Band brings two original songs to the table. The first is the title cut "Moneyland" and the other is the hilarious "40 Acres and a Fool," about a new money poser. Country Music Hall of Famer Merle Haggard supplies the 1973 classic "If We Make It Through December" and the more recent "What Happened?," which appeared on his McCoury Music bluegrass debut of last year. The project also includes Emmylou Harris's and Rodney Crowell's glistening take on his "Mama's Hungry Eyes," Dan Tyminski's 2001 recording of "Carry Me Across The Mountain," based on a true Depression era story and Haggard and Marty Stuart's searing "Farmer's Blues." Chris Knight's "A Train Not Running," a more recent tale of economic devastation, is almost painful to listen to but is too compelling to skip.

The album will release on July 8th. The best way to sum it up is in Del's own words. "It's sad to me that country kids can't stay in their hometowns any more. There's no opportunity, there are no jobs, there's just nothing. And at the other end of life, there are a lot of people losing the pensions they worked for-that happened to my wife, Jean-and there are more people relying on Social Security than ever. You know, we have a little fun on this album with that Beatles song, 'When I'm 64,' but really, it's no joke. It used to seem like 60 was really old, but nowadays, it feels more like middle age, and to have a lot of years ahead of you without being sure that what you spent a lifetime working for, like a pension or Social Security, is going to be there-well, that just doesn't seem right... That hillbilly boy in Appalachia and that farm boy in the midwest and that black kid in the inner city, they're all looking for the same thing: a way out and up. One of these days, those kids are going to start working together on their common problems-and when they do, they'll fix them." I hope so Del.

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

This is a bi-weekly feature in which I post on AWT the top albums and debuts in the airplay charts from Americana Music Assoc., XM Cross Country and FMQB Non-Commercial Adult Alternative chart. Links to all of these charts are found to the right in the AWT favorite links list.

Americana Music Association - Airplay Week of November 5th
1) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
2) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
3) John Fogerty - Revival
4) Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
5) Various - Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
6) Dwight Yoakam - Dwight Sings Buck
7) Lyle Lovet and His Large Band - It's Not Big It's Large
8) Kane Welch Kaplin - Kane Welch Kaplin
9) Emmylou Harris - Songbird
10) Shooter Jennings - The Wolf

Debuts
32) Will Hoge - Draw the Curtains
33) Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II
39) Iron & Wine - The Shepherds' Dog

XM Ch.12 Cross Country - Cross Checking week of Nov. 5th
1) John Fogerty - Revival
2) Emmylou Harris - Songbird
3) Shawn Camp & Billy Burnette - The Bluegrass Elvises
4) Cross Canadian Ragweed - Mission California
5) Kane Welch Kaplin - Kane Welch Kaplin
6) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
7) Toni Price - Talk Memphis
8) Lyle Lovet and His Large Band - It's Not Big It's Large
9) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
10) Korby Lenker - King of Hearts

Debuts
45) Shooter Jennings - The Wolf
46) Blue Rodeo - Small Miracles
47) Miles from Nowhere - Bloodline
48) Matt Powell - New Kind of Something

FMQB AAA Non-Commercial - Airplay Week of Nov. 5th
1) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
2) Bruce Springsteen - Magic
3) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
4) John Fogerty - Revival
5) Mark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson
6) Ben Harper - Lifetime
7) Iron & Wine - The Shepherds' Dog
8) Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquest
9) Various - Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
10) Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight

Debuts:
17) Neil Young - Chrome Dreams
19) Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer
27) Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys