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The
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In the player now ... I've been all over the road recently. Here's a quick list of things I've been listening to: In my Tribe: 10,000 Maniacs: I came to this through Natalie Merchant's Tigerlily. I really liked that CD, so I started backtracking, remember the voice of Leanne Potts ringing in my 10-years-ago head: "Try 10,000 Maniacs, Bob. You'll like them." Took a while, but I have. And I do. Not for Nuthin' : Dave Holland Quintet: Heard this on the local public station's jazz show one night during the drive home from work. Went out and bought it. No regrets. Pieces of Me: Lori McKenna: Oddly, I liked this a lot better during the first few listens. There are still several songs on it that I really like, but I have a tough time listening to it start to finish. She gets kinda whiney to my ear, but she does have a strong voice. Come Away with Me: Norah Jones: Heading the opposite direction here. The more I listen, the more I like it. Great jazz album. Nice voice. Awesome cover of "Cold Cold Heart." Blue Horse: The Be Good Tanyas: This has become one of my favorite recent purchases. I bought this after hearing their version of Rain and Snow on WDVX and WNCW. Very good CD with hardly a dull spot on it. 89/93: An Anthology: Uncle Tupelo: Great overview of their output. I have several of their CDs already, but this one is great for bringing it all together. Previously unreleased version of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" is hot. In rotation... Time (The Revelator), Gillian Welch: I heard "Elvis Presley Blues" on WDVX and new I had to get this CD. The more I listen to it, the more I'm convinced this one is destined to be a classic. She has an odd way of mixing imagery and threading together disparate images. John Henry suddenly shows up in the Elvis Blues, the Titanic steams through Ruination Day. It all has a dark, old time feeling to it. I'd call it brooding, but she also breaks out with tunes like "Red Clay Halo" and "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll" to lighten things up. Crossing Muddy Waters, John Hiatt: One of the best CDs I've bought in a while. He's an incredible songwriter, great musician and everything comes together. It's one of those CDs where I keep reaching for the volume control and turning it up. This is the first CD I've bought by Hiatt, but I'll be buying more. Love and Theft, Bob Dylan: I'm not a big Dylan fan. In fact, I tend to like other people doing his stuff better than when he does it. But this CD is pretty interesting. His voice has shifted from that nasal wail to a bluesy sandpaper sound that really works for me. The lyrics are a bit cryptic, but each new listen brings out new ideas and themes. The World Rolls On, Shaver: Great CD. Billy Joe's songwriting is great, and his son, Eddy, adds some great guitar work to spice things up. Unfortunately, Eddy died of a heroin OD after this album was released so this is the end of the rode for the father son thing. Especially like "Blood is Thicker than Water" and "Love is So Sweet." Lipstick,
Lies and Gasoline, Fred Eaglesmith: Heard "Water in
the Fuel" from this CD on WDVX, and I was hooked. The CD has
several great tunes: "Alcohol and Pills," "Thinking"
and "Spookin' the Horses" are all nice. He's a solid songwriter
and his voice just oozes pain when he's really hitting it. Take that Ride , R.B. Morris: This dude might be the best thing to come out of Knoxville since James Agee. I heard the title track on WDVX and knew I had to pick up the CD. I wasn't disappointed. He's really tough to pigeonhole. Kinda rock, kinda country and a tinge of bluegrass. But I wouldn't call him any one of those things.Gues the closest I can come to describing him is that he totally understands chaos, and he's not afraid to go there. Saw him live recently on Market Square in Knoxville and he was awesome. During his live shows, he mixes in some spoken word that really gives it a spacey feel. Close to the Edge, Yes : I ordered this on a lark when Amazon had it on sale. I was a huge Yes fan when I was a kid. Saw them live (with Rick Wakeman) in the late '70s, but I haven't listened to their stuff for at least 15 or 20 years. I'm astounded at how well this album held up. Incredible musicianship and poetic -- if cryptic -- lyrics. I know "art rock" gets a bad rap, but this stuff CD really shouldn't be forgotten. I'm thinking about picking up a copy of Relayer during my next romp through Amazon .. Sweet Old World , Lucinda Williams: Can 't say enough about her. She just blows me away. A trailer trash answer to Shakespeare. Saw her live in Knoxville recently and she was great. It was the first show of her tour promoting her new album, Essence, so there were a few rough spots, but I was amazed at how she seems genuinely bewildered by the fact that a theater full of people would pay to see her play. Guit with It, Junior Brown: Incredible sense of humor. Incredible musician. "Sugar Foot Rag" blows me away. Anodyne, Uncle Tupelo: Came at Uncle Tupelo sort backward, through Son Volt. This is a great CD. "New Madrid" is becoming a favorite tune from it, though I still like March 16-20, 1992 better. Don't Let Go, Jerry Garcia: I'm generally not a big Donna fan, but she really meshed with Garcia during this 1976 show. Garcia still very much had his chops. The guitar is sinewy and self-assured. This is a must-buy for any Garcia fan.
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