FolkBlog

It’s been a little while since I posted, so here’s the news from the Online Folk Festival:

Maura O’Connell is the featured artist this week (through August 1). She doesn’t write songs, she justpicks great songs by great songwriters and sings the heck out of them.

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Kate Campbell has three CDs coming out on August 10 on Compadre Records: The Portable Kate Campbell, Sing Me Out, and Songs From the Levee (re-issue). For the first two CDs, Kate went into the studio with produce Will Kimbrough and a crack band and re-recorded her songs from Moonpie Dreams, Visions of Plenty and Rosaryville. The results are outstanding.

Bill Mallonee: Dear Life

This album shows a more mellow side of Bill Mallonee, as the arrangments are stripped down, with some steel guitar to give it a more alt-country feel. Although the style has changed a little, the same self-reflective lyrical depth that we’ve come to expect from Mallonee’s best work is there in spades.

Harvey Reid and Joyce Anderson: Kindling the Fire

This is a truly outstanding CD from two of the most talented folk musicians working today, combining stellar guitar work from Reid and fiddling and vocals from Anderson on a well-conceived mix of originals, traditional tunes, and covers. Anytime someone covers T-Bone Burnett’s “Primitives”, I’m going to be on board with what they’re doing.

Jeffrey Foucault: Stripping Cane

This album blends acoustic blues, old-timey folk, sparse production and primo guitar work and creates a sound that is at once ancient and contemprary. This is really a special CD full of first-rate songcraft and playing.