FolkBlog

It’s been way too long since I’ve blogged new adds, so here goes

Bruce Cockburn: Speechless
I’ve wondered for years why Cockburn has not done an instrumental CD, having long been amazed by his guitar prowess. Now he’s done it, and it contains nearly all of my favorite instrumentals. (”Deer Dancing in a Broken Mirror” is inexplicably missing, an omission noted by many on the Humans List.) The new tracks blend in well with the old and it’s a pretty cohesive collection.

Kate Rusby: The Girl Who Couldn’t Fly
Every Kate Rusby album seems better than the last one. This one is no exception. Her songwriting keeps getting both more mature and timeless, her voice keeps sounding better, and the arrangements more organic. If you like traditional folk, you’ll like this.

Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962 and No Direction Home Soundtrack (Bootleg Series #7)
The more successful of these disks is the Live at the Gaslight disk. It is an intriguing look at early Dylan mixing covers and originals. It’s worth the trip to Starbucks. The alternate takes on No Direction Home are occasionally interesting in documenting the evolution of a song, and the liner notes from Al Kooper are great. If you like early Dylan, you’ll want both.

Dar Williams: My Better Self
I’ve often said that Dar Williams writes better songs when she’s not trying to overwhelm us with rapid-fire words, and if you agree with this theory, you’ll like this CD. It’s a nice mix of personal and political, and the political does not radiate the personal hostility that so much of today’s folk protest does.

David Gray: Life in Slow Motion
The title is indicative of the CD - this is a mellower David Gray, much more like pre-White Ladder days. No sampling and drum loops here - just mid-tempo folk/pop. Considering that this is what Gray has always done best, this is not a surprise. A rousing up-tempo rocker would help change the pace on this CD, as the songs blend into each other by the end.

James McMurtry: Childish Things
The highlight of this CD is “We Can’t Make it Here,” the most cutting and well-written rant about the current sociopolitical climate I’ve heard in a good many days. The rest of the CD contains more of the well-drawn character pieces we’ve come to expect from McMurtry.

Kelly Mulhollan: Never Ending Conversation
Kelly Mulhollan of Still on the Hill has put together an intriguing concept album - writing music for some classic poetry from William Blake, Langston Hughes, and W.H. Auden and others. For the most part, it works, though the sameness of the arrangements does get in the way towards the end. The Mulhollan original does not hang well with the work of the other poets.

Tom Russell Band: Raw Vision
Really fine collection of the best of Russell’s work with the band from his early recordings for Philo/Rounder Records. If you aren’t familiar with his early records, this is a good sampler.

Afro Celt Sound System: Anatomic
Baka Beyond: Rhythm Tree
Blue Rodeo: Are You Ready?
Cary Cooper: Yellow
Claudia Beck: Nightingale
David Wilcox and Nance Pettit: Out Beyond Ideas
Eric Balkey: Santuary Road
Jamison Priest: We Called Ourselves Poets
Karl Koerber: Returning to You
Kev Rowe: Brown Book
Lauren Sheehan: Two Wings
Liz Carroll and John Doyle: In Play
Nathan Rogers: True Stories
Mustard’s Retreat: MR7
Old Crow Medicine Show: OCMS
The Proclaimers: Restless Soul
Rachel Ries: For You Only
Reg Meuross: Short Stories
Richard Berman: Holding Hands
Shooglenifty: Radical Mestizo
Thea Gilmore: Songs From the Gutter
Will Taylor and Strings Attached: Collaborations