FolkBlog

Once again, as seems to be ever the case, it’s been way too long since I’ve blogged new adds. So, here they are.

Donal Hinely - Giants
#3 on my Top 10 of 2005, this is a great folk/Americana album. It is political without being preachy, nostalgic without being treacly, and filled with songs with hooks. “Shock and Awe” is the best political song I’ve heard all year. “Giants”, a yearning for a leader with character worth believing in, is a close second. Other highlights included the nostalgic “Before Music Was a Product” and “Talking Cheap Trick Blues.”

Great Big Sea - The Hard and the Easy
It’s really nice to hear these talented folk rockers make a great album of some of the traditional Newfoundland tunes that have inspired them.

Joel Mabus - Parlor Guitar
Guitarist extraordinaire Joel Mabus performs pieces from the ealy 1900s on a “parlor guitar.”

Odetta - Gonna Let it Shine
Backed by the Holmes Brothers, Odetta shows she is still at the top of her game and a compelling performer on this holiday concert mixing traditional gospel and spirituals. Her explication of the references on the classic tune “Midnight Special” gave me a whole new appreciation for the song.

Tom Paxton - Live in the UK
I was pleased to find out that this CD was nominated for a Grammy under Best Traditional Folk Album. Leaving aside whether this is really a traditional folk release (it’s not), it is a live recording of a recent Tom Paxton concert, where Paxton, backed by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, does an engaging mix of new tunes and classics.

Other recent adds on the Online Folk Festival or Online Folk Christmas*:

• Abi Tapia - One Foot Out the Door
• Adrienne Young - The Art of Virtue
• Austin Echo - Austin Echo
• Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys - Live at the Mechanics Hall
• Bryan Hayes - Just a Man
• Cherryholmes - Cherryholmes
• Corinne West - Bound For the Living
• Craig Sonnenfeld - Storm Clouds Rising
• David Kleiner - This Human Heart
• David Williams and the Flatirons - Jopin, MO
• Doug Spears - Truth and Lies
• The Dreamsicles - Luv Songs for Grownups
• Enya - Amarantine
• Ernie Hawkins - Rags and Bones
• Fred Moolten - No Other Prize
• Freebo - Before the Separation
• Greg Winkler - Laugh a Little Larger
• Harvey Reid and Joyce Anderson - Christmas Morning*
• Jamie Byrd - Garden of Days
• Jim Henry - One-horse Town
• Judy Collins - “Saints and Angels in New Orleans” (CD single)
• Karen Matheson - Downriver
• Kathy Mattea - Right Out of Nowhere
• Ken Waldman - All Originals
• Mark Stepakoff - There Goes the Neighborhood
• Mary Sue Twohy - Songs to Hang on Stars
• Mick McAuley and Winifred Horan - Serenade
• Neil Jacobs - Secret Places
• Newgrange - A Christmas Heritage*
• Paul Michel - Our Last Goodbye
• Possum Trot Orchestra - Possum Trot Orchestra
• Rachel Bissex - In White Light
• Ray Korona Band - The Safe Thing to Do
• Rod MacDonald - A Tale of Two Americas
• Tish Hinojosa - A Heart Wide Open
• Various Artists - Acoustic Rainbow 23
• Various Artists - Azalea Sampler I
• Various Artists - Bluegrass Hits, Twenty TimelessFavorites From Yesterday and Today (Rounder)
• Various Artists - Hands Across the Water, a Benefitfor Children of the Tsunami
• Various Artists - Oasis Acoustic Samplers and Oasis World Samplers
• Various Artists - Raise the Roof - A Retrospective Live From the Barns of Wolftrap
• Various Artists - Ten in Texas
• Winterpills - Winterpills
• Zoe Lewis - Small is Beautiful