Urban Folk music reviews

I bought this CD for Roseanne Cash's wonderful song Seven Year Ache and I was very pleased to find that one of my favorite country singers Patsy Cline is also featured on this CD with her fantastic song Walkin' After Midnight, other great songs are Loretta Lynn's Don't Come Home A'Drinkin' (With Lovin" On Your Mind), and Pam Tillis' Cleopatra, Queen Of Denial, plus many other good songs. If you love country music than I highly recommend this excellent CD, and even if you aren't into country music you still might like this CD, it's awesome!

This is okay if you can't find her albums, but it's no substitute for any of them.

After finding it in the bargain bins of the [local store], it was interesting to see that it's only available on Amazon as a high-priced import. It also looks like a lot of her stuff is tough to get, and that's a shame. I first became aware of Michelle Shocked by getting 1988's "Short Sharp Shocked" on LP, which I still own. I was happy to see she had a hit video with "On the Greener Side" a few years later, but for some reason I never kept up with her career. Which is strange because I played "Short..." over and over and over again. So I snapped this one up as soon as I saw it to see what else she's been doing.

I've pretty much stopped doing "Best of.." albums for Amazon, as they are a no-win situation. I could trash the work, like I did with Styx, and all that happens there is that tons of fans trash you by finding the review "Not Helpful". Or I could praise the album, like I'm tempted to with Dire Straits, but am I going to say anything that a fan doesn't already know?

This, on the other hand, is worth writing about, mostly because most people have never heard of her, and her stuff is tough to get. This album contains three songs from "Short..." ("Anchorage", "If Love Was a Train", "When I Grow Up", plus "On the Greener Side", which is all I'd ever heard. For those that only have this, I would highly recommend "Short.." as it has several more great tunes.

Where the "Short..." Songs were mostly folky stuff, and they're great, I was delighted to find a wide variety of styles here, which makes me want to check out the availability of more of her works. "On the Greener Side" is a great uptempo pop number. "Quality of Mercy" is a nice smokey blues number. "Street Corner Ambassador" is very jazzy. I'd put "Too Little too Late" in the Patsy Cline category. "Over the Waterfall" has an Irish accompanyment, and "Holy Spirit" is a flat-out spiritual. The rest can go into the folky category, and that's OK. I can do without some of the wailing on "Stillborn", but as a guy, I'm not supposed to identify with such things.

Right now I'd have to say this is the most enjoyable album I've listened to all year, and will definately seek out more "product" from the lady.

The music has a wide range and is difficult to describe. From the bluesy "If Love was a Train" to pop hit "On the Greener Side" to folk, and even gospel. Whatever you classify it as, it is great to listen to.

If you ever get a chance to see her in concert, go. We've been to see Michelle 3 times and each time has been very different. Her live performances give you the story behind the song, and that really make it even more interesting.

Prudence's voice is lovely and flexible on most of this fine disc, but she lacks the lower range for the bluesier numbers "Just a Bum" and "Who Woulda Thunk It," leaving an odd empty space which Brown would have filled with his quavering baritone. This probably could have been corrected by thickening and sharpening the drum and bass sound on these two tracks. Again, though, the rest of the disc is sometimes fabulous, especially her unhurried renditions of "Wash My Eyes" and "The Train Carrying Jimmie Rodgers Home." The entire band performance is also commendable, notably the pithy contributions from Dean Magraw and Peter Ostroushko.

EVER WONDER WHAT GREG BROWN SONGS WOULD SOUND LIKE IF SOMEONE WHO COULD SING SANG THEM...WONDER NO MORE PRUDENCE FULFILLS THAT WONDER HERE...THE SONGS ARE JUST FABOLOUS SONGS AND TO PUT A VOICE WITH THEM ALL FACETS OF THE EQUATION ARE NOW SATISFIED..THANK YOU GREG BROWN FOR WRITING THEM AND THANK YOU EVEN MORE TO PRUDENCE FOR SINGING THEM IN SUCH A FINE WAY.

Greg Brown, probably the premiere folksinger in the Midwest, has a wonderful dark whisky voice, but it's a delightful surprise to get the chance to hear his songs performed via Prudence Johnson's crystalline tones. Prudence is a sometimes co-performer of Greg's, and (like many of us) an almost reverential fan, and this terrific disc superbly shows Brown's genius for songwriting. I almost like her renditions of "Just a Bum" and "Band of Gold" better than Greg's!

I've a huge JWH fan since first seeing him in 1990 -- I own all his recordings, and his second (and so far best) album, "The Name Above The Title," is on constant rotation in my CD player. I know I can usually depend on him for marvelously tuneful, edgy, clever songs. But this album is a disappointment -- tame, mannered, and overall unremarkable, with only rare flashes ("Window Seat," "Miss Fortune") of the deft melodies and dazzling wordplay of the past. Wes, this album just doesn't do you justice.

After a series of huge disappointments, Wes is back with one of the finest things to hit my CD player since...well, "The Name Above the Title".

Admittedly, the best way to see Wes is to see him live, and he's not exactly at his sardonic best, but at least he's not doing "Crystal Blue Persuasion" remakes anymore *shuddder*.

Check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

Having seen Wes on Letterman and groovin ever since, I think this is (so far) one of his best efforts to date. Having shagged off the major label rules to produce his music his way, Wes has given forth one of my favorite albums around....(if you don't believe me just ask MC Potato).

The story of Joe Hill, executed in Utah on trumped up charges, demands to be told, over and over again. Joe was executed by firing squad in spite of massive national and international protests and an appeal by President Wilson. Joe Hill died because his music and his labor organizing threatened to unravel the threads of society that gave a privileged few access to health, leisure, and comfort, while the masses toiled 60 and 70 hours per week, with no benefits or protections (like the workers who produce all that "made in China" stuff we buy!). Although Joe's story may be nearly 100 years old, with activists like Mumia Abu Jamal sitting on death row--we must remember.

While this CD contains some important music, I really wish I'd gone out and spent the cash to purchase the recordings by the individual artists. I enjoy listening to my Utah Phillips and Pete Seeger CDs more--and each one has a more internally consistent feel than this one.

But, if you're a labor history or folk music buf, purchasing this CD is a no brainer. Do it. Otherwise, spend some time listening to Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg, and the other musicians represented here on their own recordings. You'll have a much richer experience.

(If you'd like to discuss this review or CD in more depth, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

While historically interesting, this is an inconsistent collection where the minuses are greater than the plusses. For the most part, the songs on this collection are boring, sixties era folk-songs which just don't have any energy. Fortunately, this is all made worthwhile by two cuts: Billy Bragg's "Joe Hill" and Hazel Dicken's "Rebel Girl"....two bluegrass ravers that'll make you wanna get up and head to the picket lines. An interesting cut is a mini-interview with Harry "Haywire Mac" McClintock, who knew Joe Hill and was a Wob. For any fans of the "O Brother Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, Haywire Mac did the original recording of "Big Rock Candy Mountain." But the Haywire Mac selection, as interesting as it might be, doesn't make up for a lackluster collection. On the other hand, if you're a Hazel Dickens fan, "Rebel Girl" will make you want to have this.

Though it's true that the consistency on this album is varied, the good stuff is truly good. So good that the CD gets 5 stars just because this material is on there, and it's like nothing you ever heard before. Real 1920's PUNK ROCK!!!

You can hear the incredible insolence of Joe Hill's lyrics, especially as sung by one of the old time Wob's who knew him. Some of this stuff is so subversive it makes Jello Biafra look like a yuppie, and it makes Maralyn Manson look like the poser he is. This is REAL subversion, from real people, native Americans and immigrants like Joe, who weren't playing games or striking poses, but really saw things as they are and really wanted to change the world. Though some of these songs are hippy tunes from the 60's, there is nothing hippyish about Joe Hill. Your boy is a hard core working class true American hero, every bit as tough and no nonsense as any hard-bitten coal miner or any other blue collar American of today, except, unlike so many of todays "Reagan Democrats", this guy had his eyes wide open.

Thats why they shot him, of course.

I just wish the Dropkick Murphy's would cover some of these.

Worth the price of admission for tracks 5 & 6 alone. Not his best work, sounds like he may have been drunk.

Vic claims he recorded most of this album drunk, hence the title, and I believe it. It's a bit sloppy, a bit underdeveloped, but still a notch above most of the other singer-songwriters. Of course, I'm partial. "Supernatural", "Gluefoot", and "Kick My Ass" some of his best tunes. If you haven't heard him yet, check out "West of Rome" or "The Salesman & Bernadette" first. If you like Vic, chances are you already own this album, as well as your own opinion. 3 for Vic, 4 for the rest of the music world.

If Vic's previous two albums (`Little` and `West Of Rome`) had been lyrical exorcisms of his blackened history `Drunk` brings the grief into the present day. The oft' told story goes that Vic and his trouble and strife had a marital spat, Vic upped and left with a couple of cronies, they drove to a farm, got drunk, and recorded this album in three days. The results are not steeped in as much imagery as previously, the songs are honest and direct, more obviously autobiographical. In keeping with the storyline they are self-berating and apologetic (`Kick My ...`). The transition from `West Of Rome` is further accentuated by Vic's bold move into distorted electrics, which is, considering his punk-folk tag, unsurprisingly successful. The `farm` songs are interwoven with songs recorded elsewhere, including `Sleeping Man`, a duet with Syd Straw, and the brilliant `Supernatural`. `Drunk`, therefore, in its cut-and-paste spontaneity, is ultimately haphazard and patchy, but as a compelling portrait of its fascinating engineer, it is sublime.

Wes really found a great balance with this one. No disappointments!

I think I've heard them all or close and this is definitely my favorite! Beautiful, sometimes eerie songs with gorgeous melodies and harmonies. Wes may not sing like Celine Dion (and thank god for that) but I think they are extremely emotional. Wes seems to write with great subtlety - sometimes fun, sometimes critical and sometimes heartbreaking and lonely. Its a softer album like Swings and Roundabouts or Why We Fight and I find the songs on this album haunt me for days and draw me back for further listening.

I think I've heard them all or close and this is definitely my favorite! Beautiful, sometimes eerie songs with gorgeous melodies and harmonies. Wes may not sing like Celine Dion (and thank god for that) but I think they are extremely emotional. Wes seems to write with great subtlety - sometimes fun, sometimes critical and sometimes heartbreakingly lonely. New Deal is a softer album like Swings and Roundabouts or Why We Fight and I find the songs haunt me for days and draw me back for further listening.

Yuk! This CD was terrable! Don't bother!

This is a slightly strange, idiosyncratic disk -- but not in a bad way. Robin Holcomb has a thin country-sounding voice. She plays piano and writes unusually literate and harmonically open songs. Her better known keyboardist husband, Wayne Horvitz, assembled some really crack jazz musicians (Bill Frisell, Marty Ehrlich et al.) to interpret this country chamber jazz. The results will probably not be to everyone's liking, but I note that the used copies are being practically given away, so why not take a flyer on it?

I love all Robin albums, I have the all four. The first is haunting. This second one is more various, very arranged, and it's a marvel. Not often you meet such an artist honest, personal, who does his/her work as if nothing else was important. I believe the first worry of Robin is expression. I mean, it's probably what does interest her the most. To express what she has inside, the best way as possible. The third album is more instrumental, and equally wonderful (Robin is a great pianist) and I am still tasting her new one, "The Big Time".

God bless such real artists.

With this import CD, you get all the tracks from Dolly's 1984 album "The Great Pretender" along with a few more songs. Most of the tracks are cover songs of other people's hits like Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line", Tony Orlando's "She Don't Love You Like I Love You", even the Four Top's "Sugar Pie Honey Bun" all get Dolly's touch. We all know that Dolly is at her best when she is holding the pen that writes the songs and her three standbys: "Jolene", "I Will Always Love You" and "9 To 5" are included. The most interesting tracks are two from 1968. Dolly's version of "Harper Valley PTA" and Tammy Wynett's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and pure country and make me wish that more of her early material was avaialble on CD in the US.

COLLECTION is a Germany import, which includes all the tracks from the ultra rare 1984 album THE GREAT PRETENDER, along with some extra tracks. THE GREAT PRETENDER included all sorts of songs that Dolly had covered, including "Save The Last Dance For me", "Downtown", "I Walk The Line", "Elusive Butterfly", "Turn Turn Turn", "She Don't Love You", "We Had It All", "We'll Sing In The Sunshine", "I Can't Help Myself" and "Great Pretender". I think this is worth owning for these songs as she offers a unique take on them. While it doesn't measure to her 1996 covers album TREASURES, its still a solid effort. The bonus tracks include covers of "Harper Valley PTA" and "Divorce", as well as her past hits "I Will Always Love You", "Here You Come Again", "Jolene", and "9 to 5". Overall this is the CD to get if you've been looking for her 1984 album THE GREAT PRETENDER, here it is.

This will be short but sweet...if you've always wanted to own the brilliant music from Dolly's "Great Pretender" album, this is the one to own. Sure there are some wonderful other tracks included but this contains that album in its entirety in its original sequence. The GP is one of my favorite albums of all time and I couldn't wait to receive this disc after I ordered it. I'm thrilled to have it and have played it a ton.
Additionally, the "Great Pretender" album was produced by Val Garay (who I believe also worked with The Motels). Wonderful arrangements and spectacular delivery. A treat all around! You'll also love Dolly's version of "Harper Valley PTA".

It's very tempting to compare this to the gorgeous "Breezy Stories" as O'Keefe's 21st century equivalent(and I will), but that doesn't really tell the story nor is it a fair examination of "Don't Ask" based on its own merits. For starters, it's a collaboration, evident not only by the shared authorship with Bill Braun, but in the music. The wry observations are there, of course, potent as can be expected, and Danny sings them with passion. This above all else makes it worth owning.
The music is imaginative and well produced... and pretty much electronically created which is where it suffers a bit. That isn't to say that it's overwhelming or crass. It's tastefully done and supports the integrity of the songs as best it can. Having said that, the strength of "Breezy Stories" owes its supporting cast to a significant degree, a diverse and captivating listening experience if you can appreciate what each player contributes to the whole. I believe the same heights could have been reached on "Don't Ask" if it had the same constituent approach and feel. Where it truly succeeds on its own, though, is its originality. You won't find anything else quite like this. It defines eclectic in the grandest sense of the word.

What most people know of Danny O'Keefe, if they know of him at all, is that he suddenly appeared on the musical scene with Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues then seems to have disappeared just as quickly. Fewer still are aware that many of his songs have been covered by other, more famous performers. I'd likely have been in that first group if not for a couple of high school buddies who have kept up with O'Keefe's career ever since his first album. Whenever I visited with them over the last thirty years, they were always eager to share any new O'Keefe albums with me, and so I too developed an appreciation for his genius.
Don't Ask is my most recent O'Keefe acquisition, and a fine piece of work it is indeed. Quirky and imaginative, Danny and his even more obscure long-time collaborator Bill Braun take the listener all over the musical map with some great rocking numbers and an occasional nod to country and even hip-hop. O'Keefe's vocals are as good as ever and distinctively strong percussion often bathes the listener in waves of irresistable sound.
My favorites here are the more unusual songs: Don't Ask, Speaking of Destiny, the hilarious Turn That Damn Thing Down, the equally funny ode to cross-dressing Jody, and That's All For Now, the lush rocker that closes the CD.
In my opinion, this is the best that O'Keefe has come up with in years. And unfortunately since he gets little promotion, Don't Ask is likely to have a short life in the marketplace. So my recommendation is to get it now while you can, play it for your friends, and give these two some of the recognition they deserve. You won't be sorry and neither will they.

On first listen I thought that Bill Braun's music was at odds with Danny O'Keefe's style. Further listenings reveal that this is far from the truth, and I have come to the conclusion that this could be the strongest group of Danny O'Keefe songs yet.

From the opening " Rock Goodbye Baby", a fine gentle rocker , to the fabulous closing song fittingly titled " Thats All For Now "
this album is filled with great song after great song. Of particular interest is the hook laden " Jody ", an anthem for those who dont fit in if there ever was one. A very catchy tune.

This one took a listen or two to fully sink in, but once it does you will discover a fantastic recording. Dont be surprised if after a couple of listens you are walking around singing " Tell me Jody, why do you wear your sisters clothes". Pretty hard way to go indeed.