Muruch

The Forgetting Place is the upcoming fourth album by Jeff Ellis, an incredibly talented local singer-songwriter from Huntington, West Virginia. I didn’t doubt that any album released by NewSong Recordings would be good, but I was still surprised at the high quality of these songs. Ellis was the winner of Mountain Stage’s 2008 NewSong Contest. He is currently serving a thirteen-month deployment in Iraq, but his true calling is obviously music. The Forgetting Place will be released by NewSong Recordings on March 23rd.

it’s a solemn retreat from things that won’t let you be
when all you want is to be left alone
or a drunkard’s delight, a safe place in the night
for those who don’t want to go home, no,
for those who don’t want to go home

The album’s title The Forgetting Place and the lyrical content of the songs were inspired by Ellis’ own breakup (judging from these songs, it didn’t end well) and feature characters he created that were trying to forget their own painful situations.

Tracks like the opener “If He’s So Good To You” and “Still Ain’t Over You Yet” are catchy, guitar heavy Americana songs slightly reminiscent of Tom Petty.

Though the acoustics are soft and dusky on the harmonica accented “Russell and Honeybee” and piano driven “Is Something The Matter,” Jeff’s soulful vocals and poetic lyrics make the two songs stand out more than the harder tracks.

“Fooled” has a great blend of light blues, country, and rock. As Jeff can be heard saying at the end, “Well, the four of us played that pretty damn near perfect.”

“Jealousy” throws some beautiful bluegrass instrumentation into the mix, and the lovely title track seems to have a Medieval folk twist to it.

I hesitate to bestow such a weighty compliment on any one album, but there are moments in The Forgetting Place that almost remind me of the late, great Vic Chesnutt. But there are also songs that remind me of everyone from Springsteen to Live to Chris Thile. You have to love a record that can’t really be pinned down to one comparison. It’s just really great music.

Ellis will spend his two weeks of leave from the Army in West Virgina this month performing at several local venues to support the album release. He’ll do a solo acoustic performance at Empire Books in Huntington, WV on Saturday, March 20th and a set with a full band at The Empty Glass in Charleston, WV on Thursday, March 25th.

I really hope Jeff makes it home again to fully devote his life to music, because this guy needs to be more than just a local musician.

Jeff Ellis – The Forgetting Place (mp3) *

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of record label

Buy @ Amazon

(not yet available)

Jeff Ellis MySpace

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will release their new album The Wages on May 25th. The band’s debut Big Damn Nation was one of my Top Albums of 2006, and their previous release The Whole Fam Damnily was my #1 Album of 2008 and my #9 Album of the Decade. I’m happy to say the Big Damn Band’s upcoming third album doesn’t fail to live up to their extraordinary past.

If you’re not already familiar with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, they are the trio of Reverend Peyton on vocals and bottleneck guitar, his washboard playin’ wife, and his cousin the drummer. The three make more noise than a punk band with their rocked up blend of Appalachian folk and swamp blues.

The Wages was recorded live in the studio on analog tape with no overdubs. The first thing I noticed is that the harmony vocals of Mrs. Peyton (a.k.a. “Washboard Breezy”) are far more audible here than on the band’s previous releases.

The first two tracks don’t really grab my attention like previous albums, but the third song “Clap Your Hands” lights the match and it’s not long before the whole barn is burnin’ down.

“Everything’s Raising” is the follow up to The Whole Fam Damnily’s “Can’t Pay The Bill.” The lyrics – which give the album its title – address the growing discrepancy between the high cost of living in the U.S. and the nation’s stagnant wages.

“What Go Around Come Around” is a hillbilly karmic anthem with its “didn’t your mama raise you better?” refrain, and “Sugar Creek” is a country love song.

“In a Holler Over There” is an ode to the failing family farm with a brief look at the rise of backwoods meth labs.

The trio does an impressive job of mimicking a locomotive with their instruments in “That Train Song,” and “Just Getting By” is another tribute to poor folk living paycheck to paycheck.

The album also includes the frenetic title track from Two Bottles of Wine, Reverend Peyton’ 2007 collaboration with Jason Webley.

Once again I am amazed by and grateful for the way this band so perfectly captures the terrible struggles, somewhat comical frustrations, and also the simply joys of rural American life. And they do so with music that is loud and entertaining enough to have earned them a spot on this year’s entire Warped Tour.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can stream two songs from the album at their label’s site.

The album is not yet available for purchase, but will be at the links below in May…

Buy @ Amazon

Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band Official Site

Greg Laswell’s third full-length album Take A Bow will be released by Vanguard Records on May 4th. I first wrote about Laswell here three years ago when I reviewed his Through Toledo album. Since then his music has been played on Grey’s Anatomy, True Blood, and One Tree Hill, and last year’s Covers EP seems to have made people pay more attention to this very talented singer-songwriter.

From the opener “Take Everything” through the swirling rocker “Around the Bend” onto “You, Now”, the album is full of atmospheric pop melodies that are flushed out with Americana guitar riffs.

At times Laswell’s vocals are a bit too languid to carry certain overly gentle arrangements, but his warm voice is the driving force in the livelier songs.

The standout “My Fight (For You)” has a deeper, melancholy rock sound that falls somewhere between Radiohead and V.A.S.T. The song’s murky tone reminds me of Laswell’s cover of “Your Ghost,” and I hope he’ll explore a darker rock style in future.

The title track has a pretty, tinkling softness to it, and there are hints of Elliott Smith in the somber acoustics of “Let It Ride” and “Goodbye.”

Greg Laswell – Around The Bend (mp3) *

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Vanguard Records

Buy @ Amazon (not yet available)

Greg Laswell Official Site
Greg Laswell MySpace

Muruch and Filter Magazine are giving away a copy of The Bird & The Bee’s new CD Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates. You can read my review by clicking here and the contest details below.

The Prize:

One U.S. winner will receive:
1 copy of The Bird & The Bee’s new CD Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates

The Rules:

Comment to this entry with the name of your favorite guilty pleasure artist or your favorite cover (or both) and your email address. All new comments are moderated to avoid spam (which is why you must include the required text in your comment), so it may take a day for your comment to appear if you haven’t commented on Muruch before.

Note: This contest is only open to U.S. residents, and all contestants must enter with a valid email address and the name of the artist in order to qualify. The winner of the contest will also be required to provide me with their full name and postal address for shipping purposes.

The Deadline:

The contest will end on Friday, March 26th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Go now go! And tell others.

Album Review

Buy @ Amazon

The Bird & The Bee Official Site
The Bird & The Bee MySpace

The Bird & The Bee’s new album Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates will be released by Blue Note Records on March 23rd. The Bird & The Bee are singer Inara George and multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Kurstin. Their tribute to 1980s pop icons Hall & Oates is no parody, instead this is a sincere and happy homage to one of my favorite guilty pleasure bands.

The opener “Heard It On The Radio” is the sole original on the album. Considering the concept, I think the song should have been placed at the end of the album. Regardless, the airy pop tune does go very well with the covers.

The selection of Hall & Oates covers includes pop hits like “I Can’t Go For That,” “Kiss On My List,” and “Maneater” (feat. Garbage’s Shirley Manson on backing vocals), but it’s the inclusion of “Rich Girl,” “Sara Smile,” and “She’s Gone” that proves the band’s songwriting talents were worthy of tribute.

“Sara Smile” has always been my personal favorite Hall & Oates song, and The Bird & The Bee do a superb job of capturing the sultry jazz tone of the original. And the clap happy true-to-original take of “Private Eyes” reminds me why the song was such a big radio hit in the ’80s.

As I said in my review of last year’s Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future, Inara George “possesses a lovely, effervescent voice that melts beautifully into the lightest of melodies.” While these are genuine odes to Hall & Oates, most of the songs have been reworked in The Bird & The Bee’s signature electro-pop style.

The Bird & The Bee’s Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates is the perfect soundtrack for summer. I only hope that The Bird & The Bee will record a tribute to Olivia Newton-John for Interpreting The Masters Volume 2.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you’ll be able to hear samples at the links below closer to the release date…

Buy @ Amazon

The Bird & The Bee Official Site
The Bird & The Bee MySpace

Robert Stallman’s new album The Nightingale in Love is an exquisite collection of French Baroque music that centers on the flute. Whether you’re a classical aficionado or simply enjoy pretty instrumental music, this lovely album is definitely one to try.

Accompanied by harpsichord player Edwin Swanborn and cellist Karl Bennion, virtuoso flutist Robert Stallman tackles works from the late French Baroque period in the early 18th century.

The album’s liner notes contain background information on the music’s various composers, including Anne Danican Philidor and other chamber musicians for Louis XIV. But I really don’t think you need to know anything about the music’s history to appreciate its magnificence.

Simply put, The Nightingale in Love is beautiful. So very beautiful.

The following two mp3s are from Philidor’s five-part “Sonata in D Minor,” which is my personal favorite work on the album…

Robert Stallman – Fugue (mp3 expired) *
Robert Stallman – Courante (mp3 expired) *

*mp3s posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

Robert Stallman Official Site

The Living Sisters are a new band composed of Eleni Mandell, The Bird & The Bee’s Inara George, and Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark. The group’s debut album will be released March 30th and features the trio singing pretty vintage pop melodies.

“How Are You Doing” blends Andrews Sisters harmonies with an AM radio light twang. The girls croon sweetly on the doo-wop tunes “Ferris Wheel” and “You Make Me Blue.”

“Cradle” puts a sultry spin on a gentle Patti Page vocal style. “Good Ole Wagon” reminds me of She & Him’s retro-influenced indie sound, but “Hold Back” is pure Eleni Mandell.

“The Mountain Has Skies” reaches the lofty heights of Judy Collins’ angelic soprano. The handclap pop ditty “Double Knots” is the catchiest track on the album.

As I posted before, you can download a free mp3 of the album’s title track by signing up for the band’s email list here.

The Living Sisters – Double Knot (mp3 removed) *

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Vanguard Records

Buy @ Amazon

The Living Sisters MySpace

Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke’s new album Curiouser will make its U.S. debut on March 16th. Kate is being championed as the heir to avante-pop stars like Lene Lovich and Cyndi Lauper, but I personally think this album sounds like a collaboration between Kate Bush and Lady Gaga. Mainstream pop fans will definitely enjoy this disc, as will those searching for catchy tunes with lyrical substance.

Opening tracks “The One Thing I Know” and “God’s Gift To Women” layer infectious hooks with Kate’s eccentric soprano.

The upbeat melody of “Caught In The Crowd” masks lyrics about a victim of school bullying, and “The Last Day on Earth” is a fragile piano ballad.

“Can’t Shake It” is pure disco, while “I Like You Better When You’re Not Around” is a quirky pop ditty about a vicious so-called friend.

The stunning “Politics in Space” weaves sci-fi imagery and operatic vocals with a chain gang stomp.

Kate Miller-Heidke – Politics in Space (mp3) *
Kate Miller-Heidke – Caught In The Crowd (mp3) *

*mp3s hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

Kate Miller-Heidke Official Site
Kate Miller-Heidke MySpace

Sade released her first new album in a decade, Soldier of Love, on February 9th. The British-Nigerian singer-songwriter is probably best known for the hit single “Smooth Operator” from her 1984 debut Diamond Life, but long-time fans like me also know her for great songs like “Sweetest Taboo” and “Is It A Crime?” from 1985’s Promise as well as the beautiful ballad “No Ordinary Love” from 1992’s Love Deluxe. Whether you’re already familiar with Sade’s music or not, Soldier of Love is an album everyone should hear.

I’m at the borderline of my faith
I’m at the hinterland of my devotion
I’m in the front line of this battle of mine
But I’m still alive

The title track to Soldier of Love immediately stands out from the rest of the album. The vocals are unmistakably Sade’s, but the militant beats and electronic pulses layered with rock guitar riffs are something new to her repertoire.

“Morning Bird” mingles melancholy strings with a striking, sparse piano melody somewhere between Joni Mitchell’s “River” and Nina Simone’s “Wild as the Wind.” And “Babyfather” is a light reggae-pop ditty.

Otherwise, Sade isn’t really breaking new ground here. But she doesn’t need to. Her unique blend of sultry jazz, soul, and pop sounds as refreshing today as it did 25 years ago.

When asked why it took so long for her to record another album after 2000’s Lovers Rock, Sade’s explanation was “I only make records when I feel I have something to say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something. Sade is not a brand.“

That kind of strong artistic integrity combined with an exquisitely exotic voice and elegant melodies give Sade’s music a rare grace and beauty.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples and watch the title track video at the links below…

Sade – Soldier of Love (Video) *

*video hosted by AOL & link posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

Sade Official Site
Sade MySpace

If you watched this year’s Grammy Awards, then you’ve already seen and heard Irish singer Imelda May. Imelda was the spitfire who sang the “How High The Moon” tribute to Les Paul with guitarist Jeff Beck. The Dublin native’s album Love Tattoo features a similar retro rock-a-billy sound.

What sets Imelda apart from other rockabilly acts is her incorporation of traditional Irish and jazz instrumentation into her rocked out arrangements. Imelda herself plays bodhrán while her band members contribute trumpet, flugal horn, and piano.

The jazz influence is most apparent in the upbeat horns of “Feel Me” as well as Imelda’s sultry vocals in the torch songs “Knock 123″ and “Meet You at the Moon.”

The real driving force behind the album is unquestionably Imelda’s growl and those revved up guitars – such as in the sizzling opener “Johnny Got a Boom Boom,” “Big Bad Handsome Man,” “Smotherin’ Me,” and especially the wailing chorus of “Smokers’ Song.”

Imelda wrote every song on the album except the traditional “Wild About My Lovin’” and “It’s Your Voodoo Working.” Both covers are fun, but it’s originals that stand out most.

Love Tattoo ends with a bang thanks to the hyperactive Latin horns and punk attitude of “Watcha Gonna Do.”

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Buy @ Amazon

Imelda May Official Site
Imelda May MySpace

I wasn’t a big fan of Massive Attack in the 1990s and early aughts. I’ve always viewed Faithless and Morcheeba as superior trip-hop acts. But they’ve finally caught my attention with their new album Heligoland, which features guest vocals by TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, Martina Topley Bird, and Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval.

“Pray For Rain” has a slow start, but the chanting refrain in the second half of the song is mesmeric. TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe guests on the track.

“Splitting The Atom” trips through atmospheric beats, skips, claps, and stomps. And Hope Sandoval pours her honey voice into “Paradise Circus.”

After that, though, the album falls flat for me. I normally like Martina Topley Bird, but strangely it’s the tracks featuring her voice that are the weakest – “Psyche” is particularly grating.

So as I said, Massive Attack finally caught my attention…but they only half succeeded in holding it. In the end, I think Heligoland is a disc of pretty good singles rather than a solid album. If you generally like Massive Attack, you may like it far more than I do. But while certain songs merit repeat plays, I doubt I’ll even remember this album at the end of the year.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3 and I see no point in posting the authorized remixes in this review, because they aren’t on the album. But if you want to download the remixes, you can find them all at Hype Machine.

Buy @ Amazon

Massive Attack Official Site

I also received another copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s new album The Sea from her label. So time for another CD giveaway! Granted, I gave the album an unfavorable review, but I seem to be the only person in the world who doesn’t like it and I’m curious if you readers agree or disagree with my opinion. See contest details below.

The Prize:

One U.S. winner will receive:
1 copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s new CD The Sea

The Rules:

Comment to this entry with “Corinne” and your email address. All new comments are moderated to avoid spam (which is why you must include the name of the artist in your comment), so it may take a day for your comment to appear if you haven’t commented on Muruch before.

Note: This contest is only open to U.S. residents, and all contestants must enter with a valid email address and the name of the artist in order to qualify. The winner of the contest will also be required to provide me with their full name and postal address for shipping purposes.

The Deadline:

The contest will end on Friday, March 12th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Go now go! And tell others.

Album Review

Buy @ Amazon

For some inexplicable reason, I received yet another copy of Madison Violet’s No Fool For Trying album from their label. So time for another CD giveaway! See contest details below.

The Prize:

One U.S. winner will receive:
1 copy of Madison Violet’s new CD No Fool For Trying.

The Rules:

Comment to this entry with “Madison Violet” and your email address. All new comments are moderated to avoid spam (which is why you must include the name of the artist in your comment), so it may take a day for your comment to appear if you haven’t commented on Muruch before.

Note: This contest is only open to U.S. residents, and all contestants must enter with a valid email address and the name of the artist in order to qualify. The winner of the contest will also be required to provide me with their full name and postal address for shipping purposes.

The Deadline:

The contest will end on Friday, March 12th. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email.

Go now go! And tell others.

Album Review

Buy @ Amazon

On his new album Irish Classics, pianist John O’Conor transforms traditional Irish songs into classical compositions with the help of the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

Among the Irish tunes that John O’Conor and the Irish Chamber Orchestra remake with serene, classical arrangements are “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen,” “She Moved Through the Fair,” “Cockles and Mussels,” and “The Rocky Road to Dublin.”

My personal favorite is O’Conor’s beautiful cover of “The Last Rose of Summer.”

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Buy @ Amazon

John O’Conor Official Site

Bounce Back is the upcoming release by singer-songwriter and actor Creed Bratton. The former lead guitarist of The Grassroots, Creed is probably best known now for his quirky character on The Office. Whether you heard his previous self-titled album or not, I recommend checking out Bounce Back. With the help of his backing band The 3DVB’s and his The Office co-star Ed Helms, Creed has made an unusual, funny, funky, and all around awesome album. The promo he sent me included the note “Hi Victoria, Hope you dig it!” Indeed I do.

The catchy single “Rubber Tree” (which I posted last December) features Ed Helms on banjo and is a good representation of the album’s blend of folk, pop, and rock.

A psychedelic cover of “Let’s Get Lost” follows. After hearing Creed croon the Chet Baker tune during our phone conversation two years ago, I kinda wish he’d recorded a straightforward jazz rendition. But this trippy, pedal steeled duet with singer Tara Holloway is pretty awesome.

“Love Me Like You Dance” is a fun Hawaiian Honky-Tonk ditty, while tracks like “Then I Think of You” and “Matters Like This” are more sincere ballads.

The vocals and instrumentation on the album are seriously good, but the lyrics are often pure comedy. My personal favorite lines are “You’re a warm piece of jerky” from the Alejandro Escovedo meets Talking Heads guitar grinder “Change that Channel” and “You had crimson jeans covered in spam” in the wonderfully nonsensical finale “My Heart’s an Open Book.”

But it’s the bizarre, bluesy Western stomper “Driving the Drags” that really steals the show.

Creed Bratton – Rubber Tree (mp3) *

*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist

The album’s release date has been pushed back to March. It will then be available for purchase at the following links.

Pre-order @ Amazon (not yet available)

Creed Bratton Official Site

Anaïs Mitchell is already known as a phenomenal singer-songwriter, but now she has proven herself to be a brilliant poet and playwright with her new album Hadestown. This studio recording of Mitchell’s “folk opera” will be released on March 9th by Righteous Babe Records, and features such well known guest vocalists as Ani Difranco, Greg Brown, Petra Haden, Bon Iver, and Ben Knox Milller of The Low Anthem. In Hadestown, Anaïs transforms the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice into a post-apocalyptic American fable with Depression era style and indie-folk sensibility. This gorgeous, exciting project reminds me why I love music so much and why I love writing about music so much.

the enemy is poverty and the wall keeps out the enemy
that’s why we build the wall, we build the wall to keep us free

I should preface this review by saying that Hadestown should not be avoided if you dislike musicals or concept albums. I know many people were turned off by The Decemberist’s Hazards of Love since the tracks were difficult to listen to individually. But the songs of Hadestown stand strong on their own and together make a magnificent album. It is what I would imagine Les Misérables might have sounded like if it had been written by Woody Guthrie.

The underworld in Hadestown is a corrupt company town with a gold mine. Surrounded by a country sunk deep into financial crisis, the inhabitants of Hadestown have been tricked into viewing their walled city as a safe haven. The common people mindlessly follow their oppressive ruler Hades out of fear and greed, trading their freedom for a false sense of security.

Anaïs uses this as the setting for a retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, in which a devoted musician travels to the underworld to retrieve his dead bride.

Anaïs Mitchell originally wrote the stage musical in collaboration with director Ben Matchstick and orchestrator Michael Chorney, and the folk opera was performed in Vermont in 2006 before going on tour throughout New England. When it came time to record the album, Anaïs reworked many of the songs and put together a new cast of indie stars Ani Difranco, Bon Iver, Petra Haden, and The Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Milller, as well as folk favorite Greg Brown.

I was initially disappointed that Anaïs didn’t choose to sing every song herself. I adored her simple, heartfelt solo interpretation of “Hades and Persephone” on The Brightness and the haunting rendition of “Why We Build The Wall” she performed when I saw her live at Mountain Stage two years ago.

The thought of Greg Brown’s presence in particular made me cringe. Enduring two painful Mountain Stage performances by Brown had put him on my “things I intensely dislike” list somewhere between Taylor Swift and Dane Cook.

I also thought Bon Iver had been horribly miscast as Orpheus. The mythical Orpheus was supposed to be such a supernaturally gifted musician that even nature and inanimate objects fell under the spell of his voice and lyre. I felt that kind of character really called for stronger pipes than Bon Iver’s mellow voice.

However, listening to the album erased all of the disappointments and pre-conceptions I had. I still would have liked a bonus disc of Anaïs performing the songs alone. But in the context of the Hadestown story, every casting choice makes perfect sense and Anaïs has made me love Greg Brown and Bon Iver with the substantial material she gave them to sing.

Bon Iver (credited as Justin Vernon) plays an optimistic, boyish Orpheus. The album opens with “Wedding Song”, a duet between Orpheus and his new bride Eurydice – portrayed here beautifully in the sweet tones of Anaïs Mitchell.

The barking of stray dogs and a lone harmonica herald in the dazzling “Way Down in Hadestown.” The Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Milller (as messenger Hermes) leads Bon Iver, Ani Difranco, Anaïs Mitchell, and a chorus of former Hadestown cast members in a sing-a-long propelled by Tin Pan Alley instrumentation. It only took one listen and I was singing along. This song belongs on Broadway.

“Hey, Little Songbird” finds the dulcet tones of Eurydice tangling with the sinister, seductive growl of Hades. Greg Brown’s Hades is all jaded, bitter, gristled blues, and his voice has never sounded better. The deep gravel of his throat is especially effective in the xenophobic anthem “Why We Build The Wall,” in which Hades and his brainwashed “children” engage in a call-and-response recitation of the wall’s chilling purpose.

Vernon’s Orpheus has taken on a melancholy tone as he follows Hermes’ whispered directions to the underworld in “Wait For Me,” and seems to consider abandoning his quest before regaining his courage in “If It’s True.”

There are no innocent victims in Hadestown. Eurydice and Persephone are traditionally viewed as chaste maidens who are held hostage by evil Hades, but these musical counterparts seem to have brought themselves to the underworld with their own moral weaknesses.

Eurydice pines for her lost love and former life in “Gone, I’m Gone” and “Flowers (Eurydice’s Song),” while The Fates (Petra Haden and her sisters – billled as The Haden Triplets) slide in to taunt her with menacing Andrews Sisters croons on “When The Chips Are Down” and “Nothing Changes.”

Ani Difranco’s rich inflections add a new dimension to the character of Persephone. “Our Lady of the Underground” has a Mae West swagger and runs a subversive speakeasy in her infamous husband’s murky world.

In the original myth, not even the cold heart of Hades can resist the beauty of Orpheus’ music, and so he is granted permission to bring Eurydice back to the world of the living. In Hadestown, however, it’s the persuasion of Persephone that convinces the dark king to release the two young lovers.

Ani Difranco and Greg Brown give the most emotional vocal performances of their respective careers in their duet of “How Long?” – a revamped version of “Hades and Persephone.” As much as I loved Anaïs’ original recording, Difranco and Brown truly bring the characters of Hades and Persephone to life as they argue over the fate of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Hades contemplates the effect his compromise might have on the power he holds over his kingdom in “His Kiss The Riot,” but in the end allows the young couple to escape on the sole condition that Orpheus not look back at Eurydice on the way out.

“Doubt Comes In” as Hades predicts when Orpheus is unable to keep his eyes off his beloved for the entire journey for fear she has fallen behind. As a result of his doubt, she is pulled back into the underworld and he loses her forever.

The tragic tale ends with the lament “I Raise My Cup To Him,” a lovely duet between Anaïs Mitchell and Ani Difranco as Eurydice and Persephone.

There are several videos on YouTube from the original Hadestown productions, and you can hear Anaïs Mitchell’s performance at Mountain Stage of “Why We Build The Wall” at NPR.

Anaïs Mitchell – Flowers (mp3) *
Anaïs Mitchell – Wait for Me (mp3) *

*mp3s hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep Toolshed Media on behalf of Righteous Babe Records

Buy @ Amazon

Anaïs Mitchell Official Site
Hadestown MySpace

Juliana Hatfield will release her eleventh solo album Peace & Love on February 16th on her own label, Ye Olde Records. The singer-songwriter with the angelic voice produced and engineered the album herself, and also played every instrument heard on this stripped down, mostly acoustic project.

Recorded on her brother’s eight-track digital recorder, Juliana delves into the most intimate and sparse of acoustics for most of Peace & Love. Sometimes this approach works very well, other times it results in disappointment.

The weaker tracks are “The End of War,” “Why Can’t We Love Each Other,” and especially “Butterflies.” Not that any of these songs are bad when taken individually, but the bare bones arrangements and sugary vocals get a little monotonous when listening to the album straight through.

Somehow, though, even the album’s flaws make it more endearing, more human. And each song contains at least one lyric that resonates…

Initially I thought I would also include the album’s title track in the weak list, but it turned out to be a grower. I suspect that’s true of the entire recording.

Perhaps it’s just that I love the overall concept of stripping everything away. I’m so sick of over-produced, Auto-Tune-abusing, pseudo artists. Even in it’s most uneventful moments, Peace & Love is refreshing in its simplicity.

Things start picking up with a short electric guitar riff in “What Is Wrong,” which helps to anchor Juliana’s delicate, skyscraper soprano.

The highlight of the album is without a doubt the love song “Evan” – an ode to Juliana’s ex, Evan Dando of the Lemonheads. Never has a post-breakup ballad sounded so sweet, humble, and heartfelt. It’s possibly the most perfect, girlie love song ever written.

The romantically resigned refrain “Evan, I just love you, I guess” isn’t exactly Shakespeare, but Juliana sings it with such sincere emotion that it feels like it is. The song also has the prettiest, most interesting instrumentation on the album.

The unrequited love pop ditty “Let’s Go Home” and the my-man-done-me-wrong-but-I-got-friends anthem “Faith in Our Friends” are as upbeat as it gets here. Another highlight is “I’m Disappearing,” which balances somber lyrics with a heavier arrangement.

The finale “Dear Anonymous” will connect with anyone who has ever received a nasty comment from some nameless internet troll, but the song takes a somewhat compassionate, turn the other cheek stance on the subject.

I’m very excited that Juliana will perform at Mountain Stage this Sunday, February 7th. And not just because she was in My So-Called Life.

Juliana Hatfield – Evan (mp3) *

*mp3 posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

Juliana Hatfield Official Site
Juliana Hatfield My Space

Corinne Bailey Rae’s sophomore album The Sea was just released yesterday. Strangely, The Sea is being promoted and reviewed as a “raw, less manicured sound” than Rae’s self-titled debut. Yet I feel the opposite is true. The languid, jazz-influenced intimacy of Corinne’s debut has been replaced with a bigger, blander, much more polished sound.

The Sea was one of my most anticipated releases of the new year, but has turned out to be my first big disappointment of 2010. I really wanted and have tried to like this album, but it just seems to annoy and bore me more with each listen.

Many of the songs on The Sea were inspired by the death of Corinne’s husband. But the potential poignancy is often sadly lost in lackluster arrangements, beginning with the opener “Are You Here?.” The lovely ballad “I Would Like to Call It Beauty” does a better job of capturing its emotional inspiration, but I always lose patience with the album before then.

“I’d Do It All Again” initially resurrects the gentle acoustic style of Corinne’s debut, but gradually churns up into a desperate, surging keen. This could’ve been interesting, but (like many of the tracks) the repetitive nature of the chorus gets in the way. And while Corinne’s delicate voice is beautifully suited to softer melodies, this is one of many examples of what seems to be a failed attempt to imitate Alicia Keys.

The glossy production is most glaringly apparent in the grating hyper-pop choruses of “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” and “Paper Dolls.” However, the rocked up retro pop-soul ditty “The Blackest Lily” achieves a catchy, radio friendly sound, and the album does end on an upward swing…

“Diving For Hearts” finally succeeds in combining Corinne’s graceful past with her ambitious present, embellishing a pretty melody with a funky psychedelic rock chorus. And the album’s title track is the whisper soft finale.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Buy @ Amazon

Corinne Bailey Rae

Go Easy Little Doves is the sophomore album from Nashville singer-songwriter Brooke Waggoner. Brooke self-produced the album, which features twelve songs she wrote over the span of a decade. The lengthy creative time certainly paid off, resulting in an unusually beautiful artistic work.

The album opens with two instrumentals – “Query” and “Ruminate” – before melting into the title track.

“Go Easy Little Doves, I’ll Be Fine” gracefully glides through gentle verses and a haunting string-accented chorus with echoing vocals. The song falls somewhere between Kate Bush and Fleetwood Mac, and I love it.

The title of the delicate “Meek, Wild” aptly describes the entire album. Brooke’s voice is often a quiet hush, yet there’s a fierceness to it.

“Femmes” is a great example of this juxtaposition of softness and ferocity, combining Bat For Lashes tribal beats with Medieaval Baebes chants.

Other songs, such as “Find Her Floods” and “Wish for Bridges,” layer Brooke’s ethereal voice over serene string arrangements. The sprawling piano and Julee Cruise crooning of “Body” would’ve fit perfectly in an episode of Twin Peaks.

Brooke will perform live at Mountain Stage on February 7th, along with Juliana Hatfield, The Watson Twins, Dashboard Confessional, and Clare & The Reasons. I think it’ll be a great show.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Buy @ Amazon

Brooke Waggoner Official Site

Daphne Willis’ debut album What To Say will be released by Vanguard Records on February 9th. Daphne is a twenty-two year old singer-songwriter from Chicago. Her soulful voice calls to mind Corinne Bailey Rae, but her blend of organic acoustics and gritty guitar riffs is something else entirely.

“Everybody Else” opens with a funky mix of soul and rock reminiscent of Nikka Costa or Joss Stone. The ballad “Bluff” eases back into a softer pop sound, and songs like “Far Away” and “Love and Hate” fall into a mellow pop-folk vibe.

“All I Know” and the hyperspeed “Not Always Easy” bloom into a full-fledged pop radio tempo tempered with bursts of retro brass.

The upbeat delicacy of “Still Tryin’” in particular calls to mind Corinne Bailey Rae or the gentler side of Morcheeba, and there are hints of Feist in the closer “Jim Thonton.”

There’s room for improvement – I’d like to hear Daphne incorporate a rougher blues style into her vocals and arrangements … or at least drop some of the pop polish in the production. But overall, it’s a fun ride and there’s plenty of potential in this talented young star.

Daphne Willis – What To Say (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Vanguard Records

The album is not yet available for purchase, but you can buy it at the links below on February 9th…

Pre-order @ Amazon

Daphne Willis Official Site (Buy CD)
Daphne Willis MySpace

In The Indigo is the debut album by jazz singer Nancy Harms. The Minnesota native has been singing since the age of four, but she was not exposed to jazz until her college years. Her delayed jazz education did nothing to hinder her ability to croon like the classic jazz divas. Her voice falls somewhere between the smooth quality of Jane Monheit and the interesting inflection of Madeleine Peyroux.

In The Indigo features a selection of originals and a wide variety of covers. Nancy successfully tackles classics like “Bye Bye Blackbird,” “On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever),” and “Cry Me A River.” Most notably, she transforms the bland John Mayer tune “Great Indoors” into a sultry jazz ballad. Her warm, lovely voice can apparently make any song beautiful.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can hear samples at the links below.

Buy @ Amazon

Nancy Harms Official Site
Nancy Harms MySpace

Eric Bibb’s new album Booker’s Guitar, a tribute to Delta blues guitarist Booker White, will be released on January 26th. I was privileged enough to hear a small preview of Bibb’s new disc when I saw him play at Mountain Stage last year, and I’m happy to say the album lives up to that performance.

The title track softly opens Booker’s Guitar with the true story of how a fan brought Bibb a vintage steel-body guitar that once belonged to legendary bluesman Booker White. That guitar was what first inspired Bibb to record these songs.

It’s the pure Delta blues number “With My Maker I Am One” that really revs up the album. The rest of the disc follows that gorgeous traditional blues path, to which Eric Bibb’s rich voice is perfectly suited.

The liner notes include brief descriptions by Bibb of the stories behind each track. I was surprised to find that, with two exceptions, Bibb wrote all of the songs. He so flawlessly captures the sound of vintage blues that I thought it was a cover album.

The album’s only two covers are the traditional “Wayfaring Stranger” and Blind Willie Johnson’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine,” in which Grant Dermody’s harmonica steals spotlight. As I’ve said before, “Wayfaring Stranger” is an easy song for just about any singer to do well. But Bibb’s heartfelt croon is definitely one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard.

Bibb calls his own “One Soul to Save,” which was partly inspired by James McBride’s novel Song Yet Sung, a sequel to “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” And “New Home” is a mellowly optimistic tune about a 1930s laborer with big dreams.

The somber “Flood Waters” was written about the great Mississippi flood of 1927, but it’s impossible not to think of Hurricane Katrina while listening to it.

“Turning Pages” is a wonderful theme song for bookworms like me. Bibb sings about his lifelong love of reading and mentions some of his favorite authors. Nancy Drew and Shakespeare set to the blues, no wonder I love this guy!

Eric Bibb – With My Maker I Am One (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of Telarc Records on behalf of Concord Music Group

Buy @ Amazon

Eric Bibb Official Site

The new Deluxe Edition of Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club is a 3-disc set containing Crow’s debut album, a disc of B-Sides, Rarities, and Out-takes, and a DVD with a documentary filmed during the 1993-95 tour as well as the videos for all six of the album’s singles. Listening to the album again for this review made me remember how much I loved it and why I was so disappointed when Sheryl abandoned the organic style that made her famous in favor of the vapid pop sound of her recent releases. I hope this re-release will makes her remember, too.

I realize that most generations view the decade of their teenage years as the Golden Age of entertainment. For me it was the 1990s. I loved it all – My So-Called Life, grunge and “alternative” (music and clothes), and the various female singer-songwriters who would eventually be lumped together at Lilith Fair.

As with Jewel and Tori Amos, I’m sometimes embarrassed to admit my past as a Sheryl Crow fan in light of the rubbish that they’ve all recorded in the aughts. But I still think Sheryl Crow’s first three albums are very good. Especially her 1993 debut Tuesday Night Music Club.

If the only song you know from the album is the overplayed hit single “All I Wanna Do,” you’ve missed out. It’s actually the weakest track on the disc. The other songs run the gamut from blues, jazz, pop, and rock – usually all within the same song.

I bought the cassette (early ’90s folks) after hearing the album’s lesser known first and second singles “Run, Baby, Run” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” I was a chronic insomniac in high school, and Tuesday Night Music Club was one of the tapes (along with the debuts by Tori Amos, Björk, The Cranberries, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soul Asylum) that I popped in my walkman every night as I would lay wide awake in my earphones.

Among my favorite tracks then and now: the atmospheric opening anthem “Run, Baby, Run,” the ballads “Strong Enough” and beautiful “I Shall Believe,” and especially the lovely, melancholy jazz number “We Do What We Can.” The latter was inspired by Sheryl’s father, Wendall Crow, who played trumpet on the track.

The second “B-Sides, Rarities, and Out-takes” disc is mostly lackluster, but the inclusion of two songs makes the entire set worth it: “On the Outside” is Crow’s uncharacteristically haunting ballad from The X-Files soundtrack Songs In The Key Of X, and her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “D’yer Maker” was my favorite track on the Encomium tribute album.

I was not granted permission to share an mp3, but you can stream one of the previously unreleased tracks below…

Sheryl Crow – Coffee Shop (audio stream)*

Buy @ Amazon

Sheryl Crow Official Site

*stream hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist’s PR rep

In addition to my usual year end lists, I’ve also compiled Best of the Decade lists. Following are my favorite albums that were released between 2000-2009…

25. Muse: The Resistance

This is one of those albums that has classic potential, and I expect to move its way up the list as the years go by. A quote from my review: “Integrating classical and opera music into their theatrical electro-rock sound, Muse have created one of the most exciting song cycles I’ve ever heard.”

Buy @ Amazon

24. Gaba Kulka: Hat, Rabbit

It was difficult to narrow how Gaba’s releases to just one, but I think her latest is her strongest to date. As I said when I named it #4 on my Top Albums list, it is “probably the most unusual and creative album” of 2009.

Buy @ Artist’s Site

23. Soundtrack: Once

The soundtrack to the Irish independent film Once features The Swell Season’s Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I said in my 2007 review that Hansard’s “lyrics are deeply poetic, his music is heart-wrenchingly lovely, and his beautifully raw voice conveys emotion as if the man were literally ripping his own chest open as he sings.”

Buy @ Amazon

22. Antony & The Johnsons: Antony & The Johnsons

Instead of a best of 2005 list, I deemed it The Year of the Bird and that post says everything about how Antony’s music made me feel when I first heard it. While I Am A Bird Now was their more popular release, I’ve always favored their self-titled 2000 album.

Buy @ Amazon

21. Pina: Quick Look

Pina sadly remains my best kept secret. I discovered her in the early aughts when a French pal shared mp3s of “I Loved the Way” and “Bring Me a Biscuit.” I also love Pina’s 2005 release Guess You Got It, but the rougher edges of Quick Look’s production fit better with her “Gothic folk” style.

Buy @ Amazon

20. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson: Rattlin’ Bones

My 2008 review summed it up: “The flawless beauty of this album is almost beyond my comprehension.“

Buy @ Amazon

19. Hem: Funnel Cloud

I like this album even more now than when I called it a “nearly perfect album” in my 2007 review.

Buy @ Amazon

18. Damien Dempsey: To Hell or Barbados

As I stated in my 2007 review, the album is a “genre-hop through folk, rock, electronica, and reggae…but the genre gymnastics still take a back seat to the stunning quality of Dempsey’s voice.”

Buy @ Amazon

17. Anais Mitchell: The Brightness

My 2007 review said: “Like the greatest of classic literature, the compositions on The Brightness are the kind that softly seep through your skin and slowly make their way into your heart and mind before exploding in dazzling display of amazement.”

Buy @ Amazon

14. Xavier Rudd: Dark Shades of Blue

Xavier has quickly become my favorite male artist in recent years, and as I said in my 2008 review: “the astounding quality of his songs make me wonder if future generations might consider Xavier Rudd to be the greatest artist of this era.”

Buy @ Amazon

15. Mavis Staples: Never Turn Back

I’m almost ashamed not to put this at #1, because in many ways this is the greatest album of the past two or three decades. I simply don’t listen to it often as the albums listed below. I suppose this is because the weighty subject matter requires a certain mood. But as I said when I reviewed it two years ago: “We’ll Never Turn Back is what music should be. Gut-wrenching blues, earth shaking beats, hip swaying rhythms, deeply moving lyrics, and a rich voice that defies description.“

Buy @ Amazon

14. Luminescent Orchestrii: Too Hot to Sleep

I deemed 2005 “the year of the bird,” but that’s only because I didn’t hear Luminescent Orchestrii until 2007 when I said: “there’s a definite connection between their frenzied, violent approach to orchestral instruments and the punk cabaret of The Dresden Dolls, but neither description fully captures their unique and unearthly sound.“

Buy @ Amazon

13. Flogging Molly: Swagger

This album ushered in the Celtic Punk craze of the decade. There’s no such thing as a bad Flogging Molly album, but this one was definitely their best.

Buy @ Amazon

12. Vienna Teng: Inland Territory

In my review I called Inland Territory a grand “display of Vienna Teng’s brilliance, grace, and talent.” I continue to fall more and more in love with this album with each listen.

Buy @ Amazon

11. Kurt Vonnegut & Dave Soldier: Ice-9 Ballads

My #1 album of 2009. As I said in my review: “I can’t imagine a more perfect score for my favorite novel of all time.”

Buy @ Amazon

10. Mary Timony: Mountains

I had never heard of former Helium singer Mary Timony until a friend sent me this album shortly after its 2000 release. Mary’s unusual mix of Medieval folk, chamber pop, and indie-rock was unlike anything I’d heard before, and it remains one of the most strangely beautiful recordings I’ve ever heard.

Buy @ Amazon

9. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: The Whole Fam Damnily

My #1 album of 2008. In my review, I called it an “inebriating concoction of swamp stomp and backwoods pluck.” But in subsequent listens I’ve found myself drawn more to The Rev’s lyrics, which accurately capture the perils of modern rural life.

Buy @ Amazon

8. Allison Crowe: Live at Wood Hall

Oh that voice! Still gives me chills. I’ve posted about Allison Crowe so many times over the years that I consider her Muruch’s musical mascot. As I said in my 2007 review: “there’s really no way to convey through mere words how much the music on Allison Crowe’s Live At Wood Hall moves me” Forget Susan Boyle, Allison sang the definitive cover of “I Dreamed a Dream.” (mp3)*

Buy @ Amazon

7. Soundtrack: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More With Feeling

I always call it the “Buffy Musical” rather than its proper title Once More With Feeling.” Years before Dr. Horrible, Joss Whedon wrote a hilarious, poignant, and very catchy musical for an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I don’t know how well the songs translate if you never watched the Buffy series, but I still love singing along to the soundtrack. The album features vocals by actors Sarah Michelle Gellar, Allison Hannigan, Michelle Trachtenberg, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, and Anthony Stewart Head. This is an example of why file sharing works – I and several friends burned our own soundtracks from mp3s recorded directly from the televised episode long before the soundtrack was released, yet we all purchased the official album once it became available.

Buy @ Amazon

6. Xavier Rudd: White Moth

I could easily include all of Xavier Rudd’s albums on this list, but I tried to limit myself to just two. My 2008 review said: “Rudd deems the album his “proudest work” and it’s easy to understand why.” But it’s really only been with repeated listens over the past two years that I’ve grown to love and truly appreciate its magnificence. And nothing speaks to the greatness of an album like having a panic attack when you think you’ve lost it and knowing you must replace it immediately. Fortunately, I found my copy!

Buy @ Amazon

5. Damien Rice: O

Unlike most Americans, I heard and fell in love with O when it was originally released in Ireland in 2001. My clothbound first edition of the album is a collector’s item now, but I wouldn’t part with it for anything. Rice seems to have faced some post-hype backlash in recent years, but that doesn’t erase the brilliance of this album. Most remember it for Lisa Hannigan’s delicate harmonies, but Rice’s use of strings and opera music were also very unique at the time. And the album as a whole has withstood changing trends in music over the years.

Buy @ Amazon

4. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine

This is another example of why file sharing can have a positive effect on album sales. Remember “Free Fiona”? If you don’t, Fiona recorded a version of this album with producer Jon Brion and her label initially refused to release it. Mp3s of the demos were leaked online, the fans loved them, and a huge campaign called “Free Fiona” was launched in hopes of getting the album released. It worked, though Fiona re-recorded most of the album for the official release. I was one of many who purchased the album even though I had the demo mp3s. My 2005 review also shifted the focus of this site from simply sharing music to encouraging people to purchase albums. It has since become one of my favorite albums ever, and I hope Fiona decides to grace us with another release in the near future.

Buy @ Amazon

3. Soundtrack: Hedwig & The Angry Inch

Among the 2000-04 archives of this site that have been lost were my reviewes of the movie Hedwig & The Angry Inch (which I saw in a double bill with The Anniversary Party at a local film festival) and its soundtrack. Whether or not you’re familiar with John Cameron Mitchell’s awesome musical about a German transgender rocker, the soundtrack is one of the best rock albums of all time. There are thunderous punk rock numbers like “Angry Inch” and heart-melting ballads like “Origin of Love.” Why Mitchell continues to act instead of record music is a mystery to me.

Buy @ Amazon

2. Old Crow Medicine Show: Big Iron World

In my November, 2006 review, I said “I don’t believe I’ve ever said this about an album before, but I think Old Crow Medicine Show’s Big Iron World is just about perfect.” I stand by that statement. I’ve played this album more than any other released in the past three years, and only one band could keep it from the number 1 spot…

Buy @ Amazon

1. The Dresden Dolls: The Dresden Dolls

Anyone who knows me or has been a longtime reader of this site knows that The Dresden Dolls are/were my favorite band. My posts about their self-titled debut (and the live A Is For Accident album that preceded it) were also lost with early archives of this site, but I’ve raved every other Dresden Dolls release since then. After “Over the Rainbow”, The Dresden Doll’s “Girl Anachronism” is my favorite song and this is possibly my all-time favorite album. Amanda Palmer proves without a doubt that – in the right hands – the piano is the most punk rock of all instruments.

Buy @ Amazon

*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist

Traces is the new album by former eastmountainsouth singer-songwriter Peter Bradley Adams. Written and recorded within six months of his previous release leavetaking, the new disc follows through on Peter’s pretty blend of languid folk and dusky Americana.

The songs on Traces flow seamlessly and beautifully together. So much so that it’s difficult to pick a stand out, but if I had to it would be the gentle ballad “For You.”

Also of note are the slightly darker, melancholy melodies of “I Won’t” and “Darkening Sky.”

Angel Snow sings on several tracks, and Katie Herzig lends her voice to “Family Name” and “Heart of a Girl.”

Singer-songwriter Claire Small returns for “I Cannot Settle Down.” I saw Claire perform with Peter at Mountain Stage last year, and also reviewed her solo album Ledger.

Peter Bradley Adams – For You (mp3 removed)*

*mp3 provided by & posted w/ permission of artist’s label. The above mp3 will be removed from my server in two weeks, but Peter has also made the song available for free download on his site…

Peter Bradley Adams – For You (download page)

Buy @ Amazon

Peter Bradley Adams Official Site

Strict Joy is the recently released sophomore album by The Swell Season. If you don’t recognize the name, The Swell Season is composed of Glen Hansard and other members of The Frames, along with Marketa Irglova of the film Once (the soundtrack of which was on my 2007 Top Albums list). The Swell Season derive their name from Hansard’s favourite novel by Josef Škvorecký, and the album’s title refers to the poem “Strict Joy” by Irish poet James Stephens.

there’s diamonds growing in the mountain
beneath the pressure of all time
they grow in hope and expectation
waiting for your hands to find

I’m very torn on how to review this album. I wish so much that I could gush and rave about it, because I think the band is truly talented and they all seem like such nice, humble people. And had I never heard Glen Hansard’s music before, I might have a higher opinion of this release.

But it’s difficult to avoid disappointment when comparing these new songs to his previous efforts, all of which featured dramatic, intricate arrangements and incredibly emotional vocals. Maybe I’ve been spoiled in the past by the instant gratification of songs like “Revelate” and “Falling Slowly.” I suppose I just miss the sound of Glen wailing his heart out of his chest as the music quaked and soared beneath his vocals.

This time around the heartache seeps out in a gentle, gradual manner with a much simpler, mellow acoustic sound. Songs like “Low Rising” in particular seem to imitate but don’t quite capture the breezy romantic style of Van Morrison’s “Into The Mystic,” a song The Swell Season has covered several times in the past two years. Being likened to Morrison is certainly a compliment and “Into The Mystic” is one of my favorite songs of all time, but Strict Joy is just not the immediately mesmeric and moving experience I’ve come to expect from a Hansard album.

Still, Glen Hansard at his weakest is light years ahead of every other artist, so take the preceding paragraphs with the proverbial grain of salt. I realize I tend to hold my favorite artists to a higher standard than others, and this may be a little unfair.

I think perhaps Strict Joy is a grower. The more urgent pace of “Feeling The Pull” and the quiet tension of “In These Arms” definitely have that crawl under your skin potential.

And the album is a lyrical masterpiece from beginning to end. The delicate, melancholy ballad “Fantasy Man,” in which Marketa takes lead vocal, is the stand out in this regard.

Ultimately, I hope this will be taken as a positive, but balanced review. If you can listen to the album without expectation, it’s beautiful in its own way. But if you go into it with memories of what once (no pun intended) was, it’s solid but slightly unsatisfactory.

The Swell Season – Low Rising (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 posted w/ permission of band’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

The Swell Season Official Site
The Swell Season Myspace

Listening to the self-titled debut album by singer-songwriter Grace Pettis, it’s no surprise to learn that she was recently awarded the “Best Song” prize in the Mountain Stage New Song Festival. Like last year’s winner Rose Polenzani, Grace is a very talented independent artist who plays and sings delicately beautiful songs.

Songs like the opener “The Gypsy’s Code” possess the dusky Western folk sound of Patty Griffin and Kate Rusby, and Grace’s voice has a warm lilt similar to Beth Nielson Chapman.

“Nine to Five Girl” is a melancholy blue collar anthem for all of the overworked, under tipped waitresses across America. It is the song that earned Grace the NewSong Festival award.

The album’s liner notes say Grace wrote the lovely ballad “A Bird May Love” when she was just fourteen years old. A duet with singer-guitarist Colin Brooks, it’s my personal favorite song on the album.

“What You Didn’t Want to Know” is a gentle communion between the performer and the heartbroken audience members that hear their lives reflected in her songs.

Also of note are the buoyant love ditty “Italy” and the fragile plea for affection “Speak Tenderly.”

Grace will graduate from college in May, and she wrote every beautiful song on her debut.

Grace Pettis – A Bird May Love (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 posted for limited time w/ permission of artist

Grace Pettis Official Site (Buy CD)

Buy @ Amazon (not yet available)

One of my favorite music blogs Wears The Trousers recently started their own record label, and their first release will be a tribute to legendary folk singer Odetta. As a great fan of Odetta’s (I had the privilege of seeing her perform live at Mountain Stage), I’m so glad that Wears The Trousers showed her due respect by selecting a talented group of contemporary female singers to carry on her grand legacy. The tribute will be released on November 30th and all profits from its sales will be split between two charities (The Fawcett Society and The Women’s Resource Centre) that benefit women.

Linda Draper’s softly buoyant, harmonica-accented rendition of “Sail Away” opens the tribute, but it is Ane Brun’s haunting croon of “If I Had A Ribbon Bow” that truly conjures up the musical spirit of Odetta.

The pop sheen of artists like Gemma Ray and Haunted Stereo seems a little out of place here. “900 Miles” and “Santy Ano” are substantial enough songs to anchor any vocal and these versions are certainly catchy, but I think other singers (such as Dayna Kurtz and Pamela Means) would’ve been better suited to the kind of music Odetta recorded. Fortunately, this is the only remotely negative remark I can make about the album.

Madam’s eerie Patti Smith-like wail of “Waterboy” and Kellli Ali’s delicate interpretation of “All The Pretty Little Horses” are absolutely gorgeous.

Sandy Dillon’s live acoustic recording of “Can’t Afford to Lose My Man” and Josephine Oniyama’s “The Gallows Pole” are superb recreations of Odetta’s unique brand of gritty fierceness and mellow femininity.

The album includes two versions of “All My Trials,” one by Anaïs Mitchell and the other by Marissa Nadler. I personally prefer the first cover by the incomparable Anaïs Mitchell. Marissa Nadler’s atmospheric take is unquestionably pretty, but Mitchell’s inflective vocal phrasing better represents the organic nature of Odetta’s music.

Katey Brooks belts out “What A Friend We Have”, while Arborea puts a gentle, wistful spin on “This Little Light of Mine” for the finale.

Track List:
01 Linda Draper: “Sail Away Ladies”
02 Ane Brun: “If I Had A Ribbon Bow”
03 Gemma Ray: “900 Miles”
04 Anaïs Mitchell: “All My Trials”
05 Haunted Stereo: “Santy Anno”
06 Madam: “Waterboy”
07 Sandy Dillon: “Can’t Afford To Lose My Man”
08 Ora Cogan: “Motherless Child”
09 Josephine Oniyama: “The Gallows Pole”
10 Pepi Ginsberg: “Beautiful Star”
11 Society Of Imaginary Friends: “Another Man Done Gone”
12 Marissa Nadler: “All My Trials”
13 Kelli Ali: “All The Pretty Little Horses”
14 Katey Brooks: “What A Friend We Have”
15 Liz Durrett: “Chilly Winds”
16 Arborea: “This Little Light Of Mine”

Ora Cogan – Motherless Child (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 posted w/ permission of label

You can currently pre-order physical or digital copies of the album through the label’s website and mp3s will soon be made available on Amazon and iTunes…

Pre-Order Album from Label

Buy @ Amazon (not yet available)

Buy @ Amazon.co.uk (not yet available)

Rykarda Parasol just released For Blood and Wine at the end of October. Much like her debut Our Hearts First Meet (one of my Top 2006 albums), the new song set delves into a noirish rock sound with lyrics that alternate between whiskey-splashed cabaret and blood-soaked Gothic poetry. In addition to writing and producing the new disc, Parasol has also independently released it as she searches for a new label.

the ivory lace was woven as a crawler’s web
the dress be bone, though my sash was rose-ed red
white henry in my hair and sapporo lily in my hand
at twenty and one hope is plenty – unrest hard to fathom 

From the eerie opening wails of “The Road is Long” through the gritty rock of “A Drinking Song,” For Blood and Wine is propelled by the dusky power of Rykarda’s voice.

Delicate piano winds through the beautiful and menacing “Widow in White,” which calls to mind Nick Cave’s murder ballad “Where the Wild Roses Grow.” Militant drum and a backing choir of male voices help shape the stunning “One For Joy!” into an ominous sea chantey. The two songs are my personal favorites on the album.

Just when tracks like “Oh My Blood” push the album to the edge of the blackest abyss, the sweet tones of “My Spirit Lives in Shadows” and “Je Suis Une Fleur” bring it back into murky light. Then the finale “Kindness, You’re Killing Me” breaks free of the album’s prevailing darkness with a gentle, melancholic folk strum.

I was not granted permission to share a full mp3 from the album, but Rykarda did provide the following mp3 clip and video. You can also hear more samples at the links below.

Rykarda Parasol – A Drinking Song (mp3) *

Rykarda Parasol – Je Suis Une Fleur (YouTube Video)

*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of artist

Buy @ Amazon

Rykarda Parasol Official Site
Rykarda Parasol MySpace

Second Hand is the new album by Athens, Greece band Night on Earth. The eight-piece ensemble take their name and inspiration from the 1991 Jim Jarmusch film Night on Earth. Lead singer Sophia’s voice has the rich tone of Natascha Atlas, particularly on the slow, somber tracks (of which there are many). The band’s music is a mix of noirish jazz, ambient trip-hop, and brief bursts of noisy rock.

Night On Earth – Atman (mp3) *

*mp3 hosted by & posted w/ permission of band’s PR rep

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Night On Earth Official Site
Night On Earth MySpace

Madison Violet’s new album No Fool For Trying was just released by True North Records. The Canadian duo has toured with Indigo Girls and Ron Sexsmith among others. Their music blends the soft harmonies of traditional and Appalachian folk with modern Americana instrumentation.

The opener “The Ransom” has the sweet, high lonesome croon of Emmylou Harris or Gillian Welch.

“The Small of My Heart” seemed repetitive at first, but it’s a grower and is now my favorite track on the album. It’s the kind of love song I can’t help but sing along with.

“The Woodshop” is a subtle lost love tearjerker and “The Best Part of Your Love” is the standard my-man-drinks-too-much country weeper.

The rest of the album blends together in a pretty, melodic blur.

Madison Violet will perform at Mountain Stage on November 15th.

Madison Violet – The Small of My Heart (mp3 expired) *

*mp3 posted w/ permission of band’s PR rep

Buy @ Amazon

Madison Violet Official Site