February was busy busy busy. First of all it started with a sold-out
Alejandro Escovedo house concert. Joining Alejandro was his quartet
(guitar, guitar, cello, violin). Alt.country acoustic chamber punk at
its best. Also in that month was a trip to Albuquerque New Mexico for
the annual Folk Alliance. It was my first trip to that convention and I
really had a good time. I especially liked listening to KANW, the local
radio station that played tons of great music from New Mexico. Oh, and
if you are keeping score I ate New Mexican food for every single meal
except one. You really can't beat a homemade tortilla. Another
highlight of Folk Alliance was singing shape note songs with Cordelia's
Dad and a host of other hearty voices for nearly three hours.
Also featured last month was an hour long interview/performance with
local buzz magnet, Tift Merritt. I can't put into words how great she
is. Really. I'm speechless. (now *there's* a first!)
March will feature yet another Topsoil house concert. This time it will
be Greg Trooper. The show sold out in two, yes two, hours and it will
be held this Saturday (3/6). As always if you want on my mailing list
send me your email address. I'll be announcing a house concert with
Alice Gerrard, Tom Sauber and Brad Leftwich soon.
The slow months of musical releases this winter are definitely over.
Great stuff is pouring in every day. Let's get to the music and on to
the February playlist for Topsoil.
Cheers.
Steve Gardner
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.topsoil.net
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WXDU-Fm 88.7
Durham, NC
Steve Gardner, "Topsoil"
E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
February Roots Report
1. Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder - Ancient Tones - Skaggs Family
[Another great CD of mostly traditional bluegrass. One of my favorite
songs on the album is one that you probably won't hear on other stations
much. It's an 8 minute version of "Little Bessie" that is a capella for
the first half of the song. It's 8 minutes of bliss if you ask me.]
2. Kelly Hogan & the Mellowcremes/Neko Case & the Sadies - The
Shortening Sessions: Tribute to Loretta Lynn split 7" - Bloodshot
[Yowza. These gals can really sing! I can't think of two who could
give Loretta a more fitting tribute. Pray for new albums from these two
in the future.]
3. Greg Trooper - Popular Demons - Koch
[This is Greg Trooper's 3rd album and it is his best yet. It's produced
by Buddy Miller (aka the King Midas of music). Greg has some fine
guests on here including Buddy and Julie Miller, Steve Earle, Emmylou
Harris and Duane Jarvis.]
4. Rock n' Roll Summer Camp 98 - Rock n' Roll Summer Camp 98 - Black Dog
[Members of Marah, Blue Mountain, the Neckbones and a few others get
together for a summer retreat and walk away with an album under their
belts. This CD is a ton of fun. It just goes to show what great things
can happen when musicians who are friends first get together for fun and
music.]
5. Clodhopper - Red's Recovery Room - My Own Planet
[Former members of American Music Club and a few others release a great
album of roots rock. Great songs and a great sound.]
6. Paul Burch - Wire to Wire - Checkered Past
[I've been following Paul for a few years now. I'm not sure if he just
got better, or if it just clicked with me (probably the latter) but I
really really really like this new CD. I would consider it one of the
best country records of the year.]
7. Tom Russell - Man From God Knows Where - Hightone
[Tom has always impressed me with his songwriting. This type of album
is really where he shines the best. These songs all revolve around the
subject of families and his own Scandanavian/Irish lineage and the
instrumentation and choice of guests echo that theme. Together it comes
across as a great total package. Now, for the negative....I don't
really like Tom's voice all that much - never have. However, with
guests such as Iris DeMent, Annbjorg Lien, Eoin O'Riabhaigh, and others
it really makes whatever personal qualms I have with the album easier to
forget.]
8. Buzz Matheson & Mac Martin - Echoes of the Past - White Oak
[Great traditional sounding bluegrass.]
9. Wade Fruge - Old Style Cajun Music - Arhoolie
[Fabulous, really fabulous, oldtime Cajun music.]
10. Steve Earle and Del McCoury - The Mountain - E Squared
[I wasn't so sure Steve Earle had the voice to pull off a good bluegrass
album...well, boy was I wrong! This CD not only kicks butt, but it is
one of the best bluegrass CDs I've heard in at least a year. This is a
top notch bunch of original songs with a crack band and it deserves to
be heard by many.]
11. Greta Lee - This Ain't Over Yet - Black Creek
[Hard country from this indie. Greta is an as-of-yet undiscovered
talent along the lines of Heather Myles.]
12. Charlie Poole - Legend of Charlie Poole Vol 3 - County
[Another great reissue of Charlie Poole's oldtime stringband music. I'm
especially excited to hear an old version of the song "Goodbye Booze"
which I only heard recently from a recording by the Blue Ridge Mountain
Minstrels.]
13. Del McCoury - The Family - Ceili
[Ceili Records debuts with the latest release from one of the hottest
bluegrass bands in the country, the Del McCoury Band. If this is any
sign of what the label has to come (and it is, sneaking a peak at the
upcoming releases shows a recording by the amazing Gibson Brothers!)
then we will be kneedeep in good bluegrass for a while.]
14. Hadacol - Better Than This - Checkered Past
[Great album of rootsy rock music. Produced by Lou Whitney of the
Skeletons.]
15. Leo Soileau - Early Cajun Music - Yazoo
[Yazoo strikes again! Another fine reissue from the 20s and 30s, this
time featuring Cajun musician, Leo Soileau.]
16. Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver - Original Band - Sugar Hill
[This reissues couples two of Doyle's earliest releases, "Doyle Lawson &
Quicksilver" and "Quicksilver Rides Again." The original band consists
of Doyle, Terry Baucom, Lou Reid and Jimmy Haley. This stuff cooks.]
17. Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams Box Set - Mercury
[The question I get asked most often with regards to this set is "Isn't
10 CDs a little extreme? Don't you ever get sick of it?" Answer: NO.
I love everything on this set which means I love pretty much everything
Hank ever did. If the set was 20 CDs and it was all this quality I'd
buy it too. Of course, it'd take me twice as long to save up the
money. It's much more fun than a new pair of shoes...and it'll last
longer too.]
18. Sir Douglas Quintet - Live Texas Tornado - Takoma
[Ten live tracks from the fabulous Doug Sahm. This live set was
recorded in Austin and Los Angeles. It doesn't say the date. The set
is pretty hot, though, sampling Doug's various hits throughout the
years, including "Wooly Bully," "Mendocino," "Who Were You Thinking Of"
and alt.country coverband favorite "(Is Anybody Going to) San Antone."]
19. Flaco Jimenez - Said and Done - RCA
[Another great CD from Flaco. Interspersed between the more traditional
sounding cuts are the more pop sounding ones. I prefer the former,
however hearing Flaco play the accordion in any form is music to my ears
(literally, duh!).]
20. Los Super Seven - Los Super Seven - RCA
[Tex-Mex supergroup lays done a nice album of traditional and original
material.]
21. John P Strohm - Vestavia - Flat Earth
[This is more of a pop album than a twang album, but like the Gerald
Collier release of last year it is so good I don't care. I'll shoehorn
it into my shift however I can.]
22. Dieselhed - Elephant Rest Home - Bong Load
[This countryfied alternative pop band formed in San Francisco in 1989.
Hopefully, with this release on Bong Load they'll reach a wider
audience. The band seems to me like a cross between a country pop band
like the Pernice Brothers and an older rootsy rock band such as the
Flying Burrito Brothers or even the Stones. Check them out if any of
those name set off your meter.]
23. Jeremy Wallace - My Lucky Day - Palmetto
[Someone hold me....this CD is so good it makes me dizzy. I've never
heard of Jeremy but dangit if this isn't one of the best CDs of the
1998. It is one of those CDs that is impossible to describe without
hyphens. If you like your music of the
Louisiana-ragtime-blues-dixieland-country-screamin'-folky-twang on Tin
Pan Alley type then this is for you.]
24. Allison Moorer - Alabama Song - MCA
[Nashville accidently does something right every now and then. This is
one such accident. Allison has a great set of pipes and turns out a
nice debut country record here. It is a little slick around the edges,
but it hangs in there.]
25. Various Artists - Bringing It All Back Home - Valley Entertainment
[I've heard all these songs before from the original BBC miniseries that
took a look at the mark Irish music has made on other cultures due to
immigration. This domestic release allows me to feature it again,
though. There's a lot of contemporary music here, and although
certainly usually favor the traditional, almost all of this stuff is
great. The Paul Brady song in particular I could play all day.]
26. Gerald Collier - Gerald Collier - Revolution
[My second favorite release from '98 although many of the songs don't
fit into a show about twangy music. Great pop singing and songwriting
from this former lead singer for the Best Kissers in the World.
Everyone should have this CD in their collection. No, really!
Everyone.]
27. Hazel Dickens, Carol Elizabeth Jones and Ginny Hawker - Heart of a
Singer - Rounder
[The female three tenors of bluegrass.]
28. JD Crowe and the New South - Come On Down to My World - Rounder
[Another great bluegrass CD from JD Crowe. Once again he's put together
a stellar new band.]
29. Howard Armstrong - Louie Bluie Film Soundtrack - Arhoolie
[My search of stringband versions of ragtime music led me to Howard
Armstrong and this magnificent release. This is exactly what I was
looking for. Howard plays mandolin and fiddle mostly and he can really
tear it up. This is great great stuff. I even saw the movie the other
night and it just doubled my enthusiasm. I can't recommend this highly
enough. If you like blues, oldtime, jazz, ragtime or just any old
stringband music check this CD out. You will love it.]
30. Ralph Stanley II - Listen to My Hammer Ring - Rebel
[Ralph son embarks on his second solo album here, this time he's in the
spotlight alone (the previous record shared the marquee with John
Rigsby. Check out "Mary Merry Christmas" a great song that Carter
Stanley wrote for his wife a month before he died. It has never been
record until now.]
Questions? Comments?
Cheers.
Steve Gardner
--
Steve Gardner - Topsoil: A Century of Twang - Sun. 12-3pm
WXDU 88.7FM Durham NC and on the Net at www.wxdu.duke.edu
* [EMAIL PROTECTED] **** www.topsoil.net *
