Dar Williams

Dar Williams should be a familiar name to anyone who follows folk music. She's been around since 1990, long before I became aware of her! Not sure if I found out about her via the library or one of my daughters. MaryAnn has one of her albums and Shannon might have 2 or 3. Shannon is definitely the one who gets blame/credit for our family getting into contemporary folk. She was a bit of a granola girl in high school. Drove her mom nuts playing Mary Karlzen while getting ready for school in the morning. I enjoyed the genre during the 50's and 60's folk revival that swept the country, but following contemporary folk, is a fairly recent development. I'm certainly no expert on the subject and am continually discovering new artists.

I bought Dar's The Beauty of the Rain album because of the Alison Krauss connection on The One Who Knows and have been a casual fan ever since. I bought a used copy of The Honesty Room a few years ago. That's her '95 breakout album and has Shannon's favorite Dar song When I Was a Boy. I was recently reunited with Dar on BYUtv's excellent The Song That Changed My Life. This is an excellent series with top notch production and videography, beautiful in HD. The Dar episode really pulled me in and is a particular favorite. Watching the video and listening to Dar's intelligent commentary re-ignited my interest so I went to her website and aquainted myself with her works in greater depth. 2010's Many Great Companions really jumped out. It looked like a perfect album for someone like me who isn't likely to buy up all her albums, but appreciates her better known songs. I was also intrigued by the album's contributers, Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin and Gary Louris of The Jayhawks. It's a 2 cd album. The first cd consists of re-works of 12 of her best songs featuring the aforementioned artists. These are stripped down arrangements which naturally appeals to me. The second cd has 20 original recordings drawn from her previous works. I was hoping the library would have a copy so I could make an intelligent decision of whether to purchase or not. I got lucky and found they did indeed have one and have been giving the album a thorough listen. Turns out to be a perfect album for me. That I would like the first disk is a given and the second one is a perfect overview of her body of work, so it's a definite must have!

Rating: 4 stars

Here's a less than perfect video of Dar singing one of my favorites from The Honesty Room, The Babysitter's Here. I chose it because it shows what a hoot Dar is in a live setting. Love the chimey sound of her new Collings guitar (featured on the BYUtv episode and most of her latest work including Many Great Companions)! Hope to get to see her in person some day soon!

Amy Black - One Time

Amy Black is a singer/songwriter from New England,with Southern roots. I'm pretty sure I found her when looking up versions of Angel From Montgomery on Youtube, but won't swear to it since I can no longer find the video. I was impressed with her lovely, laid back country vocals. She has many videos out there in Youtube world and I contented myself with watching/listening to them for quite some time. Amy finally motivated me to get some of her music for my Ipod by offering her first album, Amy Black and the Red Clay Rascals, as a free download last week. I'd been wanting to get her new album, One Time, for.several months after reviewing tracks on her website, so I took advantage of her offer and made it a twofer by ordering a hard copy of One Time and downloading Amy Black and the Red Clay Rascals. It took a few days for the cd to arrive so I listened to the first album regularly until it came. The first album is pretty good stuff, consisting of covers of songs special to Amy, among them the aformentioned Angel From Montgomery. The new album arrived in good time a few days later. As I've stated before, I prefer to buy cds because I can play them at work, Ipods not being allowed. When I finally got to play One Time I was really blown away. The quality of the album is quite a leap from the previous recording. I mentioned this on Amy's Facebook band page. She was kind enough to write an explanation for the disparity. The first album was cut in a day in a studio with her band at the time. The only producer was Amy herself. It's pretty good for a self produced effort, but employing some pros, including producer Lorne Entress (Lori McKenna, Bittertown), multi instrumentalist/back-up singer Mark Erelli, famed Nashville fiddler Stuart Duncan and other top flight musicians made a huge difference. Now I don't know if Lorne Entress was the cause or if Amy's become more relaxed in the genre, but I'd swear that her vocals are more fitted to the music on the new album. The first album sounded a bit forced. The new one feels more relaxed, right in the pocket. It may just be Amy's growth as an artist or the fact that 9 of the 12 tracks are her own and she's more comfortable singing her own stuff. Whatever, I'm highly recommending  One Time. From the Bluegrass tinged Run Johnny thru the Bluesy Ain't No Grave, One Time offers 12 tracks of honest Americana. My favorite track may be the weepy Whiskey and Wine, although it's hard to pick just one. They're all that good! Not sure where it will go with the radio, but maybe that's not a big issue any more for most musicians. Internet buzz is probably a better way to promote music these days so if you read this, please help spread the word.

I'm giving One Time a strong 4.5 Stars.

Here's Amy talking about and singing Whiskey and Wine:

PS - I'm an active, church attending, teetotaling Mormon. I picked this clip because it has the best sound quality I could find and I enjoy hearing the story behind a song, even when it describes a life style different from my own. 

Stetson and Cia

I've been a fan of Cherryholmes, a family band of the same name, almost from the first. They have a very interesting back story which I won't take the time to repeat here. It's out there to be found with a simple Google search. The gist being that they decided to take up Bluegrass music as a family and became world class almost overnight! From the beginning I've thought that eldest daughter Cia had one of the finest female voices in Bluegrass music, rivaling even such luminaries as Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent. I always anticipated she'd eventually strike out on her own solo career and looked forward to that day. When I learned of the breakup of the family band last year I was sure her time had come. Imagine how surprised and a bit concerned I was when I learned she'd hooked up with a fellow named Stetson and formed a duo. Duos are springing up like weeds these days and the thought of another one didn't thrill. Fortunately my worries were unfounded. Stetson turns out to be a vocalist perfectly matched to Cia. Their collaberation worked out so well, in fact, they decided to make it permanent and Cia became Mrs. Adkisson last month. They also released their first cd about the same time, an Americana EP appropriately titled Stetson & Cia. It's an 8 track collection of music that can't be too easily catagorized, but as far as I'm concerned it's country. Not radio country, but country none-the-less. I'm just as happy they chose the indie route rather than try to please the tastes of the music industry, and I err a bit by implying this isn't radio friendly, because it certainly could be if the industry execs were open to it. The track It's Been Too Long could easily pass as a country ballad. Surprise me radio people and pick up on it! The thing about Stetson is that he has a very radio friendly voice. He has the kind of baritone you expect from an Alan Jackson or Trace Adkins type singer. Cia's voice is so beautful that she could also pass as a regular country artist if she chose. In fact she's more versatile than I thought. Check out her gypsy jazz number with Cherryholmes titled Just You. Awesome!

I ordered the EP from their website and sent an accompanying note asking if they wouldn't mind signing it. I got a close to an immediate reply email saying they'd be happy to and that the cd was going into the mail the next day. Pretty impressive. I love dealing with indie artists! It was obvious the package was addressed with the same Sharpie that was used to autograph the cd. Again, pretty cool. I really love the EP. All tracks are great. This isn't Cherryholmes type, fiery bluegrass, but is very stripped down, lovely, acoustic music. They trade off lead vocals and all songs are their own writing. Cia is known as one of the top banjo players in the world. Her style here isn't the usual Scruggs picking you might expect, but is a little more laid back, hearkening back to an earlier era. My favorite track is I'm Not the One, a perfect example of Cia's great vocal work. The track titled Lullaby sounds like something Alison Krauss would record. I always thought she sounded similar to Rhonda Vincent in most of her cherryholmes work. She's seperated herself from such comparisons with this album. Her own style is emerging here. The goal was to keep things very simple, allowing the vocals to dominate. This philosophy is summed up in the following Frederic Chopin quote included in the liner notes: "Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." They've certainly achieved that goal. Here's I'm Not the One:





Here's a video of their new single Waves:

Rating for the EP: Easily 5 Stars!

 

Kate Wolf

I've been very negligent of this blog of late, but I don't apologize. Life has just been putting the squeeze on me and the blog gets shoved down the priority list. Lately I've been in a Kate Wolf mood. I was reviewing her stuff on my Ipod and realized I only had one single Kate Wolf song amongst all my thousands. It happened to be Here in California, my favorite of hers, but it was really inexcusable that there wasn't more. I've been living off my local library's collection of her music for years. They have a number of her recordings including at least 2 of here wonderful Rhino compilations. I've looked into buying some of the compilations but was put off by the price. They're out of print and prices are sky rocketing. Then something serendipitous happened, Father's Day came along! Lucky for me 2 of my kids gave me Itunes gift cards so I hurried over to the Itunes store the next day and down loaded Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings and Looking Back at You, loaded them onto my Ipod and have been listening to them since. As I've mentioned in the past, I prefer to buy hard copies so I can play them at work, but the price for these 2 recordings was too tempting to not go the Itunes route. The first album consists of 20 of her most famous songs and cost $12.99. The second is just the opposite in content, being made up largely of obscure songs and covers. It has 10 tracks and cost $6.99. Not a bad way to beef up my Kate Wolf library that was all but non-existent!

I first became acquainted with Kate's work when I checked out from the library Nancy Griffith's masterful collection title Other Voices Other Rooms. It includes a cover of one of Kate's coolest songs, Across the Great Divide. Thanks to hearing it first there, I have a slight preference for Nancy's version. I also like that she eliminates the proposition "in" from the line: "It's gone away (in) yesterday". Nancy's  take on it seems a little more direct and to the point, but both versions are great. Another album that pointed me to Kate's work came by way of Kathy Mattea. She contributed Give Yourself To Love on the tribute album: Treasures Left Behind: Remembering Kate Wolf. That's another great album that I need to get a copy of. Again, I've been living off the library. Lucinda Williams gives a haunting rendition of Here in California that may be the most riveting track on the album.

Kate is another one of youmy low voiced female folk singers. I love her melancholy delivery and the way she bends the pitch to make some of her lyrics even more haunting. But what really makes Kate world class is her song writing. She takes you on a trip every time. It's a total sensory experience. She really has an amazing talent for describing her world. I've never been to Norther California, but after listening to her I feel an affinity for the place, at least the off the beaten path parts where her music takes you. It's a dusty, nostalgic journey. One moment you're in "the golden rolling hills of California" the next thing you know she's telling you "There's no gold. I thought I'd warn ya and the hills turn brown in the summertime". Pretty cool stuff!

Sadly, Kate left us in December of 1986 at the age of 44, a victim of leukemia.

Of the 2 albums I just bought, Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings is far superior to
 Looking Back at You. The first showcases Kate's singing and song writing at its best. The latter is a nice peek at early Kate performing live but since it's mainly covers half of her magic is missing. It's still a great addition if you're a die-hard fan, but probably not an album for the casual fan.

Ratings:
Gold in California: A Retrospective of Recordings  5 stars
Looking Back at You                                                 3 stars

Here's Kate singing one of her best tunes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udRFQOsrjpU

The multi talented girl on harmonica and mandolin is Nina Gerber. She regularly tours with Karla Bonoff these days. Catch them if they come your way!

Upcoming Events and More Katherine Jenkins

I've become aware of several events I'm looking forward to this concert season. I notice on Suzy Bogguss' website that she's got no less than 4 gigs in the state of Utah this year. She better get herself a permanent residence if this keeps up! Seriously, I know of no other artist on my list of favorites outside of the locals who play the state more than Suzy. Utah loves ya gal! This year she'll be in Vernal, Ogden, Heber City and Moab, in that order. I'll most likely take in her show at the Heber City cowboy poetry event much as I did last year since it's the closest to my home. Also at the Heber event this year will be an appearance by a Western Swing group I recently fell in love with thanks to an Amazon recommendation. They are the Quebe Sisters Band that consists of 3 sisters on fiddle and vocals with a guitar and bass player. They have an interesting sound vocally, much like the Andrews Sisters. Instrumentally I don't even know who they compare to! Just know it's way cool. I've got tickets for Stadium of Fire this year with a goodly number of family members. Who can resist the Beach Boys? OK, at this point maybe Beach Geezers is more fitting, but hey, it's the sound of my youth! I'm also committed to seeing Bonnie Raitt in August at Red Butte Garden. Love her sound! But maybe the coolest thing I've heard yet is that Katherine Jenkins will be in Utah soon. She let it slip during a recent 4 Utah interview with Mark Ballas. The reporter asked him when he'd be in state next due to the fact he's taught dance lessons here in the past. He said he had some classes he'd be teaching here soon. His DWTS partner Katherine, who was standing nearby, jumped in with the news that she'd also be coming to Utah to sing with the MormonTabernacle Choir in July. I questioned a friend at work who sings with the choir about it and he thought it probably meant she'd be coming for the Pioneer Day concert prior to the 24th of July that the choir does every year. They generally have a guest performer come. He hadn't hear who it was and indeed had no knowledge of her at all. He thought she probably spoke out of turn much as Natalie Cole had done prior to her appearance with the choir. I'm still waiting official word. An internet search will turn up nothing. Channel 4 must have been required to pull the interview. I'm very anxious to see the official announcement so I can be among the first to put in a ticket request. I'm stoked! I recently purchased Katherine's cd Daydream and am loving it to death. Talk about voice of an angel! I love the fact that she's a soprano with a mellow tone. She's been accused of not being dramatic enough, but I like that she sings with a bit of British reserve. I hope the U. S. finally will take a shine to her music. As a classical crossover artist, she's as good as it gets. Here's what Allmusic has to say about Daydream. I'm pretty much in agreement, so no need to write my own review:

Allmusic Review

Slightly tip-toeing away from the mainstream pop sound which saw her cover the likes of Evanescence and Queen on her last record, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins' eighth studio album, Daydream, is largely a back-to-basics affair which pays homage to several of the songs which have inspired her glittering career. There are still a couple of crossover pop/rock efforts, such as the Radio 2-friendly "Can't Slow Down," the gentle piano balladry of "Your Silhouette," and a faithful cover version of Delta Goodrem's soaring, midtempo "Break It to My Heart." But Jenkins' powerful and enchanting tones have always appeared more comfortable when tackling material closer to her classically trained beginnings than on the attempts to crossover to the MOR pop world, something which she appears to have realized, judging by this fairly traditional set of songs. Alongside several compositions showcasing her multi-lingual skills, including Ennio Morricone's Italian-sung "L'alba Verra (The Dawn Will Come)," a rare French version of Les Miserables' signature tune, "I Dreamed a Dream" ("J'Avais Reve d'Une Autre Vie"), and two tracks recorded in her native Welsh tongue, "Love Divine (Hyfrydol)" and "Blaenwern" (the first time she's sung in Welsh since 2006's Serenade), there are string-soaked renditions of Celtic folk songs "Black Is the Colour" and "Carrickfergus," a brand new interpretation of "Ave Maria," and a moving take of Kismet show tune "And This Is My Beloved." But it's the closing number, "Abigail's Song," which will already be familiar to most Jenkins fans, that her stunning vocal presence really goes up a notch. Backed by some haunting choral chants and a magical arrangement from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, her contribution to the Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol soundtrack is arguably one of the strongest original songs of her career, and is a perfect way to finish a charming, highly personal, and well-crafted affair which proves that Jenkins is at her best when she embraces her classical roots.

Allmusic gives it 3.5 stars. I like it a little better than that and am giving it 4.5 stars.

Here's her live take on Ave Maria, a song that appears on the album:

Up On The Roof!

 Ryan Innes

 Ryan Innes and Company (note Peter Breinholt)

 The view from the top!

 Peter Breinholt and Company

  Fearless Heart

 Nice shot of my awesome friend Nancy Hanson

Craig Miner (Dobro Boy?)

I had the pleasure of attending the kick-off Roof Top Concert for this season last night in Provo. This is turning into one of the hottest musical ideas to hit this area in a long time. In case you're new to this blog, the concept for these concerts is for local musicians to perform at the top of a parking garage in down-town Provo on the first Friday night each month running from May to October. The headliner last night was local favorite Peter Breinholt. He was preceded by another local artist who's rapidly gaining a significant following, Ryan Innes. The photos give a pretty good idea of what the night was like - near perfect! Making note to self to make a full write-up on both Ryan and Peter in the future. I picked up Ryans cd and will be giving it a workout. I've loved Peter for many years and it seems he's so well known that he probably doesn't need a mention from me, but he deserves it! I'm making plans to catch his Sundance concert this September and will say more then.

Here's a short clip from last night. Dancing Queen? Trust me, Peter has some awesome self-penned material!

Kasey Chambers and the Dead Ringer Band

As previously stated, I recently purchased a copy of a Dead Ringer Band cd. It came in the mail last week. Much sooner than expected! It's the one in the photo above. TheDead Ringer Band was the family band of Bill Chambers and included wife Diane, son Nash and daughter Kasey. Kasey went on to become of one of Australia's most successful singer/songwriters. Kasey is the girl on the right in the photo. She started with the band when 11 years old and soon became the lead singer. She was a teen when most of the songs on this album were recorded and sings lead on all but 4 of the 18 tracks (I like that they were so generous as to include 18 tracks!). I also recently purchased Kasey's latest release, Little Bird. The 2 albums make a nice contrast between early and recent Kasey. Interestingly Kasey's voice has changed little over the years. She has what one critic described as a voice with a million dollar catch. It's very appealing and won't be mistaken for anyone else. I'll confine the bulk of this post to the Dead Ringer Band album, but let me say that I highly recommend both albums. The thing that really appeals to me about the band cd is that it's done for the most part in traditional country style(s). There's plenty of aucostic and steel guitar, fiddle and mandolin as well as classic country electric guitar like I remember from my youth. The musicianship is top drawer both vocally and instrumentally. This was an award winning band in its hayday and it's obvious why. This album makes it difficult to pick favorite cuts. The covers are tasteful and include songs from such notables as Townes Van Zandt, John Prine, Michelle Shocked, Nanci Griffith and Slim Dusty. The originals are no less worthy. I found it interesting that this album leads off with Am I the Only One Who's Ever Felt This Way. This came about a year before the Dixie Chicks layed this song down as one of my favorite tracks of all time! Another testament to Bill and company's taste. Right up my alley! It's also fun to listen to these Aussies pronunce words like past and can't (pahst, cahn't). Not what you expect from country artists. So genuine and unaffected! I bought this partiular cd more out of convenience and cost than anything, but it really surpassed my expectations. It turns out to be a great choice, but whets my appetite for more. Some of their stuff is out of print and is getting hard to come by. Most of their material is going to cost more than you usually expect to pay due to where they're coming from I suppose. Life is difficult! The family band concept still continues in some fashion with Bill playing a major role in Kasey's  solo career. Nash also makes frequent appearances. Mom and dad divorced so I'm not aware of Diane having a significant role in Kasey's career of late but Kasey's husband, Shane Nicholson, is now a major part of her musical as well as personal life.They did an outstanding rootsy country album, Rattlin' Bones, that needs to be checked out as well.  Kasey has been to the states a couple of times where she's considered an alt folk/country artist, not quite as much in the main stream as at home. She came here with Lucinda Williams awhile back but I missed her as it was a Sunday performance. Too bad. I'd love to catch her live. I've been a fan for a number of years, but only recently caught on to the family band music. My local library has a number of her cds that I've enjoyed over the years. About time I got around to putting my money where my mouth is and purchasing a couple of cds. Check out Kasey and the Dead Ringers. You won't regret it!

Til Now - the Very Best of the Dead Ringer Band - 5 stars
Little Bird                                                                - 4 stars

Here's the band with a live performance of Already Gone, one of Kasey's self penned contributions to the band album:

Katherine Jenkins

Leading the pack for the first 2 weeks of  Dancing With the Stars this season is one of my favorite singers, Welsh beauty, Katherine Jenkins. I'm blown over by the absolute irony of this amazing classical singer finally coming into general awareness in America not as a singer but as a dancer! She may very well be the top selling classical/crossover singer in the world, but is a relative unknown here in the U.S. It's really odd that she isn't better known here, but apparently DWTS is about to change all that. The video above shows her debute performance. It tied for the highest scoring number on a first round episode, 26 points. She was totally elegant doing the Foxtrot. This last week she delivered a stunning quick paced jive number that earned the same score. Looks like multi-talented is going to be part of her resume from now on! I'm not really a fan of the show, but I've made sure to pick up on her performances and while I haven't voted on the show and probably won't in the future, I did vote with my wallet by ordering her latest album Daydream from Amazon. That makes 2 cds on order from the U.K. I also ordered one by the Dead Ringer Band last week. These could be a long time coming, so we'll see how that works out. First time experience for me. I'll report on both in the future. Katherine is another Pandora find. It's been some time ago, but I seem to remember having her show up when I made a channel for Sarah Brightman. Like Sarah she's a soprano, but she's the lower range Mezzo variety which suits me just fine!  You all know by now my preference for mellow sounding voices! That's not to say she can't hit the high notes. Girl can soar! She has an amazing range. This style of music isn't exactly my usual girl with guitar stuff, but she makes a great change of pace. Take the opportunity to check her out. The cd I ordered only came to just $9.07 including shipping from across the pond via the slow boat to China (hope that's not literally true!). Anticipation is half the fun, so I'm getting more than my share with this purchase. Here's Katherine's version of Time to Say Goodbye with Andrea Bocelli. It compares most favorably with the Sarah Brightman duet.

A Good Day

 

 

I had quite a musical day yesterday after being in a bit of a drought for awhile. Finally a live concert! First one this year! and earlier in the day I visited the FYE store in Orem that's going out of business and was able, in a fairly short time, to find 4 cds for purchase that were appealing to my finicky taste in music. More on that in an upcoming post or posts. The concert was a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation held in the Mountain View High auditorium featuring Jessie Clark Funk, David Tolk, Peter Breinholt, Nancy Hanson and Cori Connors. They appeared in that order. Big Buddha, a local radio personality served as MC. The photos are roughly in reverse order of appearance. Jessie came on first followed by David with Peter, Nancy and Cori finishing with an "in the round" performance similar to what happens at the Bluebird Cafe. Very enjoyable evening. All did well in spite of the annoying echo of the auditorium. It affected Jessie's canned accompaniment more than the live instrumentation of the others. Don't know why something isn't done about that place. It's annoyed me for years. Wish I knew who to talk to! I hadn't heard Jessie in live performance before. She's a great solo artist. Very popular on the local and LDS scene. I had also never heard Cori in person before and was not disappointed by her performance. She came highly recommended and lived up to her rep. I got to meet her and purchase one of her cds afterward. Poor Nancy was sick and had to make a hasty exit during one of Cori's songs, but was able to return and finish out the set. Peter missed her harmony on Drive this Road, but that was the only major omission from the final trio's presentation. Peter is so well known, that he needs no promoting by me. Suffice to say he was his usual awesome self! David Tolk is a well known pianist who writes most of his own stuff. He has a day job as a lawyer, but could easily make it as a musician if he desired. He played his own set and accompanied the "in the round" group at the end. Glad I made it out on a blustery night. The attendance was a bit sparse. Wish more could have made it. They missed a fine evening!

Idol Ramblings

Dang, there are a couple of kids on American Idol worth watching this season. I'm finding myself drawn in again! If you you know my tastes, you'll understand why both Elise Testone and Phillip Phillips have some appeal for me. Elise is a low voiced girl (surprise, surprise!) who sings with a bluesy vibe reminiscent of recent Grammy winner Susan Tedeschi. Both these singers have unique, kind of gravely voices. Heaven knows AI needs unique! Phillip Phillips came out this week with his own spin on Phil Collin's In the Air Tonight that really excited the crowd and the judges. The kid can really wail and he plays the heck out of his guitar. Elise had the gall to sing Adele's One and Only and not only got away with it but really slayed it! Others tried Adele and ended up on the trash heap. Kudos to Elise for making it work. (Adele's already being overworked by AI contestants. I hope they move on. That's a tough cover.) It appears that the voters get these 2. Let's hope they last awhile. Both of these singers made it into the top ten and didn't require being saved by the judges as were 3 others who were added in to make the total 13 going into next week.

Thus far I've been really disappointed with the judges. On the guy's night this week they were merely cheer leaders with little to say of benefit to the singers. On the girl's night Randy at least acknowledged they'd gone too easy on the guys and attempted to make up for it on the girls. His efforts weren't anything to write home about. Where's Simon when we need him! The one saving grace, and I give the producers props, was the inclusion Thursday night of Jimmy Iovine's critiques. He's a record producer who's mentored Idols in the past and really knows his stuff. His hard hitting remarks put the judges to shame. His was a breath of fresh air!

American Idol, in its 11th season, is still holding up well. There were 33 million votes this week. Perhaps it's still relevant even with stiff competition from The Voice and X Factor. I haven't paid much attention to either, but was somewhat interested in local girl Dia Frampton's run on The Voice last year. An audition from this season's The Voice was recently shared by April Meservy on Facebook of a singer friend from Nevada named Whitney Myer. She can blow! I may tune in once in awhile to see how she goes.

Here are vids for my 2 AI favorites:

 
Phillip Phillip's audition may have been the best I've ever seen. He wowed the judges enough to get an encore with guitar. Interestingly enough both singers auditioned in Charlston, SC. I liked Elise' remarks about exposure. Pretty honest. She's been a pretty hot artist on her local scene in Charlston. AI may just give her the bigger stage she's looking for!

Erin Bode

I've been enjoying Erin Bode's music for several years now. I first learned about her through a post on a Yahoo Group for Eva Cassidy: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/evacassidy/
Erin is a sweet voiced singer from the St Louis area with a smooth jazzy vibe. I didn't have to think twice about it. Once I heard a sample track of her music I was hooked! I love the way she approaches a song with a light, sweet touch. You don't have to be a diva to please me! Erin's so easy on the ears! Much has been written about her impeccable phrasing. I totally agree. The only cd I own is the one shown above, Don't Take Your Time, but they're all great. I started cherry picking from her other albums when people started giving me I-Tunes gift cards, so I have a goodly number of her tracks on my Ipod. The only down side is that I can only enjoy the one album at work, where I do most of my listening. That means I'm going to have to break down and buy some more of her hard copies soon! I'll list some of the tracks I particularly like with a brief explanation:

The title track of Don't Take Your Time is a good place to start. It's a song she and band mate Adam Maness co-wrote and is pretty typical of their stuff. It just swings nicely along grabbing you as it goes. Her take on Bill Monroe's In the Pines is a change of pace. It comes on as a chiller - almost sinister. Interesting choice for a jazz singer. I love the jazzy vibe she attaches to Dylan's Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You. Great stuff! Her take on Cindy Lauper's Time After Time while maybe not as unique as Eva Cassidy's is definitely Erin's own interpretation. I love it! The last songs on Don't Take Your Time that really grab me are I've Never Been in Love Before and Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You. Both swing and are great takes on classic songs. Songs I really enjoy from some of her other albums are: Holiday, Graceland (you gotta check this one out!), New England Friends, Chasing After You, The Little Garden, Photograph and Telescope. These are just sample. Like I said before, her stuff is great and all albums are worth giving a listen to. Her latest album, Photograph departs from her jazzy vibe taking on a more adult contemporary approach, still beautiful. Erin also has a wonderful Christmas album called Cold December Night that she and her band recorded in a cabin in the woods of Erin's home state Minnesota. Chilly setting, but the music is warm and wonderful. Here's a Utube link to one of the songs from her Little Garden cd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK7RG8bNt1A 

Don't know if I'll ever get to see Erin perform. She keeps pretty much to her home state of Missouri, but I'll sure continue to enjoy her music. The Internet is such a blessing!

Rating for Don't Take Your Time: 4 stars

Downton Abbey?

Before I talk about Downton Abbey I need to make some clarifications about the subject of my last post, Mountain Blue. It was pointed out to me that a link to their website would be a good idea. Turns our Blogspot allows adding an invisible link to the title of a post which I normally do. It might seem a little obscure, but if the title is blue in color simply click on it and it will take you to the website. For example if you click on today's title you will find yourself at the IMDB listing for Downton Abbey. I did neglect to include a link to Mountain Blue's Facebook page. It's: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mountain-Blue/126377264083880. One more thing I'd like to say about Mountain Blue is that they've managed to achieved a fine balance between entertainment and inspiration. Their music goes right to my heart. Love it!

Now on to the main subject of this post. I must make a confession to being totally hooked on the PBS Masterpiece Classic series Downton Abbey. This is the second season of the show. I got into it last year. I'd have to call it a guilty pleasure because it's really nothing more than a high class Soap Opera, but come on, where else can you go for an Edwardian soap with excellent writing and acting? Leave it to the Brits. Nothing in the U.S. comes close. So why am I making it a subject of a musical blog other than to cleanse my soul? Turns out there really is a musical connection to the show and I'm not just talking the music in the show itself as per Michelle Dockery singing If You Were the Only Girl in the World in this year's episode 2. What I'm referring to is Sadie and the Hotheads. That's the band of Elizabeth McGovern who plays the Countess of Grantham, the lady of the house. She's a pretty good singer and her band ain't too shabby. Who knew? See what you think at:

http://www.sadieandthehotheads.com/

Push on the I Can Wait button to hear some samples.

Michelle Dockery who plays lady Grantham's eldest daughter in the show also sings occasionally with Elizabeth's band, the two being friends, and as far as I can tell she's an even better singer than Elizabeth. They have plans of doing an album together. That could be interesting.

Here's and example of Michelle singing a jazzy number:

 Oh yes, another low voiced female singer. This has potential! Stay tuned. Mean time I'm enjoying Downton Abbey... I just can't help myself!

PS - Be warned. Downton Abbey is an adult drama and not ideal family viewing. I'd guess it would get a PG-13 rating if it were a Hollywood movie.

Mountain Blue

I'm still hearing Etta James At Last in my head as I write today. What a great voice! She will be missed.

I'd like to feature an album I just acquired last month, It's titled for the name of the group, Mountan Blue. I stumbled onto Mountain Blue purely by chance one Sunday as I was driving home from an interview with a presthood leader. I had the FM100 Sound of Sunday program playing on the radio, something I rarely do, when a version of Down to the River to Pray came on that was new to me. It was still playing as I pulled into the garage. I was so mesmerised I left the radio on after shutting off the car so it could play out. I loved it even more than the Alison Krauss, O Brother Where Art Thou, version which is saying something. Luckily the dj announced that it was performed by the group Mountain Blue. I looked them up on the internet and a few days later ordered the album of the same name because it had Down to the River to Pray, the song that I first identified with them. I ordered the cd from Todd Horne, one of the founding members of the group. He was offering a free copy of the group's first album Gospel Train with an order of one of their current albums, so I took him up on the offer. The group was known as Blue Cheese on that album and had a different line up. The group on Mountain Blue consists of: Todd Horne - baritone, Spencer Whitham - bass, Adam Monteith - tenor and either Kristine Perry Monteith or Kindra Clemence - alto, depending on track.  I've been really enjoying this newer album. The harmonies are amazing and the mix of 3 guy singers with one girl is really cool. That gives them a higher range than you could normally attain with an all male quartet. Having been brought up on barbershop harmony and having sung it myself, I really enjoy 4 part harmony. These guys (and gal) take it to another level. They are an LDS group but are singing in a genre less known around these parts, namely bluegrass/Southern gospel. I like this format much better than the typical pop a-pella stuff that's so prevalent now. Did I fail to mention they sing a-capella? Interestingly, the first album (freebie) was a bit of a bust for me. They seemed to be sorting out their sound at that point. The Mountain Blue cd is a quantum leap above Gospel Train, at least to my non-professional ears. After receiving the cd, Todd emailed me that his favorite album by the group is the one I didn't purchase (hint, hint) called Roll Back the Stone. I've listened to the samples and can see why he'd say that. It has what could be argued as their best number, Jesus Love is Like a River. Many of the tracks are shared by the 2 newer albums, so it's hard to justify another purchase. If only Jesus Love were available on Itunes! Anyway, I like all the tracks on Mountain Blue with the possible exception of Man of Constant Sorrow. That's one where the O Brother (Dan Tyminski) version is clearly superior. They've made a coupla' more changes to their line up with the departure of the Montieths. Tenor is now being sung by Drew Norton and alto is carried by Julia Sanders. I haven't heard the current incarnation, but hope to catch a performance sometime soon. In the mean time I'm highly recommending their 2 latest albums. Rating for Mountain Blue: 4.5 stars

Here's Jesus Love is Like a River from Youtube:

Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe

Sometime in the '80's I happened to inadvertently catch Ricky Skaggs on one of the country music award shows picking acoustic guitar at a frightening clip. This was long before I had any real interest in country music, but it made a lasting impression. I made a mental note to check this guy out sometime. Fast forward to the end of the '90's when I got my first in-car cd player. Wanting to expand my horizons I started checking out all kinds of cds from my local public library. As I was thumbing through the country files one day I came across some of Ricky Skagg's work and that little note I'd filed away in my mind came to the fore. I started listening to his stuff and for the most part loved it all. This was about the time he'd abandoned main stream country in favor of returning to his Bluegrass roots. My favorite Ricky Skaggs album is the one pictured above. It's Bluegrass to be sure, as it's a tribute to the father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, but it's also pretty progressive in style and sound with the inclusion of many artists not normally associated with Bluegrass like Bruce Hornsby, John Fogerty, Joan Osborne and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Most of the other contributors are pulled from mainstream country and most likely have some past association with Bluegrass. These would include: Steve Wariner, The Dixie Chicks, Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels and Dwight yoakam. The remaining artists have a closer association with Bluegrass. They are Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and The Whites. Dolly had recently changed course like Ricky having done her own Bluegrass album, The Grass Is Blue. She went on to record Little Sparrow, one of the best Bluegrass albums around! Patty would also shortly make a return to her roots with the superb Bluegrass album Mountain Soul. The Whites consist of Buck White and his two daughters, Sharon and Cheryl and while they're style isn't strictly Bluegrass, they are far more rootsy than your typical country group which would explain their inclusion in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou. That movie had a profound effect on the current popularity of Bluegrass and roots music in general. Another bit of trivia, Ricky is married to Sharon White. Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe was released in 2000 under Ricky Skaggs own record label, Skaggs Family Records. It was re-released under the Lyric Street label in 2002 as Ricky Skaggs and Friends Sing The Songs of Bill Monroe. I purchased the latter version as the original wasn't available when I went looking for it after playing the library copy to death. The only difference between the two versions, aside from the cool cover art of the original, is the inclusion of the extra track Uncle Pen on the Lryic Street cd. There's not a bad track on this cd. Many of these artists are favorites in their own right, so I was quite happy to see their appearance here. Ricky takes part on every track. Most feature his vocals and his excellent mandolin playing. My favorite cut of all is Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine with the Dixie Chicks. The Chicks come from a rootsy background, so this song fits like a glove. I can't get enough of it! As you would expect, the musicianship is excellent on all tracks. If you haven't heard this album, get yourself a copy. You won't regret it!

Rats! I forgot that I'm now rating albums. I'm giving Big Mon 3.5 stars.