The content of this record might fall out of the usual scope of this blog, as Elvis, most of the times, was a rock & roll singer and not a country singer.
But, on the other hand, I think Elvis will be remembered in the future as a classical artist of the 20th century. He will, in his genre, which he helped popularise, be remembered as one of the American greats. I think he might even be remembered as a great American folk singer, if the French regard Edith Piaf as French folk, why not Elvis as American folk?
Well, enough about that. What you get here is a triffic Christmas album featuring the king. How can you go wrong with that? This is a cheap CD reissue of Elvis Christmas Album, it includes the same tracks, but also a few bonus tracks, which I could do without, as they've got nothing to do with christmas or God, but I can understand how the regular guy who might like Elvis, but who won't collect records as manically as I do, sees this as a good thing. A pair of beautiful christmas anthems coupled with some of his greatest hits.
Most songs (if you exclude the bonus tracks) are slow numbers packed with christmassy emotions and spirit. Cept for the opening track, Santa Claus is back in town, but even if some of the number ooze more 50's pop than the Presley brand of rock & roll we're used to, Elvis will be Elvis and keeps his rebel attitude in it.
He also got those background singers singing in almost country style harmonies he used on Teddy bear.
Best tunes are Silent night, Santa Claus is back town and, one of my all time fave Elvis songs, Blue Christmas.
Everyone likes Elvis, so I'll try to play this record on my family's Christmas party this year. My sis always get away with playing that heathen hippie John Lennon's socialist anthem which has nothing to do with Christmas. This year will be the year of Elvis. Move over, limey!
Last but not least. I'm a christian man, despite my flaws, and I try to go to Church on Sundays. On the one hand, this might shock some that i love God and still like Elvis, but on the second it shouldn't. Elvis was a rebel, but so was Christ and in fact, Elvis has some nice faithbased tunes on this record, which you gotta love. I can't see any contemporary singer record tunes like some of the ones on this record and if he or she would, the atheist lobby would make radio and television boycot his or hers record.
This is the perfect christmas album. Naturally, it gets 100% in rate of satisfaction. You can just ignore the bonus tracks, I did. Not that they're bad, they just got nothing to do with christmas.
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Friday 9 December 2011
Various Artists, "The stuff that dreams are made of"
This two disc compilation features rare collectibles in cajun, country, blues and pre-bluegrass, vinyl now made available on cd.
Lately, I've grown to appreciate old American folk tremendously. Sure, I like a lot of modern stuff too, but theese old records from the 20's and 30's have a quality to them like movies from that age shares as well. Just as laurel and Hardy still make you chuckle in a sense Adam Sandler won't in just ten years, theese skilled musicians (among them my fave, Dock Boggs) knock out quality tunes that makes you want to put on your dancing shoes.
There's a lot of blues on this compilation and I for one ain't all that keen on blues, sure, I can listen to it and enjoy it, it's just that I don't enjoy it as much as other genres of American folk.
There's a few instrumental tunes on the discs, as well as quite a few with singing to them and they all have that old record feel to them, none of the tunes have been processed with equaliser, the background, old vinyl, dust sound is all there.
Musically, the tunes are well more diverse than today's format. You get piano and trumpets on some tunes, instruments that are not too common on today's folk recordings.
Lyrically, you get a lot of innocense too. Country had, back in those days, often a humorous side to it that more modern country tunes (with perhaps the exception of Johnny Cash's Boy named Sue) lack. Wilmer Watts and the lonely eagles has a very funny tune on this one, that is Fightin' in the war with Spain.
The only things that I hold against this record is that there's not enough Cajun tunes, there's too much blues and that one of the tunes, Chicken don't roost too high, by The Georgia Pot Lickers, could be interpreted as a racist tune, which might have been acceptable in the 20's, but not now and even if it is a collectible, it shouldn't have been included on a record with musicians what own that much to African American traditions.
This means that this compilation is, in other words, not perfect, but pretty close. I give it 95,8% in level of satisfaction.
Lately, I've grown to appreciate old American folk tremendously. Sure, I like a lot of modern stuff too, but theese old records from the 20's and 30's have a quality to them like movies from that age shares as well. Just as laurel and Hardy still make you chuckle in a sense Adam Sandler won't in just ten years, theese skilled musicians (among them my fave, Dock Boggs) knock out quality tunes that makes you want to put on your dancing shoes.
There's a lot of blues on this compilation and I for one ain't all that keen on blues, sure, I can listen to it and enjoy it, it's just that I don't enjoy it as much as other genres of American folk.
There's a few instrumental tunes on the discs, as well as quite a few with singing to them and they all have that old record feel to them, none of the tunes have been processed with equaliser, the background, old vinyl, dust sound is all there.
Musically, the tunes are well more diverse than today's format. You get piano and trumpets on some tunes, instruments that are not too common on today's folk recordings.
Lyrically, you get a lot of innocense too. Country had, back in those days, often a humorous side to it that more modern country tunes (with perhaps the exception of Johnny Cash's Boy named Sue) lack. Wilmer Watts and the lonely eagles has a very funny tune on this one, that is Fightin' in the war with Spain.
The only things that I hold against this record is that there's not enough Cajun tunes, there's too much blues and that one of the tunes, Chicken don't roost too high, by The Georgia Pot Lickers, could be interpreted as a racist tune, which might have been acceptable in the 20's, but not now and even if it is a collectible, it shouldn't have been included on a record with musicians what own that much to African American traditions.
This means that this compilation is, in other words, not perfect, but pretty close. I give it 95,8% in level of satisfaction.
Saturday 19 November 2011
Faron Young, "The best of"
Faron Young is a new acquaintance of mine. I had never heard of him before a fellow Swedish country music fan of mine recommended me to check out his music, so, trusting as I am of my pals, I immediately picked his Best of up the last time I visited Folk Å Rock (still the best record store in southern Sweden when it comes to country music).
Part of me is very grateful to my pal for recommended me this artist, but part of me like what ever. It's good stuff, sure, but it's not supergood.
To me, it sounds like Faron Young is the result of a mix between Jim Reeves (whom I've been meaning to review for some time now) and the Bakersfield sound. Young's got that smooth voice the gentleman also had and the guitar sound, at least so at times, what Buck Owens had. I think Young has a better voice than Reeves, though.
Young's voice and his sound is not the only thing I like about him, though. His lyrics might not win the Nobel Prize for litterature, but they're clever and I for one like typical country music lyrics and Young knows how not to dissapoint. He's got it all, heartaches, love, honky-tonks, drinks, depression, what you'd expect from Dwight Yoakam, only Young did it 10-20 years before Dwight.
Best tune on this album is the beautiful ballad Four in the morning.
Fans of generic outlaw country will not like this album and though Young is somewhat classic "cheesy" country music, I suspect the fans of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers will find his lyrics a bit too outlaw to suit their tastes.
I would still recommend all country fans to listen to Faron Young. He's an important part of country music history and sort of builds a bridge between Jim Reeves and Dwight Yoakam.
As I said, a good record, though not supergood.
Faron Young's Best of gets 63,7% in rate of satisfaction.
Part of me is very grateful to my pal for recommended me this artist, but part of me like what ever. It's good stuff, sure, but it's not supergood.
To me, it sounds like Faron Young is the result of a mix between Jim Reeves (whom I've been meaning to review for some time now) and the Bakersfield sound. Young's got that smooth voice the gentleman also had and the guitar sound, at least so at times, what Buck Owens had. I think Young has a better voice than Reeves, though.
Young's voice and his sound is not the only thing I like about him, though. His lyrics might not win the Nobel Prize for litterature, but they're clever and I for one like typical country music lyrics and Young knows how not to dissapoint. He's got it all, heartaches, love, honky-tonks, drinks, depression, what you'd expect from Dwight Yoakam, only Young did it 10-20 years before Dwight.
Best tune on this album is the beautiful ballad Four in the morning.
Fans of generic outlaw country will not like this album and though Young is somewhat classic "cheesy" country music, I suspect the fans of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers will find his lyrics a bit too outlaw to suit their tastes.
I would still recommend all country fans to listen to Faron Young. He's an important part of country music history and sort of builds a bridge between Jim Reeves and Dwight Yoakam.
As I said, a good record, though not supergood.
Faron Young's Best of gets 63,7% in rate of satisfaction.
Friday 18 November 2011
Merle Haggard, "Working in Tennessee"
This is Merle's latest album and those of you who've read my blog before knows I'm a fan of his.
What you get on this is a journey back in time till the late 60's and early 70's, the original, pre-Heartworn Highways-era, outlaw country scene. Musically, as well as lyrically, Merle Haggard delivers a record which is totally in style with what you'd expect from him.
This means that, for some, the record will probably be a disapointment. Haggard doesn't deliver any modern stuff. Neither the pop-country faithfuls nor the country purists will like this, it's simply not new enough, not groundbreaking enough.
To me, the music is ok, but nothing more. It's classic Bakersfield stuff merged with Johnny Cash, the sound which made Merle famous in the start. I miss a bit of his guitar handling, though. I miss that raw Bakersfield guitar.
The big thing is the lyrics, though. Merle is still one of the best lyricists in country ever and writes on matter what matter to the little guy. Work, drugs, drinks, love, crime, politics. It's all there. Sure, he's sung about it before, but he still finds new ways to express himself.
If you find no other reason for buying this record, then buy it for the duet with Willie Nelson. Merle and Willie made a fine job at Townes van Zandt's Pancho & Lefty. This time, they take on Merle's classic Working man's blues, together with Ben Haggard and they sure make a fine work at it.
It's impossible to pick the faves, cos this record is all about quality, cept for the last tune, Jackson, which I think Merle and Theresa Haggard butcher. If I must pick one fave though, it'd be Too much boogie woogie, a timely and totally valid attack on today's country scene.
Next year, mr Haggard will be 75 years old and he's still making quality music. You gotta love him!
I did write that Eilen Jewell's release earlier this year was the best album of the year. Merle's is neither better nor worse, so this album also gets 72% in rate of satisfaction.
What you get on this is a journey back in time till the late 60's and early 70's, the original, pre-Heartworn Highways-era, outlaw country scene. Musically, as well as lyrically, Merle Haggard delivers a record which is totally in style with what you'd expect from him.
This means that, for some, the record will probably be a disapointment. Haggard doesn't deliver any modern stuff. Neither the pop-country faithfuls nor the country purists will like this, it's simply not new enough, not groundbreaking enough.
To me, the music is ok, but nothing more. It's classic Bakersfield stuff merged with Johnny Cash, the sound which made Merle famous in the start. I miss a bit of his guitar handling, though. I miss that raw Bakersfield guitar.
The big thing is the lyrics, though. Merle is still one of the best lyricists in country ever and writes on matter what matter to the little guy. Work, drugs, drinks, love, crime, politics. It's all there. Sure, he's sung about it before, but he still finds new ways to express himself.
If you find no other reason for buying this record, then buy it for the duet with Willie Nelson. Merle and Willie made a fine job at Townes van Zandt's Pancho & Lefty. This time, they take on Merle's classic Working man's blues, together with Ben Haggard and they sure make a fine work at it.
It's impossible to pick the faves, cos this record is all about quality, cept for the last tune, Jackson, which I think Merle and Theresa Haggard butcher. If I must pick one fave though, it'd be Too much boogie woogie, a timely and totally valid attack on today's country scene.
Next year, mr Haggard will be 75 years old and he's still making quality music. You gotta love him!
I did write that Eilen Jewell's release earlier this year was the best album of the year. Merle's is neither better nor worse, so this album also gets 72% in rate of satisfaction.
Saturday 5 November 2011
Jill Johnson, "Flirting with disaster"
It has become cool to like country, but you're only cool if you like Johnny Cash and Mike Ness. You must under no circumstances like pop country acts like Jill Johnson.
Guess what? I'm uncool!
I bought this record cos I wanted to review a Swedish country act in a blog called "A Swede on American culture". I thought it was the natural thing to do, though I suspected this record would be shite, but it isn't, I'm very plesantly surprised.
What does it sound like, then? Well, it sounds like Jill Johnson is the amazing three-legged woman, one leg being Dolly Parton, the second leg Lucinda Williams and the third Kings of Leon.
Jill Johnson stands as steadily on all three legs and is as good when it comes to ballads about heartaches, as when it comes to rockier tunes about, er, well, heartache. If there is one big thing to criticise her for, it might be the lyrics. She comes across sounding like country music heartaches 101. It's what you expect from a poppy country album like this and it means I have to give her a somewhat lower grade, cos she can't blame it on being Swedish, she has a splendid command of the English language, sounding really American, and should be able to write with a wee bit more fantasy.
As I said, it's a poppy country album and somewhat stereotypical, so I wouldn't recommend it to die hard outlaw country fans, but people who like poppy country music will definitely like this. If you like Lucinda Williams or Dolly Parton, you'll like this. Even if you don't get it anyway, it's good music!
A surprisingly good record like this gets 69,3% in level of satisfaction.
Guess what? I'm uncool!
I bought this record cos I wanted to review a Swedish country act in a blog called "A Swede on American culture". I thought it was the natural thing to do, though I suspected this record would be shite, but it isn't, I'm very plesantly surprised.
What does it sound like, then? Well, it sounds like Jill Johnson is the amazing three-legged woman, one leg being Dolly Parton, the second leg Lucinda Williams and the third Kings of Leon.
Jill Johnson stands as steadily on all three legs and is as good when it comes to ballads about heartaches, as when it comes to rockier tunes about, er, well, heartache. If there is one big thing to criticise her for, it might be the lyrics. She comes across sounding like country music heartaches 101. It's what you expect from a poppy country album like this and it means I have to give her a somewhat lower grade, cos she can't blame it on being Swedish, she has a splendid command of the English language, sounding really American, and should be able to write with a wee bit more fantasy.
As I said, it's a poppy country album and somewhat stereotypical, so I wouldn't recommend it to die hard outlaw country fans, but people who like poppy country music will definitely like this. If you like Lucinda Williams or Dolly Parton, you'll like this. Even if you don't get it anyway, it's good music!
A surprisingly good record like this gets 69,3% in level of satisfaction.
Friday 4 November 2011
Cajun Peppar, "S/T"
I don't know where to start. This demo-cdr is an act of musical brilliance, it puts together all things I love, American music and Skåne (the region of Sweden where I live) pride.
I bought this record at the band's concert at the Eslöv Blues Festival last weekend and for those of you who missed them, Cajun Peppar plays Cajun-influenced music spiced up with blues, country, a bit of Steve Riley-ish pop-Cajun and Skånsk "dansband", dansband being what some people call Scandinavian country, but which is a genre with it's roots in domestic dancing music, as well as in 50's rock and roll and country.
The band is, in other words, rooted in Cajun, but being influenced by many genres. There is, however, accordion in each tune, but no fiddle.
They are also influenced by many languages, you get a wee bit of Creol French, loads of English and, of course, some Skånska. They mix languages in some songs and only one is in all Skånska, Kvinna eller Man?, a perhaps politically incorrect tune about transgendered people. It's funny, though.
What I like with this band is the mix of Skånsk and Cajun culture. I've said it before, us from Skåne, the deep south of Sweden, suffer the same prejuidices as people from the south of the USA and to translate "Cajun land" to "Skåneland" and "Cajun guy" to "Skånepåg" in the beautiful song Colinda!, that's just brilliant!
I would recommend this record to all fans of Cajun and Skånsk music, I think it appeals as much to both audiences. Wouldn't it be cool if more bands started mixing Skånsk and Cajun music? We already have Skånsk blues, hip hop and reggae, which the northerners listen to as well. They might not understand much, but us Skåningar have rythm in our blood.
I will see this band live again and again if I can, cos they're not just good on record, I know for a fact that they're brilliant live as well. Let's pray they get a record deal as well!
A brilliant and innovative demo with loads of potential like this naturally gets 100% in rate of satisfaction!
I bought this record at the band's concert at the Eslöv Blues Festival last weekend and for those of you who missed them, Cajun Peppar plays Cajun-influenced music spiced up with blues, country, a bit of Steve Riley-ish pop-Cajun and Skånsk "dansband", dansband being what some people call Scandinavian country, but which is a genre with it's roots in domestic dancing music, as well as in 50's rock and roll and country.
The band is, in other words, rooted in Cajun, but being influenced by many genres. There is, however, accordion in each tune, but no fiddle.
They are also influenced by many languages, you get a wee bit of Creol French, loads of English and, of course, some Skånska. They mix languages in some songs and only one is in all Skånska, Kvinna eller Man?, a perhaps politically incorrect tune about transgendered people. It's funny, though.
What I like with this band is the mix of Skånsk and Cajun culture. I've said it before, us from Skåne, the deep south of Sweden, suffer the same prejuidices as people from the south of the USA and to translate "Cajun land" to "Skåneland" and "Cajun guy" to "Skånepåg" in the beautiful song Colinda!, that's just brilliant!
I would recommend this record to all fans of Cajun and Skånsk music, I think it appeals as much to both audiences. Wouldn't it be cool if more bands started mixing Skånsk and Cajun music? We already have Skånsk blues, hip hop and reggae, which the northerners listen to as well. They might not understand much, but us Skåningar have rythm in our blood.
I will see this band live again and again if I can, cos they're not just good on record, I know for a fact that they're brilliant live as well. Let's pray they get a record deal as well!
A brilliant and innovative demo with loads of potential like this naturally gets 100% in rate of satisfaction!
Saturday 29 October 2011
The Eslöv blues festival, day two
I didn't stay for all bands, because the last artist I saw, Slidin' Slim, was so good there was no reason for staying for the others. This gig, the Slidin' Slim gig was, in my book, the second best gig I've ever attended (for those who wonder, The Warriors in Oslo was the best). To stay to hear the headliners, whom the morning papers will all cover anyway, would simply be to be disapointed and bring down the total experience.
Slidin' Slim plays neotraditional blues on a steel guitar, which I'm always a sucker for. He's got the guitar sound, of course, but he has also got a bassy, deep voice perfect for singing the blues. Dunno whether he smokes or drinks, but his voice sounds like it has had a copule of shots of Bourrbon in his days.
The second band I saw today was Blue Mood, a geezer singing over a piano and a lad playing the guitar. This lad, however, is an old school pal of mine, whom I haven't seen in years, so we had a small chat before they entered the stage.
As the guitarist is a pal, it would be unfair to give them a review proper, as I can't be objective. I'll settle for describing their music.
Blue Mood plays, soft, laidback blues that pays as much homage to Muddy Waters, as it does, I think, to Nina Simone and, perhaps unintentionally, Sade. The guitarist also showed he's influenced by kids telly, cos he played the theme to Inspector Gadget in an ad-lib.
They were real crowd pleasers.
The first band I saw was a band called Cajun Peppar. As you might guess from their name, they are heavily influenced by cajun music, which I, as my faithful blog readers all know, like. Geez Louise, I thought I was the only Skånepåg who knew who Nathan Abshire and The Balfa Brothers were.
This band plays a form of cajun which is heavily influenced by blues. You really notice the African-American influence in their music and people often forgot that there is much African-American influences in cajun too. It ain't all celtic stuff.
Some tunes were all bluesy, but had a cajun accordion in it, which spiced their sound up and i didn't miss the fiddle at all, they were good, alright!
Cajun peppar mixes singing in English, Creol French and theirs and mine Skånska.
I really liked this band and I really liked the setting, Röstånga Mölla Café and the fact that there was no alcohol involved. Only bad thing I can say about them is the fact that they were a bit untight at times, but they were good enough to have this fact pardoned.
I really like the fact that there is a Skånskt cajun band and I will try to see them loads more times. Hopefully, people will dance then.
This was a great festival, the twelth in a row, unless I'm mistaken. Eslöv is a town in the deep Swedish south and not much happen here, so it's really cool that people bring blues to the town. For someone who likes American music, it's not easy to find gigs to attend, especially not in little Eslöv.
Two thumbs up for the crew!
Slidin' Slim gets 99,9% in level of satisfaction.
Cajun Peppar were also good and gets 81,3% in level of satisfaction.
Slidin' Slim plays neotraditional blues on a steel guitar, which I'm always a sucker for. He's got the guitar sound, of course, but he has also got a bassy, deep voice perfect for singing the blues. Dunno whether he smokes or drinks, but his voice sounds like it has had a copule of shots of Bourrbon in his days.
The second band I saw today was Blue Mood, a geezer singing over a piano and a lad playing the guitar. This lad, however, is an old school pal of mine, whom I haven't seen in years, so we had a small chat before they entered the stage.
As the guitarist is a pal, it would be unfair to give them a review proper, as I can't be objective. I'll settle for describing their music.
Blue Mood plays, soft, laidback blues that pays as much homage to Muddy Waters, as it does, I think, to Nina Simone and, perhaps unintentionally, Sade. The guitarist also showed he's influenced by kids telly, cos he played the theme to Inspector Gadget in an ad-lib.
They were real crowd pleasers.
The first band I saw was a band called Cajun Peppar. As you might guess from their name, they are heavily influenced by cajun music, which I, as my faithful blog readers all know, like. Geez Louise, I thought I was the only Skånepåg who knew who Nathan Abshire and The Balfa Brothers were.
This band plays a form of cajun which is heavily influenced by blues. You really notice the African-American influence in their music and people often forgot that there is much African-American influences in cajun too. It ain't all celtic stuff.
Some tunes were all bluesy, but had a cajun accordion in it, which spiced their sound up and i didn't miss the fiddle at all, they were good, alright!
Cajun peppar mixes singing in English, Creol French and theirs and mine Skånska.
I really liked this band and I really liked the setting, Röstånga Mölla Café and the fact that there was no alcohol involved. Only bad thing I can say about them is the fact that they were a bit untight at times, but they were good enough to have this fact pardoned.
I really like the fact that there is a Skånskt cajun band and I will try to see them loads more times. Hopefully, people will dance then.
This was a great festival, the twelth in a row, unless I'm mistaken. Eslöv is a town in the deep Swedish south and not much happen here, so it's really cool that people bring blues to the town. For someone who likes American music, it's not easy to find gigs to attend, especially not in little Eslöv.
Two thumbs up for the crew!
Slidin' Slim gets 99,9% in level of satisfaction.
Cajun Peppar were also good and gets 81,3% in level of satisfaction.
The Eslöv blues festival, day one
I only saw the first two bands last night. I worked all week and got tired and went home from the festival 10.30 pm-ish. The two bands I saw, Vantamölla Bluesband and Bloosblasters were very much the business, though.
Vantamölla should have been the main attraction, but I'm glad they weren't cos in that case, I would have missed them. They were that good. They played traditional blues in English without attempting to sound like african americans, which was a good thing. It's better to be yourself and do your own thing.
After a few songs, the audience was dancing in front of the stage. There was no bad tunes, but the best tune was a song about the vocalist's son, who died a few years ago, it was very emotional and received massive applause at the end of it.
This is definitely a band I would like to see more times.
Bloosblasters played what is described as "gladbloos", that is blues with my accent, that is Skånska (the southernmost region in Sweden) and I was prepared for a bad version of Peps Persson, the artist most known from this genre, but theese geezers had their own style. Their lyrics were witty and contained anything from the vocalist's dog to sex and family troubles.
I'm sure some purists consider this band fake, cos they sing in Skånska and about not so serious things. But that would be to underestimate this band. As and old punk rock vocalist, I know that it's far more difficult to write witty lyrics than it is to write socially aware stuff. Any one can criticise the government, but not anyone can make his neighbour laugh. And besides, the band was really tight when it came to music. The vocalist picked up his guitar every now and then and made some really good riffs and he was a demon on the harmonica as well.
Vantamölla Blueband gets 98,3% in level of satisfaction, they were that good.
Bloosblasters were also good and gets 89,8% in level of satisfaction.
Vantamölla should have been the main attraction, but I'm glad they weren't cos in that case, I would have missed them. They were that good. They played traditional blues in English without attempting to sound like african americans, which was a good thing. It's better to be yourself and do your own thing.
After a few songs, the audience was dancing in front of the stage. There was no bad tunes, but the best tune was a song about the vocalist's son, who died a few years ago, it was very emotional and received massive applause at the end of it.
This is definitely a band I would like to see more times.
Bloosblasters played what is described as "gladbloos", that is blues with my accent, that is Skånska (the southernmost region in Sweden) and I was prepared for a bad version of Peps Persson, the artist most known from this genre, but theese geezers had their own style. Their lyrics were witty and contained anything from the vocalist's dog to sex and family troubles.
I'm sure some purists consider this band fake, cos they sing in Skånska and about not so serious things. But that would be to underestimate this band. As and old punk rock vocalist, I know that it's far more difficult to write witty lyrics than it is to write socially aware stuff. Any one can criticise the government, but not anyone can make his neighbour laugh. And besides, the band was really tight when it came to music. The vocalist picked up his guitar every now and then and made some really good riffs and he was a demon on the harmonica as well.
Vantamölla Blueband gets 98,3% in level of satisfaction, they were that good.
Bloosblasters were also good and gets 89,8% in level of satisfaction.
Friday 28 October 2011
Going out tonight
Every year, my hometown Eslöv hosts a big blues festival. Lately, I've gotten into blues, so I am going to attend. Tickets have already been bought for today and tomorrow.
Maybe you'll read about it in my blog. Part of me wants to do a write-up on it to make more people read about my hometown, but then another part of me would like to just go out for the night, listen to good music and drink some soft drinks and just chill out, without contemplating what to write.
Besides, the venue will probably be loaded with old hippies and as everyone knows, hippies are the real enemy and I don't want no hippies to gain publicity.
Never mind, maybe I'll write something and then again maybe I won't. If I do so, this will be the place to read it!
Maybe you'll read about it in my blog. Part of me wants to do a write-up on it to make more people read about my hometown, but then another part of me would like to just go out for the night, listen to good music and drink some soft drinks and just chill out, without contemplating what to write.
Besides, the venue will probably be loaded with old hippies and as everyone knows, hippies are the real enemy and I don't want no hippies to gain publicity.
Never mind, maybe I'll write something and then again maybe I won't. If I do so, this will be the place to read it!
Thursday 27 October 2011
Buck Owens, "All-time greatest hits"
Country music is slowly becoming more popular in Sweden and I feel I am on a mission to make it even more popular. Sadly, to many people in this country, country music is Dolly Parton (by whom they mean Jolene) and Johnny Cash (by whom they mean Hurt), then little more.
Today, my mission means opening my fellow countrymen's ears for the little known Bakersfield sound and one of the top acts of that sound, that is Buck Owens.
The Bakersfield sound is a favourite of mine, I really, really love Buck Owens song Act naturally, it's definitely on my top ten of all times. What makes it special is the crude guitar sound. I am a former skinhead and have listened to pretty brutal music in my days, but I've never heard anyone play that melodic and upbeat tunes like Buck Owens can and then throw in some guitar chords as simple, yet brutal as that. It's undescribable, you'll only know what it sounds like once you've heard it yourself.
The music is upbeat most of times, but lyrics are not always that positive, although there are exceptions. If you want to criticise Buck Owens, one could say that he got stuck in the 50's and pretty much learned his wordsmithery from Hank Williams sr, cos there's quite a few number about heartaches. The closing track though, made famous to my generation from the version Buck cut with Dwight Yoakam, Streets of Bakersfield contain som social commentary.
Buck is good at playing good tunes (dunno whether he wrote them himself or not) and has a voice good for singing. He's by no means no Pavarotti, but he can sing allright. That means that this album, maybe with the exception of the Tall dark stranger tune, is worth buying. There's no reason not to like this record and I give it two thumbs up.
A good, but by no means flawless album gets 97,3% in level of satisfaction.
Today, my mission means opening my fellow countrymen's ears for the little known Bakersfield sound and one of the top acts of that sound, that is Buck Owens.
The Bakersfield sound is a favourite of mine, I really, really love Buck Owens song Act naturally, it's definitely on my top ten of all times. What makes it special is the crude guitar sound. I am a former skinhead and have listened to pretty brutal music in my days, but I've never heard anyone play that melodic and upbeat tunes like Buck Owens can and then throw in some guitar chords as simple, yet brutal as that. It's undescribable, you'll only know what it sounds like once you've heard it yourself.
The music is upbeat most of times, but lyrics are not always that positive, although there are exceptions. If you want to criticise Buck Owens, one could say that he got stuck in the 50's and pretty much learned his wordsmithery from Hank Williams sr, cos there's quite a few number about heartaches. The closing track though, made famous to my generation from the version Buck cut with Dwight Yoakam, Streets of Bakersfield contain som social commentary.
Buck is good at playing good tunes (dunno whether he wrote them himself or not) and has a voice good for singing. He's by no means no Pavarotti, but he can sing allright. That means that this album, maybe with the exception of the Tall dark stranger tune, is worth buying. There's no reason not to like this record and I give it two thumbs up.
A good, but by no means flawless album gets 97,3% in level of satisfaction.
Sunday 23 October 2011
Merle Haggard, "20 greatest hits"
Merle Haggard is an artist I can't stop listening to. Sure, not everything he has done is a masterpiece, but he's made quite a few tunes good enough for one to invest in this cd. They're all here.
If you like Merle or never heard about Merle, but you like outlaw country, then you'll like this. There's been quite a few outlaw country artists, but most of them come out sounding like a poor man's Johnny Cash. Merle is different in the sense that he has added his personal touch in the form of his background in the 50's Bakersfield sound and the guitars you love from Buck Owens tunes are all here. Sometimes Merle explores a gentler touch as well, there's quite a few love songs on this cd too.
No matter how much you love Merle's gentler side or his socially aware stuff, when you make a Greatest Hits album, you must include Okie from Muskogee and The fightin' side of me and they are of course both included and Okie... is the version that is best, the live version.
For those of you that have never heard Merle, these tunes are tunes that you, due to their lyrics, either love or hate. The fightin' side of me is a declaration of war against peaceniks and hippies at a time when America fought a war in Vietnam. It's a rallying call for the silent majority to stand up and be counted, to defend American values.
Okie... is simillar. It's a song of love directed towards the American redneck. It's about a place, Muskogee in Oklahoma, where "even squares can have a ball" and include lyrics like "we don't smoke mariuahna in Muskogee, we don't take our trips on LSD" and lines about not lettings one's hair grow long and shaggy like the hippies down in San Francisco do. This tune came out about the same time as The fightin' side of me and became a huge hit among rednecks at the time, though Merle later claimed that Okie... was a pisstake and that he himself smoke weed everywhere cept for when he's in Muskogee.
These two tunes are my faves on this album, but there are many other good tunes too, among them Workin' man blues and Branded man.
Get this record somehow or get any other, there's plenty of Merle Haggard compilations out there!
A good, but in no sense perfect intro to the work of Merle Haggard receives 82,1% in rate of approval.
If you like Merle or never heard about Merle, but you like outlaw country, then you'll like this. There's been quite a few outlaw country artists, but most of them come out sounding like a poor man's Johnny Cash. Merle is different in the sense that he has added his personal touch in the form of his background in the 50's Bakersfield sound and the guitars you love from Buck Owens tunes are all here. Sometimes Merle explores a gentler touch as well, there's quite a few love songs on this cd too.
No matter how much you love Merle's gentler side or his socially aware stuff, when you make a Greatest Hits album, you must include Okie from Muskogee and The fightin' side of me and they are of course both included and Okie... is the version that is best, the live version.
For those of you that have never heard Merle, these tunes are tunes that you, due to their lyrics, either love or hate. The fightin' side of me is a declaration of war against peaceniks and hippies at a time when America fought a war in Vietnam. It's a rallying call for the silent majority to stand up and be counted, to defend American values.
Okie... is simillar. It's a song of love directed towards the American redneck. It's about a place, Muskogee in Oklahoma, where "even squares can have a ball" and include lyrics like "we don't smoke mariuahna in Muskogee, we don't take our trips on LSD" and lines about not lettings one's hair grow long and shaggy like the hippies down in San Francisco do. This tune came out about the same time as The fightin' side of me and became a huge hit among rednecks at the time, though Merle later claimed that Okie... was a pisstake and that he himself smoke weed everywhere cept for when he's in Muskogee.
These two tunes are my faves on this album, but there are many other good tunes too, among them Workin' man blues and Branded man.
Get this record somehow or get any other, there's plenty of Merle Haggard compilations out there!
A good, but in no sense perfect intro to the work of Merle Haggard receives 82,1% in rate of approval.
Saturday 22 October 2011
The Bob Marley and Desmond Dekker of country music
As an old skinhead, I am a fan of reggae music or at least was so until a few years ago. I can't stand modern reggae or "ragga", as they call it, though I really liked Willie Nelson's reggae album.
Anyhow, whenever one says that one likes reggae, you get the usual reaction. "Oh, you like Bob Marley". Which I, in fact, don't particulary do. Sure, some of his 60's stuff was great, but when he progressed to his rastafarian, drug-fuelled crap, it just got too druggie for my taste.
I do appreciate his role in spreading reggae music to a wider audience though, he was a fantastic embassador for the genre. It's just, I think, a bit arrogant to believe that the whole genre starts and ends with one man. I am a far bigger fan of Desmond Dekker, who was the first Jamaican reggae artist with a major smash hit abroad (no, I don't count Millie, cos she was ska and not reggae) and Toots or Jimmy Cliff.
Lately, it has been popular to like Johnny Cash and you get a lot of people talking about Johnny as people talk about Bob. You tell them you like country music and people say "Oh, I love Johnny Cash". Good for them, Johnny Cash was a genious, but can you truly claim to love a genre if you've only heard one man's music?
When it comes to country music, the Desmond Dekker of country is Hank Williams sr and Johnny Cash was the Bob Marley in my book any day. Johnny revolutionised country and brought it a social commentary it hadn't had since the days of Woody Guthrie, although Johnny was definitely not a bloody commie, like Woody was.
The social commentary bit is another reason why I think Johnny as the Bob of country and why I think Hank was the Desmond Dekker. Like Des, Hank stuck to easy listening like themes, most often about broken hearts and misery and never took the step into radical stuff. As a beacon of light for country music in a time when country was not all that it was to become after him, Hank changed a lot of things in the scene and is still an inspiration for many young artists.
Anyhow, whenever one says that one likes reggae, you get the usual reaction. "Oh, you like Bob Marley". Which I, in fact, don't particulary do. Sure, some of his 60's stuff was great, but when he progressed to his rastafarian, drug-fuelled crap, it just got too druggie for my taste.
I do appreciate his role in spreading reggae music to a wider audience though, he was a fantastic embassador for the genre. It's just, I think, a bit arrogant to believe that the whole genre starts and ends with one man. I am a far bigger fan of Desmond Dekker, who was the first Jamaican reggae artist with a major smash hit abroad (no, I don't count Millie, cos she was ska and not reggae) and Toots or Jimmy Cliff.
Lately, it has been popular to like Johnny Cash and you get a lot of people talking about Johnny as people talk about Bob. You tell them you like country music and people say "Oh, I love Johnny Cash". Good for them, Johnny Cash was a genious, but can you truly claim to love a genre if you've only heard one man's music?
When it comes to country music, the Desmond Dekker of country is Hank Williams sr and Johnny Cash was the Bob Marley in my book any day. Johnny revolutionised country and brought it a social commentary it hadn't had since the days of Woody Guthrie, although Johnny was definitely not a bloody commie, like Woody was.
The social commentary bit is another reason why I think Johnny as the Bob of country and why I think Hank was the Desmond Dekker. Like Des, Hank stuck to easy listening like themes, most often about broken hearts and misery and never took the step into radical stuff. As a beacon of light for country music in a time when country was not all that it was to become after him, Hank changed a lot of things in the scene and is still an inspiration for many young artists.
Earl Scruggs, "Classic bluegrass live 1959-1966"
I like this record. I like it a lot, I can't stop listening to it no matter what it does to my image as a former skinhead with tattoos and stuff.
Still, I think I like bluegrass for the same reason I like ska music, it makes you happy listening to it.
As someone raised in the oi! scene, lyrics mean a lot to me, but strangely, I don't care if the lyrics to this album are a bit naive. Take, as for an example, the lyrics to Jimmy Brown the newsboy, not something Kris Kristofferson or even Zac Brown would have penned, but who cares? This music is made for dancing, not for changing the world.
This album is, as the title gives away, a live album, collecting appearances by Earl Scruggs from three folk festivals in Newport, 1959, 1960 and 1966. Scruggs had then become a legend, not just among the traditional bluegrass punters, a scene he had changed with his groundbreaking way of picking his banjo, but also among the trendy middle class students who had discovered American folk music, a scene spearheaded by Bob Dylan.
There's a lot of stuff coming out from the 60's and most of it hasn't aged well. This album, however, has aged surprisingly well. Scruggs music is timeless.
Another thing which strikes you is how well it sounds live. Today, you get a lot of artists recording as their first priority and using computers to enhance their music and though it might sound the business on disc, they come out sounding poor live. You don't get that with Earl Scruggs, listening to him, you listen to someone who simply loves playing live.
I am going to look for more records by him, definitely!
A near perfect record get a near perfect level of satisfaction, 96,1%
Still, I think I like bluegrass for the same reason I like ska music, it makes you happy listening to it.
As someone raised in the oi! scene, lyrics mean a lot to me, but strangely, I don't care if the lyrics to this album are a bit naive. Take, as for an example, the lyrics to Jimmy Brown the newsboy, not something Kris Kristofferson or even Zac Brown would have penned, but who cares? This music is made for dancing, not for changing the world.
This album is, as the title gives away, a live album, collecting appearances by Earl Scruggs from three folk festivals in Newport, 1959, 1960 and 1966. Scruggs had then become a legend, not just among the traditional bluegrass punters, a scene he had changed with his groundbreaking way of picking his banjo, but also among the trendy middle class students who had discovered American folk music, a scene spearheaded by Bob Dylan.
There's a lot of stuff coming out from the 60's and most of it hasn't aged well. This album, however, has aged surprisingly well. Scruggs music is timeless.
Another thing which strikes you is how well it sounds live. Today, you get a lot of artists recording as their first priority and using computers to enhance their music and though it might sound the business on disc, they come out sounding poor live. You don't get that with Earl Scruggs, listening to him, you listen to someone who simply loves playing live.
I am going to look for more records by him, definitely!
A near perfect record get a near perfect level of satisfaction, 96,1%
Friday 21 October 2011
Kris Kristofferson, "Closer to the bone"
I like Kris K, but I don't worship him like some reviewers do.
Sure, mr Kristofferson is beyond doubt one of the best wordsmiths country music has ever fostered and although his voice isn't beautiful, it's distinctive and it "works". Then add the fact that he has a talent for good music too.
On this album, what you get is a bunch of emotional country songs, not necessarily emotional as in crying material, but simply songs investigating various emotions, although there is certainly a few blue tunes too.
Musically, there's not much more than an accoustic guitar on this little darling and Kris comes across sounding a little bit like Johnny Cash did on his last recordings and a little bit like Townes van Zandt, but most of all like himself.
There's a few surprises too, like a song about Sinead O'Connor, didn't see that one coming.
There is not a weak song on this album, but there's also not a really strong standout song, no hammers, just good songs. The fact that this album is just about 30 minutes saves it, cos I couldn't listen any longer to a, by all means good, album, but somewhat repetitive.
This means that I can't give the album a rave review.
78,3% is all it gets in level of satisfaction.
Sure, mr Kristofferson is beyond doubt one of the best wordsmiths country music has ever fostered and although his voice isn't beautiful, it's distinctive and it "works". Then add the fact that he has a talent for good music too.
On this album, what you get is a bunch of emotional country songs, not necessarily emotional as in crying material, but simply songs investigating various emotions, although there is certainly a few blue tunes too.
Musically, there's not much more than an accoustic guitar on this little darling and Kris comes across sounding a little bit like Johnny Cash did on his last recordings and a little bit like Townes van Zandt, but most of all like himself.
There's a few surprises too, like a song about Sinead O'Connor, didn't see that one coming.
There is not a weak song on this album, but there's also not a really strong standout song, no hammers, just good songs. The fact that this album is just about 30 minutes saves it, cos I couldn't listen any longer to a, by all means good, album, but somewhat repetitive.
This means that I can't give the album a rave review.
78,3% is all it gets in level of satisfaction.
Saturday 15 October 2011
Dwight Yoakam, "Guitars, Cadillacs, etc, etc" (Reissue)
You either love or hate Dwight Yoakam. There is no middle ground, you either think he's the worst thing that has happened to country music, or you rank him high among the legends.
Myself, I was prejudiced towards him for ages, but then I came across his album of Buck Owens covers and it blew me right away. I decided to check him out and discovered that there is no golden rule. Country music must not always sound as it did in the golden 70's of outlaw country.
Dwight Yoakam has simply taken good old honky-tonk style country music and given it a modern twist and it sure works.
This record was, if I'm correctly informed, his first and this cd is a re-issue from 2006 and includes his 1981 demos, as well as a disc with a live performance of his from the time of the first release in 1986, which means that Dwight Yoakam has been entertaining us now for a quarter of a century, which is no small accomplishment in itself.
I think people dislike Dwight Yoakam, not as much because he has brought pop into country, but because he has made it work. You get equal doses of honky-tonk rooted in the Bakersfield sound, with a few violins added, as well as sounds from the deep south Dwight hails from and radio friendly pop/rock.
Lyricswise, you get a lot of heartaches, as well as Dixie pride and though might not be the best lyrics ever written, they work for me, I like 'em.
The only bad tune and to be honest, it's not that bad, only Social Distortion covered it much better, is Ring of fire.
Dwight opened up the country scene to discovering more side projects than bluegrass and gospel and I think quite a few successful country artists owe their "break" to Dwight Yoakam coming and opening the door for them and has made country more accessible. Even if I really don't like some of the more recent big acts (ZBB remain an exception, but that is largely thanks to their lyrics), I think Dwight Yoakam is quite good and even if you don't like him, you have to admire the man for what he has accomplished!
A classic, but not a perfect album gets 91,2% in level of satisfaction!
Myself, I was prejudiced towards him for ages, but then I came across his album of Buck Owens covers and it blew me right away. I decided to check him out and discovered that there is no golden rule. Country music must not always sound as it did in the golden 70's of outlaw country.
Dwight Yoakam has simply taken good old honky-tonk style country music and given it a modern twist and it sure works.
This record was, if I'm correctly informed, his first and this cd is a re-issue from 2006 and includes his 1981 demos, as well as a disc with a live performance of his from the time of the first release in 1986, which means that Dwight Yoakam has been entertaining us now for a quarter of a century, which is no small accomplishment in itself.
I think people dislike Dwight Yoakam, not as much because he has brought pop into country, but because he has made it work. You get equal doses of honky-tonk rooted in the Bakersfield sound, with a few violins added, as well as sounds from the deep south Dwight hails from and radio friendly pop/rock.
Lyricswise, you get a lot of heartaches, as well as Dixie pride and though might not be the best lyrics ever written, they work for me, I like 'em.
The only bad tune and to be honest, it's not that bad, only Social Distortion covered it much better, is Ring of fire.
Dwight opened up the country scene to discovering more side projects than bluegrass and gospel and I think quite a few successful country artists owe their "break" to Dwight Yoakam coming and opening the door for them and has made country more accessible. Even if I really don't like some of the more recent big acts (ZBB remain an exception, but that is largely thanks to their lyrics), I think Dwight Yoakam is quite good and even if you don't like him, you have to admire the man for what he has accomplished!
A classic, but not a perfect album gets 91,2% in level of satisfaction!
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Zac Brown Band, "You get what you give"
ZBB is one of the hottest acts in modern country right now, in fact they're so hot they even open for Kings of Leon.
When I first heard this record, I wasn't sure why they were given all the praise they've received. At first, it sounds like soulless, radiofriendly commerical country music with vague influences from bands like The Eagles.
But the more I listen to them, the more I like them. Not only for them being brave enough to experiment musically. Anyone can play an unexpected cover at a concert, but ZBB experiment with ska on the track Who knows and why not? If ska can go latin, jazz, punk or even folk, why not country? Willie Nelson did, after all, make a reggae album the other year. Is this a new trend? If it is, I like it, ZBB comes across sounding like Madness at times. Good stuff!
No, it's also the fact that they're good at their trade in the more regular songs as well. If you like your country music a bit poppy, then this is one record you don't wanna miss. They're good at what they're doing, I just don't appreciate it that much.
However, if the music is a bit bland, then their lyrics save the day. I'm from Skåne, the southermost region of Sweden and we get to live with the same prejudices about us from the northern Swedes as the Dixies have to live with from the Yanks. I can really relate to the lyrics, which are cleverly manufactured. It's the little man's point of view which comes across in their lyrics. This fact saves ZBB from becoming just another mediocre radio act to my ears and propells them into one of the best modern acts out there.
It's a good record, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations The Foundation sat. The opening track, Let it go, is the closest thing to a smash hit in my ears and perhaps they should have saved it for a bit longer into the record. Now you just get a bit let down from expecting the following tracks sounding like the opening one. But what do I know? The kids today download their fave tunes and don't give a darn about succession on an album.
There is nothing compared to Chicken Fried on this album, but it's still a decent record which deserves 69.8% in level of satisfaction.
When I first heard this record, I wasn't sure why they were given all the praise they've received. At first, it sounds like soulless, radiofriendly commerical country music with vague influences from bands like The Eagles.
But the more I listen to them, the more I like them. Not only for them being brave enough to experiment musically. Anyone can play an unexpected cover at a concert, but ZBB experiment with ska on the track Who knows and why not? If ska can go latin, jazz, punk or even folk, why not country? Willie Nelson did, after all, make a reggae album the other year. Is this a new trend? If it is, I like it, ZBB comes across sounding like Madness at times. Good stuff!
No, it's also the fact that they're good at their trade in the more regular songs as well. If you like your country music a bit poppy, then this is one record you don't wanna miss. They're good at what they're doing, I just don't appreciate it that much.
However, if the music is a bit bland, then their lyrics save the day. I'm from Skåne, the southermost region of Sweden and we get to live with the same prejudices about us from the northern Swedes as the Dixies have to live with from the Yanks. I can really relate to the lyrics, which are cleverly manufactured. It's the little man's point of view which comes across in their lyrics. This fact saves ZBB from becoming just another mediocre radio act to my ears and propells them into one of the best modern acts out there.
It's a good record, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to the expectations The Foundation sat. The opening track, Let it go, is the closest thing to a smash hit in my ears and perhaps they should have saved it for a bit longer into the record. Now you just get a bit let down from expecting the following tracks sounding like the opening one. But what do I know? The kids today download their fave tunes and don't give a darn about succession on an album.
There is nothing compared to Chicken Fried on this album, but it's still a decent record which deserves 69.8% in level of satisfaction.
Sorry, Steve Earle
I would have loved to see you live in Malmö, but the tickets to the Blues festival in Eslöv is all I can afford this month!
Jerry Jeff Walker, "¡Viva Terlingua!"
Jerry Jeff is an artist more people need to be aware of, cos he's brilliant at what he does. I can say that after hearing one record only by him, this record, that is, which is also a live record. And I for one am not that keen on live records. This is, however, together with Johnny Cash's Live at San Quentin, an exception.
Not all the tunes on this album are original tunes and the two best of the lot are Desperadoes waiting for a train, written by Guy Clark and Up against the wall redneck mother, written Ray Wylie Hubbard.
I've never heard Guy Clark's version of Desperadoes..., but I've seen numerous versions of it by Jerry Jeff on youtube and it has quickly become one of my all time fave tunes. It's about the friendship of an older man with a younger one and it makes me think of my grandfather. Although my grandfather is very much still alive.
But there are good tunes by Jerry Jeff on this little darling as well, among them the fine party song, Sangria wine, as well as Gettin' by, which I think K.M. Myrland, the Norwegian singer, has made a Norwegian version of.
There are really no bad songs on this one. They all do the trick. The only criticism I may have of the songs is that some of them go on a wee bit too long. But then again, I was raised in the punk/oi! scene and am used to songs that last 2 minutes at maximum.
I'd recommend this record to all fans of 70's country music. If you haven't discovered Jerry Jeff's music yet, then now is the time to! You won't be let down by giving his music a try!
Buy this record!
A good, although not perfect, record like this gets 85,1% in level of satisfaction!
Not all the tunes on this album are original tunes and the two best of the lot are Desperadoes waiting for a train, written by Guy Clark and Up against the wall redneck mother, written Ray Wylie Hubbard.
I've never heard Guy Clark's version of Desperadoes..., but I've seen numerous versions of it by Jerry Jeff on youtube and it has quickly become one of my all time fave tunes. It's about the friendship of an older man with a younger one and it makes me think of my grandfather. Although my grandfather is very much still alive.
But there are good tunes by Jerry Jeff on this little darling as well, among them the fine party song, Sangria wine, as well as Gettin' by, which I think K.M. Myrland, the Norwegian singer, has made a Norwegian version of.
There are really no bad songs on this one. They all do the trick. The only criticism I may have of the songs is that some of them go on a wee bit too long. But then again, I was raised in the punk/oi! scene and am used to songs that last 2 minutes at maximum.
I'd recommend this record to all fans of 70's country music. If you haven't discovered Jerry Jeff's music yet, then now is the time to! You won't be let down by giving his music a try!
Buy this record!
A good, although not perfect, record like this gets 85,1% in level of satisfaction!
Monday 3 October 2011
An interview with Eilen Jewell
You’ve got a new cd coming out, how would you describe it in terms of sound and your own satisfaction with it? What can the fans expect?
The new record is definitely a close relative of my 2009 release, Sea of Tears. But to my ears it’s a bit more mature and takes more risks. It’s the first time since my debut record, Boundary County, that I’ve released an album of all original material. So the songs are near and dear to me. It’s also the first time I’ve featured guest vocalists (Big Sandy of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys and up-and-coming Seattle artist Zoe Muth). I think fans of my previous albums will appreciate this new member of the family.
I am an active layman in the Church of Sweden, so I have to ask you at least one question on faith. You covered Loretta Lynn’s “Who says God is dead?” on “Butcher Holler”, so I suppose there is at least some connection to faith in the band. What has Church meant to you? Did you perhaps start with music in a Church band?
I’m not religious and wasn’t raised under any particular faith, but I have always loved gospel music. My band and I are in a gospel side-project called The Sacred Shakers. There are eight members, and we all come from very different religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. Having sung in that band for several years, “Who Says God Is Dead” was not a stretch for me. I wanted to include it in “Butcher Holler,” my tribute to Loretta Lynn, because I felt it would complete the picture. You just can’t sing an album of all country songs without including at least one gospel favorite. They go hand in hand. And that song in particular is so classic Loretta Lynn. It’s amazing how even her gospel lyrics are full of sass.
Britain’s PM, David Cameron, told interviewers that he keeps you on his iPod and Europe’s leading country music magazine, CMP, had a long interview with you. Does this mean that you have had bigger exposure in Europe lately and what do you think is similar and what is different when you compare American to European audiences?
Europe has been very good to me from the beginning. There are many communities here in the U.S. where we do very well too, but the U.S. is such a huge country, so spread-out, that it’s harder for anything to catch on, unless it’s on the television every night. Things just don’t catch on as easily as they do in Europe. It’s more like a collection of isolated fires. There are many parts of the U.S. where you literally have to drive for hundreds of miles before you can find a town with a theater or a concert hall and a promoter who’s willing to put together a show. In Europe it seems to me that many people are not as attracted to mainstream music, they actively look for an alternative. And the communities in Europe are closer together than they are in most
of the U.S. so touring is easier. It also really helps that most Europeans we meet know more about American music than most Americans do. All of these things put together have made it easy for Europe to be a real stronghold for us.
Which bands and artists have influenced you the most? And, then, are there any artists who you like and respect, although your music sounds nothing like them at all?
Of the contemporary artists out there, I am probably most influenced by Lucinda Williams, Fred Eaglesmith, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. Oh, and of course Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn. (There are so many!) I have great respect for Chuck Prophet, as a person and as a performer and songwriter, though musically we’re only a little bit similar.
What is most fun, getting a great review or playing a brilliant live concert?
Playing a great live concert is the most fun, and the most fulfilling, thing I can do. I try not to take any review to heart, whether it be favorable or unfavorable. Everyone’s got an opinion, so I try not to get distracted by them.
Are you aware of the existence of Amanda Jensen? She is obviously aware of you, because she sounds very much like you.
I am familiar with her. I don’t know if she’s aware of me or not, but I like what she’s doing. It would be great to do a show together someday.
If your band was not a band, but a sport, which sport would it be? Hard and physical as American football or precise and elegant like golf or maybe something in between?
I think we have some days when we’re more like a rugby team, taking all the hard knocks without any padding. And other days we’re more like pool sharks--calm and calculating and a little conniving. But that’s just how we are as people. Musically, we’re more like cross-country skiers. Our music is fluid, with a lot of space in between the notes, but it has direction and focus too.
Any words to your Swedish fans?
Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and for putting up with my attempts at speaking Swedish. I love Sweden, and I can’t wait to come back! Tack så mycket!
The new record is definitely a close relative of my 2009 release, Sea of Tears. But to my ears it’s a bit more mature and takes more risks. It’s the first time since my debut record, Boundary County, that I’ve released an album of all original material. So the songs are near and dear to me. It’s also the first time I’ve featured guest vocalists (Big Sandy of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys and up-and-coming Seattle artist Zoe Muth). I think fans of my previous albums will appreciate this new member of the family.
I am an active layman in the Church of Sweden, so I have to ask you at least one question on faith. You covered Loretta Lynn’s “Who says God is dead?” on “Butcher Holler”, so I suppose there is at least some connection to faith in the band. What has Church meant to you? Did you perhaps start with music in a Church band?
I’m not religious and wasn’t raised under any particular faith, but I have always loved gospel music. My band and I are in a gospel side-project called The Sacred Shakers. There are eight members, and we all come from very different religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. Having sung in that band for several years, “Who Says God Is Dead” was not a stretch for me. I wanted to include it in “Butcher Holler,” my tribute to Loretta Lynn, because I felt it would complete the picture. You just can’t sing an album of all country songs without including at least one gospel favorite. They go hand in hand. And that song in particular is so classic Loretta Lynn. It’s amazing how even her gospel lyrics are full of sass.
Britain’s PM, David Cameron, told interviewers that he keeps you on his iPod and Europe’s leading country music magazine, CMP, had a long interview with you. Does this mean that you have had bigger exposure in Europe lately and what do you think is similar and what is different when you compare American to European audiences?
Europe has been very good to me from the beginning. There are many communities here in the U.S. where we do very well too, but the U.S. is such a huge country, so spread-out, that it’s harder for anything to catch on, unless it’s on the television every night. Things just don’t catch on as easily as they do in Europe. It’s more like a collection of isolated fires. There are many parts of the U.S. where you literally have to drive for hundreds of miles before you can find a town with a theater or a concert hall and a promoter who’s willing to put together a show. In Europe it seems to me that many people are not as attracted to mainstream music, they actively look for an alternative. And the communities in Europe are closer together than they are in most
of the U.S. so touring is easier. It also really helps that most Europeans we meet know more about American music than most Americans do. All of these things put together have made it easy for Europe to be a real stronghold for us.
Which bands and artists have influenced you the most? And, then, are there any artists who you like and respect, although your music sounds nothing like them at all?
Of the contemporary artists out there, I am probably most influenced by Lucinda Williams, Fred Eaglesmith, and Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys. Oh, and of course Bob Dylan and Loretta Lynn. (There are so many!) I have great respect for Chuck Prophet, as a person and as a performer and songwriter, though musically we’re only a little bit similar.
What is most fun, getting a great review or playing a brilliant live concert?
Playing a great live concert is the most fun, and the most fulfilling, thing I can do. I try not to take any review to heart, whether it be favorable or unfavorable. Everyone’s got an opinion, so I try not to get distracted by them.
Are you aware of the existence of Amanda Jensen? She is obviously aware of you, because she sounds very much like you.
I am familiar with her. I don’t know if she’s aware of me or not, but I like what she’s doing. It would be great to do a show together someday.
If your band was not a band, but a sport, which sport would it be? Hard and physical as American football or precise and elegant like golf or maybe something in between?
I think we have some days when we’re more like a rugby team, taking all the hard knocks without any padding. And other days we’re more like pool sharks--calm and calculating and a little conniving. But that’s just how we are as people. Musically, we’re more like cross-country skiers. Our music is fluid, with a lot of space in between the notes, but it has direction and focus too.
Any words to your Swedish fans?
Thanks for being so welcoming to me, and for putting up with my attempts at speaking Swedish. I love Sweden, and I can’t wait to come back! Tack så mycket!
The blues festival in Eslöv, my hometown
My hometown, Eslöv, hosts one of the best blues festivals in this country and this year's festival will take place on October 28th-29th.
I am particulary looking forward to seeing and hearing Cajun Peppar, a band which mixes blues with cajun and country music.
More info in English here.
I am particulary looking forward to seeing and hearing Cajun Peppar, a band which mixes blues with cajun and country music.
More info in English here.
Sunday 2 October 2011
Nathan Abshire - "French blues"
I have a confession to make. I absolutely adore the music of Nathan Abshire, warts and all. In fact, although I do enjoy more modern sounding acts like, as for an example, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys or Beau Soleil, as well, it was Abshire who got me hooked on cajun music in the first place.
I still love his music as much as I did the first time I heard it. I had borrowed a compilation album of cajun music at my local lending library for what must have been close to twenty years or more ago. I liked all of the music on the disc, but Abshire's song, Les filles du Canada, just blew me away.
Abshire's style was distinctive to say the least. The music was traditional cajun and as traditional as cajun gets with his accordion squeezing out tunes to a traditional backing band in the background. Primitive? Yes! Raw? Yes! That is not the same thing as to say it's bad, quite on the contrary, it gives a certain laidback feel to his music and a devil may care attitude.
The singing is in French (of course!) and I don't know French, so please don't ask me what he was singing about, but what I can say is that his voice blended perfectly with his music. It was as raw and primitive (in a good way, keep in mind!) and between singing, he'd laugh and grunt. Utter genious!
Musically, the tunes on this record are the traditional mix of waltzes and blues tunes in the cajun vein and performed by one of it's all time masters.
Abshire's perhaps most famous tune, Pine Grove Blues is the opening track and after that, the classics keep coming out like a cat of the bag. Included is also a different version on the aforementioned track called Pine Groove Boogie and although there are no bad cuts on this disc, that song is perhaps my fave tune.
There is no bad thing to say about this album. It's sheer genious and anyone who likes old school cajun will appreciate this record enormously. If I was you and if you haven't heard cajun music before, I'd perhaps start with something lighter, like Steve Riley or Beau Soleil and progress to heavier stuff like Abshire or The Balfas later. There's loads of videos of Abshire on youtube, just so you know!
A perfect album like this naturally gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
I still love his music as much as I did the first time I heard it. I had borrowed a compilation album of cajun music at my local lending library for what must have been close to twenty years or more ago. I liked all of the music on the disc, but Abshire's song, Les filles du Canada, just blew me away.
Abshire's style was distinctive to say the least. The music was traditional cajun and as traditional as cajun gets with his accordion squeezing out tunes to a traditional backing band in the background. Primitive? Yes! Raw? Yes! That is not the same thing as to say it's bad, quite on the contrary, it gives a certain laidback feel to his music and a devil may care attitude.
The singing is in French (of course!) and I don't know French, so please don't ask me what he was singing about, but what I can say is that his voice blended perfectly with his music. It was as raw and primitive (in a good way, keep in mind!) and between singing, he'd laugh and grunt. Utter genious!
Musically, the tunes on this record are the traditional mix of waltzes and blues tunes in the cajun vein and performed by one of it's all time masters.
Abshire's perhaps most famous tune, Pine Grove Blues is the opening track and after that, the classics keep coming out like a cat of the bag. Included is also a different version on the aforementioned track called Pine Groove Boogie and although there are no bad cuts on this disc, that song is perhaps my fave tune.
There is no bad thing to say about this album. It's sheer genious and anyone who likes old school cajun will appreciate this record enormously. If I was you and if you haven't heard cajun music before, I'd perhaps start with something lighter, like Steve Riley or Beau Soleil and progress to heavier stuff like Abshire or The Balfas later. There's loads of videos of Abshire on youtube, just so you know!
A perfect album like this naturally gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
Saturday 1 October 2011
Eilen Jewell - "Queen of the minor key"
This record came out in June, already and I should've had reviewed it earlier, but I only got around to buying it a few weeks ago.
The reasons for reviewing it now are threefold. The first and obvious reason is that more people deserve to experience the music of miss Jewell and her band. The second is that I reviewed the record in my Swedish blog a few weeks ago and only decided to take my English-language blogging more seriously just recently. Lastly, I was offered by her record label to review the record already when it came out, but I like supporting good musicians and insisted on buying the record myself. I could've reviewed it digitally, but I'm old school and prefer owning the music I like on a disc!
As for this record, yes, to everyone who likes Eilen Jewell, this record is a must-have. It might not be groundbreaking, no, it's just more of the Jewell-sound you like from previous records. A bit of melancholy, a bit of 50's style music and a big dose of country!
This record is also noteworthy for the fact that Eilen Jewell has written all the tunes herself.
This record is, no matter what comes out later this year (or previously, for that matter!), one of the best releases in country music this year. I would love to hear this material live too, so we can just hope that miss Jewell returns to Sweden this year with a load of these tunes in her set! I don't think it's impossible, cos a load of good country artists have been playing Sweden lately and if I can afford it, I'll see Steve Earle in Malmö this autumn!
I would definitely recommend this record for all fans of country music, but I also think that people who like rockabilly or Swedish folk can enjoy this. To all fans of Swedish singer Amanda Jensen, it's a must-have (and I can really recommend all fans abroad of Eilen Jewell to discover Amanda Jensen!).
The only thing I can criticise this record for is the fact that it's stuck a bit in a rut and not too groundbreaking. That is not necessarily such a bad thing and, as I said, it's one of the best releases this year. All her old fans will like it and new fans will absolutely, I'm sure, adore it.
It's a good record, alright, but the fact that it ain't too groundbreaking means that I can't give it a totally satisfactionary stamp of approval.
I give it 72% in level of satisfaction.
The reasons for reviewing it now are threefold. The first and obvious reason is that more people deserve to experience the music of miss Jewell and her band. The second is that I reviewed the record in my Swedish blog a few weeks ago and only decided to take my English-language blogging more seriously just recently. Lastly, I was offered by her record label to review the record already when it came out, but I like supporting good musicians and insisted on buying the record myself. I could've reviewed it digitally, but I'm old school and prefer owning the music I like on a disc!
As for this record, yes, to everyone who likes Eilen Jewell, this record is a must-have. It might not be groundbreaking, no, it's just more of the Jewell-sound you like from previous records. A bit of melancholy, a bit of 50's style music and a big dose of country!
This record is also noteworthy for the fact that Eilen Jewell has written all the tunes herself.
This record is, no matter what comes out later this year (or previously, for that matter!), one of the best releases in country music this year. I would love to hear this material live too, so we can just hope that miss Jewell returns to Sweden this year with a load of these tunes in her set! I don't think it's impossible, cos a load of good country artists have been playing Sweden lately and if I can afford it, I'll see Steve Earle in Malmö this autumn!
I would definitely recommend this record for all fans of country music, but I also think that people who like rockabilly or Swedish folk can enjoy this. To all fans of Swedish singer Amanda Jensen, it's a must-have (and I can really recommend all fans abroad of Eilen Jewell to discover Amanda Jensen!).
The only thing I can criticise this record for is the fact that it's stuck a bit in a rut and not too groundbreaking. That is not necessarily such a bad thing and, as I said, it's one of the best releases this year. All her old fans will like it and new fans will absolutely, I'm sure, adore it.
It's a good record, alright, but the fact that it ain't too groundbreaking means that I can't give it a totally satisfactionary stamp of approval.
I give it 72% in level of satisfaction.
Dock Boggs - "His folkways years 1963-1968"
I had no clue who Dock Boggs was yesterday, I must admit. I came into the best record store in southern Sweden, or at least the record store with the best selection of american music, looking for the latest Merle Haggard album and when they didn't have that, I asked for the new best of Bluegrass album Country Music People reviewed in the latest issue.
Now, Folk å Rock (the record store in Malmö town I went to) had neither, but the shop clerk recommended me this record, as well as a record by Earl Scruggs. I was completely blown away by both, but the Dock Boggs album struck me that hard I've been listening to it non stop since I got out of bed this morning.
Dock Boggs is truly folk. Musically, it's bluesy American folk with a unique sound. He sometimes remind me of another great white American singer, who was influenced by blues as well, Nathan Abshire, though Abshire sang in french. But to be fair, Boggs is both better than Abshire, as well as having more influences than blues, there is European influences as well in his blend of folk music.
The record comes with a booklet full of info on mr Boggs and if half of it is true, he seems to have had a truly interesting life. A coal mine worker and a bootlegger of corn whiskey in and out of trouble, the kind of life you'd expect from an oi! singer, not a folk singer. However, what I, as a Christian labour man appreciate is Boggs foundation in faith, as well as in the trade union movement.
The music is so good that Boggs could do instrumental numbers only, but the lyrics really stand out as well, covering the life of poor people in the American south.
Boggs started recording in the 1920's, but gave it up and didn't record again for almost 35 years. This could give Boggs music a bit of a dated feeling and to be true, yes, it's old time fashioned bluesy folk, but it's still relevant. What one, however, can say about it is that one can hear which influences bluegrass, country and folk had in the 1940's-60's. Boggs was one of their sources of influence no doubt. The fact that his music continued to be popular between 1929 and 1963 despite the man not doing any recordings then says it all.
This is a brilliant piece of work and truly a milestone in folk, yet it leaves some to wish for, so I won't give it a totally flawless stamp of approval, but almost. I give it 95,9% in rate of satisfaction.
Now, Folk å Rock (the record store in Malmö town I went to) had neither, but the shop clerk recommended me this record, as well as a record by Earl Scruggs. I was completely blown away by both, but the Dock Boggs album struck me that hard I've been listening to it non stop since I got out of bed this morning.
Dock Boggs is truly folk. Musically, it's bluesy American folk with a unique sound. He sometimes remind me of another great white American singer, who was influenced by blues as well, Nathan Abshire, though Abshire sang in french. But to be fair, Boggs is both better than Abshire, as well as having more influences than blues, there is European influences as well in his blend of folk music.
The record comes with a booklet full of info on mr Boggs and if half of it is true, he seems to have had a truly interesting life. A coal mine worker and a bootlegger of corn whiskey in and out of trouble, the kind of life you'd expect from an oi! singer, not a folk singer. However, what I, as a Christian labour man appreciate is Boggs foundation in faith, as well as in the trade union movement.
The music is so good that Boggs could do instrumental numbers only, but the lyrics really stand out as well, covering the life of poor people in the American south.
Boggs started recording in the 1920's, but gave it up and didn't record again for almost 35 years. This could give Boggs music a bit of a dated feeling and to be true, yes, it's old time fashioned bluesy folk, but it's still relevant. What one, however, can say about it is that one can hear which influences bluegrass, country and folk had in the 1940's-60's. Boggs was one of their sources of influence no doubt. The fact that his music continued to be popular between 1929 and 1963 despite the man not doing any recordings then says it all.
This is a brilliant piece of work and truly a milestone in folk, yet it leaves some to wish for, so I won't give it a totally flawless stamp of approval, but almost. I give it 95,9% in rate of satisfaction.
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Charlie Louvin: "The battles rage on"
This album was released last year and came to be the last record by Charlie Louvin of the famous Louvin Brothers, as Charlie Louvin died this year.
This album is beyond doubt the most important album of this decade. This, not just because he, like he always used to, mentions the "G word" (and no, I ain't thinking of "gangsta") on numerous occasions, but also because he swims against the current and makes a record about war from the soldier's perspective.
It wouldn't be possible to make a record more relevant or timely.
There has been made many a record about war by warmongers, as well as peaceniks, but Charlie Louvin was old enough to have served in the second world war, as well as in the Korean war. he knows what he's singing about
This record is a declaration of love for everything even us non-Americans hold dear in the USA, while he simultaneously sings in one song that no soldier wants to go to war, but that there are some things worth dying for and I, for one, agree with Louvin on that. As does the Gospel, our Lord clearly states that no one has greater love than someone who dies for his friends.
Musically, this record bears, in my opinion, traits of bluegrass, but over all, it sounds very much like the good old country music we love. Although Hank Williams sr might have had issues with some of the lyrics, he would certainly have loved the music. There are also some gospel music influences in it.
I have previously only listened to the material of the Louvin Brothers from back in the 50's, so it was something of a shocker to hear Charlie's voice like this, 50 years later. You can still recognise it and love it, despite the treatment it has been given by age, the cancer he died from, as well as the cigarette he smokes on the cover. You just wish Ira hadn't died all those years ago, so that he could have been included on this record, because the harmonies they could sing were out of this world and you really come to think of Ira when you hear Charlie.
Charlie Louvin might not be the best lyricist country or gospel music ever produced, so he has picked a few numbers by other musicians, as well as a few from his past in the Louvin Brothers. But he does make them all justice.
The most important album of the decade gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
This album is beyond doubt the most important album of this decade. This, not just because he, like he always used to, mentions the "G word" (and no, I ain't thinking of "gangsta") on numerous occasions, but also because he swims against the current and makes a record about war from the soldier's perspective.
It wouldn't be possible to make a record more relevant or timely.
There has been made many a record about war by warmongers, as well as peaceniks, but Charlie Louvin was old enough to have served in the second world war, as well as in the Korean war. he knows what he's singing about
This record is a declaration of love for everything even us non-Americans hold dear in the USA, while he simultaneously sings in one song that no soldier wants to go to war, but that there are some things worth dying for and I, for one, agree with Louvin on that. As does the Gospel, our Lord clearly states that no one has greater love than someone who dies for his friends.
Musically, this record bears, in my opinion, traits of bluegrass, but over all, it sounds very much like the good old country music we love. Although Hank Williams sr might have had issues with some of the lyrics, he would certainly have loved the music. There are also some gospel music influences in it.
I have previously only listened to the material of the Louvin Brothers from back in the 50's, so it was something of a shocker to hear Charlie's voice like this, 50 years later. You can still recognise it and love it, despite the treatment it has been given by age, the cancer he died from, as well as the cigarette he smokes on the cover. You just wish Ira hadn't died all those years ago, so that he could have been included on this record, because the harmonies they could sing were out of this world and you really come to think of Ira when you hear Charlie.
Charlie Louvin might not be the best lyricist country or gospel music ever produced, so he has picked a few numbers by other musicians, as well as a few from his past in the Louvin Brothers. But he does make them all justice.
The most important album of the decade gets 100% in level of satisfaction!
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