DVD: Kinky Friedman, "Live from Austin, tx"

/ ARTIST: Kinky Friedman / TITLE: "Live from Austin, tx" / GENRÉ: Musical film / FORMAT: DVD /

A very good friend of mine, like me, a former skinhead and unlike me, a man of great musical skill used to play with a Swedish country band and he usually knows what I like and sometimes comes with a few pointers, like "you might like this".

As he has been talking of Kinky Friedman for ages, I was glad when I found this DVD at the brilliant FolkÅRock record store in Malmö.

Before I had watched this DVD, I had actually never heard his music, but I did know that Kinky is jewish, a loudmouth, highly intelligent and of some musical skill. In other words, a darling of the alt country left wing environment.

Now, though it is true I don't like everything my buddy advices me to listen to, I don't share his love for Faron Young, as for an example, he is guilty of making me check out Townes van Zandt, for which I'm ever grateful. Kinky, I'm sad to say, is another addition to the list of performers I find overrated. Yes, I said it, it's time to start roasting sacred cows.

The music is ok, but nothing special. This show was recorded in the 70's and the appearance of the band is not the only thing flowerchild-hippie-longhair-wanker thing about them, parts of the music is more Woodstock than Muskogee. True, there's a few decent tunes on this disc, mainly the more rock & roll/R&B sounding stuff, but I can't say I particularly like the music.

The thing which really disturbs me with Kinky, though, is not his music, but his lyrics. Some of the tunes try to be funny, but aren't exactly above the level of oi! music's most overrated act, Splodge and some of it tries to be political, but only ends up as a load of crap.

To be honest, I don't see how his lyrics are "alternative" in any way. Now, there are obvious sides to American culture that aren't very nice, but I'm a Swede and it's not up to me to slander the USA, but Kinky is American and if an American wants to criticize his country, it should be his right to do so, but also his duty to present serious criticism. On this, Kinky fails, big time.

Kinky manages to put his childish humor lyrics together with "criticism" of American culture in a way that it neither becomes funny nor serious criticism. He most of all comes across as a middle class intellectual who wants a better society, but ends up blaming the working class instead of the bosses and big government. I don't buy that bullcrap. If you're not working class, got musical and intelligence gifts and want a better world, you ought to make yourself a servant of the people and sing like Woody Guthrie, instead of making fun of the very people that should drive the change.

Nope, Friedman, you don't fool me.

Some of the tunes are musically alright, so I'm not gonna slaughter this DVD totally, but it's actually that bad in my ears that it only gets 34,7% in rate of satisfaction.

Valerie June, "Pushin' against a stone"

/ ARTIST: Valerie June / TITLE: "Pushin' against a stone" / GENRÉ: Folk / LABEL: Sunday Best / FORMAT: CD /

I first acquainted myself with miss June's talent on the Letterman show and decided that I must buy her CD, which came out earlier this year. When I caught her on the Letterman show, it was said that it was her debut on telly and I watched a few clips on youtube with her and all of a sudden, things just took off in number of viewers on youtube, as well as "likes" on facebook. I think miss June has the ability to become a crossover act and earn respect outside the narrow circles of folk crowds.

Anyway, the first thing that hit me while seeing her on the telly was the obvious beauty of the woman, second, I liked her voice and thirdly, I really loved her music. The tune she played was Workin' woman blues, which made me, while recommending a mate of mine to check her out, make the comment that this is what Townes van Zandt would sound like if he was a young african american woman.

Such a remark, after having listened to her whole album, is still valid, but it doesn't cover all of her abilities, because miss June has a unique expression of music. Still, while she may not live up to van Zandt's intelligence and emotion in lyrics, she comes pretty close and does communicate, at times, the same feeling I get while listening to Townes.

Another cool thing about miss June, which sets her apart from ordinary folk singers is her eclectiveness. She doesn't sing pure folk, american way, but puts rich offerings of african american culture in her brew. You can hear blues, as well as gospel, soul and west african folk music in it all and, perhaps influenced by another fave act of mine, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, brings in a soft hip hop flavor with a few electronic beats to some tunes.

Valerie June is cool, gifted and in every sense a blessing to all non-orthodox fans of american music, country fans and blues fans alike will like this.

Easily one of the best albums of the year so far. Don't miss her and remember where you read about her first!

A pretty good record like this gets a whoopin' 83,6% in rate of satisfaction!

Johnny Cash, "Hymns by..."

/ ARTIST: Johnny Cash / TITLE: "Hymns by..." / GENRÉ: Country gospel / LABEL: Legacy / FORMAT: CD /

For a long while, I've been in doubt whether I should review my absolute favorite performers, performers like Johnny Cash and Townes van Zandt. These people were that talented that my words simply wouldn't do them justice.

However, when it comes to Johnny Cash, the man together with Nathan Abshire, that made me discover American people's music, I think there's a lot of revisionism going on. Punks and skinheads, the scene I have belonged to and whose music I still listen to, have claimed him. Even out and out anarchists listen to the late master.

It's easy to see why. When you belong to a subculture as hated as skinheads are, then the outcast anthems of Johnny Cash are well appreciated. I am a labor man myself which I have stated when I reviewed Dock Boggs and although I'm not politically active, nor agitate, I appreciate the songs about social justice that only Johnny Cash could pen.

But, like Dock Boggs, Cash had another side than the social rebel's, he was a Christian. So am I.

Of course, everyone who has seen the Walk the line movie, will know how he started out as a singer of gospel songs and tried to cut a record deal as a gospel singer for Sun records. Which failed.

I have always thought that Cash brought a bit of gospel feeling into his rockabilly and country stuff. On this record, which gathers hymns performed by him between 1958 and 59, one can almost say that he brings a country/rockabilly attitude to his gospel music.

Must've come as a shocker for those who had thought of him only as a rebel. Today, Christianity means being a rebel in a world that has fallen into the sinful depths of fornication and consumption.

True, there are performers of gospel music who are better than Cash, I am thinking primarily of The Louvin Brothers, but Cash brings his Cash-ness to it all.

Of course, Cash's music is timeless and so is the message on this record. Christianity remains, however unpopular it is to say so, the way, life and the truth. The lyrics are thoughtful and not written by someone who wants to cash (no pun intended) in on the gospel scene. They reflect the living faith that mr Cash had on earth, which lead him to his social convictions. He still has this faith today, I'm certain, as he watches over all his fans on earth from Heaven.

I am sure that this little CD is one of the most relevant things Cash ever recorded, some of the tunes being his own, some being written by other and a few timeless classic and this part of his legacy should not be forgotten.

Cash shouldn't be made a rebel that refused to conform to society's norms alone. He had this side to him, true, but it was fed by a stronger conviction than provocation for provocation's sake. It was fed by the conviction that us Christians must make moral choices, love our neighbors and not fall into the trap of conventional sins.

This is one of the records in my collection that I value the most. It's a real gem of a plastic disc.

A perfect record like this get 100% in rate of satisfaction!

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, "Old yellow moon"

/ ARTIST: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell / TITLE: "Old yellow moon" / GENRÉ: Country music / LABEL: Nonesuch Records / FORMAT: CD /

To be honest, I haven't heard too much by Rodney Crowell before, so I can't really say anything about his input on this disc as compared to previous works.

Emmylou, on the other hand, has aged beautifully and I don't just mean her looks, she's still got a great voice and is anything but just a pretty singer. If she was, she wouldn't keep on doing her thing for as long as she has lasted and I consider her as great as Loretta Lynn. She impresses me as much when she does love songs as when she covers Townes van Zandt and though there are no Townes covers on this disc, she does touch a few serious subjects too and there's a strain of melancholy on quite a few numbers on this disc.

Merle Haggard was absolutely right in paying tribute to her on the record he released the other year. Emmylou means class.

That being said, this record, which is full of various flavors of country, bluesy stuff, waltzy stuff and ballads, isn't exactly groundbreaking. I know, I am an old fart and a jackass in disguise as a middle aged European geezer and I like the old stuff better than the new stuff on the country circuit. Most of the stuff being produced nowadays is utter shite. But then again, every age has had it's rebels and it's old farts and jackasses whom have considered the new stuff to be anything but country.

I like it, but to be objective, this isn't as good as the hype says. It sounds like country should sound according to me and country is supposed not to be the music for geeks like me, but for dancing on a Saturday night tavern over a few bottles of Budweisser and I suppose that much of the music on this record is danceable, it's just that it sounds like stuff you've heard a zillion times before. I wish some cool kid could make a record sounding groundbreaking, yet drenched in tradition.

Lyrically, you get a cocktail of love songs, as well as songs about drinks and drugs, even coffee and one tune about a bull rider.

I like this record, but I'm sure that Emmylou could pull something better off, therefore, not a perfect rate.

I wouldn't say it's a must-buy, rather, listen to the record first at Spotify and if you like it, support the artists by purchasing it!

I'll give this disc 61,8% in rate of satisfaction.

Frank Hutchison, "Complete recorded works in chronological order, volume 1, 1926-1929"

/ ARTIST: Frank Hutchison / TITLE: "Complete recorded works in chronological order, volume 1, 1926-29" / GENRÉ: American folk music / LABEL: Document Records / FORMAT: CD /

Who says Sham 69 invented street punk? Frank Hutchison had a lot of punk attitude, despite this record  being made with only acoustic guitars, fiddle, harmonica and banjo. Hutchison was a working class man, like so many other of the musicians in his time, he befriended black musicians (but had no qualms with performing a black face routine) and his lyrics are punk too.

But what made me think of punk when I listened to this record is the fact that Hutchsion performs with an enormous speed at some tunes, it's "faster, louder" 50 years before it's time. Some of the rag-times on this album could easily have been made by some punk combo, if they had been recorded with electrical instruments and drums.

On this album, you get, which is logical, as it is the beginning of his complete works, a showcase of his enormous repertoire. You get a lot of blues numbers that could've been recorded by black performers, the quality of the guitar play is that good, only his voice, which I find mediocre and his least quality in music, give him away. He sounds like a southerner trying to pass as a New England man.

You also get, apart from proper blues numbers, early country tunes, singing-free rag-times where Hutchison shows his great techniques with the guitar, pre-bluegrass and talking blues numbers.

I really like the Document Records project of re-releasing on CD a lot of old-timers that would otherwise be left as the luxury of anal 78-collectors. Yeah, record-collecting has it's charm, but at some time it has to be about the music and not about rarity, so let the collectors collect vinyl and let us ordinary fans of American music listen to these CDs.

No mess, no fuss, just pure impact. If you like old-time American music, you'll love this album, I think Hutchison was one of the best performers of his time and this little record should have a place in the collection of every true fan of the genré(s).

The only thing I'm slightly miffed with is the fact that the bio, as usual, is bloody short. I'd love to read more about him.

Get this record!

A great record like this gets a great rating. 94,3% in rate of satisfaction.

DVD: Merle Haggard, "Live from Austin, tx"

/ ARTIST: Merle Haggard / TITLE: "Live from Austin, Tx" / GENRÉ: Musical film / FORMAT: DVD /

It was a bit of a let-down that three of my favorite Hag songs weren't included on this one, namely Branded man, Okie from Muskogee and The fightin' side of me. But Merle is forgiven, cos included is a number of other great tunes, like Workin' man blues.

This DVD captures one of the greatest country music performers of all time (who continues to make great albums to this day) and it captures what is so special about the Hag. He is, as I see it, the missing link between the 1950's-60's Bakersfield sound and the 1960's-70's outlaw sound. He incorporates part of both sounds, the brutal guitars from Bakersfield, as well as the bluesiness of the outlaw scene and lyrically, he is just as credible when he sings about love, as when he sings about a prisoner waiting to be electrocuted.

Another great quality of Haggard's is the fact that he can play his music with a few guitars, bass and drums, as well as with a bigger band, as on this DVD, with strings, piano and saxophone. If the 60's demanded that you played down to the bare essentials and the late 70's got back to bigger bands (this recording is from 1978), Merle does both things just as good. He plays his Workin' man blues just as credibly when he is backed up by his band, as he does when he does it with an acoustic guitar.

But Merle also surprise us by playing the fiddle on a few tracks and does it surprisingly well. Again, we're in for a surprise, as Haggard plays a few western swing numbers, as well as old time feeling country tunes and proper blues.

But even though the musicianship alone makes the Hag one of the greatest country performers of all time, his lyrics is what makes him stand out as unique. No one has captured the daily struggle of the white (not that it matters), protestant (again, not that it matters), blue collar working man (which matters) nor the sentiments of jailbirds like the Hag has. Commies can rant all they want about proletarian culture, but the fact is that none has come as close to describing working class reality like mr Haggard.

New West Recordings should have a lot of credit for publishing these DVDs and this particular DVD is one of the better and is recommended not just to fans of old country, but also to fans of Taylor Swift, if they want to discover what country once was, as well as to fans of music in general, as the Hag is strong enough to appeal to all music lovers.

This is a near perfect DVD. Had my other three fave tunes been included, it would've reached highest rating, but now I give it 95,6% in rate of satisfaction.

Buy this DVD!!!

Film: "Country Strong"

/ TITLE: "Country Strong" / GENRÉ: Drama / FORMAT: DVD /

OK, let's have it! This is a romantic drama, the kind of flick you want to see with your girlfriend and not the type of movie I'd usually give a fair try. However, this film comes with a twist in the form of a great country music soundtrack which is perfect if you wish to make your girlfriend discover your own passion for country music. And although a romantic drama, it should be stated that some of the drama in this movie could've been written by the late Townes van Zandt himself.

Anyway, you know a flick is going to be great if it opens with a Merle Haggard cover. OK, Silver wings is not one of my fave tunes by the Hag, but far from his worst and to be honest, I think Merle Haggard is one of those artists that keep on making good tunes.

As I said, it starts with a Hag cover, as played by a young singer-songwriter, "Beau" (played by Garrett Hedlund) in a small honky-tonk. The next setting of the film, we get to see him driving to the rehab, where he works and in which a super-star of country music, Kelly Canter (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) is receiving care. They share their love of music and fall in love with each other too, though there is no sex scenes this far into the movie. He plays a few of his songs to her and she likes the music. She likes it that much that she, after having been written out too early from rehab in order to go on a tour, she convinces her hubby, Jimmy (played surprisingly well by Tim McGraw) that Beau should be the opening act.

At starters, Beau doesn't want to go. He likes playing in his honky-tonks and doesn't crave for fame. Finally he is convinced and it wouldn't be much of a flick if he didn't, would it?

Now for the catch! On the tour, a young, former beauty queen, who wants to start a career in country music, but freezes of stage fright every time she's supposed to go on, is to follow. This girl, Chiles Stanton (played by the beautiful Leighton Meester) has a beef with Beau, but you get the feeling that the feelings Kelly have for Beau are shared by Jimmy for Chiles.

What follows is a sort of A star is born for the early 21st century, only this time it's centered around four individuals and give the flick some time and you'll see how things change emotionally.

This is not just another romantic drama. It has a dark undertone that makes it an intelligent flick. Then, to us fans of country music, it has another dimension to it as well, which I think makes it worth watching. It's almost a comment on the country music scene of today, where Beau is the old fart and jackass and Chiles the typical pop-country starlet with no respect for the roots of the genré. At one stage, Beau is called "the new Townes van Zandt", whereas Chiles ask who Townes van Zandt is. That says something, not just about this movie, but about the country scene of today as it is.

I really liked this flick a lot more than I thought I would and I do not understand why it didn't run on Swedish cinemas.

It's not a masterpiece though and some times it gets a little bit predictable.

But all in all a good film with a good soundtrack. I'll give it 78,3% in rate of satisfaction! See it!