cially ground-breaking in terms of two-fer CD comprises tracks from exciting, it is a case of "less is Patsy Cline Showcase/Senti- Afro-Latin fusion music, the feeling albumsreleased in 1974 and 1975, more." ULe) mentally yours tBGoBG00D798 of joyful exuberance does come respectively,from the guitarist who (2008),reissuel Every great vocalist throughloud and clear. (PEC) rivaled contemporaries Hendrix, The Amity Front Border has imitators and sound-alikes, (2008)] Clapton, and Allman in skill and Towns lself-released There's but one would be hard-pressedto reputation,ifnot fame. Both albums a hintof Westemvistas in themusic find anyone similar to Patsy Cline, feature completely separatebands, of this Massachusettsband of young the original country queenof the with That's What being a four- Americanadevotees the music love-gone-bad ballad. "Walkin' piece rock set-up and Rescue Me stretches out and lopes along, but After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," (releasedas -Dzthe Beginning inthe still gallops when unleashed. Still, Willie Nelson's "Crazy," "Half as United States) employing another the Amity sound isn't all "country" Much," and Hank Williams'"Your four-piece augmented with the or "Westem." The slide guitar brings Cheatin' Heart" are but a handful Memphis Homs, keyboards,back- a bluesy vibe and Lyon Graulty's ofthe "he done her wrong" songs up singers, and more, for a full-on clarinet especially colors the band's that Cline turned into American soul session,including the Fontella sound. It brings a jazzy patina, of standards.You might say she was Basstitle track, A1 Green's "I'm a course, but the way he plays it is a bit of a musical whiner, but she Ram," and Joe Zawinul's j azz txne just somehow "old fashioned" in a whined magnificently, with her "Country Preacher." That's What waythatmakes the songssound like velvety alto punctuated by r,.ulner- is more old-school, but smolders faded sepia-toned photographs, if able vocal catchesjust bordering with blues passion, and features an that makes sense. URL) on sobs.Ironically, her voice was so uncharacteristic freak-out guitar powerful that it undercut her status Of la Vogaf a Marcellhomerecords. solo on "Hey Joe." Buchanan,rvho as lovelom victim; you knew she be4446043 (2008)l Olla Vbgalais the couldn't sing much himself, wisely was going to be all right. Her songs brainchild of violinist/composer hired soul belters to do that for were undoubtedly a breakup and Wouter Vandenabeele,who is also him on both albums. Sadly, BGO unrequited love staple for millions a member of the band Ambrozjin. didn't or couldn't do much with the ofgirls in the 1950s(the boys would It's a bit difficult to describe the sound.which retains a flat" 8-track- get Roy Orbison a few years later), sound ofthis long-running (1 0-plus ish, 70s mix. Luckily, the grooves and what a worthy social contribu- incendiary. (JRL) years) group; to say it's diverse tion. The two CDs combined on this justice. JustinTownes Earle - fieldsof good isn't doing it With 12musi- disc include Cline's greatesthits as fsofiter Ldter fra Selss cians (violins, viola da gamba, well aspopular songsof the erawith lG0'Danish Folk Music G00408 (2008)l accordion, piano, sax, trombone, a sentimental cast. rcM) Good Life lBloodshotBS 151 (2008)1 The Danish group Seisol6ter is led trumpet, Dobro, double bass, Overdosing five times before the by fiddler/composer Svend Erick and percussion)and two vocal- lntroducing Perunika Trio age of 21, Justin Townes Earle Pedersen,whose music is inspired ists, there's lots to work with, and (Bulgarian Living Traditions: inherited the hard-living ethos of by the beauty of the Selss Lake Vandenabeele makes use of them Haunting Acoustic Harmo- his father, singer-songwriter Steve region west of Copenhagen.His all. The music, not surprisingly,is nies/ tlntroducingMorldMusic Network Earle. But, as his debut solo effort, compositions draw upon traditional a diversemixture offolk,jazz, clas- lNTR0109CD(2008)l Three women The Good Life, shows, that's not all Danish. Nordic. and Irish influ- sical and fusion themes.The album of Macedonian descentdecided that the 25-year-old ex-guitarist/ ences, and the result is a brash, relates the story of Marcel and the to break away from the London singer of bluegrass/ragtimeband loud, swinging style with three summer of 1907, when he fell in Bulgaria Choir in late 2005 in the Swindlers and rock band the fiddles, acoustic bass, guitar, and love and becameobsessed with fish order to form a trio named after Distributors has gotten from his drums. The polskas and reels come (seemingly a common theme with Perunika, the mythological Slavic dad.Produced by R.S.Fields (Billy fast and furious, with great swells the band, as a fish gracesthe cover patronessof maidens and eternal Joe Shaveq Sonny Landreth), with of fiddle, rhyhmic drums, bits of ofeach ofits five recordings).The youth. Because of oppressionby Earle'svocals accompaniedby Cory eclecticguitar, and Hammond organ plot really doesn't matter, as it's the Ottomans, the Bulgarians'main Younts (banjo, mandolin), Pete popping up in unexpected places. the music that's important, and it's musicaloutlet became their voices Finney (pedal steel), Bryn Davis Only a coupleof its 15tracks clock intriguing and adventurousin its and, accordingly, instrumentationis (bass), Brya-n O.rings (drums), in at over three minutes, and the own way. Think of ihis as a move limited to only a tarabuka drum and Skylar Wilson (keyboards)and Josh entire collection is only 35 minutes soundtrack to a foreign film, and a kaval flute on a few tracks. A few Hedley (fiddle), the album reveals songs, such as "Bre Petrunko" for long. But with music this fun and you'll do just fine. ULe) a writer of songs whose maturity example,will soundfamiliar to fans far surpasses his chronological of Le Mystdre des Voix Bulgares, age. Taking a sparsely arranged but the trio's renditions tend to be approach that owes much to Hank lighter and more elegantin tone. Williams Sr. and to his namesake, The emotions expressedare wide- Townes Yan Zandt, Earle takes ranging and the sophisticatedvocal an emotionally revealing look at affangementsimpressive. PEC) failed relationships and misadven- tures. "Lone Pine Hill" views war Various artists lreland in from the perspective of a Civil War Quebec [TalencourtMusique TM2008 (2008)l soldier. Hopefully, Earle's addic- This is a collection of l8 tions are behind him. With the songsand tunesfrom the communi- potential shown by The Good Life, ties of Valcartier and Shannon in his tuture looks bright, indeed.(CH) nral Quebec.The towns were settled in the early 19th century mainly by Roy Buchanan That's What people from Ireland. Jimmy Kelly I Am Here For/Rescue Me and Keith Corrigan.the musicians lBG0BG0CD806 (2008), reissuel This SelsslAter- unexpected clock collection featured here. have names that bear

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