Category Archives: Music

Mary Humphreys and Anahata’s Floating Verses

Floating Verses is a gem of a CD — traditional English folk tunes played and sung by people who actually know how to play and sing and who have the scholarly background to know what they’re playing and singing. What … Continue reading

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Teddy Thompson’s Upfront & Down Low

Those unfamiliar with his family history might be surprised that Teddy Thompson chose to do an album of country covers. But given the fondness of his parents — that’d be Richard and Linda Thompson — for American country standards, it’s … Continue reading

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Linda Thompson’s Versatile Heart

Linda Thompson could be forgiven for a slight lack of thematic and sonic variety on her 2002 album Fashionably Late and she was, by reviewers and fans alike who were overjoyed at her first new recording in nearly 20 years. … Continue reading

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Isambarde’s Barnstorming

If ever an album had a good title, ‘Barnstorming’ is it! This is only the second album from Isambarde and it can only serve to put them up amongst the cream of the acoustic folk bands in the world – … Continue reading

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Johnny Duhan’s Just Another Town

Mike Wilson penned this review. Johnny Duhan is one of the few songwriters who can move me to tears with just one well-placed, exquisitely written line. This 2007 release contains countless such lines. The title track of this album alone … Continue reading

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Kristine Heebol’s 10 Point and Henrik Jansberg’s Omnivor

These CDs arrived in the same small package — I love international deliveries! They often use interesting wrapping materials, many are hand-addressed, and of course they are liberally ornamented with wonderful, exotic postage stamps. We are well-known to all the … Continue reading

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Mrs. Etta Baker, Family and Friends’ Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians

Christopher Conder submitted this review. Another fine re-release from the Tradition Years series, these field recordings were made by Diane Hamilton, Liam Clancy and Paul Clayton in the summer of 1956. Recorded in Virginia and North Carolina, each of these … Continue reading

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Riders In The Sky’s Public Cowboy #1: A Centennial Salute to the Music of Gene Autry

Gene Autry was one of my childhood idols. We reviewed his Essential CD set, his name came up in our review of Douglas Green’s book on Singing Cowboys, and he was very much the key behind the music reviewed in … Continue reading

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Various artists’ John Barleycorn Reborn: Dark Brittanica

Objectivity be damned, it just can’t be done! When presented with a collection of tracks dubbed Dark Britannica, comprising two CDs that when purchased entitles you to 33 extra downloadable tracks (the equivalent of two more CDs), which collectively prove … Continue reading

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MusiCares Presents: A Tribute to Brian Wilson

Just before the 2005 Grammy Awards a “star-studded gala took place in Los Angeles.” It was the MusiCares 2005 Person of the Year Awards, and the winner was Brian Wilson. Beach Boy extraordinaire, composer of the surf and hot-rod songs … Continue reading

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