Category Archives: Music

Irma Thomas’s If You Want it Come and Get it

When you think of soul music, you may think of Motown or Memphis, but New Orleans also shares in America’s soul heritage. And Irma Thomas is the Big Easy’s number one soul diva, the Queen of New Orleans Soul. After … Continue reading

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The Holy Modal Rounders & Friends’ I Make a Wish for a Potato

The Holy Modal Rounders have been making musical mischief and mayhem for just about 40 years now. In lieu of the comprehensive box set that I think they deserve, the good folks at Rounder (who named their label after the … Continue reading

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Red Mountain White Trash’s Chickens Don’t Roost Too High

Red Mountain White Trash is a traditional band with a decidedly untraditional name. But don’t let the moniker put you off. This outfit plays old-time fiddle-based dance music with roots deep in the rich Southern soil. The Birmingham septet produces … Continue reading

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 Martin Carthy’s The Carthy Chronicles

He’s a storyteller — he knows how to put a story across and he believes 100% in what he does.” Norma Waterson Martin Carthy is a legend in English folk music. As a solo performer, in duets with Swarbrick and others, … Continue reading

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Martin Carthy’s The Carthy Chronicles and Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick’s Both Ears and The Tail

“He’s a storyteller — he knows how to put a story across and he believes 100% in what he does.” Norma Waterson Martin Carthy is a legend in English folk music. As a solo performer, in duets with Swarbrick and … Continue reading

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Sleepy LaBeef’s Rockabilly Blues

Big Earl Sellar penned this review. Sleepy LaBeef was the last artist that the original Sun Records (of Elvis fame) promoted in the 1950s. Bridging the gap between Presley and Chuck Berry, LaBeef continues to be the real bridge between … Continue reading

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Nuala O’Connor’s Bringing it All Back Home: The Influence of Irish Music

Originally written as a companion to an RTE/BBC television series on Irish music, this book has lots of photos, tidbits, and history. This is a book I wish someone had handed me 10 years ago when it first came out. … Continue reading

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Rednex’ Sex and Violins (Cotton Eye Joe)

2020 update: I received a good-natured letter from someone associated with this record, taking me to task for such a mean review. It was all in fun, etc. And I have to admit that since I wrote this review, I’ve … Continue reading

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Jimmy LaFave’s Texoma

Jimmy LaFave proves that rock ‘n’ roll still lives with this collection of blues, ballads and rootsy rockers. Texoma evokes the windswept, dusty border country where Texas and Oklahoma meet, in LaFave’s gritty tenor vocals, in his spare, Texas-style blues … Continue reading

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Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman’s Nankuru Naisa

Since Jin Jin, the previous project by Hirayasu and Brozman, was one of my favorite recordings of 2000, it was difficult to not approach their second release with too-high expectations. Jin Jin had a fresh, spontaneous and utterly charming aura … Continue reading

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