Category Archives: Music

Knut Buen & Sigmund Groven’s Kjenslevev

I’m a big fan of modern Norwegian folk music and jazz, but I’m not very familiar with strictly traditional Norwegian folk music. On the basis of this generous album of modern Norwegian folk songs done in the traditional style, I’d … Continue reading →

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Jim Brown’s The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time!

Studs Terkel claims that the main contribution of The Weavers was that they introduced into American popular music the authentic folk songs of America, something that had never been done before. Harry Reasoner sees them as a unifying factor between … Continue reading →

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Julie Fowlis’s Mar a Tha Mo Chridhe, Emily Smith’s A Day Like Today, various artists’ Scottish Women, and various artists’ Celtic Woman

The female voice has long had a role in Irish and Scottish music. Some of the great ballad singers such as Margaret Barry and Jeannie Robertson have come from these twin traditions. This selection concentrates for the most part on … Continue reading →

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Solomon Burke’s That’s Heavy Baby: the Best of the MGM Years 1971-1973; and Eddie Hinton’s A Mighty Field of Vision: the Anthology 1969-1993

Solomon Burke is enjoying a renaissance, with two highly acclaimed recent albums and a live DVD. Eddie Hinton (who passed away in 1995) is also being rediscovered; a new CD of unreleased material was just advertised in British rock magazines. … Continue reading →

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Mike Barnett’s Lost Indian, Cast Iron Filter’s Falls of Rough, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Welcome to Woody Creek, and various artists’ Close Harmony: a History of Southern Gospel Music

“The street balladry of the people who began migrating to America in the early 1600s is considered to be the roots of traditional American music. As the early Jamestown settlers began to spread out into the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and … Continue reading →

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Various artists’ Song of the Green Linnet

It must be something to have a catalog of musical gems at your fingertips, and the wit to pick some of the best material from the hoard, because that’s exactly what we find on this collection. The cynic probably thinks … Continue reading →

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Niall Toner Band’s There’s a Better Way

Dublin’s Niall Toner has been called the father of Irish bluegrass music. Certainly, his dedication to playing and preserving American folk and old time music has proven both a vocation and a calling card. Having played for four decades with … Continue reading →

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Calefax’s An American Rhapsody

It’s been a long time since I’ve covered “classical” music, perhaps going all the way back to 2003 when I reviewed Sony’s A Copland Celebration compilation in honor of Aaron Copland’s centenary year in 2000. So bear with me! This … Continue reading →

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Steppin’ In It’s Last Winter in the Copper Country

Chris White wrote this review. An updated ol’ timey string band, pickin’ and a grinnin’, grinnin’ and a pickin’, singin’ too, Steppin’ In It consists of Joshua Davis with ‘les freres Wilson,’ Andy and Joe. They’re joined on this recording … Continue reading →

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Dave Askren & Jeff Benedict’s Denver Sessions

A lot of what goes by the name of jazz music these days is either quite complex musically or some sort of hybrid combining classical, folk, pop, ambient, and experimental music. I listen to and review a certain amount of … Continue reading →

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