What Are You Listening To?

[CRAZY-HORSE]

OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW "volunteer"

release date:  20th April

chart highs:  US Country #14,  US  #100

folk, country, bluegrass band...
sixth album...
turned on to them by Major Tim and MH...
only own a couple, this is the latest and my favourite...
lots of bluegrass on here...
heaps of fiddles, banjos for a good ole fashioned  "yee haw knees up"....
superb stuff, in fact, most of these tunes would be right at home on "big pink" IMO...

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track: Elzick's farewell
best track: old hickory






tracks:

1....flicker and shine ***
2....a world away ***
3....child of Mississippi ***
4....Dixie Avenue **
5....look away **
6....shout mountain music ***
7....the good stuff **
8....old hickory ***
9....home coming party ***
10..Elzick's farewell (instrumental) *
11..whirlwind ***

3s - 7
2s - 3
1s - 1

rating: 2.7

[CRAZY-HORSE]

LORETTA LYNN "wouldn't it be great"

release date: 28th September 2018

chart high: US COUNTRY #8,  US #78

my favourite country singer of all time...
album number forty-one for Loretta...
should have been finished and released at the beginning of the year but Loretta
fell and spent time in hospital recovering from a broken hip I believe...
songs are real country, both uptempo and ballads...
she wrote or co-wrote all these tracks...
a several of re-recordings including her signature tune "coal miners daughter"...
these re-recordings are not necessary, but at the same time theyre not bad...
album is passable, whether it would be passable had it not been Loretta remains
the unanswered question though...

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: don't come home a drinking
favourite track: aint no time to go





tracks:

1....wouldn't it be great **
2....Ruby's stool **
3....im dying for someone to live for **
4....another bridge to burn **
5....aint no time to go **
6....God makes no mistakes **
7....these ole blues *
8....my angel mother *
9....don't come home a drinkin' *
10..the big man **
11..Luis Vars **
12..darkest day **
13..coal miner's daughter **

3s - 0
2s - 10
1s - 3

rating: 1.7

[CRAZY-HORSE]

KASEY CHAMBERS & THE FIRESIDE DISCIPLES "campfire"

release date:  27th April

chart highs:  AU  #6

Kasey's twelfth career album, I own most of them...
bluegrass, Gospel tinged country and country here...
the girl never lets me down and shes stuck to "real country" her
whole career, so cudo's to her for that...
although she, for some reason, never makes the US charts she obviously
has been brought to the attention of the right people because Emmy Lou appears
on my favourite track, and lets face it, Emmy Lou can work with whom she wants to...
she was just inducted into the ARIA Hall Of Fame a couple of weeks ago also..
a couple of tracks I wasn't keen on which is a rarity for me with Kasey and im 
not even sure why I dislike them??

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track:  early grave
favourite track: the harvest and the seed





tracks:

1....the campfire song ***
2....go on your way ***
3....orphan heart **
4....Goliath is dead ***
5....Abraham **
6....early grave *
7....the harvest and the seed (with Emmy Lou Harris) ***
8....big fish **
9....junkyard man *
10..now that you've gone **
11..this little chicken **
12..fox and the bird **
13..happy **

3s - 4
2s - 7
1s - 2

rating: 2.2

[CRAZY-HORSE]

JOSHUA HEDLEY "Mr Jukebox"

release date: April 27th 2018:

chart high: no chart info

debut set for Mr Hedley...
from Florida....
released on Third Man Records and produced by its owner, Jack White....
this guy must have grew up listening to Jones, Tillotson and Gentleman Jim
because their influence is stamped all over it...
superb debut set from a guy who realises what 'real country' is all about...
just hope the powers that be don't turn him into some stupid crossover artist
and destroy who he is...

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

worst track:  this time
favourite track: these walls  (superb live version below!!!!)





tracks:

1....counting all my tears **
2....Mr Jukebox ***
3....weird thought thinker ***
4....lets take a vacation ***
5....these walls ***
6....I never shed a tear **
7....this time **
8....don't waste your tears **
9....let them talk ***
10..when you wish upon a star **

3s - 5
2s - 5
1s - 0

rating: 2.5

[CRAZY-HORSE]

WILLIE NELSON "last man standing"

release date:  27th April 2018

chart highs (pun not intended!):  US Country #3, US #14, CAN #52, UK #46

including solo studio albums, collaborations, soundtracks and Yuletide releases
this is Willie's 105th studio set (he's released another since this came out!)…
I love Willie, er, that doesn't sound right......, I love Nelson, got it, good!...
haters gonna hate though....
a country album as opposed to the vast majority of his works being jazz/blues tinged...
lots of songs about mortality on here, and rightfully so as he's no spring chicken, and also
he's outlived almost of his contemporaries and friends...
some songs are serious in nature like the title track, others are a bit light hearted
with lines like "i'd rather have bad breath than no breath at all" and
"Heaven is closed and Hell is over crowded, so I guess i'll just stay where I am"...
all up, a very good album, his best in years IMO

I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track: something you get through
favourite track: last man standing





tracks:

1....last man standing ***
2....don't tell Noah ***
3....bad breath ***
4....me and you **
5....something to get through **
6....ready to roar **
7....heaven is closed ***
8....I aint got nuthin' **
9....she makes my day **
10..i'll try to be better next time **
11..very far to crawl ***

3s - 4
2s - 7
1s - 0

rating: 2.3

[Jerome]

After reading Paul Simon's biography 'The Life' I had to revisit some of Simon and Garfunkel's back catalogue and solo albums. Amazing what the two of them achieved together and as solo artists. I am afraid there is no-one around these days producing the same quality material as they did.

Simon seems to perfectly capture that sense of a 'lost America'/Camelot etc. American Tune is one seriously powerful piece of writing.

From the Concert in Central Park - https://youtu.be/ZCmgKSUXH18

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SETH LAKEMAN "the well worn path"

release date:  26th October 2018

chart highs:  UK #49

the last of my 2018 purchases...
I haven't received this one yet neither so Spotify comes to the rescue again...
UK folk rock artist...
been around a while now, its the 16th album of his career...
Harry Chapin and Albert Hammond come straight to mind as 'sounds like..." artists



I LIKE THIS ALBUM

worst track:  bright smile
favourite track: educated man






tracks:

1....bright smile *
2....she never blamed him ***
3....educated man ***
4....lend a hand **
5....drink till im dry **
6....fisherman's fight **
7....the gloaming **
8....divided we will fall ***
9....dig new ground **
10..judge not a man **
11..well worn path **

3s - 3
2s - 7
1s - 1

rating:  2.1

[CRAZY-HORSE]

KEITH URBAN "the ranch" cd, 1997

Keith's second album and the fourth ive listened to courtesy of
my work colleague...
finally, one that deserves to go into the country thread....
a bit of traditional country on here, some modern, a touch of alternative country
and a smidgen of southern rock (the ZZ Top/CCR style)…
some slide guitar, which I always love, some fiddles and banjos also...
I got nothing to add to put a negative spin on it except if i'd have heard this one
back in the day i'd have been a fan of his from the get-go...
I LOVE THIS ALBUM

favourite track, and another good solid live performance from Keith:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

SLIM DUSTY & THE TRAVELLING COUNTRY BAND "on the wallaby" cd, 1983:

Aussie Slim's 38th studio album...
reached #76 on the charts here...
songs of 'people and the land', songs of 'the good old days' and songs for Vets, not
animal doctors but military Veterans, and their struggles when they return home...
a typical Dusty album...
nothing bad and a couple I love, I LIKE THIS ALBUM

MH, you'll love this song and the video for it mate:

[CRAZY-HORSE]

JEWEL "picking up the pieces" cd, 2015:

eleventh album from folkie Jewel...
only one I own sadly...
honest, straightforward, clean, simple and heartfelt are words that came
to my mind when listening to the album...
its not by any means a great album but its refreshing to hear something
that's as pure as crystal every now and then...
I LIKE THIS ALBUM

love this one featuring Dolly Parton: