Here is some of the music that struck me in 2009. In case you missed it, read the manifesto for this site. It might help you understand where I am coming from. If you didn’t see the Bird List, now might be a good time to check it out.
#10: Sam Baker
Cotton
This music should be kept in museums. The finale of his trilogy on grace and forgiveness, and not a bit cheesy. Read the original review.
#9: Levon Helm
Electric Dirt
The only American member of the band continues to show people around his homeplace, 40 years and counting. Read the original review.
#8: Justin Townes Earle
Midnight at the Movies
Building on what he started with his first record, JTE’s pen gets deeper and wiser. Read a single review.
#7: Ryan Bingham
Roadhouse Sun
One of the best young voices in country harnesses his rocking sound with a little 60’s touch. Read a single review.
#6: Ben Kweller
Changing Horses
Rollicking good time from an indie rocker exploring the music he grew up on.
#5: Owen Temple
Dollars and Dimes
Most of the time we hear stories from the big cities of America. These are stories from the areas in between. Read a single review.
#4: Todd Snider
The Excitement Plan
Don Was strips Todd down, pulls him together, and puts out his most consistent record yet. Read the original review.
#3: Lyle Lovett
Natural Forces
Lovett uses his keen eye for songs and delicate touch, as always to great effect. Read the original review.
#2: Tom Russell
Blood and Candle Smoke
Cowboy beat poet ruminates on the American west and the history that lies beneath. Read the original review.
#1: Dave Rawlings Machine
A Friend of a Friend
Rawlings proves that quality always trumps quantity, with a 9-song record that stuns from beginning to end. Read the original review.
Posted: December 31st, 2009 | 1 Comment »
1. The more records that Robert Earl Keen makes, the more he shows of his true self. Not that Keen has ever pretended to be anyone else, but on his latest, The Rose Hotel, it all comes together – his observational storytelling and his appreciation of small parts of life, all wrapped in a gorgeous, shimmering sound.
2. The opening title track tells the story of missed love in Keen’s own granular way (read more on this track here). Like his friend Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl understands how to write around the story and reveal an extra layer of insight into the actual events. On “The Man Behind the Drums”, Keen’s band finds themselves at one of Levon Helm’s legendary Midnight Rambles. Keen lauds the drummer by telling how they ended up “hangin from the rafters, singin every song” — emphasizing the effect rather than the source.
3. His outside approach to storytelling occasionally strays into explorations of the absurd. Robert Earl understands that small towns can be incredibly surreal. A story about a drunk who can’t seem to get his jokes right, “10,000 Chinese Walk Into a Bar” follows the psychedelic bent of recent tracks like “Farm Fresh Onions” and “The Great Hank” with Keen bringing in Billy Bob Thornton to help him illuminate a scene like something out of The Last Picture Show. “Village Inn” justifies Keen’s self-anointed genre of “Best Western music”, describing the simple existence of a small motel in Challis, Idaho, with “free wi-fi and HBO” — a fascination that continues on the rollicking “Wireless In Heaven”, a ridiculous yet overwhelmingly enjoyable romp about technology in the afterlife.
4. Lloyd Maines’ production provides a sparkling unifying sound that makes this whole record work together. Keen’s professed enthusiasm for rhythm and harmony vocals led Maines to create a layered sound that proves the perfect setting for his reedy voice — matching him with Drew Womack on he loping “On and On” (which references Keen’s cowboy hero Marty Robbins) and Greg Brown’s quivering baritone on “Laughing City”. Maines gives Keen’s cover of “Flying Shoes” a thumping arrangement that retains the haunting feeling of Townes Van Zandt’s original, and kicks off “Something I Do” with a double-take of a drum loop that blossoms quickly into one of the record’s best songs.
5. Robert Keen has explored a few different sounds in his career. His debut No Kinda Dancer wore his folkier influences (Steve Fromholz, Guy Clark) on his sleeve, while 1997’s slick Picnic has been panned by the artist himself. As he progresses further into his career, the strength of his songwriting only increases, earning Keen the opportunity to explore new sonic ground. The Rose Hotel finds him fearless and in fine form.
Robert Earl Keen – Something I Do
Buy this record
Posted: September 29th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I got to speak with Doug Moreland the other day about his musical influences and heroes. Moreland, a singer/songwriter/fiddle player releases his newest Barnstormer tomorrow at his Cattlelacs Calf Fry in Austin, which also features Corb Lund, Ryan Bingham, and Eleven Hundred Springs. Five Records is an occasional feature of artists talking about the music that inspires them. Read more of these posts here.
Jack Ingram
Livin’ or Dyin’
“I used to dream of being a fiddle player in a country act out of Nashville. The problem was, every time I got hired, I ended up hating the music I was playing. Then I saw Jack Ingram play at a little hole in the wall in Alpine, TX called Railroad Blues and thought — ‘I need to be writing my own songs!’. On the drive back to Austin, I wrote 4 songs, so I figured Austin would be a pretty good place to settle down. The record I got was Livin’ or Dyin’, which Steve Earle produced. I always thought Jack ought to do another record with him, considering the way this one turned out.”
Jimmy Buffett
Living and Dying in 3/4 Time
“Most people think of Jimmy Buffett now as a sort of brand, this island party music that he has made his own. Very few people remember that back in the 70’s he was making country music in the Caribbean on his own record label, which was a lot harder to start back then. I admire guys who do things their own way — Jimmy is a great songwriter, and has been able to do it all himself. ‘Pencil Thin Mustache’ was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, and I still love this era of his music. Plus, I grew up in Fort Davis, Texas and had never been to the beach, but this made me feel like I lived there.”
Purely coincidence that Doug’s first two records have Livin’ and Dyin’ in the title. — Ed.
Levon Helm
Dirt Farmer
“We cut my newest record live, with just 4 guys. I love the feel of this record and wanted to capture something like that. I got my car a year ago, and this CD was the first one I put in the changer. It’s still there.”
M. Ward
Hold Time
“I heard the song “Never Had Nobody Like You” on KGSR the other day and it grabbed me immediately. M. Ward has such a cool sound — I wish I had written a song like this. Hardly anything catches me on the radio anymore, but the cool production leapt out at me.”
Ryan Bingham
Roadhouse Sun
“I’ve been friends with Ryan for a long time and I’m just as proud as I can be about how far he has come. His latest record is put together so well — Marc Ford’s unconventional approach to recording suits Ryan’s music nicely. I went out and played 7 shows with him recently and we played all rock and punk clubs. They eat him up there and they all seem to like my country and western swing as well. He also benefits from being represented well — they don’t try to dress him up or make him look like someone he is not.”
Posted: September 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
