Rae Billing "Blue Black Night" (Hug Music, 2008)
(Produced by Peter J. Moore)
An independently-released Canadian alt-country outing that is intensely derivative of raspy-voiced twang-gal balladeers such as Lucinda Williams, Mary Gautier and Eliza Gilkyson. Not that there's anything wrong with that, per se, but at times you do wish you were hearing more of Billing singing with her own voice, either metaphorically or literally. She tends towards the introspective and confessional side of the 'cana spectrum, not quite cutting loose with honkytonk twang or bluesy romps, but for fans of downcast, rueful-poetic lyrics, here's another album to put into the hopper.

Justin Townes Earle "The Good Life" (Bloodshot, 2008)
(Produced by R.S. Field & Steve Poulton)
Steve Earle's kid is definitely a chip off the old block -- I mean, no, he's not a hard-rockin', twangcore firebrand, he's not in jail (as far as I know) and he doesn't have a recurring role on The Wire, but he's definitely his dad's kid, an innovative, soulful performer who has a deep awareness and subtle mastery of a wide range of country and roots music styles. It's interesting that Earle chose to take a softer-sounding, lo-fi approach on his first full album, with a casual, raggedy band that sometimes sounds unrehearsed -- I'm sure it's all intentional, since it would have been easy to have his dad come up with something louder, sharper and more tightly crafted. But Earle is playing it cool here, low-key and small-scale, showing his love of jaunty acoustic swing, old-fashioned honkytonk, mournful folkie romanticism and late-night roadhouse blues. All of these songs are his own originals, and they all have their charms -- the most compelling tracks, though, are the more contemplative, confessional songs, where he lives up to the legend of his godfatherly namesake, Americana-folk icon Townes Van Zant. On songs such as "Who Am I To Say," "Far Away In Another Town" and "Turn Out My Lights," he taps into a deep reservoir of human melancholy and regret, powerful, poetic stuff that stands out from the more upbeat material (even while benefiting from the contrast in moods.) This is a well sculpted, well thought out set of songs, and certainly points to more great things to come Recommended!

Golden Smog "Stay Golden, Smog: The Best Of The Rykodisc Years" (Rhino, 2008)
(Produced by Brian Paulson & Golden Smog)
This loose-knit agglomeration of indie-rock/twangcore all-stars was sort like a fantasy football team for the Americana scene: from 1992-1998 the band included Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks) and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, along with members of Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Run Westy Run, and even the venerable Jody Stephens (the drummer of seminal '70s band Big Star) as well as numerous other jam-session pals. They released three albums packed with melodic rock-twang gems, the best of which is gathered here on this well-programmed, sweetly rollicking and entirely captivating collection. This disc still has the free-flowing feel of the original records, but is more concise and feels less self-indulgent -- it's a solid set of mellow country-rock and power-pop, with a very high listenability factor. The liner notes keep up the tradition of listing various bandmembers by the fanciful pseudonyms (which were created in part to get around contractual obligations with their "day job" bands on other labels...) but fans will recognize Tweedy, et. al. crooning drowsy masterpieces such as "If I Only Had A Car" and "Jennifer Save Me", bouncy ditties like "Until You Came Along" and novelty twang tunes such as "He's A Dick" and "Pecan Pie." It's a strong summation of a semi-legendary, goofball band, giving Golden Smog the cohesion and tangibility of other, better-known icons of the 1990s alt-country scene. Definitely worth picking up, especially if you missed them the first time around!

Drew Landry "Bandry Land: Sharecropper's Whine" (Self-Released, 2008)
Louisiana twang-auteur Drew Landry has a singular voice, a unique, intriguing authenticity and smoldering emotional core that's unlike scores of his "Americana" brethren, in no small part because of the palpable air of his being a complete and real-life outsider, not a budding songsmith toying around with mannered salt-of-the-earth poses. Landry seems to be the real deal: a guy from rural America who's constructed his own self-contained artistic world, not unlike the kooky folk-art types who build huge religious shrines out of bottle caps -- there's something pleasantly down-home and back-porch about his work that just has more grit to it than your average alt-country offering. On his third album, Landry seems to have mellowed a bit, although there's still a whiff of the jes' plain folks populism and righteous anger (over the Bush administration's mishandling of Hurricane Katrina) that seems to have motivated him to become a recording artist in the first place. On "Over There" he sets his sights on chicken-hawk militarists who send other people's kids over to Iraq, and he plays around a bit on "Conspiracy Theory," although political content seems to have mostly given way to slice-of-life musings, and swampy roots-blues jam sessions that evoke 1970s boogie blues and sloppy, classic Southern rock. Backing Landry on this disc are some fine Louisiana musicians, including relatives of Rockin' Dopsie and some other cajun and zydeco folks, as well as guys from the multi-talented Red Stick Ramblers, and bassist Andrew Duplantis, of the band Son Volt. Apparently this album is connected to a documentary film called "Last Man Standing," which profiles Landry and the growth of his musical expression... (Information about the movie can be found at the LoFu Films website)

Patty Loveless "Sleepless Nights" (Saguaro Road, 2008)
(Produced by Emory Gordy, Jr.)
Awesome. Folks may hoot and holler about this or that new neotrad Top 40 star, but for good, old-fashioned, true-blue, dyed-in-the-wool, fiddle-and-pedal steel-drenched, real deal country music, I'll take Patty Loveless over the whole lot of 'em. She and her husband, producer Emory Gordy, Jr., embrace the thumping backbeat and rugged simplicity of classic honkytonk like few of today's young'uns, and they feel little need to mix in modern R&B rhythms, synthesizers, or lofty, high-concept lyrics to make the music work. Indeed, they trust so thoroughly in the power of old-fashioned hard country music that they've recorded this gem of an album, which is packed with tough, heartfelt covers of a dozen classic hits from the 1950s and '60s, timeless songs like "Why Baby Why," "There Stands The Glass," "Window Up Above" "Please Help Me I'm Falling" -- old hits popularized by the stars of yesteryear such as Hank Locklin, Dolly Parton, Webb Pierce, Conway Twitty and Porter Wagoner. The spirit of George Jones, in particular, hovers over this celebratory hard-country lovefest -- Loveless taps into his sense of pathos and soulfulness, recapturing the emotional depths uncovered all those years ago, while putting her own indelible stamp on every song. To summon the sound of classic country, Gordy and Loveless enlist several old pros of the Nashvilel studio system, including Harold Bradley, Al Perkins and Hargus "Pig" Robbins -- familiar usual suspects who really know how to play this music right. A record like this is pure catnip for a traditionalist like me: this is Patty Loveless and country music at their best!

Mark Olson & Gary Louris "Ready For The Flood" (Hacktone, 2008)
(Produced by Chris Robinson)
A spacey, folky reunion of two former members of the now on-hold Jayhawks... Olson left the band in 1995 and went on a weirdo-delic musical journey with his wife, Victoria Williams, whose off-center sensibilities seemed to match his own in a series of albums by the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers. This disc, the second recorded in the wake of their divorce, continues on in the idiosyncratic, ultra-personal oddball vein as Olson's Creek Dipper days. God only knows what the songs are about, but Louris and Olson seem to be having fun together, and while the production mix is much sparser and less forceful than one might expect with a member of the Black Crowes (Chris Robinson) at the helm, it's got a nice, light tone that steadfast Creek Dipper fans will appreciate. Oddly enough, the tight, strained Louris-Olson harmonies reminded me a bit of Great Britain's Dransfield Brothers, who also crafted a unique, weirdo, space-folk vibe after mastering more traditional musical styles. It might not be for everyone, but for the right brand of fans, this'll be manna from heaven.

Kenny & Amanda Smith "Live And Learn" (Rebel, 2008)
(Produced by Kenny & Amanda Smith)
The husband-wife team of Kenny and Amanda Smith have honed their sound to perfection, presenting high-power contemporary bluegrass with strong traditional roots and an eye fixed firmly on the future. . Amanda Smith's voice has never sounded sweeter, as she delves into a series of songs both old and new, from the chilling Appalachian murder ballad, "Cruel Willie" and some bluesy barnbusters to gentler, more contemplative contemporary folk-grass, such as the softly inspirational "Do The Best You Can" and "You're Gonna See Me Shine." Sound familiar? Yeah, it'll also ring a bell if you pick up this fine new album, which contains numerous glittering gems -- it's the Alison Krauss formula, with Smith's dulcet tones easily matching those of Ms. Krauss, and musicianship that's also on a par with the better-known Union Station band. If anything, when the Smiths stick to the rootsy stuff, they play in a more rugged, raucous style than the AKUSers, who sometimes sound a bit too formal and controlled. On the folk-tinged tunes, though, the similarity is quite powerful, and the songs are as well: if you like modern bluegrass leavened with thoughtful, intelligent folk overtones, then this is an album you'll want to check out. There are several on here that I've come back to time and time again, and I'm sure I'll continue to do so for years to come. Recommended!

Phil Vassar "Prayer Of A Common Man" (Universal South, 2008)
(Produced by Mark Wright & Phil Vassar)
This album opens on an uncharacteristically political note (at least for Vassar, who I think of more as a romantic singer) with "This Is My Life," a strident push for populist action that was actually written by Vassar himself. In it, Vassar mostly complains about the price of gas (which apparently strikes at the very heart of American self-worth) but also takes aim at "fat-cats" (be they Republican or Democrat) and how this down-home working man just wants a good job and the right to pledge allegiance (presumably at a high school football game). It's an interesting song, since it tries to have it both ways, attacking both the GOP (rich corporations screwing the little guy) and the Democrats (who I guess are taking away Phil's right to pray?) but isn't as clearly conservative as you might imagine a mainstream Nashville song should be. Indeed, his closing verse -- about how one ticked off guy can't do all that much, but a bunch of us all working together can really make a change -- practically sounds like an old union song from the 1930s, or an outtake from a Malvina Reynolds album. These themes are explored again on the title track, although a bit less forcefully, and sure seem to point to a real, deeply felt pissed-offedness that's simmering out there in the Heartland. The rest of the album is more standard fare: sweet songs about small town love and big-hearted devotion (particularly on "Love Is A Beautiful Thing," an ode to young love and marriage.) To his credit, Vassar is keeping things relatively rootsy, even recording a bit of Yoakam-esque rockabilly with Los Lonely Boys backing him (on "Why Don't Ya") and other tunes that are surprisingly twangy. All in all, a pretty strong mainstream Top 40 album.

Jimmy Wakely "A Rainbow At Midnight" (Jasmine, 2008)
This is a pretty fab reissue, featuring four discs worth of classic material by cowboy singer-gone soft pop crooner Jimmy Wakely. He's an interesting figure: starting out as a "western" singer with plenty of tunes about sunsets and rolling prairies, in the 1940s Wakely crossed over into the pop charts with some smooth, slightly-twangy duets with big band vocalist Margaret Whiting. He brought a distinctly Bing Crosby-esque style into the country charts as well, but he also stayed true to his on-the-dusty-trail roots, and when the hits started to dry up, he started his own label, to record the kind of music he loved. I have a slightly unreasonable affection for Wakely's work... although I can see how country purists might find it too soft and watered-down, it strikes the same chords for me as Bing's best work did, and this multi-disc offering certainly gives fans a great opportunity to luxuriate in more than the handful of great tunes that other recent single-CD releases have given us, including collaborations with Mary Ford, Margaret Whiting, Foy Willing and others. Definitely worth checking out!

Jimmy Wayne "Do You Believe Me Now" (Big Machine, 2008)
(Produced by Joe West & Dave Pohanish)
This is the second go-round for pop-country modernist Jimmy Wayne -- a few years back he cracked the Top Ten, but then his label folded up their Nashville office and took his career with them. Wayne makes his comeback in a big way here, with a chart-topping single (the album's title track) and a bunch of other guitar-heavy, made-for-radio romantic tunes. The production style is a bit too seamless and vast for my tastes, but Top 40 fans who like Keith Urban and Tim McGraw will probably dig it. Guitarist Joe West also produced this album, and he puts his electric power chords at the center of a shimmering, unrelenting, wall-of-sound mix, the kind of high-tech production style that immediately puts listeners on notice that this is a pop-oriented album, pure modern Nashville. Wayne breaks with recent tradition by largely skipping past the obligatory novelty-oriented, rowdy-guy honkytonk tunes, opting instead for a straight-up set of romantic ballads, aimed right at that female demographic... Judging by the radio success so far, it seems to have hit the mark. Also includes "No Good For Me," a duet with Patty Loveless, who belts it out with the best of 'em.

Various Artists "OUR SIDE OF TOWN: A RED HOUSE RECORDS 25th YEAR COLLECTION" (Red House, 2008)

My, how the time does fly. Twenty-five years gives this iconic indie-folk label a lot of great material to pick from, and they make the most of it with catchy tunes from Greg Brown, Cliff Eberhardt, Eliza Gilkyson, Lucy Kaplansky, Lynn Miles, The Wailin' Jennys and others... By and large this set sticks to a sleeker, pop-informed "adult alternative" template -- folk music that's all growed up and not still stuck in a coffeehouse ghetto. There are also a couple of charmingly dorky, heart-on-your-sleeve old-school folksongs, like John Gorka's "When You Sing" and "Old Dogs" by Bill Staines, that recall the folk world as it was when the label was founded, back in the early 1980s. It's probably the more modern stuff that will appeal to many listeners, as will some of the more modern artists, such as Ray Bonneville, who don't shy away from a more expansive sonic template and yet keep things just this side of the "rock" divide. A nice, strong sampler from one of the most vigorous, intelligent labels of the modern folk scene. Worth checking out! (By the way, if you're in my neck of the woods, in the SF Bay Area, you might want to check out the upcoming Red House anniversary show at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse... Here's some info on the September 26th show: http://www.redhouserecords.com )

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