The Derailers "Guaranteed To Satisfy" (Palo Duro, 2008)
Yahoo! Now that they've come out with another winner, I guess I can sheepishly admit that this Austin-based twang band had lost my attention on their last couple of albums... But with this latest, they've definitely got me hooked, particularly with a bouncy, twangy, irresistible opener like "Bad Bad Girl," and the title track, "Guaranteed To Satisfy," which is a perfect combination of their '60s-ish power pop fixation and a pedal steel drenched pure country. Longtime fans bemoan the loss a while back of the band's co-founder Tony Villanueva, but y'know what? Life goes on. Just looking at this album for what it is, I'd say it's a pretty strong offering... I still find pure-pop digressions (like "The Get-Go" and "The Sun Is Shining On Me") to be a little incongruous, but I've grown to accept the band's sincere interest in the style, and I can cut 'em some slack when they deliver on the more rugged stuff. This is definitely worth checking out.
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ESP/Easton Stagger Phillips "One For The Ditch" (Rebeltone, 2008)
This one was a real surprise! A self-released gem from a West Coast trio who delve deep into folkie-mystic country-Americana, and produced several dazzling, hypnotic tunes. The three are Tim Easton (from Joshua Tree, CA), Leeroy Stagger (Victoria, Canada) and Evan Phillips (Anchorage, Alaska) and despite their geographical separation, they synch together perfectly on this disc. This is one of those records where you don't know quite what to expect, then wind up listening to it over and over for several days. Fans of Wilco's more melodic-acoustic side, old Victoria Williams, early Neil Young, or maybe James Hyland's stuff with the South Austin Jug Band, will probably dig this as well. The gentle country-folk arrangements are graceful and seductive, and several songs have dream-laden, evocative choruses -- particularly addictive is the mournful "Highway," along with the growly "In Love With You" and the singalong "Stormy." There are also songs about the long winters and wet Alaska weather, as well as a heartfelt song in praise of folk-bluegrass festivals, where the singer doesn't want the weekend to come to a close... Well, all those festival tailgate parties sure seem to have paid off: this is a record that will be a cherished favorite for the fortunate few who get ahold of it. Probably the best way to find it is to contact the band directly: www.myspace.com/eastonstaggerphillips

Charlie Feathers "Rare And Unissued Recordings, v.1: Wild Side Of Life" (Norton, 2008)
Fans of raw, wild, unpredictable rockabilly will want to check out this trio of rarities discs, featuring odds and ends from one of the genre's great cult figures... I'm gettin' kind of old for this stuff myself, but for those of you looking for a bit of thunder with your twang, this is a pretty groovy collection.

Charlie Feathers "Rare And Unissued Recordings, v.2: Honky Tonk Kind" (Norton, 2008)

Charlie Feathers "Rare And Unissued Recordings, v.3: Long Time Ago" (Norton, 2008)

Feufollet "Cow Island Hop" (Valcour, 2008)
A fine new album from one of the most dynamic and musically accessible young Cajun bands of this generation. These youngsters from Louisiana remain true to the traditions of Beausoliel, the Balfa family, et. al., but they add a warmth and melodic grace that makes them a little easier on the ears than the classic chanky-chank of bygone years. Particularly nice is their no muss, no fuss incorporation of old-school traditional country sounds -- pedal steel, etc. -- into their sound. The connection has always been there (just listen to those old Adolph Hofner albums...) but it's still a little surprising, and quite gratifying, to hear folks in the swamps reaffirming their links to country music. A nice record! Full of catchy, satisfying songs -- definitely worth checking out.

Emmylou Harris "Last Date" (reissue) (Rhino Encore, 1982/2008)
(Produced by Brian Ahern)
Emmylou's first live album, showcasing a late edition of her famed Hot Band. This is a robust, boisterous live set, which features a lot of upbeat, semi-rowdy rockin' material (including Emmylou taking the lead on a version of the classic instrumental, "Buckaroo"...) Sometimes, especially on the weepers, her vocals get a little milky, but it's definitely a nice snapshot of Emmylou in her early prime, and fans'll be pleased to see this album back in print again (it's one of her records that seems to slip through the cracks from time to time.) More than anything else, this album conveys her ongoing enthusiasm and love for the music. Like the 2000 CD reissue, this includes two extra tracks, the unreasonably gorgeous "Another Pot Of Tea," and "Maybe Tonight," a mid-tempo, loping, (wishin' for) love song. From the original album, her cover of the Everly Brothers' "So Sad" and Neil Young's "Long May You Run" are highlights...

Toby Keith "That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy" (Show Dog, 2008)

Hal Ketchum "Father Time" (Curb, 2008)

Roy Orbison "The Soul Of Rock And Soul" (Sony-BMG Legacy, 2008)
A stunning 4-CD set, gathering the work of rock-pop crooner Roy Orbison, who gave early rock'n'roll an elegance that even the pop vocals of the time sometimes lacked. This 4-CD set gathers material from all the labels Orbison recorded on over the years, including miniscule indies, majors and minors alike, as well as a slew of demos that illuminate his creative work. The first disc is mostly early demos and rare recordings, including a young Orbison entertaining friends at what sounds like a fairly drunken party (complete with loud, flirtatious chatter and bottle clinking galore...) What's most interesting about these juvenile recordings is how thoroughly "rock" Orbison was, right from the beginning. While other early rockers -- Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, et. al. had their clear hillbilly roots, Orbison was plucking out rock songs for his friends long before he hit the spotlight; he came along a little later than the first rock pioneers, so that makes kinda sense, and it also shows in the many rock and rockabilly cover tunes heard on these early tracks. On Discs Two and Three, we get the hits -- "Running Scared," "Ooby Dooby," "Only The Lonely," "Oh, Pretty Woman" -- and the songs that surrounded the hits, all of a high calibre reflecting Orbison's exacting standards. Then there's a sampling of his 1970s recordings, when Orbison reemerged as a living legend/fan favorite for the nascent rockabilly revival scene. When he had his official "comeback" in the 1980s, culminating in the Traveling Wilburys recordings and ginormous "...and friends" all-star blowout sessions, Orbison became enshrined in a way that few pop culture icons are, universally revered and lauded by his worshippers and peers, and set into a category all his own. Anyone interested in Orbison's work will find this a rich and all-encompassing work. Pretty impressive!

Brad Paisley "Play: The Guitar Album" (RCA-Nashville, 2008)
Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm a big Brad Paisley fan. (Honest: check out my old reviews!) But an album of guitar Brad Paisley guitar instrumentals isn't exactly the first thing you'll see on my Christmas list. Paisley obviously fancies himself a guitar hero, and he certainly has a lot of fun when he twangs away on his six-string, but the truth of the matter is that his instrumental outings are often the weak spots in his otherwise awesome albums, and have been for a while. His non-vocal tracks are sometimes funny, but in a limited way: I find his approach too linear and I'm not too fond of the actual tone to his Telecaster pickin', plus I'd really just rather hear the guy sing -- that's where his real wit and warmth comes out, loud and clear. Now, to be fair, this record isn't strictly an all-instrumental album... there are some nice cuts with Steve Wariner, Keith Urban, the late Buck Owens and even a blues duet with B.B. King and a silly voiceover from Andy Griffith. But most of it is the chicken-pickin' thing, and unless you're a diehard fan, a little bit of that probably goes a long, long way.

Kellie Pickler "Kellie Pickler" (BNA, 2008)
The second album by former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler. The opening tracks, including the hit, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" are pure, '90s-style pop -- calling them "country" seems kind of silly, but hey, nobody asked me. Pickler puts some twang in her voice and brings in a bit of fiddle'n'steel for the next few tunes, and projects an amiable presence. Not a lot here that I'd go wild over -- mostly prefab country-pop, with laboratory-tested melodic hooks, grandiose key changes galore and goofy, synthy filligrees that make it all seem so sterile. Still, Pickler is comfortable with the setting, much more so than on bluesy, thumpy "bad girl" anthems like "Lucky Girl," territory that's better left to folks like Gretchen Wilson or Carlene Carter. If you're a Pickler fan, you won't be disappointed; if you prefer Waylon, Loretta or Hank, you might wanna give this a pass.

Jenny Scheinman "Jenny Scheinman" (Koch, 2008)
(Produced by Tony Scherr)
An interesting album from Ms. Scheinman, who is best known as a violinist, playing with noodle-jazmeister Bill Frisell over the last few years. Here she emerges as a singer of acoustic folk-blues and jazzy standards, in much the same mould as Jolie Holland, Be Good Tanyas and various likeminded compatriots such as Madeline Peyroux, et. al. Like Gillian Welch or Suzy Roche, Scheinman has a singular vocal presence, a plaintive voice that pierces the veil and leaps out of the mix -- it's not conventionally pretty, and her phrasing seems a bit rugged and rough, but she carries a lot of musical history and self-awareness with her, and she pulls you in with her calm, subtle authority. Although she goes to great lengths to keep things simple and stripped down, one of the most alluring tracks is the more poppish "Skinny Man," which has a nice melodic groove to it, and some steel guitar that brings to mind those great old Bonnie Raitt records. This is an album where the rough edges have been purposefully left in, and it should appeal to folks who like music made by real people. Clearly, Scheinman and her pals are capable of smoothing everything out and making it all sound perfect... it's kind of nice to hear someone who chooses not to, though, and as a result this disc has lots of quiet magical moments. Definitely worth checking out!

Jenny Scheinman "Crossing The Field" (Koch, 2008)
An instrumental companion disc that highlights Scheinman's compositional and virtuosic sides. Haven't heard it, but I bet it's groovy.

Lucinda Williams "Little Honey" (Lost Highway, 2008)
(Produced by Eric Liljestrand & Tom Overby)
Thank God, Lucinda Williams has finally gotten her mojo back. This disc has her once again writing crisp, clever songs, with a raw, ribald wit and -- most important of all -- with the concision and artfulness of her best early work. Plus, she sounds so much happier than on her last few albums, which were so grim she earned a nickname as the Bummer Queen of the Americana scene. Here, Lucinda sounds once again like she's back in touch with the power of love -- sweet, sad, irresistible Love -- and that she's back in the world of the living again. On "Circles and Xs," "If Wishes Were Horses" and the album's upbeat opener, "Real Love," Williams is on the top of her game, capable of writing songs have poetic power greater than that of any other living mortal, tunes that will burrow into your brain, and bespeak an artistic vision that is cleansing and clear. Okay, admittedly, I'm not wild about clanky boogie-rock numbers like the grungy "Honey Bee", a hangover from her recent rock-chick fixation: playing songs like this one may feel personally cathartic, but the effect it has on me as a listener is simply to send me looking for the remote. But that's are only one song, and when you do hit the "skip" button, you wind up a gem such as the acoustic, Memphis-y plunk-twang of "Well Well Well," Likewise, the downcast "Knowing" is a bit dreary and meandering, as is "Heaven Blues" which follows, but keep going and you'll come to the more ethereal, mysterious "Rarity," which almost sounds like a Tindersticks track. And then there's "Jailhouse Tears," a gleefully obscene duet with labelmate Elvis Costello, that certainly loosens things up a bit. Longtime fans: it's safe to come home now. Lucinda's back.
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Lucinda Williams "Live From Austin, TX ('89)" (DVD) (New West, 2005)

Lee Ann Womack "Call Me Crazy" (MCA-Nashville, 2008)
(Produced by Tony Brown)
A veteran of a decade's worth of hitmaking in Nashville, Lee Ann Womack is one of those precious few Music City artists who can move back and forth between twangy neotrad and slick country pop and still get it right every time. These days, she tends to alternate between the two in album-sized chunks -- and this disc is one of her more pop-oriented records, a smooth, doleful set of breakup ballads that opens strong with the clever wordplay of "Last Call" and the "Either Way," an emotionally crushing portrait of a marriage just going through the motions. The rest of the album follows in a similar mode, well-sculpted, tastefully arranged pop-twang full of heartbreak and perseverance... The disc gets to be a bit of a downer, but if you're looking for a record to feel sorry to, and really need to delve into those sad, sad feelings, this is a real high-class option. There's a change in mood midway through, where she sings an homage to fallen country martyrs, "I Think I Know (What Killed Keith Whitley)" and then doles out several stunning, low-key honkytonk weepers. "If These Walls Could Talk" ("they'd pray") is destined to be a classic, and her duet with George Strait ("Everything But Quits") is an understated gem with two likeminded neotrad modernists who are absolutely on the same page together. This album doesn't have many songs that jump out at you as big radio hits, but there sure are a lot of songs that'll grow on you and echo in your heart. Good stuff.
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