Title: Tony Rice - The Bill Monroe Collection
Genre: Bluegrass, acoustic guitar
Description: Tony Rice ranks among the finest acoustic
guitarists to ever hold a flat pick. On The
Bill Monroe Collection you'll find fourteen examples from Rice's extensive
catalog of twenty-four releases on Rounder Records. Some, such as "On and On,"
feature Rice's wonderful lead vocals, now sadly silenced due to a throat
condition. The Bill Monroe Collection makes
a perfect first installment on what
will inevitably become a library of Tony Rice recordings.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 9, Sonically - 8
Title: Josh Rzepka - Into The Night
Genre: Jazz, Tumpet
Description: Twenty-seven year-old trumpeter and bandleader
Josh Rzepka leads a six-piece group through nine original compositions.
Beautifully recorded and produced by Five/Four productions, the liner notes
list every piece of gear in the recording chain. The music is cool, post-bop,
and breezy without wandering into Muzak territory.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 8, Sonically - 9
Title: Chris Jones and the Night Drivers - Lost Souls and
Free Spirits
Genre: Bluegrass, Acoustic, Country,
Description: After fifteen years in the business and three
Rebel Records albums, Chris Jones has a rich catalog of outstanding original
songs and recordings. Unfortunately, his work is not as widely known as it
deserves to be. Lost Souls and Free
Spirits includes the best from his back catalog, as well as three newly
penned and recorded tunes. With his rich baritone vocals and scintillating
guitar chops, Jones deserves to be better known. Hopefully Lost Souls and Free Spirits will accomplish that.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 8, Sonically - 8
Title: Lonesome River Band - Chronology - Volume One
Genre: Bluegrass, Acoustic, Country,
Description: The Lonesome River Band has been together
in one form or another for thirty years. To celebrate, the band has created Chronology, a series of three eight-song
EP albums that includes newly recorded versions of their most popular songs
from each of three decades. Volume One covers from 1982 to 1992. Featuring
four-time IBMA banjo player of the year Sammy Shelor and Brandon Rickman on
guitar and lead vocals, Lonesome River Band creates modern bluegrass music that
burns with passion and precision.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 8, Sonically - 8
Title: Randy Thompson - Collected
Genre: Country, Singer-Songwriter
Description: Much of the country music you hear on the
radio is merely MOR rock with a pedal steel or a fiddle thrown in. Randy
Thompson writes and performs authentic country music that leaves all the
poseurs in the dust. On Collected
you'll hear twelve selections from his three previously released albums as well
as three previously unreleased cuts. His voice, songwriting, and a bunch of
top-tier sidemen including Rickie Simpkins on fiddle and Don Helms on Pedal
steel, make Collected a strong must-have
album for roots country fans.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 9, Sonically - 8
Title: Angela Easterling - Mon Secret
Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Folk
Description: Angela Easterling was born and raised in
South Carolina. Her songs have made the finals in both the Kerrville and
Telluride festivals. On her latest release all ten of the original songs are
written and preformed in French. The project was a collaboration with Marianne
Bessy, a native of Rennes in Brittany, and came about after the two worked
together on a translation of Easterling's song, "One Microphone." The results
combine romanticism with rootsy musical textures to create something special.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 8, Sonically - 8
Title: Queen - Days of Our Lives - A Documentary
Genre: Rock
Description: This Blu-Ray release by Eagle Rock
Entertainment documents the history of the pioneering rock band Queen. Divided
into episodes, with part one covering 1970 to 1980 and the second 1980 to the
present, this film includes selections from some of Freddie Mercury's finest
moments, including Queen's Farm Aide set. With twenty-four minutes of
additional music videos as well as fifty-nine minutes of bonus sequences, the
Blu-Ray version of Days of Our Lives is a must-have for any and all Queen fans,
as well as anyone else who fancies classic rock.
Rating (0- 10): Overall - 8, Sonically - 8, Picture - 8
