It’s the time of year for saving money!
Title: The Infamous Stringdusters – Silver Sky Deluxe Edition
Genre: Roots, Bluegrass, Rock
Description: The Dusters, as their fans know them, started life as a bluegrass band, but they have morphed over the years into more of an acoustic jam-band with bluegrass leanings. Their latest, Silver Sky – Deluxe Edition, is a double CD, with a studio album combined with a live concert album. It’s good, so good that I might even load it into my iTunes library despite there being no Gracenote links (so all the info must be entered by typing). As a further barrier to computer audio fans, this deluxe version is ONLY available at independent retailers nationwide, so the only way to get it is to visit your local independent record store and buy it. And yes, a vinyl version is also available.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 9, Sonically – 8
Title: David Olney – Robbery and Murder
Genre: Singer/Songwriter Roots
Description: Want to hear an albumful of songs, all inspired by Dupree and his quest for that gold diamond ring? Well here you go…This is the third in a series of concept albums released by Olney since 2011. The first two, Film Noir and The Stone (no relation), are also part of a three-CD set, Body of Evidence. The music is dark, gritty, sometimes purposefully low-fi, but always passionate and organically grounded. Olney proves that for his muse, biting off seemingly more than he can chew is the path to vibrant art.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 8
Title: Kasey Chambers and Shane Nichols – Wreck and Ruin
Genre: Roots, Country, Folk
Description: Country music has always been about great duets. The Louvin Brothers, the Stanley Brothers, the Everly Brothers, and all those brother / sister and husband / wife duos. Kasey Chambers and Shane Nichols nail that last category. Their timing, phrasing, and sculpting of melody lines have a, dare I say, Australian attitude that translates well to country roots. With titles such as “Flat Nail Joe” and “Dust Bowl” their original tunes harken back to a time when model T’s dotted the horizon and electric guitars were just a gleam in Leo Fender’s eye.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 8
Title: Live Wire – Livin’
Genre: Country
Description: Hot Country at its best/worst. The lyrics are almost as hackneyed as the recycled blues riffs, all recorded in multi-tracked compressed splendor. I guess there’s a reason all the guys in the band look like they haven’t cracked a smile since 1985. With lyrics like, “I’ll go to prison, but you’ll go to hell…” this album is as serious as an artificial heart attack…
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 4, Sonically – 5
Genre: Jazz
Description: From their name, you could rightfully expect to be barraged by heavy-duty funk bass and aggressive melody lines, but instead Do It Live is populated by introspective and texturally nuanced music. This Seattle-based quartet, featuring Art Brown on tenor sax, Aaron Otheim on keyboards, Tarik Abouzied on drums, and Tim Carey on electric bass, creates ethereal melodies reminiscent of some of Return to Forever’s work. The sound is spacious and rhythmically precise.
Rating (0- 10): Overall – 8, Sonically – 8
great stuff. i,m digging psychedelic pill myself.