This page is part of an opinionated overview of "alt.country" music, with record reviews by me, Joe Sixpack... Naturally, it's a work in progress, and quite incomplete, so your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Elana James "Elana James" (Snarf Records, 2006)
An absolutely captivating and lively record from fiddler Elana James (nee Fremerman), formerly of the Hot Club Of Cowtown. Given her illustrious swing-string pedigree, the mix of western swing and jazz standards is no surprise, but what's a delight is the album's focus and cohesion, and how gosh-darn well-produced it sounds. It just sounds like a pure, unfettered expression of what she wants to do, and with an artist this talented, that's a pretty cool thing. Throughout the album, James is clearly channeling the spirit of Bob Wills, but with a lively snap of the bow that's all her own; the vocals are also nice, as are the nods to Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Eubie Blake. If you liked the Hot Club, you're gonna want to pick this one up... pronto! (Available through www.elanajames.com)
Ryan James "Back To The Wind" (Hightail, 2007)
(Produced by Tim Lorsch & Walt Wilkins)
Texas-based songwriter Ryan James flies under the radar with this fine set of half-alt/half-pop twang. It's an indie release, but your ears will perk up when you hear tunes like "Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold" (a Dan Seals oldie) contrasted with a cover of Waylon Jennings old hit, "Ramblin' Man." Although the album opens with a couple of tunes that seem tailormade for Nashville bigwigs like Tim McGraw, et. al., to cover -- "Goodbye Carolina" and "Home On The Range" -- James is equally comfortable with chunkier, more outlaw-ish material, and sympathetic backing from Walt Wilkins and his crew make this a pretty solid set. James is a perfect example of the current intersection between roots music and chart hits -- he could go either way, and he certainly should make some headway as a Music Row songwriter... Worth checking out, no matter which side of the fence you're on!
Janet And Jeff "Jesus Built a Ship to Sing a Song To" (Kokopop, 1994)
A tribute to the duets of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, reprised here by Janet Bean (of Freakwater) and Jeff Lescher, of the Chicago-based indierock band, Green.
The Jayhawks "The Jayhawks" (Bunkhouse, 1986)
The Jayhawks "Blue Earth" (Twintone, 1989)
The Jayhawks "Hollywood Town Hall" (Def American, 1992)
Hmmm. I still gotta wonder: what was all the hype about? Back in the day, a lot of people went totally ga-ga over this album, and while this is a pleasant enough country-rock record, most of the songs are a bit on the long, lofty, stream-of-consciousness side (writer Mark Olson's specialty) and they often overstay their welcome. In general, few of these songs are actually that catchy or memorable, in a classic "pop" way, although the record is nice enough to listen to. It's nice, relaxing latter-day Neil Young-influenced stonerbilly stuff, but it's not really all *that* amazing. The band sure seems to have taken itself seriously, though!
The Jayhawks "Tomorrow The Green Grass" (American, 1995)
Wow... what a leap in quality! This is a lush, expansively produced, very poppy album. I've always been obsessed by their outstanding cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "Bad Time," but the rest of this album is really quite solid and quite captivating as well... Probably the highest realization of the Mark Olson-era band's ideals. Highly recommended!
The Jayhawks "Sound Of Lies" (American, 1997)
The first post-Olson album opens as a lavish, unrepentant popfest, and while some twang creeps in from time to time, this is mostly a rock record, of the ornately arranged, grand vision variety. It's a bit much for at times, but proves more listenable than one might imagine: Gary Louris has a compelling vocal presence, one that leaps out at you and commands your attention, in a gentle, nudging, insistent kinda way. A nice rebound for a band that many assumed was on the way out after one of its principal songwriters had left... Worth checking out, but maybe not if you're of an anti-mainstream, no-sellout, alt.country purist frame of mind.
The Jayhawks "Smile" (Columbia/American, 2000)
About half the songs on here sound quite nice. With the band very much his own, Gary Louris sets up shop as sole songwriter, crafting a strong batch of mostly pleasant, easy-on-the-ears, electronica-tinged country rock zone-out tunes. Overall, the album has a facile feel, but only a few tunes (particularly in the second half of the record) are even remotely irritating. A couple of songs have blaring, somewhat generic, electric guitar leads that stand out like sore thumbs (given the general spacy mellowness of the album...) and sent me running for the fast-forward button... Sure, this disc is AOR-ish, but overall you can't complain.
The Jayhawks "Rainy Day Music" (Columbia/American, 2003)
A lovely, mellow soft-rock set that really lives up to its name -- this is the kind of stuff you'd want to have on while the raindrops pitter-patter, pitter-patter along the windowpanes. Of the rock-oriented Jayhawks albums, I'd say this is my favorite: there are several songs on it that are irresistibly tuneful (particularly "Eyes Of Sarahjane" and "One Man's Problems") and the album as a whole hangs together really nicely. Well-crafted, pleasantly listenable and quite hearftfelt. Recommended!
Jim & Jennie And The Pine barons "Rivers Roll On By" (??)
Jim & Jennie And The Pinetops "Little Birdie" (Overcoat, 2000)
This clattersome, Philadelphia-based quartet brings back some of the rowdy rambunctiousness of the old-timey stringbands... Their original material, about half of this album, is pretty strong, though it's also nice to hear them pay homage to their inspirations -- among them, the Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs and the Delmore Brothers. I have to confess that although he's a very strong songwriter, Jim Krewson's vocals irritate me in that he's too strained and exaggeratedly twangsome, a little too schtick-y, if you see what I mean. His partner Jennie Benford mostly sounds pretty nice, though, and the two harmonize in a pleasantly unruly fashion. Benford reminds me quite a bit of Hazel Dickens, and it's quite appropriate that she pays Hazel homage, in a version of "Won't You Come Sing For Me." Nice record, definitely worth checking out.
Jim & Jennie And The Pinetops "One More In The Cabin" (Overcoat, 2002)
It's hard to believe that these perfectly-crafted old-time-ish tunes were not in fact written by some mistily-remembered contemporary of the Carter Family or Grandpa Jones, but rather by a bunch of modern urban hipsters from Philadelphia who just happen to have an uncanny grasp of the oddball mountain music of the early 20th Century. They get the constrained emotionality and matter-of-fact narrative tone just right, as well as the subject matter -- song after song starts with a familiar set-up, and it's really only until you open the CD booklet that you can be sure that these songs were actually written by the band. These folks aren't hotshot superpickers, and they purposefully sing all raspy and off-key, yet unlike oh, so many of their twangcore contemporaries, the Pinetops don't come off as pretentious dilettantes. Rather, this is a band that is respectful and utterly in command of the genre they've adopted, and their material is emotionally resonant and entirely convincing. In fact, I'd say that if at least some of these songs don't work their way into the official bluegrass canon, something is seriously wrong in the world. Highly recommended!
Jim & Jennie And The Pinetops "Rivers Roll On By" (Bloodshot, 2005)
It was definitely worth the three-year wait for fans to get this new Jim & Jennie album... They've rosined up the bow and spun another enchanting set of bluegrass and old-timey stringband music. Oddly enough, even though they've moved from the artsy Overcoat label onto the ostentatiously altie Bloodshot, the Pinetops have actually inched away from the clattersome anarchy of their previous albums towards something closer to straight-up bluegrass and folk. The softer, more professional approach gives their work a more authoritative feel, yet just as they seem to be settling into a more mainstream bluegrass mode, they gently drift into space-rockish terrain on a couple of tunes towards the end of the album, which helps keep things a little freaky. There's something compelling about this band -- the group has a singular presence, exuding a freshness and enthusiasm unlike that of many mainstream bluegrass crews -- Jim & Jennie take respectful advantage of the mountain music style without subsuming themselves to tradition and, as always, they dazzle us with a remarkable blend of naifish simplicity and canny innovation. Recommended!
John Train "Looks Like Up" (Record Cellar, 2002)
Nice record. First off, the title is a reference to a blues lyric that Richard Farina copped in the '60s, and any twangcore-alty band that wants to reference Farina is alright by me. This album is an interesting mix of really good, really catchy melodic alt.country and more rock-oriented jangly stuff. Songwriter Jon Houlon has a nice way with a tune, although on a few tunes he does slide into lamentably spiral-binder, earnest folkie terrain (particularly on the long-winded and self-righteous "Did You Come By Your Bitterness Honestly?") But the handful of strong songs on here are definitely worth checking out. Recommended.
Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" (Blue Note, 2002)
What a pretty record! 22-year old Norah Jones, American-born daughter of Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar, grew up in Texas and like oh, so many folks from the Lone Star State, she's got that country vibe running in her soul. Even if she broke through as a "jazz" artist, released on a jazz label, Jones started out
Norah Jones "Feels Like Home" (Blue Note, 2004)
Following the amazing commercial success of her debut album, Come Away With Me, the sultry Ms. Jones drew the fire of many sniffy, snobby jazz fans who grumbled that her vocals simply were not up to snuff, and that, perhaps, she shouldn't be called a "jazz" singer at all. Well, boo-hoo. Then maybe we of the "Americana" camp should claim her instead. Her second album, Feels Like Home, certainly supports this theory, and as a certified, board-approved Americana know-it-all, I feel compelled to comment on what I think is, quite simply, a gem. Echoing Phoebe Snow, Seventies-era Bonnie Raitt, and hinting ever so slightly at the sharper attack of Mose Allison, Jones presents as fine, subtle and eclectic a set of roots-jazz music as you're ever likely to hear, one which draws on the inventive, introspective spirit of the early '70s singer-songwriter and acoustic rock scenes... Slipping fluidly between reference points and influences, she seamlessly melds the styles, with an air of effortless authority and joyfulness... The album's musical tone is downbeat, but the undercurrent is ecstatic, and much of this is due, I think, to the obvious self-knowledge that what she's doing is very good, and that this far-ranging, boundary defying music -- which would have been far, far off the radar had it not been for her success on the prior record -- has finally found a wider audience. This album came after several tantalizing country-related one-offs, in particular a couple of fine live duets with Willie Nelson that really made me sit up and take notice (I would love it if those two did a whole album together!). Willie didn't make it onto this album, but Jones does duet with Dolly Parton, on the bouncy "Creepin' In," which was a minor hit on the Americana radio scene. I wouldn't argue that this album is more, or less "jazz" than the last, but it certainly shows a growing confidence and comfortablity on Jones's part, and steady growth as an artist. I'll also be interested in her future efforts... and I'm very much hoping that there really will be a Norah Jones-Willie Nelson duets album, someday soon.
Norah Jones "Not Too Late" (Blue Note, 2007)
Norah Jones is a hard act to follow... especially when you are Norah Jones. The vast, universal commercial success of her first album set Jones up for endless sniping from the too-cool set, the would-be giantkillers of indiedom whose sworn duty is to find fault with anything successful or sellout-y... Yet, despite the obligatory sniping and second-guessing, Jones continues to rise above the flood and do what she does best: make good music. Not Too Late is another fine, narcotically alluring album, with a few rough edges thrown in to keep folks on their toes. On several songs Jones displays a strong I-wanna-be-Tom-Waits, Kurt Wiell-ish streak, including the softly apocalyptic "Sinkin' Soon" and the politically-themed "My Dear Country." She also takes nods towards classic rock, lifting phrases from Neil Young's "Helpless" and Steely Dan's "Dirty Work," along with her own trademark mellow mix of jazz, country and soul. It's this kind of cheerful, unapologetic acknowledgement of the past that makes Jones so special: while the American entertainment industry continues to pump out endless die-stamped, personality deficient overnight stars, Jones is a throwback to a time when musicians studied music. If you can believe her press, she hangs out with friends, goes to bars, jams a lot, and (obviously) listens to a lot of cool old stuff from a lot of different genres. It shows in her music, and Jones -- no matter what her detractors may say -- remains one of the most substantive performers of our time. Once again, she has crafted an album that lulls listeners into a trance... After the first couple of tunes, it grows soft and fuzzy around the edges and suddenly ends before you've realized the time has gone by. This speaks, I think, to her ability to craft a fine album, rather than a few salable singles. Not Too Late may not have the snuggly universal appeal of its predecessors, but it is a very good record, one that will hold up over the years and shows continued growth from one of America's best, most intelligent young artists.
Alt.Country Albums - Letter "K"
Hick Music Index
