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.
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Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "Red Barn Baby" (El Toro, 2002)
Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "The Road Less Traveled" (El Toro, 2003)
Decent nouveau-retrobilly swing, along the lines of Ray Condo or Dave & Deke. Cari Lee Merritt makes all the right hiccupping nods towards Wanda Jackson and Charline Arthur, as the band plunks and pounds away. Her vocals are a little flat at times, but the band is solid and overall this is a spunky little record that reveals a diverse stylistic range, and that should get the rockabilly crowd all worked up.
Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "Scorched" (Star Tone, 2005)
Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites "Brought To You Via Saddle-Ite..." (Star Tone, 2006)
Julie Lee "Stillhouse Road" (Compadre, 2004)
One of the most striking Americana albums of the year... A lovely debut by newcomer Julie Lee, with some nice backup from folks like Rob Ickes, Alison Krauss, Tammy Rodgers and Vince Gill. The all-star cast doesn't overshadow Lee's own strengths, as she delivers a lighthearted, hook-laden, 'grass-tinged Americana set which will be sure to delight a wide variety of folks and draw in more than a new fan or two. She has a great ear for a melody, and an even better one for a catchy chorus... Some of her songs seem pretty slight thematically, but they are uniformly pretty-sounding, and her voice is very appealing, sort of a softer version of Iris Dement's rural trill, very distinctive, but also very friendly. I think you'll like this one; it's really grown on me. Highly recommended!
The Lees "The Lees" (Lee Records, 2004)
A sweet, innocuous, though ultimately irritating set of folkish country ditties by a family band hailing from New South Wales, Australia. Mom and Dad -- Steve and Tracey Lee -- have a brood of four precious but talented kids, ranging down in age to little Savannah Lee, who takes her turn singing a tune or two. This disc isn't electrifying, but it's very nice and very enjoyable, although the teen themes and novelty aspect wear thin, especially as the music doesn't change much from song to song. Still, fellow Aussie twangster Kasey Chambers gives them her stamp of approval, so if you like Chambers's work, this disc'll probably hit you the right way as well.
The Legendary Shack Shakers "Cockadoodledon't" (Bloodshot, 2003)
A good, silly raunchabilly outing, with a slinky roots-R&B edge, kinda like Tony Joe White backed by the Cramps. Nothing groundbreaking or innovative, but plenty of fun songs from the tounge-in-cheek side of the tracks.
Danni Leigh "29 Nights" (MCA-Decca, 1998)
A couple of real slam-bang, hard country novelty tunes open this striking debut... On "Beating My Head Against The Wall" and "If The Jukebox Took Teardrops," Leigh evokes the rollicking, upbeat, take-no-prisoners attitude of West Coast honkytonkers like Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, with a perky, propulsive instrumental attack similar to Trick Pony. For the most part, the rest of this album lives up to the promise of this opening salvo -- midway through, there are a couple of songs that falter, the band sounds uninspired and like they weren't taking the work seriously, and Leigh also sounds like she's just walking through the material. But then the pace picks up again, and the album closes with some strong, fun songs. Her cover of the steamy, sexy ballad, "Touch Me," isn't as shocking as the George Jones version (hard act to follow), but just by picking that song to cover as one of the album's few slow numbers shows you that Leigh knows her stuff when it comes to real, old-school country stuff. This disc didn't make a very big dent in the charts, but it sure did gather a few devoted fans into her orbit... Worth checking out!
Danni Leigh "A Shot Of Whiskey And A Prayer" (Sony, 2001)
(Produced by Richard Bennett & Emory Gordy, Jr.)
This disc opens strong, with a set of twangalicious, hot-blooded honkytonk tunes worthy of Dwight Yoakam at his best... Then she kind of tilts sideways and gets into more soul'n'rock oriented material, sort of in a Sheryl Crowe-like mode. She kind of loses me on that stuff, but the country material is cool... Kind of like Tanya Tucker, with sharp, sweet guitars. A mixed bag, but definitely worth picking up.
Danni Leigh "Divide And Conquer" (Audium, 2001)
There's a little something for everyone here... Teamed up with Dwight Yoakam's main man, Pete Anderson, Leigh kicks this disc of with some alt-y, hard country material reminiscent of Rosie Flores -- charmingly un-slick and a little raw. Moving into slower material, she gets kinda poetic and ballad-y, then indulges in a bit of Dixie Chicks-type Top 40, and finally settles back into rawer material, sounding for all the world like a latter-day Carlene Carter. Who knows? Mainstream airplay seems possible; I'm sure the indie crowd will embrace her as well. Certainly worth keeping an eye on this gal.
Kim Lenz "Kim Lenz And Her Jaguars" (Hightone, 1998)
Modern-day retro-twang from this grrrroovy Dallas rockabilly filly... Lenz has a real knack for writing new tunes that sound like oldies from the obscuro vaults, all sung with an appropriate dose of snarly, throaty gusto, with numerous original tunes that have an authentic mid-'Fifties feel. This was her first full solo album, following an EP that came out a couple of years earlier. Some 'billy fans are fairly critical of Lenz's vocals, but if you're into the whole sideburns'n'gingham scene, you'll still probably want to check her out.
Kim Lenz "The One And Only" (Hightone, 1999)
Kim Lenz "Up To My Old Tricks Again" (Hightone, 2005)
If you missed Ms. Lenz the first time around, here's a best-of set that gathers the hottest tracks from her two albums on the Hightone label, as well as a couple of newer cover tunes on here (notably her version of "Cool Love," borrowed from Bloodshot's recent Wanda Jackson tribute album). A good summation of her career to date.
Carl Sonny Leyland "I'm Wise" (HighTone, 1999)
Fly-Rite pianist Carl Leyland zaps off a swell solo record, chock full of bluesy R&B and stride styles, and plenty of nice roots rock. Along with the obvious Jerry Lee Lewis emulation, there are swipes and debts to hillbilly shouters such as Moon Mullican and blues old-timer Roosevelt Sykes. Might appeal more to the house-rockin' crowd than the retrobilly set, but still a pretty solid album.
Lil' Mo And The Monicats "Hearts In My Dream" (Passin' Fancy, 1999)
For a hard country traditionalist like me, an album like this is pure heaven. Well, heck, just take the title track -- a picture perfect version of one of the best early George Jones heart songs -- and you'll know why I'm hooked. New York songstress Monica Passin (aka Lil' Mo) proves herself not just an apt pupil of old-style country, but a master of the craft as well: originals such as "It Just Doesn't Add Up" could easily have entered the hallowed ranks of first-class songwriting in the Nashville of years gone by. Along with tasteful novelty songs like that one, Lil' Mo also chirps out a few hiccupy rockabilly tunes and caps it all off with a pair of stunningly beautiful ballads in the Carter Family style ("Still Cryin'" and "I Will Give My Love"). Her band knocks out some of the best hard country riffs you're likely to hear outside of a Bear Family reissue, with classic Hank Williams-derived pedal stell and an occasional fiddle breakdown... This is the kind of record that makes the whole alt-country revival worth it: there isn't a false note on the entire album, and Passin pours her heart into every song. If your local record shop doesn't carry it, try writing Lil' Mo and see if you can buy a copy off her...
Lone Justice "Lone Justice" (Geffen, 1985)
When Maria McKee and her posse hit the scene with this slam-bang debut, they seemed like one of the most likely bands to bust LA's cowpunk scene wide open, bringing alt.country out onto the national stage. This album certainly had a lot of juice behind it: producer Andy Iovine had worked with Tom Petty and U2, and had plenty of rock'n'roll cachet; Geffen Records was a pretty spiffy gig, too, and then, of course, there was McKee herself, a snarly dynamo reminiscent of fiery country foremothers such as Wanda Jackson or the young Tanya Tucker. The album's highpoint is her twisting, explosive version of Petty's "Ways To Be Wicked," a clear indication of the firepower the band had at its disposal. They also had a mainstream feel to some of their songs, a too-smoothness to some of the production, that hinted at a possible switch to a more commercial, Nashville-ish country sound. But this disc still sounds pretty good, definitely worth picking up.
Lone Justice "Shelter" (Geffen, 1986)
Lone Justice "This World Is Not My Home" (Geffen, 1999)
A dynamite best-of that includes some early, cowpunky demos, later live recordings (including a duet on "Sweet Jane," sung with Bono of U2) and all the hits and semi-hits the band had to offer. This is a very well-programmed collection which will keep you pumped up right up until the trio of tunes taken from the "Shelter" album, which suck the life out of the set as fast as you can imagine. But overall, this is a great document of a band in its prime.
Los Lobos "El Cancionero" (Rhino, 2001)
Los Lobos? Sure, why not? While East LA's best Latin-American roots-rock bar band was bringing "La Bamba" back into the mainstream and helping re-define the public image of Chicano culture, they also indulged a great love (and knowledge) of hillbilly music. This 4-CD box set may be a little bit more than the average listener requires... that's why we're also lucky that so many of their albums remain easily available to this day. These guys are pretty good.
Los Lobos "The Ride" (Hollywood, 2004)
An ambitious, star-studded, marvelously diverse set, with luminaries such as Tom Waits, Richard Thompson and Dave Alvin pitching in from the folkie tip, Little Willie G, Mavis Staples and Bobby Womack representing the R&B camp, Elvis Costello wandering around on the margins, and Cafe Tacuba and Ruben Blades adding their brands of latino superjuice into the mix. It's an impressive and well-produced album... a bit dense and popish for me, personally, but fans who enjoy Los Lobos's knack for stretching expectations and boundaries will find this disc another nice step in their journey.
Lonesome Travelers "Lonesome Travelers" (Valley Entertainment, 2006)
Formed as an offshoot of the band Cowboy Mouth, this is an appealing regular-fellas indie band that slips between low-key rock and bouncy, pedal-steel infused country. The country stuff is best: there's an obvious and enjoyable debt to hippiebilly bands like the Flying Burrito Brothers and New Riders Of The Purple Sage, and mid-tempo country tunes like "Money To Burn" are where these guys shine. The rock numbers are less memorable, and their faster twang tunes feel a little rushed. Still, there's some really promising material here -- I'm hoping these guy'll mine deeper into their strengths and return with an even stronger album soon... There are some nice tunes on here, though overall I wasn't blown away.
Lyle Lovett - see artist discography
Corb Lund "Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer" (Stony Plain, 2005)
A Canadian independent who's had a couple of albums out before this, songwriter Corb Lund emerges as one of the most likeable, entertaining twangster-troubadours on the scene today. Singing good-natured, humorous songs with everyman themes like "All I Wanna Do Is Play Cards" and "Always Keep An Edge On Your Knife," Lund is kind of a morph of Woody Guthrie, Chris LeDoux and Jerry Jeff Walker. The highpoint of this album is the tall-taleish "The Truck Got Stuck," an immensely appealing talking blues novelty song about the perils of driving in the mud up North... The song gets a reprise on the album's end, with folk scene old-timer Ramblin' Jack Elliott trading verses... Ian Tyson also shows up.. and with heroes like this, Lund lets us know he's aiming pretty high. His band, the Hurtin' Albertans, provide a good, strong backing, but it's Lund himself who leaps out at you... He seems like a nice guy, someone you wouldn't mind hanging out with in your old hometown... Short of that, listening to this record will give sure you a chuckle or two!
Shelby Lynne "I Am" (Island, 2000)
Well, it shore ain't no country record, but if you're looking for more Sheryl Crow-style blues-drenched, pointedly lavish orchestral rock/soul, then this album might be for you. Lynne is another one the growing ranks of Music City runaways who've ditched the Nashville studio system so that they could make "their own" kind of music. In this case, it's LA-soul pop she's after, and she even rounded up Sheryl Crowe's old producer to help her out; one suspects that the whole "breaking out of Nashville" thing is just a li-i-i-i-ttle bit contrived, but hey, whatever sells records...right? My girlfriend -- who liked Sheryl Crow's first album a lot -- snapped at me the day she came home and this was in the CD player: "Could you put something more listenable on?" she growled. But I'll stand by this album, in a reserved kinda way. Lynne has a distinctive voice, and forceful delivery, while the studio sounds that package it are equally brazen and engaging. It's big-money roots pop, with more than a slight nod towards old Dusty Springfield, and a few softer acoustic-oriented tracks that are a treat to hear on such an obviously big-money album. All in all, I'd rather hear an album by this Nashville renegade than anything either Trisha Yearwood or Mariah Carey care to throw at me. A bit hammy, but it does have soul. By the way, her early stuff, when she was in Nashville Limbo, was indeed pretty mediocre.
Shelby Lynne "Love, Shelby" (Island, 2001)
When she broke out of the lower rungs of Nashville studio hell with a soul-drenched album that harkened back to Dusty Springfield's Memphis days... now THAT was cool. But here, Lynne seems to be living up to all those catty comments about how she just sounds like Sheryl Crowe's kid sister. 1999's I Am Shelby Lynne was a brilliant, sultry, humid blend of Southern soul and back-porch country twang -- a truly inspired album. By contrast, this new disc has the feel of another record where the studio boys are back in control, producing densely crafted, picture-perfect pop. She croons, it's true, and there's some interesting bluesiness amid the rock guitars, but this is a rather derivative album. The nadir comes on "Jesus On The Greyhound," an outright embarassing swipe of Joan Osborne's "One Of Us" (didn't that song start out on a bus, too...?) that somebody should have had the presence of mind to leave off the record. This will probably make some of her new fans happy, but will disappoint those of us looking for another innovative masterpiece.
Shelby Lynne "Identity Crisis" (Capitol, 2003)
Cool! This is perhaps the record Shelby Lynne should have released after her renowned I Am... Shelby Lynne hit album, instead of the dreadful, rock-oriented Love, Shelby, which was a clear step backwards. Whereas that disc opted for a propulsive pop sound, this album is acoustic, introspective, eclectic and mature... There's an obvious early Bonnie Raitt/Rickie Lee Jones blues-jazz jones throughout, and while Lynne's a little self-conscious and formalistic here, for the most part, she pulls it off. The opening track, "Telephone," probably has the most compelling hook of the entire album, but the rest of the record should keep your attention and get you to wonder, as did I, is Shelby Lynne finally really arriving as a full-fledged artiste? Only time and the next couple of records will tell!
Alt.Country Albums - Letter "M"
