Ginger Boatwright "Fertile Ground" (Flying Fish, 1991)
One of the driving forces behind the poppy early '70s newgrass band, Red, White & Bluegrass, singer-songwriter Boatwright returns with a talky, folky, mid-tempo album that doesn't really wow me, but may appeal to fans of mature, high-concept "progressive" bluegrass. An all-star cast of "usual suspects" superpickers back her up, including folks such as Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Doug Dillard, Mark O'Connor... The overall effect is similar to what Nanci Griffith or, later, Alison Krauss would record. It sounds okay in a broader bluegrass mix, but taken as an entire album, feels a little too intellectual for me. Good stuff, though, for the style!

Ginger Boatwright "Sipsey" (2000)

Suzy Bogguss - see artist discography

Patty Booker "I Don't Need All That" (PMS, 1999)

Patty Booker & Rick Shea "Our Shangri-La" (Tres Pescadores, 2003)

Sarah Borges "Silver City" (Blue Corn, 2005)

Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles "Diamonds In The Dark" (Sugar Hill, 2007)
A muscular mix of driving, streamlined roots-rock and twang from this LA-based powerhouse. Borges opens the album with the propulsive "The Day We Met," which recalls Ryan Adams's finer, younger moments, then abruptly shifts gear into the power-poppy, Bangles-ish "Come Back To Me." Having established her multi-genre bona fides, she settles back into a roots-rock tone that strongly recalls Lone Justice, along with a dash of Tom Petty and Sheryl Crow. Apparently this is her second album, and though she'd formed an all-new lineup of her band, she's still working with rock producer Paul Q. Kolderie (known for his work with Radiohead and The Pixies...) There are several stand-out songs as well as a few others that are less distinctive. Overall, this is a strong, noteworthy album, and although it seems likely she'll head into a more rock-oriented direction, Borges has the potential to be a dominant figure on the Americana scene. We'll see which way the wind blows... In the meantime, I'm sure plenty of folks will dig this disc.

Libbi Bosworth "Outskirts Of You" (Freedom, 1997)

Libbi Bosworth "Libbiville" (Ramble Records, 2001)
Wow. Yahoo! A super-likable, flat-out fun, indie-billy album from down Texas way... Rosie Flores fans might want to check this one out... If anything, Bosworth is a much more solid country singer, and the songs -- about half of which Bosworth wrote -- are uniformly great. Lloyd Maines, Johnny Gimble and Gurf Morlix are among the musicians lined up on this fine disc; Morlix also contributes a couple of tunes to the playlist. Texas yodeler Don Walser joins her for a spirited version of "Something To Brag About In You," an old duet hit for Charlie Louvin and Melba Montgomery (and George & Tammy, as well...) Great album; highly recommended!

Margie Bowes "Margie Bowes Sings" (Decca, 1966)
She was not a great singer, it's true, but Margie Bowes had a welcome roughness to her (in comparison to some of the other country gals of the time...) She was a minor player in the early '60s, marrying Doyle Wilburn in '61 and cutting a few singles here and there, as well as several excellent duets with George Jones. This was her first big break, a full-length LP for Decca. The label obviously pressured her into singing as much like Loretta Lynn as possible, and she does a fine job of it, particularly on songs that have a good backbeat... On ballads she was a little shakier, and while she doesn't necessarily display much individuality on here, this is still a nice record, particularly for anyone looking into the history of women in country music. Worth checking out.

Margie Bowes "Today's Country Sound" (Decca, 1968)
A fun album if you can track it down. Sure, the musicians are mostly phoning it in, but there's still some spunky material and a few good novelty songs. There's also an odd, interesting assortment of little-known songwriters, including up-and-comers like John Hartford and Tom T. Hall (whose "Mrs. Cooper's Tea Party" is an album highlight, as well as one by Willie Nelson. She also recorded a couple of tunes by gals like Lola Jean Dillon ("Lonesome Woman") and Betty Robinson ("Baby's Back Again") And check this out: she recorded "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" a right around the same time Tammy Wynette did; wonder who won that chart battle?

Carla Bozulich "Red Headed Stranger" (DiCristina Stair Builders, 2003)
Ex-Geraldine Fibber frontlady Bozulich in a fairly straight cover of Willie Nelson's landmark 1975 concept album, with a more pronounced "rock" flavor... Naturally, Willie's version is far better, but it's an interesting project anyway: apparently Willie himself thought so, too, since he plays on several tunes, along with Nels Cline and other pals of Carla... It's certainly an ambitious project!

Carla Bozulich - also see: Geraldine Fibbers

Dale Ann Bradley "East Kentucky Morning" (Pinecastle, 1997)
Softened, sweetened, melody-dripping popgrass, of the same stripe that Alison Krauss took to the tops of the charts. Former New Coon Creek gal Dale Ann Bradley's probably a little too down home (and less stereotypically glamorous) to share the same sort of commercial success as Krauss and her young'un set, but if you enjoy that lugubrious style of music, this is a mighty fine album. The fabled Osborne Brothers pitch in: Sonny Osborne produced the disc, and he and Bobby sing along on "The Day I Lose My Mind." Ron Block, Gene Wooton and others all pitch in, with Union Station-y lushness. Ultimately, this isn't my cup of tea, but I can see the appeal.

Dale Ann Bradley "Old Southern Porches" (Pinecastle, 1999)
Pleasantly heartfelt and sentimental, sort of like Gail Davis's old country albums, but with a back-porch truegrassiness that makes Bradley seem less of a square peg and more of a calm authoritativeness. A nice, low-key set, with varying degrees of sappiness and one big novelty number (a cover of Steeler's Wheel's "Stuck In The Middle With You") which also turns out quite nice. Soft, a little slick, but also rootsy and well worth checking out... One of her best solo albums!

Dale Ann Bradley "Songs Of Praise And Glory" (Pinecastle, 2001)
Bradley returns to her childhood roots with a fine all-gospel album -- rootsy, heartfelt and full of gorgeous harmonies and solid, down-to-earth picking. One of her best, and the kind of album that gives bluegrass gospel a good name, even for the secular-minded among us. Recommended!

Dale Ann Bradley "Cumberland Mountain Blues" (Doobie Shea, 2001)
A pretty slick, Kraussed-out album, starting off with the super-saccharine "I Wish It Had Been You," and inching slowly back into rootsier terrain on later tracks. Bradley has a beautiful voice and is well-suited to this material -- if you like all that fancy-schmancy crossover stuff, then this disc will knock your socks off, especially on the tunes where Allison herself sings harmony. I personally find it a little cloying, and prefer Bradley's more traditional sounding material, but in musical terms, Bradley is unbeatable in this format, and this album's a classic for the style. Union Station fans, take heed!

Dale Ann Bradley "Catch Tomorrow" (Compass, 2006)
A wealth of talent backs Ms. Bradley here... Next to her ever-satisfying vocals, fiddler Michael Cleveland provides some of the most consistently sweet playing on here; Compass Records' own Alison Brown plunks the banjo throughout, while Jim Lauderdale, Larry Sparks, Stuart Duncan and Todd Phillips also rub elbows with Bradley's band. Probably the strongest collaboration comes from ex-Shenadoah vocalist Marty Raybon, who digs deep into the a heartrending duet, "Holding On To Nothing," helping impart as much pathos into it as the Porter Wagoner/Dolly Parton original. Another highlight comes with Bradley's version of Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever" -- oddly enough, Bradley sees it as an inspirational song; I always thought it was ironic and rueful, either way, it's one heckuva good song. There are a couple of missteps, such as her amped-up, mountain breakdown update of "Can't Stand The Rain," which -- while radically different -- certainly doesn't add much to the previously definitive Ann Peebles/Tina Turner/Lowell George versions. Likewise, the cover of "Me And Bobby McGee" doesn't do much for me. Still, Bradley is one of bluegrass music's great hidden weapons. She puts her heart into her work, and plays with grit and fire. She also writes some really nice songs, as the remainder of this record amply demonstrates. Slick and twangy, bouncy and smart, this is a 'grass album worth checking out.

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Songs Of The Carter Family" (Appleseed, 2000)
This Bay Area duo has long been a potent force in the old-timey revival scene, and here they capture the plaintive emotional longing of the Carter Family sound, although their take on things may be a bit softer and less desolate (or rowdy) than the Carters themselves. Still, this is pretty sweet and certainly loyal to the material. Nice stuff.

Lisa Brokop "Every Little Girl's Dream" (Capitol/Patriot, 1994)
(Produced by Jerry Crutchfield)
Despite having a couple of lively, uptempo singles -- "Take That" and "Give Me A Ring Sometime" -- this debut album tanked, with both songs falling well short of the Top 40. Maybe partly it was because Brokop was from Canada, but more likely it was because she was mired in the same sort of overripe, white soul sister vocal theatrics that Wynonna Judd and K.T. Oslin banked on in years gone by... The style doesn't do much for me, especially when she gets bogged down in thick, overwritten ballads... But Brokop has her fans, to be sure, even if she had to retreat to the Canadian market when she failed to make a dent down in the States. If you like Wynonna, you might wanna check this gal out.

Lisa Brokop "Lisa Brokop" (Capitol, 1996)

Lisa Brokop "Undeniable" (Royalty, 2004)

Lisa Brokop "Hey, Do You Know Me?" (EMI, 2005)

Alison Brown "Simple Pleasures" (Vanguard, 1990)

Alison Brown "Twilight Motel" (Vanguard, 1992)

Alison Brown "Look left" (Vanguard, 1994)

Alison Brown "Alison Brown Quartet" (Vanguard, 1996)

Alison Brown "Best Of The Vanguard Years" (Vanguard, 2002)

Alison Brown "Out Of The Blue" (Compass, 1998)

Alison Brown "Fair Weather" (Compass, 2000)
Cool! This is one of Brown's most straightforward bluegrass albums, with an all-star cast pitching in, among them Sam Bush, Tim O'Brien, Claire Lynch, and pretty much any member of the Grisman-affiliated "spacegrass" scene that you can think of (other than Grisman, that is...) This also features a swell duet with Nashville country star Vince Gill, one of those pleasant instances in which he, too, dips back into his traditional side. For truegrassers, this will be one of Brown's most rewarding albums.

Alison Brown "Replay" (Compass, 2002)
A loose-limbed live set that revisits some of Brown's old tunes...

Alison Brown "Stolen Moments" (Compass, 2005)
Bluegrass-based easy listening, with dips into lite jazz... It's not my cup of tea, but Ms. Brown's fans, as well as folks who like Bela Fleck, et. al., will probably enjoy this album... Lots of guest performers, ranging from 'grassers such as Sam Bush, Mike Marshall and Sally Van Meter to the Indigo Girls, Mary Chapin Carpenter and various members of the Celtic band, Solas, all linked together through Brown's lissome banjo work and light compositional touch.

Maggie Brown "Maggie Brown" (Riverwide, 2004)
A cool, catchy mix of roots-country and bluesy rock... There are obvious debts to early Bonnie Raitt, as well as a Sheryl Crow-meets-The Black Crowes guitar rock vibe, and a little hint of Norah Jones crooning on the soft side... These comparisons are inevitable but a little unfair, since Brown is also a fine, soulful singer in her own right, though more to the point, she crafts some mighty good songs, catchy stuff that sticks to your ribs. The doleful, country-drenched "Full Moon Over Dallas" echoes in my mind; folks who are into the whole adult-roots tip should like this self-released gem... a lot! (Available through MaggieBrown.net.)

The Browns & Jim Ed Brown "The Essential" (RCA-Nashville, 1996)
A family vocal act who had a huge Nashville Sound/pop charts hit with their 1959 version of "The Three Bells (Les Trois Cloches)," the Browns floated comfortably at the edges of the '50s pop scene, and were one of Nashville's premier crossover success stories. Their soft, easygoing, inoffensive harmony style was entirely suited to the pop vocals machinations of the RCA studio producers, malleable and pleasant, and able to float on any amount of strings that Chet and his boys could come up with. Jim Ed went solo in the mid-'60s, as his version of Nat Stuckey's "Pop A Top" cracked the top of the country charts... Although he was a protegee of uber-crooner Jim Reeves (who the Browns sang backup for), Brown made a name for himself with a series of mildly macho drinkin' songs and erotic morning-lover ballads. This is a pretty nice overview of his career, which fans of the Browns in specific may find zips past their career too quickly (seven songs out of twenty), but still, you definitely get the idea. It'd be nice if RCA would revisit this reissue and perhaps expand it to include a little more of both phases of his career.

The Browns "Sweet Sounds By The Browns/Grand Ole Opry Favorites" (Westside, 2000)
Two albums, reissued straight on one CD, Sweet Sounds By The Browns (from 1960, which has "The Three Bells" on it...) and Grand Ole Opry Favorites, from 1965. In both cases, the group's pop-vocals blandness swiftly overtakes any semblance of life they might have otherwise shown. They have some great harmonies, it's true, but the musical perfectionism comes at the expense of their albums being any fun. I traded my copy back in.

The Browns "Three Bells" (Bear Family, 1994)
Yikes! The definitive, 8-CD collection of the Browns work for RCA, spanning pop-country ballads, western-themed sagas and soft gospel galore. I haven't actually heard this collection, though I suspect it may be a bit much for the average listener to take in, but for the Brown family true believer... well, what a godsend!

Jann Browne "Tell Me Why" (Curb, 1990)
Formerly a singer with Asleep At The Wheel, hard country singer Jann Browne set off solo with this doozy of a disc, backed by some hotshot pickers along the lines of Albert Lee and James Burton (alumni of the Emmylou Harris Hot Band), and John Jorgenson as well. Browne racked up two Top 20 hits with this one, and though that was her commercial peak, she'd been making great music ever since. Recommended!

Jann Browne "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" (Curb, 1991)
(Produced by Steve Fishell)
Here's a hidden gem: a remarkably rootsy commercial offering from a gal with an appealing but imperfect voice. Alt-country hillbilly filly Rosie Flores is the closest comparison I could come up with, with a fleck of that old Emmylou warble as well... and hey, if you like Rosie, you oughta love this album! The title track is pretty darn fun, and the rest of the album holds up as well... Apparently, Browne started out as the "girl" singer in the Asleep At The Wheel band in the early '80s; she had a couple of songs hit the lower rungs of the charts, but none of them were from this album. At any rate, this one's worth searching for...!

Jann Browne "Count Me In" (Cross Three, 1995)

Jann Browne "Missed Me By A Mile" (Plan B, 2001)

Jann Browne "Buckin' Around: A Tribute To The Legendary Buck Owens" (Plan B, 2007)

Carl & Pearl Butler "Don't Let Me Cross Over" (Highland, 1996)
Best remembered for the early '60s smash, "Don't Let Me Cross Over," the husband and wife team of Carl and Pearl Butler snuck into Nashville at a time when their brand of straightforward hard country singing shouldn't have gotten the time of day, amid all the goopy pop crossovers of the time... Yet, there they were, hitting the charts regularly with their rough, wonderful vocals and dopey songwriting -- plain old hicks with strong country backbeat. Like many of the best old hard country artists, there's very little of their material available in print today. This disc only has ten songs on it, but they're all pretty good, including such winners as "She Didn't come Home" and the moralistic "Temptation Keeps Twisting Her Arm." Worth checking out!

Brenda Byers "The Auctioneer" (Decca/MTA)

Brenda Byers "Thank You For Loving Me" (Decca/MTA)
(Produced by Roy Drusky)
A pop singer from the late-edition Arthur Godfrey galaxy who dabbled in country for an album or two. Pretty genteel and unremarkable, although not that far from the countrypolitan mainstream. Anyone out there know exactly when this disc came out? Early '70s somewhere...?

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Hick Music Index
Sisters Who Swung: Women In Jazz & Blues

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