Album Review: Kasey Anderson - Nowhere Nights

Here is a review I've been needing to write for a while now. The album, released on Kasey's own Red River Records comes out next Tuesday but has been available via pre-order for some time now and includes a download card so you can listen to the songs early. I would recommend picking up the vinyl as it's wonderfully pressed and sounds oh so good (you will also get a download card with that as well). The album is also available right now via iTunes.

Now, I've had this album for quite a while....actually I have had it so long that when I listen to the album now all the songs have that type of familiarity that only great albums offer after repeated listening. Now, I know a lot of bloggers and writers like to shy away from easy comparisons, not me. I embrace the easy comparison. Matter of fact I think the easy comparison is great for letting potential fans know that "hey, I might dig this". With all that said, the obvious easy comparison for Kasey is Steve Earle. I'm talking fresh out of prison and kicking ass Steve Earle, not "I'm holding onto the last few hairs on my head and  hate republicans" Steve Earle.  Matter of fact, I bet ol' Steve wishes he would have written a song about the Iraq War as potent and inspiring as Kasey's "I Was A Photograph". Which I've mentioned multiple times on here, and I still think it is not only the stand out track on this album, but the song of the year (I'm calling it right now!).  I will post this link again, because it is a story that needs to be read : Story of I Was A Photograph

But wait, that's just one song.....and well worth the album price, but lucky for us Kasey saw fit to put 10 other killer songs on this thing.  The other songs on the album share a common theme of leaving and trying to find one's place. There is a good reason for this, as the album was written while Kasey was in the midst of moving from his longtime home of Bellingham, Washington to spend a year in Germany (from which he just returned). The opening track, aptly titled Bellingham Blues sets the tone for the whole album and states "This ain't ever been my home/I woke up here one morning and 15 years were gone".  Later in the album on the title track  Nowhere Nights he sings "I used to walk around like they built the damn town up around me while my back was turned"....man I love that line.

Now I know journalists are supposed remain objective, but fuck it, I'm not a journalist and I never claimed to be. Me, I'm a blogger and more importantly a music fan. As a music fan I love Kasey Anderson's music. As a blogger I have forged somewhat of an online friendship with Kasey. Most of you know he is one of the bloggers over at Ninebullets.net, and some of you may have interacted with him on Twitter or Facebook as well. Judging by his online self, he is one of the nicest musicians and folks you could ever have the pleasure to meet. He is also one of the most prolific online motherfuckers I believe I have ever seen. He has so many blogs and sites that I can't even keep track. I do know that he deleted his old blog which is a shame because it had a song by song write-up for Nowhere Nights, which you are going to want to read after you listen to these songs. Kasey, if you are paying attention, put those posts back up!

Listen to Kasey Anderson - Bellingham Blues here
Listen to Kasey Anderson - From Now On here

Official - Blog - Facebook - Myspace

Additional note: Look for some Kasey Anderson live stuff that will be posted tomorrow

Album Review: Ray Wylie Hubbard - A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is No C)

It's been 4 years since Ray Wylie Hubbard's last album Snake Farm. That album was a massive chunk of blues, county, and rock so greasy the pharmaceutical industry had to start manufacturing Lipitor commercially.* In those 4 years Mr. Hubbard has been pretty damned busy. Touring all over the place, helping Hayes Carll get the attention he deserved, writing a script, getting said script turned into a movie, turning his son Lucas into a genuine guitar slayer, launching a music festival, hosting a weekly radio show, and writing and recording the album I am supposed to be talking about here.

The album takes it's title from the first song, and while it's certainly a mouthful of an album title, the song, much like "Knives of Spain" from his 2003 album Growl, sets the tone for the entire album, . And that's the closest comparison I can make for this album....it's very reminiscent of Growl's bluesy grit, groove, and tone as Ray Wylie is so fond of saying. I would venture to say this is his bluesiest effort to date, with greasy slide guitar licks augmented by those mystically poetic lyrics that have become his trademark. In the promo copy that accompanies this album, it states that Ray Wylie once wished he could become a hybid of Guy Clark and John Lee Hooker....an admirable goal to aspire to and one that I for one think he has transcended. 

Now let's talk about some of the songs on here. Currently my favorite is "Black Wings", which if you've watched any of the vids I've posted on here you should have heard before. The lyrical imagery of this song just kills me: "fly away on them ol' wings, black as they may be/shimmering like a leslie and a hammond B-3" and "trusting in a duo-jet and a 9-volt battery/fly away on them ol' wings, black as they may be". He also name drops the Stella guitar in this song....which I'm only mentioning so I can brag that I have one! Another song I want to point out is the lone ballad on this album called "Loose". This song is the odd man out on this album but it's so fucking good it's like finding a chicken nugget in your french fry box. This song is the bait that finally hooks you on this album right before the fire and brimstone of the last three songs kicks in. I'm pretty sure these last three were intended for the Last Rites of Ransom Pride soundtrack, and holy crap are they mood setters. The final song let's you know it's THE FINAL SONG. Fans of the show Deadwood should certainly enjoy the final stretch.

Speaking of Hayes Carll who I mentioned a couple paragraphs up, this album also features Ray Wylie's version of the song "Drunken Poet's Dream" which he co-wrote with Hayes. Ray's version strips the song down to it's essence and while the lyric about paying his student loan seems out of place, Ray still makes you believe every last word of the song with his grizzled voice dancing above the overdriven guitar licks. Rays version made me hear lyrics I had never paid attention to in the song before, and that is why I am such a fan of his music. He doesn't just sing a song.....he propels the lyrics out of the speakers and into your ears in such a manner that makes it nearly impossible to ignore them. Even with all that amazing guitar work by his son Lucas going on.

Buy Ray Wylie Hubbard - A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C) here

(download links removed per request, stream the songs here, or stream the whole album here)
Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard - Black Wings here
Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard - Loose here

(*while this fact remains to be proven, it should be noted that both hit the market in 2006....coincidence?...) 

Album Review: Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring

Here's an album I've really been digging the hell out of, and one I feel hasn't gotten the press it deserves. The story behind this album is that Chuck and his band went to Mexico City to a vintage recording studio (all analog equipment from years gone by) during the initial height of the Mexican swine flu scare.

Chuck describes this album as protest music for people who don't like protest music. What I take out of that is protest music that is not "preachy" (which is the reason I'm guessing most people hate protest music). I don't get a protest music vibe as much as a do a tinge of apocalyptic imagery. "let there be darkness, let there be light, as the hawk cripples the dove/over and over watch the dove die, as they rip out the floorboards above". Those are the opening lines to the title track Let Freedom Ring, later in the album he sings "we're going to see how Wall Street takes the news when Wall Street finds New York City's gone", and in the subdued track Barely Exist he asks "when you barely exist who's going to miss you when you're gone".

What I would like to call this album is not so much a protest album as a killer fucking rock album! The kind with amazing guitar work that calls to mind everything from Brian Setzer to Keith Richards. The kind with expertly crafted songs that are reminiscent of great rock songwriters like Petty, Springsteen, Mellencamp, & James McMurtry in that they not only rock but they say something.  I don't really know what else to say, and you guys know I hate trying to describe music when it's easier and more useful to just post a couple links so you can decide for yourself whether you would like it or not, and say as for me....I fucking LOVE this album!

Listen to Chuck Prophet - You And Me Baby (Holding On) here
Listen to Chuck Prophet - Hot Talk here

http://www.chuckprophet.com/
Read more about the album here - Watch the trailer for the album here
Buy Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring here

Album Review Roundup: Canadian Edition

One thing you are going to see a lot in the next couple weeks on here are album reviews....that's just my own brain thinking I got to get all the 2009 album reviews I want to review in before the year is over. What we have here is the Canadian edition of the album review roundup with 6 groups from various locations in the great white north.

Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle - Let's Just Stay Here
Here is a damn fine collaborative album from two great Canadian acts. If you guys remember, NQ Arbuckle made one of my favorite albums of last year, and this album is no let down.  Carolyn's serene vocals blend perfectly with Neville Quinlan's slight rasp and the band's rowdy but restrained twang. Another Canadian you guys may have heard of named Corb Lund makes a surprise appearance on the track Saskatoon Tonight. This album is up there with my favorites and each subsequent listen reveals something else. A very multi layered album and recommended to any reader of the site.
Listen to Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle - The Second Time here
You can buy Let's Just Stay Here.....here


Blue Rodeo - Things We Left Behind
Blue Rodeo are something of an institution in Canada. Centered around Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy they have been making music for well over twenty years.  This double album find the band in very tight form mining sounds from throughout their career. I will admit the first track "All The Things That Are Left Behind" had me wanted to hit the skip button....that is until the chorus came in....which is such a good chorus it saves the whole song. What this album really reminds me of is an amalgamation of just about every early 70's California country-rock band. From Poco & the Burritos to The Eagles and Jackson Brown. Actually I get a real heavy "Saturate Before Using" era Jackson Brown vibe off this along with a slight Tom Petty vibe. Recommended for any fan of that easy going country-rock sound (cause there is a lot of that on here) and fans of country rock in general.
Listen to Blue Rodeo - Never Look Back here
You can buy Things We Left Behind here

The Dustin Bentall Outfit - Six Shooter
This one is maybe my favorite of the bunch, but that may just be the honeymoon talking. It's definitely one of my favorite recent discoveries. This guy reminds me of Hayes Carll when he first started out. Just full of piss, vinegar and great songs. He's got a very distinct voice that works perfect for this music. I would recommend this for fans of Hayes Carll, Ryan Bingham, Corb Lund, Chris Knight, hell anyone who likes their country with a lot of edge. I don't really know what to say about this other than listen to the sample cause this is a damn good album!
Listen to Dustin Bentall Outfit - Draft Dodger here
You can buy Six Shooter here



Headwater - Lay You Down
Hailing from Vancouver, these guys are playing a blend of bluegrass inflected americana not unlike the Wrinkle Neck Mules. These guys let their bluegrass influences show a lot more than the mules though. One of my favorite things is the killer dobro playing all over it. One of the standout tracks on here is a cover of fellow Canadian Fred Eaglesmith's "Freight Train".  This album is recommended for fans of Wrinkle Neck Mules, Bad Livers, The Steeldrivers, The Pines, The Avett Brothers, and The Fox Hunt.
Listen to Headwater - Freight Train here
You can buy Lay You Down here

Huntley Slim & The Suburban Cowboys - Songs From This Chicken Coop
Now I'm going to tell you right off the bat that this review is going to pale in comparison to the review that was recently posted over at My Aimz Is True. So I will just hit the highpoints. Huntley Slim are very much a traditional bluegrass band...well not too traditional, but they certainly know where their roots are. This album true to it's title, was recorded in an actual chicken coop. How's that for atmosphere? I mentioned in the Headwater review that I loved the dobro all over it, and well I'm going to have to say the same thing for this one. Some killer dobro all over this thing. Recommended for fans of The Fox Hunt, Wrinkle Neck Mules, Old Crow Medicine Show, and the local bluegrass jam.
Listen to Huntley Slim - Suburban Blues here
You can buy Songs From This Chicken Coop here

Blackie and The Rodeo Kings - Swinging From The Chains Of Love
This one is actually a best of, but it's a damn fine compilation I have to say. Now I'm a fairly recent fan of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings so this CD is one I've been spinning a lot this year. Featuring one of my favorite covers which is their psycho blues romp of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". This is really a great intro, and damned near essential for any fan of americana/alt country/decent music.  That is if you aren't already familiar with this band. I guess I should give some background. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a supergroup of sorts of Canadian music comprised of Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden. They formed in 1996 as a tribute group to Canadian legend Willie P. Bennett (you know the one Corb Lund sings about on the new album), and decided to record more albums after their initial tribute album.  Glad they did. Recommended if you like blues influenced country with a healthy dose of rock.
Listen to Blackie & The Rodeo Kings - Swinging From The Chains Of Love here
You can buy Swingin' From The Chains Of Love here

Album Review Roundup: Band of Heathens, Sons of Bill, Gabriel Sullivan, The Pines, Pieta Brown

First let me say that in all honesty I don't like doing album reviews. I prefer to let the music speak for itself which is why I do the seasonal samplers. But, saying that, the reviews do get a lot of continuing hits from people doing searches and the like, so I like to think they serve their own purpose of turning folks onto music they might like. So with that said I have A LOT of albums I need to review....but like I said, I don't like doing it so I let them stack up. Here is my compromise, a post of shorter album reviews all in one post. Kind of like how magazines used to do their quick reviews. All right, so with the boring information out of the way, let's do this.

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Band of Heathens - One Foot In The Ether

Sounds like the Black Crowes and Little Feat got together and decided to jam. These guys are great musicians in the pentatonic classic rock style. The album kicks off with L.A. County blues which is one of the best odes to Hunter Thompson I believe I've ever heard. Standout tracks include the bluesy Golden Calf, the soulful country of What's This World, the "she talks to angels" type ballad, Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled, the little feat-ish funk of Somebody Tell The Truth, and an amazing cover of Gillian Welch's Look At Miss Ohio.

Buy Band Of Heathens - One Foot In The Ether here

Listen to Band of Heathens - Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled

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Sons of Bill - One Town Away

Well here is a review that is long overdue, and truthfully I'm glad I waited. Why, well because at first I liked the album but thought it to be too slick sounding. I still think it's a little slick sounding, but I quickly got over that after repeated listens. What I call "slick" others would call "well produced". The thing that immediately grabbed me about this album were the well crafted lyrics and melodies. Particularly the line in Broken Bottles "Hank Williams might have been a lovesick drinker, but being a lovesick drunk don't make you Hank". Lyricism such as that is all over this thing, and as I alluded to in the opening sentences, this album is a grower for me. Sons of Bill are recommended if you like Reckless Kelly and Scott Miller.

Buy Sons of Bill - One Town Away here

Listen to Sons of Bill - Joey's Arm

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Gabriel Sullivan - By The Dirt

Here is another one I'm glad I waited to review. I will admit at first I was a little underwhelmed with this one. However last week this album popped up on an MP3 disc in my truck and damn it hit me hard at just the right time. This is a great album though a little off the beaten path. The blurb sheet that came with this album said something like "sounds like Tom Waits fronting The Black Keys" and I would say that is a very apt description. I would also like to compare him to a less rustic, slightly jazzier William Elliot Whitmore. Little bit of a New Orleans thing going on here with the clarinet and song structures...but it works out good with Gabe's weathered voice. The absolute highlight of this album is without a doubt the duet with Brittany Dawn House Built On Love. Check out Gabe Sullivan's blog here.

Buy Gabriel Sullivan - By The Dirt here

Listen to Gabriel Sullivan - House Built On Love here

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The Pines - Tremolo
Man this album is fantastic. Full of bluesy folky goodness and some of the finest yet most subtle slide guitar ever laid to wax. The Pines are one part songwriter David Huckfelt, and one part songwriter Benson Ramsey, who is the son of Greg Brown sideman and producer Bo Ramsey (who also produced this album). I'm guessing that's where he gets his killer guitar chops. This is their second album, and shows a band that has matured quite a bit since their debut album. While that album was a good listen, I would call this album a MUST listen. Great songwriting, great playing, great production, just an all around great album. I tell you what it kind of reminds me of.....if Gurf Morlix had produced a mid 70's Bob Dylan album.

Buy The Pines - Tremolo here

Listen to The Pines - Pray Tell here

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Pieta Brown - Shimmer

Speaking of Greg Brown, longtime readers to ATS should be familiar with his daughter Pieta. This album is a 7-song EP (the second EP in two years) and it's mainly focusing on Pieta's folkier side. I will say this EP is a little more laid back than 2007's Remember The Sun which was one of my favorite albums of that year. But put this album side by side with last year's Flight Time EP and it makes perfect sense, as that album was full of her faster more rocking songs. I would recommend both of these EP's really, though I'm more of a fan of the Flight Time EP, I just think Pieta is best when she adds in a little electric guitar and up's the sultry twang thing. In my opinion the strongest song on here is Lovin' You Still which sounds like a reworking of In My Mind I Was Talking To Loretta off Remember The Sun.

Buy Pieta Brown - Shimmer here (Buy Flight Time here)

Listen to Pieta Brown - Lovin' You Still here

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Ok, guess I will stop there.

Album Review: Prison Book Club - Required Reading

Here is a killer little album I have been diggin' the hell out of lately. Prison Book Club are a West Virginia super group of sorts, comprised of John Miller from The Fox Hunt, Tucker Riggleman & Adam Meisterhans of The Demon Beat, and drummer Jeff Birdsall. Now you folks should be familiar with the unique brand of mountain music the Fox Hunt dishes out, but you may not be familar with The Demon Beat. The Demon Beat are a full steam ahead, damn the torpedos rock band who would not be out of place on a bill with Jon Spencer, The Black Keys, or The White Stripes to name a few. That is to say, while they are not really as blues centric as those bands, they have a fresh take on traditional rock with a healthy twist or two of punk thrown in. So what does it sound like when the two bands mix...well exactly what you think it might sound like, a rowdy rock band with lots of twang sounding like neither of the bands which make up it's sum. Remember back in the early 90's when punk and twang were being mixed together to create an exciting new sound we didn't know what to call....that's what Prison Book Club sounds like.

The easiest comparison I can make to Prison Book club however, is early Lucero. More specifically the first self titled Lucero album. Lots of twang, lots of guitar, lots of self reflecting whiskey soaked lyrics that just beg you to sing along. My favorite songs on this album are the ones sung by Fox Hunt's John Miller which I think are the strongest. That's not to say that Riggleman's songs are bad, no they are good too, but this type of music better suites Miller's vocal style is all. Prison Book Club is best when it combines the best of both bands, the singing and songwriting of Miller, and the thumping bass & passionate lead guitar of Riggleman & Meisterhan respectively. No song is this more evident than my favorite song on this album, the epic "When I Go", which reminds me why I fell in love with this type of music in the first place.

This album is recommended for anyone who likes their twang served with a healthy portion of rock....or vice versa. Either way, this is the album you want to turn up to 11, rip the knob off (as Patterson Hood says), and pour a shot or 5 of the cheap stuff.

Prison Book Club are currently playing shows around their hometown of Shepherdstown, West Virginia and if your in the area you don't want to miss what the band describes as PBR-mageddon.

Required Reading can be ordered straight from the band for a measly 8 bucks here. Also visit the Big Bullet Record's site for more info of both Prison Book Club and The Demon Beat

Listen to Prison Book Club - Everything's Fine

Listen to Prison Book Club - When I Go

Album Review: Wrinkle Neck Mules - Let The Lead Fly [10/20 Lower40 Records]

Well here is probably my most anticipated album of the year. You guys have heard me talk about for a few months now, ever since I found out about it no less. Well I'm here to tell you, if you are already a fan of Wrinkle Neck Mules this album does not let down! It is everything a Wrinkle Neck Mules album should be....teemed to the brim and overflowing with sweet americana (or whatever they are calling it nowadays) sounds that are as unique as they are familiar.

Now this may not be the most objectionable review, fact is I love the Wrinkle Neck Mules. I think they should be at the top of the american/alt-country whatever heap, and the fact that they are not still baffles me. These guys, and this album is a damn fine representation of that....they should win awards for this album! Get some wider recognition at the very least. The instrumentation, the songwriting, the arrangements, all of it top notch.

Now let's talk about the songs a minute here. The tracks alternate pretty consistently between what I like to call smooth twangers and rugged twangers. I wish I could tell you who's singing what songs, but I just don't know. The one guy has the rugged southern drawl, and the other has the smooth southern drawl, and I'm pretty sure there is a third guy in there too. Regardless, the sequencing plays like a great boxer continuously hitting you with one-two punches. Let The Lead Fly picks up where 2007's Wicks Have Met left off, while also bringing back some of the more traditional aspects of 2006's Pull The Brake. The result is a damn fine album, with songs like "Fortune Fades" recalling "Cadillac Limosine", "Catfish & Color TV's" recalling "Okeechobee", and "Before The Rise and Fall" recalling "The Wicks Have Met". But that is greatly simplifying things. Fact is this is a band consisting of many talented individuals who somehow manage to pull themselves together as a single band and make albums that keep getting better.

I said earlier in this review that this album is everything a Wrinkle Neck Mules album should be....I would like to recant that and say that Let The Lead Fly is everything an AMERICANA album should be! So if you are a fan of classic alt-country like Uncle Tupelo & Son Volt, a fan of good old fashioned country rock like the Byrds and The Burritos, a fan of bluegrass and country that's not afraid to rock, or just a fan of damn good music in general.....this album is for you. It's a damn fine album and I'll stand by that!

Buy Let The Lead Fly here (out tomorrow, first 100 pre-orders get a special "lead-ed" edition)

Official Site - Myspace - Facebook

Listen to Wrinkle Neck Mules - Waters All Run Dry here

Listen to Wrinkle Neck Mules - One Hand In The Furnace here

Listen to Wrinkle Neck Mules - Before The Rise and The Fall here

Extremely belated album review: The Fox Hunt - America's Working Hard So We Don't Have To

I promised an album review to these guys well over a few months ago. Since then they have actually released a self-titled EP, and are in the midst of making their third studio album. I look extremely forward to that new studio album, and the track I've heard off that EP was great.

This album however, released earlier in the year does not contain any new material. No it is a string band album front to back. Very old time sounding. I would call it timeless sounding. Like hopping in a time machine and catching a hoedown in post-civil war Appalachia. That's what this album is, old time mountain music. West Virginia mountain music I'm sure the band would be quick to point out. You know those songs Alan Lomax went around recording on poor equipment back in the 20's and 30's, those old scratchy sounding songs that still manage to evoke so much power. These are well produced versions of those same songs by a band who plays them with so much reverence you would swear they were from another time.

The album pretty consistently alternates between singing songs and instrumentals, and I don't know which ones I like more. I will say after revisiting this album for this review it is a perfect album for this fall time of year. Now that may just me being sentimental as I have many fond memories of going to the "Lumberjackin' Bluegrassin' Jamboree" every October as a child at Twin Falls State Park in The Fox Hunt's home state of West Virginia. And that's what this album reminds me of. So if you passed on this album back in the spring, or did happen to pick it up but haven't gave it a listen lately, DIG IT OUT AND LISTEN TO IT! This is perfect fall, leaves turning, mountain music!

Here is what a guy who writes better reviews than me thinks of it

Visit The Fox Hunt website

Buy the album here

Vid of Hang Me off this album

Listen to Fox Hunt - Picked Up A Hammer here

Listen to Fox Hunt - Little Rose here

James McMurtry CD/DVD Giveaway

Want to win a copy of the new James McMurtry CD/DVD Live in Europe due out next Tuesday? Well just leave a comment on this post with your favorite James McMurtry lyric and some way to contact you (Email, Twitter, etc...) . Winner will be chosen randomly and announced next monday.

This is a great album although rather short, and lacking the fiery excitement of Live in Aught-Five. That's not to say it's not any good, more of a testament to how good Live in Aught-Five is. This one is worth picking up for the DVD alone, which as far as I know is the first time a James McMurtry DVD has been released. One of my favorite parts on the DVD is when Jon Dee Graham comes out and flips off the "biggest music critic in all of Amsterdam" right before kicking into a blazing version of Laredo. Watch a clip from the DVD here

Album is also available on LP with a CD & DVD insert for $18 which is a great deal.

Also worth mentioning is McMurtry will be in Blacksburg on the 18th....That means I WILL be going.

For what it's worth, here is one of my favorite McMurtry lyrics (that's not from the song Choctaw Bingo):

Some insurance man biker is yelling out for one more beer

but a part time pirate just can't get much respect around here

we got our problems too man

and we'll get to you in just a minute

sit your drunk ass down

and there's no one to talk to

when the lines go down

-Hurricane Party

Album Review: BettySoo - Heat Sin Water Skin

Well, another album review. This one is so good I just had to do a review of it. Bettysoo is going down as my discovery of the year, how I managed to miss her prior 3 albums is beyond me, but you can bet I will be exploring her back catalog after hearing this wonderful album.

Now first let's get the obvious out of the way, Bettysoo....that is her name, in her own words "I guess Asian-American songwriters aren't that common. At least, not in Texas". Well songwriting and singing of this caliber aren't that common anywhere honey.

If I had to try to explain her sound well I would say she has the voice of an angel, similar to Allison Krauss, but with a swagger and honesty that is more closely related to early Lucinda Williams. Of course some of that Lucinda-ness may be attributed to producer extraordinaire Gurf Morlix (who has also produced Lucinda, Slaid Cleaves, & Ray Wylie Hubbard just to name a few). Here he pulls guitar duty as well as production giving the album his trademark "grit and groove" sound which matches seamlessly with Bettysoo's vocal stylings. Songs like "Never Knew No Love" and "Get Clean" showcase this perfectly. With Gurfs trademark guitar and organ sound blending with Bettysoo's words and voice like Bailey's blends with Coffee.

But don't think it's all "grit and groove", no there is also a softer tender side to this album. With songs like "Just Another Lover", "What We've Got", and "Forever" echoing not just the aforementioned Allison Krauss, but artists like Eliza Gilkyson and Nancy Griffith as well.

The album closes with the song "Next Big Thing", which is not only a beautiful song, but I hope a little bit of foreshadowing for Bettysoo's career.

Recommended if you like: Lucinda Williams, Eliza Gilkyson, Kasey Chambers, Allison Krauss, Nancy Griffith, Kathleen Edwards, Pieta Brown, Patty Griffin...

Bettysoo - Never Knew No Love.mp3 or HERE

Bettysoo - Next Big Thing.mp3 or HERE

http://www.bettysoo.com/

Buy Heat Sin Water Skin and stream it here

Album Review: Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler

Well, here is a new feature at ATS, an actual album review. You know normally I don't like doing these for a couple of reasons. 1. My writing sucks, and 2. what's the old adage writing about music is like dancing for quiet...err architecture...something like that. You see the way I feel is this is the internet baby....multimedia is at our fingertips, so why write about music when you can post a song or vid (or my preference, a live show) and let the music speak for itself.

Well I think the music does need to speak for itself, but it also never hurts if somebody wants to help it along. Besides, sometimes I like to dress up and play music blogger on the internet (don't make me start posting pics of my record collection again!)

On to the review, this is one of my most anticipated releases of the year when I first heard of it. I actually first heard of it from the man's mouth himself. You see I just happened to be in Nashville on business the same week Corb and the Hurtin' Albertans were in town recording this album. A tip from a friend led me to check out The Basement (and Grimey's, a great record store) and I find out Corb and the boys were putting on a free show there. I was so excited, I actually showed up early at the Basement and was mistaken for either a roadie or another performer :-P. So after all the confusion (to quote Doug Sahm "Lawd I'm Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City"), Corb and the Hurtin' Albertans put on a great great show, as Corb joked it was their "live rehearsal" as they started recording the following morning. And that's when I found out about this album. So you can see why I was anticipating it so much.

The album did not let me down upon first hearing it, and it's not getting old with each subsequent listen either....it just keeps filling my ears with canadian country rock goodness. Oh yeah, perhaps I should have mentioned that, for those unfamiliar with him, Corb has been doing his thing in Canada for years now (and he has the awards to prove it). Actually if I'm not mistaken this is his 6th album, and his first on a major American label (New West). That hopefully means Corb will be getting the support, publicity, and distribution he deserves outside of Canada. I truly hope this is his breakout album (much like Trouble In Mind was Hayes Carll's breakout album)...and I don't see why not...it's a damn fine album. Full of themes that longtime Corb fans will recognize and new ones will certainly enjoy. Those themes include gamblin', ranchin', Canada, drinkin', twangin' guitar, slap bass, and an irreverent sense of humor.

The album starts out with the first of 2 songs on this album about vetrinarians (he joked he was going to call this album Horse Doctor! Horse Doctor!) called Horse Doctor Come Quick. A song about trying to score drugs off a vet, a subject Corb said was "ripe for exploration" among songwriters. Next up is the Steer Rider's Blues, a pretty straightforward rodeo song about a young man who'd rather be at the rodeo than school. The third song is the first single off the album called A Game In Town Like This. This song features probably my favorite line of any song on the album (and also where the album earns it's title) "I'm a losin' lately gambler but that's not all I've ever been/Cuttin' back your losses is just another way to win". This song reveals itself more and more with each listen, and I am now convinced it is a masterpiece.

Next is the ballad Alberta Says Hello. Guitarist Grant Siemens lays down some tasty and well placed mournful b-bender licks on this one. Up next is the second vetrinarian song Talking Vetrinarian Blues which is a classic Corb Lund song similar to Truck Got Stuck. In this song Corb relays tales and advice from his father (who is an actual vet), such as always get paid...cash money. Next up is a western swing called It's Hard To Keep A White Shirt Clean (For Willie P. Bennett). Willie P. Bennett is a Canadian folk legend who passed on last year and is responsible for influencing Corb and many other Canadian artists (such as Fred Eaglesmith, Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Blue Rodeo, etc...).

The next song is the twang fest Long Gone To Saskatchewan. A tounge in cheek lament on leaving the rising cost of living in Alberta for the more rural Saskatchewan. Up next is the Marty Robbins-esque gunfighter ballad called The Devil's Best Dress. The twist, it's about a female gunfighter. Up next is my favorite song they played back in June. It's called The Only Long Rider I Know and man I love this song...just listen to the sample down below. After that is the song Chinook Wind, which sounds like it could be a Kristofferson song backed by Waylon and the Waylors. After that is This Is My Prairie, a song that could be at home on any Chris Knight album, and one of the best on this album. Finally, the album closes with a rollicking live version of Corb's now standard Time To Switch To Whiskey....a great way to end the album that makes you just want to listen to it all over again.

Album will hit stores on Sept. 29th, in the mean time catch him live if you can. He's coming back to Nashville, then on to Texas starting next month

Corb Lund - A Game In Town Like This (Link Removed)

Corb Lund - Only Long Rider I Know (Link Removed) Stream the sample tracks here