A Friend of a Friend Review

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A Friend of a Friend ReviewReasons this is a 5 star album---tracks 1, 4 and 9; great vocal harmonies (to be expected from Gillian and David); David's guitar playing (of course); and the overall Rawlings-style production that makes the music sound so effortless.
One thing that leaves me slightly disappointed is the limited new material (tracks 2 and 3 have been released on other albums and tracks 4 and 8 are covers). I've been told that one could also argue that track 5 is a semi-cover since the melody was taken from an old blues song, but since I was not familiar with that song, it was new to me. So out of 9 songs only 5 of them were "new". To be fair though, the Oberst/Young cover is so fantastic, it kind of has a life all its own. It's just been so long since their last album, I really wanted MORE.
The main thing that I am not crazy about is the heavy-handed Old Crow Medicine Show bleed into the Gillian and David sound. I know this is simply a matter of taste--I like OCMS and own a couple of their albums--but I would prefer that their influence be more subtle. Tracks 6-8 could easily appear on an Old Crow album with guest vocalists David and Gillian. I'm not a purist who despises the idea of them straying from their usual two guitar/two vocals routine. I just don't love the idea of Gillian and David sounding like guests on their own album.
But if you're a fan, you're going to buy this album and you're going to like it. It's nice to see David Rawlings get the accolades he deserves and I'm excited to add this to my collection.
A Friend of a Friend OverviewHighly anticipated 2009 debut album from Gillian Welch's secret weapon: Dave Rawlings. A Friend Of A Friend includes appearances from Ketch Secor, Willie Watson, Kevin Hayes, Morgan Jahnig, Benmont Tench, Nathaniel Walcott, Karl Himmel and, of course, Gillian Welch.

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Live @ The Fillmore Review

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Live @ The Fillmore Review"Car Wheels on A Gravel Road" was a Grammy-winner that introduced millions of new fans (including me) to the brilliant performer Lucinda Williams whose poetic lyrics, memorable tunes and country-rock sound seemed both fresh and timeless, especially to fans of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Her subsequent albums, however, did not seem to reach her new fan base. The spare but evocative lyrics turned stark and minimal, and the emotions they revealed seemed extremely personal. The music was somewhat the same, but darker, more claustrophic, an accompaniment to the obsessive mood. I liked these albums ("Essence" and "World Without Tears") but if you didn't find them a little disturbing, you really weren't listening.
With "Live @ the Fillmore," Lucinda seems to be breaking all ties to the "Car Wheels" gal, and saying to her fans that this intense, internal, obsessive space is where she's at and where she's staying. This album is not a recap of her career, a greatest hits collection. It is almost completely devoted to the last two albums, and the few earlier songs that she includes either predicted her current direction, or are reinterpreted here in a darker vein than the originals.
Does she sell these songs? I would say yes, completely. They benefit from the greater expressiveness of live performances. Her vocal delivery is even harsher, the incredible steel guitar/electric guitar work of Doug Pettibone is even more expressive, at times sheer metal noise, at other times lonesome sobbing. These songs seem very close to the bone; I almost felt I was a Peeping Tom hearing her bemoan a hit and run lover in "Those Three Days," instruct a too-selfish lover in "Righteously," or paint a dark picture of solitude in "Ventura." This is a full-grown woman in three dimensions, a woman who has not found love to be much more than a momentary release followed by aching disaster. It can be scary. But it is artistically brilliant and satisfying.Live @ The Fillmore OverviewLost Highway is set to release the first-ever live album from Grammy Award-winning artist Lucinda Williams. Lucinda recorded this collection of live songs over her 3 night appearance at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Auditorium. Live @ the Fillmore is on double CD and comes in a deluxe packaging. All 22 tracks that appear in this collection were hand selected by Lucinda. This double album includes such favorites as 'Joy', 'I Lost It', 'Essence' and 'Blue', but Williams digs even deeper into her past with gritty versions of 'Pineola' and 'Changed The Locks'. Live @ the Fillmore features one of the best bands on the road today, with guitarist, pedal steel and background vocalist Doug Pettibone, anchored by Taras Prodaniuk on bass and Jim Christie on drums and percussion. 2005.

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Solo Acoustic 1 (Dig) Review

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Solo Acoustic 1 (Dig) ReviewWith nothing more than an acoustic guitar or piano, a quick wit and a voice that's aged like the finest wine, Jackson Browne comes off sounding as youthful and vigorous as he was in his earliest days. These songs are lyrical masterpieces, performed by a truly gifted singer/songwriter/musician.
The poetry of "These Days," "For a Dancer," "Fountain of Sorrow," and "Take It Easy" has yet to be surpassed, even 30 years later. It's just plain fun to hear acoustic renditions of "Lives in the Balance" and "Looking East" (you can ignore the brief, petty political commentary that proceeds them, if you wish). "For Everyman" still remains a lyrical masterwork; and "Your Bright Baby Blues," played in a bluesier fashion, becomes a rejuvenated work of art.
The only problem with this album, really, is that it only contains 12 songs; thankfully, this is SOLO ACOUSTIC VOL. 1; meaning, if there isn't a VOL. 2 in the works, then there are going to be some very disgruntled fans out there. Jackson Browne is a true artist; if you've heard any of his music, you know this. If you haven't, then do yourself a favor and buy this album; if you are a fan of music--whatever genre--you will not regret it.Solo Acoustic 1 (Dig) OverviewPresenting twelve songs culled from Browne's extensive and critically acclaimed solo acoustic concerts around the world over the past few years, the disc also captures both spirited and humorous exchanges between Jackson and his audiences, making for a truly intimate listening experience. This new comp, produced by Browne and Paul Dieter, is Jackson's first live release since his 1977 multi-platinum Running On Empty album. It also marks the recording debut of a three decades old track, 'The Birds Of St. Marks', not previously released in any form. Solo Acoustic reaches back to Browne's early years with 'These Days' and 'Take It Easy', and spans his entire career with other highlights such as 'Fountain Of Sorrow', 'For Everyman', 'The Pretender', and 'Looking East'. A stirring version of 'Lives In The Balance', the title track from Jackson's powerful 1986 album, will be this record's lead single. Inside. 2005.

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Prairie Wind Review

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Prairie Wind ReviewNeil Young has always been a musical chameleon. Shifting from hard rock to rockabilly to grunge to futuristic synth music, he's tried every music genre. But the style he keeps returning to is country-rock. Prairie Wind is yet another superb album in this vein. The past few years haven't been kind to Mr. Young with the death of his father and the mother of his first child or finding out that he has a brain aneurysm. With the sense of loss and mortality, Prairie Wind reflects on life and family. "The Painter" brilliantly sets the tone for the album as it a brooding, moody piece that shows music gives eternal life to its artists. "Far From Home" is a lovely ode to his parents and "Here For You" is a sweet song for his kids that has a great harmonica solo. "Falling From The Face Of The Earth" is a gentle lament and "He Was The King" is a goofy salute to Elvis Presley, but one done with spirit. "When God Made Me" has a full gospel chorus and "This Old Guitar" is the best track on the album with its simple story and laid-back charm. Country-rock is the skin Mr. Young feels most comfortable in and Prairie Wind is his best album in a decade.Prairie Wind OverviewAn artist for all musical seasons, Neil Young returns to autumnal harvest mode on Prairie Wind, with homespun material and sing-song melodies that renew the spirit of some of his most popular releases. Yet the mood here is darker in its maturity than on Harvest and Harvest Moon--the previous releases in what now sounds like a trilogy--and the arrangements have greater range and aural depth, with Wayne Jackson of the soulful Memphis Horns, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers gospel choir, and a string section employed to striking effect. This is a song cycle of dreams, memories, family ties, and the passage of time--what is lost and what endures. The elliptical, epic 'No Wonder', with its evocation of 9/11, ranks with the most ambitious songs of Young's career, while 'Falling Off the Face of the Earth', 'It's a Dream', and the bluesy title cut combine childlike innocence with unsettling experience. Spooner Oldham's church keyboards and co-producer Ben Keith's steel guitar reinforce the sound's sturdy simplicity. Young has released a lot of albums in different musical styles, but Prairie Wind feels like a homecoming, and ranks with his very best. Reprise. 2005.

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