listening to....

[russ]

Empty

Ray LaMontagne

http://youtu.be/rIUSikXex5w

[russ]

Runaway Train

Kasey Chambers

(Telluride 2003)

http://youtu.be/iHDEnHXIG0E

[acoustic1]

So Far, here are some 2011 albums that I still listen to quite a bit:

Amos Lee: Mission Bell
Tedeschi Trucks Band: Revelator
Eddie Vedder: Ukele Songs: He does a version of SLEEPLESS NIGHTS!
My Morning Jacket: Circuital
Ben Kyle & Carrie Rodriguez: We Stil Love Our Country (basically A LOT songs of Emmy & Gram)
Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams (don't laugh...it's really good!)
Jude Johnstone: Quiet Girl (back to country after that bad attempt at jazz)
Alexi Murdoch: Towards the Sun
Robert Larisey: Night Takes Forver
Brock Zeman: a mix of stuff...one fun song is Spend the Night
Iron & Wine: Kiss Each other Clean
Lucinda Williams: Blessed
Decemberists: The King is Dead
EAGERLY ANTICIPATING GILLIAN WELCH's new one next week!
Peace,
Jenn

[DavidfromSydney]

So here's how it works...for me at least:

I'm listening to Shawn Colvin - Return of the Cover Girl, which is a bootleg collection of live stuff of variable quality. There are some nice duets on there, and I'm wondering who might be the other girl singing on some of the songs. I read somewhere that Colvin had worked quite a lot with Lucy Kaplansky, so anyway, I start chasing up some of her work and find "Flesh and Bone" which has a crap version of "Grievous Angel" on it (IMO) but an absolutely outstanding version of "Don't Renege on Our Love" by Richard Thompson. Indeed this version by Lucy Kaplansky redeems the song for me. Up until then I felt it was one of the weaker songs on "Shoot Out the Lights", but Lucy's version reveals all the strengths of the song. Her arrangement is slightly less frenetic and her phrasing makes more sense to me. So that was a discovery! And the rest of the album is good as well (apart from Grievous Angel). Lucy Kaplansky has a lovely voice and writes and covers interesting songs.

And to get back to "Return of the Cover Girl", there's some great stuff on there...a lovely solo version of "Only Living Boy in New York", and a nice duet with Richard Thompson on the Band's "It Makes No Difference". You can find it on the various bootleg sites on the net, so have a listen...it's worth the download. Here's the tracklist

01 Only Living Boy in New York
02 Romeo and Juliet
03 Wall of Death
04 Return of the Grievous Angel
05 That's the Way Love Goes
06 It Makes No Difference
07 Catch The Wind
08 Dancing In The Dark
09 Even Here We Are
10 I'll Be Back
11 Sin City
12 Words
13 Crazy
14 River
15 Acadian Driftwood
16 Times You've Come
17 Sweet Baby James
18 Racing in the Street

(Acadian Driftwood in this version doesn't work...reminds me of Neil Young's self deprecating comment on one of his own songs..."It starts off slow and then fizzles out altogether" It's a pretty lousy recording, and Shawn takes it at a fairly funereal pace which makes it last forever.

[Arlene]

I'm listening to many of the same 2011 albums that Jenn is listening to but here are a dozen others I'm also listening to:

Gillian Welch- The Harrow and the Harvest (it's GREAT!)
Zoe Muth- Starlight Hotel
Abigail Washburn- City of Refuge
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings- Kings and Queens
Sarah Jarosz- Follow Me Down
Buddy Miller- The Majestic Silverstrings
Low Anthem- Smart Flesh
Eilen Jewell- Queen of the Minor Key
Matraca Berg- The Dreaming Fields
Robyn Ludwick- Out of These Blues
Eliza Gilkyson- Roses at the End of Time
Jeffrey Foucault- Horse Latitudes

[russ]

Souvenirs
John Prine with an intro by Emmy...
written by Steve Goodman

http://youtu.be/5qDSfJCsuD0

(thanks Laurie)


All the snow has turned to water,
Christmas days have come and gone.
Broken toys and faded colors are all that's left to linger on.
I hate graveyards and old pawn shops,
For they always bring me tears.
I can't forgive the way they robbed me of my childhood souvenirs.

Memories, they can't be boughten.
They can't be won at carnivals for free.
Well it took me years to get those souvenirs,
And i don't know how they slipped away from me.

Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see.
That's why last night and this morning
Always look the same to me.
And I hate reading old love letters
For they always bring me tears.
I can't forget the way they robbed me,
Of my sweetheart's souvenirs.

Memories they can't be boughten,
They can't be won at carnivals for free.
Well it took me years to get those souvenirs
And i don't know how they slipped away from me.

[russ]

Never Going Back Again
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks

http://youtu.be/pVTG3gxdF_E


...from the PBS concert series Soundstage.

[russ]

Take Me Home
Tom Waits

http://youtu.be/XewO1DB96To

"for the world's not round without you"
...one of my most favorite lines from any song - ever.

[blacklegion]

Listening to a whole bunch of stuff lately but won't go into that right now.

I just received in the mail today the new Amy Lavere. Haven't had a proper listen yet (will do in the car goin' to work tomorrow, can't wait), but I came across this newly added clip tonight of a live version of a new track from the album, "Damn Love Song". I think some of you will really like it too. Love how she sings & plays that big ol' upright bass all at the same time....:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-5o6itd ... re=related

Vic

[blacklegion]

And in case u like that, here's another from the same performance; "Red Banks" also from the newey...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaO0YtJ9 ... ure=relmfu

Vic