Ahh, sweet Jim White. I got to see him live shortly after he put out this album and was in heaven that evening. I’ve been a big fan of Jim White for years now and was thoroughly pleased with this album. Check out the full review for more details. [ music review ]

Levon Helm’s first solo, studio recording in 25 years. Levon sings and plays drums, guitar and mandolin on the CD, accompanied by Larry Campbell on guitars and fiddle, and the voices of Amy Helm and Teresa Williams. The record explores songs Levon learned as a boy in Arkansas and others in that style.

Raw, dirty, and nasty Mississippi hill blues done as none other than Junior Kimbrough can. If your not familiar with Junior Kimbrough’s music, this album is a great place to start.

This album has been in high rotation since I bought it. According to the Boston Herald, “he evokes Townes Van Zandt lyrically, Guy Clark emotionally, Steve Earle stylistically and Ray Wylie Hubbard spiritually.”

This is an ongoing conceptual project of Bow’s: making records in harmony with his environment. This was recorded on a remote atoll in Belize using Jeff’s grandmother’s resonator ukulele. Incidentally, she just turned 90 and she was kicked out of the ukulele band at age 16. Yep, they’re a family of rebels! [ music review ]

This self-titled CD captures the rough-and-tumble sound of the Trainwreck. They recorded this entire album at Levon Helm’s Barn in Woodstock, NY with a bare minimum of overdubs. Described as “mountain funk” with lots of crazy banjo, big drums, booming bass, and guitar that sneaks up and scratches your secret itch.

This record is true to it’s title. Bow gave all he had (and more) to make this CD. It was a labor of love, with many twists and turns in the story… ultimately it proves that you shouldn’t judge events in the moment because many times of worry and anguish eventually turned out alright.

A vagabond spirit permeates these tales of truck stops, tip jars, boxcars, and love left behind, with a slide guitar punctuating arrangements that range from acoustic folk to classic rock.

I love the banjo and this is a fabulous exploration/appropriation of the banjo into the African-American musical tradition from its more familiar associations with country radio, bluegrass, and folk music.

I’m a huge fan of the late R.L. Burnside, and its great to see his grandson (Cedric Burnside) finding his own voice. The first track is an homage to R.L. and is a beautiful way to begin the album.