Various Artists - Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster
Beautiful Dreamer represents a contemporary anomaly, a tribute album that's not only good but essential. There's no other contemporary album of Stephen Foster songs, even though his music lies at the deepest roots of American vernacular music.
The album honors America's first great professional
Vic Chesnutt - Little/West of Rome/Drunk/Is the Actor Happy?
If his songwriter peers were in charge of the music industry, Vic Chesnutt would no doubt be a major star. Beloved and championed by artists more commercially successful than he, the Athens, Georgia, artist boasts a body of work that ranks among the most formidable of any singer-songwriter currently active.
Ian Tyson - Ol' Eon
There's a fascinating documentary making the art house rounds this summer titled Festival Express, comprised of footage from a roving rock festival that traversed Canada by train in 1970.
Although the movie features The Band, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and the Flying Burrito Brothers playing and partying
Lucille Bogan - Shave 'em Dry: The Best of Lucille Bogan
Want dirty blues? This here's the dirtiest blues. On the strength of one worn-out, unreleased 78, Lucille Bogan became infamous when Legacy released it on a compilation. (Us older folks already knew her from Maria Muldaur's scorching version of Bogan's "Tricks Ain'
Dream Syndicate - Ghost Stories / Dream Syndicate - The Complete Live at Raji's
Ah, the curious case of post-Days Of Wine And Roses Dream Syndicate. The Los Angeles quartet's 1982 full-length debut was a stunning opus of crazed guitar shrapnel, phenomenally intuitive ensemble playing, and singer Steve Wynn's wiser-than-his-years songwriting. Like Husker Du's Zen Arcade, Days Of
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Almost Blue: Deluxe Edition
The chasm between punk and country has narrowed considerably in the two decades since X and the Blasters teamed up for the Knitters' Poor Little Critter in the Road. Today, Willie Nelson pals around with the Supersuckers, and, for a spell earlier this year, every magazine you leafed through