Various Artists - Country Got Soul, Volume One
Although much less broad in scope and goal and coming from a different perspective, the Country Got Soul compilation has an against-the-grain mission statement similar to that of 1998's three-disc From Where I Stand: The Black Experience In Country Music box set. Whereas From Where I Stand spotlighted
Waylon Jennings - Waylon Live: The Expanded Edition
When released in 1976, Waylon Live instantly joined the short list of great country concert recordings, alongside Hank Thompson's At the Golden Nugget, Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, Charley Pride's In Person (Live At Panther Hall), and not very many others. But what we
Waterboys - Universal Hall
Mike Scott always injected spirituality into his music regardless of his myriad stylistic detours, although, like a number of his mid-'80s peers (U2, The Alarm, etc.), he tended to rely more on metaphor when tackling faith-based issues. Since the turn of the millennium, however, he's dealt
Jan Smith - Tin Heart
A native Kentuckian, Jan Smith traveled west and east before landing in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she has quickly made a name for herself with the help of a top-notch backing band.
Tin Heart is a thoroughly enjoyable mix of country, folk and bluegrass that showcases her strong and considerable songwriting
Joe Isaacs - Dreaming Of Home
Patriarch and founder of bluegrass gospel family group the Isaacs, Joe Isaacs stuck out on his own several years ago. Despite his background, his first solo CD has no gospel songs; instead, with the help of a strong cast that includes a son (Ben), a daughter (Sonya) and a clutch
Blind Lemon Jefferson: His Life, His Death, And His Legacy
Blind Lemon Jefferson remains a shadowy figure. As with Charley Patton, only one photograph of him exists. Like Robert Johnson, he died under mysterious circumstances, found frozen to death on a Chicago street in 1929.
With his mixture of blues and spirituals delivered in a thin, piercing voice, Jefferson had