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
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
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
Mojave 3 - Spoon And Rafter
Despite a tendency among writers to view this UK combo's moniker as shorthand -- "'Mojave': open spaces, solitude, country-rock; OK, got it!" -- there were enough manifestations of Giant Sand, Neil Young and Gram Parsons on the band's first three albums to justify
Jay Bennett / Edward Burch - Palace 1919
Palace 1919 contains largely acoustic versions of songs from Jay Bennett & Edward Burch's 2002 debut The Palace At 4 A.M. (Part I), an album that, in the first place, not enough people got to hear. The whole affair has been curiously packaged to look like John