Ray Wylie Hubbard - Crusades Of The Restless Knights
Working in relative obscurity, '70s Texas songwriting great Ray Wylie Hubbard has resurfaced in the '90s through a series of fine solo albums, beginning with 1992's Lost Train Of Thought and continuing through 1994's Loco Gringo's Lament and 1997's Dangerous
Cowboy Junkies - Rarities, B-Sides And Slow, Sad Waltzes
Ever since their acclaimed late-'80s breakthrough The Trinity Session, the Cowboy Junkies' sound -- underamped instruments, lugubrious tempos and singer Margo Timmins' glacial cool -- has become an alt-cowpoke cliche. The very style that brought them acclaim quickly became the critical stick used to beat up the
Mark Lanegan - I'll Take Care Of You
Listening to Mark Lanegan on a bright, shimmering Saturday afternoon just seems so...wrong. Better to wait until you're half shot-out at 2 a.m. the following Sunday morning and let the guy's somber aura just wash over you. But since my days don'
Nanci Griffith With The London Symphony Orchestra - The Dust Bowl Symphony
Call it Moody Blues Syndrome. Or maybe Paul McCartney Disease. Whatever it is, there's something about the lure of a big full-blown symphony orchestra that attracts some rock, pop and country singers who want to prove they know they difference between fiddles and violins. Perhaps they think
Alison Krauss - Forget About It
If there were any doubt left that Alison Krauss is a musician pursuing her own course with a healthy disregard for both the jealous embrace of bluegrass exclusivists and her own commercial success, Forget About It ought to clear things right up. With her latest album, the one-time bluegrass
Jerry Jeff Walker - Best Of The Vanguard Years
Of all the three-name Texas singer-songwriters, Jerry Jeff Walker has always mystified me. His progressive country recordings are mostly spotty and artistically self-destructive, hobbled by giddiness and a booze-addled delivery. The notorious Viva Terlingua! and Jerry Jeff Walker sound dated today, essential only to students of