Bill Mallonee - Eternal vigilance
Watching Bill Mallonee perform solo one evening at Eddie's Attic in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, it's hard not to conjure obvious comparisons to his two heroes, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Peering out from his round glasses and down over the harmonica rack dangling from
Loretta Lynn - On her own
The 1990s weren't so bad for some of the country singers who used to rule the airwaves, despite their virtual disappearance from mainstream country radio. Loyal long-term fans, younger alternative country audiences, and sporadic but intense interest from the media and institutions charged with celebrating American culture
North Mississippi Allstars - Shake Hands With Shorty
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's resurrection of Elvis' pelvic thrust served to remind how sexy the blues can be. Beyond that, watching white guys play the blues can be a painful exercise, with far too many bad hamburgers and wretched versions of "Mustang Sally" being
Emmylou Harris - Cimarron / Last Date
Emmylou Harris hit a creative and commercial peak in the late 1970s that was almost without precedent for a female country singer. By 1980 she had a collection of songs and recordings in hand that hadn't fit onto earlier records. Cimarron gathered those strays together. Last Date is
Doug Sahm / Sir Douglas Quintet - The Return Of Wayne Douglas / San Antonio Rock: The Harlem Recordings 1957-1961 / The Sir Douglas Quintet Is Back! / Soul Jam
Fate had it that, like most of us, he died alone in a place that was not Texas. But it was only the untimely, unacceptable fact of this death -- sudden, and removed from the friends he had across the Lone Star State and wherever honest music is played -- that made
Various Artists - Full Circle: A Tribute To Gene Clark
It's hard to believe the rehabilitation of the tattered legacy of Gene Clark has taken so long to instigate. The ultimate image of 1965 cool, Clark -- with his brooding, velvety voice and a sackful of moody, introspective, unforgettable songs such as "Feel A Whole Lot Better"