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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

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

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

As the '60s ebbed into unease and uncertainty, Eric Andersen cast a deadly, unveiled glance on his own life -- the drugs and the affairs, the dreams and the journeys -- ultimately turning his own spiritual and emotional desolations into an unconscious accounting of the whole decade. "I knew a

As the '60s bled into the '70s, Bob Dylan evinced a growing discomfort with his persona. Whether fueled by the lingering effects of a near-fatal motorcycle accident, an increasing dissatisfaction with the masks of stardom, or a general sentiment in the air, the artist became obsessed with

It's a neat coincidence that this collection arrived on my doorstep just days after I heard that Procter & Gamble, maker of Charmin toilet paper, was going to resurrect Mr. Whipple, the long-retired character who pitched the brand. For those not old enough to remember, Mr. Whipple&