John Hartford - Aereo-Plain
In 1971, at the same festival where Bill Monroe ended his long feud with Lester Flatt and again shared a stage with his old partner, John Hartford made his first bluegrass festival appearance. He brought with him a mangy band of veteran roister doisters: Norman Blake flatpicked, Vassar Clements sawed,
Red Cravens & The Bray Brothers - 419 West Main
419 West Main is the CD debut of one of the great lost bluegrass bands of the early '60s. Lost, because by all rights this band's work should stand alongside that of the best young bluegrass acts of the era: the Country Gentlemen, the Kentucky Colonels and
Jason & The Scorchers - Midnight Roads & Stages Seen
Consider the options for a Nashville music fan circa 1981. Country was in its post-Urban Cowboy decline (Alabama's "Love In The First Degree" and Kenny Rogers' "I Don't Need You" were two of the year's biggest hits). Journey,
Joe Ely - Twistin' In The Wind
Since re-signing with his old label MCA in 1990, Joe Ely has released a string of solid albums, and Twistin' In The Wind, his new disc, is no exception. Dig yourself down into the words and the music -- especially the wonderful instrumental work twisting and turning through every
Johnny Paycheck - She's All I Got
A haunting study in perpetual dissatisfaction, the life and career of Johnny Paycheck more than meet the stereotypical profile of a honky-tonk singer. He's been a rambling teenage drifter, an erratic grown-up drunk and a druggie. He's been in trouble with the IRS, too,
Bob Dylan - The Metro (Chicago, IL)
Despite a near-death experience, 1997 was a good year for Bob Dylan: a commercially successful, critically acclaimed album of new material, a Kennedy Center Honor, a papal gig. But perhaps the most revealing turn was his decision to become, for a few nights in a few cities, frontman for