THE REAL COUNTRY

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Troy Cory was one of the originators of the musical video clip concept. The 1224 N. Vine Street studio where the early Troy Cory shows were taped, also played host, under Troy's ownership, to such well known performers as Rod Stewart; Jackson Browne; Randy Meisner (The Eagles); Tom Petty; The Bee Gees; James Coburn (Schlitz); and even Mc-Donald's, Ronald McDonald.

Troy's grandfather, Nathan B. Stubblefield, is recognized as the inventor of the radio. His voice that broadcast the words, "Hello, Reiney" across the swampy Kentucky woods in 1882, were the first words transmitted, any where in the world, without wires. Today Stubblefield's former farm is the campus of Murray State University, where a marker commemorating the historic achievement was dedicated two years after his death in 1928. The radio station in Murray, Kentucky, carries his initials, WNBS.

Band Members: The California Goodtime Band; John Mraz; Sam Montelle Stavros; Smokey Allen Stover; Rick Turner.

Troy's backup performers, The Brooke Sisters - Tina Kincaid, Priscilla Cory, Nonny, Carol Lee, Brooke Kenvin, Valerie Maddox, Beth Stare and Joey Adams.

Cover Design: Evan Wright.

Album Description
About This Recording CD2306 THE REAL COUNTRY

Troy Cory, with his relaxed and smooth style, and ability to write country (stemming from his Stubblefield/Kentucky roots) presents an album of popular contemporary songs with the emotional understatement that seems to dominate country and western music.

A most talented and well-loved American performer, in this collection of songs, we have the full opportunity to sample his easygoing charm whether the music be slow and romantic, or in Country and Western feel.

This CD was recorded in Worcestershire, England at Muff Merfin's "Old Smithy's". Songs on this CD are featured in the TV Series "Disappointment Diaries".

Tracks:

Right Now [CD]
Red Staggerwing [CD]
Red Dirt Girl [CD]
Done With Bonaparte [CD]
Romeo and Juliet [CD]
All That Matters (bonus track) [CD]
This Is Us [CD]
All The Roadrunning [CD]
Boulder To Birmingham [CD]
Speedway At Nazareth [CD]
So Far Away [CD]
Our Shangri-La [CD]
If This Is Goodbye [CD]
Why Worry [CD]

Tracks:

Right Now [DVD]
Red Staggerwing [DVD]
Red Dirt Girl [DVD]
I Dug Up A Diamond [DVD]
Born To Run [DVD]
Done With Bonaparte [DVD]
Romeo and Juliet [DVD]
Song For Sonny Liston [DVD]
Belle Starr [DVD]
This Is Us [DVD]
All The Roadrunning [DVD]
Boulder To Birmingham [DVD]
Speedway At Nazareth [DVD]
So Far Away [DVD]
Our Shangri-La [DVD]
If This Is Goodbye [DVD]
Why Worry [DVD]

Product Description

Live footage of Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris before a sold-out crowd at the Gibson Amphitheatre on June 28th, 2006.

More from Emmylou and Mark Knopfler

Wrecking Ball
Pieces of the Sky
Angel Band

Shangri-La
Golden Heart
One Take Radio Sessions

Album Description

Live footage of Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris before a sold-out crowd at the Gibson Amphitheatre on June 28th, 2006.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-06-14

Wish that I had not purchased it, It is Ok, but not great enough to listen to often

Real Live Roadrunning.......2007-06-08

I have bought 4 copies of this DVD/CD in the past year. Everytime I show it to someone it's obvious how much they like it so I give it to them. Mark and E Lou are terrific but as in the past Mark's band is so professional and talented it just pushes the performance over the top. This band performs more perfectly than many bands perform in a studio. If you like to watch live performances and like Mark just get it and enjoy.

Awesome music.......2007-05-13

This is the best duet couple to come along ever. The songs by Mark Knopfler are wonderful and the band is awesome. Emmylou is at her best and the feel of this concert enhances the enjoyment of watching the DVD. No one will be disappointed in this music.

A wonderful concert.......2007-05-02

The performances on the DVD are masterful. Mark and Emmylou Harris are wonderful. I just wish the video editor was as good as the audio editor, but both of them could use a little more editing. How many times do you have to heaer Mark yelling "Thank you" to the crowd? My guess is about 1/4 of what they left on the DVD. The performances are wonderful. Mark is understated on the guitar and Emmylou is in fine voice. Ignore any comments about an "ordinary voice" from the Amazon editors.

Five For The Price Of One!.......2007-05-02

How can you go wrong?

First, there are some vintage Dire Straits tunes live for the first time.
Second, there is a sample of the Mark Knopfler solo career, including (finally) a great rendition of Speedway at Nazareth.
Third, there is a sample of the Emmylou Harris solo career, like the gripping version of Red Dirt Girl.
Fourth, there are the cuts off the Roadrunning collaboration.
Fifth, there is the endless duet, with Emmylou making Mark's old music new again.

(OK, and then Six there's the great DVD with extra songs that I rarely get a chance to see, but we've only got five stars. So the CD is essential to me!)

This album set is so entertaining just because it has so much ... diversity brought together into one magic concert.

One of my favorites is Done With Bonaparte. I listened to the original on Golden Heart, and it now sounds flat and lifeless in comparison to this live version. It also exemplifies something that happens a lot on this album: Emmylou's harmonies really light up the MK songs. Like Speedway at Nazareth. She even takes over the lead on Why Worry?

So if you are hesitating, thinking you might be taking a chance, Why Worry? This is a real treasure chest of tunes.

Average customer rating:

Fine Album
Real Fine Place-Sweet!
SARA'S DONE IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Real Fine Place
Real Fine Place

Real Fine Place
Sara Evans
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Timeless
Twice the Speed of Life
Some Hearts
Time Well Wasted
Restless

ASIN: B000B5QWNS
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Tracks:

Coalmine
A Real Fine Place To Start
Cheatin'
New Home Town
You'll Always Be My Baby
Supernatural
Roll Me Back In Time
The Secrets That We Keep
Bible Song
Tell Me
Missing Missouri
Momma's Night Out
These Four Walls

Amazon.com

Sara Evans began basic and earthy on her 1997 debut, Three Chords and the Truth-- only to U-turn into poppish, radio-friendly, late-'90s fare that expanded her popularity. Then, in 2003, she swerved back to raw traditionalism on Restless, which showcased her edgy, in-your-face hit "Suds in the Bucket." Evans stays that course on Real Fine Place, with straightahead, earthy production values and first-rate material, including Sheryl Crow's "Roll Me Back in Time" and the title tune, cowritten by Radney Foster and George Ducas. She conjures the perfect mixture of pain and indignation on "Cheatin'," and projects warmth on the parenthood tale "You'll Always Be My Baby." Her stately rendition of Lori McKenna's "Bible Song" magnifies its dark slice-of-life lyrics. Evans cowrote six of the numbers, including the party anthem "Momma's Night Out" and "These Four Walls," an affirmation of domestic pride written with her brother Matt. Granted, her earthy and frothy sides each have their partisans. Even so, high standards remain a constant on all her albums. This one's no exception. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews:

Fine Album.......2007-07-02

This, Sara's 5th album, is a strong 4 stars, not quite 5 tho. It has a number of songs on it that now seem kind of ironical given her current family problems, but that wasn't her intent at all nor should it influence consideration of the music. This album continues more or less in the "Restless" vein, being perhaps a bit less poppy. Definitely mainstream country. Notable stuff:

Coalmine - ode to working class hubby

Real Fine Place - has energy and spirit

Cheatin' - funny lyrics about how a cheatin' man is getting comeupance from life while the woman enjoys herself for once

Supernatural

Roll Me BAck in Time - lover chases Hollywood fame rather than his beloved

Bible Song - has a good, moving story about singer's cousin who commits suicide and its effect on loved ones

Missing Missouri - nice salute to home state and family

Momma's Night Out - uptempo and spunky. The wife/mom is gonna hit the town with the girls and leave domestic stuff to hubby.

Real Fine Place-Sweet!.......2007-05-08

Sara Evans throws a CD into a fire. What comes out...PERFECT! Her voice is so sexy you have pay attention. What a voice! Gif.

SARA'S DONE IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! .......2007-02-24

THIS CD IS AWESOME!!!! I LOVE EVERY TRACK!!! SARA'S VOICE IS LIKE NO OTHER. BUY THIS YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!

Real Fine Place.......2007-02-05

I loved Sara Evans's album "Restless"...I still love listening to it to this day! So I had great expectations for "Real Fine Place," just like anybody who heard "Restless" would. When I finally got "Real Fine Place," I liked a few of the songs...but not too many of them got my attention and got me to listen to the whole song, whereas on "Restless" I could just pick a song and listen to the whole thing. My favorite song on this album is "Roll Me Back In Time" because it's written by Sheryl Crow and it sounds great. Other highlights are "A Real Fine Place To Start," "Cheatin'," "You'll Always Be My Baby," "Supernatural," and "Bible Song."

I look forward to Sara's next album, hoping that she will go back to the eras of "Born To Fly" and "Restless."

Real Fine Place.......2007-01-13

I like Sara Evans and her music. I don't give 5 stars to too many things.

Average customer rating:

Satan Is Real
All Christian Rockers Should Listen and Learn From This GREAT Lyrical Content!
SATIN IS REAL
Haunting and Beautiful
The cover is quite surreal, but the music itself is wonderful

Satan Is Real
The Louvin Brothers
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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When I Stop Dreaming: The Best of The Louvin Brothers
Tragic Songs of Life
Louvin Brothers - 20 Greatest Gospel Hits
Louvin Brothers - 20 All Time Greatest Hits
Charlie Louvin

ASIN: B000002U45
Release Date: 1996-07-23

Tracks:

Satan Is Real
There's A Higher Power
The Christian Life
The River Of Jordan
The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea
Are You Afraid To Die
He Can Be Found
Dying From Home, And Lost
The Drunkard's Room
Satan's Jeweled Crown
The Angels Rejoiced Last Night
I'm Ready To Go Home

Amazon.com

This CD is a reissue of the best-known gospel album by one of country's best-known brother duos and gospel groups. It's the original source for, among other gems, "The Christian Life," written by Charlie and Ira Louvin and popularized among hippies by the Gram Parsons-era Byrds. These tracks were all written by professional songwriters and tend to have more ingenuity and offbeat imagery than standard hymns and spirituals. The duo sings some in the smooth style of their original mentors, the Delmore Brothers, and others in rough, backwoods harmonies. And don't kid yourself, Billy Sunday would have danced with Mr. D himself for a program cover that equaled this set's cover art. --John Morthland

Customer Reviews:

Satan Is Real.......2007-01-16

THIS IS THE BEST GOSPLE SONG, THIS CD WILL LET YOU GET CLOSER TO CHRIST

All Christian Rockers Should Listen and Learn From This GREAT Lyrical Content!.......2006-01-17

These two Louvin Brothers were an acoustic, country duo. Their singing harmonies are terrific, and their melodies and song hooks are very catchy. If you enjoy acoustic guitar strumming and gospel lyrics, then you cannot go wrong with this CD!

Sometimes the lyrics are funny, sometimes sad, but always openly and overtly about God, Jesus, the Bible, and living like you love all three = the Christian lifestyle.

These Louvin Brothers have filled the songs with Christian and Bible themes, and there is nothing ambiguous about the lyrics and song titles.

I wish every Contemporary Christian Rock artist would listen and learn from the great lyrical content on this album! Too often, these days, the current bestselling "Christian" artists have album and song titles, and lyrics, which are very vague about any Christian content, IF ANY CHRISTIAN CONTENT CAN EVEN BE FOUND! Most of these contemporary artists are so ashamed of the Gospel that they don't want to look uncool by being open about an overtly Christian message. They mostly relegate all mention of Jesus to their CD liner notes, but reading their song titles, or reading their lyrics, you can't find anything that is Christian in nature. They want the song to be about anything you want to think it is about, so you won't be offended that they are secretly thinking about God, but it sounds like they are singing about their boyfriends or girlfriends, etc. As if they hope to "crossover" into secular music by watering down the Christian content of the lyrics and titles. Rebecca St. James is the only rare exception that I can think of concerning this awful trendiness, she uses plenty of titles and lyrics that leave no doubt about meaning Jesus and God, period.

This Louvin Brothers album, SATAN IS REAL, is full of good, sound theology! Apart from an Elvis Presley Gospel compilation, this is the single best CD of Christian music that I own, and it is especially impressive since it was originally released with all these great songs, from the get go. This is NOT a compilation made up and collected over many years and albums worth of songs, in a greatest hits fashion. They released this studio album all by itself, and it stands as a powerful Christian witness, and an overlooked milestone in Christian recorded music history.

SATIN IS REAL.......2005-10-07

ABOUT THE LOUVIN BROTHERS, THEY ARE REALLY GREAT & WONDERFUL.

Haunting and Beautiful.......2005-10-02

I came upon this treasure by accident and I am so happy that I did. I purchased one for me and two for friends. For those who have never heard these brothers sing it is almost a religious experience within itself. I have never, ever heard such harmony in my life. We have all heard of "God-given talent". There is no other explanation for the sound that comes from the Louvin Brothers other than God-given. Wow! The Louvin Brothers are unequalled in vocal talent. Thank you, Amazon, for featuring them.

The cover is quite surreal, but the music itself is wonderful.......2005-09-19

I got this album expecting a campy laugh, as I am into odd and bizarre music. Sure, it is over the top, but it is also passionate and beautiful. The Louvin Brothers put their heart and soul into the music, and the harmonies are quite fantastic. I was throughly unexpected to be moved by this, as I am an atheist, but I oddly was. The songs are about regret, sin, death, redeption, and are done with odd amounts of power the the cover barely suggest at all. Hell, even Gram Parsons is a fan of this album, as the Byrds covered "The Christian Life" for the groundbreaking "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" LP. It is preachy and over the top to be sure, but is at the same time deeply passioned and moving. I originally bought this album mainly because I found it cheap and thought it would look funny in my CD wallet. Like many I was expecting as much a campy laugh on the album as the cover delivers, but was pleasently surprised.

Average customer rating:

Dolly: Burlap & Satin / Real Love
DOLLY AT HER BEST
A rare jewel
"More Rare Dolly"
My Favorite In This Collection

Burlap & Satin/Real Love
Dolly Parton
Manufacturer: Bmg Germany
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Great Balls of Fire/Dolly, Dolly, Dolly
All I Can Do/New Harvest...First Gathering
Dolly Parton and Friends
My Tennessee Mountain Home
Jolene

ASIN: B000MTOQBI
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Tracks:

Ooo-Eee
Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On
Jealous Heart
Gamble Either Way
Appalachian Memories
I Really Don't Want to Know - Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton
Potential New Boyfriend
Cowboy's Ways
One of Those Days
Calm on the Water
Think About Love
Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)
We Got Too Much
It's Such a Heartache
Don't Call It Love
Real Love - Dolly Parton, , Kenny Rogers
I Can't Be True
Once in a Very Blue Moon
Come Back to Me
I Hope You're Never Happy

Album Description

2007 UK pressing of this two-fer from the talented and beautiful Country legend featuring a double dose of her classic albums on one CD. The albums featured in this series were all originally released during the most creative and successful period of her career in the late '70s and early '80s. Burlap & Satin was originally released in 1983 followed two years later by Real Love. 20 tracks. Sony/BMG.

Customer Reviews:

Dolly: Burlap & Satin / Real Love.......2007-05-15

love these albums - must have for any collector of Dolly's music.

DOLLY AT HER BEST.......2007-05-13

This is Dolly at the top of her game. This cd shows a contemporary side, with a hint the of 50's and 60's era thrown in, to Dolly while still letting her remain country.

A rare jewel.......2007-05-08

I've been looking for these two on CD forever! About 12 years ago my cassettes broke... totally used to schreds... and not until now did I get the CD's :) I recommend these to anyone who loves Dolly's incredible voice, song lyrics, her tender touch to both romance and heart ache and just everything Dolly :)
My faves from these two? I love these albums, but if I had to pick I'd listen to Gamble either way, Appalachian memories, Once in a very blue moon... and... of course... the VERY funny I hope you're never happy :D

"More Rare Dolly".......2007-04-05

"Burlap and Satin" makes it debut in CD format and this makes "Real Love's" second appearance on CD. The original CD version of "Real Love" goes for a lot of bucks as it has been out of print for years so it's nice to see it get a renewed life again. Two great Dolly albums with perfect sound and wonderful CD artwork. Get these copies while they last as they will become collector's items very soon.

My Favorite In This Collection.......2007-03-25

Finally after all these years two wonderful Pop/Country albums that first were released on LP, are on one CD together. "Burlap & Satin" features one of Dolly Parton's most beautiful album covers that she's ever made & the artcover to "Real Love" is equally beautiful.

The album's first ten songs are from "Burlap & Satin" which were released in 1983. They contain some of Dolly's best of the 1980s like the moving & heartbreaking "Appalachian Memories" which she wrote for her father who tryed making it in the big city, but couldn't, it also is one of Dolly's fan's favorites too. A enjoyable "I Really Don't Want To Know" which is a duet with Willie Nelson and "Potential New Boyfriend" which was a top twenty country single (even though it's more Pop) and was accompanied by Dolly's first ever music video. Another songs on the first half are kind of forgettable but still good like "A Cowboy's Ways" and "A Gamble Either Way" which were outtake songs from Dolly's movie "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas".

The second half of the album is from "Real Love" which was released in 1985 and was Dolly's last album for RCA. The second part also contains more pop then "Burlap & Satin" contained. The highlighted songs from the second half is "Think About Love", "Tie Our Love (In A Double Knot)", "Don't Call It Love" and "Real Love" (a duet with Kenny Rogers that reached #91 on the U.S. pop charts). My only problem with this two albums on one disc is the sound, it's very low and theres no bass in any of the songs, however the price is great!.

Both of these albums include their original artwork from the LPs inside the CD booklet, it also haves linernotes, but no lyrics.

Average customer rating:

Not pretty, but pretty brilliant!
Spare, stark, visceral, honest, grittyýbrilliant.
A lifetime ain't no time at all
If you buy one CD this month...
The Gauthier Way

Drag Queens in Limousines
Mary Gauthier
Manufacturer: Groove House Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dixie Kitchen
Mercy Now
Filth & Fire
Filth & Fire
West

ASIN: B00001R3MN
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Tracks:

Drag Queens In Limousines
Our Lady Of The Shooting Stars
Karla Faye
I Drink
Evangeline
Lucky Stars
Different Kind Of Gone
Slip Of The Tongue
Lifetime
Jackie's Train

Amazon.com

Though she's made a name for herself in Boston as both a songwriter and as a chef, Mary Gauthier has little in common with her more refined New England folk brethren. Her aspirations and influences point toward the twangy lyricism of Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, and Townes Van Zandt. If the Louisiana native hasn't yet attained their mastery, she's headed in the right direction. Gauthier's first widely available release is filled with striking, unrepentant outcasts--from convicted murderess Karla Faye Tucker to, as she sings in the title song, "drag queens in limousines, nuns in blue jeans, dreamers with big dreams, poets and AWOL marines." Her characters are captured in words that are rarely sentimental, always keen, and often wise. Against a simple but vivid acoustic backdrop, Gauthier's thick drawl rings with the truth of deeply felt emotions. Whether in a peaceful love song or a brutally realistic vignette, Gauthier lends every line great affection, dignity, and respect. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Not pretty, but pretty brilliant!.......2006-03-17

I have not been able to take thus CD out of my deck. I'm not sure that is a healthy thing, as this music is not uplifting, and it's not pretty, it is down right brilliant poetic blues with understated accompaniment. Cut to the bone lines like "The truth is...hard to know so we go with points of view, now I count my lucky stars; (I used to count on you). If you are in the mood for some butt kicking self pity, by proxy of course, this is an album to get and er, enjoy, dark, dark dark.

Spare, stark, visceral, honest, grittyýbrilliant........2004-04-19

Last night I saw Mary Gauthier in concert, opening for John Prine. I'd never heard of her. As soon as she was finished with her set I went to the merchandise stall and bought this CD.

Drag Queens in Limousines is spare, stark, visceral, honest, gritty-all the things an honest folk music excursion is supposed to be. While many compare her style and substance to more contemporary musicians, who she reminds me of is a young, dynamic, angry and eloquent Bob Dylan. Her style is spare in the extreme-usually a guitar and some harmonica riffs make up the sum total of the musical support of these song. Her voice is also Dylan-esque-low and gravelly and charged with emotion. On the other hand, Mary has a knack for developing a light tune that enhances the story without detracting from it.

Charged with emotion would also describe most of these songs. "I Drink" is the unapologetic anthem of a feisty alcoholic who is aware of the disgust and opprobrium her habit and mere presence evince among those she encounter but who clearly doesn't give a hoot. Drag Queens is a tale of a runaway. Karla Faye the tale of a murderer.

This is gritty country-ish folk album. The characters and stories it tells are people on the margins and the woe that befalls them-and the innate spirit they have that keeps them going, head up, fighting to the end, all obstacles in their paths notwithstanding.

One senses that Ms Gauthier is not all that different form those she sings about. This lends an aspect of honesty and angst that permeates the whole exercise. This is a virtuoso performance and an extraordinary album. One can only hope that there are many more to come.

A lifetime ain't no time at all.......2003-03-26

Mary Gauthier writes songs in the vein of Lucinda Williams, and tells tales of life on the dirty boulevard in even rougher terms than Lucinda.
The CD contains songs about broken relationships, topless dancers, junkies, and misfits, and makes you wonder how much of it is autobiographical. Some might consider this subject matter depressing, but as you listen, a yearning for love and redemption emerges, and there's a sad sense of beauty in it all. In reading some of her road diaries on her website, it sounds like she's found at least some of the things she's been looking for, so don't be surprized if by the next CD, we'll hear more uplifting lyrics. Regardless, she's a great storyteller, something which isn't likely to change.

If you buy one CD this month..........2002-09-17

try this one. Think Bruce Springsteen "Nebraska" or anything John Prine, or Willie Nelson.... Heard "Drag Queens" on Boston radio WERS and had to own it. The rest of the album is terrific. Great lyrics, haunting melodies.

The Gauthier Way.......2001-02-15

This album was one of my great discoveries of the past year, a really pleasant surprise. For fans of really basic music, boiled down to brilliant traditional songwriting and a voice that hides nothing from you, this is a terrific purchase.

The sound is great: light guitars, stripped-down country backings all force Mary's great voice front and center. Good thing, too, because the words are often stunning, full of honey in their heartbreak. From relationships that appear to wear down like the nub of a pencil, to bleary nights spent holding up bar counters, Gauthier's lyrics plumb the depths of the dark and come up smelling sweetly of either gentle resignation or light laughter. Like Mark Eitzel, but without the near-constant self-flagellation, Gauthier seems to sing her way into self-discovery on each and every song. "Fish swim," she sings, and then, as if shrugging her way casually into her own true talent, "I drink."

The only bad thing I can say about this CD is that some of the songs sound a lot like each other, and that's only partly bad when songs sound that good.

One final thing: some of the publicity I've seen for this CD (including Mary Gauthier's website) has gotten into the annoying habit of trying to sell her life story rather than her music (ran away from home, big bad city, drink, drugs, yada yada yada; I have visions of Vanilla Ice screaming he's from the streets). The music speaks more about what Mary has been through/put herself through than any she-walks-the-walk marketing copy on a website is going to say. And Mary says it all better.

The Real Thing
Average customer rating:

A-MEN, brother reviewer...

Taj Always Had His Own Style

This is it!

BEGstore.com transaction review

The Blues Rev Speaks

The Real Thing
Taj Mahal
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Contemporary Blues | Blues | Styles | Music
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Electric Blues Guitar | Blues | Styles | Music
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The Natch'l Blues

Taj Mahal

Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home

Dancing the Blues

Mo' Roots

ASIN: B00004XSUY
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Tracks:

Fishin' Blues
Ain't Gwine To Whistle Dixie (Any Mo')
Sweet Mama Janisse
Going Up To The Country And Paint My Mailbox Blue
Big Kneed Gal
You're Going To Need Somebody On Your Bond
Tom And Sally Drake
Diving Duck Blues
John, Ain' It Hard
She Caught The Katy And Left Me A Mule To Ride
You Ain't No Street Walker Mama, Honey But I Do Love The Way You Strut Your Stuff

Amazon.com

Taj Mahal's been chasing the blues around the world for years, but rarely with the passion, energy, and clarity he brought to his first three albums. Taj Mahal, The Natch'l Blues and The Real Thing are the sound of the artist, who was born in 1942, defining himself and his music. On his self-titled 1967 debut, he not only honors the sound of the Delta masters with his driving National steel guitar and hard vocal shout, but ladles in elements of rock and country with the help of guitarists Ry Cooder and the late Jessie Ed Davis. This approach is reinforced and broadened by The Natch'l Blues. What's most striking is Mahal's way of making even the oldest themes sound as if they're part of a new era. Not just through the vigor of his playing--relentlessly propulsive, yet stripped down compared with the six-string ornamentations of the original masters of country blues--but through his singing, which possesses a knowing insouciance distinct to post-Woodstock counterculture hipsters. It's the voice of an informed young man who knows he's offering something deep to an equally hip and receptive audience.

Soon, Mahal turned his multicultural vision of the blues even further outward. The live 1971 set, The Real Thing, finds him still carrying the Mississippi torch, while adding overt elements of jazz and Afro-Caribbean music to its flame. But it's overreaching. His band sounds under-rehearsed, and the arrangements seem more like rough outlines. Nonetheless, these albums set the stage for Mahal's career. (For a condensed version, try the fine The Best of Taj Mahal.) Today, he continues to make fine fusion albums, like 1999's Kulanjan, with Malian kora master Toumani Diabate, and less exciting but still eclectic recordings with his Phantom Blues Band. --Ted Drozdowski

Customer Reviews:

A-MEN, brother reviewer..........2003-09-13

Yeah, man, the "official" reviewer just doesn't get it AT ALL. This is one of the best ROOTS recordings EVER - and I don't say that lightly. Remember...this is 1971...LIVE, a 2 LP recording, at the Fillmore...I mean, the Allman Brothers - WITH DUANE - did their recording that same year. Now, how many acts could have gotten away with playing a tune with nothing but a banjo and a TUBA, for cryin' out loud! ("Tom And Sally Drake")? Taj Mahal, that's who. Taj engages the audience as well as anyone ("Gimme some help...GIMME SOME! - You can do it...if you're jacked up to it...) and standouts here are the norm. "You're Goin' To Need Somebody On Your Bond" is the groover, with Taj 'gettin spiritual' with the blues, and doing the back and forth with the crowd. Also a highlight is "Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie No Mo'", where every band member gets a piece of the action, and my spine tingles at the thought of John Simon groovin' on the piano, and John Hall doing a GREAT guitar solo, and ending, with Taj whistling over the many horns. No, if you don't get it, you don't get it...but I was 15...and I got it. This is Taj's moment in Time, Live - History, I believe it's called - and he grabs on and holds tight. Any fan of blues, jazz, roots, gospel, or African-American music History has to consider this a MUST HAVE CD. Period.

Taj Always Had His Own Style.......2003-09-13

This is an excellent Taj Mahal CD. The album is fun and relaxing and must have been a great show to see. The quality of the music is great considering it was taken from a live performance. Although, a few times on the CD when Taj is talking between songs, the sound drops very quiet for a short time but quickly shoots back up to a good volume. The use of horns is a great change on this album and the other musicians on the stage sound great throughout. This is a good CD which will spice up any blues collection by providing a sound different from most other blues albums.

This is it!.......2003-08-04

The "official" review doesn't take into account the power of this album as a whole. The chemistry is there, and this has the raw energy of the best blues. One of my favorite albums of all time.

BEGstore.com transaction review.......2002-10-22

BEGstore was perfect! Prompt shipping, clean packaging, and a free shipping upgrade! I'll do business with them again.

The Blues Rev Speaks.......2001-08-09

I completely wore out my original double LP album listening to The Real Thing. And "REAL" it is. This is my favorite Taj Mahal album and one of the top five of my favorite blues albums of all time, considering that my Blues LP and CD collection exceeds 350 albums. The ochestration of traditonal blues songs played with by a typical blues band coupled with the backing brass section of Mr. Howard Johnson and friends, is more powerful than a B-52 air raid. I'm going to purchase a second copy of this album for my archives because I know I'll wear out this CD before long.

Average customer rating:

a big let down
Trisha as good as ever
better and better every time...
One of her best, if not her best album yet.
Amazing Album

Real Live Woman
Trisha Yearwood
Manufacturer: Mca Nashville
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Trisha Yearwood

ASIN: B00004RIVZ
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Tracks:

Where Are You Now
One Love
Sad Eyes
Some Days
I Did
Try Me Again
Too Bad You're No Good
Real Live Woman
I'm Still Alive
Wild For You Baby
Come Back When It Ain't Rainin'
When A Love Song Sings The Blues

Amazon.com

Real Live Woman finds Trisha Yearwood fully embracing the inner soft-rocker she's flirted with for years, and so it makes sense that it's the most fully realized album of her career. Her Cali-rock jones gets a fix here thanks to a Linda Ronstadt cover ("Try Me Again") and a guest shot by Jackson Browne on "Sad Eyes," a Los Angeles-era Springsteen number, but the voice remains hers--a modern-day country girl who's been uptown and likes it. The result is an album that finds the middle ground between the sonic options won for country radio by the Dixie Chicks, the adult-contemporary blues of Wynnona and Bonnie Raitt, and perhaps even, amazingly, a bit of Garth's Chris Gaines project. The title track's the real keeper, a country-soul anthem that revisits the character Yearwood first introduced in songs like "She's in Love with the Boy" and "XXX's and OOO's" and finds her a good deal wiser now--and feeling blessed to know it. --David Cantwell

Customer Reviews:

a big let down.......2007-06-22

This cd really didn't have any notable songs on it. A couple of the songs had basically the same tune as some of her newer ones, such as Jasper County Line. She didn't really use her vocals like she is capable of doing. Was disappointed all the way around with this cd.

Trisha as good as ever.......2005-07-08

Like so much of the music recorded in Nashville, this album mixes pop and rock with country. It won't please purists who only like traditional country but it is a brilliant example of contemporary country music. Several great singer-songwriters contributed songs for this album, some being original while others are covers. Many of the songs are ballads but there is plenty of variety here.

The set opens with Where are you now, written by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Kim Richey who lend their considerable vocal talents to the track by providing harmony vocals. Next is One love, written by three co-writers including Kimmie Rhodes, a singer-songwriter who is highly rated by those familiar with her music but who has never achieved the level of success that she deserves. The third song here, Sad eyes, is by Bruce Springsteen, whose songs have been covered by several country singers. Trisha's chosen song from his catalog suits her ideally with Jackson Browne on harmony vocals.. The oldest song here is Try me again, a cover of a seventies song by Linda Ronstadt and Andrew Gold. Almost as old is Wild for you baby, but this is a song that I hadn't heard before I bought this album.

The title track is by Bobby Cryner who recorded two albums on major labels in the nineties but failed to get airplay on American country radio stations. If she can't record her own songs, at least it's great to hear this song recorded by Trisha. Matraca Berg recorded three albums of her own but has had far greater success as a songwriter. Here, Matraca co-wrote three songs - Come back when it ain't raining (her co-writer on this one was Harlan Howard), I'm still alive and When a a love song sings the blues.

This album, recorded nearly ten years after Trisha made her debut with She's in love with the boy, finds Trisha still in top form and able to adapt to changing musical trents. All Trisha's fans should enjoy this album.

better and better every time..........2005-02-23

it seems that with every album yearwood records she gets better and better, and not only her voice, she takes her music to new and exiting places. this album is such a thrill to listen to. as she opens with the song "WHERE ARE YOU NOW", and brings us her version of Springsteens "SAD EYES", and other WONDERFUL SONGS like matraca berg and Harlan Howards "Come Back When It Ain't Rainin'"
and Matraca Berg and Ronnie Samosets "When A Love Song Sings The Blues". Every song is as great as the last, just when you think it can't posobly get any better, it does... this cd is worth a listen.

One of her best, if not her best album yet........2003-12-01

On Yearwood's 2000 album REAL LIVE WOMAN, we find her in a more reflective mood. 1998's WHERE YOUR ROAD LEADS was very crossover country, this brings her back into a more folk atmosphere that is more gritty and raw in terms of sound and production than its predessor. There was only two singles on here, the title track and the opening "Where Are You Now". The title track was a mild hit that resonated with listeners, especially females. The song explains that she might not be a movie star, or not the perfect size, but she's ok with who she is. She does an inspired cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Sad Eyes". "Some Days" is a very sad, but real, ballad. Same goes for "I Did". She also does a great cover of Linda Ronstadt's "Try Me Again". Other standout ballads include "Wild For You Baby", "I'm Still Alive" and "When A Love Song Sings The Blues". There isn't much uptempo to be found here, but it's ok. This is just a great emotional album from one of the most talented vocalists in country music.

Amazing Album.......2003-01-17

With all of the overwrought, overproduced material coming out of Nashville these days, it's incredibly refreshing to find an artist who is committed to making good music. Yearwood isn't traditional country by any stretch of the imagination: in some ways, she's even more pop than Faith Hill or Shania Twain in that she has a really diverse set of musical influences, all of which show up here. But Trisha is country by virtue of her ability to sing like she's living a song, and make the listener live it too.

Trisha has some amazing pipes, as she shows in "Where Are You Now," but she's so comfortable with her own voice and the incredible material that she lets the songs and the arrangements do the talking. The most affecting track for me is "Some Days," an incredible showcase for Yearwood's interpretative skills and Dan Dugmore's dobro. Her cover of "Sad Eyes" is so achingly sad and yearning that she can stop a listener in his/her tracks. "Too Bad You're No Good" is a refreshing change of pace, and Emmylou Harris really rips up the song with Yearwood. "I'm Still Alive" is surprisingly triumphant and shows a spark of tongue-in-cheek humor.

Unlike Faith Hill or Shania Twain, more bent on Cover Girl glamor or astronomical sales (and generally both), Yearwood seems comfortable in her niche, particularly in her bare-bones rendition of "Real Live Woman." And unlike phenoms like LeAnn Rimes or Lila McCann, she's lived life and is mature enough to sing about the "real stuff" without sounding out of depth or genre.

Tracks:

Please Say You Will - Richard Zimmerman
A Picture Of Her Face - Richard Zimmerman
The Great Crush Collision March - Richard Zimmerman
Harmony Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
Combination March - Richard Zimmerman
Original Rags - Richard Zimmerman
Maple Leaf Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Swipesy - Cake Walk - Richard Zimmerman
Sunflower Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Peacherine Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Augustan Club Waltz - Richard Zimmerman
The Easy Winners - Richard Zimmerman
Cleopha - Richard Zimmerman
The Strenuous Life - Richard Zimmerman
I Am Thinking Of My Pickanniny Days - Richard Zimmerman
The Ragtime Dance - Richard Zimmerman
A Breeze From Alabama - Richard Zimmerman
Elite Syncopations - Richard Zimmerman

Tracks:

March Majestic - S. Joplin
The Entertainer - S. Joplin
Something Doing - S. Joplin
Weeping Willow - S. Joplin
Little Black Baby - S. Joplin
Palm Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
The Favorite - S. Joplin
The Sycamore - S. Joplin
The Cascades - S. Joplin
The Chrysanthemum - S. Joplin
Rosebud March - S. Joplin
Bethena - S. Joplin
Leola - S. Joplin
Sarah Dear - S. Joplin
Binks Waltz - S. Joplin
Eugenia - S. Joplin
Antoinette - S. Joplin
Snoring Sampson - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Gladiolus Rag - S. Joplin
Searchlight Rag - S. Joplin
The Nonpareil (None to Equal) - S. Joplin
When Your Hair Is Like The Snow - S. Joplin
Rose Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Heliotrope Bouquet - S. Joplin
School Of Ragtime - S. Joplin
Fig Leaf Rag - S. Joplin
Sugar Cane - S. Joplin
Pine Apple Rag - S. Joplin
Wall Street Rag - S. Joplin
Solace - S. Joplin
Pleasant Moments - S. Joplin
Country Club - S. Joplin
Paragon Rag - S. Joplin
Euphonic Sounds - S. Joplin
Stoptime Rag - S. Joplin
Felicity Rag - S. Joplin

Tracks:

Highlights From Treemonisha - Richard Zimmerman
A Real Slow Drag - Richard Zimmerman
Prelude To Act 3 - Richard Zimmerman
Frolic Of The Bears - Richard Zimmerman
Lovin' Babe - Richard Zimmerman
Scott Joplin's New Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Kismet Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Magnetic Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Reflection Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Silver Swan Rag - Richard Zimmerman
Lily Queen - Richard Zimmerman
Sensation - Richard Zimmerman

Customer Reviews:

Available at retailers for about $18.......2006-12-21

Excellent collection - but there are re-sellers listed here that are selling this for as much $50 or $60. Yikes, most major retailers are selling this complete set for $18 - so beware.

A classic compilation.......2006-10-07

This collection is one of my most treasured possessions. (My father gave me the original 5-album set in the 70's when it was originally released on vinyl.)

This is the definitive collection of Scott Joplin's work. Richard Zimmerman provides wonderful performances that accurately reflect Joplin's intentions. (As evidence beyond my personal opinion, I submit the recent releases of digital recordings made from Joplin's piano rolls.)

A few points to consider regarding negative comments you may encounter in other reviews:
* This is a digital recording from an analog master. Lack of quality in the recording does not imply a lackluster performance.
* This is a complete collection. Some similarity is due to Joplin re-exploring melodic themes. But some is due to the fact that these are "rags". One might as well complain that all 50's doo-wop (or all 70's disco) sounds the same.
* Many pieces of the period exhibit formal musical structures, such as the marches of John Phillips Sousa. (Both Sousa and Joplin performed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.) Actually, Joplin is responsible for extending the formal boundaries of ragtime to concert waltzes (Bethena) and opera (A Guest of Honor, Treemonisha)
* This is probably one of the few collections which will include selections from "Treemonisha". It is my understanding that after the initial release, one of Joplin's descendants made a copyright claim that was upheld in court. (I presume the issue was that Joplin had to finance "Treemonisha" himself, and therefore the customary performance clearances did not cover those selections.)

For ragtime students and enthusiasts, this is a "must-have" collection at a very affordable price.

A dis-service to Joplin.......2006-02-01

Sadly, the only virtue this set possesses is completeness.

The pianist does not play Joplin's pieces "as written", the piano is of poor quality, and not properly in tune.

This is emphatically NOT the set to buy. A far better set, beautifully annotated and well played on a good concert grand piano, is the complete works played by Guido Nielsen on the Basta Label.

This set is a dis-service to Joplin and his music. He deserves better, and gets it elsewhere.

Unique .......2004-10-19

I have several cd sets of Joplin's music: Rifkin, Arpo, Nielsen, and Zimmerman. All have their excellent qualities. What sets Zimmerman's set apart is the inclusion of excerpts from Joplin's opera, Treemonisha---especially "A Real Slow Drag." Why the other sets do not include excerpts from Treemonisha, I don't know---because they are some of his most beautiful and joyful pieces of music. Of course, you can hear the orchestrated version of Treemonisha in the Houston Grand Opera recording, and it is spectacular. But Zimmerman's piano version, especially of "A Real Slow Drag," is not to be missed.

Great set.......2001-10-16

I guess this will be a rather one sided review. I have been a fan of Scott Joplin since I first learned to play a piano.

I was shocked to see that one reviewer thought it all sounded the same. How silly. All of Frank Sinatra's music sounds like Frank Sinatra. All of Led Zeppelin sounds like Led Zeppelin. So, if the songs were drastically different, I would question if the same author composed them. As it is, though, each song on this set is fantastic!!

I don't know that I have heard of Richard Zimmerman, and I was a little leary as to what I would be getting, I certainly was impressed. Without a doubt the best renditions of "Weeping Willow" and "Bethena" I have heard, and at least a dozen songs I didn't know Joplin wrote.

Without a doubt, this album is fantastic. A very good price, as well.

Love In The Real World [ENHANCED CD]
Average customer rating:

Good 2nd Album

Don't Cage This "Bird"

The Greatest Female Country CD EVER

The Best Female Country Singer Today

The Only Country Artist Worth Listening To

Love In The Real World [ENHANCED CD]
Sherrié Austin
Manufacturer: Arista
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000JMG8
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