Rolling Country 2022

Too bad (though totally understandable that) they took the bait. She doesn't deserve the attention. And of course SCM is on it like flies.

Meanwhile---any of yall heard this?? I hadn't heard of it.

I’m so lucky to have a fabulous sister..she’s inspiring to watch and see..
Jan. 2003 Allison Moorer recorded a LIvE album and asked me to join her and one of the best bands I’ve ever heard and played with.. if you haven’t heard it.. do it.. the album is called SHOW. It’s badass. pic.twitter.com/uWnF8AsbKK

— Shelby Lynne (@ogshelbylynne) August 29, 2022

Brittany Aldean may not deserve the attention, but "Sell your clip-ins and zip it, Insurrection Barbie" is a quality zing.

Rolling Stone Top 100 Country Albums

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-albums-1234581876/margo-price-9-1234582269/

(Surprise! No Mick Jagger!)

Oops, scroll up to see entries 100-82

New Tyler Childers project - sounds great

https://pitchfork.com/news/tyler-childers-and-the-food-stamps-announce-new-triple-album-share-new-song-angel-band-listen/

Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps have announced a new triple album. Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? is out September 30 via Hickman Holler Records and RCA. The self-produced project features eight new and traditional songs performed in three different ways—the Hallelujah version was recorded live; the Jubilee builds on those recordings with additional instruments; and Joyful Noise version will be revealed on release day. The Hallelujah and Jubilee versions of “Angel Band” are out now—Watch a video for “Angel Band (Jubilee Version),” directed by Bryan Schlam, below.

Also want to make sure to plug the Wilco/Jeff Tweedy poll here for the Uncle Tupelo-heads

Lotta good replies (oft incl links) on this thread:

What are your favorite country-inflected songs by folks who don't primarily play country? I'm thinking Pavement's "Range Life" and half the Silver Jews catalog.

— Ana (@_motherslug) September 8, 2022

Mine so far:

The dB's--"She Won't Drive In The Rain Anymore": another highlight of very good reunion album (aren't many of those). The true story, as told by Holsapple to https://t.co/FFDmM25VjU:
"It's about my wife evacuating New Orleans during Katrina..." https://t.co/l7PbOcJuhF

— Don Allred (@0wlred) September 8, 2022

also: The Bangles (from Sweethearts of The Sun)
As I said on Nash Scene ballot: In " I'll Never Be Through With You," with Greg Leisz on steel, Hoffs calls like she's called, compelling and compelled: a standoff mebbe, strutting in need and testimony.https://t.co/eSGFcZYgGu

— Don Allred (@0wlred) September 9, 2022

I don't even own a Twitter, so can I just:

Johnny Winter: "Ain't Nothing To Me"
ZZ Top: "She's A Heartbreaker"
Steely Dan: "Pearl of The Quarter"
Sleater-Kinney: "Restless"
Humble Pie: "Theme From Skint (See You Later Liquidator)"

Oh, and Dave Edmunds: "A.1. On The Jukebox" and "Worn Out Suits, Brand New Pockets", which I can't believe wasn't a Buck Owens song to begin with.

Yeh mang, that there Winter comes through my head pretty often.

G./McC. also picks ZZ Top's "She's A Heartbreaker." I'll add more Stones: "Dead Flowers," "Memory Motel," "Wild Hosses," mebbe "Daddy You're A Fool To Cry" ("OOO-ooooo") https://t.co/mWGB2SzClS

— Don Allred (@0wlred) September 9, 2022

Thanks for the shoutout!

In other news, Kill Rock Stars is adding a Nashville imprint. Trans singer-songwriter Mya Byrne first signee.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/mya-byrne-autumn-sun-kill-rock-stars-1234588530/?

Haven't read the thread but a few that come to mind: the Stones' "Far Away Eyes", Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," The Smiths' "Vicar in a Tutu," The Shins' "Gone for Good," Bruce Springsteen's "Tougher Than the Rest," Fleetwood Mac's live version of "Say You Love Me," Talking Heads' "Creatures of Love,"

Something similarly fun I was thinking of lately was great rock song covers by country artists, such as Justin Townes Earle's cover of "Can't Hardly Wait" or Sturgill Simpson's cover of "In Bloom."

Stones did about an album's-worth of country, didn't they? Hint hint to somebody.

Can't find it now, but on their ancient CMT Crossroads, some performances from which are on YouTube, Willie Nelson plays coruscating guitar all over Sheryl Crow's crowing "Every Day Is A Winding Road" (if crossover duets count).
He and Sinead O'Connor also did a credible cover of "Don't Give Up," originally recorded by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, not the easiest thing to pull off: it seems intentionally, is at least appropriately, resistant to resolution, being about a couple in recession.
Songbird, his album with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, sounds pretty wild, kinda precarious, but it works, I think, as cranked-up country rock, esp. "$1,000 Wedding," also a good "Stella Blue." That there Coldplay cover on Willie's Heroes lets fly too.
He and Waylon did "Whiter Shade of Pale," and Waylon did that whole posthumously released basement album recorded by Shooter, with "White Room" etc.

Elizabeth Cook did a good "Sunday Morning"---on Twitter, I called for a country duet of "Pale Blue Eyes," and Kelly Hogan sent me hers with Alejandro Escovedo. She's great, but I like him better in bands, playing guitar more than singing.

Lee Ann Womack does a deevine "Out On The Weekend," although that's kinda country to start with, isn't it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtcx-zv-ijg

This is the only country song I've ever heard Bonnie Raitt do: "Your Sweet and Shiny Eyes," written by Nan O'Byrne (would like to hear more of hers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtcx-zv-ijg

Sorry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVRQgdEO1-M

It's not a sing-along with all those guys, just last song of the Calgary show, so they get together at the end.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. Know the rock-cover-by-country-artist is relatively common (Cash's American Recordings, Willie's Stardust probably counts, et al.) but was specifically curious about favorites. I should also note Emmylou's "C'est La Vie" rendition. Funny you should pick that LAW cover, as I just listened to "I Have Not Forgotten You" from the same album, a truly lovely Bruce Robison penned tune that was bizarrely cut from the vinyl release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1lQOnqIECI

Yeah, she did a good "Tougher Than The Rest" and "Wrecking Ball" too. The ones I mentioned mostly were faves---could live w/o "Whiter Shade" and "White Room" (they're ok though)

Also! Willie's "Halluejah" is by far my fave version of that over-recorded, over-featured-in-cop-shows-as-they're-zipping-up-body-bags-etc. toon, and was also more than pleasantly surprised by his covers of "American Tune" and "Graceland"---could see him doing whole albums of Simon and Cohen ("Tower of Song" is on his latest, awright)

https://mcusercontent.com/1755f680a94812878dab15b5b/images/43be8f93-9e45-292d-8035-77c54e6d1e08.jpg

omg clutch the pearls thought that was Suzi Quatro/Leather Tuscadero w The Residents @ first! Wade's Reckless Deluxe Edition (Jan. '22) demanded to be in my 2021 Top Ten. Get it if you haven't, listen again if you have. https://t.co/1Cf35KZ3HY

— Don Allred (@0wlred) September 16, 2022

Oh Wow---speaking of my Top Tens, here are Willis, Carper, and new-to-me (good rep) Leigh---intriguing--- https://t.co/DthecgirqA

— Don Allred (@0wlred) September 16, 2022

Brennen Leigh did nice old school duets record w/Jessie Dayton back in the 2000s.

she also just made a good western swing album with Asleep at the Wheel: https://brennenleigh.bandcamp.com/album/obsessed-with-the-west

That Brennen Leigh & A@tW album is fantastic; she did a whole album of Lefty Frizzell covers a couple of years ago, too, and it was definitely worth checking out. And I've been a Willis fan since her major label run in the early 90s. She's long been one of the very best there is.

New Ashley McBryde out!

I just finished the (excellent) Her Country book, and it's hard to conclude anything other than that we are in a golden age of excellent female country or country adjacent singer-songwriters. Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Maren Morris, Amanda Shires, Mickey Guyton, Ashley Monroe, supergroups like the Highwomen and Pistol Annies, Brittney Spencer, the new Plains super-duo, Yola, Ashley McBryde, Hailey Whitters, Morgan Wade ...

mentioned this on the Waxahatchee thread but I find the Plains album very lopsided, owing in large part to my love of Waxahatchee and general unfamiliarity with Jess Williamson.

But also, it doesn't feel like a real group - I can't tell in any way that Waxahatchee's presence enhances Williamson's songs, nor vice versa. It's more like a split and the songs are just shuffled rather than a-side/b-side.

hey Indexed here’s one of those Tyler Childers songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqrxHOKhOBE

Joy Oladokun ft Chris Stapleton "Sweet Symphony" is a nice vocal showcase but on first listen feels like a Grammys Awards tv show showcase . Maybe it will grow on me.

Oh thank you TH! Didn't realize that was out yet. What a tune!

Yeah it’s good! Like a dixieland hillbilly mashup. All that old footage from Appalshop is like catnip to me. There’s even a little clip of John McCutcheon playing hammer dulcimer. He used to come by my parents’ house sometimes in Knoxville.

Agreed that the Plains record feels like a split, but I do think Williamson's songs work just fine next to Crutchfield's. I mean ... they have different writing styles, but to me they blend pretty well.

(That said, Crutchfield is on an incredible hot streak right now. Hope a new Wax record is coming sooner than later.)

New Ashley McBryde out!

― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, September 30, 2022 7:45 AM (three weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

Just getting to this, and am surprised there hasn't been more discourse here. I did not foresee her making a Dennis Linde-inspired world-building concept album about fictional town of misfits. Going to let this soak in.

Great closing run with the make-Linda-proud version of "When Will I Be Loved" > "Bonfire at Tina's" (Can anybody write a singalong anthem with more depth than McBryde?) > "Lindeville". Great record. Should be on the radar of those who like the small town stories of Brandy Clark, early Kacey, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i1JAjbpZG4

Don't think this has been mentioned here.

https://easyeyesound.bandcamp.com/album/something-borrowed-something-new-a-tribute-to-john-anderson

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/john-anderson-tribute-album.jpg

Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me. don't find the dudes compelling as singers. More troubling is how uninhabited this so-called town is: all the details amount to the kind of "color" I expect from a creative writing workshop.

I don't mind the separate vocalists -- reminds me of Anais Mitchell's Hadestown -- but know what you mean about the concept. Would have expected you to at least fall for a "When Will I Be Loved" this true to Ronstadt's version.

trying to revive the Keith Whitley thread if anybody's interested. deeply under his spell right now

Luke Bryan brought Florida governor Desantis onstage to push hurricane relief, and while the Jacksonville, Florida audience was happy to see the guv there, lots of folks on twitter are not

that Tyler Childers song is a joy

New Wilder Blue is great

― Mule, Tuesday, March 29, 2022 5:32 AM (seven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Only 8 months late but to this but it is indeed. A very spirited, musical, and sharp update on the classic country rock sound of The Eagles. Love the playing and harmonies.

How does ILM feel about Zach Bryan's American Heartbreak?

i just discovered it today (i am a rap dilettante) - seems... too long? but the "vibe" is good. are any of the songs ~actually~ amazing? "orange" almost gets there, but...

I listened after hearing so much about it and thought the songwriting was just OK ... some sort of amateur-ish lines? and i generally don't care about lyrics very much ... admittedly, I gave it like one listen while raking leaves and texting with my brother, so probably not a full and fair assessment.

2 hours is A LOT to wade through, so this is an admittedly rushed take, but I'm completely floored by/enamored with it -- the sheer industry is a marvel. Albums like this -- Sandinista, 69 Love Songs, The White Album, Emancipation?? -- are usually made by established, successful artists and say something about their restless, relentless artistic energy and talents. They communicate an ability to do anything.

While all these tracks slot within established country and heartland rock traditions, this is no less wide-ranging or ambitious. There are arena-ready rockers, acoustic sketches, radio sing-alongs, red dirt Americana numbers, and a cover of "You Are My Sunshine" for good measure. That he appears to have written every note and lyric aside from that one cover is so incredibly at odds with the vast majority of two decades' worth of male-dominated country...it makes me giddy.

I also like most of the production and playing -- the restraint especially. A lot of it just lets Bryan be, with his vocals and guitar front-and-center, instead of stuffing the thing with too-bright drum fills and the like. But there's also a free-spirited, "try everything" approach throughout, with fiddle, horns, electric guitar, backing vocals, and even a song with auto-tune, and hell, most of it works pretty dang well.

The most obvious antecedent to my ears is Turnpike Troubadours. His earnest rasp can sound awfully similar to them at times, especially on those more Americana-tilted tracks. I'm also reminded of Tyler Childers in places. But Bryan isn't nearly as literary or pretentious as those artists can be. His lyrics are more rudimentary, but I guarantee they are far more relatable to the average kid in rural America than a lot of what else they're spoon fed.

Caitlin Rose finally released her long-time-coming third album. More country-adjacent, but figured some of you would know her and be interested.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/caitlin-rose-cazimi/