It's the dog days of summer, but there are still a lot of reasons to drag yourself off the back porch. So drop that lemonade/remote control/game controller and check out some bluegrass, folk, pop, progressive rock, and the coolest Celtic rock bandname ever.
The Seldom Scene - Scenechronized (Sugar Hill)/Country
Label: Sugar Hill
Genre: CTRY
In the 1970's these guys were a modern bluegrass (now there's a contradiction in terms!) powerhouse. I don't think I've bought anything by them since the record they did with Jonathan Edwards.
Lori McKenna - Unglamorous (Warner Bros.)/Folk
Lori McKenna's song "Hardly Speaking A Word" is one of those songs that is stunning in its clarity and emotional impact. Ever since Paper Wings & Halo came out, I have been a fan. McKenna contributed a few songs to Faith Hill's Fireflies record. Now Faith and Tim McGraw are returning the favor, with McGraw in the co-producer's chair. McKenna has always deserved wider acclaim in my ear's estimation. Now it's time to see if a major label release does the trick.
Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart (Rounder)/Folk
Her last record, Fashionably Late, was tremendous. Now it seems that she's collaborating with son Teddy. Yes, please.
Eisley - Combinations (Warner Bros.)/Rock
I was a big fan of Eisley's 2005 release Room Noises. If you haven't heard them before, you're in for a real treat. Pop music on the highest order, with sisters Sherri and Stacy DuPree delivering some of the coolest harmonies I've ever heard. Note: there is a special version of this one, containing a DVD of some live material as well as a "making of" video.
U.K. - Night After Night (EMI)/Rock
I have a love/hate relationship with this record. Originally purchased on vinyl, I really loved the cinematic quality to the music (and Terry Bozzio's drums). It's the voice of John Wetton that I've never acquired a taste for. And yes, I know that Alan Holdsworth is missing but, shhhhh... I've never acquired a taste for him either.
Enter the Haggis - Northampton (United Opportunity)/Rock
Hands down, this is the best name for a Celtic rock band ever. Ever! These guys have a reputation for being monsters in concert and this is a document of that fact.
Arsonists Get All the Girls - The Game of Life (Act)/Rock
I'm not really going to buy this (being the kind of metal-ish music that makes my uvula sore), but the band's name is pretty danged funny.
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
Now the game's afoot! Which will be the Friday Morning Listen? They all sound pretty danged interestin'...
2 - Mark Saleski
i gotta get that Enter The Haggis cd. i simply must own something with that band name.
3 - Pico
"And yes, I know that Alan Holdsworth is missing but, shhhhh... I've never acquired a taste for him either."
Blasphemy!!!
Seriously, though, I had Danger Money when it first came out and found that they sounded quite good with Holdsworth's help.
But I'm most interested in the Linda Thompson. How Fashionably Late slipped under radar screens I'll never know.
4 - Mark Saleski
i know, i know!!
5 - JC Mosquito
Enter the Haggis is at least as good as Beatallica's Enter Taxman.