There's something odd in the airwaves this week. I mean, straight ahead country music can be a satisfying and grounding influence. After that we have unsettling combinations of classic rock and bluegrass (sort of), and doo-wop with experimental rock.
On second thought, I kinda like it.
Dwight Sings Buck - Dwight Yoakam (New West)/Country, where the hat is not just mirror-dressing
Of course it makes perfect sense for Dwight Yoakam to be putting his twist on the Bakersfield maestro's (OK, 'maestro' is a funny word to attach to Buck Owens) catalog. I'm all over this one.
The Wolf - Shooter Jennings (Universal South)/Country with a pedigree
Shooter Jennings is the son of Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings. I've always heard great things about him but have never actually heard him. So I'm paging over some review material and find out that he's done a cover of Dire Straits' "Walk Of Life." That's just weird enough for me.
Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (Rounder)/Folk (no...really!)
Do you remember being shocked that Elvis Costello had married Diana Krall? Me too. After thinking about it a while, it actually made sense. I've been hearing a lot of good things about this recording and honestly have a hard time imagining Krauss making a bad artistic decision.
Lars and the Real Girl - David Torn (Milan)/Jazz
Ooooh, a little David Torn sneaking in under the radar in the form of a movie soundtrack. Torn is an absolute genius (I know, an overused word) at manipulating sound, so it'll be interesting to see how his ideas take shape with a film to support.
180 d'Gs to the Future - Negativland (Seeland)/Rock (sort of)
A collection of Negativland selections done by an R&B/Doo-Wop group. I'm not kidding.
Chrome Dreams II - Neil Young (Reprise)/Rock (and folk, and country, and...)
I sometimes dread new Neil Young records because the snarly hyperbole-filled 'discussions' are so predictable. No matter, I've heard Chrome Dreams II and it's full of Young's typically varied material.
Elect the Dead - Serj Tankian (Warner Bros.)/Rock
Mouthpiece of System of a Down, I just love the way that Tankian divebombs through the vocal melodies while a full-on rock assault is going on around him. It's rock singing that manages to be both old-school and modern.
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
That Plant/Krauss thing has got to be interesting, if nothing else.
Oooh, I hadn't heard about that Yoakam deal, I'll have to try to find it. Can't say I know a lot of Buck Owens songs, but he's got a good reputation, and Dwight is always a good bet.
2 - Donald Gibson
I saw Dwight Yoakam in concert not long after Buck Owens passed away. Toward the beginning of this ridiculously incredible show (37 songs in all), Dwight acknowledged Buck and played a tribute: "Act Naturally," "Crying Time," "Together Again," and "Streets of Bakersfield". It was one hell of a tribute and that was one of the best concerts I've ever attended.
This album should be great.
-Donald
3 - Pico
There's always at least one useful tidbit revealed in this Tuesday morning feature and this time it's the Torn soundtrack. Thanks for the tip!
4 - Tom Johnson
Definitely surprised about the Torn bit - didn't see mention of that anywhere, and I just read some huge interview with him where he talks about writing "What it's Like for a Girl" for Madonna, which is another big surprise from this guy.