MA (J. even plays on the record a bit). Plus, the new record features an amazing and sweetly torching version of Sade's "By Your Side." Really.  (less)

his new album of guitar duets "in a car on the way back from a trip," he says. "I was thinking about all these guys that had influenced me and that some of them weren't going to be around forever. I was thinking about records like Mark O'Connor's record of fiddle heroes and Jerry Douglas's record with all the Dobro players. And I got this idea of recording with these guys that were my heroes and also good buddies and advice-givers--people that have helped me in my career as a player. I felt like it was something I could do, and I felt honored to be in a position to be able to call everybody up and ask if they wanted to record." Sutton is one of the most high-profile acoustic guitarists in bluegrass and country music these days, a first-call Nashville sess...  (less)

album included songs in praise of Cologne Cathedral or Lake Michigan, but backed by the Sparks' austere songs--often just guitar, autoharp, and drum machine--with occasional help by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the music has an almost Appalachian simplicity and newfound depth of feeling. Like coming across a brownstone in the mountains, the Handsome Family's music is simultaneously disconcerting and strangely beautiful. --Steven Mirkin  (less)

has been consistently playing shows around the country after relocating to Portland, OR including an opening on a national tour for Albert Hammond Jr. They are now being represented by the management duo of Bryna Gootkind (Melissa Ferrick, Port O'Brien) and Ryan Gentles (The Strokes, Albert Hammond Jr.). The band began in Boston in 2006. They were longtime friends and had played around Boston in various configurations for years, but when they gathered in Dec '08 to record some new songs of Michael's, there were no grand plans to see through or deadlines to meet. They had an engineer friend and a couple hundred bucks and some notions about maybe making some back-to-basics rock 'n roll. As Michael puts it, "these day, the only way forward i...  (less)

city. A long--but never boring–-set, it features both veterans and newcomers mixing obscurities with traditional standards, including cool covers of two Gene Autry chart toppers and Ron Stewart's George Jones-ish take on "Silver Bells." It's the newcomers who make the most memorable contributions, including the sweet Emmylou Harris-meets-the-Andrews Sisters vocals of the Shankman Twins and the primal hillbilly fire of Open Road, who deliver a "Blue Christmas" that's about as faithful to Elvis's version as the King's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" was to Bill Monroe. Though recorded in 2002, this'll make you feel like you're spending Christmas at the Ryman Auditorium in the '50s or even by a fire in the Appalachian Mountains today. O Christmas Tree ...  (less)

Enter Field Mob and their third album, Light Poles and Pine Trees. The pioneers of the country boy movement waste no time delivering lyrics destined to switch up the game. Respect ‘em because you can’t check ‘em. Painting vivid pictures powered by their colorful, down-home perspective, Field Mob’s rhymes stand out. That’s what Ludacris thought when he signed them to his Disturbing Tha Peace/Geffen Records imprint. Being an artist first, and arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time, Ludacris saw untapped potential. DTP is a whole ‘nother chapter in Field Mob’s career. After bad deals and botched promotion, Smoke (Darion Crawford) and Shawn Jay (Shawn Johnson) are finally getting the look they deserve. After all, the Albany, Georg...  (less)

would be very different...and a lot less interesting! Includes 'Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow Tree', 'Single Girl Married Man', 'Keep On The Sunny Side', 'Motherless Child', 'Wabash Cannonball' and many more. Proper.  (less)

special when Mom would read wonderful Christmas stories of Santa, his reindeer and his elves to us. I was the second daughter of my parent's four children followed by two brothers, and I can assure you that of the four I was not always the littlest angel. Yet somehow a Christmas tree, some Christmas cookies and a few nice gifts always seemed to find their way to our little house and our little hearts. And then there was church and the glorious feeling in my young spirit when the Christmas story was told and I believed! I thank God for these precious moments. It's memories like these that make me wish it could be Christmas every day of the year! Merry Christmas from my family to yours!  (less)