and set about introducing it to the country's college kids. Four decades later, the members of OCMS fit the profile of those early revivalists, yet if anything they have tapped deeper into the primal elements of an American art form. As demonstrated on their debut, they have assimilated not just the sound--banjos, harmonicas, acoustic guitar and bass--but more importantly the haunting spirit of music that was made to keep hard times at bay. How else to explain their ability to take a well-worn chestnut like "CC Rider" and infuse it with an energy that reveals once again why it is a classic? Not content to live completely in the past, they wrote "Big Time in the Jungle," which, though it is about Vietnam, could easily be transposed to 2004's de...  (less)

- All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name - Blessed Assurance - Bringing in the Sheaves - I Love to Tell the Story - Shall We Gather at the River? - Onward, Christian Soldiers - Go Tell It on the Mountain - Life's Railway to Heaven - More!  (less)

In 1892, he created a traveling show, "The Old Virginia Plantation Negro," including banjo tunes, nostalgic dialect stories and a lecture, without resorting to farce or black-face. The show glorified the plantation music and Negro spirituals that America was hungry for in the 'Gay '90s.' Mark Twain, upon hearing Miller and his Quartette exclaimed, "I think that Polk Miller, and his wonderful four, is about the only thing this country can furnish that is originally and utterly American." It is in this historical context that Tompkins Square reissues a CD of seven 1909 Edison cylinder records and seven 1928 QRS/Broadway disc recordings. The booklet includes photos and memorabilia with notes by African-American music scholar Doug Seroff. The CD package is designe...  (less)

Dallas, TX, in the early ‘90s. Their early singles and 1994 indie debut disc, Hitchhike To Rhome led to a trio of critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing albums for Elektra, beginning with 1997’s stellar Too Far To Care and running through 2001’s Satellite Rides.  (less)

currently slated for a small promotional tour beginning September 2003. Although often compared to the likes of Jay-Z, Ken's music has an east coast feel with a down south twist. He has developed his own style of music and he has currently impressed several local Radio DJ's to the point that they have started spinning his single prior to his release date. Ken, currently eighteen years old met Chaz Lowe and Anthony Wainwright, Atlanta, Georgia's Owners of Toolvision Entertainment, an Independent Record Label in the fall of 2002. Chaz and Anthony was so impressed with Ken's skills, they immediately signed him to a recording contract and allowed him unlimited access to Toolvision Entertainment's Recording Studio. Ken Spent six months in Toolvision Entertainment Studios i...  (less)

of Iceland, he has already won Album of The Year and this album showcases the best of his acoustic and electronic talents alongside good, old-fashioned song writing.  (less)

of the season--told through the voice of a small girl ("Jesus Gets Jealous of Santa Claus")--and other timely sentiments. Trouble is, Keith's not a great songwriter (although he's not bad storyteller). What adds to his shortcomings as a wordsmith are his melody lines, which generally sound punch pressed from that crass commercialized Nashville mold. Keith fans will enjoy the selections, however, and nearly anyone can appreciate the fact that he chose not to make a record of the same tired old standards played in the tired old contemporary-country way. --Martin Keller  (less)

flexible rhythm section; wounded, piercing vocals; and unforgiving songs of rage, recklessness, and rejection. He then spends the rest of the CD refining it, song by song. As a writer, he has a real flair for imagery and the sturdy hook, and he also has good taste in remakes. Yes, there is some posturing; occasionally it feels like his nose for trouble, sense of despair, and wild eyes spring from listening to all the right records rather than out of anyone's real life. But for the most part, Hank III seems to come by these things the old-fashioned way: he earns them. Already. If he doesn't earn too much, he's going to do great things. --John Morthland  (less)

songwriter Bobby Braddock, also contains quite a few harder-hitting, meatier tunes. "Old Red," for instance, is a twangy and resolutely down-home prison tale that Shelton imbues with growling tongue-in-cheek humor. "Same Old Song" is a subtle but soulful Braddock-penned putdown of the current state of country music, to which Shelton brings all the passion and conviction the song deserves. On the socially conscious "Problems at Home" (which Blake cowrote with Billy Montana and Don Ellis), the young singer laments far weightier issues, like school shootings and the destruction of the Amazon rain forests, with similar fervency. On these songs and others, the twenty-something neo-honk-tonker shows just the kind of musical vis...  (less)

Overall, it's a set of amiable country pop, but the title track and "What About Georgia?," which open the disc, are rock songs at heart--driven by a hard-smacked snare drum and layers of guitar. But what's really at the core of these excellent performances is Lambert's romantic lyrics and versatile singing. When she's playing the angry lover in "Kerosene," she's loaded with punky attitude. When she's brokenhearted and moving on in "New Strings," her soft, delicate tones and gentle phrasing perfectly capture a rich blend of sadness and hope. There's even a bit of Dolly Parton's sweet vibrato and rustic charm in "Me and Charlie Talking," a nostalgic contemplation on love and life's simple virtues. Lambert authored or co-penned 11 o...  (less)

after generation, through social and economic hard times--the dictator Machado considered son subversive--and good times; the current regime encourages cultural development and made the band "professional musicians" with a state income and support. The group developed the country music of Oriente, added brass in the late '20s, went to New York to record in the '30s, and became a cultural icon in the '80s as the cultural freeze between New York and Havana began to thaw. The sound has not changed radically from those old recordings made in New York, and this 1997 session shows the current band to be rock solid and true to the tradition laid down eight decades ago. Smooth, precise and full of soul, Septeto Habanero carries on. --Louis Gibson  (less)

growing up. Thus it feels natural for country's grand old hippie Willie Nelson to record a CD of blues standards--especially since he wrote some of them (see: "Night Life"). Producer and featured guitarist Derek O'Brien lays down a funky but relaxed bed for the King of Laid-Back and some serious musical synergy with veteran guests like Dr. John and the aforementioned King. Kenny Wayne Shepherd's incendiary guitar on "Texas Flood" notwithstanding, the contributions of the younger contingent (Susan Tedeschi, Jonny Lang, Keb' Mo'), while heartfelt, seem more like perfunctory marketing ploys. Those who buy Milk Cow Blues for those names will be disappointed. Those who buy it for Willie will be delighted as he proceeds to show the youngsters (and all of us) what soul...  (less)