television in 1980, this 88-minute variety special was primarily intended as a cross-generational showcase for Hank Williams Jr. (a.k.a. "Bocephus," as his late father called him), who was then at the height of his country-music success. The father-son affection gives the show its warm glow of nostalgia, and as performed by many of Hank Sr.'s contemporaries and younger admirers, the songs remain timelessly appealing. With due respect to Hank Jr. and Kris Kristofferson, this is an old-timer's celebration, and appearances by the likes of "Sheriff" Faron Young, Roy Acuff, and Johnny Cash offer some memorable highlights of country music history. They mesh agreeably with the filmed vignettes, in which several highli...  (less)

in a repertoire of romantic, pop and country standards, traditional Irish tunes and lively dance numbers. This lavish production features the singer's seven-piece band backed by a 20-piece string section, five-piece brass section and back-up singers. The Daniel O'Donnell Show offers a compilation of songs from Daniel O'Donnell's string of successful albums - from traditional Irish favorites, The Old Dungarvan Oak and Roads Of Kildare to the modern rock hit Rivers Of Babylon. Other highlights include the classic American pop songs Our House Is A Home, and duets of Vaya Con Dios and Somewhere Between with longtime guest performance partner Mary Duff. This concert features 17 son...  (less)

watching Austin City Limits and Dwight Yoakam was on, then he dedicates the program to Buck Owens. So I said, I m going to see what this kid is like. It wasn t long after that he was on stage with Dwight singing his old hits. Buck was bitten by the bug to return to music, after calling it quits almost ten years earlier. This man from Sherman, Texas probably best-known as the wide-grinning rube on Hee Haw for so many years started a country music revolution. Or more accurately, a counter-revolution. It was called the Bakersfield Sound, He and fellow revolutionary Merle Haggard were cranking out raw, hard-driving honky-tonk music that stood the country-pop coming out of Nashville on its head. When Buck Owens and the Buckaroos would launch into I ve got a tiger by...  (less)

and barn dances, with joy and dedication to the traditions. This show is essential to anyone whose interests lie in folk, alternative country, or Americana. The Greenbriar Boys played a delightful, eclectic mixture of bluegrass, traditional country and Nashville, with touches of vaudeville and blues. They were very popular during the early 1960s when interest in this music was blossoming on the urban folk scene, and this show captures their outstanding musicianship at its peak.  (less)

entertainment. This two-hour dance and music extravaganza contains a wealth of talent derived from all areas of Irish life. The show is an inspiring epic, reliving the journey of the Irish Celts throughout history. Using modern arts of dance and music, this richly costumed show marries the contemporary and the ancient. Combining traditional dance and music with the most up to date stage technology, the show is a thousand year old story executed with all the advantages of the modern day stage show. Based on traditional Irish Dance this show broadens to embrace Latin, Beat, Disco and Ballet - Traditional and Jazz. The talented and charismatic dancers; give a fiery and dramatic performance that must be seen to be believed!  (less)

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)

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)

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)

unsuccessful results. "I Don't Have to Be Me (‘Til Monday)," an Everyman's exuberant celebration of calling in sick at work, scored at radio, and there's plenty more here, including the love ballad "Lay Your Heart Next to Mine," that could follow. But Azar's more interesting songs (some cowritten with producer Rafe Van Hoy) go the pared-down, Todd Snider route. "Damn the Money," for instance, a rockin' little shuffle about that elusive green stuff, could show up in a discussion in No Depression , as could "The Underdog." Azar isn't going to win awards for his serviceable vocals, but he may turn heads with the title track, which starts out as a likeable blue-collar lament and turns into a modern-day "Wreck of the Old '97." If that's not a bridge between mus...  (less)