The Moaners Dark Snack
Not just another "The" band but one that takes the minimalistic approach of guitar and drums and runs with it.
Hayes Carll Little Rock
On his second album Hayes is really starting to come into his own as a songwriter on a parallel with one of his heroes, the legendary Townes Van Zandt. Here, he works with some more of his heroes such as Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard, crafting works that stand up to the best of the folks he's so often compared to, like the artists I've already mentioned.
John Prine Fair and Square
John Prine serves no song before it's time, and that's especially true of this record, his first album of all new material in nearly 10 years. After a bout with cancer Prine returns in fine form with a batch of tunes that stand up to his very best records. In fact, he's one of very few performers who I can honestly say has never delivered a bad album of which Fair and Square is a shining example.
Ryan Adams Cold Roses
After a couple of albums top ended by "spot the influence" nuances (Gold, Llor n' Kcor), a collection of demos culled from six still unreleased albums (Demolition) and two EPs of confessional singer-songwriter tunes (Love Is Hell Parts I & II) Ryan finally returns to the sound he's most often associated with, the alt.country of his former band Whiskeytown and Heartbreaker, his first record as a solo artist. From the elaborately embossed gatefold sleeve that houses two CDs resembling vinyl LPs (that if combined could fit on one disc), right down to the inner artwork featuring an homage to the Grateful Dead, Ryan is in full retro mode here. The only difference this time out is, he's finally taking those influences and making them his own. There is some very sweet pedal steel on this record provided by a gal named Cindy Cashdollar that is more than reminiscent of the Dead (or their country rock counterparts, the New Riders of the Purple Sage) circa the early 70s and more specifically the Dead's return to their roots-era masterpieces Workingman's Dead and American Beauty. As I previously mentioned, the big difference here is, there's no parts lifted from other artists songs like he did so much on Gold and Llor n' Kcor. And to be honest, you will hear hints of the Dead here and there but those moments by no means dominate the proceedings. Mostly I hear a sound he perfected with Whiskeyton minus the bittersweet refrains of Caitlin Cary's violin (fiddle?) and her hushed harmony vocals. Instead you get Cindy's soothing pedal steel and on a few tracks, guest backing vocals by Rachel Yamagata.
Robert Plant Mighty Rearranger
Even though it was full of mostly obscure cover tunes I think of Dreamland as a sort of a new beginning for Plant and somehow truer to his roots than perhaps anything he'd ever done before. In that regard, I think of Mighty Rearranger as an extension of this. At this stage, no one knows his own limitations better than Plant himself and here, like on Dreamland he has a band, Strange Sensation, that knows how to play to his strengths. Working much of the same turf as before, Plant and band stretch out a bit more on this album, successfully taking on some of the most complex sounds captured on record since Shaken Not Stirred. Perhaps most refreshing is listening to an artist that's been around as long as Plant still challenging himself and his listeners while so many his contemporaries don't dare risk scaring off long time fans by veering into uncharted territory.
