Americana From Mr. Mellencamp
340580
John Mellencamp is a favorite of mine.  If you go back and listen to his recordings chronologically, you can hear the growth from a hard edged rock and roller to a singer/songwriter of depth and feeling.  I knew that this release would be fitting, since John has been heading in this direction.  He is after all a songwriter of Americana now, and this collection of roots music is fully him.
My favorite though, hands down, is his yearning 'The End of the World,' the old Skeeter Davis tear-jerker.  His straight-forward and raw approach, sans even the song's beautiful harmony vocal, is just gorgeous and heart wrenching.  The cd would be worth having just for that song alone, but there's another half dozen great songs here.  If you're a fan of American Roots music, and not too big on John, you'll still find very much to enjoy here.  If, like me, Mellencamp is an American Music staple, you'll love it.
725065
Eric's at it again... this time with his band Alien Love Child. I was suprised to hear so much of this blues twist in Eric's music, but as usual, he's done an outstanding job! (kudos to the rest of the band and Malford Milligan, too!) I will admit, his voice is very soft and was a little weak in "Last House on the Block", but I think he did a very nice job singing, especially in "Shape I'm In". Malford Milligan has got one incredible voice! It was Mr. Milligan who made "Once a Part of Me" one of my favorite songs on the album. "Elevator Sky Movie" is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard... I really really wish Eric had carried it out longer than 1 minute! It's one of those songs you just lay back and close your eyes and let your imagination go with the beautiful flow of the music. Ever since i heard that guitar tone in "Elevator Sky Movie", I've been dying to figure out how to get it on my guitar!
Anyway, if you like a little blues/rock now and then, and you like Eric Johnson, you'll love this album! I only like about half the songs on this album, so I personally give "Live and Beyond" 3.5 stars... Go ahead and check it out! ;)
276734
Authentic Bluegrass music, a uniquely American folk-art form that has its origins in the great Scots-Irish migration into the hills and hollers of 17th and 18th century frontier America, owes much to its Elizabethan British and Irish roots. Beautiful, often haunting melodies, lyrics that are really folk poetry filled with a mournful vision of the transitory nature of life (an Elizabethan obsession), and an instrumental brilliance that echoes the great lute players of the era such as John Dowland. Lovers of this music may balk initially at the hybrid mixture that Tim O'Brien has created. But listening to this CD a few times should overcome any qualms.

As if this were a classical album recorded using "authentic" or "original" instruments, O'Brien carefully lists a wide range of old and very rare string instruments that he uses. As a guitarist, I am jealous of some of them. His technique is good, though he is not a virtuoso. His guitar finger-picking is strong, as is his banjo picking. O'Brien succumbs to an urge for esoterica by playing the bouzouki: he seems slightly stiff and a bit of a novice on the instrument, but the attempt is valiant. His fiddle playing is good, but not flashy, as is his mandolin playing. With a fine song writing gift to match his instrumental skills, the compositions on Chameleon eventually grab you. But it's his relentless "authenticity" that really makes this album as good as it is. Bluegrass and Folk filtered through a unique personal vision makes this CD easy to recommend to those amenable to America's great native music.
1924695
John Jacob Niles is an amazing piece of Americana.  If you don't know his wild idiosyncratic folk music, you'd be well served to give it a listen.  This rendition of his own piece, Venezuela, reveals his many dimensions as a pure performer.  For more, check out my radio piece on Niles:  http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2436.htm
1228960
Sam Bush is a musician's musician and a really nice guy (I've met the man).  His playing is deeply rooted in American traditional music.  Sam doesn't let tradition stand in the way of expressing a fresh look at his world, which he is the king of.
If you are talking tasteful tunes with mando lines "like butter": Sam is the king.  Look at it this way, Sam is driving his rambler while we ride shotgun for a little fun, see the sights, and maybe take in a ball game.
So here is a question: What do Grandpa Jones and Johnny Clegg have in common?  Answer: they've both written tunes played by Sam Bush on this album.  "Eight More Miles to Louisville" and "Spirit is the Journey" as interpreted by Mr. Bush are as fresh as Rocky mountain snow (near Telluride of course).
The backing players fit like a glove and include Byron House (bass), Brad Davis (guitar) and Jon Randall (vocals and guitar) who generally tour with Sam.  These guys are tight and it really shows especially on the instrumental numbers co-authored by the group "Puppies `N Knapsacks" and also on Sam's original "Bananas".
Sam borrows from one of his favorite songwriters, Jeff Black, for two tunes on this CD namely the title cut and "They're Going to Miss Me When I'm Gone".  Sam really seems to find his voice with Jeff Black songs.
The final stop on the CD is the heartland with a swing tune tribute to his beloved St. Louis Cardinals and their shortstop, Ozzie Smith in the "The Wizard of Oz".  This reminds me of swing tunes that came out in 1950s that paid tribute to players and teams of the era and of Steve Goodman's musical tributes to the Chicago Cubs.
As someone once said, Sam never misses a step, more fun that a barrel of monkeys, and always lets you sit back and enjoy the ride.
Thanks for the wonderful ride Sam!
4133297
This is a great CD for people like me that are missing some of Mellencamp's CDs. It has all his mainstream hits, a variety from all of his past CDs. Although I enjoy his CDs in their entirety, I found this collection very satisfying particularly the songs that I lack such as the upbeat and reflective "Cherry Bomb". Although I miss some of the lesser known songs on his CDs, the biggest miss for me is Mellencamp's rendition of "The End of the World".  So there are many songs that can be added to this great collection but for the price, the two CD set plus the live 5 song DVD, this is an absolutely great package.
When you really enjoy someone's CDs, it's a little hard to get used to a greatest hits collection because your always thinking of the song that normally follows the hit and the alternative seems out of place, but this is a very deep collection that is worth it on a drive through traffic or on a long trip in which the time will now fly.
1550270
Mellencamp has always been one of those artists I hear on the radio and find myself singing along.  I haven't bought a CD of his since Scarecrow and thought I had outgrown his simplistic songwriting, until now.  The  songs on his latest are surprisingly strong and rich.  I simply can't stop  playing this CD and am kicking myself for dismissing him in the past.  I  won't make that mistake twice.  Mellencamp has made my list of artists I  buy without hearing.  Thanks John for showing me how wrong I was about you.
3403129
This CD is a perfect example of true Americana. Don has that "sound" captured.  The production is outstanding! I can't wait to see the next Morrell project.
4062041
americana raga, americanaraga. acoustic gems, acoustic jams. an overnight improv session in a cabin (duh). rural, balanced, introspective, occasionally humorous, professionally played. nice?
3650635
John Mellencamp is one of my favorite artists from the late 70's into the 1980's, if you like down-home heartland in your face telling it like life is type music buy some of John's music, you'll be happy you did.
1560770
Great collection of Americana music. I really enjoy the DVDs and the CDs. Too bad we don't have more people like Levon Helm.
2557762
This is a series or recordings made by the Friends of Old Time Music (FOTM) in NY in the early sixties.  FOTM was formed by Ralph Rinzler, Izzy Young, Mike Seeger, Jean Ritchie, and John Cohen.  These recordings have several well known people/groups (Maybelle Carter, Fred McDowell, the Stanley Brothers, and Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys), however, there are many "unknowns" like Doc Watson and Roscoe Holcomb.  There is also some performers that had played in NY in the 1920's who have returned (Mississippi John Hurt and Dock Boggs).  The quality of the recording leaves much to be desired, but these recordings are very up close and personal with the audience.  You get the feeling you are back in NY in the 1960's sitting in a smokey club. This works better for the smaller and one person acts, and probably less well for Bill Monroe and his group.  The very least known of these artists (Ed Young and Emma Ramsay and Jesse Fuller) put on quite a show playing the blues.  I think you will enjoy the banjo, mandolin, and guitar playing of these excellent artists.

  I would recommend this album as a slice of the Americana folk scene, but I am not sure you will play them (3 CDs) over and over again.  It is more of a one or two time romp!  This CD set is best enjoyed at home rather than in your car since the liner notes are excellent and the pictures stunning (unless you can miss all your fellow drivers while reading in the car... :^)
2008771
I am rating this a five because I believe it is as good as anything I have heard lately. I enjoyed this CD very much and would rate it up there with his best. I am partial to Scarecrow and Big Daddy for Mellancamp's best works in my humble opinion. There are no
"hits" on here per say, that is why it might not sell as well as say a Scarecrow or Uh-Huh. They both had notable hits on them of course. That does not mean this is not one of his best. I actually listened to it twice. These are all mostly acoustic based songs and there is not a one that is not any good. Mellancamp has always wore his politics on his sleeve and I believe we all know his beliefs. On "For the Children" he states "I wish I could give you an answer as to when life really begins..I wish I could tell you where we went when our days come to an end". Furthermore claiming "I have worried about many things most of which did not come to pass". It seems John is being retrospective here to me. I certainly don't want to over analyze his thoughts or lyrics but I found these two passages interesting.

 Also, there is a second DVD disc which comes with this. It supposedly is new technology explained in the Amazon write up and on the inside pages of this disc. Of this, I will disagree with the opinion below me. I played both discs simultaneously on my OPPO DVD player and my Sony CD player. I heard no appreciable differences in the sound. As a matter of fact there seems to be a bit much bass for me and a lack of treble. But that is me.

 Lastly, if you enjoy this acoustic disc you should also enjoy the new Black Crowes, Mudcrutch and the Rancounteurs. They are all similar and all excellent in my opinion. Thanks for reading and this new Mellancamp again is very good.
182624
Forget all the phony American wannabe's. Ryan Adams, Wilco, Jayhawks, and all the phonies in "Country Nashville", have been served notice. Their days are numbered. Here is the Cosmic American sound that would have evolved if Gram Parsons were still alive. As the CD states "played by Halfway with acoustic and electric instruments". A very mellow pedal steel flowing in the background of all songs a very feint banjo on some; with a very mellow electric guitar accompanied by some of the best harmonica playing since Gene Parsons Byrd's work. A very nice "hidden" cover of "Willin" at the end of the CD. Don't miss it!
23083
Eric Felten has flourished as a modern jazz vocalist and trombonist. He has garnered various awards of recognition for his live performances and recordings. Felten has now taken his career to the next plateau by revealing a great source of his own stimulation. In his latest compilation "Eric Felten Meets the Dek-Tette - A Tribute to Mel Torme and Marty Paich (V.S.O.P.)," the modern day crooner pays tribute to "The Dek-Tette" -- Marty Paich's musical ensemble that backed velvety crooner Mel Torme between 1956 and 1960. But this album is not simply recreations of the Mel Torme arrangements; it exposes the listener to new original treatments done in the informed style of the great Paich.

To accomplish the task of recreating anew the music and feel of the Torme/Paich pairing, Felten has enlisted the help of numerous members of the original Dek-Tette (Jack Sheldon, Herb Geller, Med Flory, and Bob Enevoldsen), and has chosen excellent American jazz standards given  arrangements befitting the sound that inspires much of Eric Felten's own buttery vocals. These arrangements come from the nimble minds of Brent Wallarab and Scott Silbert, and are true to the original Dek-Tette experience.

The album opens with an up-tempo representation of "You're Driving Me Crazy," giving the audience a hopping trumpet solo from Jack Sheldon and emphasizing the clear, mellow vocals of the singer. The same mood is carried through later with glorious big band glitz on "I Could Write A Book," treating the listener to some Mel Torme style scatting.  There's an approachable, nice guy quality inherent in this style of crooning that makes you want to introduce Eric Felten to your grandmother.  With that thought in mind, there's a lot of great stuff here for the ballroom foxtrot crowd, most specifically "Where Or When," "Gone With The Wind," and the album's closer "This Can't Be Love." There's a nice swingin', "mambo-style" interpretation of the perennial "It's All Right With Me," that you'll definitely re-play immediately after hearing it. It contains a trombone solo from Felten himself. There are some nice moody slow pieces in "I'll Be Around," and "I'll Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry," the latter featuring Geller in some great lyrical alto. Overall, the recording is a top shelf balance of the mode a fan of this genre is expecting.

Eric is a modern crooner fittingly representing an idea of standard presentation along the lines of Michael Buble or Harry Connick Jr. this being said, Eric Felten creates an image that is a combination of class and accessibility with a deep appreciation for the styles that he draws from. In his "meeting with the Dek-Tette," Eric shows his audience that he understand and loves this material with a passion big enough to fill a CD, and possibly, your living room.
395090
On a first listening of Ryan Adams' Gold and even subsequent listenings, striking influences are apparent - Van Morrison, Lou Reed, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash, etc.  Remarkably, even with those obvious influences, Adams manages to create a sound and style of his own.  Even more remarkable are the lyrics.  Presented subtlely and with nuance, they are strong and poetic.  Adams attacks subjects of our modern world, making timelss themes relevant to our time.  As a representative of Lost Highway Records, Adams fits right in with heavyweight lyricists, Lucinda Williams and Ron Sexsmith.
The lyrics are supported by fairly traditional rock instrumentation:  acousitc and electric guitar, bass, drums, and piano and a few others mixed in.  The band moves smoothly between the changes in Adams' songs, hitting nice grooves and maneuvering builds quitely effectively.
Placing an upside down American flag as the backdrop to the "pop-looking" Adams, the cover is a great summation of the Americana and pop culture represented on this CD.  The impression is much in the vein of a young Elvis Presely or James Dean - cool, sexy, and rebellious.  Just as the photo is a rich expression of popular Americana, so is Gold.
1540627
Love Mellancamp! This is a great song and album it's definitely got some of the best he's got to give