New Music--October 2011

Feist

Metals

Genre: Folk/Pop

"Taken individually, each song is as sturdy as oak — the guitars have a magnesium shimmer, and every instrument seems bathed in its own spotlight, especially Feist's vocals, which feel like they're being whispered directly into your ear. The production is so refined the album occasionally creaks, which is not to imply it sounds old-timey, but simply that there's a craftsman's attention to detail." —Garret Kamps, Spin Magazine http://www.spin.com/reviews/feist-metals-cherrytreeinterscope

Merle Haggard

Working in Tennessee

Genre: Folk/Pop

"Another link in a chain of classic albums by a man who has forever changed the face of country. At 74, one of American music’s patriarchs sounds as sprite as ever, kicking off with a great honky-tonk anthem, the joyous title song. Produced by the artist and Lou Bradley, these tracks lovingly frame his iconic locomotive voice with bright acoustics, stinging electric guitar leads, gypsy violin and clean-shuffling drums. " –Paul Zollo, Filter Magazine. http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/reviews/entry/merle_haggard

Johnny Cash

Live Around the World, Bootleg Vol. 3

Genre: Folk/Pop

The third official bootleg in this series features the legendary country singer performing his most popular songs before a live audience. Recorded on stages throughout the world and throughout his career, these are rare and unreleased recordings.

Joe Henry

Reverie

Genre: Folk/Pop

From NPR: "Joe Henry has never been easy to pin down. In a career spanning more than two decades, he's had his hands in a bit of everything, from gospel, folk and country to experimental rock and pop, soul and funk. But throughout his years of sonic shapeshifting, Henry has maintained a singular voice defined by his love of strange, almost magical spaces." http://www.npr.org/2011/09/29/140917559/first-listen-joe-henry-reverie

Anonymous 4

Secret Voices: Chants & Polyphony from the Las Huelgas Codex

Genre: Classical

Anonymous 4 revisit their favorite era in repertoire that illuminates medieval women s affinity for the most complex polyphony of their time. Spanning the entire 13th century from virtuosic motets and conductus to heartfelt laments and sacred songs the remarkable Las Huelgas manuscript was compiled for a convent of aristocratic Castilian women.

Shelby Lynne

Revelation Road

Genre: Folk/Pop

Revelation Road marks Lynne's third self-produced, self-released album in just two years. The reflective, thoughtful Americana album has been called her most personal release to date.

Sting

Best of 25 Years

Genre: Folk/Pop

Sting recently released a multi-CD box set, here condensed to just a single disc. This greatest hits album features cuts from his earliest solo CDs, up to his recent flirtations with classical songs.

Wynton Marsalis

Selections From the 21st Century

Genre: Jazz

To celebrate his 50th birthday, the legendary jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and arranger has assembled some of his favorite tracks from his nine albums released between 1999 and 2000, in addition to his 2002 orchestral and big band masterpiece, All Rise. Jazz, big band, film music, orchestral scores—there’s something for everyone.

honeyhoney

Billy Jack

Genre: Folk/Pop

This LA-area duo draws from the darker side of Americana on their major label debut. "Billy Jack finds twenty-something musicians Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe threading sweet melodies with big acoustic guitar sounds, percussive banjos and countrified fiddles. honeyhoney's sexually tinged, bruised knee honeysuckle take on roots music must be heard to be understood, and Billy Jack pumps with the sound of hearts on fire, and real instruments played by people who really mean it."

John Prine

The Singing Mailman Delivers

Genre: Folk/Pop

This two-CD set features very early recordings from one of our most respected folk songwriters. Recorded in 1970, before the release of his first official album, these tapes confirm Prine's rare strength as a songwriter. One disc was recorded with simple guitar accompaniment in studio, and the second features an early Prine concert recording.

Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, and Stuart Duncan

The Goat Rodeo Sessions

Genre: Classical

"The Goat Rodeo Sessions is an ambitious and groundbreaking project that brings together four string virtuosos: world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, fiddler Stuart Duncan, bassist Edgar Meyer, and mandolinist Chris Thile. While each artist is a prominent figure in his own music sphere, they have come together as a unified ensemble on a most remarkable and organic cross-genre project. The music, including two tracks with female vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, feels both new and familiar it's composed and improvised, uptown and down home, funky and pastoral and above all, uniquely American."