September 2011

Catie Curtis

Genre: Folk/Pop

Contemporary folk singer-songwriter Curtis' new offering features contributions from Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lisa Loeb, Julie Wolf, and more. It is ". . . a well-crafted and insightful affair; an open and honest offering that explores longing, love, life, creativity and self. Curtis is at the top of her songwriting game here, crafting songs that are engaging, touching, relate-able and tight."(www.nodepression.com)
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/on-the-horizon-catie-curtis-stretch-limousine-on-fire

Ry Cooder

Genre: Folk/Pop

Reviewers have compared Cooder's new CD to "a modern-day Woody Guthrie, fearless and funny, for like Guthrie he nails his targets with droll humour while empathising with society's underdogs." (Uncut) While the album is built around Cooder and his son Joachim, guests include several notable Latin musicians.

Robert Earl Keen

Genre: Folk/Pop

Almost everything about Ready for Confetti is different for Keen, from some of the songs’ shorter lengths (likely considered sacrilegious in the past) to the songs’ topics and attitudes, and his method of songwriting. Fortunately for Keen’s fans, old habits die hard, so he doesn’t completely abandon his career-making ways. His biting sarcasm is unleashed on “The Road Goes On and On,” a title that refers to his classic “The Road Goes On Forever.”

Horrible Crowes

Elsie

Genre:Folk/Pop

Horrible Crowes pairs Gaslight Anthem leader Brian Fallon with collaborator Ian Perkins for a collection that bristles with the former band's energy, but comes with a twist. Elsie exchanges Gaslight Anthem's rock for a more acoustic, folk-based approach.

Various

Listen to Me: Buddy Holly

Genre: Folk/Pop

On the anniversary of the pop giant's 75th birthday, a selection of notable artists gathers to celebrate Holly's music. Covering some of his most successful songs are Stevie Nicks, Lyle Lovett, Jackson Browne and more.

Lindsey Buckingham

Seeds We Sow

Genre: Folk/Pop

The Fleetwood Mac songwriter's sixth solo effort is also his third in five years. Described as his most DIY album to date, Seeds We Sow is characterized by his personal songwriting and his trademark picking style on his Turner guitar.

Play the Blues: Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center

by Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton

Genre: Jazz

"New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and arranged by Marsalis."

Indestructible Machine

by  Lydia Loveless

Genre: Folk/Pop

Alt-country firebrand Loveless hails from a small town in Ohio, where she learned to embrace both punk and country. As a result, her music demonstrates the banjo, fiddle, and vocal heartbreak of the latter, while adding the buzzing guitars and attitude of punk. 

Sorrow & Smoke: Live At the Horseshoe Lounge

by  Slaid Cleaves

Genre: Folk/Pop

The Austin songwriter's double album serves up a mix of favorite songs, new tunes, and covers. While Cleaves performs solo on several tracks, others feature the troubadour storyteller backed by one or two others.

Tori Amos

Night of Hunters

Genre: Folk/Pop

As previewed on NPR: "A song cycle based on familiar pieces by composers including Satie, Chopin, Schubert and Bach, Night of Hunters tells a multidimensional tale of a couple torn asunder and a woman's search to find unity within herself. The story is animated by characters and motifs that any Amos fan will recognize as characteristic. It's told within a chamber-music setting that allows Amos to show off her classical chops in collaboration with outstanding collaborators."

The Jayhawks

Mockingbird Time

Genre: Folk/Pop

While the songwriting duo of Gary Louris and Mark Olson have worked together sporadically over the years, this marks their first Jayhawks project in over a decade. Mockingbird Time features the band's classic line-up from their early, seminal alt.country classic albums.

Tony Bennet

Duets II

Genre: Jazz

The jazz legend's second album of duets pairs his unmistakable voice with a carefully chosen stable of contemporary pop artists. Collaborators include Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin, Lady GaGa and more.

Bill Frisell

All We Are Saying...

Genre: Jazz

The renowned jazz guitarist assembles an all-star band to salute the music of John Lennon. Joining Frisell's guitar are violinist Jenny Scheinman, slide guitar wizard Greg Leisz and more.

Various Artists

Note of Hope

Genre: Folk/Pop

An army of contemporary folk singers assembles to pay tribute to the music of Woody Guthrie on the occasion of his 100th birthday.  Included are cuts by Pete Seeger, Michael Franti, Ani DiFranco and more.

John Doyle

Shadow and Light

Genre: Irish Music

Dublin-born guitarist has collaborated with artists from Joan Baez to Tim O'Brien and his group Solas.  Doyle's new solo album pays tribute to traditional Irish sounds while riding his innovative guitar style in new directions.