Category Archives: New Releases

Listen Up! Hellbound Glory – “Small Township” – Interview with Leroy Virgil

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hellbound10 copy

If anyone thought touring arenas with Kid Rock would dull Hellbound Glory’s country edge then “Small Township,” a boot-stomper from their upcoming “LV,” will render them mute.

It’s a stark take on the small-town life in hard times. Drugs, violence and desperation puts the trope often trotted out as a shortcut to wholesomeness on it’s ear.

Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions.

Twang Nation: Tell me about the new EP “LV.”

Leroy Virgil: I titled the album LV after my initials because most of it was recorded as a one-man band in the town I grew up in. I put a lot of myself onto the tape and I’ve never been more proud of any recording I’ve ever done. Call it my brand… my stamp of approval. The songs themselves are something like paragraphs in a story.

There is definitely a storyline. A beginning, a middle, and an end. The recording and the sounds that we got on tape are really something special and unique to this release. These songs, sonically, don’t sound like anything that I’ve released to date… but I won’t say I won’t revisit. I enjoyed the stripped down recording and Brian Smith captured something special in the mix.

TN: The record was recorded to analog tape at the Oceanside Recording Studio, but it’s being offered as a digital release only. Why? Are you trying to piss off Neil Young?

LV: The way we look at it, we’re taking advantage of the tools that are out there to get the new music in speakers as quickly as possible. This is the first release of a series… and I want them all to be special. That said; yeah, it’s a priority for me to release a physical copy, maybe vinyl eventually, but
it’s got to be special. It’s got to be right. We’ve got a busy year planned and a digital release right now makes the most sense and use of time. I’m putting the finishing touches on the second release
already.

TN: How have you changed as a songwriter through the history of Hellbound Glory?

LV: I don’t think I have actually. Not sure that a lot of folks know this but I’ve got about 3 or 4 albums worth of material ready to go. I just need the studio time! I guess I write what I write; sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, sometimes more serious songs. I just try not to push it and let the ideas develop.

TN: How have things changed for the band since playing arenas (opening for kid Rock)?

A: The work has become harder and we’ve made less money! It’s funny really, but in a good way. The Kid Rock tour gave me a wider perspective, a tour van, a booking agent and a chance to really focus on getting the Hellbound Glory business together.

TN: Many fans thought that tour would be your big break. Did it feel like it?

LV: Absolutely. Maybe not in the way some fans thought it might, but I never thought we’d do that tour and sell a million records in the first place. But yes, it was a big break and a very eye-opening experience that I learned a lot from. Not sure people understand this, but Kid Rock is a fan of independent country music, a music fan period, and I learned a lot just being out there. That eye-
opening experience… that IS the big break.

TN: What can fans look forward to on your upcoming tour?

LV: The tightest Hellbound Glory line-up I’ve ever had. Solid, Cohesive, Professional. A lot of new songs and I’m really focusing on my guitar playing. Call us a power trio. I’d like to add a steel player
one of these days… and have you ever heard Hellbound Glory with keys?

Buy LV

Music Review: Nikki Lane – “All Or Nothin’ ” [New West Records]

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nikki lane - all or nothin

Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra had a fruitful professional relationship together, most famously working on the smash hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin.’” Though there’s no documented romantic involvement between the two, I believe I have proof of a stylistic offspring of their union. Nikki Lane’a newest release “All Or Nothin’ “ (drop, the “G”, make it real) has the twang, groove and soul DNA that made famed collaboration so successful.

Theres a rose-tinted romantic hopefulness in songs like “Good Man” and “I Don’t Care (About Anything But You)” They have a Wynette-like devotion that wears it’s big heart on a simple gabardine sleeve. “You Can’t Talk To Me Like That” imbues a Laurel Canyon shimmer glinting off this psychedelic-folk ditty reminiscent of Beck’s latest efforts.

But pining has limits and on “Seein Double” Lane licks her heartbroken wounds and hits the road. Producer and Black Key Dan Auerbach lends he voice (as well as his guitar chops which are all over this album) on “Love’s On Fire.” the cut starts as a simmer and heats up to a passion-fueled Rocky-Top-like jamboree. “Sleep With A Stranger” swaggers with energy and is a country-funk delight of sexual self-determination and late night risky businesses.

“All or Nothing” and “Man Up” channels Bobbie Gentry’s Muscle Shoals sessions with all it’s swampy, sultry beauty that fits perfectly with her swervey and austere voice. The latter let’s the subject in her crosshairs know her time is short and if you don’t step up your ass will end up like the gently-worn cowboy boots on the shelf of her Nashville vintage store.

Lane is the spiritual big sister to current Nashville darling Kacey Musgraves. Whereas Musgraves sings about human condition in somewhat wide-eyes naivety, Lane is sophisticated and wry. You can imagine her with a leather jacket, astride a vintage Indian motorcycle, handing a Musgrames “Sticky Fingers” vinyl before tearing down the highway in a cloud of dust.

What starts as a broken-hearted lament of sonic nostalgia careens forward to modern swinging twang looking for a good time. All the while serenaded by Gram Parsons playing in a saloon in a Quentin Tarantino flick.

Official Site | Buy

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Willie Nelson To Release New Album, “Band of Brothers,” Releases Video “The Wall”

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willie-nelson-album-2014-band-of-brothers

Willie Nelson, or as I like to call him the Texas Yoda, might have just celebrated his 81st birthday but he’s showing no signs of altering his prolific ways.

The Country Music hall of Famer will follow up his coed duets album, “To All the Girls…” with “Band of Brothers,” a new album due out June 17 on Legacy Records.

“Band of Brothers” will contain 14 tracks, nine of which are new Willie-penned, and none of the songs have been previously recorded by Nelson. There’s also an interpretation of Vince Gill’s “Whenever You Come Around” and a cover of campadre Billy Joe Shaver’s “The Git Go” that will feature outlaw acolyte Jamey Johnson.

Producer Buddy Cannon, who helmed Willie’s first three Legacy releases, is back. The band features Jim “Moose” Brown (keyboards), Eddie Bayers (drums), Kevin “Swine” Grantt (bass), Bobby Terry (guitar), Tommy White (steel guitar), Mickey Raphael (harmonica) and Trigger (Willie’s guitar), Willie Nelson recorded the bulk of Band of Brothers during sessions at Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville with additional recording at Pedernales Studio, Austin, Texas and The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, Florida. Recording sessions took place between October 2013 and March 2014.

Check the full track list below, and take a gander at the video for first single “The Wall” The song visits Willie’s his battles with addiction, relationships, and financial troubles. There is also scenes of a legendary life well lived.

Willie Nelson — Band of Brothers track list
1. Bring It On (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
2. Guitar in the Corner (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
3. The Wall (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
4. Whenever You Come Around (Vince Gill/Pete Wasner)
5. Wives and Girlfriends (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
6. I Thought I Left You (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
7. Send Me a Picture (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
8. Used to Her (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
9. The Git Go (Billy Joe Shaver/Gary Nicholson)
10. Band of Brothers (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)
11. Hard to Be an Outlaw (Billy Joe Shaver)
12. Crazy Like Me (Dennis Morgan/Shawn Camp/Billy Burnette)
13. The Songwriters (Gordie Sampson/Bill Anderson)
14. I’ve Got a Lot of Traveling to Do (Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon)

Shovels & Rope To Release Sophomore Album “Swimmin’ Time” August 26

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Shovels and Rope - Swimmin Time

Great news Twangers. The pride of Charleston, South Carolina, Shovels & Rope (Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent) release their sophomore album Swimmin’ Time (Dualtone Music) on August 26.

Swimmin’ Time is the highly-anticipated follow up to the band’s 2012 breakthrough debut O’ Be Joyful, which garnered unanimous praise from the press, followed on the heels by dozens of sold out shows, national television appearances, numerous year-end lists (including mine) booming album sales and major festival performances like Newport Folk, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch. Topping at all off the band also took home two of the top honors, Song of the Year (“Birmingham”) and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2013 Americana Music Awards.

They should have been nominated for a GRAMMY as well, but I digress….

Whereas a good deal of O’ Be Joyful was recorded on the road when time allowed, Swimmin’ Time was done at their home studio in Charleston, SC. Trent again producing. Swimmin’ Time features 13 new songs that “that maintain the elemental Shovels & Rope songwriting and sound while incorporating new ingredients to the mix. From the heady harmonies of “The Devil Is All Around” and the quirky “Mary Ann & One-Eyed Dan” to the epic beauty of “After The Storm” and the Waits-ian “Ohio” fans are sure to be pleased and pleasantly surprised by some of the chosen new paths and dark turns.”

Sounds cool. No?

Here’s a song that the band is doing on the road that will be on Swimmin’ Time

Watch Out! Hurray for the Riff Raff – Conan – April 29, 2014 [VIDEO]

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Hurray for the Riff Raff - Conan

Hurray for the Riff Raff made their late night TV debut on Conan. Alynda Lee Segarra , bedecked in a gilded Nudie-inspired suit is in fine form performing the Cajan-flavored “I Know It’s Wrong (But That’s Alright.)” there is also a wbsite only performance of “End of the Line.” Bothe songs are from HFTRR’s newest “Small Town Heroes” (ATO Records)

And if that wasn’t enough, look for the band to play David Letterman on June 26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1bfEOlsxdM

Watch Out! The Secret Sisters “Rattle My Bones” [VIDEO]

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The Secret Sisters "Rattle My Bones"

The Secret Sisters – Laura and Lydia Rogers – new release “Put Your Needle Down” (review here)
prove they can do more than winsome covers with their sizzling new single shows they can rock.

The cut was penned by Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth and swings a Bo Diddley-style swing.

The Tyler Jones-directed video sits somewhere between “At Folsom Prison’ and Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock” behind-the-bars dance off.

Is it hot in here or is it just this video?

The Secret Sisters are on tour now:

5/03 9:30 Club Washington, DC
5/04 9:30 Club Washington, DC
5/06 Taft Theatre Cincinnati, OH
5/08 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
5/09 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL
5/10 Pabst Theater Milwaukee, WI
5/11 State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
5/13 Ogden Theatre Denver, CO
5/14 Kingsbury Hall Salt Lake City, UT
5/16 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR
5/17 Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
5/19 Fox Theater Oakland, CA
5/20 Balboa Theatre San Diego, CA
5/21 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA

Watch Out! Sturgill Simpson – ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ [VIDEO]

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Sturgill Simpson - 'Turtles All the Way Down'

The new Sturgill Simpson song ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ is like an “I’ve Been Everywhere Man” but with destinations of the mind instead of the lower 48. It’s the kind of psychedelic honky-tonk. Gram Parsons would approve.

“Marijuana, LSD, psilocybin, DMT…They all change the way I see, but love’s the only thing that ever saved my life.”

That’s a long, strange trip that ends up with the greatest of mind alterations.

Simpson will release his second album, “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” on his own High Top Mountain Records. “Turtles All the Way Down” is the first release.

“I would urge anyone that gets hung up on the song being about drugs to give another listen, To me ‘Turtles’ is about giving your heart to love and treating everyone with compassion and respect no matter what you do or don’t believe.” The song — which Simpson tells NPR was inspired by “theology, cosmology and breakthroughs in modern physics and their relationship to a few personal experiences I’ve had”

A psychedelic country song deserves to be represented by a psychedelic-inspired video. That’s exactly what director by Graham Uhelski has created. The words and visuals works to to further establish the Outlaw reputation which Simpson eschews (much like Waylon did)

The video description: “Through Dr. Rick Strassman and Andrew Stone at www.cottonwoodresearch.org I was introduced to visionary software artist Scott Draves, creator and founder of Electric Sheep, a form of raw synthetic consciousness communicated between sleeping computers. After some correspondence, Scott was gracious and generous enough to contribute to the project. I am very grateful for their collective assistance in helping me fully realize this vision.”

Check out the video below and see some crazy imagery. More importantly hear how country music can be modernized and evolve without being packaged into radio-friendly drivel.

Watch Out! Kelly Willis – “Harper Valley PTA” [VIDEO]

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Kelly Willis - Harper Valley PTA
Kelly Willis – Harper Valley PTA

Way back in 2012 Kelly Willis asked her Twitter followers for cover ideas for an upcoming Austin gig coming up playing alongside her husband Bruce Robison. There were some great suggestions in response. I Tweeted “Harper Valley PTA” because I thought Willis’ style would fit it perfectly. it appears she agreed with me because that was the cover that she chose.

Fast-forward to today and Ms. Willis has released a wonderful video of “Harper Valley PTA.”
Her rendition of Tom T. Hall’s tale of a swinging 60’s single mom confronting small town hypocrisy was a sensation and made Jeannie C. Riley a star and a symbol of female empowerment on country radio.

Her version is excellent as are all things Willis lends her pipes to. I do like the extras little kick and swing added to the arrangement. And that organ!

Now did my tweet two years ago lead to the inclusion of this song Kelly Wills & Bruce Robison’s upcoming “Our Year?” I don’t know.

But I like to think it did.

Kelly Wills & Bruce Robison’s “Our Year,” the follow-up to the fantastic “Cheaters Game,” is due out May 27 on Thirty Tigers.

Record Store Day 2014 – Americana and Roots Music Picks

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Gram Parsons - Alternate Takes from GP and Grievous Angel

It’s that time again twangers. Yes, Record Store Day 2014 is upon us. The annual celebration of local record stores that leaves behind clowns and balloons and replaced them with long lines and limited edition slabs of vinyl.

This year’s RSD2013 releases offer some great selections from the roots and Americana side of the fence. Steve Earle townes album stripped back to it’s solo guitar base? Yes! Alternate Takes from Gram Parsons’ pivotal GP and Grievous Angel albums? Oh yes! Unreleased Hank Williams from the 1950 The Garden radio spot programs? Hells yes!

Head to your local indy record store on April 19th early and scoop up some of these limited edition goodies below.

Check the RSD14 full list and remember to tweet a pic of your bounty to my twitter account and I’ll share it with those that dared to stay home.

Print

Big Mama Thornton – Sassy Mama
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
– A scorching 1975 live set from Big Mama including “Rolling Stone,” “Lost City,” and “Mr. Cool.”

Joan Baez – “Blessed Are”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Baez’s seminal 1971 double album is presented here in an ‘exact replica’ gatefold package. Included are “Blessed Are,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Salt of the Earth,” and many more.

The Allman Brothers – “Selections from: Play All Night: Live at the Beacon Theatre 1992”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Legacy
Double vinyl release of live songs previously only available on DVD.

Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin – Songs from Common Ground
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Yep Roc
Four song 12″ featuring the Alvin Brothers playing the songs of Bill Broonzy

Blue Rodeo – “Diamond Mine”
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
25th anniversary reissue, first time on blue and green colored vinyl

Neko Case & Jason Lytle – “Satellite of Love”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Brink
Take a trip into space with musicians Howe Gelb, Neko Case, Victoria Williams, John Covertino (Calexico), and many more in this limited edition 7 inch vinyl. Includes songs Satellite of Love, Mars Cassette Waltz, and Untethered Space Walk from the award winning animation comedy film Mars (Starring Mark Duplass of The League and Safety Not Guaranteed).

Johnny Cash – With His Hot and Blue Guitar
Format: 12″ Blue Vinyl
Label: ORG Music
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar is the debut album of country singer Johnny Cash. Released in 1957, it was the first LP ever issued on Sam Phillips’ Sun Records label. Currently out of print, the album is being remastered and reissued on an exclusive blue color vinyl for Record Store Day. This limited edition pressing of 3,000 units will be numbered with a foil stamp on each jacket.

CENTRO-MATIC – Redo The Stacks
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Navigational Transmissions
Reissue of the band’s first album, originally released in 1996. This version is remastered and artwork has been redone and hand painted to match the original version.

The Civil Wars – Live at Eddie’s Attic
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Columbia
Nine songs recorded live in Decatur, Georgia in April 2009.

Court Yard Hounds – Amelita
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
12″ vinyl of the new record with bonus 7″

Drive-By Truckers – Dragon Pants EP
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: ATO
B-Sides and outtakes from the new album English Oceans

Steve Earle – Townes: The Basics
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: New West Records
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
In 2009 Steve Earle released an album of Townes Van Zandt songs. It began as solo guitar and vocal tracks recorded in October 2008 in New York City. Other instruments were added later in subsequent sessions for the album in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. Those original recordings – The Basics – were released on a limited edition bonus CD with the Townes album and are available here for the first time on vinyl.; HAND NUMBERED

The Everly Brothers – Roots
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
“Roots” showcases the harmonies of the Everlys with covers of songs by performers who had been influential on the duo’s career. Songs by Jimmie Rodgers, George Jones, Randy Newman and Merle Haggard plus traditional standards offer laid-back, tasteful, acoustic-oriented arrangements with superb vocals that convey qualities of innocence tempered by experience. Originally released in 1968, “Roots” is one of the finest early country-rock albums.

Mary Gauthier/Sam Baker – When A Woman Goes Cold/Ditch
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Gram Parsons – 180 Gram: Alternate Takes from GP and Grievous Angel
Label: Rhino
2LP vinyl release of audio sourced from “The Complete Reprise Sessions” released in 2005. Contains a postcard insert at the request of Gram’s daughter, Polly Parsons, for the Hickory Wind Ranch Recovery Community. Foil numbering.

TRACK LISTING: SIDE ONE: “She (Alternative Version)”, “That’s All It Took (Alternative Version)”, “Still Feeling Blue (Alternative Version)”, “Kiss The Children (Alternative Version)”, “Streets of Baltimore (Alternative Version)” SIDE TWO: We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning (Alternative Version)”, “The New Soft Shoe (Alternative Version)”, “Return of the Grievous Angel #1 (Alternative Version)”, “In My Hour of Darkness (Alternative Version)”, “In My Hour of Darkness (Alternative Version)”, “Ooh Las Vegas (Alternative Version) SIDE THREE: “I Can’t Dance (Alternative Version)”, “Sleepless Nights (Alternative Version)”, “Love Hurts (Alternative Version)”, “Brass Buttons (Alternative Version)”, “Hickory Wind (Alternative Version)” SIDE FOUR: “Brand New Heartache”, “Sleepless Nights”, “The Angels Rejoiced Last Night”

Waylon Jennings/Sanford Clark – Zia Records Presents: Audio Recorders Archive Vol. 1
Format: 7″ 45 – Limited to 500 copies on “GOLD” wax for Record Store Day
Label: Zia Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Lake Street Dive – What I’m Doing Here/Wedding Band
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Signature Sounds
Single 45 in a picutre sleeve, unreleased tracks

Ray Lamontagne – “Supernova”/”Pick Up A Gun”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: RCA
First single from the album Supernova coming May 6th. Produced by Dan Auerbach.

Jon Langford & Skull Orchard – “Days & Nights”/”Here’s What We Have”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: In De Goot Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Langhorne Slim & The Law – “Animal”/”Space Girl”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Ramseur Records
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

Lydia Loveless – “Mile High”/”Blind”
Format: 7″ Limited edition on colored vinyl. B-side is exclusive Ke$ha cover.
Label: Bloodshot
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Jessica Lea Mayfield – “Make My Head Sing”
Format: Pink Cassette of the full album
Label: ATO Records
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Doug Paisley – “Growin Souls/”Lies Lead To Lies”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: No Quarter
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Dolly Parton – “Blue Smoke”/”Home”
Format: Blue 7″ Vinyl
Label: Masterworks
Tracks from the forthcoming Dolly Parton record

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – “Jack Elliott”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Ramblin’ Jack’s Vanguard debut, notable also for the appearance of Bob Dylan (credited as Tedham Porterhouse) on harmonica. It includes such staples as “Roving Gambler,” “Diamond Joe,” and “Black Snake Moan.”

Songs: Ohia – Journey On: Collected Singles
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Secretly Canadian
Release type: ‘RSD First’ Release
More Info:
Almost 20 years after Jason Molina’s voice first rang out from Ohio, in this brave new world of streaming, the discussion surrounding the resurgence of vinyl rarely includes the 7”.

Southern Culture On The Skids – Party at my Trouse
Format: 7″ Vinyl – SCOTS collaboration with B-52s frontman Fred Schnieder
Label: Yep Roc
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release

Various Artists – The Folk Box 50th Anniversary
Label: Rhino
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
50th Anniversary Edition of the Elektra Records (in cooperation with Folkway Records) Vinyl Box Set 4-LP set containing 83 tracks featuring artists such as Pete Seeger, Dave Van Ronk, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton and Judy Collins and many more. Vinyl cut from the original 1964 master tapes. Limited edition with foil stamp numbering. Bonus exclusive 7″ Vinyl included featuring Judy Collins’ rare version of Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Keep It with Mine” backed with Tom Paxton’s recording of “The Last Thing on My Mind” for Record Store Day only. Includes a 48 Page booklet including Forewords from legendary Producer Jac Holzman and Co-Producer Ted Olson. Out of print for over 40 years.

Various Artists – The Newport Folk Festival 1963–The Evening Concerts, Vol. 1
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Fans at RecordStoreDay.com and VanguardRecords.com voted for this re-issue of Newport’s 1963 installment, remastered from the original tapes by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering and features performances from Mississppi John Hurt, Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and, yes, Bob Dylan. Presented in ‘exact replica’ package.

“The Barnyard Song” (Sam Hinton), “Must I Go Bound” (Sam Hinton), “The Arkansas Traveller (Sam Hinton), “C.C.Rider” (Mississippi John Hurt/Pete Seeger), “Stagolee” (Mississippi John Hurt), “Spike Driver Blues (Mississippi John Hurt), “Coffee Blues (Mississippi John Hurt), “Diamond Joe” (Ramblin’ Jack Elliott), “Walk Right In” (Rooftop Singers), “Un Canadian Errant” (Ian and Sylvia), “Woke Up This Morning” (The Freedom Singers), “Oh, Freedom” (Joan Baez/Theodore Bikel), “Te Adore, Ate Amanha” (Joan Baez), “Wagoner’s Lad” (Joan Baez), “Blowin’ In The Wind” (Bob Dylan), “We Shall Overcome” (The Freedom Singers)

“Doc Watson – Southbound”
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Vanguard
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
Fans at RecordStoreDay.com and VanguardRecords.com voted for this re-issue of Doc’s classic 1966 album, remastered from the original tapes by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. Presented in ‘exact replica’ package.

“Walk On Boy”, “Blue Railroad Train”, “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Alberta”, “Southbound”, “Windy and Warm”, “Call of the Road”, “Tennessee Stud”, “That Was The Last Thing On My Mind”, “Little Darling Pal of Mine”, “Nothing To It”, “Riddle Song”, “Never No More Blues”, “Nashville Picking”

The Wild Feathers – “Got It Wrong/Marie”
Format: 7″ Vinyl
Label: Warner Bros.

Hank Williams – The Garden Spot Programs, 1950–Extended Play
Format: 10″ Vinyl
Label: Omnivore Recordings
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release
All recordings previously unreleased! From a 1950 radio show sponsored by Texas’ Naughton Farms Nursery, and brought to brown 10″ vinyl with the help of Williams’ daughter Jett.

SIDE ONE: “The Garden Spot Jingle” (Show 4), “I Don’t Care (If Tomorrow Never Comes) (Show 10), “Lovesick Blues” (Show 4), “Closing/Oh Susanna” (Show 10) SIDE TWO: “Farther Along” (Show 10), “Mind Your Own Business” (Show 9), “Fiddle Tune” (Show 4), “Closing/Oh Susanna” (Show 11)

Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys – Transcriptions
Format: 12″ Vinyl
Label: Real Gone Music
Release type: RSD Limited Run / Regional Focus Release
More Info:

Ten sides from Bob Wills’ legendary Tiffany Transcriptions, which were recordings made available only to radio stations in the late ’40s. The Tiffany Transcriptions are generally considered to be the best recordings that the King of Western Swing ever made, as the lack of commercial restrictions allowed his incredible band–and vocalist Tommy Duncan–to stretch out. Wills made over 300 transcription sides for Tiffany; only about half of them have been reissued on vinyl or compact disc. This 10-track album not only includes ten songs that have never been heard or seen anywhere since they appeared on the transcription discs some 65 years ago, but also features packaging designed to mimic the look of the original transcriptions, with a cutaway hole in front to show the vintage Tiffany logo on the vinyl, which is pressed in red as some Tiffany transcriptions did come in red vinyl. The back cover also includes vintage graphics from the period.

“I’m an Old Cowhand”, “Long Eared Mule”, “Put Another Chair at the Table”, “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes”, “Don’t Fence Me In”, “Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age”, “Black and Blue Rag”, “Have I Stayed Away Too Long”, “Moonlight on the Ganges”, “What Is Life Without Love”

Music Review: The Secret Sisters – “Put Your Needle Down” [Universal Republic]

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The Secret Sisters Put Your Needle Down

On their debut release the country/folk duo The Secret Sisters (Laura and Lydia Rogers from hallowed Muscle Shoals, AL) featured mostly covers. They showed impeccable taste by interpreting legendary gems by George Jones, Bill Monroe, Buck Owens, Hank Williams and Frank Sinatra. But even with the inclusion of a couple of originals the spirit of the Sisters seemed buried under that considerable musical history.

Since their 2110 debut the sisters haven’t rested on their well-received laurels. The duo honed their craft by working with Jack White’s Third Man Records, with Dave Stewart on a solo album, with The Chieftains on a tribute album. if that weren’t enough they supplied a cut for a Hunger Games soundtrack. This busy schedule has done wonders to refine their craft and that refinement is put on full display on “Put Your Needle Down.”

The opener is a clear example of that expertise. “Rattle My Bones,” written by Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, sits atop a Bo Diddley beat on this cooking tune about man regret that has the sisters mingling sibling harmony in a way that only experience (and genetics) can.

“Let There Be Lonely” is a dreamy lament to hard love that yearns and burns right through you.

“Dirty Lie” is an unfinished, bootleg only, Bob Dylan song from the 80’s that was brought to the sisters by producer and spiritual leader T Bone Burnett. They finished ou the song later after that meeting in their hotel room and the result is striking. Less folky obtuse defiance than a full torch mode Peggy Lee fronting a gypsy-jazz ensemble.

“Luka” is a slow-simmering tale of a woman attempting to escape an abusive father that slithers toward a dark en. Violins cry siren-like and meld into the high register singing that balances piqued emotion and harmonic beauty. “Pocket Knife” also employs violins to further turn up the heat. Flanked by a whinnying slide guitar and tribal drums the song builds an environment of the claustrophobic world that the women headed towards an unwanted marriage is living in.

“Lonely Island” is a lovely showcase for the sister’s more relaxed style. It lulls you into weeping in your umbrella drink. “If I Don’t” swings into a different take on Tammy Wynette as standing by your man comes with caveats that things better change and fast.

T Bone Burnett beings his sophisticated ear to shade the arrangements with just the right amount of funky antiquity. His direction and the extraordinary band build an atmosphere of parlor room intimacy that sounds like the best house concert you ever attended.

Listening to a Secret Sisters release is a crash course in the great American songbook. There’s more grit and heat in these performances than on their previous effort. They seem more assured. Less winsome demeanor and more poised audacity.

The 12 songs on “Put Your Needle Down,” many self-penned, proves the Sisters are no mere extraordinarily talented throwback novelty act. They are now interpreting the ages in their own impeccable style and making their own way.

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