The latest release from Holly Williams

Kim Ruehl reviews Holly Williams' latest release.

Not necessarily folk-related but a great subject

Kyle Biehle asks this provocative question: "Is There Life After Fifty for a Songwriter?"

The latest on Kerrville

Here is some of the latest news involved this year's Kerrville Folk Festival.

Jeff Black - "B-Sides & Confessions Volume II"

Jeff Black

Listening to Jeff Black brings to the surface the age-old lament: why are other less talented-by-far musicians famous and wealthy when he continues to roll out gem after gem in veritable anonymity?

Are the gods and goddesses swirling above and around the music industry tone deaf or talent blind?

The primary answer is, thank you to H.L. Mencken, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

But enough with that hornet's nest -- let's focus on Black's music and some of the cuts.

His latest release -- "B-Sides & Confessions Volume II" -- offers another excursion into Black's well-honed craft. He can be point-A-to-point-B straightforward with his lyrics but also maintains a solid streak of impressionism, serving up sketches of humankind that leave room for interpretation. Overall, it's a musical buffet.

The bluesy "All Right Now" opens Black's song selections and will have listeners swearing Greg Brown is performing. Yes, identification of one performer through another is probably artistic heresy but this ties back in to the opening paragraph.

"Molly Rose" is the embodiment of his unique style -- a method of describing a situation through an elevated erudition. First he writes about "...a scab of a man..." and then proceeds:

"...he whittled her down and badgered her prize
he played on her faults and blackened her eyes
then for once in my life I took purpose and creed
I couldn't stand by and watch the bastard succeed..."

Yes, Black could have rotely advanced his story-telling here by traveling the 'he beat her, I'm going to kill him' route but instead he displayed an advanced artistry above what many others would have written.

In "Avalon," Black supplies what would make quite the impression etched on a cemetery headstone but is more likely referring to the island where King Arthur went for rest and recovery.

Backed by gaunt piano, "Impala" is a paean to an outlier figure simultaneously revered and feared by a younger collective. Listen and you'll believe it's another appearance by Brown.

The mandolin enhanced "Alice Carry" just silences the world, bringing all to a standstill. Of course, the clock never stops its forward tick but the mind's eye of the listener prevails over all other elements here as Black is riveting with a rendition about a Hollywood-dreaming Okie destined for a mundane life. No great books would be authored nor heroic actions undertaken yet nothing would be wrong with such a life of simple love and raising a family. Minus regret, the lead character sings at the end "some of us are lucky and some of us make due..." The literal authenticity on display when Black employs "hey hey Oklahoma" as a dual greeting/flirting between the figures is a stroke of genius.

With a downbeat bent, "Days On End," goes counterpoint to "Alice Carry."

An admission of wrongdoing accompanying a lesson learned carries "Miss Me."

"An Evil Lesson is Soon Learned" has an upbeat rollicking rhythm surrounding a story of harm.

Serving the purpose of forsaking the pursuit of fickle fandom for the resolute draw of home and hearth is the backbone of "True Love Never Let Me Down."

In "Sunday Falling," Black expounds that the seventh day is a period of time with a different feeling.

Time alongside quality artistry is always well spent. Buddy up with Jeff Black to make that happen.

Songs

* All Right Now
* Molly Rose
* Avalon
* Impala
* Alice Carry
* Days On End
* Miss Me
* An Evil Lesson Is Soon Learned
* Good Old Days
* True Love Never Let Me Down
* Remain
* Sunday Falling

copyright 2013 Jeff Black

Tom Russell's music captured

Jenny Neyman/The Redoubt Reporter opens her look at Tom Russell with an astute opening paragraph:

"For as masterful as he is with language, Tom Russell is difficult to describe. Perhaps because he creates such euphuistic wealth of imagery with such spare use of words that emptying a thesaurus over him is of no better use than pouring sugar on already ripe fruit..."

Russell is currently up in Alaska for a series of concerts.

Janis Ian interviewed

Joshua Tehee interviews Janis Ian and the name of singer-songwriter Diana Jones pops up.

It obviously goes way back and many performers prefer referencing to their newer material but nobody captured teenage angst better than Ian with "At Seventeen."

Ian plays in Santa Cruz on March 31.

Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer with "Child Ballads"

Kim Ruehl profiles the "Child Ballads" -- the  latest from Anais Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer. Here's some background via Wilipedia.

Jim Farber on folk music

Jim Farber digs into the current folk music sound -- here's a snippet:

 - The ’40s had Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Burl Ives.

- The ’50s saw the Weavers, Harry Belafonte and the Kingston Trio.

- The ’60s brought everyone from Bob Dylan and the Byrds in the U.S. to Donovan and Fairport Convention in the U.K.

- The ’70s saw the heyday of “sensitive” singer-songwriters, from Joni Mitchell to Cat Stevens to James Taylor.

- The electro ’80s rebounded with Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega.

- Not to be outdone, the ’90s begat the whole Americana movement.

The Top 100 Folk Music Releases of 2012

Roots Music Report has compiled the Top 100 Folk Music Releases of 2012 according to airplay. As a tease, here are the Top 20:

1 PIETA BROWN MERCURY
2 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS LEAVING EDEN    
3 ROSE COUSINS WE HAVE MADE A SPARK    
4 SHAWN COLVIN ALL FALL DOWN    
5 LUCY KAPLANSKY REUNION    
6 WOODY GUTHRIE WOODY AT 100    
7 CAROLINE HERRING CAMILLA    
8 MARK KNOPFLER PRIVATEERING    
9 RED MOLLY LIGHT IN THE SKY    
10 CAHALEN MORRISON & ELI WEST     OUR LADY OF THE TALL TREES    
11 NANCI GRIFFITH INTERSECTION    
12 RANI ARBO & DAISY MAYHEM SOME BRIGHT MORNING    
13 MUMFORD & SONS BABEL    
14 THE REFUGEES 3    
15 ABIGAIL WASHBURN CITY OF REFUGE    
16 100 MILE HOUSE HOLLOW PONDS    
17 THE HARD ROAD TRIO MONTICELLO    
18 MALCOLM HOLCOMBE DOWN THE RIVER    
19 SARAH MCQUAID THE PLUM TREE AND THE ROSE    
20 THE HONEY DEWDROPS SILVER LINING    

The Top 100 Roots Country Releases of 2012

Roots Music Report has compiled the Top 100 Roots Country Releases of 2012 according to airplay. As a tease, here are the Top 20 (there certainly some interesting inclusions in this category):

1 DARRELL SCOTT LONG RIDE HOME
2 ROBERT EARL KEEN READY FOR CONFETTI
3 RODNEY CROWELL KIN - SONGS BY MARY KARR & RODNEY CROWELL   
4 CORB LUND CABIN FEVER   
5 JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE     NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE THE WAY YOU FEEL ABOUT ME NOW   
6 RAY WYLIE HUBBARD THE GRIFTER'S HYMNAL   
7 WILLIE NELSON HEROES   
8 SARA WATKINS SUN MIDNIGHT SUN   
9 JIMMY LAFAVE DEPENDING ON THE DISTANCE   
10 MARTY STUART & HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES NASHVILLE VOL. 1 -- TEAR THE WOODPILE DOWN   
11 THE LITTLE WILLIES FOR THE GOOD TIMES   
12 ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO BIG STATION   
13 MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER ASHES AND ROSES   
14 DWIGHT YOAKAM 3 PEARS   
15 ZOE MUTH & THE LOST HIGH ROLLERS OLD GOLD   
16 RAYLAND BAXTER FEATHERS AND FISH HOOKS   
17 MISS TESS SWEET TALK   
18 GILLIAN WELCH THE HARROW & THE HARVEST   
19 JOE ELY SATISFIED AT LAST   
20 RYAN ADAMS ASHES & FIRE    

Glory be to Hank Williams

The late Hank Williams offered authentic music that has withstood the proverbial test of time. Peter Cooper offers an intriguing read on the so-called magical mystery tour that was Williams' last.

A David Wilcox Q-and-A

Kathy S-B interviewed David Wilcox earlier this month.