|
|
Dolly, Loretta and the rest
by Gregg Shapiro 2002-09-25
|
|
This article shared 2068 times since Wed Sep 25, 2002
|
|
For a singer and songwriter who didn't have very many "hits," Nanci Griffith has been the subject of more than a couple of "best of" collections. Recently, three of her early country/folk releases, from her days on the Philo folk label, were reissued. From A Distance: The Very Best of Nanci Griffith ( MCA Nashville ) , focuses on her MCA years ( 1987-1991 ) is the first of Griffith's "greatest" compilations that doesn't disappoint. One of the most remarkable things about the disc is how clearly you can hear the evolution of her sound. The songs from Lone Star State Of Mind ( including the title track and her cover of "From A Distance" that pre-dates Bette Midler's by a few years ) her mid-'80s MCA debut has a strong country twang to it. Storms, her next disc ( produced by Glyn Johns ) , featured a synthesized keyboard on songs such as "I Don't Want To Talk About Love" and "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go," which is a little startling at first, but sounds perfectly natural after the first listen. Griffith returned to her acoustic roots on Little Love Affairs, an album that contained one of her best-known songs, "Outbound Plane." Oddly enough, synthesizers surface again on the Late Night Grande Hotel Disc, and enhance songs such as "It's Just Another Morning Here" and the title track.
It's been three years since What I Deserve, the last full-length Kelly Willis album was released. It was probably a daunting task for Willis to try and follow up an album as well-received and acclaimed as What I Deserve, but on the appropriately titled Easy ( Rykodisc ) , she makes it sound, well, easy. Like its predecessor, Easy contains Willis originals and collaborations, including the lustrous, but shaded "Wait Until Dark" ( co-written with John Leventhal ) , the heartbreaking "Reason To Believe," and the country shuffle of "If I Left You." Willis also has an "easy"-going way with songs by the late Kirsty MacColl ( the suitably countrified "Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim!" ) and acclaimed blues artist Marcia Ball ( a twangy version of "Find Another Fool" ) .
There seems to be little doubt that Dolly Parton has done some of her best work in the three years since she released Little Sparrow, her first album for bluegrass label Sugar Hill. Halos & Horns ( Sugar Hill ) , her latest disc, continues the trend. The original songs range in style from the bluegrass blues of "Not For Me," "What A Heartache," "Dagger Through The Heart," and "If Only" to joyful spirituals infused with a thoughtful religious fervor such as "Hello God" and "Raven Dove." Parton also maintains her knack for storytelling, as you can hear on the flirtatious "Sugar Hill," "John Daniel," and the album's delightful centerpiece "These Old Bones." Parton also performs to covers, Bread's "If" and Led Zepplin's "Stairway To Heaven," both of which are given new coats of paint through her bluegrass readings of the songs.
Kathy Mattea, a country music superstar and AIDS activist who helped redefine the sound from Nashville, dabbles in Celtic-influenced spirituals on her new album Roses ( Narada ) . You can hear it in the mandolin on "Guns Of Love," the whistle on "Ashes In The Wind" and "Come Away With Me," and especially in the fiddle of the two-part "Isle of Inishmore."
In keeping with the "roses" theme, there is Bramble Rose ( Lost Highway ) by Tift Merritt. Pairing Merritt up with producer Ethan John ( Julianna Raye, Ryan Adams ) makes perfect sense for the singer/songwriter's major label debut disc. With the early albums of Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris in mind ( and perhaps an unconscious nod to Sheryl Crow ) , Merritt has crafted 11 catchy contemporary country tunes, including "Trouble Over Me," "Virginia, No One Can Hear You" "Bird Of Freedom," "I Know Him Too," and "Diamond Shoes."
Country and roots music is no longer confined to Nashville, Tenn., and Austin, Tex. Witness Patty Blee, who is based on the Jersey Shore. Her album Disguise ( Treasure ) has enough of an audible twang to qualify it as country. Listen to the pedal steel guitar and violin on "Down To The Water," and tell me I'm wrong.
The Best of Loretta Lynn, Volume 2: The Millennium Collection ( MCA Nashville ) will bring smiles to the faces of many country music traditionalists. Loretta Lynn's influence can be heard in each of the artists' above, and this compilation, which includes "Wine, Women and Song," "Fist City," "You're Looking At Country," and the controversial "The Pill," covers her mid-'60s through early 1980s hits. |
|
|
|
This article shared 2068 times since Wed Sep 25, 2002
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | Cher, Dionne among Rock & Roll HoF honorees; Mariah snubbed 2024-04-22 - On April 21, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its 2024 inductees, per an ABC press release. In the performer category, the inductees are Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter ...
|
| | The importance of becoming Ernest: Out actor Christopher Sieber dishes about the Death Becomes Her musical 2024-04-20 - Out and proud actor Christopher Sieber is part of the team bringing Death Becomes Her to life as a stage musical in the Windy City this spring. Sieber plays Ernest Menville, who was originally portrayed by ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Celine Dion, 'The People's Joker,' Billy Porter, Patti LuPone, 'Strange Way' 2024-04-19 - I Am: Celine Dion will stream on Prime Video starting June 25, according to a press release. The film is described as follows: "Directed by Academy Award nominee Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion gives us ...
|
| | Kokandy Productions now accepting submissions for Chicago Musical Theater Fest returning Aug. 8-11 2024-04-18 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 18, 2024) — Kokandy Productions is pleased to open submissions for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, returning this summer following a four-year hiatus. Kokandy is thrilled to ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo 2024-04-12 - Gay comedian/filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael criticized Dave Chappelle, opening up about the pair's ongoing feud and calling out Chappelle's opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, PinkNews noted, citing an Esquire article. Carmichael ...
|
| | Judith Butler focuses on perceptions of gender at Chicago Humanities Festival talk 2024-04-10 - In an hour-long program filled with dry humornot to mention lots of audience laughterphilosopher, scholar and activist Judith Butler (they/them) spoke in depth on their new book at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., on ...
|
| | Andersonville Chamber announces Andersonville Midsommarfest entertainment lineup 2024-04-09 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to announce the full entertainment line-up for Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | 'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24 - At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21 - Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...
|
| | THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21 - Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...
|
| | Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19 - Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...
|
| | Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18 - Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15 - Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...
| |
|
|