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Music Reviews from World Wide Work bulletin

This is a searchable archive of reviews of music CDs that appeared in past editions of the free emailed bulletin, World Wide Work. They appear in chronological order, from most recent to least recent.

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• • Chimes of Freedom. Musical performers from virtually every genre and generation apply their own style to Bob Dylan songs on this 4-CD fundraiser for Amnesty International.

    For the Good Times by The Little Willies. A talented and playful group whose best-known member is Norah Jones covers songs by well-known country stars.

    Which Side Are You On? by Ani DiFranco. Sometimes angry and political, sometimes content and personal.

    Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down by Ry Cooder (Nonesuch). This is an album themed for the Occupy era, from “No Banker Left Behind” to two anti-war songs, “Baby Joined the Army” and “Christmas Time This Year.” There’s plenty of Cooder’s artful songwriting and playing, from a song about a Mexican immigrant who cleans his house and is appalled at his lack of work ethic to a celebration of the “simple tools” in life that helped a man recover when his wife left him for a junk bond trader.
  • San Patricio by The Chieftains (Concord). This album commemorates a battalion of Irish immigrants who were compelled by the U.S. Army to help conquer parts of Mexico during the late 1840s. The Irishmen decided that the conquerors were in the wrong, and so they switched sides. When the war ended, the American generals had them executed. A star-studded group of Mexican-American musicians helps the Chieftains tell the story, beginning when the Irish are leaving their native land because of famine.
  • Unplugged by Los Tigres del Norte (Fonavisa). A live album in Spanish by the leading voice of Mexican immigrants features collaborations with a number of other well-known Latino artists.
  • Everything is Everywhere by Carrie Newcomer (Available Light). The Midwestern songwriter visited India and collaborated with sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and family on an album with spiritual themes.
  • Clear Glass Jar by Judith Edelman (31 Tigers). A young folk-pop songwriter pours out her feelings.
• New Deal by Tim Larson and the Owner Operators. An asphalt worker and member of the Operating Engineers union sings in gritty alt-rock style about blue-collar workers whose lives have been turned upside down by what Wall Street has done to the economy.
• Steady as She Goesby Hot Tuna (Red House Records). Two of the founders of Jefferson Airplane are still making foot-tapping music, often sounding like Leon Russell, along with a few reflective tunes like “Second Chances” and “Things That Might Have Been.”
• Big Chimney is a new, smooth-sounding string band that reinterprets an eclectic selection of rock, folk, and bluegrass tunes in an EP online.
• Go-Go Boots by Drive-By Truckers (ATO Records). One of the band’s most varied albums in years rarely settles for clichés either in the generally dark lyrics or the music, which ranges from pulsating rock to subtle country.
• Man of Many Moons by Danny Schmidt (Red House). Schmidt’s lyrics are original and display thoughtfulness and a sense of humor. This acoustic album would be even stronger if he had a full, energetic band behind him.
• To Drink the Rain by Malcolm Holcombe (Music Road Records). The state of the world is getting this gruff sounding country blues singer down, but he tries to remember to “put one foot in front of the other with a smile, and put on your britches one leg at a time.”
• How the Light Gets In by Wise-Magraw (Red House). Virtuoso instrumental duets by a guitar player and a tabla player.
  Canciones Populares Contestatarias by Perrozompopo. Politically conscious alternative electronic music from Nicaragua.
• Red Horse by Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, and Lucy Kaplansky (Red House Records). Three singers who usually record alone join together, often with one taking the lead on a song one of the others wrote. There are also covers of a few traditional songs or golden oldies.
• Love Filling Station by Jesse Winchester (Appleseed). After a long career, Winchester still has a beautiful voice and a knack for fresh and tight lyrics and melodies.
• Agridustrial by Legendary Shack Shakers (Colonel Knowledge/Thirty Tigers). Harsh hard rock, including percussion sounds recorded in a blacksmith’s forge, provide the backdrop for angry rants about hard times, past and present, in rural America.
• The Big To-Do by Drive-By Truckers (ATO). A number of the tracks center on crime and the burdens of substance abuse, but songs with other themes are mixed in, including “This F---ing Job,” whose point can be gleaned from the title, and “Eyes Like Glue,” reflecting the songwriter’s thoughts about his life as he’s being watched by his young son.
• Before & After by Carrie Newcomer (Rounder). Newcomer continues to avoid clichés as she applies her clear voice and songwriting skills to explore spirituality and community in everyday life.
• One Stolen Night by John Jorgenson Quintet (J2Records). An American jazz guitarist in the Django Reinhardt tradition shows good range within the broad genre.
• Whatcha Gonna Do by Claire Lynch (Rounder). More bluegrass that’s not just about Mama and drinking.
• Live at Passim and Classics by Susan Werner (www.susanwerner.com). A talented and original songwriter has produced two interesting albums. Live at Passim includes a brilliant song about old-school men called “Barbed Wire Boys,” a lament to a spouse or partner that “I Can’t Be New,” and a wry speculation on making a “Movie of My Life,” as well as a group of previously released songs about the disconnect between her religious feelings and the established church. Classics is an album of rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s that are reinterpreted with chamber music instrumentation.
• Aztlan Underground (www.aztlanunderground.net) contains mostly political songs by an L.A. band that mixes native rhythms and instruments with modern urban sounds.
• So Dark You See by John Gorka (Red House). Includes an interesting song called “Ignorance and Privilege” about his discovery that “my way was paved” in life because of his white skin. “If the wind is at your back, and you never turn around, you may never know the wind is there, you may never hear the sound.”
• Time Stands Still by Chris Smither (Signature Sounds). Combination of original songs and covers like “Miner’s Blues” and Mark Knopfler’s “Madame Geneva’s.”
• Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House by The Wailin’ Jennys (Red House). Features gorgeous harmonies by this three-woman folk group.
• Love Don’t Make You Juliet by Brandi Shearer (Vinyl Tiger). Low-key, late-night sound from the sultry-voiced jazz singer.
• Still Moving Mountains (Aurora Lights and JourneyUpCoalRiver.org). Features coalfield songs and interviews with local residents and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the issue of mountaintop removal mining. All proceeds go to organizing on that issue. Includes donated music by such artists as Del McCoury, Blue Highway, Kathy Mattea, and Great American Taxi.
• The Excitement Plan by Todd Snider (YepRoc). A good variety of new, often sardonic and humorous songs. One that is particularly fun describes the experience of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Doc Ellis who in 1970 pitched a no-hitter while on acid.
• Murdering Oscar by Patterson Hood (Ruth St. Records). A solo set of songs by a Drive By Truckers member shows off his originality and varied themes.
• Dream City by Greg Brown (Red House). Sixteen songs from past CDs on Red House and Trailer labels, plus several fine previously unreleased songs.
• Marisela by Monte Carlo 76 (East L.A. After Dark Records). Latin alternative band members, including Martha Gonzalez, who co-founded Quetzal, and Marisa Ronstadt, draw from their experiences in East L.A.
• Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs (Tompkins Square). A dozen new renditions of bluegrass and folk classics backed by an enjoyable country band.
• Instead the Forest Rose to Sing by Danny Schmidt (Red House). Schmidt is still a work in progress but his songs about working people in a time of change show potential.
• Classic Protest Songs (Smithsonian Folkways). A collection of 22 songs that lives up to its title for those with a historical interest in political music from the ‘60s and the civil rights movement. Some are performed by well-known singers such as Seeger, Guthrie, Leadbelly, and Big Bill Broonzy, and others are famous songs sung by relative unknowns.
• River of Time by Jorma Kaukonen (Red House). This tap-your-feet, feel-good collection by a former member of Jefferson Airplane fuses folk, bluegrass, blues, and country music to brighten up any rainy day.
• Johnny Cash Remixed (Compadre Records). Snoop Dogg and Johnny Cash’s son, John, have co-produced a CD with 20 early Cash recordings remixed to add hip-hop era sound. Some tracks in particular benefit from the added energy and power.
• Coal by Kathy Mattea (www.mattea.com) is a collection of many of the best known songs of the eastern coalfields.
• Peace, Love and Anarchy by Todd Snider (www.ohboy.com) combines for ardent fans some lesser known songs with unreleased versions of tunes from his other CDs.
• Hallowed Ground by I See Hawks in L.A. (www.iseehawks.com) is a reminder of the groups musical talent but the lyrics on their previous CDs such as Grapevine provide a better introduction to the bands work.
• Chameleon by Tim O’Brien (Proper American). This solo album from a leading bluegrass and folk musician features the joyful “Get Out There and Dance.”
• Beautiful World by Eliza Gilkyson (Red House). The singer-songwriter finds herself “on the corner of ruin and grace,” looking for hope in the darkest times.
• Big Old Life by Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem (Signature Sounds). An exceptionally original spirited folk/bluegrass album that makes you smile, in part because the performers are clearly having so much fun.
• Signal Fire by Santa Cruz River Band. The latest CD from a talented Tucson-based band that mixes cowboy, Mexican, native America, and bluegrass influences.
• Just Us Kids by James McMurtry (Lightning Rod). There’s a lot that’s wrong in this world and McMurtry is angry about it in songs that are somewhere between hard rock and country.
• Through the Window of a Train by Blue Highway (Rounder). Bluegrass with substance, featuring social and personal themes that go beyond the usual clichés of the genre.
• Brighter Than Creation’s Dark by Drive-By Truckers (New West). More country and less hard rock than past DBT albums.
• The Geography of Light by Carrie Newcomer (Rounder). Thoughtful new music in the folk tradition, delivered with a clear voice and original poetry: “I am the fool who’s life’s been spent between what is said and what is meant.”
• Best of the Righteous Mothers (www.righteousmothers.com). A group of women in the Seattle area have been singing, often humorously, for more than 25 years about every conceivable aspect of women’s experience, from relationships to activism to ice cream.
• Leave the Light On by Chris Smither (Mighty Albert/Signature). An original songwriter riffs on opening up your mind, intelligent design, fathers, diplomacy, and other subjects.
• Dailey & Vincent by Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent (Rounder). High quality, straightforward bluegrass, including Poor Boy Workin’ Blues and the moving “More Than a Name on a Wall” about a mother visiting the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC and remembering her son.
• Crowd Favorites by Claire Lynch (Rounder). An impressive set of songs that are mostly in the bluegrass genre but draw on country, Cajun, and swing styles as well.
• Beautiful by Women on the Move (Red Coyote). 17 songs by 14 women in a wide variety of styles. Subjects range from relationships to abuse to chocolate to cosmetic surgery.
• Down at the Sea Hotel (Secret Mountain). A collection that both young children and their parents can listen to, featuring lullaby-like songs written by Neil Young, Tom Waits, Nanci Griffith, Don Henley, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Billy Joel and performed by others.
• The Bluegrass Sessions by Merle Haggard (McCoury Music). The country singer’s first bluegrass album makes for mellow listening.
• The Gospel Truth by Susan Werner (Sleeve Dog Records). An exceptional set of songs that are original, meaningful, and catchy all at the same time. Werner grew up with and still has strong religious feelings but feels much of the organized church has strayed from its spiritual purpose. Her songs ask fundamentalists, “If God is great and God is good, why is your heaven so small?” She prays to God, “Deliver us from those who think they’re You.” And she sings about being her brother’s and sister’s keeper: “I got a roof over my head, what do I do? Go out and help somebody get a roof over their head too.”
• My Name is Buddy by Ry Cooder (Nonesuch). A surprising collection of labor songs, most of them recently written by Cooder but in traditional style. Strikes, sundown towns, and repression by the government are just a few of the themes. One song, “Three Chords and the Truth,” is a tribute to Joe Hill, Paul Robeson, and Pete Seeger, who plays banjo on one of the other songs on the album.
• Cimarron Manifesto byJimmy LaFave (Red House). A strong album of socially conscious but artful songs with a beat, highlighted by a cover of Joe South’s Walk a Mile in My Shoes.
• Little Mo’ McCoury by Ronnie McCoury and the Del McCoury Band (McCoury Music). A children’s album by one of the top bluegrass bands blends old favorites and unconventional choices.
• The Drugs I Need by Austin Lounge Lizards (Blue Corn). Political satire that ranges from the clever to the obvious. Examples of song titles: One True God, We’ve Been through Some Crappy Times Before, Buenos Dias Budweiser, Xmas Time for Visa.
• Greatest Hits by Billy Joe Shaver (Compadre). The songwriter singing his own songs that other artists have made famous. The best: Old Chunk of Coal (“but I’m going to be a diamond someday”).
• Tangled in Our Dreams by Healy and Juravich (Finnegan Music). Old folk music style with songs about peace, friendship, rivers, and music.
• The Last Suit You Wear by Larry Sparks (McCoury). Traditional bluegrass sound with songs such as Lazarus and the Rich Man, Casualty of War, and The Old Coal Mine.
• The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster by Ruthie Foster (Blue Corn). If you’re in the mood for the blues.
• Detalles y Emociones by Los Tigres del Norte (Fonovisa). A new collection from the troubadours of the Latino immigrant experience.
• En Directo Desde El Otro Lado by El Tri (Fonovisa). Renowned Mexican singer Alex Lora gives live performances of 15 songs that often have social and political themes, including El Muro (The Wall) about the proposed 700-mile wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• Stars in My Crown by Jorma Kaukonen (Red House). The guitarist of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna fame plays easygoing gospel and bluegrass tunes.
• Three Score and Ten by Peggy Seeger (Appleseed). A 2-CD recording of a 2005 concert in London that featured Seeger and her family members Pete and Mike as well as Billy Bragg and other British musicians.
• The Devil You Know by Todd Snider (New Door). A new collection by the talented songwriter is highlighted by “Looking for a Job” that captures the loss of loyalty workers feel as employers no longer show commitment to them.
• Wonder Wheel by The Klezmatics (Jewish Music Group). A highly talented and energetic band that combines a wide variety of musical influences has taken unpublished lyrics by Woody Guthrie and put them to music. Guthrie was married to a Jewish woman and songs he wrote for the Hanukkah season are contained on another Klezmatics CD, Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah.
• Despite Our Differences by Indigo Girls (Hollywood Records). The duo’s traditional directness is enhanced by more interesting vocal and instrumental arrangements than some of their past work.
• La Banda del Carro Rojo by Los Tigres del Norte (Fonovisa). A new album in Spanish with songs about the immigrant experience, from the irony of the mistreatment by Mexican authorities of Central Americans who are passing through to the cultural divide that emerges between Mexican-born parents and their U.S.-born children.
• Seeger’s own Seeger sessions. While Bruce Springsteen conducts his We Shall Overcome tour with his joyous renditions of songs associated with Pete Seeger, Smithsonian Folkways (www.folkways.si.edu) is stepping up promotion of the original Seeger recordings – some live, some studio -- that inspired the project. It’s striking to be reminded of how Seeger avoided the celebrity-audience model and instead involved everyone at his concerts in singing along – perhaps a tradition other musicians could revive at a time when the growing popularity of karaoke is just one example of the increasing appeal of participatory culture.
• Reprieve by Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe). Another strong collection from one of the best at merging the personal and the political.
• Classic Labor Songs (Smithsonian Folkways). 28 songs by artists such as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, the Almanac Singers, Florence Reece, Hazel Dickens, and Larry Penn.
• Firecracker by The Wailin’ Jennys (Red House). Second album from three talented women.
• Postcards by Peter Ostroushko (Red House). Lively instrumental music featuring mandolin and fiddle.
• Historias Que Contar by Los Tigres del Norte (Fonovisa). More tales in the corrido tradition.
• California Country by I See Hawks in L.A. The third entertaining CD by this innovative band includes such songs as “Raised by Hippies,” “Byrd from West Virginia,” “Midnight in Orlando,” and “Hard Times are Here Again.”
• Skunkmello by Guy Davis (Red House). Traditional blues with 11 original songs that have the authenticity that first gave the genre its appeal.
• A Blessing and a Curse by Drive-By Truckers (New West). These working class southern rockers have made their most musical album yet, filled with lyrics that dwell on people living and, in some cases, overcoming the hard life.
• Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder (Nonesuch). One of the most interesting musical projects in years. Cooder spent years learning about the Mexican-American community of Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles where homes were bulldozed and Dodger Stadium built in the 1950s. With other musicians he put together a collection of songs that tell the human story, but as art, not polemic.
• At the Wood’s Heart by June Tabor (Topic). Amid this sweet, slow collection of mostly old English folk music, a recent song is worth the price of admission – the Cloud Factory by Bill Caddick, a story about a power plant worker and what he taught his family. (See first two stanzas below.)
• Bowery Songs by Joan Baez (Koch). A live album that features songs by Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Greg Brown, Woody Guthrie, and Natalie Merchant.
• A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver (Compadre). A memorable and moving collection of live performances by Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Todd Snider, and many more in honor of the Texas singer’s 65^th birthday.
• Childish Things by James McMurtry (Compadre). Country rock that includes “We Can’t Make It Here” (see excerpt below).
• Rolas de Aztlan (Smithsonian Folkways). A collection of original recordings of songs of the Chicano movement during the 1960s, including songs of the Farm Workers movement and early recordings by Los Lobos.
• Waves. The Street Was Always There. One More Shot (Appleseed). The first two CDs are by Eric Andersen, applying his fine voice to hard-hitting songs by songwriters of the 1960s. One More Shot is a reissued 2-CD collaboration by Andersen, Rick Danko of The Band, and Norwegian singer Jonas Fjeld. Danko brought a light and melodic touch to the arrangements that is often missing in the Andersen-only releases.
• Bound for Glory (Smithsonian Folkways). Getting in on the wave of Bob Dylan publicity these days, Folkways has put out a sampler of 9 recordings by Woody Guthrie, Doc Watson, Leadbelly, Brownie McGhee, and others who Dylan listened to when he was starting out.
• Don’t Mourn – Organize! (Smithsonian Folkways). An historical collection of songs by or about legendary organizer and singer Joe Hill.  The highlight is Paul Robeson singing “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night.”
• Souls Alike by Bonnie Raitt (Capitol). Raitt mixes in some new musical styles and more adventurous songwriters.
• Fiddlers Green and Cornbread Nation by Tim OBrien (Sugar Hill). Two brilliant new CDs that are probably categorized as bluegrass but stretch the limits of that genre in many different directions.
• Those Were the Days by Dolly Parton (Sugar Hill). Parton sings a dozen well known songs from the 1960s In combination with a mixture of other performers from that era and from today.
• Paradise Hotel by Eliza Gilkyson (Red House). While not as consistently original as her previous album, this one has some high points, including a song whose lyrics are based on letters an ancestor wrote during the Revolutionary War.
• My Better Self by Dar Williams (Razor & Tie). Teens for God highlights a collection of personal songs with social overtones.
• Directo al Corazon by Los Tigres del Norte (Fonovisa). Songs that draw on poignant experiences of immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• I See Hawks in L.A. (Western Seeds).  An innovative band that falls somewhere between country and bluegrass.  Perhaps the only group in the country that performs a song about Senator Byrd of West Virginia.  Have issued two CDs: one with the same name as the group, another called Grapevine.
• Lifeline by Iris DeMent (Flariella).  If you want to hear some truly spiritual music that brings to life what religious feeling was before it was hijacked by political hacks and masters of right-wing fundraising, try this masterpiece.
• Steve Earle: Live from Austin (New West).  This newly reissued 1986 live performance from the Austin City Limits series is a classic expression of Earle’s raw honesty, directness, and storytelling power.
• Legacy by Guy Davis (Red House).  An easygoing collection of new and classic blues.
• 13 Ways to Live by 13 musical artists from Texas (Red House Records).  A CD to raise money for Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation for humanitarian programs in Iraq.  Only a few songs are memorable, including Damage Done by Butch Hancock:  “The worst is not the body count, nor battles lost or won, it’s in the hearts of those who fail to feel the damage done.”
• Why the Long Face by Suzzy and Maggie Roche (Red House).  Two sisters who sing unusual songs, including one “for those whose work is invisible” (such as “those who paint the undersides of boats…seamstresses who stitch the wrong side of linings”), another about the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and another by a man who was an autistic child.
• The Dirty South by Drive-By Truckers (New West).  Alabama’s working class hard rockers take a new look at the John Henry story: “When John Henry was a little bitty baby, nobody ever taught him how to read…”  Another song is about a veteran who “never saw John Wayne on the sands of Iwo Jima.”
• Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love by Jonathan Richman (Vapor).  Contains a few winners, including “He Gave Us the Wine to Taste It (and not to talk about it),” but better introductions to Richman’s unique musical comic genius can be found on prior recordings such as Action Packed or Jonathan Goes Country (Rounder).
• Don’t Look for a Heartache by Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Hightone).  Top-quality country music from a one-of-a-kind singer.
• Trilogy by Rob Wasserman (Rounder).  If you have a fondness for virtuoso acoustic bass, this 3-CD set includes the longtime collaborator with Jerry Garcia playing bass solos, duets, and trios.
• Pacto de Sangre by Tigres del Norte (Fonovisa).  This CD topped the Latino music charts in its first week. It includes not only "norteno" love songs and dance music but also a "corrido" ballad that has caused a controversy in Mexico by shining a light on the brutal murders of more than 300 young women, most of them maquiladora workers, in Ciudad Juarez (directly across the border from El Paso) in the past ten years.  Government authorities in Mexico who have somehow been unable or unwilling to solve any of the crimes slammed the popular song for adding to "an atmosphere of terror" and giving Juarez a "bad image."  The killings of employees of major U.S. corporations presumably would be drawing a huge amount of national attention from the U.S. media, government, women's movement, and unions if they were taking place on the U.S. side of the border instead of just a few miles into Mexico.
• Guest House by Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum (Hightone).  Bluegrass/folk style CD that features "Willie Poor Boy," a Guthrie-style ballad about a bus driver whose life is ruined after he buys a handgun and uses it on impulse.
• The Ride by Los Lobos (Hollywood Records).  A reminder of the skill and range of one of the world’s best bands.  On some cuts, they serve essentially as back-up band for Ruben Blades, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Tom Waits, Martha Gonzalez, and others.  Only weakness is that some of their collaborators and some of the material itself doesn’t live up to the extraordinarily high standard they have set.
• Land of Milk and Honey by Eliza Gilkyson (Red House).  Unusual lyrics provide a creative mixture of the personal and the political.
• The House Carpenter's Daughter by Natalie Merchant (Myth America).  The long-time rock singer of 10,000 Maniacs successfully turns her haunting voice to folk music, with a combination of old English ballads and songs about mill hands, miners, and farmers.
• Honey in the Lion's Head by Greg Brown (Trailer).  Brown has also produced an album of old folk songs, although his is more casual and less thoughtfully produced than Merchant's.  His distinctive voice carries this collection, but hopefully it's just a pause before his next CD of original songs.
• Wheels of Fortune by the Flatlanders (New West).  Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Joe Ely team up for a pleasing, foot-tapping country sound, highlighted by Hancock's songwriting.
• Educated Guess by Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe).  Mostly about love relationships, plus a few political themes: “…shocked to tears by each new vision, of all that my ancestors have done, like, say the women who gave their lives, so that I could have one.”
• Old Futures Gone by John Gorka (Red House Records).  Classic bass voice and mellow arrangements.  "A world away a man spends his life, digging up diamonds for another man's wife. You see, luxury is a double-edged knife."
• Righteousness & Humidity by Martin Simpson (Red House). Outstanding guitar player focuses on traditional music of the South.
• Worksongs by Quetzal (Vanguard).  Latest from an L.A. Chicano rock band renowned for its live performances.
• Birdsong by Laurie Lewis (Spruce and Maple).  Songs that refer to birds while exploring other life themes, performed by one of the most talented fiddle players and vocalists around.  A benefit for Audobon Canyon Ranch that helps preserve the environment on the coast north of San Francisco.  A good companion is her songbook, Earth & Sky, from Confluence Press.
• If I Had Known by Greg Brown (Red House).  17 of the best songs from one of America's most original storytellers. Includes a 45-minute DVD documentary about his life and music.
• Beneath This Gruff Exterior by John Hiatt (New West).  Unusually original lyrics put to foot-tapping rock and blues music.  "Saw a red-tailed hawk eatin' road kill, said 'man, what happened to your dignity?'; He said, 'Subdivisions have taken my home, and there's no more prey to eat.'"
  Decoration Day by Drive-By Truckers (New West).  Southern working class rock and roll.  "You want to grow up to paint houses like me, a trailer in my yard till you're 23?  You want to feel old after 42 years? Keep dropping the hammer and grinding the gears."
• Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3 (Appleseed) completes a trilogy of CDs containing songs written or popularized by Seeger and performed by him or by other artists.  The best in the series was Where Have All the Flowers Gone, which contains stunning renditions by a wide variety of artists, including Bonnie Raitt & Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Tish Hinojosa, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Greg Brown, Bruce Springsteen, Tommy Makem, and Holly Near.
• Spain in My Heart: Songs of the Spanish Civil War (Appleseed).  17 songs from or inspired by the volunteer brigades who fought against fascism in Spain in the late 1930s.  Performed by artists from five countries.
• Jerusalem by Steve Earle.  A CD that has gained media attention mainly because of a song that portrays Taliban follower John Walker as a human being and not the devil incarnate.  That song and many others on this recording are interesting ideas that are not carried out with Earle's usual storytelling skill.
• So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter by Ani DiFranco (Righteous Babe Records).  A double disc set with two hours of live music - three previously unrecorded songs and 20 chosen from throughout her career of artistic independence and integrity.  Her take on September 11th diverges from the jingoism heard on country music radio.
• Milk of the Moon by Greg Brown (Red House Records).  Shows off his special voice as usual, although only a few songs have themes that match the high standard for originality Brown has set in most past recordings.
• Going Driftless: An Artists' Tribute to Greg Brown (Red House Records) is a brilliant CD of songs by Greg Brown sung by female singers such as Lucinda Williams, Ani DiFranco, Gillian Welch, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Victoria Williams, and more.  All royalties are being donated to the Breast Cancer Fund that works to eliminate environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.