What I Listened to in 2001
There seemed to be a gap from mid-September on, but this is what I remember
listening to and enjoying, of course, in no particular order:
Nick Lowe - The Convincer
• Having turned his attention from rock to sweet-sounding quiet tunes, Nick
turned out an outstanding set. I still dig his mood.
Dave Edmunds - Hand Picked
• The other half of Rockpite self-reteases an eclectic set of (mostly) acoustic
songs raging from classical to Elvis to Mason Williams. With a new
replacement heart valve, Dave is in good form
Bob Dylan - Love And Theft
• I really did not expect (or even want) to like this but I keep going back to it.
Maybe ifs the moustache.
The Trifecta: 0 Brother, Where Art Thou
Down from the Mountain (cd)
Down from the {Mountain (concert movie)
• I know the album has been played to death but... There is not one song I do
not like.The movie concert (and cd) are great, especially (surprisingly) the
late John Hartford.
John Hammond - Wicked Grin
• Faux bluesman does an entire album of Tom Waits, produced by Mr. Waits.
Great songs, more listenable (but not necessarily better) than the orignals.
Lucinda Williams - Essence
• She keeps getting better. Like it more each time I hear it.
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - Time (the Revelator)
• What a crime that David does not get co-biTITng with GFTIian. Take away hfs
sweet harmonies and all of her work is diminished. Took time but love it.
Patty Loveless - Mountain Soul
• A revelation. From hack country star to rootsy bfuegrass queen.
Hasidic New Wave & Yakar Rhythms - From the Belly of Abraham
(Adventures of the Afro-SemiticBiaspora)
• A joint effort of a new wave klezmer band and a Senegalese percussion
group.
V.A. - Avalon Blues: A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt
• This tribute thing is getting tired but t like this - probably mostly because I did
not know the sonSIS before so that there was no need to compare to the
originals.
Buddy &Julie Miller
• Although the first official collaboration, I like it better than either one's sofo
work.
Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman - Nankuru Naisa
• One plays sanshm, the other National bottleneck guitar - can you guess who
plays which instrument? A totally delightful collaboration (wi'th other
musicians as welT). Impossible to describe this OkInawan/American hybrid.
Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea
Honorable Mentions:
Oriando Cachaito Lopez - Cachaito - Buena Vista Social Club codger goes
modern.
Odetta - Lookin for a Home -songs of Leadbelly
New Pronographers - Modern Romantic
01d 97's - Satellites
V.A. - Truck Driver's Boogie - Big Rig Hits Volume 1
Jim White - No Such Place
Continental Drifters - Better Day
Beachwood Sparks - Once We Were Trees
John Hiatt - The Tiki Bar Is Open
Burlap Palace - A Tribute to the Muscle Shoals Sound
David Thomas Roberts - American Landscape - modem ragtime piano
Next year,
Irv Rosen
Philadelphia
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