Archive for the ‘Best Of 2009’ Category

**Best Of 2009 Repost Series** Charlie Parr “Roustabout” (A Rant)

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

The last post I did about Charlie Parr started like this:

Shit…no one told me someone re-released Charlie Parr’s 2002 record entitled 1922 last year. Isn’t that why we have all these mp3 blogs? Come on guys, I can’t do it all by myself.

The new post I’m writing about Charlie Parr starts like this:

Shit…no one told me there’s a new (ish) Charlie Parr record out called Roustabout. Seriously why the hell do we have thousands of mp3 blogs and not one post about a new Charlie Parr record. It’s not like the guy isn’t cooler and more outback than Bon Iver. It’s not like he’s not hairier than Band Of Horses. And for God’s sake he’s a 100% more “authentic” than Devendra and Bonnie Prince Billy.

The new post about the new (ish) Charlie Parr record that you’ve never heard about because bloggers are worthless PR hoes ends like this: buy the goddamn record and quit being such a little bitch.

(Comments are turned off from now on – I got too annoyed with the amount of spam slipping through – email cbonnell@gmail.com or follow me at twitter.com/songsillinois)

Don’t Send Your Child To War
God Moves On The Water

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**Best Of 2009 Repost Series** Steve Earle – “Townes”

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Between the two Earle boys (Steve and Justin) they pretty much ruled the roost this year. In fact Justin Townes Earle’s record made it to the top of the inaugural “Bird List Chart”. Here are my semi-coherent ramblings about Steve Earle’s Van Zandt tribute record.

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I don’t think I ever had any doubt that Steve Earle could pull off a Townes Van Zandt cover project. He’s got too much invested in the project to fail artistically; the vagaries of the market for tribute CD’s will determine if it’s successful commercially. The four reasons he couldn’t fail are: 1) he named his son after Townes 2)Townes was a great friend and early mentor 3) Steve’s gone though some of the same problems that killed Townes, and 4) Steve has a way with interpreting other people’s material. By and large when Steve Earle records fail it’s due to overt political themes in the songs but not in his style, his musical choices, or his vocals. So with this project the songs were guaranteed to be killer and all other variables mentioned above are accounted for.

The one flaw I can find is that of omission. I would have loved to hear Steve’s take on “Snowing on Raton” but still songs like “Pancho and Lefty”, “White Freight Liner Blues” and “Brand New Companion” are all represented. In fact, here’s “Poncho and Lefty”, arguably Townes’ most famous song due to the version by Willie Nelson.

Pre-order Townes here.

Poncho And Lefty

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**Best Of 2009 Repost Series** Slaid Cleaves – “Everything You Love Will Get Taken Away”

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Much of March 2009 was taken up with SXSW previews and reviews. This review mentions a Slaid Cleaves show at the Cactus Cafe and it also mentions his 2009 release Everything You Love Will Get Taken Away.

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Slaid Cleaves may not be the king of Austin singer-songwriters, that title still belongs to Willie Nelson, but he is certainly one of it’s Princes. Thus it was important for me to pay my respects on my last night in Austin. Slaid was the headliner at the famed Cactus Cafe on a night filled with the cream of the crop from Austin and beyond (Sam Baker, Rod Picot and Amanda Shire, Gurf Morlix, Matt the Electrician, and Graham Weber). He was there touting a bunch of new songs from his upcoming self released record Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away.

“Cry” is the title track and according to Slaid’s bio sets the tempo/theme for the record, “Whether it’s your loved ones, your way of life, or even just your sense of innocence and hope, every song in some way is about how it all gets taken away.” Slaid has left the comfy confines of the Rounder Records behomoth and joined the co-op label Music Road Records founded by friend and musician Jimmy LaFave. Slaid now has his destiny in his own hands with this new diy route, ““I’m in on all the decisions,” says Cleaves. “It feels good to have so much more control over my fate now. I figured, I cut my own hair, I fix my own car — so why shouldn’t I be the one responsible for getting this work of mine out into the world?”

“Cry” is relentlessly down with lines like “every blue sky fades to gray”, “watch your little heart get crushed” and of course “everything you love will get taken away”. But it’s cathartic as well. I’m still listening to the entire record but this song and the others Slaid played live bode well.

You can (and should) pre-order this April 21st release here though Amazon.

Cry

“One Good Year”

Stream more songs here:



Slaid%20Cleaves
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**Best Of 2009 Repost Series** Willie Nelson/Asleep At The Wheel

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Every year at about this time I look back on the year that was. I’m not much for lists but I do like to go back and see what I was excited about throughout the year. There were a number of post from January that I will repost to start off this years “best of 2009″ series. Here’s one I did about a Willie Nelson/Asleep At The Wheel collaboration:

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It’d be sooo great if other established artists used some of their pull to expose people to deserving, but less popular, bands. Willie Nelson has always been very gracious that way sharing the spotlight any number of different ways. Now he has collaborated with the great trad band Asleep At The Wheel on his upcoming record Willie and the Wheel.

Now I haven’t followed Willie Nelson’s career very closely of late. Still I’m guessing I would have gotten a kick out of all his recent genre jumping. But don’t you think that his return to the music of his childhood sounds just great? Isn’t this where and when he truly belongs. His voice sounds very strong and is a perfect accompaniment to Asleep At The Wheel’s jazzy western swing.

Pre-order here.

Hesitation Blues

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