Fred Eaglesmith - Tinderbox (2008)

Fred Eaglesmith "Tinderbox"
MP3 | Average VBR 218 Kbps 44100 Stereo | 46:10 | 79.27Mb
2008 | Genre: Country | Alt Country | Americana | Songwriter

Fred Eaglesmith is a Canadian singer / songwriter / storyteller / comedian who reads books on nano-technology, likes machinery, and runs his farm entirely on wind and solar energy. And his band has their quirks, too.
For the past decade, Fred and his free-spirited troop of modern-day troubadours have worn a zig-zag trail across North America, with trips to Europe and Australia recently added to their quixotic adventures. The miles winding away through the night beneath the wheels of their battered bus bear the mark of their passing. In their rearview mirror are scenes of rabid Fredheads whooping and whistling for the raw, driving country soul scorching the stage. Audiences laughing until their sides ache at the hilarious personal tales Fred weaves into his show. Newly converted fans stunned into silence as the balladeer shares poignant tales of aching loss — or grinning at his tongue-in-cheek take on the human condition.

Fred Eaglesmith is unstuck in time. His stage show hearkens back to an earlier era of country and roots music when entertainers would spin tales and spout one-liners between tightly crafted tunes. Yet Fred’s songs — and his stories — are carved from keen observations of the modern world and how it affects Everyman. Across the continent, a growing number of Fredheads surge into roadhouses, honky tonks, old churches and high-ticket theaters to revel in the experience that is a Fred Eaglesmith concert. Fred has broken all the rules on his way to becoming a Juno award-winning and critically acclaimed artist. He has done so consciously, purposely, and fully aware of the price tag attached.

"We’re out of the music business now," he says. "We don’t want to win any awards, I don’t want a publicist, we don’t need critics reviewing the music. I went into a record store the other day, and my CDs weren’t in there. And I was glad." Fred doesn’t have a repertoire of radio hits. What he does have is better. On any given night, from Ontario to Texas, he could perform entire sets from requests for his original tunes called out by the audience. "I've never had to compromise — not that I would," Fred says. "My fans recognize the integrity in the music, and they would detect any crack in the wall and call me on it."

Fred was raised on a series of farms in southern Ontario by an extremely religious father. He recalls his childhood as being in one of two places, either working the farm or driving to church. His father lost the farm, and by age sixteen Fred had left home, hopped freight trains out west and made his way back east to the farms of Ontario. After pursuing music in his younger years, Fred settled down and started a business that flourished beyond his dreams. Then the bottom fell out, and Fred went back to music to pay the mortgage. He landed a publishing deal in Nashville with Bluewater Music and returned with enough to catch up the payments on his farm. Then he hit the road. And the road has never been the same since. He owns his own CDs and has started a new record company — AML, A Major Label — not only for his own music but to give a leg up to talented young artists.

When he’s not writing songs (which he does every day), Fred’s active mind is constantly coming up with new concert ideas and new merchandise ideas, building his thriving business to the level of success that suits him. Fred has had 30 or 40 cuts by minor artists, plus major cuts by The Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar Williams, Kasey Chambers and James King. Film director Martin Scorsese has used his songs, as have various others including James Caan in his movie Viva Los Nowhere. At the core of all this activity is a quiet truth that Fred keeps front and center in his mind. It’s all about the fans. He connects with them, on stage and off. It’s a connection that rings with honesty.

Track List:

01 Sweet corn
02 Chain gang
03 Shoulder to the plow
04 Quietly
05 Tinderbox
06 Killing me
07 Worked up field
08 I pray now
09 You can't trust them
10 Get on your knees
11 Fancy God
12 Wheels
13 Killing me II
14 Stand
15 Reprise
16 The light brigade
17 Shoeshine
18 When

Download includes artwork

http://rapidshare.com/files/108008399/FE_T.rar


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Carrie Newcomer - The Geography Of Light (2008)

Carrie Newcomer "The Geography Of Light"
MP3 | Average VBR 218 Kbps 44100 Stereo | 49:33 | 81.70Mb
2008 | Genre: Country | Folk | Songwriter

The Geography of Light features both the luscious acoustic contemporary folk that drew me to Newcomer on her first solo album, Visions and Dreams, as well as the storytelling that brings to life the characters described, as on her last album, Regulars and Refugees. The album also contains songs that focus on spirituality, as she has done in the past. Newcomer's take on modern, progressive spirituality is accessible for people of many faiths, and she approaches it with the same sensitivity that she brings to all of her songwriting. In fact, if one is not paying close attention, the songs seem to stem more from basic human truths than any sort of discernible theology.
At this point, the quality of the music on a Carrie Newcomer album is almost a given, so one ends up being drawn more to the words than to the unwaveringly appropriate musical adornments they are given to wear. Such as with the song, "Geode." Inspired by the plethora of geodes found in the southern Indiana countryside that she calls home, the song speaks to the truth of the common human experience, and how we're all beautiful and unique on the inside, regardless of what our outer shells may look like.

I have been intrigued by the use of the bouzouki in contemporary folk music over the past decade or so. It has similar kind of delicately plucked quality as a mandolin, but the notes can be sustained longer, thus not requiring the frantic vibrato-like strumming that is traditionally done on the mandolin. This is the perfect counterpoint to the melody sung by Newcomer on "Two Toasts," and it is another example of the thoughtful arrangements that characterize her catalog of music. She makes use of the instrument throughout the album, and seems to have easily incorporated it into her songwriting. With the first pull of the bow across a violin strings and the pluck of an acoustic guitar, I knew immediately that The Geography of Light was going to be everything that I love about Carrie Newcomer's music. Warm, inviting, and as comfortable as an old pair of jeans.

Personnel: Carrie Newcomer (vocals, guitars, acoustic guitar, banjo, bouzouki); Chris Wagoner (vocals, lap steel guitar, dobro, ukulele, violin, viola); Mary Gaines (vocals, baritone ukulele, cello); Krista Detor (vocals, field organ); Michael White (vocals); Keith Skooglund (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Slats Klug (harmonica, accordion, piano); Anne Corrigan (English horn); Gary Walters (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Jeff Hedback (upright bass, electric bass); Jim Brock (drums, percussion).

Track List:

01 - There Is A Tree
02 - The Clean Edge Of Change
03 - A Map Of Shadows
04 - Geodes
05 - Two Toasts
06 - Where You Been
07 - Biscuits And Butter
08 - A Mean Kind Of Justice
09 - Leaves Don't Drop (They Just Let Go)
10 - You'd Think By Now
11 - One Woman And A Shovel
12 - Lazarus
13 - Throw Me A Line
14 - Don't Push Send

Download includes front cover

http://rapidshare.com/files/104337473/CN_TGOL.rar

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Hayes Carll - Flowers And Liquor (2003)

Hayes Carll "Flowers & Liquor"
MP3 | Average VBR 213 Kbps 44100 Stereo | 51:05 | 82.96Mb
2003 | Genre: Country | Folk | Songwriter

There are so many talented young singer-songwriters in Texas that it’s hard to pick who might be the few that will pull out of the pack and actually make a living performing. Many have tried but few succeed due to various circumstances, luck and fate. Mr. Carll, in my opinion, has a great chance of being one of the fortunate few. This is his debut CD, and it is comprised of twelve great songs with lyrics that draw you into a story. He is a country / folk poet, not a cowboy poet but more of a horny drunk poet. Lord, can’t we all relate to that? He was recently named Best New Artist and Best Folk Artist at the prestigious Houston Press Awards.

I won’t go into his background much other than to tell you he is originally from the Woodlands (near Houston) and currently resides in a beach shack in Crystal Beach on the Bolivar Peninsula across the bay from Galveston. I highly suggest you read his very entertaining bio on his website. It has more info than I can squeeze into this review and is filled with hilarious anecdotes about his life and music (i.e., his first guitar was a twelve string guitar with only six heavy gage strings that shredded his fingers).

To keep from being repetitive, I’ll just say up front that the band on this CD is made up of great Texas artists that combine their talents to help make this album truly memorable. David Spencer plays electric and acoustic guitars and dobro among other instruments. David is the fret wizard heard on the first two Sisters Morales CD’s and has also recorded with Clay Farmer and others. Rick Richards plays drums and has recorded with Sisters Morales, Slaid Cleaves, John Evans, Mary Gauthier, Tom Russell, Warren Zevon, and even Guns ’n’Roses, as well as many others. David Carroll plays the bass and upright bass here, just as he has done for Doug Sahm, Billy Joe Shaver, Marcia Ball, James Talley, The Derailers and others too numerous to list. Bert Wills plays electric, slide and acoustic lead guitar on several cuts. Bert started in the sixties with his band, The Shadows, and has since become an internationally known blues artist and has garnered much recognition for his work with many blues awards and Grammy nominations. Jeff Plankenhorn adds his wonderful dobro playing to a couple of the tunes. The New Braunfels native has been sideman to Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves and Willis Alan Ramsey among others. Michael Ramos adds his sought-after accordion to a couple of the tunes as he did with the BoDeans and numerous other acts. Lisa Morales contributes some of her beautiful guitar playing and background vocals. She also produced the CD and did a wonderful job. The sound is simply excellent throughout. Roberta Morales pops in for several nice background vocal spots. And, oh yeah, Hayes plays acoustic guitar on every track and proves he can run with the big boys and girls.

Track List:

01 - Highway 87
02 - Heaven Above
03 - Naked Checkers
04 - Arkansas Blues
05 - It's A Shame
06 - Live Free Or Die
07 - Easy Come Easy Go
08 - Flowers & Liquor
09 - Richey Lee
10 - Perfect Lover
11 - Lost & Lonely
12 - Barroom Lament

Download includes front cover

http://rapidshare.com/files/104295196/HC_FAL.rar

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