No one knows my name (Gillian Welch) (LP 677)

Gillian Welch  Soul Journey (CD, Acony Records, 2003) *** 

Genre: Country/ Americana/ Folk

Places I remember: JB HiFi (sale bins)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Look At Miss Ohio

Gear costume: Make Me A Pallet On You Floor

Active compensatory factors: I took a punt on this, having a vague feeling that I'd read favourable reviews of her work with David Rawlings previously.

The songs and the laid back acoustic instruments appeal, but I'm not about to chase down the back catalogue.

The live versions above give a great idea about the couple's strengths.

Where do they all belong? It's in my country genre because I needed to put it somewhere and the use of dobro and fiddle suggests country, but really it could as easily gone in the folk section as well. 

Beneath a Phrygian sky (Loreena McKennitt) (LP 674 - 676)

Loreena McKennitt   The Visit (CD, Quinlan Road, 1991) *** 

Loreena McKennitt   An Ancient Muse (CD, Quinlan Road, 2006) *** 

Loreena McKennitt  the wind that shakes the barley (CD, Quinlan Road, 2010) ***

Genre: Fork music/ World music 

Places I remember: Virgin Megastores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Lady Of Shalott, as i roved out

Gear costume: The English Ladye and The Knight (have the tissue box close by)

Active compensatory factors: I do have these albums inside the bosom of the Folk Music section but they could also fit into the World section (housed inside Maple Grove's music lounge with the CDs that Jacky enjoys). 

The tie break is the wind that shakes the barley (yes, lower case - as are all the song titles). This one is a welcome departure in that all the music and lyrics (for the most part) are traditional. Her voice on the wind... is more earthy and varied which is another nice feature! Call it a three star plus.

The Enya comparisons are valid, especially on the first two listed above - Loreena (a Canadian) has that same velvety smooth vocal delivery, but the instrumentation leans it more to the folk genre (plus the takes on things like Shalott, Greensleeves, Walter Scott's English Ladye and The Knight) and the wind...songs.

Generally, these albums made more sense to me when we lived in the Middle East; the world music tag made more sense to me living in an alien culture. Sitting in Lockdown in Nu Zild? Makes less sense. 

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Loreena, and for the folk genre (CDs that is). 

Take shelter (Anathema) (LP 672 - 673)

Anathema  distant satellites (CD, Kscope, 2014) **** 

Anathema  the optimist (CD, Kscope, 2017) **** 

Genre: Prog rock

Places I remember: JB HiFi (Palmerston North)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: The Lost Song Part 3

Gear costume: Endless Ways 

Active compensatory factors: These are the final two Anathema albums to report on. Two albums in six years isn't too unusual these days.

Covid-19 can be blamed for the band's hiatus since the optimist (yes, lower case). 

A real shame - because every subsequent release was getting better and better.

The distant satellites (yes, lower case) album is a cohesive, beautifully played, wonderfully sung suite of songs, that builds momentum throughout. There are lyrical passages (thanks to Daniel Cavanagh's lovely keyboards, and metal guitar drive-bys mixed up for a spirit of innovation and then there is Lee Douglas on vocals (with Vincent Cavanagh). She's just great!

Their latest album to date is the optimist, a kind of sequel to a previous album A Fine Day To Exit. Both are concept albums. Now I am a sucker for a good concept album, so these are right up my alley. Except the story line isn't too clear to my befuddled brain.

Nevertheless, worth exploring, and Lee's vocals are a standout on Endless Ways and Ghosts.

Where do they all belong? And that's it for Anathema. Next up in the prog section is Ian Anderson's solo stuff.

Lost in the moment (Edie Brickell) (LP 670 - 671)

Edie Brickell & New Bohemians  Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars (CD, Geffen Records, 1988) *** 

Edie Brickell  Picture Perfect Morning (CD, Geffen Records, 1994) *** 

Genre: Folk rock 

Places I remember: From The Hope collection

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Lost In The Moment

Gear costume: Good Times, What I Am

Active compensatory factors: Edie Brickell sits in the margins a little, even with her Paul Simon and Geffen association and these were solid commercial albums (PPM went double platinum in the US for goodness sake).

Nevertheless - that was a while ago now and she's slipped below the radar since then (yes, she's still touring and putting out records - latest in 2021).

I'm happy to own these CDs and give them airtime for the purpose of this blogpost but apart from 3 or 4 tracks, the songs don't leave a lasting impression on me.

Where do they all belong? I wouldn't have bought these CDs myself - pleasant and all that but hardly essential. Apart from Lost In The Moment that is. That is a beautiful song!

Lights out San Francisco (Craig Chaquico) (LP 669)

Craig Chaquico  Once In A Blue Universe (CD, Higher Octave Music, 1997) *** 

Genre: San Francisco music

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Dreamcatcher

Gear costume: Oceans Apart

Active compensatory factors: Craig Chaquico is best known for his lead guitar prowess with Jefferson Starship and Starship, but since 1993 he's been a solo artist employing a very different style.

This one is probably classified more as jazz than rock (and it's not jazz rock) given the acoustic instrumentals and co-players like John Klemmer on sax.

It's okay for what it is but, honestly, without the Starship connection I wouldn't have bothered. That sounds harsh but I would guess that there are plenty of musicians playing this kind of music on Spotify.

Having said that, Dreamcatcher hits a gnarly bass driven groove and builds nicely through to the sax solo.

 
Where do they all belong? If I came across other CDs by Craig in the CD sale bin I'd certainly pick them up but I won't be chasing them down necessarily.

Lubbock or leave it (Dixie Chicks) (LP 665 - 668)

Dixie Chicks  Wide Open Spaces (CD, Monument, 1998) *** 

Dixie Chicks  Fly (CD, Monument, 1999) ****

Dixie Chicks  Home (CD, Columbia, 2002) *****

Dixie Chicks  Taking The Long way (CD, Columbia, 2006) ***

Genre: Country rock 

Places I remember: The Warehouse (various)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: There's Your Trouble

Gear costume: Wide Open Spaces, Goodbye Earl

Active compensatory factors: I love The Chicks (a.k.a. Dixie Chicks). Their sound is honest and usually brings an instant smile to my face, as well as sets my feet to a-tappin'.

The pleasurable moments just keep coming. especially on Fly and Home, but I have confidence with any of their albums really.

I could have replaced those gear fab songs without any problem - Hole In The Head, If I Fall You're Going Down With Me, Long Time Gone, White Trash Wedding and others are just as catchy.

Of the four, Home stands out for it's expert flavours: the playing sounds slightly more assured and inspired, as does the lead vocal delivery by Natalie Maines.

In comparison Taking The Long Way feels a little too comfortable and slick - the Dixie Chicks' rough edges have been filed off a little too much.

Where do they all belong? I don't have their latest as The Chicks (not to be confused with the NZ pop duo version), and I must remedy that situation right quick! 

Living in the song (Blackberry Smoke) (LP 661 - 664)

Blackberry Smoke  The Whippoorwill (CD, Earache Records, 2013) ****

Blackberry Smoke  Leave A Scar Live - North Carolina (CD, Earache Records, 2014) ****

Blackberry Smoke  Holding All The Roses (CD, Earache Records, 2015) ****

Blackberry Smoke  Find A Light (CD, Earache Records, 2018) ****

Genre: Southern Rock

Places I remember: HMV (Oxford St., East Croyden)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: One Horse Town

Gear costume: Holding All The Roses, Pretty Little Lie, I'll Keep Ramblin'

Active compensatory factors: I've decided to hoover up all the remaining* albums on CD by these southern boys (from Atlanta) as they pretty much cover the same ground - good ole southern rock'n'countryroll.

That's possibly the only quibble I've got. Charlie Starr is the band's songwriter/vocalist and if anything, the band needs a different look at times.

That's only a minor quibble though - Charlie is the real deal; he writes brilliant songs and his singing is great.

The highlights are liberally sprinkled through the studio albums (the band's third, fourth, and sixth) and Leave A Scar Live - North Carolina is a live double album and DVD package that sums up the band's early years well.

Where do they all belong? *I've already written about their 2016 album Like An Arrow - another 4 starr effort - the bar is consistently set high, and their latest studio album (number 7) is coming to Goo Goo when I get to the vinyl collection again.