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(Nonesuch) 5 stars In 1995, after two decades of successful country/folk recordings, Harris embarked on a ground-breaking covers project with the Daniel Lanois-produced `Wrecking Ball’, redefining her as a performer. More impressive still was 2000’s `Red Dirt Girl’ (aided by Lanois protégé Malcolm Burn), featuring an array of original songs, but `Stumble Into Grace’ must […]
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Chavez Ravine — Ry Cooder | CD review
June 3rd, 2012 
admin (Nonesuch/WEA) 4 stars More a music documentary than conventional album, Ry Cooder’s `Chavez Ravine’ revisits a forgotten Mexican-American district of Los Angeles, bulldozed in 1950 through political chicanery, to provide a stadium-home on the west coast for New York’s Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Inspired by period photos, Cooder explores, through 15 songs in Spanish and […]
Prodigal Son: The Concert – Martin Simpson | DVD review
June 2nd, 2012 admin (Topic/Planet DVD) 3.5 stars Guitar virtuoso Martin Simpson spent 15 years living in the USA before re-settling in Sheffield. The English troubadour’s transatlantic folk roots are revealed and explored on his absorbing DVD `Prodigal Son – The Concert’, recorded in London following his 2007 breakthrough CD. The two-hour concert comprises solo and backing trio sets.
Band of Joy – Robert Plant | CD review
April 28th, 2012 admin (Decca) Avoiding the temptation to recycle his back-catalogue, English blues-shouter Robert Plant has ranged far and wide in his recent exploration of genres, from world music to the collaboration with Alison Krauss, Raising Sand. Now, in a deliberate step away from that Grammy-winning roots pairing, Plant delivers Band of Joy, a solo offering named after […]
Time Stands Still – Chris Smither | CD review
April 28th, 2012 admin (Shock) PERENNIAL United States troubadour Chris Smither continues to delight folk-blues fans with incisive lyrics and melodic hooks, underpinned by a monster finger-picking technique. This album, although a shade below 2007’s dazzling Leave The Light On, is still impressive. The 11 studio tracks were recorded over four days with producer-guitarist David Goodrich and percussionist Zak […]
