June 4th, 2012 
admin (Shout Factory/Shock) 5 stars
The sheer wealth of material alone on this splendid boxed set is worth a five-star rating.
Two CDs, two DVDs and a 40-page booklet are all dedicated to the work of Harry Smith, whose original seminal folk `Anthology’, released on Folkways in 1952, helped transform the American musical landscape.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Concord) 3 stars
Ray Charles never performed with Count Basie, but his arrangements were strongly influenced by Basie and at times his band featured Basie sidemen.
`Ray Sings, Basie Swings’ (Concord) isolates Ray’s vocals from ’70s concert tapes and sets them to new studio arrangements with the current Basie band and Raelettes’ harmonies.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Artists First/Shock) 5 stars
“Some folks say it’s too old/Some folks say it goes just a little too fast’’.
It’s almost as if Bruce Springsteen, in his classic rocker `Pink Cadillac’, was writing about Jerry Lee Lewis – especially when the Killer (now 71) and the Boss team up to sing it on this feisty, stellar get-together.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Mercury) 3.5 stars
Piano man Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin first collaborated in 1967, as teenage staff songwriters in London, eventually emerging with 1969’s `Empty Sky’ album.
Elton’s eponymous 1970 LP, containing the hit `Your Song’, finally brought pop stardom and a succession of hit albums quickly followed, including 1975’s autobiographical `Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy’, playfully chronicling the then 11-year John-Taupin partnership.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Verve Forecast) 4.5 stars
Leonard Cohen’s songs get under your skin.
Although he’s no great singer – Cohen freely admits it – and his melodies often tread well-worn paths, those lyrics are wickedly seductive and drolly self-deprecating.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Warner) 5 stars
That Ron Sexsmith is a consummate tunesmith has been freely acknowledged by artists as diverse as Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello and k d lang.
But the Canadian balladeer’s own interpretations hold the strongest appeal, allowing words and melody to breathe.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Columbia) 4.5 stars
Despite its title – or perhaps perversely – `Modern Times’ is rooted in American traditional music, continuing in style and mood where Dylan left off on 1997’s `Time Out of Mind’ and 2001’s `Love and Theft’.
Another stripped-back, loosely structured self-production (under his Jack Frost pseudonym) and backed by the “never-ending’’ tour band, the new CD is packed with forceful retro blues-rockers, lightly swinging ditties and warmly appealing ballads.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Columbia 2DVD) 5 stars
Remember Pink Floyd’s original `Pulse’, with its smart, twin-CD digipak and blinking red light?
That 1994 live album, recorded in London during the group’s `The Division Bell’ world tour (sadly, Australia missed out) was the first time the group had recorded its entire `Dark Side Of The Moon’ album in concert.
June 4th, 2012 admin (Vanguard) 4.5 stars
Linda Ronstadt’s vintage voice has ripened and matured over the years into a rich, expressive instrument and on the beguiling `Adieu False Heart’, she found a kindred spirit in Cajun folkie Ann Savoy.
Dubbing themselves The Zozo Sisters, the duo first combined on Vanguard’s excellent 2002 compilation `Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music’.
June 4th, 2012 admin (American) 4 stars
Cash recorded these dozen songs in the months up to his death in September 2003.
There’s a dignified strength about the ailing musician’s performance and choice of material (from Hank Williams to Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Springsteen and Ian Tyson) that transcends the wasted voice.
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