Folk & Country > EMI Operations/CEVA Logistics Folk & Country

Eat this!

Advantages: Some great tracks
Disadvantages: Dreary packaging-- be best if you download the album!

Hailed by many as the new Bob Dylan, Willy Mason sure has a lot of weight to bare on his shoulders with this album debut. It's a little bit folky, a little bit country, a little bit rock; but all of it is very Willy Mason. One of my favourite things about this album is the fact it sounds so natural and unproduced, but in a good way. It does lack polish, but this is what makes it all the more likable. Part of this comes from Mason's voice, which ...
...out of time with the glorious music he is playing. This is not the only thing that people have compared to Dylan. Mason's lyrics also have a sense of urgency and passion which I haven't heard the likes of in a while. There are political undercurrents sprinkled through the album; on one song he may be criticizing George Bush (this is hardly original, but the way he does it definitely is) and on another he bemoans the priveleged, American middle classes ...

Rosebud1985 18.07.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Where The Humans Eat - Willy Mason

Gripping

Advantages: Traditional, varied
Disadvantages: Some tracks almost too short

The Bairns is an unsual album to listen to, taking you on (for lack of any better comparison) a roller-coaster of emotion, from the first track to the last. With haunting voices and perfect harmonies, Rachel Unthank and The Winterset, a quartet comprising two extremely talented sisters and their friends hailing from the North-east of England, deliver a provoking, if not flawless, catalogue of traditional folk pieces. Particularly interesting are ...
...pieces of music. For example, I Wish, I Wish, which has been covered by many artists in the past, predominantly Kate Rusby's more upbeat take, has been turned into a melancholy, heart-breaking melody much more suited to the lyrics being sung. They also include a collection of "Lulls" which vary from 20 second accapella songs to the 7 minute variation offered at the end of album, with complex vocal harmonies and instrumental backing. A very worthy ...

JBird13 11.09.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Bairns, The - Rachel Unthank & The Winterset

A suitable case for investigation

Advantages: Always entertaining, sometimes hilarious
Disadvantages: No real disadvantages

Ivor Cutler's third album for Virgin, originally released on vinyl in 1976, continues his highly idiosyncratic trawl through life with the usual mixture of tall tales, some presented as unaccompanied prose speech, others sung (although the word is used advisedly) with piano or harmonium. It's a long way from the hippie Virgin fare of that era - only his labelmate Robert Wyatt (with whom Cutler collaborated on "Rock Bottom") comes remotely close. ...
...more accurate reference points. Ever the miniaturist, Cutler crams over thirty vignettes into the album. The perpetual "Life in a Scotch Sitting Room" has two more extracts included here, both of which are wonderfully bizarre evocations of a childhood of porridge, country walks and learning about the development of Glasgow's sewage system. Of the songs, "Rubber Toy", where Cutler parodies his Jewish upbringing with a Topol-style wail, and "Everybody ...

wiseowl96 30.03.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Jammy Smears - Ivor Cutler

Don't be fooled by the title!

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: It's very very poor

I so wanted to love this album, as it sounded like it could be a classic. 2 musical legends, geniuses in their own right, one from the jazz field, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and one from the country scene, Wille Nelson. This had the makings of something great, or so I thought! Right away the album title grabbed my attention and had me thinking this was going to be a bluesy affair. Well, there's a hint of it on the album, but only a hint. This is ...
...ever have the displeasure of hearing. To be fair Marsalis plays well on here (the only redeeming factor about the project), but Nelson sounds like he's going through the motions and can't wait to get out of the studio. There's a serious lack of what all good blues music has - and that's 'feel', or 'soul', call it what you will, but any blues fan will know what I mean. This just sounds cold, calculated, unfeeling. It's boring to the 'n'th degree. ...

BigCS 03.08.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Two Men With The Blues - Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis

I like it!

Advantages: great tracks, emotional and touching
Disadvantages: a little too much country for my friends and family!

...as it is an acquired taste... as I mentioned, I know many people who cannot bear to listen to the album! It is also good value for money thanks to the 18 tracks included... I'm fed up of seeing albums for sale at stupid prices for only 10 tracks! ...

anonyme78 15.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of 18 Kids (Greatest Hits) - Keith Urban