Folk Songs (1996)

Californian whose sensual, ethereal piano & guitar compositions explore spiritual and emotional realms.

Suzanne Vega was the first major figure in the bumper crop of female singer/songwriters who rose to prominence during the late '80s and '90s. Her hushed, restrained folk-pop and highly literate lyrics (inspired chiefly by Leonard Cohen, as well as Lou Reed and Bob Dylan) laid the initial musical groundwork for what later became the trademark sound of Lilith Fair (a tour on which she was a regular).

This is a great record, with one important caveat – anyone looking for the Donovan of AM radio and upbeat ditties like "Sunshine Superman" will have to go for more recent live albums. Donovan in Concert has been neglected over the decades by the fans, who apparently would have preferred a set that encompassed the hits, yet it presents a surprisingly vital side of Donovan's music, as well as excellent versions of some of his best album cuts and good versions of the two actual hits that are here. In contrast to his studio sides, which often reflected the sensibilities of producer Mickie Most more than those of Donovan, the live material here, cut at the Anaheim Convention Center in early 1968, features Donovan doing his music, his way…

Donovan's last truly great album of the 1960s, 1968's BARABAJAGAL shows interesting artistic growth at least as marked as his transformation from folk troubadour to daffy hippie-pop guru. The title track and "Trudi" feature the Rod Stewart-era Jeff Beck Group as Donovan's backing band; consequently both these songs have a surprising amount of sonic heft to them…

David Crosby - King Biscuit Flower Hour (1996)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 480 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 167 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb
© 1999 King Biscuit Flower Hour Records / Abril | 6007011-2
Rock / Folk-Rock / Pop / Soft Rock

Never before released concert. His famous return to the stage. Live at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia on April 8, 1989. Features CSN classics. Collector's edition liner notes and vintage photos.

Recorded in 1989, David Crosby was fresh out of prison, clean and sober, and by the sound of this live recording, was out to prove he could still be an important musician. He manages to prove just that !
The band at this time consisted of Dan Dugmore (lead guitar), Mike Finnegan (keyboards), Davy Farragher (bass), and Jody Cortez (drums), and David (rhythm guitar). That's it. No cameos from Graham or anyone else, and that suits me just fine. It's just David out in front of a simple band, with no one else vying for center stage. He actually plays guitar on every single track (except for the piano ballads "Delta",and "Oh, Yes I Can"),and although he's never been more than a marginal guitarist, he's does a respectable job grinding out chords behind Dugmore's excellent leads. This is most apparent on "Wooden Ships", where we hear David's twelve string ringing true, and it seems he was actually making an effort to get creative with it.