Guy Clark

Clark-Hutchinson's debut album had been devoted entirely to long, tiresome psychedelic guitar instrumentals with Indian and blues-rock influences. On their second record, although some of that approach was retained, they at least branched out to some degree, adding some vocals and somewhat more deranged blues-rock tangents…

In many ways, Willis Alan Ramsey's debut album makes him sound like the archetypical Texas singer/songwriter; there's more than a little Guy Clark in his approach, a healthy dose of Townes Van Zandt, a dash of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and one can hear the echoes of what Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett would draw from this music…

Various Artists - Poet: A Tribute To Townes Van Zandt (2001) (FreeFalls FFE-7019-2 U.S. Pressing}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 353 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 139 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 16 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 FreeFalls Ent. | FFE-7019-2
Folk / Country / Contemporary Folk / Acoustic / Progressive Country

Tribute collections – especially those dedicated to a deceased artist by a various group of performers – are usually a mixed bag by their very nature. A dedicated various-artists set of songs by the towering songwriter Townes Van Zandt is even more daunting in concept. That said, Poet: A Tribute to Townes Van Zandt, originally issued in 2001, is the exception to the rule in every case. Containing 16 cuts by a stellar cast that includes everyone from Willie Nelson and Nanci Griffith to Lucinda Williams and John Prine with lots of folks in between.

Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems (2007) [4CD+DVD] {Rhino}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.77 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 700 Mb
DVD5 -> 2.01 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | LPCM, 2 ch | ~ 35 m | ISO Image
Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2007 Rhino / Warner | 8122 79969 0 1
Country / Country Rock / Progressive Country / Traditional Country

It's difficult to write about Emmylou Harris without lapsing into a long train of superlatives – she really does have one of the most beautiful voices of her generation, and her taste in material and skill in using her instrument is nearly faultless. However, as good as Harris is and as consistently strong as her body of work has been, one could make a convincing argument that she's been frequently underrated through much of her career – more than just a lovely woman with a pure, clear voice and a fine ear, she's championed a number of gifted songwriters before they went on to have distinguished careers of their own (from Rodney Crowell to Gillian Welch), matured into a first-rate tunesmith herself, collaborated with a remarkable array of artists, and has never been afraid to take her talents into unexpected directions, from purist bluegrass to the experimental atmospherics of her work with Daniel Lanois.