Town & Country (2001)

Dreams come true. We've all heard that. So, after winning the Dallas regional ALABAMA June Jam Talent Search and a couple of wins as Male Vocalist Champion on Ed McMahon's StarSearch, Buddy Jewell packed up his family and headed to Nashville to make his dream come true.

Dolly Parton is such an American icon that it is easy to forget how she achieved her fame and success. Years of magazine covers, movies, crossover hits, and Dollywood have tended to obscure the small-town girl who first came to light as a duet partner with Porter Wagoner and then quickly established herself as a major talent in her own right with a series of quiet adventurous records for RCA that blended country, folk, bluegrass, and pop. Raven's brilliant collection Mission Chapel Memories 1971-1975 concentrates on that period, taking a bold decision to sidestep a predictable recycling of hits in favor of drawing a full portrait of Dolly's considerable musical achievements during the early '70s. There are hits here, of course, including "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "The Bargain Store," but they're here because they support the collection's musical thesis that during this short span of time Parton grew considerably.

Dolly Parton is such an American icon that it is easy to forget how she achieved her fame and success. Years of magazine covers, movies, crossover hits, and Dollywood have tended to obscure the small-town girl who first came to light as a duet partner with Porter Wagoner and then quickly established herself as a major talent in her own right with a series of quiet adventurous records for RCA that blended country, folk, bluegrass, and pop. Raven's brilliant collection Mission Chapel Memories 1971-1975 concentrates on that period, taking a bold decision to sidestep a predictable recycling of hits in favor of drawing a full portrait of Dolly's considerable musical achievements during the early '70s. There are hits here, of course, including "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," and "The Bargain Store," but they're here because they support the collection's musical thesis that during this short span of time Parton grew considerably.

For the past two decades pianist Fred Hersch has created something all jazz musicians strive for: his own unique style. That style is on display on this three-CD collection that primarily features Hersch's sterling solo pianisms. The first disc contains Hersch's "Songs Without Words," a six-suite work that highlights Hersch's articulate touch and evokes French impressionism, the Argentinean tango, and the jazz waltz. His earliest compositions follow the suite, such as the lullaby-like "Child's Song" and the heartbreaking melody of "Sarabande." The second disc is Hersch's tribute to several jazz composers from Duke Ellington to Dizzy Gillespie.

Dolly Parton kicks off LP1 with the iconic ‘Jolene’, then over to John Denver’s platinum single ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. The journey continues with ‘70s chart smashes from Glen Campbell, The Bellamy Brothers, and #1s from Dr Hook and Kenny Rogers. Legendary U.S. hits from Linda Ronstadt, Debby Boone and Juice Newton open LP2, with the side also featuring huge hits from Anne Murray and Lynn Anderson before legendary artists, Johnny Cash with ‘Ring Of Fire’, Roy Orbison, and closing with Patsy Cline’s timeless ‘Crazy’. Flip the disc over and Side B is all about contemporary and pop-crossover Country.

Mixed Bag is the 2001 album by revivalist genius Jamieson Brown, which is truly a mixed bag of musical stiles here. He is better known as Junior Brown. This one comes courtesy of Curb Records. Out of the 12 songs here, only a quarter (i.e. three songs) are covers.