Mary Chapin

Double Cream is an outstanding series of famous country hits. 7 Volumes, 14 CDs, almost 300 songs. Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton and many others.

Lunasa is back with a new studio album 'Cas' and a tour of the US starting this February to celebrate their 20th Anniversary. It is their first studio album in seven years and it is also their first recording with vocals, including guest singers who are prominent artists in their own right, that the band has recorded and toured with over the years. These include Natalie Merchant and Mary Chapin Carpenter, top bluegrass singer/songwriter Tim O'Brien, Blues recording artist Eric Bibb and Daoiri Farrell, a young Irish folk singer star who recently won the BBC Radio 2 Folk contest. Lunasa's inventive arrangements and bass driven grooves have steered Irish acoustic music into surprising new territory. Their recordings have been hailed as some of the best and most important world music albums anywhere, while their blend of intelligence, innovation, virtuosity and passion has brought them to the forefront of Celtic music. The new recording continues this tradition while bringing the listener forward.

Standing at the crossroads of modern bluegrass and newgrass, The Infamous Stringdusters are a band that is "stretching [bluegrass] from within" (New York Times). For their sixth studio album, Ladies & Gentlemen, the band invited a dozen of their favorite female singers to join them. The list of featured guests includes some of the most dynamic and innovative artists from across the roots music, Americana and country worlds: Nicki Bluhm, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jen Hartswick, Sarah Jarosz, Claire Lynch, Aofie O'Donovan, Joan Osborne, Joss Stone, Sara Watkins, Abigail Washburn, Lee Ann Womack and Celia Woodsmith.

There are too many artists here who are matched up with songs beyond their ability or apparent understanding. Certainly the most glaring example of this is Mary Chapin Carpenter's version of Don Gibson's classic hit "Oh Lonesome Me." Another glaring mismatch is the Collin Raye/Joe Diffie cover of the Billy Joe Shaver rebel rouser "Honky Tonk Heroes (Like Me)," the rallying cry of the outlaw country movement during the '70s…