Roberts Slow

Collection includes: Espers (2003); The Weed Tree (2005); Espers II (2006) and Espers III (2009).

Indiana-born John Hiatt is an unlikely but enthusiastic champion of the Midwestern work ethic - he's been making records since 1974, but 2010's The Open Road is his sixth studio effort since the dawn of the new millennium, and it sounds like the work of a man who isn't about to stop doing this work anytime soon. Like 2008's Same Old Man, The Open Road was recorded at Hiatt's home studio, and while he and his road band (Doug Lancio on guitar, Patrick O'Hearn on bass, and Kenny Blevins on drums) conjure up a lean, soulful groove on these sessions, the mood is easygoing and almost casual, which easily suits the bluesy tone of these songs.

"After Hours" has become a widespread calling card for the area between midnight and twilight, when all the city falls asleep except for a collective of nocturnal beings. A whole new range of attitudes - diverse styles, open perception. After Hours is when the machine turns off -and when the mind turns on. In musical terms, it is the region outside categorization, the music that slips beyond the average stream of beats. It's not based on any beat pattern. After Hours is not ambient; nor is it acid-jazz, it's the area that exists in the gray area between them. Too quirky to hold any cliches too tightly; too loose for any grand agendas. After Hours eases the mind, softens the palette and opens the door to a new day.

German digitally remastered box-set featuring 400 legendary songs from 185 famous artists including Roy Acuff, Merle Travis, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Chet Atkins, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family and many more!