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The Blend - CD of the Month
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March 2010
Backyard Tire Fire
Good To Be
(Kelsey Street Records)
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Good To Be was recorded in luxurious, hand-tooled analog with Los Lobos' Steve Berlin producing. With their fifth full-length disc, Backyard Tire Fire have achieved one of those big-time, long-haul records that matter far more than the sum of its considerable parts and not via grandiose, larger-than-life lyrical imagery but through blue-collar, common sense miniatures that remind us of the simple beauty present in mundane, daily, person-to-person experience. Which is NOT to say that Good To Be is yet another one of those one-dimensional, granola-rootsy, rustic Americana takes on post-Uncle Tupelo barn-board rock; there is a taste of that, to be sure, but Anderson & Co. have spread the stylistic court with a rich, ever-expanding palette of aural rock n roll colors and textures that tap into bouncy, Kinks-meet-Squeeze Brit pop-rock, Tom Petty-styled Southern rock, Beatle-esque majesty, intimate balladry, chiming folk-rock and heartland/populist chest-pounders. Bearing a consistent message of empathy, humanity and hope, Good to Be is a triumph of Anderson's own thirteen year journey as a rock and roller.
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February 2010
Blind Boys of Alabama
Duets
(Saguaro Road)
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The Blind Boys have frequently been invited to appear on other great artists' albums, resulting in a number of performances that have been collected into Duets.
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Their first-ever duets collection includes songs with Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Travis, Lou Reed, Solomon Burke, Susan Tedeschi and Asleep at the Wheel. In addition, it features three new recordings with Lou Reed, blues legend John Hammond, and Jamaican legend Toots Hibbert of Toots & The Maytals.
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The diverse group of artists collaborating on Duets reflects the expansive appeal of the group as well as the sweeping reverence for their talent. This new album follows their Grammy and Dove Award-winning CD Down in New Orleans.
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January 2010
Ang Medlin
Play Without Fear
(Sid Hippo)
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Sometimes you have no choice but to follow when the music finds you. For Angie Medlin, music made its presence known quietly and almost by surprise.
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Working in the radio industry for a number of years gave Angie an enormous amount of exposure to different types and styles of music. As the small stations programming director, she developed relationships with recording labels and regional A&R contacts. Her afternoon drive show provided a launch pad for a number of new bands. She never imagined her on-air voice would be that of the artist instead of the disk jockey.
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In late 1996 at an after hours event, she was coaxed into singing for friends at a local club on karaoke night. No one, not even Angie, expected what that night might bring. The energy and excitement of the crowds’ response was undeniable and set her on a path of discovery and determination.
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She taught herself to play guitar and slowly began to write pieces of lyrics that would one day become songs, all along continuing to practice her vocal work where ever she could for whoever would listen. By 2003, she was ready to step into the spotlight as the lead vocalist for “Shade”, a funk-rock original band based in Charlotte, NC. After about 2 years of playing the local scene, Angie decided it was time to focus on not just her vocal work, but her inner voice. The lyrics and music that she had been quietly trying to create was ready to become a reality.
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In late 2007, Angie created Sid Hippo Management. This small publishing company would be the home base of her work as a songwriter and a performer. By 2008, Sid Hippo obtained ASCAP membership and manages the publishing and performing rights to 20 original songs.
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In October 2008, Angie joined forces with Tom Williams to create the acoustic duo "ang". Since then, the two have played over 60 shows and multiple benefit concerts for Relay for Life , Second Harvest Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. "ang" is a full time working/traveling band, with shows booked across the South East.
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January 2008 |
Will Hoge | Draw the Curtains | (Rykodisc) |
February 2008 |
Tift Merritt | Another Country | (Fantasy) |
March 2008 |
Malcolm Holcombe | Gamblin' House | (Echo Mountain) |
April 2008 |
Marcia Ball | Peace, Love, & BBQ | (Alligator) |
May 2008 |
B-52's | Funplex | (Astralwerks) |
June 2008 |
John Hiatt | Same Old Man | (New West) |
July 2008 |
Jim White | Transnormal Skiperoo | (Luaka Bop) |
August 2008 |
Los Lonely Boys | Forgiven | (Epic) |
September 2008 |
Dar Williams | Promised Land | (Razonr & Tie) |
October 2008 |
Randall Bramblett | Now It's Tomorrow | (New West) |
| November 2008 |
Nikka Costa | Pebble to a Pearl | (Stax) |
December 2008 |
Taj Mahal | Maestro | (Heads Up) |
January 2009 |
David Byrne & Brian Eno | Everything That Happens Will Happen Today | (Todomundo) |
February 2009 |
Alice Russell | Pot of Gold | (Six Degrees) |
March 2009 |
Good Old War | Only Way To Be Alone | (Sargent House) |
April 2009 |
M. Ward | Hold Time | (Merge) |
May 2009 |
Derek Trucks Band | Already Free | (Victor) |
June 2009 |
Heywire | Smells Like Vegas | (Heywire Entertainment) |
July 2009 |
Elvis Costello | Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane | (Hear Music) |
August 2009 |
Paul Carrack | I Know That Name | (429 Records) |
September 2009 |
Bill Noonan | The Man That I Can't Be | (Catawaba City) |
October 2009 |
The Coal Men | Kids With Songs | (Funzalo) |
November 2009 |
Band of Heathens | One Foot In the Ether | (BOH Records) |
December 2009 |
Norah Jones | The Fall | (Blue Note) |
January 2010 |
Ang Medlin | Play Without Fear | (Sid Hippo) |
| February 2010 | Blind Boys of Alabama |
Duets | (Sagurao Road) |
March 2010 |
Backyard Tire Fire | Good To Be | (Kelsey Street Records) |
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