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 Gentle As The Sun is exactly what it says on the label, gentle, beautiful song cycles which warm and feed the soul like a winter sun. Not for Naomi Sommers the sudden changes in mood, which can sometimes destroy the flow of an album for the listener, this is simply a glass of red wine, watching the sun go down experience from start to finish.
With a musical pedigree rooted in bluegrass, old time |
 Calling someone her country's greatest singer would be a huge compliment to most performers. In the case of Chava Alberstein, however, it only tells a small part of the story. Alberstein is undoubtedly Israel's most accomplished singer, having released nearly 50 recordings since the late 1960's, many of them now gold or platinum. Alberstein is Israel; her development as an artist mirrors Israel's |
 Boise-born and Boston-based, Eilen Jewell has quickly distinguished herself as one of the rising stars of a new generation of roots musicians. Her first two albums, Boundary County (self-released, 2006) and Letters from Sinners and Strangers (Signature Sounds, 2007) were astonishingly assured efforts, which matched Jewell’s understated yet insightful songs with a rugged blend of Americana styles. |
 From the opening strains of the superbly recorded
bouzouki and the unmistakable rich vocals that start ‘Parasol Ants’, it’s
obvious that this, Shindell’s first collection of new songs in five years is
going to demand your full attention. The anticipation for a new disc has been
high due to the strength of his previous work, where the combination of
excellent guitar and vocals mix with vivid |
 He’s been known as the co-founder of the three-time Grammy nominated BR549, the honky-tonk heroes that almost single-handedly lit and carried the blowtorch for the mid-‘90s alternative country explosion. He’s been hailed as ‘The Hillbilly Renaissance Man’ for his subsequent successes as a songwriter, performer, producer and musical theater director. Now after more than a decade as one of the most |
 Pigeonhole Carrie Rodriguez at your peril. Sure, she’s done a lot of duets. She plays a fiddle (a mean one at that.) She’s recorded songs with a pleasing, folksy twang. But don’t think you know what you’re getting. Not yet 30, and with a critically-acclaimed solo record and several well-received duet records in her wake, the classically trained singer/songwriter has just begun flexing her |
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