Comments on: Independent Suggestions

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:18:12 +0000

Yay! I’m glad you joined. I was so upset with myself because I forgot to check on Emusic before buying the JTE album from Amazon last week. That live Pat Green album is very good. I got mine from that five for $25 deal that he did last summer.

By: Dan Milliken

Dan Milliken — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:09:47 +0000

I want to mention that this thread convinced me to finally subscribe to eMusic (50 songs/month plan) and it’s marvelous. Here’s some of the stuff I’ve found that looks pretty good, so anyone else who starts up there has some familiar names to begin at:

Lucinda Williams
Jim Lauderdale
Buddy Miller
Old 97′s
Steve Earle
Robert Earl Keen
Justin Townes Earle
Townes Van Zandt
Earl Thomas Conley
Chris Knight
Pat Green (a good old live album)
Billy Joe Shaver
Gillian Welch
Steeldrivers
Todd Snider
Dale Watson
John Hiatt
Jeffrey Foucault
Eleven Hundred Springs
Randy Rogers Band
Dwight Yoakam
The Gourds
Old Crow Medicine Show
John Prine
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Patty Griffin
Hank Snow
Avett Brothers
Tift Merritt
The Carter Family
Jimmie Rodgers
John Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival (they’ve got the remastered versions of their five main albums!)

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:36:58 +0000

I second Walt Wilkins….He’s great.

By: Steve from Boston

Steve from Boston — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:59:45 +0000

I got another one…Sara Evans, The Early Years..

This is an independent CD of some of Sara’s earliest, previously unreleased songs. The album was recorded when she was just 21 years old, and all of the songs on this album are either written or co-written by Sara.

Roughly half of the songs are pure Country, and half pop Country style. Surprisingly sophisticated compositions for such a young and then unsigned artist. Sara’s voice is exquisite throughout, with only one or two strained vocal stretches,,,Amazingly refined, heartfelt and expressive vocals for one so young, while at the same time retaining plenty of youthful sincerity and freshness.

Some of the songs on this album are as good as anything Sara has ever done, and most of these songs are better than most of what passes for “country” on the radio nowadays.

“The Early Years” is published by E & S records and is available through CD Baby.

This album is a hidden gem, and I highly recommend it.

By: William Ward

William Ward — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:28:24 +0000

Crooked Still (Sounds somewhat in tone like what I imagine a Nickel Creek traditional album would sound like)
Samantha Martin

By: Steve from Boston

Steve from Boston — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:39:55 +0000

With Lori McKenna’s “Unglamorous” album, I especially recommend the title cut, also “I Know You” , “Witness to Your Life” and “Drinklin’ Problem”…Not crazy for all the cuts on this album, but these four, and a few others, more than make it worth your while.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:13:35 +0000

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I will check into the ones I don’t have for sure. Another album I got from Emusic that I really like is the No Depression compilation.

By: Brody

Brody — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:32:10 +0000

There's a lot of good suggestions so far that I'd second, but here's a few that haven't been mentioned: Adam Hood - Different Groove Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Mile Markers A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver (One of my favorite live albums.) Corb Lund - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! The Flatlanders (I'm still getting familiar with their other albums, but I like Now Again a lot) Jason Eady - From Underneath the Old (He's gaining a lot of notoriety in Texas, for good reason, too.) Josh Grider (Million Miles to Go is my favorite so far.) Walt Wilkins (Can't go wrong with Walt. The latest album, Diamonds in the Sun, isn't all Walt though, so you might want to go with one of the older ones.)

By: Jim O

Jim O — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:10:18 +0000

Leeann, I think you wrote about Peter Cooper previously. the “You Don’t Have To Like Them Both” album by Eric Brace & Peter Cooper is on Emusic. Whilst I don’t like this as much as Peter’s solo album it is certainly worth a listen.

Last week’s Australian CMAs got me hunting for some of the names featured in there. On Emusic I found a brilliant 2008 Various Artists compilation called “Gotta Go Country Vol 2″. This features people like Adam Brand and Melinda Schneider and also a wonderful version of the song “I’ve been Everywhere” by the Sunny Cowgirls.

I had found Melinda Schneider’s solo 2008 album “Be Yourself” on Emusic last summer and that contains some wonderful songs including the one that beat out Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson in the award for musical collaboration category. “Still Here” a duet with Paul Kelly.

Away from Australia, and to California, I am not sure whether “Swim” by The Whispertown 2000 will be to your liking? It is more in the broader Americana category than country. It features singer/songwriter Morgan Nagler. She has one of those very distinctive voices that I suspect people either love or hate. This was one of my very favorite albums of last year and I found it on Emusic

Other country albums from Emusic I have bought recently, and am loving: Rodney Crowell’s brilliant “Sex & Gasoline and a self titled album by “The Tejas Brothers”.

By: Erik North

Erik North — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:40:44 +0000

The three albums that Tift Merritt has released–BRAMBLE ROSE; TAMBOURINE; and last year’s gem ANOTHER COUNTRY.