Thursday, October 9, 2008

“Not Enough Love” by Jimmy Lott (Folk Artist from Oregon(OR))

Jimmy Lott's "Not Enough Love" is an album ten years in the making, but perhaps Lott needed all of that time, all of those life experiences, to fashion such a solid, diverse, and mature album. Fueled by acoustic work on guitar and piano, Lott touches base in the folk, rock, blues, Americana, and country genres and skillfully crafts beautiful arrangements throughout. Lott has the raw, weathered vocals and country twang reminiscent of latter Bob Dylan, occasionally accompanied by a stunning female backing vocal. Lott's songs are original and poignant, both political, about soldiers and war, and socially conscious, about the world running out of love, the rich getting richer, and moving west. "Not Enough Love" is well-produced and sounds excellent, from the soft piano ballads to the lively Americana tracks, and everything in between. "Ain't No Use" is a bluesy track with nice acoustic and keyboard work, a rhythmic drumbeat, and a great vocal performance from Lott. "Rich People" is a cynical, socially conscious track about "those poor, poor, poor rich people" with great acoustic work and memorable lyrics, including, "Rich people don't get rained on/Rich people don't have to stand in line." With "Not Enough Love," Jimmy Lott has resoundingly returned to the music world and put himself out there with a musically diverse, well-crafted album. Fans of great acoustic work and latter day Dylan should definitely pick this one up.
-Chris & the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
Check out Jimmy Lott's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites

“Thoughts of Home: Traditional American Folk Music” by Anne Milligan (Folk Artist from Kentucky(KY))

Not surprisingly, Kentucky native Anne Milligan's "Thoughts of Home: Traditional American Folk Music" is an excellent traditional Appalachian folk album with tracks that span the history of the United States. Milligan's vocal performance makes this album, as she sings beautifully, heartfelt, and with such purity, reminiscent of folk predecessors such as Joan Baez and Emmylou Harris. Roughly, this is a collection of songs about home, both literally, as she sings about Kentucky and America, and figuratively, about the feeling that home brings. The arrangements are diverse, keeping with the traditional folk sound in some, relying solely on her strong acapella performance for others, and modernizing the sound with piano renditions on still others, such as "My Old Kentucky Home," the state song of Kentucky, and "Amazing Grace." "Thoughts of Home" is well-produced though not over-produced, so it maintains that great raw folk sound. "Keep On the Sunny Side" is traditionally done, with a clean and beautiful vocal performance and nice vocal harmonies on the chorus. "Angel Band (3-part Acapella)" is a hauntingly beautiful acapella performance from Milligan of this song modernly popularized by the Sirens in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" where which Milligan sings all three acapella parts. The album closes with "I'd Come Home Today," a Milligan original that sounds just as timeless as the other songs. Fans of traditional Appalachian folk music and stunning female folk vocalists should definitely look into Anne Milligan.
-Chris & the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
Check out Anne Milligan 's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites