Monday, June 29, 2009

"A Few More Miles to Go" by Anne Price (Country/Folk Artist from New York City, New York(NY))

The accomplished folk singer, Anne Price, returns with her 4th CD, "A Few More Miles to Go," yet another wonderful collection of (mainly) traditional – if lesser exposed, potent folk songs. Opening with a cover of the late, under-appreciated contemporary folk stylist, Kate Wolf (an influence on Nanci Griffith), "The Trumpet Vine" serves as a terrific introduction for a varied set that reveals folk music's rich and evolving traditions. As a veteran and leading exponent of NYC's storied folk heritage, Price's mastery of the music's many styles is unquestioned. As such, her take on the mountain ballad-like "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key," a Woodie Guthrie tune originating from the seminal 1998 album by Billy Bragg & Wilco ("Mermaid Avenue") is true and affecting, as is her a cappella rendition of the English ballad, "The Keys of Canterbury." Elsewhere, Price's mid-range voice (not unlike Griffith's instrument these days) is the perfect vehicle for songs of homespun humor such as "Chocolate," children's sing-alongs songs like "Yucky Bugs," or praises to nature's wonder with "Black Waters." But nowhere is the singer better represented than on her Iris DeMent-like rendition of the playful Janis Ian tune, "My Autobiography." Without a doubt, Anne Price's excellent CD, "A Few More Miles to Go," is a fine addition to the American folk music library; the pairing of a revered songbook with a treasured performer.

-Rice B. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
Check out Anne Price's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites

Monday, June 15, 2009

"Midnight" by Mark Gothard (Rock Artist from Los Angeles, California(CA))

On Mark Gothard's third CD, "Midnight," a collection of bare-bones contemporary folk songs, the singer-songwriter goes back to the beginning. The 15-track CD contains songs newly recorded, but written in his college days, well before his first album from '03. Songs that he "wrote on napkins at bars, in parking lots, in alleyways at 3 a.m..." As such, there's a youthful immediacy that is next to impossible to replicate as one matures. Stripped down, haunting pieces built primarily on acoustic guitar, with some spare use of piano and drums provide the sonic template, a lo-fi texture that puts the songs front and center. "Skies Painted Blue," one of the most affecting tunes on the album, is a beautiful love song, aching with the singer's passion and desire; "Dressed In Red," with its rich-as-soil vocal, nimbly weds melody to guitar flourishes with imaginative lyrics as impressionistic as they are sublime; on "To Heaven We'll Go," Gothard strikes pay-dirt with a fragile, minor-key tune that lingers long after the song has ended. Filling out the rest of the CD are equally smart and elusive songs that attest to Gothard's original and noteworthy song craft.

-Rice B. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
Check out Mark Gothard's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Check out Chris Holiman, one of RadioIndy's favorite Folk artists


Radioindy Artist Spotlight for Chris Holiman

View Chris Holiman Image

 

 




Band Name: Chris Holiman
Band Location: Arizona
Sounds Like: Nick Drake, Wilco, Joni Mitchell
Visit Band's Website: click here

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

RadioIndy is pleased to present Wes and Victoria with a GrIndie Award for the CD "The Ballad Of Billy Saigon"

RadioIndy is pleased to present Wes and Victoria with a GrIndie Award for the CD "The Ballad Of Billy Saigon"

"The Ballad Of Billy Saigon" by Wes and Victoria is folk rock/Americana at its best and deserves a good listen from any fan of that genre. Originally hailing from Texas, the duo's work has that southern feel and is a great mix of folk, rock, country and good ol' cowboy music. Wes has a very unique singing voice that is particularly raw, letting you feel every note and word he is singing. The harmonica talent of Victoria is well highlighted on songs like "Trail of Tears," and it sounds great. There is also a very welcoming Rolling Stones-influenced number called "Love Got a Mind of Its Own," a song that could easily be compared to anything the Stones did in their best years. For listeners that enjoy folk rock and Bob Dylan, Wes and Victoria's "The Ballad Of Billy Saigon" is definitely worth listening to.

-Shaun H. and the radioindy.com reviewer team
Check out Wes and Victoria 's music on RadioIndy.com with link to purchase and links to popular sites