The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
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February 26, 2008
New CD Album Releases, 2-26-2008: Dolly Parton, Hayseed Dixie, Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson The top couple most interesting sounding new releases come from the country quadrant. Backwoods Barbie is the first proper commercial country album from Dolly Parton in something like 20 years, after a series of outstanding bluegrass oriented records. Seems like the modern commercial country music industry (far more frightening to me personally than the military-industrial complex) has become even considerably less accepting of aging artists than commercial rock and pop radio.
Thus, it'll be interesting to see if THE most still viable major old country singer still standing can actually be credible with country radio 2008 at the age of 62 - though that's one well preserved old woman on that album cover. In the pink dress spread out across the hay in the back of a pickup, Miss Dolly does indeed look like a backwoods Barbie.
Less exalted on the food chain, Hayseed Dixie have their Cooking Vinyl album No Covers. This comedically oriented bluegrass band has been known for their hot-jammin and surprisingly effective bluegrass covers of hard rock bands, most notably AC/DC. Per the album title, this does appear to be an album of original songs. These guys have shown a lot of creative imagination in their humble jokey interpretations - sort of latter day Homer and Jethro. They're lead by a hillbilly with a PhD who really likes beer, so they're like profound and stuff. But do they have anything to say as songwriters?
Then there is the Jackson family. Michael has apparently abandoned Neverland to foreclosure. Worse yet, Janet Jackson has a new album, Discipline. She was a mediocre talent in her prime, mostly successful because she's a Jackson and because Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote her a few passable hits. But she was at least a nice girl. As her popularity has faded, however, she's become increasingly whorish in her recordings and of course the infamous Superbowl Titty Massacre. Now we have this "discipline" S&M shtick. Shut up, already. Damn. If I might suggest humbly, I think I have a solution.
In the way of re-issues, there's a particularly tasty looking compilation from Stax, Stax Does the Beatles. Booker T and the MGs were digging the Beatles along with other Stax luminaries in Beatle covers. There's an alternate version of Otis Redding's well known version of "Day Tripper." The Beatles were great in many ways, but not particularly a soul band. I'd be particularly interested in Booker T's arrangement of "Got to Get You Into My Life," which is a great soul song.
Here's the listing of this week's new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Erykah Badu New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War Universal Motown Neo-Soul, Urban, Contemporary R&B
Carl Craig Sessions !K7 Detroit Techno, Club/Dance, Techno, House
Goldfrapp Seventh Tree Mute Alternative Pop/Rock, Electronica
Janet Discipline Island Urban, Contemporary R&B
Dolly Parton Backwoods Barbie Dolly Traditional Country, Progressive Country, Honky Tonk, Country-Folk, Country-Pop
The Cardigans The Best Of [Limited Edition] Polydor Indie Pop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Swedish Pop/Rock, Twee Pop, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Carl St. Clair Villa-Lobost: Symphony No 10 Amerindia CPO Modern Orchestral Music
Cowboy Junkies Trinity Revisited [Bonus DVD] Zoe College Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Dirtbombs We Have You Surrounded In The Red Garage Punk, Garage Rock Revival
Earth The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull Southern Lord Post-Rock/Experimental
Eugenius Mary Queen of Scots Wounded Bird Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Indie Rock
Hayseed Dixie No Covers Cooking Vinyl Contemporary Bluegrass
Chris Hicks Dog Eat Dog World Shout! Factory Southern Rock
Missy Higgins On a Clear Night Virgin Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Jefferson Starship Timeless Classics Live Rainman Album Rock, Arena Rock, Hard Rock, Adult Contemporary
The Judybats Native Son Wounded Bird Alternative Pop/Rock
King's Singers The Golden Age Signum Classics Renaissance & Baroque Vocal Music
Ludo You're Awful, I Love You Island Indie Rock
Maria McKee Live at the BBC Polydor Alternative Country-Rock, Country-Rock, College Rock, Roots Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
Tift Merritt Another Country Fantasy Alternative Country, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Americana
Morrissey Greatest Hits Polydor College Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Dance-Rock
Jose Serebrier Bizet/Serebrier: Carmen Symphony Naxos Modern Arrangement of Romantic Orchestral Music
Robert Spano Michael Gandolfi: The Garden of Cosmic Speculation [Hybrid SACD] Telarc Contemporary Orchestral Music
Less exalted on the food chain, 
In the way of re-issues, there's a particularly tasty looking compilation from Stax, Stax Does the Beatles. Booker T and the MGs were digging the Beatles along with other Stax luminaries in Beatle covers. There's an alternate version of Otis Redding's well known version of "Day Tripper." The Beatles were great in many ways, but not particularly a soul band. I'd be particularly interested in Booker T's arrangement of "Got to Get You Into My Life," which is a great soul song. 
