Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.

Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.



disappointed, 03 Nov 2008
I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could.
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here.
It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations.

Sweet, 29 Oct 2008
Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2.

Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed.

Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements.

The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel.

There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity.

Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things.


Lucinda - an inspiration, 26 Oct 2008
Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against.
How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world?
Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out.
They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable.
She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance.

(Almost) a return to form, 22 Oct 2008
Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one.

Tears of Joy.., 19 Oct 2008
'Car wheels on a gravel road' is one of my all time favourite albums that I think is an almost perfect collection of songs. On the first couple of listens I don't think "Little Honey" is quite as good - BUT it's not that far behind and I think it can only grow on you.

Many of the tracks have that same raw, lazy feel as 'Car wheels on a gravel road' but there is much more variety on this record. There are some real Stones-style heavy rockers like "Real Love", "Honey Bee" and even an AC/DC cover - "It's a Long Way to the Top" (backing band Buick 6 are fantastic throughout). Then we have beautiful laid-back ballads like "Knowing" and "If Wishes Were Horses" and also a straight country duet with old mate Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears". Harking back to the start of Lucinda's career there are some nice, updated country blues "Circles and Xs" and "Heaven blues". If I had to pick a favourite I'd go for the slow, electric blues "Tears Of Joy", with Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone's guitars sounding fantastic.

If you liked 'Car wheels on a gravel road' then I'm sure you'll like 'Little Honey', which has kept the same feel but added a rockier edge. I wouldn't say Lucinda had a great voice but it somehow seems to fit her blues/folk/country songs perfectly in a way that nobody else could match and on this record that distinctive voice is perfectly complemented by some great backing from Buick 6.

Emmylou Harris has always had a way with woe. On All I Intended To Be, she seems more maudlin than ever as she sings her way through songs about loss, heartbreak, even the odd funeral. Of course, this is the kind of material Harris has always been comfortable with, but as her career and years advance gracefully, so her gliding soprano seems to breathe ever more refinement and soul into her material. All I Intended To Be has been produced by Brian Ahern, her former husband and the man behind her first 11 albums--another reason the album sounds so comfortable and accomplished. Joined by a virtuoso set of players including keyboardist Glen Hardin and multi-instrumentalist Stuart Duncan, plus vocalists Vince Gill, Buddy Miller, and Dolly Parton, Harris blends a handpicked selection of cover versions with her own material. Tracy Chapman's "All That You Have Is Your Soul" gets a honeyed reworking, as does Merle Haggard's "Kern River" and Mark Germino's "Broken Man's Lament". Billy Joe Shaver's "Old Five" and "Dimers Like Me" both get respectfully and sublimely covered too. But her own songs - in particular "Sailing Round the Room" and "Gold" - stand up well to these evergreens. An eclectic and profound set, All I Intended To Be is also one of Harris' best in recent years.--Danny McKenna

Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.



disappointed, 03 Nov 2008
I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could.
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here.
It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations.

Sweet, 29 Oct 2008
Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2.

Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed.

Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements.

The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel.

There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity.

Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things.


Lucinda - an inspiration, 26 Oct 2008
Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against.
How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world?
Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out.
They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable.
She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance.

(Almost) a return to form, 22 Oct 2008
Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one.

Tears of Joy.., 19 Oct 2008
'Car wheels on a gravel road' is one of my all time favourite albums that I think is an almost perfect collection of songs. On the first couple of listens I don't think "Little Honey" is quite as good - BUT it's not that far behind and I think it can only grow on you.

Many of the tracks have that same raw, lazy feel as 'Car wheels on a gravel road' but there is much more variety on this record. There are some real Stones-style heavy rockers like "Real Love", "Honey Bee" and even an AC/DC cover - "It's a Long Way to the Top" (backing band Buick 6 are fantastic throughout). Then we have beautiful laid-back ballads like "Knowing" and "If Wishes Were Horses" and also a straight country duet with old mate Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears". Harking back to the start of Lucinda's career there are some nice, updated country blues "Circles and Xs" and "Heaven blues". If I had to pick a favourite I'd go for the slow, electric blues "Tears Of Joy", with Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone's guitars sounding fantastic.

If you liked 'Car wheels on a gravel road' then I'm sure you'll like 'Little Honey', which has kept the same feel but added a rockier edge. I wouldn't say Lucinda had a great voice but it somehow seems to fit her blues/folk/country songs perfectly in a way that nobody else could match and on this record that distinctive voice is perfectly complemented by some great backing from Buick 6.

Very good, 29 Sep 2008
I liked this album a lot. It starts off strong and gets better through to the two songs at the end, which for me were the highlights. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice, beautiful music, beautifully produced. A melancholy album pretty much through and through I felt, and that would be my only criticism. Nothing pacey and upbeat to help mix it up a bit. Four stars from me.

Just Beautiful, 08 Jul 2008
Takes a couple of listenings, but after that it just blows you away. Several standout songs, particularly "How she could sing The Wildwood flower" (which I took to be a reference to an earlier generation of the Carter Family rather than June Cater and Johnny Cash) "Gold" is just beautiful, but particularly the magnificent "Sailing Round the Room". Anybody remember the last poor, or even average, album Emmylou made?

Touching The Sublime, 06 Jul 2008
The title : a fanfare, a declaration and a manifesto.

This collection of thirteen new recordings brings us
to some kind of pinnacle in Ms Harris's long career.

She must know this to be true. The evidence is there for us to hear.

After the dry, rasping austerity of 'Red Dirt Girl' (2000);
the warm, reassuring classicism of 'Stumble Into Grace' (2003)
and the uncomfortably eneven collaboration with Mr Knopfler,
'All The Road Running' (2006); 'All I Intended To Be' is a
trancendent epiphany. A true and perfect wonder.

Maturity of voice and musical vision; finely honed interpretive insight
and the ability to create a sense of intense gravitas from the simplest
ingredients are all marks of an artist functioning at the very
height of her remarkable powers.

A track by track deconstruction would seem somehow ignoble given
material of such consumate beauty.

Suffice to say that with the song 'All That You Have Is Your Soul'
the world seems to turn to face the sun. Music to warm the coldest spirit.

Either side of it twelve more wonderful examples of songs to raise
your hopes and break your heart.

Quintessential.

Inimitable.

Sublime.


A disappointment, 02 Jul 2008
Not rubbish. How could any Emmy Lou Harris album ever be, but be returning to producer Brian Ahern, she has effectively gone back to the sound if her 1976 album "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town", and that's one step too far back to the future. After the progressive nature of her last three albums, Emmylou has obviously decided she doesn't want her rock fans any more, and to say the same thing again,she's gone backwards.

Make no mistake though, this album is beautifully played and exquisitely sung (who would have expected anything else) but after a few listens, I can't remember any of the songs.

A huge disappointment, and if in any doubt buy "Quarter Moon", it's fabulous.

They say there's ne progress in this kind of music, and here's the proof

Exceptional, 26 Jun 2008
Rapidly shaping up to be one of the best of 2008, this is probably Emmylou Harris's best record since Spyboy, although stylistically it is closer to Wrecking Ball, and I have to add that there was nothing at all wrong with the intervening works.

It was a well-placed, curiosity-pricking ad for Spyboy, Harris's 1998 live album, that got me started. Until then I'd only had a vague regard for the "country" genre. After, I was hooked, and was amazed at her ubiquity, finding her making appearances with Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, as well as being the driving force behind the Gram Parsons tribute The Return Of The Grievous Angel (Brilliant. I don't care what the reviewers say).

And they return the compliment, with Dolly here joining Harris on Gold, their voices intertwining perfectly.

Emmylou Harris is not, of course, just about country. The rhythm section she brought to London in the wake of Spyboy would not, on the evidence of their jamming mid-concert, have looked out of place with Herbie Hancock. Ricky Skaggs, at one time part of Harris's band, remarked rather petulantly of her more recent music that it was "not country", but all of it, country and otherwise, shares a cabinet with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and The Clash in my world. The label is everything and nothing.

But though country is, I guess, what this latest offering is closer to, what counts is that the songs, music and production add up to an exceptional experience.

Songs first. Some great originals; some superb covers. Standouts in the latter category are Merle Haggard's Kern River; Billy Joe Shaver's Old Five And Dimers Like Me; and a totally stunning version of Tracy Chapman's All That You Have Is Your Soul, which comes about closest to a political statement here, and has a trace of Lovin' You Again, from Cowgirl's Prayer, just as the rendition of Crowley and Routh's Beyond The Great Divide has a fade reminiscent of Gone, Long Gone from Trio II. Almost inevitably there is also a song cowritten by Harris with the McGarrigles, How She Could Sing The Wildwood Flower. Also inevitable is that the sisters joined in on the recording.

Musically there is a stellar array of contributors, armed with an arsenal of instrumentation from mandolin, through accordion, banjo and fiddle, together with the obligatory guitars, Dobro and steel and some exotica such as mandocello and baritone electric guitar. Musicians include old standbys such as Buddy Miller (the only thing a girl needs, as she described him when they appeared on Jools Holland's show) and John Starling.

Finally, the production, and the tribute to that element is that, although this collection has taken several years in gestation it sounds, as Bob Harris observed when Emmylou appeared on his radio programme, of one time.

Two closing notes. First, listening this gave me an even greater appetite to listen to Harris's back catalogue. And second, it is very seldom that I will play a record two times in succession: this is one of the exceptions.

It's probable that many still think of Tucson, Arizona's Calexico as an indie-rock band dabbling in the fields of country and mariachi music, but so skilfully played and richly textured is Carried to Dust, the sixth album from Joey Burns and John Convertino's long-running collective, that it feels churlish to think of them as anything less than the real deal. Uniting players including Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, Spanish singer-guitarist Amparo Sanchez and Iowa songwriter Pieta Brown, Carried to Dust forsakes the rockier, somewhat conventional tones of previous album Garden Ruin, harking back instead to 2003's career high watermark Feast of Wire. While diverse in genre, crucially it doesn't feel so, Calexico lassoing myriad styles and making them their own. So whether drifting the plains in true mariachi style ("Insparacion"), playing serene lap-steel country ("Hole in Your Hand (Bend in the Road)"), or whipping up a political storm on "Victor Jara's Hand"--tribute to an activist unjustly killed by the Chilean state police in the '70s--Carried to Dust feels both adventurous and comfortable on whatever turf it chooses to walk. --Louis Pattison

Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.



disappointed, 03 Nov 2008
I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could.
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here.
It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations.

Sweet, 29 Oct 2008
Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2.

Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed.

Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements.

The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel.

There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity.

Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things.


Lucinda - an inspiration, 26 Oct 2008
Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against.
How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world?
Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out.
They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable.
She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance.

(Almost) a return to form, 22 Oct 2008
Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one.

Tears of Joy.., 19 Oct 2008
'Car wheels on a gravel road' is one of my all time favourite albums that I think is an almost perfect collection of songs. On the first couple of listens I don't think "Little Honey" is quite as good - BUT it's not that far behind and I think it can only grow on you.

Many of the tracks have that same raw, lazy feel as 'Car wheels on a gravel road' but there is much more variety on this record. There are some real Stones-style heavy rockers like "Real Love", "Honey Bee" and even an AC/DC cover - "It's a Long Way to the Top" (backing band Buick 6 are fantastic throughout). Then we have beautiful laid-back ballads like "Knowing" and "If Wishes Were Horses" and also a straight country duet with old mate Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears". Harking back to the start of Lucinda's career there are some nice, updated country blues "Circles and Xs" and "Heaven blues". If I had to pick a favourite I'd go for the slow, electric blues "Tears Of Joy", with Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone's guitars sounding fantastic.

If you liked 'Car wheels on a gravel road' then I'm sure you'll like 'Little Honey', which has kept the same feel but added a rockier edge. I wouldn't say Lucinda had a great voice but it somehow seems to fit her blues/folk/country songs perfectly in a way that nobody else could match and on this record that distinctive voice is perfectly complemented by some great backing from Buick 6.

Very good, 29 Sep 2008
I liked this album a lot. It starts off strong and gets better through to the two songs at the end, which for me were the highlights. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice, beautiful music, beautifully produced. A melancholy album pretty much through and through I felt, and that would be my only criticism. Nothing pacey and upbeat to help mix it up a bit. Four stars from me.

Just Beautiful, 08 Jul 2008
Takes a couple of listenings, but after that it just blows you away. Several standout songs, particularly "How she could sing The Wildwood flower" (which I took to be a reference to an earlier generation of the Carter Family rather than June Cater and Johnny Cash) "Gold" is just beautiful, but particularly the magnificent "Sailing Round the Room". Anybody remember the last poor, or even average, album Emmylou made?

Touching The Sublime, 06 Jul 2008
The title : a fanfare, a declaration and a manifesto.

This collection of thirteen new recordings brings us
to some kind of pinnacle in Ms Harris's long career.

She must know this to be true. The evidence is there for us to hear.

After the dry, rasping austerity of 'Red Dirt Girl' (2000);
the warm, reassuring classicism of 'Stumble Into Grace' (2003)
and the uncomfortably eneven collaboration with Mr Knopfler,
'All The Road Running' (2006); 'All I Intended To Be' is a
trancendent epiphany. A true and perfect wonder.

Maturity of voice and musical vision; finely honed interpretive insight
and the ability to create a sense of intense gravitas from the simplest
ingredients are all marks of an artist functioning at the very
height of her remarkable powers.

A track by track deconstruction would seem somehow ignoble given
material of such consumate beauty.

Suffice to say that with the song 'All That You Have Is Your Soul'
the world seems to turn to face the sun. Music to warm the coldest spirit.

Either side of it twelve more wonderful examples of songs to raise
your hopes and break your heart.

Quintessential.

Inimitable.

Sublime.


A disappointment, 02 Jul 2008
Not rubbish. How could any Emmy Lou Harris album ever be, but be returning to producer Brian Ahern, she has effectively gone back to the sound if her 1976 album "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town", and that's one step too far back to the future. After the progressive nature of her last three albums, Emmylou has obviously decided she doesn't want her rock fans any more, and to say the same thing again,she's gone backwards.

Make no mistake though, this album is beautifully played and exquisitely sung (who would have expected anything else) but after a few listens, I can't remember any of the songs.

A huge disappointment, and if in any doubt buy "Quarter Moon", it's fabulous.

They say there's ne progress in this kind of music, and here's the proof

Exceptional, 26 Jun 2008
Rapidly shaping up to be one of the best of 2008, this is probably Emmylou Harris's best record since Spyboy, although stylistically it is closer to Wrecking Ball, and I have to add that there was nothing at all wrong with the intervening works.

It was a well-placed, curiosity-pricking ad for Spyboy, Harris's 1998 live album, that got me started. Until then I'd only had a vague regard for the "country" genre. After, I was hooked, and was amazed at her ubiquity, finding her making appearances with Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, as well as being the driving force behind the Gram Parsons tribute The Return Of The Grievous Angel (Brilliant. I don't care what the reviewers say).

And they return the compliment, with Dolly here joining Harris on Gold, their voices intertwining perfectly.

Emmylou Harris is not, of course, just about country. The rhythm section she brought to London in the wake of Spyboy would not, on the evidence of their jamming mid-concert, have looked out of place with Herbie Hancock. Ricky Skaggs, at one time part of Harris's band, remarked rather petulantly of her more recent music that it was "not country", but all of it, country and otherwise, shares a cabinet with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and The Clash in my world. The label is everything and nothing.

But though country is, I guess, what this latest offering is closer to, what counts is that the songs, music and production add up to an exceptional experience.

Songs first. Some great originals; some superb covers. Standouts in the latter category are Merle Haggard's Kern River; Billy Joe Shaver's Old Five And Dimers Like Me; and a totally stunning version of Tracy Chapman's All That You Have Is Your Soul, which comes about closest to a political statement here, and has a trace of Lovin' You Again, from Cowgirl's Prayer, just as the rendition of Crowley and Routh's Beyond The Great Divide has a fade reminiscent of Gone, Long Gone from Trio II. Almost inevitably there is also a song cowritten by Harris with the McGarrigles, How She Could Sing The Wildwood Flower. Also inevitable is that the sisters joined in on the recording.

Musically there is a stellar array of contributors, armed with an arsenal of instrumentation from mandolin, through accordion, banjo and fiddle, together with the obligatory guitars, Dobro and steel and some exotica such as mandocello and baritone electric guitar. Musicians include old standbys such as Buddy Miller (the only thing a girl needs, as she described him when they appeared on Jools Holland's show) and John Starling.

Finally, the production, and the tribute to that element is that, although this collection has taken several years in gestation it sounds, as Bob Harris observed when Emmylou appeared on his radio programme, of one time.

Two closing notes. First, listening this gave me an even greater appetite to listen to Harris's back catalogue. And second, it is very seldom that I will play a record two times in succession: this is one of the exceptions.


Enter planet dust (8.5/10), 09 Oct 2008
`Carried to Dust` is Calexico's most mature work to date, arguably the best synthesis of their frontier atmospherics and Latin-inflected country songwriting. The follow-up to 2005's much-dismissed `Garden Ruin', `Carried to Dust' makes the `South-Western noir' tag stick better than any other Calexico album. It's a record of great dusky beauty, varied and unusual musicianship and haunting songs. More understated than their aknowledged masterpiece `Feast of Wire`, `Carried to Dust' may pass that benchmark in time with its flickering, insidious quality. Cinematic but subtle, whispery yet substantial, there are fewer straight-out brooding Enio Morricone instrumentals, only one blatant Tex-Mex jam. The album is largely song-orientated but, unlike Garden Ruin, deftly impressionistic, with ghostly electronic touches that recall Wilco's `Ghost is Born`, Bon Iver's `Emma, Forever Ago`, and the work of long-term collaborator Iron & Wine, aka Samuel Beam, who features here on the sublime `House Of Valparaiso'.

Despite working with a number of guest singers and musicians (also including Canadian singer Pieta Brown and Amparanoia's Amparo Sanchez) Joey Burns and John Convertino have been successful in qwelling the magpie-ish tendencies of previous albums, sustaining a coherent mood over a (thankfully) more concise 45 minutes. While it may not have the epic scope and more various thrills of `Feast of Wire', `Carried to Dust' is a more focused album - the sound of a band comfortable with their, um, sound, and the possibilities it presents. As much as I loved the border country schtick that made them famous, I always felt that band were doomed to pigeonholing and it is great to hear them pull off an album of songs without compromising their South-Western soul. Better still, `Carried to Dust''s moods are rarely prosaic - less readily associated with the default American landcapes of earlier albums.

Aside from the wonderful `House of Valparaiso', other album highlights include the glimmering oriental harps of `Two Silver Trees' or the polished, Chris Isaak noir of `Man Made Lake' - fuzzy guitars and minor key glockespiel conspiring towards a blissful dissonance. The seafarer's poem `The News About William' recalls Fleet Foxes' romantic folk, but what Joey Burns lacks as a singer compared to Robin Pecknold, Calexico compensate with a musical tapestry richer than that of their contemporaries. `Writer's Minor Holliday', with its backing vocal sighs from Adrienne DeNIke and swaggering rhythm section, echoes James Jackson Toth's fine solo debut `Waiting In Vain`. While `Slowness' is a hazy country duet between Burns and Pieta - with all the gorgeous steel pedal twang you could ever hope for - `Inspiracion' is skeletal Latin folk, Tom Waits at a Dia De Los Muertos procession. Enjoy!

Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.



disappointed, 03 Nov 2008
I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could.
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here.
It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations.

Sweet, 29 Oct 2008
Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2.

Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed.

Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements.

The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel.

There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity.

Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things.


Lucinda - an inspiration, 26 Oct 2008
Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against.
How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world?
Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out.
They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable.
She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance.

(Almost) a return to form, 22 Oct 2008
Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one.

Tears of Joy.., 19 Oct 2008
'Car wheels on a gravel road' is one of my all time favourite albums that I think is an almost perfect collection of songs. On the first couple of listens I don't think "Little Honey" is quite as good - BUT it's not that far behind and I think it can only grow on you.

Many of the tracks have that same raw, lazy feel as 'Car wheels on a gravel road' but there is much more variety on this record. There are some real Stones-style heavy rockers like "Real Love", "Honey Bee" and even an AC/DC cover - "It's a Long Way to the Top" (backing band Buick 6 are fantastic throughout). Then we have beautiful laid-back ballads like "Knowing" and "If Wishes Were Horses" and also a straight country duet with old mate Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears". Harking back to the start of Lucinda's career there are some nice, updated country blues "Circles and Xs" and "Heaven blues". If I had to pick a favourite I'd go for the slow, electric blues "Tears Of Joy", with Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone's guitars sounding fantastic.

If you liked 'Car wheels on a gravel road' then I'm sure you'll like 'Little Honey', which has kept the same feel but added a rockier edge. I wouldn't say Lucinda had a great voice but it somehow seems to fit her blues/folk/country songs perfectly in a way that nobody else could match and on this record that distinctive voice is perfectly complemented by some great backing from Buick 6.

Very good, 29 Sep 2008
I liked this album a lot. It starts off strong and gets better through to the two songs at the end, which for me were the highlights. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice, beautiful music, beautifully produced. A melancholy album pretty much through and through I felt, and that would be my only criticism. Nothing pacey and upbeat to help mix it up a bit. Four stars from me.

Just Beautiful, 08 Jul 2008
Takes a couple of listenings, but after that it just blows you away. Several standout songs, particularly "How she could sing The Wildwood flower" (which I took to be a reference to an earlier generation of the Carter Family rather than June Cater and Johnny Cash) "Gold" is just beautiful, but particularly the magnificent "Sailing Round the Room". Anybody remember the last poor, or even average, album Emmylou made?

Touching The Sublime, 06 Jul 2008
The title : a fanfare, a declaration and a manifesto.

This collection of thirteen new recordings brings us
to some kind of pinnacle in Ms Harris's long career.

She must know this to be true. The evidence is there for us to hear.

After the dry, rasping austerity of 'Red Dirt Girl' (2000);
the warm, reassuring classicism of 'Stumble Into Grace' (2003)
and the uncomfortably eneven collaboration with Mr Knopfler,
'All The Road Running' (2006); 'All I Intended To Be' is a
trancendent epiphany. A true and perfect wonder.

Maturity of voice and musical vision; finely honed interpretive insight
and the ability to create a sense of intense gravitas from the simplest
ingredients are all marks of an artist functioning at the very
height of her remarkable powers.

A track by track deconstruction would seem somehow ignoble given
material of such consumate beauty.

Suffice to say that with the song 'All That You Have Is Your Soul'
the world seems to turn to face the sun. Music to warm the coldest spirit.

Either side of it twelve more wonderful examples of songs to raise
your hopes and break your heart.

Quintessential.

Inimitable.

Sublime.


A disappointment, 02 Jul 2008
Not rubbish. How could any Emmy Lou Harris album ever be, but be returning to producer Brian Ahern, she has effectively gone back to the sound if her 1976 album "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town", and that's one step too far back to the future. After the progressive nature of her last three albums, Emmylou has obviously decided she doesn't want her rock fans any more, and to say the same thing again,she's gone backwards.

Make no mistake though, this album is beautifully played and exquisitely sung (who would have expected anything else) but after a few listens, I can't remember any of the songs.

A huge disappointment, and if in any doubt buy "Quarter Moon", it's fabulous.

They say there's ne progress in this kind of music, and here's the proof

Exceptional, 26 Jun 2008
Rapidly shaping up to be one of the best of 2008, this is probably Emmylou Harris's best record since Spyboy, although stylistically it is closer to Wrecking Ball, and I have to add that there was nothing at all wrong with the intervening works.

It was a well-placed, curiosity-pricking ad for Spyboy, Harris's 1998 live album, that got me started. Until then I'd only had a vague regard for the "country" genre. After, I was hooked, and was amazed at her ubiquity, finding her making appearances with Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, as well as being the driving force behind the Gram Parsons tribute The Return Of The Grievous Angel (Brilliant. I don't care what the reviewers say).

And they return the compliment, with Dolly here joining Harris on Gold, their voices intertwining perfectly.

Emmylou Harris is not, of course, just about country. The rhythm section she brought to London in the wake of Spyboy would not, on the evidence of their jamming mid-concert, have looked out of place with Herbie Hancock. Ricky Skaggs, at one time part of Harris's band, remarked rather petulantly of her more recent music that it was "not country", but all of it, country and otherwise, shares a cabinet with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and The Clash in my world. The label is everything and nothing.

But though country is, I guess, what this latest offering is closer to, what counts is that the songs, music and production add up to an exceptional experience.

Songs first. Some great originals; some superb covers. Standouts in the latter category are Merle Haggard's Kern River; Billy Joe Shaver's Old Five And Dimers Like Me; and a totally stunning version of Tracy Chapman's All That You Have Is Your Soul, which comes about closest to a political statement here, and has a trace of Lovin' You Again, from Cowgirl's Prayer, just as the rendition of Crowley and Routh's Beyond The Great Divide has a fade reminiscent of Gone, Long Gone from Trio II. Almost inevitably there is also a song cowritten by Harris with the McGarrigles, How She Could Sing The Wildwood Flower. Also inevitable is that the sisters joined in on the recording.

Musically there is a stellar array of contributors, armed with an arsenal of instrumentation from mandolin, through accordion, banjo and fiddle, together with the obligatory guitars, Dobro and steel and some exotica such as mandocello and baritone electric guitar. Musicians include old standbys such as Buddy Miller (the only thing a girl needs, as she described him when they appeared on Jools Holland's show) and John Starling.

Finally, the production, and the tribute to that element is that, although this collection has taken several years in gestation it sounds, as Bob Harris observed when Emmylou appeared on his radio programme, of one time.

Two closing notes. First, listening this gave me an even greater appetite to listen to Harris's back catalogue. And second, it is very seldom that I will play a record two times in succession: this is one of the exceptions.


Enter planet dust (8.5/10), 09 Oct 2008
`Carried to Dust` is Calexico's most mature work to date, arguably the best synthesis of their frontier atmospherics and Latin-inflected country songwriting. The follow-up to 2005's much-dismissed `Garden Ruin', `Carried to Dust' makes the `South-Western noir' tag stick better than any other Calexico album. It's a record of great dusky beauty, varied and unusual musicianship and haunting songs. More understated than their aknowledged masterpiece `Feast of Wire`, `Carried to Dust' may pass that benchmark in time with its flickering, insidious quality. Cinematic but subtle, whispery yet substantial, there are fewer straight-out brooding Enio Morricone instrumentals, only one blatant Tex-Mex jam. The album is largely song-orientated but, unlike Garden Ruin, deftly impressionistic, with ghostly electronic touches that recall Wilco's `Ghost is Born`, Bon Iver's `Emma, Forever Ago`, and the work of long-term collaborator Iron & Wine, aka Samuel Beam, who features here on the sublime `House Of Valparaiso'.

Despite working with a number of guest singers and musicians (also including Canadian singer Pieta Brown and Amparanoia's Amparo Sanchez) Joey Burns and John Convertino have been successful in qwelling the magpie-ish tendencies of previous albums, sustaining a coherent mood over a (thankfully) more concise 45 minutes. While it may not have the epic scope and more various thrills of `Feast of Wire', `Carried to Dust' is a more focused album - the sound of a band comfortable with their, um, sound, and the possibilities it presents. As much as I loved the border country schtick that made them famous, I always felt that band were doomed to pigeonholing and it is great to hear them pull off an album of songs without compromising their South-Western soul. Better still, `Carried to Dust''s moods are rarely prosaic - less readily associated with the default American landcapes of earlier albums.

Aside from the wonderful `House of Valparaiso', other album highlights include the glimmering oriental harps of `Two Silver Trees' or the polished, Chris Isaak noir of `Man Made Lake' - fuzzy guitars and minor key glockespiel conspiring towards a blissful dissonance. The seafarer's poem `The News About William' recalls Fleet Foxes' romantic folk, but what Joey Burns lacks as a singer compared to Robin Pecknold, Calexico compensate with a musical tapestry richer than that of their contemporaries. `Writer's Minor Holliday', with its backing vocal sighs from Adrienne DeNIke and swaggering rhythm section, echoes James Jackson Toth's fine solo debut `Waiting In Vain`. While `Slowness' is a hazy country duet between Burns and Pieta - with all the gorgeous steel pedal twang you could ever hope for - `Inspiracion' is skeletal Latin folk, Tom Waits at a Dia De Los Muertos procession. Enjoy!

Boring as hell, 15 Nov 2008
Listened to OH (ohio) once, thought, 'Dull. Very dull. Better give it a second chance.'

Listened to it twice, thought, 'Damn! Why did I waste my money?'

I'm a seasoned lambchop fan, have most of their albums, like dozens of tracks off the early albums, loved Is A Woman and listened to it over a hundred times - so it's not as if I don't like quiet, thoughtful, contemplative songs with obscure lyrics...

But...

...the praise Kurt Wagner has received for his recent discs has clearly gone to his head. The Damaged CD was ok but moving in the dull direction (and didn't improve when I saw him live) - and OH (ohio) trumps that. The tracks are all very, very samey and have little emotional charge. Even the cover of Leanard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel (which I was looking forward to as a Leonard Cohen fan) turns the song into a dull monologue. The lyrics are mumbled and difficult to understand - or, when clearer, just plain boring. There's not much in the way of melody.

My message to Kurt is: 'Even though you have a lovely voice and an interesting way with words - please don't forget that you also need to entertain your listener... We need SOME attempt at variety in the melody; SOME attempt at relevance in the lyrics, and SOME effort put into your delivery. A long and gentle warble is not quite enough.'

To other listeners: if you want some eccentric and interesting alt. country with a little bit of umph, try Giant Sand's latest: Provisions.


Genius, 13 Oct 2008
Im a huge fan of Kurts beatiful band. Stumbling upon them back in the NIXON days... That they are branded Alt country it will shock any new ears that OHIO drifts along with subtle understated grace. As usual it takes a few spins for the tresures to shine through But like all Lambchops albums give it a little time and the rewards are worth there "wait" in gold.. This gem of an album will have pride of place on my player...... until the band bring out another..!!

Album of the year in my world

"I am free from all decisions / I am free from all despair...", 28 Sep 2008
I have to confess that I'm a complete Lambchop neophyte, but I happened to hear this album and loved it. The painting on the front by artist Michael Peed, Kurt Wagner's former grad school mentor, sets the scene for the album's soundscape: violence (through the window, you can see LA police officers beating a man in a racist attack) is comically and critically contrasted with the intimacy that takes centre stage (a man fondles his lover's breast on a dishevelled bed, blissfully unaware of the tumult outside). There is something more fiery being held back in the music, too, kindling on the coals in the background, but never quite bursting into flames. With his restrained baritone - such a refreshing counter to the rampant unsubtleties of mainstream music, I'd have to say - Kurt Wagner's lyrics are barely audible (on one track he wryly sings, "I'm such a bad enunciator / Understanding me is hard"). But this makes the secrets of the lyrics all the more special when they do get heard. "We'll I'm not too acquainted with the topography of your mind", he sings on Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed, "I need a detailed description / a representation of some kind". By then, the drip-drop melancholy of this brilliant album will have already charmed you over.

Standout tracks: A Hold of You, I Believe in You (a cover sung originally by Don Williams in the 1970s), Of Raymond, Slipped Dissolved and Loosed

Ryan makes me go Blue, 12 Nov 2008
As a hugh Ryan/Whiskeytown fan since the beginings this new full length release makes me want to shed tears of disbelief. This is surely a demo album of poor unreleased FILLER tracks ? I cannot believe that this is the same Ryan Adams that has written so many classics in the past. His writing has become mundane and formulatic and has lost it's power to make you feel happy and sad in one fell swoop. Even after several listens this is not sticking to my memory like most albums Ryan has made (bar Rock n roll). The guy wants to get out more and feel the vibe from his fans.



best cardinals yes?, 08 Nov 2008
another year has given us another ryan adams album following up from easy tiger,this see's ryan and the cardinals at there best yet,its a very rewarding album to listen to and take a good few listens to fully appreciate,forgot some of the negative reviews this has recieved this is classic ryan no doubt,a 5 star buy.

what is he doing!, 07 Nov 2008
I am a huge ryan adams fan but this record is so bad I had to keep reminding myself that this is the same guy who wrote sweet carolina, world war 24 and when the stars go blue etc etc..
The most notably awful aspect apart from the labouriously tired arangements are his trite lyrics. There are many cringe worthy moments like "some of us a strong, some of us are weak" wow now thats mindblowing or the wonderfully observational "what goes around comes around", where has this mans abundant talent gone?! The only explanation I can come up with is someone gave him a challenge to write an album in a week and he didnt start writing it until the night before.
I heard cardinology three days before going to see him in manchester and i just pray that he plays nothing from this record, and hopefully there will be someone at the gig that i can flog the cd too. Two regal king size and a midget gem will probably twist my arm...

Magick? Sadly not this time, 03 Nov 2008
An exercise in treading water and perhaps a bit too much democracy at work here? It is certainly not the complete drivel of "Rock n Roll", by far Adams's worse album, but sadly it is no where near the greatness of anything in the Whiskeytown era nor for that matter previous Cardinals epics like "Cold Roses". Solid songs can be found in the first 3 songs especially "Go Easy". Excellent songs are the atmospheric rocker Cobwebs, the lovely "Crossed out Name" and the excellent "Stop" which would sit happily on "29". Stinkers include Magick. God knows what happens when Adams goes for straightforward rock but he ends up sounding like The Knack! Truly awful are Natural Ghost (Adams coasting with horrible lyrics) and "Let me down easy" which repeats the songline to the point of tedium. Some of the other songs are ok but its all so safe and dare I say rather dull? On the positive note it would be surprising if anyone could live the with the early standards that Adams set for himself with some of the greatest albums in rock history especially Heartbreaker and Gold. Like all great artists such as Neil Young or Bob Dylan he has to be viewed by the whole spectrum of his work which will inevitably see some dips in the quality control. Alternatively if you want some bands on the top of their form get the Felice Brothers newish album or the brilliant Fleet Foxes and of course Elbows "Seldom Seen Kid".

PS listened to this now for at least 3 weeks, it is not a grower!





How does he do it- Wow, 30 Oct 2008
The Cardinals blow everything else around at the moment out of the water. Cardinology is right up there with Ryan's best work (Cold Roses, Jcn and Love Is hell). Forget the stupid arguement that Ryan needs an editor, in my view all of his albums bar a minor blip with Rock 'n' Roll are genius.
Back to Cardinolgy, it gets better with every listen. My Favourite tracks change daily, at the moment they are Go Easy, Fix It, Let Us Down Easy, Natural Ghost and Evergreen. These 13 songs have the beauty and simplicity of the Grateful dead at their very best. Thanks again Cardinals.



disappointed, 03 Nov 2008
I'm a huge fan of Lucinda and after seeing her in tremendous form at the glasgow barrowlands I went out and got my hands on as much stuff of hers as I could.
I must admit I'm a bit disappointed with this cd - maybe it will grow on me but there seem to be few powerful songs here.
It's almost as though it has been thrown together to meet contractual obligations.

Sweet, 29 Oct 2008
Where previously we've had to wait two or three years between Lucinda records, it's only about 18 months since her last one this time. West was somewhat melancholy, reflecting Williams's mood over a broken relationship and the death of her mother. Little Honey is less so, starting off with the upbeat Real Love, and other songs such as Tears Of Joy, a blues which features a nice BB King-like guitar lick, mean that overall this is not West 2.

Nevertheless, there are some downbeat moments, and they start on track 2, Circles And X's, and Heaven Blues brings us right back to her mother. And whilst the mom-references on West stood well both in and out of context, this one ends up seeming a little self-absorbed.

Overall, however, though I've still not warmed to this collection as I did to West, this is another great album from Williams, combining her normal sharp songwriting, the familiar country-blues fusions, some incredible musicianship, such as Walt Fowler's flugelhorn on Knowing or Doug Pettibone's guitar anywhere, some eye-popping instrumentation (like washing machine, big ass drum and plastic sheet on Heaven Blues!) and excellent arrangements.

The one cover, AC/DC's It's A Long Way, is great, could be written just for her, and has some nice backing vocals, reminiscent of those on Stones' Gimme Shelter, with a gospel feel.

There's also an interesting point of comparison between the two versions of Jailhouse Tears, where I agree with the other reviewers who say they prefer the original: I love Elvis Costello but he tends towards overacting on this occasion, and the original has a fresher, less overproduced feel, which gives it a little more emotional authenticity.

Non-musical high points are the very detailed credits on the sleeve notes, which only fall down on the "bonus" version of Jailhouse Tears, all the lyrics available, and a nice Super Jewel Box to wrap it all in instead of one of those nasty cardboard things.


Lucinda - an inspiration, 26 Oct 2008
Reading the other reviews makes me realise what female rockers are up against.
How many great female guitar players can you name? How many women can get themselves taken seriously in the alpha male music world?
Lucinda is an inspiration, clearly her own person for better or worse. It has taken her decades to get this far and she has resolutely stuck with it. That is the reason I grab her records whenever they come out.
They may not be perfect, but what is? Yes, "Car Wheels" was a high water mark (and where most of us came in), but every record since has had at least a few gems; the great "Out of Touch" on "Essence" is a personal favourite. Lucinda has the ability to decribe universal emotions in plain, simple language; a rare gift. Plus her voice is truly special - raw, emotional, weary, vulnerable.
She makes most male rockers of her age pale into insignificance.

(Almost) a return to form, 22 Oct 2008
Little Honey is not another Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - in my view the last really good record Lucinda Williams made and, in my view again, a really seriously good collection of alt country rock tracks. But this does have some real high points (unlike the last one, West) as well as some real lows. The high points are probably Honey Bee (a typical piece of Lucinda raunch-rock), If Wishes Were Horses, which gets close to her best work of the past, and the early version of Jailhouse Tears - the one without Elvis Costello. The lows - particularly Little Rock Star and It's A Long Way to The Top - are very low indeed and maybe say a good deal about what I think is wrong with her recent work as a whole. The best of her work is based on imaginative observation and empathy with a whole range of characters - even if they draw on her own experience - while everything since Car Wheels on a Gravel Road has tended to sound to me as if it is drifting into the "poor little rock and roll star me" school of song-writing. It's A Long Way to The Top is a perfect example of that tedious and tired genre. This is not a bad record, but by the standard of her best work, neither is it really a very good one.

Tears of Joy.., 19 Oct 2008
'Car wheels on a gravel road' is one of my all time favourite albums that I think is an almost perfect collection of songs. On the first couple of listens I don't think "Little Honey" is quite as good - BUT it's not that far behind and I think it can only grow on you.

Many of the tracks have that same raw, lazy feel as 'Car wheels on a gravel road' but there is much more variety on this record. There are some real Stones-style heavy rockers like "Real Love", "Honey Bee" and even an AC/DC cover - "It's a Long Way to the Top" (backing band Buick 6 are fantastic throughout). Then we have beautiful laid-back ballads like "Knowing" and "If Wishes Were Horses" and also a straight country duet with old mate Elvis Costello on "Jailhouse Tears". Harking back to the start of Lucinda's career there are some nice, updated country blues "Circles and Xs" and "Heaven blues". If I had to pick a favourite I'd go for the slow, electric blues "Tears Of Joy", with Chet Lyster and Doug Pettibone's guitars sounding fantastic.

If you liked 'Car wheels on a gravel road' then I'm sure you'll like 'Little Honey', which has kept the same feel but added a rockier edge. I wouldn't say Lucinda had a great voice but it somehow seems to fit her blues/folk/country songs perfectly in a way that nobody else could match and on this record that distinctive voice is perfectly complemented by some great backing from Buick 6.

Very good, 29 Sep 2008
I liked this album a lot. It starts off strong and gets better through to the two songs at the end, which for me were the highlights. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice, beautiful music, beautifully produced. A melancholy album pretty much through and through I felt, and that would be my only criticism. Nothing pacey and upbeat to help mix it up a bit. Four stars from me.

Just Beautiful, 08 Jul 2008
Takes a couple of listenings, but after that it just blows you away. Several standout songs, particularly "How she could sing The Wildwood flower" (which I took to be a reference to an earlier generation of the Carter Family rather than June Cater and Johnny Cash) "Gold" is just beautiful, but particularly the magnificent "Sailing Round the Room". Anybody remember the last poor, or even average, album Emmylou made?

Touching The Sublime, 06 Jul 2008
The title : a fanfare, a declaration and a manifesto.

This collection of thirteen new recordings brings us
to some kind of pinnacle in Ms Harris's long career.

She must know this to be true. The evidence is there for us to hear.

After the dry, rasping austerity of 'Red Dirt Girl' (2000);
the warm, reassuring classicism of 'Stumble Into Grace' (2003)
and the uncomfortably eneven collaboration with Mr Knopfler,
'All The Road Running' (2006); 'All I Intended To Be' is a
trancendent epiphany. A true and perfect wonder.

Maturity of voice and musical vision; finely honed interpretive insight
and the ability to create a sense of intense gravitas from the simplest
ingredients are all marks of an artist functioning at the very
height of her remarkable powers.

A track by track deconstruction would seem somehow ignoble given
material of such consumate beauty.

Suffice to say that with the song 'All That You Have Is Your Soul'
the world seems to turn to face the sun. Music to warm the coldest spirit.

Either side of it twelve more wonderful examples of songs to raise
your hopes and break your heart.

Quintessential.

Inimitable.

Sublime.


A disappointment, 02 Jul 2008
Not rubbish. How could any Emmy Lou Harris album ever be, but be returning to producer Brian Ahern, she has effectively gone back to the sound if her 1976 album "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town", and that's one step too far back to the future. After the progressive nature of her last three albums, Emmylou has obviously decided she doesn't want her rock fans any more, and to say the same thing again,she's gone backwards.

Make no mistake though, this album is beautifully played and exquisitely sung (who would have expected anything else) but after a few listens, I can't remember any of the songs.

A huge disappointment, and if in any doubt buy "Quarter Moon", it's fabulous.

They say there's ne progress in this kind of music, and here's the proof

Exceptional, 26 Jun 2008
Rapidly shaping up to be one of the best of 2008, this is probably Emmylou Harris's best record since Spyboy, although stylistically it is closer to Wrecking Ball, and I have to add that there was nothing at all wrong with the intervening works.

It was a well-placed, curiosity-pricking ad for Spyboy, Harris's 1998 live album, that got me started. Until then I'd only had a vague regard for the "country" genre. After, I was hooked, and was amazed at her ubiquity, finding her making appearances with Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Sheryl Crow, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, as well as being the driving force behind the Gram Parsons tribute The Return Of The Grievous Angel (Brilliant. I don't care what the reviewers say).

And they return the compliment, with Dolly here joining Harris on Gold, their voices intertwining perfectly.

Emmylou Harris is not, of course, just about country. The rhythm section she brought to London in the wake of Spyboy would not, on the evidence of their jamming mid-concert, have looked out of place with Herbie Hancock. Ricky Skaggs, at one time part of Harris's band, remarked rather petulantly of her more recent music that it was "not country", but all of it, country and otherwise, shares a cabinet with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and The Clash in my world. The label is everything and nothing.

But though country is, I guess, what this latest offering is closer to, what counts is that the songs, music and production add up to an exceptional experience.

Songs first. Some great originals; some superb covers. Standouts in the latter category are Merle Haggard's Kern River; Billy Joe Shaver's Old Five And Dimers Like Me; and a totally stunning version of Tracy Chapman's All That You Have Is Your Soul, which comes about closest to a political statement here, and has a trace of Lovin' You Again, from Cowgirl's Prayer, just as the rendition of Crowley and Routh's Beyond The Great Divide has a fade reminiscent of Gone, Long Gone from Trio II. Almost inevitably there is also a song cowritten by Harris with the McGarrigles, How She Could Sing The Wildwood Flower. Also inevitable is that the sisters joined in on the recording.

Musically there is a stellar array of contributors, armed with an arsenal of instrumentation from mandolin, through accordion, banjo and fiddle, together with the obligatory guitars, Dobro and steel and some exotica such as mandocello and baritone electric guitar. Musicians include old standbys such as Buddy Miller (the only thing a girl needs, as she described him when they appeared on Jools Holland's show) and John Starling.

Finally, the production, and the tribute to that element is that, although this collection has taken several years in gestation it sounds, as Bob Harris observed when Emmylou appeared on his radio programme, of one time.

Two closing notes. First, listening this gave me an even greater appetite to listen to Harris's back catalogue. And second, it is very seldom that I will play a record two times in succession: this is one of the exceptions.


Enter planet dust (8.5/10), 09 Oct 2008
`Carried to Dust` is Calexico's most mature work to date, arguably the best synthesis of their frontier atmospherics and Latin-inflected country songwriting. The follow-up to 2005's much-dismissed `Garden Ruin', `Carried to Dust' makes the `South-Western noir' tag stick better than any other Calexico album. It's a record of great dusky beauty, varied and unusual musicianship and haunting songs. More understated than their aknowledged masterpiece `Feast of Wire`, `Carried to Dust' may pass that benchmark in time with its flickering, insidious quality. Cinematic but subtle, whispery yet substantial, there are fewer straight-out brooding Enio Morricone instrumentals, only one blatant Tex-Mex jam. The album is largely song-orientated but, unlike Garden Ruin, deftly impressionistic, with ghostly electronic touches that recall Wilco's `Ghost is Born`, Bon Iver's `Emma, Forever Ago`, and the work of long-term collaborator Iron & Wine, aka Samuel Beam, who features here on the sublime `House Of Valparaiso'.

Despite working with a number of guest singers and musicians (also including Canadian singer Pieta Brown and Amparanoia's Amparo Sanchez) Joey Burns and John Convertino have been successful in qwelling the magpie-ish tendencies of previous albums, sustaining a coherent mood over a (thankfully) more concise 45 minutes. While it may not have the epic scope and more various thrills of `Feast of Wire', `Carried to Dust' is a more focused album - the sound of a band comfortable with their, um, sound, and the possibilities it presents. As much as I loved the border country schtick that made them famous, I always felt that band were doomed to pigeonholing and it is great to hear them pull off an album of songs without compromising their South-Western soul. Better still, `Carried to Dust''s moods are rarely prosaic - less readily associated with the default American landcapes of earlier albums.

Aside from the wonderful `House of Valparaiso', other album highlights include the glimmering oriental harps of `Two Silver Trees' or the polished, Chris Isaak noir of `Man Made Lake' - fuzzy guitars and minor key glockespiel conspiring towards a blissful dissonance. The seafarer's poem `The News About William' recalls Fleet Foxes' romantic folk, but what Joey Burns lacks as a singer compared to Robin Pecknold, Calexico compensate with a musical tapestry richer than that of their contemporaries. `Writer's Minor Holliday', with its backing vocal sighs from Adrienne DeNIke and swaggering rhythm section, echoes James Jackson Toth's fine solo debut `Waiting In Vain`. While `Slowness' is a hazy country duet between Burns and Pieta - with all the gorgeous steel pedal twang you could ever hope for - `Inspiracion' is skeletal Latin folk, Tom Waits at a Dia De Los Muertos procession. Enjoy!

Boring as hell, 15 Nov 2008
Listened to OH (ohio) once, thought, 'Dull. Very dull. Better give it a second chance.'

Listened to it twice, thought, 'Damn! Why did I waste my money?'

I'm a seasoned lambchop fan, have most of their albums, like dozens of tracks off the early albums, loved Is A Woman and listened to it over a hundred times - so it's not as if I don't like quiet, thoughtful, contemplative songs with obscure lyrics...

But...

...the praise Kurt Wagner has received for his recent discs has clearly gone to his head. The Damaged CD was ok but moving in the dull direction (and didn't improve when I saw him live) - and OH (ohio) trumps that. The tracks are all very, very samey and have little emotional charge. Even the cover of Leanard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel (which I was looking forward to as a Leonard Cohen fan) turns the song into a dull monologue. The lyrics are mumbled and difficult to understand - or, when clearer, just plain boring. There's not much in the way of melody.

My message to Kurt is: 'Even though you have a lovely voice and an interesting way with words - please don't forget that you also need to entertain your listener... We need SOME attempt at variety in the melody; SOME attempt at relevance in the lyrics, and SOME effort put into your delivery. A long and gentle warble is not quite enough.'

To other listeners: if you want some eccentric and interesting alt. country with a little bit of umph, try Giant Sand's latest: Provisions.


Genius, 13 Oct 2008
Im a huge fan of Kurts beatiful band. Stumbling upon them back in the NIXON days... That they are branded Alt country it will shock any new ears that OHIO drifts along with subtle understated grace. As usual it takes a few spins for the tresures to shine through But like all Lambchops albums give it a little time and the rewards are worth there "wait" in gold.. This gem of an album will have pride of place on my player...... until the band bring out another..!!

Album of the year in my world

"I am free from all decisions / I am free from all despair...", 28 Sep 2008
I have to confess that I'm a complete Lambchop neophyte, but I happened to hear this album and loved it. The painting on the front by artist Michael Peed, Kurt Wagner's former grad school mentor, sets the scene for the album's soundscape: violence (through the window, you can see LA police officers beating a man in a racist attack) is comically and critically contrasted with the intimacy that takes centre stage (a man fondles his lover's breast on a dishevelled bed, blissfully unaware of the tumult outside). There is something more fiery being held back in the music, too, kindling on the coals in the background, but never quite bursting into flames. With his restrained baritone - such a refreshing counter to the rampant unsubtleties of mainstream music, I'd have to say - Kurt Wagner's lyrics are barely audible (on one track he wryly sings, "I'm such a bad enunciator / Understanding me is hard"). But this makes the secrets of the lyrics all the more special when they do get heard. "We'll I'm not too acquainted with the topography of your mind", he sings on Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed, "I need a detailed description / a representation of some kind". By then, th