Best Gift Shopping > Music > Country
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Best Gift Shopping > Music > Country
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Heavier Things(more) »rank: 1401by: John Mayer
Our review: :John Mayer's big-label debut was a multiplatinum breakthrough success whose sensual anthem 'Your Body Is a Wonderland' scored him an unlikely Grammy for Best Pop Vocal. That out-of-the-box succes--and more than a few critics grousing that Mayer's muse was cloned from Dave Matthews--primed him for the typical sophomore slump. Instead, Mayer delivers an album whose tone and title suggests a gentle, tongue-in-cheek rebuke to his naysayers. Propelled by the subtle ambitions of an expanded pop-jazz framework (largely courtesy of Sheryl Crow/No Doubt/Jellyfish producer Jack Joseph Puig), Mayer's breathy vocal tack now suggests a detached, conflicted, and significantly less precious incarnation of ... Detail |
Sparks of Ancient Light(more) »rank: 1392by: Al Stewart
Our review:Album Description:Magical history tours have been Al Stewart's trademark since the early 1970s, when he switched from writing about his own romantic turmoil to a wider view of the world and its rich cast of characters and events. While his 1976 international hit single, 'Year of the Cat,' was tied to no specific time, the albums surrounding it combined finely drawn character studies and detailed settings that ranged across continents and centuries, forming the template of history mixed with mystery for Al's subsequent recordings. Everything changes with time - except basic human motivations. Sparks of Ancient Light, Al's latest collection of ... Detail |
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Sky Blue Sky(more) »rank: 2330by: Wilco
Our review:Album Description:'Sky Blue Sky' has hints of early-seventies Southern California folk-rock sweetness in the harmonies. The album is filled with brash guitar solos that take songs like 'You Are My Face' and 'Shake It Off' in unexpected directions. :After their wild experimental streak of the past decade, Wilco's sixth studio album might feel like a bit of a comedown. Sky Blue Sky is mellow, moody, and uncharacteristically monotone, opening with a pleasant jangle and Jeff Tweedy singing a simple song: 'Maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away.' He doesn't even follow it up with a barbed punchline. ... Detail |
All I Want for Christmas Is You(more) »rank: 1487by: Vince Vance & the Valiants
Our review:Album Description:'Sky Blue Sky' has hints of early-seventies Southern California folk-rock sweetness in the harmonies. The album is filled with brash guitar solos that take songs like 'You Are My Face' and 'Shake It Off' in unexpected directions. :After their wild experimental streak of the past decade, Wilco's sixth studio album might feel like a bit of a comedown. Sky Blue Sky is mellow, moody, and uncharacteristically monotone, opening with a pleasant jangle and Jeff Tweedy singing a simple song: 'Maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away.' He doesn't even follow it up with a barbed punchline. ... Detail |
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The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The 'Royal Albert Hall Concert'(more) »rank: 2063by: Bob Dylan
Our review: 's Best of 1998:Nineteen ninety-eight: The same year he dances with Soy Bomb at the Grammys, his record label finally issues Bob Dylan's ultimate live document. A classic case of not giving the audience what they want but what they need, Mr. Dylan's oft-bootlegged 1966 gig begins with lovely and supple folk that foreshadows folk music's turn from protest song to introspection. The album's true highlight is the legendarily ill received and rocked-out electric set, with Dylan backed by members of the Band. There are too many perfect, on-fire guitar solos by Robbie Robertson to count, and Dylan himself responds to ... Detail |
Walk the Line(more) »rank: 1152by: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Original Soundtrack
Our review: :This is not a review about Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon's hair. However--as any self-respecting fan knows--in country music, after proving you can pluck a guitar and carry a tune, the power of the right hairstyle is not to be underestimated. Johnny Cash, in fact, was famously vain about his locks--perhaps one of the few things he was vain about--and many a guitar store employee can attest to the fact that when the Man in Black came in to buy his special brand of guitar pick, his hair was dyed a jet black more often seen on a boy of 20 ... Detail |
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Now That I've Found You: A Collection(more) »rank: 1005by: Alison Krauss
Our review: essential recording:A poll-winning fiddler since her teens, Alison Krauss was an established bluegrass star when her label persuaded her to step out from her usual projects with Union Station, her crack band, and sanction this compilation of various band and solo guest performances. The ploy worked, yielding a wonderful, odds-beating crossover hit with Krauss's cover of 'Baby, Now That I've Found You,' a carousing late-'60s pop chant transformed into a delicate, vulnerable declaration of love. Focusing on Krauss's lovely, yearning soprano, the track elevated the musician above her resolutely democratic role in her quintet, catapulting Krauss to the biggest bluegrass ... Detail |
Anthology 3(more) »rank: 1795by: The Beatles
Our review: :From the White Album to the end, the last days of the Beatles weren't smooth, which made the fact that they still produced some astonishing music all the more remarkable. In abbreviated form, 'What's the New Mary Jane' is finally issued here, and proves underwhelming. For the rest of the set, it's largely down to outtakes and demos, but this time there isn't the same insight of the previous two volumes. Anthology 3 comes dangerously close to the sound of barrels being scraped. That said, it's the Beatles, and in whatever form, the music still shines brilliantly. --Chris Nickson Detail |
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Crosby, Stills & Nash(more) »rank: 2170by: Crosby Stills & Nash
Our review: essential recording:As much as any record, CSN's 1969 debut ushered in the early '70s singer-songwriter boom. Yes, this was a group, but it was one made up of three coequal composer/vocalists, each with a heady resume--Crosby an ex- Byrd, Stills in Buffalo Springfield, and Nash a former member of the Hollies. Each supplied distinctive material and contributed to CSN's trademark harmonies. The addition of Neil Young made the supergroup an edgier outfit. There's a purity to the original trio recording, however, that would never be recaptured. --Steven Stolder Detail |
Tracy Chapman(more) »rank: 2150by: Tracy Chapman
Our review: :One of the most striking debut albums ever released, this disc instantly established Chapman as a musical force, and with good reason. Immediacy, integrity of purpose, and unqualified artistry are apparent in nearly every song. And while 'Fast Cars' remains Chapman's best-known work, 'Talkin' Bout a Revolution' is that rarest breed: a song which is both topical and timeless. Any exploration into Chapman's work should begin with this at times stunning effort; it's a disc of remarkable uniformity and clarity that Chapman has yet to improve on. --Wayne Pernu Detail |