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Brighter Than Creation's Dark

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Drive By Truckers

January 21, 2008
Sometimes the popular opinion is just correct. Jason Isbell's departure from DBT means the band has lost one-third of its quality. Shonna Tucker, for all her fine musicianly qualities, just doesn't fill his very large shoes (especially live - Isbell had a lot of stage presence; Shonna really doesn't). The first DBT album since Isbell's departure is, therefore, about two-thirds as good as The Dirty South, and about one-third longer than it needed to be. I haven't been so disappointed in a band's new album since some time in the Stone Age. There are a couple of top tracks here (Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife comes to mind, and so does The Man I Shot), but the extra depth that Isbell used to provide is sadly sadly lacking. I still love DBT, ... Read More:

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Veteran's Day: the Anthology

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Tom Russell

October 13, 2008
Sometimes the popular opinion is just correct. Jason Isbell's departure from DBT means the band has lost one-third of its quality. Shonna Tucker, for all her fine musicianly qualities, just doesn't fill his very large shoes (especially live - Isbell had a lot of stage presence; Shonna really doesn't). The first DBT album since Isbell's departure is, therefore, about two-thirds as good as The Dirty South, and about one-third longer than it needed to be. I haven't been so disappointed in a band's new album since some time in the Stone Age. There are a couple of top tracks here (Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife comes to mind, and so does The Man I Shot), but the extra depth that Isbell used to provide is sadly sadly lacking. I still love DBT, ... Read More:

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The Shepherd's Dog

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Iron and Wine

September 24, 2007
The best new artist in this sphere of music is Nick Worrall. Google him and get his debut album for FREE. Incredible.

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The Best Country Album... Ever

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Various Artists

November 06, 2006
I saw this while out shopping one day and decided to buy it. It's actually a pretty good album though I was surprised at some of the tracks, I didn't think they were really in the genre of Country Music. For example, I would classify "Man, I feel like a woman" and "Dance the night away" as more pop. However, as a fairly newcomer to country music, I quite enjoyed hearing these tracks as it made me feel I at least knew some of them.

There's a lot of really good songs on this double CD pack and I'd recommend it to anyone who wanted a well rounded country CD.

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Home for Christmas

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Dolly Parton

October 13, 2008
Any initial disappointment I felt when I discovered that this album was filled was standards didn't last long. The songs have all been covered many times before – some more than others, though Dolly was careful not to repeat any of the songs that appeared on her first Christmas offering, Once upon a Christmas, which she recorded with Kenny Rogers.

Dolly's exuberant personality makes itself evident on such joyous songs as Jingle bells, which never sounded so much fun. I really want to jingle thos bells when I hear Dolly sing that song. With a country church congregation on First Noel and Joy to the world, and a children's chorus on Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and Santa Claus is coming to town, Dolly brings many elements to this Christmas ... Read More:

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It's Not Big It's Large: +DVD

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Lyle Lovett

October 27, 2008
The album opens with Lester Young's 'Tickle Toe' giving the lie to the claim that it's large rather than big: this is big band music, though with steel guitar, twin lead guitars and fiddles, this is a big band for the 21st century. Perhaps intended to emphasise that this is a band record rather than a solo act, the track, while pleasant enough, is not typical of the rest of the album, rather undermining that message. 'I will rise up / Ain't no more cane' follows, and sets out the band's stall in more typical fashion - Lovett's distinctive voice, country slide guitar, West Coast rock lead guitars and drums, big band brass and gospel soul back up singers. 'All downhill' deploys Lovett's laconic humour "Joe Ely and I sit next to that John Hiatt, We park next to ... Read More:

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The Best of Lindisfarne

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Lindisfarne

August 01, 2005
In the early 1970s Lindisfarne was one of the biggest bands in the UK. They were an albums band and only had about 3 top ten hits with Lady Eleanor, Meet Me On The Corner and Run For Home, the last one much later in 1978. The style is an appealing blend of melodious folk rock with the emphasis on harmony, not unlike the folk legends Fairport Convention. There is also a distinct English flavor in the lyrics and delivery. Meet Me On The Corner, the huge hit, is a somewhat melancholy and very tuneful song with prominent harmonica and poetic lyrics. My other top favorites here are Fog On The Tyne, another catchy number and the title track to their most popular album, and Run For Home which is more in the rock mould. Lindisfarne showed much promise and although their ... Read More:

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Stephen Stills

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Stephen Stills

January 01, 1996
It was the beginning of a new decade and, as Dickens wrote "it was best of times, it was the worst of times," CSN&Y has made it clear there would no more "Deja Vu"s and it was impossible not to be sad as having such stunning encounter of four songwriting talents stop their four-way magic at one single album.
And then there were four solo beauties -except for Young's "After the Gold Rush," first albums for Crosby, Nash and Stills- that returned a smile to many of our grieving faces.

Although if compared to his feuding amigos I would not rate Stephen Still first solo recording the best of all four, there's nothing here that could not be considered absolutely impeccable.
Furthermore, as musical breadth goes, this album show unequivocally Stills' capacity ... Read More:

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The Rough Guide to Bluegrass

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Various Artists

March 05, 2001
Rough Guide have come up trumps with this wonderful sampler of bluegrass music. Characterised by the banjo, fiddle and mandolin, bluegrass' roots lie in 1930s and in the combination of many European and native American folk styles such as Irish, jazz, blues, East European polka and gospel. The CD contains famous artists such as the amazing Alison Krauss and Union Station, represented here by their classic track "Every Time You Say Goodbye", and older pioneers such as the Country Gentlemen, featuring the banjo ace Bill Emerson. A commendable balance is struck between vocal and instrumental tracks, and between faster and slower tunes. Indeed, the variety of artists is testament to the multitude of styles that the genre enjoys. The scintillating pace of Emerson and ... Read More:

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The Best of Jools Holland

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Jools Holland

October 12, 1998
The Best of Jools Holland was conceived as a collection of the work he had issued under various independent record labels on signing a deal with major label WEA. It is quite a bizarre collection in that it contains `Heartbreaking World' from the Squeeze reformation album `Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti' without mentioning the word Squeeze at all. To include a Squeeze track at all seems quite strange and if the A&M catalogue was available then either `Hop, Skip and Jump' or `Wrong Side of the Moon' from Jools' first stint in Squeeze would have fitted better with the Boogie Woogie flavour of this album. Also if the A&M catalogue was available it is strange that none of Jools' first solo work with the Millionaires should be included, particularly considering all of the artwork from this period ... Read More: