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Watershed

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: K.D. Lang

January 28, 2008
A Beautiful album. Very calm, peaceful & melancholic. Great vocals and backing music. Almost all of the tracks are first rate and can be listened to again and again

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Tonight at the Arizona

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Felice Brothers

June 11, 2007
I came to the Felice Brothers blind, but Oh! what a discovery. It could be tempting to pigeonhole them, focusing on the Dylanesque quality of the vocals, but this would be a mistake. The vocals are of a burr that seems to combine Guy Clarke and Levon Helm with a shot of Jack Daniels!! Now saying they sound like Dylan would not have conveyed that AND missed much more. The harmonies are almost theatrical in their feel, but the theatre in this instince is the Catskills not Carnegie Hall. There is for me a feel of ribald earthiness, where the excellent lyrics and music combine to produce a soundtrack to a way of life, or a feeling for life.

The opening Roll On Arte is haunting and just sets the scene, there is a languid yet sharp edge to it, ... Read More:

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That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Toby Keith

November 17, 2008
I have been a Toby Keith fan a few years now and love all his recent albums but this has go to be his best yet.

Brilliant start to cd with the uptempo That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy and the ballads are great too.

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21 Number Ones

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Kenny Rogers

January 23, 2006
21 Number Ones

I wanted a CD of Kenny's best hits, and this one fitted the bill - almost. The only track it doesn't have is probably his most famous of all - Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town.

The other tracks are a delight, especially the duets, and reminds us why we love the husky voice and storyline lyrics of this great man.

A great CD to listen to when you're in a quiet mellow mood, perfect for relaxing with a glass of wine - or two!

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I Started Out With Nothin' and I Still Got Most of It Left (Die Cut Limited Edition)

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Seasick Steve

September 29, 2008
Seasick Steve is a fantastic bluesman, I'm a huge fan, and I listen to Doghouse Music constantly, but I'm really sorry to say that this album just doesn't quite do it for me.

Doghouse Music is a superb album - simple, straightforward, totally un-produced and packed with real feeling and passion. Thats what Seasick Steve means to me - his views and experiences of a different world, (one I hope I'll never know) are powerful and honest, and he can really play that guitar too.

It was obvious that this album would be more commercial, more produced, because Steve is now a massive worldwide phenomenon (rightly so) and so there is alot more at stake. There are some great tracks on this record, and Steve does his best to shine through, ... Read More:

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Provisions

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Giant Sand

September 01, 2008
We are so lucky at the moment with bands like Calexico, Fleet Foxes, Lambchop and Willard Grant Conspiracy all releasing amazing alt. albums, but you can now add Giant Sand to that list as they are back with `proVISIONS' surely the best record of their career to date. With 13 songs it glides effortlessly along broadening the horizons of the genre with unusual panache and grace. For me the only criticism I have is that the first half of the album is slightly weaker than the second despite collaborations with Isobel Campbell, Neko and Papa M but that said it is still breathtaking if not a bit too traditional. Then comes the P J Harvey cover `Desperate kingdom of love' a track that couldn't fit a band better and from this point on the music ascends until the ... Read More:

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Neck and Neck

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler

August 30, 1993
A jolly collaboration this, with MK evidently enjoying a chance to explore his Notting Hillbillies side. With the exception of the very last track written by MK, these are all covers of Don Gibson era type tunes and the whole set hangs together most satisfyingly. The recording's a peach too.

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Good Time

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Alan Jackson

March 10, 2008
Undoubtedly one of Traditional Country music's finest artists - perhaps only second to the great George Strait - Alan Jackson continues his illustrious, almost two-decade long career with this, his first ever full-album of self-penned songs. Although clocking in at over 70 minutes, it's still a bountiful listening experience, in turns reflective ("I Wish I Could Back Up", "Listen to Your Senses", "1976", "Right Where I Want You", the number 1 "Small Town Southern Man" and "Sissy's Song", an ode to a recently deceased family friend) and humourous ("I Still Like Bologne", "Laid Back and Low Key", the chart-topping "Good Time" and my personal favourite, "Country Boy").

Although calculating the obvious risk of not employing the standard Nashville ... Read More:

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Heartaches and Highways - The Very Best of Emmylou Harris

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Emmylou Harris

July 18, 2005
I always had a problem with Country as a youngster, growing up as I did in a working class English town and hooked on Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Sabbath. Though I could listen to Johnny Cash, some of the female country stars of the time (Tammy Wynette etc) really grated on me.

I bought this collection on a whim while working out in California a couple of years ago. This was the first time I really listened to her as a recording artist in her own right, though I was familiar with her work with Gram Parsons and her excellent backing vocals on Dylan's Desire.

I must say that this album blew me away. Her voice is totally exquisite and it is little wonder that her talents been in such demand over the years. Though The Grateful Dead first ... Read More:

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Anchors and Anvils

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Country
by: Amy LaVere

July 07, 2008
Amongst her influences Amy LaVere lists Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. If you can imagine the three of them merged into one - not an easy call I agree - that would be Amy LaVere.

First off, her vocal tone is stunning: all the girly sexiness of Marilyn Monroe singing 'Happy Birthday, Mr President', plus there's something French and smouldering going on. There's a characteristic vibrato on long notes that's really attractive.

She plays an upright bass (rather larger than she is!) and it's a really good look. She's extremely easy on the eye, in a fragile sort of way, which won't hurt her career, but means that watching a DVD is a bit more rewarding than listening to a CD. Still that never hurt Alison Goldfrapp!

The ... Read More: