Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Tell My Sister CD

Tell My Sister songs Though the Band are often discussed in terms of their contributions to musical Americana, drummer Levon Helm was in fact the only American-born member of the group, and his Dixie-fried, high lonesome lilt was one of the keys to their proto alt-country sound. On his 2007 solo release, DIRT FARMER, Helm returns to his roots and indulges in the bedrock American music on which the Band based their legendary sound. Joined by his daughter Amy, she of Ollabelle fame, and studio ace Larry Campbell (among others), Helm works his way through a relaxed yet sturdy set of bluegrass rave-ups, country slow-dances, and bluesy shuffles from across the centuries. And though Helm battled throat cancer prior to this recording, it hasn't diminished the power of his voice a drop--rather, it lends the album a steely sense of endurance and resolve. Liner Note Author: Levon Helm. Recording information: Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, NY. Photographer: Ahron R. Foster. Arrangers: Levon Helm; Amy Helm; Larry Campbell. Personnel: Levon Helm (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, drums); Amy Helm (vocals, mandola, mandolin, piano, drums, percussion, background vocals); Larry Campbell (acoustic guitar, resonator guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, fiddle, percussion, background vocals); Brian John Mitchell (accordion, piano, background vocals); Glenn Patscha (pump organ); Byron Isaacs (percussion, background vocals); George Receli (percussion); Teresa Williams ...

Tell My Sister buy CD music By the early 2000s Linda Ronstadt was galaxies away from the '70s soft rock on which she made her name. On a journey that led her deeper and deeper into American roots music she began working with traditional Cajun artist Ann Savoy (of the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band), and the results of the collaboration can be found on 2006's graceful and beautifully measured ADIEU, FALSE HEART. The material is deep-roots folk with a strong Cajun flavor, and with top session players like mandolinist Sam Bush on board, the execution and playing is never less than flawless. Yet the arrangements and approach transcend any sort of genre exercise: Ronstadt and Savoy sing as though they are spirits resting between the past and the future, giving this mixture of originals, covers, and traditional songs a beautiful, timeless quality.

Tell My Sister CD music Rhino's superbly compiled reissue of Randy Newman's masterpiece, GOOD OLD BOYS, raises the stakes on what was already an essential disc. The remastering of the original album is an aural treat, bringing a new clarity to Newman's own performances and brilliant arrangements, and tacks on a stripped-down demo version of the song "Marie," one of Newman's most heartbreaking and beautiful love songs. It also includes a bonus disc, entitled JOHNNY CUTLER'S BIRTHDAY (the working title for GOOD OLD BOYS), that includes earlier versions of the songs that ended up on the finished album. The second disc is fascinating as a sketchbook work-in-progress, and thoroughly enjoyable as a piece of music in its own right. Whereas 1972's SAIL AWAY played like a superbly crafted collection of short stories, 1974 's GOOD OLD BOYS was Newman's first novel. The literary analogies are not misplaced--Newman brings a writer's eye to character development, detail, setting, and scenario on GOOD OLD BOYS, a concept album about life in the Deep South. The opening track, "Rednecks," is a mercilessly scathing swipe at Southern racism, with a rollicking, sing-along chorus that only sinks the song's knife in deeper. And "A Wedding in Cherokee County" is a lovely ballad about a highly suspect backwoods marriage. But for every attack on provincialism, Newman offers a tender portrait of a Southern character in the throes of personal turmoil. "Guilty," for example, is a self-destructive man's confessional lament, while "Marie" may be Newman's most heartbreaking and beautiful love song. By inhabiting his characters with uncanny accuracy, Newman achieves a sense of comedy and empathy that might be impossible were he narrating these tales from his own point of view. There are lighter tracks, too, like the good-time "Rolling" and the enigmatic "Naked Man," but even these are graced with the artist's fine arrangements and ear for melody. Unique, confrontational, and moving, GOOD OLD BOYS remains one of Newman's finest achievements. Deluxe remastered reissue of 1974 album including 'Rednecks', 'Louisiana 1927' & 'Marie'. Plus a bonus disc featuring the 13-song Johnny Cutler's Birthday, the previously unissued 'rough draft' of this 1974 classic. The 2 discs are housed in a double slimline jewelcase and a slipcase. 2002. Personnel: Randy Newman (piano, electric piano, synthesizer); Randy Newman (vocals); Ron Elliott, Ron Elliott (acoustic guitar); John Platania (electric guitar); Al Perkins (pedal steel guitar); Russ Titelman, Willie Weeks (bass instrument, electric bass); Red Callender (bass instrument); Bobbye Porter (percussion); Malcolm Cecil, Robert Margouleff (programming); Dennis Budimir (acoustic guitar); Ry Cooder (electric guitar); Milt Holland (drums, percussion); Jim Keltner, Andy Newmark (drums); Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Lee Herschberg. Audio Remasterer: Dan Hersch. Liner Note Author: David Wild. Recording information: Amigo Studios, Los Angeles, CA (02/01/1973); Warner Bros. Studios, North Hollywood, CA (02/01/1973). Photographer: Shepard Sherbell. Arranger: Randy Newman.

Tell My Sister album for sale A jubilant, folk-tinged gathering of family and friends, Kate and Anna McGarrigle's CHRISTMAS HOUR finds the Canadian sisters performing with Rufus and Martha Wainwright (Kate's children), Lily and Dane Lanken (Anna's daughter and husband, respectively), and other notable guests, including Emmylou Harris and Beth Orton. Here the McGarrigles have created a relaxed, friendly holiday atmosphere, a setting where Harris sits in on a beautiful rendition of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," Rufus Wainwright leads his own charming "Spotlight on Christmas," and Martha Wainwright wishes everyone "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." This festive set also features several sing-alongs, including stately versions of "Seven Joys of Mary" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Recording information: Church Of The Advent, Montreal, GC; Globe Studio, New York, NY; Le Beau Cote, Alexandra, Ontario, Canada; Maison Radio, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Monkey Boy Studio, New York, NY; Natural Source Studio, St. Sauveur, Montreal, GC; Pierre Marchand's Studio, Mille-Isles, Quebec, Canada; Sorcerer SOund, New York, NY; Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN; Studio Frisson, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Thorsten Laewe's Studio, Los Angeles, CA. Unknown Contributor Role: Vinnie Dow. Arrangers: Kate McGarrigle; Anna McGarrigle. Personnel: Kate & Anna McGarrigle; Kate McGarrigle (vocals, guitar, classical guitar, accordion, piano); Anna McGarrigle (vocals, accordion, piano, synthesizer); Éloi Painchaud (guitar); Teddy Thompson (electric guitar, bells); Duke McVinnie (electric guitar); David Mansfield (violin); Pierre Marchand (flute, drums); Michael Wilson , Partice Richer (tenor trombone); Trevor Dix (bass trombone); George Javori (drums, bells); Matt Johnson , John McColgan (drums); Brad Albetta (percussion); Chaim Tannenbaum (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Rufus Wainwright (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, bells); Martha Wainwright (vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, bells); Emmylou Harris (vocals); Michel Pepin (guitar, dobro); Joel Zifkin (guitar, violin); Jody Golick (pennywhistle, tenor saxophone); Dane Lanken (trumpet); Tom Mennier (piano, organ, synthesizer); Janie McGarrigle (piano); Greg Prestopino, Pat Donaldson, Beth Orton, Lily Lanken, Sylvan Lanken, Jordi Rosen, Vinnie Dow, Ruben Mahr, Jane Adams, Jack McKeever, Danielle Bolduc, Campbell Hendrey. Audio Mixers: Greg Prestopino; Borza Ghomeshi; Frank Opolko; Pierre Marchand; Tom Schick.

Tell My Sister CD music City of Refuge, the ambitious third album by singer, songwriter, and banjoist Abigail Washburn, extends the reach of both the stripped-down roots sounds on Song of the Traveling Daughter and the more musically exploratory Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet. She's been seasoned by continually playing with stellar musicians and opening herself to musical traditions from those of the Deep South and the British Isles to folk traditions from Asia, jazz, and rock. This set showcases her singing and lyrics up front. Produced and mixed by Tucker Martine, City of Refuge boasts an extensive and impressive list of players and singers -- including Bill Frisell, Jeremy Kittel, Viktor Krauss, guzheng master Wu Fei, and Kai Welch, to name a few. In Martine, Washburn found the perfect collaborator: he understands implicitly how far-reaching her songs are; he assists her in cracking wide the conventions of traditions while showcasing their influence with reverence and grace. The title track opens with her clawhammer banjo-style playing "old-time mountain music," but quickly shape-shifts through country gospel, folk-blues, open droning tones, and shimmering rock. The orchestration on the heartbreaking "Bring Me My Queen" is spacious with lilting piano; Kittel's fiddle provides soft textural elements that let Washburn's voice articulate the deeply poetic lyric. Rayna Gellert's fiddle, Frisell's electric guitar, and a pedal steel adorn "Last Train," as Washburn and Welch harmonize the loneliness of loss and longing in her lyric. "Burn Thru" opens with what seems like a coda with an orchestral lushness that almost reaches a crescendo before it all disappears, just before Washburn, backed by acoustic guitars and her banjo, declares her resilience and her ability to transcend: "There's shadows in my tracks/I'm not lookin' back at the rest of you...I'm not goin' down with the rest of you." The musical abstraction and sheer beauty on City of Refuge is born out best on "Dreams of Nectar." Its root is an a cappella Appalachian ballad, but before long, Wu Fei's dreamy guzheng (a zither-like instrument) enters, and is layered upon by a humming choir, chirping birds, and even tempered brass instruments. Yet, even as the elements gel, they slowly dissolve into a gauzy haze, leaving the listener in reverie -- which is shattered by the stomping country gospel of "Divine Bell." The set closes with the haunting "Bright Morning Stars," a hymn that contains choir drones resembling the chanted throat-sung prayers of Tibetan monks. City of Refuge reveals that Abigail Washburn has grown exponentially as an artist. She's created a visionary American music that extends its traditions as it embraces others, free of borderlines. City of Refuge shines from West to East, from South to North -- and beyond. ~ Thom Jurek Recording information: Flora Studios, Portland, OR (2010); Sanctuary Studios, Nashville, TN (2010). Personnel: Abigail Washburn (vocals); Kevin Dailey, Ketch Secor (vocals, guitar); Yiliqi, Batubagen (throat singing); Kai Welch (guitar, trumpet, piano, pump organ, keyboards); Bill Frisell, Chris Funk, Carl Broemel (electric guitar); Jeremy Kittel (violin, viola); Annalisa Tornfelt, Rayna Gellert (fiddle); Nathaniel Smith (cello); Diego "D-Bone" (trombone); Joe Murphy (tuba); Viktor Krauss (double bass, electric bass); Jamie Dick, Tucker Martine, Kenny Malone (drums, percussion). Audio Mixer: Tucker Martine.

Tell My Sister buy CD music After the pop-oriented ANGELS AND CIGARETTES raised eyebrows with its Liz Phair-like "The Company of Men" and scored an improbable mainstream hit with a downtempo remix of "Train Song," ANGLICANA found fiddler and singer Eliza Carthy returning to traditional British folk music. Focusing primarily on her instrumental gifts instead of her fine vocals, ANGLICANA is true to its title, featuring a well-chosen playlist of almost exclusively traditional British folk tunes such as "Pretty Ploughboy" and "The Bold Privateer." One endearing and sweet exception is "Dr. McMBE," a tune Carthy wrote for her father, guitarist Martin Carthy, in honor of his being made a member of the Order of the British Empire. This is Eliza Carthy's first solo recording in several years and it focuses on her love of traditional and acoustic music. A great believer in the power of live music, Eliza wanted to create an album with the sound and feel of live music without the stud Tim Van Eyken (guitar, harmonica, melodian); Donald MacDougal (guitar); Jon Bodin (fiddle). Personnel: Eliza Carthy (vocals, violin, fiddle, piano); Mary MacMaster, Heather Macleod, Maria Gilhooley, Norma Waterson (vocals); Ben Ivitsky (acoustic & electric guitars, viola, trombone); Tom Salter (electric guitar);