So lately, thanks largely to Sam, I have been into what I like to call "raw" country. To me, raw country is 1) NOT the pure pop country crap that is on the radio. Just as when raw rock takes the form of pop rock (a.k.a. James Blunt, Daniel Powter etc.) and makes you want to plug your ears for life, raw country takes a turn for the worse in the forms of pop country. So lately I've been into two "raw" country artists--Kathleen Edwards and Lucinda Williams. For one, you get the pure, beautiful instrumentation of electric guitars, organs, harmonicas, etc. meshing together to form one beautiful noise. At the same time, you get artists with beautiful voices who write powerful, and I mean uncomfortably powerful songs. If you want the perfect example of this, try listening to Alicia Ross by Kathleen Edwards. Written from the perspective of a young girl in Canada who is murdered by her neighbor, the song gives me chills every time I listen to it.
Recently, however, thanks to last.fm, I discovered Sera Cahoone and simply cannot get enough. Sera used to be the drummer for Band of Horses among other indie bands. On the two CD's she has out (one self-titled, the other called Only as the Day is Long), Sera delivers old-fashioned country at its finest. The album I have (Only as the Day is Long) is heavy with pedal-steal, acoustic guitar, and banjo arrangements (I love, love, love the sound of the pedal-steal). The songs, while quite simple, are incredible. "Happy When I'm Gone" gets me up and dancing around before I realize that the lyrics aren't that "happy." Other highlights include the title track, "Baker Lane," and "Runnin' Your Way. I highly recommend checking her out (as well as Kathleen and Lucinda).
By the way, Sam and I will be seeing Kathleen in February in Detroit and it will be amazing!
1 comment:
i really need to get this from you.
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