In this case, “project” really does seem to describe the work that went into the album.  It was recorded in New Orleans and her backing band is the rhythm section for The Funky Meters, a New Orleans institution.  Those guys, plus Ike Stubblefield on Hammond B3, create a dirtiness that’s more forward than many of Ruthie’s other efforts.  But keeping the Lord’s music in the balance are the Blind Boys of Alabama, featured on 4 tunes, and soul master William Bell on another one.  The net result is a disc that’s about half gospel & blues and half rhythm & soul.  It’s a potent mix.

The gospel tinged part of the album manifests itself right from the beginning: Welcome Home is a Foster original with the Blind Boys that’s the poetic explanation of faith, “my mind didn’t know how to get there, I trusted my heart and, I swear, my soul came to welcome me home.”  Other songs in this spirit are Lord Remember Me, the Robbie Robertson number It Makes No Difference, and a fantastic a capella The Titanic, also with the Blind Boys of Alabama.  Good material for your Sunday morning rotation.

The other theme running through the disc is remakes of some familiar songs from other artists.  I hesitate to call them covers because several of them bear little resemblance to the original.  Ring Of Fire is unrecognizable unless you really listen to the lyrics.  There’s almost a Motown feel to the Los Lobos penned This Time.  Ruthie puts a dark blues spin on the Pete Seeger classic If I Had A Hammer.  And her version of the CSNY hit Long Time Gone is, IMO, a major improvement on a song that I already loved.

In the end this is a strong offering from an artist that’s already at the top of her game.  Ruthie’s vocals are great, the backing band is stupendous, and the song selection is great.  I just dare you to sit still for the whole album.  Can I have a Hallelujah?

Start chair dancing with this single, an original number, Aim For the Heart.

Audio Download: Ruthie Foster, “Aim For the Heart”

Bromberg’s career has been the oddest, with long periods of withdrawal from public performance to pursue his passion as a violin-maker. Between 1971 and 1980 he released no fewer than ten albums (check out Demon in Disguise and Wanted Dead or Alive for some of his best), but since 1980, he has entered a recording studio only a handful of times. Between 1990 and 2007 he released no records (although his old record company rereleased most of his back catalog and produced a retrospective in 1998). In 2007, he released his ‘comeback’ album, the all-acoustic Try Me One More Time, which featured a bit more slide guitar playing than his 1970s efforts but otherwise was totally in character. With his newest release, Use Me, Bromberg has upped the ante, this time calling on longtime associates Levon Helm, John Hiatt, Keb’ Mo’, Dr. John, Tim O’Brien, Vince Gill, Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt and Widespread Panic to collaborate. For those who are songwriters, he asked them to write him a song to play on the album. The album includes songs by Bromberg, Hiatt, O’Brien, David Hidalgo (of Los Lobos) and Dr. John. Then he performed each number with its songwriter, and collaborated with the non-songwriters. And Use Me was no acoustic effort. The cover photo of Bromberg clutching a Telecaster was the first indication this album would be different than the last. Its up-tempo tone makes puts it among the most listenable Bromberg albums ever – equal to his radically eclectic early work (R&B and bluegrass on the same disc!). Bromberg’s singing style makes his him an acquired taste, but to the initiated that doesn’t matter. Among the album highlights are “Blue is Fallin’” (with O’Brien), “Diggin’ in the Deep Blue Sea” (with Keb’ Mo’), “The Long Goodbye” (with Los Lobos) and “Lookout Mountain Girl” (with Vince Gill).

Ry Cooder has mined many of the same veins of roots music but has gained more notoriety with the wine and brie set with his forays into movies and world music (most of which, don’t get me wrong, are excellent). But Cooder’s own work is more down home, and his guitar playing distinct (check out Into the Purple Valley or Paradise and Lunch among his 1970s work). In recent years, he has been focusing on concept albums that spotlight Cooder’s populist political bent. Although Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down is not a concept album, it does feature some of the populist themes of those recent effort and takes a tone somewhat similar to 2007′s My Name is Buddy. Featuring all original songs, it opens with Cooder’s musical diatribe about the financial crisis – “No Banker Left Behind.” The album runs from the gamut from folk to Spanish-tinged ballad to rock to blues. As always, the playing is excellent. Check out “John Lee Hooker for President” for an uncanny homage to both the singing and guitar playing style of Hooker.

On Here We Rest Isbell brings it all together. The album is very laid back, and full of passion and pain. However, he shows us all facets of his dynamic talents. He shows that a great Singer-Songwriter is not confined by style. Musically, the album is as diverse as Isbell’s influences. He delivers Country, Soul, Blues, and (in case you have forgotten) the man can still Rock. His band, The 400 Unit keeps the edges rough, which gives the album an undeniable authenticity. In the end. I was really glad I made it past the beginning. Here We Rest is astounding from open to close, and is truly a career defining album. It sets the standard, by which his future releases will be measured.

Audio Download: Jason
Isbell & the 400 Unit, “Codeine”

Then there is Lucinda Williams’ new project Blessed , which has great musicianship delivering a Soulful Blues with deep roots. Even More impressively, the lyrics not only affect the listener, they rip their heart open, exposing the deepest part of the soul and speak directly to it. This is not an exaggeration in the slightest, and your first listen to Blessed will prove it. The album opens with ”Convince Me”, which builds from a quiet question to a Rockin’ feeling of hope. The title track demonstrates, in a dramatic way, that we are all Blessed everyday. However, we do not look for blessings, so we miss them as they move right in front of us. Indeed the theme of the album seems to be, that in always searching for more, we discount what we already have. We tend to long for something illusory, ignoring the good in our current reality. When we move on, we are just running away. Running never fulfills, but Williams doesn’t pretend to know what does fulfill. She simply provides reflection for the journey. It is odd for an Album to be full of pain, without leading to hopelessness.

The producer of Blessed is Grammy Award-winning Don Was. Was co-produced the project with Eric Liljestrand and Tom Overby. Blessed features special guests Rami Jaffe on keyboards, Matthew Sweet on vocals Greg Leisz and Elvis Costello on guitar. In fact, Costello’s guitar work on “Seeing Black” is amazing.

Buy the album on March 1st and see for yourself.

Alvin wrote and recorded the track for the FX series “Justified.” Alvin will also appear in the episode, which is based in the fictional town of Harlan County, KY.

For those of us counting the days until winter ends, we’ve now got another reason to look forward to summer — a new album from Alvin. If this track is an early indication, we’re in for a treat.

Dave Alvin – “Harlan County Line” by Yep Roc Music Group

The guest list is impressive featuring, Sam Bush, Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart), Ketch Secor and Gill Landry from Old Crow Medicine Show and Byron House. The opening title track is a wake up call to our own mortality, “I will remember the night the Cumberland came alive. It should remind you that you were born to die.” Howver, the shock of the tragedy, is balanced by the call for hope and restoration provided by the song  ”Dear Lazrus”. Combine Farris’ vocal styling with the all-star musicians contributing to the project and you have a donation worth making.

MAYER’S TAKE: SHADES OF WOODY GUTHRIE
It’s interesting how artists get influenced by their surroundings, particularly when they uproot from familiar territories and move to new locales. It usually sends their music into different directions, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. When Justin Townes Earle moved from Nashville to New York City, I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one wondering which fate awaited Earle and his music.

Well, Harlem River Blues holds the answer. New York City has brought out the Woody Guthrie in Earle’s music. Songs like “One More Night in Brooklyn” and “Working for the MTA” contain the simple melodies and working man storytelling that was a Guthrie hallmark. It’s the title track, however, that stands out the most to these ears. The simple tale of a man giving up on a troubled life set against a timeless musical backdrop that mixes equal parts folk and gospel is a modern classic.

SHAWN’S TAKE: SHADES OF SUN STUDIOS AND MEMPHIS
I think I believe in reincarnation now. On Harlem River Blues, Justin Townes Earle isn’t channeling his namesake, but rather Sam Phillips and the Sun Studios sound of the mid-50′s. It’s probably best exemplified on “Move Over Mama,” where Earle snarls “give me that love” just like Elvis in his prime. “One More Night In Brooklyn” features a doo-wop, syncopated keyboard that calls to mind early Ike Turner. And “Wanderin’” leaves the mental image of somebody slappin’ the stand-up bass back in the corner against those cheap acoustic tiles while James Cotton wails on the harmonica.

Memphis touches this collection of songs about Earle’s current home of New York City in ways besides Sun Studios. There’s a clear gospel bent to the title cut and its reprise. “Slippin’ and Slidin’” has a touch of Stax horns tastefully accenting a number that’s all cheap garage amp on the guitar. And “Working For the MTA” calls to mind Jimmie Rodgers. Earle is his usual fine self writing and performing. But regardless of the age of Earle or any of the other musicians here, there are some old souls playing and they do the record good.

ELI’S TAKE: FIVE BIG REASONS
Justin Townes Earle is an Americana fan’s wet dream. The pedigree, the history, the sound, the 3 (and a half) excellent records recorded at an album-a-year pace, it’s like we built him from scratch to fulfill the fantasies of every ‘kicker, trucker, and cowboy angel’ out there. On top of that, he just gets better and better with every release. Harlem River Blues is a new high for him and easily my favorite record released this year (thus far, but I doubt anyone will top it). Here are 5 things that make it so.

1) I like everything Jason Isbell adds to this record. Isbell was an excellent sideman during his time in the Drive-By Truckers, but he outdoes himself here. The electric guitar work sprinkled throughout the record and is uniformly sublime– bluesy, soulful, and rocking. Each track could be a standout, but for my money his work on the R&Bish “Slippin’ and Slidin’” takes the cake.

2) I like the Nebraska-Era Springsteen-like harmonica work on “Wanderin’” (courtesy of OCMS’s Ketch Secor). The song itself has both some great autobiographical lines from Earle as well as a chorus that embodies the Woody Guthrie troubadour archetype.

“now my father was a traveler and my momma stayed at home/ and she cried the day that he walked out and left us on our own/ now I’m older than he was when I was born and I don’t know which way is home/ so I’m Wanderin’

3) I like the way that both the piano and lead guitar in “Rogers Park” remind me of “Layla”. The song itself doesn’t (in fact the song, like much of the album, has that perfect 3am late night wandering the streets feel), but those two dominant instruments both remind me of “Layla”. Just saying.

4) I like that I was in a record store the other day and “Move Over Mama” came on the radio and the whole store unconsciously started grooving to it. Sandwiched amongst Elvis’s “Baby Let’s Play House” and other Sun Session classics, it was a standout.

5) I love the way that, when I’m listening to the record in my car, the CD player runs it in a loop. The “Harlem River Blues Reprise” (acepella gospel rendition of the chorus) funnels perfectly back into the beginning of the record, the full-length version of “Harlem River Blues.”

Pimps and Preachers, by Paul Thorn

Paul Thorn is the Mark Twain of Americana. Possessing an endearing folksy charm, he fills his songs with a potent and intelligent wit. Thorn’s lyrics are typically self-depreciating yet hopeful. A fine example is “I Hope I’m Doing This Right.” After several verses of reflection on the circumstances of his life, Thorn concludes that he is on the right path with the telling line, “Hank Williams was in the darkness when he sang ‘I Saw the Light.’”

Thorn’s humorous side emerges on tracks like the gospel-tinged “Tequila Is Good for the Heart,” his remedy for heartbreak. “We’ve all got to die of something, it’s sad but it’s true,” he sings, “at least if I drown your memory I might not die over you.”

There are frequently religious references and overtones to Thorn’s songs, such as on “Pimps and Preachers,” the album’s title track. “My Daddy had a Cadillac, my uncle drove a Ford,” he sings, “one was satan’s angel, and one worked for the Lord.” Perhaps that is what I like about Thorn’s music; he has an appreciation for both perspectives and finds the mischievousness middle ground.

Thorn’s secret weapon is his band, a crack unit that is one of the most unheralded groups in rock and roll. They deliver a muscular sound, immaculately produced to create a balanced sound.

In the end, however, it is Thorn’s infectious optimism that shines the brightest. It’s the perfect elixir for a bad day. As Thorn declares in “You’re Not the Only One” — “Life don’t come with a guarantee, you only get so many heartbeats; it’s such a blessing to be alive, whatever happens I’m satisfied.” Amen.

Audio Download: Paul Thorn, “Pimps and Preachers”

THE PLAYLIST:

Change Your Mind, Rich Pagano & the SugarCane Cups (from the self-released Rich Pagano & the SugarCane Cups)
You’d likely never guess that Rich Pagano plays in one of the country’s best Beatles cover bands. Then again, you might when you hear his solo album. It’s chock full of the smart and nuanced pop songwriting that was a hallmark of that other band. While it is easy to get entranced by ballads like “Goodbye Anna,” I’m drawn to this unabashed rock and roll number. Heck, even John and Paul were known to cut loose with a little Chuck Berry or Little Richard now and then.

Audio Download: Rich Pagano & the SugarCane Cups, “Change Your Mind”

Dirty Dirty Blonde, Luke Doucet (from the Six Shooter Records release Steel City Trawler)
Sloppy enough to be playful, sharp enough to know these are talented musicians. Doucet won’t overwhelm you with guitar pyrotechnics but make no mistake, the boy can play. The Stones-esque rawness is intoxicating. “What you see is not the girl that you get, she may be yellow underneath but she’s a bottle brunette.”

Keep On Letting Me Down, Mic Harrison & the High Score (from the Real Much Records release Great Commotion)
There’s a lot to be said for doing your own thing. After stints with Superdrag and the late, great V-Roys, Mic Harrison has hit his grove with his own brand of satisfying rock and roll.

Audio Download: Mic Harrison, “Keep On Letting Me Down”

No Explanations, The Sideshow Tragedy (from the self-released The Sideshow Tragedy)
This Austin trio makes quite a racket – and that’s a good thing. Nathan Singleton’s National steel guitar blazes a fiery trail while bandmates pound out a raucous rhythm.

Awhile back I created a special playlist of break-up songs. Looks like I’ve got another one for the list… “No explanations girl, I’m a simple man but there is nothing here for you to understand. You just need someone to hold on to but I don’t have time, find your own way and I’ll find mine.”

Audio Download: The Sideshow Tragedy, “No Explanations”

Passengers, Ruby James (from the self-released Happy Now)
LA singer-songwriter James found a spiritual home in Austin Texas. Charlie and Will Sexton, the musical co-conspirators on her latest release, kept the focus where it belonged – on James’ remarkable voice. A stunning mix of honey and smoke, it seems effortless… and immensely enjoyable.

Audio Download: Ruby James, “Passengers”

Cry One More Time, Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles (from the self-released Live Singles)
Anyone who has seen Borges and crew will attest that they put on a tremendous live show. Now everyone can get a taste with this outstanding Listen closely and you can tell that Borges was battling laryngitis the night the show was recorded. She and the band miss nary a beat, making one appreciate their live chops even more.

Audio Download: Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles, “Cry One More Time”

Sundown, Luke Doucet (from the Six Shooter Records release Steel City Trawler)
Yes, it’s the Gordon Lightfoot song. Doucet and crew keep a touch of the easy-going feel but scuff it up enough to make it a garage rock gem.

Sweet Chariot, My Jerusalem (from the One Little Indian release Gone for Good)
My Jerusalem plays music slightly soulful with instrumentation somewhat symphonic. When you hear singer Jeff Klein’s wail, however, you’ll know that it is entirely rock and roll.

I Can Tell, Mic Harrison & the High Score (from the Real Much Records release Great Commotion)
“I can tell by the way you’re drinking, you won’t lay down in my arms tonight. I can tell by the way you’re drinking, someone someplace else is on your mind.” Another gem for the country music “she done me wrong” catalog…

FROM THE ARCHIVES
Mystery Road, Bob Walkenhorst (Live at Molloy’s Irish Pub on 27 July 2005)
“There are two stories of life that contain all the facts, one is told to your face, the other is told to your back. Which one to believe, well that’s all up to you, also to decide which one will come true…”

Audio Download: Bob Walkenhorst, “Mystery Road”

See You On the Moon, by Tift Merritt
I suppose that Merritt could sing the alphabet and I’d listen. There is such a genuine quality to her voice, an infectious spirit. It is a spirit that shines through her music despite the dark overtones of her latest release. “Engine to Turn” typifies this contrast. “I don’t know how to fix the world, I don’t know how to fix myself,” she sings against a foot-tapping melody. Brooding strings add tremendous texture to “Papercut,” finds Merritt comparing a former lover to a paper cut. “I don’t I don’t know why it would hurt, I can’t see why it would hurt but it does,” she sings while strings and a thumping back-beat add a brooding texture to the song. “Live Till You Die” is a personal favorite, a mid-tempo song anchored by hearty guitar power chords and a buoyant horn-laced chorus. The song contains the defining lyric of the album, as Merritt declares, “I have to say the things I feel, I have to feel the things I say.” Amen.

Audio Stream: Tift Merritt, “Mixtape”

Bears & Bulls, by The Stone Foxes
I wasn’t surprised to hear that this band hails from San Francisco. There’s a certain feel to the band’s music, a collegial feel that hearkens back to the city’s heyday. It was a time when musicians like the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane had a collective feel that transcended the music. The Stone Foxes have a similar vibe that fills their blues-based rock. And boy do they bring on the rock. “Patience” is a musical fireball led by a bruising guitar riff. If that weren’t raucous enough, the song breaks down into a sweltering guitar jam. “I Killed Robert Johnson” keeps up the intensity with the tale of a bluesman with a dark secret. “Through the Fire” slows things down a bit, but only a bit. What starts out as a slow-burning blues ballad builds to a fervent chorus. The album stand-out is “Passenger Train,” the sympathetic tale of a man who turns to robbery to cope with hard times. As a slide guitar wails, the man explains, “Times are hard and broken down, at least I can say that I tried, but I ain’t that bad and I ain’t that good, I just did what I did to get by.” If the Stone Foxes sound this good on record, I can only imagine what they sound like live. When are you coming to Boston, boys?

Audio Download: The Stone Foxes, “I Killed Robert Johnson”

THE PLAYLIST:

White Blank Page, Mumford & Sons (from the Glass Note release Sigh No More)
I’m perhaps late to the party but better late than never, right? The London quartet mine territory similar to the Avett Brothers,but with a fuller sound and, perhaps, a bit more intensity. This song is the perfect example, an ode to unrequited love that finds Mumford singing, “You desired my attention but denied my affections, my affections.”

The Ballplayer, Joe Purdy (from the Mud Town Crier Records release Sigh No More)
Purdy writes for quiet late night moments, performing acoustic guitar or piano ballads that focus attention on the ache in Purdy’s voice. This track tells the somber tale of a ballplayer reflecting on a less-than-successful career and the sacrifices that he made while pursuing his dream.

Audio Download: Joe Purdy, “The Ballplayer”

Second Last Call, Jay Bennett (from the Rock Proper release Kicking at the Perfumed Air)
Bennett was completing this album before his pre-mature passing last year. ‘Tis a tragic loss as he was hitting a creative stride coming off the brilliant Whatever Happened I Apologize. This boisterous acoustic song tells the tale of a guy meeting a girl at a bar but watching it all go wrong.

Bennett’s family and friends have made Kicking at the Perfumed Air available for free download here. They have also formed the Jay Bennett Foundation to honor his legacy in support of music and education programs.

Audio Download: Jay Bennett, “Second Last Call”

Memphis, KaiserCartel (from the Daniel Records release Secret Transit)
The Brooklyn duo serve up dreamy acoustic pop. While Courtney Kaiser usually sings the lead parts, Benjamin Cartel steps up on this ambling ballad. Even then, it is the combination of their voices that gives the song a magical quality.

Audio Stream: KaiserCartel, “Memphis”

Enjoy the Silence, Nada Surf (from the Mardev Records release If I Had a Hi-Fi)
Lately there seems to be a rash of covers-only albums. Nada Surf, a band with an extraordinary track record of marrying pop sheen with intelligent songwriting, steps up with their contribution – a collection of alternative and indie rock gems. This, their take on the Depeche Mode classic, keeps the tension of the original while giving the song a more jangly feel.

Great American Goldmine, Vanish Valley (from the self-released Vanish Valley)
Singer-songwriter Andrew McAllister moved to Los Angeles and connected with the Southern California country-folk legacy of Gram Parsons and his contemporaries. Never a bad thing. This gentle ballad has a captivating gentle sway.

Audio Download: Vanish Valley, “Great American Goldmine”

Alcoholic Baby, Barb (from the Yep Roc release Barb)
What happens when a group of Australian musical friends gather in the studio for a month with mass quantities of wine? Musical collective Barb is born. Liam Finn and touring partner Eliza Jane Barnes are the most known (at least around Twangville), but the members are equally talented. Call it angular pop, driven by a persistent drum beat and swirling with harmonies, piano fills and an abundance of electric guitar.

Where’s It Going, Ellery (from the self-released This Isn’t Over Yet)
The first thing you’ll notice about this husband and wife duo from Cincinnati is Tasha Golden’s voice. It is simultaneously silky and strong. It blends perfectly with the group’s piano-based pop for a refreshing summer soundtrack.

Audio Download: Ellery, “Where’s It Going”

Driver 8, Old 97s (from the New West Records release The Mimeograph EP)
In between their own studio releases, the Old 97’s tide us over with a four-song covers EP. This take on the REM classic stays true to the original but with the 97′s trademark energy. See the Twangville review of the entire EP here.

One Picture, Peter Bradley Adams (from the Sarathan Records release Free Sampler EP)
Formerly part of the duo eastmountainsouth, Adams scores with this simple yet tender love ballad about waking up next to a lover. “If there was one picture that I could take in my life, I’d take the one beside me in the dawn’s early light.” [Note: Adams is offering this song as part of a free sampler available on amazon.com here)