Without fail, there are always two random days each year that overflow with impressive new releases. Mark February 15th on your calendar for a bounty of musical delight.
And if you are still catching up on 2010, you’ll find our Best Of 2010 lists here.
KASEY ANDERSON, Heart of a Dog
(Release date 15 February 2011)
I liked Anderson a bit better before I found out he was a die-hard New York sports fan. Seriously, though, Anderson continues to impress as a songwriter with compassion and intelligence. His latest looks to be a more rock-oriented affair, including a souped-up rock version of the English Beat’s “Save It For Later.†(Red River Records)
Audio Download: Kasey Anderson, “Mercy” [audio:http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/1/2169351//02 Mercy MP3.mp3]
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, Go-Go Boots
(Release date 15 February 2011)
Says Patterson Hood, “It’s the album where we finally fully embrace the music of our original hometown area of Muscle Shoals, exploring the waters of country/soul and that mystical intersection between to two dominate poles of our shared musical heritage. It’s also definitively a Drive-By Truckers album and an album that benefits heavily from the work we did backing up Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones a few years back.†Sounds pretty good to me, even better that it includes the Trucker’s version of Eddie Hinton’s brilliant “Everybody Needs Love.†(ATO Records)
HAYES CARLL, KMAG YOYO (& other American stories)
(Release date 15 February 2011)
Texas troubadour Carll returns with another release filled with colorful characters, honky-tonk melodies and downhome fun. And in case you’re wonderin’, KMAG YOYO is a military acronym which stands for “Kiss My Ass Guys You’re On Your Own.†(Lost Highway Records)
BUFFALO TOM, Skins
(Release date 15 February 2011)
Boston’s Buffalo Tom celebrate their 25th anniversary with a new batch of tunes. The band’s sound has hardly wavered – well-crafted songs both edgy and earnest, delivered with tremendous passion. “Arise, Watch,†the lead single, has the distant feel of an Elliot Smith song, punctuated by jagged guitar solo. (Scrawny Records)
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.