AMC's First Nominee For Album Of The Year!

Lantana
Caroline Herring
Signature Sounds

After listening to this album I'm really glad that I have no limitations on space to give a review because I need a lot of room to cover this one. I've heard a remarkable number of albums in my time but this one is well worth whatever words, if this can be expressed in words, can be written. From the very start, from the very first intro, this is a beautiful, memorable work of art that continues to the last note as one of the finest expressions of music there is. In listening to this album, it's like I'm hearing something that I know is going to be a new turn on modern music that borrows from both the literary world and the very beginnings of the recording industry that brought forth ballads and tales of murder and mayhem with echoes of Vernon Dalhart and The Carter Family.

Caroline Herring's voice is a hard thing to describe, it has a complete acknowledgement of history in it. Ethereal, haunting, broad, and almost 3D in its presence, wrapping around your soul with a demanding edge, something that hasn't been heard in quite some time. There's an ability that Herring has to actually paint pictures with the tones of her voice so clear that it's like a movie running in your mind, an extremely rare occurrence in records, but it's thoroughly evident here, an amazing thing.

As a songwriter, Herring has perfectly matched her material with her voice and the production on the album, while sparse and uncomplicated, is exactly what it needs to be. One of the more intense songs on the album, 'Paper Gown', is about Susan Smith, the 23 year old mother from Union, South Carolina who drowned her sons in her car and made national news, all the while blaming an African-American male that she said had kidnapped her sons, a truly Southern Gothic tale that you have to hear to believe.

All in all, there are 10 songs on this album, 10 of the most interesting, intense, original and lyrically perfect songs you will ever be able to hear, and it can't go without mentioning, the musicians on this album are totally involved and must be recognized for their contributions to this wonderful effort. They are: Rich Brotherton, Glenn Fukunaga, Danny Barnes, Warren Hood, Marty Muse, Tom Van Schaik, and  Paul Pearcy.

The bottom line here is this, if you want to hear a brilliant artist that will move you in a way you haven't been moved, who has an uncanny talent to totally and effortlessly immerse you in the sound of her voice, this is it. And it is one of five CDs that have made it to my car, which is a rare thing indeed. It is also the first nominee for AMC's Album Of  The Year. To learn more, check out www.carolineherring.com or www.myspace.com/carolineherring and see for yourself what a real-life, emerging, contemporary talent sounds like.

Good Thing Going
Rhonda Vincent
Rounder Records

There are several things that Rhonda Vincent can be confident of. She can be confident first and foremost in her vocal ability for there is no one that can run the scales like she can, bringing that beautiful clarity and the ability to stretch those high lonesome mountain notes, bending and soaring higher than ever, taking all of us with her. She can be confident in the fact that she has packed some of the finest production ever heard on this album, it is, in a word, unbelievable. Working with her brother, Darrin Vincent in their own studio has allowed them to take their time and work at their own pace and it shows. And they say talent attracts talent which is true, it doesn't hurt that artists like Keith Urban and Russell Moore, lead singer with IIIrd Tyme Out dropped by to offer their duet talents and both did amazing work. Vincent can also be confident in her songwriting ability, writing or co-writing five of the songs on this session and all of them keepers. She has that ability to write what she sings and put her soul into it, matching lyrics, production and vocals perfectly.

She can be confident as well in her mandolin playing, there are just no flaws here, anywhere, years of working concerts across the country and playing sessions have really paid off. In a genre where musicianship is first and foremost, she is firing with both barrels fully capable of ripping up any thing she pleases with ease.

And lastly, Rhonda Vincent can be confident that she is one of the most beautiful women in the music business. Check out the album cover, enough said.

While this is a Bluegrass album it is also a great collection of music, period. There are 12 songs on the CD and any of the 12 would stand on their own. Some of my favorites were 'I'm Leavin'', a hard driving straight ahead song that showcases both her playing and vocals, 'Scorn Of A Lover' was another that features her songwriting ability and shows off those stratospheric harmonies perfectly. Really and truly I liked every song on this album which I haven't been able to say in a long while. It's just that good.

Check it out for yourself and you'll see that as an artist, songwriter, musician and singer, Rhonda Vincent represents the very best there is and this is a must have for your music collection.

Asleep at the Wheel
with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Independent

Austin has much to be proud of, the University of Texas, Darrell Royal, Willie Nelson, Austin City Limits, and much much more but one of it's more recognized and beloved citizens is Ray Benson, artist extrordinaire and leader of the group known the world over as Asleep At The Wheel. Now, the group's history is well known and their status as Grammy award winning artists is well documented but there's always the question: how does an artist like Ray Benson and the 'Wheel' as they are affectionately known keep going after all these years? The answer is simple, they do it by combining two things, excitement and innovation. Listening to a Wheel album is like riding a Harley Davidson around a steep hill country road at a high rate of speed, you're not sure what's coming up next but you know you're going to like it.

This album, recorded live at the Bass Concert Hall in Fort Worth with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, can be best described by one word: Unbelievable. When the songs that are included on this album are presented with the intricate, melody driven arrangements that are both intense and melancholy at the same time, it has an affect that just has to be heard to be fully appreciated. One minute you're snorting dust on the west Texas plains, the next minute you're on the 51st floor of a swank New York ballroom with the most fantastic big band ever heard. The Wheel never sounded better, on all fronts. Benson's voice is ageless, carrying on the tradition of Bob Wills music with clarity and poise, while the other members shine as well, Elizabeth McQueen offers up her sultry, cosmotex voice to the classic 'What A Wonderful World' while the rest of the group which includes Jason Roberts on fiddle, David Miller on bass, Eddie Rivers on Steel, Floyd Domino on piano, and David Sanger on drums absolutely killed.

And kudos must be given to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra with a rich and historical past, the execution and production involved in a project like this is immense and can only be pulled off by an organization like this. Sharing the stage in past performances with stars like Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd,  James Taylor and Michel Bolton, it was only fitting that a live album with the Wheel would make an appropriate bookend to their collaborative efforts.

If you appreciate fine Texas Swing music or Jazz music or just fine, award winning knocked out of the park music, this is a must have. For more info go to asleepatthewheel.com or http://www.myspace.com/asleepatthewheel and don't let this one get away from you.



Greg Roberts

All Gone Fishin'
Various Artists
Bandit Records

In most cases on compilation CD's, the songs are releases from nondescript albums or sessions that haven't had a lot of time spent on them. Let me clear something up for you, this is not one of those. And don't be fooled by the cover, though this album has fishing songs on it, it's just not that simple. This is far and above some of the finest production I've heard in quite some time and above all else, is a page of history in the music business. The artists on this release reads like a who's who in Country Music. Fourteen songs are included here and here's a breakdown of what you'll hear: Two songs, "Something Fishy's Going On" by Lori Morgan and "Sleepwalking" by Tanya Tucker, could very well be released as singles, right now, for airplay and stand head and shoulders above what you're currently hearing on radio.