Direct link here. Only 13 songs so some major culling but it'll do.

And who'd have thought, after all
Something so simple as rock'n'roll would save us all?

And some of the rest that made life worth ploughing on.

Hayes Carll -- KMAG YOYO

Charles Bradley -- No Time for Dreaming Seeing him next March.

Tom Russell - Mesabi

Eddie Roberts & The Fire Eaters - Burn

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow Current Americana It duo.

Lindi Ortega - Little Red Boots

The Sheepdogs -- Learn and Burn ROCK

Robert Ellis - Photographs This is a curious album in that a couple of songs are tears in my beer country and others are more low fi-y straight ahead folky. All good.

Cash Box Kings -- Holler & Stomp Not to be confused with Hayes Carll's "Stomp & Holler."

Jimmie Dale Gilmore & The Wronglers - Heirloom Songs The Wronglers include Warren Hellman bazillionaire investment banker dude who bankrolled Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Fran, and who died recently. I hope he provided for it 'cos I've always dreamed of going one day.

Following a link on Twiiter from @crikey_earworm, Crikey's music blog, I came across Australian-only streaming service Songl. Lis the new r in the hipster net app naming stakes apparently. Not sure about the name, several times when I've plugged it into Google I've automatically typed "Songr." I must grow accustomed to our new L overlords.

Songl used to be called Anubis.fm which used to be bandit.fm, got that? I used bandit.fm a few times, and I would've continued using it except they dumped their subscription plan which is the only thing that made it useful for me compared to iTunes. It's probably wise to shelve trying to compete against Cupertino there and move to the currently unoccupied space of music streaming in Australia.

Earworm also mentioned JB Hi Fi has a streaming service now too but I haven't checked that one out yet (the colour scheme of the website is not the same as the shops thankfully.) Both have free trials on right now.

As the Spotify, Pandora etc rage has swept the world (where "world" means Europe and the USA), we have mostly been left out by geographical restrictions, although there undoubtably ways around those. Always eager to feed my music consumption compulsions, I checked out Songlr. Here are the answers I found to my most burning questions about the service.

Is it a hot mess to use?

Songlr is in some kind of pre-launch beta phase so to get a code to join you like their Facebook page, it was a painless process and only took a minute or so til I was in. The interface moves around smoothly and is basically easy to navigate right off the bat. I know some folks hate the white onblack style, but I didn't find it hard to read (red on black, now that's a killer. Yes, eMusic, I refer to you.)

The layout seems oriented more to individual tracks than albums. Adding stuff to my queue was simple, playback was flawless (I'm on ADSL2 in a metro area) and wasn't interrupted when I continued to surf around different pages.

There is also an iPhone (and Android) app, which I've downloaded but haven't used yet.

Is there anything you actually want to listen to?

I signed up for a 30 day free trial but from then, you pay. Which I would consider doing as long as it has enough that I want, which is not so obvious since Top 40 is not what I want. And yes the Top 40 type stuff is right up front (geez those Glee kiddies have certainly pumped out some product, eh?) which is fine, I can click past that as long as there's something for me to click to. I see 3 basic uses for a streaming service for me. To try before you buy, to investigate artists and genres I'm curious about or are gaps in my music mind map but I don't want to buy (and sampling on YouTube doesn't suffice) and because I want to hear something but it's easier to stream than actually go get the damn CD out of the rack in the other room. Less damning of my laziness, this last one also applies to streaming on a portable device. Have anything you want just there is appealing.

SO ANYWAY. It's owned by Sony and has the other majors and, it says, a "strong representation of independent labels." Still very little of what I normally buy - no Screaming Gospel Holy Rollers for Songl! I plugged in the last dozen or so things I've bought and it had none, except for The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams. Based on some quick searches they have Lost Highway (which is a subsidiary of one of the majors anyway) but no Bloodshot, Yep Roc, Rounder, New West or Signature Sounds - which cuts down on the new country/roots releases I seek out.

They did however have the first Frank Fairfield album, who coincidentally I'm seeing tonight at the Basement. That's pretty subterranean stuff.

But it may be unfair to judge it by niche tastes, the catalogue of mainstream acts both classic and contemporary is undoubtably impressive. They have Columbia so a search for "Johnny Cash" brings up 80 separate albums (even if I did count four different repackaging of San Quentin ...) They have everything Dylan has released officially. Ditto Leonard Cohen and Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Marvin Gaye. I queued up The Essential Jefferson Airplane as I explored, then the last album by recently deceased soul singer Howard Tate. They have Blue Note and Prestige so the jazz is outstanding (136 albums for Miles Davis!)

I found I couldn't get much of what I wanted from the "Genre Playlists" but search turned up the massive catalogue below the surface. The cost will be $9 and $12, both offering unlimited streaming but you pay for 320kpb over 128, to be able to stream on your phone and to cache songs.

It doesn't look like there's a way to buy a track you like, which is quite odd.

So if you want to stream Top 40 releases or have a healthy taste for the major labels' back catalogue (and don't already have it all), that could be OK. Overall it was an easy and useful experience and will probably stump up for it, at least intermittently when the need strikes.

Tickets for Byron players' side shows have started going on sale, and so the Easter bottleneck shuffle has begun.

I haven't experienced any great angst with my schedule the last couple of years but in 2012 Lucinda Williams and John Hiatt are playing Sydney the same night, Tuesday 3rd April. What to Do!!!???

Actually the dilemma was not a big one in the end. My devotion to both is equal, really I can't split them. I've seen both live in the last couple of years and neither seem likely to give up touring or recording in the foreseeable future. So it comes then down to the venue, and that is, as the young folk say, "a no brainer." John is playing the Metro and Lucinda the State. The Metro: smallish, general admission where you can get up the front with a bit of rock and roll in the air versus the State where your only option is to sit and clap politely. Lucinda's ads say "One Show Only" so that is sad but man I am looking forward to "Walk On", "Slow Turning", "Tennessee Plates" etc etc in that venue.

Speaking of no-brainers Justin Townes Earle is at the Factory the night after. Never miss him live.

Steve Earle is going solo at the Factory the following week, through an early offer I got some front row seats and Steve solo is still a worthwhile proposition despite my mostly indifference to his last decade of output.

Also at the Factory in March is Charles Bradley, the latest retro soul revelation from Daptone.

I gather Trombone Shorty is also playing at the Metro but tickets aren't on sale yet. I'll also check out Bettye Lavette and Nick Lowe sideshows to see if I can fit them in.

Before all that in January I'll be seeing the Cambodian Space Project at the Vanguard and Hanggai at the Basement. Cambodian Space Project traverse the same general territory combining Khmer pop and western rock as the better known Dengue Fever. although CSP are actually based in Phnom Penh.

Hanggai play Mongolian folk music with electric guitars and a punk attitude. I find them quite enthralling.

Phew.

Go download.

I went to see Joe Pug at the Vanguard the other night. Technically it was a Wagons show with Joe Pug opening but ... I went to see Joe Pug. He was only out here to do this opening gig so it was a bit disappointing to only get a short set but a short set is better than no set I guess. Below are videos of the encores. Opening for the opener was Faith Lee who I thought was very promising.

Long Black Veil

Lawyers, Guns & Money

It's a month since this event, my blogging mojo is gone but it was still constantly on my mind to get this out. The lag should absolutely not be put down to indifference. Indeed, one can check my twitter feed or last.fm record to see the intensity of my excitement re: Randy.

My anxious desire to see Randy live has evident since the early days of the Flop Eared Mule blog, for instance where I proclaimed he would be one of my "musical Mount Rushmores." (some other blasts from the past here and here and here)

And so here we are.

Randy was with the excellent Sydney Symphony (and equivalent state symphonies in Brissie and Melbourne) which was a suitably grand accompaniment for the occasion of his first visit here in almost 25 years. The Opera House venue showed us off to our best, too. On a further Sydney-chauvinist note I was pleased after several weeks of torrential rain and freezing (for us) Winter temps that his week in Sydney was sunshiny and winter-warm.

The setlist was as above (from the programme) both nights with the exception that "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear" replaced "Kingfish."

No diss to "Simon Smith etc" (which actually was the almost certainly the first Randy Newman song I ever-though unknowingly-heard on a random vinyl 60s compilation when I was ~14) but I must say "Kingfish" is one of my top 10 Randy songs and I woulda loved to hear it. SO HERE IT IS ANYWAY:

I watched a Ken Burns doco on Huey Long - the subject of Kingfish - recently and it/he is truly fascinating. Oh, don't get me started on the issue of the limits of the state in a capitalist economy! In addition, I really like Levon Helm's cover of it, and I say that about very few covers of Randy. Very few would I listened to voluntarily at home, for pleasure. I like this one.

(Further segue: This reminds me that Randy Newman needs to be on Treme. As a devoted fan of the first two seasons I keep waiting but the closest they've got is a quote from "Rednecks" in second season about "LSU, go in dumb, come out dumb too." Since every other muso who even vaguely thought about ever using a rolling left hand piano line has got a gig it seems natural. As for what he would perform. The NOLA songs are obvious. "Louisiana 1927" is perhaps/hopefully TOO obvious. I'm thinking more "Dixie Flyer", "New Orleans Wins The War" or the above mentioned "Kingfish" which might lead the race as the "Standard Oil" business plays unironically into David Simon's politics and the end of the last season (spoiler) seemed to foreshadow the Deepwater spill. Or something, anything unrelated to New Orleans. I digress. But make it happen, someone!)

But still: Dixie Flyer makes it all OK.

And "Real Emotional Girl" !!

SO ANYWAY. Randy played some songs on piano with the SSO, played some songs on piano solo and conducted a couple of film scores. He joked, everyone laughed (including the orchestra), he got standing ovations. It was a lot of fun. He was very generous about the SSO and encouraged everyone to go see them. I would, probably, if you didn't have to flog off your kidney to afford it. Classical music is one of those things I vastly prefer live than on record; I like the visual quality of watching the orchestra, all the bows zipping up and back together or some beats apart, hearing a something and looking to see where it has come from. On the first night at interval I snuck up from way at the back to one of the boxes over the stage (after a decade or so of getting the rail at Dylan gigs, no Opera House usher is going to out seat-sneak me) - and this was a an excellent spot to get a panopticon view of the orchestra. (On the second night I was in the second row and got a tremendous view of the side of a Steinway & Sons. Learning the lesson when I see Allen Toussiant and the "Legends of New Orleans" show in the same room later this month I got one a bit further back and to the side on the floor.) I enjoyed the orchestral score part, even though my devotion rests on the singer-songwriter work - you can't not be moved by a full orchestra belting out The Natural theme in person, can you?

As you can see from above, I was able to meet Randy after the show (actually, after both nights.) This was arranged through the official fan discussion list, they take names from there to go backstage after every show. Thanks to Susan from the list and Cathy, his manager for arranging it for me! The first night there were a Swedish couple he had met at a restaurant, the second night a couple who had flown up from Melbourne for the show but happened to run into Randy and his wife on Manly ferry that day. So not only does he generously let folks from the "fan club" come backstage via official channels but he also picks up strays for the door list as he goes about his day.

The first night it was me, the Swedes, Glenn A. Baker and some bloke Glenn A Baker brought with him. So it was a small group. G.A.B naturally started in with some anecdote involving his BFF Ray Charles and what Ray told him was the definition of soul. This went on for a while. I was just sort of standing there being a bit pathetic and staring. Randy on several occasions made a point of including me in the "conversation", asking me about what I thought. What a mensch. We had a brief chat, and of course the photo. Our chat was mainly about Faust - Glenn A. had brought it up first, natch -- and he asked me if there were any songs I wanted him to do that he didn't. I think I blurted out "Guilty" and "My Country." He said he would try. Of course he did neither but that is OK! The second night there were a bunch more people - I don't know where most of them came from - and I had already had my chance so I just lurked awkwardly in that special way I have and chatted a bit to manager Cathy and his helpmeet (he probably has a more official title) Beau, who were both super super lovely. So Randy was lovely, a very warm manner and super nice all round.

On the way home I thought I should have requested "I Want You To Hurt Like I Do" or "New Orleans Wins the War" (shockingly, not on YouTube.)

On the second night backstage some guy was pestering him about doing "Rednecks" (I gather he had yelled it out as a request at the Melbourne show) and Randy's like "yeah, no." Which is completely understandable but having seen the orchestra show I'd love to see a solo show, in a more intimate venue where he could stretch out a bit on the song list without necessarily having to satisfy the SSO crowd. He did end the second show saying he would be back, and it wouldn't take another 23 years -"I can't do anything that takes 23 years!" So I hope I might yet get to see that kind of gig, but even if not I am exceptionally grateful for these ones.

Coda: Earlier the week before Randy was on The Circle on Channel Ten. If you have ever wanted to see Ding Dong Drysdale hit on Randy Newman, all your Christmases have come at once.

Couple of good new Cajun releases I'm listening to.

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys - Grand Isle Stalwart (he's part of Lil Band O Gold too but wasn't in the line up when they were out here last), plus CC Adcock on as producer for the familiar sounds plus an intense rocking-attitude.

There are a couple of songs (apparently, they're in French) about the Gulf oil spill, this being a major theme reinforced by the oily bird on the front cover. Embarrassingly, I didn't recognise it was an oiled-up bird until I read it in an interview; I just thought it was Artistic. My only disappointment was the version of "Non, je ne regrette rien" which I thought they could have done more Cajun-y thingswith; but again I read in an interview it was a deliberate attempt (even getting in vintage equipment) to recreate a 50s sound. So, what do I know.

Jesse Lége, Joel Savoy, and the Cajun Country Revival - The Right Combination
I am really loving this one, a mix of old guard (if you're surname is Savoy or Landry you're basically obliged to be a Cajun player I think) and the Calebd Klauder country band to create a loose and rollicking Cajun sound which emphasises the connections with Gulf Coast honky tonk. You can listen to some here; I really like that version of "Corrina."

(NB if you google them, there is another "Cajun Country Revival" which is a Creedence tribute band rom Queensland .... )

Just got myself a ticket to Bryan Batt's one man cabaret show at The Basement. Batt as you may or may not know is Sal Romano in Mad Men. I really love cabaret although I don't see it that often live, alas. The Mary Gauthier Foundling tour was not cabaret in style of course but a one-person (or one person plus musical accompaniment) style whatever the genre lends itself to an intimacy of experience and a heightened emotion that I like.

Here is poor Sal in a scene from Mad Men which doesn't spoil anything unless you didn't know he was closeted gay and conflicted and Catholic, which you do after a very short time with the series. The "Are you joking?" is a killer.

Batt is also born and raised New Orleans. He and his partner have a shop there still so I assume he lives there outside of work commitments. He has a book out about his upbringing in that special part of the South. So being an New Orleans-a-phile I also think his autobiographical parts of the show will be enjoyable. And the cabaret! Fun!

Neglectful as I've been, I've accumulated a lot of music worth mentioning. So, here they are from the first 4 months of 2011. I've done an accompanying 8tracks of selected tracks. I'll do some more ... later. (I started the draft of this on March 18th, gimme a break.) All of them I recommend - I wouldn't mention if I didn't - but if I had to pick a couple to particularly force on you it'd be Colin Gilmore, Buddy Miller and representing non-country/folk Justin Adams.

Billy Eli - Hell Yeah
Texas country-rock on the looser side of Steve Earle circa 1990 which is fine since I haven't dug much ol Steve's done since 1990 (the new record is OK but dull, I might have more to say once I've settled on that as my response). Got into them when I heard "Cheese Enchiladas" on Freight Train Boogie, that's a fun song.
Video of Tore Down in Texas

Colin Gilmore Goodnight Lane
Quote from Sylvie Simmons's four-star Mojo review quote on website:

I've described him before as a West Texan Nick Lowe for his songs structures and their instant sing-along quality (Circles In The Yard; Goodnight Lane; Hand Close To Mine). But deep Texan roots show here on the fine Llano, a mature piece of country songwriting.

I'd say the Texas roots show through it all but yeah.

Bit of a children of other people whose CDs I have theme to this list. Colin is Jimmie Dale's son.
Video of Running Circles in the Yard and Black Vines

Lukas Nelson Promise of the Real
This guy's dad is named Wiliie, you've probably heard of him. Heck, given the number of collaborations the Red Headed Stranger pumps out you've probably done a duet with him. Lukas, like Colin, is making his way playing in dad's band but also striking out with this own thing. His voice can be kind if startling, undeniably you can hear Willie in there but it's a funhouse mirror version or the slight differences that catch you out with a twin. But anyway, it's a very good album in its own right.
Here's a video of Four Letter Word but you know me, I love the ballads and I LOVE LOVE LOVE "Want Me Around" so here it is: Want Me Around.

Yvette Landry Should Have Known
Yvette Landry is part of the most excellent all-female Cajun outfit Bonsoir Caitin and this is her first solo album of excellent country, cajun influenced for sure but more straight ahead country singer songwriter sound. Her crisp voice has the ability to be both sweet and worldy, like an old friend but one you know will cut you down if you need it. The songs are all terrific, as is the accompaniment, as you'd expect since she's quite a hot player herself.

Very professionally shot "Can't See Me Without You" (so wish the sound was better), ditto Too Tired More upbeat is 120 Proof. This is kinda a dodgy video (people: use your iPhone HORIZONTALLY when videoing for Bob's sake) but I have to draw attention to it since it features not only Bil Kirchen but my favourite recent songs on his of the great, great "Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods" album of a few years ago.

Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara Tell No Lies
Another cross-cultural excursion that gets it right. Lots of good vids at the above link. I think what really hooked me was the righteous Bo Diddley beat snaking through the thing without sounding like a forced "hey I know! Let's put traditional African and African American music together, hey cool." It works on a higher level on from novelty, and has melodies you can't argue with.

Bei Bei and Shawn Lee Into the Wind
Another for the "world fusion" fans. Shawn Lee is a doof doof guy who did an album of christmas carol remixes which I like to pull out that time of the year. Bei Bei is "an internationally acclaimed Gu Zheng (Chinese Zither) performer." Its got that late night SBS movie soundtrack cool thing and like the combination. Video of "Into the Wind" and "The Master Room"

Buddy Miller Majestic Silver Strings
This was one of the Big League of Americana discs due out this year along with Steve, Emmylou and LUcinda (I like the latter two quite a lot) and it doesn't disappoint. It's sort of redundant with Buddy Miller and that line up to have to do much spruiking. The high point for me is the mesmeric "Dang Me" - I've become quite obsesed with the word "surple."

Georgette Jones Slightly Used Woman No prizes for guessing her father, Tammy Wynette is her mother. Even without the pedigree, being on Heart of Texas record label (Amber Digby, Justin Trevino) you'd know she was selling a solid traditional style of country. And so it is. All eyes will be on "You And Me And Time", a duet with dad and it is a poignant country confessional, and the rest is, well, solid traditional country.

Australia!* You may have all missed his previous tour, just this past November, but the opportunity arises to spare you the #FAIL of missing out twice as Joe Pug is coming back.

Namely:

March 11 Sydney--Notes Newtown
March 12 Port Fairy--Port Fairy Folk Festival
March 13 Port Fairy--Port Fairy Folk Festival
March 17 Adelaide--Grace Emily
March 18 Fremantle--Norfolk Basement
March 19 Victoria--Mossvale Music Festival
March 20 Melbourne--The Toff in Town

Messenger from last year is a stunner and I can attest to the excellence of his live performance. So go, OK?

*Offer applies only to selected states.

So I went and saw Emmylou the other week. I didn't immediately rush to blog with it because of the redundancy of anything I could say. If she hadn't been sublime, that would be news. I'll play fearless citizen journalist a bit and say there was something a bit off about the sound. As we know, I am a dullard at musical perception but my old cloth ears picked up an imbalance to the band, a clattering loudness to the drums at time and a sharpness at times to the mando and an indistinctness at others. Due once again to the herculean incompetence of my nemesis, Ticketmaster, I wasn't in the front row where you expect a certain muddiness, but half way back in the prime position for the mixers.

In any event I shouldn't complain, she did "Goodbye" and "Pancho and Lefty" plus a whole bunch from Wrecking Ball including "Every Grain of Sand." And a new song dedicated to Kate McGarrigle.

I found a lot of great music perusing the various Best of 2010 lists, so much so that 2010 listening is going to bleed way, way into 2011. I also (followed a link from somewhere lost in the tubes of internet time now, apologies) found the Freight Train Boogie podcast a weekly survey of what's new in Americana, roots and country (does that cover everything?) It's hosted by Bill Frater who keeps the commentary personable and informative and still gets in a good 10-15 songs each hour long show and it's a good mix of well known or established artists and a bunch of folk I've never heard of (it even skews a little to the independent since all the tracks are played with permission and they're the most likely group to respond to a request), many of whom have become Must Acquires.

I've been listening religiously the last few weeks, starting with the end of 2010 and first couple for 2011 and going back to download everything in the iTunes archives. This guy is going to cost me some serious money. There's a related blog with each week's new releases. So yeah, can't say enough about it and you should check it out.

I did the BBC's How Musical Are You? test which confirms what I (and everyone who has tried to teach me music from the Year 2 teacher who wouldn't let me join the choir onwards) knew anyway; I love it but really, really, really suck at it. PITCH SCMITCH!

"We may be tone deaf, but we have the music." I think Leonard Cohen said that.

Winter's Bone is a film that's got a lot of attention recently, a gothic tale which is a wonder of economical film making and note perfect acting. I liked it a lot. It's set in the Ozarks and features a great soundtrack of traditional music. Over at The 9513 is an interview with Marideth Sisco a local singer and folklorist who sings in the movie and helped shape its sound. Really terrific interview not just about her role in the film but the processes of adapting traditional songs for it.

I should note it does contain one spoiler, and it sort of "spoils" a key moment (the moment everyone I've talked to who has also seen the movie has mentioned) so be warned, but it really is a good read.

Update: here is Marideth's personal site.

Bruce Springsteen, The Promise This is truly beautiful stuff. Also essential is watching the HBO documentary of the making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, with amazing footage of inside the studio and lots of real insights into the artistic process. Darkness was actually the first Springsteen album I owned so I've always had a soft spot for it, seeing the album or mores worth of great material from those sessions gives a better understanding of what the album is, on relistening, as well as adding 20 odd quality tracks to our collections. It is a case of what the album could have been but was not, by deliberate choice. And it's not often we really get that level of stickybeaking into creation. Even people not into Bruce would benefit from seeing the doco, it's a real close examination of the artistic process.

Bob Dylan, The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9) Well it's Bob and lots of good stuff but not as essential as the Bruce for the reasons above. Recently I have been obsessing over some gospel era live shows and those are my personal pick for Bootleg Series 10. I know that at least for April 20, 1980 Massey Hall Toronto gig there is an officially recorded by Sony audio and video record. Bob's ambivalence or otherwise about the era is unknowable of course, but I'd love to see something new added to the official record. Of course, the unofficial record has been ahead of the curve for decades, this article is worth reading for that, "the wisdom of bootleggers over gatekeepers"

Riley, Grandma's Roadhouse As this Nashville Scene article says "long lost country rock gem" featuring Gary Stewart.

Everything from Soundway To wit, The World Ends: Afro Rock and Psychadelia in 1970s Nigeria, Nigeria Special, Volume 2: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds & Nigerian Blues 1970-6 and The Sound of Siam : Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz and Molam from Thailand 1964 - 1975

Next Stop .... Soweto Volumes 2 and 3 series from Strut. Free tracks, info and sounds at the Volume 2 and Volume 3 microsites. I'll single out Vol. 3 Vol. 3: Giants, Ministers and Makers: Jazz in South Africa 1963-1978 since the rock, funk soul crate digging comps are a dime a dizen these days so I really loved hearing the jazz side of things.

Crazy Heart, The Soundtrack See here.

Kris Kristofferson, Please Don't tell Me How the Story Ends, The Publishing Demos 1868 - 1972

Keith Richards, Vintage Vinos - Tres cool collection of Keef's non-Stones work, solo and with the X-Pensive Winos.

A short (16 songs, just over an hour) selection of tracks:

And in no order the final list of the records covered in the previous six posts, which are all here.

Marshall Chapman, Big Lonesome
Buddy Guy, Living Proof
The Fabulous Ginn Sisters, You Can't Take a Bad Girl Home
Phosphorescent, Here's To Taking it Easy
Sharon Jones & the DapKings - I Learned the Hard Way
Aloe Blacc, Good Things
The Secret Sisters, The Secret Sisters
American Graveyard, Hallelujahland
Whitey Morgan and the 78s, Honky Tonks and Cheap Motels
Hellbound Glory, Scumbag Country
Joe Pug, Messenger
Chris Altmann, Que Paso
Mary Gauthier, The Foundling
Tom Jones, Praise & Blame
Marty Stuart, Ghost Train
Justin Townes Earle, Harlem River Blue
Shelby Lynne, Tears, Lies & Alibis
Cotton Jones, Tall Hours in the Glowstream
Ray Wiley Hubbard, A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment Hint There is no C
Lil Band O Gold, The Promised Land
Raul Malo, Saints & Sinners
Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust
The Tallest Man on Earth, the Wild Hunt
Chelsea Crowell, self-titled (honorary 2009 ring-in)
Huun-Huur-Tur, Ancestor's Call
Gregory Porter, Water
Lucky Peterson, You Can Always Turn Around
The Carter Family III, Past & Present
Elizabeth Cook, Welder
Mike Stinson, The Jukebox in Your Heart
Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole, Creole Moon: Live at the Blue Moon Saloon