Todd Snider - 'The Devil You Know'

To be released on August 8, Todd Snider's latest album The Devil You Know has received an early release to digital outlets (iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.). I've only listened to about half the record, but on first impression Todd's in top form, rivaling the greatness of his last record East Nashville Skyline.

UPDATE: So I'm swinging around the 610 Loop at 5:30 this evening, and the closing track "Happy New Year" has me in stitches for, like, five minutes. Except that it's really kind of a poignant song - and that's what Todd Snider does REALLY well, make ya laugh and make ya cry all in the course of the same song.

Allison update

Allison Moorer's official site has received a makeover. Looks damned fine! Check it out.

Allison appeared Thursday in Philly opening for World Party at Penn's Landing. She performs five songs acoustically (including a duet with hubby Steve Earle). You can listen to the performance here.

06/02, UPDATE: A very cool and interesting with Allison here.

Allison Moorer - 'Getting Somewhere' review (sorta)

Let’s be honest – there’s really no point in me “reviewing” the new Allison Moorer record Getting Somewhere. I’m not doing you any favors pretending that I can cast a critical judgment on the work of probably my favorite recording artist. As evidenced by the many Allison-related posts – from the hopefully useful to the utterly inane – on this blog, my objectivity has long since left the building. So I’ll save myself the trouble of writing a review and save you the trouble of reading it.

What I can tell you is that Getting Somewhere is Allison Moorer’s plainest attempt at a pop record. No one in their right mind should classify it as a country album – though the undeniable country-ness of Allison’s voice is still present throughout because, after all, who could suppress The Lady’s most distinctive quality? Some are going to argue that it is Steve Earle, Allison’s new husband and her producer this time around. Bullshit. Earle has blended his (and Allison’s) Beatles obsession with his own unique knob-twiddling techniques, which have served a number of more obscure artists very well. Credit is also owed to Earle’s longtime partner Ray Kennedy for delivering a killer mixing job which favors stereo clarity and a distinct vocal mix (right up front, where it belongs).

The songs are tight and quick – all ten clock in at just over 30 minutes. Some revel in a remarkable new optimism and rejuvenated spirituality that belies much of Allison’s previous bleak worldview. Her previous record The Duel explicitly dealt with the loss of faith; Getting Somewhere deals specifically with the recovery of it. Which is not to say that Allison shies away from her usual frankness – indeed, many of these songs are obviously self-directed calls to action (“Work To Do”) or mild admonishments (“Take It So Hard”). On the record’s centerpiece tracks – “New Year’s Day” and “How She Does It” – Allison exorcises demons from her distant past and manages to deliver her best storytelling to date. The title track closes the album on a topical (though not political) note, connecting the dots between what we see on TV to what we see in ourselves. Throughout the proceedings, The Lady sounds typically transcendent and uncharacteristically celebratory. It’s a refreshing direction and proves yet again that Allison Moorer is an artist who constantly challenges herself and her listeners.

So maybe that amounts to a review after all. Tell ya what – on June 13, run straight out and buy Getting Somewhere. Then you can decide for certain.

I just read...

...that Allison Moorer lost her guitars in her divorce. That is seriously fucked up. If she needs a spare, have her contact me.

Dixie Chicks - 'Taking The Long Way'

There’s fine line between art and pop art. The former can often resemble the proverbial falling tree in the forest; the latter requires someone to hear it hit the ground. The Dixie Chicks’ new album Taking The Long Way arrives weighted down by all kinds of questions, but the one on everyone’s mind (save, maybe, theirs) is whether they can sustain multi-platinum status without the support of country radio, or no radio at all.

Forgiveness for “The Incident” is a moot point – what little contrition Natalie Maines ever displayed has been washed over by a new message for her critics – it starts with “f” and ends with “uck you.” From the first single (“Not Ready To Make Nice”) to nearly every interview and article, Maines and the Chicks are officially done with penance. In fact, “Not Ready To Make Nice” is one of a handful of tracks that musically – never mind lyrically – would have genuine trouble finding a likely home on country radio, even if the long memories and narrow minds of most programmers weren’t a consideration. Elsewhere, Taking The Long Way (produced by Rick Rubin) should broaden the Chicks’ appeal among the non-country set but retains enough of their former identity to please most of their loyal base. In fact, the only thing really missing from the new record are the headlong forays into bluegrass which dominated its predecessor Home – an album considered rebellious in its own right (albeit for completely different reasons). Fiddle breaks and pedal steel crop up on quite a few tracks, but it is the unabashed rock production that mark Taking The Long Way as a significant departure. The record often resembles the kind of thing Sheryl Crow ought to be making, basically the female incarnation of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (also a longtime Rubin client). The Dixie Chicks aren’t breaking new ground here, but the album might remind you just how increasingly rare this brand of country-rock has become. However, what trumps all of their peers is the fact that the Chicks actually have something to say. Once the victims of prevailing cultural winds, they now seem poised to sail home as heroes in light of the President’s plummeting popularity.

Musically, despite the dense, layered production, it’s surprising how much of the Dixie Chicks’ core personality shines through. Maines is a limited but gifted vocalist, prone to bouts of tender brilliance when she finds just the right note. The instrumental duties of Emily Robison and Martie Maguire have a diminished role on Taking The Long Way, but their backing vocals and songwriting contributions continue to lend the Chicks the air of a genuinely collaborative band. The record would have benefited artistically from a streamlined track list, but it’s clear that the balance of rock and country songs has been carefully calculated to maximize its appeal. True to their professional roots, the Chicks have meticulously crafted a commercially viable product, even while they give the establishment the finger.

Ultimately, the public reaction to Taking The Long Way will be a much more interesting study than the actual record in question. The Chicks are wisely courting and cultivating a loyal (i.e. long-term) fanbase, and I don’t imagine a drop of a few million in album sales will send them to the poor house. Sony is enlisting nearly every outlet – except maybe radio – to promote the record. The Chicks just last week announced a two-year deal with MSN to officially anoint their website www.dixiechicks.msn.com, an almost unheard of partnership between a recording artist and major online media outlet. Target and Best Buy are both offering exclusive editions of the album (both sold out at local stores in Houston on Tuesday evening), and it would appear that the Dixie Chicks are at least the most fascinating musical act of the moment. Whether their continued popularity will justify the attention remains to be seen, but this much is true: Taking The Long Way is the most satisfying piece of pop art you’re likely to hear this year.

'Getting Somewhere' pre-order

Okay, Sugar Hill Records has finally gotten their Allison Moorer pre-order straightened out. Order now and get an autographed booklet. They've also added "Hallelujah" to their previewed tracks, but why listen to three tracks? You can listen to the entire album over at CMT!

The same three tracks - plus Allison's contribution to the Randy Newman tribute CD - are available on her completely updated MySpace site. Tour dates have been competely updated also.

Miles of Music also has autographed copies for pre-order.

It has landed!!!

CMT is hosting a "Listening Party" for the forthcoming Allison Moorer album Getting Somewhere. You can access it by clicking here (then simply click the "Start Listening" link).

First, second, third and fourth impressions to come very shortly, but I'll just say this - it so far exceeds my fairly high expectations, and I'm giddy as a schoolgirl about the results of Steve Earle's production.

But make no mistake: this is pure Allison, and though the sound certainly marks a new musical direction, it is as welcome as all of her previous twists and turns. Now here's an artist that keeps growing and sustaining our interest!

If you're sick of hearing about Allison Moorer, you better just go ahead an un-bookmark me.

Getting Somewhere can be pre-ordered here, here and here.

Autographed copies are available via Miles of Music.

Collapse of The Right

Bush's otherwise forgetful address on immigration last night will most likely be remembered as the moment when his base finally abandoned him. Plenty more bitching over at National Review.

Rock of Ages - Harp Magazine cover

A little hat tip to Andy over at the Allison Moorer chat board for tracking down this cover from the new Harp magazine, on sale May 23.

Featured on the fold-out cover are Allison (third from right) and a bunch of no-names like Michael Stipe and Emmylou Harris. Pretty cool.

Jack Ingram - #1 Hot Country

I missed this, but Jack Ingram has a #1 hit with "Wherever You Are". It's no secret to Jack fans that this song is a total sellout, but I have to give him and the folks over at Big Machine (ahem, Toby Keith) a lot of credit - they've broken Jack Ingram as a legitimate Nashville act.

Good for Jack - Lord knows he's earned it!

Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'Stadium Arcadium'

When John Frusciante rejoined Red Hot Chili Peppers prior to recording their hit record Californication, the appearance – and perhaps the reality – was that the Chilis had graciously extended a merciful hand to the returning guitarist, who basically spent his time off from the band as a full-blown junkie. Responsible for the fretwork on the band’s biggest album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Frusciante was a welcome change for the Chilis following the relative flop of One Hot Minute (and quick arrival and departure of guitarist Dave Navarro). Upon its release, Californication was rightly hailed as both a return to top form and a mature breakthrough, smoothing out the funkier edges of the band and introducing a sound more in line with the age of the band. From out of nowhere, Red Hot Chili Peppers became elder statesman of rock and roll.

Then something even more surprising occurred - Frusciante became a brilliant musician and guitarist. For years, the role of guitarist had been the revolving door of the Chilis. However, their most unexpected hit (and the bane of many early fans) “Under The Bridge” owed a significant portion of its success to Frusciante’s memorable and gentle guitar parts. That watershed moment would wield an unexpected force over Californication’s successor By The Way. Professing a Brian Wilson fetish and exhibiting a new minimalist guitar style, Frusciante became the driving force behind that record which expanded the Chilis sound to include gorgeous Beach Boys-style harmonies and soaring pop choruses. I'm sure By The Way is a favorite of many fans (myself included), but I doubt any of them count Uplift Mofo Party Plan as their second favorite.

Now comes the double album Stadium Arcadium, 28 songs of Chili Pepper glory. My most consistent complaint about any particular Chili Pepper album is the tendency to jam too much filler onto an 80-minute CD. So just imagine my trepidation about a double album – though in the iPod age, “too many songs” is kind of an outdated objection. In any case, Stadium Arcadium suffers from way less filler than most of its predecessors (though Disc 2 starts to stretch it a little). This is attributable to a number of factors. For starters, the whole band appears to find a voice on this record. Though I’d still argue that Frusciante is the star of the band, Keidis in particular allows his personality to peek through all of the songs. Flea – who apparently felt boxed out during the making of By The Way – brings his unique gifts to the party a good deal more this time. And the good-natured Chad Smith still holds this big mess together with his usual solid drumming.

But the dominant and defining factor continues to be the evolving and fiery guitar work of John Frusciante. Not content to just slap a guitar part or solo on a track, Frusciante has evolved into the most talented and adventurous guitarist working in a mainstream rock band today (see "Turn It Again" for evidence). Ditching much of the beautiful melodicism of By The Way for a more raw and aggressive presence, Frusciante laces even the duller tracks with inventive ideas and sounds. In almost every case, these tracks require multiple listens just to peel apart the layers of sound largely supplied by the fingers of Frusciante. And his influence lingers in the West Coast harmonies that still lurk beneath quite a few of these tracks, including even many of the heavier rockers.

Which is not short change the rest of the Chilis. Stadium Arcadium represents the clearest realization of this particular band’s vision to date. Keidis in particular deserves high praise for continuing to evolve into an evocative rock singer, a far cry from the band’s early albums. By The Way is a wonderful album, but even I’m forced to acknowledge that the Chilis could easily sink under the weight of such an aggressively pop-oriented vision. But I like all of their recent records a good deal more knowing that they were leading up to Stadium Arcadium. Though it has more than a handful of the band’s best work, it also serves as a handy overview of the Chilis’ later work. Frusciante is such a surprising and staggering talent that it’s easy to give him too much credit for the record – Stadium Arcadium is clearly the work of a band clicking on all cylinders.

Christianism

Andrew Sullivan published this piece in Time magazine this week, and it has sparked a number of interesting letters and responses on his blog.

I especially like his response to a reader here. He seems to grasp that "tolerance" is not a virtue or moral value or personal code - it is the fundamental neutrality of our laws in a civil society.

Andrew is using the term "Christianist" to describe those in the Religious Right who are seeking to codify our Christian values into civil law. It's time for moderate Christians to fight back against this trend and show that it is possible - indeed preferable - to tolerate the views and behaviors of others within the context of our laws, which after all should serve the greater good of society, not just a small majority or marginal plurality.