One Alternative | Yet To Be # | One Alternative + | 2 ac. gts
& oboe. Nice New age |
Bill Morrissey | Never Get to Heaven | Philo 1194 | Quirky New
England folkie in good new set |
Gillian Welch | Revival | Almo 80006 | Acclaimed songwriter
creates tunes that sound like old trad. |
Clarence Gatemouth Brown | Long Way Home | Verve 314529465 | Veteran bluesman in competent CD, but not his best |
The Iguanas | Super Ball | Margaritaville 162531040 | Like Los
Lobos + New Orleans |
Barbara Kessler | Notion | Eastern Front EFR 110 | Good
thoughtful folkie |
Angelique Kidjo | Fifa | Mango 162531039 | African pop + some
Euro dance |
Gipsy Kings | Tierra Gitana | Nonesuch 79299 | Veteran
flamenco-pop group in strong set |
Kit Watkins | Beauty Drifting # | Linden 2024 | Pleasing,
atmospheric but intelligent new age electronic |
Pete Seeger | Pete | Living Music 0032 | Folk legend with many
special guests reprising some of his hits |
* The Kennedys | Life Is Large | Green Linnet 2123 | Great folk-rock in Byrds/Beatles tradition |
Stained Grass Window. | View Through a Stained Grass Window + | Stained Grass Window | Eclectic bluegrass |
various | Southside Sunday Nights | Godfrey Daniels | Great
sampler of music from Bethlehem folk club |
Richard Thompson | You? Me? Us? | Capitol 33704 | 2 CD set by
Engl. folk veteran with fine songs, but annoying sonic mix |
* Mark Sallings and the Famous Unknowns | Let It Be Known | Vent 30007 | Superb electric blues band from Alabama |
Alvin Youngblood Hart | Big Mama's Door | Okeh/550 67593 | Young acoustic bluesman, in Taj Mahal trad. |
Sam Bush | Glamour and Grits | Sugar Hill 3849 | New Grass
Revival founder in great acoustic set |
Robin & Linda Williams | Sugar for Sugar | Sugar Hill 1052 | Fine folk/bluegrass |
Eileen Ivers | Wild Blue # | Green Linnet 1166 | Celtic
fiddler in eclectic set |
Roy Rogers | Rhythm & Groove | Pointblank 243841494 | Great
blues slide guitar |
Leo Kottke | 6 and 12 String Guitar | Takoma reissue 6503 | Re-release of Kottke's 1st CD from 1969 |
Jerry Douglas & Peter Rowan | Yonder | Sugar Hill 3847 | Fine
traditional folk & bluegrass |
Greenidge/Utley | Club Trini # | Margaritaville 162531041 | Fun tropical sounds from J. Buffett band members |
John McLaughlin | The Promise | Verve 314529828 | Fine
jazz-rock fusion |
* Naked to the World | Pilgrim's Kiss | Tangible 56805 | Superb
acoustic folk-rock group with wonderful songwriting |
Dave Matthews Band | Crash | RCA 66904 | Interesting followup
from surprise-hit band |
Mere Mortals | Grin + | Sounds Good 02 | Thoughtful,
sophisticated rock from NE PA, also featured on the Homegrown Music CD |
Rick Manwiller | Another Fine Mesozoic | Confidential | Dakota member jokes that he's stuck in the 70s. He does it really well. |
Scott Hungarter | Halflife # | Single Bit * | Outstanding,
intelligent electronic from Kingston, PA |
Elvis Costello | All This Useless Beauty | Warner Bros. 46198 | Great new set my prolific songwriter w/ some of his old band |
Steeleye Span | Time | Shanachie 79099 | Veteran English band
returns with slight disappointment |
Satan and Adam | Living on the River | Rave On 659680331 | Good blues from NYC street musicians |
* Joe Craven | Camptown # | Acorn AM011 | Extremely eclectic & clever acoustic world music mixtures |
Steve Morse Band | Stressfest # | High Street 10345 | Dixie
Dregs founder in strong rock guitar set |
Coco Montoya | Ya Think I'd Know Better | Blind Pig 5033 | Ex-Mayall guitarist in good bluesy set |
Chris Pati | Blufire + | Modern Voices 001 | Strong, melodic,
sophisticated blues |
Saffire: The Uppity Blueswomen | Cleaning House | Alligator 4840 | 3 middle aged blueswomen continue to have fun, trad. & witty songs |
Four Piece Suit | Ready to Where? # | Ocean Music 2006 | Surf
guitars, twang and big saxophone rock |
* Solas | Solas | Shanachie 78002 | The Celtic CD of the Year -- Remarkable musicianship by Seamus Egan & Co. |
* Bo Diddley | A Man Amongst Men | Atlantic 82896 | Veteran rocker returns with great blues album |
Patty Griffin | Living with Ghosts | A&M 314540490 | Distinctive solo acoustic set on major label by good singer-songwriter |
Noa | Calling | Geffen 24965 | Creative, sophisticated jazzy pop from female Israeli singer |
Psychograss | Like Minds # | Sugar Hill 3851 | All-star New
Acoustic group doing eclectic instrumentals |
Gary Hoey | Gary Hoey # | Surfdog 77728 | First-class rock
guitar instrumentals |
Muddy Waters Tribute Band | You're Gonna Miss Me | Telarc 8335 | Good set by Waters bandmembers & guests |
.32-20 | Divine Ignition | Spark RMF 001 | Another good young
Southern Rock band |
The Squirrel Nut Zippers | Hot | Mammoth 0137 | Fun group stuck in the 1930s and loving it |
Tony Rice | Sings Gordon Lightfoot | Rounder 0370 | Compilation of previously released performances by bluegrass guitar virtuoso |
Fairport Convention | Old New Borrowed Blue | Green Linnet | Excellent set by English folk group, including some live cuts |
Steve Tilston | And So It Goes | Flying Fish | Articulate
English singer-songwriter |
* The Blue Nile | Peace at Last | Warner Bros. 45848 | Scottish band in atmospheric, but sometimes soul-infl. music |
Bendik Hofseth | Metamorphosis # | Verve/Sonet 527789 | Interesting jazz-rock fusion |
Squeeze | Ridiculous | IRS 7243838304 | Veteran band in good
set of bright pop |
Lex Romane & Joe Riillo | What's All These Blues About + | independent | Great bluesy, jazzy covers of old songs |
Radim Zenkl | Strings and Wings | Shanachie 5021 | Nice
Acoustic/bluegrass |
* Keb' Mo' | Just Like You | Okeh/Epic | Fine new CD by acoustic blues revivalist |
* Lyle Lovett | The Road to Ensenada | MCA/Curb 11409 | One of today's best singer-songwriters in typically eclectic, witty set |
The Fiji Mariners | featuring Col. Bruce Hampton | Capricorn 314532459 | Fun, very quirky new music from Hampton Grease Band founder |
Tim O'Brien | Red on Blonde | Sugar Hill 3853 | Remarkably
creative bluegrass versions of Bob Dylan |
J.J. Cale | Guitar Man | Virgin 41480 | Bluesy songwriter
keeps on keepin' on |
Tom Paxton | Live for the Record | Sugar Hill 1053 | 60s folk
legend is best live w/ songs to make you laugh & cry |
Jackopierce | Finest Hour | A&M 314540463 | Nice young
folk-rock duo in sophomore set |
Cindy Lee Berryhill | Straight Outta Marysville | Earth Music 232484503 | Good articulate folk-rock singer-songwriter |
Best of 1996, Part 3: July-September
Best of 1996, Part 4: October-December
The 1996 Graham Awards
Index of Weekly Album Reviews