Kris Kristofferson - Closer To The Bone from New West Records on Vimeo.

At the age of 73, country music legend Kris Kristofferson is still capable of producing albums of such a high quality of songwriting, it puts most of modern music to shame. Not just modern country, I mean most of music in general. His songwriting is just as good now is it was when he first released Silver Tongued devil and I, which is one of my favourite albums.

Before I get onto the musicI’ve got to mention how impressed I was with New West’s effort with this album. The cover art is fantastic, and the album is boxed in a fold-out cardboard sleeve which also houses a lyrics booklet as well as a neat poster. The biggest surprise was the incusion of a 8 track live album recorded in Dublin in early 2008. It features a range of songs from classics such as Why Me, to more recent tracks from This Old Road. It’s things like this that make buying the actual CD much more rewarding than downloading.

With a 3 year absence, his voice is even rougher than on This Old Road, but I don’t think the quality of the music suffers for it. His voice now has a very rustic and reflective style associated with it, which only legendary artists such as Kristofferson can pull off. The songs are personal resemble poetry in their structure and meaning. This is something encapsulated by the title track Closer to the Bone. Everything is indeed sweeter closer to the bone.

Many of the songs are mysterious - I don’t know exactly what Sister Sinead and Good Morning John are about, but they’re still good songs to listen to. Hall of Angels is a very beautiful song - the lyrics glide delicately across the feelings of someone who loses one of their children. I believe the song is dedicated to the lost child of Eddie Rabbit.

There is also somewhat of an unofficial song on the album disguised as track 12 but left untitled. It’s Kris Kristofferson’s very first full song, which he wrote at the age of 11. It’s short, but very funny lyrically. If this somehow turned out to be his last album (which it probably won’t), that song is the perfect way to end a fulfilling career: a 73 year old man looking back on all the successes and hardships of his life, finally singing the first ever song he wrote, 62 years in the making.

Songs taken from the film of the same name make up the Heartworn Highways collection, performed by some of the best outlaw country artists to have ever lived. From the opening heartfelt version of Guy Clark’s LA Freeway, through to the final collective rendition of Silent Night (recorded on Christmas Eve), the songs on this album overflow with quality and emotion.

I think Guy Clark gets the best showing with 6 of his own recordings, a pure acoustic version of Texas Cookin’ being a highlight. The others share a decent amount of songs, though I’d like to have heard more of David Allan Coe. His performance of I Still Sing The Old Songs leaves you wanting more of the Coe.

There’s not too much more to say really, it’s just as you’d expect. A group of talented musicians and songwriters performing their own songs with feeling and in their own unique way. It’s absolutely the way music should be. The songs are timeless as are the artists and the whole album is great to listen to at any time of the year.

If you’re new to any of this music, this album is a great introduction to this era of music. The moments of dialogue also make excellent listening, including when they talk about their songs before perfoming them. Proper country music, proper songwriters, proper musicians. Get this album!

I pre-ordered this album quite far in advance because I was very excited when I read about it. Though I’m not the biggest fan of Steve Earle’s voice, the thought of him bringing an album full of Townes Van Zandt songs sounded awesome to me. Having listened through it a few times, I wouldn’t say that I’m blown away by it, but it’s something I’ll still listen to quite often. The first song Pancho & Lefty is one of my all time favourites, mainly Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard’s version, but the song itself is legendary and I think Steve does it justice, however Steve Earle isn’t the storyteller that Townes and Willie are, so it doesn’t come across as sincere as it perhaps should have. The up-tempo songs such as Colorado Girl, White Freightliner Blues are certainly more suited to his voice.

The rest of the album is largely a mix of blues and bluegrass sounds, and Steve has done a lot of rearrangement in favour of a more electric sound instead of the acoustic roots of the songs on the album. That’s were the second CD comes in and really makes the album worth getting. The disc known as ‘Basics’ is basically an acoustic version of most of the songs on the main CD which I think is an excellent idea and I urge other artists to do similar things. I found my enjoyment of most of the songs improved when listening to ’stripped down’ versions, which is much closer to how Townes used to sound.

Having said that though, it’s quite clear that the originals are better than the ones covered on this album. I think Steve Earle is the type of guy to do only Steve Earle songs, because that’s when he sounds the best. Artists like Johnny Cash are able to instantly apply their style into a cover, whereas it doesn’t quite work for Steve as well. I still think it’s a pretty good album though, I’ll be listening to it a lot I’m sure - but perhaps not enjoying it as much as I should have.

I’m gonna put Johnny Come Lately on….

I think this is Guy Clark’s best album to date - original, solid, soulful, impeccably arranged and 10 songs of pure quality music. What really stands out in this album is the carefully crafted excellence of the lyrics which integrates seamlessly into some beautiful instrumental peices, including spanish and electric guitars, Irish drums and elegant violin. I’m not normally the biggest fan of Guy Clark’s lyrics in comparison with other country music songwriters, but what’s on offer on Dublin Blues rivals anything ever written.

The title track, Dublin Blues is a masterpeice. He talks of the wonderful places he’s been and the amazing things he’s seen, but the truth remains that he’s a lonely man in Dublin, miles from home and wallowing in heartbreak. The acoustic guitar in this song with its simplicity and prominence really add character to the song. The Randall Knife is overwhelming in its sadness and sensitivity, but rewarding in its beauty - I noticed it shares a similar tune to Let Hiem Roll. The tribute to Hank Williams in Hank Williams Said It Best is justified in what is one of the most creatively written songs I’ve ever heard. I never took much notice of Be Careful of the Stone that you Throw, but there’s actually a deep message in there and guy clark lets the world know about it.

I also love The Cape, a song about believing in yourself during all the stages of your life, never change and never give up. The great rythm in this song too also makes it a great listen whatever mood you’re in. I could go on praising this album and its many qualities but I’m sure you get the idea - go and buy it if you haven’t already, it’s an absolute classic.

This marks the festival’s 27th Anniversary bringing over 800,000 attendees participating in 3 days of country music.  This year will be the biggest ever and is expected to surpass all the rest with other National Artists such as Zac Brown Band and Lee Ann Womack.

The Downtown Hoedown was established in 1983 and is widely recognized as the largest Country Music Festival of its kind in the world.  Hosted by 99.5 WYCD, Detroit’s Best Country, the Hoedown is regarded by the Country Music Industry as a premier showcase opportunity for new and established artists.  Located at Hart Plaza in the heart of downtown Detroit, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic country music fans from the Midwest and beyond.

This year is expected to surpass all the rest with over 30 artists taking to the stage, including local Detroit artists and many of country music’s biggest national stars!  Not surprisingly, many artists have gotten their big break at the Downtown Hoedown, namely Rascal Flatts, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich, just to name a few.

Brad Johnson
Global Promotions
All Things Media

Billy Craig EPK

This is my second in a series of Billy Joe Shaver Compadre Records reviews, a label which doesn’t seem to put a foot wrong - but then Billy Joe Shaver rarely does anyway. Freedom’s Child is probably my favourite Billy Joe Shaver album because the quality of the songs and the meanings behind them don’t let up for a second.

If you’ve got the actual CD version you get the privelage of the booklet which contains lyrics for each song along with a short passage by Billy Joe describing the story behind each one and why he wrote it. He covers a large spectrum of feelings and thoughts from the power he’s found in love in Hold On To Yours (And I’ll Hold On To Mine), to the blues of divorce in Drinkin’ Back. The title track Freedom’s Child is an exceptional song with a very powerful message about America’s soldiers. Billy Joe says that “In a perfect world, everyone would understand this song.”

You’ve gotta love That’s Why The Man In Black Sings The Blues, a song which is probably a tribute to Johnny Cash’s style of music - I thought it was Johnny Cash first time I heard it! My favourite songs on the album are Honey Chile and Corsicana Daily Sun. The latter is about Billy Joe’s youth, a time when things were simpler and delivering the Corsicana Daily Sun is a memory he won’t forget. I love the amount of detail in the song about things he remembers such as the smell of his grandma’s apple pie, and the warm sunlight flickering across the clover fields of his old hometown. It would be great to write about things you can remember like that - I can’t even remember what happened last week!

I recommend you track down a CD version of this album as the booklet really makes it worth the extra you might have to pay over a download. I got mine for a bargain…. and it’s signed by Billy Joe himself:

Hollywood - Guy Clark

The Guitar - Guy Clark

Hemmingway’s Whiskey - Guy Clark

You can’t really sit there talking about Kristofferson albums without going to back to where it all started, in 1970. The album initially failed to be success on a commercial basis because a load of the songs on the album had already been covered by the likes of Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Roger Miller, Faron Young, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Stevens. But when it was released a year later under the name ‘Me & Bobby McGee’ it gained the recognition it deserved.

The album includes the original recordings of classics such as Me & Bobby McGee, Help Me Make It Through The Night, For The Good Times and Sunday Morning Coming Down, all of which were recorded the way he wanted them to sound. Some of the songs on this album, in my opinion, are among the best country songs ever written. To Beat The Devil in particular is one that can never be bettered. He talks through most of the song, but it still has rythm and the flowing lyrics keep you hooked. Just The Other Side of Nowhere is one of my favourites, as is Darby’s Castle, two songs which portray a very real sense of sadness in both lyrics and musical arrangement - something which a lot of the songs on this album seem to do. All the songs are written so beautifully that you can quite happily sit back and enjoy the whole album through and enjoy the songs for what they are, rather than feeling any sadness due to their content.

Up-tempo songs such as Blame It On The Stones, The Law Is For Protection Of The People and Best Of All Possible Worlds show another side to Kristofferson’s musical ability - something which he’d use often in his live shows throughout his career. While writing this I noticed the songs on this album seem to have quite long titles. Could do with Why Me on there to balance things out a bit…

In the last few months Billy Joe Shaver has become one of my top favourite artists as he is, without question, the best country songwriter I’ve ever heard. When I first listened to this album I wasn’t too impressed as I instantly thought a large portion of the tracks sounded similar and it didn’t really grab my attention. However what I’ve realised with Billy Joe Shaver is that the more you listen to his songs, the more you connect with the lyrics. From that point each song becomes more than just a song - it’s a story, it’s poetry and you know it’s 100% written from the heart.

The opening song, Live Forever, is one you’ll all know very well and this version of it is my favourite due to the fantastic arrangement. There’s a calming electric guitar & piano sample, coupled with a beautiful strings arrangement which lift the song immensely. I’m not too familiar with Big & Rich, but their contribution is a welcome one. Slim Chance & The Can’t Hardly Playboys also deserves a mention, the tragic story of the worst band of guitar pickers in the world - one line in particular is pure genius:

“They got a new one out on Polish Records, it’ll be a Polish hit real soon”

There are two other songs on this album that I’d like to highlight for their excellence in terms of lyrics and storytelling. Acting as further testaments to Billy Joe’s ability to write songs based on his lifetime experiences, old and new, There’s No Fool Like An Old Fool and You Ought To Be With Me When I’m Alone are two standout songs on the album. I came across two videos on YouTube, which I thought I’d share with you as they display how genuine the lyrics in these songs are to Billy Joe - there’s so much emotion in his performances. I gotta say I love the story behind There’s No Fool Like An Old Fool.

I’m not so keen on the song Valentine too much. I don’t like Merle Haggard’s song Valentine from 1994 either - there’s something about that song name! Anyway, this album is more or less perfect and shows that (even though it’s four years old) Billy Joe Shaver is still going strong, and long may he.