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Ophelia
: :Miss Natalie needs to lighten up. Ophelia's a pretty heavy record, in terms of both the thick, string-heavy production and in terms of her protracted, pretentious songs. Merchant has a beautiful voice but she bogs it down with weighty themes that walk around in flashy clothes without going anywhere. She's even got, gulp, Tibetan lyric translations on 'Effigy.' It's telling that the best track here is the simplest--a lovely reading of an 1887 parlour hymn, 'When They Ring The Golden Bells.' Its genteel acoustic backdrop perfectly sets off Merchant's voice--and its ...
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Mortal City
: :This 1996 album was a breakthrough of sorts for Dar Williams, moving her from the obscure folkie circuit to the obscure alternative singer-songwriter circuit. Mortal City comes closest to capturing her live show, and many of the songs here--'Iowa,' 'The Family,' 'The Christians and the Pagans'--have become live-set favorites. Like Williams herself, this disc is sentimental, sincere, and emotional; it's an album about growing up. When Williams titles a song 'The Pointless, Yet Poignant Crisis of a Co-Ed,' you know she's not writing fiction. She also could have called it 'Catcher ...
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Mountain Tracks, Vol. 5
: :This 1996 album was a breakthrough of sorts for Dar Williams, moving her from the obscure folkie circuit to the obscure alternative singer-songwriter circuit. Mortal City comes closest to capturing her live show, and many of the songs here--'Iowa,' 'The Family,' 'The Christians and the Pagans'--have become live-set favorites. Like Williams herself, this disc is sentimental, sincere, and emotional; it's an album about growing up. When Williams titles a song 'The Pointless, Yet Poignant Crisis of a Co-Ed,' you know she's not writing fiction. She also could have called it 'Catcher ...
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A Child's Celebration of Song
: :PUFF (THE MAGIC DRAGON) by Peter, Paul and Mary THE UGLY DUCKLING by Danny Kaye, Gordon Jenkins & his Orchestra HEY DADDY by Anne Murray POLLY WOLLY DOODLE by Burl Ives and the Ray Charles Singers LITTLE RED CABOOSE by Sweet Honey In The Rock THIS OLD MAN by Pete Seeger SKIP TO MY LOU by John McCutcheon OVER THE RAINBOW by Judy Garland HOUSE AT POOH CORNER by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina GARDEN SONG by Maria Muldaur BABY BELUGA by Raffi THE BANANA BOAT SONG by Taj Mahal ...
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In Concert November 1975
:Album Description:Exciting 2007 archive release featuring an entire show from November '75 including encores. All but two of these tracks are previously unreleased. 15 tracks including 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight', 'Calvary Cross', 'Night Comes In', 'Together Again' and more. Universal.
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Death of a Ladies' Man
:Album Description:Exciting 2007 archive release featuring an entire show from November '75 including encores. All but two of these tracks are previously unreleased. 15 tracks including 'I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight', 'Calvary Cross', 'Night Comes In', 'Together Again' and more. Universal.
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Calypso
: :When Harry Belafonte released Calypso, with its memorable songs 'Day-O', 'I Do Adore Her', and 'Jamaica Farewell' sung in his personable, warm voice, it quickly became a bestseller. Like any good folk music, the songs are accessible, yet they also bear the exotic lure of the Caribbean. From the songs of hard work, such as 'Day-O' and 'Hosanna,' to the sly good humor of 'Man Smart (Woman Smarter)' and 'The Jackass Song,' Belafonte's voice helped bring the richness of Caribbean culture to the North American consciousness. While a couple of the ...
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Songs of the Civil War
: :Prompted by the success Ken Burns's popular Civil War documentary (which spawned its own soundtrack), Songs of the Civil War presents an eclectic assortment of contemporary performers tackling period pieces that date back to the War Between the States. Here's Sweet Honey in the Rock tackling the slave lament 'No More Auction Block for Me,' Judy Collins singing 'Battle Hymn of the Republic,' and Kate and Anna McGarrigle essaying the lovely (and very suitable) 'Hard Times Come Again No More.' Between performances by name artists (Kathy Mattea, Waylon Jennings, and Richie ...
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Down From the Mountain: Live Concert Performances by the Artists & Musicians of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
: :Country music reclaimed its traditional soul with the chart-topping triumph of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. This concert sequel, recorded (and filmed) at Nashville's venerable Ryman Auditorium, reunites Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and other O Brother standouts. With little duplication, the selection extends the movie's revival of acoustic spirituals and Appalachian balladry, though the performances and pacing of the concert aren't quite as consistently compelling as the studio soundtrack. Among the highlights are a pair of originals by Welch and David Rawlings, the bluesy ...
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Dans les Airs
: :Country music reclaimed its traditional soul with the chart-topping triumph of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. This concert sequel, recorded (and filmed) at Nashville's venerable Ryman Auditorium, reunites Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and Union Station, and other O Brother standouts. With little duplication, the selection extends the movie's revival of acoustic spirituals and Appalachian balladry, though the performances and pacing of the concert aren't quite as consistently compelling as the studio soundtrack. Among the highlights are a pair of originals by Welch and David Rawlings, the bluesy ...
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