And the Ashtrays Have Retired: Paeans to Bars

      Even before the pandemic started, my visits to bars were pretty rare.   I know it wouldn't be nearly as much fun as it was it in days of past, especially since I'm pretty foggy after having even two drinks, but there is something about bars and the ways they encourage sociability.  So rather than a collection of drinking songs, I thought it better to create a compilation of songs about specific bars or feature evocative  descriptions about bars (though I will admit to cheating a little bit by my inclusion of Gillian Welch's Barroom Girls).  Hope teetotalers and barflies enjoy it. :)
 

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Saloon Six	The Delines
Pedal Tavern Girl	Bill Lloyd
Frank's Tavern	Chris Gaffney
It'll Do	Kimmie Rhodes
Misery Tavern	The Jayhawks
Tavern in the Town	Terry Lightfoot's New Orleans Jazzmen
The Tiki Bar Is Open	John Hiatt
The Have-Nots	X
Barroom Girls	Gillian Welch
Lived In Bars	Cat Power
At the Saloon	Van Dyke Parks
Bar Italia	Pulp
Hangover Tavern	Hank Thompson
Over There That's Frank	James Hand
Beer Tavern Girl	Jimmy McCracklin
Crossroads Bar	Laurel Canyon Ramblers
Down At The Corner At A Bar Called Kelly's	Johnny Paycheck
Charleston Railroad Tavern	Bobby Bare
The Pub with No Beer	Finbay O'Shay
Nothing Good Ever Happens At The Goddamn Thirsty Crow	Father John Misty
Whirlaway	Rico Bell
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening With Pete King)	Tom Waits

The Audacity of Hope: A Hope Sandoval Anthology

       It's hard to believe that Mazzy Star's breakthrough 

album So Tonight That I Might See came almost

30 years ago (it was released in September, 1993).  The album and the single "Fade Into You" still hold up, as evinced by the fact that the latter continues to be used in tv and film.  I confess that Hope kind of fell off my radar for a while, but her 2010's output as a solo artist (I definitely recommend Bavarian Fruit Bread and Through the Devil Softly) and with Mazzy Star is consistently excellent.  She also, as you can see below, has dueted on a lot of other artist's albums.  Hopefully, this anthology does justice to her career (and hopefully, she'll release some new material soon.)

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 Disc 1

Tell Your Honey	Mazzy Star
Big Boss Man	Mercury Rev (w/ Hope Sandoval)
Sleep	Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
I'm Less Here	Mazzy Star
Suzanne	Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Sometimes Always	The Jesus And Mary Chain (w/Hope Sandoval)
Halah	Mazzy Star
Ghost Highway	Mazzy Star
For the Rest of Your Life	Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions
The Spoils	Massive Attack feat. Hope Sandoval
I Don't Mind	Psychic Ills
That Way Again	Mazzy Star
Cherry Blossom Girl	Air (w/Hope Sandoval)
Friends of a Smile	Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Disc 2
Common Burn	Mazzy Star
A Wonderful Seed	Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions
I've Been Let Down	Mazzy Star
All This Remains	Bert Jansch (w/Hope Sandoval)
Paradise Circus	Massive Attack (w/Hope Sandoval)
Ride It On	Mazzy Star
Undrugged	Hope Sandoval and Willliam Reid
I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit	Mazzy Star
Tell Me Now	Mazzy Star
Leaving on a Train	Mazzy Star
Clear Day	Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions
Golden Hair	Hope Sandoval And The Warm Intentions
When You Were Young	Mazzy Star
Asleep From Day	The Chemical Brothers (w/Hope Sandoval)

 

The Singular Miss Simone: An Homage to Nina Simone

       The one and only Nina Simone would be turning 90 on February 21 so I thought it only proper to honor her with a little homage.  To be clear, she only formally "wrote" about half of the songs on the compilation, but Nina's versions of the songs (several of which are traditional songs) are in almost all the cases, the definitive versions of the songs.  (Yola, however, does credit Aretha Franklin's arrangement of "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black".)  For instance, Jeff Buckley's version of Lilac Wine isn't a note for note cover, but it's pretty clear that her version was the one that inspired him.   

           I should also note my inspiration for this compilation is the 1996 release "Nina Sings Nina" which features a bunch of the songs on this compilation.  The actual cd is out of print, but I'm pretty sure all songs are still available.

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My Mama Could Sing (Intro)	Lisa Simone
Come Ye	India.Arie
Wild Is The Wind	Ms. Lauryn Hill
Lilac Wine	Jeff Buckley
Sea Lion Woman	Feist
African Mailman	The Rhythmagic Orchestra
Sinnerman	Keziah Jones
Be My Husband	Dianne Reeves
Four Women	Malia
...Sugar In My Bowl	Asylum Street Spankers
Either Way I Lose	Meshell Ndegeocello
Plain Gold Ring	Kimbra
Mississippi Goddam	Piano Tribute Players
I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)	Solomon Burke
To Be Young, Gifted and Black	Yola

On The Right Side of 2022

It's the end of another year and, alas, I'm mostly filled with unfocused thoughts about the past year and the future.  But it's been another grand year for music and I'd particularly recommend the recent releases by The Volebeats, Sessa, The Sadies, CMAT, Sudan Archives, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen

As usual, I tried to only includes who weren't on the two previous years compilations.  But I did make an exception for Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, and Andrew Bird since they were all dueting on last year's compilation.  All of the previous year end compilations are also available (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021).

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Disc 1

Lydia Margo Price

Haunted Satellite Beth Orton

Whisper to Me The Volebeats

Vault of Heaven Pixies

Tchingolene Etran de L'AÏr

Palm Sunday Papercuts

Golden State The Delines

Georgia On A Fast Train Willie Nelson

Red Moon Big Thief

Roman Holiday Fontaines D.C.

Blackleg Miner Freakons

Faithless Ghost Andrew Bird

Heat Lightning Mitski

Canção da Cura Sessa

Astral Jacket Spoon

Unhate Cat Power

Meridian, MS Phosphorescent

Blank Page The War and Treaty

Disc 2

Fly On Karen Elson

Goodbye Mr. Blue Father John Misty

Outta Time Orville Peck

Stop and Start The Sadies

Righteous Lazarus 4 Days Dead (Reprise) The William Loveday Intention

Somebody Else Sarah Shook

The Whole Of The Law Johanna Samuels

We Let It In Brian Eno

Saudade Ana Frango Elétrico

Cumbia del Polvo Calexico

No More Virgos CMAT

Good Enough Nikki Lane

Saturdays Broken Bells

Home Maker Sudan Archives

Tom Verlaine Alvvays

Speech Bubbles The Smile

Grapevine Weyes Blood

Come Back Sharon Van Etten

Disc 3

River Aaron Kyle

Cruel Country Wilco

No Me Llames (Versión Acústica) Carla Morrison

Strange Diamonds Jessie Baylin

Everyone's Stranger Than Me The Senior Service feat. Rachel Lowrie

Wet Dream Wet Leg

Training Montage The Mountain Goats

Tom Barrett Ian Noe

When It Comes To You Sturgill Simpson

All The Good Times Angel Olsen

Queen Of Spades Julianna Riolino

Nothing Santigold

Realities.com T Bone Burnett

Sudden Light Jesca Hoop

Meus 26 Tim Bernardes

He'll Make a Way (Trust in the Lord) Pastor Champion

You Don't Go Away Lykke Li

This Woman's Work Caroline Spence, Erin Rae, Michaela Anne, Tristen

On the Right Side of Christmas 2022

 I apologize for the delay, but this last week has been a bear (and I was still recovering from a cold up until 2 days ago).  Anyway, I don't know if people really need another one, but there's still a lot of great old and new releases, so it's time for another Christmas compilation (and all of the the previous Christmas compilations are also available).  Hope everyone enjoys it!

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What Month Was Jesus Born In?	Odetta
Christmas Time (Keep It Together)	Annie Booth
Nativity	Paul Kelly
Jane Jane	Bonny Light Horseman
Holiday Road	Matt Pond PA
Ol' Fatso	Augie Rios
God Rest Ye Gnarly Gentlemen	Underwater Bosses
I Love Christmastime	Sunshine Boys
Say "Merry Christmas" for Me	Donna Hightower
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	Lucinda Williams
Lonesome Christmas	Lowell Fulson
Christmas In Vietnam	Johnny And Jon
Christmas Time is Here	Lucius
Bells Of St. Mary's	Lee Andrews & The Hearts
Slick Nick, You Devil You	Fishbone
Bluebells of Christmas (Chip !! Chip !!)	Jimmy McGriff
Cold Christmas	The Aislers Set
Christmas Time's A Comin'	Marty Stuart
Sleigh Bell Rock	Three Aces & A Joker
Jingle Bells	Urbie Green
Christmas Coming	Alton Ellis
Cross You Off My List	Lola Kirke
Pretty Paper [*]	Roy Orbison
Auld Lang Syne	Anne Buckle

Mandy Barnett: Voice of a Generation

      I've never quite understood why Mandy Barnett didn't become a huge star, especially after her amazing sophomore release I've Got a Right to Cry, but, as Mae West famously declaimed, goodness had nothing to do with it.  Now I must confess, I stopped following her career in the late 2000s (as she seemed to have stopped recording)  a while and only recently had the pleasure to listen to her dandy 2013 collection of Don Gibson Covers, I Can't Stop Loving You.  And after listening to last year's Billie Holiday homage, Every Star Above, I decided a Mandy Barnett retrospective was long overdue.  As for the title of the collection, I forget who described her that way and I think they may have characterized as a once in a generation voice.  At any rate, hope folks like it (though I can't imagine anyone wouldn't. :)

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Planet of Love

Dream Too Real to Hold

Slowly

Look Who's Blue

If You'll Be The Teacher

Jackson

Anytime

Searching (For Someone Like You)

Lock Stock and Teardrops

The Whispering Wind (Blows on By)

How’s The World Treating You

My Tears

Walking After Midnight

Life's Railway To Heaven

Dark Moon

For All We Know

Town Without Pity

Help Me Make It Through the Night

Sally Timms: It Says Here and To the Land of Milk and Honey

I've been extremely dismayed about the Dobbs Supreme Court decision allowing states to ban abortion

without any exceptions.  And since I don't know of any charity albums centered around the issue of abortion that have come out in wake of the Dobbs decision, I thought it necessary to post Sally  Timms' out of print ep "It Says Here" as it features a great live cover of Dolly Parton's Down from Dover.  And while I was it, I also though I might as well also post her out of print album To the Land of Milk and Honey.  Enjoy!

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It Says Here

It Says Here

US Foreign Policy

Welsh Girl

Down From Dover

Reason To Believe

To the Land of Milk & Honey

Round Up

Half Past France

Everytime She Walks In the Room

It Says Here

Junk Barge

King Ludwig

No More Rides

Homburg

Painted Girl

Longing, Madness And Lust

Deep

Good Music to Chill out to: Steve Gunn and Kurt Vile

     I've always loved the scene in 24 Hour Party People where Tony Wilson gets very high and imagines that he meets God (who looks exactly like Tony Wilson).  God reassures him about the choices he's made and also tells him that he should release a Vini Reilly greatest hits compilation as it's "good music to chill out to".  Well, this isn't a Vini Reilly compilation, but I've increasingly found both Kurt Vile and Steve Gunn (who was/sometimes still is Kurt Vile's guitarist) excellent music to, well, chill out to.  For those wanting more Vile or Gunn, I'd recommend Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy and Steve Gunn's The Unseen in Between.

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Clay Pigeons	Shannon Lay & Steve Gunn
Red Apples	Kurt Vile
New Moon	Steve Gunn
It's Alright	Kurt Vile
Goodbye, Freaks	Kurt Vile
Conditions Wild	Steve Gunn
I'm an Outlaw	Kurt Vile
Trailways Ramble	Steve Gunn
Over Everything	Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile
Way Out Weather	Steve Gunn
Dive for the Pearl	Steve Gunn
Speed of the Sound of Loneliness	Kurt Vile
Other You	Steve Gunn
Wakin' on a Pretty Day	Kurt Vile