There's a Heartbreak Somewhere: A Compendium of Country Soul

         I don't know why it took me so long to put together a country soul compilation as it's easily one of my very favorite genres/subgenres of music.  Perhaps, it's because it's a difficult genre/subgenre to adequately define.   I mean, "I" know it when I hear it, but I would also imagine some of the stuff that I consider to be country soul isn't seen that way by others.  

        Regardless, I hope folks enjoy the compilation, even if you have misgivings about some of the choices.  I would also highly recommend Charles Hughes' book - Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South.  It's a very interesting look at the complicated racial dynamics at play amongst musicians, producers, record labels during the heyday of country soul in the 1960s and 1970s "country-soul triangle" (Memphis, Nashville, and Muscle Shoals).  It's published by an academic press and there's a little academic jargon, but it's really a must-read for any fan of country soul.  (You can also check out Charles Hughes' country soul playlist on Spotify if you're interested.)

       I'll post Discs 3 & 4 next month - in case, you were wondering why I omitted your favorite country soul artist. :)  I've also re-upped my rare soul compilations from five years ago.

Download Disc 1 and 2

Disc 1
Just A Little Lovin'	Shelby Lynne
To The Other Woman (I'm The Other Woman)	Doris Duke
A Woman Is A Man's Best Friend	James Carr
Ode to Billy Joe	Joe Tex
He Made A Woman Out Of Me	Bobbie Gentry
The Son Of Hickory Holler Tramp	O.C. Smith
A Man Needs a Woman (a Woman Needs a Man)	Z.Z. Hill
I Don't Need You No More	George Jackson
He'll Have To Go	Solomon Burke
Eddie And Polly	The Delines
It Ain't Easier	Yola
You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy	Arthur Conley
I Threw It All Away	Bob Dylan
Sleeping Without You Is a Dragg	Swamp Dogg
Patches	Clarence Carter
Just Like Old Times	Mighty Sam McClain
Your Cold Heart	Lloyd Hendricks
Stand By Your Man	Candi Staton
Disc 2
Hold on	Alabama Shakes
Let's Do It Over	Toussaint Mccall
Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs	Brook Benton
You've Been Crying	O.V. Wright
She's Not For You	Willie Nelson
Reconsider Me	Johnny Adams
Son Of A Preacher Man	Aretha Franklin
Needledrop Blues	Emily Duff
Fancy	Irma Thomas
You Are My Sunshine	Earl Gaines
She Ain't Gonna Do Right	James & Bobby Purify
I'm So Proud	Hacienda Brothers
While I'm Away (Baby Keep The Faith)	Eddy G Giles & The Jive Five
Loving Cup	The Rolling Stones
One and the Same	The War and Treaty
Hot Burrito #1	The Flying Burrito Brothers
Don't Make Me Hate Loving You	Jeanie Greene
Crying In The Chapel	Mavis Staples With The Staple Singers

Songs for The Uninhabitable Earth Soundtrack

        I'm a little ashamed to admit that it took reading David Wallace-Wells' book, The Uninhabitable Earth two years ago to really send me spiraling into a doom loop about the environment (as I should have been residing in that doom loop a lot longer).  While a doom loop may, understandably, have negative connotations, I think it's kind of a necessary space if it propels climate activism and actions, however small, to reduce carbon emissions.  Now I do realize that making a compilation of environmental songs does nothing to improve the environment, but.....it was kind of oddly therapeutic for me and maybe they can use some of the more obscure cuts when they're making the anthology series about the book.  (I just found out about this.)

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Wildfire	Hand Habits
Don't Go Near The Water	Johnny Cash
Fall On Me	R.E.M.
Monkey Gone to Heaven	Pixies
I Had a Dream I Was Falling Through a Hole in the Ozone Layer	Deee-Lite
New World Water	Mos Def
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)	Marvin Gaye
Every Planet We Reach Is Dead	Gorillaz
The Trees Are All Gone	Roger McGuinn
Before the Deluge	Eliza Gilkyson
Last Great American Whale	Lou Reed
Terra	Caetano Veloso
Blacktop	Calexico
Humans From Earth	T-Bone Burnett
The New Pollution	Beck
And It Rained All Night	Thom Yorke
Earth Intruders	Bjork
Here Comes The Flood	Robert Fripp

On the Right Side of 2020

I have a lot of unfocused thoughts about 2020, so I'll leave the pontifications about the year that passed to other folks.  The only thing I'll say is that I'm grateful for the fact that artists continued to make music during what must have been an incredibly stressful and anxiety-ridden time for them (and other artists).  So if you have a little money you don't know what to do with, I'd especially recommend the releases from Emma Swift, Clem Snide, Terry Allen,

The Mavericks, and the Sun Ra Arkestra.

As usual, I've only included artists who weren't on the two previous years compilations.  I've also re-upped all my previous best of compilations 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).  

Here's hoping everyone has a much better 2021!!

Download all 3 discs
Disc 1 Am Gold Nicole Atkins La cumbia me está llamando (featuring La Perla) Nubya Garcia City of the Vampires Terry Allen Love Came Back Paul Burch Union, God and Country Steve Earle & The Dukes Ginseng Sullivan Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Headlights Squirrel Flower Corcovado Dirty Projectors Behold, The Deceiver Shabaka and the Ancestors Peaceful Afternoon Rufus Wainwright Call Me Closer Sagittaire Undertow Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood Bad News Blues Lucinda Williams These Are My Friends Fantastic Negrito Focus Caleb Giles Fill My Cup Thad Cockrell Diamonds And Dogs Daniel Romano Weather Shelby Lynne Disc 2 interregnum Asher Gamedze Be Thankful For What You Got Sunny War King Of The Hill Thundercat Hour Of The Furnaces Algiers Star Chambered X Hey, Bus Driver! Tami Neilson Keep on Smilin' Banditos Deep In Love Bonny Light Horseman Migration of Souls M. Ward James and Ira demonstrate mysticism and some confusion holds Yo La Tengo Cut Me Moses Sumney I Lay Awake Swamp Dogg Black Sara Sir Richard Bishop Thoughts and Prayers Drive-By Truckers The Stuff of Us Clem Snide ACC Kirtan Stephen Malkmus You're A Big Girl Now Emma Swift The President (2020 version) Robyn Hitchcock Disc 3 I Contain Multitudes Bob Dylan St. Peter's Autograph Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit How Long Iris DeMent Quits Lola Kirke Deep Dream STRFKR Days of Heaven Jerry Joseph Queer Notions Sun Ra Arkestra Looking Back from the Future The Koreatown Oddity Late Arriver Trummors Ever-Roving Eye James Elkington Think of You Fondly Ron Sexsmith Pale Blue Moon A Girl Called Eddy Are You Listening? Lera Lynn Kulun Mankwaleshi Mulatu Astatke & Black Jesus Experience Recuerdos The Mavericks My Favorite Mistake Esther Rose Another Space and Time Laura Veirs I Remember Everything John Prine

 

On the Right Side of Christmas 2020

       I don't have anything insightful or deep to say about Christmas music (or Christmas) in a pandemic, though I do think the cover art for this year's comp is somehow apt for 2020.   As usual, I've re-upped all the previous Xmas compilations.  Also, if you're looking for a deeper dig into Christmas music, I highly recommend the site Hip Christmas.

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White Christmas	Big Maybelle
Merry Christmas Baby	Bonnie Raitt & Charles Brown
Santa Claus Baby	The Voices
Reindeer Boogie	Hank Snow
The Little King Jesus	The Joystrings
Rock & Roll Santa	5.6.7.8's
Felicidades	Cheo Feliciano
Holiday On Skis	Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani
Why Should Christmas Be So Hard	Attic Lights
The Night Before Christmas	The Playboys
Christmas Time Is Here	Ed Harcourt
Middle of Winter	Peppermint Harris
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen	T Bone Burnett
Everything's Changed At Christmas But You	Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto	Anthony Hamilton
Hey Santa Claus	The Moonglows
Brand New Christmas	Hot Chocolate
The Little Drummer Boy	Dandy Warhols
Down We Go (Sledding Song)	Mac McCaughan & Annie Hayden
Wake up Christmas Morning	The Mighty Spoiler
Heart On Snow	Marc Almond
Christmas Fais Do Do	Marcia Ball
Crazy Santa Claus	The Debonaires
Auld Lang Syne	B. B. King