The Napster Blog

Ox, Burnout

"I'm gonna rock 'n' roll every night," singer Mark Browning proclaims in the chorus of "Burnout," in a voice conveying all the ambition and excitement of a deadheading trucker on the wrong end of a thousand-mile run after a night of bottom-shelf liquor and god knows what else. But Browning's deliberately unenthusiastic delivery of young-buck aspirations (it's quietly ironical, don't you know) will more than likely be a source of palpable happiness for listeners as the sound and vibe of Ox's latest offering unfolds; it sounds a lot like the album art in the picture looks, in other words, moody and lovely. The title track is the most immediately catchy, hook-wise, but the whole seven are filled with wistful inspiration. It's more latter-day Son Volt than early Wilco or Old 97's territory, but that's just fine—tales of people and circumstance, both less than ideal, but with a down-and-out beauty about them (it's quietly romantical, don't you know). We confess to having missed out on much of Ox up to this point, but after this, we may just wind up the rubber bands in our dusty old eight-track and go through the Vancouver band's catalog bit by bit—it couldn't hurt to enjoy a little low-key rock 'n' roll every night.

Cyndi Thomson, This Time

In 2001, Cyndi Thomson was blowing up and appeared to have a very bright future in country music: She had a #1 country single and her debut album, My World, was in the Top 10 of Billboard's Country Albums chart. In 2002, however, she walked away from it all. "Becoming a recording artist...has been an overwhelming, life-changing experience," she wrote in an open letter to her fans, and went on to explain that she felt she could not commit to the obligations that go along with such a career.

Having thus shunned her major-label commitments, she's back eight years later with This Time, a gentle, acoustic, self-released EP of new material. These tracks are not going to burn up commercial radio, which is fine, because that's clearly not the goal. Thomson is in complete control of her artistic output and is indulging her love of music in her own way. The tracks are gorgeous, basic country-folk, and Thomson's effortless, expressive vocals are the sole star of the show. This Time strikes us as the perfect way for her to ease back into releasing her music, and we hope to hear more from her very soon.

Lyle Lovett, Natural Forces

Calling Lyle Lovett a country artist is inaccurate. Certainly, country is his main frame of reference and is what he's best known for, but his musical palette extends well beyond the boundaries of that classification, even in this modern country era, and his unique amalgam of blues, country, jazz and gospel influences has always been admirably difficult to pigeonhole. Natural Forces, his latest album, is excellent. That comes as no surprise, since Lovett is one of those artists who seems incapable of making bad music.

Forever finding fresh sources of inspiration and perspective, Lovett has thus far avoided any sense of staleness, which is remarkable for an artist with a catalog that reaches back well over 20 years. On this outing, he wrote only a handful of the album's 11 songs (one of which, "Pantry" is repeated in full band and stripped-down acoustic arrangements). Nevertheless, Natural Forces features impeccable song choices and ends up being Lovett's most satisfying effort since 1996's The Road to Ensenada.

Thad Cockrell, To Be Loved

I first became acquainted with the vintage country songwriting of Thad Cockrell after completely falling for Begonias, an album he recorded in 2005 with the excellent Caitlin Cary (late of Whiskeytown), and subsequently delving into his 2003 release, Warmth & Beauty. Cockrell glides effortlessly through his records, combining clever, beguiling lyrics and unforgettable melodies with warm, sometimes dreamy, pop-flecked Americana production. After a considerable wait, it's a huge treat that a new Cockrell release, To Be Loved, is finally available. The new album is a departure of sorts for the North Carolina native; with To Be Loved, Cockrell has taken a few measured steps outside the traditional countrified sounds of his previous efforts and created an set of music that embraces all its influences, feels unmistakably honest, and easily takes its place as a completely cohesive part of his catalog. And ultimately, that's the best endorsement of of it: that it sounds exactly like a Thad Cockrell record. Very highly recommended.

Rosanne Cash, The List

There's been a flurry of cover albums lately. Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna Judd, Patty Loveless, and others have all released albums of standards or other covers over the last several months, and they've all turned out to be pretty great. Choosing songs for such an album must be an arduous task, simply because of the enormous volume of potential candidates. In that regard, at least, selecting material for her new album of covers was made a bit easier for Rosanne Cash.

As it turns out, songs on Cash's The List were selected by none other than her father, Johnny Cash. When Rosanne was 18, Johnny bacame alarmed at the idea that she might miss out on the classic American songs he loved so dearly, so he gave her a list of 100 essential country songs that he felt she should learn and understand. So, from the list came The List. She's done something remarkable with the dozen songs she chose from the 100, bringing a distinctly tasteful, fresh spin to each of these amazing compositions. No doubt, Johnny would be proud.

Thrift Store Cowboys, Lay Low While Crawling or Creeping

It's a neat trick to pull off ambient-gothic-western music, and the Thrift Store Cowboys have been doing it in a unique and spectacular manner for about 10 years now. The Lubbock-based indie band has released a small number of excellent albums and has toured the country a number of times, all the while garnering more and more positive press. The band released their most recent album, Lay Low While Crawling or Creeping, in 2006. After three years, it is, indeed, about time for a new record, but the band suffered a setback earlier this year when someone set fire to the home of two of the band members. So, until TSC can pull it together and finish a new record, check out the genius of Lay Low... It's a haunting and lonesome blend of baritone guitars, sweeping fiddle, understated vocals, and tasty atmospherics. The video below captures the band playing live at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Arizona.

Best of Peter, Paul & Mary: Napster Playlist

For such a storied trio with so many highlights, and so many album encapsulations of them, it's still worthwhile to amble down Peter, Paul & Mary's long road of songs and see the sights. And with the recent passing of Mary Travers, that road seems to have come to an unfortunate end, but its length and breadth remains remarkable. Napster's "Best of Peter, Paul & Mary" playlist in no way sums up the group that marked the height of the American folk revival, but it touches on both the instantly recognizable hits and some perhaps lesser-known nuggets (including the hilarious "Yuppies in the Sky") in an attempt to bring a taste of the varied shades of their brilliance together in a conveniently playable form, and perhaps even whet the appetite for more. Sadly, their wonderful interpretations of Bob Dylan songs, most notably "Blowin' in the Wind," are not available due to rights issues. But Peter, Paul & Mary's gentle melodies, beautiful harmonies, and soul-stirring tales, from "Puff the Magic Dragon" to "The Great Mandala" "Day Is Done," and more, convince the listener of one thing, if nothing else: They had many, many bests.

Levon Helm Silenced, but Okay

Since releasing his second post-cancer album, Electric Dirt, in July, Levon Helm has been been busy singing and playing, not only with his regular "Midnight Ramble" band at his legendary Levon Helm Studio at his Woodstock, New York home (where he actually allows the public to take in the shows—check it out here), but out on the road, too. We've previously sung Electric Dirt's praises and noted that despite his voice being a little rougher as a result of his illness, there was no mistaking Helm's soul and terrific musicianship, both with his vocals, and, as always, his drumming. Now, with all this late-career success (he's been at it for over 40 years now), we really didn't need this kind of scare: Over the summer, Helm lost his voice while on tour, and doctors discovered a lesion on his vocal cord. The good news is that the biopsy was negative, meaning no return of the cancer that previously threatened his life, but the bad news is that he won't be able to sing again for some time. A statement recently released by his publicist affirms that he will indeed sing again, but it'll take some time. In the meantime, he continues to play the Midnight Rambles and make appearances with the band, such as this weekend's Austin City Limits Festival and Elvis Costello's Spectacle. Join us in wishing him a complete and speedy recovery.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Speed of Life

It's pretty unlikely that a band will be able to create exciting, moving new music consistently over more than four decades, but The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has done just that. In fact, the last 15 years have been the band's finest period. Speed of Life is The Dirt Band's newest album, and it's one of the best they've ever recorded. Everything on it, from the songwriting and song selection to the performances and production, is absolutely top-shelf. Jeff Hanna, Jimmy Fadden, Bob Carpenter, and John McEuen have come up with a batch of gorgeous tracks that run the wide expanses of the "acousticana" range. Standout tracks include "Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me," "The Resurrection," "Tryin' to Try," and covers of Canned Heat's "Going up to the Country" and Stealers Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle." This one's a real gem.

The Elms, The Great American Midrange, with Exclusive Commentary Track

Napster's version of The Elms' latest album comes with a nice surprise: An exclusive 12-minute commentary by the band's Owen Thomas on the inspiration for each of the songs (presented as a bonus 13th track). Thomas is a really thoughtful guy and gives some very interesting and detailed insight on the music, which is a welcome addition to a fine new album. Pretty cool.

Now, some roots-music purists might raise an eyebrow (or worse) at The Great American Midrange being included on Napster's Americana page, but if the title isn't enough of an indicator, the high-octane Bo Diddley guitar anchoring opener "Strut" should help convince those taking exception that The Elms' big, straight-ahead rock is firmly rooted in American tradition. And Owens' inspirations, as described in the commentary track, offer even further proof.

This is the band's fifth album since debuting as The Elms in 1999 (they previously went by the name Just Visiting), and these guys are getting real good at heating up the amps and cranking out seriously broad-shouldered hooks. Besides "Strut," try "County Fair," "Long Gone," and "Thunderhead" (and, of course, be sure to listen to Owens' commentary). The sound is big and satisfying, and the songs hold up their end and do that big sound proud. If you like to rock, you'll like this.