Rachel Ries may be the most pleasant surprise in alt.country since Jolie Holland. Ries’ voice is much closer to the style of Norah Jones yet more attuned to a rural folk-country influence. She also reminds me a bit of of a more leisurely Ani DiFranco. Without a Bird is a delight from beginning to end. I believe these are all original songs and if so, it speaks well of her songwriting abilities. “Learning Too Slow” starts the collection of ten tracks which appears to follow the theme of the artist adjusting from the country to the big city, being Chicago. I really love “When Will You be Mine” and the title tune. This is the early contender for best online release of 2011.

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Joey Kneiser takes a brief break from the excellent Southern rock band Glossary and comes up with his own Jack Daniels drenched version of Southern rock and alt.country nirvana. The All-Night Bedroom Revival is a blast from the first track “Adelina” to the last. It is sort of a Townes Van Zandt meets Tom Petty after hours at the Palomino Club kind of thing. Mainly acoustic, there are a lot of nice songs on this album including “Bruised Ribs” and “Funeral Flowers”. Anyone who enjoys folk-rock, Americana or just good songwriting will love this album.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3.

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Independent Records is a label out of Dublin, Ireland that has been releasing country and alt.country albums in Ireland for the past 20 years. Their impressive stable of artists include Josh Ritter, Johnny Dowd, and The Handsome Family. Yet hidden in their on-line catalog are these two alt,country albums gems by a Dublin-based group calls Stars of Heaven. They are offer as free and legal download and show a side to Irish rock that you may have not noticed before. The band broke up 20 years ago but still sounds fresh. They play a nice mixture of alt. country and 60’s british style rock. For the most part, I would place them more in the folk rock sound a la The Byrds. Sacred Heart Hotel has a clear country influence while Speak Slowly is a bit more varied. Both albums are very pleasant blasts from the past.

Both albums are available in 160kbps MP3.

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The neat thing about the net label Clinical Archives is that I never know quite what I am going to hear. After all, who would have thought that mixed in with all the avant-garde, electronica, and experimental music would be this very down-home country EP that reeks of dogwood, cicadas and Hank Williams. Live Candy gives us a very live and very authentic country honky-tonk experience that defines the terms “Alt-country” and “Americana”. Keith Morris with his back-up band The Crooked Numbers is the real thing. This is evidenced from the first track, “Snowday” which immediately hooked me on the plaintive and somewhat nasal voice of Morris. The instrumental and vocal backing is especially nice. Morris has no problems sharing vocals with Devon Sproule on “Billie Weir’s Dress” and Jen Morris on “Waltzing”. The songs are all Morris originals and all tracks but “Candy Apples” are performed live. The non-live track is a March Rosetta re-mix which is more pop oriented than the rest of the EP but it is still a delight. Alt-country fans need to grab this up quick.

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From the first refrain of the first song by Amber Dust, you know this is going to be a mellow affair. The trio, now a duo, is well steeped in the alt,country scene but also exhibits a smooth folksy style that will repeal to those who like their alt. a little less country. Their first full album titled Without Windows is a calming collection of well crafted songs in the folk / pop region. “Sunset Comes” and “From The Balcony” are just two of the excellent songs on the album. “Steady as a Leaf” is a nice example of musical storytelling. Throughout the album, Mike Harvey’s keyboards acts as a reliable glue to the guitar and drums of Jesse Nickerson and Shayne Greene.

In the second album, Good Things/Bad Timing, the trio become a duo with the departure of Taylor. The sound is decidedly more alt.country partially due to the addition of slide pedal guitar on a number of the tracks. The songwriting is still excellent and the boys seem to have found a stable and slightly more upbeat sound that I think is an asset. “The Boat” and “Struck” sounds a little 70s country/rock a la Eagles yet there is a mellow and individual style that is all Amber Dust. The album ends with “An Unfamilar House” which is a good bittersweet ending to this fine effort.

The two albums are availble from the band’s web site in 128kbps MP3

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The Only Sons are a strong entry in the arena of alt;country and country rock. In a genre that has its share of pretenders, this band clearly exhibits its knowledge of country and rock roots. Steel Hearts is their second album and is offered free and legal through a creative commons license. There are some strong alt.country songs (”Lay Back Down”, and “Loneliness On My Side”) and some tracks that crosses into straight rock(”Drew Blood” and the Lynard Skynard sounding “Too Much”). There are some clear influences from Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, and Drive-By Truckers. In fact “Stranger Here Myself” in so Bruce sounding I wanted to check the credits to see who was singing. Yet the music by these authentic rockers are folk rock jewels with a individual sound that is well worth hearing.

The album is available in 192kbps MP3.

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Dean Schlabowske aka Deano Waco is the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for the punk-country Waco Brothers. On his solo effort Deano Meats The Purveyors he is joined by the Austin “hyper-bluegrass” band, The Meat Purveyors. The result is a favorable mixture of sounds that can only be called Americana. Whether it is the leisurely “Taken or the foot-tapping bluegrass “Working For The Devil”, these tracks are a great blend of rock and traditional country. Deano’s vocal are a tight fit with The Meat Purveyors who tend to cross rock and bluegrass much like Bela Fleck crosses jazz with bluegrass. Other good songs include “Stuck in The Mud” and “Reality Blues”. If you want some fairly straight bluegrass, try “Box Store”. This is a good album that is contemporary in its hard rock attitude but as close to American roots as you can get.

The album is in 320kbps MP3.

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Look A-Yonder Comin’… is the fourth online CD from the Florida Folklife Collection of the State Library and Archives of Florida. You can either read my reviews of the first three CDs which you can find here, here, and here or you can take my word that this is one of the best series of American folk music that you will get free anywheres. This fourth installment focuses on Bluegrass and old-time string band music. As with the other albums, the tracks range from amateur to professional but are exemplary examples of the bluegrass tradition. All tracks were recorded during the Florida Folklife Festival and range in years from 1960 to 2003.Musicians that fall in the legendary status include Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, and Norman Blake. Most of the other artists are obscure but you wouldn’t know that from the caliber of talent. I especially like the fiddle showcase “Granny Will Your Dog Bite” by Goose Culbreath and the Pine Valley Boys of Georgia’s rendition of the old war horse “Hot Corn, Cold Corn” but there is not a bad track to be heard. Whether you are a bluegrass connoisseur or just want to see what the good old country string band tradition is all about, this is a worthy anthology for your listening pleasure.

The album is available in 160kbps.

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It should be said at the beginning that there is no Wrench Tuttle. Former Blue Rodeo band member Bob Wiseman used the pseudonym and, from what I’ve read, went to great length to present him as a real person to the Canadian media. In Her Dream: Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle was the Canadian musicians’ first solo album and was released in 1989. CHART magazine named it as one of the top 100 Canadian albums. Blocks Recording Club out of Toronto will be re-issuing a limited edition vinyl but the free and legal digital version is now available through WFMU’s Free Music Archive.

This album may best be described as a casual mixture of country and punk. Bob Wiseman feels at ease in both genres. His somewhat raspy and out-of-control voice makes the perfect edge to this rough and ready album. The opening “Older Brother” is a good example of his somewhat outrageous folk-rock blend and is what Hank Williams might sound like if he was a punk rocker. Other tracks like “Bhopal” are pure and surreal alternative while “Dog on a Leash” is blues-rockabilly. Whatever genre Wiseman leans into has his unique touch which I am tempted to call a Canadian version of Tom Waits’ equally rough and mystic styling. This excellent album will grow on you.

The album is available in its free and legal online version at WMFU’s Free Music Archive in 192kbps MP3.

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There’s something odd and irresistible about Hasil Adkins. I can’t say I ever really liked his music and his amount of talent can be debatable. However there is no debating the sincerity and enthusiasm of this rockabilly outsider. He was essentially a one man band , singing and playing guitar and drums at the same time with an abandonment usually reserved for revival meetings and drunken funeral wakes.

Ex WFMU DJ and renegade record collector The Hound (no relation to missing-in-action Blues_Hound), writes on his blog about his experiences with Hasil when the rocker appeared on his radio show. Hasil later gave him a 90 minute cassette that he recorded at home. The Hound is now offering fifteen tracks of this prize possession to the public for downloading and amusement.To say it sounds like it was recorded in a garage is an understatement, more like in a coffee can in a garage. But once I got past the bad sound, I found some of the best and most infectious Hasil Adkins I have ever heard. I can understand why this marginally talented artist of country outsider music gained such a cult reputation and influenced other barely-in-the-mainstream artists like The Cramps. The raucous spirit of “Waitin’ for the Graveyard” almost goes over the top while “Me and Jesus (Got it All Worked Out)” is a peppy but sincere gospel number. You can certainly hear Hasil’s influence on Lux Interior from “Kill Em Rock”. There are some fairly traditional country blues tracks in “Madison Boone County Blues” and “Catch Me a Train” and a very bizarre but somewhat rude “Ugly Chelsea Clinton Hunch”. This is actually a pretty good introduction to this unique performer and if I hear a few more recordings like this one I might actually start liking him!

This album can be found on The Houndblog but the download is excruciatingly slow. Better to download from the link below which is a mirror site located at WFMU’s Beware of The Blog. It is available in 128kbps MP3.

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Jenny Gillespie may remind most listeners of the contemporary alt.country of Aimee Mann but I hear the clear influence of classic rock singer/songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Judy Collins. Her six track, 27 minutes EP titled Love and Ammunition was recorded in Austin, Texas in the year of 2004. It is a immaculate and professional production that you would except from the legendary music studios of Austin. But Ms. Gillespie is to up the challenge and soars through this all too short effort. All the songs are originals and have a sound that is between quality pop and alt.country. She maintains an emotional “girlish growl” throughout (her term not mine!) that causes her to rise above the Lilith Fair wanna-bees that crowd the FM airways. Exceptional songwriting, moving vocals, and strong production values make this a must download.

The album is available from Internet Archive’s Open Source Audio in VBR MP3 and Ogg Vorbis format. If you like the music support the artist by purchasing the higher sound quality CD from CD Baby.

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Dallas Kincaid plays a brand of blues rock that hovers precariously between psychedelica and just plain psycho. His album is titled If You’re a Heartbreaker, You Got a Broken Heart and it is a strange mixture of blues riffs, back alley guitar and mournful out-of-this-world vocals, sort of like George Thorogood on ’shrooms. It often sounds experimental in a grassroots back-to-basics way. The lyrics tend to be bizarre, a bit beat generation like Burroughs. One reviewer suggested a comparison with Captain Beefheart which makes sense too. Actually, this is quite a different and exciting record, something you won’t ever hear on the usual commercial venues yet rooted in traditional country, rock and blues traditions. “Love n Fears” has a delta blues influence that reminds me of The Black Keys. “The Ice Truck Killers” is unapologetically rock and roll until it drifts into a eerie slow psychedelic jam. Perhaps the most interesting track is “Cherry Chainsaw”, a soft ballad of a monologue that is somewhere between romantic and nightmarish. If you are looking for blues rock or shockabilly country with a different slant, you may have found it.

The album is available in VBR MP3 from Jamendo.

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Austrian musician Simon Usaty, AKA Protestant Work Ethic, may take some listeners a little while to get used to. His almost whispering vocals sometimes interferes with his intelligent lyrics. But those who admire similarly styled artists like Elliott Smith and Ron Sexsmith will feel right at home. Protestant Work Ethics is a one man band sporting sparse but sensitive instrumentation. Sounding like a cross between Alt.country and Emo, the rather introverted singing and musicianship elicits a calm if delicate environment. “Set Out to Take on” and “Clap Clean Hands” are my favorite songs while “Duba Ktana” and “As They Are Blown Here and There” are nice instrumentals hovering between primitve acoustic and new age. This is soothing music that bears attentive listening.

The EP is available as separate tracks or full album zip in 256kbps MP3.

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Cattywompus is a Austin, Texas based band that really likes to show off their love for American roots music. Their free online album Gospel Hymns & Original Sins is practically a primer in the American folk rock sound. Lyrically their songs are related to the music of Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt, but you will hear a lot of influence from others like The Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, and The Black Crowes. This is music drenched in country, folk, and blues with much of it bearing a social conscience. I especially like the back hill sounding “Elizabeth Rose” and the emotionally charged “The Soldier”. If you’re looking for a southern rocker, try “Leaving Virginia”. This is a tight and very enjoyable rock outing and one of the best free album of its type on the internet.

The album can be found on their web site in an album zip of 192kbps MP3.

No longer available

I have no real information on the Diamond Star Halos except for the album available on Emily Jane White’s web site along with two other tracks by Ms. White. Whoever the Diamond Star Halos are, the 20 plus minute EP is a clearly a showcase for the sad but soulful voice of Emily Jane White. Sounding like a cross between Jolie Holland and Cat Power, Ms. White surrounds herself with a almost funereal background. “Wake Up Call” is drenched in pathos. “Blue Seude” picks up slightly but is still sad and slightly awashed in the blues. This is a curious but enjoyable EP of folkish alt.country melancholia.

The album is available in 160kbps MP3.

No longer available

Two albums of authentic butt-kicking knee-slapping country music are available from the London Music Archives. The culprit in this hay dance is the Canadian band The Dixie Flyers, a top-notch group of musicians in the bluegrass style.

New Horizons is from 1984 and features some great juke joint country, bluegrass and even a nice Texas swing number in “Lone Star”. On each track you will find exceptional guitar, banjo, harmonica, and mandolin playing with an almost extra-sensory sense of musical communication. Although there is no information on the album, I suspect these songs are mostly, if not totally, original compositions. Aside from “Lone Star” I also like “New Chattanooga Dog”, “The Auctioneer”, and the instrumental “Acid Rain”.

Live at Wellington Tavern was released in 1990 and exhibits some of the electricity this band creates in person. There are definitely a lot of old standards on this album including ‘Oh Lonesome Me” and “Wolverton Mountain”. But my favorite song is the funny “Ocean Front Property”. If you’re surfing the internet for free online bluegrass you can’t do much better than these two albums.

Both albums are available in 128kbps MP3. If you enjoy the music, check out their web site and perhaps buy their CDs including their new one, Right on Track.

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Live at the Wellington Tavern
New Horizons

As far as I can tell, the artists on this album are out of Liverpool England and originally played under the name of Tom Joad. Eventually they lashed onto Shake That Little Foot as the name of both the album and this lively group of musicians. This Creative Commons licensed music fest consists of American folk tunes and Celtic songs, all of them played precisely and joyously. There is much to love here. If you are in a dancing mood, “Bill Cheatum” or “Mississippi Swayer” will get you going. “Flop Eared Mule” will make you laugh and “Sally Ann” has a rare vocal heralding a backwoods courtship. Definitely grab this one!

The album is available in MP3, Ogg Vorbis, or FLAC format.

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Loose Records recently released a free online sampler of 10 alt.country tracks. It’s a very impressive collection that should please not only the Americana fans but also anyone who appreciate great songwriting.

There’s not a dud in the bunch. Of the artists, I am only previously acquainted with The Mendoza Line and The Willard Grant Conspiracy. Both of their contributions are typically excellent. I’ve heard of The Handsome family before, but “All The Time In Airports” was the first track of theirthat I ever listened to. It’s a dark masterpiece; the kind of song that floors me causing to me pick myself off the floor, check my pulse, then run to the record store to buy their albums. Simply put, It is the best track on this compilation.

Of the others that especially caught my attention, Inara George’s “Fool Works” is a ethereal waltz that will stay with you. Jawbone does a hilarious cowpunk version of Roger Miller’s “Chug-a-lug” but Corb Lund’s talking blues-style “The Truck Got Stuck” takes the prize for funniest track. The album wraps up with Guy Clark’s “L.A. Freeway”, a bitter-sweet ballad that may be the first song that caused me to think of Gordon Lightfoot and Tom Waits in the same thought.

The album is available by individual tracks or full album zip in 128kbps. If you like any of the artists, you can purchase their albums at the Loose Store.

Edit: Loose Cuts is no longer available but the label have replaced it with Loose Cuts 2, another fine collection that includes The Willard Grant Cpnspiracy, The Handsome Family, and Steve Earle. Use the link below to access it. Grab it fast since it is probably temporary too.

No longer available

I asked my good buddy Blues Hound if he would like to write a guest review. He put his paws together and here is the result…

Down by the river there’s a little place called Bert’s Bait Shoppe. How a guy makes a living selling worms and fish eggs is beyond me but he makes enough to throw a little bash every Sunday afternoon. The folks eat, drink, and after a while a few of the regulars get out their guitars and jam up a storm.

The Bentones would feel right at home at Bert’s. In fact, from the looks of these guys, they may have been nibbling on a little bait between the alcoholic refreshments. If they did, it didn’t hurt their playing. The Bentones serve an instrumental concoction of old-time tunes and country tracks and they play it as tight as a coyote’s nose in a gopher hole.

There’s two free offerings of music available on their site. Both Sync-N and Beer On The Tracks have plenty of string-based jammin’ to liven up any bash. Two mandolins, two guitars and a bass dance their way through a variety of tunes from early jazz (”Swing 42″) to Tin Pan Alley (”Five Foot Two”) to Country (”Mandolin Breakdown”). There’s even “Sugar Magnolia”for the deadheads! This is fun music. As a certain Belgian bud of mine would say, “It ain’t Stockhausen!”. But try dancing a fox-trot to Stockhausen! Now excuse me. I see a couple chicken livers that Bert forgot about and I’ll be danged if a striped bass is going to get ‘em!

…Thanks, Blues! Both albums are available in 160kbps MP3.

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Beer On The Tracks
Sync-N

Sounds like Fall is the latest project of indie-folk singer Joe Young. He has recently released his debut album, The Wolf is at the Door on Yer Bird Records. At the same time, he collected his early recordings and made them available on a free on-line album titled, not surprisingly, Early Recordings.

Young plays a reflective, somewhat introvertive form of alt. country and Americana. Comparsions can easily be made to Iron and Wine and Townes Van Zandt but I like to think of him as a country version of Elliott Smith. The acoustic tracks all have a slow and relaxing tempo coupled with Young’s deceptively simple melodies and lyrics. “So Far Away” holds the singer in haunting uncertainty as he intones “I’m Sitting on the front porch singing out Amazing Grace / Never felt so good, never felt so far away”. “Beautiful Little Cigarettes” may be my favorite tracks with its bittersweet lyrics. I also like the delta blues influenced “MS” and the alcohol-soaked melancholy of “Whiskey Bottles and Wine” followed by a heart-felt but almost funereal “Will the Circle be Unbroken”.

Early Recordings is available in a full album zip of 192kbp MP3s. If you like the music support the artist by buying his CD. You can get excerpts and 3 full songs from his new album here

Update: The album is no longer available on Yer Bird web site but you can still get it for free in 128kbps MP3 at Last.fm through the link below. Also, check out the comment by Lethe for a really neat record deal from Yer Bird.

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The Abolitionist Action Committee is an organization that fights for the end of capital punishment in the United States. Steve Earle is one of their supporters. He gives an annual free concert in front of the U.S Supreme Court. The AAC has the 2002 concert on their web site. Unfortunately the tracks are a bit messed up. Some of the songs are mistitled, two long rambles are repeated, and one track is blank.

Despite the shabby presentation, I decided to feature this on-line album since the music is first rate. Steve Earle is one of America’s greatest songwriters and performers. He has turned country music on its ear and provides it with a social conscience rarely seen in our time. The performance is a solo acoustic affair with just Mr. Earle and his guitar and harmonica. As expected, it is an emotional performance for a cause Steve Earle holds dear.

Here is a corrected rundown of the tracks…
track 01 - Spoken intro
track 02 - Over Beyond
track 03 - More Than I Can Do
track 04 - Now She’s Gone
track 05 - Goodbye
track 06 - You Know The Rest
track 07 = (blank 15 second track)
track 08 - Transcendental Blues
track 09 - Musical banter into…
track 10 - Baby Let Me Follow You Down
track 11 - Musical Banter into…
track 12 - Christmas In Washington
track 13 - Brand New Companion
track 14 - (Track one repeated)

All tracks are in 128kbps MP3.

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Sometimes you just don’t want to deal with abstract electronics, complicated classical works, or busy jazz improvisations. Some days you want to lay back and listen to some good ol’ rock, a little country, or some folk. Maybe something easy on the ears that makes you think spring is just around the corner.

Cravin’ Dogs may fit the bill. They’ve been together for 20 years and have developed a nice folk-rock sound. The Grateful Dead influences are obvious. Dedicated fans of the group call themselves Dogheads. Personally, I hear more than a little Bruce Hornsby and Jackson Browne in the mix. The Dogs have a very generous amount of MP3s on their site but I recommend to start with 1989-1999: 70 Years of Hits . It is a retrospective with 19 songs from their earlier albums. The tracks gives a full view of the band’s musical range. “Love at This Latitude” is very much in Deadhead territory. “Liquor Store” rocks in a John Mellencamp sort of way. If you’re look for a nice ballad, it doesn’t get prettier than “Redefine The Night”. The music ranges from rock to country and somewheres in between.

The album and a lot of other mp3 tracks and samples on this site are in 128kbps. If you like the band please support them by buying their CDs.

No Longer Available

Edith Frost is one of a number of female vocalists, like Cat Powers and Jolie Holland, who are usually grouped in the folk-rock category by critics but are eclectic and independent to the point that their music is pretty difficult to categorize.

Frost, with her dreamy vocals and moody orchestrations, has become established in the popular music field. She has given her early demo tapes to Comfort Stand and they are available as a free download. There’s no denying that this is a home recording but Frost uses it to her advantage. She sounds as she is singing inches from the microphone, forcing her hypnotic voice to be the focus. These eleven tracks feature mostly just guitar, some vocal overdubbing, and exquisite lyrics making a beautiful and calming experience. The last two tracks are nice country covers but I prefer her original songs.

The album is available in 192kbps as individual tracks or a full zip. If you enjoy the music support the artist by buying her CDs.

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Previously I reviewed More Music From The Florida Folklife Collection. I also complained that the first volume, which was not reviewed, did not have downloadable tracks in MP3. It appears someone with the Florida Folklife Archives heard me as it now has separate downloadable tracks! So here is a bonus for you readers; an official review and link to the original Music From The Florida Folklife Collection!

This first collection uses very obscure artists and has a traditional grass roots feeling. The recordings were recorded over a longer period of time. The earliest one is a 1939 recording of author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston singing an old work song, “Shove It Over”. Most are from the Florida Folk Festivals of the 1950s and 1980s. Others are field recordings. Again, picking highlights is difficult. There’s moving 1956 gospel from the Amigo Male Singers. Archie Lee gives an funny and unique take on “The Arkansas Traveler”. You can find ‘Ol’ Timey Music’ in “The Old Country Church” and “Devil’s Dream”. Little Benny Cox’s “Just Got Married” is delightful even though the song is a bit strange coming from an 11 year old boy. The Blues fans will delight in Moses Williams’ “Which Way Did My Baby Go”. It is all brought together with some nice Latino tracks, an Native American chant, and some spoken narratives. Due to it’s reliance on older recordings and mostly unknown non-professional talent, I must say this is more of a archival collection than the first and may be more representative of Florida folk heritage than the second volume.

The MP3s are recorded in 128 kbps MP3. I would ask you to support the artists but I have a feeling you may not hear most of these musicians anyplace else!

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Here’s a great idea that I hope other institutions will pick up. The state-funded Florida Folklife Collection has released two collections of folk music taken from the state’s vast archives. The music reflects the wide cultural diversity in Florida.

More Music For The Florida Folklife Collection is a marvelous compilation. Most of it was recorded at the Florida Folk Festival with superb sound quality. You will find some major names here like Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, and Etta Baker. But some of the real gems are from lesser known artists who may have been forgotten if it wasn’t for Folk Art research projects like this. It’s hard to pick favorites from such a high quality collection but I’ll try. Don Groom sings in “I Believe” about a dream world where “Elvis is alive and Jimmy Hoffa’s comin’ home someday” Thelma Bolton and Tom Walton sings a rousing blues about “Butter Beans”. There’s classic bluegrass by the Stanley Brothers from a 1956 radio broadcast. Jeannie Fitchens’ “Cruel Mother” is a beautiful folk ballad in the traditional style. Finally, James Kelly’s fiddling on “Wellington’s Reel” is simply amazing.

The album is available in downloadable 256kbps MP3. There are WMA and RA files but they seem to be streaming only. There is a volume one that you can find here but it unfortunately does not meet this site’s criteria as there are no separate downloadable tracks. But don’t despair. You can request a complimentary CD from the state archives!

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