Billy Joe Shaver, Videos - March 24th, 2009
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Label |
| Compadre |
| Release |
| 2005 |
| Artist |
| Billy Joe Shaver |
| Rating |
 |
In the last few months Billy Joe Shaver has become one of my top favourite artists as he is, without question, the best country songwriter I’ve ever heard. When I first listened to this album I wasn’t too impressed as I instantly thought a large portion of the tracks sounded similar and it didn’t really grab my attention. However what I’ve realised with Billy Joe Shaver is that the more you listen to his songs, the more you connect with the lyrics. From that point each song becomes more than just a song - it’s a story, it’s poetry and you know it’s 100% written from the heart.
The opening song, Live Forever, is one you’ll all know very well and this version of it is my favourite due to the fantastic arrangement. There’s a calming electric guitar & piano sample, coupled with a beautiful strings arrangement which lift the song immensely. I’m not too familiar with Big & Rich, but their contribution is a welcome one. Slim Chance & The Can’t Hardly Playboys also deserves a mention, the tragic story of the worst band of guitar pickers in the world - one line in particular is pure genius:
“They got a new one out on Polish Records, it’ll be a Polish hit real soon”
There are two other songs on this album that I’d like to highlight for their excellence in terms of lyrics and storytelling. Acting as further testaments to Billy Joe’s ability to write songs based on his lifetime experiences, old and new, There’s No Fool Like An Old Fool and You Ought To Be With Me When I’m Alone are two standout songs on the album. I came across two videos on YouTube, which I thought I’d share with you as they display how genuine the lyrics in these songs are to Billy Joe - there’s so much emotion in his performances. I gotta say I love the story behind There’s No Fool Like An Old Fool.
I’m not so keen on the song Valentine too much. I don’t like Merle Haggard’s song Valentine from 1994 either - there’s something about that song name! Anyway, this album is more or less perfect and shows that (even though it’s four years old) Billy Joe Shaver is still going strong, and long may he.
News - March 22nd, 2009
I’ve updated the design of Misery & Gin as I thought it kinda needed a bit of a cleaner look and I had this idea in mind - a slightly more sophisticated Misery & Gin - to match the classic theme of the artists represented on this site.
I’ll be updating the content with more reviews in the future, whilst adding extra features to the site to make it a more entertaining experience. I’ll see y’all around.
Highwayman
Shooter Jennings - March 17th, 2009
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Label |
| Universal South |
| Release |
| 2009 |
| Artist |
| Shooter Jennings |
|
This “Best Of” Compilation Features 13 Fan Favorites and Two New Tracks Never Before Released on CD
On Tuesday, March 24 Universal Records South will release Bad Magick: The Best of Shooter Jennings and the .357’s, an all encompassing listening experience of 13 fan favorites from Shooter Jennings’ last four albums, plus two tracks never before released on CD.
Bad Magick is an album for all Shooter fans, whether this is their first album or whether they’ve been with him from his beginnings. Ten of the album’s tracks were written or co-written by the singer. The collection offers a little bit of everything and represents what his music is all about
Born the son of a country outlaw, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, Shooter gravitated towards the rock n’ roll music scene at an early age, but after his father’s death realized the legendary Jennings had never heard him sing a country song apart from one home recording session at a young age. Shooter moved to Music City three years later with his band, the .357’s. Together, in just a few short years, they released four country albums with a signature rock flare that drew an immediate fan base of all ages.
Combining a blend of country, blues and rock ‘n’ roll, Shooter Jennings has developed his own unique style of music, not shadowing in his famous father’s footsteps.
“I sound like myself,” explains Shooter. “I guess that comes from finally doing what I want, even though I’m embracing my heritage, too. That’s important in country music.”
In his five years as a country music artist, Shooter has had much success similar to those who have worked decades to achieve. From performing in the small club scene to playing for thousands at festivals such as Bonnaroo and Stagecoach, he has also made the late night talk show rounds with performances on the Late Show with David Lettermen, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Last Call with Carson Daly.
In conjunction with the release of the album, fans can catch Shooter’s collaboration with Jamey Johnson on CMT Crossroads which premieres March 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. He will also be hitting the road in late spring for an extensive tour hitting many of the top markets across the U.S.
TRACK LISTING
- 4th Of July (Featuring George Jones singing “He Stopped Loving Her Today”)
- Gone To Carolina
- Southern Comfort
- The Wolf
- Manifesto No. 1
- Walk Of Life
- It Ain’t Easy
- This Ol Wheel (Featuring Doug “The Ragin’ Cajun” Kershaw)
- Busted In Baylor County
- Slow Train (Featuring The Oak Ridge Boys)
- Bad Magick
- Steady At The Wheel
- Daddy’s Farm (LIVE)
Previously unreleased on CD
- Lonesome Blues (LIVE) From AOL Music Sessions
- Living Proof (LIVE)
Guy Clark - March 2nd, 2009
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Label |
| Sugar Hill |
| Release |
| 1997 |
| Artist |
| Guy Clark |
| Rating |
 |
As a big fan of the Highwaymen I was no stranger to Guy Clark’s music with the classic ‘Desperados Waiting For A Train’ one of my all time favourites. I think that Keepers is arguably the best recent compilation of Guy Clark’s songs - an album with strong and numerous references to his home state of Texas. The fact that this whole album was recorded live is astounding as the sound quality rarely falters.
Upbeat songs such as ‘Texas Cookin’ and ‘LA Freeway’ sound just as good as ever. The rest of the tracks largely consist of songs from Old No 1 and Texas Cookin’, but the new acoustic sound is definately a preference for me. The acoustic sound helps Guy tell the story of a harder, grittier Texas, and his aging voice works just as well. I think the more recent ‘Workbench Songs’ is another example of the progression of Guy Clark’s sound.
I think Guy is also a very underrated songwriter, this album containing some of the best written songs ever recorded (although I don’t think he’s quite up there with BJS). You’d do well not to have a lump in your throat following the first listen to Desperadoes Waiting For A Train! The album’s not perfect as there’s some good songs missing, but I’d recommend this album first to any new Guy Clark fan.
The Highwaymen - January 26th, 2009
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Label |
| Sony BMG |
| Release |
| 2006 |
| Artist |
| The Highwaymen |
| Rating |
|
This is probably my favourite live DVD of all time as you just can’t beat having all four legends on the stage at the same time, performing some of their solo classics as well as a good selection of Highwaymen hits. In terms of their solo songs, Willie does an unforgettable rendition of ‘City of New Orleans’, while Kristofferson’s ‘Best of All Possible Worlds’ is his best performance by a mile. Cash has a great moment just before ‘Ragged Old Flag’ stating that he appreciates that you have the right to burn your flag, as long as you respect his right to bear arms if you try to burn his! Waylon’s best song is probably his part in ‘Ain’t No Good Chain Gang’, though he puts in a great performance of ‘Luchenbach, Texas’ towards the end.
The whole concert is played effortlessly by each of the Highwaymen - you could easily mistake the whole thing with a private gig where they’re perfoming in front of a few old friends they used to know and have a laugh with. There’s a kinda feeling of ‘for old times sake’, which really gives the concert a relaxed atmosphere where everyone’s just having a fun time.
In terms of the Highwaymen songs, there are some great choices. ‘Highwayman’ as expected, the classic ‘Desperados Waiting for a Train’, ‘Silver Stallion’ and the upbeat ‘Big River’ are the most notable. I’d like to have seen ‘American Remains’ or ‘Against the Wind’ perfomed, but you can’t have it all!
Overall, it’s a great DVD with great sound quality, excellent camera work and a unique, and quite rare collection of footage from one of the most memorable tours of all time. There’s no extras, but there’s brief interviews between some of the songs, which offers insight into what the guys thought of each other and the band. It’s one of those shows that you really want to keep going - there’s certainly enough in the back-catalogue!
