bigcoolguy.com

West is Lucinda Williams' current release. I bought this after greatly enjoying 2 of her previous albums and have been listening to it a lot.

I've written about this album before. On this uninterrupted listen of Secret Machines' Now Here Is Nowhere several things struck me:

Road Apples is the 2nd full album by Canadian band The Tragically Hip. This is one of those albums that makes me wonder how I survived for so long without any albums by this excellent band. Recorded in New Orleans, Road Apples combines the indie-rock sound of their eponymous EP with American southern rock creating a great rock album.

My first exposure to Kate Miller-Heidke was in August 2006 when she was part of Broad, a touring concert featuring 5 Australian female singer-songwriters. Although all the performers were exceptional, Miller-Heidke stood out as... ummm.. different... dressed in a fluffy dress, possessing a phenomenal vocal range and singing quirky, observational songs.

I have a confession to make... I like country music...

Rainbow was a 1970/80s band centred around former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Rising was Rainbow's 2nd album, release in 1976. It is a good heavy rock/metal album, featuring some good playing by Blackmore and some excellent vocals by Ronnie James Dio, who also wrote all of the lyrics.

Shawn Colvin plays reasonably upbeat folk with pop and country tinges. I've spent a long time avoiding admitting that I like anything remotely country but it is getting difficult to avoid - my collection is full of stuff with a country influences. I first saw Colvin opening for John Hiatt at the Anaheim House of Blues on 17 August 2006 and enjoyed her performance, possibly more than I enjoyed Hiatt's.

Note: Back to short reviews, until I get time to do detailed ones again... wishful thinking... :-)

I read a review of The Juliana Theory's Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat in The Canberra Times quite a few months ago. It was a very positive review that emphasised the band's credentials as a straightforward rock act. A few weeks ago I saw a copy of Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat in a CD store and decided to give it a try. Yet again, my first listen left me a little cold but things improved...

Another "golden oldie". The Angels' Face To Face entered my home in 1978 not many days after its release. This was one of several Australian rock albums that I immersed myself in during by pre-teen years. Three events conspired that caused me to own a copy again: