September ‘07 Album Review Wrap-Up

Due to time constraints we don’t get to give a proper review to every album we would like to, so we decided to begin a weekly monthly wrap-up of the albums we’ve had a chance to listen to along with our brief opinion and a rating. We’re kicking off this feature with a list of albums from the whole month of September, so check out reviews below and let us know whether you like this one or not. We’ll be back with our next wrap-up on Friday.

Lyle Lovett - It’s Not Big It’s Large
From “large band” jazz sounds of the opening “Tickle Toe” to the bluegrass flavored acoustics of the album closing “Up In Indiana” Lovett once again runs the musical gamut and continues to defy musical categorization. — Brody Vercher

Suzy Bogguss – Sweet Danger
A jazz infused collection by one of Country’s sexiest voices, Sweet Danger is cool and sultry but lacks the panache to truly stand out. Highlights include the wickedly clever “Chain of Love,” and “Right Back Into The Feeling,” an up-tempo that provides a touch of much-needed sass. The record as a whole, however, tends to bleed together as the sometimes unimaginative musical arrangements result in a sound that often crosses the border from smooth to boring. — Jim Malec

Kenny Chesney - Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates
Kenny Chesney’s latest studio effort is among the most artistically interesting of his career. Like Be As You Are: Songs From an Old Blue Chair, it reveals a Kenny who’s polished but not blatantly commercial and mildly adventurous if not trail-blazing. The caveat is that, for an artist with Kenny’s deficiencies, artistically interesting does not necessarily mean artistically compelling. — Matt C.

Moot Davis - Already Moved On
The best music has instrumentation that is aware of its lyrical content, it adapts from song to song to punctuate the subject matter, and that’s exactly what Pete Anderson (producer) has achieved with Already Moved On. Whether it’s the break-neck pace of the bass-heavy “Toggle Switch” or the piano-rich “Used To be You” each song has a distinct feeling without taking away from the overall cohesiveness of the album. — Brody Vercher

Billy Joe Shaver - Storyteller: Live at the Bluebird 1992
There are better recordings of these songs on other albums, but with Storyteller you can almost feel the raw energy that only a live Shaver performance can provide, plus Eddy Shaver and Keith Christopher lay down some absolutely scorching acoustics. If there’s one thing Billy Joe does better than writing songs it’s telling stories, a few of which are present along with some cheerful banter with ex-wife Brenda. Storyteller is not a good introduction for Shaver newcomers, but it’s a welcome addition to the shelf for long time fans. — Brody Vercher

Jim Lauderdale – The Bluegrass Diaries
Bluegrass/Americana fusion from an exceedingly talented artist. On Bluegrass Diaries, Lauderdale pushes against the boundaries of both previously mentioned genres. Lovers of progressive country will revel in the album’s delightfully rootsy stylings. Sound is (in this case) often established at the expense of substance, however, as most of the songs lack memorable hooks or interesting lyrics—a fact that greatly reduces the record’s replayability. — Jim Malec

Reba McEntire - Reba Duets
Duets, scoring a mighty first-week sales tally of 300,000+ units, is the fastest selling album of Reba’s career. It’s also whole lotta awkward. Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood provide spectacular vocal performances that, like virtually all of the album’s pairings, still seem forced and dispassionate. Justin Timberlake co-penned “The Only Promise That Remains” shines, however–while the rest of the album features little more than McEntire and company trading off verses, Timberlake’s presence and artistry are felt despite only a supportive role. — Jim Malec

Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good
Every song sounds just about the same. It’s forty-or-so minutes of Gary LeVox in his trademark EmoCountry mode. It’s whiny power ballads with a single, nonsensical, up-tempo (”Bob That Head”) thrown into the mix. It’s after-the-fact steel guitar that clashes violently with the rest of the album’s production aesthetic. — Jim Malec

Kevin Fowler - Bring It On
Caution: Bring It On may require consumption of large amounts of alcohol to be truly appreciated. The best song on the album is the current single “Long Line of Losers”, which could also serve as the description for the remainder of the tracks. The only other song that could be mistaken as having some semblance of substance is “Best Mistake I Ever Made”, and even then it revolves around a hook that’s an oft repeated cliche. — Brody Vercher

Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade
You can’t argue with the writing, and Earle’s delivery reminds me of a cross between James McMurtry and Shawn Mullins, both artists who I enjoy tremendously, but the instrumentation on WSS is utterly uninspired — making an otherwise decent album burdensome to listen to. — Brody Vercher

Gene Watson - In A Perfect World
No fan of real country music will dislike this album and many will probably enjoy it. However, it’s really not worth the money. What should artists like Gene Watson be recording? One word: Wagonmaster. — Matt C.

More September album releases we haven’t had a chance to listen to, yet:

Trisha Yearwood - Greatest Hits
Take 1997’s Songbook: A Collection of Hits subtract a couple of songs then add seven other hits and you get the Greatest Hits.

Flynville Train - Flynville Train
The debut album on Toby Keith’s label from a band dubbed as “the South’s latest party band.”

Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems
A 78 song box-set of previously unreleased material. It’s going to take a while to truly appreciate a release of this magnitude.

Billy Joe Shaver - Everybody’s Brother
Shaver’s honky-tonk flavored gospel album that’s been a long time coming.

Whiskey Falls - Whiskey Falls
The debut album from “four accomplished vocalists, songwriters, musicians, and performers.”

Ricky Skaggs & The Whites - Salt of the Earth
Another spiritual album that’s been a long time coming, this is the first album-length collaboration between Skaggs and his Kentucky Thunder and the vocal trio of his wife’s family.

Bobbie Nelson - Audiobiography
The older sister of Willie Nelson shows off her own musical chops with the piano on songs that have a special meaning for different times in her life. Her more famous brother lends his vocals to the first and last track.