Arts Fuse writers finish their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This month’s triumphant list includes John Lennon, Cat Stevens, Fela Kuti, Laura Nyro, Judee Sill, and Lou Harrison.
Folk
Country Album Review: Tennessee Ernie Ford’s “Classic Trio Albums” — The Voice Alone
What makes these two albums stand apart? They are content to showcase the elemental power of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s voice.
Concert Review: Billy Strings — “A Big Ball in Boston”
Once again, Billy Strings pulled an exhilarating assemblage of musical influences under a big tent.
Book Review: To Compromise With the Mystery Tramp — A Vocal Dissection of Bob Dylan
The book’s main contention is clearly correct: Dylan’s lyrics aren’t everything, and his vocal delivery is eminently important. But, according to Larry Starr, every period is a golden one, and the most minor effort deserves major respect.
For the Love of the Cover: Nanci Griffith and Keeping Folk Songs Alive, at Passim
The talent at Club Passim’s Nanci Griffith night represented at least two generations: it was a nice, low-key salute to the singer/songwriter, who played the venue often in the mid-’80s.
Country Album Review: Billy Strings’s “Renewal” — Bluegrass’s Brightest New Star
This is an amazing follow-up to Billy Strings’s Grammy-winning Home album.
Concert Review: Newport Folk Festival 2021 — A Very Nontraditional Year
Folk On both exceeded and tempered expectations.
Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (July Entry)
Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and this month’s list includes Little Feat, Jonathan Edwards, Hot Tuna, The Red Detachment of Women, and Jimmy Witherspoon & Eric Burdon.
Book Interview: Bill Nowlin on the Little Label That Could — Fifty Years at Rounder Records
For local music enthusiasts of all stripes, the hometown label was a point of pride; for musicians and fans the world over, Rounder was the go-to source for music you couldn’t readily find elsewhere.
Music Review: The Harry Smith B-Sides: Precursor to The Harry Smith C(ensored)-Sides?
The Atlanta-based label Dust-to-Digital would like to show us the flip side of The Anthology of American Folk Music, but they don’t like what they hear.