1.The Time of the Preacher -Johnny Cash 3:42
2.Is Heaven Good Enough for You -Allison Moorer 4:44
3.Faithless Street -Whiskeytown 3:55
4.Five Hearts Breaking -Alejandro Escovedo 4:11
5.Cowboy Peyton Place -Doug Sahm 4:44
6.Does My Ring Burn Your Finger -Buddy Miller 3:15
7.Parallel Bars -Robbie Fulks, Kelly Willis 3:07
8.Thrice All American -Neko Case 3:14
9.Down to the Well -Kevin Gordon ... 4:09
Performed by:Kevin Gordon, Lucinda Williams
10.Dam -Kasey Chambers 5:32
11.Farther Along -Hayseed, Emmylou Harris 4:59
12.How I Love Them Old Songs -Hole Dozen 5:41
13.No Depression in Heaven -Carter Family 2:53
The question is... What is Alternative-Country? Is this a younger cousin of Country Music or just Rock with a back-woods sound. No Depression is a magazine that dives into this debate. Keeping an opened mind and looking into the blending of genres "whatever that is." Started in 1995, No Depression has come up with many examples of Alt-country and in 2004 gave us a taste of "what it sounds like" For starters is a great collaboration on a Willie Nelson song with Johnny Cash and some players of grunges big bands. (Thayil-Soundgarden, Novoselic-Nirvana, Kinney-Alice in Chains) The hard guitar Matches the with the powerful lyrics. Next Allison Moorer sings a pretty song written for her mother and recorded with her sister Shelby Lynne. Then you hear a hint of Gram Parsons in Whiskeytown's "Faithless Street." Putting new next to old school with Escovedo and Sahm as tracks 4 and 5 sounds great. Lots of people cover Buddy Miller but can not duplicate his lean and twang. This collections first duet "Parallel Bars" makes one picture dive bars and pool tables. Strange next to see Neko Case in here but it shows that when they say "Whatever" they mean it. Gordon could not go wrong with Lucinda Williams as a partner on there duet. Country is very American but Ms. Chambers shows that Australians can be a little bit Country too. Now its time to step into the past with the next three songs. Starting with Hayseed doing an old standard with the beautiful Emmylou. Then a song written by the often forgotten Mickey Newbury, and recorded live as a tribute with gang of musicians. And to lead us off into the night the Carter family. This disc does everything but depress. Put together by people that want to show you what Alt-country is, but not tell you what it could be.
Best Song: Time of the Preacher - Johnny Cash
Worst Song: Five Hearts Breaking - Alejandro Escovedo
Weired Stand Out: Thrice All American - Neko Case and her Boyfriends
P.S. This CD was lots of fun and I liked Escovedo, but I have to pick one out of the rest for worst song. Sometimes its a hard task.
