Southern Rain is the singles companion to the the 1992 studio album Cowboy Junkies - Black Eyed Man. Track 1 is a rough cut of the same track that was also released as the title track on "Black Eyed Man" however, Track 2, "Lost My Driving Wheel", written by David Wiffen, is only included on some "Black Eyed Man" releases and this is both an exceptional performance and recording, making this single a worthy edition to an essential Cowboy Junkies library. Track 3, "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", written by Bob Dylan, is also only available on a few of the "Black Eyed Man" albums. On the German edition, there is a additional track, "Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park" which is entitled as "Murder, Tonight In The Park". This song was also released on some "Black Eyed Man" albums.

Be warned, this is an extremely biased review since I readily admit that this album is one of my most favorite, and for a variety of musical reasons. Start with an extremely talented and uncorrupted band, then add some extremely good material, an extremely good venue and some extremely good engineering. Finish this off with some extremely great performances, throw in some excellent mixing and mastering, and you have, in my humble opinion, one extremely excellent album.

This album is an example of how great recorded music can sound, when everything is done for love.

Al Stewart's follow up album to Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat is a pleasant, but not particularly outstanding album. "Time Passages", the title track which made the charts, is an insightful and musical song which became reasonably popular. The remaining tracks are well crafted and produced, however, they don't maintain the same level of inspiration. The entire album keeps a comfortable and easy pace. "Almost Lucy", the fifth track, is particularly melodic and well written. "Song On The Radio" is the second best track on the album, with some strong horn solos, and lyrics. Overall, the album is a little too slow for me to listen to front and center in its entirety, however it's an excellent background pop album with several good "Easy Listening" type tracks.

Track three, "What's Up" is the big radio hit. When I heard it played, I rushed to buy the album, madly hoping there would be a few similar songs. Sadly, the remaining album isn't nearly as good, or even in the same style as "What's Up". A good candidate for a one-hit wonder. It's a shame really, when an entire album only has a single worthy track. Oh well, I say that something is much better than nothing, and What's Up", at least, is a really great pop song.

Billy Bragg + Woody Guthrie = a truly modern classic and one of my personal all-time favorites. This album is a collaboration between the Woody Guthrie family and Billy Bragg, which brings some new Woody Guthrie material into the world in a manner that is extremely well suited to the songs themselves. Indeed, Billy Bragg sings Woody's songs as, it seems to me, they were meant by Woody, to be sung. As albums go, not only is this album musically rewarding, but it's a necessary addition to any credible American folk music collection.

High Flyer is gritty, honest yet professional album from beginning to end. From the very first song, it's clear that these are real words of actual experience sung with a natural, graceful sadness that is missing from so many modern country productions. There's a wide range of melodic guitar work woven into the tracks which perfectly sets the stage for the forlorn voice of Tom Phillips. An album, and singer, that came up from the country and ended up being more than just folk. Indeed, it's almost as if there's a brand new Hank Williams at work in the big city.

Anne Beverly Brown's The Landlord's Daughter is her second album and it clearly demonstrates both her experience and her talent as a singer and as a songwriter. The recording reflects a warm and relaxed performance by this Celtic flavored folk singer and songwriter, the recording is melodic and moving. Each song contributes to the album and there's not a lacking musical moment. The production, although local, is excellent. Even though this is a rare album by a relatively unknown artist, it is, in my opinion, definitely worth tracking down.

"With Joe Walsh joining as a full time member, the Eagles devoted a full eight months to the task of recording Hotel California. Further time was invested for mixing under the guidance of producer Bill Szymczyk, who'd introduced Joe Walsh to the band. Meticulous craftsmanship during all phases of recording was preceded by more than a year and a half of reflection and writing. As it turns out, the hard work devoted to completing the LP handed the band a fistful of dividends. An LP chart-topper in it's own right , Hotel California boasts three cuts which became number one singles: "New Kid In Town," "Life In The Fast Lane" and "Hotel California." The latter contributed to the group's growing reputation for writing masterful editorials on the singular state of mind called Southern California." - from the back cover of the CD

Billy Bragg + Woody Guthrie = Modern Classic and one of my personal favs. This album was a collaboration between the Woody Guthrie family and Billy Bragg and brings some new Woody Guthrie material into world in a manner that is well suited to it. Billy Bragg sings Woody's songs as, it seems to me, they were meant to be sung. As albums go, not only musically rewarding, but a necessary addition to any credible folk music collection.