Although technically he never left, Alvin Lee is back. Recorded in 2003 at original Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore's Nashville home studio, with Moore as the mastermind behind the sessions (although due to ear problems he only plays on two tracks), along with Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana on the skins, this would be a listenable effort regardless of who was singing.

With ex-Ten Years After's Alvin Lee playing guitar and taking the lead vocals it's a powerfully compelling disc that approximates many of the Sun label greats. Recorded predominantly live in the studio and sounding it, these songs -- mostly originals written expressly for the sessions and an unexpectedly rip-snorting run through of the TYA chestnut "I'm Going Home" -- find Lee at his most enthusiastic. He's clearly having a blast returning to his roots with some of the original architects of the sound backing him up, and that energy jumps out of the grooves.

The songs aren't particularly memorable ("I'm Gonna Make It" is little more than a rewrite of "Great Balls of Fire," "How Do You Do It" sounds like any number of Chuck Berry tunes) but Lee is singing harder and riffing with more fire than he has in years. With blistering support from a band that can play this stuff in their sleep, Lee is in full flight. Of particular note is Pete Pritchard's rollicking double bass and Willie Rainsford's jaunty piano, both of whom are veterans who add extra fuel to the proceedings. Things slow down for the bluesy country of "Getting Nowhere Fast," an acoustic based piece that gives the group a chance to show their chops in a less frenzied setting. The audio and production is clean and crisp, with each instrument sounding warm and defined. It meets contemporary standards but retains the retro feel of Sun studios, a tricky balancing act pulled off with class and style. The album is highly recommended for all rockabilly fans and even those who felt the guitarist's work with Ten Years After or solo was too flashy and pretentious.

This is a terrific return to form, arguably Lee's best and certainly most passionate solo album ever, as well as a sizzling performance throughout. Crank it up and get gone. ~ Hal Horowitz


  Sweet Warrior CD
  by Richard Thompson
Our Price: $12.09 CD / $9.99 MP3
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Arriving in the wake of the folk-flavored, acoustic-based FRONT PARLOUR BALLADS, SWEET WARRIOR marks U.K. folk-rock hero Richard Thompson's valiant return to electric guitar fireworks. Shooting off the kind of rock-&-roll sparks that had been missing from his catalog since 1996's YOU? ME? US? Thompson reminds listeners of why he's remained one of the most revered guitar heroes of the post-Hendrix era.

SWEET WARRIOR is no self-indulgent riff-fest, though; it contains some of Thompson's most sharply written songs in years. Released amid the furor of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" (the reference is a nickname for Baghdad) initially garnered the most attention, but it's in good company. The sinuous "Needle and Thread" harks back to '70s-vintage Thompson, and the rollicking "Bad Monkey" compares favorably with classic RT roof-raisers like "Valerie" or "Two Left Feet." Striking the perfect balance of biting fretwork and crafty lyricism, SWEET WARRIOR shows that 35 years into his solo career, the former Fairport Convention string wizard's trickbag is as vital as ever.

No Depression (p.95) - "It's an unflinching, relentless performance through the barbed-wire guitar finale....As for the bittersweet fatalism of the breath-stopping 'Take Care The Road You Choose', it serves to remind that, for all the things Thompson does so well, nobody does this sort of balladry better."


  Clannad 2 CD
  by Clannad
Our Price: $15.39 CD
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Although best known in the US for their later music, which combined Celtic roots with new age and pop influences, the Irish sibling group Clannad started as a traditional Irish folk group. Indeed, all but three tracks on the group's second album, from 1974, are in Gaelic. The acoustic instrumentation, heavy on the harp and pennywhistle, is lovely but unobtrusive, so that all the focus is on lead singer Maire Brennan's astounding voice.

Every bit as elastic as that of her youngest sister Enya, who would go on to worldwide stardom after a brief early '80s stint in the family business, but much more assertive and less breathy, Maire's voice is one of the most stunning instruments in Celtic music, and it's heard to its best advantage on this album. Later records would sometime overpower the vocals with atmosphere, but CLANNAD TWO, while delicate and lovely, is never merely pretty.

  In A Lifetime: The Best Of CD
  by Clannad
Our Price: $9.55 CD
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With over ten different greatest-hits collections to choose from, Irish legends Clannad seem poised to surpass their number of full-length releases. RCA's Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime is a fairly standard overview that touches on fan favorites, collaborations, and songs from films, once again omitting any material from their first four -- largely traditional -- recordings. While this may help with the flow -- it does -- it would be nice to hear the group's shape-shifting styles chronicled more thoroughly.

Clannad are at their best when unleashing gargantuan choruses against Moya Brennan's hushed leads, and the inclusion of the beautiful "Newgrange," a mystical ode to one of Britain's famous stone circles, and "Caislean Oir," the leadoff track from the band's excellent 1985 release, Macalla, are prime examples. It's when the group abandons its lush new age tendencies and embraces generic adult contemporary pop -- "Something to Believe In" -- that the veil falls away, revealing a fast-food combo meal where there was once an elegant supper. ~ James Christopher Monger

  Bert And John CD - Import
  by Bert Jansch
Our Price: $11.99 CD
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Released in 1966, when Bert Jansch and John Renbourn were two of England's hottest young folk guitarists-but before the duo formed The Pentangle with Danny Thompson, Terry Cox, and Jacqui McShee-- BERT AND JOHN shows two guitarists at the peak of their immense instrumental and interpretive skills. Performing mostly with Jansch on acoustic guitar and Renbourn on electric, both playing in the traditional finger-picking style, the two spin dizzyingly complex webs of sound, soloing in counterpoint and playing in unison, sounding like two close friends who have been playing together for decades.

Highlights include the playful "Tic-Tocative," the exquisitely detailed "Soho," and the lovely closer, "After the Dance." But the centerpiece is a magnificent rendition of Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," recasting the jazz standard as a folk-style tour de force. The Wooded Hill reissue of BERT AND JOHN includes six bonus tracks, including The Pentangle's "Hole In The Cole."

UK reissue of the influential British folk artist's 1966 album with John Renbourn, remastered from the original tapes. 12 tracks including, 'East Wind', 'Piano Tune', 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' & 'Soho'. Standard jewelcase in a slipcase.


  Carols At Christmas CD - Import
  by Maddy Prior
Our Price: $16.09 CD
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Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band are an on-again off-again project led by one of England's finest folk singers, performing nothing but traditional and traditionally styled Christmas music. CAROLS AT CHRISTMAS IN CONCERT is a 17-track live set originally recorded in 1998, featuring such beloved tunes as "Coventry Carol," " Ding Dong Merrily On High," and "Angels from the Realms of Glory."

"Carols at Christmas" was recorded during Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band's sell out December 1997 tour. The album captures the festivity of the live concert and provides a refreshing mix of carols and dance tunes using medieval and modern instruments.

Personnel: Maddy Prior (vocals); Bill Badley (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, lute, mandolin); Giles Lewin (vocals, fiddle, tin whistle, bagpipe, shawm, recorder); Raf Mizraki (vocals, cello, drums, percussion, bells); Andy Watts (vocals, bagpipe, shawm, recorder, clarinet, curtal).



  Away We Go Soundtrack CD - Import
  by Sound Track
Our Price: $16.75 CD
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Alexi Murdoch's intimate, wintry songwriting dominates this soundtrack, which takes the bulk of its tracks from his breakthrough album, TIME WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE. Bob Dylan, George Harrison, the Stranglers, and the Velvet Underground are all ... awarded one song each, but the emphasis rarely strays from Murdoch's fingerpicked guitar and solemn vocals, resulting in a consistent vibe that almost functions like a movie score.

While the songwriter also contributes three unreleased songs to the project, AWAY WE GO might be too reminiscent of his existing albums to appeal anew to most Murdoch fans. Instead, this album caters to those who enjoyed the movie, as it offers up the same brand of wistful contemplation.

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