Stuck in a Rut

I just discovered his music, and the lyrics and compositions are extremely good....so is his guitar playing,,his live recordings have exemplary sound quality.

female vocalist Maia Sharp has an outstanding CD called Maia Sharp with a great band. jazzy-rocky-country'ish...but great voice and production.

I second the Bluegrass suggestion. A recent excellent selection is the double "Alison Krauss + Union Station Live" album. IMO it's wonderfully recorded (and after just seeing them live at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, lauded as one of the finest music venues in the world, I contend that it's one of the finest recordings I have ever heard) and the talent level heard on this disk as far as bluegrass goes, is hard to beat. Another excellent record is Chris Thile's latest solo effort, "All Who Wander Are Not Lost."

I have also touted Jack Williams on this forum before. He is a little known singer/songwriter, but his Southen soulful sound is a great change of pace. You can find him @ www.jackwilliamsmusic.com There is also a good description of his music at www.allmusic.com

Nice Thread.

Z

Henry, I'm a bit younger than you but I love alot of the same era music you do. If you're looking for something recently released to look up at your local record store, check out the following:

Rosanne Cash "Rules of Travel", Ryan Adams "Rock and Roll" and "Love is Hell Part 1", Perfect Circle "Thirteenth Step", Guster "Keep It Together".

IMHO, you'll find something in each of these to appreciate for sure.

Good Thread. Follow through on the idea of listening to alternative radio stations on your computer. There is some great stuff out there for the finding. You can even link-up with European Stations, video included if you have DSL.

Also, if you have lots of CDs, try mixing them up and just keep playing from the top. My car has a CD player with cartridges that hold 6 CDs and i have three cartridges. A while ago I mixed up my whole collection and I just keep exchanging CDs. I drive alot and, by the time I get to the 'third' cartridge, I can't easily remember what is coming next so it is a pleasant surprize.

Finally, get yourself Satellite TV (I have Dish) and listen to the CDs. No commercials, and they show the playlist. Rock, Light Classical, Hip-hop, just about everything. Especially on Dish, the folks who program the Blues are outstanding.

I'm also in a bit of a rut. I listen primarily to classical
music, although I started 50 years ago with jazz. Stan Kenton's foray into orchestral music in the late '40s/early '50s rather channeled me into classical, where I've been ever since.

One thing I've found helpful is this: when you're buying an album of a composer with whom you're familiar, try to find one in which he/she has been paired with another composer. Most record companies tend to program albums that have more than one composer so that all selections are of a similar
nature, chronologically, geographically, etc.

Suggestion: give a listen to The Be Good Tanyas. Might not be your cuppa tea, but then again....

Jim