By The Hand Of The Father was released in 02, Influence in 01. Hes been sick for a while, not sure if he was deathly ill then.

Billy, Im feeling you. This is definitely a slow starter.

i heard a couple of tunes off this live last year and liked 'em in that setting. I'm not crazy with the recorded output so far though. Like the one that I think I hear an accordian on, but so far that's the only song that grabbed me. Hopefully it's a grower...I'm a big fan of everything else he's done.

np: ray lamontagne

I've got mixed feelings about Alejandro. I'm enough of a fan to have put down 30 bucks for the Por Vida tribute album - but I've also sold more Alejandro reckids than I've kept.

IMO he doesn't have the vocal strength to pull off his own songs (he reminds me of Dave Alvin in that sense - great songwriter, merely adequate vocalist). And I'm not totally on board with his so-called chamber-folk. I think some of his best moments as a solo artist (and even back in the mid '80s with True Believers) have been the very few songs on which he's hit that rockin' mid-tempo "Tumblin' Dice"-fueled stride (like "Mountain of Mud", fer example). In fact, his live album More Miles Than Money tends to fall into a mopey stupor that only wakes up when he lets his guitar out of its cage on the Stones' "Sway".

So I'll probably still seek this out - but I'll definitely give it a listen before buying.


(and that "artist of the decade" title is a load of shee)

If you whittle the field of artists down to No Depression's primary market, I can't think of anyone I'd put above him for consistent quality over the last decade. Every album but this one is a gem to me and I'm not writing this one off yet.

I'd probably give that title to Lucinda Williams. Or Howe Gelb, Frank Black, Richard Buckner, Joe Henry, or Steve Earle. But that's just me.

I'd rule Frank Black out for not really fitting No Depression's primary market for enough of the last decade. After that, I'd put Alejandro above the rest. But that's just me.

<---- heads outside to punch the neighbor's cat.

would it be annoying or impatient of me to ask again?

Rectifying my earlier mistake, & getting this off Rhapsody now.

I'm only 4 songs in, & I like it so far...but am I the only one who thinks it has a really dated production sound? I'm talkin', it sounds like it was recorded in 1988 or somethin'.

I'm a fan, but haven't heard this one yet.

My buddy pete had gotten us on the list at Martyr's, but I was busy making lasagna in Vermont. He texted me from there, said it was a killer band, but a boring show, and that Alejandro seemed distant and detached. The guitarist, whom Pete knows, says that Alejandro is in great health now, maybe the best of his life, had hep c or something.

Regardless, I was sad to miss the show, but sadder to hear how it went. Pete and I are still big fans.