Sarah Jarosz "Over The Edge"

I was on the fence on this track when I first heard it.

I like Sarah Jarosz, and mvyradio has played tracks from her first two records.

But this song had stepped beyond what I initially liked about what Sarah does, which has been a clear-voiced, impeccable approach to roots music.

One of the folks working the record to radio asked me what about this track had me on the fence.

"I dunno.  It seems like she's trying to make a Patty Griffin sounding record."

His response:  "Is that a bad thing?"

We added the song.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Patty Griffin "Ohio"

I was watching the new Patty Griffin video for "Ohio" which features Robert Plant, and was thinking back to seeing Plant two years ago.

It was the first time I had noticed how dang sexy Patty Griffin can be.

Now that we know they're a couple, it's funny to think back on that and realize that Robert Plant was probably thinking the same thing . . .

Hear more from Patty Griffin tonight, as we play "American Kid" as the mvyradio Album Of The Week.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Solomon Burke "Up To The Mountain"

Why is it that we mark deaths, with greater sentiment than achievements?

I mean, its good to have an alarm clock of sorts that rings to remind you of a person.  But stopping down to think about them at the moment of their death doesn't seem like the proper honor.

Same thing with their birth.  Don't get me wrong, I love birthdays.  But really, why are you celebrating my birthday?  I didn't do anything.  If anyone deserves a cake on March 10th, its my Mom.

So, tomorrow, people are going to talk about the passing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was shot to death on April 4th, 1968.

Wouldn't it be better to have your moment of reflection on the man and his message, to coincide with something like his "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech, delivered on April 3, 1968?

It's uplifting message, it's hopeful nature, it's faith in the divine and the earthly---that is what is worth marking and remembering.


Hear the song Patty Griffin wrote and Solomon Burke recorded, inspired by the MLK speech, on Youtube.


Hear the last minute of the speech on Youtube.


Hear the full speech on Youtube.

And the full text of the speech can be found here.

She & Him "Never Wanted Your Love"

Aaaaaannnnnnd . . . right on cue . . .

Last week I was struggling with that first-quarter-of-the-year issue of having lots of great songs, but few familiar voices to keep a good mvy-like balance to our playlist.

While we had plenty of holes in the playlist to fill, I resisted the urge to load it up with unfamiliar voices, knowing that I would be rewarded with patience.

No sooner had a reported my playlist to the trades on Monday morning (including new Adds from fairly familiar voices JJ Grey and Billy Bragg), then we received:

a)  A "for your ears only" private link to hear Lori McKenna's new album in full, which will be here in a few weeks

b)  Patty Griffin's first new single in 5 years, "Ohio," featuring Robert Plant.

c)  The new She & Him track from the forthcoming "Volume 3"

Playlist problem solved.  Balance restored.



Hear the song on Youtube.

Patty Griffin "I Smell A Rat"

Let the rumor-mongering continue!

It began earlier this week, when Robert Plant was talking to a journalist and said "I eloped and ran off to Texas."

His publicist later explained that Plant was just being "Cheeky" and was not actually married to singer-songwriter Patty Griffin.

If you've ever watched an unedited interview Plant, you know that he is hilarious, often wry, sometime deadpan, sometimes dry.  I'm sure the "eloped" quote was funny in the moment, but reads much more seriously than he meant it.

Okay, so he's not married to Patty Griffin.

But it does seem like the part about them being a couple is true.

Note that Griffin is on the bill for Newport Folk.

Shall we put 2 and 2 together and have it add up to unsubstantiated hysteria?

If you know anything about Robert Plant, you perhaps know that he is deeply interested in American Roots music, but has (to my knowledge) never appeared at the legendary Newport Folk Festival.

Do I smell a surprise appearance?

Or do I just smell a Jack-White-Is-Coming-To-Newport rat?


Hear the song on Youtube.

Patty Griffin "Rain"

I'm on vacation this week, so please enjoy a week's worth of mini-stories . . .

Around the time this song came out, my friend Martin asked me what I'd been listening to.

I sent him a bunch of names, and he sent back his reviews.

About Patty Griffin's "Rain," he said something to the effect that this was the music that depressed mid-Western housewives would listen to.

And despite the fact that I am not bored, depressed or a housewife---I did and do love this song and love Patty Griffin's voice.

But even today, because of Martin, when I hear "Rain" I can only think of Julianne Moore in "The Hours."



Hear the song on Youtube.


See the movie clip on Youtube.

Robert Plant "Nobody's Fault But Mine"

Here's a clearinghouse of thoughts on seeing Robert Plant in concert last week. None of these notes merit a full on posting, but all are worth a mention.

I'd kinda forgotten that Plant can play a pretty mean harmonica, which he did in his capacity as a back-up musician, when a Band Of Joy-er got took the spotlight.

Plant gave Buddy Miller, Darrell Scott and Patty Griffin each a chance to front the band, while he stepped into the shadows, taking on the role of back up singer. How the hell did Patty Griffin not spend her whole tune thinking, "Robert Plant is my freaking back-up singer!!!" (Maybe she did)

Neither Buddy Miller nor Darrell Scott look like those incredible voices could be coming out of their mouths. They're both kinda rugged-looking, but their voices are both clear and clean.

I wasn't surprised that, if he were going to play a few Zeppelin tunes, "Ramble On" was among them. But did I detect a slight note of embarrassment when the 60-something singer delivered a line written by his 20-something self that was lifted from---how hippie-ish!---Lord Of The Rings? "Gollum, the evil one, crept up and slipped away with her . . ."

While I could go on and on about how beautiful Patty Griffin's voice is (my friend John said, "If God was real, he'd have Patty Griffin's voice"), I don't know that I'd have ever described her as "sexy." Until I saw her shaking maracas and singing back up to "Nobody's Fault But Mine."

Speaking of Patty's singing, her many roles on this tour were interesting. She can simply be a back up singer, providing a fuller, higher compliment to Plant. She can fulfill the Alison Krauss/female counterpart role on "Raising Sand" songs like "Please Read The Letter." Or she can be a substitute Plant, tackling the waaay-high notes that Plant sang near the end of the recorded version of "Gallows Pole."

Not that the House Of Blues is small, but it must be one of the smallest venues Plant has played in many years. When he was touring with "Raising Sand," they were in much larger places.

Boston was the first stop of Led Zeppelin's first trip to America, over 40 years ago. Patty Griffin and Darrell Scott both played around town for years. And Buddy Miller and drummer Marco Giovino have family in Boston. Bassist Byron House must've felt left out. Especially when Plant introduced everyone in the band, but forgot him!

We were invited to an After Party, and Mr. Plant was there to Meet & Greet. After hanging out for a half-hour or so, waiting my turn, I realized that though I love him, I really didn't have anything I wanted to say to Robert Plant. So rather than stammer something stupid, we left.

The show-opening "Nobody's Fault But Mine"


"Angel Dance"


"Ramble On"


"Rock N Roll"

Robert Plant "Angel Dance"

Last night's Robert Plant show at The House Of Blues in Boston probably merits a few different posts. But the thing that stands out to me, in the immediate aftermath, is The Band Of Joy.

Unlike a few of his contemporaries, Robert Plant has steadfastly refused to act like he's still a cocky 20-something. I knew this going into the show, and wondered, If he's not going to prance and pose a la the concert film "Song Remains The Same," how will he command the stage? How will his presence manifest itself?

It was through the power of The Band Of Joy.

Drummer Marco Giovino's kit was set to the back of the stage (as drummers usually are) and the rest of the band created a kind of square on stage. Guitarist Buddy Miller was at the front of the stage to Plant's right, bass player Byron House was set behind Miller. Patty Griffin was at the front of the stage to Plant's left, and multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott was set behind her.

And Plant stood in the middle of this four-square style set up.

When the band was really cooking through an instrumental section of a song, they'd all turn inward toward Plant, and I swear it was like they were focusing light through a prism.

And when they all turned back to their microphones, each to lend their voice as a back-up singer, like the "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"s during "Angel Dance," I half expected Plant to be levitated off the stage.

Aging frontmen should take this lesson: the right chemistry can produce half the smoke but all of the burn.


(the stage plot is slightly different in this video than last night, but you get the picture)

Patty Griffin "Up To The Mountain"

Well, you've can relax now, and stop pretending for 7 more months. American Idol is over and you don't have to act like you don't watch and don't care.

Yeah, people with refined taste in music will turn their nose up at the Idol machine as it grinds out disposable stars like sausages. But, even if you are a music snob, there are reasons to love Idol.

Patty Griffin's longevity, for one.

Okay, I'll pretend that you don't know anything about American Idol (even though I know you do), and fill you in on the fact that one of the final competitors, Crystal Bowersox, sang Patty Griffin's song "Up To The Mountain" during the finale. And this song will be Bowersox's first single.

Millions of folks who have no idea who Patty Griffin is, will rush to iTunes and buy this song. And no, it probably won't turn them into music connoisseurs.

But because Patty is the songwriter, she gets a cut of every song that is sold. And she gets a cut based on how many times the Idol version gets played on the radio.

Tremedous artists like Patty Griffin may never get the same level of attention as a paint salesman from Chicago who wins Idol. But having her song recorded by an Idol, gets her a big paycheck, and that insures that Patty Griffin can afford to be the creative, non-mainstream artist that those with refined tastes can enjoy.

So hate on Idol if you want, but, for Patty Griffin, love it, too. I won't tell.







Solomon Burke, who recorded it for "Nashville" sings with Patty


And OMG! Susan Boyle did it too. So I guess Patty didn't need Idol, necessarily, because this is one of the best selling albums of the decade!

Robert Randolph "If I Had My Way"

I cast a critical eye on the new Robert Randolph record.

I had seen him open for Susan Tedeschi many years back, and was completely blown away by his abilities on the sacred steel. His incendiary live performance had but one weak spot that night---some pretty sketchy vocals by the band.

Studio recordings have a way of making a forgivable live weakness, a real obstacle toward success.

Their first major label record was a modest accomplishment. It certainly didn't fully capture what this band could do, but it did ring of promise. I had high hopes for the second record.

Maybe they were too high. Or maybe the record was exactly what I thought it was--a shattershot attempt to try to gloss over the weakness, with a gaggle of ringer talent brought on board to co-write songs, commercialize the production and draw attention with celebrity guest shots.

It may have had some commercial success, but I thought it was a complete mess.

So where were they gonna go from here?

Well, good thought to hire T Bone Burnett as a producer. I can't think of a man out there who can bring more authentic earth and roots to a commercially viable album.

But the first single arrived and I thought . . . a cover tune huh? Of an old gospel song? Okay, so no attempts to write songs that they could sing and be convincing on?

A friend of mine pointed out what a great idea it was to pull out this song as a cover in 2010---It was a great idea Patty Griffin did it this winter on her album "Downtown Church."

I listened to it and I liked it but I had all these negative, critical things to say about it.

And then I stopped being a critic. I stopped thinking about what it should be and what I wanted it to be and what it could someday be. And I enjoyed it.

Sometimes you've got to let the critic take a break, because otherwise, he sucks the fun out of listening to music.