You know, Country & Western!
This ain't your Dad's country music. It's your Granddad's! None of that new Nashville bullshit either. This is where you'll find what I consider the best in Country (Classic and Alt), Folk, and Americana.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Zoe Muth - If I Can’t Trust You With A Quarter
Ladies, take this to heart.
————
It was cold Thursday night in January when I first met you at the bar. We’d been smoking our cigarettes with the heater on, listening to Elvis in my car. Well the place was pretty empty. I worked on my second rum and Pepsi, just longing for the sound of a sad country song. When you moved a little closer I had no intention of saying “no sir”, then you asked me for a quarter…that’s when it all went wrong.
Chorus:
You know I’m a jukebox honey, but I ain’t got much money. Said you had song that you wanted to hear so I gave my change to you. When I heard that jukebox start, I knew the cupid’s dart had missed its mark. If I can’t trust you with a quarter, how can I trust you with my heart?
It was still another week ‘til payday and I had a big old pile of laundry to do. I’d been saving my quarters for a wash and dry, but like a fool I gave them all to you. Well they say a decent man is hard to find when your taste in music is as good as mine and I just could not ignore what I already knew. When you said that you’d never heard of John Prine, well I knew right away you weren’t worth my time. And I’m sorry to say hon before we’d begun, we were already through.
Chorus…
You can call me stubborn, you can call me a snob. You can even call me downright mean, but I’ve got the finest record collection that you’ve ever seen.
Chorus…
ZOE MUTH & THE LOST HIGH ROLLERS
Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers - Country Blues
This song is so damn good - Zoe’s voice, the arrangement, the subtle electric guitar work, the mandolin solo & the fade out/in of the band at the end - just perfect. One of my favorites so far this year.
Scenes from Bristol Rhythm and Roots Day 2. Also, I need to learn how to take pictures. Can you say amateur?
Scenes from Friday night at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion.
Looking forward to more today: JP Harris! Robert Earl Keen! Dale Watson!
Most cover albums I can do without. Too straight forward. If you aren’t bringing anything new to the table *cough* like these recent Johnny Cash tributes *cough*, why bother? Not the case with Zoe Muth and the High Rollers’ new EP, “Old Gold”.
This 6-song set features 5 covers and 1 original. There’s a lot to like about the band’s laid back sound here. It’s uncomplicated - just a singer and her favorite songs. I’ve compiled the originals with Muth’s covers in this playlist.
When you get past the obscurity factor — let’s face it, Charlie Feathers, Dock Boggs and the McGarrigle Sisters aren’t exactly household names — you appreciate how she makes these her own. If we weren’t told these were covers, it’s not something we’d like find out on our own. They sound like songs you’d hear the band play in any set. Not that I’ve seen them play, but I’ve got an active imagination. None of the music feels out of time or out of place; especially given that the newest song, aside from the lone original, is John Prine’s Maureen, Maureen and that dates back to 1984.
Consider this an Unplugged effort - the sound’s little less honky-tonk and a little more coffee shop, but it still stands out as a fine country album. Muth’s voice has just the right amount of twang that keeps you coming back for more.
I need an album rating system, but in the mean time I call this an excellent effort: 87/100.
Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers Old Gold is available for $5.94 at amazon and iTunes.
