CD-Charts Position 21
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9

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Damien Rice

Release Date November 06, 2006
Like a lot of people I was very hesitant as to whether 9 would live up to its predecessor and had to give it a few listens before I could pass judgement. Although in some aspects it is similar to O- "Dogs" possesses an innocence that would fit nicely with Damien's first album- to me it seems a lot more mature and some of the perfect, beautiful lyrics have been replaced with some more realistic and matter-of-fact ones which are actually just as powerful. For example the chorus of Rootless Tree (which involves a lot of swearing) to me is incredibly realistic and almost like a converstaion- "so * you and all we've been through, I said leave it, it's nothing to you, and if you hate me then hate me so good that you can let me out of this hell when ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 22
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The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Bob Dylan

Release Date March 29, 2004
This album contains some of Dylan's best songs, and alot of people seem to think that it's his best acoustic album. I have to say I disagree there, my favourite being 'another side', but this album has some great songs: there are protest songs such as 'a hard rain's a-gonna fall' (my favourite!) in which Dylan tells us about the hardships, poverty and injustice of the world with lyrics that paint almost horrific images in your mind, and 'oxford town', a short, very folky tune about racism in America, particularly in the south, and there are songs about lost friendships and love such as 'Bob Dylan's dream', 'corrina, corrina' and 'don't think twice, it's alright', plus bluesy comedies like 'Bob Dylan's blues' and 'I shall be free'. Yes, this album has ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 23
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Unhalfbricking

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Fairport Convention

Release Date March 03, 2003
Much of this album serves for me as a testimony to the wonderful drumming of Martin Lamble, that feathery touch and those rolls, often playing underneath the music, or just riding the beat. There was something shimmering (and almost held-back) in the music of their live gigs, with the texture lying between the drums and the bass playing. Lamble was an extraordinary player for a 19 year old. This album is also a melancholy listen: I still remember hearing them shortly afterwards with Dave Mattacks's embarassing drumming, and the music suddenly sounded so crude and so unlovely.

CD-Charts Position 24
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Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Tracy Chapman

Release Date September 24, 2001
Many artists have attempted to sum up the sadness and frustrations of those in impovershed communities. In doing so, many of these have aimed to offer genuine hope and encouragement at the same time. Issues such as poverty, gun crime, and oppression of working classes and ethnic minorities are not unusual song subjects. And yet, from punk to gangsta rap, I would defy you to find an artist who can sum them all up so eloquently and compassionately as Tracy Chapman.

The collection (chosen by Tracy herself) opens with Fast Car, the song which made her a star almost overnight. With its beautiful and subtle melody, the song draws the attention immediately, but the lyrics are the real star, delivering a bittersweet message about socail problems and the difficulty of breaking free. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 25
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Dear Heather

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Leonard Cohen

Release Date October 25, 2004
Much more varied than Ten New Songs, Dear Heather sounds patchy at first listen. But repeated spins reveal the beauty and the cohesive themes of the album.

Lord Byron's poem, Go No More A Roaming, sets the mood, with lovely backing by Sharon Robinson. The enigmatic Because Of, with its repeated refrain "Look at me Leonard/One last time" is a beautiful blend of eros and thanatos, spiced by wry humour and embellished with the beautiful voice of Anjani Thomas.

Simplicity rules on The Letters where Sharon Robinson and LC share the vocals, sometimes solo, sometimes together. With its sparse instrumentation, Undertow has a dreamy melody and evocative imagery with Thomas taking the female vocal.

Morning Glory is another oneiric soundscape with tinkling keyboards ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 26
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A Tapestry of Carols

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Maddy Prior

Release Date October 10, 2005
I've been listening to this every Christmas for the last eighteen years and haven't got tired of it yet. The bouncy, folky style of performing carols is much more to my taste than the more solemn choral recording of carols that you generally get.

This album has a nice mixture of carols, some well-known, some less well-known, some merry and some quiet, but all beautifully performed. I have yet to find another christmas collection that I like better than this one. If this doesn't put you in the mood for Christmas, nothing will.

CD-Charts Position 27
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Greatest Hits

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Leonard Cohen

Release Date July 16, 1990
In March of this year Lou Reed inducted Leonard Cohen in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the words, "We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is". This greatest hits collection, with its memorable front-cover photograph, shows why Reed was so unusually magnanimous and effusive. Cohen's self-deprecating words on `Chelsea Hotel' and impassioned vocal performance on `Take This Longing' are just two of twelve examples included here which illustrate why Cohen is talked of in the same breath as legends of popular music like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan (The only drawback of this particular collection is that it was first released in 1975 and therefore does not include later work, of comparable quality to that featured here, like 1984's `Hallelujah' nor 1988's `Tower Of Song').
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CD-Charts Position 28
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After The Morning

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Cara Dillon

Release Date February 27, 2006
Amazed at the review of this album, which is mainstream and forgettable. A real disappointment given the high praise Cara Dillon has received. Go out and buy Rachel Unthank!

CD-Charts Position 29
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Shepherd Moons

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Enya

Release Date November 04, 1991
There is no doubt that you know just what you will get from an Enya album,multi layered vocals,soothing piano and haunting melodies.In that sense,you could say that she is predicatble but when this type of music is done so well it is hard to fault.'Shepherd Moons' is one of Enya's finest pieces of work with many fine tracks.

'Caribbean Blue','Book Of Days' and 'How Can I Keep From Singing?' are all classic Enya.If you just want to wind down after a tough day you could do a lot worse than to put on this CD and chill out.A class act.

CD-Charts Position 30
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We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions / American Land Edition [CD+DVD]

CD-Charts > Music > Contemporary Folk
by: Bruce Springsteen

Release Date October 02, 2006
If, as I suppose, the main purpose of these reviews on Amazon is to orient prospective purchasers, then I had better warn all you die hard Bruce fans that you will be wasting your time if you read the following. My comments are aimed at the not so committed who, for example, rate "Tunnel Of Love", "Born To Run" and a few other albums but can take or leave a lot of his output for a variety of reasons. The main one being of course that he never lived up to the hype.
I am convinced that if some less well know musician had wanted to do this project they would have been turned down. There must be quite a few bands out there across the USA who on any given Friday or Saturday night are belting out these same songs and have always done so and will forever continue to do so. These are NOT songs in danger of oblivion (one ... Read More: