Serving as the ideal apex between the Old 97's' Texas twang and smart pop fascinations, Too Far to Care is instantly catchy and endearing, channeling heartbreaking desert soul and punk-fueled swagger all at the same time. Chief songwriter Rhett Miller turns a phrase like a doorknob and opens doors to dusty barrooms and tattered bedrooms, both containing the same boozy characters in various states of emotional undress. The initial blast of "Timebomb" carries through the first three song...   [ read more ]

CD $13.26

Now that Jimmy Buffett has tried repositioning himself as a country artist by cutting duets with the likes of Alan Jackson, Kenny Chesney and Clint Black, it should come as no surprise that the Parrothead influence has begun making its way into Nashville, and the first major-label effort from Zac Brown features not one but two songs ("Toes" and "Where the Boat Leaves From") devoted to the joys of getting buzzed and playing music in some seaside locale with good weather. Seeing how m...   [ read more ]

CD $13.28

Acoustic fingerpicker Jorma Kaukonen fiddled around with his country roots a bit in Jefferson Airplane and dipped a little deeper while fronting Hot Tuna, but his 2002 release, Blue Country Heart, is his most summertime-afternoon, front-porch-pickin' album. The album is comprised of traditional country songs from the '30s and '40s popularized by legendary performers like Jimmy Rodgers, Jimmy Davis, Gene Autry, and the Delmore Brothers. The blue country band features contemp...   [ read more ]

CD $6.64