Commander Cody already gained cult status with his band The Lost Planet Airmen by 1980 when he was invited to play the Rockpalast. His music wandered between the genres blues, country rock, boogie, rockabilly and texmex spiked with his very own wit and humor. The audience witnessed a colorful, high energy concert evening in the WDR Studio A in Cologne. In his known manner Commander Cody was rocking through the set list, always with a tongue-in-cheek. That evening he was accompanied by Steve Mackay (saxophone, vocals), Tona Johnson (drums, vocals), Bill Kirchen (guitar, vocals), Doug Killmer (bass, vocals) and Peter Siegel (pedal steel guitar, guitar).

Songwriter Joe Henry has recorded five albums in the 21st century; he’s also become a Grammy-winning producer. These more recent records (of 12) offer a mature view of an artist at his most musically ambitious and lyrically cagey. Reverie, as its title implies, contains 14 songs that seemingly center on the concept of time: the random glinting of memory as it perceives love, loss, spirituality, history, and culture refracted through the gaze of the human heart. Musically, it feels like the loosest album Henry’s ever recorded; its production techniques are organic, live sessions were cut in his home studio with the windows open, allowing the sounds of everyday life–barking dogs, mothers calling children, cars and trucks– to pour through, making them part and parcel of the album's fabric. Henry's lyrics and melodies do, however, contrarily reveal an exacting craftsman. He and his guitar are accompanied by longtime associates, drummer Jay Bellerose, pianist Keefus Ciancia, and bassist David Piltch, with cameos by Patrick Warren, Marc Ribot, Jean McLain, and Lisa Hannigan. His lyrics – scattershot, mercurial expressions of memory – are caught in exacting rhymes that reflect on the power, delight, and torment of desire (he admits as much at the end of his liner essay). The musical forms are more rhythmically inventive and slippery; they serve his ephemeral, evocative lyrics by opening them up to time’s uncageable nature.

Available everywhere February 22nd, 2019, Wayward Skies is the debut full length album from southern Illinois native and Nashville, TN based roots country rock artist Dom Wier. This record is a culmination of Wier’s efforts over the past 10 years, which include more than 1200 shows performed, a thousand songs written and half a million miles traveled on America’s highways and backroads. From the dark corners of the smokiest backwoods bars in the south to noteworthy festival stages, this songwriter and working musician has seen the harsh realities of the music business, the joys of hard won little victories, and along the way put pen to paper.

Long before he'd evolved into a fully-fledged cult figure, Joe Meek was the UK's first fully independent record producer. This unique 2CD set traces his career from his earliest sessions, as a sound balance engineer in the mid-'50s, to his emergence as a major songwriter and hit maker in the early '60s. It includes many of Meek's biggest records, including five UK # 1s by, Anne Shelton, Lonnie Donegan, Frankie Vaughan, Emile Ford and John Leyton, plus several other major million selling hits! Indeed, more than half of the sixty sides included herein were significant UK hits. This set also includes several collectors' rarities, previously unavailable on CD, most notably Gary Miller's unfeasibly-rare 'Moby Dick'. John Fraser's 'Golden Cage' and Geoff Goddard's 'Girl Bride'. If you are looking for what is by far the most interesting Joe Meek-related compilation for years then this is it!

Like her signature song "Ode to Billie Joe," Bobbie Gentry is an enigma by choice. "Ode to Billie Joe" deliberately leaves out details that would spell out the story and Gentry removed herself from public view sometime in the late '70s for reasons that have never been fully disclosed. Many have tried to track her down because her cult not only persisted into the 21st century, it even grew – so much so that an observer would be forgiven if they believed Gentry was something of an outsider artist instead of a mainstay on television who hosted a variety show of her own…

Big Country Bluegrass draws from the same old time and mountain music traditions that the first generation of musicians drew from when bluegrass burst on the scene in the 1940s. A tight band sound is central and the harmony vocals supportive, and they are built around the distinctive high lead singing which highlights the group's sound. The band's new release, their fifth for Rebel Records, marks 32 years as a group, and their dedication to traditional bluegrass is just as strong now as it was when they started back in 1987. Choice material and heartfelt singing coupled with their spirited drive and energy highlight each recording, and Mountains, Mamas, and Memories offers plenty of evidence that the group continues to produce outstanding recordings.

Tony Joe White, aka the Swamp Fox, has been on a roll these past few years, issuing album after self-released album of quality original material full of deep, dark, blues-flavored Florida vintage roots music.Heroines is no exception, but it is a record with a twist. First, it's on the Sanctuary label. Secondly, five of the record's 12 tracks are recorded with female vocalists in duet. They include the great Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Michelle White. The set opens with "Gabriella," a brief, jazzy flamenco-kissed instrumental, played on a pair of acoustic guitars. "Can't Go Back Home" stars Lynne. A true laid-back Tony Joe nocturnal swamp blues, it nonetheless carries within it that slightly menacing tension. Lynne's voice, which is well known for its power, showcases its other side here, one that is expressive, soulful and sensual even on slow burn. White's vocal whispers its edgy truth, underscored by his signature guitar sound.

Baez Sings Dylan is a 1998 compilation CD by Joan Baez. Focusing on the music of Bob Dylan, this was released by Vanguard Records and contains 20 songs.

He has the voice of a survivor, one who by the age of thirty had endured poverty, troubled youth and hard time in one of California's toughest prisons. In the late `60's, a time when far too many Nashville Country records were smothered in full orchestras and choirs to attract adult pop audiences, Merle Haggard helped jerk the music back to its senses.

Cancer Cruise And Miracles is the 2013 CD single by Sherelen Wildhaber. A cancer survivor, this American woman shares her story on the back cover while also giving the world two songs to show and share her inner strength. For fans of cancer music.

Feeling all out of love and a bit lost without someone, wondering what you are without that special person but are hoping to be able to apologize and let them know you were so wrong? Then you'll want to check out this new 3CD compilation from Sony Music called Heartbroken, made for those who are feeling left out on Valentine's Day or any time of the year. 56 original recordings done by the original artists, just listen.

Tony Joe's first U.S. release since 1983 finds the swamp-rocker in rare form. Produced by Roger Davies – Tina Turner's manager/producer, and the one responsible for her '80s breakthrough – this is the most cohesive album he's made since his early Monument LPs with Billy Swan. Tony Joe is kept tightly focused with a small combo (Hammond organ, bass, drums), and the rest of the space in the mix is occupied by the star's funky guitar, harmonica, and breathy vocals, recorded so close he sounds like he's two inches from the listener's face. It also helps that Tony Joe's songwriting skills have only sharpened over the years; the disc is simply loaded with great songs, including "Crack the Window Baby," "Gumbo John," "I Want My Fleetwood Back," and the moody "Cold Fingers," "I Believe I've Lost My Way," and "Across From Midnight." One of his very best, and as highly recommended as they come.

The Anthology Part III, LIVE is part three of Garth's massive five part anthology. Part III is an exciting, detailed, insider look at the electrifying concerts of Garth Brooks. From just being a bar bouncer to playing with only a few people watching at Willie's Saloon in Stillwater OK, to being an opening act for Reba, The Judds and Kenny Rogers to finally headlining his own tours which garnered him 6 CMA Entertainer of the Year awards. You get to watch the audience grow larger and larger with each show, from the multi-sold-out stadium shows around the world, to the historic night in Central Park where over a million people gathered to witness the entertainer of a lifetime! You are part of Garth's entourage for the whole thing. The 5 CDs contain 52 live recordings, including the new live album, TRIPLE LIVE. It's the soundtrack of the record breaking, number one tour in North American history.

Moving to United Artists revitalized her career at a time when she seemed to be struggling commercially. A couple of duet album with Kenny Rogers helped her cause, but that renewed success wasn't sustained for very long and this 1981 album didn't do particularly well although it has much to commend it. While I wouldn't rank this among my favorite Dottie West albums (there are so many to choose from), I always enjoy hearing it when I get around to playing it. If you consider yourself a fan of Dottie's music, this is definitely worth a listen.