A Look at the Polaris Long List: 15. Rose Cousins – We Have Made A Spark

I’m not gonna claim country-tinged singer-songwriter music is my usual bag or area of expertise but I recognize good music when I hear it. Ground-breaking? Not really. Well done though? Absolutely. One thing I like about being on the Polaris jury is that it does force me to listen to music that I otherwise would not likely be exposed to. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. [note: the player above is a sampler featuring selections from Rose Cousins‘ We Have Made A Spark]

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 8. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings – Kings and Queens

This roots/country ‘super-group’ project features guest appearances by Emmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Mary Margaret O’Hara and more (?) perplexing Exene Cervenka (of legendary LA punk band, X), Patty Scialfa (aka Bruce Springsteen‘s fellow band-mate and wife) and jazz singers, Cassandra Wilson and Holly Cole.

Every time I hear a ‘critically-acclaimed’ country album, I hope it will be one referencing the more vintage/traditional country sound in the same way Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones reference vintage soul music sounds in their music, but (a few songs near the end excepted), this sounded like slightly better-than-average contemporary, mainstream, country radio fare to my ears, which leaves me cold for the most part. Kind of a let-down considering the pedigree and wattage of the star power involved in this project. Disappointing….

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 33. Frederick Squire – March 12

Country-folk (?) artist, Frederick Squire has a fantastic voice. Deep and rich like if Tom Waits took elocution lessons, to my ears at least. Of all the country-inspired albums I had to listen to for the Polaris, this was definitely one of the better ones.

A Look at the Polaris Long List: 28. Daniel Romano – Sleep Beneath the Willow

If I was turned off by the fact that Doug Paisley was a little too light on the alternative quotient in his supposed ‘alt. country’, Daniel Romano was like kryptonite to my ears by comparison. Maybe this is actually great and it’s execution of a down-the-middle trad. country sound (at least it didn’t sound like Top 40 country to me) noteworthy, but it was lost on me, frankly.

MP3 Stream (no download): Daniel Romano – Hellens Restaurant by woasong