Interesting album released in Europe a little while ago, coming to the States next week: Joel Harrison on electric, fretless and steel guitars leads a fine line-up, featuring among others Rob Thomas on violin, Sean Conly excellent on the accordian, and Uri Caine on piano (only one track, unfortunately), through jazzed versions of country standards. Opens gloriously with Johnny Cash´s _I Walk the Line_ in a torch-song version with vocals by flavour-of-the-month, Norah Jones. I´d swear I also hear some swatches of Cash´s voice sampled in the background, too. One more Cash tune, five "traditionals", Merle Haggard, George Jones, "Tennessee Waltz", "Will the Circle Be Unbroken", and "This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie. Twelve tunes evenly split between vocals (one more by Jones, the rest by Harrison) and strictly instrumental. Fine listening.

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Stephen Fruitman
Dept of Historical Studies
Umea University
SE-901 87 Umea Sweden