Definitely Not Tin Ears and Burlaps Sacks

I must add my voice to the glowing recommendations in the latest DMG newsletters regarding the new Tin Hat Trio CD, _The Rodeo Eroded_. Imagine cowboy lament being caressed out of strings and accordion in a fin-de-sičcle Viennese cafe. The odd, angular track (Schoenberg must have dropped in for a visit and hogged the scene), and Willie Nelson singing a sweet old standard (his loveliest surprise since turning up on the Kinky Friedman tribute album). For fans of Masada String projects, Dirty Three, Dave Douglas“ Charms of the Night Sky and many, many more.

I should also like to say a few nice things about an obscure compilation CD constructed as a tribute to the Muscle Shoals sound by producer Edan Cohen. _Burlap Palace_ (Soundgun) contains cover tunes of "obvious" ("Take A Letter, Maria", "Chain of Fools", "I“m Your Puppet") and highly un-obvious material (Wham!“s "Careless Whispers" [?], "Hey Jude") and perfectly-right-at-home tunes (Dylan“s "Slow Train") by mostly unknown indie entities named Jeannie Brooks and the Blueskeepers, Devin Greenwood, Beth Case and Her Texas Love, or Nixon“s Head. I myself picked it up because it featured a favourite maverick of mine, Songs:Ohia, but it is a real find all around. Includes liner notes by Jerry Wexler. Can be checked out here <www.soundgun.com>. Stephen