Folk/Country — All Formats  

Swedish folk-rock.

Wonderful work from Johnnie Allan – and tracks that definitely live up to the "swamp" promise in the title! The vibe here starts with 50s southern rock – a bit of twang from rockabilly and country – but there's also a heavy New Orleans influence in the rhythms that makes things really unique – a rolling way of hitting the groove that changes up the music from styles you might normally know! And at points, some other Louisiana elements creep into the mix, and really come out sounding great – a very cool blend of styles that only gets stronger in the later years. The set features a wealth of recordings for the Jin and Viking labels, plus detailed notes as well – and titles include "Little Fat Man", "South To Lousiana", "The Promised Land", "Let's Do It", "Your Picture", "What'Cha Do", "Cajun Man", "Nights Of Misery", "Secret Of Love", "Graduation Night", "I Cried", and "Somewhere On Skid Row".

A pair of overlooked gems from 70s singer/songwriter Marty Cooper – an artist who definitely leans towards the country side of the spectrum, but also comes across with more of a mellow rock feel too! A Minute Of Your Time is a 1972 set for the Barnaby label – one that beautifully mixes Cooper's raspy vocals with tunes that run from country twang to jazzier lines – especially on the tunes that feature sweet electric piano, and a bit less acoustic guitar. There's a knowing wink to some of these tunes – almost an echo of Lee Hazlewood, although Marty's a lot more sincere – and titles include "The Indiana Girl", "I Wrote A Song", "Mama Was A Cowgirl", "Cowboys & Daddies", and "To Say Goodbye To Anne". If You Were A Singer is a German-only album from the end of the 70s – but one that has Marty Cooper still working in the best mellow modes of his earlier work – kind of a commentary on country music and country ideals, nestled in a style that's real enough to have appeal to the mainstream it's commenting on. Titles include "Wine Wine Wine", "Stephen", "Like A Gypsy", "A Second Hand Song", and "Ten Dollar Room". CD features one bonus track – the previously unissued "The Biplane Evermore".

Pivotal singles from the amazing Wanda Jackson – one of the greatest female rock and country voices from the 50s onward – who mixes a cutesy coo and a feral growl for a sound that was pretty much unprecedented at the time! The material bridges proto rock and country music in a way that confused the heck outta radio programmers and the label's hope to break her into superstardom back in the day – and Wanda had a voice that could've (and should've) made her a star on par with the Sun Studios boys club. She's tough and tender at the same time – and Capitol producer Ken Nelson is near the top of his game here, too. This really is the best of her Capitol singles – 29 in all – including "I Gotta Know", "Fujiyama Mama", "Honey Bop", "Did You Miss Me?", "Right Or Wrong", "Sinful Heart", "In The Middle Of A Heartbreak", "Mean Mean Man', "Sympathy", You Bug Me Bad", "Silver Threads And Golden Needles", "Rock Your Baby", "(Every Time They Play) Our Song", "Little Charm Bracelet", "No Wedding Bells For Joe", "Honey Bop" and more.

The cover says this is "an album if great rockin songs by Wanda Jackson" and they are indeed pretty rockin! Rather than rock, these tunes are more rockabilly, of course – and Wanda's amazing, raspy yet pretty voice is definitely rooted in classic honky tonk, too. It's a really fun record from her prime at Capitol. Tracks include "Lonely Week-Ends", "Kansas City", "Fallin", "Hard Headed Woman", "Tongue Tied", "Sparkling Brown Eyes", and "Man We Had A Party". One of the highlights of the record is the killer guitar playing – with credit to Roy Clark!

A lovely full-length from singer-songwriter Jeanne Jolly – whose name you might recognize as a Foreign Exchange collaborator – and here on her own, she delivers in a beautifully sung and classic country-leaning style, though with a contemporary sound. It's really, really good stuff! It doesn't surprise us at all to see the Foreign Exchange name on a country-ish record, as they've been one of the most diversely soulful operations around for years now. Kudos to the label for branching out even further style-wise, but we don't want to deflect any credit from Jeanne – she's wonderful! Classic-rooted singer-songwriter material and with a perennial sound. Includes "Angels On Hayworth St", "Sweet Love", "Happy Days Café", "The Hard Way", "Long Way Home", "Long Way Home", "All Is Not Lost", "Round And Round Again", "The Kiss", "Good Man" and more.

A dream come true for all of us who ever loved the incredible songs of Kris Kristofferson at the peak of his craft – his late 60s and early 70s publishing demos – never before released versions of some of his best songs ever in the raw, unvarnished mode we always longed for! It's amazing stuff, including many tracks that would go on to be Kristofferson standards – numbers that got a little too clean and glossy on some of his own LPs and as recorded by others, which is what makes this compilation such a revelation. A genuine coup for our friends at Light In The Attic and a presentation of some of our favorite songs of the era by anyone – done raw and real, the way we always wanted to hear them! The set's produced by Mark Linn, who is responsible for the excellent Karen Dalton archival releases on the Delmore label, and he does similarly great work for Kris. It includes an excellent booklet with reminiscences by Dennis Hopper and Merle Haggard, full lyrics and notes from Kristofferson – plus rare photos and liner notes by Michael Simmons. Includes "Me And Bobby McGee", "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends", "Smile At Me Again", "Border Lord", "Just The Other Side Of Nowhere", "Slow Down", "If You Don't Like Hank Williams", "When I Loved Her", "Billy Dee", "Getting By, High And Strange" and more. 16 tracks in all.