The Back 40 : February 2006

The Back 40 gives you an idea what I've been playing
on Better Days. Listings are in no particular order; it's
not a contest. Recent additions show the artist's name
highlighted in red. If I think an album is the best they've
ever done, I highlight the album title in red. Visit these
artists' websites by clicking the link below their entry
and, where inspired to, support the artists' commitment
and gift by purchasing a copy of their music.

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Watch this site for radio specials aired outside the usual
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e-mail the show at cfrobetterdays@yahoo.ca

*****The Back 40*****

Mudshow : Krista Detor
http://www.kristadetor.com

Cello voice, finely-wrought songs, mesmerizing.

Hey Dreamer : John Spillane
http://www.johnspillane.ie/

Singer-songwriter won recent Irish Music award.

Rebecca Drive : Willy Clay Band
http://www.willyclayband.com/

Fresh country sounds from the arctic north of Sweden.

Hands Across The Water : Various Artists
http://www.handsacrossthewater.com/

Resonant trans-Atlantic benefit for tsunami orphans.

Burning Times : Christy Moore
http://www.christymoore.com/

The greatest living Irishman, at his interpretive best.

Prairie Wind : Neil Young
http://www.neilyoung.com/

Rust or fade away? Neil chooses life instead.

Giants : Donal Hinely
http://www.donalhinely.com/

The title cut alone is worth the price of admission.

I've Got My Own Hell To Raise : Bettye LaVette
http://www.bettyelavette.com/

Detroit blues-soul singer dishes out her best record ever.

Little Fugitive : Amy Rigby
http://www.amyrigby.com/

Amy writes from a unique, cuttingly female perspective.

Mantras For Madmen : Harry Manx
http://www.harrymanx.com/

Manx freshly combines blues and eastern sounds.

Fair & Square : John Prine
http://www.ohboy.com/

What would we do without this guy?

Lookaftering : Vashti Bunyan
http://www.anotherday.co.uk/

Thirty-five years between albums; worth the wait.

Gone But Not Forgotten : Emptyhouse
http://www.emptyhouse.info/

From the far north of Scotland, wonderful folk.

Iron Flowers : Grey De Lisle
http://www.greydelisle.com/

Grey makes new music that sounds old as the wind.

Stripping Cane : Jeffrey Foucault
http://www.jeffreyfoucault.com/

One of the best, lesser-known songwriters in America.

Flower Of Avalon : Tracy Grammer
http://www.tracygrammer.com/

Tracy revisits the late Dave Carter's songbook.

Humming By The Flowered Vine : Laura Cantrell
http://www.lauracantrell.com/

Laura's singing takes me away somewhere. Great cd.

Get Myself Together : Danny Barnes
http://www.terminusrecords.com/

Makes me laugh, with the blessing of all my feelings.

The Outsider : Rodney Crowell
http://www.rodneycrowell.com/

Rodney is putting it out there stronger than ever.

Two Birds : Kirsty McGee
http://www.parkrecords.com/

Original songs, beautifully sung by this UK artist.

Soul's Chapel : Marty Stuart
http://www.martystuartmusic.com/

Further evidence of Stuart's spiritual changes.

I Am A Bird Now : Antony & The Johnsons
http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/

Emotional incantations I like more with each listen.

Here Come The Choppers : Loudon Wainwright
http://www.loudonwainwright.net/

An American original. Loudon's best in a while.

Pulling Through EP : Karine Polwart
http://www.karinepolwart.com/

Scotland's best songwriter gives us five.

Cripple Crow : Devendra Banhart
http://www.xlrecordings.com/

Well-produced, without comprising his brilliance.

Song Of The Traveling Daughter : Abigail Washburn
http://www.abigailwashburn.com/

My selection for 2005 album of the year.

Chicago Wind : Merle Haggard
http://www.merlehaggard.com/

Haggard's in good voice, and is speaking out, too.

Mercy : Sam Baker
http://www.sambakermusic.com/

A survivor, an unknown, this is Baker's masterpiece.

Dreamin' My Dreams : Patty Loveless
http://www.pattyloveless.com/

Patty Loveless, a beautiful singer glowing in her prime.

American Jukebox Fables : Ellis Paul
http://www.ellispaul.com/

New England's Ellis Paul gets better each time out.

The Girl Who Couldn't Fly : Kate Rusby
http://www.katerusby.com/

She is a spellcaster. Another Rusby gem.

Begonias : Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell
http://www.caitlincary.com/

Begonias deservedly made many best of 2005 lists.

Childish Things : James McMurtry
http://www.jamesmcmurtry.com/

McMurtry's sinewy writing and guitarwork at their best.

Out Beyond Ideas : David Wilcox & Nance Pettit
http://www.outbeyondideas.org/

Ancient poems to new music, a lovely accomplishment.

Hair In My Eyes... : Corb Lund
http://www.corblund.com/

Albertan Lund's beat and humour are irresistable.

Blissville : Jeff Talmadge
www.jefftalmadge.com

Talmadge has made his best record yet with Blissville.

Part Of Your History : Jamie Hartford
http://www.johnhartford.com

Jamie pays beautiful tribute to his father's songs.

The Art Of Virtue : Adrienne Young
http://www.adrienneyoung.com
An exquisite and intelligent record, and a big wow!

Chavez Ravine : Ry Cooder
http://www.ryland-cooder.com

A sensitive aural movie about a vanishing Los Angeles.

DL