You know when you share someone’s musical taste, you’re gonna like the music they come up with. So if you like Hayes Carll, Jon Dee Graham, Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen, and those kinds of guys, Leaving, TX, is right down your alley.
In Anywhere On Good Roads, the boys from Leaving, TX have come up with a fine sophomore release filled with songs about drinkin’, smokin’, lyin’, and killin’. And drinkin’. Okay, pretty much all the songs are about drinkin’. But that’s okay. We like that.
I am still listening to Icky Thump (White Stripes) and enjoying it more each time, so maybe that’s my favorite album of 2007. I really think Jack White brings something unexpected to the table every single time and you gotta respect that. This whole CD is full of innovative creations of the non-typical sort. Check out “CONQUEST”!!! People who think your music collection is a little “country heavy” will appreciate this one. It’s just fun. (more…)
By now, you may have seen Billy Joel’s new song, Christmas In Fallujah, on the internets. There’s been a lot of commenting on blogs both pro and con. Much is being made of the fact that he enlisted a young singer, Cass Dillon, to do the song since Cass is the same age as a typical soldier serving in Iraq.
I only mention this because about a year and a half ago Naomi reviewed a uniquely poignant and sometimes bitterly ironic protest CD by Jefferson Pepper titled, coincidently or not, Christmas In Fallujah.
At the time, Slacker Country didn’t know that the song had been inspired by Jefferson Pepper’s neighbor, Army Medic David Maples.
After Billy Joel released his song/video, David’s mother Lisa put together a video of the original Christmas In Fallujah and posted it on YouTube.
I’m certainly not arguing that Billy Joel stole Jefferson Pepper’s idea here. I don’t know. Maybe he thought up the title and wrote a song about being stuck in Iraq for the holidays from a soldier’s perspective entirely on his own. I’m only posting this so the original song isn’t forgotten in all the fuss and furor…