Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Albums of 2022

I have no idea how many roots albums I bought, received for review, actually wrote about, listened to through a brief flirtation with a streaming service, and sampled via Polaris Music Prize jury membership, as well as other industry-provided downloads during 2022. But when I review other lists, I see a lot I am familiar…

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Fervor Coulee’s Favourite Roots Albums of 2020

I’ve been writing about roots music for 20 years, and have been assembling self-indulgent ‘favourite roots albums of the year’ lists for most of that time. While always a pleasant challenge, this year’s list was the most difficult for me to assemble. COVID-19 kept me even more tied to my remote music world this year,…

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Blackie and the Rodeo Kings- Kings and Kings review

A while back, Country Standard Time asked me to review Blackie and the Rodeo Kings’ latest, Kings and Kings. I had previously bought the download of the album for my own enjoyment, so I was more familiar with it than I normally am with an album by the time came to write about it. It…

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Roots Song of the Week: 2014 Polaris Music Prize Edition

[June 20- Since posting this piece on Thursday, the Long List has been announced.  While I have never seen more than three of my initial ballot choices make the Top 40 list, I don’t know if I’ve previously gone 0 for 5; likely, I have. I don’t get offended by this, but I do scratch my head.…

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Polaris Music Prize Long List 2012

Announced ealier today, and I am pretty excited. If memory serves, I’ve never before helped three albums make the list. From the Polaris site http://www.polarismusicprize.ca/article/416/the-2012-polaris-music-prize-long-list-is-here/ “The 2012 Polaris Music Prize Long List is (in alphabetical order): A Tribe Called Red – A Tribe Called Red Marie-Pierre Arthur – Aux alentours Rich Aucoin – We’re All…

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Kenny Baker Passes and Blackie & the Rodeo Kings reviewed

Over at Country Standard Time, I’ve posted a ‘review’ I wrote in 2002 of Kenny Baker’s Spider Bit the Baby! album which includes excerpts from my conversation with the fiddling legend. Baker died today at age 85: http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/fervorcouleebluegrass/entry.asp?xid=774 Another legend has gone home. My review of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings’ Kings & Queens album has…

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My Favourite Albums of the Aughts- Part Four of Four

The past two days have been very busy at Fervor Coulee, the busiest two days since the blog launched. I thank all of you for that, and again I’m hoping you are finding music recommendations that will lead you to new discoveries. Here are the top five- but really six- entries in my list of Favourite…

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My Favourite Albums of the Aughts- Part Two of Four

51. Wayne Scott- This Weary Way 2005 We may never hear another album from Darrell Scott’s father, but with songs like “It’s the Whiskey that Eases the Pain” and “I Wouldn’t Live In Harlan County,” I’m glad we got this collection of songs that stands beside the best of Kristofferson. 52. John Stewart- The Day…

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