Bloggerhythms

 The Flatlanders' 1972 debut LP  New York Magazine (not to be confused with The New Yorker ) recently published an article for people who are tired of searching everywhere for new art and entertainment in order to remain relevant. Working under the theory that the more birthdays people accumulate the harder it is for them to discover fresh stuff NY Mag decided to help these poor souls by publishing a list of 60 albums you probably haven't heard in their issue of November 18, 2013. They began the article by asking, "Exhausted by trying to keep up with new culture? Why not give up altogether?" Then they selected ten albums from each decade beginning with the 1950s through the 2000s for your consideration. The only album of the sixty that I own is The Flatlanders' 1972 debut, More A Legend Than A Band featuring a lineup that included Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock. All three later went on to have semi-successful solo careers in country...

Let's start out by saying that alternative country music artist Jimmie Dale Gilmore is an acquired taste. To put it mildly, he has an odd voice, which can be off-putting to a lot of people. But he always sings in tune which is more than can be said about many of his contemporaries. One critic wrote that Gilmore's voice is not appealing enough to listen to him do an album of covers. I disagree. (He wrote only two of the thirteen songs on this disc.) Gilmore, who is devoted to his beloved Texas, performs these songs by well known rock and country composers in a style that compensates for his voice. He performs with a full electric band, playing light rock or country arrangements and brings an appealing originality to the songs. If Gilmore ever wanted to be a rock' n roller rather than a country singer he would have done it well. Gilmore covers songs by singer-songwriters such as Jesse Winchester, John Hiatt and Walter Hyatt. There is a cover of Jerry Garcia's Grateful...