We’re heavy on the traditional music this week, with a little bit of Contemporary Christian goodness for seasoning. The bonus track is one of the first folk songs I remember listening to as a small boy. And lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Hole and a lot of Don Gibson, who have nothing much in common except their capacity to comfort me this week. Mac Powell and Iris Dement have voices that make me shiver. Axl Rose haunts my dreams every once in a while, and the Robert Cray track strikes very, very close to home.
And even my worst enemies think better of me because I am so hopelessly devoted to Emmylou Harris.
1. “(Right Next Door) Because of Me”, Robert Cray
2. “Tangled and Wild”, Oh Susanna
3. “Touch the Morning”, Don Gibson
4. “Wasteland of the Free”, Iris Dement
5. “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind”, Keith Whitley
6. “Violet”, Hole
7. “Jamaica, Say You Will” Jackson Browne
8. “Civil War”, Guns n’ Roses
9. “Wish We Were Back in Missouri”, Emmylou Harris
10. “Restore to Me”, Candi Pearson-Shelton and Mac Powell
Bonus Track: “Sailing on the Lonesome Sea”, June Carter Cash
My cousin called me up out of the blue because he had heard GNR’s “Civil War” on the radio and wanted to know what it was really about. The sad/awesome thing was, I had a few theories and could recite the lyrics off the top of my head. Oh, Axl…
I’m just pleased someone played it on the radio — at 7 minutes plus, it’s a bit long for traditional formats. Then again, so was “November Rain.”