By Noah W. Bailey
Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category.
Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper's fantastic Furr smells more like the Kinks than Neil Young. [Editor's note: That's why we put it on our indie-rock list.] We likewise discarded Shearwater's near-masterpiece Rook, despite the
Kate KunathDon't You Love Her Madly: Jolie Holland​
Admit it, San Francisco: Singer-songwriter Jolie Holland is like your ex-girlfriend who you never really got over. You haven't seen her in years, since the two of you broke up and she moved on to greener pastures and richer, better-looking boys, but you can't erase your memories of her from your mind. You still pine for her secretly, occasionally call her name during coitus sessions with current paramours, and play her CDs when no one else i
Brand New Folk: Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion​With all the hub-bub around freak-folksters like Devendra Banhart and alt.folk chanteuses like Jolie Holland, it's nice to see traditional folk hasn't been forgotten. However, it has been updated by third generation singer-songwriter Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo, granddaughter of Woody). Guthrie's upcoming release Go Waggaloo contains plenty of geetar-pickin', twangy vocals, and down-home flavor, along with modern references to such new
foam order.com
