Joe Ely appears on A Prairie Home Companion
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 – Joe Ely and accordion ace Joel Guzman will join Garrison Keillor and crew for A Prairie Home Companion Saturday, May 31, live from Las Cruces, N.M. The program airs in most markets on public radio beginning at 6 p.m. eastern, 5 p.m. central. Ely and Guzman are touring in support of their new release, "Live Cactus!," which features stripped down versions of some Ely classics, backed only with guitar and accordion. The music was recorded live last year at Austin's Cactus Cafe.
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CD reviews for Joe Ely
Live Cactus
As a country music "outlaw," Joe Ely has always stood out from the pack. On his latest, Ely has decided to forge an alliance with premier accordionist Joel Guzman, and the combination works.
This is not the typical Ely album with a lot of edginess. The live disc is a confluence of two excellent and distinct talents whose music covers a wide spectrum. With more than an hour of material available, there is a lot to choose from with the wispy balladry of "Up On the Ridge" »»» |
Silver City
As wonderful as The Flatlanders are, this all-star trio sometimes obscures the greatness of its individual members, which makes this such a surprisingly welcome revelation. It's an all-acoustic work, with Joe Ely singing, playing guitar and adding a little harmonica and percussion in various places.
Joel Guzman also contributes accordion. These 10 songs remind us once again what a truly commanding singer Ely is. One is tempted to call him the Chuck D. of country music because he sings »»» |
Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch
Don't let this CD's title fool you: you won't find much happiness running through these pained tracks. Joe Ely is oftentimes an inspirational leader when singing his songs, which may be why guys like Bruce Springsteen gravitate to him. Not so with this effort, however; Katrina's horror haunts this recording like a howling banshee. "All I wanna do is get back home," cries a troubled character in "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes," "instead of »»» |
Editorial: American Idol's Carrie Underwood can sing –
If anyone saw the Super Bowl – what a great great game that was – they would have heard American Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood sing the National Anthem. Underwood did with her voice what Kelly Clarkson did last week with her written words – give it to Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records,, who tried defending Taylor Swift by knocking American Idol performers. »»»
Concert Review: McBride, Adkins shine sometimes –
As Martina McBride pointed out, the pairing of the country singer with Trace Adkins on their current jaunt was surprising. After all, she's of diva-quality voice, petite, non-controversial unless you call singing songs that empower women controversial. Adkins, on the other hand, has not been afraid to speak his mind with a kick butt attitude.... »»»
Concert Review: Eilen Jewell wears her musical hats well –
Eilen Jewell wears a lot of musical hats. The Idaho native, who now lives in Boston, fronts the Eilen (ee-lin) Jewell Band, a pretty much traditional country band. She's a member the Sacred Shakers, an octet doing gospel country with a country beat. And she has yet another project, Butcher Holler, covering Loretta Lynn songs.... »»»
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