Show Three Notes
A note about this show: I was very excited to spin some songs off of the amazing recent album Hank Williams: The Lost Notebooks on this show. If you don’t know about the record, it’s basically comprised of a number of songs whose lyrics were found in Hank William’s notebooks after his death. They had never been set to music before and are recorded here by an absolutely amazing group of musicians from Emmylou Harris to Bob Dylan to Merle Haggard to Jack White. It’s a great album to listen to and really interesting in concept: it’s not a tribute album in the traditional sense because the songs had never been recorded before. It sets up a wonderful opportunity for the songs to be re-imagined without any overshadowing precedents and the result is a collection of fantastic tracks steeped in the ghost of Hank Williams.
(oh, and the formatting of this list is a little different. Artist- Song- Album- Label. But you’re smart people, you got it.)
1 Hank Williams- The Lost Highway - Best of Country: Hank Williams - X5
Here’s a good introduction to Hank Williams if by some insane chance you don’t already know who he is.
Sidenote: do you love Hank Williams? Steve Earle? Check out Steve’s new book I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive about a morphine addicted ex-doctor who can speak to Hank William’s ghost. It’s cool stuff.
2 John Hiatt- Damn This Town- Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns- new west records
3 The Black Crowes- Diamond Ring - By Your Side- Universal Distribution
4 Gary Clark Jr.- Don’t Owe You A Thing- The Bright Lights EP- Self Released
Everything this man has recorded is great, he has a very strong gritty blues sound for fans of the Black Keys who want more blues in their rock. He also does some great acoustic stuff for fans of David Ryan Harris and Mississippi John Hurt.
5 The Barr Brothers - Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying - The Barr Brothers- Secret City Records
Super cool new group whose first album lacks focus but not talent. Check out the track: Beggar in the Morning
6 Blind Willie Johnson- Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying- Dark Was the night - Columbia
The original version of the Barr Brother’s cover
7 Jerry Reed- Sittin on Top of the World- Jerry Reed Explores Country Guitar- RCA
8 Larry jon Wilson - Ohoopee River Bottom Land- Heartworn Highways – snapper
Do yourself a favor and buy Heartworn Highways right now. It’s gonna be one of the best movies you’ve ever seen and there’s just no question about that.
9 Muddy Waters- Got My Mojo Workin - You Shook Me- Universe
10 Cody Dickinson and Luther Dickinson - Done Laid Blame- Keys to the Kingdom- sounds of the south
11 Justin Townes Earle- Harlem River Blues- Harlem River Blues - bloodshot
12 Los Lonely Boys- Whatever Gets You Through the Night- Instant Karma- Sony Special Projects
13 Bruce Springsteen – Rosalita- The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle- Columbia
If you don’t like Bruce Springsteen you will like this song. Because I don’t like Bruce Springsteen and this song is awesome.
14 John Mellencamp - Jack and Diane - The Best That I Could Do - PolyGram
15 Elvis Presley- Never Been to Spain (Live) - Elvis Live- RCA
You will rediscover Elvis listening to this. One of my top 10 favorite live recordings for sure.
16 Johnny Cash – Jackson- Man In Black: His Greatest Hits- Columbia
17 Zach Gill- Handy Man – Stuff- Brushfire
Played piano on Jack Johnson’s Sleep Through the Static and stole the show with his original tunes when I saw Jack in Atlanta.
18 Edwin Mccain - Happy Song - Nobody’s Fault But Mine- Time/Life Music
Edwin McCain covers Ottis Redding? Cool.
19 John Legend- Slow Dance- Once Again- Columbia
20 Bob Schneider- Bullets- Lonelyland - Universal
Great gritty jam, like almost everything Schneider touches this song reeks cool.
21 Radney Foster- Folding Money - Are You Ready For The Big Show - Dualtone
22 The Subdudes- Lookin At You - Behind the Levee - Narada
Interesting duet, love the girl vox.
23 Hayes Carll- Just Wish I Hadn’t Stayed So Long - Little Rock- Lost Highway
24 Sheryl Crow- Angel Mine- Hank Williams: The lost notebooks – Sony
Forget you every heard “I’m gonna soak up the sun” and open your ears to these killer harmonies.
25 Jakob Dylan - Oh, Mama Come Home - The Lost notebooks of Hank Williams – Sony
LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE
26 The Wood Brothers - Angel Band- Ways Not To Lose- blue note
Very cool new vibe brought to an old classic here. Hated the weird noise intro when I first heard it but now I kind of think it makes the song.
27 The Stanley Brothers - Angel Band - Oh Brother Where Art Thou? – Universal
More traditional version that is still so fresh. We all need some old-timey harmonies in our life.
28 Doc Watson- i’m gonna lay my burdens down - 251 on praying ground- sugarhill
29 Gillian Welch, Allison Kraus, Emmylou Harris - Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby - O Brother Where art thou? – universal
Three of the most incredible women in music right now, you have to check them out if you haven’t already.
