Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart – S&M Communion Bread
Its easy to compare Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart to Americanas reigning couple, Julie & Buddy Miller, as both duos are composed of a sweet singing woman and a gruffer-voiced, guitar-playing husband. But Earle & Stuart arent mere Miller wannabees; their understated, folky music is charming and distinctive in its own right. The highlights of their second studio duo disc include Earles Oh, Well (a bittersweet slice-of-life tale of tax-paying and car repairing), the jazzy twang ditty Are You Ready? and the stirring, gospel-rooted When I Walk Alone. Earle sings lead on most of the eleven tunes and six songs are solely her compositions, but Stuarts versatile, subtle guitar fortifies the entire album. He also provides the most political tune, the anti-war tale The Old Watch.