Americana Boogie new releases for the week of April 22nd – Black Prairie, Keb’ Mo’, Magnolia Sisters, Little Feat, Seldom Scene and more…

BLACK PRAIRIE
Fortune (Sugar Hill)

By now, Black Prairie has clearly outgrown its roots as a casual side project, solidifying into a primary, creative focus for its members a band with its own internal momentum, genuine character and style. Still, it s only become harder to describe what that style is. ‘I gave up a long time ago,’ guitarist Jon Neufeld says. Black Prairie’s fourth full-length record Fortune is an unexpected departure which is, strangely, exactly what everyone’s come to expect from the band. This group of seasoned musicians from Portland, Oregon each steeped in traditional American acoustic music has become hellbent on taking one imaginative leap after another. In a way, Fortune is also Black Prairie’s most conventional record, polished vocal tunes with (mostly) conventional pop song structures. On the other hand, there’s a glaring eccentricity to Fortune that hits you right away: here is a band of accomplished acoustic musicians playing what are essentially rock songs, and sometimes with a pretty hard edge it’s a record, band members say, that’s trying to channel not the spirit of Earl Scruggs or Jerry Douglas, but Led Zeppelin.

THE MAGNOLIA SISTERS
Love’s Lies (Arhoolie)

The Magnolia Sisters is a band of women who can play the whole gamut of musical styles from southwest Louisiana: Cajun, Creole, dancehall favorites, and front porch ballads. While these older songs are the more unusual aspect of their sound, they also love to play energetic Cajun dancehall and Creole numbers that bring the audience to their feet. Whatever style they approach, they bring a freshness and vitality to the music. Ann Savoy, Jane Vidrine, Anya Burgess, and Lisa Trahan each bring their own rich individual experience as a Louisiana musician, mother, and woman in the real world. The common ground is the music, the heritage, and the feeling that comes across.

Also new this week…

MARSHALL CRENSHAW – Red Wine (Red River) (EP)
JEFFREY HALFORD & THE HEALERS – Rainmaker (Shoeless)
G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE – Sugar (Universal Republic)
KEB’ MO’ – Bluesamericana (Kind of Blue Music)
LITTLE FEAT – Live in Holland 1976 (Eagle Rock)
THE SELDOM SCENE – Long Time… Seldom Scene (Smithsonian/Folkways)
GEORGE TAYLOR – Rain or Shine (self released)

Coming out soon… THE OLD 97’S, BRIGITTE DEMEYER, JUSTIN RUTLEDGE, BRYAN SUTTON, THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS, THE REVELATIONS, TOMMY MALONE, ROGER CLYNE & THE PEACEMAKERS, ZOE MUTH, RADNEY FOSTER … more new releases.

Here’s a link to this week’s Americana Music Association Americana Airplay Chart

The artist’s names link to their websites and the CD title links go either ” target=”_blank”>Amazon or CD Baby for easy ordering.

Bill Frater
Freight Train Boogie