"DOWN HOME" #200 Thursday, January 3, 2002 Hosted by Chuck Taggart, email chuck (at) downhome (dot) org Visit The Gumbo Pages

As every year, we start the show and the year with three of my favorite New Year's songs, plus something new. MICHAEL DOUCET & FRIENDS - Bonne Année (Happy New Year) [ALLIGATOR STOMP, VOL. 4: CAJUN CHRISTMAS/Rhino] A Doucet original, with a Bo Diddley beat and smokin' guitar from Sonny Landreth. ROBERT SHANNON MEITUS & THE DORKESTRA - The New Year [100 FLOWERS/Scratch] An old favorite from the late, lamented acoustic band. LA BOTTINE SOURIANTE - La Cuisinière [EN SPECTACLE/Mille Pattes] A song about having a beer in the kitchen with the cook on New Year's Eve. A good thing to do, if you ask me. THE BIG DADDY-O REVUE featuring CHERIE MANNINO - Evil Gal [self-release] Swingin' stuff! The trumpet player's an old bandmate of mine from the high school band, and his wife's the fabulous singer. Chuck's Favorite Albums of 2000! Counting down ... except for the top four or so, all these numbers are fairly arbitrary. 20. ANDY IRVINE - Way Out Yonder [WAY OUT YONDER/Appleseed] The legendary Irish musician (Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Patrick Street) with a great new collection of songs, including this Balkan instrumental featuring Bulgarian musician Nikola Parov. 19. LA BOTTINE SOURIANTE - Le démon sort de l'enfer (The Devil Comes Out of Hell) [CORDIAL/Mille Pattes] My favorite track from the brand-new one from the Smiling Boot, about the devil coming to collect the souls of your local priest, doctor, politician and journalist, and everyone else who's pissed everyone off over the past year. 18. SPENCER BOHREN - Samson and Delilah [CARRY THE WORD/Zephyr] All-acoustic gospel blues, featuring a non-existent gospel harmony group called "The Nott Brothers" ... which consists of Spencer overdubbing himself four times! 17. BOOZOO CHAVIS - Johnny Billy Goat [DOWN HOME ON DOG HILL/Rounder] Sadly, this was to be Boozoo's last. The selection of songs is a little disappointing, but he sounds great, and so does his band, plus the addition of David Greely of the Mamou Playboys on fiddle and Sonny Landreth on slide guitar elevate this to a fitting farewell to the man from Dog Hill. 16. KERMIT RUFFINS - Tillie [1533 ST. PHILIP STREET/Basin Street] Probably my favorite jazz album of the year, and an absolute blast from start to finish. 15. RUFUS WAINWRIGHT - One Man Guy [POSES/Dreamworks] Written by his dad Loudon. 14. THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA - Jesus Gonna Be Here [SPIRIT OF THE CENTURY/RealWorld] One of the greatest gospel groups in the world (together since my momma was a baby), singing traditinal songs as well as ones by Ben Harper, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and TWO by Tom Waits, including this'un here. As if this ain't enough, their backup band includes David Lindley, John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite and Danny Thompson. How cool is that? 13. RED MEAT - Midwest Blues [ALAMEDA COUNTY LINE/Ranchero] Just about my favorite country band of all, with their third collection of great songs. Vocals on this track by the inimitable Mr. Smelley Kelley. Produced once again by Dave Alvin. 12. BUDDY & JULIE MILLER - Wallflower [BUDDY & JULIE MILLER/Hightone] The first album in which they were billed together, even though they always play all over one another's records. A superb album. Plus, anyone who STARTS with a dynamite Richard Thompson cover's okay in my book. 11. TOM McRAE - The Boy With the Bubble Gun [TOM McRAE/db Records-Arista] Not exactly folk or roots ... just a great singer-songwriter, mostly acoustic guitar and cello. Not happy songs, but very powerful ones. I'd never heard of him until I happened to catch him opening for the Waterboys a few months back, and he completely blew me away. 10. SCOTT MILLER & THE COMMONWEALTH - Dear Sarah [THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS/Sugar Hill] First post V-Roys album by Mr. Miller, which I absolutely loved. If there hadn't been so much great music out of New Orleans this year (to which I have to admit I'm biased), this'd rank higher in this phony b.s. numbering thing, but at times it's been one of my very favorites of the year. 9. DR. JOHN - You Swore [CREOLE MOON/Blue Note] Man, oh man ... Mac Rebennack returns to da FONK! This is one funky album, his funkiest in years, and although I enjoyed the albums of standards and Duke Ellington tunes, it's wonderful to hear him getting back to what I think he does best -- playing the funky sounds of his hometown. 8. ZACHARY RICHARD - Jésus en arrière (Jesus in the Back) [COEUR FIDÈLE/Audiogram] 7. THAD COCKRELL & THE STARLITE COUNTRY BAND - Why? [STACK OF DREAMS/Miles of Music Recordings] Gorgeous, beautiful album. My favorite country album of the year (with Red Meat coming in .001 seconds behind). 6. GILLIAN WELCH - Red Clay Halo [TIME (THE REVELATOR)/Acony] Gillian Welch and David Rawlings never cease to astound me. This album shows amazing growth lyrically, while still sounding rooted in old-time traditional music; if you didn't actually listen to the content of the lyrics, you wouldn't know the songs weren't 100 years old. Wonderful stuff. 5. OLD 97s - Question [SATELLITE RIDES/Elektra] A rock 'n roll album to be sure, and a fantastic one at that, but they haven't left all the twang behind. This is the only all-acoustic track on the album, a really sweet little song. "Someday somebody's gonna ask you / a question that you should say 'yes' to / once in your life / maybe tonight I've got a question for you..." 4. TIM ERIKSEN - Boston [TIM ERIKSEN/Appleseed] The story is sung in many versions in several traditional songs, but Tim made the music to this one. Mostly traditional material and a couple of originals from this debut solo album by the lead singer of Cordelia's Dad, and a stunning singer he is. DA TOP THREE ... y'know, it's basically a big multi-way tie when I list my favorite albums of the year, and when I do it on my web site I do it alphabetically, but these three are the ones that really did it for me, and this year Number One really is Number One. Comments later, when I have more time. 3. STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS - La crève de faim (Starvation Two-Step) STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS - Patoutville [HAPPYTOWN/Rounder] The best Cajun album of the year. 2. JAY FARRAR - Make It Alright JAY FARRAR - Outside the Door [SEBASTOPOL/Artemis] 1. ANDERS OSBORNE - Stuck On My Baby ANDERS OSBORNE - Stoned, Drunk and Naked [ASH WEDNESDAY BLUES/Shanachie]

 

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