March 2007 Best CDs

Of the CD's that came into the station in March 2007, my favorite was Waterloo, Tennessee by Uncle Earl.

Runners up were Songs We Stole from Our Friends by Tim Tedrow and Terry Vreeland and Putumayo Presents Women of the World Acoustic.

I probably would have liked Ultimate Gospel by Johnny Cash, but it disappeared from the station before I could listen to it.

Joe Crookston

I have Joe Crookston's album Fall Down as The Rain. It's so good. When I listen to it, I think, "This song is really good." Then another song comes on and I think, "This song is really good too!" Sometimes I can name my favorite song on an album, but in this case, I think all but about two are tied for my favorite.

He wrote the songs while he was dealing with the illness and death of his mother. Knowing that gives depth even to songs that aren't explicitly about that. For example, in one song he says, "I can feel my heart beat....If I say yes to the beat in me, I will set my spirit free." His joy in being alive becomes more meaningful with the knowledge that he has experienced the death of a loved one.

I usually like songs about longlasting loves, and "Dance and Sway" is one such song. It is about a couple who are old and have been through hard times, but they still love each other, and he stills enjoy playing the fiddle and watching her dance to the music he makes.

Based on this album, Joe Crookston seems exceptional. I hope to see him live some day.

Dennis Caraher

The album Radio Boy by Dennis Caraher arrived in the station in January. I had never heard of him, but I gave it a listen. It was really interesting. The lyrics of the songs really captured my attention. Every now and then when I'm previewing CD's to pick songs to play on my show, a song will bring tears to my eyes. I take that as a sign that the song is compelling and therefore worth playing on my show. Such was the case with the album's title song, "Radio Boy." I played that on my January show. For my next show, in April, I went back to the album. This time the song I chose to play on my show was "Gonna Be a Cowboy," which is a more light-hearted song than "Radio Boy." It's a fun song which touches on the the lack of excitement us grown-ups sometimes end up feeling about our office jobs. So, in conclusion, Dennis Caraher has some compelling lyrics and I encourage you all to give him a listen.