Critic’s corner

I’m really about the last person anyone should be coming to for music recommendations – my efforts at “keeping up” with contemporary pop music range from pathetic to nonexistent – but hey it’s my blog. Here are a few albums I’ve been enjoying recently:

Corrosion of Conformity, Deliverance (1994) I plugged CoC’s newest album In the Arms of God before, but Deliverance could be considered their “breakthrough” album, insofar as they could be said to have one. In any event, it’s when the distinctive CoC Southern-fried sludge metal sound first really gels (think Sabbath meets Skynyrd). Guitarist Pepper Keenan makes his debut as vocalist on this album. Not for everyone, but I like it.

Robbie Fulks, Georgia Hard (2005) “Alt-country” isn’t really the right label for Robbie Fulks. He’s too country for most of the alt-country types. And too country for mainstream country for that matter. This album harks back to the “countrypolitan” era of the 60s and 70s when country music really started to go pop, but featuring plenty of Fulks’ trademark clever songwriting. This one has really grown on me.

Jars of Clay, Redemption Songs (2005) Happily my musical tastes were formed with little or no exposure to “CCM” but Jars of Clay I like. This album consists entirely of the band’s arrangements of more traditional hymns like “I’ll Fly Away,” “It Is Well with My Soul,” “Nothing But the Blood,” and “And They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” Very nicely done. (Also features a couple of guest appearances from the Blind Boys of Alabama!)