
Django Haskins’ The Old Ceremony creates music that reminds me of a little old man on an obscure corner of some ancient European city playing beautiful, legendary music on his accordion for pennies as busy people walk by. If you just take a minute to listen to it, you realize just how beautiful and bittersweet it all is. Of course The Old Ceremony choose to work in a standard rock medium, guitars, drums, bass, but that touch of the Old World permeates all their music. Highlights include “Til My Voice Is Gone,” “The Disappear,” “Same Difference,” “Ready To Go.”

A fellow DJ liked this CD so much he renamed his show to “Dirty Laundry.” When I heard this I knew I had to have the CD and I wasn’t disappointed. Twenty four tracks of black artists taking a soul approach to country music. What’s impressive about this collection is not how the artists interpret the songs, for the most part they sing the songs in a R&B/soul style as they do all their other songs. What’s impressive is that these country songs stand up so well when done as soul songs. There isn’t a single track that disappoints on this CD, but the highlight tracks would have to be Candi Staton covering Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man,” James Brown covering Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and Solomon Burke covering Don Gibson’s country classic “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” There is also a second compilation, “More Dirty Laundry,” which is also very good. It’s highlights include Ike and Tina Turner covering “Don’t Believe Nothin’,” and Joe Tex covering “Trying to Win Your Love.
Hour 1
Wreck My Car / Scott H. Biram / The Dirty Old One Man Band / 3:16
Fire In The Kitchen / Don Chambers / Zebulon / 3:37
Fourth Of July / Jim Livermore / Coming Home / 4:40
Rabbit / Ray Wylie Hubbard / KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 16 (Disc 1) / 2:59
Ybor City / JJ Grey & Mofro / Orange Blossoms / 4:25
Won’t Give Up Without A Fight / Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves / Roll With You / 2:34
Right Place, Wrong Time / Ray J / New Orleans Funk Vol.2 / 2:55
Your Cheatin’ Heart / Hank Williams / Original Singles Collection / 2:43
Your Cheating Heart / James Brown / Dirty Laundry – The Soul Of Black Country / 2:58
Your Cheatin’ Heart / Jerry Lee Lewis / Live At The Star-Club, Hamburg / 3:00
Honey Bee / Lucinda Williams / Little Honey / 3:05
Love Me or Leave Me Alone / Tejas Brothers / Tejas Brothers / 3:40
Hey Me, Hey Mama / Ray LaMontagne / Gossip In The Grain / 4:27
It’s Been So Long / Split Lip Rayfield / I’ll Be Around / 3:56
The Wrong Thing To Do / Mudcrutch / Mudcrutch / 4:10
Hour 2
Love Train / Big Shanty / Sold Out / 4:17
All Love All Gone / Charlie Pickett / Blooshot Records Sampler #8 / 3:26
Take Me Back To Birmingham / Country Boy Rolling Stone / Hitchhiking From Memphis To Mars / 2:08
Let Us Down Easy / Ryan Adams & The Cardinals / Cardinology / 4:21
Bridgett / The Gourds / Haymaker! / 3:06
Please Don’t Stop Lovin’ Me / The Dixons / Still Your Fool / 3:03
You Got a Man Like Me Loving You / Dave Sutherland / On The Waiting List / 4:16
The Last Pale Light in the West / Ben Nichols / The Last Pale Light in the West / 2:49
Jones Street / Deadstring Brothers / Deadstring Brothers (2001) / 3:55
Seated At The Devil’s Table / Lonesome Brothers / The Last CD / 3:53
Gold for Bread / Blitzen Trapper / Furr / 2:47
Please Help Me, I’m Falling / Patty Loveless / Sleepless Nights / 2:40
No Baby I / Old 97′s / Blame It On Gravity / 3:32
Go Away / Elvis Costello & The Imposters / Momofuku / 4:55
Asking For Flowers / Kathleen Edwards / Asking For Flowers / 5:02
01 Jim Livermore: Coming Home
02 Lucinda Williams: Little Honey
03 Lonesome Brothers: The Last CD
04 JJ Grey & Mofro: Orange Blossoms
05 Charlie Pickett: Bar Band Americanus
06 Eric Hisaw: Nature Of The Blues
07 Old 97′s: Blame It On Gravity
08 Don Chambers: Zebulon
09 Blitzen Trapper: Furr
10 Patty Loveless: Sleepless Nights
11 Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology
12 Marc Broussard: Keep Coming Back
13 Band Of Heathens: The Band Of Heathens
14 Alejandro Escovedo: Real Animal
15 Cheri Knight: The Northeast Kingdom
16 Asylum Street Spankers: What? And Give Up Show Biz?
17 Split Lip Rayfield: I’ll Be Around
18 The Dixons: Still Your Fool
19 Country Boy Rolling Stone: Hitchhiking From Memphis To Mars
20 Ray LaMontagne: Gossip In The Grain

