Flop Eared Mule A Country Music Death Beast and Worker in the Dylan Industrial Complex | Sydney, Australia | Est. 2004

This is the first five records in my 2010 retrospective. They are in no order, I just made a list then took the first five for this first post, next five for the next and so on. I might comment on some that they are a cut above the pack but otherwise there is no ranking at all.

Marshall Chapman, Big Lonesome
Found via Fervor Coulee.
Marshall Chapman has an interesting and eclectic tale, one until recently I was in complete ignorance of. She seems to have flirted with some kind of breaking through in the 70s and 80s country/rock and has diversified in recent years into books and movies (she plays Gwyneth Paltrow's manager in the upcoming Country Strong, which looks very Crazy Heart-ish in which a boozy country singer goes on a character arc. Looks like some crunchy country soap so I'll definitely make a date one Cheap Tuesday after its released. And hey looking at that trailer it looks like Tim McGraw can act, which is more than we can say for Colin Farrell.) Big Lonesome is a low key but endearing collection of country-folk, with dashes of blues and swing.

Buddy Guy, Living Proof

Well, I don't think I need to sell this one other than saying Buddy is in top form, and if you are inclined to like Buddy Living Proof won't leave you thinking he should've given it up. No surprises in the fact the duet with Santana adds nothing, but OTOH is the duet with BB King, not that it's earth shattering but it's Buddy Guy and BB King.

The Fabulous Ginn Sisters, You Can't Take a Bad Girl Home

A very fun, melodic and sexy outing from The Ginn Sisters, who have previously worked back up for Fred Eaglesmith. "Hey, Doll" (in vid below) is the stand out in the "find yourself constantly singing the refrain throughout the day" test but the rest is infectious and with a good mix of styles (sometimes reminiscent of the earliest Dixie Chicks, sometimes more a soupy type of country-pop).

Phosphorescent, Here's To Taking it Easy
Tim Dunlop's spruik will suffice here, with the additional comment the songs he particularly disses are some of my faves.

Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
Sharon Jones has her thing and it shows no signs of being played out, I didn't see her Sydney show last week but reports are good. I thought although I loved their first album i might find I didn't need a new album of it every 18 months or so, particularly in the increasingly crowded retro soul marketplace. But they're still the best at it. Speaking of retro soul I'll also throw Aloe Blacc in here. His Good Things doesn't quite entrance me as much as the Daptone output but the single "I Need A Dollar" is killer and I've got a ticket to his Festival Bar show at the Sydney Festival.