REVIEWS English Roots Town Americana UK Swedish Groove Norrköpings-Tidnignar

V/A Rockin At The Barn vol 4 (DUSTCD14) OVE WULFF Go Away STRINGBEANS True Love BLUE MAMA Little White Moon LISEN ELWIN Early Monring Sun PILGRIM I Love You Honey DEADNECKS She's Better Than ... JOHN CATE & THE VAN GOGH BROTHERS One Last Chance TERRY ANDERSON & THE OLYMPIC ASS-KICKIN TEAM Check Please BRIAN JAY CLINE Last Stop On Your Train WRINKLE NECK MULES Liza BUCKSWORTH Star RACKETEERS I Don't Want To Talk About It ROD PICOTT You Can't Talk To Me Like That LISA & HER KIN Hog Tied Over You PILGRIM If I Could Only Win Your Love TRASH MAVERICKS Pretty Ones BOB CHEEVERS Tall Enough To Reach Your Love WAYLONG & THE BUNCH Messin With The Blues NEIL SMITH Rebel Liners K WILDER Come Out And Dance JOE FOURNIER The Way It is Order CD

REVIEWS

Ladies and Gentlemen, sometimes one gets in real trouble in this business: you write a raving review about a CD, and no one follows. Or some people do follow you and then comes volume 2, which makes you have to use even more impressive superlatives and then you have the same scenario. And then at last, when you have to start writing the review of volume 4 &endash;which happens to be the case here, you're in big trouble: your vocabulary isn't sufficient anymore.

And this is exactly my point: the good people at Sweden's Dusty Records are at #4 of their Rockin' at the Barn-series, and once again, I'm in big trouble, trying to find the words that express exactly how good this one is. So there's only one sulotion: let's use the cold, hard facts. This new one contains 21 unissued tracks by both Swedish and American artists, showing off in a really breathtaking way what kind of songs and artists you should have heard off a long time ago, but never were able to hear, because no one plays them on the radio.

There's Ove Wull and Waylong (the first being the singer and the latter the bassplayer of Enzendoh), ther's Lisen Elwin (formerly of the Pushtwangers), John Cate, Terry Anderson (Yahoos), Rod Picott, Lisa Miller (Trailer park Honeys), Bob Cheevers (!!!!) and there's our big bubbdy Joe Fournier. All these names should make you run to your favourite record-shop right away, but there's more: every single one of the newcomers is more than just OK. Conclusion; producer Jan Andersson did it again and he seems to be the only one who càn do it. He really knows everything about today's Americana-scene and he puts it all togethes on this new gemthat is a real must have for all Americana-lovers.

Dani Hayveart, Roots Town

A Swedish compilation covering a huge range of sub-genres, from the Steve Earlisms of Ove Wullff, cowpunk from Stringbeans, honky-tonk courtesy of Blue Mama, and Lisen Elwin brings sweet clear vocals to a Gillian Welch/Lucinda Williams hybrid. The party continues in the garage with the Deadnecks and Terry Anderson & the Olympic Ass-Kickin Team, after a quick fight in the garden, Brian Jay Cline sets aside his bloody nose to deliver 'Last Stop on Your Train'. The drink's still flowing though and who let the Wrinkle Neck Mules at the cider? Somebody's left with the Racketeers girlfriends, they don't want to talk about it, whereas Rod Picott will let you see his pain 24 hours a day. Someone's discovered the parents record collection as Lisa & Her Kin and then Pilgrim ransack the classic country songbook; there's mascara running down faces and slow dancing the like of which has not seen for a while. Waylong and the Bunch pre-empt tomorrow's hangover as dawn creeps over the horizon, eyes feel crusty and Joe Fournier brings you back down to earth reminding us how life always kicks you in the teeth. Great fun.

Americana UK

Groove

När en göteborgsk skivaffär i countryrockfacket fyllde fem år 1999 ville ägaren JanAndersson fira. Det gjorde han med att geut samlingsplattan Rockin' At the Barn påden egna etiketten Dusty Records. Den blevväl mottagen och sedan dess har det kommit ett dussin skivor från det lilla bolaget.

Här har han liksom tidigare samlat ihop ett antal låtar med ganska okända artister. Över lag är kvaliteten hög även om de riktiga toppspåren saknas, kanske kunde plattans 21 låtar minskats ned med några stycken. Sticker ut gör emellertid amerikanen Brian Jay Cline med den starka countryrockballaden Last Stop on Your Train, Bucksworth med den skönt sextiotalsdoftande Star och amerikanska Lisa and Her Kin som slår till med den höluktande texas swing-rökaren Hog Tied Over You. Inte heller svenska Lisen Elwin (från gamla garagebandet Pushtwangers) skäms för sig med den fina balladen Early Morning Sun.

Robert Lagerström, Groove

Man tycker att man har koll. Bra koll. Känner igen och kan namnen på merparten av aktörerna på den livaktiga alternativa rock- och countryscenen i USA. Så kommer det en ny samling från ladan, som vanligt förtjänstfullt ihopplockad av Jan Andersson i Göteborg, och man överfalls av nya, fräcka och spännande rootsnamn som man inte hade en aning om. Vips är man tillbaka på ruta ett igen och har ingen aning om någonting.

Rockin´ at the Barn Vol 4 är den fjärde dammsugningen efter nya band som spelar rockig country eller möjligen countryinfluerad rock. Den är lika bra och värdefull som de tre tidigare och plötsligt har man en hel hoper nya band som, så småningom, måste kollas upp noggrannare; Stringbeans, Wrinkle Neck Mules, Deadnecks och Lisa and her Kin för att nämna några. Eller varför inte betagande Pilgrim från Göteborg med systrarna Karin och Maria Forsman i spetsen.

"Fyran" innehåller tolv amerikanska band, fem svenska, ett engelskt, ett irländsk och ett kanadensiskt. De är, i princip, riktigt bra, allihopa.

Gunnar Hagberg- Norrköpings-Tidnimgar