Customer Reviews

“Our Side of Town – A Red House Records 25th Anniversary Collection”

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My how the time does fly. Twenty-five years gives this iconic indie-folk label a lot of great material to pick from, and they make the most of it with plenty of catchy tunes from Greg Brown, Cliff Eberhardt, Eliza Gilkyson, Lucy Kaplansky, Lynn Miles, The Wailin' Jennys and others... A nice, strong sampler from one of the most vigorous, intelligent labels of the modern folk scene. Definitely worth checking out! (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Hick Music)

I'll avoid making a song by song review -- the simple point is -- if you like listening to "Americana" singer-songwriter kinds of music; if you're a fan of that natural, from-the-heart delivery of artists on "The World Cafe" (NPR); if you like your music honest. . . you MUST get this collection!

You'll thank me later.

I have, except as the occasion called for it as in the case of Sun Records or Chess Records, not spent much time discussing the various ups and downs of particular record labels and their attempts to corner a piece of the music market. There is certainly history there, sometimes very interesting history as in the cases of those labels mentioned above, but I leave that for others to toil over. I prefer to concentrate on various musical influences that flow through the folk world, except that here one can not avoid, or should not avoid, paying some respect to the Red House Record label that has been a mainstay of post 1960s folk revival folk music and artists.

Frankly, I know Red House mainly as the long time vehicle for one of the artists performing on this anniversary CD, Greg Brown. And also for a few late efforts by Rosalie Sorrels, especially her tribute to Utah Phillips last year. Of course, those two names tell you much about what this label is about and about the musical traditions of not just the past 25 years of folk and folk rock but the last half century.

This label has also been the launching pad for some lesser known names like Jimmy LaFave, Lucy Kaplansky, Eliza Gilkyson, and the Wailin' Jenny's. What you have here, my friends, are tributes by the performers who have struggled, and sometimes struggled in lonely spots, to keep the folk genre part of the great American songbook. So match up the performers and the label and you have quite a piece of history and a primer of the latter-day folk scene. Listen up.