Country Got Soul 2 (Dig) [Import]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 30, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Casual
• ASIN: B0002JU61W
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,529 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. High Sheriff Of Calhoun Parish

2. Sowed Love And Reaped The Heartache

3. Soul Deep

4. Black Widow Blues

5. Ohoopee River Bottomland

6. Big Country Blues

7. Harland County

8. Fancy

9. I Can't Be Me

10. Easy Evil

11. Muscle Shoals

12. Stone Head Blues Band

13. Corner Of Spit And Whittle

14. Your Kind Of Kindness

15. Heavy Duty

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars These Nifty Nuggets Skirt the Sophmore Slump!!! (Mostly), October 5, 2004

By 

Sound/Word Enthusiast (Rhode Island, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Got Soul 2 (Dig) (Audio CD)

The first volume of "Country Got Soul" touched off a sensation in the UK (it's a British import, hence the high price), and this is the first of several planned follow-ups (including one of entirely new material and a touring concert review). Naturally it won't pack the suprise whallop of the first volume, which reminded the public of a curious strain of blue-eyed swamp-funk that emerged in the late 60s for a hayday in the early 70s. Lynchpins included Eddie Hinton, Dan Penn, Bobbie Gentry, and Tony Joe White. Those are the most recognizable names, and they continue to be on this second volume.

Again, compiler Jeb Loy Nichols (a fine artist in his own right) trots out some miraculous obscurities: Sandra Rhodes' ace Supremes-gon'-funky "Sowed Love & Reaped The Heartache", songwriter Wayne Carson's version of his own "Soul Deep", and the absolutely revalatory "Harland County" by the super-mysterious Jim Ford. Those alone are worth the big bucks. More mainstream (relatively speaking) artists like Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentrie, Eddie Hinton, and Townes Van Zandt fit in great, too.

There are a few mis-steps. Shirl Milete's take on Townes' "Big Country Blues" doesn't really go anywhere interesting, and the inclusion of a terrible, name-dropping, mechanical-sounding demo called "Muscle Shoals" by Donnie Fritts borders on inexcusable. It's that bad. Fortunately there's a new Dan Penn cut to cancel it out.

All in all, a more than worthy successor, with some really choice moments. If you see it, snag it.