Cross Canadian Ragweed - Happiness And All The Other Things

Jessi is intrepid! There are deer that roam free all over the place here, and she perks up her ears and looks as if she will stalk them. She weighs all of three pounds. We are dogsittin' for Jessi (named after Jessi Colter) and she is the little love of Shannon and Cody Canada.

After all, it is release week, and there is much to do. And much to listen to on this wonderful CD ! First off, Cross Canadian Ragweed is celebrating their 15th Anniversary, and they also are dedicating Happiness And All The Other Things to the memory of long-time Willie stage manager Poodie Locke. Now let me tell you that I love Ragweed….and this album, well!!! There is a maturation to this collection, and they have never sounded better. It totally steps it up, and that's saying something. Here's my favs:
Cut 1: "51 Pieces" - drivin', haunting, hook-y as hell
Cut 3: "Burn Like The Sun" - guitars scorching, great harmonies
Cut 4: "To Find My Love" - Jeremy Plato at the mic, tight, tuneful, tasty
Cut 5: "Drag" - sweet swagger and 'tude
Cut 7: "Overtable" - balls to the wall rocker
Cut 9: "Pretty Lady" - restrained yet jubilant, in the pocket sonic layers
Cut 10: "Tomorrow" - instantly memorable
Cut 12: "My Chances" - just beautiful: lyrics, production, everything!

And there are not to miss live bonus tracks…heck…collect them all!

- Jessie -

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Elliot Randall "Take The Fall" - Here's Jessie

As we await a brand new release and the tour getting started, we are revisiting the album that turned us on to Elliot Randall at X Country, Take The Fall. San Franciscan Randall has a sweet voice, a keen eye, a deft hand with lyrics, and a great command of production dynamics. By the way, a couple of bonus tracks have been added since the original release! What a good album this is! We can hardly wait for the third one! My recommended tracks for you POD-ing pleasure:

Cut 1 "How To Get Old" -  great hook as country meets rock meets pop

Cut 3 "Second Time Around" - a modern classic

Cut 4 "Take The Fall" - Luscious, brooding

Cut 5 "Everything Reminds Me of You" -  countrified singer songwriter fare

Cut 6 "Don't Give Up On Me" - tuneful, sentimental, and driving

Cut 9: "We Don't Talk Like We Used To" - gentle, aching

Cut 10: "Leaving This Town" - pure fun- hands in the air

Cut 11 "Red Velvet Curtains" - new bonus track - cogent, relatable, rockin'

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