Scuffletown
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A two-time winner at the prestigious annual Kerrville Folk Festival competition, Eric Taylor would probably be as celebrated as Texas contemporaries such as Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, and the late Townes Van Zandt if not for a sporadic recording career (four albums in 20 years). Nonetheless, his dark, earthy, commanding folk-blues influence can be heard in their music; both Lovett and Griffith (Taylor's ex-wife) have recorded his songs. Scuffletown, Taylor's 2001 return, includes nine bleakly powerful originals, along with two Van Zandt covers; the Van Zandt connection is a natural, given that Taylor's own sardonic originals possess a similar melancholy beauty and minor-key fatalism. "White Bone," for instance, is about the spiritual and cultural plight of an albino born into a religiously conservative black community. "Your God" expresses scathing moral indignation over the brutal murder of James Byrd, the African-American man from Jasper, Texas, who was dragged behind a pickup truck by mindless white thugs. Yet there's a slightly lighter, cautiously playful touch to songs like "Delia/Bad News" where Taylor pays splendid homage to cherished blues influences. --Bob Allen
Scuffletown,Eric Taylor,Eminent Records,Country-Folk,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Folk-Blues,Pop,Singer/Songwriter
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Giants
Donal Hinely Manufacturer: Scuffletown Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000CA7TBQ Release Date: 2005-06-21 |
Tracks:
Customer Reviews:
His Best Album To Date!.......2005-11-20
Average customer rating:
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Glass Stories
Donal Hinely Manufacturer: Scuffletown Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| Miscellaneous
| Styles
| Music
General
| Easy Listening
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Folk
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B0007XAR5I Release Date: 2004-10-01 |
Tracks:
Product Description
Infused by the unique sound of the glass harmonica, Glass Stories (2004) presents a hypnotic mixture of traditional and original music accompanied by cello and guitar. Glass Stories is Texas singer/songwriter Donal Hinely's third CD with Nashville producer and cellist David Henry who has worked with a wide range of artists including Cowboy Junkies, Josh Rouse, Vienna Teng, and Guster. The music Hinely coaxes from his home-made instrument--often called the glass harmonica--is lilting and ethereal. The haunting tones are produced by rubbing wet fingers across the rims of water-tuned wine glasses and brandy snifters and bring to mind the sound of a violin, a flute, an organ, or even at times a steel drum. On this offering, the glasses and cello blend to breathe new life to such classics as "Loch Lomond", "Ashokan Farewell", "Lord of the Dance", "The Parting Glass, " and the Beatles favorite "Strawberry Fields Forever." There are also a good number of original pieces including the standout title track and the Henry penned "Coffee Drinker's Lullaby." The marriage of the glasses with Henry's stellar cello seems a natural one with each instrument occupying its own harmonic range yet complimenting each other perfectly. The overall mood is quiet and reflective, though Hinely's "The Shakes" and "Not in Kansas Anymore" and Henry's aforementioned "Lullaby" are playful without breaking the spell.Customer Reviews:
EERILY MAGICAL.......2005-12-18
Average customer rating:
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We Built a Fire
Donal Hinely Manufacturer: Scuffletown Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Traditional Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Country Folk
| Country
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B0007XAR58 Release Date: 2003-05-01 |
Tracks:
Product Description
With roots sunk deep in the same storytelling tradition of Texas singer/songwriters like Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt, Donal Hinely speaks in a voice that is both intimate and authentic. Spinning tales of hard luck, love, missed opportunity and die-hard hope, Hinely writes songs that skirt the outer fringes of country, folk, and straight ahead rock. With help from Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Kim Richey, guitarist Will Kimbrough, ex-Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, and Vanguard recording artist Mindy Smith, Hinely's latest CD We Built a Fire cements his growing reputation as a keen observer of the human condition. We Built a Fire marks the second collaboration with Nashville producer/cellist David Henry whose growing resume includes working with such artists as Cowboy Junkies, Josh Rouse, Vienna Teng, and Guster. Hinely's vocal, guitar, and glass harmonica are joined by a crack band of talented musicians. Chief among these is guitarist Will Kimbrough (Todd Snider, Rodney Crowell) whose signature style has made him one of the most sought after musicians in Nashville. Kimbrough's thick textures and fresh, tasteful riffs animate these songs, complimenting powerful and sometimes haunting imagery. Singer/songwriter Kim Richey lends her distinctive backing vocals on three of the tracks and Nashville stalwart Fats Kaplan chips in on steel guitar, fiddle, and accordion. Vanguard recording artist Mindy Smith also adds backing vocals on three tunes including the standout These are the Days. Hinely himself pushes the envelope for fans of the glass harmonica by using the instrument in some new and interesting ways on the title track and on the songs "Drunkard Moon" and "Easier." Since its release in 2003, We Built a Fire has earned critical praise from both independent and mainstream press landing on several top ten lists in the Americana genre. The Indie Acoustic Project, a review of all independent releases, named We Built a Fire second only to Rodney Crowell's Houston Kid in 2003.Customer Reviews:
Honesty and Artistry .......2005-05-13
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Re-elect the Moon
Terry Hinley Manufacturer: Scuffletown Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000NBYHN2 |
Product Description
Music for guitar & glass harmonica (tuned glasses), about half the tracks are songs & half instrumental.
Average customer rating:
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Another Sundown
Manufacturer: Scuffletown ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000QZKNWE |
Product Description
"Another Sundown" is Scuffletown's best CD ever, capturing the live energy that's infectious at the duet's shows. The album features wonderful songwriting, on new and previously unrecorded tunes.
Average customer rating: 
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Scuffletown
Eric Taylor Manufacturer: Eminent Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Blues
| Styles
| Music
Traditional Blues
| Blues
| Styles
| Music
Outlaw & Progressive Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Traditional Country
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Singer-Songwriters
| Contemporary Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Traditional Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
Singer-Songwriters
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Country Folk
| Country
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005A8OK Release Date: 2001-03-20 |
Tracks:
Amazon.com
A two-time winner at the prestigious annual Kerrville Folk Festival competition, Eric Taylor would probably be as celebrated as Texas contemporaries such as Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, and the late Townes Van Zandt if not for a sporadic recording career (four albums in 20 years). Nonetheless, his dark, earthy, commanding folk-blues influence can be heard in their music; both Lovett and Griffith (Taylor's ex-wife) have recorded his songs. Scuffletown, Taylor's 2001 return, includes nine bleakly powerful originals, along with two Van Zandt covers; the Van Zandt connection is a natural, given that Taylor's own sardonic originals possess a similar melancholy beauty and minor-key fatalism. "White Bone," for instance, is about the spiritual and cultural plight of an albino born into a religiously conservative black community. "Your God" expresses scathing moral indignation over the brutal murder of James Byrd, the African-American man from Jasper, Texas, who was dragged behind a pickup truck by mindless white thugs. Yet there's a slightly lighter, cautiously playful touch to songs like "Delia/Bad News" where Taylor pays splendid homage to cherished blues influences. --Bob AllenCustomer Reviews:
Excellent Writer, Country Music with an Edgy Folk Twist........2003-05-15
Lesson Book on a well produced album..........2002-12-07
This album is produced by the song writer; the same hands that skillfully accompany the poetry, later mixed the tracks into a beautiful and complicated brew. This is one of those albums that you'll listen to many times because you'll keep finding new things in it.
'Scuffletown' is one of my favorite albums of all time. IF you're willing to invest a little effort, you'll be very pleased.
Never an easy listen, but that's exactly why it's great.......2002-10-09
A Little Claustrophobic.......2002-04-23
Now that I have the album, I see that Van Zandt's is the strongest song on it and Lovett seems a better interpreter of Taylor's work than Taylor is; moreover, Taylor's live performance of "Where I Lead Me" was much better than the version he records here -- perhaps not surprising, since Taylor has been performing that song in his live shows for years.
I don't want to criticize this album. I like musicians of the kind Taylor works to be; the ones who are strong writers and also keen enough as performers to interpret their own work in imaginative ways. But Taylor is not quite that keen. I have a suspicion this album would be much better if he had brought in someone else to produce it. As writer, producer, and primary performer, Taylor has given his material a homogeneity it might have avoided by the infusion of another perspective. As it is, the album reminds me of Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad": a good idea and one or two very good songs, largely spoiled by too much of the same (good-in-itself) thing.
terrible.......2001-09-24
Music Review:
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