Borderland

Amazon.com
Borderland's guitar and accordion evoke the cantinas of the Texas-Mexico border, but most of the songs here concern what the album-opening "Touch of Evil" calls "the borderline between a woman and a man." Raised in California, veteran troubadour Tom Russell moved a few years ago to the corner of Texas where El Paso meets Juarez, following his songwriting muse into territory that he probes to richly evocative effect throughout these narratives. Though his voice tends toward the wooden ("Hills of Old Juarez" could pass as a Johnny Cash demo) and his melodies too often provide the barest support for his storylines, the help of producer Gurf Morlix, accordionist Joel Guzman, keyboardist Ian McLagan, and singers Eliza Gilkyson and Jimmy LaFave add warmth and range. Highlights extend from the bittersweet balladry of "Where the Dream Begins" to the melodic lilt of "Let It Go," with Dave Alvin, Katy Moffatt, and Russell's longtime guitarist Andrew Hardin collaborating on other material. --Don McLeese

Borderland,Tom Russell,Hightone Records,Americana,Contemporary Country,Contemporary Folk,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Average customer rating: Non-Commercial Art At It's Best I can't believe I never heard of this guy Literary and Musical Beauty This is the stuff Where's Orson?

Borderland Tom Russell Manufacturer: Hightone Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | 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 Similar Items: Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs The Rose of the San Joaquin The Man from God Knows Where Modern Art Song of the West: The Cowboy Collection ASIN: B00005AVE3 Release Date: 2001-04-17

Tracks:

1. Touch Of Evil
2. Down The Rio Grande
3. When Sinatra Played Juarez
4. Where The Dream Begins
5. Hills Of Old Juarez
6. The Santa Fe Midnight
7. The Next Thing Smokin'
8. California Snow
9. Let It Go
10. What Works Is
11. The Road It Gives, The Road It Takes Away

Amazon.com

Borderland's guitar and accordion evoke the cantinas of the Texas-Mexico border, but most of the songs here concern what the album-opening "Touch of Evil" calls "the borderline between a woman and a man." Raised in California, veteran troubadour Tom Russell moved a few years ago to the corner of Texas where El Paso meets Juarez, following his songwriting muse into territory that he probes to richly evocative effect throughout these narratives. Though his voice tends toward the wooden ("Hills of Old Juarez" could pass as a Johnny Cash demo) and his melodies too often provide the barest support for his storylines, the help of producer Gurf Morlix, accordionist Joel Guzman, keyboardist Ian McLagan, and singers Eliza Gilkyson and Jimmy LaFave add warmth and range. Highlights extend from the bittersweet balladry of "Where the Dream Begins" to the melodic lilt of "Let It Go," with Dave Alvin, Katy Moffatt, and Russell's longtime guitarist Andrew Hardin collaborating on other material. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Non-Commercial Art At It's Best.......2007-03-10

Do you go through your ripped music and pull out only those songs that suit your fancy for your playlists? You don't have to with this music. It is all good, but only for those that value talent as opposed to commercialized predictable music that most hear.
I live about a hundred miles downriver from him and know, first hand, what he sings about is the truth. If you are one of those that is looking for an insightful interpretation of the southwest, in unmatched vocal poetry, this album is for you. If not, enjoy your radio music.

I can't believe I never heard of this guy.......2004-02-06

I read a review of this CD while on business in St. Louis. I consider myself as at least somewhat savvy about americana and folk music - but I had never heard of Tom Russell. I purchased Borderland and was pleasantly surprised. He rates right at the top of the song writers list. I eventually bought a couple more Russell cds: The Long Way Around, Modern Art, Poor Man's Dream - all very listenable releases - but Borderland remains his finest work of the group I purchased. The story he weaves of unrepented love and loss is unforgettable. I am now a Russell fan and will buy the rest of his cds and hope to see him sing "Veterans Day" in person sometime soon.

Literary and Musical Beauty.......2003-10-02

This past summer, I commuted an hour and a half each way to an English teaching position. I popped a CD recommended to me by our local musical guru into my CD player. I had listened to Borderland a couple of times and found it pleasing enough. But with nothing but time on my hands as I drove the miles across the Appalachian Mountains, I REALLY listened to this CD--and I fell in love. In love with the lyrics. In love with the stories. In love with the guitar. In love with the accordian. In love with the voice. (Need I say "in love with Tom Russell"?) The reviewer who called Russell's voice "wooden" doesn't understand the rich nuance of wood, I guess. I literally listened to this album over and over again as I drove back and forth each day last summer, and I have yet to tire of it. Russell evokes the mixture of joy and melancholy that someone who has lived a while in this world knows is our human lot. Like the chorus of Touch of Evil--"Why don't you touch me anymore?"--many of Russell's lyrics are raw, simple and honest, while others are genuine literary gems. I have just ordered two other Russell CDs, and I am eagerly awaiting their arrival. I always loved driving on the open road, but now it's better than I ever imagined. These songs are so beautiful they hurt.

This is the stuff.......2002-10-12

I was introduced to Tom Russell's music last night at a great, intimate concert in Montclair NJ. The ridiculously talented Andrew Hardin stood strumming at his side. Together they performed just about every song on this CD. This is the stuff.
The good stuff. Lyrics that take you on a long ride, rich melodies, cantina style guitar riffs. I bought the CD after the concert and should have gotten a speeding ticket for how fast I raced home to play it. "Touch of Evil" is a great homage to Orson's last and most bizarre film. If "When Sinatra Played Juarez" doesn't get you singing along, have your ears and your head examined. "California Snow" - a story seldom told, What Work Is, The Road it Gives - songs to cool to be butchered in praise by a hack like me. If you like Tom Russell, this is a must have. If you are new to him, this is the place to start.
Nuff said.

Where's Orson?.......2002-05-26

With the imagery that is painted in these songs, Tom Russell may as well have included Orson Welles in the credits as invaluable background material. In this particular song, "Borderland", you can just sense the vibes from the movie "Touch of Evil". I'd say, as with a lot of his songs, you can close your eyes and be taken somewhere like in a mini-movie or a short story. "Down the Rio Grande" sketches a troubled romance down the river to the border town of Brownsville (just like the bottle the guy dropped over the bridge further north). Well, each song does that to varying degrees and surely one can find the relevance in some way real or romanticized in his or her own life. The musicianship is first rate as is the soulful voice of TR who if anything is gettin better in my humble opinion.

Average customer rating:

Holstein Lust: The Mando Boys Live 1987-1995 Peter Ostroushko & The Mando Boys Manufacturer: Borderland Productions ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Folk | Styles | Music Similar Items: Postcards ASIN: B000LW9DZU Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

1. The Concert Begins
2. Russian Rag
3. Scott Joplin's New Rag
4. Ester Iris
5. The Mando Boys Talk
6. The Hills of Manchuria
7. Maxim and Habib Talk
8. Lady Be Good
9. Maxim Speaks His Mind
10. First Movement from Bach's Double Violin Concerto Dm
11. Solace
12. Slipped Disc
13. Mando Boys War Hymn
14. "Ladies and Gentlemen, For the First Time Ever, On Any Stage..."
15. Bill Monroe Fiddle Tune Medley: Roanoke/Wheel Hoss/Bog Mon
16. Ukrainian Medley: Liturgical Music and Dance Tunes
17. Eine Kleine Natchtmusik
18. Intro of the Mando Dancers
19. Hernando's Hideaway
20. Maxim and Habib Talk
21. Pineapple Rag
22. Maxin Speaks His Mind Again
23. Fugue in G Mnor (The Little One)
24. "In the Unlikely Event Supplemental Oxygen Will Be Needed..."
25. Air Mail Special
26. A Mando Boys Farewell
27. La Bamba

Product Description

For Mandolin lovers this is a glimpse into a short lived group that set the mandolin world upside down with it's impeccable playing, incredible arrangements, and hilarious stage presence. It took years to track down live recordings of their concerts and, to edit them in such a way as to give the listener a front row seat to one of their rare concerts.

Average customer rating: Commendable song selection, but... This is the sexiest music I've come across Very ethnic, with strong chant like music, inspirational and

Borderland Libana Manufacturer: Shanachie ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music | Ambient | Celtic | Environmental | General | International | Jazz | Meditation Music | Piano | World Dance Similar Items: Fire Within A Circle Is Cast ASIN: B000000E53 Release Date: 1993-11-19

Tracks:

1. Oi Dai
2. Misecina Udrila U Vrata
3. Aber Mi Dojde
4. Fihel Asirem
5. Sh't'eshte Nxire Vetulla Tyne
6. Medley Of Slav Wedding Songs
7. Joc De Leagne
8. Andean Medley: Pobre Mi Negra/Ay, Porque Dios/Cautivando Corazones
9. Nami, Nami
10. Liwlaad Widdeeb
11. Zar

Customer Reviews:

Commendable song selection, but..........2003-05-28

I've never liked the NBA player's quote that the trouble with women's basketball is that, with very few exceptions, they can't/don't/won't "take it to the hoop and stick it." But listening to this disc gives me an eerily similar feeling about Libana, and in that respect I find it a most frustrating listen. While the arrangements of these well-chosen songs are often interesting--particularly some of the mildly dissonant a capella passages--the performance of the material comes across as limp. The first sign of trouble comes in the opening track, the Finnish "Oi Dai." Varttina's version is just percussive enough to give it the visceral strength it needs, but this nearly note-perfect transcription of the Varttina arrangement suffers in comparison, much more weakly projected. I get the sense that the singers of Libana are content to sing along with the music, rather than forcefully putting across their own feelings.

Gentleness is a virtue too often overlooked in music, but certainly the Balkan songs presented here demand a quality of toughness that Libana doesn't demonstrate on this CD. Their instrumental and vocal skills, along with their choice of source material, speak fluently for themselves. But ultimately the limp projection makes even these expert musicians sound amateurish, and even the accurate traditional vocal flourishes only make the musicians of Libana sound like they're trying to show off--and almost but not quite delivering.

This is the sexiest music I've come across.......1999-01-10

What makes this music so sexy? Well, there is one tract - you'll know the one - which has three distinctive sections with very rhythmic beats that would turn on the purest virgin...enjoy!

Very ethnic, with strong chant like music, inspirational and.......1998-06-23

soothing. The instruments are unique and offer something different and interesting to the singing. Each song is unique. This is great back ground or medatative music that could have a variety of other uses. I have used it as background music for my biweekly massages. It is a nice break from Celtic or Mexican String guitar music. Though it is a little too much for music to study to. The music is from all over the world, but it has a very east indian, gypsy, quality to it. I think you will enjoy it very much.

Average customer rating: Instrumental Joy

Karelian Folk Music Ensemble Karelian Folk Music Ensemble Manufacturer: Gadfly ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Russia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Kalevala Heritage: Archive Recordings of Ancient Finnish Songs Folk Voices: Finnish Folk Song Through Ages From the Land of the Kalevala The Key to the Kalevala ASIN: B00000201H Release Date: 1995-10-03

Tracks:

1. Shepherd Incantation
2. Swallow Waltz
3. Karelian Melody
4. Prisyatka
5. Karelian Melody
6. Kantele Ensemble
7. Valaam Bells
8. Finnish Folk Melody
9. Finnish Folk Melody
10. Happy Fellow
11. Milk Polka

Customer Reviews:

Instrumental Joy.......2001-07-06

This is a purely instrumental album as the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble breathe new life into folk standards of Karelia, a region on the Finnish-Russian border. The trio of musicians, Igor Arhipoff, Alexander Bykadoroff and Arto Rinne from Petrozavodsk sing in Finnish, Karelian and Russian. "Shepherd Incantation" opens with the sound of flutes imitating a forest full of wild birds. As the flutes taper off, the song concentrates on one as stringed instruments merge in a walk through the woods. Wary animals peek around the corner to investigate the invading man. "Swallow Waltz" continues the bird theme in the context of a classical waltz. Enter big, swaying fiddles and pulsing accordion. The hammered dulcimer at the end adds a giddy light-headed feeling. The flutes and bagpipes in "Karelian Melody" sound like gypsies come to market in a line dance procession with odd buzzing horn. "Prisyatka" is a happy accordion tune with ukelele-like strings to beef up the sound. I enjoyed the jingle jangly delight of delicate kantele (Swedish harp) in "Kantele Ensemble." "Valaam Bells" uses kantele to imitate church bells. It is the sound of winter, snowflakes falling on tree lmbs. "Finnish Folk Melody #1" showcases fiddle with classical proclivities while "Melody #2" is a slow, elegant dance featuring mandolin, fiddle and accordion. The fiddles circle gayly around the "Happy Fellow" as guitar chords poke at the circle inquizitively. The album closes with the "Milk Polka," a wonderfully delightful kantele tune played so bright and warm, it could melt the coldest ice.

Average customer rating: Gentle, Jazzy, and Spirited

Heartland Holiday: Live at the Fitzgerald Peter Ostroushko Manufacturer: Borderland Productions ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Postcards Coming Down from Red Lodge Heart of the Heartland Minnesota: A History of the Land These Days ASIN: B000CNCBE8 Release Date: 2005-11-29

Tracks:

1. La Luna
2. Medley: The Holly and the Ivy/Oj, v Petrivochku/A Hazdo, Hazdo
3. Carol of the Drum
4. Girl from the North Country
5. Dobryj Vechir Tobi
6. Oj, Syvaja Zozulen'ka
7. Brazilian Choro Medley
8. I Wonder as I Wander
9. Oi Tunjuska
10. Wandering Boy
11. The Christmas Bells of Belfast
12. Shchedryk(Carol of the Bells)
13. Bright Morning Stars
14. Stille Nacht(Silent Night)

Product Description

Peter Ostroushko's new recording celebrates the holiday spirit with music from a multicultural landscape he calls the "Heartland." It's a musical journey, from the beautiful ancient a cappella carols of Peter's Ukrainian heritage to hot Brazilian choros as interpreted by Peter's mandolin. Recorded live in concert at the Fitzgerald Theater, Peter is backed by a stellar group featuring the vocal talents of Ruth Mackenzie, Tatiana Riabokin, and the awesome dreaded Nowytski Sisters. Become a part of Peter Ostroushko's Heartland Holiday Concert tradition.

Customer Reviews:

Gentle, Jazzy, and Spirited.......2006-12-27

This is a quality recording of a wonderful Christmas concert that includes a very international selection of music. "Carol of the Drum" is a nice, quiet rendition of The Little Drummer Boy. "Shchedryk (Carol of the Bells)" is a fun "Grateful Ostroushko" jam that goes something like Shchedryk (with the traditional Ukrainian lyrics, as opposed to Carol of the Bells lyrics) => God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (instrumental) => drums => Shchedryk (instrumental)... Peter's mandolin work is beautiful throughout. One of my very favorite Christmas CDs!

Average customer rating:

From the Land of the Kalevala Karelian Folk Music Ensemble Manufacturer: Gadfly ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Kalevala Heritage: Archive Recordings of Ancient Finnish Songs Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden Karelian Folk Music Ensemble ASIN: B000056K3C Release Date: 2001-01-30

Tracks:

1. Vainamoinen Ta Lohi-Neito (Vainamoinen and Salmon Maiden)
2. Ripatska (Ripachka)
3. Etala0Karjalan Valssi (Waltz from Southern Karelia)
4. Polonen Poika (Poor Boy)
5. Kantele Polkka
6. Maanitus (Persuasion)
7. Miihkalin Varausloitsu (Miihkali's Protection Spell)
8. Jossakin Kuultu Polska (Somewhere Heard Polska)
9. Kaksi Kuninkaan Lasta (Two Children of the King)
10. Karjalan Poikia/Karelia Boys
11. Lannen Lokari (Lumberjack of the West)
12. Konstan Valssi (Konsta's Waltz)
13. Ohotnichek (The Hunter)
14. Riivattu (Bewitched)
15. Lebed (The Swan)
16. Kaksirivispolkka (2-Row Polka)
17. Mlada (Young Girl)

Average customer rating:

Ingrian Folk Songs Karelian Folk Music Ensemble Manufacturer: Gadfly ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B00000201K Release Date: 1997-10-07

Tracks:

1. Korvessa Kuusen Juurella (Beneath Spruce Boughs)
2. Lankesin Mie Kanavaan (I Fell Into A Ditch)
3. Eletige
4. Imatran Rannalla (On The Shores Of The Imatra)
5. Oi Miks' On Meita (Oh, Why Are We So Few?)
6. Paaskylainen Paiva Lintu (Swallow Day Song)
7. Maanitus (Persuasion)
8. Kaunis Oli Koivu (Beauteous Was The Birch)
9. Kolme (The Trio)
10. Ingrian Woman's Ballad
11. Kaksi Neitoa (Two Maids)
12. Lie Mie Kliton Naita (I Might Speed To Wed)
13. Miks' Ei Mulla Niin Kuin On Muilla? (Why Not For Me As For All The Rest?)
14. Mummoni (My Granny)
15. Nuku, Nuku (Sleep, Sleep)
16. Suka Mereen (Comb In The Sea)
17. Suite Of Finnish Dances
18. En Mie Laula (I Sing Not)
19. Ei Pia Manna (You Shouldn't Go)
20. Kuokkijat (Uninvited Guests)
21. Manin Soille (I Went To The Marshes)
22. Etahalla, Ylahalla (Far Away And High Beyond)

Average customer rating:

Your Heart Is My Captive Borderland Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000QXDE4K Release Date: 2007-06-04

Tracks:

1. Another Feel Good Story
2. Echoes
3. A Face For The Faithless
4. Cause For Concern
5. The End
6. West

Album Description

Recorded in Adelaide and mastered at Studio 301 by Steve Smart this the second e.p. from the borderland shows a new found depth and driven rock sound. The single "echoes" provides a new atmospheric sound to the borderland's already diverse style.

Album Details

Recorded in Adelaide and Mastered at Studio 301 by Steve Smart this the Second E.p. From the Borderland Shows a New Found Depth and Driven Rock Sound. The Single "Echoes" Provides a New Atmospheric Sound to the Borderland's Already Diverse Style.

Average customer rating:

Beauty Ani's Whisper Manufacturer: Borderland Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000NI0Z9U

Product Description

1. I've been thinking. 2. Water 3. Beauty 4. Falling 5. Aqua Skies 6. My Stomach 7. All the Songs I Wrote About You 8. Kari 9. Goodness 10. Fleur De Bonheur

Average customer rating: If I were Luke Lewis....

The Borderland ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Folk Rock | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005J6QX Release Date: 2001-02-01

Tracks:

1. Days Of Heaven
2. Don't Let Me Lose You
3. Frankie Speed (Stealin' Cadillacs)
4. Trigger Finger
5. Sleeping With The Television On
6. This Town
7. The Meantime
8. Crucifixion Waltz
9. You Don't Know What It's Like To Love You
10. The Dream
11. While I'm Still Young
12. The Borderland

Album Description

Contemporary folk singer-songwriter, Alan Whitney's debut CD, "The Borderland", is a collection of song stories. Alan sings of change and transformation. The album contains sparse, rhythmic, acoustic arrangements yet, richly detailed soundscapes that bring Whitney's cinematic songs alive. All 12 cuts were written and produced by Whitney and the CD is released by Because We Can Records and GFI Music.

Customer Reviews:

If I were Luke Lewis...........2001-11-07

....I would license this album for Mercury's new Americana imprint Lost Highway. Alas, I am not Luke Lewis. I am instead just a regular chump who craves to hear something authentic & unaffected, which Alan Whitney's "The Borderland" delivers in abundance. I recall the first time I ever saw Whitney perform live. It was at the now-defunct Iguana Cafe in North Hollywood, California. His energy was so powerfully raw, captivating & focused that it was undeniable he had "the gift." Some songs that I'd heard live countless times in the heyday of that era appear here, notably "Sleeping With the Television On" & "Crucifixion Waltz." He'd moved to Nashville for a period in the mid-90's, but had he stayed, the corporate powers-that-be on Music Row would have ignored him or tried to smooth out his edges, robbing him of anything that made his music interesting. Songs about addiction such as "The Meantime" or about stealing Cadillacs would've been scrapped in favor of one-dimensional odes to romantic love. Backed with an acoustic outfit, Whitney keeps the focus on the stories in the songs themselves. At times evocative of Springsteen and Steve Earle, and at least once of Roy Orbison, he is never a poor man's version of anybody else.

Serving Suggestion: Rodney Crowell's "Houston Kid."

For songs by Whitney that have appeared on other discs, check out "Weakness" on Claudia Russell's album "Song Food" and "When I Could Fly" on Keith Perry's eponymous debut from a few years ago.

Music Album:

1. Braver Newer World
2. Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown
3. Can't Run from Yourself
4. Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You/I'm the Girl [CD-single]
5. Classic Country: 1965-1969
6. Clinch Mountain Gospel
7. Collection [Import]
8. Come on Down to My World
9. Country Got Soul, Vol. 2 [Import]
10. Craftsman

Music Album