Friday, March 5, 2010

CD Review: Rounder Records 40 Years In The Making


Various Artists
Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert

Recorded live, for the most part, at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee on October 12th 2009, the 40th anniversary celebration of Rounder's existence showcases a wide array of folk, rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, cajun, and roots music from some of the labels most iconic musicians. You will hear performances by Alison Krauss, Irma Thomas, Steve Martin, Minnie Driver, Bela Fleck, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, and the downtempo-jazz queen, Madeleine Peyroux. Over 2,000 albums have been released by Rounder Records, including many in the international genres. However, this concert does not feature any musicians representative of the world music genre. Still, the album is a lively showcase of instrumental and vocal music that should be heard and enjoyed by all. If you are fans of the musicians mentioned above, then this is an especially important gift for you. For everyone else, the Rounder Records 40th anniversary concert is one for the ages and a symbol of American folk music at its best. The liner notes contain short biographies of each artist, along with some song information. Most of all, CD royalties will be donated to the Grammy in the Schools programs under the auspices of the Grammy Foundation. ~ Matthew Forss

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