2008-04-22
Country singer Mattea compiles some of the finest coal mining songs on this CD, bringing the joys and (mostly) sorrows of life in and around the mines to life (with plenty of them about death). The Sago, West Virginia mining disaster of 2006 compelled her to find the right set of songs to convey mining life and the best of them -- such as "The L&N Don't Stop Here No More" (#1), Coal Tattoo (#6) and "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" (#8) -- both educate and entertain. The closer, "Black Lung," is a harrowing a capella number, combined with an instrumental, "Coal." This set may not burn up the spins chart, but is a valuable contribution to the YCE library. 4/08 MJVD F-TraditionalAmilia K Spicer
Wow And Flutter
Western Centuries
Weight Of The World
DONAVON FRANKENREITER
Recycled Recipes
NEKO CASE
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
TIM HARRISON
Grey Country
Lee Bob & The Truth
The Truth LP
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.