Dear folkies and friends,

Mer’s Best Bets is a new feature on the OFC Music site. I have been a musical consultant at the OFC off and on for the past couple of years. Recently, I have been given the daunting but wonderful task of managing our CD inventory! Chopper has left very large shoes to fill, so I will do my best to provide the best selection of new music, local finds, and folk treasures to fill your ears. My goal is to carry a selection of music that will suite kids, parents, grandparents, and your uncle’s cousin, while maintaining a focus on music under the folk/roots umbrella.

Mer’s Best Bets will highlight a monthly Top 4, including a “Mer’s Pick” album review and a “Small Talk” local artist interview.

Hope you enjoy!
Your ear on what to hear,
--- Meredith

1. Mer’s Best Bet

Emmylou Harris – Pieces of the Sky (Reprise/1975 – Warner Bros/2004)

The first solo album by country legend Emmylou Harris is a remarkable start to the singer’s prolific career. This beautiful collection of country songs introduced her unique voice, which has since been recorded on over 30 solo albums—not to mention her many guest appearances with artists like Gram Parsons. Although the album only contains one original piece (“Boulder to Birmingham,” co-written by Bill Danoff), it features beautiful songs by many popular writers: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Merle Haggard, Shel Silverstein, and Dolly Parton (Harris’ future band mate in the group Trio).

The songs range for kickin’ country, as in the opening track “Bluebird Wine,” to beautiful ballads: “Too Far Gone,” “Boulder to Birmingham,” “Before Believing.” This reissue also includes two bonus tracks that were not on the original vinyl release: “Hank and Lefty” and “California Cottonfields.” Another feature of this reprint is the hefty CD insert which gives a detailed background on the artist and on the making of this ground-breaking record.

Harris’ voice is perfect on this album: sweet, powerful, and dynamic. Whether you are a singer, a songwriter, or a classic country music lover, this album is a masterpiece that shouldn’t be passed by.

Emmylou Harris’ Pieces of the Sky is available at the Ottawa Folklore Centre for $19.95, along with (Volume 1) Profiles: Best of Emmylou Harris.

Corb Lund – Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier (Stony Plain/2007)

This Canadian country balladeer delivers on his fifth release! Focusing on the stories and themes of historical conflicts, Lund drew from history books and famous authors—such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez—to craft this record. Lund’s Albertan-cowboy blood has drawn him to write about horses on many of his albums (according to his website biography), but none as substantially as on Horse Soldier!

Lund’s focused narratives are memorable and often character driven. “Everybody's going for generalities, when sometimes the interest is found in the quirky details,” Lund explains in his biography. Like an enchanting novel, the detailed snapshots of historical and fictional adventures Lund develops are wholly engaging. The galloping and hook-driven “Brother Brigham, Brother Young” is a fine example of these consistent qualities in Lund’s 15 forceful tracks.

If not already, Corb Lund will certainly become an iconic figure in Canadian country music.

Corb Lund’s Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! is available at the Ottawa Folklore Centre for $24.95 (plus tax).