New Highway

This second country-influenced collection in a series that started with Viva Americana is something of a double-edged sword - for a fan of the genre it is a treasure trove of demos, live or alternate takes, rare tracks and exclusive recordings of select artists from the Americana stable. But on the other hand, as is often the case with such albums, artists rarely give their best tracks away to these projects, obviously keeping prime cuts for their own albums. For the casual listener this can mean a bunch of less than top notch songs to get through.

New Highway does have its high spots. For this writer, the rare Mike Ireland cover 'Pop-A-Top' is a must as is the Neko Case cut 'Make Your Bed'. The two tracks from Tammy Rogers and Kevin Welch augur well for their upcoming albums.

Punk rock's undoubted influence on a lot of artists now working the field is very obvious on Jon Langford's Hillbilly Lovechild cut 'Nashville Radio', which displays clear Clash influences. The fairly routine cover of Thin Lizzy's version of 'Whiskey In The Jar' from Hazeldine may interest fans of both bands, while our own Great Western Squares deliver a stripped down run through of the classic 'Washed My Hands In Muddy Waters'. Veteran Billy Swan's outtake from his Like Elvis Used To Do album is one of this album's highlights and prove that the old hands should never be left out of the picture for any reason.

Slobberbone's acoustic 'Engine Joe' adds a rough directness that's vital and Nadine's 'Closer' has nothing to do with Joy Division but a lot to do with open spaces, laid back approaches and some liquid slide guitar.

Hardcore Honky Tonk comes courtesy of Heather Myles with a low-key version of 'True Love' from her excellent Highways And Honky Tonks album .

New Highways may not suit all tastes but there is more than enough to please anyone with an interest in this kind of music. A worthy if not essential purchase.