Search - Various Artists :: Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook 1

Real-deal folk music, filtered through a hip, modern perspec

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 10/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A charming, earnest, open-mikey set from the graduates of Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, a cultural institution apparently founded in 1957 and now about to celebrate its 50th anniversary... The strongest tracks on here are from well-known "ringers," folks like Danny Barnes (of the Bad Livers), Freakwater's Janet Bean, alt-country auteur Robbie Fulks and Waco Brothers frontman Jon Langford... Standout tracks include a barebones "Shady Grove" from a fellow named Colby Maddox, and "Salty Dog" by Rick Sherry... Dan Zanes also makes an appearance with a loosey-goosey version of "Drunken Sailor..." Many of the songs on here really are like listening to a friend of yours warbling away at a coffeehouse open-mic night, which is exactly as it should be: that's the whole point of folk music, right? As DIY as ya wanna be."

This is really nice stuff!

Shadowdancer | Bowling Green, Kentucky United States | 11/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just listened to this CD not expecting to like it but I did. These are traditional pieces are innovative, exciting and enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to listen to folk music done well. I don't know any of the artists but, they are talented and understand the genre."

Very well recorded

Joseph Reader | USA | 12/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You'll have to decide for yourself whether you like this kind of music. It's acoustic, which I liked, but I did not like some of the arrangements/performances. What I really did like is the (important) fact that this CD is unusually well recorded. In that sense, at least, this is a very nice CD."