The Outlaws
Green Grass and High Tides: Best of the Outlaws
(Floating World/Retroworld)
★★★★

THIS tuneful Florida outfit have always tended to be pigeonholed as Southern rockers, but in reality The Outlaws persistent use of three and four part vocal harmonies and strongly country influenced brand of material has always set them apart from most of their contemporaries in the field.

This excellent anthology from Floating World focuses attention on the cream of their illustrious back catalogue, showcasing some crisply crafted gems from their 1975 debut album such as There Goes Another Love Song and the epic Green Grass and High Tides alongside the band’s biggest U.S. singles success, their 1980 cover of Stan Jones’s classic 1948 pop/country hit,(Ghost) Riders In The Sky. 

Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman
Hearsay & Heresy
(Talking Elephant)
★★★★

THIS low key and utterly beguiling set is the brainchild of Radio DJ and author Mark Radcliffe and accomplished guitar tutor and fellow Cheshire resident David Boardman.

The two men first met in their Knutsford local, The Rose and Crown, rapidly discovering the shared passion for the delights of evocative, acoustic based musical imagery which would go on to fuel their 2024 album, First Light.

The eagerly anticipated follow up has now been released by the excellent Talking Elephant label and mines a similarly rich vein of subject matter, with the duo reflecting on the dubious delights of Glasgow’s inclement climate in Merchant City, Driving Rain and exploring the harrowing plight of the asylum seeker in another stand out track, The Not So Grand Hotel.

Clarence White
Melodies From A Byrd In Flyte 1963-1973
(Wienerworld)

WIENERWORLD’s fascinating new CD anthology shines a welcome spotlight on the instrumental artistry of the late great Clarence White.

This pioneering figure in the worlds of country rock and bluegrass is probably best remembered for his stunning contributions to albums by The Byrds and Kentucky Colonels during a sadly all too brief recording career which came to an untimely conclusion with his death in a California road accident in July 1973.

Guitarist White was equally influential as an acoustic and electric performer and this predominantly instrumental package captures 14 examples of his distinctive flatpicking playing style featuring the likes of Gram Parsons, The Everly Brothers and Clarence’s fellow Byrds Roger McGuinn, Gene Parsons and Skip Battin to name but a few.