Out Of The Box Cd Of The Week With Paul Shugrue

Set the wayback machine for 1987. Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band are riding high from the success of the "Born in the USA" album and tour. In this alternate universe however, rather than going off on a fifteen year solo jag, Springsteen and band record the follow-up to their blockbuster. "Magic" is the album they would have made.

When Steve Earle Married singer-songwriter Allison Moorer in 2005 they moved to New York and took up residence in Greenwich Village. Washington Square Serenade is his love letter to his new hometown

Mark Knopfler has embraced the simplicity found in ballads and waltzes and continues to mine that fertile ground on his new cd Kill to Get Crimson.

Godfathers of Americana. Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplin have collaborated on two highly satisfying albums as a trio but now that they are joined by Kane's son Lucas on drums, they're ready to get serious about being a band.

The Gospel According to Ben. With his recent prolific song production Ben Harper has been in danger of wearing out his welcome. Lifeline however, defies the odds, and like the five other albums he's released this decade, it is close to flawless.

Dont pigeonhole me. Lyle Lovetts eleventh album "It's Not Big, It's Large" makes a vital point with it's title. This is not Big Band music - although the album does start with a Count Basie instrumental. This is a highly versatile band framing the music of one of Americas most original songwriters.

Even More Adventurous. Rilo Kiley's major label debut album "Under the Blacklight" is also a major tour de force for their lead singer Jenny Lewis

For a band thats been around for more that fifteen years putting out high quality, cosmopolitan Americana, youd think Over the Rhine would be more of a household name. "The Trumpet Child", Over the Rhine's tenth album of new material is daring in it's departure from the soft, gentle crooning of earlier efforts and because of that, it's their best album yet

Sure beats the Partridge Family. Its been a busy year for the Thomson family. Linda Thompsons new cd "Versatile Heart" follows the release by her ex-husband and ex-musical partner Richard Thompson's "Sweet Warrior" and their son, Teddy Thompson's album "Upfront and Down Low."

Jah Love. Anybody who has driven out past Charlottesville on 64 West will get the joke. The new Corey Harris album is called "Zion Crossroads", the name of a small town outside of Charlottesville where he lives and a perfect name for his first all reggae cd.

Country Comfort. With a pedigree like Teddy Thompson's, an album like "Upfront & Down Low" is quite a surprise. The son of folk-rock pioneers Richard and Linda Thompson has had a mildly successful career but not one that would indicate a reverence or insight into the country music genre he pays tribute to on this album.

New York is a woman named Suzanne Vega. "Beauty and Crime" is Suzanne Vega's first album in six years. Six years that must seem like a lifetime.

Rylo is a blues band that doesn't really have the blues. You won't find any "woe is me, I've got bad luck and trouble" slow blues songs on their second album "Automatic Oil." Instead, this Hampton Roads quartet uses blues forms to shape ten original songs that rock, boogie and party like they're sitting on top of the world.

For an artist who's been accused of being wildly inconsistent, Ryan Adams' last five albums have been unfailingly uniform. From "Love is Hell" through 2005's trilogy of country rock gems and now "Easy Tiger", Adams has adhered to acoustic arrangements, sad songs and some of the best songwriting of this century. His last project, producing Willie Nelson's album "Songbird" probably gave him insight into how to tame his prolific nature and, as the title suggests, chill.

2007 has seen an unusual amount of covers albums, tribute projects and cover songs on individual releases. "Instant Karma: The Campaign to save Darfur" with it's compelling beneficiary - Amnesty International, it's sole focus of John Lennon's solo recordings and it's wide range of contributing artists is the highest profile tribute of the year.

There was a time when a live album from Bruce Springsteen was a rarity. His first live recording Live 1975-85 was so anticipated it became the first three disc set to be the number one selling album in the country. Since then he's put out five live albums. What is there about "Live in Dublin", a two cd live album from his Seeger Sessions tour that avoids suffering from overkill? A lot, actually.