American folk music has taken on so many different shapes over the years, it’s become a slippery genre to define. It covers everything from old-time Appalachian foot-stompers to rabble-rousers like Woody Guthrie and the hippies he inspired, to today’s indie-folk scene, where the fuzzy lines between country, rock, pop, and emo openly defy categories. Two new albums underscore the evolution of folk music and the gaps between its incarnations. 28 year-old Conor Oberst of the band Bright Eyes released a self-titled solo album, and 67-year-old folk veteran Richie Havens just unveiled his latest effort. Word of Mouth music reviewer Bill Slammon joins us on the air to share his take on the two records.
Richie Havens' No One Left to Crown is the latest record in a long career for the performer who gained national attention at Woodstock in 1969. After all that time, though, reviewer Bill Slammon says he was still "struck by the freshness and orgininality in this album."
Conor Oberst's self-titled record is the first solo album he's released since he was a teenager. Bill Slammon thinks this is Oberst's attempt to go back to his roots: "I get the feeling he's trying to reclaim his voice, in a sense."
