Track Listing

1. That's What I Get - BR549
2. Wishbones - Slaid Cleaves
3. I'm So Ashamed - Willie Nelson & Ray Price
4. Ain't Looking Closely - Tift Merritt
5. Gold Watch & Chain - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Featuring Kris Kristofferson
6. Every Time You Say Goodbye - Alison Krauss & Union Station
7. Life in the Country - Danny Barnes
8. All the Right Reasons - The Jayhawks
9. Stupid - Anne McCue
10. Wait A Minute - Notorious Cherry Bombs
11. September When It Comes - Rosanne Cash featuring Johnny Cash
12. If I Die - Fairfax
13. Doesn't Have to Be This Way - Jay Farrar
14. Wild Geese Cry - Ralph Stanley
15. Trashcan Tomcat - Jim Lauderdale
16. Telephone - Shelby Lynne
17. Broke Down & Lonesome - King Wilkie
18. Bible Song - Lori McKenna
19. Little Red Rivi Airhead - Junior Brown
20. Venture - Lucinda Williams
21. Amen - Arthur Godrey

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125907 in Music
• Released on: 2004-08-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Album Description
"This is Americana" - the first Americana compilation from the Americana Music Association, was released August 3, 2004 to fine retailers everywhere. The CD includes 21 songs and a 28 page full-color booklet packed with information on Americana music. Includes music from Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Lucinda Williams, Slaid Cleaves and 17 other great Americana artists.

Customer Reviews

How can you NOT buy this for such a low price?
Whether your perspective on this CD is as an introduction to broader musical interests or a supplement to your current collection of Americana material, you simply can't pass up this bargain. I was already a fan of large amouts of bluegrass and alternative country, two genres intertwined with the "Americana" scene, so I knew several songs on this compilation already. However, it's a good listen in itself, and it sent me off to buy more good music I'd just discovered.

If you have any interest in any part of Americana, do not pass up this opportunity. It will definitely broaden your musical perspective.

An excellent overview
With only a couple of exceptions, the songs on This is Americana are great tracks. They range from intensely personal singer-songwriter moments of pain to happier, fluffier rockier tracks, much like the Americana genre itself. Diversity is a watchword here, and while it's an excellent introduction to the breadth of the genre, it lacks depth and it doesn't exactly make for a cohesive listening experience.

This is Real Music
One would think that the success of the O Brother soundtrack and sold-out festivals such as Bonnaroo and Austin city Limits would tell the music and radio industries that the nation is ready for music with authenticity. Sadly, though, that hasn't seemed to be the case. To quote the Danny Barnes track on this album: "new country music ain't worth a dime, and the radio plays it all the time."

This is a solid collection of tunes spanning an arc from twangy country to soothing folk. The producers have done a nice job of mixing big-name artists like Willie Nelson and Rosanne Cash with newer singer-songwriters who deserve wider recognition such as Tift Merritt and Slaid Cleaves.

Pick up this bargain-priced CD, then go out and see these bands live when they come to your town.