Uncommon Music - Food Songs

Written By: Nichole Wagner

Folk-singer Tom Glazer gave the world the gift of "On Top Of Spaghetti" in 1963. Meatballs everywhere mourned the loss of their mushed cousin.

But it's not the only song in which food takes the starring role. From more meatballs to chicken to tofu and rants about gelato and other culinary offerings in San Francisco we'll take a look at a handful of odes to the edible.


Cat Food Sandwiches - David Lindley
Of course, king-of-ugly-polyester-shirts David Lindley would write a song about the variety of backstage concoctions that await performers backstage. He even adds that the "woman that made them looks just like Jimmy Page!" It's on the album, "Live in Europe!"

Chicken Cordon Blues - Steve Goodman
The blues of a man who's been deprived of his favorite foods. The lobster, steak and potatoes have been replaced by granola, beans and rice. According to him even the cockroaches can't stand the new diet and have "moved next door." When he can't take it anymore he heads to the bakery for a jelly roll and a chocolate eclair.

Last Meal - Asleep at the Wheel
This tune finds front man Ray Benson waking up in his cell on death row. He's got one more meal and to delay his death he starts listing off the meal he'd like. Two dinosaur eggs over easy, black-eyed peas, saber tooth tiger steak, hippopotamus (well baked), crocodile tears, purple watermelon, alligator ears, two cross-eyed catfish, fried moonbeams and a barbecued brick of chocolate ice cream among other imaginative items. Since he's currently touring the country, I guess they just had to let the man out.

Chicken Ain't Nothing But A Bird - Cab Calloway
Cab makes the point that no matter what you do to it, if you boil it, fry it or barbecue it, chicken is still just a bird. All the dressing up and calling it a fowl or whatever else you want to doesn't change that simple fact.

Alfalfa's - Leftover Salmon
Back before Whole Foods took over Wild Oats and Wild Oats was still Alfalfa's, Leftover Salmon poked fun at the dairy-free cheese and bulgar eating, soy milk and wheatgrass drinking population of Boulder, Colorado and beyond.


One Meatball - Ry Cooder
With fifteen cents, the man in Ry's song has just enough cash to buy one lonely meatball. After being embarrassed in front of the restaurant he and his meatball go off down the street, presumably to grieve the meatball that once was on top of spaghetti.

Neko's Food Rant - Neko Case
In this live clip from Bimbo's 365 club (June 25, 2006) Neko shares how they will be like "unsupervised children" in San Francisco's restaurants. After brushing her teeth with gelato, taking a moment to discuss PBS and songs from such (cookies at the disco anyone?) there's the declaration that she'll break her teeth out, drink things from a straw, get dentures and by day four have broken those out as well. The four-minute bit of banter ends with dinner from a plastic fireman's hat and an apology for her "little freak out there."

Be Careful What You Eat - Animaniacs
We won't turn this into a discussion of the musical contributions (or lack thereof) of the Animaniacs or any other cartoon series. We will consider the astonishing list of additives (Glycerin, aspartate, Mono sodium glutamate, dehydrated calcinate, gelatinized triglyceride, phosphate, and deoxylite tri-silicon dipped in chocolate) that they manage to get out in very few breaths. It ends with this reminder, "We like sweets a lot / But they make your insides rot / So remember it's your body /And the only one you've got."

And about that picture of Jackson Browne eating a banana... I can't think of any songs he's got about food, but he's on a version of Catfood Sandwiches and it's a great pic so we'll call it good. It's from Rhino Records.

Uncommon Music - Emmylou Harris

Written by: Nichole Wagner

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Since it’s no big secret that I’m a die-hard Emmylou fan, I’ve had to give her latest album, All I Intended to Be some time and a few good spins through the CD player to make sure that the music didn’t get lost in the “it’s her first real album in almost forever-and-a-half and she’s Emmylou so therefore it’s amazing” feelings.

That said, it’s still a pretty darned good album and only “country” in the most broad definition of the genre.

My biggest problem is that it is a touch slow. I wish that there was something a little more upbeat to balance out the sound. Something like Jupiter Rising or Little Bird or even Deeper Well would help the slow songs “pop” instead of blurring into each other, especially during those crucial first few listens..

There are some covers and some originals. While I love that the covers are mixed (Tracy Chapman, Billy Joe Shaver, Patty Griffin, and Merle Haggard) I don’t love the fact that some, especially Patty’s Moon Song, are a bit too close to the originals. It’s a little like trying to fix something that’s not broken by adding a lot of clutter in the form of mandolin and accordion. And no, I’m not just bitter that Patty’s not on the album.

Luckily Old Five and Dimers Like Me (from which the album is named from) and All That You Have Is Your Soul don’t have the copy-cat syndrome to quite the extent.

Other songs like Hold On, written by Jude Johnstone (who’s written for people like Stevie Nicks as well) and Broken Man’s Lament, by Mark Germino (not Emmy as the liner notes say) get the classic Emmylou treatment with help from friends like Karen Brooks, Glen Worf, Buddy Miller, Glen D. Hardin and producer/ex-husband Brian Ahern.

The songs that stand out most are the ones she penned either by herself or with help from the McGarrigle sisters, Kate and Anna.

Gold is one of those “I did everything I could but it still wasn’t good enough” songs and with Dolly Parton and Vince Gill on harmony it really does sound like gold spun onto the record.

How Could She Sing The Wildwood Flower is to A.P. and Sara Carter what Strong Hand on Stumble into Grace is to Johnny and June Cash. A song of love and music and loss. If the only Carter you can think of is Maybelle or you’re a little rusty on your Carter Family history a quick refresher helps the song make sense.

The Carter Family was A.P. Carter, Sara (who was married to A.P. until they were divorced and she married his first cousin), and Maybelle (Sara’s cousin that married A.P.’s cousin, Ezra, and would go on to be known as ‘Mother Maybelle’ and be mother of June, Helen and Anita.) They’re among the pioneers of commercial country and folk music and have inspired just about every musician that’s set a foot within 100 yards of the Opry. At any rate, one of their better known tunes is the parlor song Wildwood Flower which, not surprisingly, is featured in the melody of Emmy’s song.

Sailing Round the Room is what Emmy correctly identifies as an “agnostic spiritual.” There’s no mentions of Heaven, a God, Judgment Days or anything else remotely biblical but the idea of death and being free from Earth’s chains is intact.

Listen to:
Beyond the Great Divide
Gold
All That You Have Is Your Soul
Sailing Round the Room

Uncommon Music - Numbers and Letters Tells All

Written By: Nichole Wagner

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New York-based Americana group Numbers and Letters released their first album earlier this year.

These do-it-yourselfers offer up melody and lyrics in a special edition release that is available exclusively through their website.

Between sending out CDs, playing live and writing for Billboard, band leader Katie Hasty took some time to answer a few questions.

__________________________
I didn't make the cut, probably because I didn't wear a costume slutty
enough. - Katie Hasty -
__________________________

See what she had to say about Red Lobster, Bryan Adams and the reason she was cut from the third grade talent show.

NW: Are you a full time musician or do you have a side gig? Where do you hope your music takes you?

KH: Four out of five of us aren't full-time musicians. I'm a web monkey and columnist for Billboard. Joe and Tom work in publishing and Phil wears goggles and puts colored water in beakers and things.

Clifton's the only pro amongst us wanderers.

I hope our music lands us an endorsement deal with Red Lobster and a guest "appearance" on "The Simpsons."

NW: What was the first instrument you learned to play and how old were you? Any stories about your first or favorite instrument?

KH: I played piano starting when I was five until I was 18, at which point I was summarily dismissed as a student.

I have an early memory of auditioning for the third grade talent show by singing and playing "Part of This World" from "The Little Mermaid."

I didn't make the cut, probably because I didn't wear a costume slutty enough.

NW: Of your songs, which is your favorite to perform and why? Of the cover songs?

KH: I enjoy playing "It's Dead" a lot because the strumming pattern is fun.

Also, sometimes at the part in the beginning where I sing "You're like a child, with your paws on my skirt," I sing "You're like a child, with your balls on my skirt" in order to reduce Joe into a fit of giggles.

My favorite cover to play is M. Ward's "Sad, Sad Song." I like the idea of killer whales suffering from their lovers.

NW: What does your creative process look like? How do you come up with ideas and new songs?

KH: I keep a notebook on me and write down phrases, concepts or stories that I like. Separately, I'll wake up with a tune in my head, or start whistling and come upon at melody I like. Then I'll try and pair concepts with the melody and flesh out the lyrics from there.

As for writing from personal experience, a good story sometimes can use great embellishments; lying makes telling hard stories easier.

NW: What was the first song you wrote and do you still play it?

KH: The first song I ever wrote was called "Saving You," from my freshman year of high school.

I performed it at an overnight summer camp at Duke on the last night, when all those teeming juvenile hormones force their way to irritable teenaged skin and tear glands. I brought down the house.

That performance can never be replicated and for that reason, I have retired it. Also, it was such a crappy song.

NW: How has your music and style evolved over the years you've been performing?

KH: I started (really) writing songs when I started learning guitar, which was four years ago.

I've gotten a little better at guitar, and that confidence shows up in bolder lyrics, I think.

NW: What were your last five music purchases?

KH: "St. Louis Blues" Etta James (single) "Non Stop" Whitey (single)
"Bill Bailey" Sam Cooke (single)
"If This Thing Should Spill" Born In The Flood (album) "The Phoenix" Renminbi (album).

NW: If you could sit down for an hour and play with any musician, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you ask them?

KH: Tom Waits. After a few songs, if possible, we'd go thrift store shopping and leaf through People. We wouldn't even have to talk.

NW: What is your favorite meal on the road?

KH: Fish tacos and iced tea

NW: What was the first concert you attended?

A: Bryan Adams, Waking Up the Neighbors tour. It was 1993, I was 11.

I distinctly remember screaming "I love you Bryan" and having a profound moment realizing that I, in fact, did not love Bryan.

I was living a lie.

Check out Numbers and Letters
Myspace
Last.fm

Uncommon Music - Hidden Tracks

Written By: Nichole Wagner

Hidden tracks, or those songs not listed on liner notes usually tacked on at the end of an album, within a "double groove" on a vinyl record, stuck either way before (track 0) the beginning of a CD or somewhere else that you may miss it. It rewards the listeners who are actually listening, not just hearing.

Of all the hundreds of "hidden tracks" the Beatles are considered the pioneers of the concept. Some dispute which of their tracks is actually a hidden track but since the Inner Groove on Sgt. Pepper's is really just noise and that in all my years of obsessive Beatle fan-dom I never actually heard the one on The Beatles (also known as the White Album), I considered Her Majesty on Abbey Road to be the very first true hidden track, tacked on 14 odd seconds after the final cut on Abbey Road as it had been taken out of the Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam medley.


With the advent of iTunes and iPods and iWhatevers, hidden tracks are getting easier to find so some of my favorites are not quite a secret but they're still a good listen and worth finding.

On their self-released, available only through them on the internet album, Live!, the New Pornographers stuck a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams nearly a half hour after the "last song." This is just really fun, since none of them particularly know the words. It's hidden far enough back that I missed it until I put the CD in the computer.

Neko Case has her own semi-hidden track on The Tigers Have Spoken entitled Tigers Are Noble in which she introduces the title track explaining that tigers can't be released into the wild because their habitat is being taken away and that perhaps because children are noisy and generally irritating they ought to be fed to the tigers. She adds that she was one of those irritating children who would have been tiger food.

Tom Petty doesn't have actual musical hidden tracks, but he does add tidbits to make his albums hilarious.

For example, on Full Moon Fever where the vinyl would have to be flipped over, CD listeners hear the following message: Hello, CD listeners. We've come to the point in this album where those listening on cassette or record will have to stand up (or sit down) and turn over the record (or tape). In fairness to those listeners, we'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two... thank you. Here is side two.

Into The Great Wide Open has a snippet of Tom opening a cabinet, asking "What's in here?" and hearing noises from a dock he says "Oh." and shuts the cabinet again before the next song.

Todd Snider's Talking Seattle Grunge Blues detailing the exploits of a band that moves to Seattle, decides to be the band that didn't play and eventually returns to Nashville to try music again is on Songs for the Daily Planet although it shows up fairly often in live shows so it's not particularly unknown.

Willie Nelson's Demo Sessions has an extra track with three demo versions of Save Your Tears, Half A Man, and Within Your Crowd. Along with these songs, the CD also includes an assortment of interview and annotations about the songs.

Uncommon Music - New Noise

Written By: Nichole Wagner

Late spring seems to be a great time to release an album. It's just before the summer tours start kicking and everyone's getting out of school, the weather is getting really nice and we're all in the mood for some new tunes. This week's new records include John Hiatt, Cyndi Lauper and Eliza Gilkyson. Within the coming few weeks Emmylou Harris, Martha Wainwright, and the Watson Twins have discs hitting the shelves.

John Hiatt - Same Old Man
All year John's been saying this album is all love songs, which the man knows how to write. From the looks of it, that's exactly what the album is. Beautifully witty love songs of all variations.
It comes in both a CD and CD/DVD combo package, the later containing live performances of some hits, but nothing pertaining directly to the album.

Cyndi Lauper - Bring Ya To The Brink
If John Hiatt knows how to write a great love song, Cyndi knows how to write a pop song. It's got a lot more echo and mix-y sound to it than something like "Shine" and definitely sounds more like "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" than "Sally's Pigeons." It's something that would fit well on Top 40 or a dance station but knowing Cyndi there's a point and reason for each song and the lyrics will redeem any overproduction. Plus it's her first totally new full-length album in more than decade.
Youtube Preview

Eliza Gilkyson - Beautiful World
Bringing some of the tunes she's been playing on the road (Wildewood Spring, Emerald Street, Party's Over and He Waits For Me) and some other new ones Beautiful World is a shining example of great Austin music. With help from her band (Cisco Ryder, Mike Hardwick and Glenn Funkunaga) and buds like Cindy Cashdollar, Julie Wolf and her brother Tony, Eliza makes a 180 from her slightly depressing Paradise Hotel album and gives us a reason to smile and keep some hope for this world.

Emmylou Harris' All I Intended to Be and Martha Wainwright's I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too will be out June 10th.

Chandra and Leigh Watson's Fire Songs will be out on June 24th.

Uncommon Music - Los Super 7

Written By: Nichole Wagner

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What happens when you toss Rick Treviño, Ruben Ramos, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Joe Ely, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett with just about every other fantastic musician within a few hundred miles? You get Los Super 7 - the Grammy winning super group singing songs from both sides of the border.

Their three albums (Canto, Los Super Seven and Heard It on the X) feature no less than 20 musicians and what's more, a vast assortment of groovy tunes.

Some people claim that Heard It On The X isn't a true Los Super Seven record. Still, it's the one I like best. It's a little more "Tex" and a little less "Mex" but that's not saying the other discs aren't just as fantastic. Being lazy, I prefer the lyrics in English so I can sing along without having to rely on my college level Spanish classes to figure out what I'm saying. Plus there's the added bonus of John Hiatt and Joe Ely taking lead vocals.

Whether they sing in Spanish, English or German (just kidding... they don't) Los Super 7 is a pretty amazing mix of artists and a great way to get your toes wet in a genre that otherwise you might miss.

Uncommon Music - Meet Billy Joe Shaver

Written by: Nichole Wagner

Photo Credit: Compadre Records

It takes a certain kind of man to shoot someone in a bar fight. It takes a whole different type of man to 'fess up, surrender himself to the police, make bail and show up the next night to play an in-store show asking his fans to pray for him. But that's Billy Joe Shaver for you. The 2007 event may scream the ending of a Lifetime movie even though it's just one side of the singer, songwriter and country music renegade.

He's been making music for over 35 years and is responsible for songs such as "Live Forever," "Way Down Texas Way," "I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train," "Old Chunk of Coal" and "Old Five and Dimers Like Me."

His tunes have been covered by everyone from legends like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to more contemporary artists like Widespread Panic, Nanci Griffith and Alison Krauss.

Even without the shooting in Lorena, his life is a story worth telling. Born in Corsicana and now living north of Austin in Waco, he's spent most of his life in Texas.
After being in the Navy and trying work as a rodeo clown he worked in a lumber mill where he lost two fingers on his right hand in an accident.

He married his wife Brenda in 1963. They had a son, Eddie, who before his death of an overdose was a renowned guitarist and member of The Shavers with his father. BJ and Brenda divorced, and remarried three times.

He eventually got a songwriter job in Nashville and the attention got him a record deal of his own.

The losses of Brenda in 1999 to cancer and Eddie in 2000 were difficult, but Shaver himself almost died in 2001 when he had a heart attack on stage. After successful heart surgery he went back to music and has released five albums since including the Grammy nominated Everybody's Brother in 2007.

Check out both the vintage Shaver on Old Five and Dimers Like Me and Honky Tonk Heroes and the more recent The Real Deal, Storyteller and Everybody's Brother.

Enjoy the songs and as Billy Joe would say in the phrase he lent to Kinky Friedman's gubernatorial race, "may the God of your choice bless you."

Billy Joe Shaver.com

Uncommon Music - Carolyn Wonderland

Written By: Nichole Wagner

Covered in peace signs and tattoos, Carolyn Wonderland looks like the modern day Janis Joplin. Well, maybe a red-headed, shorter version of Janis. It doesn't matter. The point is she's got a set of pipes that blows you away.

Although her vocal styling and physical appearance is similar to that of her fellow Texan, Carolyn's got her own distinctive sound.

She could easily get away with just being a singer, but she's really just the goddess of multi-instrumentation. She plays the trumpet, the guitar, the mandolin, the piano and the accordion.

When she lived there, the folks over at the Houston Press were giving her well-deserved awards like Halloween candy, so she's getting some recognition. It's still not enough. She's one of those Bonnie Raitt-types, the artists who build an amazing body of work before the rest of the world finally takes notice.

She's not "blues" or "country" or "rock" or any other arbitrary label or genre that musicians gets shoved into. No, if you had to categorize her it'd be something like "rocknjazzbluesycountryroll," she's just that versatile.

Her latest album, "Miss Understood" came out earlier this year, and is the seventh album she's released. Of course she's generous with her talent and has made appearances on a multitude of other artist's albums. She's been in a variety of bands, the Imperial Monkeys, Sis DeVille, Jerry Lightfoot's Band of Wonder, and the Loose Affiliation of Saints and Sinners.

Originally from Houston, she's landed in Austin or "the land of free guitar lessons!" as she puts it. When she's not recording, she spreads her time between touring (she calls it the "perpetual tour") and promoting peace (Recently she headlined at the Million Musician March for Peace in Austin) and making YouTube videos (She's got one introducing "Patty" her main guitar and the other instruments she plays.)

So before she gets famous and it's impossible to get tickets to her sold out show, do yourself a favor and get out to see her. If she's not coming near you and you can't drop everything to follow her at least pick up a copy of Miss Understood and if you can find them Bursting with Flavor and Plays with Matches.

Uncommon Music - Willie Nelson - Birthday Article

Written By: Nichole Wagner

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Some critics suggest that if the only song he’d ever written was “Crazy,” he’d still go down in songwriters history. Luckily for our ears, Willie kept pickin’ out tunes and sharing them with the world. His five-decade career has produced many hits and honors.

This year, on April 30, the red-headed stranger will turn 75. His hair may be more grey than red but it still hangs in two braids and his songs stand the test of time.

One of the original outlaws of country music, Willie does things one way: his way. This attitude gets him in trouble with the law every so often and it may be part of the reason he’s been married four times. Anyhow, his pot-smoking, rule-breaking, law-avoiding, environmental-thinking, political-speaking ways make him the kind of person we all wish was our grandfather but would have denied any relation to in junior high.

His personal journey of ups and downs is detailed in the new book, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life. Nothing super groundbreaking if you’ve been listening for any length of time but still not a bad read.

Austin’s favorite troublemaker and Texas’ favored son will also be honored in a star-studded radio broadcast on KGSR 107.1 in Austin (listen online - link to www.kgsr.com.) Anyone who’s anyone (including Joe Ely, Kelly Willis, Ian McLagan, Ray Benson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Patty Griffin and Willie’s daughter, Paula) in Austin will be dropping by to celebrate the birthday boy with a song or two.

In the meantime, go plant yourself next to the record player and listen to Red Headed Stranger, Wanted! The Outlaws, and one other album of your choosing. Meander over to the television set and watch Wag The Dog, Honeysuckle Rose and Songwriter. Then go find a way to spread some peace or put some vegetable oil in your truck. Finally, see if you can’t dig up a carton of Ben & Jerry’s “Willie Nelson’s Country Peach Cobbler Ice Cream” and repeat. As a side note, if you happen to live by a Ben & Jerry’s, they’re giving out free ice cream on April 29, which is today.

Uncommon Music - Meet John Prine

Written By: Nichole Wagner

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You may not know who John Prine is, but you know his music. Just about everybody and their dog has covered his songs. I mean everyone. Bette Midler, Loretta Lynn, REM, John Denver, Kasey Chambers, Todd Snider, Steve Goodman, Nanci Griffith, Johnny Cash, George Strait, John Mellencamp, Tammy Wynette, Carl Perkins, Carly Simon and oh yeah, Bonnie Raitt. Over the Rhine sings that "if a song could be president / John Prine would run the FBI / All the criminals would laugh and cry".

You may not know who John Prine is, but you know his music. Just about everybody and their dog has covered his songs.

By everyone I mean the likes of Bette Midler, Loretta Lynn, REM, John Denver, Kasey Chambers, Todd Snider, Steve Goodman, Nanci Griffith, Johnny Cash, George Strait, John Mellencamp, Tammy Wynette, Carl Perkins, Carly Simon and oh yeah, Bonnie Raitt.

Over the Rhine sang that "if a song could be president / John Prine would run the FBI / All the criminals would laugh and cry." And they're probably right.

What these fine artists and many others have discovered is one of the greatest songwriters to put a pen to paper. He was a postman, was in the army and somewhere along the way started writing songs. He's not exactly the darling of the Billboard Charts but he's won a roomful of awards and his fans are seriously devoted (the main fan site is called "J.P. Shrine".)

He's got funny songs:
Dear Abby - Dear Abby, Dear Abby / My feet are too long / My hair's falling out and my rights are all wrong.

Let's Talk Dirty In Hawaiian - Waka waka nuka licka, waka waka nuka licka / would you like a lei? Eh?

Aw Heck - The cannibals can catch me and fry me in a pan / long as I got my woman.

Onomatopoeia - Bang! went the pistol / Crash! went the window / Ouch! went the son of a gun. (Seriously. The man wrote a song about onomatopoeias - how often do you even use that word??)

He's got political songs:
Flag Decal - But your flag decal won't get you / Into Heaven any more / They're already overcrowded / From your dirty little war.

Paradise - Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel / And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land.

Some Humans Ain't Human - Or you're feeling your freedom / And the world's off your back / Some cowboy from Texas / Starts his own war in Iraq.

He's got songs that'll make you smile:
Long Monday - Soul to soul / Heart to heart / And cheek to cheek / Come on baby / Give me a kiss / That'll last all week.

Fish and Whistle - Father forgive us for what we must do / You forgive us / We’ll forgive You / We’ll forgive each other till we both turn blue / Then we’ll whistle and go fishing in heaven.

Big Old Goofy World - She'd sing like an angel / And eat like a bird
And if I wrote a song / She'd know ever single word.

He's got songs that'll make you tear up:

Sam Stone - There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes / Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose / Little pitchers have big ears / Don't stop to count the years / Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.
Angel From Montgomery - When I was a young girl well, I had me a cowboy / He weren't much to look at, just free rambling man / But that was a long time and no matter how I try / The years just flow by like a broken down dam.

Unwed Fathers - From an teenage lover, to an unwed mother / Kept undercover, like some bad dream / While unwed fathers, they can't be bothered / They run like water, through a mountain stream.

With some 20 albums, including the more recent, Standard Songs for Average Peoplewith Mac Wiseman (2007) and the 2006 Grammy winner, Fair & Square there's lots of material to choose from. And since he's recovered from his brush with cancer nearly seven years ago, it seems he's been either on the road or in the studio. You can catch him this summer with assorted guests including Iris Dement, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Peter Case and a special date with Emmylou Harris at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

Uncommon Music - Let's Duet!

Written By:
Nichole W. of Uncommon Music

CMT has a new reality show premiering on Friday called, "Can You Duet?" As if we haven't had enough American Idol, it's coming to haunt us over in country music land as well.
While Naomi Judd looks for the winners that make good television, we'll take a look at some (not all) real vocal marriages made in musical heaven.

Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris
As a member of the Fallen Angels (changed from the Turkeys because she didn't want to be in a band called the Turkeys), Emmylou Harris brought a female dimension to Gram's cosmic cowboy style. Unfortunately, Gram's untimely death in 1973 means that there's a limit to the music these two can create. Listen to: "In My Hour of Darkness," "The Angels Rejoiced Last Night" and the quintessential "Love Hurts."
The Complete Reprise Sessions set released a few years ago includes all of these tunes from "Grievous Angel" and "G.P." as well as lots of alternate versions and some super interviews from Emmy and Gram.

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne
Two peas in the proverbial political pod, both Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne balance their time between singing and protesting. They've been arrested at protests together but they've also spent some studio time together. Both have the California sound and when combined and stirred slightly they sound fantastic. Listen to: "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," "My Opening Farewell" and Warren Zevon's "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me." If you can get your hands on a show with them and Bruce Springsteen or the Red Rocks, CO show that was broadcast on the internet in '99 listen and bask in the fabulousness.

Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks
They've drifted in and out of each other's lives. Stevie's joined Tom on tour twice: once in '86 when he was touring with Bob Dylan and more recently when she tagged along for a series of shows in '06. Of course, they were on each other's early 80s albums as well. For some reason, Tom's nasal whine and Stevie's distinctive sound blend unexpectedly well. Of course everyone knows about "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" so listen to "Insider" and "I Will Run To You."

John Prine and Iris Dement
If for no other reason than they can get away with singing lines like "He ain't been laid in a month of Sundays; Caught him once he was sniffin' my undies," and "swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs" in a country song, without cracking up John and Iris deserve a spot on any list of great duet pairs. Listen to: "In Spite of Ourselves," "We're Not the Jet Set," and "Let's Invite Them Over."

While you're at it, pretty much anyone John sings with makes a great duet. "Speed at the Sound of Loneliness" with Nanci Griffith and "Angel From Montgomery" with Bonnie Raitt are equally amazing. Finally, YouTube has a hilarious version of "In Spite of Ourselves" with John and Patty Griffin, though she lacks Iris' ability to sing it with a straight face.

Johnny and June Cash
The only couple on this list that's married, they made a name for themselves as a duet pair in concerts, TV shows and are now immortalized in "Walk The Line." Perhaps one of the greatest love stories in all of music, they needed each other. Musically speaking, listen to: "Jackson," "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" and "It Ain't Me Babe." Also, remember that June wrote "Ring of Fire."

Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn
There's a reason they recorded multiple albums together and they've got whole "best of" albums devoted to their duets. They're in a three-way tie with Tammy Wynette and George Jones and Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner for country duet greatness. Listen to: "You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly," "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," and "After the Fire Is Gone."

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
Yes, technically this is a trio. That's beside the point because the sound they make together is what plays in heaven. They did two albums, Trio and Trio 2 (creative name, right?) and they all floated in and out of each other's albums over the past thirty years. Emmy and Linda also recorded an album, "Western Wall" in 1999. Listen to: "To Know Him Is To Love Him," "Lover's Return," "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" and Neil Young's "After The Goldrush."

Uncommon Music

Nichole Wagner of Uncommon Music gives you the down-low.

Check out her blog.

Food Songs

Emmlou Harris - All I Intended To Be

Numbers and Letters Tells All

Hidden Tracks

New Noise

Los Super 7

Meet Billy Joe Shaver

Carolyn Wonderland

Willie Nelson - Birthday Article

Meet John Prine

Let's Duet!