Young Blood Blues

Rate It! Avg: 4.0 (331 ratings)
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Young Blood Blues album cover
Album Information
EXCLUSIVE // EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 43:15

eMusic Review 0

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J. Edward Keyes

Editor-in-Chief

J. Edward Keyes has been writing about music for nearly 15 years, a fact he occasionally finds terrifying. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Village V...more »

02.01.10
A stark, stirring, and evocative modern folk masterpiece
Label: eMusic Selects

Alynda Lee embodies the folk ideal. At a time when much "folk music" has become the province of self-serious beardy auteurs content to ply their heartsick wares on the coffeehouse circuit, Alynda has a worried mind and a restless heart. She ran away from her Bronx home at age 17 and, like Woody Guthrie and Ramblin' Jack Elliott before her, started riding freight trains, making acquaintances as she roamed from town to town and sleeping out at night underneath the big open sky. She eventually ended up in New Orleans, where she made money by playing washboard for a street band called the Dead Man's Street orchestra. Over time, washboard became banjo and Lee went from side player to central figure, forming Hurray for the Riff Raff to give voice to the song in her heart.

Young Blood Blues is the second Hurray for the Riff Raff record, and it's their first masterpiece. Stark, stirring and evocative, it capably summons both early Cat Power and Margaret Johnson while being clearly beholden to neither. Make no mistake: this is Alynda's world, and she gave life to the characters that inhabit it. Some of them are just shadows: "I… read more »

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Beautiful

fallingman

Sometimes the stuff I download from Emusic I wish I had passed over. Sometimes, it's a little bit magical. This is the latter.

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fresh air

tHEbIGe

sort of like if patty smith was a an unbeat gypsy! love it

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Straight in at number 1!

danmac

I am always very selective with what I download. With a groaning 250Gb HD chock-a-block with my MP3s, there is no time in my life for lacklustre stuff. After hearing only 3 previews I DLed the whole album - it is sublime. She has an amazing voice and sings songs full of captivating words. It's tough and gutsy, and at the same time sweet and soulful. I'm a teacher and I'm definitely playing this to my year 13s, who will love it. I wish they loved Maths as much as I do too...

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Some great songs

WhiskyCritic

The girl can sing, and judging by these songs she can write too. Is That You, Little Things and Too Much of a Good Thing are some of my favorite songs of the year, and I'm usually a rock fan. Finding this makes me glad I subscribe to emusic.

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There's potential here...

theenddecay

For many hits off of this album. There are definitely more single-worthy songs than on their first album. Sticking out to me are "Calmly," "Little Things," and "Slow Walk."

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Give that girl a banjo!!!

Fbones24

I downloaded this on a whim and I am glad I did. This is punch you in the gut, heartfelt, emotive art. Banging banjo. E-music review refers to this album as a "masterpiece." While this word is thrown around too often with regard to certain albums, in this case it may just be appropriate.

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Now in another time and place.

Verdunguy

New Orleans is a city with a lot of complicated moods - most of them musical and a lot of them dark. This cd catches a rich one perfectly - with a voice of great character, a percussive banjo and a tight, never wasteful band. The songwriting's excellent and the performance is better. I don't know how a band manages to sound like this in 2010, but you'd be foolish not to download it to try to figure that out.

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beauty in simplicity

MusicalOmnivore

great album full of rich melodies and lyrics that stick a little deeper each time through. Nice casual slap dash feel but not lacking in sophistication and subtleties.

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So Glad HftRR is getting recognition

Togakangaroo

I used to walk past these guys playing in the street on Frenchmen all the time. They would always have a crowd of awed onlookers gathered around. Always great to see one of the New Orleans street bands making good.

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Favorable Testimonial

justinhogue22

Not only is this worth listening to; it's worth listening to severaal times over. Now stop reading what others have to say and download this already.

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