eMusic Review 0
You could tag this third volume of selections from the cable-TV live-performance series as an overview of modern adult-alternative music. While Shawn Colvin (whose "Summer Dress," from her 2006 album These Four Walls, serves as a sort of anchor here) has been an adult-alternative fixture since the term first began to be used circa 1990, the rest of these artists are all relatively recent arrivals. Their contributions range from the engaging adventurousness of Joseph Arthur's trance-trippy "Crying Like A Man" to the more straightforward approach of Sarah Harmer's jaunty strum-and-fiddle number "Around This Corner." Best of the bunch is Brooklyn band Hem's closing track "Half Acre," a hauntingly melodic song of reminiscence swept into the stratosphere by singer Sally Ellyson. These kinds of compilations can be a bit of a crapshoot, depending on your familiarity with the participants; as such, the ability to download specific tracks may be of value here. On the other hand, you may find that if you're already a fan of a few of these artists, the Artists Den's generally insightful and dependable sensibility could help you discover new favorites among some of the others.
