KGSR Broadcasts Vol. 13
(107.1 KGSR-FM/Radio Austin)
Lucky 13 for the KGSR Broadcasts series! Thirty-seven tracks over the now customary 2-CD package range from merely good (Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” Ani DiFranco’s “Recoil”) to spiritually uplifting (Mavis Staples’ “God Is Not Sleeping,” Neville Brothers’ “Rivers of Babylon”) to once-in-a-lifetime stellar (Natalie Maines, Bruce Robison, and Kelly Willis’ “Travelin’ Soldier”; Alejandro Escovedo and John Cale with “Paris 1919”). The uniqueness of the annual compilation is in the performances, played live on KGSR throughout the year, yet it’s the startling array of bands and performers that defines Broadcasts year to year. Some are on the rise (the Greencards’ “Time,” Ozomatli’s “Love and Hope”), some are regional secrets (the Bluerunners’ “The Gravedigger”), some are at the peak of form (Patty Griffin’s “When It Don’t Come Easy”; Eliza Gilkyson with Will Taylor and Strings Attached, “Sanctuary”). Some burst through the speakers (Kathleen Edwards’ “Back to Me”), some are sublime (Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguezâ “Keep Your Hat On, Jenny”; Lyle Lovett’s “In My Own Mind”), and some reaffirm their stature (Tori Amos’ “Sweet the Sting,” Ian Hunter’s “Wash Us Away”) with disarming ease. Maybe the goodwill keeps the collection so purely enjoyable: It benefits the Herculean efforts of Austin’s SIMS Foundation. In the end, it’s the musicians, from around the corner and around the world, who bear witness to this annual gathering and make it the ultimate musical souvenir from the capital of Texas.
This article appears in November 25 • 2005.