On Top of Old Smoky
Artist: Burl Ives

Highlighted by the title track -- a Top Ten hit for Ives back in 1951 -- On Top of Old Smoky is a solid budget-priced collection of his folk recordings which also includes renditions of "Riders in the Sky" and "Got the World by the Tail." ~ Hank Small, All Music Guide Read More

The Best of the Decca Years
Artist: The Kingston Trio

By the time the Kingston Trio ended up on Decca in early 1964, they were already established stars of the folk music set. But as a commercial entity, they had arguably peaked, losing original member Dave Guard and replacing him with John Stewart. But the group soldiered on for four more studio albums and the best of it is collected here on this... Read More

Butler Field
Artist: Caroline Aiken
The Guard Years
Artist: The Kingston Trio

For anyone who thought the four-disc The Capitol Years was overkill, along comes Bear Family with this superb ten-CD set (with a 108-page hardcover book). The fact that nine of these ten discs contain material intended for release over a period of just four years is an indicator of the demand for their music -- the Kingston Trio was the first... Read More

The Long Way Around (Acoustic Collection)
Artist: Tom Russell

Tom Russell has been releasing terrific records without pause since the mid-'70s, and this acoustic, mostly live retrospective package may be the best of the bunch. In fact, after listening to its 17 tracks -- which include duets with Nanci Griffith, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and others -- the only remaining question about Russell is: Why isn't this... Read More

Leo Kottke Anthology
Artist: Leo Kottke

Two-CD, 37-track retrospective of the first 15 years of Kottke's recording career, drawing from over a dozen albums recorded between 1969 and 1983. This has a higher proportion of Kottke's vocals than some might expect, which may mildly disappoint fans who value his guitar virtuosity more than any of his other attributes. It's still a good,... Read More

Rough Sketches
Artist: John Stewart

Stewart's voice is as rough as his pencil sketches and worn as Route 66 itself. It speaks of lonely, distant places with more than just words. This is brought further to light through the contrast with his sweet voiced wife Buffy Ford in "Interview With an Angel." Another Folk Era album, Live at the Turf Inn, Scotland, presents the two together.... Read More

Loafer's Glory
Artist: Utah Phillips

Utah Phillips returned to recording with Ani DiFranco's encouragement for their duet album, The Past Didn't Go Anywhere. Evidently, the collaboration inspired Phillips, because he delivered Loafer's Glory just months after The Past, which was released six years after his last album. Loafer's Glory captures him at the top of his form, running... Read More

Reunion, Part 2
Artist: Chad Mitchell Trio

Like its predecessor, The Chad Mitchell Trio Reunion Part 2 is drawn from a concert given by Chad Mitchell, Mike Kobluk, and Joe Frazier at the Spirit Square Center for the Arts in Charlotte, N.C., in 1987, their first appearance together since the 1960s. The earlier album, Great Day: The Chad Mitchell Trio Reunion, contained performances of... Read More