We have been remiss in our duties. The Americana Music Association put together a free compilation album for download on Amazon and we haven't told you about it...yet! It's got tracks from John Hiatt, Elizabeth Cook, and Steve Earle, among the 12 songs by artists who we also think should be heard. It's called the Americana Music Awards Sampler. It contains tracks from some of the folks that were nominated for this year's Americana Honors & Awards, held last month, of which Marty Fitzpatrick and I anchored the webcast for Folk Alley. It was a magical night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The very last of the 12 tracks for FREE download is from James McMurtry, a song from his most recent studio CD, Just Us Kids, "Bayou Tortous." A sweet couple...kinda sorta a love song. In other James McMurtry news, one of my very favorite magazines, Garden & Gun, has an insightful article about James that captures him faithfully; as he turkey hunts on his grandfather's land with the author, Rick Bass. It also connects to a recommended playlist James put together on iTunes. A very cool list indeed.

Over the years, James has refined his sound, becoming an impressive, and expressive, guitar player. And he has walked down some mighty dark and lonely roads in his music. He's peered into the nooks and crannies of forgotten America, with faithful portraiture to how those lives are being lived. He has made it all come alive with the articulation of his characters in their sometimes impossible situations. That said, I am always surprised by James' romantic side. Through the years and the albums, I get the sense that he is driven to get the words down and put them to music, scanning their cadence for the perfect fit. Whatever they are, and wherever they take him...and us. He seems to live inside his own head restlessly, always pondering. And so the pureness of this love song is all the more sweet for its lack of dark corners, though who knows, there could been some lurking in there anyway. The album it's from is Where'd You Hide the Body from back in 1995. We bring you this version from our Threadgill's session during SXSW 2010.

- Jessie Scott