Upon listening to the lonely drone of Roscoe Holcomb's voice, first time round, it was one of those musical moments when I had to stop and immerse myself in what I was listening to. It was perhaps the most sad and lonesome vocal I'd ever listened to, and you get lots of those in country, folk, gospel and blues music, in particular, which this Appalachian music legend more or less fits into one way or another from Hank Williams to Nick Drake, Karen Dalton to Tammy Wynette to Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, Janis Joplin and so on - those voices that you feel are intimately talking to you rather than singing due to the extraordinary emotions or sense of loneliness they ...  Read the complete review

Recently I reviewed an album by Dock Boggs, who was probably the hardest, meanest banjo player ever to live. Another man held in high regard but from neighbouring Kentucky is Roscoe Holcomb, an Appalachian folk musician that wasn't recorded until later in life and spent most of his life as a miner and farmer. An Untamed Sense of Control was released by Smithsonian Folkways, one of my favourite record labels - the best there is when it comes to folk and relics of a different age. The album compiles songs recorded in the 60s and early 70s. If you've never heard Appalachian folk music before then you might be unaware that it combines 'black music' and 'country' ...  Read the complete review