When it comes to bells and whistles, this HighTone Records boxed set isn’t exactly a coffee-table conversation piece.
It doesn’t look like a vintage 45-RPM record player, or a corrugated tin shack. It’s not bound in a hardback book and doesn’t include souvenirs.
Instead, American Music: The HighTone Records Story simply lets the songs do the talking. Turns out that’s really all that’s required.
HighTone is a label dedicated to so-called underground or alternative country, as well as blues, folk and earthy rock styles.
That’s a wide and appealing mix, which is well-represented on 79 audio tracks by 60 acts ranging from folk icon Ramblin’ Jack Elliott to Billy Joe Shaver and the Robert Cray Band.
The boxed set takes its name from the Blasters’ song that opens the “Rock” disc, one of four CDs that also include “Country,” “Blues,” Singing Songwriters & Other Folks.” There’s also a DVD of music videos by Joe Ely, Dale Watson, Marty Brown, Rosie Flores and other performers without the Q-rating to ever make it on MTV, VH1 or CMT.
Blasters’ front man Dave Alvin also is featured on the “Rock” album, mixing that style with country and blues on the evocative “Fourth of July.” He makes a suitable poster child for HighTone’s genre-bending material.
Another good example of High- Tone’s eclectic approach is songwriter and performer Buddy Miller, who manages to be featured on three of the four music discs with “Little Bitty Kiss,” “Midnight and Lonesome” and “The Garage Sale.” The latter is a relative rarity that has appeared only on a 1990 HighTone compilation album Points West: New Horizons in Country Music.
Miller has since moved on to the New West label, but there are terrific contributions by current members of the HighTone family. P.F. Sloan’s revisitation of his 1960s hit, “Eve of Destruction” (off his new Sailover release), sounds as timely in the shadow of Iraq as it did in the Vietnam era. Sloan shares the vocals with Miller and Pixies member Frank Black.
The set also includes 124 pages of liner notes, but the songs are enough. Whether it’s Dick Dale shredding “California Sun” or folkie Tom Russell singing about a dusty Mexican trail, this is American Music worth bragging about.
