Middlin Sisters
This utterly unique release from Minton Sparks consists solely of her reading her poetry with guitar, mandolin, banjo, and dobro support played in an old-school country idiom. While this may seem a limited if not outright silly idea to some, the result is stirring and sometimes downright magical. The poetry consists mostly of vignettes recalling Sparks' youth growing up in Tennessee, and when coupled with the stark underpinning of Darryl Scott's picking, the effect is that of Eudora Welty jamming with Dock Boggs or Doc Watson. While the hit potential of such a release is an obvious nonissue, it would be a refreshing surprise to hear this in your local Starbucks. A merging of the two great southern traditions of literature and country music,Sisteris certainly preferable to most of what is sold as C&W; these days.--Mike Johnson