The Village Voice raves... Keating is a wise mix of Lucinda Williams songwriting, Gillian Welch guitar and a vocal all her own. One of those singer-songwriters that lets her music do the talking. Her style invokes a cross between Willie Nelson and John Prine, and you don't get any better than that.

Caroline Herring, quite simply, is one of the most unique, haunting voices in Americana music today. With lyrics informed by the literary giants of her native Southland, Herring’s music combines a variety of traditional styles, from acoustic folk to bluegrass and old-time country. Her resonant alto voice is a natural match for the brand of music she uses to convey her stories and songs. “There’s a starkness and honesty in Caroline’s songs,’ says bluegrass legend Peter Rowan. “She has a deeply-rooted sense of the South and its history – and of her own childhood and that as history. Each image she crafts is highlighted, then recedes into the past.” This is a grand description of a fine artist who draws acclaim from musicians as diverse as Rowan, Austin artist Slaid Cleaves, Tejana songstress Tish Hinojosa, and New England songwriter Dar Williams, who calls Herring the “elusive ‘real thing.’”

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.

Amanda Shaw is only 16, but she’s been a professional musician, band leader, actress, and singer for more than half of her life. She started on classical violin when she was four and had her concert debut with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra when she was only eight, the youngest soloist to ever play with the orchestra. Living in New Orleans with progressive parents, she was going to folk, rock, blues, jazz, and Cajun shows while she was still a kid. Shortly after her Symphony debut, she decided she wanted to try fiddling as well as serious violin playing. She sat in with jazz, blues, and Cajun bands and learned how to play by ear.

If you expect symphonic, Genesis-style prog, this record is not for you. However, if you think 'progressive' means not only Mellotron and classical leanings, but also an exciting blend of influences coming from folk, jazz, classic rock'n'roll and even blues and soul, you could do worse than give "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" a listen - and possibly more than one. Although not on the same level as the band's 1970 masterpiece, "John Barleycorn Must Die", this is certainly a more than worthwile addition to any prog record collection.

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.

Mari Boine Persen is a Norwegian Sami musician known for having added jazz and rock to the yoiks of her native people. Boine (born 8 November 1956 in Finnmark, Norway) grew up amid the Laestadian Christian movement as well as amidst discrimination against her people. She was asked to perform at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, but refused because she perceived the invitation as an attempt to bring a token minority to the ceremonies. Gula Gula (1989, Real World) was her breakthrough release, and she continued to record popular albums throughout the 1990s.