Chambers of Oz

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Last Christmas my brother Reb and I met at our parents' house with our respective families in tow. We all had a good time. That was the heartwarming, family-oriented portion of this post, folks. Get your buzz, then read on.

Reb had brought a mix cd of Kasey Chambers he had burned for his own (more-or-less constant) listening pleasure. But don't worry: one of Reb's greatest virtues is superpar taste in music and Ms Chambers is no exception.

Reb loves telling her life story, but that's not what I'm about tonight. The issue in question is how this Aussie chick is one of the best things going in modern country music. How can Oz out-America us in this artform we Americans see as purely American (whether we like it or not)?

This isn't like Italians playing crappy football americano--this is country music, darn it! And this chick from the Outback is better than anything on our American country radio stations, IMHO.

Not that American country is bankrupt--there are some promising trends--I'm just not that impressed with the radio. If you need hope, check out Miller Tells Her Tale (and, um, ignore the fact that the host is British). And, of course, as long as we have Emmylou Harris we will be spared. Abraham didn't have to stop at ten--if he had said, Peradventure Emmylou Harris shall be found there," I'm sure God would have replied, "I will not destroy it for Emmylou Harris’s sake."

Bad luck for Abraham that Emmylou Harris wasn't born yet.

Anyway, so it was Christmas time and I'm happy to finally be hearing this denizen of Oz that I've heard so much about and so Reb burns me a copy of his mix.

I was listening to it today and while sure, there's only one banjo song, it's terrific stuff. I really like it. In fact, you should go over to Pandora right now and start yourself a Kasey Chambers station.

Or, you know, get a moral degenerate to burn a cd for you.

Love you, Reb!

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