The Folkscene Collection, Vol. 3

The third collection of recordings culled from and 's Los Angeles-based FolkScene radio show is another varied anthology that demonstrates the diversity of musical styles bunched under the umbrella term " ." Someone is singing and playing an acoustic guitar on nearly every one of the 13 tracks, but the approaches differ greatly, from ' bluesy (recorded January 28, 2001) to 's harp playing on The most recognizable name is that of , the most recognizable song (recorded "circa 1975," and thus the oldest track), and there are established folkies such as , the late , and (duetting with on ), along with excellent bands that are either long broken up ( , featuring ) or at least on hiatus ( , consisting of , ). All have interesting things to say with their music, and all respond well to the relatively intimate environs. This is not all people hunched over guitars in a radio studio, either. The track, boasts a drummer, and the track has a full band recorded in a concert hall. With more than 25 years of shows to draw from, may be able to assemble collections like this indefinitely, which would be just fine with fans. ~ William Ruhlmann