Let me give you some flowers...blue roses, maybe...

You probably have to be both Europe-based and have a specific affinity for Americana and all kinds of roots and country rock to know the label Blue Rose. They're a German specialist label for distributing  exactly this kind of music, which - as you might have noticed - is exactly up the One Buck Guy's alley. So the idea of doing a little Blue Rose album sampler - albeit from yesteryear - came up quickly in thinking of fun things to post on this blog, especially because they feature artists that aren't universally known. It's sort of like an All Pearls No Swine, exclusively featuring roots-based artists from around the turn of the Millenium. Some of these were getting "next big thing" hype, some were probably always bound to being loved by hundreds rather than thousands. What they have in common, besides the chosen area of musical interest, is that there is some very fine music gathered here for your listening pleasure. 

The biggest name on here is most likely Ian Matthews, whose album A Tiniest Wham got distributed by Blue Rose, of  which "The Power And The Glory" is featured. The other big name is Alejandro Escovedo, whose masterpiece A Man Under The Influence got distributed in central Europe by Blue Rose."Rhapsody"showcases the sustained excellence of that album. And the Continental Drifters, Blue Rose's first signing and release, were of course a sort of Americana supergroup, including The Bangles' Vicki Peterson, the dB's Peter Holsapple, the Dream Syndicate's Mark Walton and Susan Cowsill from, uh, the Cowsills.  

                      It ain't no cheesecake, but that Trish Murphy is a purdy girl for sure...

Blue Rose Bouquet also shows the flexibility of the genre, which is mainly defined by how little defined it is. The Volebeats with "Radio Flyer" are essentially twangy power poppers, recalling Big Star. The Waco Brothers come from the rock, even punk-ish, side of the equation. Fred Eaglesmith's "Time To Get A Gun" is punk folk country, whereas Mount Pilot with "Last Respects" are pure bluegrass. The lovely Trish Murphy is coming from the pop side of the Americana spectrum. Blue Rose Bouquet also shows that the genre isn't defined by where it's from. The Volebeats hail from the Motor City, usually known for other music than country rock, whereas Reto Burrel is an Americana specialist from that well-known hotbed of American roots music: Switzerland! The Schramms continue the underknown and underrated tradition of country rock bands coming from New Jersey, in this case Hoboken. Ans Jim Roll, here with the ultra-catchy "1955" is from Chicago's suburbia. 

Jupiter Coyote is a Southern Rock band out of Brevard, North Carolina. Arthur Dodge is a grumpy taxi cab driver from the lovely town of Lawrence, Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) by day, country rocker leading his band The Horsefeathers by night (or vice versa). "A Delightful Disease" is as bad ass as country rock can be. Andy Van Dyke has the honor of being featured twice, first leading his band Rainravens - stalwarts of 90s alt country - through "Travellin' Heavy", then going solo acoustic with the fantastic "Taking You With Me". And there's more to discover within this lovely bouquet of hand-picked roots music for the discerning Americana fan. 

And now, just follow the advice of Hensley Sturgis in the lead-off track: Just enjoy the ride...