VOA英语2010年-Top 2010 American Roots Music Highlights

As American Roots music is difficult to define, it might be easier to just let you listen to some of the year's best ... like Robert Plant's Band of Joy. His latest album finds the 61-year old singer mixing old time country and bluegrass sounds with the blues¹ on songs like Richard and Linda Thompson's "House of Cards."

Band of Joy earned Plant two Grammy nominations². It sits atop many critics' countdown of the best albums of 2010, thanks to great songs, great singing, and great playing by musicians including Patty Griffin, Darrell Scott, and co-producer Buddy³ Miller⁴.

Patty and Darrell also released fine roots CDs this year. Recorded inside Nashville's Downtown Presbyterian Church, Downtown Church is a record that Patty Griffin says explores her feelings about religion and faith. It's home to two new original songs, and traditional gospel tunes⁵ like "Move Up."

Patty Griffin's Downtown Church is another that's popping up on many Top 10 lists of the year's best Roots albums.

American Roots music is the mix of rock, country, gospel, folk, bluegrass, and the blues with other homegrown styles that set the stage for today's rock and pop and soul. Some Roots music, like the Patty Griffin and Robert Plant songs we just heard, is performed by bands. But Grammy winner Tim O'Brien's 13th solo record Chicken and Egg shows it doesn't have to be that way. This highly-praised Roots release is home to songs mixing bluegrass, folks, rockabilly, and celtic traditions. One of the tracks, "The Sun Jumped Up" finds Tim putting a new melody to lyrics⁶ written by folk music icon⁷ Woody Guthrie.

Chicken and Egg is Tim O'Brien's newest CD, and it doesn't stray from what we've come to expect from this stellar singer-songwriter-instrumentalist. Also releasing strong singer-songwriter CDs this year were Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kevin Welch, Elvis Costello, and Elizabeth Cook. Bands including The Punch Brothers, and The Incredible String Dusters were also busy this year.

Another 2010 release that is sure to be remembered is You Are Not Alone by Mavis Staples⁹, 71. It comes 50 years into a career that started with the family band The Staple⁸ Singers. Over the years, the group became more than just a band - they became a national voice for the United States civil rights movement. Produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, You Are Not Alone is the singer's 13th album. It is a mix of traditional songs, and interpretations¹⁰ of tunes by some of America's finest songwriters, including such Randy Newman and John Fogerty, along with Mavis' late father, Pops Staples.

One of the last releases of 2010 gives us a taste of what's to come in 2011. In late November, Paul Simon gave us "Getting Ready for Christmas Day." The song chugs along on a base made up of bluesy¹¹ acoustic¹² guitar, hand claps and foot stomps¹³, with samples of 1940's preacher-slash-gospel singer-slash political activist¹⁴, the Reverend J.M. Gates. Titled So Beautiful or So What, The new Paul Simon album is due next spring, and early reports say it's his best work in 20 years.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

3 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 tunes   

n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
• When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

7 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

8 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

9 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

10 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 bluesy   

adj.布鲁斯乐的（一种摇摆乐）

参考例句：

• As a teenager I was obsessed ragtime, and bluesy guitar guys like Johnny Winter. 当我十几岁的时候我迷上了雷鬼，和JohnnyWinter那样的布鲁斯吉他手。 来自互联网
• Lips Accentuate your new bluesy beat in simply sensational LipSlicks Hint of Mauve. 为了强调新布鲁斯乐的节奏，涂上紫红色的唇彩是最自然的。 来自互联网

12 acoustic   

adj.听觉的，声音的；(乐器)原声的

参考例句：

• The hall has a fine acoustic.这个大厅的传音效果很好。
• Animals use a whole rang of acoustic, visual,and chemical signals in their systems of communication.动物利用各种各样的听觉、视觉和化学信号来进行交流。

13 stomps   

v.跺脚，践踏，重踏( stomp的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This one ends the world, stomps on it, grinds it up and spits it out. 这一部又把世界给终结了，践踏了地球，还碾压她，然后再把她吐出来。 来自互联网

14 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。