Where else can you get an authentic compilations of twelve amazing songwriters who actually live and breath LA on a daily basis? Not through Time Life, I can tell you that.
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A cultural snapshot in bite size pieces, tasty. When we
interviewed the Australian wonder Anne McCue some months
back, she spoke of a movement afoot in L.A., a wave of
songwriting and sound that we'd be hearing more about soon.
Unreal City represents "the tip of the iceberg" of that
activity, and it's Anne who pops up as the executive producer
of this compilation. She's a get it done person, as she
continues to prove. In her first couple of years in the States, she got on tour with Lucinda Williams and opened for Richard Thompson, that's making a mark.

Many of these artists are flying under the radar, but several
have achieved critical or material success. Notably, Marcella
Detroit, whose song "If" closes the disc, was in a top British group in the 90s called Shakespeare's Sister, and she
co-wrote "Lay Down Sally" with Eric Clapton. 
By the second and third tunes, Jim Bianco's "Two Birds" and
"Barroom Dances" by Daveen DiGiacomo, I was pulled right in.
             Marc Platt's "My Troubled Friend" hits home, and Tom Freund's
             "Sympatico" hits a home run, he's a real find. Each song tells a
             completely different story, from a wholly different point of
             view. 

             This is much more interesting than most compilations. It's not
             a label's pick of their roster or a tribute record to some famous
             person's catalogue, but a view into a scene. It's an L.A. offbeat
             pop sampler. You could easily find several artists who
             resonate with you, so we encourage you to visit the website
             (at radioplayers.com) to hear a sample of any or all of the
             twelve tracks. We will feature clips of our four favorites, but
             there's something for everyone.

             Kudos to Anne McCue for producing the first compilation of the
             L.A. Song Alliance. Like the Fast Folk CDs of Jack Hardy's
             famous songwriter gatherings in NYC, or the CDs of The
             Nashville Underground (see our review) these provocative
             discs are excellent foils for artists and culture vultures alike.
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