Outlaws, Renegades & Rogues: Songs of the Badman (2004)

About this title: Nothing lasts like an outlaw ballad. Drawing heavily on the Appalachian song bag, these timeless narratives of murder, mayhem, moonshining, and gambling tell the same two or three types of cautionary tale with nary a trace of irony. Everything here is given a bluegrass approach, which makes for some fine picking, but the songs themselves seem to get treated like afterthoughts, mere excuses to get to the instrumental breakdowns. Still, the American fascination with living outside the law shines through, until one imagines that the quickest way to immortality is to rob a bank and have someone ... read more

Tracks:

1. Wild Bill Jones
2. Jesse James
3. Darling Corey
4. Legend of Billy the Kid
5. Chain Gang Blues
6. Rovin' Gambler
7. Sam Hall
8. Poor Ellen Smith [Traditional]
9. Frankie and Johnnie [Traditional]
10. Black Jack Davey
11. Philadelphia Lawyer [Guthrie]
12. Pistol Packin' Mama
13. Rising Sun
14. The Legend of Judge Roy Bean
15. John Hardy
16. Prisoner's Dream
17. Escape of Jennie Wiley
18. Columbus Stockade Blues
19. On the Banks of the Ohio
20. Jack of Diamonds
21. Sam Wilson
22. Knoxville Girl
23. Worried Woman Blues
24. Tupelo County Jail
25. Girl in the Blue Velvet Band [Carlisle/Foree]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.