Thanks Joe.
I am not against lying (I'm married. I'm just not very good at it. I started the column to serve independant productions that lacked the clout to be reviewed in venues like SING OUT. A few labels (Borealis and Folk Legacy among them)send me releases regularly but most of my grist comes from performers hatching their own nest eggs.
Panning an independant CD serves no one but the critic's ego.
I should mention that I have championed those songwriters who create within an established ethnic tradition. Cyril Tawney was my favorite
with Shelley Posen a close second. So, if you write as well as those guys, I'm your boy.