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THURSDAY, JULY 10

Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles

North Atlanta State Fair (ENLARGE)
Blake Shelton, who plays Friday at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre, is No. 2 on the country chart with his version of Michael Bublé's 'Home.'
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SLIM UNSHADY: Dylanesque without being derivative or dated, this Pennsylvania native could make folk-rock cool again. On his latest album, "Langhorne Slim & the War Eagles," his music mingles the modern and the old-fashioned, and joy and sadness. It could be that touch of soul he brings to the folk party, or the subtle sensuality and playfulness in his voice, but Slim's music is easy to love.

• THE 411: 9 p.m. $10. The EARL, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., East Atlanta. 404-522-3950, 1-800-594-8499, www.badearl.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 11

WHERE "HOME" SALES ARE RISING: Shelton's debut single, "Austin," was a massive country hit back in 2001, spending five weeks at the top of the country charts. After two more albums led by No. 1 singles, his fourth and latest album, "Pure B.S.," had to settle for a couple of Top 20 hits until he recently recorded a version of Michael Bublé's "Home." That song, sitting at No. 2 on the country chart, was recently added to a deluxe edition of "Pure B.S."

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $38.75-$45; $20 lawn. Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton. 770-819-7765, 404-249-6400, www.themhba.com.

John Hiatt and the Ageless Beauties

SAME OLD BRILLIANT SONGWRITER: Singer-songwriter John Hiatt will receive the Americana Music Association's lifetime achievement award for songwriting this fall, but before that he's bring his catalog of award-winning tunes to a sold out show at Atlanta Botanical Garden on the heels of new album "Same Old Man." That award is well-deserved, as attested by diverse and numerous artists who have covered Hiatt's songs, including Chaka Khan, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Steve Earle.

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $35 (sold out). Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Midtown. 404-876-5859, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16

AWARDS AND BENEFITS: This stellar Dominican singer-songwriter dominated the most recent Latin Grammy Awards, taking the award in all five categories in which he was nominated, including record, album and song of the year. He also has a couple of non-Latin Grammys. This Gwinnett Arena gig marks his first Atlanta appearance in a career that spans 25 years. It's also a benefit show for the Atlanta-based Colombianitos Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps Colombian children who have been victims of violence and extreme poverty through education and rehabilitation programs.

• THE 411: 8 p.m. $35-$500. Gwinnett Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. 770-813-7600, 404-249-6400, www.gwinnettcenter.com.

Alejandro Escovedo

MUSICAL MEMOIR: Escovedo has spent his career outside the mainstream, quietly creating a diverse and oft-covered catalog of songs. His new album, "Real Animal," is a kind of autobiography in song, from his days as a punk rock pioneer (with San Francisco band the Nuns) through the years spent blending roots music with punk back in his home state of Texas (in Rank and File and the True Believers) and up to the launch of his solo career. In an interview earlier this year, he told me you could look at his career as a case of "being in the right place at the wrong time. The bands were all really good bands, but they were always kind of like the first wave of the bands that followed. So, we either broke up or got frustrated; we never really capitalized on any of this stuff." With Hayes Carll, a fellow Texas singer-songwriter with a batch of killer songs that includes the unforgettable "She Left Me For Jesus."

• THE 411: 8:30 p.m. $20. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Little Five Points. 404-521-1786, www.variety-playhouse.com.