White Rose Motor Oil Merry Crisis Self-Release
This mini-album from the engaging duo of Eryn DeSomer and Keith Hoerig-DeSomer is one for those whom the festive season may in fact not be so. Instead, they consider that it also brings some more unwanted thoughts to the fore. Playing all the instruments themselves, it is still a set of relatively pared-down arrangements that are featured. They have also been astute in their selection of material. Overall, it offers an alternative to overproduced, all-too-often saccharine renditions of Christmas classics. A source of material that can still be handled, depending on the particular artist, with a degree of individuality using interesting arrangements.
Here, for instance You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch, which opens the album, comes from an animated TV show from 1966. The Feminist Santa Baby was performed originally in 1953 by Eartha Kitt and is a very familiar melody. Dolly Parton wrote the song Hard Candy Christmas and released it herself in 1982, and Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight) was by The Ramones. Broken Heart Holiday is a rerecording of an original White Rose Motor Oil song. All are given a largely, though not always, energetic reading that has much of the upbeat spirit associated with the season, even if the lyrics don’t always reflect that.
Given the proliferation of Christmas songs that flood the market this time of the year, this one accurately reflects the music that White Rose Motor Oil release on their non-seasonal recordings and highlights how the duo deliver an punk/rock/rockabilly sound that is rooted in an earlier musical explosion but is just a relevant today, if not more so, given these unpredictable times.
Though a duo, the fact that both play a number of instruments means the sound is never sparse but sounds exactly as they and the listener would wish. There are undoubtedly going to be a number of singles and albums released around this time of year that will rise above the cliches of the holiday happenstance, and this is one of them. There are good song choices, good performances and a good deal of variation on these eight songs. It will be one I will return to again when wanting some realism that makes these tracks something of an alt-Xmas stable, joining the likes of Jason Ringenberg’s calm-to-frenetic original, Lovely Christmas (a duet with Kristi Rose), or Robert Earl Keen’s engaging tale, Merry Christmas From The Family.
Stephen Rapid
Abigail Dowd Saints & Warriors Self-Release
The third album from singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd is a ten-track project, all written by her. Produced by Grammy-nominated Jason Richmond (The Avett Brothers, Dom Flemons, Emily Scott Robinson, Aoife O’Donovan), Dowd’s vocals are underpinned by a host of talented players, including Scott Sawyer on electric guitar, Alex Bingham on bass and synths, and George Sluppick on drums and percussion.
The record skips from the deeply soulful Miss Annie to the gentle rock of Already Free and the classic modern, Mothers of Saigon. The common thread is Dowd’s heavenly vocals, which ebb and flow faultlessly throughout. A particular highlight is the mid-paced, achingly gentle ballad Papa, which, alongside the similarly measured Sunday Morning, is enchanting, bordering on trance-inducing.
In previous decades, when classification was simpler, SAINTS & WARRIORS would likely be found in the rock section of your local record store. Dowd is a gifted storyteller who blends gentle ballads with more explosive tracks. Both vocally and lyrically, she recalls Joan Armatrading's early career for me. Applying her skill to writing about history, the environment, and topics close to home, won me over with this impressive collection of songs.
Declan Culliton
Tommy Talton Seven Levels Strolling Bones
Cowboy, the 70s Georgia band formed by Tommy Talton and Scott Boyer, was often described as Southern Rock’s best-kept secret. They recorded four studio albums between 1970 and 1977 and, following Boyer’s death in 2018, their final album, 10’LL GETCHA TWENTY, which featured recordings from 2007, was released. Talton died in 2023, and SEVEN LEVELS was recorded at the Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, in 2022, prior to his passing.
This is a seven-track album that feels like a stroll down a 1970s country-rock lane. At the time of recording, Talton was battling cancer; the album was intended as a farewell to his fans and family. Its quality achieves that aim. The recordings feature Talton’s former band members and Capricorn label mates. Talton, whose session work included Gregg Allman, Wet Willie, and others, played electric guitar and handled lead vocals. He wrote six songs; the seventh, Ramblin’ Man, was written by Scott Boyer. The studio players were Randall Bramblett (organ), Chuck Leavell (electric piano), Rick Hirsch (slide guitar), Charlie Hayward (bass), and Bill Stewart (drums).
Fittingly, the album closes with an eight-minute bluesy jam, Say A Prayer On My Behalf, with Talton’s stinging guitar work centre stage, supported by a booming rhythm section. Other tracks whose titles reflect the album’s theme include Time Will Take Us and the solemn ballad I Want To Do It All Again. A standout track that recalls The Band, I’ve Got The Sun In My Heart, includes backing vocals by Donna Hall Foster, and they slow things down a couple of gears with Ramblin’ Man.
SEVEN LEVELS is precisely what you would expect given its origin. In keeping with the core sound that defined Talton’s talent, it delivers an album that is hugely more than simply nostalgic and underpins the talents of all involved.
Declan Culliton
Michael McGovern Thin White Road Cauldron
In 2021 this Scottish singer-songwriter released a debut album that garnered much praise from the music industry and wider social media outlets. Written during the Covid pandemic and fuelled by the lockdown experience, it was largely an acoustic-based project with eight songs, and a focus upon the vagaries of loneliness, love and relationship challenges.
With this new album we are given a different approach with a bigger sound palette across ten songs, and the presence of co-producer Bill Shanley (guitars, bass), along with James Steele (saxophone), Jamie Sturt (vocals), and Scott C. Park (guitars, bass, vocals) from that original debut recording. Joining these musicians are Josie Duncan and Niamh Corkey (vocals), Ali Caplin (fiddle, piano), and Callum Little (drums). It is the presence of drums on a number of the tracks, together with strings, that changes the band dynamic and with Michael McGovern contributing on guitars and keyboards, the overall impression is of a talented artist expanding his creative vista.
All songs are written by McGovern, with five co-writes, and these is a sense of regret on a few of the songs that channel relationship issues. On the song Evelyn we have a reflection on the lost love of youth and the distance caused by the passing of the years ‘I could say I’m sorry, but words won’t do much now, The more you got to know me, The more I let you down.’ Another song I Made A New Friend suggests a schoolboy crush that became something darker ‘Well not much has changed since way back when, I’m still burdened by your regrets, Though you can pray for mercy and search for excuses, You can’t forgive what you can’t forget.’ Yet another track In the Garden is perhaps closing the circle on past attempts to try and make a love work out ‘I suspect that time has crumbled, And my life has passed me by, And when I said I never loved you, You couldn’t look into my eyes.’
Elsewhere we have the poignant tribute to the actress and dancer Ann Miller, with her iconic work in the 1940s and 1950s, drawing the comment that she was one the greatest actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination. Her final role was in the iconic David Lynch movie Mulholland Drive (2001). In her life she suffered a tragedy in losing her new-born baby as a result of domestic violence and the lyrics capture that sense of grief ‘And I never heard my daughter, Calling out my name, So I’ll die in hope that I’ll see her again.’
There is also a tribute to the poet, novelist and screenwriter Laurie Lee and his adventures in pre- civil war Spain, captured in his book As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969). I get the sense that McGovern was influenced by the nomadic wanderings of his artful hero and that a similar wanderlust may well have risen in his own mind ‘I was lost then too, In the madness of my youth, I prayed to the stars that night would end soon, God only knows what I tried to prove, Carelessly burning my roots, It was something I had to do.’ Taking risks is a necessary part of the creative journey and who knows what benefits that the journey can unveil.
The Harbour is a story song about an orphaned blind girl who is forced into prostitution in order to survive and who ends up murdering a man in order to try and gain redemption. The title track, and I Heard the Thunder Cry are two songs that reflect upon the isolation to be found within, even where relationships offer some succour ‘ You held my trembling fists and wiped my eyes, When the ground below me cracked, And swallowed me inside’ (Thin White Road), and the words ‘Indulge me like it’s the first time, And let me sleep on your thighs, Then bring me to bed, And let me surrender, With tears in my eyes.’
A standout is the track The Will and the sadness sprung from helping a parent write a living will in anticipation of that day when the Grim Reaper comes calling ‘I want to be by your side, When death comes and I can see your pain subside, I’ve seen the world through your eyes.’ There is a short instrumental as a coda to the song and the melody is achingly delicate. There can be no doubt about the growth achieved by this talented artist on his creative journey. These songs are superbly considered and delivered, with McGovern’s singing both engaging and warm in the vocal tone. His Glaswegian accent comes through in his voice and this adds a certain charm to the excellent production qualities. A fine achievement and an album that certainly leaves a lasting impression.
Paul McGee
Steve Aliment & Annie O’Neill Fuego Self Release
This duo were introduced to me by my sister-in-law, Maureen Boyle, who caught a gig in Tacoma, Washington and who saw their band playing live at The Spar venue in the city. Maureen thought that their sound was in the central sights of what Lonesome Highway targets, so she bought this current release at the gig, and gave it to me for review consideration. And how correct she was with her instincts. It’s a really enjoyable romp through the environs of Country and Americana, with plenty of memorable moments to recommend the album.
The fourteen tracks are all written by Steve Aliment, with one co-write, and the album was self-produced by him, alongside Bart Hyde. The excellent band that deliver the goods is made-up of Mark Wuesthoff (pedal steel, dobro), Bart Hyde (guitars, piano, harmonica), Annie O’Neill (vocals, guitar), and Perry Morgan (drums, percussion). Steve Aliment plays bass on the album and joins Annie O’Neill on lead vocals across the songs. The duo are based in Seattle and have been releasing music since their formation in 2020. Previous releases saw the appearance of A Long Way To Go (2023), Armadillo Tattoo (2021), and 150 Tears (2020).
The word “Fuego” means something is really cool, and there is nothing wrong with a little self- promotion. Opening track Down the Line highlights the instant likeability factor with a nice rendition of all that made the old 50s Country sound so popular, a swing-beat that sets a positive tone. Another song The Fun Is the Ride puts down the rhythm of getting out on the highway and seeing where the asphalt takes you, with nice guitar and pedal steel playing off each other ‘She’s gonna keep on rolling down the line, She can’t get off, And she’ll never arrive.’ The early Eagles sound on Lonesome Broken Home is very radio-friendly with the harmony vocals echoing the warning of placing all your chips on the wrong bet ‘When the show was over, The girl and the money were gone… left me on the doorstep of my lonesome broken home.’
Hot Biscuit #1 is a nice country blues romp about going out on the town and having a good time, while the easy groove on Last Exit Sign is a traditional sound with the pedal steel of Mark Wuesthoff bringing home the weary traveller ‘It’s been a long a long drive, But now I can see that exit sign, Judgement day ain’t something that I fear, Did I tell you that the highway to hell runs right through here.’
The beat on Roosevelt Dime is a rockabilly workout that has the band nicely in the pocket of the rhythm and certainly worthy than greater currency than a ten-cent piece. Things slow down for Holding On and the co-vocals of Steve Aliment and Annie O’Neill reflect upon a relationship that is teetering on the edge ‘We keep holding on, Now that the love is gone, We’re just trying our best to hold on.’ A standout moment is Tacoma To Tupelo with the driving guitar sound propelling a song about breaking out and heading for good times without a care ‘Now if you ain’t sure, we can take it slow, let the wind take us where the wind wanna blow.’
Things continue at a pace with If You Were A Movie and a love song that celebrates the longing for connection, again the co-vocal of O’Neill and Aliment hitting the mark. Truck Stops, Cheap Shots is a co-write and it is classic country in the delivery, pedal steel tickling the edges of the melody as the joys of pulling off the highway for a night of partying is to be celebrated. The slow beat on the song Can’t Feel the Bottom Yet reflects the sadness of a relationship crash where the victim is heading towards unconditional surrender.
There is an instrumental version of the earlier track Down the Line and Lonesome Broken Home is also revisited with a similar mix to the initial arrangement. The final song is Empty Heart which includes some very tasty saxophone, courtesy of Max Rose, who engineered and re-mixed the song with a fine soulful tempo, the original appearing on the 2023 album A Long Way To Go.
This is a very enjoyable album and it certainly prompts a visit to the back-catalogue of the band, in expectation that it will prove as impressive as this new release. In the meantime, if Steve Altimont and Annie O’Neill are looking for a PR person in the Tacoma area, they could do a lot worse than looking up their advocate, my sister-in-law, Maureen!
Paul McGee
Steve Postell Walking Through These Blues Quarto Valley
Settle in Folks for just over an hour of inspiring music from the very impressive Steve Postell. Just in case you are being introduced to this talent for the first time, Steve has spent a storied career in the music industry over a number of decades and has left his mark on many projects, whether as a musician or a producer.
The number of A-list artists that he has played with is highly impressive, including such luminaries as James Taylor, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, and Michael McDonald, John Oates, Jennifer Warnes, Kenny Loggins, among others. On this new solo album Steve has written all twelve songs with three co-writes included. Production was overseen by both Steve and Peter Adams at Katonah Studios, Marina Del Ray, CA and you can almost see the sunshine glinting on the water if you imagine the setting. There was also production input on two songs by both Russ Kunkel and Danny Kortchmar, just two names that will resonate with admirers of the 70s California sound. Indeed the list of players on this album is the stuff of dreams with appearances from David Crosby, Iain Matthews, Glen Phillips, Tony Furtado, Bekka Bramlett, Jeff Pevar, Greg Leisz, Steve Ferrone, Leland Sklar, Bob Glaub, Jeff Young, Peter Adams, Ramon Yslas, Debra Dobkin, Waddy Watchel, Danny Kortchmar, Mark Shulman, and several others.
The entire project is a celebration of all that is enriching, inspiring and uplifting in music. The ability of a melody and a song to reach out and touch the listener in a palpable manner is what brings the magic to the listening experience, and this album is a complete joy from start to finish. The warm melodies and the ease with which the musicians interpret the arrangements is testament to the intuitive playing of the musicians. There is such invention in the interplay, everything appears effortless in the end-result, surely the finest compliment that can be paid to the entire creative process.
There is no filler on this album, with each song leaving a strong impression, and don’t let the title fool you as there is much more here than just a walk through the blues. Having said that, there is no doubting the price to be paid for letting the current state of the world impact upon your daily mood, and the title track Walking Through These Blues has Steve looking for some clarity and truth. Buried Stone has the superb Bekka Bramlett on guest vocals as the slow groove laments earlier times when the musical synergy was more spontaneous.
How Far We’ve Come is a look at the social media and the progress made, and yet, there always seems to be so much more to tackle ‘Flew me to Paris, Train down to Rome, Missed all the scenery, Just staring at my phone, We’re so connected, But we always feel alone.’ A highlight is the track Wait Until You Get Here and the message that life brings wisdom as we age, and the aspirations of youth will be balanced by the consciousness of living in the moment.
The unrequited love of Until I Do is a sweetly delivered reflection on the stances we take ‘I won’t complain about the cards that were dealt, It was just a little sleight of hand, I went looking for the Jack of Hearts, And a better place to stand.’ Another memorable song Is This It appears to be a tribute to the passing of David Crosby, but it could also be about any loved one who has left this mortal coil ‘When I see you in my dreams, Are you really in the room, Or is it just me tryin’ to tell you, That you left this world too soon.’
Wicked Wind brings everything to a conclusion and it reflects on the reality of loss, plus the hope for good fortune as we look towards better days, with the guitars of Mark Shulman and Steve Postell ringing out for a fair wind in our collective sails as we navigate the sea of life. Steve says in the liner- notes that “In a world of singles, I still love the idea of a “record”. I still love creating a body of work that represents a time of life and a point of view.” A quite superb album in every way, and one of my favourites for the current year.
Paul McGee
Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus Two True Loves Berkalin
It’s been a long road that this husband and wife duo has walked since they began releasing music back in 1998. Their initial band was called Edge City and for a number of years they played in their home state of Maryland, before taking the decision to relocate full-time to Austin, Texas, where they were accepted by the music community into the local scene at the time.
Jim Patton writes the songs that the duo perform and he takes his lyrical inspiration from everyday life, the people that he encounters, and the lives lived with quiet dignity. He also looks within for creativity and tackles many of the questions that we all ask ourselves in negotiating our way through the challenges of life. On this new album he writes all fourteen songs, with seven co-writes included across four different collaborators. It has been noted that co-writing can be somewhat akin to going on blind-dates, in that you’re never quite sure how things will turn out. Happily, in the case of Jim Brokus, his wealth of experience results in positive outcomes more often than not. Plus it’s a positive thing to stretch outside of yourself with regard to trying new ways to create with others.
This is album number eight in a run that has seen Patton and Brokus create music as a couple since their debut appeared back in 2008. They did release a collection of their songs in 2019 that spanned the period 2008 – 2018, capturing their first ten years of recording, with their own preferred track selections, and altogether their four prior album releases are equally represented across the eighteen songs chosen.
With the new project, the talents of long-time friend Ron Flynt are featured as both producer and musician. The location was Jumping Dog Studios in Austin Texas and in addition to Flynt playing a variety of instruments, including bass, keyboards, acoustic guitar and harmonies, there are the talents of Scrappy Jud Newcomb on lead guitars, John Chipman on drums, Bettysoo on harmony vocals, to add to Jim Patton on acoustic guitar and lead vocals and Sherry Brokus on harmony vocals.
Patton does not possess the most strident vocal, but his delivery is very focused on both a sensitivity and honesty in portraying the messages that these songs convey. Wanting to be surrounded by the things that bring personal satisfaction is very much the message on opener I Want It All with the importance of community a priority ‘A handful decide what’s best for all the rest, Every step up the ladder they care for you less and less.’ The fluent playing of the band sets a real marker for the rest of the album.
The title track refers to being committed to what you do for living and being passionate about your partner in life. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive of course and it’s preferable if both can align. Looking for love is something that Annabelle Lee considers, whereas the trio of songs Why Did You Leave Me For Him?, She Doesn’t Want To See You Anymore and What If You’re Fooling Me Now tackle the issues where things don’t run smoothly in love and the downside of existing relationships can bite hard.
Laurence Beall is a song written for an old acquaintance that has fallen out of regular contact over the years. He had a band called The Sultans back in the 1990s and was active in the Nashville area. Another song that looks at past friendships is That Cup Of Coffee We Never Had and the influence that someone once held. Caught In the Headlights is a look back at heady youth and the melody captures that sense of insecurity. Hard Times is a look at the other side of the coin, where adulthood brings compromise and the things that folks have to do in order to survive go beyond the innocence of youth. A high point as the band stretch out on a soulful melody and deep rhythm.
Nothing At All is a song about lost dreams and the stark reality that disappointment brings, even if trying is the most important thing ‘They say if you fly too high you’re bound to fall… but if you stay on the ground, you won’t see nothing at all.’ One More Song is a tale of past glories and the compulsion that pushes old musicians to continue playing to smaller audiences ‘Something inside that never quite died, And they’ve always got one more song.’
This sentiment, in a way, perfectly encapsulates the story of Jim Patton and Sherry Bokus; a couple who decided to walk a creative path opened up by their love of music, shunning the safer option for a more comfortable existence that pursuing regular careers would have offered. However, the memories earned and the joy that the creative process brings is more than sufficient compensation for the risks taken. This album is another worthy addition to their ongoing dreams of self-sufficiency and creative freedom.
Paul McGee
Su Andersson Postcards Firma Su
This singer-songwriter is based in Göteborg, Sweden and she made a decision back in 2019 to change her life as an architect to pursue music as a full-time profession. Full marks for bravery as the risks inherent in the performing arts and the unpredictable nature of earning potential has to be balanced against the personal satisfaction of following your passion and making dreams become reality.
The debut album back in 2020 was titled Trains and it reflected upon journeys across the United States of America, and she returns to the theme of travel on this, her third album release. Focusing on her travels in Europe this time out, Su reflects on travelling alone to various places, including Hamburg, Berlin, Montpellier, Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, and other locations.
The songs are very well written and the production is quite superb, with the music really jumping out of the speakers to grab the listener. The influences are also quite varied across the ten songs included here, from the jazzy-noir of Based On A True Story, to the spoken-word vocal on the dramatic Sunset Unlimited, and the commercial sweep of Vertigo, mixed with the soft melody of Reunion. The elan displayed on Voices From the Future is balanced against the reflections on Voices From the Past and a look back at her younger self, when the prospect of the dreams and hopes were unbridled ‘A voice from the past, calling me nicknames, A voice from the past, Names I’d forgotten.’
I have always enjoyed the music of Su Andersson and it is always engaging, innovative and memorable in the creation and her reflections on life. This album continues the momentum of this interesting songwriter and is worthy of your time.
Paul McGee
Kyle Carey The Last Bough Americelta
Folk traditions traverse the continents and embrace many different oral and musical influences in their rich heritage. The study of the land and the people who inhabit the territories has led to many great legacies that enrich our communal histories. For many years Kyle Carey has explored these hallowed spaces and looked to shine a light upon what unites us as part of the human spirit, what binds us to the great emotional tug of the earth, and the ancient traditions that are passed from one generation to the next.
Previously, Kyle has lived in Alaska and travelled to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, on a Fulbright Fellowship, where she began her study of the Gaelic language and its music. She also immersed herself in the study of Scots Gaelic, while living for two years on Scotland’s Isle Of Skye. This album represents her fourth release since her debut back in 2011. It was recorded in Nashville, at Peach Tree Studios, and was produced by Kai Welch, who also contributes piano, accordion and synthesizers. Backing vocals are provided by Ruth Moody who also plays on bodhrán, and the overall feel of the project is softly reflective in tone.
Four songs are sung in the Scots Gaelic tradition and the beautiful sound of the language really translates superbly. There is a song that is sung in Italian also and the inclusion of Eden’s Grief and Armour’s Mystique are two of the stand out moments across the ten songs included.
The skill of Anthony Dacosta on guitar is matched by the fiddle playing of Christian Sedelmeyer, together with the whistle and flute contribution of Mike McGoldrick, with percussion, courtesy of Jamie Dick, and the sweet vocals of James Graham also noteworthy. A diverse collection and one that is laudable for its scope and depth.
Paul McGee