Ynana Rose Under A Cathedral Sky Self Release
On her third album, Californian native Ynana Rose (pronounced 'yuh-na-na’) takes an unflinching look at middle age, facing your fears, and having some fun while you're at it. Her rootsy sound is influenced by country, folk, jazz and blues, and it’s all pulled together into a most enjoyable whole by producer Damon Castillo, in his Laurel Lane Studios in their home town of San Luis Obispo. The first thing that strikes you is Ynana’s incredible rich alto voice, and it’s a surprise to learn that she only started songwriting and performing when she was 37. Her maturity shines through in her songwriting, across the eleven original songs here, six written alone and five being co-writes.
Rose’s deep connection to nature is evident in the opening song, Redwood Holler, which also gives the album its title. Brought up in Mendocino County, where she ran wild in the redwoods, she adored the mighty Eel river as it wound its way through the dramatic redwoods and the madrone trees, and the red tailed eagle soared, all recalled by the lovely mandolin and pedal steel contributions of Wanda Vick and Damon Castillo, respectively. Midlife Walking Blues is an uptempo take on that midlife crisis that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and Tammy Rogers (Steeldrivers) adds her insistent fiddle pulse as a backdrop to the moon’s depiction as a One Eyed Ghost in a tale of unrequited love and regret. There’s a latin/jazz feel to Let Go The Day, a lullaby written in an attempt to address insomnia during the lockdown, replete with percussion from Paul Griffith and some tasty electric guitar from the producer, and there are more latin rhythms as the basis for the romantic Prelude To A Kiss.
Persephone delves into the age-old question of masculinity and femininity and Rose’s conclusion is that ‘we need new stories’. Strawberry Moon is a term used in North America for the full moon in June, not because it is pink but because it coincides with the strawberry harvest. Here Ynana Rose uses it as the inspiration for a story song concerning a man who swore he’d never marry again after being abandoned by his truel ove, who he met under a strawberry moon.
Written with David Landau during a thunderous rainstorm while they were on a songwriting retreat, The Downpour is particularly personal, coming as it did in the aftermath of the breakup of her 20 year marriage. Landau also contributes cello on this sensitive evocation of the trauma of the uncertain future, which ends on a hanging note, no doubt to be continued. It’s About Time, which is the album closer and possibly its stand out track, derives from the same difficult period, ‘now we’ve done all the damage we could do ... I gave it my all, but it was never enough.’ I, for one, am looking forward to discovering the next chapter.
Eilis Boland
Antonio Andrade Here We Go Lif Shakes
A ninth album from this experienced performer who has been delivering his music over a 25-year period, balancing his music with a regular day job in order to pay the bills. Andrade recorded his debut album Straydog back in 2000 and his second release arrived in 2007 with What Do You Want From Me, containing original songs that covered rock, folk, and pop influences in the sound.
Andrade gave up his day job in 2014 and has since released a series of albums , culminating in this generous 16-song covers project that plays out over fifty minutes in length. There is always a risk in releasing an entire covers album as invariably the comparisons begin with the original versions and across so many chosen tracks there are going to be some that work better than others. Also, the inclusion of so many different musical genres, means the results can be somewhat scattergun in hitting the target.
From Bob Dylan (Forever Young), and J.J Cale (Magnolia), to Neil Young (Ohio) to Tom Waits (Downtown Train), the arrangements are interesting with Andrade asserting his own style and take on each song. The cover of Bob Marley’s Waiting In Vain is less successful, as is the Eurythmics medley of Here Comes the Rain Again/Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This). The version of Pat Benatar’s big hit We Belong also falls short, even though the Spanish verses add something different.
More successful is the Cars iconic Drive and the idiosyncratic Looney Tunes medley, along with Take Me Out To the Ball Game, shows the fun side of not taking everything so seriously. Not an album that will feature apart from personal favourite lists, and there is something for everyone here, in terms of easy enjoyment. No doubt Andrade will get back to the more serious side of personal songwriting for his next release
Paul McGee
Richie Lawrence Moving At the Speed Of Trees Big Book
This is a fourth solo album from a musician and songwriter based in Sacramento, California. Lawrence is well known for his talents on accordion and piano and has played with many bands over his career, including I See Hawks In LA.
It was his lifelong friend from that band, Paul Lacques, that brought the greatest influence to this new recording. In addition to co-writing two of the songs, it was the sudden death of Lacques that brought great shock in 2024. Recording was halted while the grieving process took over and it is in memory of his great friend that Lawrence now releases the completed album.
Katie Thomas is married to Richie Lawrence and she stepped into the role of co-producer on the album, with her vocals featuring on nine of the tracks selected. Former drummer and percussionist with I See Hawks In LA, Shawn Nourse appears on eight of the songs, alongside Simeon Pillich (acoustic bass) and their steady timing is a feature throughout. Founding member Robert Rex Waller Jr. provides an additional co-write and appears here with current bandmates Victoria Jacobs, and Paul Marshall providing the rhythm section on two of the tracks.
There is a cover of the Ray Bonneville song Lone Freighter’s Wall with the pedal steel of Dave Zirbel particularly effective. Apart from this, all songs are written by Richie Lawrence, including four co-writes, and the production offers plenty to enjoy in the individual musical performances. Lawrence sings with a low key delivery that does the job of sitting easily into the restrained arrangements and gentle melodies throughout. There is some lovely violin (Giorgi Khokhobashvili) on Life Long Lived and on one of the highlights The Poetry Of Lust we are treated to superb electric guitar (Tony Gilkyson,) and the sweet accordion of Lawrence on a song that channels Leonard Cohen in the delivery.
There is a jazz swing on InFable that also includes excellent piano parts and clever lyrics, while The Wonderful Waltz is all that, and more, in the delivery. Emily Dickinson is a reflective solo instrumental played by Lawrence on piano, and the final song I Believe In You is a fine conclusion with the sentiment ‘There’s nothing I can do, Save share my love with you, And let you find your way in this, a world defined by hope.’ Both understated and elegant in the delivery, this album takes its place alongside the previous works of Richie Lawrence with great pride and no small amount of impressive songwriting.
Paul McGee
Robert Thurman Burning Daylight Self Release
Growing up in Tennessee I think that it’s fair to say that Robert Thurman was surrounded by much of the musical influences of that great State, and his interest in joining local bands grew from this immersion. The roots of country, bluegrass, gospel and blues can all be traced to Tennessee over the years and the influence of rockabilly, Sun Studios and the soul music of Memphis and Stax records is also never far away, perhaps just floating in the air. It has often been stated that acoustic blues music was at the heart of everything that was created in the early development of rural culture as the solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment became a main influence.
Robert Thurman honed his guitar skills into his early twenties and after suffering health challenges over a number of years he turned to acoustic blues as a means of dealing with his frustrations. This album is home produced and is comprised solely of the guitar and voice of Robert Thurman. There are seventeen tracks included with very few exceeding the three-minute mark. This is a good thing in that you are moving swiftly through the various song arrangements and guitar rhythms, but the downside is that you start to suffer from a sense of sameness with relatively little variety in the dynamic. There is a basic demo-style sound to the songs and although there is no doubt that Thurman has his own particular style, it would have been good to sample some percussion as support for the tunes or some bass modulation.
There are two cover versions with Ground Hog Blues (Sonny Boy Williamson) and Who Do You Love (Bo Diddley) fitting nicely into the overall feel of the album. A number of the songs follow the acoustic blues influence and titles such as Small Town Blues, Nervous Blues, and American Jesus Blues deliver exactly what it says on the tin. Confinement Blues was clearly written while Thurman was recovering at home from the health issues he experienced and Blues This Morning also hints at the frustration of trying to move beyond serious illness.
There is an uncredited female vocal on the song Angel and the song references the largest industrial spill in United States history at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane Country, Tennessee. The final track One Last Breath hints at a ghostly presence at a haunted family homestead that assists people in moving to the other side of the veil. Ready For the Fire (a murder song)and Never Ending Sky are other songs that are memorable, with some fine guitar picking, and the title track Burning Daylight references the phrase for spending time uselessly. Given the challenges already faced by Thurman in his personal life I have no doubt that he now looks to the future and taking as much positivity as is possible from every single day.
Paul McGee
Rees Shad Porcelain Angel Shadville
Since the arrival of his debut album in 1994, Rees Shad has released an impressive run of sixteen solo albums over four decades, and has become a wordsmith of the highest calibre in the Folk traditions of singer-songwriters. This new project adds to his reputation with a lot of creative nous and a knowing maturity. Kicking off with Ain’t That the Way and a song which asks that we take some personal responsibility to effect real change ‘They’ll turn the screws long as you sit back, Unless you step up to the line and do a righteous act.’ It is a call to arms and marks an intention to deliver songs of lasting value.
The feel of Coda Blues has some fine harmonica from RB Stone and a self-satisfied look at a woman who treats her man right. Great Big World sees the guy chasing his girl half-way around the world in order to catch up on the experiences she’s having, living her best life in foreign places and not missing home at all. Isn’t It A Lovely Day is a gentle song in celebration of the world we wake up to ‘See what the world sent our way, I’m happy when we sit and stay, And while away these lovely days.’
The title track looks at regret formed out of letting a loved one slip away. Perhaps hinting at mental illness challenges and the inability of others to try and assist in any way. Thumbing the Scales is a highlight with a heart worn vocal concerning the greed of others in taking advantage of the trust put in strangers that is often misplaced. A Man Like Me is an up-tempo song with horns in the arrangement and a co-vocal by Wanda Houston that delivers a soulful groove and celebrates the attraction of the opposite sex. Another groove with attitude is Pistol Whip Hangover and the guitar bites with great dynamic in the song arrangement, topped off with tenor sax solo by Marcus Benoit. Great stuff..!
Love song Brighter Daze includes a fine co-vocal with Eleanor Dubinsky, wrapping a sultry light-jazz Bossa nova beat. There is also some very tasty Spanish guitar courtesy of Dario Acosta Teich. The Right Thing is a song that takes a rueful look at mistakes made in a manner of self-deception where everything looked so different at the time ‘As I wallow in the yearn, For forgiveness never asked for, Or contrition left undone, I can’t bring myself to face you, And the woman you’ve become.’ Perhaps a father figure who wasn’t there for his child?
Your Last Straw is a song where a parent is looking at the life unfolding for a child who needs to make their own mistakes ‘It’s obvious to me that you’ve been crying once again, And I know that you won’t welcome any questions, Still I feel like such a fool sitting silent as I watch, You drive your life in all the wrong directions.’ Such poignant writing and another standout moment on this album of many riches. The lap steel of Natalia Zukerman and the acoustic guitar of Rick Ruskin feature on this fine song. Rees Shad has produced a superbly crafted album, full of great songs and superb musicianship. As someone with a long legacy of quality music this addition is well up to the mark.
Paul McGee
Turnpike Troubadours The Price of Admission Bossier City / Thirty Tigers
The most satisfying aspect of the huge success of Turnpike Troubadours - 2.2 billion streams globally and 1.7 million units already sold - is that they write and play country music and not the watered-down mainstream pop that currently dominates country music radio and charts. Seeing them land the number one spot on iTunes country charts is as refreshing as it is deserved.
Turnpike Troubadours' current line-up is Evan Felker (vocals, guitar), Kyle Nix (fiddle), Ryan Engleman (electric guitar), RC Edwards (bass), Gabe Pearson (drums) and Hank Early (steel, accordion), and THE PRICE OF ADMISSION is their sixth album. Produced by Shooter Jennings, the eleven-track album is divided into unhurried country ballads alongside their more customary raucous songs.
The mid-tempo On The Red River opens the record in fine style, with Felker speaking fondly about his late father. What follows are thunderous knees-up tracks like The Devil Piles His Trade and Ruby Ann, both complete with raging fiddle breaks by Nix, alongside outright rocker What Was Advertised and the gospel-tinged Be Here. Country ballads, such as "Searching For A Light," a melodic co-write with fellow Oklahoman John Fullbright, and "Heaven Passing Through," also impress, though it's fair to say that there isn't a weak track on the album.
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION is Turnpike Troubadours' most accomplished work to date and a continuation of their ever-engaging musical journey. Hopefully, their success and the recognition of their talents, in both songwriting and performance, will filter down to many of the next level of artists and bands that are sticking to their guns and recording genuine country music. In the meantime, hats off to these guys for the hard graft and talent that has brought them to a place they so richly deserve.
Declan Culliton
Will Worden The Only One & All The Others Self-Release
Looking at the cover of THE ONLY ONE & ALL THE OTHERS, you could be forgiven for thinking that the album was an undiscovered gem recorded by Lee Hazlewood in the late '60s under the pseudonym, Will Worden. That striking resemblance, appearance-wise, is furthered when listening to the twelve-track collection of country psychedelia.
Very much a mystery man, possibly by choice, surfing the net will not unlock much background on Worden. His website is simply a photo of him wearing a Gram Parsons-type jumpsuit with the caption, ‘We’re cooking something up….’
My limited background knowledge of Worden is that he is a Texan living in Topanga, California. This debut and self-produced album follows his two singles released in 2020, Shut Your Eyes and Moonlit. Alongside his impressive vocal style, he also played guitar on the tracks, and the other contributors were Chris Dixie Darley (guitars), Casey Nunes and Eli Thompson (bass), Frank Lenz (drums), Joe Assef (percussion), Robert Joseph Manning (piano) and Conor Gallagher (pedal steel).
Broken Wings, a spaghetti western soundtrack-styled love song, is a co-write with Australian artist and accomplished whistler Molly Lewis, who, I can only assume, can take credit for the atmospheric whistling on the track. Other tracks play out like homages to many of the smooth country performers of the 60s. Lovin’ You Forever sounds like a Jimmy Webb composition sung by Glen Campbell and Pines In The Wind has an early career Porter Wagoner sound to it. Jerry Reed is represented with the swampy Rainy Weather Blues, and Texan Phil Hollie is credited as a co-writer on the Elvis-sounding, I Gave Her Every Reason. These comparisons are in no way a criticism. Worden nails the sounds of that era spectacularly well, and the production and playing match that retro feel.
I can’t tell where the album was recorded or where you'll likely catch Will Worden playing. I can tell you that the album highlights Worden’s impressive baritone vocals and his knack for crafting instantly catchy, well-written songs. The anonymity and mystique may or may not be calculated; either way, the album is a retro country gem you’re well advised to check out.
Declan Culliton
The Barlow High Spirits Self Release
This is a band who are likely justly proud of their roots, in both musical and location terms. They hail from Denver, Colorado and play country-rock that moves across both ends of that description (with nods to southern and outlaw along the way). This is the band’s fourth album, wherein they consolidate their rugged sound and songwriting. The album’s opening track Standing Next To Me is more in the latter rock direction while It Ain't Mine, the second track, is closer to that of a country song. And so it goes across the ten cuts, all bar one written by the band. The Barlow are essentially a four piece band, Shea Boynton being the main writer (although all the tracks are credited to him and the band) as well as lead singer and guitarist. Brad Johnson is guitarist and harmony vocalist, and the lineup is completed by the solidifying rhythm section of Ben Richter on drums, and Jason Berner on bass. They are joined here by Craig Bennington on pedal steel and banjo, keyboardist Andy Scimeider, and Wes Barlow on fiddle. This trio round out the sound and add texture in the recorded context, contributing to the collective achievement. Bennington and the band produced the album together.
This hard working band plays across many states to enthusiastic crowds who no doubt appreciate the solid nature of their sound. Nothing here will either break new ground, or fall into the usual Nashville trap. Rather it is the work of a band who know who they are and what they want out of their music. There are tracks here that are more uptempo, songs that sonically feel uplifting, even in such cases where the theme of the song itself may be about something that is a little less so. This is material that is inclined to be drawn from experience and therefore have a more common appeal. That Boynton holds his own as lead vocalist is clear throughout, especially on the title track and Backwater, which has a slower more emotive delivery, among others. In fact the band throughout demonstrate that they are not standing still and are trying to perfect their own sound while remaining in an overall context.
More twangy are Turn Tail And Run and Roping The Wind, which is another highlight with steel and banjo prominent, giving that roots feel that mixes well with the more rock leaning material such as Clean, which is built around a solid rock riff that drives the song along. The final song, Lost Angel Saloon, the one song not penned by the band, was written by Chad Price and it closes the album in a more honky-tonk barroom mode that shows that this band could easily make a full album in that context if they wished to, as easily as they could do a more southern rock focused album. However they do what they do here, and do it in high spirits, to ensure their music has a broad appeal in the venues they tour in, as well as an accomplished sounding album that is a strong calling card.
Stephen Rapid
Clark Paterson American Suburban Self Release
This is an often self-deprecating look at the life of a man who may not have achieved all he hoped in life or, at least, someone who has the lyrical ability to capture that outlook (observations from the outside or from the inside). I was reminded at times of some of the material of Todd Snider. Paterson has had a hand in the writing on all of these songs, mostly solo, but on three of the ten he is joined by a co-writer. They certainly raise a smile and also, on occasion, some pause for thought. He grew up in rural Michigan but has relocated to Nashville to ply his trade, and his lyrics draw from both environments. In recent times, it is reported that he has had some serious medical issues, a divorce, and the negativity around custody that that can raise. All, no doubt, have contributed to his outlook and world view.
Musically the album also holds its own with some fine playing from all involved, whether the song is more acoustic and folk-oriented or whether it is more country style in tone. Another feature is the use of female vocals and harmonies, which work well to bolster Paterson’s own delivery. Sierra Ferrell, Mandy Contreras and Luella Matthews are all credited in this welcome capacity. Some nine Nashville players are credited on the album, including producers Eric McConnell and Shawn Byrne - the former also plays stand up bass and the latter guitars and musical saw. Also present and very correct are Paul Niehaus, John McTigue and Billy Contreras, names that will be recognised as musicians who have worked on some of Nashville’s more independent and interesting releases.
What Keeps A Fool asks you to hang on and continue when “it all feels like I’m paddling upstream”, allowing a natural-born fool to carry on, while S-10 is about his mode of unreliable transport, a Chevy S-10, and its transmission giving out so he has to walk to work again. Small time lives are the subject of Good Ole Boy and how things are stacked against a person in that situation. “… Got me a wife, have a nice little life” was the aim and to be a good ole boy alongside the rest. “Never wanting to be the best, never wanting to be the worst” is his summation of his intentions. The final track The Deputy is more of a story song, about the way life can become an opposing situation between two people from different sides of the law divide.
Then those themes continue, such as life on the road for the travelling musician on On The Road 2 Long, while the title of the song Life’s A Bitch just about sums up its downbeat attitude. It takes a more folky route to tell its meaning of life, “you know me I like to complain, some things just never change, drinking form an empty cup, I never knew when to shut up.” Equally considering the backside of life is Man Of The Year, wherein he reckons he got too big for his britches and now he’s running for 'man of the year'. He reasons that “I’m always talking a real big game, that I ain’t feeling no pain.” Making no gain or reaching no real understanding would seem to be the protagonist's lot here.
All of the ten tracks have some quotable couplets, demonstrating that Paterson is following in the footsteps of some of those notable troubadours who can sure pen a song and sing it well. He may not be up there with them yet, but the indications here are they that he could be. This album may help gain him some further recognition after his previous releases and it’s one worth spending time absorbing the overall attributes that it has to offer.
Stephen Rapid