Sweet Meg Never Been Home Self Release
At an early age, New York City-born Sweet Meg's musical journey kicked off with singing in coffee shops and small bars in the East Village and Brooklyn. From there, she relocated to Paris to study jazz vocals, resulting in a decade as a jazz singer in her home city. Her debut album, UNDER THE MOONLIGHT, released in 2020, was an indie-jazz record and one of the first albums released on the jazz label Turtle Bay Records. I'M IN LOVE AGAIN followed on the same label a year later, before she packed her bags for Nashville to test the waters there and spread her wings towards more roots-based leanings.
Continuing her prolific output and hybrid jazz/country style, CHRISTINE'S DAUGHTER, MY WINDOW FACES THE SOUTH and BLUER THAN BLUE were released in the following two years. These albums were recorded while Meg continued to tour globally with the musical collective Postmodern Jukebox, suggesting an artist who could boast little or no downtime. Her latest project, NEVER BEEN HOME, continues her exploration of a musical styling heavily influenced by blues and jazz but also subsumes country leanings and more.
The opener, My Irish Ex, goes as far as including a traditional Irish reel into an outro, and it's one of a number of tracks that address the author's wayfaring lifestyle. New York Love Song, Tennessee To Boulder and Piccadilly Line (Waiting) are others that namecheck events on the road in their titles.
Recognising her present Nashville abode, Heartaches and the short closing track, The Button Song, are pure country, and the full-blooded Bridge and Tunnell and the breezy This Train hit the mark as instantly catchy and rootsy ventures.
Recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville and co-produced by Mose Wilson and Dennis Crouch, the quality of Sweet Meg's voice alone would be worth your attention. With tender, intimate songs and cracking players, NEVER BEEN HOME is a delightfully accessible listen.
Declan Culliton
Blue Cactus Believer Sleepy Cat
Fronted by Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez, North Carolina band Blue Cactus's latest record continues their trademark sound, combining melody-filled roots songs with a dash of modern country and twang. Unlike their previous records, Stewart, with acoustic guitar and percussion, takes lead vocals on all the songs, with Arnez adding harmony vocals, guitars and bass. Also adding their sweet voices to the mix are Erin Rae, Brit Taylor and Kate Rhudy, and among the notable guest players are Russ Pahl (Randy Travis, Kacey Musgraves) on pedal steel, Taylor Floreth (Rich Ruth, Wolf!) on drums and percussion and Jonathan Beam (J.R.Miller, Tim Easton, India Ramey) on bass.
BELIEVER is the third album from Blue Cactus, whose 2017 debut self-titled album was followed by STRANGER AGAIN in 2021. Highlights are This Kind of Rain, which delicately handles a theme of uncertainty and apprehension, and, at over five minutes long, the title track, which ebbs and flows beautifully and includes some thrilling fuzzy guitar feedback. The quietly pulsing Resolution and peppy Biting My Tongue are instantly catchy and capture the album's overall engaging and often moody theme.
Channelling California country down a path that dips into alt-folk and psychedelic rock, BELIEVER's uncluttered sound, fronted by gorgeous vocals by Stewart, is a potent serving of modern Americana.
Declan Culliton
I'm With Her Wild and Clear and Blue Rounder
Formed in 2014 and seven years after their Grammy-nominated debut album SEE YOU AROUND, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sara Watkins have once more teamed up to combine their many talents as writers, vocalists and instrumentalists on their sophomore eleven-track album. The wide range of instruments employed includes mandolin, octave mandolin, guitar and banjo (Jarosz), guitar and piano (O'Donovan), fiddle, cello and organ (Watkins). JT Bates (Andrew Bird, Taylor Swift) guested on drums, and Josh Kaufman, of Bonny Light Horseman fame, who produced the album, also added pedal steel and Wurlitzer. The album was recorded in New York at The Outlier Inn in the Catskills and The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck.
If their debut album played out as a joyous coming together of like-minded artists, WILD AND CLEAR AND BLUE offers fuller, fleshed-out arrangements highlighting more intense and, at times, darker storytelling, elevated by Kaufman's flawless arrangements. Folklore and ancestral themes regularly emerge, no more so than on the stunning opener, Ancient Light. Their collective bluegrass lineage emerges in Find My Way To You and Sisters Of The Night Watch ('I was brought by I know not whom, ancient lights are still guiding') and the short instrumental Strawberry Moonrise are hauntingly beautiful. Very much a statement of its time, the emotive and slow-building Standing On The Fault Line ('Is it when the reservoir dries out and the birds stop flying south? How we gonna know it's time to flee?) is intoxicating, highlighting finely placed harmonies and layered vocals. 'Sister, sing me alive, sing mе alive,' they chant in Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive), which is precisely what the trio do, in parallel with exquisite instrumentation, from start to finish.
Supergroups can often be less than the sum of their parts, particularly where the lead vocals are shared. Not so with I'm With Her, whose bond, despite their busy individual schedules, is picture-perfect on this, their most accomplished project to date.
Declan Culliton
Teague Brothers Band Wish You The World Self Release
This new album again highlights the John Teague fronted band as one of Texas’ best and most interesting bands. This follow up to the critically lauded LOVE AND PEACE release in 2022 builds on that album with sterling performances all round. Teague’s vocals and songwriting have only grown and matured since then. The album was produced by Derek Hames in Edgewater Studios in their home state of Texas. There the band and new producer Hames developed the material into a diverse set that is filled with strong songs and a sense of empathy, sometimes not as obvious in some of the rowdier Texas bands.
Sure these guys can rock out with the best of them in true Texas tradition, creating that beloved foot stomping dance floor energy that is often seen as essential. Take for instance the full on fiddle-fulled Hotel Water, courtesy of band member A.J. Hoffman. That is contrasted by the folky and tender remembrance of his Grandma in the song Tell Me Anything, that compares her wisdom and beliefs with his own failings and those of his family. In a self-revealing couplet he notes “I’m just as bad at saying goodbye, as I’m at stopping by.” Teague’s songs are full of strong lyrical concepts, revealing him to be deserving of wider credit for his observations and insights. Often these are downbeat in theme but uplifting in delivery, which allows them to reveal their merit over a number of plays.
The song that starts the album, Breathe, is a precursor to the overall attitude of Teague’s character portraits, who are often “holding my breathe like I’m under water.” The guitar and rhythm section fairly rock along here to underline slight desperation on offer. The title track is more mid tempo and boasts a strong chorus line. There is more of a sense of heartbreak revealed in Fire, “I was in love with a liar / so I’m going to build me a fire.” This is done in a restrained and reflective mood that makes it all the more effective and poignant. Another song that also has a message, but one that is both personal and easy to related to, is Depression. It is full of, well, depressing images of a man in distress, wondering how his relationship is lacking his basic perceived needs but conscious that this runs two ways, asking “Is there anything I could do for you to love me again?” There is a jaunty ending to the album with Smiles, wherein he is a man with no complaints, and that seems like a pretty good sentiment to end the album on.
The Brothers here are that of a band of brothers and include, from the last album, the vital contributions of Kyle Villarreal on guitar and vocals, and drummer Jeremy Hall, who are joined by a number of other players who make their presence felt too. There has been much made of certain other band of troubadours who are making some major inroads into the mainstream. The music on this album and the band themselves could easily be taking that same route, given a wider exposure to a bigger audience. The contents of this album are well capable of making the case for that. Wishing you the world with this release, as the songs and spirit here are certainly worthy of making their world a better place.
Stephen Rapid
Ben De La Cour New Roses Jullian
The recorded albums from Ben De La Cour have been, with each release, moving away from the direct simplicity of his solo live shows (though he is quite often accompanied by a female harmony singer live). The recently released live album …AND THE CROWD WENT WILD is testament to that part of his performance and recommended to those who might want to capture the essence of that on CD. However, his albums have been moving in a different direction that brings him to the place where he has produced this album himself, learning from previous experiences with the likes of Jim White to explore the deeper nature of his recording. This seems be recorded, often alone, in Nashville where he (big breath) plays guitar, bass, piano, synth, drums and something he has labeled a Dorkatron (which seems to translate as playing dorky on purpose!). If that is the case, there is a lot of playing that is also purposeful and prescient. As with the live performance, De La Cour often features a number of harmony singers such as Elizabeth Cook (The Devil Went Down To Silverlake), Gin Wife (I Must Be Lonely), Emily Scott Robinson (Christina) and Misty Harlowe (New Roses). Other guests are Billy Contreras on fiddle and the trumpet of John Klein.
Once I settled into this and listened carefully, I realise that the essence of De La Cour is at the heart of this album. That is his exceptional writing and a distinctive voice (which he experiments with here), both mark him out as something special and an artist who is continuing to develop as time goes on and showing that he has much more to offer the world and that will see him recognised along with the best of his generation. There are elements of folk, blues and ambient auras with this recording that make for a rewarding listening, taking you on a journey from the darkness and into the light.
There is one cover here, that of Leon Payne’s Hank Williams Sr recorded Lost Highway. It is given a harsh, shard-filled, nightmarish reading that offers another windscreen view on an individual route into a darker wisdom. That is not the only time that these songs refer to a dark underbelly of life, love and reason. I Must Be Lonely is a song that captures that sense of isolation and emptiness. “You sing about the devil / Like he's someone that you know / But they paved over the crossroads / A long, long time ago” is a warning of a compulsive allure to go and see what is will happen when The Devil Went Down To Silverlake - a journey that won’t end well. More gentle in delivery and intention is We Were Young Together Once, a song written for his daughter, offering the sense of needing to make that person safe. Which again is expressed in words that are avoid of some of the sentiment such as sing might have. “I’m so scared for my little girl / Feels like there’s nothing I can do / She's walking through a world on fire / In watermelon shoes / All daddy sees is shades of blue.”
Another tale that has some emphatic and effective electric guitar is Beautiful Day. The song then delivers a lyric that contrasts that notion with something more oppressive but equally expressive “Little white crosses burning on the square / Cops and their friends.” Stuart Little Killed God (On 2nd Ave) has, to these ears, a slightly middle eastern tone to parts of the melody, and is sung with a different tone to some other songs, offering something that can be construed as more apocalyptic intone. The title track again refers to the highway which, given his lifestyle, is a place that De La Cour would often find himself. Though this time the song’s protagonist states “This highway runs to Mexico / Just one more place / I’ll never go.” One could quote from all of the tracks to emphasise the strength of the songwriting, yet it is never impenetrable and always open to interpretation, which allows the listener their own sense of understanding them. I might read some different from what was intended, but that is what a great song should allow.
As one might expect from an artist of such insight, the arrangements and production are sensitive to the nature of the songs and allow for some shadow and light to fall across them, as is suitable for a better emphasis of the story. NEW ROSES on first listen, for those used to the more direct performance from the live shows, might seem as though De La Cour has moved away from that, but in truth he has simply added a layer of texture that enhances them in their recorded context. All of which confirms that he is, as many who are acquainted with his previous albums will assert, continuing to grow in the tradition of those iconic writers whose work is held up as a prime example of the art of the songwriter.
Stephen Rapid
Jim Wurster Transcendental Inclinations Y&T
From the first notes, Wurster’s voice makes no attempt to hide the age that is inherent in it. He is a country/folk singer who has made solo albums in the past, and a couple with his band, the Atomic Cowboys. It is easy to hear a variety of comparisons that could be made to his voice and direction. His songs are delivered with little effort to appeal to what might be a critical market for a young mainstream artist. No, this is Wurster as he wants to sound, making music for himself and those who appreciate the honesty of the approach.
The album is produced by Bob Wlos and Mike Vullo in a studio down in Florida, where his label Y&T is based (and incidentally the label that released the debut Mavericks album and where I first encountered them). Both of this team also add numerous instrumental contributions throughout. Additional to them are Mike ‘Bongo’ Hawn, something in that nickname gives a clue to his percussive contribution. Jack Stamates adds violin and Jil Wills backing vocals alongside the others.
It is a roots sound that is built around Wurster’s original songs, though a couple of covers hint at his earlier influences as well. His love of traditional country is
outlined in the opening song where he lets us know he’s never driven a pick-up, ridden a steer or even drunk much beer, but that “I like country music … but not that kind of crap they play on the radio.” The opening track Tried and True then is given the right kind of arrangement for that sentiment, with pedal steel prominent. Wurster’s allegiances are, as you might expect, true to those of an earlier less oppressive time. The title track counts our blessings while I Keep Rollin’ is a testament to survival and to keep on keeping on. Then the first cover Tear It Up takes us back to a classic rockabilly beat and tune, it has some nice and fitting guitar in the break. The other age appropriate choices are Rave On and Lonesome Town. All are give acceptably suitable readings and remind one of an earlier time and how the artists who recorded these songs might do them today.
Sometimes I wonder is it only listeners of a certain age who sympathise with the sentiment. Maybe, but hopefully it may appeal to a wider listenership. Wurster has performed in the past without the wider recognition of a Cash or Cohen who had an audience who were receptive to their later output. This album has an equal propensity. In songs like High Rolling Holy Roller and Black Queerie Wurster highlights some of the unwelcome things he sees around him locally and nationally these days. The latter has an old time feel with banjo and tells of a person who is about to come out and be true to himself despite authority resistance. It is delivered with a joyous singalong quality. The album finishes with Wash Me In The River and features a wistful harmonica as it moves into something vocally that hints of a gospel feel towards the end.
The sense of Wurster’s seasoned voice is in itself appealing, and is entirely as one with the featured material. There is something that is the old school troubadour/folk-singer in Wurster’s writing and delivery that makes this an easy and charming listen, one that would find favour with a listener in sympathy with the approach and arrangements and its incidental transcendental inclinations.
Stephen Rapid
American Cosmic Revival Vol. 1: Back At Home Self Release
Not a compilation but a collective led by Patrick Cleary and Christian Parker, the latter who also helmed the previously released Sweethearts Of The Rodeo tribute. This time out, it's subtitled "A Tribute to the International Submarine Band." Who were Gram Parsons pre Byrds/Burritos band. Joining him again are veterans of the original recording Jay Dee Maness and Earl Poole Ball. Parker has immersed himself in the country rock sound of the Byrds, which was a sound that many have a love for. Not least Marty Stuart and The Fabulous Superlatives who have not only recorded original songs in that mode but have backed Chris Hillman and Roger McGuinn live playing selections from Sweethearts and other related songs (this grouping can be seen on a YouTube live concert compilation).
This album takes all the tracks from the original SAFE AT HOME, although programming them in a slightly different running order. The album was produced by Cleary and Parker and was recorded in a number of different studios. The overall effect is pleasing and a solid reminder of the influence those albums and bands had. 'Cosmic American Music', the term used at the time, is alive and well here with this collection of musicians. The songs are all played with skill, and there is a freshness to them while being respectful to the original album. There are ten songs that include A Satisfied Mind, Miller's Cave, I Still Miss Someone and Luxury Liner. All tracks will resonate both with those who listened to them the first time out and with those who are discovering and relishing another chance to hear these tracks again.
There would always be the offhand "Why bother when the originals are out there" and similar remarks of the unconvinced, but that has long been a criticism of any such project. Because these songs are given a makeover and can also be played live, it gives them legitimacy and makes the album worthwhile. Only when played alongside the original recording, it is apparent that this recreation differs in arrangement and energy in the delivery.
All in all, it is going to appeal to those who are coming to the songs for the first time but equally to Gram Parson's fans while not forgetting the other band members from the first time out. Call it revivalist, and then perhaps it will serve as a revival that will help spread the word on a nostalgic but forceful time when country, rock and soul were blended in a new mix of flavours.
Stephen Rapid
Adam Chaffins Trailer Trash Self Release
This five-track EP offers a slice of the soulful country Chaffins has co-written with collaborators such as noted songwriter Adam Wright. Chaffins plays bass throughout (a special one, too, noting the loan from Bobby Bare Jr. of a 60's Fender Jazz bass once played by Waylon Jennings) as well as giving a very good account of himself on the lead vocals. The tracks were co-produced by noted studio master Frank Rogers along with Derek Wells, Mike Fiorentino, as well as Chaffins. He is a noted session man and side player but has lately been steeping up front and centred owning the mic. The aforementioned Wells joins him on electric guitar as well as co-writer Bryan Sutton on acoustic, banjo and mandolin, Russ Pahl on pedal steel, Matt Combs' strings and Robbie Crowell on keyboards, amongst others.
Chaffin has also played in the bluegrass band Town Mountain, though that influence is less obvious here overall, though mandolin, banjo, and upright bass are all a part of the mix here.
This follows up from a previous album in 2020 entitled SOME THINGS WON'T LAST, though on this evidence, some things obviously did. The opening song, Living' Til My Dying Day, moves in a direction that would be familiar to Chris Stapleton fans. A soul groove that leads to the title track, which is less upfront in tempo and even deeper in a soulful ballad mode. Dive Bar Moses is a nice story song with the piano to the fore and lays out its story with something of a different vocal delivery that has a lot of voices going in a la-la crowd singalong that suits its mood. The next song, Kentucky Girl, follows along from the last track in appreciation of his girl. It has a solid rhythm and pedal steel with a sense of joy overall in its message. The final track of the five is Little Bit At A Time which uses synth over a sweet combination of instruments, all channelled to enhance its genre-crossing tone that fades away before coming back with an extended instrumental outro.
It's not normally my favourite formula in Americana, but Chaffins, over these five tracks, lays out his credentials that sound like they should be ready for a bigger audience and could easily find a footing in the mainstream, too. Let's see where this particular boulevard will take him.
Stephen Rapid
Ernie Palmer A Teacher, A Preacher & A Bad Farmer Self Release
Once again, it is immediately apparent that Palmer is not a singer starting out but a man in the autumn of his life reflecting on what it has been and what it has brought him. It hits folk and old-time songs in a simple setting. However, the sound is expanded on certain tracks with pedal steel, electric guitar, and percussion. There is gentleness in the opening How Gently, which is tinged with loss. These are all Palmer's material that draw on his personal experiences and journey. The cover depicts, I believe, Palmer during his military service in Vietnam. But the title suggests he has been doing many things during his life and only started writing songs later in life.
The album was produced by Jay Rudd and Aaron Zimmer, who are both contributors on numerous instruments. It is one of those projects that may have a limited appeal to a wider audience, but to those who may be acquainted with him and his music, this will serve as a handy collection of his homely songs. Vocally, Palmer sings in a distinctive way that may not be everyone's choice, but it is a real voice full of his life's honesty. The songs included Night Shift, Bents Creek Road and Old Trooper. Perhaps the most poignant is The Last Night At Tony's, wherein he talks about where his life is now and how, as he is now alone, he reckons he will sell his house and move away. Not wanting to be in the way even when he has been asked to move in with them. He reasons they both have their own lives to be going on with, and he'd just be telling stories to his grandkids of his wilder, younger days. He encompasses this with the song, which shows that Palmer has a way with words in these story songs.
There is an uplift in the arrangement for The Ticket, which works well with bass percussion and electric guitar. Other well-put-together tales of small towns and trying to find one's place with them is another standout arrangement in Wanderlust; again, the electric guitar effectively adds another layer to the song's truth, an early Johnny Cash vibe permeates The Truest Thing. The album finishes with a fiddle-led track, Comanche Moon, which tells of another take on a different time and a more desolate environment. Your appreciation of this album depends on your openness to its integrity. If you have liked the more recent material by the artist Mark Brine at any time then this may well be something else appreciate.
Stephen Rapid