Michael McDermott Flowers From The Graveyard Pauper Sky
The phrase “When you know you know” can relate to many different things, but in the case of singer/songwriter Michael McDermott, it relates to those who are acquainted with his acclaimed body of work and the numerous past albums that are appreciated and assimilated by fans and critics alike. His latest album is no exception. The songs offer a perceptive look into the lives of others, real or imagined, alongside personal lessons he's learned along the way. It details failure, addiction, and family relationships, alongside moments of positivity and longer stretches of hope. McDermott has grown up with the framework of a life devoted to his take on rock ’n’ roll storytelling that is an open book for those who listen to the songs he has given to the world. That world may not be as big as the work deserves, but it is nonetheless there for all.
This album was ably produced by McDermott and drummer Steven Gillis. They are joined in this endeavour by his wife, Heather Lynne Horton (an artist in her own right), as well as guitarist Grant Tye, bassist Matt Thompson, John Deaderick on keyboards, and Will Kimbrough on additional guitars and mandolin. The assembled players create a tight, robust sound that suits the material well.
The album is bookended by The Best We Get, a full toe-tapping rock song that reasons that perhaps that “Someday we’ll be a memory / Don’t waste time wallowing in regret / It seems to me a possibility / Maybe this is the best we get.” At the other end of the album is Ain’t Life Beautiful, a slow melodic keyboard-based meditation that, in the end, is not so different in its philosophy of accepting circumstances but making the best of them “There’s forgiveness and acceptance / Resistance and repentance / Temptation, Salvation / And a road to redemption.” Between those two points, the other nine songs have insight and interpersonal awareness. No less so than in the song Nobody, wherein the central character is an invisible person who feels “I’m just a nobody nobody knows” but who feels that may change someday. Again, the tempo is upbeat, as is the overall feeling delivered.
In the classic mode of cinematic anecdotal detail of the sad encounter of Johnny Sparrow And The Sunset Girl, “An Irish kid from the Bronx” meets a girl, and their story begins and ends before it should. In the same scenario of street-level lives is " The Struggle Makes You Stronger which again tells that “Life’s like the bull and you’re the rodeo.” This ‘hang on in there’ theme is also a great sounding track that is something of a standout. Also, The Lords Of Lincoln Park talks again of alienation of the outsider and of the possible opportunities that might arise “She said ‘Today is the tomorrow that I’ve been waiting for’.” It is another epic-sounding track that highlights, as the album overall does, McDermott’s vocal aptness and passion.
The songs are, for those in the know, as powerful as expected. To take just one example, The Future is one that looks at what it sees around today and sees that the future we had hoped for has not been realised for a great many. Instead, it witnesses “Hijacking Jesus for treasonous criminals / Freedom of Speech is no longer what it means … All they wanna do is keep you distracted / At least until Martial Law is enacted … So just keep on buying stupid shit on your phone / So that we never realise that we’re really alone.” These lines alone should be a testament to McDermott’s writing skills and his ability to see what is really going on.
Some flowers may be from a graveyard, but that doesn’t make them any less beautiful, regardless of their sources.
Stephen Rapid
Alicia Blue Country Desire Thirty Tigers
Described by Shooter Jennings as “As rare as they come. A voice that comes along once in a generation,” Nashville-based Alicia Blue's career in music has an unconventional backstory. With ambitions for a career in writing poetry, she graduated from college with a degree in literature and unexpectedly stumbled upon her talent as a songwriter. When she took a job as a care worker for Malcolm Hayes, Blue was unaware that Hayes had been a successful recording artist in the 1970s, whose career ended when he suffered a stroke. Hayes became her mentor, teaching her to sing and encouraging her to use her talent as a writer to put her words to music.
Music had been a part of Blue’s life, having grown up listening to her Mexican-born father's Patsy Cline and Linda Ronstadt records, so the calling to challenge herself by writing and recording came as a blessing. Busking and open mics in Los Angeles followed before she moved to Nashville in 2022 and received an invitation to support Lucinda Williams on tour in 2024.
What became a game changer was Shooter Jennings hearing demos of her songs in 2025 and, despite his heavy workload, being impressed to the extent that he booked Hollywood’s Sunset Sound, Studio C with a host of household names, Ted Russell Kamp (bass), Greg Leisz (pedal steel), Jay Bellerose (drums), Brian Whelan (keys) and Blue’s guitarist Alex Labrie, for the recording sessions for COUNTRY DESIRE.
Jenning’s praise for Blue’s voice rings true; high-pitched and twangy and backed by crack musicians, the twelve-track record plays out like the work of a veteran rather than a relative novice. The songwriting is impressive too, telling personal and observational tales of real-life struggles, yearning, occasional high points and many reality checks.
The passion-fuelled Backwards Again has a swagger that recalls Margo Price at her raunchiest (“I march to the beat of my own crazy drum/I sing a different kind of tune/Dusty boots and a good IQ is where I have my fun/Down a corner bar called Duke's”). That self-supporting and spirited tone is repeated in Tennessee Queen, the record’s opener Run Me Ragged, and the hot-blooded Please Don’t Call. Also passionately charged is one of the album’s standout inclusions, Ride.
With lyrics that will ring true for many of Blue’s peers who toil long hours to support their careers, Waitress Blues is a lively two-stepper, and the confessional and defiant Clean speaks to the frustrations of surviving in the music industry and its inherent hurdles.
It’s a very busy playing field for women in country and roots music nowadays. However, with COUNTRY DESIRE, Alicia Blue has signalled that she has the total package as a writer and vocalist to move rapidly up the industry ladder.
Declan Culliton
Silverada Living Proof Prairie Rose
Changing their name from Mike & The Moonpies to Silverada in 2024 divided opinion amongst the fanbase of arguably Texas’ finest touring and recording country band of recent years. Undoubtedly, the band led by Mike Harmeier hadn’t reached the industry profile that their talents warranted, and it was hoped that turning a new leaf might address that. They released their self-titled album in 2024, followed by TEXAS 42 last year, continuing their prolific output over the past decade and a half.
Harmeier's songwriting on LIVING PROOF is up to his usual high standard. However, musically they have shifted slightly, losing some of their customary twang and honky tonk and replacing them with a more solid rock formula. The loss of pedal steel player Zach Moulten has contributed to the change in direction. However, the latest band member, keyboardist Parker Twomey, makes an impressive contribution to this album.
Probably the most prudent manner to approach LIVING PROOF is to put the Mike & The Moonies' prejudices to one side and approach this album on its merits, and there are quite a few.
Given the band’s hectic touring schedule, it's little surprise that Harmeier’s writing has often dwelt on the hardships of a touring unit and the heartbreak and missed opportunities that the nomadic lifestyle brings. These sentiments crop up in Highway Man (“Out here on the highway we could use a friend/If you blow in the direction of a changin' wind/You're a highway man”). Silver Eagle speaks to the commitment of a career touring band, regardless of fame or lack thereof (“We ride this road together/We ride through stormy weather/We're in this thing forever now”). Another standout is the probably confessional title track, with clever wordplay that also drills into the troubled relationship between domestic and on-the-road lifestyles. (“My coffee's gettin' stronger, my hair is gettin' longer/One heart now broken into two/When I look in the mirror, I see a foreign figure/He and I have a different point of view”).
The tearjerkers Second Hand and Jack capture the energy of the band’s live shows, and by the time the raunchy closing track 24/7/365, with its marriage of droning guitars and delirious rhythms, rolled around for the third or fourth time, I was won over. Ok, I do miss the more country-flavoured direction of their earlier work, but I feel that this suite of songs will work spectacularly well in the live setting and, really, isn’t that what the band, under both names, excels at?
Declan Culliton
The Jayhawks Sanctuary Park Thirty Tigers
For SANCTUARY PARK, the twelfth studio album by The Jayhawks, they reunited with producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Lou Reed), who previously worked with the band on their 2000 album SMILE. The band formed in Minneapolis in 1984 with Mark Olson and later added Gary Louris, who has led the band since 1995, when Olson left to form the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers with his then wife, Victoria Williams. The current lineup is Louris (vocals, guitars) and long-time band members Marc Perlman (bass, mandolin), Karen Grotberg (keys, vocals) and Tim O’Reagan (drums, vocals).
Olson’s departure shifted the band’s output from classic alt-country to a more power pop/country crossover, a direction Louris favoured. Marking forty years since the band’s self-titled debut album, SANCTUARY PARK is evidence that Louris’ appetite for penning instantly catchy tunes, often recalling the classic sound of the Byrds in their 60s heyday, remains as vital as ever.
After marrying his Canadian wife Stephanie in 2020, Louris took up residence in Quebec, Canada, and recorded this record live in the studio at Ezrin’s Canterbury Music Company in Toronto. If much of Louris’ 2025 solo album DARK COUNTRY was eulogies to his wife, SANCTUARY PARK also, at times, explores courtship.
The album’s title is taken from a neighbourhood park in Dundas, Ontario, and the track of the same name is a retrospective fictional tale of young love and carefree days (“Highlights in your hair, your lipstick red/Listening to the Clash and Teenage Head/Trouble days at school your kilt too short/Smoking darts behind the tennis courts”). Teenage love and angst are also to the fore in Keeping Our Heads Above Water, and Kingston Girl, with its theme of ‘us against the rest of the world’, has similar sentiments.
However, it’s not all sugar and sweet, and Louris is pumped up on both American Midnight and Mr Lincoln. The former pokes a finger at the highly charged political environment in America (“Smell of sulphur in the air/ Even in my dark and wildest dreams/I never thought I’d see the day”). The latter is envisaged through the eyes of an orchestra musician who witnessed the assassination of President Lincoln.
More rugged and pushing the boundaries somewhat, Always And A Day, with its nod to classic 60s Brit Pop, is a highlight. Mike Johnson was recruited to play pedal steel on the two country-flavoured and delightful inclusions, It’ll Be Alright Tonight and Hands Upon The Wheel.
The Jayhawks have played it safe with SANCTUARY PARK and remained faithful to the benchmarks that have served them so well under Louris’ leadership. Clever songs, exquisite three-part harmonies and instantly catchy melodies are once again the order of the day. It’s a formula that has worked well for them in the past and does so on this hugely listenable treasure chest of songs.
Declan Culliton
Rag-And-Bone Strain Self Release
The opening track The World Is Coming Down would not be out of place on an ELO record. The following song is The Serf, and this is a more rock-oriented sound from this band who celebrate 20 years of releasing records in the Swedish music scene. The four-piece is led by Mats Nilsson, and he started the journey of Rag-And-Bone originally as a solo project.
This is album number five, and Nilsson is joined by the talents of Lars Magnusson (bass), Pelle Johansson (guitars), and Thomas Strömberg Jönsson (drums), in delivering what is a fine example of, let’s call it, ‘Swedicana’ roots-rock. The soaring guitar on Run is superb, with duet vocal from Maja Jakobsson adding great dynamics. Pour Out the Pain is a slow rocker that builds, with sweet harmony vocals from Maja again a strong feature.
The use of brass instruments on the atmospheric Followers-Likes-Leaders works well against an acoustic guitar, and when the electric guitar enters the arrangement, then everything goes up a level. Both Head Ruled By Heart and When Summer Comes Along are different ends of the melodic scale with the latter an atmospheric slow build in melody, while the former has a more rock driven sound.
Anything At All is simple acoustic guitar, followed by a big shift in the song direction, before the acoustic tones return. Sisyphus Rock is back to a driving beat and fine vocal of Nilsson. The country lilt of Who’s Gonna Grieve? is a nice end to proceedings on an album that today fits into that all-expansive Americana genre; increasingly becoming meaningless in its elasticity. Rag-And-Bone is a band with different flavourings, with their use of brass and other interesting instruments, such as Mats Bengtsson on accordion on this final track. An enjoyable listen that offers lots of fine moments.
Paul McGee
Frank Migliorelli and the Dirt Nappers Abnormal Conditions Rave On
Opening with the rocking sound of Take the Wheel, this ensemble drop the listener right back into Elvis Costello punk-pop territory of the mid-1970s. It’s heady stuff and announces the fifth album from a band that is comprised of talented players, such as Thad Debrock, Dan Weiss, Tony Tino, and Tom Segusa, among others who contribute.
Year Of Living Dangerously is a strident rocker, before the stripped back She’s Been Waiting Forever changes the mood with Tania Elizabeth on co-vocal and fiddle. Michigan shows the musicians in all their pomp, guitars shimmering against warm keyboard sounds, and the engine room of Tom Seguso and Tony Tino locking everything in with drum and bass synergy.
Marshall Crenshaw pops up for a guest appearance of Ever Since You Went Away which has a Tom Petty-vibe about the melody and the chorus. Fire Road appears twice on the album, in both clean and explicit form, and it has echoes of early Springsteen with the band caught in the rush of it all, guitars and keyboards sounding big against a song that berates fascism. The mellow sound of The Rain Will Always Fall On This Side Of Town could be lifted off a Southside Johnny album, with harmony vocals courtesy of Sherryl Marshall, Soozie Tyrell, and Lisa Lowell “Every runner always stumbles in the human race / The finish line never stays in one place / They keep on changing the rules you never learned.”
We visit the swinging 60s in the beat and rhythm on She’ll Wait To Hear the Heartbeat in a piece of pop heaven. On the excellent The Whiskey Won’t Burn the chilled vocal of Migliorelli is complimented by the artistic piano playing of Daniel Weiss on a song of regret after the girl has departed. There is much to enjoy on this album of great variety. Production by The Dirt Nappers is perfectly captured and the ten tracks will bring many hours of entertainment to anyone who enjoys a rocking soulful sound.
Paul McGee
Podge Lane Ebb and Flow and the Great Unknown Teip
These eight songs are performed on acoustic guitar and harmonica. It is a very bare, stripped-down approach and one that can be very challenging to pull off with any sense of unqualified success. Happily, Podge Lane doesn’t fall into the yawning chasm of lacking variety in repetition and delivers songs of real warmth. With many references to water, the songs quickly find a space to reside and remain; the imagery of flow and rhythm not lost in the listening.
Rising Tide has the message of living for yourself and escaping the corporate rat race where being seen as someone of value and worth is becoming more difficult. The Dregs is a song that speaks about escape from present confines and aiming towards a level of self-acceptance. Similarly, on The Coast we are faced with finding connection, but not in a relationship that is destined to rake dangerous paths “You drive too fast, the engine blows.”
Bleed Out Spot is looking for a safe haven from all the tumult and noise of daily living. Probably more about taking stock rather than bleeding out. God Among the Waves is looking for peace in the things that bring solace. Modern living has a mantra of ‘expect the unexpected’ with everyone seeking a meaning to the daily routines we experience. Maybe the lapping of the waves upon the shoreline is enough. Another song The Sea has once more the imagery of undulating waves and the swell of the tides. The majesty of the unknown world below has a pull to those who find a magic in the attraction.
The Great Northern Diver talks of embracing the ocean and finding freedom in the activity of diving and swimming in its depths. The song can be a metaphor for feelings of freedom but it could also reference the Common Loon, a large diving bird found in Canadian and northern United States waters. Sea Of Crowded Faces is a love song that focuses on the bond that emerges between two people who have grown together and find solace in each other, no matter what obstacles life may throw their way.
There is no doubting the talent that these songs highlight. Podge sings with a tempered tone and plays very clean lines on his acoustic guitar with a keen sense of phrasing. He hails from County Cork in Ireland and has been releasing music since 2017. You can find much of his previous work on the Bandcamp website in the form of singles and EPs, with a debut album released in 2021, titled OUTER MONOLOGUES and which “Takes place between the hours of 6pm and 11am.” A follow-up album appeared in 2023 titled COMMON COUNTRY MISCONCEPTIONS and was followed by MULTIPLE DEAD ENDS (2024), and a live album later that same year, HOW YOU MAKE NOISE WHEN NOBODY’S WATCHING (Live At The Green Note).
His last album was released in 2025, Less Of Me, and it’s perhaps a prophetic title, given that one never sees his releases in what count for high street retail outlets these days. Largely existing on download and streaming services, this innovative and talented artist is currently based in New York city, where no doubt he has a regular audience who are willing and able to support his music career.
Podge is a multi-instrumentalist and across his impressive back catalogue he contributes on acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, slide guitar, resonator, percussion, sampling, synthesizer, bass and drum loops. Seemingly anything that he can get a tune from… He is well worth your attention.
Paul McGee
The Volcano Brothers Light Of the Hilo Moon Black Hen
When you put musicians of the quality of Fats Kaplin, Steve Dawson, Richard Bennett, Dave Jacques, Andy Reiss, and Jim Hoke, into a studio together, then one thing is certain – magic sparks are going to fly. This new project is the brainchild of Steve Dawson and is inspired to be an acoustic pre-war Hawaiian band, with twelve songs that are spiced with arresting, charming, melodic wizardry. This album is a real treat.
The influence of Django Reinhardt is very much evident in the guitar interplay across these musicians who recorded live off the floor, and featuring Steve Dawson (National tricone lap steel and Weissenborn), Fats Kaplin (ukulele and fiddle), Richard Bennett (ukulele), Dave Jacques (upright bass), Andy Reiss (archtop guitar), with Jim Hoke (clarinet and horns).
Swingin’ In A Hammock is a pure joy, with Fats Kaplin of superb violin, the ukulele strum, and gentle horns laying down a light jazzy rhythm, topped off by some wonderful touches from Steve Dawson on Weissenborn guitar. Ensemble playing doesn’t get much better than this. Hawaiian Capers could take its place at any country hoedown and bring the dancers onto the floor from all corners; addictive swing and jive. With Steve Dawson and Andy Reiss trading guitar runs, the inventive fiddle of Fats Kaplin, together with Dave Jacques keeping everybody grounded to the rhythm, it’s such a heady cocktail. You can just see a 1920s Speakeasy, with everybody grooving to the addictive beat, the flights of solo instrumentation, the sheer unbridled pleasure of the moment.
There is not one filler on this collection, each of the twelve tracks is infused with great moments and highlights to keep you coming back for more. The jazz swing on Fascinatin’ Rhythm has some terrific clarinet moments from Jim Hoke, while Kulaniapia Waltz, an original composition from Steve, already sounds like an old standard, the slow rhythm settling nicely into the memory banks.
Honolulu How Do You Do is a foot-tapping, hip-swinging, jazz treat, with ukulele rhythm complimenting the steady playing of David Jacques on bass, while clarinet jousts with lap steel and archtop guitar. Full marks to the production quality throughout and in keeping with the spirit of the times the recording was completed in Mono and using old ribbon microphones. Steve Dawson handled all production at his Hen House recording studio in Nashville and the results are so impressive. An album that will stand as a great testament to the spirit of string-band creativity and Hawaiian swing.
Paul McGee
The Roseline 86 Gumption Self Release
This band is from Kansas, USA and has released a total of eight studio albums, plus one live record, since their foundation in 2007 last.
On this new release the band is comprised of Colin Halliburton (acoustic guitar, vocals), Bradley McKellip (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro), Heidi Gluck (keyboards, bass, vocals), Colin Jones (bass), Jim Piller (drums, percussion), and Lynn Piller (pedal steel). All ten songs are written by founder member Colin Halliburton and the essence of the music is focused on a roots rock feel.
Bradley McKellip is a fine guitarist but doesn’t step into the spotlight too often, with his excellent solo breaks kept to a minimum; in a way, summing up the less-is-more feel to several of the arrangements on this album. The band play with a restrained elegance, and the production adds greatly to the overall enjoyment. Apparently, the album came together over the course of a year, often in the homes of the band members, and yet the consistency and sound quality is impressive.
The song themes explore many of the questions that the individual wrestles with in keeping their place in the race towards supposed ‘freedom’ and quality of life. How we change as we mature, relationship challenges, getting older, watching the political meltdown of the world as our misguided ‘leaders’ plot a course that invariably ends in human misery and pointless loss of life.
Wet Black Fin is a song that looks at grief and the way in which it shapes our interactions and attitudes, and on Metal Mouth we find a couple going through some real challenges in a marriage “Is it already dead / Has rigor mortis set in / Is it broken not bent / Should they both take a hint.” The malaise of world politics is examined on North Sea Views with a focus on the International Criminal Court in The Hague summons to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to appear in March 2026 over allegations of war crimes. The lyric captures the hypocrisy “While a baby cries in a rubble heap / You straighten your tie / you whiten your teeth.”
Heart Of Oak has a beautiful melody and an easy tempo, highlighting the qualities of Heidi Gluck on keyboards, while Tooth and Claw has a traditional country swing with nice pedal steel courtesy of Lynn Piller. On Balance Of Beauty, we get a more pop-oriented sound as the guy looks to reclaim some lost youth by ripping it up downtown. But maybe the past is best left where it belongs?
The slow tempo on Wild As Weather hints at the internal angst between wanting to break away from commitment and feel free - against having to temper behaviours and face increasing responsibility. The song Apex looks at ageing and the compromises felt “As I’m confessing to everything / A lightness never arrives / There was hardly a reckoning / Nothing was punitive – just ran outta road and light,”with the great guitar lines of McKellip lifting the song arrangement. A very confident and mature set of songs, superbly delivered by a band that are certainly impressive in the writing and the seasoned musicianship.
Paul McGee