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Humphead Records deserves credit for making these mainstream country records available in the UK and Ireland. They may not suit everyone's taste, but that's a subjective issue anyway and as I've never read a top list that exactly matched my own ... each to his own, enjoy.
The debut release from the Brooks & Dunn stalwart after the break-up of that highly successful duo starts in fine style with the rockin' Singer In A Cowboy Band, one of many co-writes that Dunn has chosen for the album. He is also sitting in the producer's chair which gives him the control of how this album has come out. The end result highlights his recognizable, authoritative and emotive voice. Making as much of the ballads like Your Kind Of Love and Cost Of Livin' (a song about an hard-working ex military man looking at his life and how difficult it is to survive economically, something that Dunn may be a long way with his current lifestyle but a lyric he delivers with conviction) as he does on the uptempo tracks. How Far To Waco is one of the more catchy and attractive of the album's twelve songs. It has mariachi horns and the kind of bounce once associated with the early Mavericks. Let The Cowboy Rock opens with the line "Ol' boy At the bar" and you know your about to witness some high-octane rockin' country. The sound, however, is aimed squarely at mainstream radio and so the rougher edges never get too ragged as it might if it where an independent release. The ballads out weigh the rockers here and one of the best is the Dunn/Terry McBride song I Can't Help Myself where again proves his worth as a singer with some life experience in his voice. That duo with the help of Bobby Pinson also wrote the final song which closes the album in similar style. It's a piano led-lament that will appeal to his many Brooks & Dunn fans. The album is then a fine first step with just enough change to establish his singular talent without in any way alienating his existing fan base.
A vocalist who was hailed as something of a traditionalist after her previous debut album continues in that vein, with the caution that this is from Music Row and not on the Heart Of Texas label. Given that and with Shepherd's pronounced twang she portrays a sassy woman prepared to make herself heard. Songs like Look It Up offer a lesson in semantics to a errant partner. Where Country Grows is as much about accepting Jesus as it is about the musical form as heard on the radio. I'm Just A Woman is a common enough if cliched view from the female perspective that men are ... well, not women. Buddy Cannon's production is robust with enough fiddle, banjo and steel to let you know that you're not just listening to pop music in disguise. Beer On A Boat is kind of de rigueur for most country album these days listing as does a way for good ol' boys and girls to their down time. Religion is again the subject of Tryin' To Go to Church, one of those Saturday Night, Sunday Morning type of songs but one where Shepherd's tongue is firmly in her cheek. That All Leads To One Thing again admonishes her man and figures the place that all the things listed in the song lead to a ring on the kitchen table and a relationship left behind. The closing track Rory's Radio is about how the songs heard on a transistor were the soundtrack to growing up and those songs and times are not forgotten. Whether these songs will have the same effect in years to come remains to be seen but for now Ashton Shepherd second album gives here a pretty good stab at getting to that place.
This cowboy hatted Canadian songstress has just released her eight album since her 1995 debut. As producer and co-writer of many of the songs she delivers an album that fits in with contemporary Nashville notions. It's a bright sound full of enough steel, fiddle and twang guitar to let you know it's country but it has enough polish to let it pass by the gatekeepers at radio. Several tracks are co-written with Kristen Hall who was a founder member of Sugarland but who left the band. It has a balance between her early work and a more cosmopolitan sound that may appeal to a broader selection of listeners attuned to today's radio regimes. But as on Lonesome's Last Call she shows you she can deliver a fiddle and steel based pure country song. Written with veteran writer Jim Rushing it, is for this reviewer an album highlight. But having said that there is much here that has a wide appeal and Clark has a soaring voice that is mature and malleable enough to take on the different demands of the songs featured. There is a clear emotion in Smile, a song written for her late mother which features Alison Krauss who duets on the chorus. She cranks it up on We're Here For A Good Time, a non-original that posits the theory that "we're here for a good time, not a long time". So enjoy it while you kind a credo that Clark seems to agree with. The closing track again changes tack with an understated mandolin and fiddle lament that love can wither much as planting flowers in the snow can. It's good to have Clark back on an assessable label as her previous efforts tended to be limited to her native Canada. Something Clark fans will be happy with as would newcomers to her rounded singing and songwriting.
A big man with a big voice who's well capable of singing country (and being an apprentice - he was a recent contestant on the US Donald Trump Apprentice show). He's not a writer per se but a singer of songs and on this album the songs are full of rock drums and guitar and swirling keyboards that update a southern rock template and thrust. There are a lot of mid-tempo songs that touch on life from Million Dollar View (his lady) to the song about a father and daughter relationship in Just Fishin'. It's A Woman Thing is a discussion of foibles of the opposite sex as stated by the opposite sex. All these song have a sound that mixes several strands together, a little southern rock, a little soul, a little country so your ears perk up when you hit track 9 and Poor Folks and you hear the twang and the steel and the words fit the music and Adkins voice is warm and real and you again wonder why he did make a whole album like this, though in fact you know that someone is making the decision that that wouldn't go down as well as this crossover blend. Always Gonna Be That Way is a song about working men and again all the better for losing the "big" sound. The drums are further back and the music more understated, the organ this time is more subtle and the steel more noticeable. In truth these last two songs are just more country. The deluxe edition has four additional tracks Damn You Bubba and More Of Us back to the sound of the earlier tracks. If I Was A Woman which features Blake Shelton, is a bluesy duet that contemplates the songs title with lots of asides and the conclusion that "If I was a woman I'd love a man like me". The closing song Semper Fi is a military themed song with a more restrained an effective vocal. Adkins fans will lap this up and if he did a few more of those straight country songs so might I.
Currently making waves in Music City Shelton consolidates his position with this new album. He's not a writer and so relies on his voice to deliver these songs which often make reference to Conway and Lorreta, to beer, to good ole boys and to laid back country tunes whilst sounding like country music tends to sound these days. In other words crafted songs, big sounds and solid vocals that are perfect for these cross-over styled songs. Shelton is managed by Starstruck Management and his career has gone from strength to strength. He's married to Miranda Lambert so life is good for this good ole boy right now. Scott Hendricks is spot on for the market they're aiming for and you can see the appeal of these friendly songs. As each new wave of singers emerges on a major label the sound moves away from what many knew and loved as country music. This is country music for a different time and age and Blake Shelton does what he does very well and it will doubtless hit the spot for many but for others they'll wonder where the steel and fiddle is in the mix. This is a well produced and played, positive album that, on occasion, like on Good Ole Boys shows that when Shelton get that bit closer to the source and you can hear the guitar twang you see that Shelton could one day deliver something closer to a Conway Twitty classic. But then, in truth, it could well be that Blake Shelton is the Conway Twitty of the future as Conway certainly changed his style to suit the times, so maybe he already has and I'm just missing the point.
The latest album from the husband and wife partnership features a full band, two lead vocals, some delightful harmonies and bunch of new, self written songs. Production by Andy Cabic and Thom Monahan is warm and atmospheric. Both are involved with San Francisco band Vetiver and some of that town blend of soft wind psychedelica and country rock undertones can be traced here. Guests here include Neal Casal, who has cover similar territory in his own work, and Gary Louris (who co-wrote one of the songs) on backing vocals, he's joined by fellow band member Mark Olsen on the song the dreamy Seven Sisters with a lead vocal from Sarah Lee and has some pleasant pedal steel on which to float away. The duo vocals of Hurry Up And Wait feels timeless. Butterflies is as delicate as its subject matter. First Snow has California country rock harmonies and hauntidness. Their voices blend together in a most perfect way throughout the album and the music never attempts to displace them from the centre of these songs which have the ability to gain ground with each hearing and slowly reveal some subtle aspect of their construction. This duo have made several albums together and each album moves in a slightly different direction. This one should find them much favour.
This American singer/songwriter now lives, tours and records in Europe. She has co-produced this, her third album, with her multi-instrumentalist band member Della Torre. Her previous albums found her working with members of Mojo Monkeys and she managed to persuade drummer David Raven to join them for a few tracks. The overall sound is Americana-ish with touches of eclectic electric folk. There are swells of Hammond B3, forceful guitars and strident rhythms at the heart of these heartfelt songs. The focal point of which is Wimmer's voice, a strong instrument that coneys the emotion of the songs whether the more laid back lines about looking for the right man in Easier Life, a theme that she also takes up with My Babe, but here she seems to have found that person. It features some textured touches of accordion that give the song added musical depth. In Makin' War the subject misses her man while he's off doing what a man has to do. These songs are about life, love and relationships. Subjects common to most singer/songwriters but when in the right hands convey common experience. Her take on Bad Moon Rising (the only cover song) is done by adding some sense of disturbance that enhances the mood of the song which helps make it a stand out, as otherwise many of the songs are taken at similar tempos. Damn Angel seems to deal with tragedy and features some atmospheric saxophone from the late Max Gini that underscores that mood of loss. By way of contrast the closing For The Living is a celebration for a universal peace taken at in positive uptempo attitude with a strong vocal chorus and the accordion again adding to the ambience along side the prominent bass line. This ends the album on the up side of the spirit a place where ghosts, men (and women) can celebrate and appreciate the positive, the moment where music brings us together.
This duo consists for Austin based solo artist Betty Soo and Canadian dobro player Doug Cox. They met in Alaska and began to collaborate together and the result is Across The Borderline a clear bell like voice a guitar and a resophonic guitar are at the heart of these songs. Song the duo have selected form writers they both admire including Loudon Wainwright 111 (Be Careful There's A Baby In The House), Jane Siberry's You Don't Need as well as Butch Hancock (Boxcars). Both sing lead and harmony and give these lesser know songs a simple, subtle and seductive reading that makes you re-hear the songs. Big Cheeseburgers (And Good French Fries) is a duet on one of the late Blazey Foley's lauded songs. Louis Reil is a Doug Sham song is a song about the little known Canadian folk hero and it is a fine tribute to both the subject and the author of the song. It is an album highlight with it's memorable melody, chorus and guitar. Perhaps the best know song to many would be either Wainwrights or the album closer their poignant version of Guy Clark's Dublin Blues that provides what is arguably Soo's most affecting vocal on the album. This is an example of music close to it's purest form and because of that it relies on a human reaction to it's basic humanity which will cross many borderlines.
The album open with a song Devil's Paintbrush Road which immediately demands attention with her venturous vocal and rhythmic violin playing. As the title suggest this is a life album so it features Chvostek her songs and her playing in this direct setting. She is also adept on guitar and mandolin as well as the aforementioned violin and she attacks each with energy. The songs are her own other than a couple of covers including taking the sentiments of Pete Tosh's reggae song Equal Rights and making it as potent in this format as it was in its original setting. Madonna Loves Me is introduced by her noting how pop culture and religion intertwine and then plays on the two most notable holders of that name. The second cover is of Lou Reed's Some Kinda Love and again she make it work for herself in this stark setting. Half way through she asks for requests and complies with The Sioux, another songs she switches to violin, an instrument which suits the songs sense of desolation. Hartland Quay was written in England, an inspiring place for her and features her on mandolin. Wait For It is a uptempo mandolin excursion with a kind of Gasoline Alley riff. She closes the album with an audience singalong of I Left My Brain,"I didn't need it anymore". This is the kind of album you'll either want as a souvenir of a live performance or if you're familiar with the artist as a former member of the Wailin' Jennys or if you like a strong singer/songwriter delivering her work stripped down and raw but righteous.
The title track is a plea to seek out the real person that is Audrey Auld an individual and intense voice who conveys so much in her vocal perspicuousness. Auld has never failed to impress over the many albums and approaches she has taken with her music. The end results have always been true to her belief in her ability and to the people and places she loves. The later is the subject of the song written to her homeland as if it were a loved one. Tasmania is simple and effective with guitar and voice but her voice conveys so much melody and emotion that you are not aware of the simplicity of the setting. Another highlight delivered starkly is her song for Mary Gauthier Orphan Song which shows a lot of understanding for the pain and search that Gauthier has been through. That is key to Audrey Auld, she has an innate understanding for the feelings of others and for those in similar situations. One suspects that the song Forty would find much favour with many other ladies in of the same age if it were to gain some wider radio exposure. The production by multi-instrumentalist Mark Hallman is subtle, simple and satisfyingly direct. Though on occasion such as You Wish bristles with anger (and a rude word) that shows Auld is no easy target. Overall nature takes it course and she sings of the analogy of nature as a metaphor for family and friends and of the place where she now resides. On the other side of things is the jaunty twang of the realism of Nails -"Buy me some nails for my coffin, order the roses for my grave" - reflects the harder and darker side of living and aging. She also sings of racism and of personal pride and sacrifice in The Butterfly Effect that considers the journeys and humanity of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Bread and Roses is for the inmates of San Quentin and shows sympathy that many wouldn't necessarily feel for prison inmates. But that's Audrey Auld, open and opinionated but never in a harsh judgmental way. She does this in an affecting way with voice and guitar and a set of songs that say come find me.
The latest album from this Canadian singer/songwriter opens in robust syle with Stealin'. A full band workout that affirms her vocal prowess, her memorable songs and the band's chops. In a similar vein to fellow Canadian Kathleen Edwards and artists like Lucinda Williams MacLellan fronts an album that demands your attention. Guitarist Chris Gauthier is striking throughout as are the other band members who include pedal steel and keyboards over the soild rhythm section. It is co-produced by MacLellan and David Baxter and recorded, as often has been the case these days, in a cabin in a isolated area of Prince Edward Island among other locations. It emphasises MacLellan's increasingly effective songwriting and storytelling (highlighted in the lyric booklet) and the one song featured that was not written by MacLellan is something of a Canadian classic and it keeps it on the family as it was written by her late father Gene MacLellan. That song Snowbird also features the voice of Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and it is a contemporary reading on such a well known song which sits easily alongside her original writing. There is much to admire here and variety in the performance form the poignancy of Lines On The Road which takes of a view on a person legacy to the darker moments of Black Crow and the sense of lost and question in Sparrows. Reflective songs like Trickle Down Rain and Old Tin Can are taken at a more relaxed pace with pedal steel adding touches of sweetness to the overall sense of introspection. The brooding True Love builds to a slow burning heat while the closing Chop That Wood closes the album with a emotive vocal on a song that considers a past love and how it can slowly fall apart. MacLellan has the skill to makes these songs breathe and this is a career highpoint that any artist would be proud of.
The picture of Gwendolyn holding her baby and shielding her eyes from the bright light sets the tone for this album. A woman juggling her life, a mix of the domestic and the creative. Gwendolyn has one of those voices, high pitched that suggest a girlishness but behind which there is a determined person. She lives in California and draws from that locations pool of talented players. Her produced is Ethan Allen and features a wide range of guests and sound including saw and jaw harp as well as some twanging guitar which all makes for an engaging twist on classic country music as well as the outer limits of folk music. There is a brightness here, as suggested by the title, that is infectious and it's not surprising that she has previously recorded a number of albums aimed at the children's market. She has also recorded previous albums aimed at a wider audience. And a wider audience is what this album deserves as its hard to pin down centre has a heart and a attitude that is positive and poignant. Some may be distracted by the voice but many more will find that it is one that has distinction and a delightful sense of life's absurdities. "Be whatever it is you are" the message of Plants delivered to the singer by her father is solid advice for anyone. Gwendolyn also looks for some deeper truth through other songs that look back at older, maybe simpler times, that consider loss and absence but that love is the underlying saving grace. Monster In My Heart is a sing about the love she feels and needs to express and it's delivered in a big twangy guitar uptempo setting. As if to reaffirm the light that exists within all good hearted people she closes the album with the forgiving notion of Let The Light. Gwendolyn is a ray that shines on you and makes you smile and that can only be a good thing
A truly solo effort from McCarley. Produced, recorded and mixed in her home studio she has also played all the featured instruments. All good from that side of things but as with most songwriters in comes down to the songs and here McCarley also scores with a distinctive, slightly bruised voice and questioning lyrics, featured in the full colour lyric booklet. One thing that has to be taken into account is that many of the songs have similar tempos and instrumentation. But once you accept that you can listen to these songs as a whole. There are differences that work well. Every Which Way has a simple guitar motif that is effective with the voice. Faster Than Truth again uses the stripped down voice and guitar over a simple rhythm to a tale of a person waiting for their luck to change. There is an honesty at the heart of this album that feels like you're hearing this person's truth. It feels real, which in these days of polished manufactured music is something to admire. Whether it's too raw for some is debatable but it's directness, from artist to listener, should be applauded. This is Amy McCarley as she wants to be heard without any outside influences. The delivery suggest a folkiness but the songs feel like they could work in a lot of different settings. McCarley seems to be aiming for the purity that Gillian Welch achieves and in fact the only outside song here is a cover of that singer's Look At Miss Ohio. A stark guitar and voice delivery highlights the lyrics. But that song only stands out due to it's familiarity and is matched by some of the other songs featured such as Hollywood - a song that looks for space to be an individual. McCarley is just that, a strong individual making her music, her way.
This artist comes from Scotland and has been playing both in Europe and in the U.S. prior to the release of this, her debut, album. Recorded with a tight core trio of bass, drums and guitar that is joined on certain songs by some useful additional players and backing vocalists. Throughout it features Spina commanding voice and eleven of her exploring songs. Those songs are observations of her life and of those around her. The Hardest Thing To Do is about the closeness of an unexpected but lasting love. That theme is explored on other songs, Way Down looks for assurance in life, that is often elusive, and does so over a strong beat and the band's determined playing. Elsewhere there is a slightly fatalistic attitude with lines like "I can't stop what is on its way" but that is tempered by the overall positive delivery of the songs. Produced by Spina and Paul McGeechan, who also contributes keyboards and percussion, they have laid the groundwork for Spina's music which is a mix of folk and rock blended to complement the songs. Such as Fallen, a song which is bolstered by a solid guitar riff that fits its darker tones and Let You Fall, again that internal need of looking for some kind of solid ground on which to build a relationship is explored in a more gentle piano and vocal setting that highlights Spina's confident and clear vocal. The songs lyrically are displayed in a booklet that has them handwritten on a series of postcard background that is both attractive and useful. Never Coming Home is a good start to what may become a lasting career.
Born in Bakersfield, raised on rock 'n' roll, parented by punk the sound of Girls, Guns & Glory is a product of all these influences, conscious and unconscious, which makes them exponents of a very contemporary country infused music. Not the sound of Nashville today but rather a more vital one. Bands like Big Blue Hearts and The Souvenirs, to name but two, have previously played this blend of Holly, Orbison, of Cash and Hank Williams influences with solid songwriting, memorable melodies, strong voice and tangible twang to create something positive and vibrant. The band are led from the front by Ward Hayden on vocals and acoustic guitar, he is also the band's songwriter. He is ably backed up by guitarist Chris Hersch, bassist Paul Dilly and drummer Michael Calabrese. The are joined, on the recording by a number of guests who add keyboards, pedal steel, mandolin and accordion to the sound. Production by Paul Q Kolderie and Adam Taylor allows these songs a sonic excellence which makes for some striking music. The album plays as a cohesive whole that balances the uptempo driving songs like Nighttime alongside a more heartbreaking ballad like Last Night I Dreamed, complete with a spoken verse. Lost, strayed and broken relationships are at the heart of all these songs, as they would be in the majority of classic country songs. The duet with rising star Sarah Borges on 1,000 Times is a balanced male/female interaction that makes it an album highlight. But not a highlight that stand head and shoulders above the rest of the songs here, all of which add up to one fine album and the best that Girls, Guns & Glory has so far delivered. Here is a band that obviously loves music rooted in the 50s and 60s but who have not tried to slavishly replicate that sound but rather make it a living and vital format. Fans of Dwight Yoakam, Chris Isaak and early Mavericks should check this Massachusetts band out. It's likely you'll like it as much as I do.
By now everyone should know what the duo of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings sound like. They have carefully perfected their distinctive sound over the years and though there has been a long gap between this and their last album they have been looking at ways to capture that sound and to distill the nature of their performance. They are looking for a purity of sound that harks back to another era without ever getting lost in the past. The songs are as striking as ever and have a clarity of purpose that allows their two voices to intertwine in much the way that the instruments - guitar and banjo, with touches of harmonica - do. The music is elegantly beautiful. There are those, fans of Revival, who wish to hear some additional instrumentation, adding texture, but here it is difficult to see how that would work so intimate is the delivery. It is an album whose subtle and supple performance will reveal much over repeat listening. A song like The Way It Goes is a perfect example of the alchemical interaction between the two persons who play under one name and are balanced parts of a complex and intriguing whole. There is a depth of serious intent in these songs which are in many ways ageless interpretations of a time honoured tradition that could easily be on a remote front porch as in the confines of a recording studio. Welch and Rawlings have an instinctive interaction that makes their music special to those who are in tune with their musical zeal and zeitgeist.
Hardcore Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Roots & Americana since 2001.