Petunia & The Vipers 'Self-Titled' - Petuniamusic

When the album opens on a yodel you know you can expect something outside of the mainstream. This Canadian band are fronted by the man know as Petunia who is vocalist and songwriter with this band who explore a roots music that has it origins in a time that was less defined that is the usual today. It is a mix of vaudeville, old time, country, rocakabilly, ragtime jazz, swing and blues. A formula that a number of current bands use to produce their own particular elixir. Petunia has gather around him the like-minded Vipers whose sting includes Jimmy Roy and Stephen Nikleva bit of whom served time in the like-minded Ricochets of the late Roy Condo, the line-up is completed by Mark L'Esperance and Sam Shoichet. Frontman Petunia biog tells that has played with numerous musicians over the years and has been a busking entertainer for many of those. He knows how to front a band with verve and vigour. Songs like Gitterbug are immediately appealing with it's rockabilly rigour. But his take on the song Stardust is a more reflective affair taken at a slow tempo that befits the mood. (Never, Never Again) The Ballad Of Handsome Ned is a story song that is delivered in a cinematic style that has some likening The band's wide ranging approach to that of director David Lynch. There is a slightly unnerving mood that is indeed similar but it is one that enhances the music overall. There is an empathy at work within this combo that fully realises the breadth of vision that is on show. Broken Down Love has an eerie quality and a sound like a musical saw that underlines Petunia's crooned tale of heartbreak. His song Che (Guevara's Diary) is a musical evocation of the famed revolutionary's tale at a certain point in his life. By contrast the cover of Forbidden Lovers is taken as a and old style country ballad with sweeping steel guitar and a straight down the line vocal. The closing cut It Ain't has a robust double bass riff and kazoo upfront on a swinging rhythm under the high-style vocal that caps an intriguing and inventive album that marks the entry of an compelling singer and band who doubtless deliver live as they do here. Catch them either way or preferably both.

The Highballers 'Soft Music and Hard Liquor'- Woodshed

The title here might easily be reversed here to "hard music and soft liquor". The Highballers have a sound that throws back to the times when the term cow punk was more widely used to describe a hybrid of rock and country played with energy and drive. The band have evolved from their beginning in 2007. Chief song writer and vocalist Kendall Jackson has led the band since then and has a voice honed in honky-tonks and bars to a level of believability and bash. A key factor here is the harmony and unison singing of Victoria Patchen who does a fine job of adding depth to the vocals. Add to that the Telecaster twang attack of guitarist Sean Lally and the robust rhythm bed of Michael Barrientos and Drake Sorey. All show a love for country music as well as for elements of punk, garage rock, rockabilly and other influences which they have blended into something that feels right for them and with enough twang to make it appeal to country music fans the world over. It's not the 50/60s retro fitted sound that some bands use. Rather it's a template that's been tried and tested right back to the early eighties and with numerous bands who took their lead from Rank 'n' File and Jason and The Scorchers, but one that is still valid. The songs equally fit the bill with titles like Doing Time In Pennsylvania, The Price You Pay, I Didn't Mean To Get Drunk or Close To The Line. These are songs that are not without some humour and honesty. All in all The Highballers are an all round package. Though a lot of the album is taken at an uptempo pace they can do slower songs like Virginia and Better Man with ease and without going too soft. The album closes in the spirit (pun intended) of the album title with I Take Pride In My Drinkin'. An unashamed ode to a vocation that seems central to the Highballers sound and vision. 

Thea Hopkins 'Lilac Sky' - Self-Release

The music on this e.p. belongs to a woman with a voice that has some life and love for her art in it. It has a richness beyond some of the more lightweight voices that are associated with country music on the radio these days.Thea Hopkins latest release is that increasingly frequent format the e.p. Not quite an album, but more than a single, it allows an artist to release some product without having to make a full album and is a handy touring item. Two of the six tracks here are covers. She does a good job of Linda and Teddy Thompson Do Your Best For Rock And Roll, a song full of yearning and hope and likewise puts some meaning into her cover of the Marianne Faithful/Barry Reynolds song When I Find My Life. She has gathered some good players around her for the recording. There are three guitarists featured all play with conviction but Andy Hillinger's twang on Hopkins' Down By The Water giving the song a cutting edge and a stamp of Americana. The rhythm section are solid and Tim Ray's piano is used effectively. As a writer Hopkins reveals a depth and an understanding in her songs like Might've Stayed In Memphis and with the title song. Thea Hopkins joins the ranks of singer/songwriters whose role is to perfect their craft rather that redefine it. But she does so with enough of her own identity that these six tracks leave you curious to hear more. That in itself is an achievement that makes Lilac Sky a pretty good reason to have made it and an equally good reason to listen to it.

Russell Kamp 'Night Owl' - POMO

Ted Russell Kamp is a fine talent and largely unknown on this side of the pond. He has delivered a consistently strong back catalogue of solo records, together with playing Bass in Shooter Jennings, one of the more interesting acts to emerge from the alternative country scene over the last decade.

This is a terrific release, spanning 14 songs and some 50 minutes of great music, fine individual playing and not a little stardust. This self -produced collection was recorded at various locations across the USA, including the occasional hotel room, and the sound quality is both intimate and bright.

Right Down to the Wire; A Whole Lot of You and Me; I Been Watching You, all come and go in a swirl of fine arrangements and atmospheric  playing. The uncertain future painted by When the Radio Goes Dead should be a wake- up call for all free thinking music lovers.

The experience and maturity of all the musicians employed is clear to hear and enjoy across these tracks and the future should hold greater recognition for Ted Russell Kamp on this evidence. A visit to these shores in 2013 is something to consider. In the meantime there is always You Tube to see this fine artist perform. Go out and buy this CD…

Jesse & Noah 'Driven Back' - Self-Release

This is the third CD from Jesse & Noah Bellamy, sons of a famous father and steeped in the musical tradition of country. Based in Nashville, the brothers are moving in a direction that allows them greater creative control over their song output.

There are diverse styles displayed on the ten tracks, with a rock feel to the title track; a murder ballad swing to True Love Doesn’t Beg and  the reflective guitar part that frames Bend in the Road; one of the key songs on display here.

The opening number Weather Man sets the pace with an up tempo musical stomp that reminds me of JohnMellencamp in its’ drive and flow. The violin playing of Elin Palmer is a standout feature on this song.

Florida Water has a driving fuzz guitar break while the reflective Guilty of Myself ends proceedings in a mellow tone.

Overall, the song arrangements are very strong throughout. This bodes well for the future, as Driven Back is the first self -produced release from the brothers and their song writing is certainly maturing plenty of variety across this solid set.

 

Brad Mackeson '1945' - Self-Release

This new artist hails from Portland, USA and appears on the music horizon with a real statement of intent. This debut CD is self -produced by Brad Mackeson, who together with colleague Rian Lewis, plays an impressive range of instruments across the eleven songs featured here. His writing is very self-assured with a leaning towards thoughtful lyrics that chart a range of emotions, relationship reflections and musings on the human condition. 

The title, 1945, refers to the year that marked the end of the Second World War and the sleeve dedication to his grandparents probably holds a key to the inspiration here. The song itself is a love paean, framed against the end of the war and has a beautiful feel to it - “to touch you once more and feel the heat rising off your skin”...Indeed!!

Opening with Thousand Drums, a song that could fit nicely into an episode of True Blood, with it’s after dark energy, this CD reveals a series of song structures that are impressive with a great, loose feel to the playing and plenty of space within the  arrangements..

Gonna Be Fine is a slow groove that sits nicely into the pocket before Lonesome Feeling displays a real nod to the memory of John Lennon in the vocal and a strong hint of Sgt. Pepper in the song arrangement. This is an impressive debut and one that should lead to greater exposure for this talented musician, if the stars align.

Christopher Rees 'Stand Fast' - Red Eye Music

The opening song of this, his sixth album, immediately finds the Welsh wizard back on more familiar ground after the horn-laden Hearts On Fire, his previous album (which was recorded with the South Austin Horns). The song opens with a robust riff of twanging Gretsch before Rees' distinctive vocal tells the tale of litigious Welsh vocalist Dorothy Squires, who was once married to Roger Moore. This is the first song that underscores the steadfast characters who people the songs and sentiments of Stand Fast.

The other key instrument in his armoury is the banjo which is often paired with electric guitar. This gives his music it's roots and grounding. There are comparisons, to a degree, with such powerful fellow travelers as Slim Cessna's Auto Club and 16 Horsepower, yet Rees is standing fast to a path that runs back to his previous albums and the creation of his recognizable sound. Christopher is a man in control of his destiny and direction, as he is a multi-instrumentalist only joined, for the most part, by drummer Dan Tilbury to create the layered sound that is the core of this record. Playing live he utilizes a full band, as occasion demands, but recording he builds the sound from the ground up. He is also the producer, engineer and mixer on the album which makes for as very personal sound and substance. The songs sound in structure as if they had their origins in the ages, that they are updated traditional songs. In truth only one song I  Will Follow follows that path. The rest are original songs and many are memorable and are among the best he has committed to public scrutiny.

They are dark, thoughtful songs of understanding and undeniable humanity. There is much in the landscape of Ree's imagining that is true to his Welsh heritage, but that will also resonate with Appalachian undertones. It is an album that opens in fine style, but one that then plays out in a context that allows his vision to be strengthened over the full ten tracks.

It is an album, a unit, but that  is not to say that individual songs do not stand out. For instance the  trumpet on Knock On My Door gives an extra edge to the song's heartfelt plea for love and longing from a reluctant recipient. It is the sound that echos the borders of Mexico as much as it might with a lone trumpet in a band hall in Wales

Rees is a striking solo performer but adds much to the resonance of his recorded work by remaining true to an original vision. Released next year, Stand Fast is staking it's place to be heard and understood for the powerful piece of music it is.

Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers 'Yo Ho Ho It's a Pirates Christmas' - Self-Release

Continuing the theme of his recent recordings talented all-rounder Tom Mason is still very much in pirate mode for this Christmas album. A genre that has produced some turkeys in the past and one much used as a marketing tool in country music circles. This one however reads less on the sentiment scale and more on fun and festivity side of things. It is a mix of original songs and arrangements of old tunes that include Come O Come Emmanuel, I Saw Three Ships, We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Auld Lang Syne. All are delivered with a buccaneering spirit that uplifts and brings a smile to the face and a tap to the toe. There are three instrumentals delivered in a more understated acoustic mode that is both satisfying and subtle. 

The band is captained by Tom Mason on guitar, dobro and vocals and they are in fine form and they have made a album that not only fits the season but is one that bears repeated playing and will return to my player over the next few years. It should find favour with folk, roots and also perhaps with Pogues fans. It has a energy that is infectious. Something that is often much needed this time of the year.

Long may these pirates last and its a pity they can't also rule the airwaves as much as their antecedents ruled the waves.

Rachel Brooke 'A Killer's Dream' - Mal

The sobriquet "Queen of the country underground" may on first hearing be at odds with the blues based sound of this album but then country and blues were all initially tributaries of the same deep river of music rising in the south and only really separated for promotional reasons further down the line.  Brooke's songs and voice are perfectly honed to deliver her tales of woe and wistfulness. She is welcoming to her companion in Late Night Lover, a song that creates a mood of after hours entanglements with trumpet and saw adding to the sonic textures. Throughout the album producers Andy Van Guilder and Brookes use instruments in a telling way to underscore the message of the songs. 

One of the two covers included here, the  Fats Domino co-wrote Every Night About This Time, is a strident twelve bar. Life Sentence Blues is just voice and guitar both deliver the telling tale (and title) with conviction. Her duet partner (they've previously released a duet album A Bitter Harvest) Lonesome Wyatt joins here again on a delightful verse swapping song that is again stripped right back to the power of the voices and a sparse backing. Other songs take the blues feeling to fuller levels with a full band that often brings Dave Tatrow's trumpet echoing through the ages from a much earlier time when this music played in turn of the century joints across the country. The metaphor of the Big Black Bird inhabits the song of that title with a sense of foreboding. A subtle tale of obsession and unwanted observation. The title track has a rockabilly backbeat and some backing vocals over a robust backing that throws in some Xylophone for Miss Brookes herself to add an off-kilter touch that works well in the tale that tells us "he's a hit man, she's a killer's dream".

A Killer's Dream is a ideal way to see why Rachel Brooke has been picked as a rising star. She has a compelling voice both as a singer and as a writer and on this album stretches some the expectations she may have had. Recording live with the band Viva Le Vox gives a spontaneity and vibrance to her take on an age old form that in the right hands never looses it's attraction or relevance. There is much to recommend Rachel Brooke and much to admire on her latest album. Time will tell if she can rise up to become an overground Country Queen. Along with such individual artists as Lindi Ortega and Zoe Muth - one can only hope so.

The Lost Brothers 'The Passing Of The Night' - Bird Dog

The vocals and songs of Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland have found favour with many since they partnered as the Lost Brothers. This latest album finds them growing in strength as artists. The new album was produced in Nashville by Brendan Benson, who has done a fine job of bringing their sound to the next level.

That sound finds a spiritual home in the place where such acts as the Everlys and the Louvin Brothers recorded. It is easy to make comparisons with such acts,  or with the likes of non-brother harmony duos like Simon and Garfunkel. That however distracts from what they have achieved in their own right and how pleasing the music they have delivered is in itself.
  
The musicians involved, aside from Leech and McCausland are Benson, Gill Landry and Paul Brainard among others who all play a variety of instruments between them that bolsters the musical. The sound is pleasingly uncluttered and acoustic in setting which gives the songs a sense of space that allows such instrumental interludes as the musical saw in Widow Maker it's place within the song's structure. The sole cover is that of an early 1955 Roy Orbison recording that was written by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The eleven songs follow similar patterns that emphasize the understated unison singing of both singers and makes what is the most fundamental (and familiar) aspect of the Lost Brothers' sound.
  
That makes it difficult to pick out a particular song from the overall  album but the accordion in Blue Moon In September is imbued with a  European feel and the musical saw again makes an appearance. A sound not heard much outside of the recordings of the Flatlanders it is no without a certain charm. The aforementioned Hey Miss Fannie picks the tempo up and shows that there is much to be explored beyond the more normal mid-pace setting. It also has some nice pedal steel running through it. The album closes with the Brothers singing over an abstracted reverbed guitar and pedal steel sound that pushes the boundaries of what may be expected of them. All in all a big step forward for the talented duo who have found their voice in their matched voices.

Liam Fitzgerald and the Rainieros 'Last Call' Self-Release

There are numerous bands out there who have a love for a pure country as it was played in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They exist for the music itself and not for dreams and hopes of Nashville stardom and fame. They play for friends and fellow travelers.

Liam Fitzgerald, who grew up in Oregon but moved to Seattle, listened to country music growing up and he sounds as if he never wanted to play anything else. Supported by some like-minded and talented players in Russ Blake on steel guitar, guitarist Johnny Mercury, bassist Tyler Johnson and drummer Donnie Staff Fitzgerald has the players and he also has the songs with these ten self-written songs that are steeped in bar-room philosophy and perspicaciousness. The music takes in honky-tonk, swing and tenacious twang and details life for the lost and loved, the strayed and the Stetsoned.

The titles also tell us about the ups and downs of those who inhabit this neon tinged world; Honky Tonk Hard Times, Long Gone Goodbye, I'm Always Gonna Be In Love With You, Let's go Out Tonight and Last Call. Liam Fitzgerald has a voice that suitshis songs, full of heart, occasional happiness and a lot of human failings. The sound is warm and replicates the analog sound that was the prevalent production sound of those classic vinyl albums that Fitzgerald grew up listening to.

This could be just an academic exercise if the music hadneither life or relevance to his contemporary audience, an audience that, in reality, has little time for what they hear on country radio these days. Liam Fitzgerald is the real deal for those who want to keep alive a musical form that has been written off, for a whole variety of reasons, but won’t lie down and die. This is a call out for those who understand the hardwood honky-tonk floor and how it continues to support them.

Tift Merritt 'Traveling Alone' - YepRoc

Even though Tift Merritt hasn’t yet achieve the commercial success her early albums predicted, she has lost none of her skills as a singer and songwriter. That lack of charting sales has meant that she has shuffled through a series of labels to arrive at her present home with YepRoc, one of the indie labels that still cares for artistic concerns.

Given all that, Tift has gather around her a set of exemplary players which includes Eric Heywood on steel, banjo and guitar, Calexico's John Convertino on drums and Marc Ribot on guitars and ukelele. Producer Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket andThe Decemberists are among his previous charges) brings a sharp focus to the sound that allows Merritt's emotional charged voice take centre stage.

The title indicates a sense of isolation which runs through these songs. The songs are revealing yet still have an opacity that allows individual interpretation. Titles like Drifting Apart, Still Not Home and Traveling Alone deal with different aspects of being away from home and heart,  though as Tift clarifies she was not alone on her travels due to friends and family.

The uptempo Still Not Home has a rocking feel that underlines the need of urgency to get to that place of refuge. Drifting Apart talks of a slow disintergration of a relationship that is underlined by Andrew Bird's counter vocal. Too Soon To Go has a distinct poignancy that can be read as a reference to a person's passing or that of a missed friendship, or both. Tift has the vocal skill to make these songs universal and sympathetic to the listener who can draw much from the album's overall sense of place, even if that place is shifting as the singer continues her travel. Small Talk Relations uses strings to good effect ona slow ballad of seeking something more than just small talk to sustain a conversation. Tift delivers a powerful vocal for the song. In these players she has a sympathetic set of musicians to give flesh to her songswhich deserve far greater exposure that she has received in the past. That is apart from those who have traveled with her from the start and have always enjoyed her company.

Rosie Flores 'Working Girl's Guitar' - Bloodshot

The talented producer, songwriter, guitarist and singer has helmed her own 11th album. It is a wide ranging album that covers many bases, with touches of all the musical strands pulled into a colourful whole. The title track was written by Ritchie Mintz,  who made the remark to Flores when she wanted to sell him one of her guitars. The song is a testament to the places a guitar gets to go in its working life. It  also highlights Flores’ prowess as both a lead and rhythm guitar player which was evident on her previous albums, but here she takes centre stage.

Little But I'm Loud is a title that sums up Flores' outgoing attitude since she was a member of the Screamin' Sirens in the 70s. It features some fairly nasty guitar infused with a Texas blues attitude. Yeah, Yeah features some decisive pedal steel from Greg Leisz and is tender tribute to her late friend, guitarist Duane Jarvis.  Surf Demon #5 is what it implies; a surf-style instrumental with a swelling organ and a surfing guitar that has touches of a western feel too. Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll is for long-time Flores fans with her distinctive voice taking the Janis Martin cover into familiar territory. Rosie’s take on Love Must Have Passed Me By is a neat touch of nostalgia, a countrypolitan styled duet with Bobby Vee. The tempo picks up for Too Much,  a song to a man who is living up to the title.

That theme of longing and looking for love is also at the heart of If (I Could Be With You). The album closes with a well chosen cover of George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps, a song which one feels has a special resonance for Flores, who has been a guitar player for a long time and has used the instrument to express both sorrow and exuberance.

Flores has made some great records during her career, from her Pete Anderson produced eponymous debut  to this self-produced album. All credit to her resolve and skill to get things done the way she has wanted to. A real working girl all round.

Larkin Poe 'Thick As Thieves' - Edvins Records

Sister act Megan and Rebecca Lovell formed as Larkin Poe in 2010 and released 4 EPs in the same year – one for each of the seasons. A novel idea and one that has led to the release of this 5th EP, titled ‘Thick as Thieves’. My copy comes with a bonus DVD of a concert given in Norway last year and the abiding impression is one of a band right on top of their form.

Larkin Poe have a mainstream sound that encompasses many genres, none of which adequately describe the unique playing and singing talents of these two sisters from Georgia. Both perform in a beautifully realised style with vocal harmonies that swoop and soar in ways that only siblings can achieve. The seven songs on the latest EP are all strong with my initial interest drawn to Fox, a funky jazz tinged workout. Celebrate is a more rock based number with the slow blues of Make It Hurt resonating with a Bonnie Raitt feel. Overall, a strong set from two talented ladies and well worth checking out.

David Greenberg and Harpeth Rising 'The End Of The World' -Self-Release

These four musicians create an intriguing sound across a mix of cello, violin, banjo and percussion. Labels are often a bore and it would be easy to trot out any number of comparisons here. However, the playing is really a unique blend inspired by a mixture of influences and best experienced first- hand. The interplay between cello and violin is particularly uplifting and colours many of the tracks here with a rich experience.

The band is joined by David Greenberg, who has been given writing credits for all ten tracks. He is the father of Jordana, violin and vocals, and he sounds like Harry Chapin in his vocal delivery on songs that tell of big rigs, lonesome highways and truck stop mommas. The arrangements are full of inventive playing with End of the World a particular stand out.  Nowhereland is also an interesting song with a very traditional feel to it. This band would be a huge success across the traditional music vista of Ireland and their interplay confirms just how close the ties between American folk and Irish music lie. Well worth your hard earned Euro.