Grand Old Grizzly ‘Cosmo Nada’ - Self Release

The latest album from the Houston based quartet takes you back to the start of the insurgent country days with the delivery of some highly energised roots rock that reminds of the similarly designed Old 97s. Throw in some Rockpile and a touch of the (Tom Petty’s) Heartbreakers and you have the basis for some attractive tracks. Cosmo Nada has 12 slices of rough and ready retouched roots rock. Their take on country is alternative and energised but built around some solid playing and equally alluring songwriting.

On Travelin’ they take the foot of the gas a little and allow the harmonies to come forward over a melodic guitar riff. But it is the full steam ahead rockers like Did She Really?, Red Hideaway and particularly Eyes, a song where writer Will Thomas’ voice conveys the story of a time and place and person not effectively.  Drummer Paul Beebe also plays guitars and keyboards as well as adding his vocals alongside those of bassist Mark Riddell. The band is joined by pedal steel player Craig Freazel on some tracks. But it is the essential trio that is the backbone of these songs. They are storytelling songs that draw from that aspect of the best country music but they give them a dynamism that propels them into your heart and also to your feet. All of which should make them an ideal band to honk your tonk to even if you feel that mainstream country may be a little outside your normal listening spectrum.

Though there’s little doubting that these guys also like their Willie and Waylon. Which, as perviously stated, make them unrestrained reminders of those post cowpunk days when that landscape had a goodly number of punk enthused bands broadening their horizons to include of strands of a wide variety of roots influences. But in the end it come down to the tunes, the songs, which these guys have. And they do them justice here, which, while they may not have. in the recorded versions, the firepower of attending one of their live shows, it more than entertains in a listening setting where one’s concentration is on the music alone.  

Houston, we don’t have a problem.

The Alan Tyler Show ‘Self-Titled’ - Littlefield

An acoustic collection of some of Tyler’s favourite cover songs mixed with his own songs. Alan Tyler has shown his commitment to his take on country music through his involvement with the Rockingbirds, an English country rock band who played the music in the 1990’s when it wasn’t exactly flavour of the month. They released their first self-titled album on Heavenly back in 1992 and disbanded in1995. Since they have reformed and produced two further albums.

In between Alan Tyler has carried on under his own name and this album is the latest release. Recorded with fellow Rockingbird Patrick Ralla on guitar, banjo and vocals as well as Jim Morrison playing fiddle and mandolin. It features the songs Dark River, Down To Deptford Creek, Essex, Long Time No See and The Fields Beneath - all Tyler originals. This release appears to be an expanded version of an earlier release that has added the covers of The Streets Of Baltimore, She Thinks I Still Care, Tecumseh Valley, Return Of The Grievous Angel, True Love Ways to make up 10 tracks.

Now it’s not the easiest thing in the world to take on songs that are often ingrained in the memory (in one version or another). However Tyler has a distinctively lived in voice that has a warmth and charm that makes hearing these songs in this setting a simple pleasure akin to a home singalong. Classic covers seems to be a thing these days and some such albums work better than others. Not to take away from the playing and performance on this set which would be worth hearing for the originals alone, but hearing the other (cover) songs are something of a bonus. Alan Tyler clearly loves this music and is working on a new Rockingbirds album that will add the power of a full band. The Rockingbirds have always added a specifically English element to their take on the music, which is to be applauded.

While this album would appear as something of a stopgap to promote and sell at live gigs it affirms Alan Tyler as a solid cornerstone of contemporary country in the UK. Someone who isn’t just producing carbon copies of American country but something more personal and with a real voice. The show goes on.

Gary Hall ‘Warm Valve Glow’ - Northern Son

Another veteran of there UK roots scene who goes back to his days fronting the Stormkeepers, A band whose first release was in 1989. These days he goes under his own name but one player from that time, Mark Wilkinson, still plays with Hall. It was recorded, as was his last album Winning Ways On Losing Streaks, in his own Voodoo Rooms studio. It captures his root orientated sound that incorporates his blend of widescreen roots rock, soul and blues influences with an added touch of celtic mist. Eleven self-written songs that reflect on life with a something of an renewed spirit which, in The Road To God Knows Where, finds him wondering where his life will take him but doing so with the thought that he can ”… still drink from that well that once ran dry”. 

That well seems to be refreshed and he is comfortable delivering these songs with a set of musicians who get the feel right and righteous. He ask for some salvation in Sweet Jesus and writes about his father with some gentle reflection for My Fathers Eyes. Throughout the album Hall’s voice delivers the songs with the conviction of a man who is making music for himself (and his fans). His motivation is to produce music that has meaning for him. This is outside of consideration of trying to fit any particular marketplace. It gives an artist the opportunity to explore music for it’s own sake. In truth Gary Hall is an artist who has  always followed this path but when you start out you are often filled with the hope of reaching a more mainstream audience. 

Those who have listened to his music over the years will not be disappointed with this set of new songs that have grit and the buzz of an vintage valve amp that has an analog warmth and a lasting glow. Gary Hall still keeps the storm in his soul and his vision focused. 

Erich McMann ‘Trucker Country’ - Paisley Cowboy

A trucker who loves making music too. This collection of original songs finds McMann contributing all the instruments and vocals for this album. McMann’s heart is in the right place but the nature of the project means that everything tends to sound a little underpowered and more like a set of home recorded demos. Which essentially is what it is. The overriding theme from the hand drawn cover rig image through songs like Trucker Country, The Trucker Blues, Truckin’ Daddy, Keep on Truckin’ and Big Rig Rollin’ pretty much gives you the whole picture. A country styled album with some easy going songs that will find favour with those with a similar occupation or disposition.

MCMann should be encouraged in that he is doing, it's something that he loves and that’s fairly obvious, but you have to factor in that when put up against something like Dale Watson’s Trucking Sessions albums it tends to be overtaken the fast lane. Never-the-less one should not necessarily dismiss the endeavour. I hope that McMann carries on making the music for his sake as an outlet he enjoys. There is nothing specifically unique or outstanding about the songs but neither is there anything particularly off putting. But if he keeps working at the writing then any future recordings may also gain more traction on a lot of fronts. It may not be one for the masses but should be sufficent for his fans.

Nelson Wright 'Orphans & Relics' - Fetching Grace

This solo artist is based in Seattle and 2012 saw the release of Still Burning, an album of ten original songs that had its roots in folk music and his days spent playing with various bands.

This second release, Orphans & Relics, has influences in country blues, folk and rockabilly. It is produced by Michael Thomas Connolly at Empty Sea Studios in Seattle who plays a variety of instruments across the nine tracks here, including some mean guitar, lap steel, dobro, piano clarinet and Hammond organ.

Ten O’Clock Blues and Orphans of the Past both channel some fine playing while the light jazz feel of In Another Lifetime is something that Willie Nelson could consider as his kind of song. Once I Was Loved By You is a slow strum to sweet romance and Last Call Blues closes out the songs in a smoky bar room style.

The Greenbeans 'Self-Titled' - Self Release

The Greenbeans are a folk duo from Upstate New York featuring brothers Vinny (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Joe Ferris (vocals, banjo, harmonica). Comparisons to Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and the Avett Brothers are inevitable and this is their first full-length album with a folky sound and a traditional feel to the ten songs here.

Produced by Kenny Siegal (Neko Case, Willy Mason) and recorded at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, New York, the Greenbeans play a range of acoustic instruments with accordion, banjo, fiddle and mandolin featuring regularly. Songs like A Happy Life and Celebration Song have an upbeat tempo and melody. That Would Be So Nice brings a commercial feel to the party with Land Ho also displaying a fine sing-along shuffle that has all the feel of a sea shanty. A debut release to bring plenty of good cheer.

Teresa Storch 'Come Clean' - Self Release

This is the third release from a contemporary singer-songwriter who is based in Colorado and has been performing throughout the USA since 2003. Her sound is quite diverse, combining influences from country, folk and soul into a potent blend that makes the eleven tracks here a compelling listen. Recorded over a three year period and using a total of twenty five musicians all told, this has been quite a project to undertake and the final delivery has been well worth the patience and effort. Production by Philip Parker is both sensitive and polished with every song delivered like a fully realised pearl in its own right.

The title track highlights her fine vocal style with some hints of Natalie Merchant in her delivery. With a plea to consider living in an honest and open way, the tone of the album is set. Still speaks of a relationship crisis with pause for reflection while the soulful sound of Make It Last with superb guitar, horns and subtle keyboards eases the listener into the light country swing of Make You Mine.

Sympathy is a lovely song that reflects upon an old friend who has suffered in life ‘those ghosts from your childhood that you never could get past’. Happy Girl is the stand out song with a wonderful feel to the gentle arrangement and a reflective lyric that is drawn from a maturity and self- knowledge.

This World has a Sheryl Crow vibe and is the most commercial song here. Let Me Remember It is a perfect ending to his impressive collection with the simple message to live in the moment. Excellent song arrangements with a variety of instruments blending seamlessly together to deliver music that is both vibrant and rewarding. 

Have Mercy Las Vegas 'That’s Life' - HMLV

This is the debut release from Scottish folk band Have Mercy Las Vegas. A strange name for a band that is rooted so much in the Celtic and folk traditions but I’m sure there is a story to tell around this choice. Recorded, mixed and produced by Matt Harvey at Maybank Studios in Glasgow and mastered by Tim Debney of Fluid Mastering (Mumford and Sons and Laura Marling), the eleven songs are played with a great energy and enthusiasm. With banjo, mandolin, harmonium, guitar, glockenspiel, ukulele combining into a heady mix, the sense of being swept along on a wave of energy is infectious.

Have Mercy Las Vegas are a six-piece troupe that has been part of the Scottish music scene since 2011. Their live performances have been earning them many new fans and friends with praise for their full-on approach and celebratory sound. Two years in the making, this debut has benefitted from their live circuit activities as the playing and the harmonies are tight and textured.

Barn Stomp does exactly what it says on the tin while Pappy, Bonnie & Clyde and Mind’s Made Up see the album really take off in a spirited crescendo of musical mayhem. Uke Ballad, Drinking Heavily and the title track are gentle acoustic songs that break the frenetic pace of the playing and give some space in the arrangements. An enjoyable debut that promises much for the future.

Todd Grebe & Good Country 'Citizen' - Cold Country

Showing the close relation that existed between traditional country music and bluegrass at one time, this Alaska-based band has recently expanded to add drums and electric guitar to their sound. In so doing, they have recorded an album of twangy, tasty country built on the close-knit sound they had developed as an acoustic honky-tonk band with fiddle, double bass, acoustic guitar and their equally impressive vocal interaction. All this is present with the addition of some tasteful guitar playing and some subtle and effective percussion driving the songs.

What makes good country tends to be the combination of voice, song and playing ability. It is not about pushing the boundaries that were prevalent during the alt-country era, when the presence of a banjo or similar could define a song. What counts, at the end of the day, is the truth in the music. But to these ears, country music should sound like country, a recognisable sound in what is a pretty wide ranging aural palette; sound that is true to itself. Here, producers Todd Grebe and Mike Bub have made a warm, clean and fresh album. Bub is no stranger himself to bluegrass and Americana having played for many years with the Del McCoury Band.

The majority of the songs are written by Grebe and they deal with a day to day, down-to-earth reality and in some cases, romantic fantasy. There is regret, realisation and reminiscing. There are great songs dealing with all three components like Here’s Wishing To You, Luckiest Man Here On Earth and More Than a Love Song. On another tack the opening song, Criminal Style, takes the stance the man loves his intended so much that if she murdered someone he would help find a place to hide the body - a laudable sentiment perhaps if not one easily condoned as a token of one’s love. This is top notch (music) from any aspect. It is further enhanced by the presence of guests Steve Hinson on some telling pedal steel, Jimmy Wallace on keyboards and Megan McCormick on additional guitar; on the impressive closing track, You’ll Never Find Me, John Paul is on trumpet. This is not to forget Grebe’s lead vocals, which have a depth and diversity that is impressive throughout.

Husband and wife Grebe and Angela Oudean (who also sings finely judged harmonies) are at the centre of this fine band which lives in Anchorage and plays on the Alaskan circuit. They deserve wider recognition for having produced such a rewarding album, one that ticks all the boxes, representing a misplaced genre that has, in the mainstream, all too often lost its soul and identity. Music needs to progress and not simply repeat itself. However this needs to be done with integrity and by writing songs that have a relevance to a contemporary audience while recognising what the music’s varied roots are. This album was recorded in Nashville but has little to do with the notion of what that city currently represents. However, there are and always has been believers who exist in pockets all of the world, who will not let this music fall into oblivion. Todd Grebe & Cold Country are just one of many but they, on this showing, are one of the best.

Chuck Hawthorne 'Silver Line' - 3 Notches

After the recent stir caused by Doug Seeger’s debut album, recorded in his later years, comes this debut album from former military man Chuck Hawthorne which treads a similar path. Silver Line should appeal to Don Williams’ fans, as well as admirers of some of the album’s participants amongst others, if they like their tales a little more on the darker side of life. It was produced by Ray Bonneville, a recognised recording artist in his own right, after the two had a chance meeting in airport lounge. It has a selection of some of Austin’s finest who help to realise these mostly self-written songs. Guests include Gurf Morlix, Rick Richards, Gene Elders, Eliza Gilkyson and Josh Flowers.

What is immediately worthy of praise are the voice and songs. There is a roughened patina of life well-lived in Hawthorne’s lyrics, which are often tales of hard hearts and heart-rending episodes which easily fall into a class delivered by the best troubadours of tough story-telling. There is darkness and half light expressed in a impressive lyrical style. Welding Son of a Gun tells of a man coming to a new realisation of life “… I sold all my guns, I brought myself A welding machine”. This is a man who has picked up the pieces of his life to pursue a new direction with honest hard work. There are less worthy sentiments, such as the stripped back tale of dark intentions in Enemy that, with just voice, guitar and harmonica, conveys the despair of a man who is “counting on your carelessness” as he will “long to watch you die”. There are many other songs that follow a similar theme. Perhaps summed up overall by the lines in the Bonneville-composed closing song Rough Luck “Got stuck with what the dealer dealt, Jokers wild if you please”.

There’s not too much of either lightness or frivolity in Hawthorne’s songs. But then, having spent 21 years in the service of the Marine Corps, he has likely witnessed things that would play on any mind. Like the best blues though, Hawthorne’s music has a spirit that defies any lingering negativity. Some of his heroes included cowboys Clifton Lowe and Alvin Hamrick, who represented his admiration for the cowboy lifestyle. He joined the Marines straight out of high school so that has had a huge significance in shaping his life. This has meant that the music he liked, as well as his own music, needs to have a quality that can be summed up as ‘real’. In Americana he found that and it has become a part of his personal salvation. 

Whatever can be drawn from these songs could not equate with totally understanding military service, with the Marine Corps life, unless it was part of your own experience. It does create music that displays something of the reality that he seeks, and we can feel something that feels as if it should be shared as a part of the human experience. There is a sense that one is hearing an expression of hope and survival as well as pain, and this is something to be applauded when so much music borders on the superficial. This is not a hard listen, rather one that has much to offer the listener. 

Charlie Roth 'Oh My Stars' - Medicine Show

The latest album from singer/songwriter Charlie Roth has a relaxed feel that finds him touching a number bases and recording with a variety of accomplices. He is joined by his band The Healers, a trio of bass, drums and guitar as well as by the Celtic tones of Ring of Kerry on two songs. The harmonies of sisters The Henry Girls are also heard on several tracks. They add a sense of Leonard Cohen style close harmony behind the lead vocal on Five More Minutes. They join Roth on Jocelyn with Henry Girl Lorna McLaughlin adding accordion to the sisterly vocals on a gentle reminiscence. Lady of the West has a deliberate Celtic feel to atale of famine emigration that has a big full all-singing vocal chorus.

Roth possesses a warm voice that has a gentleness that suits may of these easy to assimilate songs, all of which use the players to best effect. Good tells that most people want to be good, in what is an uplifting and most likely true sentiment. Roth has co-written some of these songs with fellow writers like Buddy Mondlock, others are self written and one, Imma Maker Happy was written by Matt Walvatne. Roth produced the album which was recorded in such diverse places as Minnesota, North Carolina, Donegal and Dublin. The diverse recording locations all just serve to show that the music is universal and where it was recorded has no appreciable difference to the overall feel. Although the album doesn’t detail who exactly contributes to which track, the diverse nature of the participants means there is a sense of mix and match to suit the songs, so there are moments of folk, country blues, roots music and Celtica on show.

This an easy album to listen to and there is a sense of community involved that accounts for more than just the location and nationality of those involved; it comes from Roth’s musical leadership and production. By this stage Charlie Roth will have his admirers and fans and that is pretty understandable. Like Roth,  Oh My My highlights a man at ease with life and where it has brought him; a song that combines the great beyond with the simpler pleasure of being alone with a loved one. Oh My Stars is not an album that will change your life, but is one that will make it a little easier to enjoy the right moments.

Dana Sipos 'Roll Up the Night Sky' - Muddy Roots

This Canadian singer and writer’s second album features an acoustic band that has drums and percussion which add a sense of rhythm to a wide range of instruments, including those of producer Jordy Walker who is credit with ten different instruments, alongside the strings, lap steel and French horn also credited. Sipos herself plays guitar, mandolin and bouzouki and delivers her thoughtful songs with a distinctive vocal sensibility that feels both old and new, drawing from many inspirations, not least a sense of Appalachian mist and mountains. She has a style and searching approach that reminds, at times of Natalie Merchant. 

Sipos’ songs are at times tinged with surrealism that allows for individual interpretation to misinterpretation. A Line from Old Sins “Holes in the ice, filled with longing and doubt” illustrates that there is a poetic element involved that goes beyond a simple structure. Shadows has a beguiling sound that matches the lyric portent of “shadows for eyelids, broken down shutters for lips, spine aligns to allow time to travel through”; words that create a strange landscape to explore. Many of these songs pass the four and five minute mark and could not be considered as easy listening folk. Rather, they are at the forefront of a musical exploration of the possibilities of acoustic instruments to consider the amalgamation of trip-hop in a new setting.

Dana Sipos is not laying out these songs on a clear linear path that offers an easy interpretation, rather she asks the listener to follow the signs to where these words and music point and to find your own place in the scenery. There are highpoint such as Holy People that has a memorable vocal and musical balance that works on a more immediate level that some of the other songs. This is an album that shows its true nature with repeated listening as the subtleties of the arrangements and vocal give depth to the lyrical qualities of the songs. While not everyone’s obvious choice for consideration, Dana Sipos will doubtless find her own place and audience with her original music and creative collaboration. Here Sipos and Walker seem like a perfectly matched set of visionaries. All you need to do is see things as they do.

Peter Mulvey 'Silver Ladder'

An accomplished singer-songwriter with a strong back catalogue, Peter Mulvey writes songs from the heart and brings a human touch with messages of endurance, forgiveness and hope along the way. Here, we are given twelve songs that cover a whole range of emotions and moods. Copenhagen Airport is a quirky workout that lightens some of the more serious content on display. The closing track Landfall is a considered piece of song-writing that reflects upon our time in the world as ‘this is just another suit of clothes’.

There is the sad acceptance of a past relationship put into perspective on Where Did You Go? Trempealeau questions the honesty of relationships and contains the lines ‘If it’s true that we go as we came; why can’t you just say I love you?’

You Don’t Have to Tell Me and Sympathies run along at a bouncy rhythm and the grove of Josephine is infectious. On the stream of consciousness song, If You Shoot Ata King You Must Kill Him, we are treated to a trip into the mind of the artist as he regresses to the dawn of creation and the presence of a single raindrop. His is heady stuff indeed and a fitting addition to the body of work that continues to unfold. Peter Mulvey artist, raconteur, wandering minstrel and travelling companion; the destination is unknown but the twists along the road are all worth the fare.

Annika Fehling 'Rust and Gold'

Seven songs included here from Swedish singer-songwriter Annika Fehling, who lives on the island of Gotland. She has quite a substantial back catalogue to her name, with sixteen releases dating back to 1993 and tours internationally, together with hosting workshops in song-writing and performance arts. Annika has a strong voice and plays guitar with an easy style. Three songs are taken from past releases, while another four are material that has not been previously released.

Lauren Lapointe 'Superhero'

This is the third release from Savannah based singer-songwriter Lauren Lapointe. She delivers a strong country sound with clear vocals and a good production on the twelve songs included here. The themes run from man trouble and relationships to loving yourself and believing in tomorrow. Be your own best friend is a mantra that repeats across a number of the tracks. There is a tribute to Scotland (Scotland Tonight) and the question of living past lives; plus the radio friendly The Ghost of Elvis which is a highlight. I can sometimes hear Loretta Lynne within the vocal performance and this artist is something of a new talent to be reckoned with. Songs like Superhero, Heroine and Silent Hurricane only serve to support the case for her continued rise to greater media exposure.

Millpond Moon 'Broke in Brooklyn'

A debut release from Norwegian guitar duo Rune Hauge and Kjersti Misje, that arrives with plenty of goodies and treats. Ably backed by brothers Rickie and Ronnie Simpkins on fiddle and double bass, this talented combination serve up music of the highest quality, with strong melodies and perfect vocal harmonies, all combining to deliver a compelling set. Of the twelve tracks here, two are instrumentals that highlight the fine talents of these musicians and there are three cover versions included among the surprises on offer. A rewarding trip down Acoustic Avenue.