Reviews by Declan Culliton

Tom Baxendale In The City a Short Time Ago Backwater

Tom Baxendale is a Sheffield based singer songwriter, former front man of UK Americana band Rainy Day Club and lead guitarist with The Payroll Union. In The City a Short Time Ago is his debut solo album and it is a solo effort in every sense of the word with all the material written, performed and produced by him and recorded in his home studio.

Before even playing the album you get a sense of what’s to come with the dark, blurry album artwork and song titles such as All My Nightmares, Leave Me Be, Better Than You and Red Rag. Whether a reflection of Bexendale’s state of mind at the time or the artist creating and capturing a particular atmosphere, it’s fair to say that the album succeeds. Probably best described as psychedelic folk, comparisons to both Kurt Vile and Vic Chestnut come to mind, though Baxendale vocals are strained at times.

Opening with the lively All My Nightmares and closing with the wistful and introspective Every Dream the mood on the album swings from the somewhat countrified Honey and the reflective and positive An Old Hand to the driving Stranglers-like vibe of Straight Face.

In The City a Short Time Ago is a body of work that does take a few listens to penetrate but is well worth the time invested. Wonderfully atmospheric, achingly painful at times and the work of a very talented young song writer.

Riddle & The Stars New Coastline Self Release

Riddle & The Stars are a three piece band made up of Australian Ben Riddle and Californians Bobbo and Tracy Byrnes. Whereas their debut album This Is Happening was recorded in California during a three week visit by Riddle, New Coastline, the bands second album, was created by way of Skype communications between Australia and America and songs being exchanged and developed over the internet.

Nine of the ten tracks included on the album were collectively written by them with John Prine’s Mexican Home also featuring. Their sound is quite laid back Americana probably best described as landing somewhere between The Jayhawks and Crowded House. Particularly impressive are the vocal harmonies throughout with all three contributing. 

Standout tracks are the catchy opener Running Back To You, the country tinged When We Ride with Tracy Byrnes taking the lead vocal and the closing track When The Weight is Gone.

Eliza Mary Doyle It Ain’t What It Seems Self Release

Eliza Mary Doyle is a distinguished banjo player and vocalist from Saskatchewan whose fifteen-year career to date has seen her work with a variety of acts as a professional session player together with sharing the stage as a member of bands such as Swift Current and The Cracker Cats.

It Ain’t What It Seems features eleven tracks in total, ten penned by Doyle together with Anne Louise Genest’s Wish I Felt This Good Without The Whisky.

Doyle has recounted  how an extended stay in Nashville, following her car giving up on her, led to playing local bars and encountering various musicians in the Music City and was a motivator in the release of the album. 

Abandoning much of the good time feel of her previous work It Ain’t What It Seems has a more reflective and personal theme to it with the writer visiting dark places suggesting regret and world weariness in equal quantities, topics often to be found in traditional bluegrass. 

The album certainly succeeds in achieving an old time ageless feel with Doyle’s fragile vocal and banjo picking the winners. Opener Nothing to Lose kicks the album off in fine style, Doyle’s picking complimented by searing pedal steel. Say Darlin’ Say is achingly stripped back to the bare bone featuring only vocal, banjo and harmony. Wish I Felt This Good Without The Whisky is the most upbeat offering fleshed out by some slick fiddle playing alongside Doyle’s standout banjo playing.

Accompanying Doyle’s banjo, acoustic guitar and dobro on the album are Paula Mc Guigan on upright bass, Lucas Geotz on pedal steel and drums, Liza Holder on acoustic guitar and Dustin Olmsted on electric and acoustic guitar.

Deni Bonet Bright Shiny Object Zip 

NYC resident Deni Bonet is a classically trained violinist with a CV that any artist would be proud of having performed over the years with household names such as R.E.M., Warren Zevon, Cyndi Lauper and Sarah Mc Lachlan. She has also toured in her own right  in support of Patti Smith, The Tubes, Marshall Crenshaw and Robyn Hitchcock.

A singer songwriter as well as a violin virtuoso, she originally performed as a member of the NPR radio show Mountain Stage before moving on to pursue her solo career.

Bright Shiny Objects is a brave departure from her previous albums with Bonet favouring an all instrumental recording unlike her earlier career work. Being a sucker for electric violin I was immediately struck by both the sheer power, atmosphere and indeed stunning instrumentation created over the thirteen tracks on the album.  A few tracks into the album and I was reminded of artists such as Eddie Jobson in full flow in his Roxy Music days, Steve Wickham with his Waterboys hat on and more recently Lillie Mae’s appearances with Jack White.

Difficult to categorise without doubt but none the less effective for all that, the listener is treated to the uplifting and stormy Red Dog, the delightfully dreamy Magic Wand, which lives up to its title and the jazzy Nuages which conjures up scenes of sunny Parisian afternoons, martinis and untipped Gitanes. The aptly named BBC2 could have been plucked from The Old Grey Whistle Test archives on the same TV channel in the mid 70’s. 

Its thirteen tracks (eleven co-writes together with the cover songs Edgar Winters' Frankenstein and Nuages written by Django Reinhardt) effortlessly swing from rock to  folk, power pop and jazz capturing the imagination and drawing you in from the opening track Light This Candle to the extent that the absence of vocals goes unnoticed and in many ways is welcomed.

Produced by Paul Bevan (John Wesley Harding, The Soft Boys, Morheeba, Hardcore Nation) Bright Shiny Objects is refreshing, melodic, timeless and highly recommended indeed.

Courtney Chambers Tales of The Aftermath Royal Daughter 

With understandable comparisons to Stevie Nicks Tales of The Aftermath is the Californian’s latest release eight years after her last album Bigger and Brighter. She founded her own independent record label, Royal Daughter, in 2001 and Tales Of The Aftermath is her fourth album appearing on the label. Together with her work as a singer, songwriter and guitarist she is also a member of the Heart tribute band Dog 'N' Butterfly and is guitarist and backing vocalist in country band Jasmine Fields.

Despite the comparison with Stevie Nicks, possibly suggesting an AOR recording, Chambers is not afraid to leave her comfort zone with  both the opening track Fool In Me and Young Lovers being delivered vocally with classic  phrasing and discipline more akin to Amy Winehouse. Love And Music is instantly catchy with a thumping bass line, very radio friendly and the beautiful ballad Heart of This Man recalls Tori Amos at her most melodic. The Bitter End rocks out with a divine driving drum and rhythm guitar beat up front and the album closes with the stripped back ballad Winter.

Produced (wonderfully it has to be said) and mixed by Sean Hoffman (American Music Club, Bedroom Walls), vocals and lead guitar are handled by Chambers with guitars, keys, bass and percussion performed by Hoffman. The line-up is completed by drummers Joey Galvan and George Sluppick

Caroline Reese & The Drifting Fifth Tenderfoot Self Release

Tenderfoot is the debut album by Caroline Reese and The Drifting Fifth and follows two solo releases Indian River (2010) and Slow Code (2013) by the young Pennsylvanian singer-songwriter and musician. Recorded at The Headroom Philadelphia, the album is produced by Reese and her guitarist Mark Watter and was mixed by Matt Poirier at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, the studio chosen in recent years for recordings by accomplished alternative artists including Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs, Strand of Oaks, Marissa Nadler and Joan Osborne. 

Formed in 2013, Reese and Drifting Fifth have supported Grammy Winner Chris Stapleton and Brandy Carlile on tour and Reese in her solo career has opened for John Hiatt, Cord Lund, The Secret Sisters and Ray Wylie Hubbard. Tenderfoot features Reese on vocals, rhythm guitar, banjo and keyboards. Mark Watter plays guitars, Karl Germanovick plays bass and John Macko adds drums.

Comparisons could be made with Lydia Loveless’s latest offering Real, closer to alt-rock than alt-country, a direction which quite a number of artists including Lera Lynn, Elizabeth Cook and Hurrah For The Riff Raff appear to be heading.

It kicks off and is bookended by two laid back acoustic songs, the opener Unlocked featuring vocal, acoustic guitar and harmonica and the final track I Can’t Love You. However, much of the album is more up-tempo including Airshow of which Reese says "the lyrics were inspired by a World War 11 re-enactment that takes place in my hometown each year and a Rainer Maria Rilke quote that I heard songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard quote to his audience." New Tricks and the first single to be released from the album Snake Eyes maintain a similar driving pace. Angel Fire is stripped back with Reese on banjo and acoustic guitar combined with an aching vocal delivery. Beast, co-written with Watter, is possibly the stand out track, beginning with a great twangy melody but changing direction mid-stream to a more grungy finale compliments of some super fuzzy guitar work.

The eleven tracks most certainly showcase Reese’s crafty song writing ability, mixing honesty, helplessness and an attempt to understand and accept the unpredictability of relationships. It’s a fine offering that hopefully won’t be ignored, well worth checking out

Glenn Alexander Glenn Alexander & Shadowland Rainbow’s Revenge

Composer, guitarist, saxophonist and singer Glenn Alexander has been recording since the mid 80’s and has enjoyed a career that found the Kansas resident  performing or recording with Bruce Springsteen, Levon Helm, Elvis Costello, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Dukes and Tom Scott to name a few. 

Born in small town Maize Kansas to humble beginnings, Alexander was the first member of his family to graduate or indeed attend college. He earned the first ever guitar scholarship offered by Wichita State College and within three years had received a BA and as a result of his mentor taking a sabbatical, was promoted to the role of full time professor, managing the guitar department and tutoring thirty guitar majors. A relocation to New York with aspirations of making the big time followed, as did the subsequent  abject poverty as the stardom did not quite materialise. A teaching career in New York proceeded together with touring as a band member with various artists, solo performances and recording whether as a session player, collaborating or indeed his own projects. The one consistent feature is the exceptional guitar playing whether it be jazz, blues or soul orientated.

Shadowland is a project that features Alexander on guitar and vocals with a stunning backing band of Oria (backing vocals), Greg Novick (bass), Tom Seguso (drums) and a horn section of Chris Anderson, John Isley and Neal Pawley. Shadowland is in fact the name of a roadhouse in Wichita Kansas that claims to have staged the first electric guitar appearance in 1932.

The result is a blues drenched soul album, driven by Alexanders stunning guitar work and raspy vocals with blazing horns, thumping bass and drums a plenty.

Come Back Baby and Blues For You and Me could be lifted from the Van Morrison songbook and though Alexander rocks out The Odds Are Good the benchmark is most definitely Van the Man and Southside Johnny and The Asbury Dukes (Southside Johnny in fact contributes blue harp on Get A Life). 

All in all a rousing and upbeat blues drenched package, I expect they would de spectacular in a live setting!

Doghouse Roses Lost Is Not Losing Yellowroom 

Doghouse Roses are Glasgow duo Paul Tasker and Iona Mac Donald. Lost Is Not Losing is their third release and recalls the UK folk sound of the 60’s with Mac Donald’s haunting vocal and Tasker’s accomplished guitar playing drawing obvious comparisons to the work of artists such as Sandy Denny and Bert Jansch. 

The eleven tracks on the album include four written by Mac Donald, six by Tasker and one co-write by Tasker and Sara Reith. Recorded at La Chunky Towers Glasgow, the album does indeed bring to mind the work of Denny and Jansch but could also be compared, particularly in the song writing, with the work of our own Mary Coughlan. 

The opening track Pour sets the tone for what is to follow in the main with Mac Donald’s honeyed vocal telling the tale of love gone wrong and over indulgence on the bottle. Feed The Monster follows a similar path and is one of a number of politically motivated songs on the album. Similarly Weather The Storm, though more up-tempo in delivery, follows a similar ethical theme with a plea and for an inclusive and caring society. Fairground tells the story of an ageing prostitute and the album closes on a high note with Days of Grass And Sun, possibly the strongest track on the album, bright, breezy and summery. The album was mixed and mastered by Slovenian Dejan Lapanja who also contributes lead guitar on Diesel Engine.

With the combination of Mac Donald’s gifted vocals, flawless guitar work by Tasker and a collection of well-structured songs Lost Is Not Losing is well worth checking out.

Reviews By Stephen Rapid

Jim Lauderdale This Changes Everything Sky Crunch

Not noted for lengthy periods between releases Jim Lauderdale is nothing if not prolific. As an independent artist, he can release records when he wants to. This has on occasion led to the comment that a tighter rein on the output may make for a stronger album. However, This Changes Everything dispels that theory to a large degree. Rather it is the context that Lauderdale places his songs that make them more appealing to some sections than to others. Which is why those who favour his more overtly traditional country outings have taken to this Texas recorded album.

Produced by Tommy Detamore - a musician steeped in the traditional aspects of Texas country - it also features a selection of Austin’s finest players, from Detamore himself, alongside such respected players as Bobby Flores, Hank Singer, Floyd Domino, Tom Lewis, Kevin Smith and others. Singers like Sunny Sweeny, Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay all add background vocals. These are a set of Lauderdale penned co-writes with the likes Frank Dycus, Bruce Robison, Odie Blackmon and Hayes Carll. Add to that that Mr. Lauderdale is in top vocal form here. The end result over time will be seen as one of his very finest releases.

Some of the songs featured here have had previous incarnations. George Strait recorded We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This while All The Rage In Paris which was cut by The Derailers in their heyday. But, Lauderdale makes these songs his own here and they are enriched by the talented players and the Texas environment they have been recorded in. The pedal steel, Telecaster twang and fiddle are well to the fore as one might expect with a Detamore production. And while, in strict commercial terms this is unlikely to change everything, it underlines the strengths and integrity that Jim Lauderdale brings to his musical output.  

Levi Cuss Night Thief Self Release

This album was originally released in 2014 but is being given a European release now to coincide with a tour. Cuss is a Canadian roots artist based in Alberta who, for this album, worked with fellow Canadian artist Steve Dawson as producer. They recorded this album in Henhouse Studio in Nashville with a rhythm section and a keyboard player. Dawson handled all the stringed instruments requirements. Using his inherent playing and production skills he is able bring depth and focus the songs such Pills where the sweet pedal steel enriches a song about a drugs and his girl who “liked her oxy better than she liked me.” There’s one cover, which is a Canned Heat style boogie-fried version of JJ Cale’s Bringing It Back.

Between those points Cuss uses his solidly lived-in voice and life experienced songs that have encompassed his personal battle with drink and drugs as well as incarceration. Cuss’ lyrics reflect this former lifestyle and the type of people who tend to inhabit the locations with a certain lowlife lassitude. Tecumseh is a dark story of those moments of a sudden bold rush that may lead to regretted violence … and possible matrimony - the title being the lady of his affections. There are eleven self-penned tales of those who have taken the less fortunate path in life. Some have made it, others not.

Levi Cuss wears a baseball cap and has a beard on the album cover so fits the current “look”for some of the the non-mainstream artists at the moment. But Cuss knows about hard work as he found employment as a manual labourer to put himself in the position to make and finance this album. It followed his one previous album and as this album was originally released in 2014 leaves him about due for a new one thoiugh he touring in the UK and Europe later in the year. He normally tours locally but these European dates should expose him to a wider audience who will appreciate his varied and vibrant hard folk, blues and roots music.

Karen Jonas Country Songs At The Helm

This second album from the very talented Ms Jonas arrived at the tail end of the year and escaped the best of lists but is well worthy of a place up there with the best. It is another example of an artist sticking to their guns (at this point) and playing their individual take on country songs at a time when a number of other of her contemporary artists have moved to a much broader palette of sounds. Jonas was born in Virginia, in Fredericksburg and recorded there with her own musicians. These players include Tim Bray on electric guitar, Jay Starling on lap steel and keyboards with Eddie Dickerson on fiddle over a solid rhythm section of bassist Jordan Medas and drummers Jack O’Dell and Jason Cizdiel. There is no production credit as it was recorded live in the studio, something that gives the sound a spontaneity and an undeniable energy if, in the long term, that doesn’t allow for some development of the overall sound.

Jonas has written all the songs and they show an understanding for the traditional themes of country music while putting a personal and perceptive viewpoint on relationships - good and bad. Add to this a voice that is redolent of your favourite country singers while being both passionate and poignant. Jonas is building from the experience of her excellent debut Oklahoma Lottery and the performances that followed its release. There are 10 songs here and not a bad one among them. They are solidly ‘country’ yet have a certain popish quality at times that makes them eminently listenable.

There are a number of slower songs like Why Don’t You Stay or The Garden which contrast with the big beat stance the Bakersfield (and Dwight Yoakam) referencing title song or the brush off of Keep Your Hands To Yourself or the twanging Ophelia. A song where guitarist Tim Bray shines. Country Songs shows the continuing promise of Karen Jonas - her song writing and singing and one can only hope that it creates a platform that will allow her a producer and more time in the studio next time out. But this album lives up to the promise of her debut release and places her alongside the likes of Zoe Muth and Eilen Jewell. Good company to be in. 

Adrian & Meredith More Than A Little Vertigo

This album reminded me of some of the earlier recordings of Paul Burch in the overall sound style. It is the duo’s first album together though Meredith Krygowski played with Adrian (Krygowski) on his 2014 release Roam. It is an amalgam of various roots styles that fits under the Americana banner. The album is ably produced by Mark Robertson (the upright bassist and producer for The Legendary Shack Shakers) who gives the recording a punkish patina while holding the songs together to give a cohesive overview. There is a little of the Shack-Shakers/Dirt Daubers in the mix too.

Alongside the duo are a set of players whose names will be familiar to many such as Paul Niehaus of Lambchop and Calexico fame. Then there’s Fats Kaplan on tenor banjo and JD Wilkes on harmonica with Robertson himself joining the rhythm section. Meredith is the band’s more than able fiddle player and Adrian its guitar player. The latter is also the main songwriter penning all the songs including one with Niehaus. The sole cover is the traditional Greasy Coat and Kitchen Girl. The album was cut live to tape and that approach is inherent in the overall feel of the engaging results.

The duo handle all their vocals mainly with Adrian taking the lead vocals but on some tracks Meredith is the lead, otherwise she provides duet and harmony vocals. The song Birthday Cakes opens with a solid drum beat before Adrian’s nasal vocal takes up the story and Meredith joins him over the solid beat with pedal steel and fiddle enhancing the sound that resonates in a number of ways that suggest the duo’s influences. Beat is a bedrock for many of the songs as illustrated by the floor stomp of More Than A Little. The use of a trombone allies it to an earlier time while sounding very contemporary in its context. Suffic it say that the Krygowski’s make a noise that is nourishing and more than a little natty.

The Grahams and Friends Live In The Studio Three Sirens

The husband and wife duo revisit the songs that they recorded for their previous album and for the film soundtrack Rattle The Hocks. That release came to Europe through the Sony Music Group but this one sees them independent again. Somemay be familiar with some the songs from other releases, such as the opening song Glory Bound, the title song from their previous album. The version here features the Watkins Family (including Sara and Sean Watkins). The hymn-like Lay Me Down comes from the soundtrack and is an outstanding vocal from Alyssa Graham, as is the version of Alejandro Escovedo’s Broken Bottle. The slower songs also include The Lonely Ones which features the Milk Carton Kids on harmony vocals or Tender Annabelle a duet with guest with John Fulbright and a strong vocal chorus. These stand out well alongside the up-tempo nature of the songs like Griggstown, Kansas City with New Orleans style brass. There is also a related cover (in terms of sound) of the classic City Of New Orleans. Mama opens with the voice of Douglas Graham before Alyssa accompanied by David Garza and Suzanna Choffel join in. Another strong emotional delivery and highlight from Alyssa is on the song Blow Wind Blow.

There are a host of musicians featured on the album who help differentiate the songs from the previous versions on the last album - though some are taken from the deluxe edition of Glory Bound. They include Luther and Cody Dickinson (the former was also director of the Rattle The Hocks movie), Alvin Youngblood Hart, The Norman Sisters, Mark Rubin and others. It is a shame that the duo is not getting the backing that they received when with a major label and this single CD has been released to tie in with some dates in the UK. However, if you didn’t pick up on them with Glory Bound then this collection of 14 songs will help fill a gap until the next album sees the light of day.  

Alt-Country in the UK.

Ags Connolly Nothin’ Unexpected At The Helm

This is the third release from Connolly and follows on from How About Now? and a limited edition album, whose title pretty much explains its content, Traditional - 12 Cowboy Songs. Born in Oxfordshire in England but could easily have been Oxford, Mississippi in that there is an authenticity to the music that largely negates its origin. The album was produced by Dean Owens himself a recording artist both solo and as a member of The Felsons, an Edinburgh based alt-country band from the mid to late 90’s. He is the perfect person to helm this project with an understanding of both traditional and contemporary country music.

Connolly has a voice that is well-suited to the self-written songs that detail the upside and downside of life and its often-complicated relationships. There’s is a sense of depth that feels well-worn and wearied, but hopeful. Something that is borne out by the captivating opener I Hope You’re Unhappy. From then on, the album is a consistent run through of Connelly’s tales of regret, reason and refuge. Louden Wainwright’s I Suppose is the only cover and it is a testament to Connelly that he makes it fit right in. There is a strong melancholy to songs like Fifteen Years and When The Loner Gets Lonely. Both are stripped back arrangements featuring just guitar and fiddle or guitar and accordion (the latter played by ace Mavericks sideman Michael Guerra) -a song that could have easily fit on the Cowboy Songs album. Mention should be made here of the other players involved who include London-born fiddler Eamon McLoughlin (formally of the Greencards and now a player on the Grand Ole Opry), the man on all stringed things - Stuart Nisbet, Kev McGuire on stand-up bass, Jim McDermott’s steady drumming and Andy May on piano. All of whom, along with Connelly and Owens, serve these songs well and deliver an album that stands up with the best - no matter where it may have been recorded; it is the heart involved that matters most.

Guerra’s contribution adds a ‘border’ feeling to many of the songs that is not dissimilar to the feel that UK expat Wes McGhee brought to his Texas influenced music through the years. Ads Connelly can be justifiably proud of the way he and the other players have brought his songs to life with such authenticity and assiduousness. Would that Connelly (or My Darling Clementine and many others for that matter) were getting the kind of exposure that The Shires are currently receiving. But in the end, it’s the music that matters and here it matters.

Daniel Meade Shooting Stars And Tiny Tears From The Top

The versatile and talented Scotsman is back with a new solo album that is pretty much the definition of solo. He is releasing the album on his own label and looking after every aspect of the project from the cover design, the manufacturing and the promo. That’s as well as writing, producing and playing everything on the album. Its genesis came from an idea to write each song in an hour and then record the song with four hours. A self set limitation to see what he could come up with. He also didn’t read the lyrics but improvised them as he recorded them. Some in first takes, others took a little longer, but each take was individual in terms of arrangement and lyrics. The theme was to take conversations with his girlfriend as his inspiration. Initially it was something he was just going to for her but he was happy with the outcome and decided to make it available on a wider scale. 

The album proves again that Meade is a distinctive singer and a songwriter who can write songs that have strong hooks as well as an all-round musical vision - as is witnessed on the album. Several of the songs are instantly likeable (to this writer) like Sometimes Falling, Sometimes Flying, Your Voice At Night, Throwing Pebbles (Round My Head) and Today Doesn’t Matter. There are heartfelt ballads and other more up-tempo songs that are played in a style not unfamiliar to Meade’s fans or of his previous recorded output. His early country, acoustic country blues, folk and old-time influences are all present. Given that it was recorded in his kitchen, there is a lo-fi quality which, however, suits the overall nature of the project.

Meade hopes to be back with a full Flying Mules album later in the year but this is a pretty good listen in the meantime. Daniel Meade deserves all the attention he can get for his commitment to his music and again confirms his position as one of the shining lights of UK roots music.

The Most Ugly Child Copper And Lace Self Release

This Nottingham based 6-piece band are fronted by the male/female vocal interplay of Daniel Wright and Stevie-Leigh Goodison. These are songs in the template set by many of the classic country male and female duet partnerships; offering mighty support are the remaining band members, including rhythm section Matt Cutler and Max Johnson, alongside Nicole J Terry on fiddle and Big Jim Widdop on pedal steel and dobro. They also bring in the Blidworth Brass Band as well as Daniel Meade, Lloyd Reid and Henry Slim from the Flying Mules. The end result is a solid take on country music as it was (and should be).

The writing is also strong with songs from Meade (What Might Have Been), Townes van Zandt (Lungs) sitting alongside the original  songs, mainly from Wright, with a couple by Goodison. The songs in the main are looking at the love and loss that relationships are fraught with. Songs Like Another Lesson In Pain, Today, You Said Goodbye and Long Gone Woman Blues all consider aspects of failure and a need to forget its effects. While other titles like Queen Of The Honky Tonk offer more of a ray of hope for the lonely, while the acoustic album-closer My Pony is perhaps metaphor for life. All this means a good variety in terms pace and style that makes for a very satisfying album.

This is undeniably country music with a contemporary edge and attitude. Rather being retro in outlook it takes in obvious favourites as well as more diverse influences to produce an album that is as well-packaged as it is played. They may be the ugliest child in the town but they come from pretty good stock.

The Lucky Strikes The Motion And The Moving On Harbour Song

This Essex-based band deliver a new album that rocks as much as it rolls with its roots and blues energies. The five-piece band employ fiddle, banjo and pedal steel as much as they do sax, keyboards and loud guitars. The steel laced Lilac And Soil is a downbeat ballad while  Michael is a a song about a friend going through band times. While Carry Me Lord is another tale of searching and seeking with a spiritual context and that allows the dobro and voices to deliver its message. Gone, Gone is a gentle reflection of another man who slowly drifted away that has a folk feel that is reflective way to close the album. There is a sense of looking for meaning - for motion and moving on in fact. The authorship of the songs is not listed on the sleeve but I assume that they are all original songs by the band’s singers Boulter and David Giles. Songs that need time to reveal themselves to the listener.

The band’s main singer and writer Matthew Boulter also release albums under the MC Boulter name but here he meshes with his bandmates to produce a sound that has been likened to the Waterboys, Tom Waits and Crazy Horse. A pretty disparate bunch to be sure, which just goes to show how The Lucky Strikes are going to mean different things to different listeners and how their sound touches a number of bases while remaining a consistent entity. The Lucky Strikes are following where the individual songs take them. This may mean that some listeners will lose interest in the way the band have chosen to deliver their songs. Others will be happy to go on the journey with the band and find for themselves what it has to offer. Something which is individual, interesting and a little intense.

Reviews By Declan Culliton

Jen Lane This Life of Mine Self Release

One of the rewards of receiving a bunch of albums to review is selecting at random an artist that was previously unknown to me and uncovering a gem. This was certainly the case with Jen Lane’s This Life of Mine, an album that stopped me in my tracks at first listen and has been visiting my cd player on a number of occasions ever since.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that the Canadian singer songwriter escaped under my radar to date despite having recorded four previous albums. The song writing, musicianship and production on the album are top drawer in no small measure a credit to John Macarthur Ellis who produced the album together with contributing no fewer than twelve instruments, his superb pedal steel work probably the standout. Ellis has won numerous awards over the years including seven BC Country Music Awards and a number of Canadian Country Music Awards, well deserved on the basis of the flawless production on this album.

The album was recorded at Bottega Studio in Kelowna located in a thirteen-acre estate which is also a working farm and parklands, the landscape cited by Lane as an inspiration to her and the musicians who feature on the album. Equally inspirational was the loss of her grandfather just before recording commenced resulting on a reflection on his life and indeed her own and hence the album’s title.

Eleven tracks feature in total, all written by Lane with the exception of the Big Star song Thirteen which is given a refreshing laid back treatment. Moving On, released as a single, summarises much of the albums theme, all about accepting things as they are and letting go. 1st Day of Spring bounces along with a ragtime feel, My Man is Linda Ronstadt style late 70’s country rock and the tour da force is the final and title track which closes the album in a defiant and positive way.

Without a doubt had this album been recorded in the late 70’s it would be receiving rave reviews and selling by the cartload. If you, like myself, are unfamiliar with Lane’s music I strongly recommend you correct this and no better place to start than here.

Jeremiah Johnson Band Blues Heart Attack Self Release

Sixth album release from the St. Louis Mississippi born Johnson, his bass player Jeff Girardier and drummer Benet Schaeffer. Don’t expect any surprises, Blues Heart Attack is Johnson doing what he does best, straight down the middle ripping blues with a bit of southern rock on the side, often delivered at a blistering pace and fleshed out by Frank Bauer adding sax and keyboards courtesy of Nathen Hershey.

Currently residing in Houston Texas readers unfamiliar with Johnson could do worse than seek out the 2014 documentary Ride The Blues, directed by Australian Gary Glenn which features concert footage of Johnson together with interviews about the artist’s career path to date.

Mind Reader, the opening track, is closer to ZZ Top than Buddy Guy and kicks the album off in fine style. Room of Fools which follows showcases both the gritty and fullsome vocals of Johnson together with his thrilling guitar work. The title track Blues Heart Attack abandons the full-on rocking sound of much of the album and settles for a jazzier feel. Summertime (how many blues artists have written a song with the title Summertime!) floats along with the emphasis on Johnson’s vocal and recalling a young Van Morrison. Similarly Talk Too Much brings to mind early career John Mayall. Southern Drawl, a killer song by the way, not surprisingly is pure apologetic southern rock name checking Johnny Cash along the way. Here We Go Again slows thing down a mite and features both stunning guitar and sax solos.

All twelve tracks were written by Johnson and recorded at Sawhorse Studio in St. Louis and produced by Jason Mc Intire. For lovers of Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy and the like.

The Honeydogs Love & Cannibalism Simon Records

It’s hard to fathom that The Honeydogs have existed in one form or another for over 25 years at this stage. Originally formed in the early 90’s by the Levy brothers Adam and Noah together with bass player Trent Norton, they were considered back in the day by Billboard to be Alt-Country’s next big thing, notwithstanding the fact that their output was and remains to be much more far reaching that anything alternative or even country for that matter. Adam Levy sums up their early influences simply as "liking Bowie and Jobim as much as the Flying Burrito Brothers and Merle Haggard." Such was there impact in the 90’s that they toured with both Aimee Mann and INXS.

Their line up in recent years is that of a seven-piece unit. Adam Levy (who released the solo album Naubinway earlier this year, a tribute to his son who passed away in tragic circumstances and reviewed by Lonesome Highway) on guitar, piano, keyboards, Trent Norton on bass and vocals, Ryan Paul Plewachi on guitar and vocals, Peter Anderson on drums, Peter J. Sands on keyboards with Matt Darling and Steve Kung on trombone and trumpet.

Love & Cannibalism, following on from their 2012 release What Comes After, finds them in outstanding form, most definitely a sum of their parts and an album that could not be more suited to the car CD player at high volume.  Their style would simply have been classified as ‘rock’ in the 70’s landing somewhere between the guitar driven sound of Thin Lizzy and the slick, clever power pop output of XTC and Squeeze. The addition of a horn section gives them a fuller and richer soul feel bringing to mind Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes on the track Ordinary Legs in particular.

Recorded over a five-day period at The Pearl Studio in Minneapolis and produced by John Fields (Jonas Brothers, Pink, Miley Cyrus, Busted) the eleven-track album has no fillers from the driving opening track Vermillion Billows (Shouldn’t Take It So Hard) with its thumping bass line through the Tom Petty sounding Look Through The Sun and closing with the funky sounding Little Sister.

The album is pure fun, with stunning chord changes, riffs and guitar solos, thumping bass lines and luscious horns a plenty. An album that should find its way into your record collection.

Richard Shindell Careless Continental Song City

Recorded over a three-year period in New York and his current residence Buenos Aires, Careless is a collection of eleven songs by a singer songwriter who has recorded a considerable body of work dating back to his debut album Sparrow Point released in 1992.

Recognised somewhat as a perfectionist Careless certainly reflects the meticulous input by Shindell over the three-year period with possibly the strongest album of his career, more electric that much of his earlier work and songs and stories that catch the listener’s attention on first play.

Shindell is yet another songwriter that has remained on the fringes without a major industry breakthrough and it is such a shame that an album of this quality may not reach the numbers it’s quality certainly merits.

Stray Cow Blues, which opens the album, is straight down the middle bluesy and rootsy and probably not a pointer of what is to follow. The title track which features next is beautifully paced, atmospheric and delivered with a hoarsy vocal drawl in a style reminiscent of Willard Grant Conspiracy’s Robert Fisher.

Infrared is simple, poppy, sixties sounding and sing along with a wonderful harmony vocal courtesy of Sara Milonovich, who also contributes violin on a number of other tracks on the album. Milonovich is one of a number of accomplished musicians that feature including Larry Campbell, Joe Bonadio, Jerry Marotta and Lucy Kaplansky.

All Wide Open tells of a father/daughter reconciliation, Before You Go is dreamlike and hypnotic and the closing track and only cover on the album is The Dome (written by Jeff Wilkinson and Brian Martin) featuring only vocal, bowed electric guitar and keyboards, all performed by Shindell.

All in all a great album, well worth investigating.

Proudfoot Flowers of London Self Release

Not to be confused with the Dublin soul/funk band of the same name, Flowers of London is the second album release by the North London four piece consisting of Michael Proudfoot on vocals and guitar, Duncan Kerr on electric and acoustic guitar, Wayne Worrill on bass and Joe Malone on drums and percussion. If their 2009 album Lincolnshire, produced by pedal steel supremo B.J.Cole, had its inspiration firmly in country music, Flowers of London’s influences are much closer to home in particular in the Brit pop sound of the 60’s combined with the post-punk output of the late 70’s. Not surprising given songwriter and TV Producer Proudfoot’s unapologetic love of the 60’s Beat Boom sound and Kerr’s former life as a veteran of the mid 70’s pub rock scene with the band Plummet Airlines.

Recorded at Alchemy Studios in London the album often recreates the pub rock sound mastered by Brinsley Schwarz in the mid 70’s and brought to a wider audience by Graham Parker and The Rumour. Proudfoot does not reach the stirring and spikey vocal ability of Parker, few do, but the album in spots does create material that would fit snugly in Parker’s early output, particularly on Pathfinders, Come On Come On and Lorraine. The arrangements work to a tee particularly on these tracks with a driving rhythm section and standout guitar playing by Kerr.

Not all twelve tracks on the album shine but the ones that do simply glow.

Norrie Mc Culloch These Mountain Blues Black Dust 

Scotland has seen some notable Americana acts emerge in recent years, albeit artists that may have remained somewhat under the radar. The Wynntown Marshals from Edinburgh and Glasgow’s Daniel Meade immediately spring to mind. Norrie McCulloch is another fine artist from Glasgow that turned quite a number of heads with his debut album Old Lovers Junkyard recorded in 2014. His latest album These Mountain Blues treads a similar path musically yet reveals a greater maturity and confidence that its predecessor.

Recorded live over a three day period at The Tolbooth, a 15th Century historic structure in Stirling, the ten tracks are a collection of great songs, all written by Mc Culloch, that work together as a unit.

The benchmark in terms of delivery and content could be Jay Farrar’s Son Volt at his most phlegmatic. Mc Culloch manages to deliver, with an unhurried and assured sense throughout, an album that has traces of many of the qualities that also stand out in Farrar’s work.

Contributing on the album are some of Glasgow’s finest, including Dave Mc Gowan (Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub) on upright bass, piano and pedal steel, Marco Rea (The Wellgreens, Euros Child) on bass, piano and vocal and Stuart Kidd (The Wellgreens, Pearlfishers, BMX Bandits) on drums and vocal. Despite having such fine players available the album also includes some gems with stripped back instrumentation, in particular Black Dust with Mc Culloch’s vocal and harmonica up front and closing track Hearts Got To Be In The Right Place with delightful harmonies and piano playing.

The title track is intoxicating with Mc Cullocks vocal and Mc Gowan’s silky piano to the fore as is the beautiful When She Is Crying Too enriched by Mc Gowan’s tranquil pedal steel

Further evidence that quality Americana, a classification this album certainly merits, is often closer to home than you think.

The Rifters Architect of a Fire Howlin Dog

Formed in 2002 in New Mexico The Rifters are a three-piece made up of ex-Hired Hands members Jim Bradley and Don Richmond together with Rod Taylor of The Rounders.

Their sound is best described by themselves when they recorded their self-titled debut album in 2004. “It’s music that comes from where we come from – both from the high desert and mountain landscape of our home and from the background and experiences of our lives – sort of a laid-back high-energy gentle giant old blue-buffalo-grama-grassy, cowboy, folky, shake-a-leg with a smile sort of thing.’’

Architect of Fire is a twelve-track recording of songs all written by the band members who combine impressive harmonies with slick instrumentation featuring guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, violin and more.

Pick of the crop are two Leonard Cohen sounding songs, the title track and I Can Live With That together with Charlie’s Lament which would not be out of place on an early career Guy Clark album.

The album’s cover depicts the three members casually sitting around a campfire, a fitting location for playing and indeed listening to the mixture of country and bluegrass covered on the album.

Henry Senior Jnr. Plates of Meat Maiden Voyage 

This is the debut album by Henry Senior Jr, pedal steel player and member of Danny & The Champions of The World. Not surprisingly the recording features all the members of The Champions and was recorded at Reservoir Studios in North London under the watchful eye of producer and bass player Chris Clarke.

When considering the pedal steel guitar in the UK the obvious benchmark is the talented BJ Cole who, as can be expected, was one of the inspirations that lead to this recording.

Often considered to be an instrument rarely heard outside The Music City, Senior’s intention was to "use the pedal steel outside its traditional context" and he succeeds hands down with his ability to weave together jazz, blues, reggae and even ragtime. A theme visited in a similar vein by Jon Rauhouse, who plays steel in Neko Case’s band, and has recorded a number of experimental albums, Senior has also succeeded in producing a quite unique sound. The pedal steel never attempts to dominate but instead works hand in glove alongside bass, keys, drums and horns that recalls the late 60’s golden era of jazz fusion.

The title track and Better Left Unsaid are wonderful blends of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. Goodbye Bowler Hat glides along, perfectly paced and with a dreamy reggae backbeat conjuring up scenes of sun, sand and surf. An experimental album combining pedal steel and powered by an excellent band of musicians that hits the spot from start to finish.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Jack Tempchin One More Song Bluélan

Jack Tempchin is an American musician and singer-songwriter, best known for writing songs with the Eagles. The classic, Peaceful Easy Feeling, being the most recognised. He also had a hand in writing Already Gone, along with others, including a number of songs with Glen Frey for his solo work. As you would expect with such a pedigree, Tempchin has a way with a melody and there are plenty of examples of his stellar song-writing skills on this, his ninth solo release.

He sings in an easy, laid-back vocal style that is unhurried and smooth, perfectly fitting into the acoustic based songs that are included here. He speaks of returning to his roots with simple musical arrangements and that is what he delivers with a late-night, by the fire, conspiratorial feel to the entire project.

Slow Dancing, Old River and Around Midnight set the gentle pace and sound before the sweet strum of Circle Ties That Bind brings the listener forward into the next phase of the recording.

So Long My Friend is a snapshot of the life that Tempchin has most likely lived with plenty of colour in the images and a philosophy of keeping on moving, living life one day at a time. Still Looking For a Way to Say Goodbye is a lament to lost love and the haunted memories of regret “Was there something you said that I did not hear; How do we lose the ones we hold so dear”. It is the stand-out track in this collection.

The very clever, I Got Her Where She Wants Me To Be, is a fine tune and highlights the song-craft on display. Song For You is one of empathy for life’s knocks and struggles while Tumbleweed is a slow reflection on trying to love a free spirit who cannot be tied down. The closing track, One More Song, would sit quite easily into any Eagles record with a perfect chorus that sums up the raison-d’etre of this skilled artist; “One More Song For the Times to Come”.

Esquela Canis Majoris Self Release

The Spanish word Esquela apparently means ‘notice’ or ‘announcement’ and that is precisely what happens here. This is the third release from a very versatile group of musicians, Esquela, comprised of a five-piece indie-roots-Americana band featuring vocalist Rebecca Frame, lead guitarist Brian Shafer, Chico Finn on bass/vocals, Todd Russell on drums and Matt Woodin on guitar.

Guest Musicians on the project include producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel on guitar/vocals, Brian Mangini on keyboards, Matthew Polashek on saxophone, Mark Spencer on Pedal Steel and Tom White on Banjo/Tin Whistle/Fiddle.

The song arrangements are very bright and the harmonies are full of fun and spark. Their sound is up-tempo and driven by the strong vocals of Rebecca Frame which carry the fine playing through the 10 songs included here. A pleasing contrast is the world-weary delivery of Chico Finn on songs like Sorry, a salutary plea for forgiveness from a lover to his partner.

Pine Tar tells of a famous baseball game in 1983, played between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals that was abandoned on a technicality just as the Royals were winning. Heated protests followed and the debate raged until the game was replayed 24 days later.

This band has a quirky, independent streak to their music and topics such as corporate greed (Too Big to Fail) and racial inequality against the Irish (Need Not Apply) are balanced against parasitic females who crave wealthy husbands to keep them in a pampered life of luxury (Gold Digger). Best of all is a song called Animals that celebrates the joys of our four-legged friends and is a real joy.

This is a recommended release that will impress and bring a smile…

Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy The Miller Girl Merf 

Steve Hussey is a singer/songwriter and producer from Washington, West Virginia and has been playing professionally for almost 20 years in various bands.

This project is based around 10 love songs that are all written by Hussey and deal with the various aspects and challenges that are the stuff relationships are made of.

From the Bluegrass vibe of tracks like Looking For Love and Little Shove to the more modern Americana sound of Master Your Mind and Chalk It Up, there is plenty to keep the attention and attract the listener. Joined by Bluegrass prodigy Jake Eddy on banjo, this is a very enjoyable journey through song arrangements that span all aspects of traditional Roots/Folk influences.

The other musicians include Jeff Martin on drums, Ben Probus on fiddle, Anders Bush on bass and Ron Wallace on backing vocals and the songs are brought to life around the acoustic guitar of Hussey and the banjo of Eddy.

The title song, Miller Girl, is a view of local, rural life and fancying the neighbouring farmer’s daughter while Long List of Goodbyes is a clever take on moving on from heartbreak to the next opportunity. Better Day is a nice song that stays in the memory and the stripped back nature of the arrangements is simple and laced with easy tempos such as, I Pick You, a sweet tribute to love and all the positives of finding the ‘right one’… A very enjoyable release.

Sharon Goldman Kol Isha (A Woman’s Voice) Self Release

This New York based singer-songwriter has been producing music of real quality since early 2000 and has received much praise for her literary gifts as both writer and performer.

Kol Isha is based in traditional Jewish communities, where women are not supposed to sing publicly in front of men. Across 13 songs (Eliza Gilkyson's Rose of Sharon is the one cover), Goldman takes us on a spiritual journey that visits her Jewish upbringing and influences, including the dogma of orthodox religion, balanced against a modern all-embracing spirituality, that is more inclusive and empowering.

Memory mixes with myth and there is a strong imagery running through songs like Jerusalem, Lilith, Pillar of Salt and The Sabbath Queen. A modern feminist perspective reflects on the traditional roles expected of women and the biblical and ancient Hebrew references are coupled with insight that draws inspiration from an ongoing search for her own truth.

The project is co-produced by Goldman and the excellent Stephen Murphy (various guitars) and engineered by Mark Dann who plays Bass on one track. With the subtle skills of Cheryl Prashker on percussion, Craig Akin on upright bass and Laura Wolfe on harmonium and violin, the arrangements are understated with plenty of room for the players to express their individual talents. Abbie Gardner guests on dobro and harmony vocals, with Brian Prunka on oud and Amy Soucy on background vocals.

Goldman has a number of previous releases and plays an active role in song-writing communities. Her Folk inflected music is both powerful and enduring.

Katie Garibaldi Rooted Clarity Living Dream 

This talented artist has been on our radar for some years now and her song-writing skills continue to hone themselves into a very pleasant listening experience. With four previous releases to her name, including the excellent Follow Your Heart (2014), this San Francisco artist produces a 5-song suite that shines brightly. All songs are written by Katie and production duties are shared with Kevin Blair, who also contributes on electric guitar and acoustic bass.

Delightful is a song that speaks of believing in yourself and not letting anybody put you down or knock your self-belief. I Am, has a sweet melody and the strings, mixed with fiddle & mandolin, are just perfect for a song that lends support to a friend/lover who is going through a difficult time. In My Wildest Dreams is a rites-of-passage song where illusion shatters and love does not always stay around - ‘In my wildest dreams; Love Stays’…

On My Own speaks of leaving that little hometown and going out into the big bad world. A coming of age anthem for the hopeful dreamers whose ‘memories sit and watch you leave.’ Bird in a Cage ends the record with a plea to fly free from those who impose limits on our lives. Self- doubt and self-imposed chains are there to be outgrown and the plea to ‘fly away’ leaves an image of someone who has already taken to the skies and knows that there really are no limits.

Katie is blessed with a clear and pure vocal delivery and her excellent band assist in making these 5 songs a really enjoyable listen. Tim Fellow (Drums, Percussion), Arturo Garza (Keyboards), JP Shafer (Fiddle, Mandolin), Nathan Lowry (Violin) and Emily Nelson (Cello) join Katie and Kevin Blair in making this sweetly soaring music that comes highly recommended.    

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Kelsey Waldon I’ve Got A Way Monkey’s Eyebrows

"Well I was never trying to be a Queen, sings Kelsey Waldon, I just take a lot of pride in who I am, the way I sing."

The title of Kelsey Waldon’s sophomore album I’ve Got A Way (her debut The Goldmine was released in 2014) is a statement by an artist determined and unafraid to succeed on her own terms in the cut throat country music scene in Nashville. Following in the footsteps of fellow small town America female breakthrough artists Kacey Musgraves and Margo Price, I’ve Got A Way details the journey from a rural environment and the trials and tribulations of dodgy industry characters, unfulfilled promises and stereotyping. It has a defiant stamp of 'This is who I am, like it or not’ throughout and a determination of not being shaped into something that she doesn’t want. It’s also delivered with Waldon’s adorable vocal, pure unapologetic Kentucky drawl, thankfully not polluted by any technical devices to change to what comes naturally to her. Having Nashville whizz kids Brett Resnick on pedal steel, Jeremy Fetzer on guitar and Michael Rinne on bass (and production duties) round the circle and breathe life into a collection of well-constructed, honest and personal songs. 

Dirty Old Town, which opens the album, is more than a distant relation of Margo Price’s This Town with Waldon in no mood to be compromised or standardised when she asserts "Well there’s voices over here, voices over there, saying come along, come with me. Don't want a bridge to burn but I'm taking my turn, ain't gonna let 'em ever take me." It’s a fitting opener strengthened by some searing pedal steel solos from Resnick. All By Myself, which follows, could have been be nicked from Lee Ann Womack’s The Way I’m Living both in delivery and lyrics. Live Moves Slow lives up to its title, revisiting and escaping back to small town America and it’s simple way of live "So when I drive down the highway past that county line, I take a deep breath, I know I’ll be doing fine, Gonna save me some money, Gonna buy me a place you can’t find." Don’t Hurt The Ones You Love The Most visits similar territory, a reminder of the value of home, roots and family. 

Two covers are included on the album, both fitting in seamlessly. There Must Be Someone, previously recorded by The Gosdin Brothers and The Byrds and the Bill Munroe classic Travelin’ Down This Lonesome Road.

 The greatest compliment I can pay I’ve Got A Way is that the self-penned  songs all sound like covers of classic country tunes that the listener has previously heard and is being reintroduced to. 

With country radio at present awash with music often masquerading as country, it’s a refreshing that a close knit bunch of artists in East Nashville such as Waldon, Margo Price, JP. Harris are maintaining without compromise what many of us consider to be true country music. In recent years Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price have both proved, despite the obstacles and lack of industry support, that a breakthrough is possible. Hopefully Kelsey Waldon will follow suit, on the strength of I’ve Got A Way she certainly deserves to. 

The Black Lillies Hard To Please Black Lilly/Attack Monkey 

Anyone reading this review and sensing that they encountered this album in a previous life most likely came across it in 2015 when it was released in the States. The UK release of the album is a precursor to the bands UK/Europe tour planned for February 2017.

The history of the recording of the album in 2015 could take up column space in its own right with two members of the then five piece announcing their intention to depart the band just as they were about to enter the studio to record the album. Frontman Cruz Contreras also faced the challenge, for various reasons, of essentially writing the album in two weeks prior to entering the studio to record it. Contreras had written the bands previous three albums, Whiskey Angel (2009), 100 Miles of Wreckage (2011) and Runaway Freeway Blues(2013), in a more conventional  manner and timescale  and  gained considerable commercial success and exposure with them. Appearances at The Grand Ole Opry (more appearances than any other independent band in history), Stagecoach and Bonnaroo followed leaving the band on the verge of a major industry breakthrough.

The album was recorded at the House of Blues Studio D which was relocated to Nashville from Memphis in 2010, a studio where The Eales and Stevie Ray Vaughan among others had recorded in previously. The production duties were overseen by Ryan Hewitt (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Avett Brothers), unlike their previous albums which were produced by Contreras.

Contreras was joined in the studio by the bands two remaining members Bowman Townsend (drums) and Trisha Gene Brady (vocals) together with Bill Reynolds (bass), Matt Smyth (pedal steel), and Daniel Donato (guitar).

The net result of the hurried writing and recording of the album is an inconsistent yet wonderful collection of songs that switch from country to blues and straightforward rock with even a bit of bluegrass included for good measure. Contrast the rocking opening title track with the rockabilly 40 Days and the dreamy ballad Desire (harmony vocals by Jill Andrews). 

What is not in doubt is Contreras ability to pen a collection of great songs whatever classification which is more than borne out here.

Bob Bradshaw Whatever You Wanted Fluke

Working as a journalist and short story writer in Ireland, Bob Bradshaw, like many other young men in the mid 80’s, decided to seek employment and fulfilment away from Ireland. In 1985 he got a job as resident singer in a bar in Lagos, Portugal. Rather than return to Ireland Bradshaw then headed for Germany, living in Hamburg and Munich, sometimes sleeping in hostels though more often in a sleeping bag at a train station. His migratory lifestyle continued with spells in Spain and Sweden before acquiring a green card in 1989 and moving to the South Bronx where he worked at various jobs including doorman, roofer, landscaper and furniture mover. A further relocation to San Francisco followed where he formed the band Resident Aliens with fellow singer songwriter Scoop Mc Guire. They recorded two albums before Bradshaw, by now married, moved to Boston where he played bars solo again for a living. While in Boston he applied, as a mature student, for entry to the Berklee College of Music, surprising himself when he was accepted into the college. He applied himself judiciously at Berklee , studying song structure, timing and harmony together with courses in song writing and graduating in 2009.

Following his graduation three albums have been released including the very impressive Whatever You Want, a collection of twelve well-crafted songs that not only appear to benefit in structure from his formal training but from his life’s experiences over the past three decades in general.

The first three tracks alone revisit Bradshaw’s life travels, the brutal break up title track Whatever You Wanted has a fluent Celtic feel, Crazy Heart has a woozy shimmering Latin sound and the first track The Start Of Nothin’ starts with the lyrics "I was a young boy runnin’, My shoes a blur, I had something to tell you, Didn’t know where you were" a possible reference to the young man leaving Ireland unsure of what road he should follow.

Go Get Along is melodic country ragtime, sang as a duet with Annalise Emerick and the album closes in style with the Randy Newman sounding The Long Ride Home with Bradshaw’s vocal up front alongside some beautiful piano playing and lap steel in the background. 

Co-produced with the aid of his long-time friend and former band member Scoop Mc Guire, who also plays bass, the album was recorded at Dimension Sound Studios, Jamaica Plain, MA. It may have taken over thirty years for Bradshaw to release a body of work as impressive as this but it’s an album that he can justifiably feel proud of.

Bill Johnson Cold Outside Oxborough

Bill Johnson has been a stalwart of the Canadian blues music scene for many years as a guitarist with numerous blues bands, fronting his own band and playing solo. He has opened for household names such as Otis Rush, Dr.John and James Cotton. Cold Outside, his forth release, follows his 2010 recording Still Blue, which received a Juno nomination together with three nominations by the Toronto Blues Society. It’s likely that this offering will receive equally positive plaudits. It consists of eleven tracks all written by Johnson, all blues based but coming from different directions. The splendid title track, with a semi spoken lyric, is a harrowing tale of death and destitution, enriched by some wonderfully atmospheric guitar playing by Johnson. My Natural Ability is BB King sounding blues heaven with bubbling guitar touches and wicked piano playing by Darcy Phillips. Makes A Fella Nervous, similar to quite a lot of the recordings has a ‘live’ sound to it, the listener could be sitting on a high stool in a barroom listening to a top notch blues band. 

Johnson together with drummer Joby Baker produced the album at Baker’s own studio in Victoria BC. Rick Erickson plays bass, Darcy Phillips adds piano and organ and both Ross Hall and David Best play drums and piano respectively on three tracks.

Dan Stevens Angels In The Sand Gatorbone

Gulfport, Florida resident Dan Stevens spent over thirty years playing in various rock bands such as Apathy, Cottonmouth & Groove Moon to name a few, before concentrating more on his singer songwriter skills.

Angels In The Sand is his forth solo album release and the thirteen tracks contain a variety of styles ranging from the Warren Zevon sounding title track, the UK folky vibe of both Deep Blue Mystery and Just A Carpenter and the more rocky and electronic The Ghosts of Time and I’m Already There.

Produced by Stevens and Gatorbone records and engineered by Lon Williamson and Jason Thomas, the album features a collection of musicians including Elisabeth Williamson (guitar), Lon Williamson (bass), Gabe Valla (guitar), Jason Thomas (fiddle) and Tai Welch (percussion).

Darin and Brooke Aldridge Faster and Farther Mountain Home 

Twenty-four months after the release of the critically acclaimed Snapshots, husband and wife Bluegrass duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge appear to have set the bar even higher with Faster and Farther, the sixth album release on the Mountain Home Music Label. An indication of their current standing in modern Bluegrass circles are the inclusion of iconic artists such as Vince Gill and Pat Flynn in the recordings. Gill contributes vocals to Highway of Heartache and Mountains in Mississippi, while three songs written by Flynn (Lila, Cumberland Plateau and Kingdom Come) appear on the album with Flynn also playing guitar on two of the tracks. 

An act that regularly feature at the business end of the Gospel, Bluegrass and Americana/Roots charts, the duo journey comfortably between traditional bluegrass, roots and gospel on Faster and Farther.

Their formula is quite simple, well-chosen and arranged songs and technically outstanding playing. However, the ingredient that makes the whole package gel is the vocal capability of Brooke Aldridge, whose exquisite voice would effortlessly grace any musical genre.

The album is certainly evidence of this with tracks such as Mountains in Mississippi, Lila and This River, with Darin taking lead vocal, of a standard that would not be out of place on any Alison Krauss and Union Station album.

Kingdom Come, the opening track, takes less than twenty seconds to put the listener on notice of whats to follow with a belting mandolin, guitar and fiddle intro before Brooke’s powerful vocal kicks in. 

Fit For A King is country gospel at its finest with Brooke’s vocal aided in no small measure by gorgeous harmony vocals courtesy of Charli Robertson of Flatt Lonesome. Heaven Just Got Sweeter For You closes the album in style with the focus on the duo’s harmonies with mandolin, guitar and acoustic bass adding the perfect background. 

Altogether a hugely impressive effort sitting comfortably at the crossroads between bluegrass, country and folk.  Beautifully punctuated by powerhouse vocals of Darin and Brooke and in no small measure by their band Tyler Collins (banjo, dobro, guitar), Tim Surrett (acoustic bass), Shay Cobb (fiddle) and their guests Vince Gill, Pat Flynn, John Cowan, Charli Robertson, Barry Bales ( in the band?) and Carley Arrowood. The album was produced by the duo and recorded at Crossroads Studios, Arden, North Carolina with recording engineers Van Atkins and Scott Barnett

The album cover depicts the couple on an airport runway alongside a jet possibly suggesting from the album title that this talented couple are on a forward journey to spread and share their wonderful talents and intend doing so at speed. Safe travels indeed!

Review of the Year

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Reviews By Paul McGee

Kelley McRae The Wayside Self Release

This is folk/roots music of the highest order. The eleven tracks included on this release are superbly crafted and played by an ensemble of musicians who gel perfectly together in delivering a work of some sophistication and strength.

McRae directs the gentle grooves on display with her guitar and a wistful longing in her vocal delivery. Her partner in all things creative, Matt Castelein, plays beautiful lead guitar and also sings sweet harmony vocals. Backed by Brent Clifford on guitar & vocals; Roy Salmond on piano, keys, bass & percussion, with Kenton Weins on drums & percussion; we are given song arrangements that serve the project beautifully as the song, If You Need Me, states “Anything worth holding onto is worth letting go”.

Reach You is a soft regret on scoring relationship points against a futile future “there was a time when joy came easy…”.

Land of the Noonday Sun sums it all up with the line;” time goes by like a dream, no matter how hard you run”. The dreamlike quality of her music just pulls you along on a breeze of calm and reflection.

Having travelled extensively across America and performed hundreds of shows, this duo has gone on to tour in eleven countries and performed at festivals. Theirs is a celebratory sound which reminds me of the Indigo Girls when they first appeared on the scene & both Hard Night and Red Dirt Road are perfect examples with their swagger and tempo. I also hear Patty Griffin and Emmylou in these songs but in mentioning these greats, I only hope to elevate the creative talent on display here.

A Long Time and All the Days That Have Come Before, are real nuggets that unveil themselves on repeated listen, while Rare Bird is a moment of reflection with a rueful look back at old friends, gone along another path. Tell It Again contains the most sublime guitar break and Rose is a tribute to a child (daughter?), that is beautifully gentle and heart felt.

The press release for The Wayside speaks of the ‘hope that comes with stepping onto unknown soil’. Perhaps a “place along the side of the road where things get left behind, or where you go to rest awhile, or where you go find something you lost along the way.” Well, that just about hits the nail on the head.

With four previous releases to her name, Kelley McRae has arrived at a perfect place where creative essence meets with mature and poignant reflection. Everything you would look for in a release of quality song craft and understated performance. A must buy.

C. Daniel Boling These Houses Berkalin

This represents the seventh release in a career that has seen this American Folk artist receive widespread acclaim for his singer-songwriter talents and compared to the artists like Steve Goodman, John Prine and Tom Paxton.

Of the 13 tracks here, 3 are co-writes with Tim Henderson (Buffalo Nickels/Miss Amelia Harris/Spinster) and Andrea Renfree (Growing Old in New Mexico), and there are also 2 songs inspired by the war veterans of a New Mexico organisation who helps with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (I Brought the War With Me/Crumble).

These are well-crafted story songs and influenced by his upbringing in a traveling Air Force family, along with some years spent as a National Park Ranger, a Criminal Investigator for the US Bureau of Land Management.

The assembled musicians serve the songs with quiet restraint and colour the words with sensitive playing around the arrangements.

The title track is right out of the great American folk tradition and it is no surprise that such a varied band of musicians assemble to pay tribute to the past as well as honouring the present. Songs such as I Will Not Go Gently and Leadbelly, Woody & Pete close the project with a nod to the struggle that continues… ‘We are here to make each other strong and whole…’ A fine performer and song-writing talent.

Anna Elizabeth Laube Tree  Ahh…Pockets!

Anna Elizabeth Laube is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer and this is her fourth release. The nine tracks selected include a cover of Bob Dylan’s Wallflower, together with a version of XO, originally written by Beyoncé. In a way, these two extreme opposites sit as a perfect summary of this excellent artist who is prepared to take chances in her writing and song arrangements.

The title song is a sweet reflective piece that reflects on growing up and childhood memories. The innocence of youth is captured in lines like "You’re the hideout in my backyard”. The light touch and jazz swing of Sunny Days is just so sweetly subtle and sung in a lazy care-free style that frames a number of the songs here. The musicians are all very impressive in their varied cameo roles but it is the skills of Ms Laube that knits it all together, whether playing guitar, bass, harmonica, piano or just using her disarming voice.

The country-style violin that frames the Dylan cover brings the song to a new place and the Beyoncé track (XO) is given a stripped back acoustic guitar treatment with some very fine muted trumpet from Charley Wagner.  

With previous releases, Laube has been honing her song-writing skills and this fells very much like a complete and mature realisation of the days spent learning her craft.

Please Let It Rain in California Tonight is a beautiful prayer for healing in the World that has reflective compassion with lines such as “ Please let love rule our bodies, hearts, and minds, and melt away every single chain that binds”.

The narrative in “Lose, Lose, Lose” is of an ex-addict falling off the wagon on Christmas Eve and is such a poignant song both in delivery and mood. The final song “All My Runnin” is a knowing nod to love and the pedal steel of Dan Tyack frames the sentiment as Laube sings “Darlin’ all my runnin’, led me to your face”. A terrific release and one that delights as much as it surprises.

Magic Car Meteorites Tiny Dog

Twelve songs that fall into the broad space of folk/Americana from this 5-piece who are based in Nottingham, UK. All songs are written by Phil Smeeton (guitar) and feature the clear vocals of Hazel Atkinson.

Formed in 1994, the band has released three previous records and Yellow Main Sequence, Family Matters, European Punks has now been joined by Meteorites. There are songs about novelist Mario Puzo (Only in America), Summer ending (Summer Storm), Local down 'n’ outs (King of Pool), Ladies of the Night (Manwhippa!), nature escapes (Fritz’s Beach) and fractious love (Meteorites). The sound is easy on the ear and the playing is accomplished without taking any unnecessary risks.

You could sink into the easy jazz groove of Working Woman or the acoustic shuffle of The Bends and the time will pass by quite pleasantly. A varied and interesting collection of songs.

Errol Walsh & Ted Ponsonby Just Sayin' Self Release

I remember Errol Walsh with some nostalgia. I was a young man growing my musical tree in Dublin city when I was first introduced to the great sound of Stagalee, fronted by Errol, all authentic swagger and country blues/ roots rock attitude. It was a terrific live band and boasted many members that came and went through changing line ups that never seemed to diminish the quality of the music.

Years later I came across a solo release, Waltzin’ in the Water, which gave me great comfort to know he was still ‘out there’ and doing his independent thing…

So, when this new release came in my review batch I was understandably enthusiastic to catch up with his recent past. I am glad to report that this talented song-writer is not only alive and well but is making excellent music, as evidenced on the 13 tracks included here. With 6 co-writes and 7 self-penned songs, Errol spans quite a few styles with country waltzes, light jazzy numbers, folk and rhythm & blues, complete with some Irish trad touches and some slow soul grooves.

Something to suit everyone then but not a hint of the overall sense of direction being overtaken by the variety on display.

Produced by Errol, Ted Ponsonby and Joe Murray in Ireland and something of an organic creation, the entire project is fully deserving of great credit to all concerned.

Errol is joined by Ted Ponsonby (Dobro, Acoustic/Elec guitars, Hammond Organ),​ Sarah Ponsonby (Fiddle), Gary Porter( Drums), Denise Boyle(Fiddle), Dave McCracken (Bass), Donna Murray(Harmonies), Rory Clements(Piano), Gordon Murray(Acoustic guitar), Sean McCarron (Saxes),Martin Hughes(Drum programming), Cloudy Henry(Piano & accordion), Stephen Quinn(Percussion), Seonaid Aitken( Fiddles) and Joe Murray on Bass, Drum programming, guitar, Harmonies & vocal arrangements – quite an ensemble to control in a studio environment and it is to their great credit that the songs just fit perfectly together as they move across the various genres.

Long Way Down has a jazz feel with horns and piano to the fore, Seventeen is steeped in Van the Man influence with the lovely piano, warm keys and gentle guitar strum all reminiscent of the great man. Matchbox Billy is a first for the best of Country traditions; a tribute to the life of a Pyro-maniac. Queen of the Glens is a beautifully realised song with a great lead vocal from Donna Murray.

Somewhere in the Middle has a Folky groove while Looney Tune finishes everything off with some style and a tip of the hat to the old acoustic blues players of the past. Terrific stuff and this is a release that I can recommend to one and all.

3Hat Trio Solitare Okehdokee

3hattrio play what they call 'American Desert Music'. The three musicians, Greg Istock, (acoustic bass, percussion, vocals, production, arrangements), Hal Cannon, (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Eli Wrankle, (violin, vocals) make a music that is both timeless and essentially familiar. It is comprised of varying influences, yet has a strong sense of the cultural traditions of the deserts of the American southwest.

Living in the region of Zion National Park in Utah brings the three musicians into daily contact with their roots and the indigenous influences of the region and all who have passed before is interwoven into the haunting, ghost-like violin playing of Eli Wrankle, the banjo melodies of Hal Cannon and the free-form jazz like runs of Greg Istock on stand-up bass.

There is a quality of isolation and other-worldliness in the playing and the spaces created by the arrangements. The singing of Greg Istock is particularly engaging, adding fresh layers to the overall atmospherics, especially when he sings in scat style improvisations to add colour to these songs.

Solitare is the third release from this trio and in our review of the previous release, Dark Desert Night, we stated that their music was simple and sublime. I see no reason to depart from this description of what is offered up on this new recording; ten songs that create a sense of returning home yet retaining the spirit of the nomadic traveller.

Texas Time Traveller is an atmospheric opener and features the free form vocals of Istock while the more reflective Rose speaks of moving down the road with the sense of nature all around. Mojave displays the finesse of the musicians to play off each other and interpret the flow of ideas contained in the elemental arrangement. The abiding message is one of the surrounding land and the place we take in the unfolding journey through time. Both Range and Blood River point to forces that are greater than us mere mortals and the drive of this music is something that powerfully captures nature in a way that is both fresh and understated. A recommended purchase.

Michael Tomlinson House of Sky Self Release

This Seattle-based singer/songwriter has 11 previous releases to his name and the 16 tracks included on this new release take over an hour of listening time. Quite a commitment is therefore required but the effort is rewarded in the positive, life enhancing lyrics and sweet vocal delivery of this accomplished singer song writer. The production is very clean and delivered by Tomlinson himself, together with the essential input of Jay Kenney, co-producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist.

It is hard not to repeat yourself across so many tracks and his optimistic messages remind me of the music of UK’s Charlie Landsborough. The writing is strong enough to hold the interest, from the light jazz groove on tracks like Boulevard Rain to the acoustic swing of Daddy O’; the catchy Wyoming Wind and reflective Thanks For the Wind. This is folk/rock played with accomplished ease and delivering a very genuine message of thanks, hope and peace, as Michael Tomlinson sings from the heart with a genuine passion and belief in his spiritually uplifting songs. 

Season's Greetings To All

The team here at Lonesome Highway would like to thank all the artists, management, record labels, PR agencies, venues and readers who helped contribute to the site over the last year. Long may the good music continue.

Here's to the next year.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Tom Mason and the Blue Buccaneers Pirate Party Self Release

Over the last few years Tom Mason has firmly nailed his colours to the mast with his Blue Buccaneers releases. The band name and title should give you a pretty good idea of where Tom Mason is coming from. It’s a pirate thing scallywags. In recent times Mason has released a pirate themed Christmas album Yo Ho Ho as well as The World Is Ablaze all of which, if you get in the mood, are entertaining, energetic and ebullient outings that will get anyone who is open to it in the party mood. 

Like the last album this set was produced by Thomm Jutz and the Buccaneers are a talented crew. Mason is the undisputed captain and handles the vocals, guitars, dobro, trombone, bouzouki and mandolin. Add to that violin, drums, bass, banjo and a whole lot of vocals and you have a fully realisied sound.

It’s interesting that after 4 such albums there are still songs that have you going with their infectious choruses. It must be all those pirate songs heard down through the years on film and TV. Bully In The Alley, Blow The Man Down, All For Me Grog, Haul Away Joe will be familiar to many. Mason and crew give them a good run for their money and display some fine playing and innovative arrangements (by Mason).Their take on Drunken Sailor for instance is given a twist by setting it to a Bo Diddley beat!

There are a number of original songs too that are written or co-written by Mason including the title song, Talk Like A Pirate (plenty of that here to give you a refresher course), Pirate Polka, In The Drink and Pirate Song (We’ll All Go Down With The Ship). A song that could easily be perceived as a forward thinking comment on the current state of affairs in the (dis)United States.

All in all, an album that while it may not be for everyone is full of life affirming spirit, tight playing and a sense of fun that is often lacking in these over-produced and over polished days. Long may Mason and his Blue Buccaneers rule the waves - as its likely in these programmed to death days that they won’t get to rule the airwaves. Still it’s never too late for a pirate party methinks.

Todd Snider Eastside Bulldog Aimless

Essentially this is a side project from Snider, a set of 10 songs that never outstay their welcome as the album clocks in at less than a half-hour. His Elmo Buzz pseudonym should be on the front cover but that may have confused things what with his other project the Hard Working Americans and all. It is a hard rocking album full of Snider lyrical asides and off beat, sometimes humorous observations. Snider has a distinctive voice that has gained in grain and grit over the years and is perfectly suited to this set of (assumingly) self-written songs. He also produced the album with Eric McConnell. They assembled a bunch of like-minded individuals including Snider on vocals and take-off guitar, McConnell on bass, Denis Taylor on some very upfront sax, Mark Horn on drums and Jen Gunderman on keys and vocals. These players all recorded their parts in the Sound Emporium in Nashville. While another set of players including Aaron Lee Tasjan, Paul Griffith and Keith Christopher (drums and bass respectively) were tracked in the Cash Cabin.

The title track, Hey Pretty Boy, Are You With Me? are all stand-outs but then the whole album rocks along at a pace. Those who enjoy the work of Barrence Whitfield and The Savages would do well to check this dog out. Rooted in rockin’ 60s sounds the album combines Snider voice and lyric with some off the leash riffing and energy. What’s not to like? 

AJ Hobbs Too Much Us Never Enough Booker

Hobbs is a classically trained musician who got hooked on country music (the good stuff) and his first show in the country mould was opening for Shooter Jennings. He met Ted Russell Kamp there playing bass for Jennings and they subsequently worked together with Kamp producing a previous e.p. and now this debut long playing album. The song Waylon & Merle may give you an idea of where Hobb’s heart really lies. He also includes a version of The Bottle Let Me Down that is in the spirit of its author, while also giving it some of the singer’s own style.

Aside from that, the songs are all originals from Hobbs with the exception of a Kamp song and two co-writes. All songs are taken from the storytelling tradition of using your own life as a source for the material. Hobbs admits to having problems in the past with drink and related issues. This is revealed in the opening title track. After that the song titles pretty much reveal their content in instances such as Life Without You, Daddy Loved The Lord, a song that displays a solid country/gospel theme that runs through the album with strong soulful backing vocals and organ playing a major role in many of the songs. That country/soul combination is one that has been currently explored in recent times. However, Hobbs seems to get the balance right so that it is overall a country album with an undercurrent of soul.

The production and playing are right behind Hobbs who has a strong voice much suited to the musical style he has chosen. His songs are about getting to the heart of some real life situations and experiences that are told with clarity and conviction. AJ Hobbs is not taking this music to places it hasn’t been before but, rather, he is adding to a tradition with some humour alongside the more harder hitting truths. Hobbs is a welcome addition to those exponents of California country music we know and love.

Lynne Hanson & The Good Intentions 7 Deadly Spins Self Release

Another engaging work from the Canadian singer/songwriter. Murder Ballads & Reckoning Songs it says on the sleeve and indeed these songs have a darker, edgier, rockier sound. Fellow singer/songwriter Lynn Miles brings out the rust and corrosion inherent in the seven songs here like Gravedigger, Water’s Edge and Black Widow.

Hanson plays acoustic and electric guitars and sings in a deathly clear voice on a set of original songs written solo or with co-writers Al Wood, Fraser Holmes and Miles. The accompanying musicians add tension and texture to the seven songs.  Songs that let you know where they are coming from “No hope for redemption … that’s what my Momma said” (My Mama Said), I’m digging in the dark ... digging to hide what I done” (Water’s Edge) or “Got a bible near my bed … and a shotgun by my head” (Cecil Hotel). These excerpts leave you in no doubt that these songs are a little different than the up-tempo, upbeat songs that are beloved by mainstream radio. This runs much closer to the bone(s).

Lynne Hanson has made strong albums in the past and this may be something of a diversion from the main path in terms of content and sound but this is a set of songs with a purpose and an opinion that makes it a pretty compelling listen. Just make sure to leave the lights on when you listen.

Tom Shed Davey’s Cornet Curly Maple

This songwriter has a number of albums under his belt. They are a mix of folky songs that tell stories of people and places. Shed and Nathan Smith produced the album in Nashville where they utilised the services of players like Steve Hinson (steel and dobro), Dave Pomeroy (bass) along with a selection of brass, keyboard and harmony vocals. The sound is warm and pleasant as is Shed’s voice.

These songs tell stories, for instance Bolita Sam about a murder in 1953, Ole Hickey’s Town about the rebirth of a town after a fire. As well as his own songs Shed includes three from Dave Grooms, one from Will McLean plus Stan Jones’s often recorded Riders In The Sky and the title song about the effects that war often has on a man (or woman) when they return home. The song was co-written by Shed and Janet Goodman. There is a mix of styles here from the more stripped back arrangements to the fuller sound songs, like the aforementioned title track Davey’s Cornet, which naturally features, understandably, that particular instrument. This gives a variety to the listening process. Just A Soft Echo is largely voice and guitar which perfectly suits the mood of the song. Conversely the arrangement of Riders In The Sky has a fuler sound with drums, pedal steel and a lead acoustic guitar break. The final track Groove, an instrumental, by way of complete contrast exemplifies that variety as it’s a brass and keyboard workout that closes the album on quite a different note to all that went before it, like it somehow strayed in from another album.

Shed is the sort of artist who will have fans who love his work and a ready audience that wants to hear them it, but for a number or reasons may find it hard to break outside of that particular audience. Those who are attuned to him will always want to hear more while the larger listening public will, which is true of many such artists, never take the time to find him or come across his music by accident. Those that do will know a good story when they hear it.

The Stray Birds Magic Fire YepRoc

Something of a change for The Stray Birds as they decided to bring in an outside producer. That choice was the notable producer Larry Campbell with whom they recorded the album over a ten-day period. They took the elements that had served them well through their previous albums such as the tight, lush sounding three part harmonies of the trio and their developing song writing skills which they opened to a wider approach to the process and subject matter. 

Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven, and Charles Muench all brought their A-Game to the sessions where they added to their own multi instrumental skills to those of Campbell, alongside drummer Shane Leonard, Kai Welch and Marco Benevento on keyboards. The end result is another step forward for the band and a step closer to wider public recognition.

For example, the percussion behind Where You Come From has a philosophical viewpoint aligned to a catchy chorus. The final song When I Die has an equally dark thread running through it. While, by way of contrast, Somehow steps back in time to stand close to what the Everly Brothers were doing at a certain period of their career. It’s soft harmonies and fiddle and steel guitar backing has a sweetness and instant likability. It is those harmonies throughout that are integral to what The Stray Birds have done since their inception. This time out they have added a much bigger sound and some fire and magic to the way they have conceived the album. It shows how a band can develop while fundamentally losing what was good about them in the beginning.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Amanda Rheaume Holding Patterns Self Release

This talented singer-songwriter releases her fourth record and shows plenty of growth and maturity since her Keep a Fire release in 2013. Produced by Jim Bryson who does a really excellent job, the twelve songs featured are full of melody and catchy arrangements. The musicians gel together and display great talent in bringing the songs to life. Blair Hogan and Jim Bryson shine at various stages with some tasty guitar moments.

Many of the songs are coming from a personal place and the woes of relationships are covered in Blood From A Stone and Dead Horse. The prospect of turning attraction into something more substantial is covered with Get To The Part, Mind Over Matter and Time to Land. Keeping a positive outlook on life is the subject of Beat the Rain, Wolf Of Time and the outstanding track here, All That You Need, a song that asks for belief in our own strength and talents. Red Dress, finds Rheaume honouring the over 1,180 murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls in Canada. 

The song The Day The Mountain Fell, refers to a 1958 landslide in Prince Rupert, British Columbia that crushed small community of houses and two men who rescued a baby. The baby was a cousin of Rheaume’s and they called her ‘The Miracle Child’ because she was the only survivor.

Rheaume sings in a sweet but strong vocal with a nice tone to her voice, while the folk- tinged feel of the songs lull the listener into a nice cosy place of seemingly familiar territory. Nine of the tracks are co-writes with Amana writing two others and Jim Bryson pitching in with the closing song, On Disappearing, a perspective on passing time and our sensitive natures. A very engaging release and one that asks to be heard.  

Brian Cullman The Opposite of Time Sunnyside

Twelve songs and all written by an artist who has gathered an impressive list of musicians to bring this project to life. Co-produced by Cullman and Jimi Zhivago (great name), who also contributes on multiple instruments, this NYC writer/producer/musician shows enough confidence here to be a real player. This is only his second solo outing but he has Jenni Muldaur on backing vocals joined by Leni Morrison (The Darling Sins), Glenn Patscha (Ollabelle, Sheryl Crow) on piano and organ, Byron Isaacs (Ollabelle, Levon Helm) plays bass, Aaron Johnston & Didi Gutman from the Brazilian Girls are on drums & keyboards respectively, Jimi Zhivago (Glen Hansard, Rufus Wainwright, Kim Taylor) plays guitar, and Hector Castillo (David Bowie, Bjork, Lou Reed) engineered and mixed.  

Wow, this guy has some CV, having shared experiences in London with the likes of John and Beverly Martyn, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Richard and Linda Thompson and writing for such publications as Creem, Musician, Rolling Stone and The Paris Review, among others. He also produced sessions for Lucinda Williams & Taj Mahal, Ollabelle, and Persian-Indian group Ghazal; collaborating with Youssou N'dour on a record for Senegalese guitar wizard Jimi Mbaye; producing the soundtrack to the documentary Gypsy Caravan, and scoring Padre Nuestro, winner of the 2008 Sundance Festival.

Eclectic does not really cover it all but the songs here are the culmination of all these influences and really hit home as a work of real accomplishment. The swamp groove of Walk The Dog Before I Sleep is pitched against the slow gentle groove of Time If There Is Time and Hands Of The Rain. Beneath The Coliseum is a folk strum that harks back to an earlier time of innocence and easy days while the sound of Memphis Madeline is Dylanesque in content and delivery. Well worth investigation.

Robin Greenstein Tears & Laughter Windy 

This artist has been playing and recording since the 1980’s and this release is her first in over a decade. Robin plays both guitar and banjo, describing her music as "Acousticness". She mixes many styles with folk, jazz and blues highlighting her acoustic talents. She has also looked at women's lives thru traditional Anglo and Afro-American folk songs, releasing Images of Women Vol 1 & 2. 

There are similarities to both Dar Williams and Mary Chapin Carpenter in the strong vocal delivery and the story-telling narratives. Hole in the Ground speaks of the troubles in the World while the light jazz groove of West Coast Swingin’ sits well against Eric Clapton cover of Tears in Heaven, co-sung with Frank Reno and a new take on a well-known song. A Tale Of Two Cities is about the aftermath of 9/11 and the coming together of communities in N.Y.C. and New Jersey. 

The relationship woes of Where There’s A Will There’s a Way reflects on a love gone cold with the routine of life; finely observed and well perceived with a message of enduring hope. The death of a child is sensitively visited in Happy New Year and the spiritual message of Buddha Watches Silently reflects on the inner journey we all must balance along our weary path through this world. 

John McDonough Surrounding Colors McDonough

Austin, Texas is home to this singer songwriter who releases his second collection of songs in the last 2 years. Dreams & Imagination was reviewed here previously and this time out the same studio band has remained, with the players delivering on all fronts. The 10 songs featured all display a confidence in the delivery and writing as we are given a strong mix of rock ballads and up tempo workouts. He is a fine guitar player and the piano and keyboards of Cole Gramling add real colour to the arrangements. Co-produced by McDonough and Kevin Butler (drums & electric guitar) the drive of the opening songs Tonight’s The Night, Save A Life and Open My Arms And Breathe lead into the more reflective Nowhere Else To Run. The Place Where I Belong is a country influenced groove that sits well alongside the easy tempo of All The Gold. Another solid project brought to fruition by this interesting artist who is quietly involved in a d.i.y. career that has to be applauded. 

Mary Beth Cross Feels Like Home MBC

Six songs on this mini release from a folk/roots artist who hails from Colorado. She has been making music since 2006 and has 4 previous releases to her name. Cross sings with a clear sweet voice and the cover versions of Kathy’s Song (Paul Simon), Long, Long Time (Gary White) and Shady Grove (Doc Watson) are given a bluegrass treatment that sits nicely alongside her original songs, Threshing Time, and Cottonwood Creek. 

However, it is the eight-minute medley of Summertime/Moondance (George Gershwin/ Van Morrison), mixed with her own original Pas De Deux (Francais) that is the highlight here. It is an audacious attempt to link 2 standards with unknown melodies but it does work well. The musicians play superbly together with bass (Adrian Engfer), banjo (Chris Pandolfi) and fiddle/mandolin (Jeremy Garrett), prominent in the mix and doing a fine job in backing up the fluent guitar work of Tyler Grant and vocals of Mary Beth as she follows her muse. Production by Chris Pandolfi is very impressive with a clear and spacious sound highlighting the excellent musicians throughout.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Reckless Kelly Sunset Motel No Big Deal

As a band who loosely defined what was eventually to become labelled as Americana, Reckless Kelly rocked, honky-tonked and country rootsified their chosen musical path since moving from Oregon to Austin and releasing their first album Millican back in 1998. The band is fronted by the Braun brothers Willy and Cody. For their ninth studio album, they are joined here by bassist Joe Miller, guitarist David Abeyta, and drummer Jaz Nazz. The latter two have been reckless for some time and indeed Abeyta has been a co-producer on their recordings with the Braun brothers over the last few albums. Guests on the album include Bukka Allen on keyboards, Marty Muse on pedal steel as well as Eleanor and Chris from the Mastersons.

All contribute to a full and eventful sound that while it may not have altered a great deal since they started, shows how that have matured, honed and clarified their sound. It is a pretty engaging one that has found them many friends and fans through the years. The album opens with the very accessible How Can You Love Him (You Don’t Even Like Him)? A fairly self-explanatory song in terms of subject matter. This leads to the hard rockin’ Radio and example of maybe how not to get on radio while considering what would. Willy Braun takes the lead vocals and has a strong, emotive and engaging voice that can handle the rockier songs as well as the moments of regret like the moody title track with ease. Braun is also the writer of all the songs here and as such sings them with the total conviction required.

There are few bands better at what they do. The kind of scrappy, rough-round-the-edges roots music that still has a tightness that comes from playing together for some time. It is shared experience that knows its own place and isn’t trying to be anything it isn’t. There has been no compromise in how Reckless Kelly have approached their music. There have been no flirtations with the big label and that has enabled them to be true to themselves and their fan base which knows what to expect from a Reckless Kelly album. That includes a clever, well thought-out and designed cover (it comes with a key fob that when used as a viewer reveals further hidden images) something that is easily the equal of any major album release these days. 

This is a set of songs replete with choruses and hooks that are trying to be too-clever but equally share experiences that are readily relatable. Volcano, Give It Up, Moment In The Sun are further examples of how this band delivers on its early promise. While Sad Songs About You is just that, a song of pure heartbreak and sadness. The final track Under Lucky Stars is a slow acoustic based ballad that balances well with the more upfront songs that also permeate the album’s thirteen cuts. There are vacancies in the Sunset Motel - check in and check it out at your leisure. You will be back.

Luke Bell Self-Titled Bill Hill

Bell seems to be picking up press for his third album release. Deservedly so as his new album, released through Thirty Tigers, is a good one. After growing up in Wyoming and playing in a variety of rock bands he moved to Austin where he honed his mix of honky-tonk blues and New Orleans r’n’b. Now he lives in Nashville and this album reflects that move. There are a few tracks from his previous album Don’t Mind If I Do including the opening traditional sounding Sometimes, in which he reveals that he feels being in a relationship is like “sometimes I feel well … but other times I feel like hell”. If these songs have been remixed or recorded is not entirely clear but as the credits list only a Nashville studio I’d suggest the latter. 

From then on it’s one strong song after another. Where Ya Been? about looking at the straggled stranger looking back at him from the mirror. The Bullfighter takes the analogy of taking on the titular role in a honky tonk bar. Working Man’s Dream is a fast and furious fiddle-fuelled song with a yodel that recalls the resurgence of hardcore hillbilly down on Lower Broadway and back in the day. The album closes with the New Orleans sound of a big solid ballad, a self-written song, The Great Pretender. It shows that Bell can take on different sounding songs and sound like he is at ease with them all. He is effectively becoming known with this release which has a greater prominence that his previous releases - and deservedly so.

Producer Andrija Tokic has gotten a good take on mixing traditional modes with some contemporary mores. With players like bassist Dave Roe, drummer Jimmy Lister, steel player Brett Resnick, fiddler Casey Driscoll and Caitlin Rose on backing vocals there is an expectation and all play their part in bringing these songs to life. Fiddle, steel, twanging guitars and feisty harmonica all feature prominently giving the whole album its context and clarity. Proof again that even in Nashville music that bears some relation to the reason the city made its name is still being played there, even if it is not getting past the front door of the established labels at this point in time. All you need to do is listen out for the likes of Luke Bell and you will be, if you’re a honky-tonk fan, a happy listener. 

Bap Kennedy Reckless Heart At The Helm

It was great sadness that I learnt of the death of Bap Kennedy and somewhat ironic that his new album arrived through the letterbox on the same morning. Without the added poignancy of his passing this would still be a great album in keeping with the overall body of his work either as part of his punk band, Energy Orchard, or his solo albums. Through his career he has been recognised as a distinctive and emotive singer and songwriter who first came to wider attention with his Steve Earle & Ray Kennedy produced Domestic Blues album and through such releases as The Sailor’s Revenge, Howl On (which also featured the late Henry McCullough on one track), Lonely Street or The Big Picture, an album that featured Shane McGowan and a song co-written by Van Morrison. Kennedy stood toe to toe with these largely better known artists and leaves a fitting body of recorded work behind him.

Reckless Heart was written and produced by Kennedy and was recorded in Northern Ireland with Rod McVey, featuring  wife Brenda on backing vocals and percussion as well as lead guitarist Gordy McAllister, bassist Nicky Scott and Rod McVey on keyboards. All provide a musical bedrock for these songs that is perfect for the rootsy flavour and relaxed feeling that the tracks purvey. There are obvious standouts like the story telling of the wandering Henry Antrim, the wish to revisit a missed opportunity on I Should Have Said It or Honky Tonk Baby a song dedicated to the object of his affections and the music of their choice. The Universe And Me is a sad consideration of his life and times, his music and his love. A song that is all the more affecting because of his demise. As the songs tells us truthfully that for many “there’s no music in money, there’s no money in love”. 

Once again you’re reminded of how much talent exists on these isles that has long been dismissed or ignored for not emanating from the US or being too closely linked with the jukebox/covers syndrome that has been associated with country cover bands and artists for a long time. His much-praised debut was released in 1998 and Kennedy has been at the forefront of original (what has come to be known as) Americana since then. Bap Kennedy will be missed for his on-going musical and writing skills that marked him as one of the originals - and best.

Ben Glover The Emigrant Proper

Working again with producer Neilson Hubbard, Ben Glover has delivered an album that largely reflects the nature and life of the emigrant. To do this Glover has used a set of traditional arranged songs as well as such sterling songs as the fiercely anti-war song of the Australian campaign in Gallipoli in World War 1 and the devastating effects that conflicts brings. The oft recorded And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda never fails to move in its unsentimental impact. Here it is a slow piano-based ballad (played by on this track by Dan Mitchell) that runs over seven and a half minutes and slowly builds up as the story unfolds and the bitterness intensifies. It is largely a singer’s song and Glover gives a heartfelt vocal that underlines his presence in that area. The piano is a central to many of these songs giving them an intimate and understated feel that works well in the context of the album’s timeless themes.

Something that is apparent throughout and where an artist covers non-original and traditional songs is that it is often largely down to their vocal skills to make the song their own. So, while some of these songs have versions that are already ingrained in the memory, Glover adds his own personality to his reading of such songs as The Green Glens Of Antrim, Moonshiner and The Parting Glass. The latter is the opening track and one of the albums standouts. It is given a folky rendering with fiddle and acoustic guitar but has an energy that highlights the essential message of the song.

The new songs are written by Glover solo or with Gretchen Peters (The Emigrant), Mary Gauthier (Heart In My Hand), Tony Kerr Carpe (A Song Of Home). Aside from Eric Bogle’s … Waltzing Matilda, there’s Ralph McTell’s From Clare To Here and Brendan Behan’s The Auld Triangle. All the latter are songs that Glover must feel are special enough to want to risk comparison to previous versions and in doing so he has given them context that are is as relevant to many today, as to the time or time frame that they were written. The appreciation of end result may depend on how open a listener may be to previously recorded songs but should also be considered in the way that fits with the new songs. Ben Glover is to be applauded for taking this risk; one that should establish him as an artist who can bring something of himself to all these songs. They have the capacity to make the listener reflect and think anew and that in itself is a pretty good thing all round.

Kaia Kater Nine Pin Self Release

The cover features Kater with back to the camera and a well-played claw hammer banjo cross her shoulder. Maybe signifying that this is an album, while that instrument is key, where she is considering other options than the usual routes. Kater and co-producer Chris Bartos have assembled a group of players who bring a set of tones that are as effective as they are unusual to accompany the banjo. These include flugelhorn, trumpet, electric guitar and moog alongside upright bass and fiddle. There are also several credits for backing vocals which play a subtle part in the proceedings. It is Kater’s banjo and voice however, that are the centrepiece to the recording.

Recorded in Toronto, the album highlights a combination of traditional arrangements and self-written originals. Kater has sleeve notes on the album that are related to the traditional song’s sources. All the material however fits seamlessly together with an experimental discourse that, while it is rooted in her musical heritage and that of the banjo, offers something a little different. Some of the tracks take a more stripped down approach like the song Little Pink.

Harlem’s Little Blackbird has a sense of acapella with some minimal percussive effects behind the voice. In other cases, though the instrumentation is largely voice and banjo, the arrangements feel more contemporary in outlook. The final track Hangman’s Reel is a fiddle and banjo reading that feels very traditional and shows Kater’s understanding of the instrument’s potential past and present.

The songs are strong and her voice compelling which makes her one to watch in the ever-growing list of those playing their individual take on old-time and bluegrass music. She has also got a strong visual presence that helps her to stand out. Something that always helps in what is a difficult time for any artist to gain attention for their music.

Jesse Dayton The Revealer Hardcharger

I don’t think I’ve heard a bad album from this Texas roots/country/rocker since his debut album back in 1995. Raisin’ Cain introduced a prodigious talent as writer, singer, guitarist and later as a producer. Since then there has been some seven albums under his own name between that album and this new set of songs. All but one of the songs are written (or co-written) by Dayton. The one outside song is from the noted artist Mike Stinson, who also plays drums on some of the tracks here. Brennen Leigh also duets with him on Match Made In Heaven (the duo also have released a full duet album Holdin’ Our Own back in 2007). Dayton plays all guitar as well as bass, percussion and keyboards. On the latter three he is also joined on different tracks by Eric Tucker, John Evans, Riley Osbourne and Erich Hughes. Beth Chrisman adds fiddle on several tracks. Evans also is the main producer here (he himself has made a number albums, one which I managed to track down a while ago was Biggest Fool In Town which I thoroughly enjoyed).

There is something of the outlaw outlook about Dayton and his ‘go-your-own-way’ approach he has taken to his music. He also has played with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson in the past. There’s nobody looking over his shoulder here advising that this or that might be better “received’ if it was polished more. This is rough and ready and infused with the energy of the booze fuelled spirit of the honky-tonk and roadhouse. The opening song also reasons that that such an attitude was an inherited thing when he tells us that his Daddy Was A Badass. The humorous I’m At Home Getting’ Hammered (While She’s Out Gettin’ Nailed) is one of those oh so country songs that will always raise a smile, not unlike the Notorious Cherry Bombs It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long did. Dayton previously released a version of this song on the spoof album Banjo & Sullivan in 2005. This was a fictional band that featured in the Rob Zombie directed The Devil’s Rejects. Dayton has worked as an actor himself in subsequent films directed by Rob Zombie. Holy Ghost Rock ’N’ Roller is as you might expect a full-on piano-thumping stomper which is prefaced by a sampled diatribe about the evils of rock ’n’ roll. The Way We Are is another song that considers the life of a “this or nothing” working small-time musician looking towards “the hour on stage … playing for minimal wage … we do it for nothin’ or drinks from the bar.” Never Started Livin’ is a love song that is followed by the acoustic guitar and vocal finale Big State Motel which again deals with the life of the drifter, those who know no other way of life.

But it is his musical output that concerns us here and Jesse Dayton is the real thing and joins the ranks of those unreservedly in thrall to the throne of high octane country and rock ’n’ roll. The Revealer offers the listener some righteous unrighteous uncluttered music that will shake, rattle and country roll.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms Innocent Road West Sound

A musician based in the thriving Portland, Oregon roots music scene Caleb Klauder plays old-time and bluegrass music with Foghorn Stringband. He also has a deep seated love of traditional country music which he plays with a honky-tonk ensemble of like minded musicians. They include vocalist/guitarist Reeb Willms with whom he has released a previous album Oh, Do You Remember a set of close harmony duets written by the couple. Now some four years later they’re back with a new collection of songs that are a mix of original songs written by Klauder with a selection of covers like Buck Owens’ There Goes My Love, a George Jones co-write I’d Jump In The Mississippi as well as some more recent material like Paul Burch’s C’est Le Moment.

Again their two voices intertwine and weave the harmonic threads into something strong and colourful that blends elements of the front porch and the honky-tonk together. The musicians who accompany them are an important part of the overall picture; some have played with Klauder for some time. Ned Folkerth on drums and Jesse Emerson both also appeared on Klauder’s 2009 country album Western Country. Joining them also are Rusty Blake on pedal steel and guitar, Sam Weiss on fiddle and Jason Norris also on fiddle and harmony vocals for three tracks. Klauder is in the production chair and has delivered a bright and warm sound that is immediately captivating. The album was recorded by Mike Coykendall who along with Klauder and Blake mixed the album in Portland. The is a strong sense of music made for its own ends. There is no feeling that it is aimed at anyone in particular rather a group of musicians making music that they (and we) will enjoy for what it is. 

Klauder’s You’re the One is an a standout sounding like a song that should have come from several decades ago it is a plaintive love song. While rooted in past-times there is a hearty relevance to these songs. The themes are those that will always concern songwriters. Songs that chart the up and downs of relationships in a clear and unequivocal manner. Yet they do so in a way that’s uplifting and light on its feet. Montana Cowboy a song of yearning for home written by Jack Sutton that has Willms on lead vocal and she tells us of longing and loving. On songs like There Goes My Love (which shows clearly the blend of stringband and country influences) and Just A Little they sing together in close harmony that emphasises the idea of togetherness.  

Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms have delivered an album that is top notch in every respect (inclining the eco-friendly cover) and though they may not be a name as familiar as the likes of Wayne Hancock to many they are well deserving of reaching a wider audience with their truthful music. 

Joe Purdy Who Will Be Next? MC 

It’s always slightly alarming when you came across an artist whose music sparks interest and you check their website to find that they previously had 13 other releases without coming onto my radar. Joe Purdy is one such artist. Not being aware of the previous work this album is solidly in the protest song/aware folk singer section of the aisle. And maybe the time is just right for a singer to stand up and make his feelings known in the long tradition of Woody Guthrie and early Bob Dylan up to more recent protagonists like Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg, Dan Bern or Tim Easton. Of course, many bands have released records that include songs that rally against the many ills that prevail today. But equally there are those who don’t want to know, who want the act to “just shut up and play the hits”. Those who may like the act but not the political viewpoints expressed. Witness the CSN & Y, or Bruce Springsteen as just a couple of examples. 

But back to the music and that is pretty damn good. The album opens with New Year’s Eve and some understated organ playing before Purdy expresses his wishes for his own life, his country and then for a world deep in inequality and self-destruction. A hope for something better and free from “all war”. A wish that is likely never going to be fulfilled but one that needs to be expressed. The title song asks that simple question regarding the ever mounting toll of gun deaths. Not a sentiment that will find favour with an ever growing section of the divided, entrenched polar opinions of many Americans. So it goes on to the point where you can’t really separate Purdy’s opinions and worldview from his music. You will either be agreeing with his stance or you will want to listen to someone who has no obvious opinions or who holds the same viewpoint as yourself. There is a subtle accompaniment to the music which features an understated rhythm section, some B3 organ, pedal steel guitar and fiddle (from Scarlet Rivera). The latter in fact reinforces some of the abundant Dylanesque music references throughout.

In the end though it is Purdy’s lyrics, voice and worldview that are central to the album. Purdy with an acoustic guitar is likely to be as compelling live as he is here on record. There’s no doubt that voices are need to counter balance the corporate propaganda and fear that is prevalent today. Purdy is one of those voices and his songs are heartfelt and necessary - as well as working in a purely musical context too.

Sean McConnell Self-Titled Rounder

A Nashville based songwriter with a neat turn in melodic and emotionally sustained songs. This is his debut release for Rounder after a series of self-released recordings. McConnell grew up wanted to be a songwriter and toured around the States performing and honing his craft which has resulted in this album. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Ian Fitchuk and Lason Lehning it has a big, sculpted sound that falls somewhere between the mainstream and something more suitable for the fringes. These are songs that were started in isolation and were developed to where they are now. As their is noe specific title other than the artist’s names these songs take on something of an autobiographical  honesty. Queen Of Saint Mary’s Choir being a case in point.

With a tight studio band behind him that included both Fitchuk and Lehning as well as guitarist and banjo player Danny Radar and bassist Tony Lucido they have together delivered a set of songs that should have a wide appeal. McConnell has previously had success with his songs being recorded by the diverse likes of country singers Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Wade Bowen, pop singer Christina Aguilera and rock singer Meat Loaf. All going to show that McConnell’s songs are broad enough in category to fit any genre.

There is a smoothness to the songs and singing that has none of the outlaw grit that some may seek. Rather there is an immediacy and likability that rewards returning to the songs. That is not to say that there aren’t some more complex ideas to hand like the religious current that runs through Running Under Water. In One Acre Of Land he tells of this piece of property as against the travels of a musician. A ballad that has an honesty and sense of hope that is the central tenet of McConnell’s music. McConnell is a songwriter, that is who he is and who he wants to be; whether writing for other or for himself he does the best he can to make what he does have some sense of belief. Others can share that belief too on this fine album.

John Prine For Better, Or Worse Oh Boy

No real surprises here then. As the follow up to the acclaimed 1999 release In Spite Of Ourselves this is another instalment of John Prine singing with a variety of female duet partners in the style of the classic country duets albums of the past (and present). Some wish for an album of new self-penned Prine songs - something that may be in the pipeline (as a teaser the final song Just Waitin’ is sung by Prine solo) is but for now this is a pleasure to hear. John Prine, even in his prime, would never be consider a vocalist’s vocalist. Not that that matters I’d rather hear Prine’s expressive voice really get to the heart of a song over a faultless but emotionless delivery any time. 

Producers Jim Rooney and Prine have given the album an understated setting and a warmth that serves the songs well and players such as Al Perkins, David Jacques, Lloyd Green, Shad Cobb, Ken Blevins and Susan Tedeschi all bring their individual and group skills together to make the backings work in such an unobtrusive but oh-so-right way. It is however the selection of vocalists that Prine duets with that make it an interesting collection. They are, big breath, Iris Dement, Lee Ann Womack, Alison Krauss, Holly Williams, Kathy Mattea, Morgane Stapleton, Amanda Shires, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Susan Tedeschi and Fiona Prine.

Now everyone will pick their own favourite female voice and how well it works with Prine on their chosen song (or songs). Songs that are lessons in classic country storytelling from the pen of such writes as Allen Reynolds, Hank Williams Snr, Buck Owens, Joe and Rose Lee Maphis, Sammy Lerner, George Jones, Vince Gill and The Dixie Chicks. in some cases such as Mental Cruelty the male/female perspective adds a new  dimension to a song normally sung from the male viewpoint. All the component parts of the album come together to make a thoroughly enjoyable collection. Definitely for the better.

Cody Jinks I’m Not The Devil Thirty Tigers

Another contender for outlaw of the year. Cody Jerks is a country artist who arrived there via a time spent playing heavy metal but who grew up listening to the country music his father loved and so he has returned to that. His songs, voice and approach are undoubtedly much closer to Texas than they are to Nashville. These are songs that speak of hard times, hard work and hardened attitudes and hard country. It is an album shot through with conviction and trying to convince that he is neither the devil or a saint. The majority of the songs are self-written odes to a chosen lifestyle, there are three co-writes and two covers. Both Sonny Throckmorton’s The Way I Am, the Billy Don Burns song Church At Gaylor Creek fit the overall patina of the album. 

Recorded at the Sonic Ranch in Texas it was produced by Joshua Thompson with a set of players who understand the songs and how they should sound. However, it is Jinks voice that is the centrepiece of these largely mid-tempo songs. it has the kind of depth that is important to give the album a feel that is right and ragged. The thirteen songs are chosen to give an idea of who and why Cody Jinks is who is at this time. Like artists like JP Harris or Jamey Johnson you don’t feel he will tire of playing country music in the long term even if he chooses to explore the possibilities of his music and where he could take it. So, it’s not without possibility that one of his songs (or albums) could connect in the way that either Sturgill Simpson or Chris Stapelton has you still get the feeling he will be more in the Haggard mode by remaining in the country mode while considers it’s potential.

The fact that so much of the material here is of similar tempo and mood actually gives the overall album a setting that builds on the continuity of its themes. There are many individual songs here that are worthy of special mention from the title track to Grey, Church At Gaylor Creek, The Same or the more up-tempo Chase The Song to the Waylon-ish No Guarantees. On their own any of these songs speak of the concerns that would be real to any hardcore country fan. With enough twang and steel to satisfy I’m Not The Devil is a worthy of passage to a country music heaven’s gate.

The Mavericks All Night Live Mono Mundo

Have departed from the watchful eye of Valory/Big Machine The Mavericks are now in control of their own destiny in terms of the recorded output. The first fruit if that is this 16 track live document that concentrates on their more recent material rather than on the better know “hits” of yore. Though they may surface later as this album is subtitled Volume 1. In the end this is a recording that sounds fully live in the best sense with a band firing on all cylinders. The four main men are all superlative players and it is good to see suited and booted keyboard player Jerry Dale McFadden a fully paid up member of the band. He has had a long involvement with The Mavericks in the past as a sideman and has been a major addition to their sound for some time. There are, of course, as usual a number of other players who join the band onstage: Michael Guerra, Max Abrams are both long serving sidemen while Matt Cappy and Ed Friesland are more recent additions to the brass, accordion and percussion section of the touring band.

However, the focus is on founding member Raul Malo whose vocals are the focal point of the show. But you can’t deny the power and drive of Paul Deakin’s drumming or the sonic thrust of Eddie Perez’s lead guitar playing. But as already stated this is a unit, a band playing as one but also having fun with it. They have been called the best party band around (or in some case wedding band) this is to overlook the skill and ease with which the deliver there sets. There may not be a whole lot, in the live set, that can be said to be pushing musical boundaries. That however is not really the point they are  there to entertain and be enjoyed on their own terms. 

The majority of the songs are written by Malo either solo or with other co-writers and as such are perfectly suited to his overall musical muse. The one exception is his comparatively laid back rendition of Neil Young’s Harvest. But aside from the occasional breather this set is an ‘up and at them’  full energy set that has highlights such as the closing song Waiting For The World To End, the reggae tinged What You Do To Me and Summertime, the piano boogie of As Long As There’s Lovin’ Tonight or the thrust of I Said I Love You with some tight guitar from Perez. The Mavericks mix and blend a variety of musical influences that include latin, country and pop. They do it well as this recording is a testament to. They emerged as country act but have now moved beyond any simple genre classification to become band equally at home in the studio as on the stage. Doing it their way they live up to their name. 

The Handsome Family Unseen Loose

The spotlight was briefly turned on The Handsome Family when their song Far From Any Road was used in True Detective. How that has effected the band in the long term may be something that is open to debate. For now they are now back with their latest collection which continues to explore their unique sound. It shows the duo’s contained development as recording artists and the creative input of the husband and wife duo. From the always interesting lyrics of Rennie Sparks to Brett’s more distinctive vocal presence along with his expanding skills as a producer/engineer recording largely in his home studio.

There is a subtlety now with the arrangements that along with Brett’s multi-instrumental skills sees the inclusion of a range of guest players on mandolin, dobro, drums, guitar and pedal steel. Other than that Brett played or simulated all the other instruments. Rennie adds banjo and autoharp as well as supporting vocals. It is this division of labours that gives their recording work its distinctive and memorable sound. One that is often quite different in a live setting which has gone from the duo plus backing tape to a sometimes-full band. 

But it is the music that we are looking at here and that, for long-time fans, continues to reward. They have rarely deviated from a core sound since their inception rather they have honed and crafted it to give the listener a more textured and layers sound that comes from experience and a continuing wish to make music on their own terms. On this set of songs the immediate songs that infiltrate my consciousness are Gentlemen, Back In The Day, Underneath The Falls, The Sea Rose with it’s dueted female vocals. A song that seems charming but has a siren call to death as it’s theme. This again underlines the important input Rennie’s words are in making these songs so ‘handsome’.  

Whether this album will find itself in a wider public consciousness or not is somewhat beside the point (expect in terms of sales or audience attendance). What matters is what’s in the grooves and Unseen is a complete an album as The Handsome Family have recorded so far. It is music that loosely falls under the Americana banner but in truth is influenced and inspired by all the music Brett has heard and all the imagination for storytelling that Rennie conceives. They may remain unseen in a larger context but they should not be unheard. 

Keegan McInroe Uncouth Pilgrims Self Release

This album does not sound the way I expected from it’s cover. It is an album that from the first song seems rooted in country music’s storied past. The opening song Country Music Outlaws talks of those very fellows, whilst declaring that he is not one of those but their influence is none-the-less strong throughout. Roger Ray plays pedal steel (a role he he’d down with Jason Boland for a good few years). This instrument has a lot to do with the traditional leanings of the sound. McInroe is also joined by Ginny Mac on accordion, Derrin Kobetich on mandolin, Austin Smith on fiddle and harmonicaist Gary Grammar among a number of other guests. The latter features prominently on many of the songs. The album was produced by McInroe and engineer and mixer Ben Napier in a studio in Fort Worth. The people and place are the reason it sounds the way it does.  

Uncouth Pilgrim is McInroe’s fourth under his own name. It combines his own song with a couple of outside songs and it further lays out his blend of country, folk, rock and blues in various mixes using his full band to tell his stories. The singer has a gritty and heartfelt voice that is completely suited to the song’s delivery. Begona and Verona are both solid standout tracks of love under difficult circumstances. Again, the supporting players add just the right sense of atmosphere to the songs. Woody & Ruth is folkish tale of traveling down life’s uncharted highways and how the titular persons met. I Got Trouble has some dirty guitar riffing that emphasises the fact that the singer has indeed got that very thing with a capital T. It features effective female backing vocals and soulful organ interludes. Sonically it is more left field but it works a treat. Also, adding variety to the mix is Nikolina with a deeper more gravely vocal that is piano based and from the Wait’s school of rendering. With a distorted jazz brass arrangement that shows that McInroe can turn his hand to a number of different musical modes to best suit a song.

The album clocks in at over an hour but such is the diverse nature of the production and of the writing that there is enough variety throughout to sustain interest. On second thought given all that has gone into the album maybe the cover is exactly right. It would be uncouth to admit otherwise.

Reviews By Declan Culliton

Sarah Morris Ordinary Things Self Release

First listen to Ordinary Things brought to mind the Ohio singer Rachel Sweet, who’s blend of country infused pop was to the fore in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Not sure why she was released from my memory bank having not listened to her music for over thirty years but I did detect quite a number of similarities between her and Sarah Morris. Crystal clear voices, snappy country pop and simple but cleverly crafted songs mostly involving relationships, being the common tread between the two artists.

Following her previous two albums Grateful Moon (2011) and Lonely or Free (2012) Sarah Morris took time out from recording after the birth of her second child before returning to the studio earlier in spring 2015 to record the eleven tracks that feature on Ordinary Things. Recorded at River Rock Studios Minnesota with her band which includes Thomas Nordlund, a technically superb guitar player (whose solo album is coincidentally reviewed in this section), Andrew Foreman on bass and Zachary Schmidt on drums, percussion and keyboards, Morris also contributes acoustic guitar. Production duties were carried out by Eric Blomquist. 

The real winner on the album however is the heavenly quality of Morris’ soaring vocals that dip and soar throughout and leave a lasting impression with the listener.

No Memory is instantly catchy and hum a long, both Sway Me and Lie Here Tonight follow a similar path, delightfully mainstream and certainly radio friendly. Hope Sweet Hope fittingly closes Ordinary Things on a high note completing what is an upbeat and solid collection of songs delivered in some style.

Rachel Laven Love & Luccheses Self Release

I have Rebecca Roselly, who together with her husband Simon form the UK Roots band The Rosellys, to thank for the introduction to Rachel Laven, a 24 year old Texan singer-songwriter. Rachel guested at a show in Nashville that featured The Rosellys and certainly made a marked impression with her brief appearance.

A winner of the Texas Music Coalitions Artist of the Year while performing with her family band The Lavens she was also recently voted San Antonio’s Best Female Vocalist.

What places her ahead of many of her contemporaries, with ambitions of an industry breakthrough, is the possession of a quite luscious voice that recalls a young Carlene Carter and places Laven approaching the territory of the new breed of young gifted female songsters Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Ashley Munroe.

 Love & Luccheses features eleven songs, eight of which are written by Laven, three co-writes and one cover Something Like Heaven written by Walt Wilkins. It’s altogether a solid collection of songs ranging from ballads Each Other’s Shoes and Something Like Heaven with echoes of Patty Griffin and the beautiful title track to the ripping Do You Dare which is straight in your face 80’s Carlene Carter fun country at its finest. 

In summary the song writing and delivery on the album suggests a maturity way beyond Laven’s years and the potential for much bigger things going forward.

John Blek Cut The Light  Self Release

‘I would bleed myself dry, I would take the blows for you, I regret the day you went away, And the things I put you through’

The opening lyrics to the debut solo album from John Blek sets the scene for a collection of well-constructed songs often depicting tales of lost love, heartbreak, despair and sorrow.

The frontman of Cork roots outfit John Blek and The Rats abandons the more swashbuckling and high gloss style of his writing for the band and explores territories more familiar with recent outputs from artists such as Richard Thompson and Ryley Walker. The album as a whole leans towards a British / Irish folk sound with also a healthy nod towards more traditional Irish music in parts particularly on both Where Are You Tonight and Lightness vs Weight.

Often stripped to the bone the emphasis is always on the lyrics and the stories they reveal.  Rich in emotion and melody Ruby Blood, one of the albums strongest tracks, is achingly mournful and melancholy (Did you hear my heart, break in two, Ruby blood, Ruby blood that bled for you).

Little Sparrow certainly calls to mind Richard Thompson both in melody and style, The Northline speaks of unrequited love. The Night and the Liquor tells a tale of unrepentant, reckless over indulgence, weightless in its delivery and featuring only vocal and acoustic guitar. Recorded at Wakefield Recordings in West Cork the album was produced by John Blek and Brian Casey (who also contributes piano, Hammond organ and guitar).

Unlike Blek’s work with The Rats Cut The Light is not the album you’d choose to select to liven up the party instead it’s a consistent collection of ballads by one of the most impressive Irish songwriters to emerge in recent years.

Amanda Shires My Piece of Land BMG

Musically Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell are a marriage made in heaven and this latest offering from Shires speaks volumes of their compatibility also as partners and parents. 

Isbell has been since his early days a song writer of absolute talent whether it be his classic Drive By Truckers songs Decoration Day and Outfit or his work with his band The 100 Outfit which resulted in some equally impressive offerings such as Sunstroke and Streetlights. However memorable his early work was it has been surpassed by his output since his relationship with Shires began, her steadying influence and support instrumental in Isbell reaching a stage where he must be considered the leading singer songwriter of recent times.

In a similar vein based on My Piece of Land, the sixth album released by Shires, domestic bliss, motherhood and contentment seems to have had a positive creative influence resulting in the strongest album of her career to date.

Lubbock, Texas born Shires professional career started as a teenager as the violin player and member of Bob Wills backing band The Texas Playboys. Releasing her first album Being Brave in 2005 her fragile and sweet vocals, flawless violin skills and an ability to write heartfelt songs in the folk/country genre suggested a young lady with immense potential.

The quality of her debut album was equalled by her 2009 recording Sew Your Heart With Wires and possibly surpassed with the Carry Lighting (2011) and its successor Down Fell The Doves (2013). My Piece of Land, however, is a further step up from her previous work containing some beautiful songs both revealing, honest and personal.

Written while Shires was pregnant When You’re Gone reveals the loneliness of the house bound Shires while her husband is on tour ("I’ve learned exactly which of the floorboards groan and how the ac exhales when it kicks on"). My Love (The Storm), is one of two co-writes on the record with Isbell, the other being Pale Fire. Nursery Rhyme anticipates the birth of her first child ("My breath a prayer I’m holding in, I know you’re coming soon").

However it is the closing track You Are My Home that is the stand out song on the album. A seductive love ballad which features some glorious violin playing by Shires  and an equally impressive guitar break by Isbell, it’s a piece of music that having listened to a number of times will take some time to leave the listeners memory bank.  ("Your six one frame, my address is your name, high ceilings and walls, walls are just walls, and you are my home"). Production duties were undertaken by Dave Cobb with Isbell adding guitar and piano. Nashville session players Paul Griffith on drums and Paul Slivka on guitar also feature.

In an industry where heartbreak, failure and defeat more than often act as inspiration to song writers it’s a breath of fresh air to have a wonderful set of songs created by love, honesty and contentment. Highly recommended indeed.

Vicky Emerson Wake Me When the Wind Dies Down Self Release

Third outing from the Minneapolis resident Vicky Emerson and it’s an album that is immediately listenable from the word go. The opening track Under My Skin kicks the album off in fine style and what follows is a collection of quality songs that really work.

The sound throughout is a blend of folk, country with a splash of blues here and there. The song writing is strong, intimate, contemplative and matched by elegant playing throughout, mostly undertaken by Matt Patrick. 

The previously mentioned Under My Skin rocks along to a chunky guitar driven rhythm. Dance Me Into The Night, enhanced by some delightful fiddle playing, simply drifts along and tips its hat in the direction of Leonard Cohen. Silhouette tells a tale of lost love and opportunity, delivered with a disciplined and soaring vocal. Runaway Train does its title justice, rolling along at speed and Save All My Cryin’ (For Sunday Afternoon) is as country as it comes, with shades of Emmylou Harris and including some smart guitar and pedal steel licks. September Midnight is a beautifully paced and immaculately sounding love song, possibly the albums strongest track. 

As was the case with her previous albums Long Ride (2009) and Dust & Echoes (2012), production duties were undertaken by the aforementioned singer – songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Patrick who also co-wrote two tracks on the album.

Thomas Nordlund Divide Avenue Codesong

Stunningly atmospheric and technically superb Divide Avenue is an eight track instrumental album by Minneapolis based guitarist and composer Thomas Nordlund.

The album pays homage to the expansive landscapes of Baja, Mexico and was recorded live at The Hideaway in Minneapolis. The lead instrument is Nordlund’s electric baritone guitar and includes the input of six other musicians who contributed 6 string guitar, trumpet, flugelhorn, wurlitzer, Rhodes, piano, bass and drums.

The result is quite stunning with the open desert and burning sun imagery being evoked not by a mariachi musical expression, as might be expected,  but by an intoxicating jazzy sound which often revisits some of the  jazz rock guitarists so popular of the 70’s such as Al Di Meola and Larry Coryell.

Instrumental albums can often be difficult listens and Nordlund’s debut album is no exception. They generally suit a certain mood and require more than couple of listens to digest. Divide Avenue is no exception but on repeated listens reveals itself as a wonderful body of work which would certainly work well as a film soundtrack. 

The Sawtooth Brothers One More Flight Self Release

Eight album in from the Minnesota band consisting of two sets of brothers, Ethan & Jesse Moravec and Clint & Luke Birtzer. It’s also their first album featuring all original material and was supported, as so many albums are these days, by a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Named The Sawtooth Bluegrass Band in a former life, the band dropped the Bluegrass from their title and widened their musical horizons dipping into folk, country and a bit of pop together with their core old timey sound. The change in direction will no doubt appeal to a wider audience and avoid the band being pigeon holed into one particular genre, even if it may upset some of the purists. The end result is One More Flight which offers a rich mix of all these genres and creates a sound quite similar in style to their counterparts Old Crow Medicine Show and Chatham County Line. 

Lead vocals are shared on the eleven tracks between Jesse Moravec and Clint Birtzer, the other two members adding harmony vocals. The instrumentation, flawless throughout, consists of violin, mandolin, acoustic and electric bass, acoustic and resonator guitar.

The album kicks off in fine style with the catchy and audacious Another Cliché giving a taste for what will follow. Next up is County Road X which features some heavenly violin breaks by Luke Birtzer. Summer All The Time is delightful, a combination of vocal harmony, bubbling violin and mandolin breaks that combine perfectly. The title track, possibly the albums standout, is the perfect mix of old and modern and sums up what the brothers do best. Take Me Away is an intoxicating and fitting closing track to a very impressive and cohesive collection of songs by a band certainly worth checking out.

Adam Levy Naubinway Self Release

Before listening to this album I was somewhat intrigued by the stark and rather disturbing imagery on the cover and inner sleeve and was interested as to how the artwork related to the album. I was aware of Adam Levy as band leader and singer-songwriter with Minnesota band The Honeydogs, but was completely unaware of the motivation and the event that lead to the recording of this solo effort.

Written in the memory of his son Daniel, who having battled with mental illness for a number of years, tragically took his own life in 2012, Naubinway is understandably anything but an easy listen. The lead up, event, aftermath and topic of suicide and mental illness are dealt with openly, honestly and was no doubt part of a grieving process surrounding such a painful ordeal. Understandably Levy found it impossible to write creatively for a couple of years after the loss of his son but was eventually inspired by Daniel’s artwork, having poured through the many sketchbooks he left behind. The album’s title Naubinway is the name of a small beach at Lake Michigan and is the last place that Daniel’s mother saw her son smile.

The lyrics are often pain staking to read and one can only imagine how difficult they must have been to compose and record. Tracks such as How I Let You Down ("Daniel, all your sketchbooks are a journey, the pain revealed…..We’re still learning how to be without you. Daniel, you ventured on to the thin ice. We threw you so many lifelines. You burned them to the quick") and Pitch Black Path ("It’s long and its dark. It’s a pitch black path lit by nothing but a spark and it won’t get any better till you move on") leave nothing to the imagination. 

The title and closing track, detailing the trip to dispose of Daniel’s ashes in Lake Michigan, would challenge any listener as would the accompanying photograph of the young man beside some of his striking artwork. ("A backwards baptism in Lake Michigan. I cradled my baby on his deathbed. Sleep my beautiful son in the shallows of Naubinway"). As with the opening track Take it as it Comes it features only vocal and acoustic guitar by Levy suggesting that the message was too personal to have an input by others.

However, beyond the despair and darkness the album reveals itself as a beautifully constructed, intelligently written set of songs, quite a few which recall a mid 60’s Beatles sound, How Your Well Runs Dry, This Friend and Atoms Never Die in particular. Marigold is a lovely honeyed ballad, I Wish You Well an equally upbeat love song both of which feature some dreamy steel guitar courtesy of Joe Savage.

Levy is on the record saying that the album was not about immortalising his son, which he would not have wished for anyway. It was primarily written by way of personally dealing with the loss. 

Produced by Adam Levy and Scott Miller and recorded at both their houses and at Essential Session Studios Naubinway is a striking body of work that deals honestly and compassionately with a particularly difficult subject matter. Well worth investigating. 

Reviews by Paul McGee

Eve Williams Peregreni Self Release

Living in the town of Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland has informed and influenced the creative output of this very talented singer-songwriter. Having battled the early-life afflictions of both Rheumatoid Arthritis and Type 1 Diabetes, the desire to endure and succeed has been a driving force against the challenges placed before Eve Williams.

Recognised by the Nashville Songwriters Association International as a talent to watch and a member of the prestigious Irish Songwriters Guild, she has not let her difficulties stand in the way of achieving a Master of Music in Songwriting from Bath Spa University. Her first recording, What, Now? was released in 2008 and was followed by Twenty Miles From Home in 2012.  Now we are presented with Peregreni (a Latin word for ‘wanderers’). The nine songs included here are all beautifully performed and laced with melody and gentle mood.

Steven McKnight, one of Northern Ireland's best known guitarists, is joined by James Scott on guitar, bass; Darren Matthews on keys with Eve singing and playing keys also. Her voice is warm and strong and these songs are informed by optimistic messages of rising above the daily life constraints that we all face – titles such as Don’t Anchor Me and Eagle’s Wings suggest as much and the message of Who Needs a Knight goes straight to the belief in oneself and the ability to live independently. The past is visited in songs like Vale of Angels and Illumination speaks of the inspiration of seeing a brighter tomorrow. This is an excellent folk music and comes highly recommended.

Jeff Scroggins & Colorado Ramblin’ Feels Good Self Release

This bluegrass band from Colorado has two previous releases and feature superb playing from Jeff Scroggins on banjo with Tristan Scroggins on mandolin. This father/son combination is backed by the energetic rhythm playing of Mark Schatz on bass, Greg Blake on guitar and vocals with some fine fiddle contributions from Andy Leftwich. 

Additional vocals are provided by Don Rigsby and David Peterson to compliment the positive feeling created by the twelve tracks included here. Dismal Nitch, and Lemonade in the Shade are two self -compositions from Jeff and Tristan that sit comfortably alongside the other songs selected from a variety of musical sources, players and writers.

Carefree Highway (Gordon Lightfoot), Galveston (Jimmy Webb) and I’m A Memory (Willie Nelson) all get the bluegrass treatment to great effect and the superb picking on tracks She’s Got A Single Thing In Mind and Ramblin’ Feels Good sum up the feel-good factor and foot tapping pleasures that await the myriad listeners and adherents of this vibrant music all over the world.

Roger Roger Fairweather MFM

Lucas and Madeleine Roger are twins who grew up with a rich musical influence as the children of producer/engineer/musician Lloyd Peterson. These sibling singer/songwriters have now joined forces with their Dad on this debut release which highlights their diverse song-writing skills, their excellent guitar playing and some superb vocal harmonizing. Their songs channel a folk/roots influence and are superbly crafted with strong melodic arrangements and interesting lyrical musings on relationships (Scott Free, Think Of Me, Another Girl’s Shoes, Fairweather, You Came Around), life and being part of this cosmic whole (Mad Trapper, Dead Horse Creek, 13 Crows, O Rainy Day).

Recorded at Paintbox Recording in Winnipeg with Lloyd Peterson (The Wailin' Jennys, The Weakerthans) and mixed by John Whynot (Kathleen Edwards, Blue Rodeo, Bruce Cockburn), these nine songs are beautifully complimented by Julian Bradford on bass and cello, Damon Mitchell on drums, Scott Senior on percussion, Alex Campbell on organ and Lloyd Peterson on organ and percussion.

Madeleine also drew and designed the album artwork while Lucas built some of the guitars that were played in studio. A family affair that strikes a fine balance between the talents on display with echoes of early Joni Mitchell, the Indigo Girls and CSN, all mixed into a beautifully produced album that makes quite a statement as a debut recording. Certainly worth tracking down. 

The O’s Honeycomb Punch Five

This duo, John Pedigo and Taylor Young, started out in 2008 with the release of their first album We Are The O’s. In 2011, they recorded a second album Between The Two and an additional release, Thunderdog, arrived in 2013. This fourth offering boasts twelve tracks, produced by Chris “Frenchie” Smith and recorded at two cabins behind the River Road Ice House in New Braunfels, Texas. 

Justin Currie of Del Amitri adds his vocal talents to Woken Up and with a banjo, guitar and harmonica full frontal assault, the celebratory nature of these songs really comes alive and engages the listener. Halfway Sideways and Brand New Start channel a Mumford & Sons vibe while the more considered Reaper and Wanted both have a slower tempo that attract equally well. A solid folk /rock record that builds on a reputation that continues to grow.  

Ross Neilsen Elemental Self Release

Blues artist Ross Neilsen has lived a life of recording and touring since he first embarked on his personal quest back in 2007. With six releases to his name this passionate blues guitar player has delivered eleven tracks that are dripping in atmosphere and attitude. From the slow groove and tom tom beat of the title track to the big guitar sound of Woman’s Name, Neilsen is on a mission to win over as many new converts as possible. The atmosphere continues on tracks like The Race and Black Coffee. The Arrow is an excellent jazzy workout with some outstanding guitar work.

Produced by Steve Marriner who also plays a variety of guitars plus keys, drums and vibraphone on selected tracks and augmented by Jim Bowskill, guitars, mandolin, violin and pedal steel, Darcy Yeats on bass, Matt Sobb on drums, Ed Lister on trumpet, Brian Asselin on sax and other guests.

Ash Fault is a fine track steeped in acoustic blues with some atmospheric and dynamic violin playing. Nobody Gets Lonely is a folk based song that skips along while Ballad in Low E is a country-tinged, warm blues workout. The final track, Step Into The Light, has a Band feel to it and brings matters to a very satisfactory conclusion. Recommended. 

Jesse Aycock Flowers & Wounds Horton Records

Jesse Aycock is a singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma that has two previous recordings, Life’s Ladder in 2006 and Inside Out of Blue in 2010. He sings with a high pitch which takes a little getting used to but when you have enlisted the calibre of highly respected Neal Casal, (guitarist for Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) on guitar, Tulsa legend Jimmy Karstein on percussion, and Al Gamble on B3, then you know that this man has talent. 

Add in George Sluppick (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, JJ Grey & Mofro) on drums, as well as Eric Arndt on bass and the sweet song arrangements win you over with a warmth in the melodies and easy rhythm. These songs are rooted in a country rock sound and cover a range of topics such as lack of self-belief, (Where’s The Light), standing still in a small town (Out To Space), taking opportunity (Heavy Day), self-preservation (When The Day Crawls Out of the Night), broken ties and moving on (Leave Again) and the title track which deals with relationship changes. 

Recorded at the legendary Church Studio in Tulsa and produced by Jason Weinheimer and Neal Casal. This is a very pleasant listen.  

Victoria Klewin & the True Tones Dance Me To Heaven Self Release

Victoria Klewin is a professional vocalist and songwriter based in Bristol, UK. She has been involved in a number of different projects and session work over the years and her present focus is the release of this debut recording with the True Tones.

Her song-writing and vocal skills are very impressive and the eleven tracks featured are all written by Victoria and arranged by her and the band. Featuring Sophie Stockham on sax, Paul Field on harmonica, trumpet and flugelhorn, Sam Mills on keyboards, Paul Crawford on guitar, Mark James on bass and Tom Bradley on drums. This 7-piece band really make the songs come to life with plenty of superb playing that spans smoky jazz, big band groove, laid-back blues and some funky soul sounds. The interplay between the musicians is very enjoyable as the song arrangements leave room for some sweet spontaneity in the solo parts and band runs.

The songs cover the usual heart-torn topics of bad lovers (Can’t Help Myself), return of an ex-lover (Got A Question), playing the field (Why Should I) and the possibility of sweet seduction (Taking Me Down, Dance Me To Heaven, Roving Eye). The vocals are confident and colourful while the production by Klewin, Ben Capp & Sam Mills is both bright and compelling. Recommended.

Libby Koch Just Move On Berkalin 

Eleven songs that deal with relationships in all their ragged glory from Houston born Libby Koch. She qualified as a lawyer before turning to music as her preferred career choice, so she is well armed to swim in the shark-infested waters of the Nashville music industry. 

Her debut EP appeared in 2008 and two full albums, Redemption and The Shadow of This Town followed in 2009 and 2010 respectively. Tennessee Colony followed in 2014 and this marks her latest collection.Which is traditional country and Koch sings with a voice that will bring to mind Loretta Lynn or Reba McEntire. Not that she is trying to be anything but herself, as she sings from the heart about break-ups in a trio of songs that open up the record; Just Move On, You Don’t Live Here Anymore and Out Of My Misery.

Produced and engineered by Nashville legend Bil VornDick and featuring a 7-piece studio band who play with great understated rhythm, there are also 4 harmony vocalists who assist in filling out the sweet melodies, as Libby sings and plays a variety of guitars.

Don’t Know How deals with the life of a lonely soul while Chance On Me is the same person looking for a new relationship. Tell Me No Lies and I’ve Been Blind speak of the search for honesty and in recognising what was there all along. Back to Houston is a leaving song that says goodbye to an old life while the closing track Wish You Were Here is a drunken lament for an old lover. A very fine country artist who deserves your attention.

Erin Rae & the Meanwhiles Soon Enough Clubhouse

What an impressive full-length debut. This gifted musician hails from Tennessee and announces herself with a sweetly seductive voice and a song-writing ability that is a joy to experience. Erin co-produced the 13 songs here with Michael Rinne, Rodney Crowell's touring bassist, and the studio band sound just perfectly in tune with the gentle arrangements and melody of each track.

She had her first release in 2010 with a 5-track EP titled Crazy Talk and on this superb follow-up, Erin Rae sings of regret (Mistakes Made), advice for the impatience of youth (Soon Enough), appreciation of life’s perspective (Minolta), longing and memory (Monticello), a plea for meaningful communication (Panic), memories of family/mother (Pretty Thing) and real understanding (Light parts 1 & 2).

Rose Colour speaks of a debt owed to an old friend/lover while Owe You One deals with an argument and a need to find closure. Futile Attempts is a song about mental illness and a wish for a positive mental attitude. Sleep Away is a touching song for a sick Father and a quiet prayer for release.

On her website, she offers private singing lessons and speaks of becoming comfortable with your own natural voice. I can only imagine that any class with Erin Rae would lead to an improvement in the technique and way to approach mindful singing. Erin Rae sounds wise beyond her years and stands front and centre on this beautifully realised project. One of the highlights of the year and a must buy. 

Sue Sergel Beneath the Willow Tree Self Release

Born in Liverpool, this lady grew up in Spain before going to live in Sweden and achieving some fame on the Swedish blues scene. She had taken a break from the music industry to study and become a teacher but never really turned her back on music. Her last release was "Move Into The Light" in 2008 and this return to the studio is welcome news and proves that Sue Sergel was meant to sing the Blues.

Her voice is confident and has a quality and tone that suits the 12 songs that are included here. Sue is joined by Jimmy Olsson on upright bass and Erik Ivarsson on guitar and each plays with dexterity, subtlety and feeling. Sue plays acoustic guitar as a strong rhythm accompaniment to the songs and this allows Erik Ivarsson to stretch out with some impressive licks and solo runs across the recording.

The production duties were handled by Sue, in tandem with Stefan Svensson, and there is an open sound quality which gives the musicians plenty of space within the tunes. The tracks are all acoustic based, with no drums to ramp up the beat, but the dynamic playing of the musicians more than carry the project forward with real swagger.

Move Into the Light is one of the strongest songs with Ivarsson sounding like an early Mark Knopfler with his sweet guitar tone. Making Out and After the Apocalypse are very atmospheric and The Man, Breaking Even, Diamonds in the Rain and A Man Like That all really show off the great riffing of Ivarsson who swoops in and around the melody with great fret work. Well worth investigation.

Red Tail Ring Fall Away Blues Self Release

 Michael Beauchamp and Laurel Premo are the creative power that is Red Tail Ring and their gentle acoustic sound brings the listener into the world of old time roots music with guitar, fiddle, and open-back/gourd banjos releasing their timeless sound into the ether.

The record includes original songs, traditional interpretations and some fine sampling of old tunes with new lyrical additions. The harmony singing is really excellent and the production is as clear as if the musicians were seated in your living room. 

There is a Bible belt feel and the hushed, reflective and unhurried playing spins an atmosphere that just invites further investigation. With a number of prior releases, including some collaborations, Red Tail Ring bring a self-assured honesty to reviving tunes such as Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies; I’d Rather Be the Devil (Skip James); Yarrow and Gibson Town (Muddy Waters). 

Camp Meeting on the 4th July/May Day is a traditional tune that is given a very modern spin by Premo who also includes a song called Shale Town, written in protest of hydraulic fracturing practices. This duo is certainly rooted to the land in their sensitivities and the sweet singing on A Ghost Whispers is in direct contrast with the song sentiment. The title track speaks of defeating the blues while The New Homeplace tells of hard times and the hope of better days ahead. Please do yourself a favour and check this out. My favourite folk/roots release this year.

Session Americana with Jefferson Hamer Great Shakes Self-Release

Session Americana is a collective of musicians that reside in the Boston area and have been playing together in various combinations since 2003. This release is their seventh since their debut in 2005 and comprises Billy Beard (drums), Ry Cavanaugh (guitar), Kimon Kirk (bass), Jim Fitting (harmonica), Dinty Child (multi-instrumentalist) and Jefferson Hamer (guitar). 

Jefferson Harmer has worked with Anais Mitchell and is a gifted guitarist who co-produced the ten songs included here with the band. The feel is very much in the Folk tradition with excellent playing throughout. There is a quirky quality to some of the writing which adds an understated charm, particularly Big Mill in Bogalusa and What Are Those Things (With Big Black Wings).

This feels like timeless music with every player adding to the colour of the song arrangements and assisting with the co-writes. Tired Blue Shirt has a sense of Leonard Cohen running through the melody while Great Western Rail conjures up images of days past and the development of the rail system throughout the States.

The harmonica playing of Jim Fitting is very atmospheric and evocative while the simple rhythm and acoustic strum of One Skinner, One Good Rain and Barefoot Sailors are very fine examples of what is best in the American music tradition. A nice balance to the production and the playing and a collection of songs that impress.  

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

 

Elouise Deep Water Self Release

Although this is under singer Elouise Walker’s name, it is a group effort with the other four featured on the album cover who play a major part in making the music. Deep Water was produced by Walker and John Chamberlin and the production technique was to keep it as raw and field recording-like as possible. Most of the songs are original, but fit neatly with those from other sources such as the opening I’ll Fly Away (written by Albert E. Brumley) and a sombre version of Amazing Grace which has new music by band member Richard Dembowski. Takes on Silent Night and Link Wray’s Fire and Brimstone follow a similar route, a path that can be imagined as wandering through creaking twisted trees, abandoned graveyards, dark moonlight shadows and perhaps even a crossroads at midnight.

Walker and Dembowski, along with John Chamberlin, Michelle Beauchense and Willam Bongiovanni share the majority of the composing credits in different combinations. All, however, understand this pre-electric vision and no matter which is the composer, they have a similar feeling for the patina of times gone by. Walker’s vocals are delivered as if through a cracked radio speaker or carnival style megaphone. This is not music designed to cheer the soul or get you in the party mood. Once in the musical deep water it is easy to surrender to the atmosphere and sink down into a world of death, murder and decay which is actually grist to the mill for a music rooted in bygone times where morbidity and murder ballads were common. Both Walker and the band are gifted exponents of this musical eeriness and use all the instruments at their disposal to bring these songs and recitations to life. Trombone, cello, tuba, banjo, harmonium, lap steel, double bass and percussion all feature, giving a distinctive texture to the music, as do the occasional lead vocals from Dubowski.

It is music that might scare some away, but will equally attract those drawn to its rich, heart of darkness. There are, naturally, 13 tracks which may appeal to those who enjoyed the song and ballads recorded at the dawn of technology as well as those who have been drawn to the music of the likes of 16 Horsepower and Th’ Legendary ShackShakers in their non-electric moments. Although the album is credited to Elouise in fairness it would seem to be more of an Alice Cooper set-up with all participants contributing to a fairly unique take on a potent musical soundscape, one self-described as “blackgrass”.

Adam Lee Sincerely, Me Self Release

Sincerely is the first solo album from Adam Lee, whose previous album with his band The Dead Horse Sound Company, When the Spirits Move Me, was a more honky-tonk affair. This time Lee has broadened his outlook and tonal palate and has devoted this album in to a side one and side two. However, there is nothing immediately obvious that divides the two sides in terms of content. The last album dealt with themes of country music, while this album, while still touching on those themes, takes a broader viewpoint and looks deeper inside with songs like the title track and Good Days - wherein the man in question faces his drinking demons and hopes to look towards a better future.  

Lee has taken a long hard look at life and delivered some honest song-writing that recognises the less savoury and affirming sides of life, but also sees that things could always get better which gives the album a positive outlook. When She Danced views the submerged spirit of a dancer working in a dive bar who transcends the negativity and necessity that are fundamental to that situation. He does this with just a bruised voice and solo piano backing. Misery has a muted guitar-twanged tone that is perfectly in tune with a man facing his inner torments.

Elsewhere Lee blends rock, blues and blue collar sentiments with a little country to create a set of self-written songs that are a précis of where life is for him right now. He has done this with a set of players that he and co-poducer Johnny Kenepaske have assembled for the album. They include Dane Talley on electric guitar, Hanna Rae Mathey on violin, Tim Rose on bass and Paul Andrews on drums. Lee’s contributes various instruments with additional vocal input from Keepsake among others. One track, Hold On adds trombone and trumpet with some hard-nosed guitar. There is a swing to What I Need and again Lee shows versatility in his vocal delivery that pegs him as an assured singer throughout. Patrick is a song with a strong Irish-American theme, both in lyrical content and musical setting. It is about the loss of a brother and the reaction to that by a mother who then calls the surviving brother by the name of the lost sibling.

Lee resides in Chicago. He was a cast member of the stage production Million Dollar Quartet and will tour in support of Sincerely, Me. He shows here that he can produce songs in a range of styles that make this an interesting and entertaining collection highlighting a writer, singer and musician who is developing his muse in a number of different ways. This is a promising and revealing album.

Jack Ingram Midnight Motel Rounder 

Looking at my music collection recently an acquaintance asked “Why would you need more than one album from any particular artist in your collection?”.The answer would depend if you’re a fan of Revolver or Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Music evolves and even if an artist stays largely within specific parameters there are nuances and new found strengths to be discovered in their music. Not necessarily true of all artists - some simply get less interesting with each release - but in the main there is good reason to continue listening. Jack Ingram is one case in point; after 12 albums (the first released in 1995 and the most recent in 2009) I looked forward to listening to his new album. It encompasses all the aspects of his music from the storyteller, the humourist, the roots rocker to more seriously-minded artist.

It also takes a certain self-assurance to make your title song and album opener a song written by another songwriter, Blu Sanders who wrote Midnight Motel , which  also closes the album in an acoustic version. Between those bookends are eleven other songs. Nine are either Ingram co-writes or solo written songs, one is by Will Kimbrough (Champion Of The World) while the remainder The Story Of Blaine is an amusing anecdote prefacing the song Blaine’s Ferris Wheel. It is a taste of how an Ingram live show might go. There are also some snatches of ambient dialogue included at the start of a couple of the tracks.

The album sounds right and part of that is down to producer Jon Randall and a team of top notch players like Charlie Sexton on guitar, keyboard player Bukka Allen, drummer Chad Cromwell and contributions from Randall and on background vocals Bruce Robison. But Ingram has a seasoned vocal delivery that is expressive and never leaves you feeling that the process was without a spontaneous element. It’s Always Gonna Rain is song co-written with Lori McKenna and accepts that life has always got hope no matter how it might seem at times.

Two of the songs talk about letting go and relaxing with I Feel like Drinking Tonight and I’m Drinking through It, where the multi-voice closing chorus changes the I’m to We’re. The former is prefaced with a dedication to fellow songwriters Hayes Carll, Todd Snider and Chris Wall amongst others, writers with whom he has doubtless shared a brew or two. The other songs display a deceptive simplicity that serves them well.

This album is classic Ingram and will also appeal to anyone who has a taste for Texas storytelling and songwriter. It may an old motel but it is one that you can feel comfortable in and one that can be returned to whenever you’re passing. After 7 years it is good to have Jack Ingram back on a label that means that many will get the chance to hear this very fine album.

Michael Ubaldini Starshaker Self Release

The man dubbed ‘the rock ’n’ roll poet’ by both fans and critics focuses here on the rock part of his moniker. He has written and produced this album which is an energetic run through 14 songs of rock, roots, blues and a little country (Tombstone Woman - with Gary Brandin on pedal steel).  It’s not all hell for leather though, with the occasional introspective song such as Ballad Of Brian Jones, a slice of country blues in tribute to the Rolling Stones’ founder’s roots. Otherwise Ubaldini and the band let loose, play the blues and have fun. 

Mrs. Johnson, Simpson & Tucker is a cautionary tale of a man who does want his late night visitors to lead to his outline in chalk on the floor. Late night liaisons forms the theme of House Of Red Lights too. Whole Lotta Nothin’ Blues has a distorted vocal, some harmonica and soulful keys and slippin’ and slidin’ guitar. The Rooster Moans at Midnight, Once Over Twice and Ballad Of An Innocent Man are catchy blue-collar, foot tappin’ rock songs while 9 Ball Shuffle calms things down with a funky 12 bar. Ubaldini knows how to pen a song and place it in a musical context. That’s as true here as in has been on his previous albums. And while this album is a little outside the parameters of Lonesome Highway’s regular route, it has a broad enough musical base to appeal to those who regularly read our reviews.

Ubaldini has built up a steady following for his albums and writing and those acquainted with him will find much to enjoy. It is not going to cause anyone to rethink their musical opinions, but in the context of good time (or should that be bad times too) rock ’n’ blues Starshaker will get you to where you need to go. One listen to the closing song One Good Woman Blues underlines that.

The Goat Roper Rodeo Band Cosmic Country Blue Aveline 

A UK acoustic country blues trio based in the North West, the Goat Ropers have recorded this new album with Romeo Stodart (The Magic Numbers) as producer and have achieved a fuller, more rounded sound this time out. The band are Thomas Davis on vocals and double bass, Jim Davis on vocals and lead guitar and Sam Roberts on vocals and rhythm guitar. Here they are joined by some guests (including fellow Magic Numbers members Angie Gannon and Michelle Stodart) to realise these new, self-written songs that build on the vocals harmonies of the trio and their essentially acoustic approach.

The album opener I Got Room has a strongly nasal lead vocal that some may not like but it is one that fits neatly into the vocal mix on the other tracks. The songs are a mix of tempos from adrenalised stompers like Mean Man, Stick It On Red and Catch Me If You Can through a more blues orientated Blossom Blues to the softer harmonies of ballads Old Joanna, My Sweet Woman and the restrained piano and guitar of the closing Hey Chuck. There are 12 slices of the cosmic country that they righteously proclaim throughout. This is a sound influenced by many diverse American acts, but one they are developing to their own ends. This has led to their at times quirky and occasionally sad songs finding favour with the likes of Bob Harris and International Submarine Band member Ian Dunlop. 

The Goat Roper Rodeo Band look and sound like a band who would have fitted neatly alongside a similarly-orientated outfit like Quiver back in the 60s. They offer hints of the cosmic side of their sound which aren’t as prominent as they might become in the future but, for now, they are establishing themselves alongside other promising UK bands playing original roots music with a refreshing approach and independent attitude. 

Martha Fields Southern White Lies Self Release

For this album Fields has taken a more bluegrass/acoustic route compared to the electric sound of her previous album Long Way From Home. Dobro, fiddle and mandolin are prominent in the sound, all underpinned by double bass and drums. This is a sound that Fields has explored with the band Mountain High previously. This album is under her name however rather than that of Texas Martha, another name she uses. Some of the players here also play with her electric band and are versed in both styles, though in truth the songs could easily adapt to either (or other) formats easily. 

The songs are a mix of original songs from Fields and some traditional songs like Lonesome Road Blues and What Are They Doing In Heaven? She has also included Jimmie Rogers’ California Blues, Janis Joplin’s What Good Can Drinkin’ Do? and Mickey Newbury’s Tell Me Baby among the album’s 12 tracks. Front and centre though is Fields’ commanding voice which leads each song with conviction on tales of lies, hard drinking, hard times, lonesome roads and dead ends. American Hologram talks of a poor underclass being shut out of the American Dream to always find themselves on the margins with little to give them hope and so they have to resort to making the best of what little they have. 

Martha Fields, on this album, explores another aspect of her musical and familial heritage. She does it with the forcefulness that makes sense of her own story and of those who came before her. This is an album that Fields fans will doubtless want to explore. 

Massy Ferguson Run It Right Into The Wall At The Helm

This album features some unashamed rockin’ -  with some country rock thrown in for good measure.  It is what was once dubbed cow-punk, although this time there is less twang and more of a hard nosed attitude. What is good about these songs is that that have an honesty that rings true. They are not unique or that different to some other acts that have been mentioned in passing, such as Son Volt or The Backsliders, with reference to their music. Massey Ferguson (the name of a sturdy American farm tractor) are a solid and believable band who are committed to their music, and that counts in an era when so much of what is heard refers to another musical era anyway. 

Massy Ferguson are Ethan Anderson, Adam Monda, Dave Goedde and Tony Mann; the line-up is guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. They describe themselves as American rock which is a good a description of what they do. I’m assuming that singer Anderson is the primary writer as there are no credits on this promo CD. The album was produced by Johnny Sangster and recorded at Soundhouse Studios in Seattle. There are influences of that city’s grunge heritage in the music. However the things that count are how these songs sound and if they bear repeated playing. They do on both counts and Run It Right into the Wall has enough energy and melody to make the listening experience one that the more rockin’-oriented amongst you will want to return to it’s blue collar heart.

Tim Easton American Fork At The Helm

Tim Easton is another accomplished and lauded songwriter who has some twenty years as a performer and writer under his belt as well as four albums on the New West label. He’s back and he still delivering the goods. This album is produced by Patrick Damphier and goes for a full sound. Damphier employs some fine musicians like steelie Russ Pahl, Michael Rinne on bass, Jon Radford on drums and multi-instrumentalist Robbie Crowell 

There are a number of avenues explored in what is a broad palette of well-arranged and melodically structured songs. In the song Elmore James Easton lauds the bluesman in a swampy harmonica-laced groove. Gatekeeper shows off his guitar skills and is another dirty slide guitar-fueled reference to the oil that makes the entertainment industry world turn. He takes a smoother path with Burning Star, a literate song that features piano and steel which give it a dreaminess and longing. There is a darker and grittier, but equally feisty and fun sounding, take for Alaskan Bars (Part 1) which has a growled backing vocal that adds a sense of disquiet to the proceedings. Now Vs Now is an appeal to not get stuck in a state of apathy but rather to take control in whatever way possible. The album opens with Right before Your Own Eyes, a rhythmically realised song with touches of saxophone to bolster the chorus. The eight track (mini) album closes with On My Way, a soft touching song to his young daughter to let her know that he is always thinking of her, even those his chosen path takes him away.

Tim Easton writes songs that are those of one who continues to hone his craft and develop his sound. Here it is a well realised and considered exploration of his previous work as well as pastures new. American Fork is a twist on the folk music of America he grew up with and everything he has distilled since then into his own interpretation of the world he sees on his travels. He is past the gatekeeper and looking to his own future and muse now.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Two Steps South There They’re There Self Release

Without ever intending to reinvent the wheel Lurgan Co.Armagh band Two Steps South debut album is a collection of country-tinged pop songs, simple, well written and very listenable. The three-piece band is made up of Mark Haddock, Gerard Magee and Tony O’Hara, musicians that have featured in various local bands over the years and who joined forces to combine their collective song writing skills. Additional musicians used on the album include Lawrence Hill whose pedal steel guitar playing is particularly impressive.

Stand out track on the album is The Jayhawks sounding Getting’ Over You but they are also more than capable of writing decent pop ballads such as Rainmaker and Friends and Lovers. You Ain’t Here No More also impresses as does the poppy Down By The Railway Tracks. 

The album was recorded at TSS Studio in Lurgan with production duties with the album cover design by the band members.

Sam Wickens Send Me dootdoot Music

My first exposure to Sam Wickens was earlier this year when he performed at The Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival in a singer-songwriter circle in the company of Nashville legend Jim Lauderdale and Sonia Leigh, singer-songwriter and actress in American TV drama Nashville. Totally undaunted by his illustrious company the 20 year old Bangor artist performed three self-written songs with the confidence of a veteran and with quality to match. His song Oh Mother made a particular impression on both of his co-singers leading to Lauderdale simply commenting ”young man you need to get to Nashville and soon”. Wickens has subsequently visited Tennessee where he performed at the Bluebird Café in Nashville and also at The Factory in Franklin as part of the live broadcast Music City Roots which has an audience of over 60 million across the United States.

Send Me is the debut six track mini album by Wickens featuring four studio recordings and two live tracks. Guitar, synths and drums are performed by Wickens with contributions by James Reid (lead guitar), Andrew Whittaker (bass guitar) and Mark Johnston (piano).

It would be over simplistic to make comparisons with the music of Jeff Buckley, Bon Ivor and John Martyn, the most obvious connection being that similar to these artist Wickens possess quite a unique style. 

The focus throughout the album is on his wonderful vocal, always to the fore, soaring, melodic, atmospheric and emotional. Wickens has wisely allowed his vocal to dominate to the extent that the listener is immediately drawn to the lyrics. That’s not to understate the quality of the song writing, which appears to carry personal messages and a maturity beyond his years.   

Hold The Time drifts along accompanied only by keyboards giving the song a delightful lightness of touch throughout. The title track Send Me is dreamy, hypnotic with a vocal delivery that brings to mind Jack Lukeman at his best.

Oh Mother, which made such an impression of Jim Lauderdale and Sonia Leigh, is one of the two live recordings included and both the range and discipline of the vocal understandably brings Jeff Buckley to mind.

Given that futuristic folk/roots music seems to be in vogue at the moment, Wickens has without doubt the talent to make a name for himself. If he can continue to write such compassionate yet forceful material and with astute management and the right breaks the world could be this young man’s oyster. It worked for Hozier, so why not.

West My Friend Quiet Hum Self Release

A particularly vibrant and experimental folk scene currently exists in Vancouver, Canada and Quiet Hum by West My Friend confirms this beyond doubt. This is the third release from the quartet and continues on a similar vein to their 2012 album Place and When The Ink Dries recorded in 2014. 

West My Friend are made up of classically trained musicians Eden Oliver (vocals, guitar), Alex Rempel (vocals, mandolin), Jeff Poynter (vocals, accordion) and Nick Mintenko (vocals, bass). Their sound is quite distinctive, a wonderful combination of folk, country, bluegrass, chamber music and even a dash of cabaret thrown in for good measure. The result is a body of work that has an instant appeal from the opening track No Good Monster to the closer How Could I Not Sing.

Eden Oliver’s takes front of house vocally on ten of the thirteen tracks displaying a range that dips and soars beautifully throughout the album. The addition of four part harmonies and flawless playing combine to result in a collection of impressive songs.

No Good Monster opens the album tentatively, suggesting writers block with the line “I don’t want to write a today” but any uncertainty is dismissed by the third track Spruce Top with Oliver declaring, in a more upbeat mood, “There is something to be said for a voice and a song and a chord”. Gradient Graceful is beautifully bittersweet and stripped back featuring only vocal, bass and piano. The album was recorded at Fiddlehead Studios, Maine Island and produced by David Travers-Smith (Jason Romero, The Wailin’ Jennys, Pharis).

In summary, a most impressive modern indie folk sound that incorporates bits of The Decemberists, Frontier Ruckus, Bright Eyes and possibly Joanna Newsom. Probably best listened to on headphones to fully appreciate the wonderful harmonies and musicianship throughout.

Well worth visiting indeed.

Chris Murphy Red Mountain Blues Self Release 

Born in New York of Irish/Italian descent, violinist Chris Murphy cites his introduction to music as being exposed to the eclectic sounds of his neighbours traditional music while growing up, together with a mix of less traditional icons including Lou Reed, Peter Thompson, Bob Dylan and particularly David Lindley, whose fiddle work was instrumental in Murphy’s interest in the violin.

Currently living in Los Angeles, Murphy’s career is divided between teaching violin, guitar and mandolin, writing music and live performances. Together with his prolific personal music output the artists that Murphy has worked or collaborated with include Nels Cline, John Doe, Tim O’Brien, Victoria Williams, Joachim Cooder to name but a few.

Indeed, the musicians listed on Red Mountain Blues is in itself a who’s/who of some of the most respected artists in the bluegrass genre and such as Tim O’Brien (mandolin & vocals), Herb Peterson (banjo & vocals), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel & dobro), DJ Bonebrake (drums) and Ted Russell Kemp (bass). Recorded at Hayloft Studios, Los Angeles and Blacktree Studios, Santa Monica the fourteen track album was produced by Chris Murphy and Joshua ‘’Cartier’’ Cutsinger. 

Kicking off with the fiddle driven instrumental title track and followed by the driving Dirt Time the album packs a hefty punch from start to finish. Walt Whitman is a wonderful instrumental waltz, Kitchen Girl is perfectly paced with Tim O’Brien taking the lead vocal, Buckwheat Pancakes is a banjo driven back porch delight and Johnson County conjures up imagery of centuries past, civil war and brothers fighting brothers.

Chris Murphy is more than merely a revivalist and has the talent and ambition to produce, compose and collaborate.  He succeeds on all fronts hands down with this album. If you’re only intending buying a few bluegrass album this year, this should be one of them.

Dana Immanuel & The Stolen Band Come With Me Self Release

Dana Immanuel & The Stolen Band are an all-female London five piece bluegrass/Americana outfit. Citing influences from Alice Cooper to Hank Williams Come With Me is high octane, in your face and hugely enjoyable. Recorded live(ish) in three days at Retreat Studios the band features Immanuel on vocals, banjo and guitar ably assisted by Feadora Morris, Blanche Ellis, Maya Mc Court and Hjordis Moon Badford on a variety of instruments including cello, washboard, thimbles, cajon and foot tambourines.

The ten track album is anything but back porch bluegrass with nods towards Louisiana and New Orleans, delightfully mixing bluegrass, zydeco and old time jazz.

With song titles such as Nashville, Going to the Bottle, Rock Bottom, Devil’s Money and Motherfucking Whore it’s no surprise that the album is fun, uncouth, uncivil, knees up, toe tapping, feet stomping stuff, always powered by an excellent band.

Nashville offers a quite traditional roots by comparison to much of the material on the album with delightful harmonies, the title track is banjo driven bluegrass and the album closes with a rousing take on Viva Las Vegas, the Elvis favourite written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.

Dana and her band have performed at a number of high profile festivals this year including Glastonbury and the Maverick Music Festival. The album begs to be heard live, all the better late at night in a packed venue with the drink flowing!

Greenshine The Girl In The Lavender Dress Tiger Dog Records

Greenshine comprises of husband and wife team Noel Shine and Mary Greene together with their daughter Ellie. Noel and Mary have both featured as session players on a host of albums over the years from Christy Moore to The Clancy Brothers and The Republic of Loose to Dr. Strangely Strange. No strangers themselves to the studio, Mary Greene has recorded a solo album Sea of Hearts and Noel Shine and her have previously recorded two albums as a duo together with their self-titled debut album as Greenshine.  Given their eclectic musical experiences to date it is not surprising that their debut album The Girl in the Lavender Dress is a journey across quite wide range of musical genres embracing folk (Pastures Of Plenty) , country( Lonesome Whipoorwill), traditional (Sammy’s Bar) and even a hint of reggae (Sweet As Honey Heart).

Readers may be familiar with the title track from the album which has received considerable airplay on national radio recently and had the distinction of reaching No.1 on the ITunes Ireland Singer-Songwriter charts. It’s a stunning song, dreamlike, buoyant and weightless and is most certainly the strongest track on the album. 

The eleven songs featured include six originals written by Mary Greene together with cover versions of Bob Dylan (You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go), Hank Williams (Lonesome Whippoorwill), Cyril Tawney (Sammy’s Bar), Woody Guthrie (Pastures of Plenty) and Townes Van Zandt (Marie). As would be expected the musicianship throughout is top notch with multi-instrumentalist Shine contributing guitar, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki, whistle, lap steel, bass, harmonica, ocarina and keyboards.

 Particularly refreshing is the quality of two of the original songs (the title track and City of Dreams) which actually outweigh the covers, both sung beautifully by Ellie Shine. The album was recorded and produced by Noel Shine and Mary Greene and mastered by Dan Fitzgerald at Sound Studio, Cork.

Greenshine is most definitely the sum of its parts even if the wide range of styles represented possibly results in this album being a trifle dislocated.  However, given the very healthy mix of song writing, instrumentation and vocal talent they collectively possess and particularly if they can emulate the quality of some of their original songs on this album, Greenshine have the potential to produce music with an extremely wide appeal.

Reviews By Paul McGee

Rivers of England  Astrophysics Saved My Life Self Release

This band hail from the West of England and are comprised of Rob Spalding on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Brian Madigan on drums/ percussion, Jacob Tyghe on bass.

This is their second release and the 11 tracks here cover the ground from folk-rock to lightly tinged jazz arrangements. The vocal talents of Spalding carry the project on a warm glow of melodic tunes and acoustic arrangements, backed by some excellent strings (Danyal Dhondy take a big bow).

There are a number of additional musicians that help to enhance the experience and Neil Gay (guitar), Innes Sibun (guitar), Bill 'The Goat' Owsley (double bass), Patrick Morgan (drums), Roo Primrose (violin) all contribute to an overall sense of sweet release. 

In Universe, In Universe kicks off the project and explores great themes of infinity both, within and without. Endless affinity with the cosmic whole is a theme that runs throughout and we are asked to embrace loving awareness with the daily experience of being alive. Underneath the Moon is a gentle reflection on a relationship and our place in the great enigma.

There are plenty of references to water and sailing in songs such as You, Me and the Sea; Norfolk and Waves. Born For This is a very positive statement for living an expansive life and feeling alive. Love, Science & Peace is a plea for love in times of loneliness while In the Barley plays on conflicting emotions of wanting a simpler rural life versus the race to succeed in the city rat race. This is a very pleasant record and worth checking out. 

Rami and the Whale Self-Titled BIEM/NCB

Rami and The Whale is the solo project of Swedish singer-songwriter Rasmus Blomquist. This is his first release and the 12 songs were written over a period of ten years.

Rami is joined by an array of musicians, with Kristin Freidlitz on violin, Erik Lundin on flute, Henri Gylander on lead guitar, Ryan McMackin, Björn Sima and Johan Magnberg sharing drum duties across various tracks and Jonte Johansson with Lisa Illy on vocal harmonies.

The songs are very much rooted in contemporary folk with a slow, lazy groove and gentle vocals to lull the listener into a calm sense of being. The Unfinished Song and Autumn Song are instantly appealing while I Am Rami visits his relationship with the World and all its’ wide-eyed wonder.

The vocals are very much the catalyst for these songs and Rami sings in a plaintive and sweet voice. The mood is one of contemplation and reflection and the understated playing and rich melody constantly impress. The strings on Echoes of Matter play against the simple guitar lines to great effect and Shipwreck visits the past in order to free old demons. Tiny Seed ends the record and looks to a future where hope and expectation reside. This is a very strong debut release.

Don Conoscenti Anastasia Howlin’ Dog

This is a new release from American singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist Don Conoscenti, originally from Chicago, Illinois. He has released 9 previous albums since the early 1990’s and is a student of jazz, in addition to the blues, Americana, and rock, as a member of several bands. This project is a diverse and lush affair with 14 tracks covering an hour of music that includes big vocals, string and horn arrangements and plenty of excellent playing. Mainstream rock with quite a bit of soul.

Special guests include Grammy winning orchestrator/arranger Paul Buckmaster, Eliza Gilkyson (Anastasia), Kevin Welch (What Else Could I Do), Ellis Paul (Love Is a Curious Thing), Dan Navarro (Drink Another Round), plus others.

The studio musicians are excellent and add real colour to the songs with Richie Cannata, sax and Bob Andrews, piano, Mina Tank on background vocals and Don Richmond on banjo, pedal steel and mandolin really pushing the performance levels higher.

There are plenty of superb guitar breaks which can only be expected from this experienced and mature player and the acoustic feel of Ariana, The Other Side, What Else Could I Do and She Didn’t Break Me show plenty of layers to the song-writing skills on display.

The up-tempo arrangements of Drink Another Round, Love Has Come, are balanced against the reflective That Train, viewed as a metaphor for life’s journey while the big blues sound of Smith Road is a slow groove with some fine solo work on guitar and swirling organ. So, plenty to excite on this release and something to suit all tastes. 

Mia Rose Lynne Follow Me Moon Waterknot 

This impressive artist grew up in Northern California and was exposed to bluegrass and Western Swing music at an early age through her family who had a touring group. Now living in Nashville, she released her debut recording Open Space in 2014 to much interest and media attention. Her songs are folk ballads with a rootsy feel and some lovely string arrangements that elevate the listening experience to another level. 

The 11 acoustic based tracks were all written played and sung by Lynne who is accompanied by a superb coterie of musicians who serve the songs beautifully. The understated playing and gentle touch of Danny Mitchell (Piano), Matt Slocum (Cello), Jeff Taylor (Accordion), Eli Bishop (Fiddle/Viola), Chris Donohue (Bass), Joshua Hunt (Drums/Percuson), Liz Poston (Backing Vocals), Austin Filingo (Acoustic/Electric Guitar), Chris Moyse (Acoustic Guitar & Vocals) are all perfectly aligned with the sweetly seductive vocals and acoustic guitar playing of Mia Rose. 

Opening up with two songs, January and Different, that speak about a rekindled relationship and aiming for happiness, despite external commentary and pressures. Colorado is about keeping a relationship together and being willing to sacrifice everything to hold that sense of true love. Not Just You & Me is a song for everyman and the daily lives that are quietly led by you and me in our corners of the World. Porcelain Doll lightens the theme with a quirky love story that begins on a shop shelf and ends with a happy reunion. 

Starlings is self-rumination on a long car journey and the reflection that ‘this is just the kind of drive that writes a song, by the time I’ve made it home’. Where To Begin and Gunshy are back-to-back songs about troubled times in relationships and wanting to endure the pain and struggle in the hope of a resolution ("I don’t wanna lose you by giving up"). The closing track I Like You a Lot is a playful wordy romp through the imagery of a love crush. Sung with Chris Moyse, it is the perfect antidote for much of the weighty themes before, but does not diminish in any way the bright talent of this exciting new talent. Definitely one to watch.  

Jaimie Michaels Once Upon a Different Time Appaloosa

Produced by Jono Manson and mixed at Kitchen Sink Studio in Chupadero, New Mexico, this is the 10th album in the past 20 years for Jaimie Michaels. Jaime was joined in the studio by his regular team of players, guitarist Ben Wright, bassist Josh Martin and drummer Mark Clark and a number of special guests. His sound is warm and gentle with plenty of insight in the words that reflect a musician and song-writer of some experience and a great deal of talent. 

Warming speaks as a reflection of our times and is a protest song against the waste of war and the way that political power corrupts. Somewhere Like Italy asks that we live for now and not overthink this life. Steal Light has a lovely blues shuffle and is reminiscent of JJ Cale with some nice understated keyboard parts. Circling Around and Singing For My Supper have philosophical messages contained in the clever wordplay, while The Heat speaks of a love that has gone cold (“we’re just two winding roads that no longer meet”). This is a very fine example of a talent at the top of his creative game and writing engaging and fun arrangements that are a joy to hear.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

J. Hardin The Piasa Bird Self Release

This is the first release from John Everett Hardin under this guise. He had previously released albums under the name Everett Thomas but had decided to take a break from music to concentrate on some other aspects of his life. During that time, he’s written a number of songs but wanted to get his friend and fellow artist Hayward Williams to produce them. This they did at a converted farmhouse studio in Illinois. There, Hardin and Williams were joined by Daniel McMahon on guitars and keyboards and Darren Garvey on percussion as well as Liza Day and Naomi Marie on backing vocals. Hardin played acoustic guitar and sang while Williams played bass. They have done this two-sided set of 8 songs some justice.

The end result is a mini-album named after a mythical wall-painted Native American dragon which were less mythical and more about the often mystifying aspects of relationships. There are odes to a particular female characters in Oh Sophia (parts one and two), Woman Like You and Run Jackie, Run! Other songs such as Drifter and Shot My Baby Down are equally evocative. The former opens the album in a relaxed style that brings voice music and story together in a relaxed, full band folk/rock style that is rewarding and receptive. Though much of the album follows in this relaxed, restless mood the band can add weight and depth as required. Shot My Baby Down is a song just waiting for its place on the likes of a True Detective. It has a darkness that is underscored by the reverb guitar and funeral pace.

The lyrics are good here but it is the overall atmosphere that you are drawn to. One that sets the tone for the song even when, on initial listen the lyrics are not totally decipherable but enough is understood to know that these are full of imagery and invocation. The pace picks up, naturally enough given the title, for Run Jackie, Run! The album closes with Oh Sophia (Part 2) with Liza Day’s shadowing vocal echoing the poetic nature of the sense of intrigue and innocence of missing a person. It is stripped back to the voices and guitar and ends the album with you wanting some more. Hopefully this team will work together to bring a little more music to a waiting world - even if it doesn’t know it’s waiting.

Trevor Alguire Perish In The Light Self Release

When you hear a striking album and find out that it is the artists 6th release you realise just how much good music (and bad) remains to be discovered. On the evidence of this Trevor Alguire is well worth seeking out. A Canadian singer/songwriter who has co-produced and written all the material here and these are songs that have an immediacy that is as convincing as it is confident. For want of a better sound comparison I would say that fans of Blue Rodeo would be well at home here. Indeed, that band’s steel player (Bob Egan) is one of many players to add their noted contribution to the album.

Keyboards, violin (and pedal steel) enhance the bass, drums and guitars on what is essentially an Americana (or should that be Canadiana) album. There are up-tempo dance floor ready romps like Flash Flood that sit easily alongside a song like Out Of Sight/Out Of Mind that looks at life today from the perspective of a 93 man and how life has changed in his lifetime. It is an evocative piece of writing that hits home. Another stand out is My Sweet Rosetta a sing that starts in silence before revealing the longing and love that is the lady in question. It is a duet with noted Canadian singer Catherine MacCellan who both share the vocals and take individual verses to describe different viewpoints and perceptions. 

Wasted Ways, Wasted My Time With You are both songs that consider how easily time can be so easily spent on pursuits that have no satisfactory conclusions. Relationship that are going nowhere fast or simply a way to pass time - for a time. The use of time is considered again on the final track If I’d Stayed In School. The title of the album is taken from a line in the first song The Ghost Of Him about a man who is comfortable in the shadows but who would perish in the light. Likewise, music sometime equally need that exposure to grow stronger and Trevor Alguire already has that in his native land but could easily use some of the wider recognition that this album deserves. 

Silver Lake 66 Let Go Or Be Dragged Saw Tooth

Formally of L.A. based band The Ruby Trees, the duo of Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo now record and play under the name of Silver Lake 66. They play a roots music blend of country, rock and blues. They moved to Portland, Oregon and began to play sessions there which resulted in them gathering a group of players around them for live sessions. This became the nucleus of Silver Lake 66. Bass, drums, dobro, pedal steel, keyboards and fiddle were all added to the duo’s guitars to make this album. They wrote and produced the album together and it’s a summation of their music blend.

The opening Bury My Bones In Arkansas has organ and pedal steel running through a slow song about music and place. Jeff takes the lead with Maria providing harmony. They change roles though throughout and the next track up Magnolia is another slow paced song with more of a late night bluesy tone. Change Your Mind is taken at a similar pace and features a strong vocal from Maria. Sinuous steel and twang laden guitar are behind the duet Devil’s Lookin’ For Me a song that finds both declaring their allegiance to places that may be less than savoury. The album continues largely with this moody blend of influences that is less dance floor orientated than it is meditative. Sherman County is another strong country style song and a couple of tracks that definitely up the tempo in a welcome change of pace are San Francisco Angel and Don’t Have To Tell Me You’re Blue . 

The album’s twelve songs all are well performed, produced and written material that, of itself, may not make you feel that you’re hearing something you haven’t heard before. However, what you do hear should please and it is an album with many moments that feel right and should encourage you to listen back. Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo are definitely making music that they can be satisfied that they are achieving what they set out to do when they wrote and recorded these entertaining songs. 

Chip Taylor Little Brothers/I’ll Carry For You Trainwreck

By now Chip Taylor should have perhaps achieved some of the status that Leonard Cohen has achieved. Both have an understated semi-spoken delivery of well thought out and written songs. These two albums however taken a more personal direction.Little Brothers opens with a song about his granddaughter Alex on a ride home after winning a golf tournament. Each of these song has a little explanation note about it’s particular inspiration. There are a number of song that are dedicated and draw inspiration from his wife Joan. All are affecting and delivered in his inimitable style. Like Enlighten Yourself! has a spoken introduction that encourages to do just that. In fact, Chip tells some tales throughout not unlike a concert setting which in fact it pretty well is a live in the studio set-up. The musicians who accompany Taylor include long time guitarist John Platania. There is also upright bass (Grayson Walters and Bill Troiani) and some essential keyboards from Gøran Grini (who also co-produced the album with Taylor). Backing vocals are also present with some from his granddaughters. Refugee Children is a somewhat topical song that tells of an encounter with a group of them fishing in a forest in Sweden. 

The second album here is a shorter set of 8 songs that are inspired by Brooke and Brittany Henderson, two Canadian golfing sisters. Not a subject often taken on by singer/songwriters but then there’s Chip and anyone who is aquatinted with his previous album and live performances will know what to expect and will smile and be drawn into the Taylor way of doing things. There are some piano instrumentals on the album composed by Grini. While Platania is also present on guitar. A bonus track is the title song performed by Shave Zadravec. Taylor’s song is about striving to achieve against odds and succeeding (or not). He delivers it in a committed and emotional voice. 

Chip Taylor may not be for everyone but those who have got to know his music will recognise a human being who cares and observes and tries to put his feelings and beliefs into his music. Something he does with these two albums.

Kalyn Fay Bible Belt Horton

The debut album from the Tulsa, Oklahoma based artist is a contemporary take on a mix of country, folk and rock that is immediately accessible and pleasing. Fay is of Cherokee ancestry and a graphic designer by trade (she designed the album’s cover). She also sings and plays guitar and, although it doesn’t clearly state on the cover, has written all the songs too. She and co-producers (Scott Bell and Dylan Layton) gathered some musicians together to realise these songs with their skill and support.

Cody Clinton on electric guitar, Roger Ray on pedal steel and Cory Mauser on keyboards and Kevin Warren-Smith on fiddle are some of the team who join Layton on bass to lay down the tracks. They do so with an understanding for these, often, relationship related songs. Songs that show off Fay’s voice to good effect. She has a voice that has an intimacy and instinctiveness that allows these tales to be told with an understated ease. Black & Blue, Looking For A Reason, Wherever I Feel Right and The Fight all consider the way that relationships can twist and turn while Oklahoma, Tula and the title track are related to people and place. Spotted Bird wonders what secrets the titular creature keeps.

Bible Belt is a very promising start to Fay’s musical career and a chance for listeners to get to know her music in its recorded form from its inception. Her take on country music has a quality that makes it a living breathing form that is capable of going in different directions. There is a video of her playing an acoustic version of Oklahoma with a banjo player that shows another aspect of these songs. But for now this album is worth seeking out for a good listen. 

TV Jones & The Tomahawks Self-Titled Self Release

This mini-album comes from a Kilkenny band who specialise in all things ‘Billy. Be that rock, psycho and more. There is a lot of twanging guitars and full bore energy displayed on these 50s style songs. The band have written all the songs and they stand up well within the parameters they have set. Ones that usually come from locations far from Ireland’s shores. The band co-produced the album with Leo Pearson who would seem a perfect partner in crime for the recording.

The majority of the songs are paced like there’s a hellhound on their tail. There is no TV Jones to be found but his is a fiction of the quartet who are in fact Jimmy Conroy, Tony Doherty, Noxie Noonan and Pius Maher on vocals and guitar, electric guitar, upright bass and drums respectively. The themes are oriented to a time period that is instinctively American. Dragging My Chevy is about a favoured car and has some nice slide guitar. Other songs talk a somewhat darker B-Movie tones with songs like Die, Die, Die and Night Of The Living Dead.

There has been a healthy support for rockabilly in Ireland through the years with a number of prime exponents from the USA and Europe have played the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival through the years so it is good to see a home grown unit continuing that tradition and doing with some gusto and aplomb. In truth nothing too radical is happening here but that is not really the point. They are playing music that truly motivates them and they do it with the passion of those who live and breathe their inspirations and that should translate across to devotees and ‘Billy believers.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Travis Green A Little Too Late - Self Release

A blend of blues, country and rock from Austin-based singer songwriter Travis Green. The inspiration for many of the songs can be traced back to Green’s exposure as a young man to artists such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters yet the album also has nods towards Nashville.

Recorded in Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California the album features a host of renowned West Coast session players including Norwegian Kid Anderson, who produced and mixed the album together with contributing guitar. Other musicians include Randy Bermudes (bass), Jim Pugh (keyboards), Jason Hansen (drums), Nancy Wright (saxophone), Lisa Leuschner Anderson and Courtney Knott (vocals). 

The title track kicks the album off in fine style, a tale of lost love delivered in a country/rockabilly style and features some wonderful guitar licks by Anderson. Everybody Knows maintains a similar lyric theme of relationships going south ("Everybody Know you’re a bitch at heart"). Keep You Off My Mind has a lovely Dave Edmunds rockabilly feel. Damage Done could be drawn from the Dolly Parton songbook having a melody not a million miles away from Jolene. Caroline bounces along with ripping saxophone by Nancy Wright and pulsating keyboards by Jim Pugh dominating.

Very impressive album and a particularly easy and rewarding listen.

Locust Honey String Band Never Let Me Cross Your Mind – Self Release

Delightful rootsy Americana offering from the Nashville based bluegrass band. Originally from North Carolina, Locust Honey String Band celebrate traditional Southern music, intelligently mixing fiddle/banjo duets with heavenly harmonies and old time honky tonk.

Locust Honey String Band consists of Chloe Edmonstone (vocals, fiddle, guitar) and Meredith Watson (vocals, guitar). Hilary Hawke and Ariel Dixon play banjo on the album with bass duties carried out by Andy Deaver Edmonstone. 

Fourteen tracks in total including three originals credited to Chloe Edmonstone, two Carter Family songs (Lonesome Song, Righten That Wrong) and a fine execution of Nick Cave’s Henry Lee. Immaculate harmonies and elegant playing throughout combine to get the old boots stomping throughout this timeless offering.

Steve Dawson Solid States and Loose Ends – Black Hen Music

More often named on the inner sleeve of albums rather than the cover, Juno Award Winning producer, session player, multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Steve Dawson is one of the most respected artists on the Nashville music scene at present.

Solid States and Loose Ends is the eight studio album recorded by the Vancouver born Dawson and includes contributions by many of the artists that he has regularly worked with over the years. Regina and Ann Mc Crary add backing vocals, Fats Kaplin plays fiddle, Jim Hoke contributes saxophone and Gary Craig plays drums, to name a few.

Ten of the fourteen songs are penned by Dawson, a pulsating version of Joe Tex’s You Got What It Takes is also included together with the traditional Delia and Riley Puckett’s Monkey On My Back.

Dawson plays electric and acoustic guitar, steel guitar, chamberlain, mandotar and Weissenborn combined with a relaxed and effective vocal style throughout. Gid Tanner and The Skillet Lickers Henhouse Door (ironically Dawson’s recording studio is called Henhouse Studio) is the final cover, recorded acoustically with sublime slide guitar by Dawson. 

In contrast to his solo acoustic instrumental 2014 recording Rattlesnake Cage his latest album explores a much wider musical landscape embracing gospel, blues, country and beyond. As would be expected the production is immaculate throughout and strong comparisons could be made with the late 70’s early 80’s output of Ry Cooder. Loose Ends opens the album in style, a full rich bluesy sound with delightful backing vocals by the Mc Crary sisters. So much to savour on the album from the pulsating Driver’s Wheel, showcasing the wonderful fiddle playing of Fats Katlin to the laid back California Saviour which includes sweet steel guitar by Dawson.

All in all, a wonderful bluesy Americana album immaculately produced with masterful playing throughout. 

Rupert Wates Colorado Mornings (True Love Songs) – Bite Music

Eight solo recording from the London-born singer songwriter Rupert Wates. A professional songwriter since the late 1990’s when he was contracted by Eaton Music Limited to write music for a variety of musicians crossing a number of genres from folk right through to blues, Wates is very much a touring artist playing over 120 shows annually.

Dividing his time between New York and Colorado his latest offering is a collection of love songs based on the travels of two lovers through the state of Colorado in times long gone by. Understandably the album has quite a British Folk sound to it (The Green and Goody Valley) but also embraces jazz (Motorbike of Midnight Blue) and traditional folk.

The packaging and artwork on the album are delightful, striking photography depicting Wates and partner suitably clad in turn-of-the-century period costumes.

The Southern Fold A True Ascension from the Wayward Path – Self Release

The Southern Fold have been earning quite a reputation on the local live music circuit over the past eighteen months, well justified on the basis of this very impressive six track mini album.

The band is the brainchild of Kilkenny based singer songwriter Emlyn Holden and co-singer Laura Hand. They are joined by recent recruits Joe Maher (The Mariannes) on guitar and Frieda Freytag (Fox Owl Crow) on cello and piano. Recorded at Crossroads Recording in Kilkenny the album features four self writes by Holden, the most powerful being Romance in Morphine and Home From The War, together with two covers (Farther Along by Baxter/Stevens and Ledbetter’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night?).

The shared vocals and harmonies by Holden and Hand are the highlight of the album, no more so than on the aforementioned WWhere Did You Sleep Last Night?. 

The Southern Fold are one of an endless number of bands mixing country, folk and blues at present. I get the impression, listening to this album, that they have the potential to make a much more lasting impression than most. Credit must also go to Lorita Preiano for the beautiful cover photograph on the album.

Auburn Love & Promises – Scarlet Records

Originally formed by Liz Lenten in the UK back in 1999 Auburn recorded two very well received EP’S (Sweet Sebastian and For Life) before the release of their debut album Dreams in 2003.

They disbanded in 2005, regrouped in 2011 and have been particularly productive since then. Following a tour of the UK supporting Jefferson Starship they gained considerable industry acclaim with the release of their 2013 album Indian Summer which included a host of renowned guesting musicians including Eliza Carthy and Laura Vane. 

On a creative roll, the band followed in 2014 with Nashville, which explored country, jazz and southern blues and twelve months later released Mixed Feeling’s both produced by Thomm Jutz (Todd Snider, Sid Griffin, Nanci Griffith, and Lynn Marie Rink).

Love & Promises sees Auburn sticking with the same winning formula that worked on the previous album with Jutz again producing and contributing guitar, Jen Gunderman of Jayhawks fame on keyboards and accordion, Evan Hutchings on drums and Mark Fain on bass. Notwithstanding the excellent musicianship throughout its Lenten’s distinctive and sometimes strained vocals which standout on what is most likely the strongest work the band have recorded.

Probably the album’s standout track is the opener Asleep, with a nod towards Bonnie Raitt. Cross The Deep Atlantic features shared vocals with Austin based singer-songwriter Chet O’Keefe and If Everyone Was Listening simply cruises along beautifully.

The thirteen tracks on the album were produced by Jutz and mastered by Alex Mc Collough in Nashville with all songs written by Lenten with the exception of If Everyone Was Listening which was co-written with Mark Gustavina.

Without doubt well worth investing some time enjoying this very good album

Al Rose Spin Spin Dizzy – Self Release

"I’m a lazy fuck, a dedicated schmuch. I kick right back and I bank on luck" announces Al Rose in a Crazy Horse moment midway through his seventh studio release.

It’s business as usual from the Chicago resident. No frills blend of high octane country blues featuring Rose on electric and acoustic guitars accompanied by Steve Doyle on guitar, Steve Hashimoto on bass, and Lance Helgeson at the drum kit. Worse Came to Worse (I Feel Alright) simply rocks along, the title track Spin Spin Dizzy is gloriously bluesy and like much of the album sounds like a live recording.

It’s not all a hundred miles an hour though and Rose is more than capable of penning cry in your beer material as demonstrated with the delightful ballad Sweet Bouquet.

A satisfying blend of rock, roots, soul and no little humour, well worth a spin.

Blue Moon Marquee Gypsy Blues – Self Released

Forth offering from Rocky Mountain blues duo A.W.Cardinal and Jasmine Colette who perform as Blue Moon Marquee. It’s high energy, no frills blues from the opener Trickster Coyote to the closing title track. With all twelve songs written by the duo, Gypsy Blues does not attempt to reinvent the wheel but simply deliver a raw and retro sound covering expected themes of poverty, lost love, whiskey, loose and fearless women. The album was recorded at Afterlife Studios, Vancouver and engineered by Erik Nielson.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Al Scorch Circle Round The Signs Bloodshot

This latest release from Al Scorch and his Country Soul Ensemble highlights a growing confidence and awareness of how best to develop his raw talent. Although there are nine players listed in the Ensemble many of the tracks are based on a smaller, tighter unit led by Scorch’s ever present banjo picking and strumming. He is a writer of songs that often focus on the kind of subjects that would be equally as appropriate for a raging punk band as for his current line-up. However there are equally moments that touch on more personal and individual stories. 

Poverty Draft is an example of a song that shows an understanding of the plight of the misfortunes of his fellow man. Scorch’s music is rooted in that sense of affinity and awareness of how society can often become something less than caring. However throughout the ten songs Scorch and band make sure that the music is never bleak or hard work. From the first bars of Pennsylvania Turnpike the banjo drives the energy and heart of the music in a way that is both powerful and affecting. Alongside the faster songs are a bunch of mid-tempo songs that are full of atmosphere - like the Lost At Sea a song that deals, as the title suggests, with a potential loss at sea. Insomnia is about that state of sleeplessness due to a particular predicament and not wanting to be an unrecognised cog in a machine. Lonesome Low is his take on rising above a sense of inertia but it does so with a strong sense of purpose and thinking about the things that can bring you down. How sometimes that innocence can bring that will often alleviate such attitudes. Woody Guthrie's song Slipknot ("Have you ever seen a hangman tie a slipknot”) fits the overall mood perfectly, as does the aforementioned Insomnia written by Gaylen Mohre.

Al Scorch co-produced the album with Neil Strauch in his native Chicago which makes Bloodshot the perfect label to bring this music to the world as it is indeed an extension of the insurgent country that the label introduced to the world back when they started releasing albums. A previous album was recorded live at The Spirit Store in Dundalk, Ireland so it is easy to see that while this album is dedicated to friends and family and the city of Chicago its music will fit in and work just as well in any location that takes good music to its heart. 

Western Centuries Weight Of The World Free Dirt

Cahalen Morrison’s last album The Flower Of Muscle Shoals was a damn good one. It was self-produced by Morrison and recorded with hi, then band, Country Hammer. Now he is back as a member of Western Centuries who also include guitarist and vocalist Jim Miller who survives from the previous line up. The band name is perhaps more fitting as both handle writing and the lead vocals duties. Not forgetting drummer Ethan Lawton who also takes the lead on the three songs he wrote. This gives the band some vocal diversity and some different writing perspectives from within its' ranks.

The songs largely look at the lives of those who struggle with a variety of personal and pertinent issues. Each vocalist has a distinctive but equally real voice. Lawson songs Double Or Nothing, In My Cups and Off The Shelf are largely songs that seek the upside of love despite its many travails. Miller views are not far behind in his songs Knocking ‘Em Down, The Long Game and Rock Salt (written with Morrison). Morrison, like his band mates, channels the disappointments as well as hopes that life tend to provide as fodder for the gifted songwriter. There is outright heartbreak in the pedal steel weep of Sadder Day, the hard thinking of Philosophers And Fools or the soul searching of Weight Of The World. What Will They Say About Us Now?, Hallucinations, The Old You complete Morrison’s exploration of subject that are lifeblood to real country music.

Of course listeners may well have their favourite vocalist but the album, produced by Bill Reynolds, is a cohesive work that also makes the best use of the harmony skills of all three of the lead vocalists. Alongside the aforementioned trio mention should be made of Rusty Blake on pedal steel and Dan Lowinger on bass as well as the welcome contribution of Rosie Newton on fiddle. Morrison plays electric, acoustic guitars as well as drumming on three tracks. Miller weighs in on acoustic and electric guitars and Lawson also adds occasional guitar as well as playing drums. The end result is twangy and time-shifting country music delivered by true believers that is well off the radar as regards what country radio currently considers fitting for the estranged format. How wrong they are as Weight Of The World testifies. A very fine album and undoubtedly a contender of the best of the year list.

Anders Westin House By The Lake Millhouse

This album emanates from Westin’s native Sweden where he primarily worked as a producer. One who also wrote songs and had a loose affinity for Americana. He was encouraged to make his demos a reality and with the help of a number of musicians who include, prominently, Nicke Widén on pedal steel as well as Peter Korhonen on drums alongside a range of featured instruments including keyboards, violin and Westin’s vocals, guitar and lap steel. 

There is a gentle, relaxed melancholy feel that befits the ambience of the title. There are 9 songs that complete a suite of songs that dovetail into each other. All are written and sung by Westin (with some added harmony vocals) and all are a world away from the frantic pace that a lot of music is delivered in a cluttered world over-filled with music. The songs largely appear to match the title of one of the songs Reminiscence in terms of theme. These are reflections on time and place tp a large degree. One song however, Tom Dowd, is a tribute to the four tack tape pioneer who worked as a producer for Atlantic Records and as pioneer of multi-track recording.

The album opens with Carpenter’s Daughter's Son a song that sets the tone with it’s subtlety and airy grace. It then takes a similar path through to the final song Long Way Back Home. All appear to focus on times and moods of days gone by and past relationships that are mirrored by the equally gauyzed sunshine of the music. Anders Westin did the right thing in getting his music from demo to this admirable destination.

The Western Flyers Wild Blue Yonder Versa-Tone

This guitar, bass and fiddle trio trail the same tries as The Hot Club of Cowtown and would doubtless appeal to a similar audience. In other words very fine musicianship from three acclaimed players who cover an intoxicating blend of western swing, jazz, cowboy songs and old time fiddle tunes. Joey McKenzie is the guitarist and vocalist, Katie Gassman is the fiddler and vocalist and they are completed by Gavin Kelso on upright bass and harmony vocals.

The songs include a slew off standards Along The Navajo Trail, I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter, Tennessee Waltz, Old Fashioned Love and I’ll See You In My Dreams. So in the end Western Flyer aren’t the first and won’t be the last to take on the mantle of this music but the trio play the songs and instrumentals with such skill and love that there will always be room for performers dedicated to the revival and revitalising of any musical form that deserves to be heard outside the confines of memories and old releases or compilations.

Marty Stuart appears to think so too afrom his endorsement on the inner sleeve. The gender balance of the two vocalists works well giving different viewpoints to the songs while the instrumentals highlight the trio playing dexterity. Giving much to consider when you look into the wild blue yonder.

Freakwater Scheherazade Bloodshot

First album in some time from the band led by the duo of Catherine Ann Irwin and Janet Beveridge Bean. They released their self-titled debut album back in 1989. This time out they are joined by some ten other musicians this time out which gives their distinctive dark take on their particular blend of alternative country influences and sonic experimentation an added dimension that is at times akin to a (Nick) Cave-ian echo.

The writing and vocal delivery is largely split between the two. They have taken their specific sound and added layers of sonic exploration that takes their deeply rooted Carter Family sound into the contemporary arena. Some of the songs are relatively stripped down while others are shrouded in soundscapes that are a mix of diverse instrumentation from Moog to mandola, from banjo and bass to wah-wah guitar.  

The lyrics take on the more sinister side of life on songs like the opening What People Want which deals in rape and murder. The Asp and The Albatross tells of betrayal or Skinny Knee Bone which considers the fortunes of chance, of taking the opportunity to “bet it all on black.” Suffice it say that those acquainted with the music that Freakwater have made since their inception will hear a development of that distinctive voice. One centred around the voices and songs of Irwin and Bean (and their accomplices) which have variously been described as Southern and Appalachian Gothic as well as old-time country. These influences are undoubtedly a factor in the make-up of the music but as Scheherazade clearly shows Freakwater are not a band who are afraid to experiment and move forward by incorporating a myriad of sounds alongside more traditional sources. 

The end result works on many levels and stands alongside, if not above, any of their previous albums. Scheherazade makes for some compellingly haunted and haunting music that should please those who have listened in the past or those who are stepping into the water for the first time.

The Flyin’ A’s You Drive Me Crazy Self Release

This husband and wife duo describe their music as Americana with Texas grit which is not a bad summation of what they do. What makes the album that bit special is, along with the duo’s strong vocal and writing input, the solid production of veteran player and producer Chris Gage. He is credited here also with a variety of guitars, keyboards and harmony vocals. Anyone who caught him here in Dublin playing with Jimmie Dale Gilmore will need no convincing of his abundant talent on all three. Not to take away from Hilary Claire Adamson and Stuart Adamson vital contribution on vocals with the latter on acoustic and electric guitars too. Both contribute songs either written solo, together or co-written with the likes of John Ims and Steve Brooks. 

There are a couple of other songwriters involved too with Billy Edd Wheeler’s Blistered, Claude Butch Morgan’s Mr. Blue and Ims’ The Other Side Of Lonely - all strong songs that fit in with the overall rootsy-sounding delivery that is emphasised by the inclusion of some of Austin’s favourites players. Names know to those who scan the credits on many an Austin album will be Paul Pearcy, Glenn Fukunaga and Lloyd Maines. But back to the focus of the album, Stuart sings with conviction on the stripped back song Blood And Bone that wrestles with the notion of a less than honest relationship. There's a slightly more positive attitude expressed in Ims’ The Other Side Of Lonely, a steel guitar infused ballad of stepping out from behind darker days and moving on. Hilary Claire gives a strong vocal on the more jazzy blues of Mr. Blue. In truth both are adept in the vocal deliveries with handling the lead vocals or harmonising together.

Roadwork Ahead is a metaphor for the trials and tribulations of living together and maintaining a working relationship - on the road and off. As the title and some of the ad-libbed comments at the end of the song suggest making music as a duo is not always as easy as it might seems however good natured the banter is. What matters to the listener is that the music here holds the attention and it does that with a nice mix of moods, tempos and styles that would fit their description of their music. The album closes with Wild Texas Wind a plea for redemption “Wild Texas wind, won’t you heal me from within.” That wind has the Flyin’ A’s riding high.