Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers Years Bloodshot

The second album from this tight and tenacious combo follows time spent touring and playing in front of audiences across the US. There is some real meat here with all parts of the equation adding up to something that counts. The band serve the songs and it all feels right. The guitar and steel give that roots edge but the overall sound is capable of a number of twists and turns that fail to pigeon-hole them into a single category. However, there is no doubting that this fits the overall loose Americana tag. 

Shook is the author of the 10 songs and she has a voice that is central to their truth. Songs that deal with a variety of emotions and moods that are signalled, to a degree, by their titles. New Ways To Fail, The Bottle Never Lets Me Down, Damned If I Do, Dammed If I Don’t and Heartaches In Hell are all songs that have at their heart an emotional and intentional reaction to situations that feel like her take on the reality of living and coping in these straightened times. Hard times, heart breaks and hard drinking are all explored with a mix of toughness and vulnerability. She can also take and understand an opposite viewpoint, like in The Bottle Never Lets Me Down where she sings the song from the male perspective.

With some of her more high profile major label contemporaries, like Kacey Musgraves for instance, making moves to a broader pop platform it is refreshing to hear Shook and her band explore the possibilities of their music without abandoning the underlying sense of country, alternative or otherwise, that is the bedrock of her two albums to date. Whether she expands on that in any way is up to Shook but for now she and her core band which features exhilarating exchanges between guitarist Eric Peterson and steel guitarist Phil Sullivan and bassist Aaron Oliva make music that is for these times. 

Karen Jonas Butter Self Release 

There is a sense of maturity about this new album from Karen Jonas. She is a mother as well as a working musician and so that has to mean that she doesn’t have a great deal of time to mess around and on her latest album she looks at her life and delivers a set of songs that reflect her life and loves. This means a smooth mix of twang and torch. A subtle blend of country, folk as well as a touch of soul and jazz tinged moments. 

The title song relates to a love of baking in her kitchen and the associations that butter has with her family, her upbringing and also the family she is raising currently.It’s about being at home with family as much as being at home with her music. There are also references to the circus of life in songs like the directly titled   as well as in Mr Wonka. Elsewhere she walks, reluctantly, down Yellow Brick Road (“paved with fool’s gold”), Butter is an allegory for the good things and Jonas alludes to that with the track’s big band feel. Then thereare the tales of heartbreak and woe that often are the subject of country aligned albums.

The album was co-produced by long term associates who worked on the last two albums, guitarists Tim Bray and Jeff Covert, in a studio in hometown Fredericksburg in Virginia. It features a full, warm sound that includes pedal steel, fiddle, keyboards and brass, alongside a strong rhythm section and some versatile guitar contributions. Often, they recorded in late night sessions after the kids were tucked up which gives the album a sense of comfort and ease with unforced late night attributions. There is a timeless feel throughout that has both class and sass. All three of Jonas’ albums are worthy of attention and the combined talents of all those involved have produced a set of recordings that are as real and tasty as butter on a good bread.

Sean Burns and Lost Country Music For Taverns, Bars and Honky Tonks Self Release

This Winnipeg artist has released a number of albums under his own name alone. This one has the appendage of Lost Country - a set of musicians who have joined in the recording to deliver a set of songs that live up to the album title. Music that indeed would fit any of the venues mentioned. Small, intimate, loud and looking to be entertained. And entertain they do from the train whistle sound of the cut-a-rug opener, Have You seen That Train. The band - Joanna Miller on drums, bassist Bernie Thiessen and guitarist Grant Siemens - are joined by a couple of superlative players in the fabulous Chris Scruggs on steel guitar and Harry Stinson on harmony vocals as well as (for one track) harmonica player Big Dave McLean.

What makes the album work especially well is the diverse nature of the songs. The second track Farewell Parties (which might be located more in atavern than arowdy bar) is a sad, slow tale of a break-up when his woman is setting up the event before he has actually gone. Then there’s the mid-tempo My Old Self, a quavering vocal that tells of a man who doesn’t really want to get back to his bar-fly self anymore. Throughout, Burns vocal delivery is spot on and able to take the rough with the smooth, the lost with the found. Burns penned a half dozen of the songs but choose some good songs that fit the bill from other writers such as Wade Mosher’s Don’t Let The Highway Get You Lost, a song about keeping focus and avoiding distractions. Big Freightliner is a song written by fellow honky-tonker Andrew Neville. Dan Russell’s Sturdy Woman should also please Band fans too. Another stand out is Don’t Play With Fire a cautionary tale co-written by Burns and Sara Bleackley with some great Harry Stinson harmonies. The final song here, I Wish Things Were Different, is another ballad that is full of regret and remorse.

As with all the songs, the band and guests have a ball and the playing is perfect for the music with Scruggs steel adding a welcome diversity that takes the music upwards and onwards. Though the core band are well capable of delivering in a live setting I would imagine (and with the YouTube live clips to back it up). Sean Burns joins the growing number of under the radar independent artists who clearly love to listen to and play classic country; albeit from their own point of view with original songs and well chosen covers. Top notch music for all occasions - if those occasions demand a cool band building a head of steam on some hot songs.

Ashley McBryde Girl Going Nowhere Atlantic

This girl from Arkansas plays guitar and writes songs. Ashley McBryde rhastwo previous self released albums and won the Country Showdown talent show before signing with Atlantic records and releasing her major label debut album Girl Going Nowhere. That this album was produced by Jay Joyce made me fear for something more bombastic with strong crossover leanings so it’s good to report that this is a more subtle and restrained production and very much in sync with the songs. McBryde is a part of the trend towards female songwriters who write for their times and contemporaries. The end results though are good storytelling songs that should always be at the heart of what is labelled country music.

A Little Dive Bar In Dahlonega, the first single from the album is an example of her craft and was named one of the best songs of 2017. There are many other here that show her skill at taking the elements of her upbringing, as well as observations of those she sees around her, as the focus and subjects of her writing. The title track and opening song is a realisation that while a person can be dubbed going nowhere, this can in fact be doing pretty good. Radioland tells of the influence that that medium had on her and her family. American Scandal is a passionate declaration of the need for love. As is often the case these days McBryde has co-written these songs for the most part with a selection of different co-writersbut whatever the source, they are well written and engaging. The one solo write is a straight and honest consideration of the things that are good and bad about a close relationship. That song, Andy (I Can’t Live Without You), will resonate with many as being based in a no-bullshit reality (as is much of the material here). Material that is memorable and full of a definite female power.

The lyrics are all worth listening to and it’s a shame that the label didn’t see fit to include them in the package to make that easier. Another factor in the success of the album is McBryde using her band on the album; a group of players who have lived with these songs and understand them. Joyce’s production, as mentioned, helps to achieve a balanced and dynamic sound that moves from slower ballads to out and out rockers like El Dorado. Out in front of all this is McBryde’s striking vocal delivery that is full of heart and soul. Ashley McBryde’s major label debut is one of an artist who is going places and one well worth joining her on

Ashley Monroe Sparrow Warner Brothers 

For this new album Monroe has taken a step in a different direction than I had expected. Her performance at Dublin C2C in 2016was a stand-out of more traditionally minded country music (closer to the real thing than much of what has performed under that banner). For this album Monroe has worked with the very much in demand Dave Cobb. They recorded the album in the Historic Studio A in Nashville and have used the environment to create what they may have considered to be a contemporary take on the string-laden countrypolitan made famous by Chet Atkins (often in that very studio). It is an interesting if not quite fulfilling venture. One that artist and producer are no doubt happy with but one that somehow fails to ignite despite some quality song writing.

Monroe is still a distinctive and twang-inflected singer who is commanding on these co-written songs. It has highlights like She Wakes Me Up (Rescue Me) and the opening Orphan, the heartbreak of Paying Attention or the affection of Daddy Told You. But the overall sound seems to fall between different stools; neither pop nor traditional country, without really firmly establishing itself in its own right. There is no steel guitar for instance which might’ve helped to somehow make a link to her previous work. Rather, it is strings with an accompanying rhythm section, keyboards and Cobb’s own guitar contributions.Individually the songs are good enough but overall the similar mood and arrangements tends to negate the strength of the intention.

As part of the Pistol Annie’s Monroe achieved some recognition but her solo career seems not to have taken off as expected and for a writer and singer of her undoubted talent that is a shame. There are circumstances for that to a degree, especially in the way country radio underplays the role of female artists. So, in the end, Sparrow tries hard but doesn’t quite succeed on its own terms but that doesn’t mean writing off Ashely Monroe. What will be interesting, outside of this release, will be how she performs these songs in a live setting alongside the music of the previous albums. For now, it is worth listening to Sparrow yourselves and making your own minds up as to how it flies.

Ross Cooper I Rode The Wild Horses Self Release

Perhaps the best known of the real cowboy singer/songwriters is Chris Ledoux. Others include Ian Tyson and Wylie Gustafson and you can add to that list, Ross Cooper, a former professional bareback rider who had to quit the rodeo circuit when he sustained a knee injury. Now he concentrates on music and has just released this brand new album. The title track makes reference to that career though many of the other songs are more about the trialsand tribulations of everyday life. Me Only, Damn Love, Living’s Hard, Loving’s Easy and Heart Attacks are all explorations of day to day existence. Equally the album has a hard-edge sound that is hardly traditional honky-tonk. Often it hits the edge of hard riff-laden rock. But then some of Ledoux’s music did as well.

The album was produced and mixed by Eric Masse in Nashville. He and Copper assembled a sturdy set of players including Steelism’s Jeremy Fetzer and Eddy Dunlap on pedal steel. Another name that may be familiar to many is Erin Rae on backing vocals. These join the 11 named musicians who contribute their talents to the recordings on what is an enjoyable album that has enough roots Americana to make it of interest to all those who enjoy the more adventurous side of things.

Fellow artist Paul Cauthen co-wrote Old Crow Whiskey & A Cornbread Moon with Cooper and it is one of the more traditionally orientated songs here. Andrew Combs, another artist who may be known to our readers, is a co-writer of Lady Of The Highway along with Jordan Leaning. It celebrates those ladies who add some comfort for those travelling the well worn highways. Cooper has a versatile voice that can handle the slower material along with the up-tempo rockers. It is the kind of album that may well appeal to Ryan Bingham fans and those who like their roots music to have a less traditional bias.

Cooper had a hand in writing all the 12 tracks here and he is following his muse in music and looking for the same thrill that bareback horse riding undoubtably gave him. I imagine that in a live setting with a receptive audience that he might get close. On record he has made an album that grows with listening and signals a singer/songwriter who has the experience of a lifestyle first hand that others only imagine (his song Cowboys & Indians touches on that very subject). An experience that should translate into a portfolio of believable songs as he gets further into his music career. As his song says he is Another Mile on that path.

Romantica Outlaws Self Release

A couple of years agoBen Kyle released a self-titled album that was one of my albums of the year. He also released a fine duets album with Carrie Rodriquez. Since then he has been putting out albums under his previous band name, Romantica. This new album is a mixture of all these elements. The opening track features Rodriquez on backing vocals and the final track is a version of one of the standout tracks from his solo album. This live rendition of The Dark features Ryan Adams. 

Key to Romantica’s gentle, reflective sound is pedal steel guitar. On one of the tracks he features two different steel players. The songs are originals with the exception of two covers - Something from George Harrison and the other is his take on Hallelujah. Now I have to admit, though I love the song, I’m a bit hallelujahed out at this stage having heard so many versions - some good, some bad -  this one however has meaning for Kyle and fits the mood of the album fine. But given the standard of his songs like Do Go Gently, Love In Winter or Listen To Your Soul he may not need to add outside material other than that the songs has a special meaning for him in context of the overall album.

Kyle has recently been through a serious and debilitating illness (Lyme Disease) and couldn’t function in the way he wanted and was unable to communicate or make music. A distressing situation for anyone to face and doubly so for someone who often communicated through words and music. This release then is very welcome. Kyle is still dealing with the illness and its ramifications but has found a way and the words to deal with that.

Without knowing this, these tracks still offer and deliver much. They are called forgotten songs. Songs from an earlier time that have been outsiders, outlaws. Now they may offer some insight. I haven’t heard all the previous Romantica albums but would recommend them (as would my colleague Paul who reviewed the last album). The band name may be slightly incongruous given what he has been going through but is perfectly suited to this music. Wishing you well Ben.

Lloyd Green & Jee Dee Maness Journey To The Beginning Coastal Bend

This album is a (largely) instrumental revisit to the Byrds seminal Sweethearts Of The Rodeo album by the two steel guitarists who played on different parts of the album; Green in Nashville and Maness in LA. Anyone who loves the sound of steel guitar will enjoy the joint playing of these two masters of the instrument. There is a rhythm section of Dennis Crouch and John Gardner and they are joined by Russ Pahl (guitars), Sam Bush (mandolin and fiddle) and others including Al Perkins, Sally Van Meter, Earl Poole Ball and Skip Edwards. An array of talent in other words. John Macy was in the producer’s chair.

The songs will be well known to anyone who knows the original album and include I Am A Pilgrim, Hickory Wind, The Christian Life as well as a song that was recorded at the time but not included. One Hundred Years From Now gets an outing here. It is a niche album perhaps but also a tribute to an instrument that was once fundamental to country music and to an album that many regard as one of the foundation stones of country-rock.

The final track is a reprise of You Ain’t Going Nowhere which features the vocals of Jim Lauderdale, Herb Peterson, Richie Furay and Jeff Hanna all trading verses. it makes a fitting end to the otherwise vocal-less album. Steel guitar lovers worldwide should take notice as well as those who appreciate the many talents involved in putting this tribute together.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Patrick Darrah Northern Truth Double Darrah

This artist is from Bloomingdale, New York where he worked in his father’s auto business. These days he lives in Nashville and delivers his debut recording, on his own independent label, Double Darrah Entertainment. He writes two of the ten songs included here and the production is by Drew Smith and Kevin “Swine” Grantt, both of whom play in the studio band. 

There are songs of lost towns and lost lives (Colorado), old flames, old memories (Who You Used To Be), old love (I Never Got Over You), memories of youth (Mama Left The Radio On; Dry County). Being left behind is a common theme in Country music but three songs are perhaps a few too many on the same record (You Make It Look Easy; After You and Love Oughta Be Perfect). 

There is a real contemporary country groove to the songs and both Smooth As Whiskey and the rap groove of Make You Mine are the stand-out radio hits.The playing and production are very bright and clear in what makes for an enjoyable listen overall.  

Korby Lenker Thousand Springs Soundly

Seven releases into a career that has seen him mature into a song-writer of some substance, in addition to a published writer, for this project Lenker recorded the basic tracks in different places that held an importance for him. These are songs that are written with personal meaning rather than commercial appeal but the strong sense of melody ensures that his craft shines through. Having recorded across seven states and featuring approx. 30 different artists, including Amy Speace and Molly Tuttle, the songs have an immediate appeal.

There is a lonely quality to the opening tracks, Northern Lights and Friend And A Friend, both focusing on leaving and travelling on with reflections of life on the road and an unknown future. Uh Oh is a song about infatuation and the hope in wishing, it is gentle and sweet, as is the fine ballad, Love Is The Only Song, with cello and piano complimenting the whispered vocals. 

There is a look back through the rear window to younger days and lessons learned in Father To The Man, co-written with Amy Speace, while the dark tale of Stormy Seas is somewhat stark by contrast. The rock vibe of Last Man Standing tells the tale of Custer and Crazy Horse in the Sioux Nation fight for survival. The happily inane girlfriend in Book Nerd bears little resemblance with the free-spirit busker of Nothing Really Matters and her old man admirer who watches from afar. There is a sense of Paul Simon in the vocal delivery here and also on the excellent Late Bloomers; a song that speaks of the need to keep believing, even if dreams have been lost along the way. The final song, Wherever You Are is a real stand-out and an ode to the memory of a lost friend, both gentle and sad while keeping the feeling alive.

The project was produced by Korby Lenker, mixed by Paul Mitch, and mastered by Alex McCullough. It is a very engaging album and one which comes with a warm recommendation. 

S Carey Hundred Acres Jagjaguwar

This is a meditation of sorts, a soft whisper across a field in the early morning dew. The ten tracks blend into a seamless listening experience that never lifts beyond the gently laid-back atmosphere created by producer, song-writer, multi-instrumentalist S Carey – also known for his role as the drummer and supporting vocalist of indie folk band Bon Iver. 

He is joined here by a small group of musicians who play beautifully and sensitively in support of these mood pieces, including Justin Vernon, original founder of Bon Iver. This is the third solo release from Sean Carey and the whispered vocals and lush, yet understated, sonic vibe to the project is beautifully realised.  

Pedal steel mixes with synthesizer while programmed sounds blend with violin and viola. Titles such as Meadow Song, (with clarinet & french horn), Hundred Acres, True North, Rose Petals and Hideout give a flavour of the sense of quiet place and space that permeates this record.

A contemporary sound that hints at days gone by yet points to a bright future for this excellent musician.

True North Open Road, Broken Heart Self Release

True North is an acoustic Folk/Roots band that has released three previous albums prior to this new offering which surfaced in 2017. The band comprises Kristen Grainger (ukulele, vocals), Dan Wetzel (guitar, resonator guitar, octave mandolin, ukulele, vocals), Martin Stevens (mandolin, fiddle, octave mandolin, vocals) and Josh Adkins (upright bass, vocals). The album features eight songs written by Kristen Grainger and four covers; Mighty Bourbon (Justin Evan Thompson), The Eye (Brandi Carlile, Philip and Timothy Hanseroth), Wilder Than Her (Fred Eaglesmith) and Without You (Eddie Vedder).

Guest musicians Eric Alterman (cello) and Todd Sickafoose (bass) join the band who self-produced the collection at Big Owl Studios in Salem, Oregon. The playing is subtle and understated, giving the songs a cohesion and fluidity that makes the listening experience a very positive one. The vocals of Grainger are very engaging and the sweet melodies are quite hypnotic when listening on headphones; intimate and charged with a gentle longing.  The harmony vocals with Dan Wetsel are very complimentary to Grainger’s voice and lend an added layer to the arrangements.

One-Way Ticket contains the lines that appear as the title of the album and the song is one of striking out for the future, changing circumstances and having the will to keep believing. Dark Horse Bar & Grill celebrates the solace of a local hostelry where there is ‘lots of free philosophy’. Ratio of Angels to Demons deals with the passing of a friend and does so in a very creative and poignant manner. The subject matter of some songs is somewhat bleak with titles like I’m Gone, You Come Round, Sunday Night Blues and Without You handling the pain of separation and the feeling of being alone in the World. 

However, these are balanced by the upbeat melodies of Seed, Leaf, Flower, Seed – a celebration of the Seasons and the inherent magic of Mother Nature, plus the ability to take the extraordinary from the everyday ordinary things as explored on Small Wonders. A very impressive release and one that is well worth exploring further.

Will Paynter Truth & Beauty Self Release

Fender Rhodes and tenor sax join with the tenor bass of Will Paynter on opening track, One Better Man and we are given a soulful feel for the talents of this artist who performs and records with the Sonoma Sound Band. They play roots music with rhythms that incorporate blues, country and folk influences. 

Paynter served in the army with the Green Berets and has lived in both in Central and South America. His wandering has also seen him travel in the Far East and the South Pacific, North Africa and the Middle East. He has released a few previous albums and this current project includes 13 tracks and a list of studio musicians that is both very long and impressive with Greg Brady and Paynter co-producing. 

There are four cover versions of songs by Tom Waits (Down There By The Train), Johnny Cash (Let The Train Blow The Whistle), Bruce Springsteen (Further On Up The Road) and Dock Boggs (Wild Bill Jones) and all other songs are written by Will Paynter. The acoustic stripped-down feel to the whole recording and the less-is-more playing adds to the character of the songs like Loving You, Truth & Beauty, Brand New Day, All I Own and Clearer To Me Now. 

The most arresting song is What People Are Talking About, which highlights all of the injustice in the World today and a commentary on the lack of humanity in all of it – a grim overview of our times.

Six vocalists, five guitar players, three drummers, two bass players, accordion, violin, pedal-steel, banjo, saxophone, piano, Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, and some fine harmonica playing from Paynter himself – plenty to enjoy here.

Jordan Davis Home State HumpHead.

A debut album from new artist Jordan Davis who comes from Louisiana, USA. The twelve songs are typical of the crossover country releases that are proving so popular among the current listeners of commercial radio stations. There is a slick production sound, courtesy of Paul DiGiovanni, who also contributes acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, vocals and programming. 

It is that last credit that old purists of the Country genre hate to see – programming. In modern recording techniques the use of loops, syncopated beats and programming can lead to something more akin to Pop music and can sound sterile, lacking real character or colour. 

This release falls into that territory. Sure, there are lots of bright choruses and hooks that will sound great while driving along with the windows down and the stereo turned up. Songs that celebrate woman-kind and songs that celebrate the chase involved in impressing a sought-after beauty – Tough To Tie Down; Singles You Up; Made That Way; So Do I; Dreamed You Did – all come and go with the hopes of success in the high stakes of romantic conquest. 

Country music is not something that exists in a vacuum and it must move forward, but the modern sound of albums like this do not fit any definition of the original roots of Country. Davis has a strong vocal and the tracks all bounce with a bright and breezy quality but I find myself wishing for Willie Nelson or Emmylou to appear and save the day. Hmmm.

Reviews by Paul McGee

 

Mare Wakefield & Nomad Time To Fly Maresie

This husband and wife duo met at Berklee College of Music in 2004. These days they are based in Nashville and multi-instrumentalist Nomad Ovunc produced and engineered this collection of 12 songs for their second release as a duo. Mare (Mary) Wakefield has been releasing solo records since 1997, with a total of 5 albums to her name. She plays acoustic guitar and sings with great clarity and conviction across these self-penned songs and very impressive they are too. 

Nomad contributes on piano and accordion plus melodica, percussion and backing vocals. The superb Will Kimbrough plays electric guitar and is joined by Brian Allen on upright and electric bass and Wes Little plays drums. They contribute in no small sense to what is a very accomplished collection. Special guests include Greg Foresman (electric guitar), Eamon McLoughin (fiddle), Bobby Holland (backing vocals) and Mike Waldron (guitar). 

The songs touch on a number of current topics as Land Of The Free demonstrates; a biting condemnation of bigotry in modern America and the lie of it being the land of the free. Lyrically this lady really nails it. The songs Breathe and Falling deal with lessons learned from heartbreak and failed relationships, while the title track looks at losing a loved one and the growth that can arise from bereavement.

Real Big Love is a playful opener with an up-tempo beat and a celebration of being alive in a World of free will and endless choice. Henry is a similar giddy, tongue-in-cheek, look at a flirtatious restaurant employee and a customer she fancies… The Day We Buried Mama is a real hoot with the sub-title (& Cousin Bobby Joe Got Wed). Old country jive and great playing by Nomad on piano.

Bernice & Bernadette is a song of unrequited love at a time when such liaisons were forbidden to dwell upon, much less put into action. It is both poignant and beautifully observed.

These are folk songs in the best tradition and the talents of Nomad blend perfectly with the warm vocals and song-writing talents of Mare in creating a highly recommended release. 

I’m Kingfisher Transit Fading Trails

This is the creation of Thomas Jonsson who writes all eleven songs here and adds guitars and vocals to the project. He is joined by a coterie of musicians who support the melodies on a variety of instruments. Jonsson has been releasing music since 2003 and this represents his third album as musical alias, I’m Kingfisher. Produced by Carl Edlom, who also contributes on guitars, bass, piano, synthesizers, percussion, field recordings and vocals, the stripped-down sound of these acoustic driven songs is a soft seduction that eases itself up to you and settles down for the evening by the fire. There is a hypnotic quality to the strumming and voice which lulls the listener in and gently seduces. Think Nick Drake meets Jeff Buckley if you want a sign-post along the way.

Luck Underwhelms Me is a powerful arrangement with subtle string accompaniment and Sarajevo is a song that checks Vedran Smailović, known as the "Cellist of Sarajevo".  Can’t Wait For The Future is a song of hope and for growing through new experience. Silent Spring shows off some fine guitar work but the subject matter of the song escapes me.

Although no lyric sheet came with this music and the actual words are hard to follow, it does not seem to matter, as the whole stream-of-consciousness vibe on the project allows the arrangements and voice to meld together. Despite the fact that song titles like Superman In A Wake and Topography Of Gabon don’t lend themselves to easy explanation and the abstract art work of the CD cover is in no way representative of the music contained within; I find myself increasingly impressed on repeated listening with this entire project. You will not be disappointed upon purchase.

The Equitorial Group Apricity Self Release.

This band hail from Eastbourne, England and are comprised of Teresa Fox (keys and vocals), Andy Tourle (bass and vocals), Dave Davies (guitar and vocals), Mike Tourle (drums) and Helen Weeks (vocals and pedal steel/guitar). They issued a compilation last year of previous songs, plus a few new titles, three of which appear on this new album. Apart from a Live at Summer Trifle Festival release, again in 2017, I know little about the band as there is no information with the CD that arrived for review – quite frustrating and not helpful.

The title of the album refers to the warmth of the sun in winter and their sound is akin to a gentle stroll in the early morning with the minimal strum of guitar and simple drum brushes delivered on the first two songs, Lights Shine and Juggernauts, setting the mood for the rest of the album. Surrogate Funeral dials everything up a notch with a good beat and rhythm that allows the musicians to stretch out a little and the noir feel of Burning is interesting. Electric Night and Motorbikes build into extended guitar explorations and the arrangements overall hint at mood scapes that carry a wistful sense of surrender. Farewell My Lovely and Those Dudes are a slice of Americana that points to wider influences and this is Folk-Rock with fine playing and confident vocal delivery. A release that bodes well for the future.

Paul Thorn Don’t Let The Devil Ride Perpetual Obscurity

This is a collection of Gospel/Soul/Blues songs, mainly plucked from obscurity and originally recorded by black southern gospel groups. There is also a cover of Love Train, the classic O’Jays hit and Paul Thorn has really delivered a collection of 14 tracks that impress on all levels. A veteran of the Roots-Rock circuit with a dozen releases to his name, Thorn is a well-respected artist who was born and raised in Mississippi and the son of a preacher. The influences of his childhood in Church revivals are clearly evident here and he honours the old traditions with real spirit and plenty of loving attention to detail.  

Featuring guest artists such as the Blind Boys of Alabama, The McCrary Sisters, the Preservation Hall Jazz Horns and Bonnie Bishop, the themes of redemption, reflection and resilience in the face of troubled times are highlighted in songs like Keep Holdin’ On; One More River; You Got To Move; Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin’ Bed and Soon I Will Be Done. The title track, Something On My Mind and What Should I Do all have a slow blues groove and the co-production of Billy Maddox and Colin Linden is a joy throughout. Little Feat meets BB King and the result is pure gold.  A must have purchase. 

Jeb Barry and the Pawn Shop Saints Texas, etc… Dolly Rocker

Jeb Barry has three previous releases and his reputation as an artist in the Americana space is well earned. His Pawn Shop Saints are Michael O’Neill (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Chris Sampson (bass) with Josh Pisano (drums) and they support the songs with easy restraint and understated skill. Jeb takes lead vocal and plays guitar, banjo, harmonica, mandolin, bass and dobro. If you enjoy Steve Earle then this music will please you greatly.

This is a double CD with 19 tracks in total and the band are joined by Dan Tremblay (acoustic guitar), Ray Gargan (fiddle), Bernadette McMahon (ukulele), Heather Austin (lead/backing vocals) and Thomas Corrigan (vocals) to add some extra weight to the recording process. Disc One (The Sainted) is with the band, while Disc Two (The Saintless) is more sparse, stripped-down and solo. 

His songs address issues of the heart with the conundrum of love and the lack of it. Songs like You Don’t Ever Miss Me, The Girl Never Loved Me, Galveston 92, Evidence, A Little Mercy and Everybody Knows leave no doubt that finding love and then keeping it nurtured are the most difficult challenges that this songwriter grapples with. Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time is a more light-hearted look at relationships and is a duet with Heather Austin. Refugees is a fine song and looks at the difficulties in modern America where bigotry runs rife; the message of ‘aren’t we all refugees?’ is well delivered and a timely reminder of the original aspirations upon which the USA was founded.

Robert Lane Only A Flight Away Self Release

This is the third release from Robert Lane, a singer songwriter based in Birmingham. He has played mainly in a solo capacity in building a career that has seen him tour extensively throughout England and Germany. With upcoming tours in both Holland and Scandinavia, his momentum is building and his playing skills are very strong.

Lane has a clear vocal style and plays guitars, bass and piano on this album. He is joined by Matthew Pinfield on drums, bass and piano and Lucy Phillips on violin. The production, by Matthew Pinfield, goes for a much bigger panorama and a range of styles beyond his contemporary Folk leanings. 

The instrumental opener, The Hundred House, is impressive with emotive guitar lines and a swell of keyboards and programmed backing voices. The following track, Man Of The Moment, a swipe at Donald Trump, has a very Rock driven guitar sound that reminds me of Wishbone Ash in the arrangement. There are songs that lean towards radio aspirations with the arrangement on Right By My Side channelling a Beatles/ELO string section.

The acoustic blues of Baby Knows is a song that highlights the great fretwork of Lane and on The Instigator, a finely melodic dissection of a one-sided relationship, his acoustic guitar shines brightly again. These simple Folk arrangements work best.

The message of Far Too Busy is one of frustration at the loneliness in the world and the marginalised in society; prostitution, old age and child abuse are addressed in a plea to slow down and recognise the quiet desperation in the faces of those around us every day. Take As Long As You Need is a message of support for a close friend who is going through a grieving process and is a well thought out song. The final track, Who Do You Think You’re Talking For, with just solo acoustic guitar, speaks to a friend about toning down a brash ego and taking stock. 

The artwork on the album is somewhat odd and unrepresentative of the music. A more fitting image might have been to represent the song that inspired the CD title and Bill Frost’s Flying Machine, a Welsh legend about the first man to attempt to fly, is an excellent tune.

All songs are written by Lane, apart from three co-writes with musician/producer Matthew Pinfield. An interesting release that enhances a growing reputation as Robert Lane continues to hone his signature sound.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Western Centuries Songs From The Deluge Free Dirt

If it ain’t broken don’t fix it. Western Centuries template for their debut release Weight Of The World (2016) was simple -  strong songs, killer vocals, sweet harmonies and stellar playing. Anyone fortunate to catch their live shows while touring that album last year would testify to their ability to tick all these boxes and more. Together with featuring much of the material from that album they also included what seemed to be an endless supply of new material, weaving effortlessly between classic, cajun and honky tonk country. Much of that material has ended up on Songs From The Deluge, songs that were written, tested and honed on their gruelling touring schedule in 2017. 

Loosely described as a supergroup, Western Centuries are made up of three accomplished writers and musicians in Ethan Lawton, Cahalen Morrison and Jim Miller. Leo Grasalon on pedal steel and upright bass player Nokosee Fields complete the line-up. In true democratic fashion each of the writers contribute four songs each on the album, taking lead vocals on their own compositions. Three songwriters on an album can be one (or two) too many but Western Centuries – as was the case with their debut album – manage to impressively achieve a consistent flow from start to finish by all sticking to their core value of producing pure country music and avoiding any crossover into pop or modern country.

 Jim Miller, who could be described as the father figure in the band, cut his early career teeth with Donna The Buffalo, who were Jim Lauderdale’s backing band for a spell. Ethan Lawton was formerly a member of Zoe Muth’s band The Lost High Rollers and Cahalen Morrison was previously a member of the duo Eli West. Between them they conjure up George Jones style ballads (Rocks And Flame, Wild Birds), Maverick’s quality Tex-Mex (Far From Home, Warm Guns), no nonsense honky tonk (My Own Private Honky Tonk, soulful blues (Three Swallows) and even find room to let there hair down with the full on rocker Time Does The Rest. 

Self-produced by the band in Eunice Louisiana with the assistance of Cajun musician and producer Joel Savoy, Songs From The Deluge is a joy to behold, probably best described simply as a fun album from start to finish.

Eva Hillered New Me Hill Songs

Swedish singer songwriter, music therapist, vocal teacher and authoress Eva Hillered has been recording since 1988, when she was nominated for a Grammy as Newcomer of The Year. Since then she has recorded nine albums, the latest titled New Me. The album is made up of both self and co-writes over the ten tracks, with Hillered performing vocals and guitar and multi-instrumentalist Peter Sund contributing guitar, mandolin, drums, rhodes and percussion. Sund also co-produced the album with Hillered.

Highly regarded in her native Sweden, Hillered’s musical style ticks both the folk and country boxes with an easy listening charm, characterised best here on the title track and Rosanne Cash sounding Swede Hollow. The Curtain and Sing Him Back – the latter a co-write with Nels Andrews - are uncluttered and dreamlike with Hillered’s impressive vocals perfectly paced.  Equally arresting is The Hunt, a haunting tune brought to life by well-placed backing vocals and slick guitar playing by Sund.

Nowhere Brothers Down Life Boulevard Self Release 

Lo-fi Americana Italian style from Nowhere Brothers duo Nick Ventolini (vocals, harmonica and penny whistle) and Roberto Fiorelli (vocals, guitars, piano and stomp box). Self-produced and recorded over two days at the Pyramix Studio in Phoenix Arizona, Down Life Boulevard is atmospheric, delicate, spacious and captures the recent nomadic lifestyles of the duo, with much of the album featuring only acoustic guitar and harmonica. On first listen the music creates an impression of demos rather than completed songs, to be fleshed out at another time by the addition of electric guitar, bass and drums. However, on further plays it reveals itself to be an impressive finished article with the sparseness and stripped back instrumentation contributing to the mood of the album.

Standout of the ten tracks are the grief-stricken sense of loss on Soul Mirror and Dust Walker which conjures up images of isolation and dark starry desert skies.

Beautifully packaged with lyrics in both English and Italian, Down Life Boulevard is an impressive late night listen for fans of Bill Callahan and Peter Oren. 

Dugger Band East Tennessee Son Self Release

Brothers Jordan and Seth Dugger began their musical careers singing at their parent’s church in Greenville Tennessee. East Tennessee Son is their debut mini album, offering six tracks that flirt with Southern rock, country and mainstream pop. They possess, without doubt, the capability to create music that is tailor made for what features currently on Country Radio with tracks like For The Girl and One Track Mind particularly market friendly.

Unapologetically Christian, they have created a programme titled A Dream Worth Chasing, a series of schoolhouse concerts to introduce and motivate young children through music. They have performed at numerous High Schools over the past twelve months as part of this venture. 

Opener Warning Label, the strongest track on the album, recalls a rocked up Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth. However, it’s unreflective of what follows which tends to stick to less adventurous material. What can’t be denied is the standard of musicianship across all the tracks and the brother’s vocal expertise. An album that could undoubtedly make an impact in the mainstream crossover country market given the exposure.

Orphan Colours All On Red At The Helm

Ex- members of London band Ahab, Steve Llewellyn, Dave Burn and Graham Knight teamed up with former Noah and The Whale guitarist Fred Abbott and Danny and The Champions Of The World drummer Steve Brooks to form Orphan Colours in 2015. All On Red is their debut album following the release of their EP High Hopes in 2016. The album title suggests a make or break gamble and may possibly be reflective of the ambition of the band to achieve the industry breakthrough that failed both Ahab and Noah & The Whale, somewhat surprisingly given both bands had huge potential.

Start of Something opens the album in style, a big sound a la Southside Johnny & The Asbury Dukes with slick riffs, big power chords and ripping sax solos. Goodnight California follows a similar path, bursting out of the speakers with an insanely catchy chorus that impacts on first spin. Equally addictive is Renegade kicking off with thumping drums joined by more power riffs.  Not that it’s all blood and thunder, closing track Rambling Rose together with Sarah and Loving Lately both display Llewellyn’s – who wrote all the material on the album - capacity to also pen dreamy radio friendly ballads.

In a market that often demands classification it’s not easy to place Orphan Colours in a particular genre. A few decades ago their sound would simply be described as rock. What is beyond doubt is that with their arena suited anthems they possess the ammunition and the oomph in their arsenal to turn a lot of heads if the roulette wheel is kind to them. 

Tupelo The Heart’s Bloodline Crashed

Alt-folk combo Tupelo’s music has straddled traditional, folk and country since their formation in 2008. Not surprising given their individual musical backgrounds and pedigrees. Voted best folk group in 2013 by Hot Press Magazine The Heart’s Bloodline is their latest offering which finds them continuing to stray further from their trad origins into left wing alt-folk, a genre which continues to grow in popularity.

Hugely celebrated overseas, the band have toured Holland, Belgium, France, Russia, Norway together with performances at Irish Music Festivals in the States. For their third album duo James Cramer (vocals, guitars, mandolin, percussion, banjo) and Kevin Duffy (fiddle, vocals) are joined by Brian Connor on keys, Jerry Fehily on drums, Robbie Malone on bass and Bill Shanley on guitars. Offering ten tracks, all written by Cramer, the album was recorded at Cauldren Studios in Dublin and mastered by David Montuy (The High Kings, Celtic Woman) at Blackbird Studious in Nashville.

Standout tracks include opener Break Loose, released as a single late last year, Nursery Rhyme , with echoes of The Waterboys, Queen of the Vale, which is enriched by delightful harmonies and backing vocals courtesy of Julia Hale and the Van the Man sounding Just Leave It.

Tupelo have earned a reputation as one of the finest live Irish bands peddling the alt-folk brand and a few listens in to The Heart’s Bloodline suggests that they are equally adept in a recording studio.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Birds Of Chicago Love In Wartime Signature Sounds

Husband and Wife duo, JT Nero and Alison Russell return with a follow up release to their 2016 Real Midnight album. If that was defined by a reflective, understated direction then this new set of eleven songs walks more along a line between up tempo numbers and gentle, poignant arrangements. 

Starting out with the soulful hum of Alison over a simple accompaniment of banjo, piano and a hint of electric guitar, the reflective mood is quickly broken by the track, Never Look Back, which jumps out at you with a positive energy and a message to leave the past behind with no time to lose. 

This is followed by the title track which is a beautiful melody and message of taking care of each other first. Love always endures in the world of these Birds and why not indeed. Travellers then follows with another up tempo arrangement and the calypso beat of being nomads in this world of constant schedules to meet and busy lives to serve. 

Try is a sweet soulful song that hints at a very personal situation with the illness of a loved one at the heart of it. There are some passionate vocal lines from Alison and JT sings "I don’t see your body broken, I still see the fire there in your eyes."

And so, the listening experience continues, light juxtaposed with shade as the mood swings back and forth. 

The studio musicians are uniformly excellent and the production by JT and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All Stars) is superbly balanced and open, which allows plenty of room for the players to express themselves. They have tried to capture the excellent live performance of the Birds in as much as a studio setting will allow. The entire album was recorded in just a few days and the immediacy of the overall sound gives the impression that much of it was recorded in just a few takes. Spontaneity taken to the next level as the ensemble compliment each other in serving the songs. 

Lodestar is another example of a sweet groove and a message of forgiveness and healing; "You are not what you’ve lost, what remains should not bear the cost." Roll Away and Baton Rouge (impacted by the 2016 Louisiana floods), are both gospel tinged, soulful messages of being alive in the world and moving forward. Roisin Starchild is a look back to school days by Alison and a close friend who had her back while growing up. It hints at a darker underlying message and the escape of Roisin at the age of only 12 in the search for ‘a kinder place’... It left me really wanting to know what ever became of her…

Superlover and Derecho end the project with messages of hope and concern for the gathering storms that will have to be endured in our quest for community, empathy and understanding.

The vocal harmonies are tight and give a strong sense of just how good this band are in a live setting. There are some lovely moments by Drew Lindsay on piano and keys, together with Joel Schwartz on lead guitars. The rhythm section of Nick Chambers on drums and Chris Merrill on bass anchor everything with strong playing, both understated and vibrant as required; while Dan Abu Absi adds rhythm electric and acoustic guitar with Javier Saume-Mazzei on percussion and Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor providing harmony vocals on four tracks. 

Always interesting and revealing itself more on repeated listens. My album of the year so far and an essential purchase.

Backtrack Blues Band Make My Home In Florida Harpo

This band reside in Tampa Bay, Florida and formed back in 1980. They are one of Florida’s longest running blues acts and have released five studio albums plus a live CD/DVD package to date.

This new release is another live cd/dvd package of a gig in St Petersburg, Florida recorded in January 2017. It all clocks in around 50 minutes of stellar Blues work-outs, including covers of songs by Sonny Boy Williamson II (Your Funeral And My Trial, Checkin’ On My Baby), B.B. King (Woke Up This Morning) and T-Bone Walker (T-Bone Shuffle).

Kid Royal is a really gifted guitar player and his passionate solos are a highlight of this project, elevating the tracks and adding some magic sparkle to the excellent Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on drums, and Stick Davis on bass. The harmonica playing of lead vocalist Sonny Charles is also a real treat across all nine tracks included here.

Make My Home In Florida is a track where all these elements come together in a real tour de force of playing and the production by George Harris is crystal clear and very bright in the speakers. Essential for all lovers of the blues.

Ashley Campbell The Lonely One Hump Head

This debut solo release from the daughter of Glen Campbell comes within a year of his passing and Ashley is embarking on a career that has seen her learn the ropes as an integral part of her father’s touring band during 2011 and 2012. She played banjo and guitar, wrote a fine song Remembering, while the documentary I’ll Be Me, about Glen Campbell’s farewell tour and battle with Alzheimer’s was very well received upon release to the public.

This album is released on her own label, Whistle Stop Records and produced by both Ashley and Cal Campbell. The thirteen tracks are co-written by Ashley and Cal, who appears throughout on various instruments; as does Shannon Campbell, on selected songs, playing electric guitar. There are strings on quite a number of songs and the title track has a bossa nova swing that has radio hit written all over it. The use of synths and programming on a number of tracks adds a sheen to the sound and the horns on We Can’t Be Friends is another departure into the arena of Country Pop. 

Ashley is an undoubted talent and her skills as a musician cannot be faulted – the instrumental, Carl & Ashley’s Breakdown, highlight her superb banjo playing. This release is a strong statement of intent with plenty of catchy melodies (How Do You Know, Good For You) and tales of broken hearts and living life to the full. It has a number of hits in the grooves (A New Year, Looks Like Time, Better Boyfriend) and I wish her well in her future career that will, no doubt, go from strength to strength.

Lelle Dahlberg These Words Are True Self Release

A native of Bureå, Sweden this singer-songwriter releases his debut album after many years of writing and recording with other artists and bands. All music and lyrics are written by Lennart Dahlberg and he sings in a voice that has a well of experience and a lived-in quality to draw from. The production is uncluttered, from the blues of Come Back Home to the laid-back groove of There’s Only You, that has the fine vocals of Pearl adding to the melody.

Tonight’s The Night and Play That Old Melody have a real honky-tonk swing and the fiddle and piano playing on I Should Have Loved You are very catchy. The swing of Till We Meet Again with pedal steel to the fore and Can’t Stand Losin’ You with its’ slow twang and bittersweet piano are also good songs. A very pleasant listen across all 12 tracks.

Andrew Sheppard Steady Your Aim Self Release

Singer-songwriter Andrew Sheppard is from Idaho this is his second album, following on from Far From Here which was released in 2015. Production is by Sheppard and Eric Loomis, plus Wes Walsworth; both of whom play guitar on the record which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The other musicians on the album are Nick Archibald on bass and piano; Joe Giotta on drums; David Henry on cello and backing vocals; Smith Curry on pedal steel and lap steel; Chris Tuttle on organ and Wurlitzer; Sarah Elanton and Catherine Anderson on harmony vocals.

The title track is very radio-friendly and Travel Light and Carry On is a slice of country tinged desert music that reminds me of the great western landscapes. Standin’ Tall compares different attitudes to life, from the bum who lives off the system to the quiet heroes who make the best of the cards that are dealt them. Lies As Cheap As Whiskey is another tale of life on the outside and Not My Kind is a look at people who think that living is all about brash, loud and proud behaviour. Further Away ends proceedings with a song to a deceased friend who is a guiding inspiration that endures. Good country roots songs, well performed and a name to watch out for in the years ahead.

Kris Delmhorst The Wild Blueblade

In a career that has seen her release eight studio albums, a few collaborations with Red Bird (husband Jeffrey Foucault & Peter Mulvey) and a couple of live outings, Kris Delmhorst has arrived at an interesting crossroads in what has been a varied path taken.  Her Folk beginnings have been replaced by a sophisticated soundscape of wistful moments, notes in a diary and a souvenir of a life lived in contemplation of the self.

There is a longing and a search for something undefined and unseen in these songs. The playing is sparse and understated with sensitive arrangements and melodies serving the songs so well. Kris plays cello, guitar, organ, piano, Wurlitzer and Jeffrey Foucault adds lovely touches on a variety of guitars, ukulele, and piano. They are joined by Jeremy Moses Curtis on upright and electric bass, Billy Conway on drums and Alex McCullough on pedal steel guitar.

This is her first release in four years and the solitude and realisation of a love that is treasured on the opening, All The Way Around, sets the template for what is a work of real depth and maturity.

The title track is like a meditation on love and nature. Rules To Games dissects a relationship and all the petty squabbles that keep people apart in the daily grind. Magnolia speaks of casting off the old in favour for a new attitude and beginning to look forward with optimism. Kris sings so sweetly and with a soft tone that reminds me sometimes of Norah Jones in these hushed moments of contemplation and reflection. At other times there is a hint of Natalie Merchant in the delivery (Colour Of The Sky) but it is always the unique warmth of Kris and her delivery that shines through.

Production is by Kris and Jeffrey, all songs are written by Kris and her gentle muse has never been more keenly defined. Foolish Blood and Lonely West are relationship musings and the feelings that arise from the realisation that love burns within and without. Hollow deals with the heaviness of a relationship, "Cause music comes from emptiness, When the air is moving through it."

The final song, The Light In The Hall, is a wish to have all our insecurities fall away in the quiet of night when trusting yourself to the vagaries of this mortal coil. A superb record that is everything one would expect from a talent that keeps growing and blossoming.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Leslie Tom Ain’t It Something, Hank Williams Coastal Bend

Perhaps using the life and songs of Hank Williams as a roadmap may seem like an odd direction to follow given how that turned out for him. However, here, Texas born singer Leslie Tom has taken the spirit of Williams’ template of love, heartbreak and loss as the heartbeat of her latest release, a 10 track tribute to Hank that combines 6 original songs with covers of William's originals - Hey Good Lookin’, Honky Tonkin’, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry and the somewhat lesser known Angel Of Death. All are delivered with a passion that makes them worthy of attention despite the fact that they have been, in the main, recorded many times before. Part of that is due to the skill of Tom’s assembled band and John Macy’s production. Both are respectful while also rejuvenating the songs and sound in a style that is fluent and fresh. Those who like to read credits and have done so through the years will recognise the names of steel guitarist Lloyd Green and guitarist Chris Leuzinger among the talented players involved (who also included Andy Hall on dobro - for Angel Of Death - from the Infamous Stringdusters). The album was recorded in Nashville’s Cinderella Sound Studios but is a far cry of from much that emerges from via the studios of Music City these days.

The original songs are both lyrically clever and emotionally concise and incorporate some of Williams’ spirit and synergy, but do so from a defiantly female perspective. Still Love You (Audrey’s Song) is written from the perspective of Hank’s wife and their troubled relationship that was still imbued with an underlying love for each other. Born Too Late offers the “if only” theory that he was born too late and she was born too soon. Mr Williams is a precis of his life and relationship with Audrey that uses some of Hank’s lyrics intertwined with Tom’s own incisive writing. The final track Hank You Very Much (listed as a “bonus track” as it appeared on a previous release) takes this even further by using many of Williams’ song lines in its verses. It features vocals from Larry Nix who adds harmony throughout the album. Another guest on a song he co-writes with Tom is Dean Miller and  their Are You Ready For Some Hanky Panky? is a joyful and up tempo realisation that we are all ready for some of the music of Mr. Williams.

Although Tom is a multi-instrumentalist here she concentrates on delivering some powerful and impassioned vocals that do justice to all the material on the album. An album that covers a range of moods, tempos and tempestuousness that places here in the forefront of traditionally-minded singers who don’t feel the need to court the temptation of crossover commerciality. Leslie Tom has combined her considerable talents and those of her players to produce a statement of intent that surely points to some equally potent (and likely original) music in the future. Ain’t that something to look forward to?

Sir Canyon Ventura Skies Self Release

Singer and writer Noah Lamberth is the central figure being behind Sir Canyon. He is a part of the revived and resolute California country music scene. He uses d his music as means to deal with some emotional hurt and loss that he had encountered in his life. He is a film and documentary maker in his other life and previously played in a band, Hank Floyd. He also played steel guitar for the likes of Katy Perry. Lamberth played some of his home demos to his friend, producer Andy Davis, who was impressed enough to begin recording the songs with a serious intent to bring his self described country/surf/mariachi/desert rock sound to another level

Indeed, even though there is pedal steel, twanging guitars and more, the end result is neither traditional country nor mainstream crossover country pop/rock. Rather, it evokes some earlier exponents of California country, without ever sounding like such icons as Glen Campbell, Gram Parsons or the many exponents of the Bakersfield Sound; as well as that of those who made their home and music there - like Neil Young - another influence on these sounds. Even though there are elements of all of these in Sir Canyon’s music there is also the cinematic aura of the soundtracks that are part and parcel of the music inherent in California’s film industry, especially those that deal with the landscape of the American West.

The opening track (and video) Angeleno Daydream looks to the sense of mythology that is central to Los Angeles as a city of dream and reality. The good and the bad that both draws people in looking for fame and fortune as much as it is a catalyst to move out and on. The song opens with three music components that are pivotal to the overall sound. They are strummed acoustic guitar, deep baritone guitar and ethereal pedal steel guitar. These three elements are soon enhanced by the full band utilising an understated rhythm section and Lamberth’s considered indie styled vocals. There is a dream-like quality at times that befits their self-described “cosmic Americana” sound. It is a blend of influences that takes some of the principles that Gram Parsons based his musical ideology on without sounding like a rehash of that man’s oeuvre.

Crucial to the album is the input of producer Andy Davis and mixer John Rausch who have worked with Lamberth’s song writing to bring a quality to the overall project that makes for an end to end listening experience that works on a number of levels. As band leader Lamberth not only is vocalist but also plays pedal steel and guitar on the album. Joey Esquibel and John Moreau are the rhythm section. Producer Davis plays keyboards and adds background vocals. Martin Saavedra plays effective trumpet on Cindy Come Over. This team took it’s time to produce and album that they were proud of. It shows and while if you’re a hard-core honky-tonk fan it may not appeal, it is an album that is a welcome addition to the cannon of recent work from L.A. based artists, such as Sam Outlaw, that is a worthy antidote to much of the output from Nashville.

Michael McDermott Out From Under Pauper Sky

As the title suggest this is an album about taking hold of your life and looking toward the better things. Things that really mean something. His story is one of excess and extremes. Being signed to a major label at an age where nothing else seems to matter and when that falters and fails resorting to finding things to blot out that lack of self worth. McDermott has now, over his last few albums, both solo and with The Westies found himself dedicating his life to creating work that he can be proud of as well as realising the strengths and support that his wife and daughter bring to his life.

However, it is also true that these negative tendencies have given him the opportunity to look at the good and the bad things that life has to offer. The songs here look at both sides, but end up being imbued with positivity and understanding that sees the cycles of life, death and everything in between as an opportunity to learn and grow as a human being. Given also that McDermott is a dynamic and riveting live performer as well as an accomplished artist in the studio his music is underrated and worthy of greater attention. He has already been praised, in the past, by Stephen King, amongst others, for his song writing ability. This album brings his work to a whole other level. His experiences have galvanised him to create something with a more resonant meaning that in the past.

McDermott produced the album and in doing so has delivered an album that he is central to, as a player contributing guitar, bass and keyboards. His wife Heather sang back-up and played fiddle on the album (she is a performer in her own right and recently released a fine album). He also included some of The Westies (such a long-time bass player Lex Price) and other players who either came to the studio or contributed remotely. His studio is in Willow Springs, Illinois and working there gives him the freedom to create in his own time. He even added one song The World Will Break Your Heart when the album was ostensibly done. It was a song he felt needed to be on the record as it in some ways serves as a cautionary tale for less worldly artists. The eleven songs here clock in with a time of over 45 minutes allowing the songs the time they need to tell their stories. God Help Us is an ambiguous plea for the understanding of faith. Lack of faith in one’s self is apparent in the opening Cal-Sar Road. A location where one might score and then try removing pain through narcotics. He is well placed to tell this fictional tale of murder and mayhem. As he is in many of the other songs on the album. Sad Songs is a full-blooded rock song that sees him wanting to move away from that subject to something more positive.

In overall terms this is an album that should appeal to his hard core fans as well as those who like their songwriters to be able to deal in truth in a musically varied and interesting setting. One that allows the layers to emerge slowly with each listen. McDermott has clearly come out from under and emerged into the light with an album that is arguably the best of his career and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Sam Morrow Concrete And Mud Forty Below

This album opens with Morrow giving a deep soulful vocal over a strong full sounding track with edgy guitar. Heartbreak Man has a little of Waylon in its DNA (as do many of the other tracks) and it is a good start to what is an album that fits in well with the current idea of what outlaw is right now. His is a blend of Texas dance floor country, some Southern Rock and a soupcon of Memphis country funk. His deep baritone voice sits atop a live, in the studio, sound that producer Eric Corne captured on a vintage Neve desk. From then on, the playing adds much to the overall feel with Hammond styling, mixed with bluesy slide, twanging’ Telecaster and layered vocals. San Fernando Sunshine exemplifies this. While the up tempo Good Ole Days moves along at a pace with some nods to his native Texas and some fine guitar playing which again blends with the swirling full bodied keyboards.

Skinny Elvis features duet vocals from his label mate Jamie Wyatt (as do two other tracks where she joins him on backing vocals). It also features a notable turn from Jay Dee Maness on pedal steel. An instrument that is also central to the equally effective Coming Home. The guitar and keyboard blend is prominent on the standout ballad Weight Of A Stone which has a compelling and telling vocal from Morrow. One that should easily find him favour with Chris Stapelton fans and marks Morrow out as a real contender. Cigarettes has a touch of Little Feet in its loose, rootsy funkiness and bolstered by some judicious Moog bass. There is some fiddle that works well on the closing song Mississippi River.

Morrow is the assumed writer of the songs here, working with Eric Corne (individual writing details are not credited on the promo sleeve). The latter is also the label owner and has played a large part in bring some diversity to Morrow’s country funk amalgamation. Something off an abiding trend these days but one that Morrow and Corne have pulled off with style giving the listener an album that works on many levels. Never quite fitting easily in either the country rock or country soul categories but rather offering a blurring of the lines that makes Concrete And Mud, as the title might suggest, both hard edged and loose. So, while it may not be everyone’s side of a honky-toning night out, it is music that the 27 year old Texan can put out there knowing that he’s tried to make the best album he can at this time - and it is an album for these times.

The Lynnes Heartbreak Song For The Radio Self Release

These two Canadian artists have worked together previously but this is the first album that Lynne Hanson and Lynn Miles have released together. They have written all the songs together (with one being a co-write) and co-produced the album. Miles plays acoustic and electric guitar and piano while Hanson also adds acoustic and electric guitars. They are joined by a full band that includes Kevin Breit on guitars, Dave Draves on keyboards Keith Glass plays baritone guitar and Don Cummings plays the B3. The rhythm section is Peter Von Althen and Steve Clark. The all do a great job as this is an excellent album on all levels - great vocals, memorable songs and engaging playing.

Most of the songs are song by both vocalists together or with one thing taking the lead and the other adding harmony. Either way the vocals are a foremost part of the overall presence of the album. Those songs, as the title suggests, deal with failed and unresolved relationships. The closet to positivity is Halfway To Happy (well as a title at least). Other than that, these titles tell a story in themselves: Cost So Much, Recipe For Disaster, Dark Waltz, Blame It On The Devil and Heavy Lifting. The thing is, despite the lyrically directions, this is an energetic, uplifting and rewarding recording.

They each have a strong turn of phrase and the lyrics are well written; being emotive, gritty and revealing as befits artists who have had life experiences and lived to tell the tales. It has been said that individually there are both compelling but together they excel. Heartbreak Song For The Radio is ready testament to that. The songs are not without balls. These are not delicate folk songs but rather move from the more reflective tone of Blue Tattoo to at the harder edges of Halfway To Happy. Throughout, the harmonies are enchantingand it is an example of two artist totally in synch with each other, their band and the songs. One could only wish to hear more of their brand of patented heartbreak on the radio.

Mojo Monkeys Swerve On Medikull

A California based trio who have lent their considerable talents to a great number of musical endeavours not least acting as sidemen to such luminaries as Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Richard Thompson, Keith Richards and Eric Burden. They are bassist/vocalist Taras Prodaniuk, drummer and vocalist David Raven and guitarist/vocalist Billy Watts. This new album, their third, displays their individual and collective skills on 10 self written songs and one cover; Allen Toussaint’s Ride Your Pony. The opening song Tuscaloosa Maybe has a Western Swing feel and features some alluring pedal steel from Marty Rifkin. Rifkin also joins them for the next song, Two Shots. Both are somewhat different in style from what follows on with nods to soul, rock and blues - a California filtered selection of roots oriented moods – giving both diversity and dance floor vibes throughout. If I Were Gone, All The Wrong Things and Beat Bus Driver are just three of the titles that show why these three work so well together.

There are hooks a-plenty that these guys can play, as well as write and they appear to be having fun throughout. They have been compared to ZZ Top and that comparison is understandable but these monkeys have their own tales and their collective experiences on display here and it shows you why they are in demand as players. There’s nothing particularly new on offer on Swerve On, other than good music that is easy to enjoy and get in the groove to.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Courtney Marie Andrews May Your Kindness Remain Loose

Honest Life, released in 2017 by Courtney Marie Andrews, was considered by many as one of the stand out albums of the year, remarkably the sixth release in the career for the 26-year-old Arizona born artist.

Having toured continuously from January through to August last year, the material that makes up the ten tracks on May Your Kindness Remain, unlike its predecessor, was essentially written while on the road and shifts to a wider lens perspective than the it’s more personal predecessor. Its overriding themes are in the main observations of ordinary people struggling to survive, reflecting the plight and disintegration of the working and middle classes in America and the resultant pressures on the individual in an ever-changing materialistic world. They read as real-life tales, the bones of which may have been overheard and conceived by Andrews in coffee shops, bars and motel lobbies on her travels across small town America. Much of the material was performed live by Andrews during the latter half of her tour last year, revealing a fuller sound than the more acoustic feel of her previous album.

Having self-produced Honest Life, on this occasion Andrews sought out producer Mark Howard, whose previous employers included Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Marianne Faithfull. Heading straight from her tour to California with her band, the album was completed in eight days in a rented house converted into a studio in Los Angeles. Given that much of the material had been performed on tour the recording reflects in the main ‘first takes’ (‘recorded in a circle without a click or fancy programs, looking into my bands eyes’) or at most just one overdub. Andrews, a most accomplished guitarist in her own right, was joined in the studio by her trusted band members Dillon Warnek on guitar, Daniel Walter and Charles Wicklander on keyboards, Alex Sabel on bass and William Mapp on drums. The addition of Gospel soul singer C.C. White, who provides backing vocals on a number of tracks, appears to have led Andrews own vocals in a more soulful and dynamic direction, no doubt also influenced by her immersion in Motown and Soul music while on the road.

If How Quickly Your Heart Mends was the standout song from Honest Life and the track that generated much of the interest for that album, it’s more than matched here by the excellent Kindness of Strangers with powerful layered vocals by Andrews and White together with some wicked guitar breaks by Warnek. The dying American dream and gentrification is the spark for Two Cold Nights In Buffalo (‘What happened to the middle-class, Mom and Pop, Five and Dimes’). The title track is a plea to a failing friend blinded by materialism and avarice (‘And if your money runs out and your good looks fade, may your kindness remain’). I’ve Hurt Worse may be sly humour but more likely a tale of resignation and acceptance of a mundane relationship (‘I like you honey, you don't listen to a word I say, I like you honey, when you interrupt me anyway’). Rough Around The Edges reflects on mental illness and personal trauma that often goes unnoticed and the difficulty in keeping a relationship on the rails in the circumstance (‘Don’t feel like picking up the damn phone today’). Border, representing a topical concern in America and further afield at present, is the wild card on the album, a punchy organ driven rocker.

May Your Kindness Remain is a brave departure from a fearless and assured young artist willing to take challenging career risks in support of her art. It’s not Honest Life Part 2 but another chapter in the wide ranging musical template of one of America’s most talented young female singer songwriters. Intoxicating and highly recommended.

Hans Chew Open Sea At The Helm

I've a fond memory -and damaged hearing- from a gig by Hans Chew in the back room of Ryan’s in Kilkenny some a few years ago. The venue comfortably accommodates around forty punters but the sound engineer- on Chew's direction - had the volume at what seemed like stadium levels. Pre-warned by the most engaging and likeable Tennessee born piano player, what followed was an ear bleeding but more than entertaining introduction to a talented young man. 

A native of Chattanooga in Tennessee, Chew’s splendid 2010 debut album Tennessee and Other Songs turned a lot of heads and found him a slot in the growing Americana genre at that time. Influenced by his mother’s tastes in Hendrix and The Stones and his father’s passion for classical music he's quoted as making the point that he knew Beethoven's 5th before Led Zeppelins Fourth! 

His latest album Open Sea sounds like it was recorded somewhere between 1968 and 1972. Featuring his regular guitar player Dave Cavallo, Chew has also drawn on the services of Jimy SeiTang and Rob Smith of New York band Rhyton to add bass and drums. It contains only six tracks but collectively they stretch to over forty minutes. The epic second track Cruikshank, at eight minutes long and with more than one extended guitar solo, could be from a lost Blind Faith or Allman Brothers album or indeed a Led Zeppelin demo that was  considered just not quite heavy enough to make Houses Of The Holy. The title track at seven minutes is no slacker either, even if dangerously close in content and melody to Blind Faith’s Can't Find My Way Home. Whom Am Your Love follows a similar path with an addictive groove that pays homage to Traffic. Freely is steeped in Brit Folk, Chew’s slick piano work duelling with Dave Cavallo’s guitar pickings in the style of Richard Thompson.

Open Sea may not be fashionable in today's often overly controlled markets. I mean, who would consider recording an album forty one minutes long featuring only six tracks with pounding drums, ripping guitar breaks, thumping bass lines and sounding like it was put down in one take? Hans Chew would and more power to him, it's a complete blast! 

Dean Owens Southern Wind At The Helm

Another under the radar artist that continues to release quality music, Edinburgh singer songwriter Dean Owens is typically a ‘musicians / musician’, highly regarded by his peers for both his creative writing ability and versatility. Southern Wind, his first release on At The Helm Records, is his seventh studio recording and was recorded in Nashville under the watchful eye of in demand producer Neilson Hubbard who also worked with Owens on his 2015 release Into The Sea. Much of the writing was in collaboration with his close friend Will Kimbrough, a superb musician in his own right and an artist very much on the same page as Owens. Their combined lyrics capture the moments beautifully across the thirteen songs on the fifty-six minutes that make up the album.

The rocking opener The Last Song, complete with yelps and whoops, is followed by the storming title track Southern Wind, currently on release as a single. The album especially excels where Owens recalls and reminisces on youthful and more innocent times. Elvis Was My Brother evokes memories of a childhood friend whose fascination with Elvis compensated for his absent father. Louisville Lip pays homage to his own childhood hero Muhammad Ali and Madeira Street, where Owens grew up, recalls his childhood, influenced no doubt by the untimely passing of his sister a few years ago.  The plight of the homeless is considered on Anything Helps and the bittersweet Famous Last Words brings to mind mid-career Elvis Costello at his most sentimental. However, the real highlight of the album is the stunner Bad News, it’s not the first time its theme -the lover to be avoided-has been visited and Owen’s interpretation is as good as any of its predecessors.

All in all, a cracking album that I’ll be often revisiting in the coming months by one of the standout Americana artists dwelling this side of the pond.

Clara Rose The Offering Self Release

It’s a particularly busy time for Irelands premier blues singer Clara Rose. Her recent Ladies In The Blues tour, accompanied by Flo MciSweeney, Emma Nicolai and Jhil Quinn, is followed by her third album release titled The Offering, in the wake of her debut A Portfolio (2010) and EP Queen Of The Late Night Radio (2012).

A Bachelor of Music holder from N.U.I. Maynooth and an All-Ireland Medal winner for Sen-Nos singing, Rose can also boast a Music Therapy Masters from The University of Limerick.  She has toured with a host of household names including Jack L, The Waterboys, Horslips and Eleanor Mc Evoy. She has also collaborated with harmonica and blues legend Don Baker, the perfect musically suited partnership, recording Baker and Rose in 2016.

Very much in her comfort zone when blasting out the blues, The Offering is evidence that Rose is anything but a one trick pony, with the material also straying seamlessly into modern folk and soft soul vibes over the ten tracks that feature on the album. Cardboard City Blues has jazzy overtones with hints of Sade in evidence and Tightrope Walkers is catchy, poppy, radio friendly fare. 

However, the stand out tracks feature Rose doing what she does best in belting out the blues. The Queen Of The Late Night Radio, Love Sweet Love and her cover of Big Mama Thornton’s Ball And Chain all showcase her exceptional vocal range. 

Recorded under the eagle eye of producer Gavin Glass in his Orphan Studio over a seven-day period, the album features Rose’s regular band members Sean Beatty, Tony Mc Manus and Michael Black. Additional vocals were provided by Elizabeth Monahan, Claire Mc Laughlin and Paula Higgins. 

A lady that can most definitely can sing the blues, delivering an album that further establishes her as one of Ireland’s finest female vocalists. An album well worth checking out and don’t miss out on the chance to catch her live given the opportunity.

Jerry Leger Nonsense and Heartaches Latent 

Four years after recording his debut album Early Riser, Canadian artist Jerry Ledger has released Nonsense and Heartaches on Latent Recordings, the label headed by Michael Timmons (Cowboy Junkies, Natalie Merchant, Mary Gauthier, June Tabor), who also produced the double album at The Hanger, Toronto.

It’s actually more accurately described as two separate albums as the raucous Nonsense has little in common with the more acoustic laid-back feel of Heartaches – with the exception that the same musicians contributed to both recordings. The musicians in question are James McKie (lap steel, fiddle, guitars), Dan Mock (bass, vocals), Kyle Sullivan (drums, vocals) and songwriter Jerry Leger who provides vocals, guitar and piano.

Michael Timmons could never be accused of over production and Nonsense delivers raw ‘first take’ bluesy tones which works particularly well on the Frankie Millar sounding opener Coat On The Rack. Forged Check has a Johnny Kidd and The Pirates vibe and shades of Pancho & Lefty can be heard on Wedding Dress. On The Fishing Line is unapologetic blues recalling Willie Dixon’s Little Red Rooster.

Heartaches heads in an entirely different direction, its countrified folk sound working best on Things Are Changing Around Here and Another Dead Radio Star. Leger’s impressive vocals and piano dominate on Lucy And Little Billy The Kid and Pawn Shop Piano, the latter a reflection of the day to day existence of many a musician which benefits from the combined vocals of Leger and Angie Hilts.

Well worth investigating with Nonsense perfect for the car CD player and Heartache more suited for a feet up, end of the day nightcap. 

Jesse Terry Natural Jackson Beach

A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Natural is Jesse Terry’s fifth album release, his previous recording Stargazer having only been released six months ago. Natural is an album that features many of the female vocalists particularly admired by him, some being personal friends, others being artists he previously worked with. Included are Dar Williams, Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope, Liz Longley, Annie Clements, Erin Rae, Sarah Darling, and Kim Richey. The album contains eleven self-written songs together with the inclusion of Jeff Lynne’s Mr. Blue Sky, a track which Liz Longley contributes backing vocals. Produced by Josh Kaler at EastSide Manor Studios in Nashville (Kaler also adds drums, bass, guitar and ukulele), the songs are stripped right back with the vocals being the main focus at all times.

It’s a most impressive body of work that not only highlights Terry’s own talents but also that of the wonderful, in the main Nashville based, female vocalists who contribute. Much of the material could be compared to Sufjan Stevens at his most melodic. Music and song writing has given Terry the tools to deal with and overcome a turbulent childhood which included spells in reform school and recovery from a drug overdose at the age of eighteen. The album suggests a young man at peace with himself and nowhere more so than on I Was An Island written on The Aran Islands and one of two tracks that feature Kim Richey on vocals. Beautiful Way To Get Home is unhurried and patient with dreamy cello playing by Larissa Maestro and gorgeous harmonies by Terry and Erin Rae. Other highlights are Stargazer featuring Dar Williams and the closing title track, an evocative love song containing only guitar and vocals by Terry, perfectly bookending the album.

Natural scores on many fronts, from the delightful packaging to the musical content. It’s a welcome introduction to Jesse Terry and listeners should be also encouraged to visit his back catalogue, together with the work of all the female contributors, many of who are indeed well known and admired by Lonesome Highway.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Dallas Moore Mr. Honky Tonk Sol

For his latest album the Texas based singer/songwriter has honed his craft and produced an album of some substance. The eight tracks are concise and lean, coming in around the half-hour mark. He has brought in Dean Miller (who himself has delivered some fine country albums) to produce the album and the sound is as strong as you might expect or want, a step up indeed from some of the previous recordings which, as with a lot of independent artists, are done under tight financial constraints. The rougher and rowdier elements however have not been lost. This is an artist who is more or less on the road with his band constantly playing all the honky tonks and roadhouses around America. It is no major label stance but rather a genuine expression of a love and legacy for music that is solidly rooted in the outlaw music that, at the moment, pretty much defines real country music.

Outlaw meant and should mean artists who adhere to their own rules by remaining independent in terms of how they approach the writing, recording and production of their music rather than necessarily self-releasing their own albums. It would be healthy and fruitful to see an artist like Dallas Moore signed to a major label and being given the creative freedom he has here. Aside from long-time guitarist Chuck Morpurgo, Moore is joined by harmonica player Mickey Raphael (of Willie Nelson fame) and pedal steel guitarist Steve Hinson amongst others. All of this brings the best possible performance behind Moore’s songs from the slow waltz of Kisses From You to the “on the road” tails of Home Is Where The Highway Is (“the only home I’ve ever know”). A place where he has plenty of opportunity to observe the antics of the characters who feature in the title track. Shades of Pinto Bennett in that one.

Dallas Moore can be counted alongside Whitey Morgan, Jackson Taylor, Cody Jinks and others in terms of making the kind of music that many want to hear and that is all but banished from corporate radio stations. The beard and hat are in place and the attitude and grit are authentic, as is the passion for making music. Music that entertains, music that rocks and could easily find a bigger following if given its place alongside some of the more lauded major label performers out there. This is a good place to get acquainted with Moore’s music and it is also a good platform for Moore to build upon by adding more lyrical depth and musical nuances without sacrificing what it means to be Dallas Moore. We all need some more.

Mary Battiata & Little Pink The Heart, Regardless Self Release

A new name to me but one I’m very pleased to be acquainted with. Mary Battiata is a former Washington Post journalist with a passion for writing and performing traditionally orientated country music with folk, roots and pop overtones. Her band Little Pink (and guests) are equally adept in bringing these songs to fruition on record with particular sounds woven into each track as needed. Little Pink is a reference to the Band’s debut album and its formative influence, in terms of integrity, without sounding like that seminal album.

Mary Battiata has a crystal clear voice that has been compared, at times, to Margo Timmins and Linda Thompson among others. While I can see these comparisons Mary Battiata's voice has its own identity - one that is front and centre here. Battista is an equally adept writer penning all the songs here other than traditionalist Arty Hill’s Drive That Fast. Hill also sang harmony and played acoustic guitar as well as helping with the preproduction. Little Pink are Tim Pruitt (guitar), Alex Webber (bass), Ed Hough (drums) and Dave Hadley (steel). On the album the special guests include Ray Eicher on pedal Steel, Dudley Connell on harmony vocals as well as those bringing such additional instruments as banjo, fiddle, mandolin, accordion and saxophone. All these instruments add to the tonal range, within the context of the overall sonic direction and that allows these songs the room to move, depending on the song and its mood. 

There are a number of immediate stand-outs, including Things You Say And Things You Don’t, Disappearing Ink, Six Miles Out, Can’t Take My Mind Off You and 20 Words, among the 14 tracks; but in truth there is no filler here - it is all top notch and Battiata’s writing is emotive and takes a clear view of relationships, affairs of the heart, that fall on both sides of the divide that delineates the ones that work, the ones that don’t and the ones that could go either way.

Simply put, an album that stands up to a lot of the independent, thoughtful, creative contemporary female voices that are making some of the standout Americana music being made today. Battista and Little Pink are not from Nashville or Austin but rather hail from Arlington in Virginia and they are proof that a there is a lot going on, in terms of good music, outside those more well known cities. This may be regional but it is also international and Battista comes with a recommendation from the noted writer George Pelecanos.

Ryan Bingham Live Humphead

This show was recorded at the Whitewater Amphitheatre in Texas in 2016 and is getting a European release now. It was recorded in front of a vocal and vibrant partisan audience. In truth on some tracks this is a little distracting but overall it shows that his audience is right behind (as well as in front) of him. The band here is not a variation of his Dead Horses band but rather a set of seasoned players like Jedd Hughes and Daniel Sprout on electric guitars and Richard Bowden on fiddle alongside a sturdy rhythm section. These players were part of the band that recorded his last album (Fear And Saturday Night). Bingham is on acoustic guitar and harmonica and he is well up there in the sound. Some of the songs are virtually stripped back to his voice and guitar. And his gravel hardened voice is as distinctive as ever.

The songs came from different albums and parts of his career but two albums in particular are the source of many of the chosen songs in the set. They are Mescalito (his major label debut) and Fear And Saturday Night. The band, over the albums 14 songs 79 minute duration, cover a lot of ground from bluesy rock, ragged folk and toughened roots. These are in keeping with the nature of many of the songs which take a darker view of life with titles like Top Shelf Drug, Depression, The Weary Kind, Hard Times and Nobody Knows My Troubles expressing inner turmoil and trepidation.   

The songs are obviously familiar to many of the audience who sing along at times and cheer to particular phases and words. But as a summation of a career and a starting point for getting acquainted with Bingham’s music this may not be the best album to start with. That album may be Mescalito which came out on Lost Highway in 2007. There was at least one self-released album before that which never made it beyond local sales. But for Bingham fans there is much to enjoy in different and extended versions of the songs than appear on the previous albums.     

Brett Perkins and the Pawn Shop Preachers Put A Fork In Me, I’m Done Works Of Heart

An American abroad, Brett Perkins now resides in Copenhagen in Denmark and fronts his band (in various combinations) The Pawn Shop Preachers. The play (they say) “Americana for middle-aged music lovers.” Ones with a good sense of humour too it looks like. Perkins is no stranger to recording and touring and has a number of other albums under his belt. Although the cover doesn’t make it clear I assume that these are all original songs that are featured on the album. There are 12 songs that, unusually for these days, all come in under the three-minute mark. They are all short, sharp and satisfying.

The titles give you some clue to the nature of the content, as in: She’s Got Champagne Tastes On My Beer Budget, She Loves My Belly And My Bald Spot and I’m Longin’ For A Short Term Relationship. Just Like Jesus has a chorus that runs “ I like water with my wine, just like Jesus  … I don’t think I’ll be coming round again.” Get Me Outta’ Nashville is about dealing with a heartbreak in Music City and how every song reminds him of his predicament!

The album was produced and mixed by Troels Alsted, along with the band (who all have alter egos such as Friar Klaus and Pastor Zat; all clearly have a love and understanding for classic country stylings and mix a bit of other swinging rootsy elements in there too with their up tempo Americana. Fun and frowzy.

Alpha Mule Peripheral Vision Giant Meteor

This duo has a background in the visual arts and music. They describe their music as being influenced by such diverse but compatible elements as rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and traditional country - the basic ingredients of Americana then. Joe Forkan grew up in Tucson and Eric Stoner is from California - where they are now based. The album however was recorded at the renowned Wavelab Studio in Tucson, Arizona. They joined forces to play music five years ago and this is their debut album.

They produced the album working with Chris Schultz (recording) and Craig Schumacher (mixing). Schumacher also contributed keyboards alongside a selection of well chosen musicians including Calexico’s Joey Burns on bass and Jacob Valenzuela playing trumpet. Conor Gallaher contributed pedal steel guitar and Fen Ikner was the drummer. The cover image would suggest an old-time string band direction with banjo and guitar the featured photographic instruments. Indeed, those are equally prominent in the overall sound but with the skills of the other players involved, it has a wider musical focus while being built around the core of that earthy set-up. There is also something of that Tucson/Wavelab spacious soundscape to be taken into account.

They open (and close) with Corpus Christi a track that highlights these two elements well. After that, the main 10 tracks explore a mix of melody and metamorphosis. There are also an additional 5 tracks described as “bonus tracks” one of which is a version of Joe Henry’s Short Man’s Room. It also has three versions of the album songs stripped right back to the duo’s bare bones which also prove effective. On The Moon features the voice of Apollo 8 astronaut Commander Frank Borman which adds to its slightly unworldly quality. The title track again uses the pedal steel to good effect.

Much of the music has a cinematic sense that would make it a good source for use in a film or a TV series but aside from that potential it is a captivating sound that repays repeated listening in its own right. That they have added these layers to what could have been a more directly bare bones affair makes the album work on another level from that of perhaps seeing the duo play live. Their peripheral vision has insight. 

Melanie Dekker Secret Spot Self Release

A folk/pop/country styled singer from British Columbia in Canada who writes her songs and releases her albums to a growing audience in North America and in Europe. Dekker has produced this latest collection of songs with Sheldon Zaharko. They cover different bases and given that she credits the influence as such diverse artists as Willie Nelson, Lady Gaga, Tracy Chapman, Etta James and Tom Petty that’s not surprising. They are all held together by her confident and versatile vocal presence.

The songs are mostly written solo with a couple of co-writes and with one track, the title, written by Allan Rodger. Roger also plays bass on several tracks as well as drums, keyboards (all three on one track). Elsewhere the musicians add banjo, mandolin and accordion to add the rootsier sounds to the electric guitars, keyboards and trumpet that feature. There are several songs that have an immediate likability including the song written for her father (Te Amo Mucho) which has a Mexican element in the accordion and Spanish guitar, Memories of You, Ginned Up and Always Gonna Be which takes the sensible proposition that in life there is always gaining to be someone “faster, faster smarter, prettier” and to be as her Mother advised “the best you can be with what you’ve been given.” Good advice and something that Dekker has taken to heart to produce music that feels true to her vision and talent.

On Dekker’s website there are some 10 albums available so it’s obvious she has grown with her music and her fanbase along with her. With her writing talent and voice Dekker could compete with many of the current crop of crossover artists. She has opened for Diana Krall and Faith Hill which attests to the fact that her music can fit into a number of formats. She does this by believing in herself and her music and finding the secret spot where that works.

Reviews by Eilís Boland

Billy Strings Turmoil & Tinfoil Self Release

This debut solo release from 24 year old Michigan native Billy Strings (real name Billy Apostol) completely blew my mind on first listen and I have hardly stopped playing it since! Not only can Billy flat pick his acoustic guitar as well as anyone (and better and faster than most) he is also blessed with a rich tenor voice (think of a young Doc Watson, who happens to be one of his musical influences) AND a songwriting ability that belies his youth. 

Brought up in a home with bluegrass playing parents, Billy has been playing guitar since he was four, emulating his beloved father Terry Barber. As well as the frequent picking parties at home, Billy was exposed to lots of classic rock music and played in metal bands. As a result, though steeped in traditional bluegrass, his other influences shine through in this exhilarating recording.

All the songs here, except the traditional Salty Sheep are written by Billy. He’s backed up by his road band, who are all also virtuoso exponents of their respective traditional instruments.

It’s difficult to pick out outstanding tracks here because there are no fillers. The album kicks off with the dynamic uplifting On The Line in which Billy explores the age old conundrum of the youth not being understood by their elders. It then kicks into an incredible almost 10 minute long Meet Me At The Creek - with its break neck speed extended jam in the middle of the song, featuring Billy’s guitar and Billy Failing’s banjo.

All Of Tomorrow sounds like a bluegrass standard ballad, but it was written by Billy in the style of Mac Wiseman. Likewise These Memories Of You, on which Billy shares vocals with his father - I could have sworn that I’d heard this song before.

Unusually for the bluegrass genre, Billy is driven to let his strong social conscience show through in his lyrics - many of the problems of small town America (where he grew up) affect him deeply - he lost many friends to drugs, for example. The title track and Dealer Despair reference these issues unapologetically. A surprise track right in the middle of the album, Spinning, is a spoken word track detailing a dreamlike account of an encounter with Mother Earth, complete with spacey bleeps and synth knob twiddling. The bonus/hidden track involves more of the same - you have been warned.

Billy’s friend, Bryan Sutton guests on the instrumental Salty Sheep, where the two guitar geniuses trade lightning fast licks and you can tell from the whoops of joy how much they enjoyed this.

Living Like An Animal evolved in the studio from a half finished song into an extended jam, where Billy plays driving clawhammer banjo, along with some demon harmonica and jews harp. (Unfortunately my advance copy is very short on detail and my research hasn’t turned up the names of the musicians for most of the tracks).

A word of caution - don’t play this album while driving, or I predict you will unknowingly stray well above the speed limit!

Erik Lundgren Door Dwellers Kebe/Misty

New to me, but Erik Lundgren has been creating music for quite a few years, and this is his 15th album. Swedish, but living in Denmark, Erik is a multi-instrumentalist and he wrote, performed, recorded and mixed this album all by himself.

The result is a mellow, dreamy, mainly acoustic, indie-folk affair, which shows off his superb songwriting skills and his ear for writing a catchy melody. Surprisingly also, his lyrical acumen belies the fact that English is not his first language.

The big question of mortality - ‘what’s it all about, Ted?’ - is explored on two of the standout tracks - In Your Eyes and on the title track Door Dweller. Layers of acoustic guitar are complemented by synths and keyboards, with minimal percussion. Erik’s voice is reminiscent of Conor Oberst, and there are shades of Simon & Garfunkel in his backing vocals.

It’s a well known fact that relationship breakups spawn many a good song, and Erik has a few of these here. In Your Eyes explores the guilt but also the resilience in the face of such adversity. Dark themes are explored in the gothic My Demise where the soundscape evokes the brooding and menacing of a physical and perhaps psychological breakdown, and in the blur of Taken By The Fog. What Follows is a beautiful paean to the innocence and heady excitement of childhood. 

The album cover is adorned with nine miniature watercolours of tall pines by Henrik Hansen - a nice touch to a highly recommended album.

Lena Ullman & Anna Falkenau I Can Hear You Calling Scroll 

How lucky we are that these two noted musicians have, by different routes, ended up making their homes in Ireland and producing this wonderful collaborative album.

Lena Ullman is Swedish by birth, but has spent most of her adult life to date in the West of Ireland, where she has been immersed in, and influential in the Old Time and Irish traditional scene there, especially in Galway and Kinvara. She is a clawhammer banjo player with her own distinctive playing style.  

Fiddler Anna Falkenau hails from Germany, by way of Scotland and the US. Classically trained, she has ‘converted’ to traditional playing and studied Irish fiddling in UCC and then American Old Time and South Indian music in the US. Regarded as a superb fiddler in the Irish tradition, here she brings many of her other influences to the fore.

The twelve tracks here, self produced (along with Ivan Murray) and recorded as live in the studio, consist of songs and instrumentals, both original and ‘traditional’.

Lena shows her songwriting skills on two tracks: Homeless highlights the plight of the many unfortunates currently sleeping on the streets of the country, while Blueberry is an equally plaintive lament of longing. Her delicate falsetto vocals and her playing recall Peggy Seeger - in fact the similarities are striking.

Anna’s cat, Apatchy, was the inspiration for her one original composition here - Apatchy Hunting In The Garden is a lively old timey tune that effectively immortalises the feline antics.

Lena’s slow tune Waiting For Anna leads me to suspect that Anna might have a reputation for tardiness somewhat akin to my own! More interestingly, this two part tune allows Anna to indulge her knowledge and love of South Indian music, and the result is beautiful, leaving this listener  wanting more.

Lena sings and plays her unhurried version of the traditional Red Rocking Chair, and also gives us her own take on the oft covered Black Jack David. On the set of hornpipes City of Savannah/ Ladies Choice/The Factory Smoke Anna’s fiddle playing sounds at its most ‘Irish’. On the remainder of the album, these (untutored) ears detect a Scandinavian feel to much of her playing.

Overall this is a superb album, that only improves with listening. Let’s hope it goes a little way towards raising the profile and popularity of this niche musical genre.

Nolan McKelvey & Dave Desmelik  Where It Takes Us Self Release

This is a nice slice of americana from two friends who have reunited musically after a long hiatus. Dave and Nolan both played together in Arizona-based newgrass/jam band, Onus B. Johnson, during the 90s.

On this self produced recording, they each contribute songs and play all the instruments. There’s a curious but successful mixture of musical styles here, at times recalling Son Volt, early Neil Young, acoustic folk and country music.

Dave’s opener, Imagination, is a touching encouragement to a child embarking on the journey of life - “keep it steady but rock the boat” - sentiments of which I thoroughly approve!

Nolan’s songwriting is a strong feature of the album. The Hanging is a stark piece told from the viewpoint of a man who’s facing the gallows, but without regrets. Dave contributes appropriately moody broody electric guitar to great effect here.

We Made Time and Pick Your Path are two more well crafted songs from Nolan McKelvey, and these are given a more acoustic folky treatment.There are a couple of filler instrumentals, but overall this is a strong collection from two people who seem to have reached a good place in their lives. That sentiment is summarised in the lovely closing song from Dave Desmelek, his appealing plaintive vocals over a stripped back piano assuring us that All Shall Be Well.

Intriguingly, the album cover is a photo of the Dark Hedges, just down the road from me in County Antrim, which has been recently made famous by Game Of Thrones.

Jono Manson  The Slight Variations Self Release

Native New Yorker Manson has been playing in bands in the NY blues/rock/funk scene since the 70s. In the 80s he became a music producer, working both in the US and in Italy, as well as contributing songs to movie sound tracks and tv. Now based in New Mexico, he continues to play in various bands and produces music for other artists in his recording studio there.

Most of the songs here are co-writes, many with his wife, Caline Welles. Perhaps Jono Manson should have more aptly called this solo record The “Major” Variations, because it jumps with impunity from style to style and back again! All the tracks are well produced, certainly, and feature his rich resonant voice and excellent guitar playing. 

The opening song Trees is given a folk rock treatment, and then we’re straight into a Stones-esque sound on Rough and Tumble. The production strays into soul blues, then easy listening pop treatments for subsequent songs, and the title track is out and out funk. Themes range from nature - particularly songs about birds - to love songs.

Manson is supported by a reliable band of studio musicians, but the stand out instrumentation comes from Jason Crosby on keys. His piano and Hammond organ playing lifts the songs to a higher plain

Born 53 A Talent Unrecognised Self Release 

Folk-rock is alive and well in Sweden, if this release from Born 53 is anything to go by. This is a collection of original songs mainly written by band member Anders Lindh, with a few cover songs thrown in. All songs are competently performed by the four multi-instrumental band members, and the recording is coproduced by Lindh. 

Forgive is a haunting memorable song, with nice electric guitar playing, and backing vocals from Anders’ wife Asa. Percussionist Jorgen Larrson’s djembe playing makes it a standout track. It contains a memorable line about “passing the grey haired Madonna’s door”! Asa takes the lead vocals on a lovely version of Dylan’s Forgetful Heart. There’s also an interesting cover of Paddy McAloon’s Devil Came a’ Callin’- the gothic theme and humour fits in well with the general feel of this album.

Anders’ lyrical style can pull one up short - perhaps there’s something lost in translation? Take for example the opening track Looking For Marie Jones, where Anders tells the story of a visit to London, in the search of the seemingly elusive Ms Jones (if this is the Belfast playwright of the same name, we are not told!). “Tom and I drank gallons of beer, and pissed it out at Trafalgar Square”. Err …

Hans Birkholz (who also co-produced) is a gifted string player and shows his skills particularly on his two instrumental tracks, where he plays all manners of guitars from Weissenborn to lap steel.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Chris Murphy Water Under The Bridge Teahouse

Whether performing solo or as part of an ensemble, Chris Murphy displays his prodigious talents at a consistently high level. His website describes him as violinist, composer and band leader, which is a concise description of the creative muse that regularly takes him into other projects. 

He can be seen playing bluegrass, country and fiddle tunes with The Devil’s Box and their 2016 release, Red Mountain Blues, included Tim O’Brien on vocals and mandolin, along with Herb Pedersen on banjo and vocals. 

Separately, he plays jazz, swing, and blues with The Blind Blake’s and it is under this umbrella that Water Under The Bridge finds the light of day. It is a retro sound with plenty of swing and swagger over its fourteen tracks. The musicians are all wonderfully talented and get plenty of room to show their finely-honed skills as they compliment the music and lyrics; all created and credited to Chris Murphy. Quite an achievement and equally, a compliment, when you realise just how familiar these tracks become, even after first listen. 

A Moveable Feast, Table For Two, The Lemon Rag, Tarbox Blues and My Spanish Lover are all fine examples of the joyful feel to this project. Given the level of talent on offer, it is no exaggeration to say that Chris Murphy sits above it all with his proficient playing on violin, mandolin, guitar, percussion and vocal duties.

Last year he released a live record, Hard Bargain, which was a solo violin concert from Boise, Idaho and also, The Tinker’s Dream, a band effort; both were superb in their execution and reviewed at separate intervals on this website.

If you enjoy the easy jazz sound of Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt then this music is just right for you. Throw in some Count Basie and sprinkle with Dr John New Orleans voodoo and you have a heady mix of compelling, kick-ass tunes that demand your attention.

Kyle Carey The Art Of Forgetting Self Release

This widely travelled artist grew up in Alaska and New Hampshire, before her move to Nova Scotia to study the language and music of the Gaelic tradition. She then moved to Scotland to continue her studies before releasing two recordings that established her credentials as a real talent in blending the best of Celtic and American roots music.

This third release is a confident and fully realised project and highlights the growing development of a mature talent. There are three songs included that see her sing in the Scottish Gaelic language and the gentle arrangements, melody and expert playing make all twelve songs a very pleasant listen with a sweetly restrained balance throughout.

Produced & engineered by Dirk Powell (Joan Baez, The BBC Transatlantic Sessions), the experience is peppered with real quality and highlighted by the excellent musicianship. Powell contributes bass, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, accordion, banjo, piano and vocals while John McCusker (Eddi Reader, Kate Rusby) also appears on fiddle. 

Sam Broussard on guitar and Mike McGoldrick on flute also make telling contributions while Rhiannon Giddens appears on backing vocals. There are also the talents of Ron Janssen (octave mandolin) and Kai Welch (trumpet) and Josh Scalf (trombone) to enjoy.

Songs like the title track, Sweet Damnation, Tell Me Love, Evelyna and For Your Journey are very appealing and the easy interplay between fiddle, flute, mandolin, guitars and banjo invite repeated listens. 

The Stone Hill All-Stars Wilson Comes Home Self Release

Baltimore is home to this Roots band since their formation in 2005. They have developed into a very tight unit over three previous releases and the members have a collective experience to rival anybody on the local music scene. Paul Margolis plays guitar and bass, in addition to being the principal songwriter and providing vocals. His founding partner John Shock is responsible for the song arrangements and also plays accordion and piano, in addition to vocal duties. Together they form a potent pair and drive the melody and rhythm with the sterling assistance of Dan Naimann on bass and saxophone, Hoppy Hopkins on drums/percussion and Tim Pruitt on guitar. We also have Jim Hannah on percussion and kalimba plus Katherine Shock on flute to add the talented collective.

The addictive Polka rhythm to the opening track, Just These Things, leads into a varied mixture of styles that touch on ska, blues and jazzy beats; a number featuring superb interplay between the sax of Dan Naiman and the accordion of John Shock. There are also some tasty guitar licks from Paul Margolis or Tim Pruitt; then again, it may be guest guitarist, Rick Pressler, who also features on the project; sadly, the liner notes are lacking in detail so it is hard to pin down individual contributions.

The overall production and sound is very airy, appealing and full of colour. The Ska beat of The Mark Of A Man and A Hundred Answers is balanced against the bluesy feel of To Be Her Man, Alexander Grothendieck and also, the title track. 

Songs deal with looking back with regret, relationships gone wrong, prison tales, the tribulations of a loner/recluse and a girl on the verge of hysteria. Overall the performance is reminiscent of the best of loose, fluid, playful music that engages and rewards. 

Zachary Richard Gombo RZ 

This is the 21st studio album from an artist who is steeped in the Acadian culture of his native Louisiana. Over a career spanning 45 years this singer-songwriter also holds the distinction of being recognised as Louisiana’s first French language Poet Laureate. On this project he includes 8 songs that are performed in French and whereas the quality of the playing is never in doubt, the lack of English translation for the lyrics takes away somewhat from the overall experience. 

Of course, Zydeco music is rooted in the origins of Creole and Cajun traditions and the use of accordion and washboard continue to be at the source of this now internationally acclaimed music genre that boasts festivals, not only throughout the USA, but also Europe and into the northern regions of Scandinavia. 

Gombo (Gumbo) is the perfect description for the music here with an eclectic mix of styles that include elements of waltz, shuffles, two-steps, Afro-Caribbean and traditional forms. It also stands as a symbol for the multi-ethnic culture of Louisiana and the 15 songs here are played with great energy, passion and tempo.

Catherine, Catherine is written and performed with famous Québec singer Robert Charlebois and Fais briller ta lumière is performed with African legend Angélique Kidjo. There is a choir from L’Académie Sainte-Thérése and a string quartet which add to the heady mix of instrumentation.

Co-produced by New Orleans legend David Toraknowsky, Gombo features a host of players including Francis Covan on fiddle and accordion. It is an enjoyable listen and at almost an hour in length, represents great value for all fans of Zydeco music.

Whitherward The Anchor Self Release 

Contemporary Folk Duo Whitherward have released four EP’s since 2014 and both Ashley E. Norton and Edward Williams are joined on this full-length debut by additional musicians, Patrick Hershey and Stephanie Groot.

The Anchor has 13 songs that are based around their perspective of touring musicians and doesn’t stray too far away from a Folk/Roots base in the arrangements. There are two tracks, Free and Interlude, that dabble in inventive jazz exploration while the remaining tracks seem to be a mix of the observed and the personal. A guest vocal on Parallel Universe (Jhan Doe), introduces a rap element into the arrangement and the excellent musicianship throughout leaves a strong sense of a band that has a real confidence and maturity. 

The metaphor of ship & anchor in the title track reflects a relationship where safe harbour is in question and the unappreciated partner longs to be set free. Burn The Roses is a song of anger in the destruction of a relationship while there is a Country Noir feel to Teeth, with a late-night, lounge room dynamic. 

The violin playing of Stephanie Groot is quite arresting and dramatic and elevates the production while the rich and inventive bass playing of Patrick Hershey is a joy. The guitar playing of both Norton and Williams is fluid and fluent throughout. The strings on The Night I Fell For You are mixed with restrained elegance while hiding a tale instant attraction and unrequited love. The final track, Wasteland, is one of dislocation and the loneliness of travel but ends with some studio fun and frolics as we are treated to a series of repeated vocal takes, gargling and other strange noises. 

Rupert Wates Lights Of Paris Bite Music 

From a debut release in 2005, this artist has navigated a path through the music industry and arrived at the release of his 9th solo album; quite an achievement in these days of DIY careers, shifting sands and short attention spans. 

Originally from London, he lived in Paris prior to moving to the States, where both NYC and Colorado are touchstones for his current life. He is a contemporary Folk singer and his songs touch on many of the issues we face in modern times; like all good Folk releases should … a reflection of the ways in which we shape our world.

He plays a Lowden acoustic guitar in a style that sounds very effortless and impressive, while his clear vocal tone never clutters the song arrangements. For this project Wates uses the talents of Adrianna Mateo (violin) and Brian Sanders (cello) to augment his acoustic playing. The results are eleven gentle tunes that play out in a pleasant fashion, never really changing the dynamic that would grip the listener or shake matters out of an induced state of quiet calm. 

Topics vary from the cynical posturing of the current President in the USA (I Can’t Shut My Eyes) to the indifference of society towards marginalised lives and small-town business shutting down (Long Winter Is Coming). Our treatment of immigrants (Fields Of America) and the legacy we are leaving for future generations (Oh The Times) are given full vent while Wates seems somewhat disillusioned as he yearns for simpler times when music was enough to lift the spirit (The Balladeer). 

Happily, the conclusion to the project has a more positive tone and message of hope (A Song Of Your Own), urging youth to find their own voice and not to be bullied by others. Aspirations of greater enlightenment and the wish to live together in peace (The Time Will Come) are balanced with a sense of faith in the future with the title track. 

Scott Kirby Chasing Hemingway’s Ghost Self Release

Nine releases over the past twenty-plus years has seen this musician mature into a seasoned singer-songwriter who now lives in Key West and is the proprietor at The Smokin’ Tuna Saloon.

There are ten songs included here and the project is produced by Andy Thompson who also contributes on acoustic & electric guitar, bass, stand-up bass, ukulele, dobro, keyboards, mandolin and vocals! Quite the list, but not to be outdone, his brother, Matt Thompson chips in on drums, percussion, kalimba, bass harmonica, piano, melodica and vocals! 

Scott Kirby plays acoustic guitar, harmonica and sings, together with writing eight of the songs included (four co-writes). The album title is a reference to the life that Ernest Hemingway led in the area between 1931 and 1939 but also a tribute to Toby Bruce, who served as his assistant for more than 30 years.

The sound produced is pleasant with an acoustic groove and songs like We Own Key West; Ava Rose and La Casa Cayo Hueso have more than a touch in common with the easy delivery of a James Taylor. Morning In Montana takes things up a notch with some fine fiddle playing by Eamon McLoughlin over an infectious beat. Happy Hour Blues is a fine band workout and a tongue-in-cheek look at a life of relaxed semi-retirement. A great laid-back arrangement of the classic, Summer Wind, brings things to a happy ending and you can just feel the breeze in your hair.

The multi-talented Thompson brothers carry the bulk of the heavy lifting but the simple arrangements are proof of a song-writer who has learned his craft over many years and there is no excess on any of these gentle melodies.

Beth Wimmer Bookmark Self Release

Since her debut release in 2001, Beth Wimmer has released four albums that chart the progress of a Female singer-songwriter’s journey, living in the American countryside near Boston and moving to California at a young age. She now resides in Switzerland with her husband and tours in both Europe and her land of birth. 

This new release is her first for six years and was co-produced by Beth and LA-based guitar-player, Billy Watts. It was recorded in Liechtenstein, Austria and in Los Angeles, with all songs written by Wimmer, apart from a David Bowie cover of Starman. Her sound is essentially Folk oriented and she sings in an attractive tone that suits the song arrangements well. 

Her first two albums were produced by David Raven and he plays drums on most tracks here, joined by Taras Prodaniuk (bass), Billy Watts (acoustic/electric/lap steel guitars) and other studio musicians on selected tracks. 

Her song-writing is partly focused on intimate relationships with the title track, Bookmark, The Last Part and We Can Do This, all reflecting on the enduring power of love to fuel a relationship in the right direction. There are songs about living a simple existence and Loosen My Grip, Mahogany Hawk and Pretty Good, all speak of taking a moment to just enjoy & live in the natural space that surrounds us.

Other songs deal with the need for change (Louisiana) or the need to return to a favourite place (Mexico) and the track, Simplicity Of A Man brings a message of trust and belonging with a ‘less is more’ approach in both words and deeds. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Stan Martin Long Nights Twangtone

The new album from Stan Martin continues his run of finely-honed Telecaster infused twang laden neo-country. This is Martin’s sixth album of Bakersfield bound country. He is a master of the understated craftsmanship as singer, writer, producer and musician on this and previous albums. Although he is a talented picker he is not a show-off and is happy to trade guitar licks with the similarly minded Kenny Vaughan. The latter appears on all but one of the tracks here. Add to that the father and son rhythm section of Dave and Jerry Roe and you have a formidable team of musicians who know well how to serve a song to best effect.

Those songs, all written by Martin, are largely tales of lost and found love. They are delivered with humour, insight and a degree of honesty that shows an understanding for the frailties, possibilities and pitfalls that every relationship offers us all. One thing immediately apparent is the sense of melody inherent in the songs. An ingredient that is often missing in the overly riff driven hard rock of much of today’s overblown country music. Song after song feels like an old friend and all the more welcome for that. There is an atmospheric and appropriately named instrumental (El Tarantino) that fits easily in context (not unlike those that graced Way Out West, the album Vaughan made as part of Marty Stuart’s band, The Fabulous Superlatives). This all hints at a wide spectrum of influences and also mirrors some of the great and more expansive country music that was given exposure on the airwaves in the late 80s and early 90s.

The ten songs have a lasting appeal that will delight any of Martin’s fans and for those who have yet to have the pleasure of his company this is a great place to start to appreciate Martin’s talent. His last album was his best yet, up to that point, but this one is likely to grab that top slot. And why not, with such tales of betrayal south of the border as Dos Tequila. Then there is the reflection of the ballad, My Dream, wherein there is a wish for one’s love to be returned in equal measure. Long Nights is long on strong hooks and intertwined guitars and background vocals by Dave Roe. Another goodie is Play With Fire which again effectively features Roe on vocals. The whole album plays though as a piece without any filler or less interesting songs. This, then, is an album to savour and to return to and a reminder why so many of us miss top-notch music that, while it may not be breaking barriers or changing the musical landscape, is rather played for its own sake. The sake of the song.

Emily Herring Gliding Eight 30

As a pedal steel player and producer with such well known artists as Radney Foster, producer Steve Fishell seems like the right choice to helm Herring’s latest album of traditionally influenced but forward-thinking country music. Herring and Fisher have picked some of Austin’s finest to play on the album. Names like Redd Volkaert, Glen Fukunaga and Dave Sanger are all seasoned and gifted players. They recorded in the renowned Bismaux Studio in Austin and the results are engaging and emotion filled.

Now on her fourth album (her last, Your Mistake, was a Lonesome Highway album highlight) and it delivers in equal measure. The perspective however is personal with songs about her relationships and her Mother’s passing; as well as some tender moments that sit alongside a more definite swagger on the up-tempo truckin’ songs. As expected, the players are supportive throughout and allow Herring’s voice to deliver. The slow paced, Last Of The Houston Honky Tonk Heroes, floats on Fisher’s steel guitar. While All The Millers In Milwaukee is a drink sodden song that sees her joined by its writer Mary Cutrufello trading lines like “the whole damn Daniels family” and “every bud in Ol St. Lou” which give you a pretty good idea of where the song is heading. Balmorhea, by way of contrast, has an understated swing that ties it to an earlier Texas dancehall tradition. Her version of Billy Farlow and Bill Kirchen’s Semi Truck again offers another musical route that is a foot tapping truckin' treat. Both highlight Redd Volkaert and the versatility of the rhythm section.

However, the song, Right Behind Her, is an emotional standout. It is a song about loss and a song she actually wrote a year before her mother passed away and had a deep premonition of what living without her biggest fan, friend and anchor might actually mean. But the songs work by pulling her and the listener into that deep sense of departure. The title track sees Herring thinking of herself, but aware of the waitress in the bar and aware of the attraction between them. It tells of their getting together but later taking different paths in a way that is pretty universal. The Boudleaux Bryant and Chet Atkins penned Midnight has a feel that is totally in tune with the title and features some effective light night piano. Overall there is a set of different musical directions here that are pulled together by Herring’s striking vocals and the overall collective playing. Herring continues to glide and soar.

Ed Romanoff The Orphan King Pinerock

For this release, his second album, Ed Romanoff has upped his game by giving a vocal performance that makes the most of his baritone voice and his developing writing skills. He began writing some five years ago after a career outside of music. That gave him the freedom to develop his writing and music without the pressure of that being his only source of income and thereby having to make compromises to any possible commercial dictates.

For this album the producer is Simone Felice, which gives the album a wider and warmer sound than on his previous album. Interestingly, that album’s producer Crit Harmon is the co-writer of several songs on this album. Felice has also brought in a selection of sidemen and women who add much to the overall sound. These include Cindy Cashdollar, Larry Campbell, James and Simone Felice. Vocalists featured are Teresa Williams, Rachael Yamagata, Keith Pattengale, Cindy Mizelle and Felice - all of whom help to add a layer of effective vocals behind Romanoff’s. It was recorded in Sugar Mountain Studios in Woodstock and has an expansive folk sound that is loosely Americana in outlook.

Many of the songs have a haunting quality that paint pictures of various predicaments. None more so than The Ballad Of Willie Sutton, a brooding, almost spoken lament on a life of crime, that was continued in the attempt to give the Bonnie to his Clyde all the things she desired. It takes the Woody Guthrie ethos that the crime of robbing banks was equal to that of running one. The title song is one that he wrote with Mary Gauthier (her version featured on her album The Foundling) it is a reference to his own background and upbringing as well as believing in love as a way forward. That theme continues with  . It has a subtle atmosphere and melody that sits behind the tale of a traveling sideshow exhibit who, like everyone, is looking for a soulmate. A Golden Crown has a slight Celtic feel with a fiddle and is another story of looking and trying to find love.

Romanoff is a romantic storyteller and has delivered an album that is full of nuances and musical touches that do much to bring these songs to life. It is his recently discovered Irish roots coming to the fore which shows that even for those who come late to making music and recoding, it is never too late to bloom.

Craig Gerdes Smokin’, Drinkin’ & Gamblin’ Sol

This is an album that pretty much reveals itself from the cover and doesn’t disappoint. Gerdes fits the current profile of “outlaw” with beard, cowboy hat and 70’s inspired Waylon-esque sounding country songs. That is not to take away from Gerdes baritone voice or his song writing. Seven of the songs here are written by Gerdes solo or with a co-writer. There are two covers; Slide Off Of Your Satin Sheets was a hit for Johnny Paycheck and You Saved Me From Me was written by his fellow contemporary outlaw Dallas Moore. A song of redemption and finding Jesus, Good Ol’ Days, reminisces about earlier times and Ol’ Hank. Redneck Sonabitches considers his time in Nashville and how it was not a perfect fit for a good ol’ boy wanting to write and play country music old school - something that he tells us that Billy Joe Shaver sympathises with him on. There is a grimmer tale of darkness and death to be found in Dead In A Box In Kentucky. The song has a brief Spanish guitar bridge that works well in the context of the tale.

Geodes co-produced the album with Brian DeBruler in Sol Records Studio in Indiana. It has a sound rooted in the past but one that sounds fresh in the light of some current production modes. They selected a group of players well able to give these songs the sound they needed. DeBruler was the drummer, Gerdes played lead and acoustic guitar and were joined by names well known to those who checked the credits of some albums of the era in Robby Turner on pedal steel and Larry Franklin on fiddle. Jim Vest, Tony Nasser and Buddy Hyatt and Mudbone also contributed.

This album places Gerdes among the expanding list of names who play country music that draws influences from Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson amongst others. Its outlaw status lies simply in going against the grain of what mainstream radio and the majority of the major labels want to release to appease their need to appeal to a crossover audience. Smokin’, Drinkin’ & Gamblin’ will not fit easily into that pigeonhole and that, perhaps, is its appeal. It is rather a real and robust expression of a musical form that is still loved by many and is fighting to retain its roots. Albums like this only help that to happen.

Matt Sayles & The Detroit Sportsmen’s Congress Manifest Refugees Philville

A Californian six-piece country/roots band fronted by singer, writer, arranger and co-producer Matt Sayles. He formed this band at the tail end of 2015 while still playing with another more acoustically focussed combo the Kentucky String Band. They take their name from Sayles place of employment (a gun club) when he was a teenager. This is (I believe) their debut album and it has been released as a limited edition vinyl album - one of which they were kind enough to send over for review. It features 11 original songs brought to fruition by the six-piece band that includes the solid rhythm section of Terry Luna and Blair Harper, keyboards (and accordion) from Ben Saunders and the lead guitars of Jay Carlandar and Sayles himself, plus the effective pedal steel guitar services of Bill Flores. They state their mission as “drawing out the echoing twang, reverb, and darkness from the smouldering remnants of manifest destiny that still mournfully beat in the hearts of our unknowing constituency.” Well that makes it pretty clear I guess.

However, what makes it, probably, even more clear is what’s in the grooves, which is pretty damn fine from the opening Old Man’s First Call; a sweet steel infused song about the bar life of a man who starts the day drinking coffee and moves to the harder stuff as his first, rather than last, call. From then on Sayles’ songs run through a number of experiences that are tied in with the way everyone has to deal with the effects that time and tribulation have in tempering an individual view, for any particular lifespan. Between some the songs there are the occasional samples from radio and other such utterances (often related, not unsurprisingly given the band name origin, to duck hunting). The overall effect makes for a slice of alt. country that engages and embodies the real spirit of honky-tonk music.

But titles like Don’t Drink The Water, Whites Of Their Eyes, Defan Saleau (with its hints of a Cajun lifestyle via the accordion) and Life Gets In The Way, offer an overview on how things can so easily slip away. Taking a similar world-weary tone is Can’t Track Myself Down, while the album closes with the pretty factual statement that Truth Is Now A State Of Mind. It rides along on twanging guitars, flowing pedal steel and a highway rhythm topped by Sayles knowing vocal. As good a way to end what is a solid mission statement from this entertaining, upright and upbeat collective.

Daniel Meade When Was The last Time Button Up

The new album from multi-instrumentalist and multi-talented Daniel Meade offers a much broader musical palette than his previous recordings. Maybe all that work with Ocean Colour Scene has rubbed off on him. It is also a solo album in the truest sense where all the instruments, apart for the important contribution by Ross McFarlane on drums, are played by Meade. A process that made him rethink his previous approach to record live with his band. He recorded it in Glasgow and had it mastered in Abbey Road Studio. Sonically it is a rich and satisfactory sound that is full of touches that reward repeated playing and familiarity with the songs. He has always had an ear for melody and structure and takes it to another level here. There are hints of his rootsier side at times but this has a bigger and, dare I say it, a somewhat more popier sound.

Meade has always impressed vocally but there is an additional confidence here and his use of multi-tracked vocals are particularly effective throughout. To appreciate that, in its most stripped back form, listen to So Much For Sorrow which is delivered as unaccompanied vocals or the layered vocals in Oh My My Oh. However, the final track is equally effective in its simplicity, Don’t We All. It is vocal and acoustic guitar plea for some kind of understanding and tolerance in the face of adversity. An old-school folk protest song in many ways.

Many of these songs were conceived initially as letters to himself and they are songs that are infused with Meade’s worldview and consideration of the darker times in life. They are at times somewhat downhearted but at other times looking towards the light. Either way, the music is entirely positive and full of his sense of structure, melody and skill as a player. The titles Nothing Really Matters and The Day the Clown Stopped Smiling might suggest otherwise but one can’t help but return to these rewarding songs and the man who conceived them. When was the last time that Daniel Meade impressed? It was live on stage and with all his previous recordings. An underrated artist at the top of his game.

Los Wrangos Way Out Yonder JT Omstead

There must be something in the water over in Sweden or else a big Morricone/Tarantino following, as here’s another band who appreciate and utilise that spaghetti western/Mexican element in their energised country and dark sinister round. The band is fronted by brothers Bob and Martin Lind who lead their accomplices through a set of original songs that range from desert instrumentals to songs that feature the brother’s confident English language vocals. The opening Tres Companeros is boosted by some strident mariachi horns. The Thundering Herd which follows could easily fit on A Man With No Name type film soundtrack. Like the rest of the album it is a heat and wind scorched landscape that they explore. It may be pastiche to some and not exactly sitting on the cutting edge (al la Calexico) but the end result is both entertaining and elemental. It is not pretending to be something authentic, but rather an interpretation of an atmosphere and attitude that has been their source of inspiration.

Though there are dark moments, there is a lightness of touch and elements of tongue-in-cheek humour throughout. It is also delivered with an undeniable skill and enthusiasm. Sweetheart Magnolia again places their trumpets to the fore with Spanish guitar increasing the mood all behind a solid melody. Of the ten tracks here 6 were recorded in Sweden and the remaining 4 tracks used the skills of Tucson’s Wavelab Studios maestro Craig Schumacher (who knows a thing or two about this kind of music) to mix the songs.

Some tracks that immediately stand out in include El Dorado (a song that see our hero hoping to return home made good) and Christmas In El Paso - both have a touch of Marty Robbins’ storytelling in them. Prairie Rain opens with accordion which sets the tone for a restless tale of returning. A theme that repeats itself. The lone man on a mission. Indeed, Los Wrangos are on a mission - one to make you listen and enjoy their music, something that it is not hard to do. They may look way out yonder from Sweden for their raison d’être but their aim is true. Long may they ride.

Jonn Walker Partisan Palace Self Release

His press release describes him as a vintage style country and western musician. Though I don’t how many would identify these stripped back songs as immediately belonging to that genre. For all that the five songs here are all interesting variations of a folk-style that assumes a stance of a less politically motivated Billy Bragg style performance. 

Walker songs are built from acoustic guitar upwards and add additional instruments to vary the sound a little. They songs have some angrier moments contrasted against some feelings of rejection and loss. Honey states “she loves money more than me” and that allows for mixed feelings. A Crying Shame has a riff that is most appropriate to translation to a traditional country song. It is again a song of misfortune in love. It also boast vocals that standout against the simplicity of the song structure.

The Open Secret is about drink and opens with a short story of staying in a hotel in New York and hearing the sound of sirens running throughout the night. It has a list of the preferred alcohol beverages. The final song Reputation again has reference to such consumption. In this case "Jack and Coke".

Walker is a UK based musician who has previously worked with The SoapGirls as a drummer. Here on this debut solo EP he sets out a base line to build from and it would be good to hear him add some traditional C&W instrumentation to his recorded output to see him move closer to his chosen format that he portrays in the cover photograph.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Bennett Wilson Poole Self-Titled Aurora

Formed in 1973, the same year that the curtain dropped for the final time on The Byrds, UK band Starry Eyed and Laughing released their debut self-titled album one year later. Their West Coast sound was unapologetically influenced by The Byrd’s, possibly with a sprinkling The Beatles on the side, Tony Poole’s Rickenbacker very much at the cutting edge of their sound. Signed to CBS Records and with sessions on John Peel’s BBC Radio Show, fame, tours, limos, and major festival slots seemed inevitable. Alas, after a poorly co-ordinated US tour in 1975 and management difficulties on their return to the UK, the band finally derailed in 1976 leaving only their two studio releases and a few compilations albums in their wake.

Danny Wilson, of Danny and The Champions of The World and previously Grand Drive fame, was introduced to Tony Poole by Peter O’Brien, a schoolteacher of Wilson, who had been an enthusiastic supporter of Starry Eyed and Laughing. Robin Bennett and his brother Julian were members of the original Grand Drive line up before they moved on the form The Dreaming Spires and came to the attention of Poole while recording their album Searching For The Supertruth. Despite their individual hectic schedules, Poole, Bennett and Wilson managed to hook up at Poole’s home studio over a number of weekends. What started off as a meeting of minds with three mics, three acoustic guitars and three voices, swiftly grew wings to develop into something entirely different. With a number of unfinished songs in their collective repertoires the roots of an album began to emerge, enlivened by three-part harmonies, electric guitars and the realisation that their creative juices were in full flow.

First listen to the album resulted in me not getting beyond the second track Ask Me Anything which stopped me in my tracks and demanded repeated listening such is its intoxicating melody. The opener Soon Enough had been written by Bennett to feature acoustically in a dark solo album, yet to be completed, here it thunders along with smouldering guitars and closes slickly with a jangly fade out. Hate Won’t Win, written by Poole in the immediate aftermath of the brutal murder of Jo Cox, is vintage Neil Young and Crazy Horse, a powerful guitar driven acclamation, enraged and defiant. Wilson General Store recollects a different world and era, mid 60’s corner shops and Village Greens perhaps, a theme of simplicity and innocence many a time visited by The Beatles and The Kinks in their early days and at their most nostalgic. That Thing That You Called Love, a work in progress at the time for Poole, was rapidly completed with an input from all three resulting in a sound not unfamiliar with trademark Danny and The Champions of The World output.

The album is bookended by the epic Lifeboat (Take a Picture of Yourself), the harshness of survival weighted against wanton self-indulgence, written by Poole in response to a newspaper photo of a refugee boat in the Mediterranean beside an article on ‘selfies’. A marathon of a song at nearly eight minutes long it’s a considered reflection on the often-conflicting times we currently live in.

Supergroup may be a dated and overstated description but it’s a joy to come across a collaborative work by these three amigos that actually emphasises their cumulative talents rather than an album of competing ego’s. A joy to behold.

Anna Mitchell Self-Titled Tonetoaster

On first listen to All These Things, the opener on Anna Mitchell’s second album, you could be forgiven for assuming that it was a track by electronic trip hop band Goldfrapp and not the demure young Cork artist whose debut album Down To The Bone made quite an impression on Lonesome Highway on its release in 2015. Stripped back, emotional, personal and very much a Sunday morning rather than Saturday night listen, that debut album offered an introduction and insight into the talents and potential of Mitchell both as a singer and songwriter. Fast forward a little over two years and her self-titled second release is quite a bold departure, raunchier, fuller, more experimental and evidence of an artist taking centre stage having grown into herself with a self-belief and confidence only hinted at on her debut album.

That opening track, with its densely layered vocals and backbeats, represents a change in direction for Mitchell, straying from her country folk comfort zone and is repeated on the equally impressive It Pours which follows and indeed the dishevelled and racy Dog Track, all of which cross the threshold to previously unvisited territory for Mitchell.

However, it’s not all fire and thunder as Mitchell’s does not totally abandon her signature sound with both Radio Waves and Lovins For Fools exposing her divine self-assured vocal delivery to full effect. Better Life finds Mitchell strikingly hitting high notes that others wouldn’t even attempt and Never Learn recalls Tori Amos at the top of her game.

Featuring nine self-penned songs and one cover - Lovins For Fools was written by Sarah Siskind - Mitchell’s vocals and keyboards are aided by accomplished musicians Brian Hassey (Bass), Davie Ryan (Drums), Alan Comerford (Guitar), David Murphy (Pedal Steel) and Clare Sands (Violin). It has to be said that the musicianship throughout is of the highest quality as is the production - Mitchell, Hassey and Brendan Fennessy take a bow - as is the album sleeve containing beautiful photography courtesy of Emily O’Connell.

Cork appears to be the hot bed for emerging female Roots artists at present with Mitchell joining Marlene Enright and indeed Clare Sands as three exceptionally talented young ladies all of whom possess the capabilities to bring their careers to entirely higher levels. 

In her other life as keyboard player and backing vocalist with John Blek and The Rats, Mitchell can be found on the wings and side stage. She’s certainly thrown off the shackles this time around, in control, calling the shots and most certainly centre stage

Cindy Lee Berryhill The Adventurist Omnivore

California born Cindy Lee Berryhill’s recording career dates back to 1987 when she released Who’s Gonna Save The World, gaining her a reputation as a follower of the anti-folk movement together with artists such as Michelle Shocked and The Violent Femmes. She subsequently recorded an additional four albums between then and Beloved Stranger released in 2008.

Her latest release The Adventurist deals with the most personal of challenges head on, its inspiration being her marriage to her late husband Paul Williams, founder of American music magazine Crawdaddy, who died in 2013 following a long struggle with illness resulting from a serious cycling accident in 1995. 

Far from grief, sorrow and desperation, the material that make up the fourteen tracks is a celebration of a life and loving relationship, an acceptance of the inevitable and a delightful body of work which no doubt would have contributed to the healing process for Berryhill.

 Its songs are quirky (Horsepower), heartfelt (Somebody’s Angel, An Affair Of The Heart), escapist (Deep Sea Fishing) and not without humour (Deep Sea Dishing), with Berryhill’s distinctive and wonderfully unconventional vocals fleshed out by string driven instrumentation, the cello playing by Renata Bratt being particularly impressive.

The Adventurist demands your full attention and is not initially an easy listen, but after a few spins it reveals a body of songs that will undoubtedly win you over in the end.  Simply gorgeous. 

Guy Littell One Of Those Fine Days AR

The thirty second guitar intro on the opening track of One Of Those Fine Days stopped me in my tracks on first spin. The track is titled So Special and its great kick off to a no-frills album that points very much in the direction of Neil Young with Crazy Horse and Tom Petty with The Heartbreakers. No point in getting over analytical about this recording by Guy Littell. Simply put, it’s a cracking good album with non-cryptic and to the point lyrics, stellar guitar riffs, thumping bass lines, crashing drums and is best played at full volume. 

Gaetano Di Sarno is an Italian singer songwriter who records by the pseudonym Guy Littell and One Of These Days features ten self-penned guitar driven songs. Sounding like a live recording and all the better for it, many of the tracks may have you scratching your head wondering where you heard them before as Littell cleverly cherry picks classic rock riffs and chord changes to superb effect, elevated by a vocal delivery perfectly in keeping with the material. Proving capable of delivering ballads as well as anthems Better For Me and the album stand out track Twenty Six are less frenetic but equally impressive.

This album has been spinning in my car stereo for the past week and sounding better with each listen. It’s nourishment for the soul, comforting and perfect listening to brighten up these long winter days.

Katie Garibaldi Home Sweet Christmas Self Release

Apologies to Katie Garibaldi for reviewing this album some weeks after the festive season but with so many albums arriving in December we found it impossible to cover them all before the year end. Fortunately, a Christmas album can be revisited every year.

California based Garibaldi has been recording country tinged folk music adorned by her distinctive vocal style since her debut album Fireflies released in 2004. Rather than taking the easy option of recording an album of traditional Christmas songs Garibaldi composed eleven of the tracks, the only exception being the closing track Silent Night. On record that it was a personal ambition since childhood for her to write, produce and record a festive album, it’s fair to say that the project has proved to be more than a personal aspiration but instead a most impressive body of work.

Highlights are the soulful stunner Safe and Warm Lullaby For Jesus with gorgeous backing vocals courtesy of Misa Malone, Jessica Allison and Drew Cheshire, opener Happy Married Christmas, Tomorrow Is Christmas, previously released as single and two countrified gems in the barroom tear jerker Unhappy Christmas and the less melancholy Love On Christmas Day. 

Home Sweet Christmas may not have featured on my living room playlist last December but will surely make an appearance in future festive seasons, far outweighing most of the traditional, somewhat tired and repetitive fare that we often subject ourselves to at that time of the year. Well worth checking and not only at Christmas.

Ordinary Elephant Before I Go Berkalin

Ever since her emergence in the mid 90’s, Gillian Welch has been a major source of encouragement and inspiration for a host of acts to dust down the banjos and fiddles in an attempt to recreate the sparse musical styles of old country, Appalachian and bluegrass of bygone days.

Some have succeeded, Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn and Carolina Chocolate Drops spring to mind, as do more recent recruits Rachel Baiman and Molly Tuttle. However, Before I Go, the second album release by husband and wife duo Ordinary Elephant, certainly goes closer than most others in reinventing that sound so unique to Gillian Welch - and Dave Rawlings. With all thirteen tracks written by the husband and wife duo, it’s no exaggeration in reporting that the album hardly contains a weak moment throughout, managing to capture widescreen cinematic backdrops across its tales of travel, tragedy, tenderness and anxiety.  Ordinary Elephant is Crystal Hariu-Damore (vocals and guitar) and Peter Damore (vocals and banjo) and with vocals perfectly matched for harmonising, Peter’s sublime claw hammer banjo playing and Crystals sweet guitar rhythms, all that was required was a collection of songs to showcase their talents.

Fragility and uncertainty are visited in the beautifully paced Leaving Kerrville, love found and lost in Evangeline, uncertainty and insecurity in Can I Count On You, the aftermath of Texas wildfires in Highway 71 and the anguish of Alzheimer’s in The Things He Saw.

Having released their debut album Dusty Woods And Cardboxes in 2013 and being shortlisted for Vocal Duo of the year at the 2014 Texas Music Awards they have essentially spent the past number of years on the road, travelling, touring with their van and trailer as home. They name check Darrell Scott and their attendance in 2015 at his summer 2015 SongFood Workshop as hugely inspirational in the shaping of numerous songs on Before I Go. 

Intelligent and interesting writing, sublime vocals, stellar playing and beautifully packaged. Another treasure unfolded.

Reviews by Paul McGee

The Wailin’ Jennies Fifteen True North

A warm welcome back after a 6-year absence that sees this trio of heavenly harmonious voices take some of their favourite songs and give them a fresh perspective that is instantly appealing and inspiring.

Bright Morning Stars was released in 2011 to wide acclaim and apart from side projects, the intervening years have been taken up with busy lives and schedules that kept this reunion on hold for a tantalisingly lengthy period. Well, the wait has been worth it as we have been given nine songs that truly melt the heart with sublime harmony vocals and performances that raise the spirit.

Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse find passion and power in their interpretation of songs from a diverse selection of stars, including Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Paul Simon. For me, it is the lesser-known tracks, The Valley (Jane Siberry), You Are Not Alone (Patty Griffin) and Keep Me In Your Heart (Warren Zevon) that really hit the mark but this is subjective choice among such joyous arrangements across a project that delivers on all fronts.

Celebrating their 15-year anniversary and self-produced by The Wailin’ Jennys, the album also features additional musicians Richard Moody (Ruth’s brother) on mandolin, viola & violin; Sam Howard on upright bass; Adrian Dolan on violin and Adam Dobres on guitars & mandolin. Wonderful, uplifting and essential.

Don Merkle The Ballad of Lincoln Wray Jangly

This singer/songwriter from Charleston, South Carolina has been working the circuit for many years in different bands before deciding to release this solo project that is a tribute to his grandfather, Lincoln Wray and his exploits during the Korean War.

The 5 songs here are a look back to simpler times when honour and bravery were the key ingredients to doing the right thing. Two of the tracks are repeated as acoustic versions at the end of the recording and the playing is suitably restrained and sympathetic to the sweet melodies of North Carolina, My Lord, My Lord, the title track and Cold War. The trumpet of Mark Rapp and the twin guitars of Merckle and Ace Evans weave nicely together and the keys add a nice layer, provided by Jonathan Lovett.

Johnny Max Band Roadhouse Soul Pour Soul 

This is the home of the Blues. Release number seven and lucky for some. Johnny Max has been living the life of a respected, soulful, blues player for many years and on this release his assembled band deliver a collection of 10 tracks that really groove.

With Kevin Vienneau (guitars, mandolin, vocals), Jim Casson (drums & percussion), Rob Gusevs (piano and keyboards), Russ Boswell (bass) and Quisha Wint (backing vocals) the assembled talent is very compelling and the rhythm generated is full of high octane energy.

Songs like Blind Leading The Blind; Little Yellow Dress; Time Well Wasted; (I’m Your) 911 and the title track, lend credence to the opinion that this band are the best thing to hit the Toronto blues scene in years. If you enjoy the music of Stax/Volt, and like a helping of Funk mixed with your Blues, then this is for you.   

Kathryn Rose Wood In The Ashes Self Release

This solo release is a 6-song set, lasting just over 25 minutes is a gentle listen with the soulful voice of Kathryn Rose Wood prominently to the fore. She is joined by a group of 10 studio musicians who add subtle playing to these heartfelt songs. The project is something of an emotional release for the artist who lost her brother to suicide and who uses the opportunity to spread a loving message of hope and kinship to others who may be feeling fragile or vulnerable in this world of shifting emotions.

Lullaby (to Preston), Free and Ashes are fine examples of the vocal prowess that Kathryn Rose possesses and the concluding This Ain’t Fine has a rocking beat that hides the heartbreak in the lyric.

Giulia Millanta Moonbeam Parade Self Release

This singer/songwriter is based in Austin, Texas and delivers her fifth collection of songs that draw from a variety of influences and styles. Born in Italy and moved to America in 2012, her superb guitar playing instantly made her one to watch among the musical elite of Austin. Over the years her solo releases have added to her reputation culminating in the 13 songs included on this impressive release and featuring some of the best musicians in Austin, such as Charlie Sexton, Howe Gelb, Glenn Fukunaga, Michael Fracasso, Kimmie Rhodes, Gabriel Rhodes, Dony Wynn and David Pulkingham.

Her tribute to David Bowie, sung in Italian, is very affecting with Howe Gelb sharing vocals on Rock n’ Roll Suicide. Elsewhere there are fine examples of her creative muse and songs like Motel Song, There’s A Bridge and If You Ask Me display a confidence and maturity that gives plenty of substance to the argument that this artist is the real deal.

Kris Kristofferson The Life & Songs Of /All-Star Celebration Blackbird Presents

What can you say about a living Country Music legend that hasn’t already been said? With numerous releases, collaborations, appearances, associations and reincarnations, we have the definitive tribute to one of the most endearing songwriters of the last 50 years.

Recorded live in 2016 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, this 21 track celebration comes with an array of all that is great in current Country music circles – with performances by Emmylou Harris, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride, Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack and many others.

Kris Kristofferson is many things to many people but above all a singer-songwriter, actor and musician who has served in the US Army, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, won a Golden Globe award for his role in A Star Is Born and has the distinction of an  IQ that is registered at genius level – 163.

All the songs are here and the performances are uniformly excellent throughout; Nobody Wins; Jesus Was A Capricorn; Loving Her Was Easier; Help Me Make It Through The Night; For The Good Times; Me And Bobby McGee; Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down – just to name a few.

Top marks to Blackbird Production Partners for a very attractive and impressive release, complete with 90-minute DVD of the all-star celebration. A must-have in any Country Music collection.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

D.B. Reilly Live From Long Island City Shut Up & Play

The latest album from the New York native is a solo live album. 10 sings in front of a live audience at the RaR Bar. It is another in his series of unique handcrafted covers. The previous two albums were packaged in a tin and in a box. This once come in a large cardboard style postcard. Where the previous albums featured a band, this is right back to Reilly and his guitar/banjo and voice. Very much the way we get to listen to many singer/songwriters live. 

These are all new self-written songs that run from the humorousness of the opening Nothing Like You (as in I’ve never seen nothing quite like you along with several descriptions of some other hard to believe people and incidents). From then on it gets a little more serious with songs that are about relationships and related issues. For I Believe Angeline he sings about the belief he had in the things that the lady in question told him, even though she subsequently told him that they were lies. He plays banjo on this track and it adds to the overall mood of the song. Don’t Give Up On Me is also a plea for another woman to hold fast and to not give up on him. Humour returns again, as it often does throughout, for Lawrence Welk. In his intro he explains that his room has two pictures on the wall Jesus and Lawrence Welk and why he didn’t have a girlfriend. He then muses that he can’t even keep an imaginary girlfriend together. He tells the audience of one song that he usually plays the song in his room ... and it’s a hit there!

This is a short 10 songs album that feels something of a stopgap until the next album proper. D.P. Reilly shows an incisiveness in his writing which is based with observation and obvious delight in the eccentricities that continually occur when you are dealing with people of all ages and backgrounds. His song My Ma is affectionate while the closing I’ll Remind You Every Day is about memories of a marriage and good times and how they can be lost to time and dementia. D.P. Reilly is a purveyor of such emotion and understanding and his music has a similar warmth here.

Ash Gray Chickenwire Broken Silence

This album was recorded in Sheffield and Austin. It features Gray’s equally transatlantic musical outlook which blends some Americana bluesy roots rock with some hard rock 60’s UK attitude. Divided into sides A and B it features Gray’s songs and effective voice. He has put together some players in support who are credited on the album but in such small print as to be pretty much unreadable (the text overall has the feel of being reduced from vinyl size down to CD - i.e. it’s small). There is some solid playing from the rhythm section and aside from Gray, a number of vocalists are featured on the recordings. There is also some nice slide guitar and harmonica.  

The song that stands out first is Josephine Clark an acoustic song with a sound that has melody and harmony with an echoed vocal that reminds of the likes of Al Stewart to a degree. Another song takes the expression “if the good Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise” - a phase used to good effect also by Hank Williams Snr. but here it’s more in the conyext of a relationship song. Sundown (Come See Me) has some steel guitar threaded between the jaunty drum pattern and again the song seems to relate to an earlier time but has a section where cello is introduced to give the song a different mood before giving the steel guitar full reign to close the song.

When The Devil Comes Home is the first song on what is designated as Side B and it has again a blend of acoustic guitars over the galloping rhythm section. There is a different mood in Firefly with steel guitar, more of a desert sound and ambience that works well. That arid tone is continued in the title track and there is some effective fiddle used on Life’s A Pounding Adventure. The closing track is another tale of woe as the protagonist decides he may need to express his confusion at being chucked out in It Might Get Loud.

Ash Grey’s album is one that brings to mind some music from the 60s and early 70s whilst fitting in with contemporary Americana. It rewards on repeated play and, so, well done to all involved. Now where’s that magnifying glass and I’ll read the text on the cover. Martin Bedford’s cover illustration though fits the music and direction perfectly.

Casey Donahew 15 Years - The Wild Ride Almost Country

This compilation covers the music released by Casey Donahew over the last 15 years since he released his debut album Lost Days in 2006. It tracks the career of the Texas natives brand of full on roots rockin’ country. He and his band started out playing small bars and built a strong following which allowed them to tour nationally. This success culminated when their 2009 album release Moving On reached the Billboard Top 30 Country Album charts. Something that all his subsequent albums have also done. However, Donahew still maintains a view that is both local and national and plays many levels of venue to his supportive fan base.

Donahew’s music is of that righteous and rigorous Texas Country style that is full on with a bounding rhythm section and loud, upfront guitars. There are moments of reflection alonside the morefull on ones - as there is on most of the albums but the over-riding feel is that of a good-time Saturday night out. This compilation was produced by Josh Leo and features a number of band and session players over the 15 tracks selected. There is also an interesting accompanying DVD documentary that helps explains Donahew’s outlook and individual take on his music. He has written or co-written all the songs here that deal with a wide range of emotions and locations. The opening track Stockyards is a paean to his roots and growing up. Double Wide Dream is about life with a loved one and low cost living. Runaway Train is built around an attractive riff and powers along in a way that more rock than traditional two-steeping country. Sometimes the songs are slower as in Ask Me To Stay and Fallen but it still has that full-bodied sound that is aimed at a younger demographic than the likes of a Dale Watson. No Doubt is a more twangy offering with its tale of a rodeo cowboy.

This represents a career overview introduction to Donahew’s music and with the DVD a visual insight to accompany it. Like such artists as Aaron Watson he is likely to be a relative unknown on this side of the pond even with his US chart placings and it looks like this brand of Texas music has been largely ignored by the likes of C2C and the CMA even though they would likely have found an audience here if placed in front of a lively crowd.

Case Garrett Aurora Suitcase

From the opening track you kind of know where you are. A languid voice, pedal steel and fiddle to the fore and a bad boy lyric about the devil having him on his speed dial. What Can I Say? Is the opening salvo of 6 songs written, produced and arranged by Garret (along with a version of JJ Cale’s Call Me The Breeze and an alternative version of Going Down To Mobile). Garrett looks not unlike the late Harry Dean Stanton and uses his writing to express feelings that are related to life, love and lament. The singer/songwriter was born in Missouri but now resides in a suburb of New York City. He’s spent time in the south at a time when music was everywhere and covered everything from The Beatles, to Elvis, Waylon and Merle. It is the latter that seems to have had the lasting impact though, along with storytellers like Robert Earl Keen and other noted Texas troubadours.

What Can I Say? opens the album with fiddle and steel to the fore - its subject finds that he is good company so much so that the Devil has him on speed dial! Long Way Down deals with the ways that drink has affected those he knows in a none-too-positive way. It is a slow, sad look at life from the lower depths. Going Down To Mobile finds the proponent considering his options to get to the titular town for a variety of reasons. She Never Liked Elvis, about a lady friend who found the King’s pompadour a little on the scary side. The Thought Of You asks the question of the object of his desire what she thinks about screwing? Trying to turn thoughts into actions. Fill ‘er Up is a more acoustic take with strong female backing vocals from Clara Lofaro which takes something of a more gospel inspired path.

All are very personable and purposeful songs that are bolstered by some fine playing and Garett’s worn and lived-in voice and peopled stories. Although it falls into the mini-album/EP category it showcases a late blooming artist who could well produce some more music that fits neatly into the plus side of the country/Americana tally.   

Cousin Harley Blue Smoke - The Music Of Merle Travis Little Pig

Any rockabilly or Merle Travis fan would be happy to hear and own this respectful tribute. It takes 12 songs associated with Travis - many written or co-written by Travis with one track written by the band’s guitarist Paul Pigat. Pigat also co-produced here with Marc L’Esperance. He is joined by Keith Picot on bass and Jesse Cahill on drums for their invigorating run through some of Travis’s classics.

Divorce Me C.O.D, Sixteen Tons, Smoke That Cigarette and Dark As A Dungeon are some of the better known songs included but all have an updated retro feel for a time when the genres were more open.

Pigat is a skilful and dexterous guitarist who brings his own touches to the tracks - not unlike his contemporary Deke Dickerson in fact. He is also an accomplished singer who adds his own nuances to these (mostly) tongue-in-cheek songs that are enhanced by the trio’s energy and ability. Some equally extol the virtues of the female form as well the failures of the fair sex. Divorce Me C.O.D, So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed, Too Much Sugar For A Dime, Fat Gal and Cincinnati Lou may all be considered as unPC in this sensitive age but reflect a different time and thinking in musical terms and attitudes. Not that that affects their appeal to a particular audience segment who are likely to want to listen to these songs. Some of the other songs such as Sixteen Tons and Dark As A Dungeon have a deeper and darker tone that considers the lot of the blue-collar worker.

Pigat is a versatile player who has played in a jazz trio, a rock band, a cowpunk band as well as many other settings and seems equally at home in all of them. He is certainly at home fronting Cousin Harley and the combined skills of the trio serve up an enjoyable and entertaining tribute to one of the greats to whose music this album may serve as a positive primer.

Los Plantronics The Worst Is Yet To Come (Best of 1995-2017) Jansen

The band name, title and cover art reveal that this seven piece (plus) band deal in a serving up a boiling stew of Tex-Mex, Stax, surf, rock ’n’ roll, garage, twang and punk or Mariachi Death Surf as they like to call it. Largely instrumental and played at a devil hound on the run tempo. They also cover some classic rock tunes like Devil With The Blue Dress and My Girl Is Red Hot as well as their take on spaghetti western themes like Hang ‘em High and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. There is a lot that any fan of the Cramps would recognise in the approach of this Norwegian band.

This double album ‘best of’ covers a lot of bases and musical directions but is all held together by an unrelenting love and enthusiasm for the music they play. Much of which  I assume is self written. On a more atmospheric song like Montezuma’s Revenge they have a brass and Hammond sound that feels like it belongs to some long overlooked jungle adventure movie. This is a collection that will find favour with particular segments of the audience who appreciate their music delivered with a no holds barred, Mexican wrestling mask in place attitude.

The band have toured all over Europe and have shared stages with many liked-minded acts, something that, given the size of the band, shows that they are doing this as something they love, rather than any particular monetary or fame concerns. It shows. Long may they do their worst.

Rod Picott Out Past The Wires Welding Rod

Pigott has always displayed his skill as a writer on his records but never more so than on this new double album. 22 songs, 22 slices of acute observation of the human condition. The positive and the negative, the ups and downs of life. Out Past The Wires was produced by Neilson Hubbard and includes Will Kimbrough among its musical contributors. It has a raw, spacious and sometimes intense sound. The focal point is the emphatic vocal contribution of Picott. His songs gain from this and he has an obvious empathy with his subjects. Much of it is as he says in Take Home Pay comes down to what can be earned to try and hold body and soul together.

Over the body of work many different moods are explored both in terms of mood and musical setting. Obviously, some songs will have a more immediate response than others, depending on the subjectiveness of the individual listener. As with all albums there will be the debate about what tracks would have made it onto a single album. A debate that can never really be successful when one is dealing with such a good song writer. Over the album there are number of highlights; Primer Grey, On The Way Down (which seems to be aimed at a particular person - though one should never assume that a song is written in the first person, or is specific), Holding On, Fire Inside, Falling Down, The Shape Of You, Store Bought and the one that hits on all levels, Hard Luck Baby. All resonate with this writer. Picott is neither an oblique writer or a straight storyteller. Rather his words make sense in the context of the songs and convey a feeling, a mood, a reason. They allow for some individual interpretation which is often important in allowing the listener their own sense of the song.

Like his friend and occasional co-writer Slaid Cleeves, Rod Picott should be considered to be in the ranks of the next generation of writers who transcend the mundane to produce work of a lasting quality and evolving craftsmanship. Picott exists in a place out past the wires where it is about nothing more than doing the best you can without having to consider what anyone else other than your family, friends and fans might think of it.

Chris Stapleton From A Room Volume 2 Mercury

The second part of this collection of songs that seems to have been written over a period of time, offer no great departure from what we already know about Stapleton and his music. He co-produced with Dave Cobb and solidifies his overall soulful, bluesy approach. Again, it is a simple band line-up with his regular bassist and drummer who are joined by producer Dave Cobb on acoustic guitar and percussion and his wife Morgane on background vocals and tambourine.

The room in question is the Historic Studio A in Nashville. A studio with a long history and a specific warm sound. One perfectly suited to Stapleton. Here he has recorded the songs which include Kevin Welch’s Millionaire and the folkish tale of working the land against the odds,  Scarecrow In The Garden, plus there’s the soft acoustic approach of A Simple Song. The majority of these songs are Stapleton co-writes. One Midnight Train To Memphis takes a much heavier groove and was co-written with fellow guitarist and former Steeldrivers band member Mike Henderson. But one of the obvious highlights here is Drunkard’s Prayer - a heartfelt performance that has an impassioned vocal about communicating with God in whatever way that seems to work. Other than this song, the aforementioned Welch song and the final song, Friendship, written by Homer Banks and Lester Snell.

It will be interesting to see where Stapleton takes his music and success in the future. He is undoubtedly on a roll and appealing to a wide and varied audience that has little relationship with the machinations of mainstream country. Rather in the spirit of the final song, Friendship, he seems like an old friend who it is comfortable to be around. He has a lot of friends right now. Easy to see why.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Judy Kass Beyond The Ash & Steel Self Release

New York-based Judy Kass began playing at an early age and her passion for music education led her to found a community program (MusicWorks) in 2008.

A debut album, Better Things, appeared in 2014 and this, her follow-up, was released in 2016.  Judy is a strong song-writer, having penned all but one of the tracks included here. Her vocals are clear and tinged with an air of lament; life lessons gained along the path she has walked. She plays guitar and piano and is joined by Mark Dann on bass, organ, mandolin and electric guitar; Dan Hickey on drums; John Sebastian on harmonica; Sara Milonovich on violin; Kyla Milonovich on trumpet.

From the easy jazz shuffle of opening track Chili Pepper Nights to the up-tempo rhythm of Laugh and Reckless Driving, Judy delivers on all fronts. The key tracks are back-to-back with both Beyond the Ash and Steel, followed by Carry Me Nowhere, setting the gentle tone of the project which is coloured with bright co-production from Judy and Mark Dann.

Turn Us Around is about honesty & openness in relationships and Vastness Of Now deals with appreciating the essence of life and being in the moment. The closing track Selfless Deed speaks of pivotal moments that can dictate the route that a life can take and the consequences of our actions. Very enjoyable.

Head For The Hills Potions and Poisons Self Release

This band is from Colorado, USA and they play Bluegrass music that is very much in keeping with the old traditions of this genre. Afraid Of The Dark begins with an example of the talents at play and the mandolin of Sam Parks is very much to the fore. Suit and Tie showcases the violin of Joe Lessard and throughout the ten original songs, the steady bass playing of Matt Loewen provides a constant rhythm from which the other members can intersperse and interplay.

Potions and Poisons is their fourth album and members Adam Kinghorn, Joe Lessard, Matt Loewen and Sam Parks take on the production duties and a look at life with all the pull and push that defines us. Bonnie Paine (Elephant Revival) sings and plays washboard on 2 songs, with Erin Youngberg (Uncle Earl, FY5) adding vocals on Waiting On You, with viola & cello played by Ryan Drickey and Dana Shin on Kings and Cowards. There is an Old Time feel to the instrumental music on Floodwaters and Bitter Black Coffee has the ensemble dovetailing together with impressive rhythm and understanding. This is music that energises and keeps the listener engaged.

Steepways Holy Smoke Mansion House

A debut album from Blair Chadwick and Charlie Bateson who together make up the creative centre of Steepways. Their sound is very much based in the great American traditions of Country influences with excellent harmony vocals and easy song arrangements that are peppered with warm keys, banjo, dobro and pedal steel guitar among the instrumentation.

Blair takes lead vocals and plays some excellent electric and Spanish guitar while Charlie adds acoustic guitar and 6-string banjo, plus vocals across the 11 songs included here. The production duties are undertaken by Chris Clarke, regular bass player with Danny and the Champs and he is joined by fellow Champs member Andy Fairclough on Hammond organ, piano and Wurlitzer. The arrangements are superbly executed by the players who also include Jamie Shaw on drums, Darren Buddell on lap and pedal steel and Siobhan Parr on vocals. Standout tracks are Hannah-Lee, Echoes and the playful bounce of Rather Be Alone. Something for all tastes included here and an impressive debut.

PI Jacobs A Little Blue Travianna

This is a fine release and something of an about-turn for Los Angeles singer-songwriter Pi Jacobs. Her rock influenced previous releases have been put to the side after a chance meeting in 2015 with the head of Mountain Fever Records, the premiere US bluegrass label, which led to the offer of a recording contract.

A resulting creative collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist, Aaron Ramsey has delivered 12 tracks of great colour and interesting arrangements. This artist can certainly hold a tune as proven on Good Things; as close to an up-tempo rocker as this project gets. There is a bluesy feel to Faking It and the restrained playing adds to the atmosphere of the song. Half Way Done showcases Pi’s voice in all its gentle restraint, as does the poignant last track, When My Father Is Gone.

Pi Jacobs sings and plays acoustic guitar, plus box percussion, while Aaron Ramsey contributes on bass, mandolin and guitar. Jeff Pertin plays dobro and lap steel and there are vocal turns on harmony from Kel Pritchard and Celia Chavez. Sam Morrow guests on vocals on the excellent Purple State and the overall stripped down feel of the songs is very appealing with plenty of room for the musicians to play in the space around the melodies. The result is a bluesy feel to a country collaboration that points in a very positive direction for the future.

Blind Lemon Pledge and Friends Backwoods Glance Ofeh

With five previous releases that have established this interesting artist as a real talent, the appearance of this new release has been received with open arms. The music of Blind Lemon Pledge is a mixture of blues and country at the best of times but this release concentrates mostly on Americana, folk, and country influences that are ingrained in the musical heritage of his homeland. Over 12 songs the quality of the performance and the song- writing are superb with the studio musicians really finding that magic touch throughout the process.

Tom Cline (Dobro), Jimi Edwards (keys, percussion, vocal), Peter Grenell (bass), Cal Keaoola (violin and fiddle), John Pearson (Cajon, Djembe, percussion) and Marisa Malvino (vocals) all join with Blind Lemon on Vocals, guitars and harmonica to deliver a very rewarding record. Sisters Of The Coalmine and Moon Over Memphis are fine examples of the diversity here and the early Dylan feel of Lynchburg Town is balanced against the sad tale of Fayetteville and the plight of the homeless. Carolina Kiss is pure nostalgia and the memory of an early romance while the Cajun spin of Ma Belle Cherie is a dizzy dance tune with Cal Keaoola letting loose. Another winner in the career achievements of Blind Lemon Pledge.

Tim Henderson Gone to Texas, Volume 1 Snake Hollow

Tim Henderson (1940–2011) was a singer–songwriter who was held in the highest regard by many who came after him and were influenced by his craft and words.

Gone to Texas is Volume 1 of a six-CD Legacy Collection created to celebrate and honour his music The other releases are Vol 2, Live in Texas; Vol 3, Damron Sings Henderson; Vol 4, West Virginia in my Dreams; Vol 5, Songs of Protest; Vol 6, In My Eyes.

He lived most of his adult life in Texas and composed many great songs that dealt with the history, land, people and overall influences of the Lone Star State. He was a folk musician and a balladeer of the highest quality and is still revered by those who were in his orbit as they learned the craft of song-writing and performance. Titles such as Texas In His Ways; Jesus Would Have Loved El Paso; Town Of Tascosa; Austin In The Summer; Texas Morning Ride and Galveston Shrimper give a flavour for the style of song included here. Authenticity and heart-felt acoustic gems that inspire and pay due reverence to a lost talent.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Alice Dimicele One With The Tide Alice Otter

"Folks, I am a Woman not a large corporation. Thanks for supporting independent music." These words appear on the back cover of Alice Dimicele’s latest and fourteenth album One With The Tide, all released on her own Alice Otter Music label, dating back to her debut album recorded in 1988. A quite unique achievement given that few artists can boast having self-released their entire back catalogue over a three decade period.

An early starter, she fronted a rock/fusion band at the tender age of 15 before launching her solo career in the mid-eighties. One With The Tide, consistent with most of her writing, deals in the main with environmental issues, a theme that resulted in her sharing the stage over the years with artists such as Steve Winwood, Janis Iain, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie. The album is dedicated to environmental and social justice activists Barry Snitkin who died in February 2015.

Given the foregoing you might be forgiven for assuming that the album content would be low beat acoustic folk. Quite the contrary, as much of the material possesses an upbeat blues groove from the title track opener, the reggae themed Waiting, the ‘letting go’ ballad Seeds, the earthy and funky Voice of the Water and the closer, a cover of John Lennon’s Imagine. Constant throughout is Dimicele’s captivating vocals, soaring and dipping and as crystal clear as much of the subject matter on this most enjoyable recording.

Balsam Range It’s Christmas Time Mountain Home

This little beauty from a band long established as our Bluegrass guru Ronnie Norton’s favourite is a treat from start to finish. From the stunning cover art by Teresa Pennington to the last note of the instrumental Jingle Bells the six track EP is a very welcome departure in style and delivery for Balsam Range. They are a band that somehow manage to surprise and enthral with their watertight harmonies and instrumental excellence in all of their previous outings.

And this one takes us just a tad farther with the addition of the Nashville Recording Orchestra to the mix. The blend of Orchestra and Bluegrass instrumentation makes for a heady brew that is guaranteed a place on any Christmas listening list. 

Four standard oldies like The First Noel, Hark The Herald Angels , Jingle Bells and Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree are paired with the haunting Doc Watson adaptation of The Christmas Lullaby and the Ralph Stanley, Old Timey I’m Going Home It’s Christmas Time should get full rotation honours over the season anywhere they find a home.

This is Balsam Range’s first Christmas project and as it’s only six tracks we can hope that they will pour us another glass of Christmas cheer at some other stage in the future. Team this one with Vince Gills orchestral Breath Of Heaven CD and you have the perfect background music for a mellow lead in to the festivities for this and many years to come.

Cua Songs of the Hollow Anseoceol

Before even removing the album from the sleeve the striking design work on this album cover immediately caught the eye, the design carried out by John Daly and the equally impressive photography by Joe Conroy.  Cua are a three-piece group made up of John Davidson on fiddle and percussion, Shane Booth on guitars and Ros O’Meara on bouzouki, guitar and percussion with all three contributing vocals often harmonising. Their sound is world music Irish style, their groove actually self-christened as Atlantaen.

The album weighs in with a hefty fifteen tracks in total -  all titles written by the band - and does indeed explore many different styles from traditional (The Somewhere Waltz), jazz fusion (Black Dog), roots (Atlantic Cross, Waco), folk (Kings and Queens), 3 part a capellas (The Other Man) together with some quite distinguished hybrids.

The album is both ambitious and impressive, the musicianship impeccable, though it could possibly suffer in terms of potential airplay given that it covers such a wide range of musical classifications. Well worth investigating. 

Richie Healy The Perilous Tree Self Release

 Richie Healy is a singer songwriter highly regarded in his native ‘music capital of Ireland’ Kilkenny. A regular support act to numerous visiting acts in Kilkenny after his early days playing in local band Enerjive, The Perilous Tree is his latest album having released Last Taxi Home in 2013 on the Swarfbomb Record Label. With a career path that has combined farming, bar tending and quarrying together with song writing and performing, it’s not difficult to imagine a solitary Healy, content making hay or tending to his herd, taking inspiration from the wild outdoors with the outlines of poems and lyrics at formation stage.  In many ways the album is in fact poetry put to song, deeply informed plainspoken lyrics often inspired by the reality of day to day struggles, desperation, conflicted emotions, helplessness and survival. 

Make no mistake it’s no party record, rather a late-night listen in a darkened room, perhaps accompanied by a glass or two of spirits. Its stories are stripped right back to the bare bones with Healy’s weathered vocals and acoustic guitar sympathetically supported by some atmospheric accordion playing by Ger Moloney. Its unlikely that even the most discernible listener will connect fully on first listen but with repeated plays of the album the tales unravel and the atmosphere fully exposes itself. The material never strays too far from what is probably most credibly described as gothic folk blues, with early Leonard Cohen influences noticeable on Cloak Me In Quiet and similarly Van Morrison Astral Weeks period visited on Cold Grey Shine. Death and despondency dominate the most impressive Princess Of The Ditch and opening track Fallen In creates dreamlike images of a mysterious afterworld ever so close yet always out of reach.

Recorded at Crossroad Studios in Kilkenny and co-produced by Healy and Jed Parle The Perilous Tree is a slow burner which offers a cryptic set of songs, challenging, spellbinding but ultimately extremely rewarding.

The ROAMies We Got Love Self Release

Joining forces after promising solo careers, duo Alexa James and Rory Partin’s debut album We Got Love more than showcases their stunning harmony vocals across six tracks, four self-penned, together with a cover of Dave Heywoods Just A Kiss, previously recorded by Lady Antebellum and Tom Higgenson’s 1,2,3,4 which charted in 2009 when released by Plain White T’s. The bands name refers to the intense travelling the pair have enjoyed, visiting over thirty countries since their formation.

The opening track Oh My My is up-tempo country blues, We Got Love is crossover country pop, very listenable and consistent with the sound presently populating much of the commercial country radio stations. Still The One, the strongest track featured, follows a similar path, gorgeous melody, stylish harmony vocals and a clear pointer of their ability to create a sound that with the right breaks could lead to much wider exposure.

The previously mentioned Just A Kiss doesn’t stray too far from Lady Antebellum’s version but I’m left with the opinion that their self-written material is every bit as striking and impressive as the covers featured. In an often over populated market breakthroughs don’t come too easy and I’m left with the impression that The ROAMies ability to write radio friendly material of such a high standard could very well see the duo’s material taken on board by some already established artists with a considerable degree of success. 

Trouble Pilgrims Dark Shadows and Rust Chiswick 

The Rollercoaster Records annual albums of the year poll is the most credible reflection on albums released by both Irish and International acts during the previous twelve months.  Voted by the punters rather than the music press, it covers a wide range of genres from rock to roots, country to metal and further afield. This year’s poll featured votes for 575 albums in total and when the top 50 were announced it came as little surprise to me to find Dark Shadows and Rust by Trouble Pilgrims sitting pretty at No.29. Not bad for a band whose roots go back nearly four decades to the early days of The Radiators From Space, yet still retain the hunger, ingenuity and motivation to release an album that obviously hit the spot with listeners of all ages.

The Radiator’s output was always a step ahead of U.K. punk, combining the energy and rawness of the early punks but with the addition of melody and structure. In many ways they were New Wave in advance of the U.K. Press inventing the genre in the late 70’s and before many artists chopped off their manes and raided their father’s wardrobes for skinny trousers to replace their well-worn bell-bottomed loons.

Forty years on from the release of their debut album TV Tube Heart and two founding members, Pete Holidai and Steve Rapid, are still rolling back the years as frontmen with Trouble Pilgrims. Also on board are one-time Radiators drummer Johnnie Bonnie, former Blue Russia member Tony St. Ledger on guitar and vocals. Bren Lynott, previously of The End and The Cathedral, on bass and vocals. The band name was taken from the album of the same name from The Radiators after Philip Chevron, another founding member and song writer, became seriously ill and was unable to perform live.

Dark Shadows and Rust is released on Chiswick Records, a label can also boast surviving since the mid 70’s and that supported many of the early punk and new wave bands and released the first two Radiators albums. What is immediately striking about the album is the energy and fluency of the material, its delivery recreating that glam rock meets post punk sound to perfection. 

Out of the starting blocks in full throttle is opener Snake Oil Carnival followed by Animal Gang Blues, full of menace and back alley aggression. Queen of Heartache combines the amphetamine intensity of The Ramones with Beach Boy style harmonies and Reach Out ("There’s a madman in the White House, An imposter on TV, He’s got his finger on the button, to bring an end to democracy") recalls early Dr. Feelgood with ripping guitar riffs escorting Holidai’s raucous vocals. Sex In A Cheap Hotel (‘Let’s get together on a Saturday night, Tie me to the bedpost I won’t put up a fight’) is a reminder that sleazy glam rock is not yet quite dead and buried just waiting it’s time for a revival. The dynamic Instant Polaroid, always a highlight of their live sets and released as a single in 2015, loses none of its guts on the studio version. Long Way To The Sun is Undertones (a band both The Radiators and Pilgrims have shared stages with) neighbourhood power pop at its finest and The Velvet Tongue recollects late 60’s New York garage rock. Death Ballad creates a driven sound immortalised by Howard Devoto’s Magazine in the late 70’s and for me the standout track on the album.

Dark Shadows and Dust is an album that unashamedly wears its hat on its sleeve, no nonsense rock and roll and most importantly fun, fun, fun!

Reviews by Paul McGee

Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards California Calling Compass Records

Connection is the abiding feeling that runs through the music of this prolific artist. Her creative drive and willingness to collaborate has stood her in good stead across a career that has seen seven previous releases, each one special in its own right. Laura plays a number of instruments on this latest project, including fiddle, synth bass and glass harmonica. She also sings in a seductively sweet voice and adds stomps and claps to proceedings. Valerie Thompson plays cello, marimba, Rhodes, glass harmonica and also adds vocals and claps. Jenna Moynihan contributes on fiddle, voice, banjo, stomps, claps, glass harmonica and toy piano, while Natalie Bohrn plays bass, glass harmonica and sings.

Sam Kassirer, a very creative influence, produces and also contributes on acoustic and electric pianos, organs, synthesizers, percussion, marimba. It’s all a heady mix of eclectic and ethereal sounds that are very rooted in a Country/Folk tradition and seem timeless in every aspect of their creation.  The eleven tracks have much to recommend them and the traditional arrangement of Swing & Turn (Jubilee) is particularly appealing, as is the sweet melody of Three Little Words. Skipping Stone and Pace Myself, while very different in arrangement, also impress but it is the album in its entirety that stands as a true work of great inspiration.

Red Moon Joe Time & Life DBS 

This title is an appropriate summary of this band’s history which saw a first release in 1990, before fate and circumstance stepped in and 20 years later, the original band gets back together again to record their second album, Midnight Trains in 2010.

Americana, bluegrass and country come together on this third release, with Paul Casey (drums, percussion, vocals), Steve Conway (pedal steel, lap steel, guitar, mandolin, dobro, vocals); Dave Fitzpatrick (guitar, mandolin, gob iron, banjo, vocals); David A. Smith (bass, guitar, vocals); Mark Wilkinson (vocals, guitar) making this a very pleasant listening experience.

The band hail from England and the authentic feel of their sound is peppered with great playing that runs through songs like The High Lonesome; Elvis, Townes & Hank; and One Day Behind.

Please Take My Broken Heart is a classic country sound and Hard Road displays some great guitar playing over a driving rhythm that finds the band almost straying into Lynyrd Skynyrd territory.

Shadows calms everything down with a quiet strum and a reflective look at the modern world. One Day Behind is a classic bluegrass workout that energises and inspires and the last track, Nobody’s Fool leaves you with a smile and the urge to keep listening. 

Jim Byrnes Long Hot Summer Days Self Release

With ten previous releases over a career that has seen this artist take turns as a musician, movie actor, TV and voice actor and very fine blues player of some 40 years; Jim Byrnes continues to defy the hands of time and produce work of sterling quality. He works on a regular basis with Steve Dawson, one of Canada’s most influential musicians/producers and the 12 tracks included here are a mixture of old standards and other choices that may surprise. All are carried off with great aplomb and sass as the musicians produce quality playing throughout. The horn section and the keyboards give a swell to the arrangements that are perfectly suited to the guitar breaks of both Jim and Steve Dawson. Covers of Leonard Cohen (Everybody Knows), Robbie Robertson (The Shape I’m In), Willie Dixon (Weak Brain, Narrow Mind) and Eddy Floyd, Wilson Pickett, Steve Cropper (Ninety Nine and a Half Won’t Do) are all delivered with great panache. A great record for the car on a long journey with the windows down and the volume turned right up.

Beki Hemingway Whins & Weather Self Release

What a pleasure to find this artist again after many years out of sight. Beki had a burgeoning career in the late 90’s with the release of a number of excellent albums and growing media interest. However, Life is what happens when making other plans and she found herself pulled in different directions; returning to the industry in the last few years, having spent time working in events media and dealing with some health issues. This 10-track release shows that Beki has lost none of her strong writing skills and her voice sounds really powerful and seasoned by the added years of living that have coloured her perspective on life.

This is a very impressive statement, from the country roll of opening track Two More Hills, which deals with the need to keep enduring no matter what happens; to the blues groove of My World Is Out There, which speaks of grabbing life and living the days that present themselves. The production by Conor Brady at Camden Studios is really bright and the arrangements are clear as a bell to allow the full range of Beki’s singing to come to the fore. Together with husband Randy Kerkman, who plays, writes and also co-produces, this lady knows how to put real conviction and feeling into a song.

Is This All delivers a superb vocal full of wistful yearning along with an understated acoustic guitar & keyboard support. Anyone But You is a more up-tempo number and shows the versatility of this superb artist. Lyrically, she shows that the extended family connection to Ernest Hemingway is not wasted and break-up songs like Not Excused have wry observations such as "you look much better in my rear-view mirror." Because offers the observation that "our scars are just reminders of the places we’ve been healed" in another stand-out song with just gentle voice and acoustic guitar accompaniment. Thank You For The Rain is a song of celebration for the good things we get in our lives and the perspective gained; "the grey skies bring back the green grass" and ‘thank you for the mystery of the darkness and the mercy of the light’.

The coterie of studio musicians are very supportive with subtle playing and the excellent Kenny Hutson delivers on a number of instruments, along with Cian Boylan on keys and Smiley on drums. Duke Special guests on You Sing This Song and Tourist, a song that captures the conflicting emotions of a recent visit to Auschwitz.

Comparisons to Sheryl Crow and Lucinda Williams are merely signposts along the main road that brings you to the singular talent of this superb singer-songwriter. Beki Hemingway is back and on a mission to capture the hearts and minds of everyone fortunate enough to find this very fine music. Check out her catalogue at bekihemingway.com or CD Baby.

Susan Cattaneo The Hammer & the Heart Jerseygirl 

Two CD’s, each with nine songs; one called The Hammer and the other called The Heart. Forty musicians were involved in the making of the album and some of the guests include The Bottle Rockets, Mark Erelli, Bill Kirchen, Jennifer Kimball and Todd Thibaud.

Anyone who does not know of Susan Cattaneo is missing out on one of Boston’s most respected songwriters. She blends rock, folk and blues with a healthy dose of country. If you are looking for a signpost then it would read Mary Chapin Carpenter meets Shawn Colvin but then you would miss the turn that leads to the unique talents of Susan in her own right. Four covers are included in the tracks and the others are all written by the lady herself or co-written, in the case of five songs. The atmospheric Dry, sung with Dennis Brennan, is a real stand-out moment on a hugely enjoyable listen. Does My Ring Burn Your Finger is another special moment with guitar shredding courtesy of Mark Erelli. Country Blues at its finest on disc one.

Work Hard, Love Harder spans both CD’s as the opening track, on the second it is played with the Boxcar Lilies and the sweet folk/bluegrass arrangement kicks off a set of songs that are more gentle and acoustic after the electric blues of cd one. Country colourings run throughout these nine songs and the playing is more restrained and laid back. Bitter Moon and Smoke are a duo of songs that deal with the frustration of relationships. A very cool version of the Mose Allison song Everybody Cryin’ Mercy is followed by David Bowie’s Space Oddity which is a strange way to end the project but should not take away from what is a terrific release filled with real treasures.

Fallon Cush Morning Lightly Toasted

This is the fourth record from a Sydney band who describe themselves as a collision of rock, alt. country, psychedelic rock and pop. Fallon Cush is the vehicle for songwriter Steve Smith, who plays guitar and is joined by Glen Hannah (guitar), Casey Atkins (guitar), Tim Byron (keyboards), Scott Aplin (keyboards), Peter Marley (bass), Chris Vallejo (bass), Michael Carpenter (bass), Josh Schuberth (drums/ percussion), Suzy Goodwin(vocals) and Stephanie Grace (backing vocals). So, very much a collective that has come together to provide the big, melodic sound on display across the nine songs. There are hints of Crowded House and the playing is excellent with great production and a vibrant sound from the arrangements. Long Shot, Best Laid Plans and No Answers are immediately appealing but the entire project is worthy of your attention if you enjoy the direction that commercial Americana has been going in; radio-friendly tunes that will be very well received. 

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Jace Everett Dust & Dirt Humphead

Can a person’s career be defined by one song?  Does that then categorise them as a one hit wonder? Jace Everett’s song Bad Things seems to have defined him for many who then think that that is all he does (or has done of note). That he’s forever trying to rewrite that one song. There’s no doubt that the use of that song as the theme for True Blood was a helpful step in terms of recognition as well as with some much needed financial rewards. Equally should Jace Everett be regarded as country music when his music could rarely have been said to have easily fit under any traditional country tag? He has long since moved on from his major label debut album and a (sort of) straight country sound (not that, in truth, he could ever really be defined that way). He has always explored a range of musical options that are defined by his voice and more edgy writing.

Dust & Dirt is a solid and varied album that again sees him working alongside his longtime musical partner Dan Cohen. They co-produced the album together and as well as supplying the objective and incisive guitar input, Cohen co-wrote several of the songs. And as the title suggests, this is not an album of happy ever after (or even before) songs. Although love and hope are not that far from the surface in several of the songs. Rather it considers the options that are available to those who have been round the block a time or two. As the man looking to avoid memories warns “I broke my own heart, turns out that’s just what I was born to do” (Someplace). Love, religion and some political pessimism are the themes that Everett returns to here.

The aptly titled Love’s Not What We Do is a (undrained) swampy moded song that reverberates with a healthy dose of realism regarding the country he lives in. A strong antidote to any “love and peace” that existed in decades past. It recognises that love may not always be enough. That even though we are the same essentially, living on the same planet, that “we all face the same fucking fear” we live in a state of division. The song has a suitably terse feel that sets off that sense of disquiet well. Romance though is taken to a more personal level on songs like Rescue Me, Green Or Blue and Golden Ring, which are imbued with a sincere sense of a deeper affection.

Sixpence None The Richer’s Leigh Nash joins Everett on Lowlands and counter balances Everett’s deeper voice well. There are hints of a more roots oriented sound here that serve the album well. It closes with a tribute to Guy Clark, a hero who Everett much admired and also toured with. His stripped down, ragged but right, version of Clark’s The Last Gunfighter Ballad serves as a good note to end on; as well as a heartfelt salute. Dust and dirt tends gets everywhere and on this occasion, is most welcome.

Matt Patershuk Same As I Ever Have Been Black Hen

This is the third release from a Canadian singer songwriter. And if this is the same as he’s ever been, then he’s made two previously crackin’ albums. There is a lot here to admire from Steve Dawson’s production through Patershuk’s honest and weary but resonant voice and his experienced songwriting. These songs are carefully hewn from a lifetime of observation, insight and introspection. There are not too many songs titled Memory And The First Law Of Thermodynamics, which deals with a tragic road death. Tragedy also is an underlying factor in the albums’ opening song Sometimes You’ve Got To Do Bad Things To Do Good. - which opens in a rockin’ Bo Diddley style. There are songs that look at the life of the working man (or woman) in Hard Knuckle Blues and Blank Pages And Lost Wages. Patershuk takes these well worn subjects and looks to find a slightly different perspective on how to tell them.

He and Dawson brought together a set of players to do the songs justice and set themselves up in Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studio in Vancouver to record. The 12 songs, that last nearly an hour are time well spent. Such noted musicians as drummer Jay Bellerose and John Reischman on fiddle, bring their talents to the realisation of these songs with finesse and form. They are joined by multi-instrumentalist Dawson and the whole unit is working under the modest and understated banner of The Pretty Darn Good Music Band. Vocalist Ana Egge joins Patershuk on a couple of songs, adding feminine balance to those tracks. Gypsy has a nice feel on the story of a wandering man, nice mandolin too. She joins him again on the closing song Swans, which has a slow ebb and flow with a folkish delivery with just the two voices and acoustic guitar. It clocks in at over 6 minutes and has the feel of a traditional ballad.

Patershuk has made an album that should gather a set of new fans for this engaging and varied collection of original songs that place him among the best of contemporary roots/Canadian artists. Kudos to all involved who bring much to make these songs sound like classic performances.

Laura Benitez and The Heartache With All Its Thorns Copperhead

This is an album that hooks you from the opening bars. From Benitez’s engaging vocal to her band’s borderlands beat. Something Better Than A Broken Heart is infused with Billy Wilson’s accordion sound which helps give it a strong uplifting presence. From then on it continues to hit the spot. And while Benitez, in essence, offers no genre pushing attitude they deliver some deeply rooted songs that are unmistakably classic country in mood and manner.

Benitez fronts a seven-piece band that includes Ian Sutton on pedal steel, Bob Spector on guitar, a rhythm section of Steve Pearson and Mike Anderson with Steve Kallas on fiddle. Benitez adds harmony vocals and acoustic rhythm guitar. All are present and correct here, doing a fine job of delivering Benitez’s songs, all written by her with one co-write. That Benitez also produced the album means that it delivers her music exactly as she wants it. Which is the way it should be. The songs cover the inevitable topic of people and their relationships (Whiskey Makes Me Love You, In Red) and possible motivations (Nora Went Down The Mountain, Secrets). There is the introspection of Ghostship and the dual language border sound of Almost The Right One/Casi mi Cielo which has a particularly standout vocal from Benitez.

While there are more lauded performers making waves right now, few offer such a complete and considered package as Benitez does here. The different aspects of her music are highlighted across the eleven tracks in a variety of tempos and moods that make it an album that you want to hear from first to last. Benitez’s third album shows artistic growth and consolidation of what is a stand-out talent that deserves a wider recognition that in her San Francisco, California home base. There is definitely a rose here that blooms and recognises that life is good, even with all its thorns.   

Wes Youssi & The County Champs Down Low Never Lucky

This fine Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter and band-leader has just released a new album. It is a cracker. Sounding somewhere (to these ears) between BR549s Gary Bennett and David Serby both vocally and sound wise.  He is a lover of, by his own admission, honky-tonk, traditionally country and hillbilly. This is borne out by the music featured here. 12 fresh, original slices of the aforementioned musical roots. He has a classic nasal toned twangy voice that has many precedents in country music of yore. The musicians also take the sound seriously and the album lists a range of vintage instruments used in the recording. However even though this album takes it lead from the traditional country sounds of the past it has an energy and vision that is aimed just as much at a future as it is at any particular past.

The songs have themes that suit the genre such as the flirting, lothario of Cadillac Man. The escape from reality by going Into A Bottle, in a way, could easily have been written some decades ago. There’s a sense of uncertainty and moving out, or moving in, in the titles Crazy Train and Southbound Train. The latter has some well-placed banjo to give it a sense of urgency. I Ain’t A Quitter is a testament of a “good-for-nothing” who refused to give up on his aims and will be “back for another round.” The title song seems to take the notion of Down Low as refering to downing drink, going downtown as well as feeling down. High Time, as the title might suggest, is all about looking for that particular mindset while the boss is away. While not entirely unrelated to that title is the updated moonshine tale of growing weed and making some money for the man with green fingers who has taken to caring for and growing that illicit substance as outlined in Green Dream. The closing song Champ Boogie kicks it up with a turn on the dance floor.

The overall impression is of a band and singer very much in tune with the music that motivates them. They play with a style and skill that is apparent on every track and only comes when the individual players are all working to a similar vision. That vision is the take their music into a place where in may not be welcome on radio or on any major label. It is not exactly “outlaw” territory but rather relies on its ability to be more good time in outlook. It aims to please and it does that for lovers of good honky-tonk, made without pretension or posture. Down Low offers a high time for one and all.

Porter & The Bluebonnet Rattlesnakes Don’t Go Baby, It’s Gonna Get Weird Without You Cornelius Chapel

Chris Porter was the main man here and this is his current and last album - a posthumous release. He was previously singer in Some Dark Holler and The Back Row Baptists among other projects but was killed in an interstate highway accident while travelling with his band. Band member Mitchell Vanderburg was also killed and another member of the band hospitalized. In the wake of such tragic circumstances it is understandable that artists and bands who regularly travel to perform are going to me more vulnerable to such accidents than most.

The album was recorded in Austin in February 2016 some 8 months prior to his death. It was produced by the album's drummer Will Johnson (a member of Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel as well as contributor to other projects). It is a full on rockin’ roots album, perhaps what was once referred to as alt-country. This is his first release co-credited to Porter and the band. His previous release This Red Mountain was credited simply as Porter. That album featured contributions from The Mastersons (who play in Steve Earle’s Dukes). The duo appears here on one track When We Were Young. Other players involved were multi-instrumentalist John Calvin Abney and former Drive By Trucker Shonna Tucker on bass and vocals.

Although it doesn’t directly state so on the album sleeve, I presume these are all songs written by Porter and the range from the country leaning Edith, to the effects-laden slow paced condemnation of Go On And Leave Me and the wishful Don’t Hang Up Virginia. Shit Got Dark deals with how a small town life that can become something very changeable very quickly and also get hard. Stoned In Traffic is, well, Stones-ish and rockin’. Many of the songs, as much as one can ascertain with lyrics, seem to deal with people and place and how the two relate together.

Bittersweet Creek and Your Hometown are two such instances. The latter looking at the fact that in some places a lot of people are related and have the same last name. When We Were Young is a slow atmospheric whirl with Porter giving a vocal that seems both wistful and full of doubt. Throughout he has a commanding voice that is the core to these songs and their overall feel. November Down and East December close the album that overall might remind of a band like the Bottle Rockets who brought a sturdy attitude to those cross pollination of rock, roots and country storytelling. Elements of Porter and his lifestyle feature in the compelling album cover illustration.

As a final statement, Chris Porter can be assured that this release is a strong one. It shows a developing artist and the many possibilities opening to him. For many of his family friends and fans it will have indeed got weird without him around. One can hope that this album is heard and that Chris Porter will be remembered for his musical contribution.

Various Artists Won’t Be Home For Christmas Hemifran

This label is headed by music fan and publicist Peter Holmstedt and is a collection of songs recorded for the season. Not all, as suggested by the title, are full of the joys of Christmas. The album opens with a great song from Elliott Murphy - a favourite artist of mine - who tells the tale of a visit from his cousin Linear that goes increasingly array. Five Days Of Christmas is just a voice and guitar rendition but Murphy instils just the right amount of humour and reason into the song to make it special. It’s an album highlight for me. After that there is a wide variety of moods and tempos and delivery from the 18 different artist involved.

Other songs that resonate with this listener (and each person will doubtless have their own favourites) include Kenny White with Christmas Day, Jude Johnson’s I Guess It’s Gonna Be That Way - a simple piano, dobro and upright bass rendition. Kauna Cronin’s Where Are You Tonight? offers a perspective from an Australian artist and considers the plight of those who don’t have a home to return to at Christmas. Where Are You Going Tonight? is a poignant reminder of the fact that not everyone views Christmas as a safe and special time. It’s by Paul Kamm with strong female vocal harmony. My Darling Clementine’s Lou Dalgleish wrote the song Miracle Mable  about her and husband Michael Weston King’s daughter. While it is not essentially a Christmas song but fits the theme well. The Spirit Of Christmas by Bob Cheevers is another recollection of the hard aspects of the time. Cheever sounds like Willie Nelson, as has been noted, but it works. An up-tempo take on her song Christmas Ain’t Christmas makes Fayssoux’s recording of this song with Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones a rockabilly roots (snow) ride. This Christmas is a more positive outlook and a groove with the three main members of The Refugees delivering a harmony laden vocal. Cindy Bullens, Deborah Holland and Wendy Waldman are the aforementioned vocalists. There’s a nifty riff from Phil Hurley to help move things along too. Jack Tempchin offers a more conventional ballad with Christmas All Year Round. The title track is the closing songs from Citizen K. It starts out slow but gathers pace and ends the album on a positive message.

As with any compilation based on a particular theme there are 18 artists that offer their individual take on the mixed feelings on this festive, fulsome time of the year; so there’s bound to be something here to make you think and for you to enjoy.

Reviews by Paul McGee

The Novel Ideas Self-Titled  Self Release

I love the surprise of playing an unknown CD and from the first moment, you are hooked! This is one such moment and has me returning to hit the repeat-play button more than anything I have heard recently.

The Novel Ideas are a country-folk quartet of friends hailing from Massachusetts and comprise Sarah Grella (vocals), Danny Hoshino (guitar, pedal steel, vocals), James Parkington (bass, vocals) and Daniel Radin (guitar, vocals). Their 4-part harmony vocals are an absolute joy and there is not a weak track on this debut release. 

Produced by Rick Parker (Lord Huron) and mixed by Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne, Bonnie Raitt), the arrangements are full of space and warmth with some superb interplay between the musicians and intricate vocals that colour everything in a bright hue. Sarah Grella has one of those voices that captivates and lifts the spirit and the addition of Elena Bonomo (drums/percussion), Eva Walsh (fiddle) and John Waynelovich (piano/organ) give the arrangements just the right amount of texture.

Broken Glass is a stand-out track, with such restraint in the build-up and such sweet surrender in the coda. Lost On The Road is melancholic sweet-release and The Blue Between Us is a wistful reflection on relationships tested by the distance borne of travelling. 

Dena is a song about forgiveness and features some fine pedal steel playing. The final track, I Was Not Around, ends the journey with the plaintive tone of the words; "You asked me to save you from yourself, but I can’t help you now." Such beautiful heartbreak and not very hard to make this my favourite release by an unknown band this year

Amelia White Rhythm Of The Rain  Self Release

Amelia White recorded this record in the four days between her Mother’s funeral and her own wedding. Her last release (Home Sweet Hotel) brought great praise and I read somewhere that she “illuminates the ordinary” - a fitting description of her creative muse. This is a really strong release with plenty of dramatic playing from the studio musicians that include Sergio Webb (guitars, banjo), Dave Coleman (guitars, organ, vocals), Dave Jacques (bass), Megan Jane (drums/percussion), Eamon McLoughlin (violin), as the core players supporting Amelia, who contributes guitar and lead vocals.

Comparisons with Lucinda Williams are somewhat inevitable given the tired, road-travelled, texture in the vocal delivery but there is also the sweet refrain of Eliza Gilkyson and if you wrap it all up in a pretty bow – guess what; you get the unique talent of Amelia White.

There are co-writes with Lori McKenna, The Worry Dolls, Annie McCue and Ben Glover, among others, and the quality never dips for a moment. There is compassion, understanding of living life on margins, trying to make sense of daily rush to feel relevant; words tumble down like “his friends are coming to drink their unemployment down on Friday night, American small town” (Little Cloud Over Little Rock); “the poor get poor and the rich get richer; war is stirring back home, the rain taps on my window” (Rhythm Of The Rain).

The final track, Let The Wind Blow, sums up the feeling of a love gone cold in the lines; “Fire went out and the bed went cold, and your eyes won’t meet mine anymore; I put good money on this one, I don't like to be wrong….” This artist is the real deal and running through her tough look at life is a steely resolve to always come out fighting and winning at the end of the day.

Hoodoo Operators Burning Churches Wide Mouth

Swamp Rock meets Country-Blues and all bets are off… Hoodoo Operators are a four-piece band from West Yorkshire and you would never guess from the earthy vocals and tunes that create this atmospheric music. Interesting that they perform without a drummer, which doesn’t detract from the overall groove of the band and their rhythmic drive. 

The line-up includes C.P.S Dover (vocals, acoustic guitar, kazoo); Mathew Birch (resonator guitar, lap-steel, backing vocals); Peter Hayward (electric guitar, backing vocals) and Gareth Bates (acoustic bass, backing vocals), with additional musician Kieran O’Malley on fiddle making a key contribution on tracks like Last Orders and I’ll Tell You When I’ve Had Enough. 

Date With The Dead and Follow Me Down (To The River) kick off proceedings in telling style and with a nod to Creedence, all loose and crackling with energy. Pills & Whisky slows down the pace, as does It Won’t Be Me; but the giddy stomp of End Up On The Dime Bar Floor has a Rockabilly tempo that really sparkles. Excellent arrangements and a band worth checking out.

Hunter/Wiggins/Seamons A Black & Tan Ball  Self Release

This album features a cross section of early jazz, string band tunes, ragtime and blues. The music duo, Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons, blend these styles together into a real gumbo of musical tastes across thirteen tracks. 

There is real history in these influences and if American roots music ever needed a modern twist then this is a fine example. Ben Hunter plays violin, mandolin and guitar; Joe Seamons plays guitar and banjo with Phil Wiggins on harmonica. It captures a time that has long since passed, classic tunes that remain with us and that are given a brand-new treatment by this talented trio.

Stop & Listen Blues, (Mississippi Sheiks, 1930), Hard Time Blues (Lane Hardin, 1935), Do Nothin’ Til You Hear From Me (Duke Ellington Orchestra}, Struttin’ With Some BBQ (Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five), Po’ Howard (Leadbelly) and Do You Call That A Buddy (Louis Jordan) are just a sample of the tunes included and the playing is excellent, with a very organic and rhythmic sound. 

Bruce Cockburn Bone On Bone  True North

An iconic singer-songwriter with 33 albums to his name since a debut release in 1970, Bruce Cockburn stands as a giant of Canadian music with a reach that spans not only different nations but has influenced political change through his brave stance in speaking out against global abuse of power, atrocities and the injustice of political regimes across his long career.

His 2014 memoir, Rumours of Glory, is a great read for anyone who is interested in bearing witness to a life that has tried to make a difference through his music but also as a humanist motivated by an unerring sense of equality in the World. Bone On Bone addresses spiritual concerns in the way we shape our World today.

Forty Years in the Wilderness is one of several songs that feature a number of singers from the church Cockburn frequents, the San Francisco Lighthouse Chorus. Among other songs, they contribute call-and-response vocals to Stab At Matter, Looking And Waiting, Jesus Train and Twelve Gates To The City.

Produced by Colin Linden, Cockburn’s long-time collaborator, the album is built around the musicianship of Cockburn on guitar and the core accompaniment of bassist John Dymond and drummer Gary Craig. Also, very much part of the sound is the accordion playing of Cockburn’s nephew John Aaron Cockburn and the superb fluegelhorn player Ron Miles 

Cockburn remains very driven by the inequalities in the World and is focused on change. A consummate musician and a special talent when it comes to words on the page, this new album is compelling and relevant.  

Levi Cuss Just Below Radio  Self Release

Two EP’s that contain 4 tracks each and both produced, recorded and mixed by Steve Dawson. He has been releasing his own music for many years now and also producing such acts as The Deep Dark Woods, Kelly Joe Phelps, Christa Couture, Jim Byrnes and many others. Levi Cuss has also benefitted from previous collaborations and on this project Steve also contributes on acoustic and electric guitars, plus pedal steel. Levi has written all the songs and is joined by William Moore on bass, Chris Gestrin on organ & piano, with different drummers Justin Amaral and Geoff Hicks appearing.

The warm sound of the keys gets EP One off to a strong start on White Lies, while the rootsy guitar sound of One Night Stand carries a reminder of early Little Feat. Hardwood is a good Country sound and The Hunt slows everything down with a Bluesy groove.

With two previous albums under his belt, I’m not sure of the logic behind the release of separate EP’s as the second carries on very much from where the first left off; solid song arrangements and fine ensemble playing, with the slow Country vibe of Blew It All Away and the closing track, Alena, perhaps the highlights. Think of Steve Earle as a touchstone and you get the general idea.  

The Penny Black Remedy Maintaining Dignity In Awkward Situations  Mono Del Mundo

This band formed in 2004 and is based in London. Keith M Thomson is the main songwriter and fronts the band with singer/percussionist, Marijana Hajdarhodzic. The other band members include Paul Slack on bass; Jeremy Mendonca on acoustic guitar/vocals; Barbara Bartz on violin and Jamie Shaw on drums. They have a diverse history and all play in side projects, in addition to building a formidable reputation as a live act around the local venues of London. This is the third release and their sound is a heady mix of Americana, Folk and Ska. Production is shared by Thomson with Boz Boorer (Morrissey/The Polecats/Adam Ant), who together with a small group of additional studio musicians, deliver what is a very enjoyable listen.

Thomson is a very clever lyricist and songs like Trying To Be A Slightly Better Person and You Should Have Left Your Money At Home are perfect examples of the wickedly teasing wit in his writing. The irony of I’d Murder To Have You Back is another example of what Thomson says are songs “about death, lost love, living in a constant state of crippling paranoid fear and/or coping with the daily grind of everyday life”. Enough said! The playing is really excellent across these nine tracks and the overall impression is of a band that, above all else, are having great fun. 

Keegan McInroe A Good Old Fashioned Protest  Self Release

This is the fifth solo album from Keegan McInroe, a Texas singer-songwriter who delivers a mix of old country, blues and folk that pays tribute to the origins of American roots music. He has written and performed all nine songs here, in the company of Taylor Tatsch who also co-produced with Keegan. 

If Woody Guthrie was looking down from above then he has nothing but encouragement for the words and the righteous anger that is such a vital element of this artist’s creative muse. He is not afraid to tackle the key issues of these troubled times and political hypocrisy is exposed along with the disease of big money greed and the senseless waste of life to fuel war games. 

Songs like Talking Talking Head Blues, Bombing For Peace, The Ballad Of Tommy Johnsons Living Brother, Bastards & Bitches are all excellent and delivered with great perspective and conviction.

A poem, Nietzsche Wore Boots, speaks of the moral blindness within society, fuelled by religious dogma and the reflection that God could well be dead. A very insightful and rewarding work from an experienced and mature songwriter. Worthy of further investigation.

Reviews by Eilís Boland

Underhill Rose Live Self Release 

Melding their influences of folk, jazz, blues, pop and country into one glorious whole, founding members Eleanor Underhill and Molly Rose Reed, along with Salley Williamson, have been travelling far from their North Carolina base for several years, bringing their music across the USA and to Europe. This album, recorded over a couple of nights in front of appreciative hometown crowds in Asheville and Lexington last year, is a testament to the joy of their live performances. The fifteen songs here cover the gamut of their original material and their judicious choice of contemporary covers.

While they are essentially a string band playing traditional instruments, there’s a contemporary sensibility to their music. Most striking of all, however, are their soulful three part harmonies - so sweetly blended they are that one could be forgiven for thinking that they are sisters.

Eleanor’s clawhammer style banjo playing is a dominant force throughout these recordings, so it’s not a surprise that she’s a Deering Banjo endorsed artist. Her sweet playing might even be enough to win over those odd few who think they don’t actually like the much maligned banjo! She sings lead on her own song, the country bluesy Whispering Pines Hotel, and you’re immediately transported to another place - think swampy southern badlands.

Her harmonica playing is also striking and used to good effect on several songs. Salley Williamson’s bass playing ably anchors down the trio throughout. They Got my Back is her lovely tribute to the power of friendships from childhood - her vocals are perfectly complemented here by Eleanor’s harmonica playing.

Molly is the writer of most of the original songs on here, as well as being the guitarist. Her powerful voice has a great range and her songs are memorable and mostly upbeat, with contemporary themes - no murder ballads here.

The five cover versions include a gorgeous rendition of the Jamey Johnson co-write In Colour; an unusual version of Bette Davis Eyes that really works, and the album wraps up with John Prine’s Long Monday 

On top of all this, the CD is lovingly presented in an ethically-sourced cardboard digipak, featuring linocuts and woodcuts by the multitalented Molly Rose Reed. Highly recommended.

Big Sadie Keep Me Waiting Spindle Tree 

Husband and wife Elise Bergman (bass, vocals) and Collin Moore (guitar, vocals) have been musical collaborators for over ten years. Two years ago they formed Big Sadie with two other musicians (Andy Malloy on banjo, Matt Brown on fiddle) and this self produced debut recording has resulted. All are now based in Elise’s native Chicago, also home of the legendary Old Time School of Music. 

Old Time meets Bluegrass here on the eleven original songs and one instrumental, all co-writes by Collin and Elise. The songs are well crafted, with memorable melodies, all performed at a gentle pace, in keeping with their universal themes of love and loss. 

Elise sings the lead mostly, accompanied by Collin on harmonies - they have the sweet harmonies down to a fine art, after years of performing together. The musicianship is certainly competent throughout but the secret weapon here is Matt Brown’s fiddle playing. He lifts every track up a notch with his truly superb and inventive playing. His day job finds him teaching fiddle, banjo and guitar at the aforementioned Old Time School of Music.

Need Your Love (Collin taking lead vocal duties) is an example of Matt’s fiddle genius - his riffs and breaks dominate throughout the song, taking it up several notches. This is the closest to a traditional bluegrass song on the album.

At times Elise’s voice is reminiscent of Gillian Welch, especially on Corn Liquor. Here again Matt Brown impresses. Good Woman is a plaintive plea from a frustrated woman who feels hopelessly stuck in a rut and unappreciated - again Elise’s vocals are complemented by sensitive fiddle playing by Matt. 

Overall, though, I kept hoping for a stand out vocalist who could really do these songs justice.

Elise’s talents also extend to design - she is responsible for the attractive digipak, utilising black and white photographs to good effect.

Steep Ravine  Turning Of The Fall Stormy Deep 

‘You can turn away from changes, but after a while you’ll turn up awfully strange’ - Out My Window

Songwriter Simon Linsteadt may not have been feeling quite like that when writing these songs, but the evidence from most of the songs on this, the band’s third release, is that he at least was suffering from a badly broken heart.

The band all hail from the San Fransisco Bay area, and have been playing around there for several years.Describing their own sound as folk rock and new grass, I would also throw some jazz, pop and Laurel Canyon into the descriptor. Simon Linsteadt, who is a multi instrumentalist met Jan Purat (fiddle, mandolin) at high school and they both went on to study music at university. They were later joined by Jeff Wilson (percussion and keys) and Alex Bice (bass).

There’s a peaceful easy feeling sound to this album. It’s not going to cause any earthquakes or shock you into action. The lyrics are fairly straightforward - mostly dealing with the aforementioned broken heart.

And mostly you are lulled into a false sense of calm, drifting along in the pleasant wave of complacency and perhaps mild depression - until suddenly you are awoken by the killer fiddle playing of Jan Purat. This is where the new grass influence really shines through.

Jan single handedly lifts the production with his dramatic fiddle breaks and harmonising with guitar on most of the songs.

Sugar Sand really stands out above the rest of the pleasant enough songs here - it’s a classic example of the familiar Californian country rock sound.

Viper Central  The Spirit Of God and Madness Self Release 

Although they’ve been together for over ten years, surprisingly this is only the third release from the Vancouver string band Viper Central. No strangers to these shores, you very well may have seen them playing enthusiastically at a venue or festival somewhere in Ireland or Britain in the past few years.

Having started off as a bluegrass ensemble, the five original members are reassuring still together, but this album moves into new territory.

Actually, it’s a record of two halves: the second half is made up of mainly bluegrass and old timey tunes and songs, mostly original, whereas the first half strays into all new territory. This truly is roots music at it’s finest.

Texas Swing is to the fore in the opening song Gold Mine, with its pedal steel, electric guitar and piano and it allows principal songwriter and band leader Kathleen Nisbet to show her vocal chops. As well as being a very impressive fiddle player, Kathleen’s smoky, sultry, bluesy voice is perfect for these songs.

Next thing we’re into Mariachi territory with the uptempo horn laden Losing My Mind - it’s fun and it works.

Again on 99 Cents Short, rockabilly and 50s swing dances are recalled, with Tim Tweedale’s pedal steel and the new addition of drums to the band’s sound.

Being proud Canadians and very aware of their country’s mixed heritage, many of the songs tell vivid stories of historical characters, real or imagined. Guest CR Avery plays smokin’ hot harmonica on the bluesy swing of Ned Kelly, where the wonderful Steve Charles gets to sing lead and duel the harmonica with his equally smokin’ banjo playing.

History creeps in again, on Prophet of The New World, when Kathleen sings of her ancestor, Louis Riel. Against an insistent bass drum, electric guitars and thumping bass, Kathleen’s fiddle playing is just superb on this, one of the standout tracks.

Say Say is a slower rolling bluesy song, where Mark Vaughan’s mandolin interplays with Steve’s banjo. Cherry Red finds Kathleen singing of being abandoned by her lover, over a backdrop of electric slide guitar.

The second half opens with a bluegrass tribute to a young woman from Rathfriland in Co Down, who is little known outside of her native Ireland. Catherine O’Hare has entered the folklore of British Columbia, because after she emigrated in the 19th century to the US, she became the first woman to cross the Canadian Rockies on foot (and with three children in tow!) - in I Won’t Be Left Behind Kathleen tells her story.

One of the few covers, an uptime bluegrass version of Gram Parson’s Luxury Liner is the closer.

Having initially been sceptical of the new direction, and particularly of the drums throughout the first half of the album, I have to admit that repeated playing has won me over completely. This has become one of my favourite releases of the year.

Mark Lavengood We’ve Come Along Earthwork 

‘Who’s Mark Lavengood? I never heard of him …’ or so I thought until I realised that he’s the smiley bearded genius dobro player with Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys.

This is Mark’s third solo release and here he’s able to shine in his own right, accompanied by his 4-piece Bluegrass Bonanza band, all based in Michigan.

Mark is one of the best dobro players on the US circuit and on this record he showcases his own compositions, both instrumentals and songs. There’s also a selection of covers, some old, some new.

The album opens with the self-written title track - an uplifting song about triumphing over adversity. Clocking in at seven minutes, it allows the band members lots of opportunities to show off their individual instruments, all held together by Mark’s incredible playing on dobro and guitar. The cascading melodic rolls of the dobro, guitars, mandolin, banjo and bass are layered together into a joyous whole. 

Another memorable song, written by friend Russ Brakefield, is the haunting Vulpes vulpes (the red fox, to you and me). Mark takes lead vocals but it’s the arrangements and playing that really impress here, as they do throughout the album. Mark’s lead vocal here is reminiscent of early Neil Young - although Mark’s fragile falsetto is probably an acquired taste.

While singing may not be Mark’s forté, his songwriting, playing and arranging more than make up for it. There are several instrumental compositions - mostly short vignettes - that are truly superb, and that leave you wanting more. 

Mark’s influences are obviously wide and the predominant feel is is of newgrass fused with world music, blues and country rock, with more than a smidgen of psychedelia. The warmth and enthusiasm of Mark Lavengood shine through alright - leaving you with a smile on your face, just like the man himself!