New Album Reviews

Danny Schmidt Standard Deviation Live Once

The first thing you notice and the thing that draws you into this record is the warmth and intimacy of Schmidt’s voice. His songwriter is mature and poetic dealing with the kind of things that really matter to someone who has a few years behind them. This is essentially a broadstroke folk album but one where the assembled players round out the sound with subtle but essential touches and song-serving restraint. Producer Will Robertson crew of Fats Kaplan, Colin Agnew and Robertson himself handle the instrumentation in the main. The harmony vocals also play an important part with Schmidt’s wife Carrie Elkin joining Mira Stanley Costa, Chuck Costa and Cara May Gorman adding their voices to Schmidt’s voice and acoustic guitar. The sound they create has a wonderful all encompassing feel that has had me returning to the album more often that happens usually.

There is a strong sense of love (and gratitude) on the album which is dedicated to his wife and baby daughter. Something to welcome when so many albums rail against the woes of the world this album largely celebrates the more positive sides of life. Songs like Just Wait ’Til They See You, Blue Eyed Hole In Time, Bones Of Emotion and The Longest Way. One song Newport ’65 reflects on and quotes from Bob Dylan but does so in a non-obvious way that makes it an interesting observation in its own right. The final song is intensely personal yet universal and deals with the grief and trauma of miscarriage and the need to treat the experience in a more compassionate way. We Need A Better Word closes an album that is a career high and one that places Schmidt among the best songwriters of his generation.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Pete Berwick Island Self Release

Delivering what may be according to himself his last album Peter Berwick makes sure that it counts. It is a forceful album built around Berwick’s hard-scrabble voice and guitar. His music has been described as punk infused alternative country which about sums him up in the past through these days, he is well capable of a less forceful, more reflective set of slower-paced rock songs like the “love the one your” with sentiment of Just Make It You And Me Tonight or the yearning love of the title track. That as opposed to the full on opening salvo of I’m Getting Tired Of This Place. He is, as his song says, getting through One Setback At A Time maybe arriving at a place where he can look both backwards and forward and see that he is not afraid to face either view.

He recorded his album with producer Jason Botka (who plays keyboards and guitars) and the band The Mugshot Saints who include Jennifer Botka on baking vocals. It has a certain grit and grief in his outlook on a country that both gives and takes away. However, there is hope in his outlook as They Gave Love A Chance testifies though their other side of the coin is spun out with I’m Really Not That Kind. This mix of styles places him on the fringes of what might be termed outlaw. Berwick is never going to compromise his music and as such Island is a continuation of the path he has trodden since his first album was released in 1996. Berwick has made a journey to get to this point which is why these songs seem to be real slices of heartland rock drawn from real life.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Luke Spehar The Pilgrim Self Release

There is a sense of deeply held faith in this elevated folk album from the Minnesota singer/songwriter who now lies in St. Paul with his wife and children. Here he has penned a set of songs that encompass a sense of love, life and a lasting and enduring sense of hope. Spehar has a gentle but rewarding voice that sits above these quiet and largely acoustic bass songs that are not, though, without some occasional up-tempo moments. Otherwise he speaks softly of his travel as a pilgrim wherein he has brought together his experience from traveling about the US and further afield in his search for spiritual honesty.

Spehar produced the album with Matt Patrick in his home state and employs light touches of percussion, keyboards, bass, banjo and fiddle to give some weight to these songs which move through tempo and mood. They can vary from the drive and accessibility of the bonus track Joshua which has a big and encompassing chorus that make it an immediate stand out. This mini album contains 7 tracks so acts as an introduction to the artist who had previously released 3 previous full length albums. His work is maybe a little too pure for some but the opening songs The Farmer and America And Me offer a sense of place and of spirituality that offers a peace that will appeal to those looking for something that offers a lighter perspective without becoming lightweight. Spehar brings this thoughtfulness to this album and it something that is sure to find its followers.

Review by Stephen Rapid

William The Conqueror Bleeding On The Soundtrack Loose

Newquay based U.K. three-piece William The Conqueror have raised the bar quite a number of notches with their second album, the Ethan Johns produced Bleeding On The Soundtrack. The band comprise Ruarri Joseph on vocals and guitar, Harry Harding on drums and Naomi Holmes on bass. Glasgow born Joseph formed the band following a solo career that delivered four solo albums. Their debut album Proud Disturber Of The Peace was released in 2017 and their reputation has grown steadily as a dynamic live act bleeding grungy folk and hard edge blues and rock, a throw back to a sound often excelled by Brit bands in the late 60’s / early 70’s. If their debut album created a few ripples in the industry, Bleeding On The Soundtrack is more akin to a tsunami, with Ethan Johns the consummate producer to channel Joseph’s forthright, enraged and exasperated storytelling into a powerful and rugged piece of music. John’s equally manages to capture the dynamic of the band’s live shows on the album, from the rocky opener Path Of The Crow, to the beautifully paced and exceptional closer Within Your Spell. Following on from their debut album, it’s a further retrospective by Joseph into a traumatic and troubled journey from adolescence to adulthood. Tales of family alcoholism, drug addiction, self-loathing and remorse feature in the autobiographical writing by Joseph, reflecting on his early adulthood. However, the content is delivered more by way of cleansing and healing than contrition. There’s no lack of humour also, Sensitive Side recalls adolescence and confused signals as Joseph revisits an unfulfilled teenage crush (‘’ What a scene, I was only fifteen the world was a thorn in my side’’). Madness On The Line has a thumping bass line and harmonica riffs straight out of Canvey Island courtesy of Dr. Feelgood and Be So Kind could be an outtake from Van Morrison’s Into The Music. Crashing bass chords, brisk drumming and rumbustious guitar breaks are what define the band and no more so than on title track Bleeding On The Soundtrack - a hypnotic blues burner which explodes into a rip-roaring finale – and the equally impressive The Curse Of Friends.

William The Conqueror’s growing reputation as one of the U.K’s most dynamic emerging live acts can only be enhanced by BOTS. Ethan Johns has managed to capture their live high-powered energy and faultlessly transfer it to the studio. I’m loving this and looking forward to seeing them live once more at Kilkenny Roots in May. Crank up the volume to max and enjoy!

Review by Declan Culliton

Jamie Lin Wilson Jumping Over Rocks Self-Release

They don’t come much more authentic ‘country’ than D’Hanis South Texas (population 550) resident Jamie Lin Wilson. The former Gougers and Trisha’s band member may have arrived late to her calling - picking up her first guitar at the age of 19 - but she has certainly made up for lost time. The writing on her solo albums Holidays and Wedding Rings (2015) and her latest album Jumping Over Rocks, harks back to yesteryear, when many country writers were in

spired by simple everyday occurrences and observations. She also balances her musical career with motherhood, often overcoming the impediment of touring and providing for her family by bringing her four children on tour with her. She doesn’t hang around either, this album was recorded live in four days at Arlen Studios in Austin Texas, with no overdubs or vocal auto tunes. The production duties were handled by Steve Christensen and the album in many ways benefits from the accelerated recording giving it a sense of a live recording.

Five of the songs are self written, four are co-writes and one is a cover of Guy Clark’s Instant CoffeeBlues. Some covers work particularly well, if the artists put their own slant on the song, others less so. Electing to include the Guy Clark classic had me scratching my head prior to playing it. Fortunately, Wilson’s recording of the song sticks very close to the original. It’s a duet with Jack Ingram (whose vocal contribution sounds remarkably like John Prine) and they simply nail it, to the extent that I had the track on repeat several times. The choice of co-writers is also impressive and an indication of the regard Wilson is held by her peers. Ingram, Brian Wright, Mike Ethan Messick and Evan Felker all contribute. Opener song Faithful and True, co-written with Jack Ingram, is beautifully paced with Wilson’s disciplined vocal delivery entering Emmylou territory. In fact, the album as a whole recalls the sound Emmylou Harris created on her mid 70’s Reprise Label albums, the idyllic blend of country and roots music. Wilson’s Hot Band for the recording include a formidable gathering of quality players in Charlie Sexton on guitar, Scott Davis on bass, Richard Millsap on drums, Trevor Norton on keyboards and Cody Angel on pedal steel and dobro. Oklahoma Stars, written with Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours, is a sweet country ballad, the added vocals by Felker and weeping pedal steel by Angel adding depth to the song. The strength of her own songwriting comes to bear on the stunning Death & Life, a widow’s reflection on the early passing of her husband (‘’it’s been three years in November, she still ain’t bought a stone, I used to be a lover and I still feel like a wife, that’s the way that it goes in the game of death and life’’). Run, grappling with a relationship gone sour, is possibly the most radio friendly inclusion, a richly textured sound complementing Wilson’s soaring vocals.

Jamie Lin Wilson is yet another name to add to the growing list of Independent female artists writing and recording outstanding material, yet remaining somewhat below the radar. She’s certainly pushed out the boundaries this time around, so do check this album out. I’ve no doubt you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as myself. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Buffalo Blood Self-Titled Eel Pie

Neilson Hubbard has been a busy man of late. Three artists, whose albums he produced, Mary Gauthier, Ben Glover and Dean Owens, won awards at the recent AmericanaFest U.K. He also recorded his last solo album Cumberland Island in 2018 and continues to perform with three-piece band The Orphan Brigade. His latest collaboration Buffalo Blood, is a blend of Celtic and Southern American roots folk, inspired by a desire by Hubbard and his musical associates, Dean Owens, Joshua Britt and Audrey Spillman, to consider and reflect on the landscape and environment previously occupied by the Native Americans. The recording voyage for their self-titled album brought them across The Trail Of Tears, the journey enforced on the natives as they were driven from their ancestral lands to what was designated as Indian Territory, across The Mississippi River. The album was recorded in locations from the New Mexico Desert to La Plaza Blanca in Abiquiu and atmospherically captures much of those environs and habitat including real life sounds of birds, animals and winds. 

The concept album consists of fifteen tracks, intended as a double vinyl release, with the song writing duties shared by Hubbard, Owens and Britt, some of which is fictional, others based on real life events. Instrumentation includes guitars, percussion, bass, keyboards and mandolin. Ghostly whistling and chanting  are also included, but the real winner are the gorgeous harmonies they create across the exceptionally well written narratives. Sadness, wrath and regret understandably surface, particularly on tracks Comanche Moon, Vanishing World and Reservations which deal directly with the banishment of communities from their lands, but there’s also positiveness and pride on I’m Alive and Carry The Feather.

The album is an ambitious and brave project, tackling a topic often ignored musically, with the possible exception of Buffy Sainte - Marie. To their credit, Buffalo Blood have managed to bring to pass an exceptionally well researched, written and vocalised work, which would pass with flying colours as a soundtrack to a movie on the same subject. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Great Peacock Gran Pavo Real Self Release

Nashville based Great Peacock release their second album and all songs are written by Andrew Nelson (guitars, electric piano & vocals) and Blount Floyd (guitars, harmonica & vocals). They open with Hideaway, a track that rocks with organ swells and a bright guitar tone. Following with the slow tempo and loose groove of One Way Ticket, this is alt country music that resonates. The soulful sound of Begging To Stay is balanced by the bar room feel of Heartbreak Comin’ Down and the slow blues of Take Me Down displays a different band dynamic as they build the arrangement into guitar driven territory. 

Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium, the album was produced by Dexter Green (Jason Isbell, Elizabeth Cooke), who also contributes electric guitar, organ and bass to the record. Tom Blankenship (My Morning Jacket) also plays bass and Ralph Lofton plays organ and piano across the ten tracks. Nick Recio (drums, percussion & acoustic guitar) completes the line-up.

Oh Deep Water is a chilled, relaxed sound with pedal steel by Carl Broemel floating across the melody. Rattlesnake has an up-tempo rhythm with nice guitar lines while the acoustic sound of All I Really Want Is You suggests a more commercial direction. The final track, Miss You Honey, is a slow tempo melody and a wistful vocal about lost love. The band produce an impressive sound that channels Americana at its best.

Review by Paul McGee

Ben Fisher Does The Land Remember Me? Self Release

It’s always about Land – the conflicts of this World, dividing Nations and causing untold suffering upon so many populations… Land to be conquered, to be claimed, to be annexed, to be granted by Political favour, to be controlled by Governments and armies.

Ben Fisher has a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies and he moved to Israel in 2014 in order to gain first-hand knowledge of the conflict between the Israel and Palestinian people. He wanted to present both sides of the argument that surrounds the daily focus of survival and the right to live a life in service to deep-seated beliefs.

He asked celebrated singer-songwriter Damien Jurado to produce the project, which runs to 17-tracks and clocks in at just shy of 56 minutes. The uncluttered approach and stripped-down use of instrumentation bring great focus and resonance. All songs are written by Ben Fisher apart from one cover, Why We Build The Wall, by Anais Mitchell. The sequence jumps around in terms of time and history while some songs are written from a personal, modern-day perspective (Brave New World, Horses and Helpers). The last song, Take A Look Around, is referenced by the comment that “The making of the modern state of Israel was a miracle...” 

Well, my understanding of history thinks that the United Nations Special Commission examined the Palestinian question and recommended the partition of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. Despite growing conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Palestinian Jews, United States President, Harry S. Truman ultimately decided to recognize the state of Israel. Great Britain had opposed both the creation of a Jewish state and an Arab state in Palestine, as well as unlimited immigration of Jewish refugees to the region. 

The holocaust of WW2 caused the immigration of millions of Jewish people to Palestine and this is covered in songs like Exodus. The title track refers to the mass emigration of Arabs from Palestine having lost the 1948 war with the new Israel, a pivotal moment in all this conflict, and Yallah To Abdullah also covers this period with Jordan taking many thousands of fleeing families into the country. 

The inclusion of Why We Build the Wall is perfectly legitimised, given the fear, hatred and paranoia that exists on both sides of the divide. It also gives a wry nod to the utter chaos and absurdity of the USA situation where Mexico is considered less than human and a place where inhabitants must be corralled against leaving for greener pastures and opportunity. Had Palestine the power to take a similar stance, then would the current situation have developed - one can only ponder?

Gaza is addressed in terms of a jump between 1956 and 2014; the murder of a Jewish boy is set against the airstrikes and rocket launches where thousands of Palestinians died against 76 Israelis in terrible atrocities. Fathers and Sons lives repeat across the decades and the heartbreak of 1948 is balanced with the moments captured by, If I Have To Go, and the sense that everything is transient.

In the World where war torn reality invades our easy lives in TV land, a release like this is a wake-up call to realise the suffering of part of our human race on a scale that rarely impacts upon our comfortable way of life in the Western World. Credit to Ben Fisher (Vocals, Piano, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mellotron, Harmonica), Faustine Hudson (Percussion), Micah Simler (Bass), Steve Norman (Pedal Steel), John Northey (Flugelhorn, Trumpet), Noah Gundersen (Electric Guitar, Vocals), Shelby Earl (Vocals) and Damien Jurado (Vocals) for a work of some substance and most worthy of investigation.

Review by Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

Stone Mountain Sinners Tones Of Home Self Release

A debut release from a 6-piece band who are based in the U.K. and who really hit all the spots with a dynamic and energetic Americana & Rock sound. Lead vocalists Sarah Warren and Neil Ivison had separate bands and careers before deciding to join forces and experiment with a new sound. Joined by Nick Lydon (acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass & vocals), Roger Roberts (piano, hammond organ, vocals), Adam Hood (bass) and Duke Delight (drums & percussion) they have discovered an authentic sound that is hard edged and filled with plenty of drive in the song arrangements. The opening tracks, Roadhouse and Arms Of Love set the tempo with full on high energy playing and there are echoes of Bob Seger on tracks like Round Here & All Night Long.

Keeping On shows another side to the sound with a Blues workout that recalls the Allman Bros. The vocal delivery of Sarah Warren is very powerful, full of a bluesy soul and reminiscent of Janis in her tone. It blends nicely with the deeper, gravel timbre of Ivison and together they deliver a convincing performance across the nine tracks here.

Stronger is a track that shows the band in full flight with all players channelling a rockabilly beat with all jangly guitars and shuffle drum beats. The slower Music City Blues features Maurice Hipkiss on pedal steel guitar and the extended closing track, Tones Of Home suggests a direction they could explore further with duelling guitars playing around the rhythm and bouncing off the pedal steel parts. Impressive debut and worth investigation.

Review by Paul McGee

Taylor Martin Song Dogs Little King

A singer-songwriter who grew up in Virginia and who now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, Martin releases his third album and Song Dogs is a very impressive statement of his talent and intentions. Amanda Anne Platt produces and along with her co-producer/engineer, Robert George, she delivers a beautifully balanced record with plenty of texture and vitality in the arrangements. The players on the album are quite superb and the quality and richness of each song is a joy to be discovered by the listener.

Little Pictures is a look at our modern addiction to cell phones/social media and how we end up “missing everything”. It has a blues feel with B3 and piano filling out the funky drum beat. The roots rock of Here Comes The Flood is followed by the country strum of Eden Colorado and the interplay between acoustic guitar and pedal steel. Martin writes eight songs and there are three excellent covers, which include Sign On The Window (Bob Dylan), Kern River (Merle Haggard) and Music Arcade (Neil Young). Milk & Honey and Our Memories are pure country with the fiddle playing of Lyndsay Pruett a real highlight; not only on the latter track but throughout the record. The title track closes the album and the simple piano lines, complimented by the lonesome sound of pedal steel, just leave you wanting more.

The musicians deserve the spotlight and this ensemble really knock it out of the park on every track; Taylor Martin (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Richie Jones (drums, percussion), Matthew Dufon (bass), Matthew Smith (pedal steel), Josh Shilling (piano, B3), Aaron Woody Wood (electric guitar), Aaron Ramsey (acoustic guitar), Lyndsay Pruett (fiddle), Amanda Anna Platt (harmony vocals). Quite superb and a must buy.

Review by Paul McGee

Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane Grit Greywood

This is a debut release from Canadian artists Gordie Tentrees and Jaxon Haldane as a duo. Both have recorded previously in their own names and have collected works that bear out their unique talents across a range of instruments. This release is a live album and was recorded at various venues in Alberta, Canada during 2016. Gordie plays dobro, acoustic guitar, foot percussion, porch board bass and prison whistle. Jaxon joins him on cigar box guitars (electric & lap steel), fiddle saw and 5-string banjo. The sound is very organic as befits twelve stripped down acoustic arrangements. There are story songs and others of keen observation while the Folk & Blues influences of Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson are never far away in these ballads. 

Ten songs involve Tentrees in the writing, with seven written solo and two involving Haldane. They all sound like old standards, which is testament to the authenticity that is brought to their delivery and performance. I hear echoes of Loudon Wainwright III in the vocals, especially on the blues tinged rendition of I Don’t Have A Gun (Womack/Kimbrough). 29 Loads Of Freight, Junior and Bottleneck Of Wire are all very strong songs and performed with great energy and passion. Well worth investigation for all folk music enthusiasts.

Review by Paul McGee

Blue Fish Diamond From Dark To Light Self Release

This debut album appeared in late 2018 and Blue Fish Diamond are an Irish seven-piece band who originally formed in 2016. Their sound is very melodic and resonates with commercial and contemporary Folk leanings across the ten tracks included here. The lead vocals of Jim Murphy are quite soft and he sings in a gentle, almost fragile tone, especially on tracks like Salvation Call and Innocent Child. Time To Go and Angels Of The Wind are more up-tempo arrangements and A World Away has a nice guitar break from McDonald which energises, before the song takes a change in tempo at the mid-way point. 

The harmony vocals of Ella Ryan and Matilda O’Mahoney are very appealing throughout and add colour to the arrangements. Gavin Glass produced the project at his studio and he also played on the tracks, with a credit of ‘all other instruments’ perhaps not telling the full story. The rhythm section of Ronan Quinn (bass) and Shay Sweeney (drums & percussion) provides a strong platform for the guitars of Murphy (acoustic) and Alex McDonald (electric) and the piano playing of Laura Ryder is also full of nice runs and subtle touches. Laura has a separate band which appeared recently at the Ones To Watch 2019 Festival in Dublin and her performance was excellent. 

The band originally met at the BIMM Dublin music college and they certainly are making the right steps forward with this release. So, overall a very pleasant listen with hope for more to follow in the future. 

Review by Paul McGee

Carl Broemel Wished Out Bismeaux

Better known as guitar god with My Morning Jacket, this is Carl Broemel’s third solo effort. Recorded in his newly constructed home studio in Nashville, he has roped in friends like Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Russ Pollard (Sebadoh) and MMJ band mates Tom Blankenship and Bo Koster to help out.

It’s a collection of eight self penned songs of mainly dreamy folk rock, but with more than a hint of his rock guitar leanings finding their way in, to a greater or lesser degree on most tracks. My favourite track is Wished Out - by far the longest at 6 minutes, Carl here gets to show his excellent vocal range on a soulful groove of a song, augmented by an appropriately long languid electric guitar solo.

There’s quite a variation of styles and influences here, from the retro twin harmony guitars of opening song Dark Matter to the Ryan Adams-esque vocals and piano on Starting From Scratch. Another standout track is the acoustic driven Malibu Shadow, with it’s catchy tune and lovely layered vocals. The album ends on a real rock out with the guitar driven Out Of Reach.

Review by Eilís Boland

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards Live In Manitoba Nobody’s Favorite

Mark & Raianne, a folk duo from Massachusetts, had the wise idea of bringing along a recording engineer during a 13 date house concert tour of Manitoba, Canada, and this album is the result.

It stands as a perfect calling card for their superb blend of original folk songs and musicianship. True folkies in every sense of the word, they are already known locally for initiating the Massachusetts Walking Tour, a now annual event where they walk through the state, carrying their instruments and camping along the way, performing concerts in out of the way locations en route. They even paddle their way in canoes at times!

The collection showcases their accomplished songwriting and duet singing, and between them they play guitar, ukulele, harmonica, clarinet (an acquired taste which has so far eluded me in folk music) and tin whistle. A nice touch is the inclusion of some of the between song banter, where you get an idea of their easy rapport with their audiences and their sense of humour and, indeed, humanity.

Review by Eilís Boland

Daniel Meade and the Flying Mules Live Mules Self Release

Glasgow’s finest exponent of ol’ time Americana with a hillbilly boogie woogie edge is back for a busy year where he intends to release 3 albums. Given his dexterity they are likely to show different aspects of his musical muse. The first of these will doubtless appeal to anyone who has seen the Flying Mules play across the U.K. or in Ireland where they were regulars at the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival. Meade is an authentic songwriter and many of his original songs have a timeless quality that would easily place them along side some of the classics pop the era that they evoke.

Neither should the contribution of the Flying Mules be underestimated. Guitarist Lloyd Reid is a top notch player well the equal of many better know players. While the rhythm section of upright bassist Mark Ferrie and drummer Thomas Sutherland bring the swing to its rightful place as the bedrock of the overall sound. The album was recorded at Mareel in Shetland  in 2016. It was their first visit and from the audience reaction and solid delivery that was captured on the night it was a memorable one.

The album features a selection of Meade’s songs taken from their first album to the then current album Let Me Off At The Bottom. That title song, along with astute titles like, There’s A Headstone Where Her Heart Used To Be, If It’s Not Your Fault (I Guess It’s Mine), Not My Heart Again all play out the timeless emotional relationship game viewed form both sides of love/leave divide. The album closes with a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee cover that brings the roots of the music full circle.

So crank up the sound system as this is a pretty hefty live sound given it’s simple origins and you can have the Flying Mules stopping round your living room while you wait to see what Daniel Meade come sup with next. Whatever that is it’s bound to be interesting.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Michael McDermott Orphans Pauper Sky

The many fans of Micheal McDermott will be more than happy with his latest release which underscores the reason they became fans in the first place. Strong songs that don’t shy away from the darker paths his life has taken in the past. As with Out For Under they are something of an exorcism of those times to the more positive place he finds himself. McDermott produced this album which has a big, full sound that will place him alongside some of those to whom he has been compared. Whenever I play his music to new listeners there is, inevitably, a comparison to Bruce Springsteen and on a certain level I can understand that. The instrumentation and delivery are similar as are the occasional arrangement but one major difference is that while Sprinsteen’s songs tend to focus on the working man McDermott’s are more about the ups and downs life of a working musician. The many nights away, the cheap hotel and cold motels, the sparse audiences that are very much a part and parcel of the life of a traveling troubadour. Not all the songs, of course, are about that and neither is he asking for your sympathy. It’s a life style he has chosen, or chosen him, so rather it is a more honest detailing of the path he has taken or, as truthfully, won’t let him go.

His wife (and singer in her own right) Heather Lynne Horton is a part of the musicians involved, many who were a part of the band The Westies with him and also played on his previous solo albums like Lex Price, John Deadrick and Fred Eltringham as well as guitarist Will Kimbrough. All in all these musicians are in tune with McDermott’s vision and production. He is also singing with energy and no little passion. Given that this songs are mostly drawn from his journey so far that have a conviction that is integral to McDermott’s thinking and actions. Songs like Ne’er Do Well, Meadowlark, Los Angeles, A Lifetime Ago and the closing What If Today Were My Last all take different perspectives mirrored in their delivery which ranges from piano ballads to more uptempo arrangements. All of which show that Michael McDermott is on a upward path that continues to produce music that has an all round excellence.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Tellico Woven Waters Organic

Original Roots music and a second release following debut album, Relics and Roses, in 2015. The band comprises Anya Hinkle (guitar, fiddle, vocals), Greg Stiglets (bass, harmonica, vocals), Aaron Ballance (dobro, lap steel) and Jed Willis (mandolin and electric guitar). There are guest appearances from David Brewer (drums) and John Doyle (bouzouki), who also produced the project. 

The band are part of the vibrant Roots music community in Asheville, North Carolina and the nine tracks included on this release run to almost 40 minutes and are played with impressive technique and subtle skill by these tightly integrated musicians. Storytelling was an integral part of the Appalachian sound and songs like the Ballad Of Zona Abston keep that tradition alive, as does the song, Salsa, which tells of a favourite horse who goes missing in the mountains. 

There is bluegrass, old timey rhythms and some sweet folk leanings included in these songs but it’s the collective playing that impresses mostly with songs like West Of The Cumberlands, Courage For The Morning and Like November that linger. Hinkle has a fine delivery and her vocal is very expressive, with hints of Natalie Merchant. Never more so than on, It’s Just Rain, with the lyrical imagery of “another storm has come to wash the sin out of the stain”, staying on the breeze. Anya writes five songs, with Greg penning three more and there is one co-write between them. Worthy of your time and attention.

Review by Paul McGee

Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir Long Way Home We Believers

This debut release goes back to March 2018 but it only found a recent place in my review pile. Blake Brown is an American singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado. Collaborative projects apart, he formed The American Dust Choir which includes wife, Tiffany Brown (keyboard/vocals), Adam Blake (drums), Jason Legler (bass) and Trent Nelson (guitar). Their sound is based around guitar orientated arrangements that echo an Americana feel and the dynamic is added to by the subtle vocal style of Brown, who employs an approach of ‘less is more’. 

On repeated playing, the overall sound is understated, yet addictive, and the easy swing of tracks like Up In Arms and Fever Dreams channel a Chris Isaak mood. Clocking in around 35 minutes, this release does not overstay its welcome and the neat production of Joe Richmond has much to recommend it. With clean lines and a nice separation on all instruments, it makes for an engaging listen and the commercial sound of Stop Shakin’ and Bended Knee indicate one direction that the band could focus on. Acoustic numbers, Accidental Love and Untitled are also engaging. However, it is the more ‘noir’ sound of tracks like Kissing Knives and Get Out that indicate where the true heart of the band’s sound may lie. Interesting.

Review by Paul McGee

Martha Reich Brave Bird Self Release

This 7-track release opens with a simple banjo, cello & fiddle accompaniment to the sweetly sensitive vocal of Martha Reich on If You Only Knew, and you are instantly hooked. Drawn into a space where time stands still and the plaintive, sparse sound of this Folk artist slowly takes hold of the moment. Self produced and written by Reich, with the exception of a cover, Over The Rainbow, you are touched by the sense of being in the presence of, perhaps, Joni Mitchell’s older and wiser, sister. Ethereal, gentle soundscapes that drip with restrained atmosphere and tracks like So Brave, The River, Fade Away and I’d Rather Be Surprised, over 30 minutes plus, leave you transformed. Yes, it’s that good!

Review by Paul McGee

Kalyn Fay Good Company Horton

I was very impressed by Fay’s last album Bible Belt and the Oklahoma musician (and graphic designer) has gone one better with her new album. On this release she has brought in Jesse Aycock to produce. He is a session musician and a recording artist in his own right. The sound is layered and varied, one that runs from the solid riff and propulsion of Highway Driving to the more folkish soft rock of Good Company and all points in between, that include country and rock in its make-up. 

The result is a collection of thoughtful and considered songs that benefit from Fay’s alluring vocal. It is a sound that speaks directly to you in a way that is personal and not without its own sense of panache. A sound that is intensely welcomes you to a deep sense of her heritage, talent and place. Described as quintessentially Oklahomaian, it is also quintessentially Kalyn Fay, as the two are largely intertwined. The one feeds the other and as Fay has recently made a move to Arkansas to further her fine arts career, it is no doubt twinned with some sense of that separation.

To help her realise this set of songs Fay has a range of local musicians involved including John Fullbright and Carter Sampson, as well as Aycock’s contribution on guitars, pedal steel and piano. While these may be names known only to those who follow the musicians mentioned, the othermusicians are equally attuned to the song-writing which takes into account the possibilities of love, loss and of locality,. The songs include 10 originals and a well chosen cover of Malcolm Holcombe’s Dressed In White (an underrated songwriter). The titles offer a clue to her inspiration from Oklahoma Hills to Fool’s Heartbreak. These songs bookend theunderlyingsense of place and relationships. Though both, as with most places, exist as often inseparable points on life’s compass.

They overall theme that these songs touch on is one that is universal and the sound is also one that captivates on a broader level to make the album work for thelistener, no matter where they happen tom reside.It is simply an album that shows an artist communicating at her best with her finest music to date. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Boo Ray Tennessee Alabama Fireworks Self Release

The album opens with steel guitar on a song whose lyrics include the album’s title. It sets the tone for a selection of tracks that cover a number of different moods that are held together by Ray’s songs, allied to Noah Shain’s production and the assembled players collective skills. “What doesn’t come from the heart doesn’t reach the heart” a line from that opening track,A Tune You Can Whistle, sums up Ray’s credo. There is a consistent theme of travel, highways, truckers and small towns. Going Back Down To Georgia, as suits that particular song, has a more soulful direction with  sone funky guitar, bass and brass. Honky Tonk Dream continues to use the steel guitar and brass to good effect. 20 Questions finds Ray under the spotlight trying to deal with a wide array of lifestyle enquiries from his partner. The slower paced,She Wrote The Song, has a solid beat with some effective guitar lines mingled with the pedal steel to emphasise the emotion of the song. Dee Elle is an instrumentalist that again has the steel well to the fore and giving it a desert atmosphere. Out Run The Wind is more straight up country. 

There is a weariness and understanding in Ray’s voice which shows that he understands these emotions and motivations. His music is described as “Outlaw” on his Facebook page and while he may not fit the current stereotype, he fits the description in that he does his music his way, without interference from outside sources. Music that reflects his varied musical influences and experiences in the clubs and stages of Nashville, LA and in South Georgia, as well as his experiences from growing up in North Carolina. His sound has been perfected over recent albums such as Six Weeks In A Motel and Sea Of Lights, as well as some interesting single releases that feature such duet partners as Elizabeth Cook and Lily Winwood. An easy album to like and one that gets better with repeated plays. The cover depicts a sign that Ray repeatedly passed in his travels appearing as a “surreal, southern gothic effigy” - a pretty good marker for his music then.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Charles Wesley Godwin Seneca Self Release

Looking not unlike an old-time explorer on the cover of this album, Charles Wesley Godwin is perhaps fitting for a songwriter who is constantly making discoveries about the people and locations he has met or passed through in his life so far. Previously a member of Union Sound Treaty with whom he released one album, he played and listened to bluegrass and traditional country and began writing his own songs. These were coloured by his upbringing in West Virginia where he grew up with a coal mining father and a school teaching mother. He understood the people and places that he encountered along the way and these experiences of life are the bed rock of these songs.

His songs can be affecting, like Seneca Creek, a downbeat ballad that lays out a story of arelationship that has been touched by different aspects of weather and the weathered relationships that can occur in a particular place. It appears twice on the album,as afull band version and it also closes the album in an acoustic guitar and voice version. Both adequately highlight the storytelling power of Charles Wesley Godwin’s song-writing and singing. 

Charles Wesley Godwin recordedover a 12 month period, in between touring to raise the money to make the album. Inthe process he met some of the musicians he wanted to work with and allowed for their schedules to achieve this. The results show the time well spent and the affinity that producer Al Torrence has with the material and the artist. The rhythm section provide a solid base over which there are bass, guitars, keyboards, fiddle, banjo, dobro and pedal steel embellishments that colour the  textures but never over paint the pictures that Charles Wesley Godwin conjures. Seneca is an album that is deserving of a wider audience. Several of the songs in an acoustic setting are featured along with his back story on his website and are well worth checking out.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Balsam Range Aeonic Mountain Home

Great expectations awaited this eighth release from Balsam Range, who are named after a sub range of the Appalachian Mountains in their home state of North Carolina. They have, after all, twice been voted Entertainer of the Year by the IBMA membership and between them they have won 11 other individual IBMA awards. 

And they won’t disappoint their myriad of fans with this latest self produced offering, ambitiously titled Aeonic (enduring, lasting immeasurably). The selection of songs from well established bluegrass and country writers and a couple of covers from other genres, all delivered in their traditional bluegrass style but with a smattering of newgrass and country touches, show that Balsam Range are not content to stand still musically.

The Girl Who Invented The Wheel kicks off the album at blistering pace, band leader Buddy Melton’s superb vocals doing more than justice to an unusual theme - extolling the virtues of a woman who has just dumped him but he is still in awe of her wonderfulness. In true bluegrass style, Buddy also gets to show off his much awarded fiddling on most of the tracks. Another particularly memorable tune is Tumbleweed Town (from the pens of Milan Miller and Beth Husband) wherein Tim Surrett shows that he’s as adept on the dobro as he is on bass. Guitarist Caleb Smith’s sweet vocals here are perfect for the pacy country ballad, with lots of lovely mandolin infills from Darren Nicholson.

Ray LaMontagne’s early song Hobo Blues is given an appropriately simpler arrangement and, again with Caleb Smith’s vocals, is one of the standout tracks.

The four gospel choices here are predictable fare but they allow the vocalists to indulge themselves in gorgeous three and four part harmonies. Marc Pruett’s legendary banjo playing shines on Let My Light Be A Life and also on the driving Get Me Gone.

Most outstanding though is the cover of George Harrison’s classic If I Needed Someone. Taken at double pace, and with Buddy Melton working some sort of electronic sorcery on his fiddle making it sound like a whole string section, it is over all too soon! 

Review by Eilís Boland

Whiskey Shivers Some Part Of Something Devil Duck

Whiskey Shivers seem to have exploded onto the music scene recently - certainly they have only come under my radar in the past year - but would you believe that this is their 5th release? They’ve been bubbling under in Austin for years now - often described as ‘Austin’s best kept secret’ - but the secret is out! Currently in the middle of an extensive European tour, I suspect Europe doesn’t know what has hit it.

The band’s live performances are by now legendary - they are known for their high energy, irreverence and good humour, and much of that spirit comes across on this album. Produced by Houston’s Robert Ellis, the songs are a combination of original songs and covers of traditional bluegrass and folk songs, all performed in their signature ‘thrashgrass bluegrass’ style.

If you’re a bluegrass purist, you can turn off your set now. Whiskey Shivers play with a marked punk sensibility that is strangely compelling to these ears, and definitely grows on you with repeated listens. ‘Manic' is the description that springs to mind on hearing their breakneck cover of the bluegrass/folk standard Angelina Baker, and it also applies to their original songs Reckless and No Pity in the Rose City. Cluck Old Hen sounds like it is being sung by a chain gang in the 20’s, but it really works with this rollicking bluesy psychedelic treatment. Long Gone, a country tinged ballad, allows the band, led by vocalist/ fiddle player Bobby Fitzgerald, to show that they are no mean musicians.

Music to drive to - but watch your speed! 

Review by Eilís Boland

Reviews by Paul McGee

Hat Check Girl Cold Smoke Gallway Bay

This is the seventh release from a duo who have quite a track record in the music business, including numerous albums as solo performers, namely, Peter Gallway and Annie Gallup. Their sound is essentially Contemporary Folk with subtle Jazz leanings in the sparse arrangements. Annie can sound somewhat like Joni Mitchell in places, while Peter reminds me of Eric Taylor in his delivery on occasion. Of course, any such similarities are purely in the mind of this reviewer and my subjective thoughts and the entire listening experience across some 53 minutes is quite a lesson in song craft and expansive lyrical ideas. 

I have always found the music of Hat Check Girl both challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Not for them the simple love song or whimsical throw-away line; rather they build their story songs from historical context or imagined characters, placed in all kinds of straitened circumstances…

So, the soldier posted to the Army Air Corps in WW2 finds himself on an island where the Enola Gay lands, just before carrying out its fateful mission of dropping the Atomic Bomb in 1945.The lament for humanity is palpable in the narrative of the soldier as he helplessly witnesses the catastrophic build-up.

Andersonville is a song that relays the stark story of a Confederate prison of war camp during the American Civil War, told from the perspective of Newell Burch, the longest held prisoner at 661 days, in conditions that were dominated by infectious disease and severe overcrowding. The stockade commandant, Henry Wirz, was later tried and hanged for carrying out war crimes that were held to be the reason why quite a number of the 13,000 prisoners died.  Another Union prisoner, Dorence Atwater, recorded the names and numbers of the dead and his diaries were key to the eventual trial verdict. All these characters are interwoven into the song, making it almost like a short story or a movie script.

The story in Highway Of Tears refers to the British Columbia section of the Yellowhead Highway, a stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert where numerous women have gone missing over the years. It has been reported that eighteen women went missing, presumed murdered, but speculation puts that number into the forties… This tale is narrated by a chief of one of the indigenous, or first, people - an aboriginal, ethnic group who were the original settlers.

Thirteen Cents An Hour tells of the great industrial fire of New York in 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was the worst industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history, causing the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men. It is told through the eyes of a young Irish immigrant girl who worked and perished alongside her Mother.

And on it goes; a song about righteous objectors and the conviction to take action (I Broke The Law); a song about a family pet who gets recruited into the canine corps during the war (Liza Blue); another that tells the story of a runaway, single mother who makes a living by performing songs (Songbird Of Cincinnati) and the wife who seeks redemption in the company of a soldier returned from the war, risking her own marriage and thinking that her husband never knew (Cobalt Blue).

Towards the end of the project there is a duet between Annie and Peter that takes the form of letters received and sent between two young lovers during the Vietnam War and it is both poignant and heart rending in its description of the futility of battle and the longing to return to more innocent times.

A long review indeed but well merited and a release of some substance that will invigorate and involve the listener in all aspects of the creative process. 

Deer Tick Mayonnaise Partisan

Following the commercial and critical success of their dual release albums, Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Deer Tick Vol.2 in 2017 and the subsequent Twice Is Nice tour in support of the music, the band from Rhode Island are back to prove that their punk-roots rock leanings are a sharp as ever.

They have always walked a line between the light and the loud in terms of their musical output and this dual approach has won them many admirers over a career that began in 2007 with their debut release. With band members John McCauley (lead vocals, guitar), Christopher Ryan (bass, upright bass, backing vocals), Dennis Ryan (drums, backing vocals) and Ian O'Neil (guitar, backing vocals), this new release is a mixed bag of cover versions performed on tour, alternate versions of songs from Vol.1 and five new songs.

White City (The Pogues) works really well, with all its raw energy, both in a live setting and on this record. Run Of The Mill (George Harrison) has a slow groove, understated accordion mixed with jangly guitars, while Too Sensitive For This World (Ben Vaughn) has a very laid back, cool vibe. 

The 7-minute version of Velvet Underground song, Pale Blue Eyes, is given an acoustic Country treatment and new songs Strange, Awful Feeling and the instrumental, Memphis Chair, follow a similar sound. From Vol.1 we are given alternative versions of Limp Right Back, End Of The World, Doomed From The Start, and Cocktail, a song about drinking exploits that is rooted in the past memories and younger days of McCauley.

The loose electric attack of Spirals, another new song, kicks everything off in fine style and Old Lady is quite the opposite with a slow country tempo. Something for all tastes then and plenty to keep existing fans happy, while attracting new admirers to their eclectic musical world.

Jess Klein Back To My Green Blue Rose

This is the first release in four years from a singer songwriter who has been producing a consistently interesting body of work since her debut release in the late 1990’s. Now living in Hillsborough, North Carolina with her husband Mike June, she has put together a collection of songs that range from the commercial pop sound of opening track, In Dreams, to the blues tinged gospel arrangement of Gates Of Hell. 

However, it is her folk leanings that show her at her most natural as a contemporary singer songwriter of real depth and maturity. A strong sense of this is evident on songs like New Thanksgiving Feast and I Hear Love, two of the strongest statements on the album. With simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, New Thanksgiving Feast is a reflection of modern life in America and holds up a mirror against the injustice, prejudice and hatred that boils beneath the surface and all too often erupts. I Hear Love is an appropriate song to end with, as the sentiment captures the overall message of the project, which is one of healing and redemption.

Blair Mountain tells of the largest labour uprising in United States history where 100 people were killed and many more arrested in seeking to improve Mine Workers conditions. It has a fine rock arrangement and has an anger in the delivery that is reflected in the distorted guitar attack of the song. Kid is a song that offers sage advice to the young from the perspective of someone who has learned a few life lessons along the way. 

Tougher Than The Rest and Mammal are personal manifestos to believe in yourself and live life to the full, while Back To My Green has a similar theme with a prayer to leave all our burdens down and just breathe in the air, feel free and celebrate Nature.

Along with Jess, producer Mark Simonsen and engineer Thom Canova brought everything to life at Studio M in Durham and Hondo Creek Studio, North Carolina. Both contribute as musicians, with Canova (bass, electric guitars, percussion) and Simonsen (piano, organ, keyboards, electric guitars, drums, vibes, glockenspiel, percussion, vocals) adding greatly to the overall sound. Other guests include Mike Grigoni (pedal steel, lap steel), Laura Thomas (violin), Aubrey Keisel (viola), Leah Gibson (cello), Gaelynn Lea and Jonathan Byrd (vocals)… Another excellent release from an artist that should have a place in any discerning music collector’s library.

Peter Rogan Still Tryin’ To Believe Self Release

Debut release from an artist who lives near Philadelphia and who delivers twelve songs of real quality which resonate in the memory. He’s not afraid to mix the overall feel and sound with a diversity in the song structures that is impressive. From the southern rock of the title track to the country feel of The Only One and the blues funk of Kickin’ The Can, there is a confidence and swagger about this release. Beautiful Honey has a slow and easy groove while Big Green Rambler channels an Allman Bros feel and very enjoyable it is too. 

Rogan has a hand in all the songs (7 co-writes), which include two instrumentals and has assembled an impressive group of studio players in Will Kimbrough (guitars, dobro, pedals), Phil Madeira (guitars, organ, piano, lap steel), Chris Donohue (acoustic & electric bass), Dennis Holt (drums, percussion) and a selection of seven backing singers across the tracks. There are also additional players on selected songs that add to the colour of the arrangements. Produced by Rogan in Nashville, the sound is bright and clear which adds greatly to the enjoyment; no clutter, just straight down the middle arrangements laced with fine melody and rhythm. 

Rolling Mill Blues gives the ensemble a chance to really stretch out and the results are very compelling with a Stones vibe very evident. The slow blues of River Man is particularly appealing and the gospel rock refrain in Mercy is only topped by a searing guitar solo by Rogan that lifts everything to a new level.  

The jazz instrumental, Song For Keith, is beautifully delivered by a coterie of players who don’t appear on any other tracks, so it must have been created elsewhere – Rogan on jazzy guitar runs and the flugelhorn playing of Bob Meashey blend with the understated piano of Ron Stabinsky and the gentle rhythm of John Riley (drums) and Steve Varner (bass) – quite superb and so different to anything else here.

Working as a professional guitarist for many years and also holding down a day job as an electrician, this is the profile of the modern-day musician who tries to balance a lifetime passion with the everyday reality of paying the bills. The songs were written over a 4-year period and the old adage that ‘patience is a virtue’ has never rung truer. A highly recommended release.

Jesse Matas Tamarock Self Release

Jesse Matas is one third of The Crooked Brothers, a trio that hail from Winnipeg, Canada. They have released three albums and are recognised for their blend of country, back porch blues and folk sounds. On his solo debut, Matas does not veer too far away from this template and delivers music that is very easy on the ear and full of variety. There seems to be a Nature theme running through the project and the songs were written over a period of years outside of urban life and using the simple joys in Nature as a touchstone.  

Recorded in Winnipeg and Waterloo, Canada and produced by Matas and John Paul Peters, who also plays violin on the tracks; this is an understated sound that kicks off with a slow acoustic song, Tamarack, augmented with a brushed drum sound. The sweet instrumental, Sleep, is followed by the spoken word, jazzy, free-form arrangement of Monarch, a song about collecting butterflies no less.  Peace River Song has a country twang with banjo and harmonica setting the mood. Walking Human and Rock & Sound are two songs with a slow build and a rhythm that brings Neil Young to mind as the fluid and loose guitar lines give a great feel to both. 

The slow strum of Hardline and the easy groove of Before, We are both superb examples of the otherworldly quality that this project has. The Myth Of Forests is all jangly guitar, violin and spoken word and full of atmosphere. Overall, a fine release and one that comes highly recommended to fans of laid-back Americana.

Trent Miller Time Between Us Bucketfull Of Brains

This fourth release was recorded at Reservoir Studios in North London and co-produced by Miller with Graham Knight. The album also features renowned session guitarist Paul Cuddeford, violinist Barbara Bartz, cellist Bethany Porter and drummer Patrick Degenhardt. Miller was born in Italy before moving to London in search of a career in music and his road to this point has not always been an easy one. However, he has endured and made his way through to a point where his song craft is gaining greater recognition.

There is a big Rock sound on the title track and the closing She’s Leaving This Place For Good with electric guitar and harmonica winding around the rhythms and How Soon Is Never has a big strings sound to augment the arrangement. Moonlight Café has a strong keyboard/synth melody running alongside the plaintive vocal of Miller and the more acoustic arrangements of Motel Rooms Of Ocean Blue, Lament Of The Sea and Bonfires Of Navarino Road show another change of direction. A big, bright production and lots of good moments across the twelve tracks here.

Kaz Murphy Ride Out The Storm Self Release

An experienced singer-songwriter who has shared the stage with many noted artists and who released his debut album back in 1997 to critical acclaim. This is the fourth solo album and is produced by Scrappy Jud Newcomb (Patty Griffin, Slaid Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard). Newcomb also contributes on various guitars, both acoustic and electric, in addition to playing mandolin, bass and singing. Pat Manske plays drums and percussion.

Eleven songs based around a folk/blues sound with fine ensemble playing and a focus around varied relationships in the song-writing; Blue Devil Sky has a deserted family story while Soft Heart has a message of helping out others less fortunate. When People Come Together is a song of hope for society and our ability to endure.

Where You Come From is a song about having a strong identity with your roots and where you were born and raised, with a driving bass line and a great melody running through it. Forget About The World Tonight is a fine sentiment and one that is best enjoyed by a night fire with a slow glass of wine. The final song, Rise Me Up, with Penny Jo Pullus on backing vocals has a celebratory message and an appropriate end to proceedings. 

Dirk & The Truth Along The Road Self Release

This band are based in Annapolis and this debut is a 5-track EP produced by Matt Ascione and engineered by Bob Dawson. There are a lot of players on the song credits, with the core 4-piece band augmented by a further seven musicians across the tracks. 

Dirk Schwenk writes all songs and Table Set For Two is a cheating song while The River celebrates nature and the feeling of revival. I Am Graced is a love song with a nice melody and tempo and the following song, Along The Road She Comes has a similar theme, with the message of feeling lucky in life. 

The final song, Flag On A Hill, is a patriotic statement of defending the land of the free in the USA. Whereas the sentiment is perfectly fine, I’m somewhat troubled by the evidence to the contrary, every day, in the media. Professing to adhere to the words in the declaration of independence is one thing but the words of George Washington sound a clear warning; “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism”.

Overall, this is a country rock sound that bodes well for future projects.