New Album Reviews

Iron & Wine Light Verse Sub Pop

Unlike many of his peers who found both the time and the inspiration to write during the two years of COVID-19 and lockdowns, Sam Beam’s experience of that period was quite the opposite. Without any desire to write and record a ‘pandemic’ album and unable to kickstart his creative verve, this form of writer’s block lasted for over two years. 

The pathway back to writing the material for LIGHT VERSE came about when Beam, together with his close friend and producer Matt Ross-Spang, embarked on a recording session of four Lori McKenna songs, which would be released as Beam’s 2022 EP, LORI. Following that recording, Beam set off on a short solo tour titled ‘Back To Basics’ and then a more extensive tour with Andrew Bird, before finishing writing the ten songs for this album. Produced by Beam and mixed by Dave Way (John Way, Macy Gray, Fiona Apple, Michael Jackson), it features a twenty-four-piece orchestra on a number of tracks, adding depth and richness to the album and bringing to mind the arrangements on Al Stewart’s classic 1974 recording, PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE. 

If Beam’s 2017 record BEAST EPIC was a commentary on ageing and the passage of time, LIGHT VERSE finds him in a more buoyant and self-assured frame of mind, possibly tinged with relief having survived the pandemic and recovered his mojo. 

He invited Fiona Apple to add her voice on All In Good Time, and their vocal marriage, awash with dramatic strings, works spectacularly well.  Tears That Don’t Matter is the record’s longest track, a few seconds short of seven minutes. With ‘streams of consciousness’ type lyrics and spectacular orchestration, it is a spellbinding delight. With whispered vocals, You Never Know is a gentle opener to the album. It is very much in keeping with Beam’s trademark sound, and its calmness and gentle melody is repeated on the reflective Taken By Surprise. The melodic and radio-friendly Sweet Talk is possibly the most upbeat and optimistic song recorded by Beam.  

A departure from his previous recordings, LIGHT VERSE is an excellent serving of indie folk. It does require a few listens to connect fully, but that time invested reaps rich rewards. 

Declan Culliton

Kelsey Waldon There’s Always a Song Oh Boy

The winner of the Ameripolitan Outlaw Female award earlier this year and featured in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Current: State of The Music 2024, Kentucky-born Kelsey Waldon is finally getting the recognition she richly deserves. 

Coinciding with those honours, Kelsey has released her third album on the Oh Boy label, having been the first artist in fifteen years to be signed to John Prine’s label in 2019. The album plays out like a road map to the music closest to Kelsey’s heart, from her childhood to the present day, with bluegrass, gospel, and old-time country very much to the fore. 

Kelsey was joined by several guests on the eight tracks that feature. Her fellow Kentuckian S.G. Goodman got on board for the call-and-response song Hello Stranger. It’s a more animated rendition of the version previously recorded by Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard in 1973. The Hazel Dickens association is also visited on Pretty Bird, with Kelsey’s old mountain style a capella inspired by Hazel’s similar recording of the poem she wrote in 1973. An unaccompanied presentation of the traditional folk ballad Keep Your Garden Clean also features. Isaac Gibson of 49 Winchester added his vocal on a Porter and Dolly style duet of Ralph Stanley’s I Only Exist. Kelsey’s longtime Nashville friend, Margo Price, came on board on the blazing gospel tune Travelling The Highway Home. Amanda Shires lent a hand in the fiddle-driven reworking of Bill Monroes’ Uncle Pen, and the hymn Your Lone Journey, immortalised by Doc Watson, is beautifully interpreted. The last of the eight songs is the bluegrass traditional song I’ve Endured. Credited to the Appalachian folk singer and banjo player Ola Belle Reed, Kelsey’s harmonised countryfied version transforms the song into a mid-paced honky tonk gem. 

Having displayed her capacity in the past to write meaningful country songs, this treasure chest of songs is a celebration of the music that pointed Kelsey Waldon on her career path. Joined by her friends who have travelled an identical road, it’s a joyous compilation of classic musicianship and vocals from one of the absolute purest country singers of recent years. Kelsey’s hit the bullseye dead centre with this album, but don’t just take my word and check it out yourself. 

Declan Culliton 

Jenny Tolman Broke Down In Jennyville Sessions Old Sol

The latest album from Jenny Tolman is an acoustic reworking of some songs previously recorded and a number of new songs by the Nashville-born artist. 

Tolman’s 2020 debut album, THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD, was a cleverly written concept affair, with a collection of songs that introduced an artist with a keen eye for often humorous small-town tales and titbits and with a sweet country vocal to underscore her tales. MARRIED IN A HONKY TONK followed two years later with further songs crafted from her fictional small-town Jennyville. Co-written with her husband, Grammy-nominated producer Dave Brainard (Jamey Johnson, Brandy Clark, Sunny Sweeney), it followed the formula of its predecessor with catchy songs and sharp lyrics.

Her new record is an interesting diversion from those two earlier releases. Stripped back and acoustic, it presents the listener with nine well-constructed songs. Tolman’s gorgeous vocals - the quality of her voice alone is worth your attention - without the embellishments of a full studio band, give depth to the songs. The humour of her previous two albums is also toned down; for me, the songs benefit from this approach.

Particularly noteworthy is her reworking of There Goes The Neighbourhood, which has echoes of Bobby Gentry. The tearjerker So Pretty and the sassy High Class White Trash also stand out; both have a Brandy Clark style about them. World’s A Small Town and Ain’t No Good for Me are simply vintage country songs, and the gentle album closer Until The End showcases Tolman’s striking vocal range.

With largely minimalistic acoustic backings, BROKE DOWN IN JENNYVILLE SESSIONS is a testament to the angelic pureness of Tolman’s voice and her ability, alongside Dave Brainard, to create thought-provoking songs from everyday observations.  A delightfully accessible listen and possibly a pointer toward a change in direction for Tolman going forward, it’s most certainly a winner for me.

Declan Culliton

Madison Hughes Goodbye To Neverland Self-Release

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida-born Madison Hughes' recording career to date has primarily been cover songs. Her versions of Morgan Wallen's I Deserve I Drink, Bob Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door, and Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark collectively earned her multi-million streams. It could be argued that the latter two were 'safe choices,' but they offered Hughes the opportunity to showcase the angelic pureness of her vocals.

GOODBYE TO NEVERLAND is a six-track mini album that sees Hughes venturing into a variety of musical styles, mainly through material co-written with New Jersey songwriter Rich Deans. It follows their full-on bluesy co-write 'Hate That You Love Me,' released as a single in March of this year. While that song is not included on this album - presumably it will be part of her full-length record due for release later this year - it sets the stage for an artist who is not afraid to experiment and grow both lyrically and vocally. 

Among the standout tracks on this record are 'If My Heart Was A Train,' reminiscent of mid-career Shelby Lynne, and the title track, a well-constructed country ballad. These songs showcase her knack for easy-to-access melodies but she also delves into a high-octane vibe with the Carlene Carter 90s-styled rootsy gems' Ring The Doctor' and 'Nowhere Fast,' and the pedal steel-drenched country rocker, 'Too Far To Reach.' The inclusion of the aforementioned 'Dancing in the Dark' is a testament to her versatility, but it's the original material that truly shines.

Currently based in East Nashville, Hughes has broadened her musical horizons with an album that marks her as out a maturing artist with endless potential. In an overcrowded marketplace, let's hope she gets the opportunity to establish herself going forward. 

Declan Culliton

The HawtThorns Zero Gravity Red Parlor

It's been a fascinating journey to witness the rise of The HawtThorns, a Nashville-based duo.  KP Hawthorn, a former member of the California trio Calico, and her husband, Johnny, with a diverse background in solo work, session work, and production, have crafted a style that beautifully blends West Coast influences with a unique, swampy vibe.

ZERO GRAVITY, their third album in five years, is a testament to their musical evolution. Recorded live to tape at The Wood Brothers' The Nashville Studio and co-produced by the duo and Ted Pecchio, the album showcases KP's mellow vocals and Johnny's slick guitar hooks and solos on eleven tracks that captivate their raw energy and authenticity. 

A bus stop outside a graveyard in Nashville passed many times by KP was the inspiration behind the racy opener Nothing But A Shadow. Elsewhere, rock-tinged tracks like Trouble and Hands On A Clock make a large splash and sit comfortably alongside the intimate ballads Save This One and Flying. However, stealing the show is the album's title track.  A tour de force combining joy and sadness, it finds KP in exceptionally splendid voice supported by heavenly harmonies and swirling guitars. They sign off with the album's one cover version, a rousing delivery of The Everly Brothers When Will I Be Loved, which features Alice Wallace as guest vocalist. 

The creative partnership between KP and Johnny Hawthorn marches on with this album. From a band that is now a robust pillar in the East Nashville music scene, ZERO GRAVITY is not a radical departure from their previous recordings; it is more a testimony to a duo that has found its musical sweet spot and continues to explore it.

Declan Culliton

Hannah Connolly Shadowboxing Self Release

Jon O’Brien’s Music Box Studios in Idyllwild, California was home for the release of this second album from Hannah Connolly. The mountain town, with the presence of nature all around, provided the perfect environment for this impressive step-up from the more acoustic and restrained debut album FROM WHERE YOU ARE which appeared in 2020.

Connolly is an experienced singer-songwriter at this juncture of her career and her ability to capture an emotion or a feeling in a song is very impressive. Her debut dealt with some personal matters and the album had a softer quality to the arrangements and the reflective musings. This time out there is a bigger production sound on the album and a greater sense of stretching out into new territory sonically. The songs continue to resonate when it comes to matters of the heart and perhaps the more contemplative aspects of the debut are now replaced by a new-found optimism in the future.

The opening song Reno has an appealing dreamy texture with the beautiful vocals of Connolly high in the mix and the pedal steel surfing the melody in a love song about missing your partner. The following song Stuck In Place raises the tempo and the guitar parts drive a song that sings about making things work, day at a time, living for the now and ‘Let it be what it is.’ The pace continues with tracks like Tired Of Trying, the rock groove of pushing through a busy life highlighting an aggressive tone in the vocal delivery.

Other songs like Bags Are Packed and Party Is Over are more acoustic based and consider the strength to be found in the love of another and wanting to be in the centre of the shared experience. Another song, Worth the Wait is focused on the pain of separation brought about by busy touring schedules and Brothers In the Same Dream looks to let go of past resentments and forgiving another for wrongs done. It shows a considered acceptance of others in the mellow delivery by Connolly, always an engaging vocalist with her soprano timbre.

The title song Shadowboxing is very much a country standard with pedal steel tickling the sweet melody as Connolly reflects upon feeling apart and outside of her external life with ‘A head full of dreams, And a heart full of love.’ The funky rhythm on Golden is very bright in the delivery as it looks at the challenges of daily routine and facing changes as part of the journey. Rushing By ends the album with a slow acoustic reflection on grief and getting beyond that sense of dislocation that we all grapple with. However, love will endure if the bond is strong and ‘It’s not the life that we chose but we’re getting by, The only thing I need now is your hand in mine.’ A fitting sentiment on which to conclude the album.

Connolly co-wrote all the tracks with Jordan Ruiz who also plays guitar, bass piano, pedal steel and drums across the ten songs. He also sings backing vocals along with other core studio players Eric Cannata (guitar, bass, piano, synth), Ben Greenberg (guitar, Wurlitzer, xylophone), and Jon O’Brien (organ, mellotron, bass, keys, percussion). They are joined on various tracks by Dan Bailey and Adam Schreiber who share drums and percussion, Via Mardot on theremin, slide guitar, marxophone and strings. The album was produced by Eric Cannata and  Jon O’Brien with the live feel of playing in the studio very much a part of what delivers a work of great personality and layered with plenty of memorable moments.

Paul McGee

Sean Eamon With A Lean Self Release

A country/alt.country singer and songwriter based in Butte, Montana who is just releasing his third album recorded in his hometown. It was produced by Eamon and Justin Ringsak, who also plays bass and trumpet on the album. The assembled crew also includes Garrett Smith on trombone and harmony vocals - which adds an interesting soupçon of the flavour of New Orleans and Mexico to the overall sound. Drummer Mike Babineaux and the organ playing of Frankee Angel are also on board, which leaves the estimable talents of much sought after electric guitar and pedal steel maestro Eric Heywood to round out the musical talent. Eamon himself plays acoustic guitar and, naturally, handles the lead vocals in what is a distinctive style, which may not be to everyone’s taste but is instinctive and effective.

Sean Eamon has a couple of previous albums to his credit but this time he is seeking recognition further afield. The nine self-written songs here are realised in such a way as to warrant that closer attention. We open with If Love Was A Fighter, which quotes Muhammad Ali in the opening verse and uses the analogy to describe a relationship with love. It has the brass and steel adding another sonic layer that is appealing to its solid beat. Next we’re told that the protagonist would never have been a lucky guy! He is always On Trial in so far as he’s so far in front he’s always behind. Again it features an arrangement  that adds a difference overall with the brass and steel embellishments. More introspective is Getting Down Early, another tale of a loser who can’t quite get it together, with the steel adding a mournfulness to the mood. “Getting down early and waking up late is my name” and he’s therefore missing out on life in many ways.

The losses in life continue with Every Teardrop, and you can guess the reason why he is in that particular state. It has to be said that lyrically there is no let up in this self examination of a life that looks for love but ends in emotional ruin. However, as with so much of the mores of traditional country themes, you sympathise with this ‘tear in the beer’ set of tales of woe and feel perfectly comforted by the way the music reveals this in such a appealing fashion. Who’s The Fool? Is self explanatory, while Hanging Under sees a man sitting at the bar and waiting for another round to see if that one eases his aches.

In the same sense of self-pity and perhaps looking for a way to change his life, it might just happen if he could just change All The Things I Have Broken. The foot-tapping tempo of You Don’t Love Me Anymore professes love, despite the fact that she doesn’t love him anymore, at least not the way she used to. Fittingly in some ways, the final track sums up the overall sense of downbeat delusion in the sadness of Waiting For It To End.

Obviously this doesn’t fit the positive nature of the new bright and shiny sheen of today’s country pop leanings, but rather offers a look into the lives of those who can’t seem to get a break in love or life. That musically it is delivered with such overall empathy for the central characters seemingly endless miasma makes it, like all good blues and country music, the perfect companion for either those trodding a similar path or those that simply appreciate an age old tradition of listening to musicians who know how to get this across in such an engaging way. One can only hope, though, that Sean Eamon is not writing just from experience but rather from something of an observational and creative perspective. Either way, lend an ear to this leaning tower of trouble.

Stephen Rapid 

Monte Warden and the Dangerous Few Jackpot Break A Leg

I have been a fan of Monte Warden and his fellow bandmates who formed The Wagoneers in the 80s. At that time the only country bands, as such, that I was aware of were mainstream groups like Alabama and Diamond Rio, neither of whom floated my boat. So here was a young band, who played live and played on their albums and who looked western cool, with the right amount of reverence for the past while looking to the future. However they didn’t make it too far past the first two albums. There is a third album recorded around that time that has never been released, and after they played the Austin City Music awards in 2011 were back in the studio to record another unreleased album.

Monte Warden was the main songwriter and with his next three solo albums that was also the case, in the main, though there were also many co-writes. One of his partners in the process was Mas Palermo, who was also on board in Warden’s next combo, the Loan Sharks. He is still a part of the team playing with Warden in the dates that are done as The Wagoneers, as founding member drummer Tom Lewis is pursuing other musical directions. So overviews blame Warden for moving away from the purer country sound of the debut, still a classic album, STOUT & HIGH.

In order to keep momentum and offer an alternative to the retro rock, rockabilly and country of the those bands and dates, Warden’s wife Brandi suggested that he try another direction as well, that was jazz done in a lounge combo, often late-night, laid back crooner style. This is where the heart of this album and the band that performs with him, The Dangerous Few, lies. A part of that team is again Mas Palermo as well as Wagoneer Brent Wilson, moving from lead guitar to bass. Two crucial players are trumpeter Erik Telford and pianist Nick Litterski. They are the ones that give the album much of its specific style. 

Once again, the songs which are a perfect fit for that overall mood are written by the husband and wife pairing, as well as a couple of additional writers on three other tracks. This is the second album in this genre, as it follows on from the self titled debut album from The Dangerous Few, but this time out finds them more self-assured in this direction. This is not my natural habitat and I can’t deny that I wouldn’t love to hear another album in the country/rockabilly mode of previous line-ups.

The natural pointers would include the classic crooners, maybe something of the Dean Martin oeuvre as well as, at times, on the slower material, Michael Buble. However, as mentioned, not being that deep into this particular groove, I would suggest that Dwight Yoakam’s take on the Kinks’ Tired Of Waiting offers a fairly solid hint of what to expect from an artists coming to the arrangement from a similar perspective. But these days it’s simple enough to just find a streaming service that will give you a chance to make up your own mind.

Warden is never-the-less in top form vocally throughout and, as he has done in the past, assimilates this path with a sense of belonging. The playing is superb and songs like Silhouette, which opens the album really hit the target. There is a lot of fun in the current single Waxahachie Hooch Coo, which you could easily hear on numerous TV movie soundtracks, especially the myriad of those that reference an earlier era. It would also appear that their live gigs are well attended and provide a lot of enjoyment for all concerned.

There is a hint of a Jim Webb mood in Lovesong Every Day ,which offers an upfront sentiment that underscores a personal love story. Most tracks adhere to the jazz remit, but there are deviations, like the call and response routine of the equal positivity of Steadfast Love, the track which closes the album. I took to the album more that I had perhaps expected, with certain songs like those mentioned above and the title track - which have a touch of ‘south of the border’ to them that helps their immediacy, outside of those with that are more imbedded in the overall ambience. But it works and hits the required prize. 

Stephen Rapid 

Al Staehely Somewhere In West Texas Quatro Valley

Along with his brother John, Al Staehely joined the band Spirit in the early 70s. He played bass, sang lead and wrote songs while his brother replaced Randy California as lead guitarist. When that stint ended, they recorded and toured under the name The Staehely Brothers. But in 1980 he utilised his law degree to become a music industry lawyer as his day job, while continuing to play and record by night. Around that time he released his debut album in Europe only, at the time, however it eventually was made available in the US as AL STAEHELY & 10K HOURS. In more recent times he wrote a bunch of songs during the pandemic and in the area he was staying he knew some top class musicians in Fran Christina on drums and bassist Chris Maresh and guitarist and producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb - all seasoned players with venerable histories of playing with well known artists.

They located a small studio in Marfa, Texas and found an immediate connection when they began to play and record. They laid down twelve tracks of relaxed, fun driven, roots music that is as easy to listen to as it was, by all accounts, to record. The material is all composed by Staehely ,other than What’s So Hard About Love by Cam King and Freddie KRC and Phil Lee’s Night In The Box. I notice an affinity between Lee’s own work and what was on offer here. There is humour and undoubted heart in the album’s varied roots sound, that displays the inherent collective instinctive talent of all involved, with Newcomb as the lead player standing out for that very reason. Not that anyone is showing off, rather they are just giving the songs the best possible reading.

The album opens with Something Good Is Gonna Happen, a song that has a positive outlook on life even when that might not immediately be the case. The video that accompanies the song online reflects that, with a hint of the mischief that might ensue. Staehely’s songs hit the old story of love lost, strayed or found in unexpected places. What’s Wrong With You For Loving Me, What’s So Hard About Love and Time Is A Lover all fit that brief, the latter in some ways mirrorring some of the work he has recorded playing with Spirit and others. It is the overall writing theme too on other tracks here - you get the general idea from those titles. Emily is about kinship that doesn’t always run that smoothly - even if the music does. Long Legged Woman goes global as he tries to escape the subject of the song.

Most songs are delivered with a sturdy beat and dynamic, while others like Love Trance taken at a more reasoned slower groove, with Staehely well able to vocally stay front and centre, as he does on the other more danceable material. He has a voice that, without becoming gravel, has a seasoned, well-worn quality. Mercy Of The Moon has a tenderness that is subtly conveyed, showing that the foursome can move from one pace to another, which adds a welcome diversity across the album as a whole. The closing track is essentially stripped back to just bass guitar and voice and asks you to Be Still - and listen to your heart. That is all well served by Newcomb’s production and ease with the assembled players and, no doubt, also to the high desert location that they recorded the album in. The aforementioned Night In The Box, also recorded by Phil Lee, is a cautionary tale that should be heeded.

Staehely’s other occupation has kept him busy with many different clients but this, however ,may be his true love, something that he has turned to time and again through the years. It probably shows that, in his case, for his musical endeavours time is a lover, especially somewhere in West Texas - and beyond.

Stephen Rapid 

New Album Reviews

The Faux Paws Backburner Great Bear

I can honestly say that I have never come across a harder to classify band than the Faux Paws, who I was lucky enough to run into at IBMA last year. This five track EP is a perfect introduction to that eclectic sound, crossing the genres from stringband to jazz to folk to bluegrass and old time … and back again. Most unusual of all is the pairing of tenor saxophone with fiddle and guitar and, in their hands, it works (trust me!)

Brothers Noah (fiddle) and Andrew (guitar) VanNorstrand hail from upstate NY, where they honed their chops in a contra danceband with their mother, while Chris Miller (sax and banjo) comes from a jazz and Cajun background. Their dynamism is evident from the off in the opening and title track, an upbeat song (vocals by Noah) about love lost, then won, featuring guitar breaks and then some absolute shredding on fiddle, followed by an ascending key change to boot. Birdy Thirty is a slightly less frenetic but more funky, jazz-influenced instrumental, led by saxophone with some nice interplay and harmonising with the acoustic guitar and mandolin. Salish Sea is a beautiful slow paced instrumental, with the all feel of a sea shanty, led by Noah’s fiddle, musically very reminiscent of Scottish tunes. Then it’s back to breathtaking speed with the two instrumentals Sailing To Denver/Red Top, where the tenor sax again interacts dynamically with the fiddle in particular, both taking the tunes to dizzying musical heights. The tongue-in-cheek Good Song closes out this gem of a recording, with three part harmonies in a jazz-driven ditty. 

Unfortunately I missed the Faux Paws’s showcases at IBMA 2023 (not even I can be in two places at once!) but I look forward to seeing them live somewhere in the future. I urge you to check them out and see why I was so pleasantly surprised.

Eilís Boland  

Abby Posner Second Chances Blackbird

 Modern day Renaissance woman Abby Posner often writes to order. The Californian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer has successfully turned her hand to writing for film, TV and adverts, as well as touring with her band, The Myth. This second solo album, however, was fuelled by real life - the break-up of a serious relationship. Known for constantly crossing musical genres, the pain of that break up erupts through the twelve songs here, whether the sonar landscape is folk, indie-pop, Americana or the blues. 

Posner freely admits that she has always used music as a therapeutic tool to help her work through life’s vicissitudes and she certainly lays her soul bare on SECOND CHANCES. The opener Slowly finds her pleading with her ex-partner, still hopeful that they can make a go of it, ‘we can make it through/when you are ready to try’, folky acoustic guitar and mandolin bestowing a lightness on the sentiment. Darker, though, is the musical palette of We’ve Come So Far, and If You Wanna Love ‘you gotta let it go’ is given a bluesy rock treatment. She thinks about giving it all up and moving back to her home town in Moving Back To Denver, and she’s still wrestling with the pain of it all on At Any Cost. Pedal steel player Devon Teran joins her on the latter, as well as contributing gorgeous steel to the Californian country rock sound of Night Train and The One Good Thing. Posner herself produced, mixed and plays guitar, bass, drums, keys, mandolin and banjo, as well as taking all the lead vocals. Her band join her on three of the tracks, recorded live in the studio. 

As an openly queer woman, Posner recently said she is particularly proud of The Starting Line, which is an anthem of encourgement to all to be proud to march to the beat of their own drum. Quiet on Sunset is another standout track, where she’s still holding out hope, the heavy electronic folk of synths and bass clashing with the organic banjo and drums, mirroring the clash of needs within a relationship. 

There is no happy ending for Abby Posner on this album, but I for one will be looking out for the next chapter, hoping for her second chance.

Eilís Boland

Sarah Gayle Meech Easin’ On Good Timin’ Woman

The title of Sarah Gayle Meech’s latest album is a statement of resolve and rebirth from the Nashville-based artist. Very much at the core of Music City’s classic country resurgence, the Longview, Washington-born artist’s legendary four-hour residencies at Robert’s Western World on Broadway, alongside Joshua Hedley’s equally impressive shows at that venue, are part of the fabric that draws so many, both local and tourists, to that honky tonk institution. Given the endless talent in Nashville, earning that entitlement is no mean feat and confirmation of her skillset as a songwriter, musician and entertainer. 

Fuelled by a challenging period when Sarah had to overcome the trauma of a divorce and the death of a close friend, the album considers those trying and devastating times, puts some closure on them and ultimately rejoices in newfound love and the power of survival. She bravely and openly tackles the problematic subject matter, giving the listener a no-holds-barred tour of life’s complexities.

Many of the players Sarah has shared and continues to share Nashville stages with added their weight to the album. Pedal steel maestros Eddie Lange and Tommy Hannum’s playing is faultless. Chris Brush was on drums on all the tracks, and co-producer Shawn Byrne added numerous instruments, including guitars, mandolin, and banjo. The orchestration on the countrypolitan tracks Time For A Change, Love Me, and Stars is credited to multi-instrumentalist Billy Contreras. 

The heartbreaker There He Goes is a throwback to 60s pop/country ballads that became household-known tunes for Tammy Wynette. The brutally confessional Trouble With Me speaks of the grinding reality of vulnerability and compulsion. Uncertainty and moving ahead are vented on the powerfully emotive Forget About Me and Something To Live For, a response to the former song and a plea for new pastures in the future.

Personal disarray and recovery are often the drivers of excellence in music, and no more so than in the country genre. EASIN’ ON is a prime example, and Sarah Gayle Meech, the recipient of Best Female Outlaw at The Ameripolitan Music Awards back in 2015, has delivered, alongside a collection of musicians firing on all cylinders, a wholly heartfelt country gem.

Declan Culliton

Emily Nenni Drive & Cry New West

One of the most exciting artists to emerge in the outlaw scene in recent years, both on record and in the live setting, Nashville-based Emily Nenni continues to go from strength to strength. Her 2022 album, ON THE RANCH, featured highly in our favourite albums of that year, and her storming live set at American Legion during Americana Fest last year was a highlight of our annual trip to Nashville. Far from an overnight success, Nenni’s steady rise has come about by hard graft to present her classic honky tonk vocal style and clever songwriting to a growing audience. Moving to Nashville at twenty-one, she cut her teeth playing for tips downtown at Robert’s Western World and Santa’s Pub and independently recorded her debut album, HELL OF A WOMAN in 2017 and her EP, LONG GAME, three years later. A pointer towards her ongoing rising star will be her debut at the Grand Ole Opry scheduled for this month.

Nenni’s talent, hard work and extreme enthusiasm have paid rewards, and those talents have fully blossomed with DRIVE & CRY. Released on the New West label, it maintains a consistent ambience of old-school and modern country throughout. More adventurous in production and arrangement than her previous records, hats off for that to producer and Deslondes member John James Tourville, who, together with Matt Ross-Spang, oversaw the final mix. Collectively, in the studio, they recreated the energy and dynamism of Nenni’s stage shows.

The majority of 2022’s ON THE RANCH was written during lockdown at a ranch farm in Colorado. Eleven of the twelve tracks this time around were written over three weeks at Nenni’s current home in Nashville, resulting in a noticeable interconnection between the songs. ‘I’m making changes, moving on from phases, onto new stages I will run. I sure as hell ain’t ever one and done,’ Nenni announces on the track Changes, the first song written for the album. That defiance and self-confidence are always close to the surface and no more so than on the swampy country funk track I Don’t Have To Like You (‘I’m a grown-ass woman and I don’t trust a word you coo’). We Sure Could Two Step, awash with fiddles and pedal steel, is a dance hall anthem, and Nenni’s vocals are firmly on the traditional country pedal on the lively title track and the opener, Get To Know Ya. Lay Of The Land and I Can’t Pretend It Never Happened find her spiralling off in a calmer direction, although equally impressively and also included is Terry Allen’s Amarillo Highway. This song is regularly featured in Nenni’s live sets. The musical chemistry of players very much on the same page is outstanding throughout, and the plainspoken I Don’t Need You finds them at the top of their game.

Fiercely devoted to vintage country, DRIVE & CRY is a slick helping, lyrically and instrumentally, of that sound from start to finish. Hopefully, it will catapult Emmi Nenni to the top of the queue, alongside Kelsey Waldon and Sierra Ferrell, of women who are brushing aside industry demands and recording some of the finest ‘country’ albums of recent years. 

I may hear a better country album this year, but I doubt I will.

Declan Culliton 

Charley Crockett $10 Cowboy Son Of Davy/Thirty Tigers

'When I was out there on those street corners learning to stand behind this guitar, ten dollars was a whole lot of money,' Charley Crockett recalls in the title track of his latest record. $10 COWBOY—his seventh in the past four years—is, in many ways, a personal account of his steady rise from street busker to internationally acclaimed country artist, and that opening track is one of several on the record that recount that campaign. 

Delivered in his composed, semi-spoken style, Crockett's self-titled 'Gulf and Western' sound is a unique fusion of country and western, R'n'B, soul, and blues, and this record is a testament to that. His deep-rooted admiration for acts from Buddy Holly to Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed to Henson Cargill also shines through on the twelve-track, forty-minute record, adding to its allure.

Mid-tempo inclusions like Good At Losing and Hard Luck And Circumstances poignantly communicate the thorny travels of the struggling artist. The former is beautifully adorned by strings, amplifying the despondency in its tale, and the latter features a backing choir and pedal steel for a similar effect. The essence of going against the flow also blooms in I Ain't Done Losing Yet and Solitary Road. Less personal and with a wider lens, America plays out like an open letter from a drifter ('America, how are ya?I hope you're doin' fine. America, I love ya and I fear you sometimes').

If those songs were a glance over the shoulder at often arduous times, Crockett fast forwards to the present with Lead The Way ('I've been told many times throughout the years that the road I was on would lead me nowhere….. I found a place where your dreams come true').

Recorded live at Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas, Crockett and his regular band members, Kullen Fox, Nathan Fleming, and Mario Valdez, recreate the essence of his live shows. A host of session players, including Kullen Fox, Nathan Fleming, and Mario Valdez also contributed. A string quartet also performed on a number of the tracks.

An artist who knows what he's good at, Crockett's creative fire continues to burn on this latest offering, which perfectly represents the shifting colours of country music. 

Declan Culliton

Heather Little By Now Need To Know

Right from the opening song Five Deer County you are completely hooked by this beautiful, authentic album of heartland songs and roots music of the highest quality. It has been far too long since Heather Little produced new music and her debut album dates back to 2013’s WINGS LIKE THESE. That album included eight songs and in 28 short minutes she announced herself to a music media that was largely unaware of her talents. In 2021 she recorded a live session at the Old Quarter Acoustic Café in Galveston and of the ten songs she performed, four feature as tracks on this second studio album that confirms her status as a songwriter par excellence.

The entire project is a joy from start to finish with a deft touch displayed throughout by producers Brian Brinkerhoff and Frank Swart. Initial recordings were at the Need To Know studios in California and there is an impressive, and long, list of musicians and guest singers that help bring the project to such a successful fruition. All thirteen songs are written by Heather Little, including one co-write with Miranda Lambert, the hit Gunpowder and Lead, which appeared back in 2007 on Lambert’s second album, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND. It was a big success back then and it is included here also and probably the most commercial track on the album.

There is a knowing maturity to these songs of love and loss, poignant observations of days past and rueful regret at missed opportunities that could have shaped dreams of a life once imagined. Despite the sense of sadness that runs through the lyrics there is a hard found optimism also present, as if the protagonist has not yet thrown in the towel and is still in the fight. There is no doubt that the songs come from a very personal space and that the nature of much of the content is autobiographical. Even in the character songs, there is a thread running through that conjures self- reflection. In the interpretation of the song content it’s possible to find different layers and meanings in the writing; always the sign of a seasoned and sophisticated storyteller.

I hear the sound of Bonnie Raitt in the vocal delivery on Bones and in the sense of regret which informs the song. Patty Griffin appears on the poignant This Life Without You and the reality of death is captured in words that resonate ‘If we had it to do over, Would anything have changed your mind, Is there something we all missed that would have saved you, Or did you need this all along to be alright.’ Elsewhere songs like Razor Wire and Hands Like Mine shimmer and echo in the distance as love leaves and reflection follows ‘ You ought to know all the times you couldn’t find your truth, I was looking for you’ and the equally piercing ‘The whole damn time there should have been a sign, They don’t make a ring for hands like mine.’

These are songs of great depth and the performance is so honest in the delivery that they leave an impression that stays long after the album ends. Hitting all the parts of heartfelt emotion, using what is understood between all who try for that special place of comfort. Love gained and dreams lost in the trying. Five Deer County refers to the lone star state of Texas and the city of San Saba, the place where her man wants to live free in his Airstream travel trailer, outside the city and on the range ‘All by himself, Living the dream, In a five deer county and an old Airstream.’ Letting go is sometimes the only answer.

The song Better By Now looks at a relationship where the couple stay together and the price paid for their growing distance ‘I’ve wasted a lot of love being wrong, I learn too late and I stay too long.’ Landfall is a beautiful song that tracks the dissolution of a relationship through the metaphor of a hurricane and it hits hard ‘Our storm is making landfall tonight.’ Family challenges and strained relationships are captured on Transistor Radio and My Father’s Roof and there is a sense of the autobiographical in the sentiments expressed. Disappointment and the realisation of damaging affairs are tackled on Saint Christopher and Sunset Inn, ‘You take a sinner for a saint, They’re all winners every time until they ain’t’ and the telling lines ‘A little better looks like love, When it’s really just one step above, The pain you’ve always known.’

The playing is beautifully restrained throughout and the quality of musicianship is hugely impressive, colouring the melodies and lifting the song arrangements at every turn. It’s very early to be naming one of the albums of the year but this one is going to take some beating. Essential and evocative, haunting and laced with moments of tender insight.

Paul McGee

Dustin Kensrue Desert Dreaming BMG

Not an artist previously known to me but he was a member of the rock band Thrice previously and is also a committed Christian. He has forged his musical path that has led him to spiritual nature found in the desert and it would seem, from some online clips, that his previous work has been leading to this place in his life and music.

The album opens with a duet between Kensrue and Cat Clyde, Death Valley Honeymoon, that is a contemporary contender for a place alongside the classic duets of the past. It has some engaging pedal steel from Abe Levy (who is also used to great effect elsewhere on the album). What is apparent is that Kensrue has a way with a song that is consistent and not without charm, telling tales that relate to an overall sense of place. Treasure In The West is a search for something that is more than the physical. There is, overall, a frame of mind that feels right for the simultaneosuly harsh and yet appealing nature that is apparent in the quietness of the desert.

Lift Your Eyes is one that has an immediacy that is forged from Kensrue’s echoed vocal and twangy guitar. Beneath that are Seth Richardson and James McAllister’s contributions on bass and drums. The desertscape is often a cipher for internal thoughts and feelings that fit its sometimes Lynch-ian soundtracks of echoed guitar and mood-filled sounds. Western Skies tells of double crossings while the upbeat tempo of The Heart of Sedona is a strong call to return to its precincts. More straight countrified is Sage & Lilac, it has a dancefloor shuffle beat that won’t fail to move feet, with its call to stand in the sun and light and feel nature.

In a campfire mood is the tale of a walk around a small western town at night in The Light Of The Moon. Built around upright bass and strummed acoustic guitar, it effectively paints a particular picture and there is a little reminder of Calexico apparent in its border performance. A move that is essential for the protagonist that is fuelled also by the draw of the open road and a new town is Leaving Tonight For Santa Fe. The overall sound here, with strong pedal steel, is another song that has its heart in traditional country themes and essences. The title track is the final one and is an atmospheric slow paced song that relies on a return to the solace and dreams that repeatedly attract the peoples of that arid but inspiring place.

This is one of those albums whose cover promised something that I would enjoy and, in fact, from the first play I was happy to be in the world suggested by the title. I hope that Kensrue continues to explore this direction in the future which ,while it may not be unique, is still worthy of further exploration - certainly based on this particular release. Dream on.

Stephen Rapid

Wesley Dean Music from Crazy Hearts House Of Flames

Until I received this album for possible review, I wasn’t aware of Wesley Dean. From the cover I learned that it was recorded in RCA Studio A in Nashville and that he is a new outlaw affiliated country orientated artist. Dean is an Australian who is well know and successful back in his home country for winning Australian Idol and has released hit singles and albums. He had, in the past, visited the States and Nashville in particular. On that trip he met Justin Cortelyou, an experienced engineer, and for this album has used Cortelyou as his producer. It has turned out to be a very successful partnership. Though it has many of the hallmarks of roots Americana, they have created something of a big and engaging sound that has an immediate impact from first listen. 

All the songwriting is credited to ‘W. Carr’, who is in fact Wesley Dean. He dropped the Carr from his name of late when he made the new move. The songs came after a period of self-analysis and doubt as to whether he should continue with his musical career. He made the decision to move his family to Nashville during the pandemic and once that was firmly in place and the decision cemented, he found the songs came over a brief period and then he  set about recording them with Cortelyou. A key team of players worked with Dean, who himself featured on acoustic and electric guitar, along with Chris Harrah, and was joined by the power and omnipresence of the rhythm section of Brian Killian (drums) and Adam Beard (bass), the keyboards of Charlie Lowell and the string arrangements and fiddle from Billy Contreras. This adds much of the depth, drama and texture that is apparent here. There is also a forceful use of vocals, with both a choir and assembled backing vocalists (Sarah Buxton and the McCrary Sisters) used through the tracks, to great effect. 

The opening drum pattern of Mercy, a song with religious overtones of deliverance and redemption with the choir singing “God has mercy”, is a sound that grows and builds to a short but effective guitar and fiddle mid-section. As an album opener, it’s powerful and memorable and sets up expectations for the remainder of the album. The next song Burn This House goes out to those with “crazy hearts”, who have had to endure what life offers to those living on the fringes and who might also have fallen through the cracks. Dean adds convincing harmonica to contribute to the overall energy of the song.

There is a simpler feel to the tale of two friends that is Blood Brothers. It details how the closeness of these two friends is lost over time. It has an impassioned vocal from Dean to further emphasise this, as does the closing abstract sound collage.This is just one song that draws from a heartland experience that could relate to small town America as much as it could to a similar situation in Australia, or anywhere. 

In a not dissimilar vein is Gunslinger, where again the guitars add a forcefulness to the sound that in many ways transcends genre into something more universal, with a mass of vocals repeating the title. The title track is more gentle and acoustic, using guitar and keyboards sparingly until the choir weighs in without overwhelming the mood. “Sometimes I think my heart is too crazy for you.” The first version of Tennessee Road is short and soulful and reminds one, to a degree, of Chris Stapleton. Then the longer version of the track continues that theme but with a full keyboard bolstered sound that could have come from a later Springsteen album. It is in this latter part of the album that the sound opens up to something that is broader than an ‘Americana’ label might predict (though that term is now so broad I guess it can accommodate pretty much anything - these tracks included). Doorways has more soulfulness, strings and a touch of 60s psych-soul. 

Harmonica opens the next track’s reflection, which is Don’t look Back, about belief and forward looking and thinking. It asks who are you fighting for and is similarly less reliant on the big sound. He is joined by Sarah Buxton on the vocals. A track that may, by its title, have some resonance and placement in the consciousness is Southern Man. Built around a central boogieing guitar riff, the song has an undeniable power as it explains who the southern man here is. It builds to a hypnotic state, with the title repeating throughout. The album closes with Tomorrow which is, by way of contrast, a vocal and acoustic song at heart. It speaks of dreams and hopes for tomorrow. The strings are used effectively and subtly here, and it shows that Dean’s grasp of portraying mixed emotions is at the heart of his musical quest.

This is an album that may be considered to redefine the notions of a genre, but one that, for this listener, manages never to move to a place that seems at odds with its intentions, something that many artists who claim adherence to that style do - for me at least. At the end of the day this man’s crazy heart is beating strong and his music has a similar heartbeat.

Stephen Rapid 

Gary Stewart Live At Billy Bob’s Texas Smith

This album from the legendary latter day honky-tonker is part of an ongoing series of releases of shows taped at the largest honk-tonk in Texas. Stewart has been gone 21 years now and this release features many of his best know recorded songs done in a welcoming live setting. It came out originally back in 2003. He had steadfastly stuck to his musical path when many others had abandoned it in the 80s and early 90s. His debut album was released in 1973 and he released a further seventeen or so albums, but by the time of this release his music was not considered viable at radio (still may not be), which may explain why he was not better renowned or rewarded for his work. However many critics lauded his music and albums throughout his career, one that, it seems, included playing piano in Charley Pride’s band. He also released some duet albums with noted songwriter Dean Dillon.

Gary Stewart wrote or co-wrote many of his best songs, including Brand New Whiskey, An Empty Glass (That’s The Way The Day Ends) and Single Again. Other well know songs include Wayne Carson’s She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles) and Danny O’Keefe’s Quits. Stewart sings these songs with an ongoing passion and is backed by a solid band whose steel player, harmonica and piano players as well as guitarist do some sterling work, as do the rhythm section. The reaction from the audience is warm and welcoming and they clearly appreciate his stance and legacy. His voice has a certain quality that is recognisable and very much in the mode of the somewhat nasal vibrato-tinged tenor of some honky tonk singers, something that was noted got better with age.

The fifteen tracks, which include slower songs alongside the uptempo numbers, will serve both as an introduction as well as being his only live album, a collection that fans who are aware of his work will enjoy. Though born in Kentucky and he worked and lived for a time in Florida, his music still seems best suited to a Texas audience, one that still appreciated his performance back in 2003. And certainly listening to this recording you can readily appreciate why. As his music is now hard to find, with various reissues now out of print, this may be the easiest way to hear and get to understand why Gary Stewart was so well thought of. The album and many others in the series can be purchased at SmithMusic.com.

Stephen Rapid 

The Faux Paws, Abby Posner Music, Emily Nenni, Charley Crockett, Heather Little, Dustin Kensrue, Wesley Dean.

New Album Reviews

Dawn Landes The Liberated Woman's Songbook Fun Machine 

A week after her peer and fellow singer-songwriter Aoife O'Donovan released her album, ALL MY FRIENDS, which was inspired by the writings of suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt, comes a similarly themed project from Dawn Landes, titled THE LIBERATED WOMAN'S SONGBOOK. The inspiration for the album was a book by the same name, which Landes came across in a thrift store and read during lockdown. Her commitment to reconstructing music from the book was further fuelled by the 2022 Supreme Court overturning of the Roe v Wade ruling, which stated controversially that the right to abortion was not "deeply rooted in this Nation's history or tradition."

The selected songs for the album, each with its own historical significance, span two centuries. The traditional Which Side Are You On, for instance, dates back to 1830, while the album's closing track Liberation, Now! was written by Betty Friedan in 1970 on the occasion of the Women's Strike for Equality, a significant event that celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment which granted women the right to vote.

Landes, alongside Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman, Bob Weir, Cassandra Jenkins), who also produced the album, performed the material at the Newport Folk Festival in 2023. Further performances are scheduled for this year, including a show in London on 7th September at the Barbican, featuring Peggy Seeger. 

Landes's interpretation of the folk songs is enthralling. She remains true to many of the songs' folk sensibilities, injecting a degree of vibrancy while not distracting from the core messages. One Hundred Years and The Housewife's Lament are prime examples. Both were written in the mid-19th Century, yet Landes's musical treatment and lyrical content give them a present-day feel. 

The Factory Girl, first recorded in 1906 by Alan Lomax's father, John, and Mill Mother's Lament reflect the album's tender heart. The former speaks of the desperate working conditions of mill workers, and the latter is an ode to Ella May Wiggens, one of those mill workers who lost her life fighting for better conditions for her co-workers.  

Despite its sombre theme, this uplifting album gives a modern spin to the essential songwriting of its time. Landes has taken stock of those deep-hearted songs and fashioned a thought-provoking and very listenable album indeed. 

Declan Culliton

Caitlin Cannon Beggar Going for the Bronze

My introduction to Caitlin Cannon was her album, THE TRASHCAN ALBUM back in 2020. One of my favourites of that year, it was a no-holds-barred and deeply autobiographical project, with the writer re-opening wounds not yet fully healed. Despite its subject matter, it was an easy listen, often fun-filled and self-deprecating. It was also an insight into an extremely competent songwriter with the vocal capacity to match.

Since then, Cannon has recorded and toured with Side Pony, a project she formed with Alice Wallace. That adventure led to an introduction to producer and multi-instrumentalist Misa Arriaga (Kacy Musgraves, Willie Nelson), who produced this four-track EP and also Cannon's full-length album, LOVE ADDICT, due for release later this year. The players Cannon surrounded herself with are equally impressive, including some of Nashville's finest in Lilly Mae Rische (fiddle, guitar, backing vocals), Ryan Anderson Keith (keys), Tommy Perkinson and Hershel Van Dyke (drums), Noah Bellamy (electric guitar) and Grand Ole Opry regular, Eddy Dunlap (pedal steel). Misa Arriaga played acoustic guitar, keys, bass and backing vocals and the string sections were played by Nat Smith and Matt Combs. 

The tracks, which fall into the mid-paced category, showcase Cannon's flair for easy-to-access melody. The opener, The Alchemist, is particularly striking in that regard, drenched in vocal and lyrical emotion. The title track considers the artist's dilemma of possibly risking humiliation to achieve their deserved goals, and Amarillo and Little Rock was derived from a hasty exit out of town (and the ensuing speeding ticket), fleeing and attempting to leave behind personal anguish.

She bookends the collection with the brutally poignant and moving Waiting, telling the tale and expressing her love for her incarcerated brother, to whom she has directed, and to date without success, her unwavering support of many years to effect his release. 

Despite the solemn content of the material BEGGAR, is best described as 'easy listening country,' not to be confused with the dreaded formulaic 'pop country.' Released on the Going for the Bronze label (also the title of a song from THE TRASHCAN ALBUM), none of these tracks will feature on her ten-track album later this year. If there's any justice, and these tracks are a taster of what to expect from that album - and with industry support - Cannon should be turning bronze to gold in the future.

Declan Culliton

Ann Savoy Another Heart Smithsonian Folkways

Musician, author and record producer Ann Savoy wears many hats. Alongside her solo career, she is a member of the Savoy Doucet Band, (which also includes her husband, Marc Savoy) and the all-female band, The Magnolia Sisters. Savoy and her husband are joined by their sons in The Savoy Family Band, and she can also add her project, Ann Savoy and her Sleepless Knights, to her canon. Her production credits include the Grammy-nominated album, EVANGELINE MADE: A TRIBUTE TO CAJUN MUSIC, which included contributions from John Fogerty, Nick Lowe and Linda Ronstadt. In the literary world, she compiled and edited Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People, reflecting her  dedication to Cajun music as a historian and musician.

ANOTHER HEART, which includes original compositions and cover versions, is a musical travelogue of Savoy’s influences from her younger days and from her introduction to Cajun music by Marc Savoy, whom she first met at the National Folk Festival in Washington, D.C., in 1975. Produced by Dirk Powell, who also played numerous instruments, the studio band included Savoy’s family members and guest contributions from Rhiannon Giddens and Sonny Landreth. 

Nods to the music that was closest to Savoy’s heart on her travels to the U.K. as a young woman include Sandy Denny’s Who Knows Where The Time Goes, Donovan’s Lord Of The Reedy River and The Kinks’ swinging 60s classic Waterloo Sunset. Closer to home and from CLOUDS, an album that set Savoy’s sights on her musical path, Joni Mitchell’s The Angel is also included. Her original songs are the raunchy album opener Cajun Love Song, the sorrowful Triste Samedi (A Sad Saturday/ A Hurricane Song) composed in memory of a catastrophic Louisiana storm and the tale of youthful yearning, Gabie’s New Year’s Eve Lament. 

The Richard Thompson-written A Heart Needs A Home, which was also included on Savoy’s 2006 duets album with Linda Ronstadt, ADIEU FALSE HEART, features Kelli Jones on harmony vocals, and Rhiannon Giddens adds her vocals to Savoy’s reworking of Springsteen’s Stolen Car. 

Songs that refer to various periods and moments in the writer’s life journey, ANOTHER HEART may primarily be a personalised and inward-looking undertaking by Savoy. However, its charm and character make it quite something to savour for the listener. 

Declan Culliton

David Murphy Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar Rollercoaster

Cork-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and hired hand David Murphy has played pedal steel guitar on stage and in the studio with numerous artists and bands, including John Blek, The Delines, The Lost Brothers, Arborist and Freeman's Country Carvery. Murphy's approach to the pedal steel guitar is far from traditional; he infuses his country and psychedelic chords with the ambient and expressive sound of an instrument that has contributed to numerous music genres outside its 'country' domain, creating a unique and intriguing musical experience. 

His ambitious debut solo album, CUIMHNE GHLINN: EXPLORATION IN IRISH MUSIC for PEDAL STEEL, mirrors Seán Ó Riada 1960's pioneering projects, which introduced modern and classical styles to traditional Irish music. Similarly, Murphy deconstructs and recreates ancient traditional Irish harp pieces employing pedal steel as the dominant instrument on the album's eight instrumental tracks. Accompanying musicians are a cast of talented players, including Peter Broderick (strings), Steve Wickham (fiddle), Laura McFadden (cello), Aisling Urwin (harp), Alannah Thornburgh (harp), Rory McCarthy (piano), Mark McCausland (guitar), Anthony Ruby (uilleann pipes), and Cory Gray (trumpet).

From the opening piece Aisling Gheal, to An Speic Seoigeach, which bookends the album, the pedal steel guitar, with its unique tonal qualities, effectively captures the deep melancholy and sombre nature of the compositions. Cití na g Cumann, the traditional Irish waltz and first single from the album, bewitchingly marries pedal steel with gentle strings and piano, further enhancing the emotional depth of the music.

A brave and pioneering undertaking by David Murphy and a landmark in ambient Irish traditional music, CUIMHNE GHLINN's haunting musical sketches take the listener on a moody and other-worldly musical trail. It's also a recording that is very much at the heart of the current resurgence of classical, traditional, and folk music both at home and abroad. 

Declan Culliton

Ted Russell Kamp California Son KZZ

Originally a jazz-schooled New Yorker, Ted Russell Kamp is very much a ‘go-to’ bass player in California, having played on numerous recordings and stages with Jessi Colter, Whitey Morgan, Sam Morrow and Waylon Jennings. 

Kamp has also been bass player in Shooter Jennings’ band for many years. Alongside that parallel career as a hired gun, Kamp has recorded fourteen solo albums, including his latest and most autobiographical, CALIFORNIA SON. In the tradition of his adopted state and in keeping with his previous recordings, the album criss-crosses between country, rock and folk. Self-produced, Kamp contributed vocals, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, dobro, Hammond, Wurlitzer and percussion.

Like the opening chapter in a book, CALIFORNIA SON kicks off with the title track, fondly cataloguing Russell Kamps’ pilgrimage to what has become his home for the past two and a half decades. His many like-minded friends and peers join him across the twelve tracks. The gently rolling Shine On features I SEE HAWKS IN L.A players Paul Lacques (who has sadly passed away since)  and Rob Waller, and Russell Kamp’s regular collaborator John Schreffler is credited on four tracks. 

Other highlights are the barroom rocker The Upside to the Downside and the stripped-back bluesy Hangin’ On Blues. Roll Until the Sun Comes Up nails the vintage California early 70s vibe, and the hell-raiser Hard To Hold gives the thumbs up to headstrong and maverick women. 

Russell Kamp has invariably kept the engine of the late 60s and early 70s West Coast music genre running. CALIFORNIA SON maintains that consistent ambience with this heartfelt testimonial, which travels in a number of directions but never strays outside the California state borders.

Declan Culliton

Robby Hecht Not A Number Tone Tree

Singer-songwriter Robby Hecht may not be a household name, but his music, both self-recorded and with over sixty songs recorded by others, can boast a staggering twenty-five million streams to date.

NOT A NUMBER found Hecht teaming up with multi-instrumentalist and recording artist Anthony da Costa, who produced the album and is credited with numerous instrumental contributions. Also adding to the quality of the album are vocal contributions from a host of Hecht's Nashville neighbours, including Caroline Spence, Jill Andrews, Katie Pruitt, and Lydia Luce, who are very much on the Lonesome Highway radar.

The overriding theme of the twelve songs is personal introspection, with issues such as mental illness, marriage, relationship breakdown, and personal struggle dominant. Fittingly, the vocal and musical delivery is gentle, restrained, and unrushed, allowing the messages within the songs to take pride of place. 

Metaphorically, Someone To Dance With addresses the basic human need for companionship rather than isolation and loneliness,’ a theme that most people, if honest, can relate to. If I Knew You Now and I Can't Save You Anymore, strike a similar melancholic and questioning chord, grappling with lost love that could have prospered. The title track, written at a time of grave uncertainty at the height of the pandemic, considers the many people suffering and dying alone ('I hope you know you're not a number and if you go, you'll be remembered'). Dead Weight, co-written with Caroline Spence, details the artist's anxiety about surviving and providing for a partner or family in their precarious career. On a lighter note, Old Radio recalls the writer's connection to music from a young age and how that draw led to his chosen vocation despite the hurdles and undesirable consequences expressed elsewhere in the album.

The candour in Hecht's songwriting and vocal expression possesses the prowess to draw the listener in and hold their attention. Not afraid to lay bare his vulnerabilities, Hecht achieves that with this soul-stirring twelve-track album.

Declan Culliton

Elliott Brood Country Six Shooter

It's nearly twenty years since I first saw Elliott Brood perform live. I recall being bowled over by their brand of alt-country, as it was christened at that time. Alongside their own material, they included a Neil Young cover from his album ZUMA (the exact one escapes me) and, for my ears, they were the optimum blend of melody and edginess. Fast forward two decades and a dozen albums later, and those characteristics remain, although their brand has been updated in some quarters from 'alt-country' to 'death country.'   

The three-piece Canadian band consists of multi-instrumentalists Mark Sasso and Casey Laforet and percussionist Stephen Pitkin. Their latest record, COUNTRY, follows TOWN AND COUNTRY from earlier this year and TOWN, which they released in 2023. 

The new album plays out like a guided tour of the band's interpretation of country music and the specific forms within the genre that inspires them. The opener, Wind and Rain, is a raging fix of cowpunk that recalls the classic sounds emanating from California in the early 80s. They follow that with a countrified and hugely impressive re-working of The Stones' Out Of Time, which sticks to the West Coast sound of the opener although somewhat more laid back. It's one of two covers on the eight-track album; the other is a true-to-the-original take on Rodney Crowell's Bluebird Wine. Their fellow countryman Neil Young's magic often surfaces on their recordings, and the ballad Long Since Lost, with its whistling intro, ticks that box this time. They nod their heads toward Lynyrd Skynyrd with the rampant Southern rocker Postcard Pretty, which signs out under the two-minute mark. They Never Want To Sing Along is a more relaxed love song, with weeping pedal steel and slick guitar breaks emphasising the poignancy of the tune.

COUNTRY is an impressive addition to a back catalogue of albums by Elliot BROOD that should be on the radar of all serious followers of textbook roots music. Lyrically poetic with drifting melodies and razor-sharp playing, they capture country music's often-shifting colours with this extremely easy-on-the-ear recording.

Declan Culliton

The Paper Kites At the Roadhouse Nettwerk

This album recently came across my radar and represents the sixth release from an Australian band that impress at every turn. Their easy dynamic is a sweet mix of pure Americana and Country inspired tunes as they explore a rich tapestry of sound across the sixteen tracks included here.

Based in Melbourne, this five piece group comprises  Sam Bentley (lead vocals, guitars, harmonica, mandolin), Christina Lacy (backing vocals, pianos, Wurlitzer, Rhodes, guitars), David Powys (backing vocals, guitars, banjo), Samuel Rasmussen (bass), and Josh Bentley (drums). On this album they are joined by The Roadhouse Band that includes the talents of Hannah Cameron (backing vocals, organs, piano, percussion), Chris Panousakis (backing vocals, guitars, percussion), and Matt Dixon (pedal steel, guitars).

This is timeless music. The laid back playing and the sense of space in the arrangements allows the musicians to express their full range in allowing the melodies to find their own course. I hear the Go-Betweens in the silky Maria, Its Time and there is a gentle memory of the great Neal Casal in the vocal tone of Sam Bentley throughout. I Don’t Want To Go That Way is heartbreakingly beautiful in the delivery and typical of a number of special moments on this superb album. There is a subtle production throughout and the honeyed delivery of this music induces a sense of reverie as the songs deliver a sense of being visited by something special.

Darkness At My Door is a wonderful example and echoes The Band in the richly melodic arrangement and groove. The finely tuned pulse that reverberates through the album continues to inspire on Till the Flame Burns Blue as it channels early Van Morrison, the easy glide of the melody and vocal delivery augmented by soulful backing vocals and pedal steel atmospherics. Black and Thunder is another real highlight and has a deep blues groove with the guitar motif connecting with the slow rhythm and keyboard atmospherics. Marietta has a real sense of loneliness in the wistful delivery and the words ‘maybe peace will come in time.’

The album has great feel and atmosphere, with the listening experience one of joy at the real sense of accomplishment in the delivery. It certainly stands as a major statement in the career arc of this band and also points towards a new paradigm in the development of their journey. The ghost of Gram Parsons is in the fine lines of Rolling On Easy while Hurts So Good is classic country pain, sourced from the fires of sweet desire. The country noir of Burning the Night Away drips into the attack of June’s Stolen Car and a Replacements vibe in the carefree delivery.

The band dynamic is something that comes only from years of playing together and the seamless flow in the groove is both enticing and hypnotic, with plenty of nuance in the delivery. The Sweet Sound Of You is yet another highlight and one that arrives perfectly formed in the gentle flow, while Pocketful Of Rain is a meditation on the peaks and troughs of a relationship in all its guises.

There is over an hour of inspiring and inventive music to explore here and the deeply gratifying feeling of being on a surf board above the waves persists throughout. Without doubt, one of the highlights of the year and a talisman for the potential that continues to guide this band on the path forward. A very special album and an essential purchase.

Paul McGee

The Old 97s American Primitive ATO

Right from the get-go you know that this band are back with a bang. Since the release of their debut album back in 1994 they have never failed to impress, with a sound labelled both cowpunk and alt-country. They have always had country overtones and high-energy undertones (or perhaps something of the Undertones). Some might rightly wonder if they are still capable of making the music as they once did 30 years in. This album dispels any doubts and is a hit to these ears, from first song to last.

It was produced, engineered and mixed by Tucker Martine who has done his best to capture that ‘lightning in a bottle’ sound that sometimes evades bands in the studios. Martine has undoubtedly achieved that balance between primitive and polish. They went into the studio without any pre-production with the producer, so that may help explain some of the elements of the recording that makes it sound instinctive rather than overthought. That their line up is unchanged since their inception speaks of shared objectives and mutual respect. Occasionally members of the band have released solo albums and side projects, but the sound and ideals of the Old 97s still lies in this band. One reason perhaps for their longevity is that they have credited the majority of their material to the whole band, something that can avoid the conflict that can exist when one or two members take the writing credits (and more significantly perhaps the royalties).

Joining the band for the recording were Peter Buck (guitar and mandolin on a couple of tracks), Scott McCaughey played piano on one song, Richard Hewett added additional drums to one cut, pianist Annie Crawford and Jeff Tripp (who plays some notable flamenco guitar on the final track Estuviera Cayendo). But it is Rhett Miller, Murry Hammond, Ken Bethea and Philip Peeples who play the crucial roles, bringing the band through their noted live genesis as well as in the studio. They reveal themselves to be at the top of their game here, with Miller delivering very impressive lead vocals and the others all adding backing vocals and harmonies. He draws on literary as well as literate observation for inspiration. One song though, Honeypie, is more obviously of a closer family source, wherein he declares “She likes it when I call her honeypie / she likes it when I call her pretty baby / but the one thing she don’t like is when I call her my old lady” This adds a rounded perspective to some of the more introspective lyrics, as with the opening three track salvo of rock prowess that begins with Falling Down. That song offers this couplet as a way of signifying and dealing with an uncertain future “You’ve got to dance as if the world’s on fire around you / because it is” and that is a truth that will resonate for many. Across the thirteen tracks they exhibit a deftness with arrangements that underscore their ability to combine melody and mighty riffs. The open trio of songs would not be out of place in any punk club or rock arena. 

Stepping back a little in terms of tempo, they detail a roadmap that Where The Roads Goes has taken them and may still continue to take them. I can’t remember the last time that whistling was a central feature of a song but it is in By The End Of The Night. It is a standout for this reason, as well a for being a memorable song. And so it goes with Masterpiece, Magic and Incantation - the latter opens with acoustic and vocals harmonies and effectively maintains that pace to give the lyrics their clarity to outline a break-up to be “an invitation to rejoin the human race” and to be free and find another person. Western Stars has some twang to motivate it. And especially cowpunk in feel is Chased The Setting Sun, something that the protagonist has done and wants to be told when he is done. Moller uses some falsetto in his vocal that is a testament to his undiminished skill in that areaWestern Stars has some twang to motivate it. And especially cowpunk in feel is Chased The Setting Sun, something that the protagonist has done and wants to be told when he is done. Moller uses some falsetto in his vocal that is a testament to his undiminished skill in that area.

We close as we began with the penultimate full throttle song that decries This World, short and not that sweet. AMERICAN PRIMITIVE is the latest outing from a band that I have followed (from afar) and never been disappointed with, in their recorded music. This is arguably, and justifiably, one of their best and long may they continue. It is the war cry, rather than any sign of a possible wreck of the Old 97’s. 

Stephen Rapid

Dawn Landes, Caitlin Cannon, Ted Russell Kamp Music, Robby Hecht, Elliott BROOD, The Paper Kites, Old 97's.

New Album Reviews

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run In Dreams I Go Back Mountain Fever

In just a few short years, mandolinist Seth Mulder and his band have risen from relative obscurity to being one of the top drawer bluegrass bands in the US. After graduating from college music courses, they developed their chops and stagecraft playing 5 hours per day, 5 days per week in Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (where they still continue to play when not out on the road). Yet they also manage to keep it fresh in the studio, which is clearly evident in this, their third full length album. 

From the opening track, One More Night, it’s evident that there are a lot more influences filtering through the music than just traditional hard driving bluegrass, in the case of this Seth Mulder original it’s ‘rockabilly meets bluegrass’. It also gives the first taste of Mulder’s superb tenor voice, that can do high lonesome with the best of them. Three part harmonies are de riguer throughout the song choices, particularly on traditionally themed numbers like Carolina Line, The Mountains Are Calling and Back To The Carolinas. They show their strong country leanings in the George Jones favourite, Picture Of Me Without You, and in another wonderful Seth Mulder original, Your Love, with a catchy opening and closing riff from guitarist Ben Watlington. Banjo player Ben Colton shines everywhere, but also gets to contribute his baritone vocals to the gospel song, My God Will set me Free, another song co-written by Mulder. There’s more country flavour and three part harmonies in the fast-paced waltz, In Dreams I Go Back, while fiddle player Max Silverstein is featured on the breathtaking two minutes and ten seconds long My, My, My. One of the standout tracks is the only instrumental and another Mulder-penned tune, Bull Head Swamp, which is up there with any bluegrass instrumental anywhere, in this reviewer’s opinion. 

We’ve been lucky that Seth Mulder and his band have played Ireland twice already and I hear they’ll be back this way during another trip to Europe this summer. Check them out and tell them we sent you.

Eilís Boland

The Secret Sisters Mind, Man, Medicine New West

Muscle Shoals, Alabama-born sisters Lydia Slagle and Laura Rogers's self-titled debut album in 2010 was an introduction to siblings whose exquisite harmony vocals and well-constructed songs signposted them as 'ones to watch' in the Americana world. Since then, they have released three more albums, including the Brandi Carlile Grammy-nominated 2020 album, SATURN RETURN.  

Their fifth album, MIND, MAN, MEDICINE, was co-produced with John Paul White and Ben Tanner. They returned to Muscle Shoals and the Fame Studios for most of the recording, also availing of the services at Sun Drop Sound in Florence, Alabama. A lot has changed in the fourteen years since their debut album. Motherhood and its inherent pressures and responsibilities, the pandemic, broken friendships and a realisation of the people and things that really matter in life provided the framework for this album. The result is an album that breathes hopefulness and positivity, most probably a statement of the sisters' current mood and perspectives. Opening tracks on albums are generally a thematic pointer to what follows, and Space, the first track here, is a delight. 'I am holding space for you,' they announce in the song, reading like an olive branch held out to those who may need a helping hand. 

That overriding sense of compassion and empathy also surfaces on I Can Never Be Without You Anymore, Bear With Me and Never Walk Away. The soulful All The Ways, which features Ray LaMontagne on vocals, is vintage R'n'B, and in complete contrast, the hymnlike Planted is a gentle lullaby. I Needed You combines the sisters' vocals with rich orchestral layers and, on a lighter note, Paperweight is a catchy slice of country soul. 

Despite the Grammy nominations, Lydia Slagle and Laura Rogers have faced their fair share of challenges. From being dropped by Republic Universal Records to navigating lawsuits and the realities of motherhood, their journey has been a testament to their resilience. MIND, MAN, MEDICINE is a reflection of their perseverance, a project both lyrically and musically that The Secret Sisters have always aspired to create. In my view, it stands as their most powerful work to date.

Declan Culliton

Pat Reedy & The Longtime Goners Make It Back Home Self-Release

One of my most enjoyable musical experiences in Nashville didn’t take place in a salubrious venue like The Ryman, Grand Ole Opry or even that legendary honky tonk Robert’s Western World. The location was the office of an underground car park, which required the assistance of Google Maps to eventually locate it. Pat Reedy and his pick-up three-piece band chose this less-than-swanky venue to showcase his album THAT’S ALL THERE IS AND THERE AIN’T NO MORE during Americana Fest week in 2018. The band included an upright bass player, singer-songwriter Michaela Anne’s husband Aaron Shafer-Haiss on drums and a Scandinavian pedal steel player Pat had met only hours before. Despite the haphazard arrangements, they performed a killer set from an album that became one of my favourites of that year and one that I still regularly revisit.

Reedy is a survivor of an industry that has found him busking at street corners in New Orleans, founding the band Sundown Songs, which included similarly bohemian street artists Alynda Segarra and Sam Doores, and working various construction jobs before moving to Nashville. Very much part of the underground country scene in Nashville, he can be found with his ever-changing band, The Longtime Goners, entertaining locals and out-of-towners at the American Legion Post 82 on Gallatin Pike or, more recently, his residency downtown at Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern.

Many of the talented crew of players who shared the stages with Reedy contributed to his latest album. Stalwarts of the East Nashville country scene and recording artists in their own right, John R Miller played electric guitar and bass, Kristina Murray added background vocals, and Thomas Bryan Eaton added electric guitar. Other contributors included Leo Grassl (pedal steel), Ryan Elwell (drums, harmony vocals), Evan Martin (organ) and Meredith Watson (harmony vocals). The production duties were handled by John James Tourville (The Deslondes), who also added electric and acoustic guitar. Collectively, they impeccably recreate the dynamic of Reedy’s live shows across twelve tracks.

Telling his tales in simple and to-the-point terms, the songwriting signposts the highs and lows of Reedy’s often disorderly career. Doomed relationships and empty pockets are recurring themes, whether factual or imaginary. The pedal steel-drenched Bright Lights, the sharp-witted Runnin’ Out of Reasons, and the mid-tempo Long Drives and Lonesome Mornings particularly impress. It’s not all ‘tears in your beer’ either; the title track has a ring of defiance and self-worth. There is a striking desert border vibe to Traveler on the Plains, and Tallest Man in Tennessee salutes the untiring blue-collar working man.  

MAKE IT BACK HOME won’t feature in the Billboard Charts or country music radio—it’s far too ‘country’ for that. But with a collection of well-constructed nuggets and exceptional playing, anyone who craves ‘rough around the edges’ styled country music loaded with swing, twang, and wicked humour will find this essential listening. 

Declan Culliton

Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz Simple Motion Red Beet

Nashville-based duo Brace and Jutz are life-long friends and consummate music professionals. Over the decades, they have played together in various ensembles, produced other artists and steered their business interests successfully through the shark infested waters of the music industry. For Brace, the journey to Nashville was in search of recognition as a founding member of Last Train Home, a superb band of heartland and roots rock leanings. Jutz took a separate path as a musician for hire and his reputation grew out of contributions to albums by Nanci Griffith, Marty Stuart, Kim Richey, Mary Gauthier and Amy Speace, among others.

Both have played with Peter Cooper, journalist, historian and producer, who died in 2022 following a tragic accident. They played together, as a trio, and released two albums, in addition to touring on a regular basis.  Brace also released a number of duo albums with Cooper but this new project marks the first occasion that both Jutz and Brace have come together as a duo to record. It’s a landmark album in many ways as it honours their old friend and also visits the memories of time past when a simple life was something to be valued over the crazy motion of this modern world.

The fourteen songs are perfectly formed and recorded in a bright and inviting fashion by the duo and at forty eight minutes of playing time, there is plenty for every listener to enjoy. Opening song Frost On the South Side tells of seasonal farm workers who move across the country in search of the next harvest and a living wage. Burn is another song about travelling and soaking up all the experiences that life can deliver along the journey. The title track continues the theme, and the album image of two rail workers on a push trolley captures the need for motion in order to enjoy the adventure. Yet another song, Ramble, councils to put on your shoes and go walking.

The musicianship is quite superb at all turns and the combined talents of Mike Compton (mandolin), Richard Bailey (banjo), Justin Moses (dobro, banjo), Jeff Taylor (accordion, tin whistle), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), and Mark Fain (bass) deliver ensemble playing of the highest order. The combined guitars and vocals of Brace and Jutz highlight the easy manner in which the songs flow seamlessly together and their blended talents are a real highlight throughout. Just A Moment refers to the fact that ‘everything has changed’ and alludes to the passing of their great musical brother, Peter Cooper.

Can’t Change the Weather is a song that was co-written by Cooper and Jutz and it fits nicely into the narrative here. It’s a song about tour plans to Ireland being put in jeopardy and the need to just let things take their course. The relationship woes of Anywhere But Here play out in a slow waltz while the light jazz feel of When London Was the World has a swing that is sweetly delivered. The story song of Adam and Eve tells of tragedy on the high seas, while the pull of the ocean on Sea Fever captures the freedom of being out on the water and sailing away from all your cares.

Nashville In the Morning frames the city in a love song that captures the creative energy that has always formed part of the spirit over time, despite the changes that have come to pass over recent decades. All in all, a great album wrapped up in a creativity that delivers quality songs and an understanding that the magic remains in the communication between musician and listener.

Paul McGee

Vanessa Peters Flying On Instruments Idol

This Texas singer songwriter has been releasing music as far back as 2003 when she first came to media attention with a debut release, titled Sparkler. Over the intervening years she has pursued a successful career, recording with other artists such as Ice Cream On Mondays and The Sentimentals, in addition to releasing a further seven solo albums. With this new release, Peters has opted for a very bright Americana sound across nine tracks that feature her European touring band "The Electrofonics" which consists of Federico Ciancabilla (electric guitar), Andrea Colicchia (bass), Matteo Patrone (keyboards), and Rip Rowan (drums).

The up-tempo opener Beauty Or Grace speaks of the fallout from Covid and reflects ‘I don’t need a golden calf, I’d just like to afford to keep doing what I love, and I’m long past needing recognition, or a sign from above.’ A message to live in the moment is at the centre of Halfway Through which muses over ‘what to carry, what to leave behind, and what I can do without.’  The song Blind Curves  slows the pace with a look at the life options that we either decide to embrace or to ignore; whether leaving is the way forward or perhaps staying is the true path ‘numb the pain with too much work and alcohol, pretending I don’t miss anyone at all.’

Better is wrapped up in a nice melody that is very much aimed at a radio-friendly audience, even if the lyrics point at self-reflection and issues of self-acceptance ‘I spent a lot of time on wasted decisions I couldn’t seem to make, and kept a lot of feelings hidden away, with others I couldn’t fake.’ Pinball Heart is a song that rocks out with a driving rhythm section and a message to live life large ‘If you’re stuck in the way that it was, then you’ll always be missing the way that it is.’ How Long is a highlight with a look at the vagaries of life. A friend who loses his wife, another who is wrestling with a decision regarding being pregnant, and heart surgery on the horizon for yet another acquaintance as Peters reflects upon life ‘moving forward, while always sliding back.’ This song also references the album title in the lines ‘we’re all flying on instruments, no one’s got a crystal ball.’

Other songs deal with the struggle of relationships and both Out To Sea and Wasted Days are questioning the channels of communication, while Hey Claire hints at the futility of making plans, suggesting that things fall apart and leave us stumbling through the dark. I would prefer to imagine us all in the space of free-will where our decisions have their own karma. An interesting album with a very assured sound and Rip Rowan co-produced the project with Joe Reyes (guitar, lap steel) in Dallas. Peters has an inviting tone in her vocal and her acoustic guitar sits easily into the mix of song arrangements. Her lyrics are nicely balanced between insight and reflection and the inclusion of a string quartet on some songs helps to lift things to further heights. Worthy of your attention.

Paul McGee

Michael Lane Memories Greywood

Released towards the end of 2023, this album represents the sixth record in a career that goes back to 2014. Lane is resident in Germany and he previously served in the American army, seeing service in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His album in 2021 was titled Take It Slow and the songs were a look at issues such as acceptance and rebirth. The spiritual tone and the message of hope is reflected into this new album also with the emphasis this time on personal relationships. The need to share our inner feelings with another and to be prepared to express vulnerability are themes that run through these ten songs of loving awareness.

The opener Getting’ By talks of selling a guitar to pay the rent but even if bad luck abounds, the message to keep moving on is repeated as a mantra to push through the tough times.  I Can’t Live Without You is a song that looks at communication issues between couples and the dark days that bring out the need to find the light. Balsam Tree is a song that appeared on the debut album in 2014 and the female voice who shares the duet is uncredited but very engaging as the acoustic arrangement drifts along a banjo and guitar melody, conjuring up images of summer days and letting go of all cares.

Memory is a more up-tempo arrangement with a driving rhythm section setting the pace and a song that looks back at a former relationship that has slipped away. Also, Remember the Days covers this same ground in realising that the insecurity of youth can be a stepping stone towards more mature relationships into the future, once love can endure. Walking A Long Road also appeared on that same debut album and is included here as a hope that an old lover is doing well and that somewhere their paths will cross in the future. Here With Me is a wish for dreams to come true and for a safe place where those who are close can hold memories of what is lasting.

There is a commercial influence to some of these contemporary folk musings and the sweetly toned vocal of Lane is a real plus in terms of reaching out to a different market where his music can find a wider audience.  In Your Arms is a gentle love song and definitely a contender for inclusion in some future movie soundtrack as the celebration of love is highlighted in the nice melody lines with the players delivering a fine performance. Someone New is a song in hope of reinventing yourself through the love of someone new, to shedding the old you and embracing fresh beginnings.

The final song is Summer Love and a rousing message that our desire to feel emotion that burns like a fire is the fuel that drives us forward. An interesting album and one that certainly delivers on a number of platforms. Music to both soothe and signal a way forward for the true believer the dwells within us all.  

Paul McGee

SG Sinnicks Fridge Magnet Self Release

Although this was originally released in 2022 it recently arrived for review here. It is a well-rounded six track EP of original songs and one cover. that are short and (very) sweet in a very appealing folk-rock style (there is a mention of Nick Lowe on his site, which may give you an idea of the general wide-ranging direction). Sinnicks is a Canadian with strong Irish roots who has seventeen releases listed on his website.

That one cover is a version of Buddy Holly’s Words Of Love that keeps the basic format of the song but gives it a new arrangement that works well and shows Sinnicks affinity with the iconic music that Holly pioneered. On all the tracks Sinnicks is joined by a number of fellow players who are sympathetic to his gameplan. Though they rarely number more than two to three contributions for each track. Sinnicks himself plays baritone and acoustic guitar as well as percussion and drums. Although not noted on the cover I would imagine was also produced by him.

The five originals are When You’re Gone a beat heavy ode to being essential unable to cope with life’s small vicissitudes such as using the remote or remembering card numbers when his partner is gone. With a sixties swing and symptomatic backing vocals The Dance Tonight feels like a lost song from the era and underlines Sinnicks’ adaptable and stylistic vocals. About change and moving on That Old Road is another well thought out folkish take on believing as time passes that “not everyone’s the villain and not everyone’s the same” and that change is essential to growth - it also has some effective slide guitar.

There’s a slight night club feel to the rhythmic feel of White Charlie that would appearbvto be talking of individual needs and phone addictions. It has some effective mood-enhancing piano from Mike Boguski and mandolin from Randall Hill. Different again is the tale of the Landlady Of Boxhill - a story of a lady who worked in a bar in London’s Camden, pulling pints. It tells of a liaison between a young woman and an older man. It also has a violent undertone of that area’s late night darker criminal activity. It shows Sinnicks ability with a lyric which reminds, for perhaps obvious reasons when you hear it, of Richard Thompson. It uses a simple but effective beat, over which bass and acoustic guitars thread a strong structure that allows the voice to clearly tell its tale.

I’m unaware of Sinnicks previous work but on the strength of this introduction look forward to hearing where he will place his magnetic music next time out.

Stephen Rapid

Neil Bob Herd & The DLAB 5-Reel Feature EP Self Release

The former member of the Coal Porters released a well-received album in 2020 with EVERY SOUL TELLS A STORY. On it he was accompanied by his current comrades who are know as DLAB (Dirty Little Acoustic Band). They are here again on this new five track EP of new songs that opens with the interesting and stand-out song Angel At My Table. But that presence may not be totally a one of enlightenment “the angel at my table visits me at my table when I do something wrong … do you want to be remembered as someone who faked his own life.”

Throughout the EP there is a loose affiliation with folk, roots and twang that has earned him a moniker as a reminding some of a Scottish Nick Lowe. Again you can see the connection even if it’s only in overall terms. But as Lowe himself has covered some very different bases with his music it is perhaps something of an apt comparison.

DLAB, despite their name are not adverse to hooking up to electricity and that is demonstrated by the twanging Guild guitar on there closing track, the instrumental The Night that also uses some guitar pedal effects over a solid bass and drum rhythm. Steel guitar also features in the overall sound especially effective in the aforementioned Angel At My Table. Have a look at the video for the song on Herd’s website. It shows a tight and self contained band at work and adds a touch of visual humour at the end that shoes they are not taking themselves seriously - although the take their music with deliberation. Between those two points there are there quite different arrangements, for instance Brother has a heavier feel overall that is an option of the overall diversity on offer. There is a live version of The Heart, The Mind, The Purse that finds Herd offering all three to the right person. Herd’s accent is apparent as are the guitar skills from Herd and Paul Fitzgerald. The other members here include bassist Glenn Lamberton and Gary Smith Lyons.

Who’s Going To Dance offers something of a loose rockabilly groove that will make it a floor-filling favourite in a live setting - while on record it adds to the overall of the structures and diverseness. EPs tend to allow some media focus and opportunities for tour merchandising but also tend to leave you wanting some more. Something witnessed by the strength of the debut album release. So this can be seen as something of a stop gap until the opportunity arises for the release of the next album proper. - a full length feature.

Stephen Rapid

Tylor and the Train Robbers Road Ready Self Release

When I hear of a band from Idaho I immediately think of Pinto Bennett and the Famous Motel Cowboys. This band has been around for ten years or so and deliver a similar commitment to their music which, in turn, makes them a logical contender, creating a blend of country and rock that was once alt.country and now passes as Americana. They are fronted by singer, guitarist and main writer, Tylor Ketchum. The band also included his brothers Jason Bushman and Tommy Bushman on bass and drums respectively. They are rounded out by lead guitar and pedal steel player, Rider Soran. This album was produced, as was their last album, by Cody Braun whose membership of veteran outfit Reckless Kelly makes him well suited to that role.

Ketchum has a distinctive enough vocal to distinguish him out and his songs are reflections of life and that of anyone whose living is made through some constant travelling. The opening title song is an obvious testament to that. It opens with some tinkling keyboards before Ketchum’s voice takes over the song and the band join in with a catchy guitar motif and some steel to back it up, over the (country) rock-solid rhythm section. Same sense of the road ahead is true of Next Long Haul, which features harmonica effectively, On The Go is another tale of keeping on keeping on, even if you are “on you own .. .all alone” - it has some great guitar and a solid beat to help get the message across. Not long ago this would likely have been tagged alt-country, as the band’s stance is not without depth and a sense of some harsh realties that take them a good distance from the somewhat bloodless mainstream of today. That may thankfully be slowly changing to a degree, but a cohesive band like this offers something more, something tangible and heartfelt.

They immediately make inroads into the memory with some upfront, upbeat, driving crowd pleasers in The Way We Learn and Skittle Man, both with  instrumental textures that add to the overall sound. They can just as easily captivate with a song like Sailing Song which, while taking the pace down a notch, doesn’t lose the band’s inherent power both lyrically and in arrangement. It uses the metaphor of the sea to make the point of needing to sail across life to find a destination that is desired. Following a similar path in terms of overall feel is Straight As An Arrow, which finds the protagonist looking for some immediate satisfaction rather than succumbing to the realities of the future. By “shooting straight as an arrow / flying sideways / right on track for going off of the rails / if tonight were all I had I’d say to hell with tomorrow / least the morning will put the night in my palms.” It’s a song that I’ve listened to several times now with the rest of the album and it remains a standout. The album closes with Ton Of Trails, it has an almost campfire feel at the start as then, slowly, the snare, the steel guitar and rest of the band join in, under Ketchum’s believable vocal delivery.

Though the band originate in Idaho, the album was recorded in Yellow Dog Studio, Texas and manages to straddle those two musical locations with a sound that touches on both of the regions’ musical heritage. There is no doubt that this four piece band has the vocals, harmonies, story-songs and musical muscle to make them ready to choose their own path, no matter where their road might take them. But I think they have found a niche that works for them and for their fans, one that is ready to be discovered further afield.

Stephen Rapid

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, The Secret Sisters, Pat Reedy & The Longtime Goners, Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz, Vanessa Peters, Michael Lane, SG Sinnicks, Neil Bob Herd & The DLaB, and Tylor & the Train Robbers.

New Album Reviews

Sierra Ferrell Trail Of Flowers Rounder

Sierra Ferrell's ascent from the humble beginnings of street performances and truck stop gigs to the illustrious stages of the Grand Ole Opry and The Ryman in just a few years is a captivating narrative that stands as one of the most thrilling success stories in contemporary country music.

Her debut album for Rounder Records, LONG TIME COMING, was a bold departure from the norm. Born in West Virginia, she defied conventions, creating her own sub-genre of gypsy music and seamlessly transitioning between old-time country, folk, and New Orleans-styled jazz. TRAIL OF FLOWERS, her latest offering, continues this eclectic musical journey, coinciding with a nationwide tour that includes two nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Old-timey in sound and sentiment, Fox Hunt, with a heavy bass and drum beat and raging fiddle, harks back to days of self-survival and hunting for any available nourishment long before the convenience of the local store or supermarket. The protagonist in the front porch sing-a-long I Could Drive You Crazy may well be the ideal suitor for the woodsman in Fox Hunt ('Well, I can't hunt and I can't fish/But I can drive you crazy'). The murder ballad Rosemary, with little more than vocal and acoustic guitar before the song's climax, also transports the listener back to those former times. 

Nikki Lane and Kristen Rogers provide backing vocals on the instantly catchy and audacious Dollar Bill Bar. Her cover of Fiddlin' Arthur Smith's Chittlin Cooking Time in Cheatham County is a delightful slice of ragtime heaven. Money Train is a poignant lament for lost love, and the album concludes in a similar vein with the acoustic country No Letter. 

To her immense credit, despite being extremely marketable, Sierra Ferrell has avoided the temptation of travelling down a more mainstream path with TRAIL OF FLOWERS and instead stuck with what is close to her heart. Keeping the engines of country music well and truly stoked, she continues with her purple patch both in the studio and on stage. Long may it continue. 

Declan Culliton

Kimmi Bitter Old School Self-Release

Kimmi Bitter’s debut full-length album, OLD SCHOOL, transports the listener back to 1962 when Patsy Cline was ruling the airwaves with her velvety vocal tones and aching tales, alongside Loretta Lynn, who was No.1 with the Johnny Mullins-written Success. The album is not simply retrospective in revisiting that period; Bitter has the vocal deftness and songs, lock, stock, and barrel, to champion that period in classic country.

Following several singles, some of which are included on this album, and a relentless touring schedule, Bitter and her band of ten years, The Westside Twang, are generating the kind of industry attention that has opened doors for similarly old-school artists, Charley Crockett and Sierra Ferrell. Those band members are Willis Farnsworth on guitar and Ben Neal on bass, and their decade of sleeping in the touring van and surviving on a shoestring should be rewarded with this eleven-song collection. In reality, this album might never have seen the light of day had it not been for the success of Bitter’s single My Grass is Blue which was nominated as single of the year in the Saving Country Music publication, giving her exposure to a broad audience and also the confidence and motivation to go ahead and record an entire album of similarly styled songs.

Bitter gives great credit to her co-writer, co-producer, and accomplished guitar slinger, Michael Gurley (Ringo Starr, Mick Taylor, Kiefer Sutherland), who not only ‘got’ exactly what she was trying to achieve but worked with her over a two-year period, co-writing and eventually recording the record. 

Bitter’s vocals perfectly reflect the song’s moods throughout. The title track is loaded with twangy guitar, pounding upright bass and slick backing vocals (courtesy of Gurley). She namechecks Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash in case the listener is in any doubt as to where her heart lies. If that opener is classic bubble-gum 60s country/pop, other tracks like I Can’t Unlove You and I Dream of You are classic country heartbreakers. The pedal steel-drenched Cowboy Kind of Girl is full-on honky tonk, and Aquamarine conjures up images of sun-kissed blue seas and desert islands. 

Bitter’s hometown, San Diego, voted her Best Country / Americana Artist of 2023 and OLD SCHOOL will most certainly lead to greater recognition. Her style, a voice that sounds like a latter-day Patsy Cline, a crack band and catchy songs all combine to create a unique stock of old-school country. With that brand and an uncomplicated, vintage and delightful album that showcases her flair for easy-to-access melodies, the sky is the limit for Kimmi Bitter and The Westside Twang. 

Declan Culliton

Sentimental Family Band Sweethearts Only Tomika

Some of the finest country music in recent years has been recorded by artists and bands whose initial launch into the genre was via indie rock or punk. A case in point is Austin, Texas, three-piece Sentimental Family Band, whose debut full album is a throwback to former times with ten tracks that slot into an old-timey country groove. Like many adolescents, they rejected the traditional country music and bluegrass that their parents consumed. Still, after forays into indie, they have revisited the music of their childhoods with SWEETHEARTS ONLY. 

The three core band members are Kyle Albrecht (vocals, bass, guitar), Camille Lewis (vocals, guitar), and Matthew Shepherd (vocals, drums). They share co-writing credits, lead vocals, and harmonies. Other contributors to the recording were J.J. Swinn (Piano), Thibault Ripault (Guitar), Jack Montesinos (Guitar), and Simon Page (Pedal Steel Guitar).

There is a charming unfussiness to the album. Ignoring mainstream, overproduced crossover pop/country, their retro-sounding album doesn’t quite make the thirty-minute mark but is certainly quality over quantity. Camille Lewis takes the vocal lead on the majority of the tracks, and her striking vocals exhibit a delightfully understated quiver, perfectly suited to the country genre. 

Sweet melancholic songs Never Love Again and Fallen Petals sit comfortably alongside barroom honky tonk two-stepper Drink, Smoke, Cuss and Cry, and the wistful mid-tempo ballad Hung Up On The High Times. Other highlights are the opener Face to a Name, and the mellow Theo Lawrence co-write Hot House Flower.  

Sentimental Family Band isn’t breaking new ground with its debut album. They offer a suite of fine country songs supported by quality vocals and elegant instrumentation. It’s refreshing to add another act to the growing list of young bands immersing themselves in traditional country. 

SWEETHEARTS ONLY is a wholly heartfelt album that sounds like it’s been around forever. Hopefully, it will raise their profile and lead to more recordings and industry recognition. It’s more than deserving of that.

Declan Culliton

Carsie Blanton After The Revolution Self-Release

'Fevered, drugged up, and quarantined in my backyard shed, I had a semi-hallucinatory reverie about the future. The REAL future; not the one being pedalled by ad campaigns or political parties. A big, deep wave of hope and grief welled up and hit me upside the head,' explains Carise Blanton on the origin of the title track of her latest album. Many artists assert to have written their finest songs while in a fever and semi-hallucinatory condition. A Covid-related illness presented Blanton with a disturbing, dreamlike depiction of the future for that title track. 

It is impossible to pigeonhole Blanton's musical canon even in the ever-expanding Americana genre. Her canon incorporates country, soul, folk, punk, and rock (in fact, lots of rock). The common denominator in her writing is hard-hitting political protest and anti-fascist songs, and the title track ticks that particular box.  

She vents her anger and frustrations on that title track, and Empire ('Trash in the gutter and trash in the sea, trash in the hearts of the powers that be') is a plea for empathy and humanity. It's not all doom and gloom, either. Alongside the more solemn side of her writing are light-hearted offerings. Ain't We Got Fun, complete with a Walk On The Wild Side bass line, is a funky mid-tempo affair that revisits Blanton's carefree days as a sixteen-year-old enjoying life in a shared house in Oregon with similarly bohemian friends. Labour of Love is a co-write with the equally gifted artist Devon Sproule, and her punk sensibilities shine through on the full-on tracks Cool Kids and Right In The Middle Of It. Despite the exasperation at the administrative and governmental issues surrounding her, optimism and hopefulness ring through on the tracks Hope and Suddenly the Spring.  

Following a hugely successful series of dates in Ireland last year supporting Declan O'Rourke, Blanton returns to our shores in April with shows in Dundalk, Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, and Limerick. She will showcase the material from this powerful album, so booking is highly recommended. 

Declan Culliton

Claudia Gibson The Fields Of Chazy Self Release

Currently a resident in Austin, Texas, this third release from singer songwriter Gibson follows on from her debut album, Step By Step (2016), and the Louisiana Sky EP (2019). Chazy is a town in northeastern Clinton County, New York and Claudia Gibson pays tribute to her ancestors and their years of building a life and contributing to the local community. The title track honours the memory of her grandfather, a farmer, who worked the land and planted apple trees that Gibson sees fully grown in later years ‘Today I walk a winding road, I touch the trees my Grandpa sowed, My heart’s here in the North Country, Among these fields of Chazy.’

On Promised Land we have a tale of young immigrants arriving in NYC. Two sisters trying to redefine their lives and hoping to rise above the grim reality of factory work. It is a song that references the life of Gibson’s grandmother as an Eastern European immigrant ‘Oh Lina, sister take my hand, There’s the lady with the torch, We’re living in the promised land.’ Elsewhere, Unbound is about fresh starts and new beginnings, moving on from a relationship and hoping for better days ahead ‘Headed back from where I came, Where everybody knows my name, Unbound, I'm starting out again.’ In contrast, The Days is a love song to the dedication and eternal bond involved in standing faithfully by your chosen partner in life ‘We laughed till we nearly cried, And loved so hard, I thought that we would break.’

The traditional Scottish song The Night Visiting Song is included and highlights the vocal of Pat Byrne, an Irish singer who duets nicely with Gibson’s sweet voice. Laura’s Song is an interesting story song that tells the tale of Laura Bullion, an outlaw and the only woman to ride as part of Butch Cassidy’s infamous Wild Bunch gang. Angels Fly is a beautiful song that channels loved ones that have left us and the sense that their essence remains in the air that surrounds us ‘So vividly you laughed and spoke, Still heard your voice as I awoke, Saying, “You can talk to me anytime, I’m always listening nearby.” The blues-tinged Rain dedicated to the memory of the great Valerie Carter who passed away in 2017, and who was a big influence on Gibson as a younger artist

The final song is Shine On and the message that we can rest in the acceptance of a life well lived, is one that we could all benefit from ‘Sometimes the world feels so heavy, The burden of years as we toil and strive, When luck is not even or steady, Keep your hand on the tiller, And eyes on the prize.’ Indeed..

The album is produced by Walt Wilkins and Ron Flynt who both contribute as musicians and they are joined by a coterie of studio players who add greatly to the easy feel of these tunes throughout. A very enjoyable experience across almost forty minutes of music that comes highly recommended.

Paul McGee

True Foxes Howl Self Release

This musical duo is comprised of cousins Amie Parsons and Chloe Payne who are based in Cornwall, England. Their debut album is filled with impressive vocal harmonies that are wrapped in a big production sound.

The opening track is Devil’s Calling and it’s a murder song which carries a warning that ‘If you go down to the woods today, You might just find his resting place, The ending of his laughing.’ Other songs like Follow the Leader carry a jaunty air that flies along on the banjo and fiddle melody and it has radio play and single written all over it.  Another commercial song is 17 and it highlights the harmony vocals of this duo, along with a strong rhythm and driving beat. To these ears, the production feels somewhat crowded, with the lyrics squeezed into the song arrangement.

Cry Wolf is a warning against a predatory male that is lurking in the shadows, always looking for an opportunity to take advantage. The duo sound close to fellow English trio Wildwood Kin and their contemporary Folk sound is certainly the product of a range of influences. Thrive is a warning against being too open to the vagaries of romance and vulnerable to the troubled path of passion. Equally, Higher is wrapped in regret for youthful mistakes but looking to empowerment as adulthood brings self-belief and confidence. The vocals again seem to be squeezed into the song arrangement as the upbeat tempo carries the message of ‘aspire to be free.’

Things slow for the more reflective Other Girl and a song that charts relationship woes. How Are You Now? is the strongest song here and seems to touch on issues of mental health and the strength to find a way through the challenges ‘How are you now? Now that you’ve found your way.’

Leave the Light On has a theme of comfort running through it with the sense of insecurity being replaced by the joy of a partner ‘ I am not who I was yesterday or a year ago, I was trying to be everybody’s friend but not my own,’ leading into the admission that ‘Now I honestly couldn’t see me with anyone else, You leave the light on, You’re like coming home.’  The gentle sway of Wanderer looks to the spirit of wanting to be free in discovering life ‘Time won’t stand still for no man, Run and get out while you still can, Take your insecurities and flaunt them.’

The final song is also the album title and deals with the pain of separation, and all that comes with looking for your place in the world. Danny Hart features strongly throughout on both banjo and fiddle, with Sam Gerrard also contributing on banjo, together with Annie Baylis-Gray on fiddle. Bo Payne also contributes on both drums and electric guitar. File under contemporary folk with a commercial twist. The harmony vocals are lovely and although the production is somewhat busy in places this doesn’t detract too much from the overall positive feel of the album.

Paul McGee

Charlie Parr Little Sun Smithsonian Folkways

The talents of acoustic blues musician Charlie Parr first came to the notice of the music community in the new millennium and his debut album appeared in 2002. Parr is famous for his DIY approach to recording and a preference to go with the first take. This time out he allowed more collaboration with his friend Tucker Martine having a significant contribution as producer. This is album number eighteen in the career of this roots artist and his ability on banjo, resonator/ 12-string  guitars and harmonica always delivers music that is both compelling and engaging. The eight songs included on this new release blend seamlessly together over forty minutes and the album was recorded in Portland, Oregon.

The two longest tracks are meditative pieces that run for over seven minutes each and both are celebrations of nature in all its glory; Bear Head Lake is a timeless slice of kicking back to enjoy the surroundings ‘I remove my shoes to accept the cool October water;’ with Pale Fire describing the glory of a desert drive, falling asleep to the sunset and waking to the sunrise – same sun, different day. There is also a strong message of community running through the album with local neighbours deciding what constitutes generosity these days. On the song Stray Charlie Parr is concerned about a man who has fallen on hard times ‘How can you say there’s a stray, In the middle of your town, He can feel the anger in your eyes, Where empathy should be found.’

Sloth examines the need to do as little as possible in search of the perfect state if idleness ‘My career goals are a little patch of sun, Or maybe that little bit of shade.’ Ten Watt is about growing old and not caring what others think anymore. There is a sense of freedom in not conforming to type and the lyric ‘Climbing fences? at my age? Yeah, but I’m just an old man when the cops are called’ sums up the attitude nicely. Portland Avenue ponders just how much we acknowledge the characters in our communities with the sudden disappearance of a colourful local character, and on Boombox we are urged to enjoy neighbourhood music and dancing, in all its variety and vibrancy.

Throughout, the music is beguiling in its easy delivery and the quality of the musicians interplay. There is such a sense of synergy in the different textures brought to the song arrangements with Marisa Anderson (guitar), Victor Krummenacher (acoustic and electric bass), Asher Fulero (Keyboards, piano) and Andrew Borger (drums, percussion) playing seamlessly and with subtle flair. Anna Tivel contributes on backing vocals, Mary DuShane adds fiddle on one song and Mikkel Beckmen (percussion), with Liz Draper (bass) supply the rhythm section on Ten Watt.   

Charlie Parr plays both harmonica and guitar, in addition to providing all lead vocals, and producer Tucker Marine brings a delicate balance to everything with plenty of space in the song structures. The album title refers to Tony “Little Sun” Glover, a folk and blues musician who was revered for his harmonica skills and who released many albums, either as a solo artist or as a member of Koerner, Ray & Glover. The song lyric says ‘The music it plays everywhere, was it better when we were young, Or have we lost our focus, We need you here Little Sun.’ Tony Glover passed away in 2019 and the legacy he left behind is honoured on this album with the measure and meaning of community and the spirit of timeless music woven like a silken thread through these songs. A very rewarding album.

Paul McGee

Son Of the Velvet Rat Ghost Ranch Fluff and Gravy

When it comes to atmospherics and dynamics then there is no better music than a new album from the performance vehicle, Son Of the Velvet Rat. Formed in 2003 by Austrian husband and wife duo Georg Altziebler and Heike Binder, their impressive catalogue of twelve album releases is witness to their creative muse and their dream to bring music of substance into the collective consciousness.

Currently living in Joshua Tree, California it could be argued that the strong influence of the Mojave desert has found its way into both their consciousness and the music created. Opening with the intriguing Bewildering Black and White Moments Captured On Trail Cams the song takes on the notion of life, and love,  as a passing collage of images that blur and extend over time, leaving us all none the wiser ‘Is it just bewildering black and white moments, captured on trail cams that you see, Or maybe just some long gone kind of twisted series of memories.’ It all sounds very cerebral but the deep groove of the music delivers a real emotion and punch in the song structure.

Are the Angels Pretty? follows and again we are given a slice of country noir with a classy slow blues tempo and the longing in the lyric ‘do we really keep our secrets or do we leave them at the door?’ These songs conjure up great imagery in the themes and the words, with a sense of loneliness running through tracks like Deeper Shade Of Blue, New Frontier and Golden Gate with tales of immigration, dented dreams and the hopes for a better life.

Rosary is a song that channels a Tom Waits influence in the offbeat arrangement with the warped image of a mass shooting scenario running as a narrative ‘Daddy’s gonna take me to the shooting range for my birthday, Mama’s gonna give me a rosary.’ The theme of bullying is at the core of the song and the use of theremin by Heike Binder adds a surreal quality to the song. Standout track Kindness Of the Moon carries a sense of foreboding and tension in the arrangement and a creeping sense of isolation in city life.

The musicians that serve up this feast of atmospheric sounds and creative playing are; Georg Altziebler (vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, optigan),  Heike Binder (vocals, harmonium, theremin, Omnichord, percussion), Marc Ribot (electric guitar), Jeff Bellerose and Danny Frankel (drums), Janie Cowan (acoustic bass), Jennifer Condos (electric bass), Tony Patler (B3 organ, piano), Jolie Holland (vocals, whistling, processed violin) & Bob Furgo (violin). If you are new to the music of this artistic couple then this album is as good a place as any to start your love affair. Highly recommended.

Paul McGee

Sue Decker Keeping Time Self Release

Canadian musician Sue Decker releases her second album and the seven songs are very much focused in the blues/roots stable of the music map. Employing the stellar talents of Steve Dawson as both producer and musician is a fine move and one that almost guarantees a successful outcome and a calling card for future projects. Steve really pulls out all the stops on these songs and his creative playing across a range of guitars is a pure masterclass. He is joined by Dave Jacques on bass guitar and Justin Amaral on drums, both of whom add a dynamic and understated support to the song arrangements.

As with any Steve project, there is a great sense of space and freedom in the recording and the vocals of Sue Decker are very much front and centre in the mix. Her vocal tone is warm in the production and her sassy songs such as Cheatin’ Side Of Town are filled with personality. It’s the type of song arrangement that would suit Bonnie Raitt and perhaps that avenue would be of interest in exploring. Love Made For A Lifetime is a song that explores ageing and dementia and it is handled with both understanding and a sense of letting go of the past. We all fear what the future may deliver..

Elsewhere, Nobody’s Mother is an acoustic-based song that reflects upon a decision to not opt for family life and children. The life of a travelling artist has its sacrifices and demons and perhaps the true key to contentment is learning how to live with compromise. Pretty Words and Flowers dissects a relationship and past memories, a romance that has run its course and the sense of forgiveness that now hangs in the air.

The Lost Ones tackles the grim reality of the homeless and disenfranchised on our streets and the way in which they are forced to live on the margins and the outskirts of society. Hummingbird is a great track that highlights the bluesy bottleneck guitar of Steve Dawson and the pedal steel of Never Asked To Be So Strong has a traditional country arrangement that charts the fading star of an ageing performer whose best days are behind him.

All songs are written by Sue Decker, with one co-write, and the album was recorded at the Henhouse Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The album is a very enjoyable listen and it points towards another collaboration into the future that involves these impressive musicians as a creative ensemble.

Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

Matt Owens and the Delusional Vanity Project Way Out West Urby

This new album is a strong statement of endurance from a very talented artist. A former member of Noah and the Whale for over nine years where he featured on bass guitar, Owens reinvented himself as a solo artist with the release of his debut album in 2019. He has since gone on to release three further albums and this new project is the second time that he has recorded with the Delusional Vanity Project - (great name)! The DVP is a seven-piece band made up of musicians from other bands that have circled around Owens orbit over the years (Little Mammoths, Treetop Flyers, Clemencie, Danny and the Champs), and together they make a very impressive ensemble with a richness in the playing and great colour in these song arrangements.

We are treated to eleven songs over forty-nine minutes and the journey is well worth the time invested. The songs are full of interesting insights into life as we live it and the sense of understated empathy that runs through the characters and the lyrics cannot be over-emphasised. Songs like Hope the Darkness Pulls You Through and Morning Light are fine examples of showing resilience and learning from the experiences that come our way, either through the ageing process, relationship changes or challenging times. Death, Sickness and Heartache has a great groove and carries a similar message about the need to endure and to ride out the hard days, while You’re Not Gone is a tribute to a close friend who has passed away and is still a strong presence ‘You were the best of us, raised up the rest of us.’

A  real highlight is the co-vocal with Hannah White on Five Years Into Marriage, a hard look at a relationship that is running into a cul-de-sac and ending in regret ‘ I will probably cheat to stay in, until you cheat to get out.’ Blindsided By Time is a real tour-de-force and the longest track here at almost eight minutes of slow burn tempo and electric guitar dynamics. Owens and James Jack blend creatively on traded solos that lift higher into the pain caused by feeling out of time and ruminating over the missed opportunities in an old friendship that lost traction.

Glasgow City Lights is an up-tempo rocker that recounts days and nights of being on tour, missing home and trying to reconcile that eternal urge to be playing live. One For the Grapes has a great guitar sound, plus Robert Vincent guesting on harmonica, and speaks of the joys of playing a local venue in Bath with ‘an ice cold beer and an old guitar.’  Both Sides Of the Line looks at the cold reality of trying to make music work as a full time job, while The Bard Of the Bars has a similar theme with a look at an old pub singer that gets his weekly lift from enjoying the live experience at his local.

Owens is joined on this album by the combined talents of Jimmy Besley (drums and percussion), Duncan Kingston (bass), James Jack (electric guitars), Geoffrey Widdowson (organs and keyboards), Jim Godfrey (piano, Rhodes, synths), and Camilla Skye ( harmony vocals). There are a number of other guests who feature, including Eddie Johns (drums on selected tracks), Keiron Marshall (guitar on selected tracks), and both Hannah White and Robert Vincent, as previously mentioned.

The final song Twickenham Station is a nostalgic memory of growing up and the early influences on a young musician looking to find a starting point. It strikes me that Owens has long since found his tribe and that he moves forward in a direction that confirms his strong talent as a songwriter and a guitar player. A really engaging album and one that will feature in many year-end lists when it comes to favourite albums of 2024. Such a fine example of independent music that regularly scratches at the edges of the music industry for recognition. You can support the cause by checking out the back catalogue of this insightful songwriter and musician. You will not be disappointed.

Paul McGee

Jack Cade Bewilderland Self Release

Born on the Isle of Sheppey, an island off the northern coast of Kent, and steeped in the culture of English tradition, performer Jack Cade has been creating music of some substance since 2011. His band are the Everyday Sinners and their three albums to date have all been well received. Cade himself has released a number of solo albums in parallel with his band activity and this new album marks his fourth as he continues to build upon previous success. Given that Cade uses the Everyday Sinners as his studio musicians, one could argue that there is little difference between the two separate projects but, either way, the songs and the playing are very strong throughout.

Cade has been wrestling with all he has been indoctrinated with since childhood. Questioning the teachings from school days onward, all his influences and beliefs, and his views of the world, both internal and external. Socrates was credited with saying that ‘The unexamined life is not worth living,’ and Cade certainly is on a mission to ensure that this will not be his legacy over time. Standout tracks are The Glitter Around Your Eyes, Where the Sun Meets the Moon and Rocking Horse Blues. There are influences of country and americana sounds running through the song arrangements and Cade gives a strong vocal performance that hints at Johnny Cash and Nick Cave in the delivery.

The dark Americana of Love Will Burn All Down has a vibrant band workout, while the Keep Believing highlights the message that outside influences cannot define you. The Faster You Run looks at life’s great conundrum and the search for temporary satisfaction in material things versus the need to live in the present and to look within for permanent happiness. Little Secret muses about the journey that we all undertake alone through life and the unique experiences that we all encounter.

The production on some of these tracks is somewhat dense and could have done with a lighter touch but overall the album is one worthy of your attention in the conviction and the energy provided.

Paul McGee

Cody Jinks Change The Game Late August

There's little doubt that the title of Cody Jinks' latest album is fact-based. The multi-platinum award-winning artist has been self-sufficient from day one and remains self-managed with his handpicked independent team. Despite rowing against the industry's current, his success as a recording and performing artist is phenomenal and places him firmly in the modern outlaw category.

'I'd say this is the most vulnerable record I've ever written,' says Jinks of his new album, CHANGE THE GAME, which he releases on his label, Late August Records. The writing finds the Fort Worth, Texas artist in a particularly reflective mood and writing about - no doubt semi-autobiographically - less than becoming behaviour, self-examination and the unorthodox lifestyle his chosen career imposes. 

Emphasising this is the opening track and first single from the album, Sober Thing, which deals with Jinks' pledge to kick his whiskey habit of twenty years ('I don't remember writing some of my biggest songs, but I damn sure remember writing that one'). It's a powerful and forthright ballad, and equally plainspoken is the lively title track, which traces Jinks' ascendency from playing hole-in-the-wall honky tonk bars to the stadium stages he now performs on. Equally reflective and candid is the ballad Outlaw and Mustangs, which also broods over the challenging lifestyle of the career musician. 

The format of Jinks' previous albums remains intact, combining mid-tempo ballads (The Working Man, Take This Bootle, A Few More Ghosts) with livelier arena-suited offerings (I Would, I Can't Complain). Backed by his team of exceptionally talented players his Jinks' lived-in coarse vocals, it's business as usual across the album's twelve tracks.

While the banner 'outlaw' is often bandied about to describe anyone with a beard, cowboy hat and record deal, Jinks more than qualifies for that descriptor. He continues an autonomous campaign with his loyal band of players, both on the road and in the studio. That independent stance continues to yield quality albums, and CHANGE THE GAME is up there with his best.

Declan Culliton 

Aoife O'Donovan All My Friends Yep Roc

The backdrop to the creation of Aoife O'Donovan's latest album is a movement that took place over a century ago. 2019 celebrated the centenary of the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, which granted women the right to vote. This change came about in no small way by the campaigning of suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt, who dedicated her life to the cause. Studying Catt's letters and speeches led O'Donovan to create her own chapters on that turbulent and groundbreaking period in history, exploring her political fears.  

Recorded as an orchestral project gives the nine tracks - eight of which were written by O'Donovan - a timeless feel. The appropriate remaining track is a cover of Dylan's The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, which details the killing of an African American barmaid by a wealthy young man from a white tobacco farming family, whose sentence for the murder was only six months in a county jail.

The project was an ambitious affair for O'Donovan; four of the tracks (All My Friends, Crisis, Daughters, America Come) fuse her crystalline vocals with those of the San Francisco Girls' Chorus, whose voices come from singers aged twelve to eighteen. The strings throughout are by the chamber orchestra, The Knights, and the brass sections are conducted by the quartet, The Westerlies. Co-production is credited to O'Donovan and her husband, Eric Jacobson, who also conducted the orchestration in the studio.

The opener and previously referenced, All My Friends, is a cry for unity in numbers against oppression. It recalls the courageous band of women marching for liberty over one hundred years ago but, in many ways, is also a plea for empathy and resoluteness at the present time ('Marching on, the Tennessee dawn is lifting o'er the fields. Steady on, America, you know it's time to heal'). Crisis, which follows, includes sections of an impassioned speech by Catt in 1916 and is graced by a gorgeous mandolin break from Sierra Hull. More modern day is Over the Finish Line, which follows the theme and sentiment of O'Donovan's 2022 Grammy-nominated album AGE OF APATHY. Anais Mitchell adds vocals to the song, which offers a degree of optimism despite the present avalanche of fake news and high-risk political rhetoric. Possibly the strongest track on an album that offers so much both musically and lyrically is America, Come. Opening and closing with a direct quote from Catt ('What is the democracy for which the world is battling, for which we offer up our man power, woman power, money power, our all?'), the track perfectly summarises the inklings which lay in O'Donovan's head when she undertook this exquisitely moving album. 

Released in a year likely to present the most callous presidential election in United States history, this album is a timely testimonial of the power of the vote and particularly the women who fought courageously and often with immense personal sacrifice for democracy over a century ago. It's also a crescendo hitter vocally and musically, touching on grinding reality and themes of hope and joy alongside a lot of sadness.

Declan Culliton

Niall McCabe Rituals Self Release

Clare Island, a small island (pop. 130) off the Mayo coast in the West of Ireland, is the touchstone for this hugely impressive debut solo album from Niall McCabe. Growing up there in a large family, where his mother was the only teacher in the tiny National School, McCabe absorbed all sorts of musical influences from his family’s pub - Irish trad, folk, rock and soul - and after travelling, he has returned to make his home there again. 

The opening track Stonemason encapsulates the loneliness, isolation and physical exhaustion experienced by so many of the Irish diaspora who had to leave the country in their droves over the centuries, driven by economics. Not since Paul Brady’s seminal 1981 HARD STATION album has anyone come as close to evoking those sentiments as McCabe does here, in this reviewer’s opinion. Producer Seán Óg Graham contributes mournful button accordion to further emphasise the pathos, ‘it’s been a hard life too long …’ Midas Touch hits a much happier note, a touching reminiscence of one’s best friend growing up. “The miles we walked between our homes are written in my brain/close my eyes and we’re there again” (we can all relate) accompanied by McCabe’s deft guitar fingerpicking, and there’s Graham again on harmonium and accordion, this time adding a lightness and whimsy. November Swell and Tornado are equally infused with the elemental spirit of island living, never far from the potentially destructive forces of nature, whether that be as a fisherman ‘drawing oars through the wild foam’ or as a child tucked up securely in bed sleeping through a storm. Other more universal themes are explored too: Lost Boys finds a mother looking back at photos of her children, somewhat sad but also excited for their potential futures; Little Sister ponders the effect of relationship breakdown on the children, while the exquisite Superman is the only overtly romantic and confessional love song on the album. The closing song Valhalla is a co-write with Graham’s progressive Irish traditional/folk band Beoga, with whom McCabe has toured in recent years.

Niall McCabe is a multi instrumentalist, here contributing guitars, 5 string banjo, percussion and piano. His producer Sean Óg Graham, who recorded the project in his Bannview Studios in rural Co Antrim, is no less of an accomplished musician, adding guitars, accordion, bouzouki, synths and bass. Comparisons between McCabe and Paul Brady are inevitable - they share a similar tenor vocal style, guitar skills and Americana influences -  but McCabe here shows that he is forging his own path. I declared this album as one of my favourites of 2023, when it had a limited Irish release. Now it has been released to the rest of the world, and I will not tire of singing its praises for another year. Check it out

Eilís Boland

Aaron Smith & The Coal Biters The Legend of Sam Davis (and other stories of Newton County, Arkansas)  Self Release

This labour of love project for Aaron Smith is an essential purchase for lovers of American folk/acoustic stringband music and who want to delve into the social history of settlers in the 19th and early 20th centuries in America. Over several years, Smith (and various accomplices) mined the archives and living memories and anecdotes of the locals in his native Ozarks and the result is a stunning collection of original songs and an accompanying compact hardback book. The book is a joy from cover to cover - beautifully illustrated with original maps, artwork, newspaper articles, family archives and vintage black & white photos. 

Of the fourteen songs included, seven are based on the titular legend of Sam Davis, the ‘raving preacher of Newton County’. Davis’s sister was kidnapped by the Shawnee … or was she? After his fruitless quest to find her, he became the infamous preacher of Big Creek ‘preaching like the eve of judgement day’, recounted with great drama and humour in Looky There. Smith takes lead vocals on all the songs, and his clear tone and deft songwriting means that each story is easy to follow, but indeed can be enjoyed without necessarily following the book. He plays guitars, banjo, mandolin, dobro, french horn, keys and accordina (look it up!). He is joined throughout by the other two members of The Coal Biters: George Holcomb playing bass and clarinet and Ryan Gentry on percussion. 

There are four songs telling the true story of the Martain family over three generations, from Henry’s arrival from France in Henry Martain, the enforced march on the Trail of Tears because his wife was Cherokee, through to their ne’er do well grandsons Curly and Tom. Ben de la Cour guests on mandolin on the fascinating 1919 murder-suicide tale, Ab Clayborn. The life story of Granny Brisco is truly remarkable - she was a midwife who rode her horse all over Osage and Possum Trot day and night to reach her patients, until she was thrown from her horse and forced to retire in her early 80s. The kindness of strangers and the unkindness to strangers are recounted in The Snow Child and Dead Man’s Hollow respectively. Sadly, bassist George Holcomb passed away after the recordings.

The package is available direct from Aaron Smith’s website (aaronsmithsongs.com).

Did I mention that I loved it?

Eilís Boland

John Miller and His Country Casuals Losers Hall Of Fame Folk ’n’ Western

That this cover names Miller and his musical comrades is very fitting, as they provide exactly the kind of musical backing that the music requires to give it a resonant authenticity. LOSERS HALL OF FAME follows three previous solo albums and two releases with the band Radio Sweethearts, the last of those released in 2010, showing that no matter how good this music, it is still a struggle for an independent artist who self-releases to bring all the necessary elements together to release new material, especially in physical form (CD and 10” vinyl in this case). Such a release is also, for most artists, a prerequisite to having the reason and opportunity to play live. The performance fees and gig sales are what, all too often, helps to keep an artist (and/or band) afloat.

Perhaps none of this would really matter if the end result sounded undercooked or less than satisfactory. Therefore, that this album is perhaps the best that Miller has yet released is both positive and necessary. It is further enhanced by the fact that Miller’s vocal delivery is top notch throughout. So too is the playing of the band who include Martin Barrett on guitar, double bassist Sy McBain, JT Davidson on steel guitar and drummer DC Amero. All add backing vocals and the arrangements for the songs are shared by Miller and the band, with Sean Read joining him as co-producer. It sounds very much like a labour of love. That Read has previously been a member of The Rockingbirds (an equally bona fide UK country band) and a sought after producer (Dexys and Edwin Collins) shows the effort that has gone into getting this right.

The fact that they all hail from Scotland shouldn’t be an issue, but with so few credible performers from the UK delivering such strong original material these days, it is another mark in their favour. They can stand alongside Ags Connolly and a number of others whose music, past and present, could just as easily have come from Austin, Los Angeles or Nashville. 

The eight tracks on this album fall easily into the perennial traditional country themes of failed romances, regret and forbearance. The title track is the tale of a man who is never going to be a winner but consoles himself with the thought that he might end up as noted for that lack of success. That other regular subject matter of turning to alcohol to compensate or at least deaden the loss is what Kissing The Bottle is about - kudos to the vocal from Miller here too. My Side Of The Bed follows a similar pattern and has another impassioned vocal. A man who resorts to tears is self admitted as The Town Crier. The arrangement though is more upbeat on this track. 

A time to move on and try new pastures is the topic of The Pity Part Is Over. Memories of a man who has been left behind is where we find him on Old Bus Tickets. It is a cleverly written commentary on living with a past. We’re back on lonely street for Who Am I Supposed To Love as the protagonist asks the faithful question. The album closes with Love Not Alibis, another high note as there is a resolution to a partnership gone cold.

The album does not take the currently popular route of emulating 90s country but rather seems rooted in 60s and 70s era melodic country. There are individual elements that listeners can relate to and be reminded of old favourites and that’s what these eight tracks sound like. It can be only hoped that this leads to a resurgence of activity and acclaim for John Miller. He has stuck to his musical guns for a long time and never fails to show his faith in his love for his chosen musical path. This album will doubtless be in my hall of fame this year.

Stephen Rapid

Andrea & Mud Institutionalised Self Release

The dynamic duo of all things surf western and a myriad of 60’s sounds that draw from the fringes of roots music are back with a new album. As you would expect, they are never going to go anywhere other than where they want to go. They mix their original songs with songs chosen to fit their oeuvre and those tracks are right at home here. There’s Psycho from Leon Payne, the Johnny Cash penned Committed To Parkview, the song written by Mickey Newbury and made famous by Kenny Roger’s First Edition I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Was In and Mama He’s Crazy written by Kenny O’Dell and recorded by The Judds. All point to an eclectic music collection and some considered choices that fit with the theme of the title and the cover photo (taken by Colburn). These choices also sit comfortably beside their own co-written material. Soundwise, they also get the same consideration to overall sound and arrangement as the original songs. That they produced the album alongside the album’s engineer Damon Moon is further testament to doing it their way without outside influences. They did a damn good job, to these ears.

Both Andrea Colburn and Mud Mosley played multiple instruments for the sessions but also brought in a number of additional players to add an extra depth to the material. Some fourteen musicians contribute, on bass, drums, fiddle, banjo, brass, dobro, keyboards, pedal steel and backing vocals, all of which shows a real commitment to getting the sounds they heard for the recordings done with actual human players rather than through samples. On top of that are the joint and shared lead vocals of Colburn and Mosley, which are the central to the whole venture, Mosley’s deep baritone contrasting with Colburn’s sweet clarity.

Lovers of gothic country duets and baritone guitar and twang will be satisfied here too, as they easily live up to their description of ‘surf and western’, evoking many a memorable movie soundtrack. There is a generous fourteen tracks included, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the overall sound and psycho-situationists set-up. This is not something that will find favour with certain segments of the Americana fraternity, but for those who favour something heading more towards the outer limits, this will be something to savour following the wait since they released their last, equally individual, album.  

It’s undeniable that some of the songs touch on dark topics ,such as the these lines from the title track which speak of a dysfunctional relationship: “The pain inside I can no longer hide / From the things you’ve done to me / I’m institutionalized.” Or the situation of bank closures in Bankman: “The bank may own my house / They don’t own my soul / Can’t take it from me / No matter what I owe.” There is also an example of the kind of phone conversation within the song that many have had. Owing your space/home is talked about in Trouble’s Gone too. The kind of hard times many deal with on an ongoing day to day exchange is summed up in a simple two line ultimation from This Time: “Choose the bottle or me / You only get one this time.”

It would be misleading then to think that because these lyrics are undoubtedly cryptic means that the music is following that same path - it doesn’t. Or that the writers are themselves the subjects of the songs. Rather, they are writing about associations that are common indeed but from a character perspective, rather than any personal one. That they have written and recorded this album together highlights the harmony in their discordant soundscape. 

This album is a step forward for Andrea & Mud, one that has taken time, money and much creativity to achieve.  It’s a lot of fun to boot. So sit back and enjoy as Mama, we’re all crazy now. Locked up and loaded.

Stephen Rapid

Jay Gavin Road Ready Self Release

From the opening track Mexican Food, Cold Beer And Tattoos you know you’re in good company. Jay Gavin comes close to the humour, observation and humanity of John Prine. Prine was a true original but Gavin, while bringing to mind one of his particular heroes, follows a similar path that makes his own take on life a road to follow in its own right. A Canadian by birth Gavin grew up in Prince Edward Island. He soon decided to making a living by labouring on such hard-working jobs as that of a fishing boat, through to other occupations like those of construction sites in a number of different locations. Music, however, was also a central inspiration that eventually saw him touring around North America with various bands; playing bass with both punk and metal bands. However he returned to the earlier influences of folk, country and bluegrass in more recent times and we all gain from that decision.

In 2019 he released BOAT ON A WHALE, an album he recorded with Jeff Zipp and later he recorded a number of single releases including his version of Prine’s classic song Paradise. So, unsurprisingly, one song here Rhythm & Rhymes refers to that anthem and how the story of that landscape still continues. This time out, on the recommendation of fellow long-time troubadour Billy Don Burns (who joins Gavin on backing vocals on Better Man), he decided to record this new album in Nashville with producer Denny Knight, who had worked previously with Conway Twitty and Waylon Jennings. They also added another country-oriented engineer in Bobby Bradley, and they were joined by a host of sympathetic players like pedal steel player Steve Hinson, Jeff Williams on guitar, bassist Jay Gorman, William Ellis on drums, keyboard player Jeff Armstrong and Deanie Richards on fiddle. All did a great job in getting this right.

As mentioned at the start, Gavin has a well-worn, life-seasoned voice that is easy to like and one that brings these material to life with the appropriate amount of authenticity and attitude. One that makes you smile as well as revealing the truth that exists in many of these songs. Seen Better Days details a life that has seen just that; it has a nice mix of banjo and keyboards over a solid toe-tapping beat. The title track sums up an early inclination to travel the highways. It was something that he understands, that the foot-loose need to keep on keeping on. “Daddy gave me traveling bones / I’m going to make some miles.” The belated self realisation of why his woman left him is there in Maybe It Was Me in which his analysis comprehends that he, in fact, maybe had it back to front after all with “I was thinking it was you / I was certain it was you … alright, maybe it was me.”

The slow paced tale of trying to understand what’s happening and what might not be changed is something that he outlines in Government Tobacco, pleading to “Let me die with my boots on.” The aforementioned return to Muhlenberg County is a jaunty tale told in Rhythm & Rhymes, wherein the central character in John Prine’s song is also mentioned here. That Mr Peabody’s train is “still rolling on / it gets longer everyday.” Perhaps more serious in nature and full of great fiddle and twanging guitar is the sometime cowboy philosophy of Better Left Alone. The final songs has two parts, firstly another infatuation with Girl From The Liquor Store which leads to Bear Loves Honey looking at the things that he knows that he loves, it speeds up towards the end of the song as he outlines those things and makes a good place to bring the album to a conclusion.

Jay Gavin was a new artist to me, but one I can recommend, as all the songs are memorable and enjoyable in equal measure. This is not an album that is about reinventing the wheel, rather it is about keeping it turning and knowing that the road still goes on forever.

Stephen Rapid

Matt Owens Music, Jack Cade, Cody Jinks, Aoife O'Donovan, Niall McCabe, Aaron Smith & The Coal Biters, John Miller and his Country Casuals, Andrea & Mud, and Jay Gavin.

New Album Reviews

The Hanging Stars On A Golden Shore Loose 

The past decade has found The Hanging Stars' profile consistently rising with each step they take. Their distinctive sound, a fusion of indie-flavoured cosmic country, has remained relatively unchanged since their 2016 debut album, OVER THE SILVERY LAKE. ON A GOLDEN SHORE maintains their 'album every two years' output.

For their latest project, four of the band, Richard Olson, Paulie Cobra, Patrick Ralla and Paul Milne, travelled to Edwyn Collins' Clashnarrow Studios at Helmsdale on the northeast coast of Scotland, where they recorded their 2022 record HOLLOW HEART. Over eight days, they recorded live, putting down 'first takes' in the main. The pedal steel components, completing their signature sound, were added by Joe Harvey-Whyte at his Karma Studios in London. Final overdubs were completed at the album's producer, Sean Read's Famous Time studio in London.

Very much a democracy and the sum of their parts, the band members merge their varied individual musical sensibilities of cosmic and psychedelic folk, 60s West Coast, 60s country rock, and Brit-pop

on this eleven-track album. The first three inclusions were released as singles and encapsulate those influences. The sunny and radio-friendly Sweet Light follows the opener, Let Me Dream Of You, which takes a leaf out of The Stones' early 70s songbook. Happiness Is A Bird is a loose and spacey psychedelic creation, a trademark of what they do so well. The banjo-led No Way Spell is a Burrito Brothers-styled tour de force, and they are equally at home with their feet off the gas pedal on the slowed-down country rockers Disbelieving and Washing Line. Raindrops In A Hurricane and Golden Shore have roots in quintessential UK folk 

Very much a companion to its predecessor, HOLLOW HEART, and staying within their usual template, ON A GOLDEN SHORE casts its spell far and wide and is easy to get engrossed in after a few spins.

Review by Declan Culliton

Wonder Women of Country: Willis Carper Leigh Self-Release

What kicked off a casual get-together by three country singers and players to perform their individual songs live in a songwriter-in-the-round arrangement has taken a step further with the release of this six-track mini-album. 

Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh’s pedigrees in country music are first-rate. Kelly has been one of the standout vocalists in country music from her 1990 debut album WELL TRAVELLED LOVE and her dozen albums that followed. Brennen has been and continues to be a diehard champion of traditional country and Western swing, her sublime 2023 album AIN’T THROUGH HONKY TONKIN’ YET was one of Lonesome Highway’s favourites of the year. Melissa can boast comfortably balancing numerous balls in the air. She is an exceptional upright bass player and a member of the foursome Sad Daddy and the roots duo Buffalo Gals; her distinctive vocals tick the old-time country and jazz boxes. 

Each member is credited with two songs, the lead vocal on both, and harmony vocals. Alongside lead guitar and mandolin, Brennen sings on her co-write with Melissa, Fly Ya To Hawaii and Hanging On To You. Kelly plays rhythm guitar and takes lead vocal on a tearjerker she wrote with Bruce Robison and Monte Warden, Another Broken Heart and her own A Thousand Ways. Melissa’s vocal is out in front on her co-write with Brennen Won’t Be Worried Long and a reconstruction of the John Prine/ Roger Cook song, I Have Met My Love Today, together with her upright bass contributions. The other players that joined the three women at Austin’s Bismeaux on The Hill Studios were Ginny Mac (accordion), Timmy Campbell (drums), Geoff Queen (Dobro, Steel guitar) and Chris Scruggs (Steel guitar). 

Having witnessed the three artists perform together on stage in Nashville, given the collective dynamic of their show, it’s little surprise that they took the relationship and friendship into the studio. With three vocalists that shift between twang-laced and earthy country, the result is a joyful listen that shimmers and shines from start to finish. More of the same again going forward, please. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Addison Johnson Dangerous Men Self-Release

‘I prefer stories a bit darker; about guys running moonshine or a guy running from the police and things like that,’ explained Greensboro, North Carolina native Addison Johnson when we chatted with him back in 2021, shortly after the release of his most impressive debut album DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. That album was our introduction to Johnson and his expertise in creating meaningful tales, many based on lousy life choices and questionable company, most of which came from first-hand experiences.

Whether the content of DANGEROUS MEN is equally personal, the eleven-track album finds Addison taking account of the events and factors that lead to individuals going ‘off the rails’ and, in his mind, rendering them as ‘dangerous.’

A heavily accented baritone country voice, lashings of pedal steel, and twangy guitars are the order of the day on the album that plays out like chapters in a hardboiled modern Western novel. There aren’t too many happy endings for the featured characters, either. Before introducing those characters, Johnson starts the album with his ‘State of the Nation’ address, the less-than-optimistic Waiting For The World To End. 

We hear of the hopeless barfly drowning his sorrows in Out Of Control and sordid goings-on at a cheap motel in Country Inn. The unfortunate and innocent protagonist in I Did Nothing Wrong gets nailed for a crime he didn’t commit. There’s little to cheer about either in End of a Rope and Damaged Goods, which follows; both bring to mind the pedal steel-drenched sound of Hank III on his 2002 LOVESICK, BROKE & DRIFTIN’ album. High Way finds Johnson joined by fellow Outlaw honky tonker Alex Williams to trade vocals and bemoan their nomadic ways. 

Co-produced by Johnson and David Flint, DANGEROUS MEN could herald a well-deserved breakthrough for Johson. If DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN was an exciting gateway into Johnson’s music, he has raised the bar several notches this time around. The writing is gifted, insightful and laced with left-of-centre dark humour, and the playing on this album is also top-drawer. That same formula has been a triumph for his namesake, Jamey Johnson, who is cut from a similar cloth. So, let’s hope this record excites the industry ‘movers and shakers’ as much as it does me. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Victoria Liedtke & Jason Ringenberg More Than Words Can Tell Judee Bop

There have been a number of recreations of the much loved country music duet genre in recent times, the Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson album ONCE MORE being a prime example of one executed with a care and style that pays homage and yet updates the format for a new era. Now comes another album that pays its respects to the format but in a way that makes it very special in its own right.

The pairing is the much loved (in these quarters at very least) Jason Ringenberg and the genre crossing talent of Victoria Liedtke, an artist who has performed solo and alongside other established artists. Born in Oklahoma and, after being located in several cities in the USA, she now resides in the UK, which is where they recorded this album in Worcester during 2022. A studio band was set up who first recorded the basic tracks, before additional musicians added their important contributions remotely. Those musicians included Tim Prottey-Jones on the drums and piano, on double bass John Parker and guitarist Lewis “Burner” Pugh, while Liedtke with engineer Elliot Vaughan handled the production duties. However it didn’t stop there, with contributions from many more being added, for the most part, remotely. Acoustic and electric guitarist, mandolin, dobro and pedal steel player CJ Hillman proved to be an essential part of the process, alongside several additional guitarists, violinists, keyboards and backing vocalists. Something of a labour of love for all it would seem, certainly from the end result. 

Although Ringenberg has a clear love for traditional country music he has always made it just one element of what he performs, with his punk, blues, folk and rock influences equally present (all delivered with an abundant energy). Likewise Liedtke has an equally varied and celebrated repertoire, which might not make them the first names you would think of for an album of classic country duets, but the results make this a successful album on every level. Both have a distinctive vocal presence that manages to make the combined pairing more than the sum of its parts. 

All of these songs come with in-depth and interesting arrangements that reference the hey-day of many of the countrypolitan recordings. The source of these songs in the main have the writing credits of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, either individually or together. The one exception is the cover of Tom Paxton’s The Last Thing On My Mind.

The opening track (and recent single) Life Rides The Train sets the tone, with both parties trading verses and choruses. But it is also the overall musical contributions that hit the highs, the guitars are edgy but highly effective. There is a passion to More Than Words Can Tell that is soulful and sincere, with the pedal steel adding much to the overall feel. The string section is very present in the folkish song Sound Of Nature that also uses the backing vocals to evoke the title’s bucolic atmosphere and Liedtke’s sweet-toned vocal. By way of contrast there is a different sense of location and lifestyle in Carolina Moonshine. Again the two vocals intertwine and overlap with an undeniable energy. 

As with many of the songs from that time they either detail a harmonious (in every way) relationship (The Fire That Keeps You Warm) or they layout the pitfalls of such a decorating relationship (The Pain Of Loving You), though, it has to be said, the majority fall more into the realm of sweet love than that of oncoming disaster. The latter has something of an ominous drumbeat that filters that sense of pain musically as much as it does lyrically. 

And so it is throughout the album, one that seems to engage in the past and a certain sensibility that was evoked by the Dolly and Porter classic duets and of a particular lyrical approach that seems, largely, to have been lost since that era. Yet there is little doubt that, for many, this album will sit alongside those earlier recordings, giving the format a new lease of life that has been delivered to such a fine standard that it achieves what it set out to do. It also makes you wonder where an album of new original songs might take Victoria & Jason?

Review By Stephen Rapid

Jim Jones Tales Fom The West Berkalin

With what seems to be a growing interest in songs that have their origin in the myths and reality of the West and the cowboy life it is good to know that Jim Jones as a man with a deep interest in the subject has continued to turn that into music and words. Aside from eight associated albums, he has also published three novels set in that era. He is also the recipient of several awards associated with the genre.

Overall Jones is delivering a gentler, less upbeat format (certainly compared to some of his more recent contemporaries), perhaps closer to the likes of Don Williams than Merle Haggard in country terms. The album was ably produced by Merel Bregante and it features some fine players including Pete Warner on keyboards, Dave Pearlman on pedal steel and guests such as Cody Braun on fiddle and mandolin, Michale Dorrien and John Inman on electric guitar as well as Bregante himself on drums and harmony vocals.

There is a sense of age in Jones’ vocal that is as you might expect from a man who has devoted his talent to this format for many years. It is warm and clear throughout. Jones wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks here that overall create a relaxed ambience, allowing the words to conjure the images of that particular lifestyle. There are open hearted love songs like They Dance alongside those songs rooted in the life of a man in the saddle, such as Mustanger, Cowboy Heart which is co-written by Deanna McCall and tells her story. Another such story song, co-written with Doug Figgs, is Manassa Mauler about the renowned boxing champion Jack Dempsey who was a working cowboy before fighting his way to the top in the boxing world. 

Ride For The Brand, a co-write with RG Yoho, is about dedication to a way of life and commitment to a particular ‘ranch brand’ in a very changing world. It started life as a poem that Jones set to music. Wild animals that are associated with the landscape are the subject of The Queen Is Dead, concerning a regal bear that was killed in 1979 in circumstances that remain unclear, but with the result that since then there are no more grizzly bears in Colorado. It is played with a poignant fiddle at its heart.

These and the other songs on the album come from an artist with an obvious love of this particular lifestyle who has delivered them with consummate ease. They may lack a certain energy that a younger audience might prefer but that shouldn’t take away your attention from a devotee of Western culture who may, as he outlines in the last song, be happy to sit and muse on life from a rocking chair rather from a saddle. But the dreams are there to continue; to ride that range and see the open skies, at the very least in the mind of such men (and women) as Jim Jones.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Oisín Leech Cold Sea Tremone

The journey continues for Oisín Leech. One that began in Navan, moved to Liverpool with The 747s and onto the Americana/Folk of the Lost Brothers, through to this his debut solo release (though both parties of that duo have released individual solo projects, they will doubtless regroup at a later stage). It is one that is set in landscapes, both internal and external, that have a certain poetic melancholy that pervades the songs, but in a way that, not unlike a walk in the kind of environment, is both reflective and restorative and one that is ultimately positive. 

For this album Leech went to Donegal, a place which had, for both Leech and his producer Steve Gunn, family connections and proved an inspiring influence on how the album would develop and be recorded. In this rural location, over a week, the material took shape. It was kept sparse, simple and spacious, though a number of notable guests added their talents in an understated way; something that none-the-less added to the overall presence of the recordings. These guests included Tony Garner on upright bass, Donal Lunny on bouzouki, some strings from Roisín McGrory and M Ward on electric guitar. Gunn himself added guitars, synths and vocals. This provides an overall feeling of understated ambient folk that coalesces in the muted tones of the album. The end result is meditative and melodious, something that is perhaps mirrored in the two paintings that grace the cover.

It is Leech’s nine selected songs that are the centre of the album’s ambiance. The opening October Sun shows how his vocal tone is now a vital instrument in itself and has an immediate ability to draw you closer, to listen as the album unfolds. The songs, while they have a sense of darkness, leave the listener largely to interpret the songs themselves. Throughout there are mentions of loss, longing and sorrow that are as poetic as they are plaintive. They are also, given the titles, rooted in place, in weather and in a particular time. Yet they are also deep in personal exploration of inner thoughts and outward feelings. These songs, with titles that expand that theme such as One Hill Further, Colour Of The Rain, Trawbreaga Bay, Malin Gales and Daylight, all elucidate this sense of exploration - both musical and meditative.

This solo outing may be a sidestep before returning to the career of the much respected Lost Brothers. Equally, it may indeed be the first part of a new parallel journey that will see Leech explore this path further or indeed some different musical avenues in tandem with that of the duo’s ongoing body of work. Either way COLD SEA is an undoubted success on many levels and is a landscape that should be explored.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Gracie Lane Doing My Time Self Release

This debut album from Gracie Lane boasts twelve songs that linger in the memory long after the music has come to an end. It is a very accomplished recording and one that highlights the combined talents of Gracie Lane (vocals, rhythm guitar), Stacey Ann Glasgow (drums, harmony vocals), Mick Glasgow (bass), John James Tourville (pedal steel, guitar, banjo, percussion), Liliana Hudgens (harmony vocals), Phil Alley (guitar), and Evan Martin (keyboards). The musicians combine in a very complimentary and understated fashion that brings great nuance to these songs, all of which look at love and relationships in various guises.

There is a classic country sound woven through the tracks and standouts such as Fallin Now and To Know Me highlight a very interesting new talent on the music scene. All the songs are written by Lane and she has been working on this debut album for a number of years, stretching back to pre-Covid times. Originally from North Carolina, she has spent plenty of time ensuring that the song arrangements present themselves in their best versions and honour the creative spirit that clearly drives the entire project.

Watch It Fall Apart is a breakup song with a plea to act before it’s too late. Begging Kind visits similar territory with a strained relationship in need of some real communication and a reset button. Livin This Lie is a song that hopes a lover is not straying while away from home and wanting to deny the telltale signs. Move brings a cool seductive performance and a challenge to work for the prize of having fun with the girl in the song. Baby Look At Us Now sees a broken relationship sinking down into a toxic state where it’s time to quit.

The title track is yet another look at matters of the heart with the girl missing that special one we all seek, but who has moved on. The pedal steel playing is very atmospheric throughout and no more so than on this track. Short Lived Love is exactly as the song title suggests, the loss of a lover and the questions that turn into self-doubt. Final song Why Baby Why showcases the heartbreak of being the one left wondering, although later in the lyric the song flips into ‘ I ain't gonna sit up on my ass, Crying to my beer, Gonna pick myself up and walk, Anywhere but here.

A very traditional country album with the vagaries of love and commitment spinning back and forth across emotions that visit both the bitter and the sweet. The musicians are superb in support of these mid-tempo song arrangements and Lane has a haunting voice that brings real character to the recording. A very self-assured debut that comes highly recommended.

Review By Paul McGee

The Coal Men Everett Vaskaleedez

There is a strut and a swagger to this new album from Nashville trio, The Coal Men. It is their first release in eight years and marks the sixth time that they have brought their superb performance dynamic into the formal surroundings of the studio. Produced by founding member Dave Coleman, the guitar sound is quite superb throughout and captures a vibrancy across the eleven tracks that is  alive with an energy that crackles.  Americana with real attitude.

Coleman plays inventive guitar and contributes lead vocals. The driving rhythm is delivered courtesy of Dave Ray (drums, vocals) and Paul Slivka (bass). Their playing is such a standout feature in bringing everything into full on throttle and their dramatic interplay is impressive. The title of the album refers to an upright Everett piano that was purchased by Coleman at a Downtown Presbyterian Church  and it features on all eleven tracks with performance parts shared by guests Jen Gunderman, Lane Kiefling and Coleman himself.

The blues groove of opener Black Cat is infectious while the rockabilly vibe of Rather Be Right looks at the urge to be dogmatic in a relationship. Heart Exposed has a deep resonance and a great guitar sound while Come Back Joe is a strident tribute to the late, great Joe Strummer and all he stood for.

Johnny Sins takes no prisoners with its high energy drive and the slower tempo of I Like Trains is one of the standouts. The final song Hammer Like Bill delivers plenty of guitar histrionics and a locked-in, stripped-back sound that really engages. A very atmospheric return from a trio who really know how to highlight their collective skills and talents. A real keeper.

Review By Paul McGee

Scott Sean White Even Better On The Bad Days Self Release

This album is a real pleasure from start to finish and comes highly recommended. Discovering new talent is always something that never ceases to bring real pleasure  and this singer songwriter certainly ticks a lot of boxes. His songs deliver a rich tapestry of emotions, reflecting on life through a number of different perspectives. White started out as a writer for other artists but picked up his guitar in 2021 for a very personal album release titled Call It Even. He writes from the heart and his considered approach to the big questions leaves plenty of room for others to interpret his homespun philosophy.

There is a strong faith running through the ten songs and a sense of trusting in the universe that everything will work out for the better. White has buried three of his family over the last eight years and the resolve to look for positive outcomes is a running theme on this album. Opening song Pulling Weeds is a look at what is important and a chance to carry out a self-audit and hit the reset button. Hope You Never Do gives a message of learning from the wisdom of others and not repeating the same mistakes of those who are now older and wiser.

God Is Good is a song that deals with the real pain of loss and resolving other challenging  experiences in daily living. The song references some deep memories from White’s childhood and an abusive parent. People is a tribute to ‘everyman’ in honouring our individuality, coupled with that need to embrace that need for community that dwells within us all. Keeper is a love song written for White’s wife and has a very sweetly delivered vocal. Just Not Today is that knowledge that a family passing is imminent but wishing for just another day to enjoy the presence of the individual before the sad event occurs.

Both Small World and Same Street speak of our attitudes to life and whether the glass is half full or half empty. Despite our flaws and fears, attitude dictates everything. Not The Year is a song that imagines our death day, as if it could be known in advance, and it’s an interesting perspective on the fear of dying and our fallibility. The final song 12 notes and 26 letters is a very clever look at the magical trick of making music and words out of the ether, how we can pluck inspiration and turn it into something tangible.

Producer Dave Brainard (Brandy Clark, Jamey Johnson) contributed on guitars, dobro, bass, keyboards and percussion, with a variety of other musicians providing telling moments. The harmony vocals are very engaging with lots of different colours throughout.  The superb production and very engaging song arrangements make this a really superb album and one that sets a high bar in quality.

Review By Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

The High Hawks Mother Nature's Show Lo-Hi

'No one is seeking fame, no one is seeking a big pay check. We're doing it because it brings us so much joy,' explains Chad Staehly (vocals, keyboards), one of six members of The High Hawks.

The band is a coming together of like-minded artists and close friends. The others are Vince Herman (vocals, guitars), Tim Carbone (vocals, guitars, fiddle), Adam Greuel (vocals, guitars), Brian Adams (bass guitar) and Will Trask (drums, percussion). 

They bring their collective talents together once more with MOTHER NATURE'S SHOW, their second album, following their self-titled album from 2021. The players will be familiar to the more astute followers of the Roots and Americana genres. Herman is joint frontman with Leftover Salmon, Staehly was a member of Hard Working Americans, Adams and Trask are both part of Staehly's other band, Great American Taxi and Tim Carbone also plays with the band Railroad Earth. Greuel is also a member of the band Horseshoes and Hand Grenades.

With four songwriters and vocalists on board, the end product could have been erratic. On the contrary, combining their untold amount of road trips and vast career experiences, the twelve tracks proudly celebrate all that's vital about classic American roots music. They doff their collective caps in the direction of The Band (Backwater Voodoo, Mother Nature's Show), Tom Petty (Temperature Is Rising), and Grateful Dead (Fox River Blues). Matters of the heart also get an airing in Diamond Sky and This Is What Love Feels Like.

Recording commenced on New Year's Day 2023 at Pachyderm Studios in Minnesota and was completed over a week; it sounds like a good time was had by all. A smile-inducing stockpile of songs from start to finish by a collection of musicians firing on all cylinders, The High Hawks continue where they left off on their equally impressive debut record. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Louien Every Dream I Had Jansen 

Five years ago, Lonesome Highway's exploration into the Nordicana music genre introduced us to several hugely impressive artists and bands. The Nordicana classification was brought into being by musicians in Norway whose musical direction was influenced by Americana and roots music from the United States. Similar to the Americana genre, whose musical wings continue to be spread in multiple directions, some artists filed as Nordicana, but not necessarily embracing traditional country, folk, bluegrass or soul music, came to our attention. Live Miranda Solberg's (aka Louien) 2019 solo album NONE OF MY WORDS was a point-in-case and a standout project that we completely embraced.

Solberg is also a member of the four-piece Norwegian super-group band Silver Lining, whose country and folk leanings are very much along classic Americana lines. However, her debut album, under the stage name Louien, was an entirely more explorative affair. Melding her crystal clear and high-pitched vocals to a suite of deeply innermost songs, many of which were derived from a period of grieving following her father's death, produced a hypnotic indie-folk showpiece. No Tomorrow / Figure Me Out, a combination of two EP releases, followed in 2022. 

EVERY DREAM I HAD takes on board the musical direction of those previous records but also presents an artist growing in confidence. On this recording, her charming vocals are often pitched in front of dramatic arrangements of cello, violin, and synths. A case in point is the retro-sounding Quite Like This, which recalls the classic and fulsome production that Dusty Springfield and Scott Walker enjoyed in the 1960s. Please presents a more modern take on that former sound, and Let Go enters the folk/pop sensibilities of Solberg's Swedish neighbours, First Aid Kit. A gentle and melodic symphony accompanies her echoed and layered crooning on the synth-kissed and ghostly The Woods We Live In. She closes the eight-track album with Losing My Mind. An indie/folk delight with an addictive backbeat, it's a fitting finale to a record rich in ambition and execution.

Review by Declan Culliton

Frontier Ruckus On The Northline Loose

ON THE NORTHLINE arrives seven years after the release of Michigan-based band Frontier Ruckus’ last album, ENTER THE KINGDOM. Their trademark harmonies and striking melodies remain, but their latest project finds the band sonically at their most experimental. 

The band’s two-decade continuance has yielded six studio albums and some personnel changes. The current lineup is founding members Matthew Milia (vocals, guitars), David Jones (vocals, banjos) and Zachary Nichols (vocals, multi-instrumentalist). Additional contributors to this album were Conor Dobson (drums, tambourine), Evan Eklund (bass guitar, vocals), Pete Ballard (pedal steel guitar) and Ben Collins (bass guitar, mandolin). Milia is credited as songwriter on all tracks except the gorgeous instrumental album closer, Wherefore, which was composed by Nichols. 

The album’s lyrical content was built around tales of the North County of upstate New York, where Milia’s family settled when they arrived from Sicily in the early 1900s. Milia’s lyrics exquisitely craft the simple lives of generations as he revisits what was once a thriving industrial area, sadly now in decline.  

For this writer, the band’s impressive back catalogue often brought to mind the dynamic of early-career R.E.M. While those lyrical and vocal forms remain in ON THE NORTHLINE, the arrangements are grander with the addition of Ennio Morricone-styled orchestration on a number of tracks.  

Peppered with standout tracks, Mercury Sabre details the ups and downs of a long-term relationship. It is simply exquisite in its lyrical and musical content and boasts a melody I find impossible to shake off. Matters of the heart and infatuation also surface in Everywhere But Beside You and Magdelene (That’s Not Your Name). They go full-on honky tonk on The Machines Of Summer and power-poppy Clarkston Pasture. The title track is vintage Frontier Ruckus with drifting, unhurried melodies that soothe and captivate.

Frontier Ruckus has pushed out the boundaries with ON THE NORTHLINE. It takes its cues from artists ranging from The Byrds to Sufjan Stevens and Calexico to R.E.M and, in doing so, has fashioned a career finest. Simply intoxicating.

Review by Declan Cullito

Hurray For The Riff Raff The Past Is Still Alive Nonesuch

The brainchild of Alynda Segarra (they/them), Hurray For The Riff Raff was formed in New Orleans in 2007. After a decade of train hopping around North America and hooking up with kindred runaways, Segarra settled in New Orleans, embracing the city's diversity and acceptance of all types. Their musical output also took on board the city's multiplicity, effortlessly blending roots, jazz and blues to create their own gypsy-type recordings. 

Their last record, the powerful LIFE ON EARTH (2022), was thematically driven by the need to exist in a world bordering on disarray. With the addition of electronic elements, that album was sonically experimental and a departure from the more folk-leaning of their previous projects. Musically, THE PAST IS STILL ALIVE is a return to their folk and roots leanings and plays out as a series of Segarra's memoirs from childhood to the present day.

'Writing this album was an exercise in memory excavation,' explained Segarra in a recent interview. Harking back to childhood, recollections of being driven by their father, Jose Enrique Quico, for the annual excursion from their home in the Bronx to Florida for family holidays are presented in Snakeplant (The Past Is Alive). Sadly, their father, who was hugely supportive of Segarra's career, died suddenly a month before the recording of the album. A photo of him as a young man is used as the cover of HFTRR's 2012 album, LOOK OUT MAMA.  

The track Hawkmoon pays homage to Miss Jonathan, the first trans woman encountered by Segarra in their early days in New Orleans, and Alibi is a plea to a hopelessly drug-addicted friend most likely and regrettably beyond rescuing. One-time New Orleans neighbour Esther Rose wrote a verse for the song Buffalo, returning the favour to Segarra, who added vocals on Rose's 2023 album SAFE TO RUN title track. Another artist inspired by the prowess and backbone of Segarra is Kentucky singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman, who adds her vocal to Dynamo and a duet with Conor Oberst, The World Is Dangerous, also features. The mass shooting in 2022 at a gay bar in Colorado, at Club Q, was the catalyst for Colossus Of Roads. 

A 'folk' author and singer in the true sense with a body of work fuelled by their personal and sometimes maladjusted journey, Segarra's crusade as one of the most introspective songwriters and storytellers of recent generations continues with this album. From their hugely impressive back catalogue, THE NAVIGATOR was a semi-autobiographical and concept album about an independent spirit seeking escape and HFTRR's standout recording for me. THE PAST IS STILL ALIVE equals, if not surpasses it and will no doubt feature in the standout records of this year in many circles.

Review by Declan Culliton

Amelia White Love I Swore Thirty Tigers 

‘I’ve been in a long relationship, and I wrote this record in a period where I thought I was going to lose that relationship. So, there’s that theme, keeping love going when you’re having to re-meet each other every time I return home,’ explains Amelia White on the backdrop to her new album, LOVE I SWORE.

Although a leading light in the burgeoning East Nashville music hotbed for many years, as with many artists in that bohemian community, commercial survival could best be described as ‘hand to mouth’ for White. With up to a dozen records over a career that covers nearly three decades, her talent was finally rewarded when the success of her 2017 album RHYTHM OF THE RAIN heralded a well-deserved springboard to greater industry recognition. 

LOVE I SWORE was recorded at Bell Tone Recording in Nashville and was produced by singer-songwriter Kim Richey, who also contributed backing vocals and percussion. White played acoustic and electric guitars, and the other players were Doug Lancio on guitar, Mark Pisapia on drums, and Billy Harvey on bass. Comparisons to Lucinda Williams may be lazy, but my initial take on the first listen remains on repeated plays. White’s vocal drawl and the edgy playing and driving rhythm accompanying them fit hand in glove. 

Bordering on a logbook in the life of a career artist, White approaches the topic with brutal honesty. Tracks like the raunchy Get To The Show and the love ballad Love I Swore ponder the harsh realities of life on the road while attempting to sustain a relationship. Those matters of the heart are a recurring theme across the album’s eleven tracks. A wound not yet healed emerges on Something New Comes, and a troubled relationship is also featured in I Follow The River. It’s not all doom and gloom either; brighter times are reflected in Don’t You Ever Forget and Can’t You See Me Now, which is a reminder to avoid complacency and keep the candle burning. 

An album that sounds as if it has been around forever, LOVE I SWORE showcases White’s flair for easy-to-access melodies alongside excursions into rugged rock and roll. It’s a fine listen from start to finish, and if there is any justice, it is one that should further promote White’s celebrity. 

Review by Declan Culliton

The Northern Belle Bats in the Attic Die With Your Boots On 

Major players in the flourishing Nordicana music genre, The Northern Belle, alongside First Aid Kit, Louien, Malin Petersen, Darling West, and Signe Marie Rustad, perfectly define the growing music scene emerging from Scandinavia and the Nordics.

The Northern Belle cover all the bases in fine style for what constitutes Nordicana in BATS IN THE ATTIC, their fifth studio album. Southern rock (Fresh Dew Drippin’), country/folk (Astral Plane, Higher Power), and power pop (Hell & Back, Merchant Navy Hotel) are all most impressively represented. They also exhibit the aptitude to turn out eloquent acoustic ballads with Grow Up and Japanese. 

The six Northern Belle members are Stine Andreassen (vocals, guitars), Bjørnar Ekse Brandseth (guitars, pedal steel), Johanne Flottorp (hardanger fiddle, harmonies), Trym Gjermundbo (drums), Ole-André Sjøgren (guitars, harmonies) and Marie Tveiten (guitars, harmonies). 

The impetus for much of the album’s songs came from an unlikely source. Band leader and songwriter Andreassen unearthed over three hundred and seventy letters in her grandmother’s attic, which her grandfather had written to his wife while he was at sea and stationed abroad. Other songs deal with new life - Andreassen gave birth for the first time - and life lost by the passing of friends.

Together with the quality of the instrumentation and the production, the common denominator amongst all the Nordicana acts noted above is the quality of the vocals. That indeed rings true on this album also, with lead vocals by Andreassen; the harmonies and layered vocals stand out throughout the album’s eleven tracks. Easy on the ears, BATS IN THE ATTIC is a delightful and nuanced recording worth investigating.

Review by Declan Culliton

Rodney Rice Self-Titled Self-Release

This album came out last year but arrived with us more recently. Unlike his previous releases, which were tracked in Austin, Rice recorded this album in Nashville. This time out, it was produced, engineered and mixed by Drew Carroll and features a wide range of players, some twenty-one in all, including Billy Contreras, Dave Racine, Dennis Crouch, and Jack Lawrence. Over that rhythmic base, there are the added textural quality of keyboards, guitars, trumpet, mandolin and fiddle, as well as a host of backing singers. It can definitely be seen as a step up for Rice overall. It should bring him further recognition for his Texas-based troubadour tunes which reflect his influences and overall direction (touches of the variety offered by The Flatlanders are apparent).

The result is a solidly performed and produced album highlighting Rice's songwriting and down-home voice on likeable tunes that are often immediately appealing, such as Rabbit Ears Motel, a twangy song with piano and Telecaster to the fore. There are a lot of different arrangements throughout that vary the tone, the almost New Orleans feel to the opening How You Told Me So. I was also reminded a little, on a track or two, of the great Phil Lee, more in feel than as a direct comparison - but maybe that's just me. Get To Where I'm Going details a brief overnight relationship. Of leaving and heading on down the highway to the next gig and wondering … "What's the point of just hanging around / the same shit in the same damn town." It's all built around a strong, driving guitar riff and break.

Set' Em Up is jaunty and offers the philosophy of set 'em up, and I'll knock 'em down. Again, the barrelhouse-style piano is effective. Wonder Where I Came From is a thought that we all might have. Rice wonders how his life became a sad old country song. The song, one of two not written solely by Rice, was co-written with Katie Cahn and given a solid kick-ass country/rock runout. 

Taking a more reflective fiddle-laden tone is Roll River Roll, a tale of a man who worked the mines - a life summed up with "first they broke my back, then they broke my mind." It shows that Rice is equally at home with a lighter touch as with the more up-tempo material. The final track, Every Passing Day, has a nice alt-country feel that looks at the need for empathy in a country severely lacking it. For his part, Rice shows his own empathy, essential humanity and understanding of its flaws and needs on this enjoyable album.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Phil Lee When I Close My Eyes I See Blood Palookaville

This album is the second in a fortuitous partnership between Lee and producer and multi-instrumentalist David West, the bulk of the material coming from Lee's pen and imagination. The album relates, in terms of spirit and attitude, to his early musical apprenticeship as a drummer for a largely liked local character, Homer A. Briarhopper, who fronted his bluegrass band the Briarhoppers in all his Nudie-suited glamour back in Raleigh, North Carolina. He passed away in 1983, but left a lasting mark on Lee's approach to performing and entertaining.

These songs are not directly related to that mentor but rather are symptomatic of Lee's vision of the debris of humanity's idiosyncrasies. The title track, however, is written by Brendan Earley. The opening song, A Night In The Box, takes us out to the trailer park where the available space is too small to "fight nor disagree" but has just about enough room to "kiss and hug", so he invites the ladies to come in to "spend a night in the box". I Wish This Song Had Teeth has something of an old-time attitude with resonator guitar, virtual tuba, banjo and piano. It wants a reaction that would leave a person in a mood that would "put you in a rasslin' hold." 

Last Year is just one example of how this duo are of the same mind and anticipate the best way to bring the song into a place where the sum of the two equals a full band sound that can touch on honky-tonk, Bakersfield and an all point west. The song highlights the distinctive of Lee's vocals (in a very compatible harmony with West throughout). It perfectly suits the theme of a relationship going from good to bad in the space of a year, "we were dumb and in love, we were like kids / now you regard me through narrowed eyelids / now you hate me, you can't say that you did ... last year." It also underlines that Lee has an interesting way with words that, time and again, produce a memorable song.

The aspect of loving, moving on, cheating while all the time seeking some temporary solace and, mostly, understanding his own failings emerges. For All The Times I Won't asks for a simple kiss, knowing that there will be many times when that won't happen. This subject is a constant, with other titles like She Ran Out Of Give and I'm The Why She's Gone. The latter has a great 60s-sounding arrangement and piano from West. It shows the fragility and regret in Lee's delivery.  Nobody But You, by way of contrast, features an acoustic backing that includes dobro, mandolin and banjo as effectively as the material using a bigger sound. The album closes with Lee's arrangement of an oft-recorded song, The Lonesome Road. It is given an old-style gospel take with a passion suited to the melancholy nature of the song. In his early seventies, Lee has a distinctive and recognisable voice that has aged as well as his talent.

All in all, it is a triumph for the partnership of Phil Lee and David West for this second album of their working together. It is, for Lee fans and others, another affirmation that, while he may not be that well known to a wider audience, he has had a career that has delivered much under his own direction, which he has continued to produce as he has said, "quality whether you want it or not." Once again, I know I very much want it. 

Review By Stephen Rapid

Houston Bernard Ditch This Town Self-Release

Coming from a background steeped in music and no little history, Bernard is continuing that tradition by putting his own stamp on a contemporary up-tempo set of rockin' county tunes. Raised in Alaska, though born in Oklahoma, he was always interested in music and, after a stint in the US Army, began to take that path more seriously, amalgamating influences that ranged from Springsteen, Mellencamp and Bryan Adams to Dwight Yoakam and Dolly Parton., people who told stories drawn from observation and experience. Some are personal, such as In My Blood, a song he co-wrote with Britton Cameron, which draws from his own life and how he was named after an uncle who passed away at an early age on the family farm. Throughout the album, Bernard co-wrote the songs, the majority of which would seem to be in his normal writing pattern. However, it is his voice that comes through. 

Over the eleven tracks on the album, which Nashville producer Bill McDermott helmed, they and the band explore a sound that can easily move from the more vibrant to the more contemplative tracks like Carry That Torch. While Broken is exemplary with the lyric, "When you’re high as a kite you're flying straight to the bottom." It closes an album that offers a viewpoint that is not that of traditional country. However, it contains elements of that but instead has a more modern sound that will undoubtedly attract an audience looking to connect with elements of that but also looking for something more synchronous with their age and lifestyle. They can find this here with Bernard and some of the current exponents of this music, one that features keyboards more so than fiddle and pedal steel.

In the song Ain't Like Me, there is a revealing line about a man who never stays in one place too long, which may indicate an influence that sits alongside his country music leanings, and that is "I got a touch of Springsteen in Born To Run." As with other tracks like this and the title track, it has a strong anthemic quality that, doubtless, would work well (or more so) in a live setting. 

The musicians appear to be of a like mind regarding the cut and thrust of the music, which, alongside the keyboards, has some edgy rock guitar moments over a solid driving rhythmic base. However, Bernard has a vocal ability that works just as effectively on the slower material, like the soul-searching introspection of Darkest Water. His learning of life's means and ways, as perhaps dictated by family and history as well as his own story, is in the song In My Blood. It talks of an uncle who died at the age of two on the family farm and after whom he is named. It has an evident passion in its delivery. A similar sense of understanding the past and the present is touched on again in All We Are Is Memories, delivered more as an enunciated ballad.

That overall relationship with family, place and love is at the heart of the slow-paced Carry That Torch, which contrasts with another love song that is pulsating, catchy,Wild Desire. More understanding of the downsides that can be the unfortunate consequences of the harsh reality of day-to-day existence is found in Broken, which closes in a suitable contrast to some of the other material and is delivered in a more stripped-back form which suits the song's inner reality. As mentioned, this may not appeal to some but will to its intended audience and shows that Bernard, while a relative newcomer, has one foot in his heritage and his headset in the future. 

Review By Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Red Sammy Holy Fluorescent Light Self Release

The band name is a performing vehicle for Adam Trice and this tenth album adds to the consistently fine work he has been releasing since the debut record appeared in 2007 and brought him to media attention. The band on this album is Bruce Elliott (electric guitar), Greg Humphreys (bass, backing vocals), Kenneth Noble (drums, percussion), and Adam Trice (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars). The eight songs kick off with the driving beat of Getting It Over, a rocking rendition of guitar riff and reckless reverie. The following Some Days I Feel Crazy has a slower tempo that captures a loose abandon ‘Getting down with the down-and-outs, Baby I’m feeling fine.’

I Couldn’t Find A Way Home Last Night sums up the sense that feeling lost is not always the worst possible outcome to relationship woes. There is an echo of  Lou Reed in the song arrangement with the sweet lead guitar wrapping the song in a rhythmic resonance.  Yesterday the World Opened Up is a song that reflects upon what to do with feeling that old keys don’t open new locks. Ernest and Bukowski is a tip of the hat to great writers that influenced Trice over formative years and the sense of independent attitude that runs through their respective works in the fruitless search for the ‘American dream.’ The laid-back tempo and feel is very much in line with the Alt-Country songs that bands such as Uncle Tupelo spawned in the early 1990s. Don’t Know What To Say walks in similar shoes with the guitar lines highlighting a nice song dynamic.

Last Night looks at lessons learned from the passing of time and the refrain ‘but that was last year’ mirrors the reflective guitar melody and the infectious chorus. The final song is I Worry Sick About You and the easy groove  belies the concern for another in the lyric. If you want to plug into a great example of all that sounds relevant in the Americana genre these days, then a visit to Adam Trice and his Red Sammy collective is a recommended stop along the highway.

Review by Paul McGee   

Alice Di Micele Interpretations Vol 1 Alice Otter

Celebrating a career that commenced in the 1980s and one that has seen sixteen albums released by this independent artist, it is appropriate that Alice Di Micele indulges her own personal preferences for other artists songs on this new album. It is a collection of nine cover songs and a tribute to some of the songwriters that she has drawn inspiration from over her extensive career. Judging by the title of this celebration to others in song, there will be a second album along similar lines, and this initial batch of tracks feature the impressive roots style and vocal range that Alice brings to her body of work.

It could be seen as dicing with danger to interpret classic songs such as Neil Young’s Old Man and Harvest Moon. These songs have been covered on so many occasions that one has to wonder what can be brought to the table that could be viewed as either fresh or new in the renditions. Happily, Alice makes each song choice very much her own and the intimate setting of acoustic guitar and voice bring a resonance, such as Give Yourself To Love (Kate Wolf), while the impressive blues groove of Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Rev Gary Davis) highlights the extent of talent on display with a stirring version, featuring the superb guitar work of Dirk Price and Nick Kirby.

The soulful Over My Head (Christine McVie) is another fine example of appropriate song choices with warm keyboard sounds lifting the arrangement and Square One (Tom Petty) has a gentle tone to the reflective nature of the lyric. Lesser known songs such as Throw It Away (Abbey Lincoln) bring a light,  jazzy touch in the arrangement and the inclusion of a bluesy Sugaree (Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter), together with the sense of longing on The Hounds Of Winter (Sting), are examples of both the diversity and range of styles that are impressive in their construction and delivery. Taking the project as a guilty pleasure, these songs blend together into a cohesive whole and deliver a seamless progression from start to finish.

Review by Paul McGee

Lars Nagel Tomorrow Never Knows Self Release

Growing up in Stockholm and dreaming of journeys to other continents could never have prepared Lars Nagel for the reality of finding himself living in California and spending his days as both a tennis pro and a budding musician. Having played in a number of bands in earlier days, Nagel released a solo album in 2015, and followed it with another album that same year. After this burst of activity over such a short space of time, Nagel went off the media radar until an EP surfaced in 2022.

Now we are treated to a new album and a return to the original intention of building upon his prior experiences. Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia, Nagle takes the opportunity to include a number of different music genres on the ten tracks and his writing instincts deliver strong performances here. Daniel Groover,  Diane Coll and Nagel co-produced and played on the album with appearances from Sam Rountree, Tom Cheshire and Steve McPeeks on selected tracks.

Opener Years Gone By talks of leaving the past where it belongs and living in the moment. There is a nod to the Boss in the arrangement and the song includes a hint of the melody on Out In the Street from the River album. The guitar attack on Johnny Was Right is pure cow punk, with pedal steel adding to the dynamic and references to Johnny Thunders land nicely in the refrain ‘You can’t put your arms around a memory.’ The country vibe on Fool’s Way Home is a song about being stuck in addiction and doomed to repeating the same mistakes. The sad tale of broken relationships is the focus of Love Don’t Live Here Anymore with self-pity no solution to the pain. You Will Never Change is a real rocker with an urgent backbeat and plenty of blame being thrown around ‘ You blame everyone for your present and your past.’

The poignant Now That You’ve Left Me  is a song to his deceased father and the lessons imparted since childhood. The sad reality that ‘My childhood is gone, You can no longer right all of my wrongs’ goes straight to the pain and loneliness that grief brings. The gentle sway of So It Goes strips everything down to a life lived by the rules and expectations of others and the price paid for living such a lie. The addition of pedal steel and piano makes this reflective song one of the highlights.

The spoken intro to Gotta Move is not credited but it speaks of the ills in American society and a nation that has forgotten how to feel empathy is expressed in the lyrics as Nagel drives the musicians on an up-tempo song full of anger and frustration. Old Photographs is a look through the telescope to Nagel’s childhood, capturing the adventures of youth and remembering a trip to the USA with his father. The album title and final song is an instrumental piece that has plaintive pedal steel to the fore and a thoughtful ending to an album that has lots to recommend it in the sentiment and the delivery.

Review by Paul McGee

Wayward Jane The Flood Down The River

Scottish four piece Wayward Jane have been honing their unique sound from their base of Edinburgh for a few years and this third release on their own label is a beautifully produced album demonstrating their fusion of American folk, old time and English folk music with their strong Scottish influences. Across five instrumentals and seven songs, they have produced an album of soothing acoustic music, sometimes mesmerising, always soulful.

 As the title track would suggest, the theme of water infiltrates its way across quite a few of the compositions. Edinburgh Rain introduces us to the distinctive and slightly vibrato vocals of Sam Gillespie (guitar & wooden flute) in a paean to their home city, ‘full of dreams’. His acoustic guitar motif is picked up by the versatile fiddle playing of Rachel Petyt. Michael Starkey leads us into the instrumental Brokeback with his sweet claw hammer banjo playing, weaving in and out of Petyt’s superb fiddle contributions, backed by acoustic guitar and Dan Abrahams’ double bass - it would be hard to believe this music wasn’t created in Southern Appalachia. Elizabeth Cotten’s Shake Sugaree gets a sweet makeover, with Sam Gillespie on vocals again, and is another acknowledgment of their influences.

 The instrumentals Doucement and A Stone’s Throw are the only two tracks which have a distinctive Scottish flavour, thanks to the combination of wooden flute and fiddle. Michael Starkey sings lead and plays clawhammer on a cover of Little Satchel, from the North Carolinian old time fiddle player, Fred Cockerham, who was one of the best known exponents of the Round Peak style. The album closer Liberty features some fine finger picked guitar and vocals from Sam Gillespie, in the service of a plea for freedom, ‘Liberty shall be a dream/while a single soul is still unfree’. And so say all of us.

Review by Eilís Boland 

Stoll Vaughan Dream In Colour Self-Release

This album represents the Kentucky-born singer/songwriter's fifth album and one that helps to define his take on his music and output further. There is a definite link to a primary influence for Stoll, which was and is Bob Dylan. That sits alongside other influences like Townes van Zandt and John Prine. All writers have a story of their own to tell, and this album finds Stoll in engaging form. He recorded and produced the album at Iroquois Studio in Kentucky. He moved to that State with his family after living in Los Angeles for a number of years. He gathered together a set of musicians who have played with the likes of John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, and the Allman Betts Band. In other words, a top-notch crew to bring these songs together. The team included guitarist Duane Betts on one song, as well as Johnny Stachela's effective slide guitar on two other tracks. Mike Grosser and Dane Clark were the solid rhythm section, while John Ginty filled out the sound with his keyboard dexterity.

His songs have a cinematic quality, so it's no surprise they have appeared in True Blood, Treadstone, Shameless and The Office, showing how such varied television programmes found something in his songs to suit their different moods. Initially, he was mentored by Mellencamp’s guitarist Mike Wanchic, and this album proves he learned well. It has a solid, intense sound, topped by a voice connecting the listener with the songs, which range from the go-west story 1883 of migrating into the unknown hard-scrabble "badlands" territory, undertaken by those seeking a new start. It has a hint of a tribal beat and atmospheric guitar and keyboards. Brother James is a reminiscence of a man "raised by drunkards with no dreams." The title track affirms that life, love, dreams, and the faith one holds, all look better viewed in colour. It has an appropriate sense of reverie in the musical context.

The move Vaughan made in returning to Kentucky is at the heart of Farmer's Market. It is a song that relates to getting into a rural lifestyle and assuming the role of a farmer without becoming one. Again, the lyrics create much of the overall picture that is conjured, along with the arrangement. Closer to home and again using the keyboards to give the song its setting is Fate. It recognises fate's role in shaping how a life and attending partnership is fundamental to a well-lived life and a lasting love. Somewhat broader in context is the life on a road subtext of Just Another Day, which is what is in store for so many. 

More bluesy and with a guiding slide guitar riff is the journey across a murky territory that is a Killing Floor. Shades of John Hyatt abound, at least to these ears. It also sees him more in a Dylan phrasing mode along with that of Just Another Day, where the influence is apparent without ever becoming a mimicking process; it also has a harmonica prominent throughout. The Thick Of It has a reflectiveness that notes that we are all largely in that particular state for one reason or another.

Vaughan is another name to add to the growing list of Americana songwriting troubadours who have the ability to look at their own lives and observations and turn them into pieces of music that marry a crated lyricism with an appealing musical performance that is as colourful as it is engaging. It also underscores Vaughan's growth in each of his releases.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Bela Fleck Rhapsody In Blue Self-Release

Exactly one hundred years to the day that composer George Gershwin premiered RHAPSODY IN BLUE at Aeolian Hall in New York, seventeen-time Grammy Award winner Bela Fleck pays homage to Gershwin’s classic and timeless composition. There are many similarities between the two composers. Fleck may be best known for his masterful banjo playing, but like Gershwin, he has explored numerous musical genres over his forty-five-year performing and recording career. Gershwin died from a brain tumour at the young age of thirty-eight, and his compositions included jazz, classical and popular music. Fleck’s work in classical music includes the album PERPETUAL MOTION, a collaboration with bassist Edgar Meyer, involving classical music played on the banjo, which was awarded a Grammy as Best Classical Crossover Album. 

This five-track album includes three interpretations of the title track, a reconstruction of Gershwin’s Rialto Ripples, and a previously unrecorded track, Unidentified Piece for Banjo. Rhapsody in Blue features Eric Jacobson and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Rhapsody in Blue (grass) is an upbeat and spirited jam with Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart band members Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton. Fleck’s long-time collaborators Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Victor Wooten joined the party for the bluesy-shaped Rhapsody in Blue(s). 

A lifetime lover of Gershwin’s work, Fleck’s interpretations breathe new life into the compositions, offering the listener an entirely different listening experience. “A piano player can play Rhapsody a lot faster than I can… but it’s going by so fast that I’m not getting it all,’’ explains Fleck on this experimental project that should appeal to both his fanbase and a wider audience who appreciate exceptional banjo playing and much more. It may even find appeal amongst some of the notoriously elitist jazz hipsters; you never know. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Morgan Lee Powers How Naïve Self-Release

For my ears, there is a fine line between what qualifies as modern country and mainstream pop music. Quite a few female artists are mastering the former, writing their own material without ever descending into the predictable and tedious. Emily Nenni, Hailey Whitters and Kaitlin Butts immediately come to mind, and this debut record from Waco, Texas-born Morgan Lee Powers, finds her following a similar path, and equally impressively. 

A graduate with a bachelor of science degree from Belmont University in Nashville, where she currently lives, the twenty-one-year-old, having completed her studies, turned her focus towards attempting to pave a career for herself in music. Writing songs from an early age and raised on country and classic rock, Powers paid her dues by playing three-hour sets on Broadway in Nashville to establish a foothold in the increasingly competitive market. She hooked up with Music Row engineer Sean Neff (Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles, Glen Campbell, The Doobie Brothers) to record HOW NAÏVE and his sympathetic production underscore Powers’ vocals just right. Eleven of the album’s thirteen tracks are solo writes, and Cowboy Killer, a co-write with Elizabeth Cook, also features. 

A concept album of sorts, its content works around the highs and lows, growing pains and teenage angst while growing up in a small southern town. It’s hardly an original theme, but Power follows in the footsteps of Brandy Clark in writing clever and astute songs from both personal experience and a watchful eye. 

She sets the scene with the opener, Southern Living, telling the tale of her upbringing and ambitions. Content aside, it showcases Powers’ crystal-clear vocals supported by slick fiddle and pedal steel. Teenage crushes, love won and lost, yearning to meet ‘the one’ surface on the mid-paced ballad Dear Whoever You Are and Like A Gentleman. The album’s title track - not autobiographical - reflects on blind-sighted innocence and marrying too young. Pearl Snaps, which is autobiographical, weighs up the perils of falling for someone much older than yourself.  Teenage insecurities and the darker side of social media are voiced in Hate My Mirror (‘She’s the reason I did not eat today, she makes me cry because she looks so happy, everything I ever wanted comes naturally to her’). The defiant anthem-like and previously mentioned Cowboy Killer is instantly catchy, with a driving rhythm ideally suited for a live show. Advocating cherishing life’s simple pleasures, the album bookends pragmatically with Simple Things. 

Powers’ debut album will most likely attract the attention of industry labels. With a pristine voice and the capacity to write perceptive lyrics, she ticks all the boxes for a pop/country market breakthrough. Let’s hope she gets the support to continue to write and record her own material and not be channelled into a more mainstream musical direction. If this evolves, we’re likely to be hearing a lot more from Morgan Lee Powers.

Review by Declan Culliton

The Steel Wheels Sideways Big Ring 

 Mid- to long-term plans for Virginia-based band The Steel Wheels were scuppered by Covid 19, as was the case with all artists and bands dependent on travel and touring to make a living. The pandemic was not the only upset that The Steel Wheels were confronted with, far from it. Band member Eric Brubaker’s young daughter passed away from a rare disease, and frontman Trent Wagler’s daughter experienced a mental health crisis. Not surprisingly, much of the content of SIDEWAYS, the band’s thirteenth album, deals with devastation and a reminder of the unpredictability that we face daily.  

The Steel Wheels is Trent Wagler (vocals/guitar/banjo), Jay Lap (guitar/mandolin/vocals), Eric Brubaker (fiddle/vocals), Kevin Garcia (drums/percussion/mallet keyboards), and Jeremy Darrow (bass). The recording of SIDEWAYS took place at the Great North Sound Society in Parsonsfield, Maine. Taking advantage of the first opportunity for the five band members to all play together in two years, they holed up at the venue for a week to create their latest record. The production duties were overseen by Sam Kassirer (Lake Street Drive, Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim), renewing a relationship that worked well on the band’s well-received 2017 album, WILD AS WE CAME HERE.

In a similar vein to their musical peers, Chatham County Line, The Steel Wheels have become more experimental both musically and lyrically on recent recordings, moving on from their early acoustic incarnation and four players around a single mic. The tracks here see-saw between darkness and light, yet the compositions sit comfortably side by side. The thought-provoking title track touches on the grinding reality of dealing with a world of ongoing challenges. Two haunting instrumentals, Dissidents and Past The Breaks, also characterise the former. In contrast, Wait On You and Good Thing Now are buoyant, heartening and loaded with soaring harmonies. 

SIDEWAYS offers a broad canvas to the listener, with excursions into rock together with the band’s traditional bluegrass, folk and gospel leanings. It’s a formula that earned them a loyal and committed fanbase, and this project is another worthy addition to their impressive catalogue.

Review by Declan Culliton 

Sour Bridges Down and Out Self-Release

The fusion of bluegrass, country and rock, currently named 'browngrass,' is one of the fastest-growing music genres. Ausin-based four-piece Sour Bridges falls into that classification, and DOWN AND OUT is their fifth studio album. The band members are Pucci brothers Bill (vocals, guitar, banjo) and Matt (lead guitar, mandolin, vocals), Will Vaughan (bass) and Marc Randal Henry (drums and percussion). Also lending a hand on this record were Camille Schiess (fiddle), Trevor Nealon (keys), Zack Wiggs (pedal steel) and Jessica Pucci (vocals).

The band hooked up with co-producer Grant Eppley (Spoon, Ryan Bingham) at Hen House Recording in Austin, their main objective being to recreate the passion and verve of their live shows. They do achieve this, from the racy toe-tapping title track that opens the album to the jaunty closer A.M.Jam. They hardly draw breath in between with standout honky tonk barroom songs, A Pair Of Arms, Drinkin' All The Way Home and Scarlett Woman. 

Combining recently written songs, two of which were written the day before recording and others which had been penned ten years previously, the album showcases the band's stellar playing, clever lyrics and rousing harmonies. If the playing field is becoming overcrowded with bands jumping on the 'browngrass' wagon, Sour Bridges is most definitely up there with the pack leaders. On the evidence of this album, I can only imagine how entertaining a Sour Bridges live show would be. Hopefully, they will showcase at Americana Fest next September, and I can witness that for myself. 

Review by Declan Culliton

RED SAMMY, Alice Di Micele, Lars Nagel, Wayward Jane, Stoll Vaughan, Béla Fleck, Morgan Lee Powers Music, The Steel Wheels, and Sour Bridges

New Album Reviews

Hank Woji Highways, Gamblers, Devils and Dreams Self Release

This is the sixth release from songwriter Hank Woji who resides in Terlingua, Texas and it’s a welcome addition, given that the previous album came out in 2014. During this nine year gap Woji has continued to tour regularly in the United States, performing at festivals, theatres, clubs and house concerts both as a solo artist and in other duo and trio combinations. He also performs with a Tex-Americana Jam Band called The Hank Woji Conspiracy.

This ambitious project stretches into a double album with twenty three songs and a running time of almost two hours. There is a wealth of good music to choose from and quite a number of different music genres across these tracks. The entire album was recorded across eight different states and visited fifteen different recording studios. The musicians who contributed make for a very long list and they all add significantly to the rich tapestry that unfolds here.  Michael Mizma (drums, wood block) and Thomas Helton (bass, double bass, sousaphone), anchored the majority of tracks with their sterling performances in the rhythmic engine room. Rob Pastore (pedal steel guitar) features on four songs and Karen Mueller (autoharp, mandolin) shows her skills on a further four songs, with others such as Radoslav Lorvic (piano, Hammond B3 organ, accordion) appearing on six songs. Hank Woji contributed on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, surdo, harmonica, banjo and vocals. He wrote all the songs and four date back to 2013, with another two written in 2011 and 2006 respectively.

The first disc includes four cover songs and versions of I Ain’t Got No Home (Woody Guthrie), I’ll Be Here In the Morning (Townes Van Zandt), Sitting In Limbo (Jimmy Cliff, Guilly Bright) and Land Of Hope and Dreams (Bruce Springsteen) are all delivered with due reverence, while also displaying the real talents of Woji in stamping his own sound on such timeless classics. Whether employing a folk or a country sound or incorporating some blues and gospel into the arrangements, Woji called upon the talented studio musicians to embellish the sound and the entire project is something of a magnum opus for this singer, songwriter and musician.

I’m Gonna Hit the Number has a terrific laid-back groove that channels JJ Cale in hitting the sweet spot. The gospel warmth of Saving Grace is another superb moment with such great harmony vocals, piano and organ sound. There are road songs that deal with the journey and the ultimate destination, with Don’t Look Back, Chasin’ My Headlights and Sunny Days all laying down the need to keep hope and endurance as the ultimate goal. Indeed, the opening Don’t Look Back would comfortably fit on a Neil Young album in terms of feel.

The second disc opens with the excellent bluegrass sound of Runnin’ With the Devil and tales of a life on the run from the law. There is one cover song included and Take You Burden To the Lord and Leave It There is a classic gospel blues tune dating back to 1927 and written by Charles a Tindley. It’s one of the highlights here, among many, including the  laid-back bosa nova beat of Man In A Cave, the Mexican rhythm of El Sonador (The Dreamer), and the strong message contained in On Our Way Back Home.

There is a nod to the soulful sound of The Band on the country gospel influenced Start Building Bridges, a song of hope and of unison. The tongue-in-cheek country twang of Corporations Are People is a reminder that such organisations are not above the law, and the reggae beat of Can’t Happen Here has a similar message about ignorance and choosing not to see the truth in front of our eyes. The Devil’s At the Door is a standout song, fused with a gospel blues groove and the final song is Peace Onto You and an abiding message to love as you would want to be loved in return. Guest appearances by Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Jaimee Harris on vocals add even more spice to the whole melting pot of different sounds and this music comes highly recommended. It represents a high water mark in the career of this talented musician and one that contains a depth that will resonate with anyone who is passionate about music of the senses and the soul.

Review By  Paul McGee

James J Turner Future Meets the Past Touch The Moon

This album is a very enjoyable listen and marks the fourth solo release from Liverpool based James J Turner. A debut album arrived in 2002, titled The Believer, and was followed in 2012 by How Could We Be Wrong, before a third solo project appeared in 2016, Spirit, Soul and a Handful Of Mud. After opening his own recording studios Turner decided to focus on distributing his own music and Touch The Moon Records releases and promotes his musical activities these days. Outside of surviving the dangerous reefs of an independent solo career, Turner had originally cut his teeth as a young musician in local bands such as Lies all Lies and The Electric Morning playing a mixture of  rock/new wave music and gigging live throughout England and Europe on a very regular basis.

This latest release contains twelve songs that highlight a very positive message, coloured by a big production sound with all arrangements and songs created by Turner himself. His message is one of embracing the spirit that rests within each of us and releasing a positive energy into our daily lives. Turner is not one for embracing traditional institutions such as church and state. He questions the way in which our institutions impose conformity and sublimation in our social mores.He is a bardic druid who seeks to connect people to the natural world and also to their cultural and historical roots from the past. As a member of  the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Turner channels inner reflection and spiritual landscapes, incorporated in a message of concern for the environment.

The songs here focus on themes such as self-awareness, self-healing and questioning the status quo. The opening song, and album title, talks about learning from past events in order to shape future outcomes. Kalahari Rain is a driving rock song that jumps out of the speakers, while Cycle Of Life slows the pace with a more acoustic arrangement that highlights violin in the mix.  Real Change has a Celtic air laced through the melody and is a call to break free from this ‘well-oiled machine.’ Whistle and flute introduce Breaking Of the Ties which has a folky feel to a tale of progress stamping on the livelihoods of the common man.

Heaven’s Inside You has a compulsive drum and bass rhythm and a sense of Paul Weller in the delivery with violin adding colour to the arrangement and a message that all we seek is already within us. The pace slows once again on Same Old Story and a look at corporate greed in the push for profit above everything else. Such short sightedness is tackled again on Move Up to the Light with a message that eco-awareness is the solution to the over-arching corporate greed that threatens our environment.  We Won’t Live Under Fear is a call to arms and a manifesto to come together in fighting the powerful forces that dictate our daily reality.

Full credit goes to the musicians who brought this music to life in the studio. Etienne Girard (electric bass, double bass), Dave Ormsby and Mark Rice (drums, percussion), Amy Chalmers (violin, backing vocals), Chris Haigh and Neil McCartney (violin) and Vicky Mutch (cello) all contribute seamlessly across these songs. James J Turner takes all lead vocals and plays acoustic, electric guitar, mandolin, whistles and shruti. His singular vision is laudable and there is a passion that runs through his strong vocal delivery and engaging songs. To the Wild closes the album with simple acoustic guitar and whistle, and a promise to get back to simpler days when life seemed less complicated. Now, that’s a place that we can all relate to; that chance to get back to the garden of youth. Maybe this music can take you there.

Review By  Paul McGee

Malcolm MacWatt Dark Harvest Need To Know

The traditions of British folk music run deep, and the sense that it belongs exclusively in the past can hang over contemporary artists in their search for new ways to interpret old folklore and heritage. Different generations come and go, and each of us learn from listening over time to the stories of our elders. What would it take to merge modern interpretations with the old influences and to capture that sense of constancy that runs through it all? Well, Malcolm MacWatt is an artist who strives to bring together the old with the new. A multi-instrumentalist from the Scottish highlands, he has been capturing the old traditions and interlacing them with his interest in modern themes since his debut release in 2018.

This sixth album is a very absorbing look into what defines us as individuals and as a society. The theme running through the fourteen songs is one of personal reflection and the consequences of our actions in terms of universal karma. The songs reveal themselves as messengers from another place that impact upon the revolving wheel of life. Strong Is the North Wind opens the album and sings of the portents of doom, of ancient clans divided, and the way in which separation is fuelled by powerful forces that seek to rule our way of living in modern society. The plaintive harmonica is particularly atmospheric as the plea to ‘come to the polling stations and make yourselves known’ is highlighted as the only way to break the chains of oppression.

The Church and the Crown follows and has a similar message, with the restrained arrangement echoing a rueful look at the abuse of power; the combination of violin and vocal spinning a familiar tale, captured in the words ‘while the nobles and bishops grow fat on their lies.’  MacWatt entreats that ‘the poor and the workers rise up like a wave.’ The sense of injustice running through these two opening songs is palpable and it is a thread that runs through the album. Red River Woman has simple percussion and banjo, interspersed with dobro and violin, on a tale about race crimes and the murder of a First Nation girl. Harmony vocal by Shannon Hynes is very powerful in relating the sense of anger and disbelief that is captured in the arrangement.

Angeline Morrison is featured on Empire In Me and the song visits the topic of the slave trade and the dark forces that took away basic human rights from so many, coercing them into a life of incredible cruelty and depravation. The young child, born as the outcome of abuse, reflects upon the crime committed ‘So father I ask you when you look at me, Am I flesh of your flesh? Or your property?’ Nathan Bell tells the tale of Gruinard Island on the title song Dark Harvest and the local suffering caused through use of the land as a testing ground for anthrax experimentation by both the English and American governments. ‘One generation’s terrorist or political prisoner, Is the next generation’s activist or politician.’ These folk songs have all the traditional framework of tales spun from bitter experience and received memory passed down. The songs are equally as powerful in a modern context as in the times they mirror.

The traditional song Out On the Western Plains is one that I can recall being played by Rory Gallagher in the 1970s in concert, and here it is given great resonance with the guitar of Pat McManus. You can sense the ghost of Lead Belly walking through the bluesy arrangement. The tale of Brave David Tyre recounts the last man to be hanged, drawn and quartered in England, back in 1782. The Scotsman had been convicted of being a French spy and suffered his gruesome death in Portsmouth. Phil Dearing plays atmospheric piano on the song. The Nightjar’s Fall From Grace is a song that uses the nocturnal bird and it’s monotonous call as a metaphor in examining divisive ego and foolish pride and the repercussions of boastful behaviour.

Buffalo Thunder is a standout song that laments the disappearance of the vast herds that once dominated the American landscape, slaughtered to near extinction by the white man, exerting control over Native Indian tribes. It highlights some fine playing on banjo, fiddle with resonator guitar also featured. Heather and Honey sings of the compromise caused by private land ownership and the impact upon the ability of local farming communities to make a basic living ‘ I see the highlands becoming parks for a new monied clan, As people head south to the big towns and cities for jobs and a better chance.’

The longest song is The Last Bowman and it tackles the question of whether there is ever art in war. The skill involved in training an expert archer to master his craft is in stark contrast to the easy way in which anyone can pick up a gun and shoot it. ‘The alchemy of gunpowder became the atom bomb’ MacWatt sings as he plays a military tattoo on a share drum with Phil Dearing supporting on piano. Drowsy Maggie has a traditional air and a melody that harks back to past generations, with the song unveiling a tale of robbery and dire consequences for the extended family. It captures the cost of addiction with the needless loss of life caused by poor decisions taken.

The final song Semi Scotsman brings a personal touch to bookend everything and a declaration of the proud heritage to which MacWatt identifies. That sense of belonging and of pride in being part of a greater whole ‘It’s where I walk in all my hopes and dreams.’ This is a very impressive and embracing album, calling you into the message of equality and equity in all things. It comes highly recommended.      

Review By Paul McGee

Matt Blake Cheaper To Fly Self Release

The story telling singer/songwriter is releasing his second album which judging by the credits, has been in the works for some time, as it includes a dedication to the late Don Heffington, the renowned drummer who was a founder of Lone Justice and played with numerous top notch artists. He was a fundamental contributor to the recording of this album, along with other notable names likes Doug Pettibone, who produced and played guitar and pedal steel throughout the album. The other members of the team included Patrick Warren on keyboards and David Piltch on bass, along with a number of singers adding their supportive vocals to the mix.

It is, however, the warm tone of Blake’s voice that draws you into his stories. One deals with highly inclement weather that finds him holed up during a fierce snow storm in Wisconsin and dealing with that only to find another coming just behind it while he’s waiting for the sunshine! Big Snow is the opening track of the album and finds the band clearing their own path. It features a solid keyboard break to give it a lift. More internal is Help Me, which again looks at isolation and the anxiety that that can develop from that situation, even in a cityscape. The pedal steel is central to the sadness of the track’s sentiments. Ohio talks about that particular State and acknowledges that once the factories began closing down, so did the communities built around them. However, Ohio is home and its inhabitants may well love it too, the effective guitar here helping to set the tone. There is a quid pro quo in his thinking, though, as he offers to save the world if his partner can do the same for him. The song has an upbeat feel and a brief but captivating yodel from vocalist Alice Wallace.

Another solid uplifting beat underpins Things We Used To Do, which finds Blake wondering how he could forget those things, whilst at the same time hoping to do that thing for other lesser moments. Again, Pettibone adds some compelling guitar to the track. Reflections of earlier times, particularly of his high school days, is what The Bottom takes on, in this case a particular sadness that suggests something tragic unfolding in the memories. 

Matt Blake’s lyrics touch on a number of themes that effectively convey the sense of emanating from someone who has witnessed or endured the feelings contained within. Overall the collective contribution of all involved has produced an album that never fails to keep one engaged and demonstrates why he is an artist respected by his peers. There is a tenth song that closes out the album, a demo version of the title track, which provides a hint as to how he has stylised his studio time to fully realise the songs, whilst showing that its essence was there from the start. Blake has opened shows for Lucinda Williams, which in itself should indicate the character of his music (indeed she joined him on a track from his debut album). That album was released back in 2014 and, as mentioned above, for an artist like Blake it can often take time for an independent artist to be in the position to release new music. 

Blake shows his development here with CHEAPER TO FLY and how he has gathered a a team of players around him (especially Doug Pettibone, who also produced the previous album) who have done much to realise his dream. So it may be well worth your time to sample a slice of his Americana storytelling, which will hopefully give him the opportunity to be able to release material more frequently.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Lori Yates Matador Self Release

This new album from the Canadian singer/songwriter immediately sounds like an old friend. The nature of Yates’s writing and singing is delivered with an ease that is immediately appealing, but equally there is an apparent passion when she sings too. The songs are full of reminiscences of people and places that remind her of earlier times, times she may have moved on from but that she is not afraid to revisit. Indeed, the title track concerns a much loved venue that, like many, is faced with demolition - in the name of progress. The Matador is remembered by some small incidents that show how it was a meeting place for like minds as much as a place to see and play music. but the overall plea is to not tear down “the grand old matriarch of Dovercourt.” 

Yates produced the album alongside fellow musician Tim Vesely, who contributes on numerous instruments. They are joined by Steve O’Connor on keyboards, Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, banjo and pedal steel, Michelle Josef on drums and Basil Donovan, who is a member of Blue Rodeo, alongside playing with other musicians. There is also sadness as her long-time friend, guitarist and Hey Stella stalwart David Baxter passed away during the making of the album. Their combined contribution is, however, a fitting tribute to him.

Again, her skill as a writer as much as a vocalist is evident in the nine featured songs, all written by Yates bar a new version of a song (Time After Time) that she wrote with Guy Clark at the time she released her debut album on Sony back in 1988. Since that time, Yates has largely been an independent artist, which has allowed her the freedom to develop her music in a way that suits her. That is witnessed by the consistent sound over the tracks. They are held fast by the solidness of the rhythm section, with the guitars, keyboards and steel adding the textures which provide the forward moving current that sits behind Yates vocal delivery, which is at turns tender or determined, as the songs require.

Perhaps the immediate stand out here for this writer is the song 3 Sisters, which is an atmospheric take on the elements of heartache, sorrow and teardrops that are at the heart of a melancholic plea to live a life again. It is full of a delicate pain and distant hopefulness. It has a keening quality that is delivered with an obvious intensity. Cowboy, on the other hand, offers the man in the saddle a way to come home after the lure of the midnight skies begins to fade. The sentiments of need and longing are apparent in songs like Alive, as in it’s good to be there but there is a hurt there too. Then there is the acceptance of I Loved Ya which tells of the awareness of “I know you’re waiting there for me / you’ve been waiting for the longest time” and how in the end there is also the realisation that “I’ll make my way back to you.”

These feelings suggest a person who has come to terms with the vagaries that survival throws at everyone, but also the acknowledgement that it is part of what makes us what we are. Yates is a matador facing the bull(shit) but holding her ground too. This new album is one that fans will simply adore and newfound friends and fans should search out, as it’s a testament to Yates’ talent and determination. 

Review By Stephen Rapid

Ellis Bullard Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution Feels So Good

Tagged ‘True Blue Honky Tonk Music’ on his homepage, you are not going to be in any doubt about where Ellis Bullard is coming from musically. Then the album more than justifies the tag, as a hardcore take on the past but given a modern twist in the tale. Bullard and his band are based in Texas, in Austin, and play a lot of the honky tonks there. He is something of a road warrior with a lot of gigs under his belt. He has always considered the road band he uses as much a part of the adventure, though it is his name on the albums and posters. That band backs him up to the hilt, making a collective sound built around music that folks want to listen and dance to. He translates his hard won experience and observations into songs that wouldn’t be out of place in a set by Waylon Jennings or Merle Haggard. The outlaw aspect of that lineage is alive and well in Bullard.

His debut release, from last year, was a seven track EP but now with HONKY TONK AIN’T NOISE POLLUTION he and the band have delivered a ten track collection that relates to different aspects of life - on the road and off. The pitfalls of the use of alcohol to mediate a bad relationship are outlined in Lucky You, Lucky Me, My Unlucky Ways. This is delivered, as are many of the tracks, with a dance floor dynamic that means even the hardest heartbreak can be tolerated with a little swing. We are not too far off that turf with the anguish of Prison In My Mind wherein the highway is the cause of that emotion. Further down the line, It Aint Easy Needing Green contrasts the need to make some money against the needs of a troubled planet. It features an effective interplay between guitar and harmonica.

Taking a look back at his younger days and those seemingly easier times is the subject of Young, Wild, Free, while praise for a particular combination of a preferred libation is the subject of Patron And Lime. The slower pace of Hopeless Waltz demonstrates how a slower song fits the band as much as the more uptempo material. The nature of his chosen lifestyle is outlined in Cocaine Money as in  “country music - fortune and fame making cocaine money - there ain’t no other way.” The final track is the title song that opens with a distorted vocal before hitting a solid groove and an another affirmation that this must run through the band’s blood. It is a little more edgy, rockin’ and contemporary than earlier tracks but makes a strong final statement of intent.

Sam Norris, whose steel guitar adds much to the overall sound co-produced the album with Bullard along with bassist Cole Beddingfield and the engineer Patrick Herzfeld. The other band members here were guitarists Adam Duran and Austin Roach, Kyle Ponder on drums, Jon Grossman and guest harmonica player Jonathon Tyler. They all stepped up to the plate to deliver a strong, solidly entertaining album on which Bullard has something of a classic honky tonk vocal presence that is perfectly suited to his songs and the way they have realised them here.

There is certainly no noise pollution here, that is if you are of a like minded disposition. However, some fans of a more recently-minted misbranded version that is passed off as ‘country’ may disagree, as will those who are immune to its attractions. Otherwise Ellis Bullard has made an album that will be one of the stand-outs for this coming year.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Simon Stanley Ward and the Shadows Of Doubt Rocket In the Desert Self Release

Originally formed in 2013, and with two previous albums to their name, Shadows Of Doubt are a vibrant fun loving four piece band that hail from London and play on a regular basis on the UK circuit. Simon Stanley Ward is the main songwriter and he also performs as a comedian when not burning up the roads and venues around the various local circuits that they plug into. The original band included Paul Lush (lead guitar), Neil Marsh (drums) and Geoff Easeman (bass), with Simon Stanley Ward on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. Sadly, the band lost Geoff Easeman in 2023, the tenth anniversary of the band, and the story of their close bond is captured on this album.

Geoff played on eight of the tracks included here and his parts were captured in the hospice where he was spending his final months. The other three members had recorded the basic songs in a local studio in Norwich with producer Gavin Bowers providing the magic in capturing the live feel of the sessions. Incredibly, all the songs were finished over a period of just two days. Later in the year after the passing of Geoff, a further two songs were added to the album with Geoff’s son, Richard Easeman, taking the bass and playing superbly in honour of his father. Such a moving and poignant story and one that is touched by a sprinkling of magic dust also.

Opening song I’m A Worrier has a nice calypso groove and rhythm, despite the lyrical content which describes anxiety suffered in daily living. It could also be tongue-in-cheek as it speaks of training up in the mountains ‘A dedicated scholar in fabricating fears.’ However, there is no doubting the rockabilly strut of This Ain’t It or indeed the sunny guitar pop sound of  the title track. Bigfoot Baby has a great rock and roll beat and a fun lyric to enjoy ‘Well a lot of folk will tell you that it ain't real, But try saying that out loud when you're gonna be its next meal.’ There is also some tasty guitar courtesy of Paul Lush who also plays in Danny and the Champions of the World, another fine London band.

Tony has a soulful 60s sound and the song was written for a friend during lockdown. The guitar work on Deadheading is superb  and the vocal attack has an urgency in the delivery ‘Get your knees down in the mud, Shadows of Doubt nip it in the bud.’ The clever wordplay continues on Terpsichorean Footwear which looks at dancing shoes and states ‘Like the antelope, On the African plain, I'm gonna move my feet and drive you insane,’ elsewhere urging that  ‘all the long words, you gotta look them up.’ Elsewhere Designated Driver and When September Comes hit the mark with country and rock sounds capturing the mood.

The ensemble really play with a freedom and intensity that is invigorating and the fresh sound on the album is very engaging. The final song Loving You is a folky sea shanty that is a reflection on the enduring power of love. Ward sings, plays acoustic guitar and fiddle, with Paul Lush turning in yet another standout performance on guitar and mandolin. Throughout, Neil Marsh plays superbly in the engine room alongside the bass parts of both father and son, Geoff and Richard Easeman. As a tribute to the memory of Geoff Easeman this album is superbly crafted and with Richard Easeman on bass for the final two songs, capturing the essence of his father, it is indeed the perfect homage. An excellent album and worthy of your time.

Review By Paul McGee

Corb Lund El Viejo New West

‘It’s a lot of minor keys and gambling songs, is what it is,” explains Corb Lund, reflecting on his latest album, ‘It was just a few of us in my house. No studio. No outside producer. No adults in the room. No stress.’ 

Working with members of his band, The Hurtin’ Albertans, the eleven-track album was recorded with anyout electric instruments with many of the tracks being ‘first takes.’ It follows his 2020 covers album SONGS MY FRIENDS WROTE and arguably his career finest record, AGRICULTURAL TRAGIC from 2020. The former included two songs (Montana Waltz and Road To Las Cruces) written by fellow Canadian Ian Tyson, who passed away in 2022. EL VIEJO pays tribute to Tyson, Lund's close friend and mentor. The album’s title translates as ‘The Old One,’ the nickname conferred on Tyson by fellow singer-songwriter Tom Russell. 

Very much a modern outlaw, Lund was never one to follow markets or trends. Despite never hogging the limelight, he has been the recipient of both Juno and Canadian Country Music Association Awards. EL VIEJO is typical of his practice of making music that reflects his frame of mind at any given time, putting it out there without any significant ambition in terms of shifting units. It’s a strategy that has worked well for him in the past, evidenced by the fact that he has retained the support of New West for over a decade and a half.

Lund confesses to following the lyrical style of artists like Marty Robbins, Kris Kristofferson, Bobbie Gentry, and Jerry Reed on this record. He more than achieves this with lyrics that are both articulate, good-natured and laced with black humour. A point in case are the hilarious Redneck Rehab and Old Familiar Drunken Feeling. The former is a racy and hilarious tale of hillbilly-style self-administered cold turkey. The latter is based on a true story when Lund, high as a kite having experimented with some legal edible cannabis before playing a gig, resorted to downing copious amounts of whiskey to overcome the onset of paranoia. Gambling, cheating and drinking are well represented in the opener The Cardplayer and The Game Gets Hot. Out On A Win tells the tale of the chronic, unfortunate, ageing fighter wishing to bow out on one last victory. The title track is a heartfelt tribute to Tyson, grieving his passing and acknowledging his significance.  

A master class in astute storytelling, country-edged vocals, and fine instrumentation, EL VIEJO is a worthy addition to Corb Lund’s impressive catalogue. It's no surprise; he seldom puts a foot wrong. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Chatham County Line Hiyo Yep Roc

The early career days of singing around a single microphone, acoustic instrumentation and a modern bluegrass sound are long since in the past for North Carolina roots band Chatham County Line. It is not surprising, given that they have recorded fourteen studio albums over the past two decades before the release of their latest project, HIJO. Their last album, STRANGE FASCINATION from 2020, was their final recording with founding member and banjo player Chandler Holt. His departure, together with the appointment of Rachael Moore (T-Bone Burnett, Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, Kacey Musgraves) as co-producer, has culminated in the band pushing out the boundaries with their most experimental recording to date.

Drum machines, synthesizers, percussion and copious amounts of electric guitar all play their part, which is a noticeable departure from the band's comfort zone. They have not entirely abandoned their modern bluegrass leanings, and the harmonies by the three band members, Dave Wilson, John Teer, and Greg Reading, still enthral. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and pedal steel also still play their part. However, they are often more innovative and enhanced in terms of tuning and employing effect pedals.

That change in sonic direction reveals itself in the opening two tracks, Right On Time and Magic. Way Down Yonder, which follows, is a sync-led murder ballad that harks back to previous eras but with a modern-day spin. The mood lightens on the gentle ballad Stone, and also in the lesser gears are a delicate version of Hank Cochran's She's Got You. The piano-led album's swan song Summerline is an excursion into jazz territory, with Wilson's rich and echoed vocals out in front of a slow rolling groove.

'Hiyo' translates as 'an exclamation to proclaim surprise.' That definition may acutely relate to how long-time fans of Chatham County Line will regard this album. It's an album that casts its spell far and wide and is, without doubt, the band's most sophisticated recording to date. Stepping into unchartered territory, Chatham County Line has bravely set aside the tried and tested with this album. I, for one, am giving it the thumbs up. It is an album that requires several listens to appreciate fully, but the rewards are well worth the time invested.  

Review by Declan Culliton

James J Turner, Malcolm MacWatt, Matt Blake, Lori Yates Music, Ellis Bullard, Simon Stanley Ward and the Shadows of Doubt, Corb Lund Chatham County Line.

New Album Reviews

The Third Mind 2 Yep Roc

'I had this crazy idea and was looking for musicians who perhaps didn't think it was so insane,' explains Dave Alvin on the formation of The Third Mind. Fascinated by the free-form recording techniques that Miles Davis and his producer Ted Macero used to craft Davis’ classic albums BITCHES BREW and JACK JOHNSON, Alvin's vision was to hand pick some great players, jam live in the studio for several days and edit the recordings to produce an album. 

The vision became a reality in 2018 when Alvin pitched the idea to long-time acquaintance and former Camper Van Beethoven bass player Victor Krummenacher, who was supportive of the concept, having previously covered some of Grateful Dead's material when he was a member of the band Cracker. On Krummenacher's recommendation, guitarist and his long-time bandmate David Immergluck (Cracker, John Hiatt, Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven) came on board, followed by former John Cale and Richard Thompson drummer Michael Jerome. With three accomplished vocalists, Alvin, Krummenacher and Immergluck, committed, the recruitment exercise may have ended there. Not so, and the icing on the cake was when vocalist and songwriter Jesse Sykes ('she sings like Sandy Denny meets Grace Slick' to quote Alvin) was approached and duly accepted the role as lead vocalist. They entered the studio without rehearsals or written arrangements and started jamming on some Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Roky Ericksen tracks. Out of these sessions, their debut 2020 self-titled album was born. 

THE THIRD MIND 2 reproduces the absorbing formula of that debut album with a running time of forty-six minutes covering six tracks. The opener is an eight-minute plus reconstruction of The Electric Flag's Groovin' Is Easy. Sally Go Round The Roses, a 1963 one-hit wonder all-girl group, The Jaynetts, is a multi-coloured psychedelic trip that hits the eleven-minute mark. Gene Clark's country rock classic Why Not Your Baby gets a sympathetic makeover without straying too far from the drenched emotion of the original, and they include one original track, Tall Trees. A melancholic love song written in the studio by Alvin and Sykes one afternoon, the angelic and edgy pureness of Sykes’ vocals are interrupted mid-song by a sonic explosion of screeching guitars and masterful drumming.

Completing the half-dozen tracks is a compassionate rendition of Fred Neil's A Little Bit Of Rain and a bluesy take on Paul Butterfield's In My Own Dream.

More than a sum of its parts and never descending into self-indulgence, THE THIRD MIND 2 works on many levels. Oscillating between cosmic alt-country and psychedelic blues, it ticks the boxes for lovers of extended and Grateful Dead-like trippy solos, as well as the haunting and unique vocals of Jesse Sykes. A marriage made in heaven. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Daniel Donato Reflector Retrace

Nashville native Daniel Donato’s performing career kicked off at the young age of fourteen, busking on Music City’s Lower Broadway. A few short years later, he was lead guitarist with the Don Kelley Band, playing four-hour residency sets at Robert’s Western World a mere twenty yards from where he busked, covering a treasury of honky tonk classics.   

Recognised as the most accomplished Telecaster country guitar slinger of his generation in many quarters, Donato combined that love of honky tonk with a touch of psychedelic country on his 2020 debut album, A YOUNG MAN’S COUNTRY. His latest recording treads a similar path but with a degree or two more in an experimental direction. Broadening his healthy obsession with country music and its vintage genres, REFLECTOR finds him dipping into cosmic and classic country rock alongside touches of bluegrass and traditional honky tonk. Rifling through his encyclopaedic knowledge of all things country, Donato and his chosen team of seasoned session players present the listener with over sixty-five minutes and fifteen tracks in total, which plays out like a compilation of retro tracks plucked from those genres with a ‘where did I hear that before’ vibe to them. 

Included are two killer instrumentals, Sugar Leg Rag and Locomotive #9, and other standouts are the excellent opener Lose Your Mind and the equally impressive Hi-Country, Double Exposure and Gotta Get Southbound. 

Billy Strings' remodelling of bluegrass and overlapping it with Grateful Dead-type jams has been one of the more exciting developments in country music of recent years. It has also been a masterly career move for Strings, winning over audiences of all age groups. Donato, possibly on a smaller scale, is treading a similar path. A fun listen from start to finish, often with nods in the direction of The Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker Band and Black Oak Arkansas, and exceptional musicianship, REFLECTOR is both a hugely satisfying album and, at over an hour long, offers plenty of bang for your bucks.

Review by Declan Culliton

Clay Parker & Jodi James Your Very Own Dream Self-Release

THE LONESOMEST SOUND THAT CAN SOUND, the debut full-length album by duo Clay Parker and Jodi James, featured prominently in our albums of the year back in 2018. Constantly on the road - they can boast of having played forty-seven States in America to date - that album was recorded in two steps over three years. They initially recorded twelve songs in an eight-hour session in Nashville and completed the recording a few years later in their hometown, Baton Rouge, with invited local artists contributing additional instrumentation to the acoustic first takes. Recorded on a shoestring, that album drew comparisons with Gillian Welch / Dave Rawlings and gained the duo a host of positive reviews. So impressed was he by the album, actor and film director Ethan Hawke cast them in his 2019 movie, Blaze, based on the life of country legend Blaze Foley.

YOUR VERY OWN DREAM follows a similar template in its written content, although musically less acoustic than its predecessor. Similarly, it was created and recorded in a number of stages. Some of the material dates back to 2020 when, during lockdown, they recorded songs acoustically in their home studio. They had recorded an entire album of songs during that productive three-date period but with touring not an option, they decided to put the recordings on hold. Two years later, they booked studio time in Fort Worth, Texas, joined by Ryan Tharp (engineer), Dave Hinson (bass), and Clint Kirby (drums), and the second phase of the recording took place. The final stage found them back in their home studio, where they completed the final recording of the eight tracks in a fourteen-hour session.

As was the case with its predecessor, loneliness and soul-searching are recurring themes and no more so than in the beautifully melancholic Nothing At All and the ill-fated love song A Matchbox Song. James takes the lead vocal on the stripped-back back Hey, Hey, Hey and equally minimalistic is the title and closing track. They’re every bit at home with the more up-tempo inclusions, Fire For The Water and Flatfoot; the latter is a particularly raucous tale of lust and intemperance.  

Rather than replicating the instrumentation of THE LONESOMEST SOUND THAT CAN SOUND, moving into unchartered territory by adding electric bass and drums on YOUR VERY OWN DREAM has worked spectacularly well, adding another string to their bow for their studio and live work. The common denominators are the unhurried melodies, delightful harmonies, and emotionally raw lyrics. The result is an album that is easy to become immersed in after a couple of spins; it certainly had that impact on me. The comparisons to Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings may be perceived as lazy or overstated, but this is classic and timeless gothic country of a similarly high standard.

Review by Declan Culliton

Anders Thomsen Antlers Self Release

After a recent EP release, Thomsen has just released this twelve track album that highlights his skills as a versatile singer, songsmith and guitarist. With his trusty regular team of bassist Chris Riser and drummer Chris Fullerton, they deliver an enjoyable and humourous set of songs that they are obviously having a bit of fun recording for wider consumption. They recorded back home in Reverend Bro Diddley’s Holy House in Savannah, Georgia, a setup that allowed them to get the best out of the process.

The first single, Internet, opens with yodel and goes on to declaim the lack of revenue his efforts garner as an independent artist when he puts his songs on the internet, something that is a pretty common experience for a vast array of musicians trying to continue to release music. Silver Lining is a bluesy workout from Thomsen, with his guitar well upfront as it is throughout the album. It is about his need to continually seek and find that silver lining. The blend of country, rockabilly, blues and more is his calling card. He also possesses a distinctive tone to his vocals that means the trio are well up for whatever the songs calls for. The life stepping up to the bar in various honky-tonks  is set out in Over Yonder. There is a roadhouse rhythm to Burn Me Up that perfectly underlines why this trio are a draw whenever they play live, with Thomsen burning up the strings. 

He also brings the tempo down a notch, with the latest liaison having a time limit before the new attraction becomes a Brand New Old Flame. There are a couple of instrumentals on offer too, Crosstown Boogie and High Sierra find the trio settling into a groove that allows them to show just what they can do in that particular element of their set. The country styling of the Making Plans is about a man who is perhaps putting something together somewhat ahead of the actuality of the possibilities. Next up is the irrationality of what many feel when a new lady steps into view, someone that he wants to get together with desperately, but who he knows that he really needs like he might need a Hole In My Head.

Lets Go On A Spree finds our protagonist once again hoping for another chance to gets things right, although the previous song might indicate that might not be the way its going to turn out! Gas On The Fire, a stand-out here, conveys the feelings of a man who realises that all he might have might simply become an another burned out relationship. However he never really gives up hope as he knows where he might find entertainment and enjoyment in meeting new faces in one of the one hundred Honky Tonks he has played and stepped into for a dance and drink or two.

That this is the work of a man who loves what he does is evident. I don’t imagine that Thomsen has the dizzy heights of fame, at his age, as his goals - though it would be nice for some of that to be available. In the meantime he continues to use his abilities to make music that pleases both himself and those who have encountered it, either live or in its recorded format. With ANTLERS, you get to take the bull by the horns.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Session Americana The Rattle and the Clatter Self Release

This album is subtitled “twenty years (so far)” and that is a very appropriate tag line for this Boston band who have been delivering consistently excellent music throughout their career. Over the time in question the changing line-up has released nine albums as they established a reputation through regular touring and a residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge MA, where they performed on a weekly basis over six years. The sixteen songs featured on this collection dip into their full back catalogue and take favourite tracks from the different albums.   

Included are four songs from the Pack Up the Circus album (2015), with the title track, All For You, It’s Not Texas and You Always Hurt the One You Love featured. The latter track is a terrific cover of the Fisher/Roberts song that first appeared in the 1940s and Session Americana give the arrangement a light, jazzy bounce after a slow acoustic intro that sets things up perfectly for some harmonica, guitar and brass pizzazz. The excellent Great Shakes album (2016), features with two songs Helena and Mississippi Mud while I Can’t Get Out is also included from Diving For Gold (2009), another superb album.

The band has always collaborated with other artists along the way and there are tracks featuring female lead vocals with Trip Around the Sun (Merrie Amsterburg), and Air Running Backwards (Kris Delmhorst), adding colour to the project, while the sweetly delivered Lighthouse Light is another song that highlights the excellent musicianship across the ensemble of players. This is best seen on tracks like the traditional Boats Up the River which kicks out a real bluegrass hootenanny. Other songs include the very enjoyable Beer Town, a fitting tribute to the great invention of the alcoholic drink.

There are live songs included and they are great fun, giving a sense of how good it must be to catch the band on tour. Making Hay, Doreen and a cover of the Rodney Crowell song I Ain’t Living Long Like This are played with a real joie de vivre and I defy anyone not to get up for a quick dance around the stereo. The great news is that the band undertake a European tour in February 2024 and I can highly recommend a seat at one of their shows as a compulsory purchase. The current band comprises Dinty Child (multi instruments, vocals), Jim Fitting (harmonica, vocals), Billy Beard (drums, vocals), Ry Cavanaugh (multi instruments, vocals), Jon Bistline (bass), and Eleanor Buckland (guitar, fiddle, vocals). Their roots-based music is compelling in the performance and the varied arrangements make these tunes quite addictive.

Review by Paul McGee

Steve Yanek September Primitive

Back to 2005 the release of Across the Landscape captured the emerging talent of Steve Yanek before we had to wait until 2022 for the release of the aptly named follow-up Long Overdue. In between these years this Ohio born musician established his own recording studio and record label. Having originally fallen foul of the music industry as a younger man, he also spent time in artist management and clearly knows everything about the ups and downs of the music business from both sides of the great divide.

This time around on album number three, Steve Yanek decided on a DIY approach to the recording process and dispensed with using the musicians that had helped colour the songs on his first two albums. All these songs were written during Covid lockdown and every instrument on the recording was played by Steve himself. Quite an achievement when you consider that he also produced the project at his home studio. The songs are mostly intimate in nature and examine the need for love and relationships that endure, in addition to highlighting the need to keep a positive outlook no matter what slings and arrows get thrown in our life path. The album is dedicated to the memory of Emmitt Rhodes who died in 2020. He was a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and studio engineer who inspired Yanek over a career in music that began back in the 1960s.

The songs September and Carousel are in tribute to a lover and all that is gained from a positive relationship. The commitment involved and the devotion shown to another is also present on Catch My Fall where any doubt or uncertainty to commit are removed by learning to trust. Begin Again is about resilience and pushing on through certain barriers, with the rhythmic beat and harmonica driving the  song. I Could Use A Little Rain is another song about dealing with pressure and learning to just wash it all away.

There are strains that any relationship undergoes and the doubt and fear of losing someone that creep in. Songs like Losing You, Come Back In, and Count Every Moment try to balance the mistakes made with lessons learned and a hope for the future. Summer Days looks back at good times now gone and holds a longing for the past, whereas the sentiment on You Know It’s Right is to follow your gut and let your instincts show the path forward. That intuitive feeling and the inner voice being spun out to a slow groove with some nice saxophone in the mix.

These songs are a departure from the initial sound that won Yanek much media attention but they are equally as impressive in their arrangement and delivery on this more mellow project. An album that delves into the personal and succeeds in making it all so universal.

Review by Paul McGee

Nolan McKelvey Forward Self Release

This album is the third release from a singer songwriter who has been creating a broad palette of music for the last twenty-five years, both as a solo artist and in various bands. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona McKelvey has played with the bluegrass groups Muskellunge and The Benders Band, in addition to other collaborations.

The album title track opens things up with a manifesto that declares the only way in life is forward, as the chorus determinedly declares ‘ We can't turn back time, don't look over your shoulder, We can leave the past behind, forward.’ The following track is Tir Na nOg which is Irish for the ‘land of the young,’ a mythical place in folklore where you can never age. The song is an ode to those who have already departed and a wish that we can all meet up again in this land of abundance.

During the Covid pandemic McKelvey lost both of his parents in quick succession and also a close family friend. The sense of absence is something that weaves through a number of these songs and Phoenix Rising looks at the fortitude to try and rise above the grief and carry on. Both Mother and Other Side are songs that are directly in reference to his mother and her illness. The former is a reality check on the fact the death is imminent and there is also a corollary to Mother Earth in the words that speak of the threat of global warming. The latter prays that both mother and son can be reunited after death has finally visited.

The song I Can’t Breathe looks at the injustice involved in police brutality and the need for society to speak out as a mass movement for change in order to be heard. Tears In the Dells (Yarnell) tells of the nineteen firefighters who died in a wildfire in Arizona in 2013.  Sweetest Dream is a song that is written for his daughter and the beautiful pedal steel playing of Ryan Stigmon heightens the slow melody as McKelvey urges a positive attitude to life and a focus on the future horizon line. The final song New House is a hope for a new beginning where everybody can come together as one under an enlightened awareness and build something that lasts.

The musicians on various tracks include; Jeff Lusby-Breault (guitars), Ron James (drums, percussion, bass, vocals), Megyn Neff (violin), Tim Kelly (dobro), Dave Desmelik (guitar), Andy Rauff (keyboards), Thomas Knoles (keyboards), Dana Colley (saxophones), Jon Rauhouse and Ryan Stigmon (pedal steel), Tim Hogan and Jon Willis (bass). McKelvey plays acoustic guitar, upright bass and sings lead vocals. He also wrote all the songs and oversaw the production on the album. It is a worthy addition to his growing catalogue of strong albums and definitely worth your time in exploring the talents of Nolan McKelvey further.

Review by Paul McGee

The Montvales Born Strangers Self-Release 

Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson’s performing careers kicked off as casual buskers in their hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Fast forward some years, and they can boast two studio albums as the folk duo, The Montvales. Their debut album, HEARTBREAK SUMMER CAMP, released in 2020, was a stripped-down affair featuring harmony vocals, banjo and acoustic guitar. Described by them as “A snapshot of our early twenties that hops around between sincerity and playfulness and contains adventure, longing, and lessons learned,’’ the album showcased their combined talents, both musically and lyrically. If that album oozed simplicity and joy, BORN STRANGERS is a more full-blown project. 

The recordings took place at Sean Sullivan’s Tractor Shed Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with the production duties overseen by Mike Eli Pinto, who co-wrote and produced Emily Nenni’s 2022 album, ON THE RANCH and who is also Chris Stapleton’s hired guitar player. Rather than the skeletal approach used in their debut album, this project features a host of Nashville session players, giving the album a fuller sound than its predecessor. 

The writing is also less personal, with several songs addressing more ‘state of the nation’ topics such as climate issues (Ghost Show), gentrification (Empty Bedrooms), women’s rights (Bad Faith), and social injustice (Woman of God). However, relationship matters close to the heart are not entirely abandoned. Loneliness and lament are expressed in Through The Night and Say The Word, and the title track reflects difficult but appropriate lifestyle decisions taken and moving on, ultimately to brighter times.  

The Montvales have pushed out the boundaries and left their comfort zone with BORN STRANGERS. Leaving that secure nest and spreading their wings has yielded a most impressive suite of songs with foundations in both folk and country. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Taylor McCall Mellow War Black Powder Soul/Thirty Tigers

An indication of the high regard South Carolina native Taylor McCall is held in is his selection by Robert Plant as the support slot on Plant’s late 2023 UK tour. Further dates in the UK opening for Plant have been added for March of this year. In his later career, Plant has become heavily absorbed in American roots music, so that endorsement speaks volumes of McCall's pedigree as a singer-songwriter. 

MELLOW WAR is McCall's third studio album, following SOUTHERN HEAT (2017) and BLACK POWDER SOUL (2021). His latest project is a concept album based on an imagined collection of letters that McCall's grandfather, a Vietnam vet, might have written home during his time at war. Six of the twelve tracks are co-written with Tennessee artist Sean McConnell, who also co-produced the album with McCall. Two more are co-written with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Olivia Wolf. 

The album intro is a fifty-second recording of McCall's grandfather, Rev. Russell Owen - who also is pictured on the album's front cover - singing a hymn. Given its subject matter, it comes as little surprise that the album's material reflects the isolation, apprehension and pining of a young man enslaved and cast into precariousness. The songs amalgamate country and blues, with a side of gospel. Love lost and squandered, and opportunities lost, raise their head on Angel Falling Down, I Want You Still and Tide of Love. The McCrary Sisters provide backing vocals on Tide of Love and also on the bluesy album highlight Star of the Morning. The album closes with a co-write with Tyler Findlater, You To Blame. Featuring acoustic guitar and delicate strings (contributed by Sista Strings), it plays out like a final letter written by the author as he approaches the end of his life. It's a powerful closing statement to an album heavy on sensibility and highly personal, without ever descending into self-indulgence. 

Reviewed by Declan Culliton 

New Album Reviews

Suzy Bogguss Prayin’ For Sunshine Loyal Duchess

The career of country artist Suzy Bogguss reads like a movie script. Born in small-town Aledo, Illinois, she sang in a church choir at five years old, was crowned homecoming queen in her teens, sang and played guitar and drums in her college years, where she earned a degree in metalsmithing, before moving to Nashville in 1985 to follow her dream. That move led to the distinction of being the first female performer at Dolly Parton’s Silver Dollar City theme park (later to be re-named Dollywood) and a career that, to date, has yielded Grammy and CMA awards, an appearance at The White House and numerous songwriting credits.

Though recorded during the pandemic, PRAYIN’ FOR SUNSHINE is anything but downbeat and despairing and says so much about an artist who oozes positivity. Recorded and mixed by Bogguss’ husband of 37 years, Doug Crider, at their home studio in Franklin, remarkably, it’s her first album where she is credited on all the songs, several of which are co-writes with Doug. Her two previous albums, AMERICAN FOLK SONGBOOK (2011) and LUCKY (2014), found her recording material written by others, the latter being a collection of Merle Haggard’s songs. Her latest album finds her in buoyant form, working her delicate vocals across songs that celebrate friendship, optimism and worldly matters. 

Hardly a note or a line is wasted, from the breezy opener It All Falls Down To The River, which details some of the bitter pills about life in America, to the gentle love-ballad Can You Still See Me Like which bookends the album. The former includes soulful harmonies from the McCrary sisters, who, among numerous other friends of Bogguss’ (husband Doug, son Ben, Courtney Patton, Kelley Mickwee, Craig Smith, Jason Eskridge), contribute backing vocals on the album. The core players on the recordings were Pat Bergeson (acoustic guitar, mandolin), Chris Brown (drums, percussion), Colin Linden (electric guitar, dobro, mandolin) and Glenn Worf. Guests and close friends Chris Scruggs, Harry Stinson, Charlie Chadwick and Jimmy Wallace are all credited with contributions. Writing and playing guitar with her husband during the lockdown, which at that time was a means of passing the time for Bogguss, became the motivation to write and self-produce the album. 

The divine road song, Sunday Birmingham, is up there with anything Bogguss has written. The light-hearted, jazzy A Woman Who Cooks was written parallel to Bogguss’ first venture into the literary world with a cookery book that she recently completed. Other highlights are the jaunty country rocker Gps and Camille, written with Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg, which tells the story of a despairing prostitute. Recalling her younger years, Paint The Town Blue pays homage to life in small-town America.

In a similar vein to her peers and kindred spirits Gretchen Peters and Rosanne Cash, Suzy Bogguss's late-career writing is very much from the heart, without any industry interference or influence. She has hit the bullseye with this delightful and thought-provoking recording by applying her charming country-edged vocals across a suite of tender and intimate songs. It’s a listen guaranteed to create a bit of sunshine even on the darkest of days.

Review by Declan Culliton

The Felice Brothers Asylum On The Hill Self-Release 

The Felice Brothers’ indifference to commerciality, trends and the business end of the music industry has always been close to the surface, and this album further emphasises that attitude. Described by Ian Felice as ‘a collection of songs about magical automobiles, various deformities of the heart and mind, red geraniums that have grown monstrously large and powerful, and other such themes,’ ASYLUM ON THE HILL arrived unannounced and independently released, via Bandcamp only on 15th December of 2023. 

The album was produced by multi-instrumentalist jazz player Nate Wood and recorded in the band’s studio/converted church in Harlemville, New York State in May of last year. Its twelve tracks more than match the excellence of their two previous records, FROM DREAM TO DUST (2021) and UNDRESS (2019), further reinforcing their mantle as the standout band legitimately representing the Americana genre. The band’s lineup, Ian and James Felice, Jesske Hume and Will Lawrence, has remained unchanged since the recording of UNDRESS, and it’s no coincidence that, in this writer’s opinion, they have recorded their finest output and excelled in the live setting over the past four years.

Music that has connections to both the present and the past, the opener Candy Gallows, with its hymn-like intro, is a surreal tale which charts a late-night ghostly graveyard encounter. The simply gorgeous title track speaks of the devastation during World War II, written from inside the four walls of an asylum (‘The papers say that Germany has invaded Poland, there’s nothing we can do but sit and pray’). Strawberry Blond, though somewhat more playful and upbeat, also harks back to yesteryear (‘Let’s do dinner and a double feature; first it’s El Dorada, then Creatures From The Black Lagoon’). When Susie Was A Skeleton is a knees-up and light-hearted romp, and they return to matters that are more burdensome on the love song on Bird Of The Wild West. James Felice takes the lead vocal on Abundance, and the horrors of war and its aftermath are expressed on the album’s closer What Will You Do Now. Skeletal and featuring only vocals and piano, it’s a fitting final statement on an album that challenges the listener to make their own interpretations of the songs. 

A stunning showcase in its lyrical content, vocal deliveries and instrumentation, had ASYLUM ON THE HILL been released earlier in 2023, it would most certainly have featured highly in my favourite albums of 2023. The good news is that there is more on the way, as the band are due to release another album later this year. Bring it on. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Diane Coll Old Ghosts Happy Fish 

‘Old Ghosts is my own journey through some old haunts. In the end, there was great healing, away from the external world and back to the internal world,’ explains Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Diane Coll, recalling the springboard that led her to write and record her second album, OLD GHOSTS. A professional mental therapist, by her admission Coll applies songwriting as a means of inner and cognitive healing.

Her recording career dates back to the 90s when she recorded CLAIRVOYANCE with the band Rosary, which she fronted. Two and a half decades later, she released her debut solo album in 2022, HAPPY FISH (and OTHER DELIGHTS), the title of which was inspired by Coll finding a goldfish in a metal pot and re-housing it in a glass fish bowl. With her appetite for songwriting truly reignited, OLD GHOSTS follows hot on the heels of that record.  

Co-produced by Coll with Grammy-nominated producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Groover (Macy Gray, Snoop, Col. Bruce Hampton), song titles like I Don’t Know, Slipping Away, and This Heart might suggest a challenging listen. However, the emphasis slants towards positivity and acceptance, given its inward-looking and contemplative beginnings. Coll's crystal-clear vocals are supported by sympathetic playing by Daniel Groover, who plays slide and bass guitar, keys and percussion. He also, alongside Nancy Moore and Bryan Shumate, provides backing vocals.

Described by Coll as her ‘dark night of the soul song’, Glow, Candlelight is a standout track; its gentle and relaxed vibe is replicated on both When You Fly and Before The Sun. In contrast, her more edgy and spikey side reveals itself in the semi-spoken I Don’t Know before she returns to a calmer sound on the reflective and self-cleansing closer Love Pt.11.

A meditation on life’s problems and an album filled with personal insight, OLD GHOSTS sensitively confronts anguish and fulfilment head-on. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Ray Scott Billboards & Brake Lights Self Release

A consummate practitioner of the traditions of some real country music, this album has brought Scott to a place where his music defines who he is. To get the album sounding real and authentic to the spirit of the music he loved, he worked with veteran producer Jim “Moose” Brown and a skilled set of players that included Jenee Fleenor on fiddle and mandolin and Eddie Bayers on drums. That traditional structure was the bedrock on which he built his own career. On that was imbued both heart and passion. Among his biggest direct influences was his father’s choice of music that was likely played at home when he was growing up and which sowed the seeds that have now grown. Previously, he released last year an album that took a more fun approach than on this release - WRONG SONGS: Musings From The Shallow End. It is a side of country music that has long been a part of the genre, often know as the “novelty song.” However, here we have songs that, as expressed in the opening track Ripples, consider where he is today and he comes to the realisation that he needs to take a chance on achieving his dream and making a few “ripples in the pond.”

Next up, he considers his mortality and reflects on his life at a time when his body will be lying peacefully in the back of a Long Black Cadillac. Better Than This looks inward to the distorted sense that, at time, taking ones life might seem like an option even when it really is not the answer and that he has the ability to change his life and improve it. A strong sense of reminiscence is also central to Old Roads & Old Friends, a memory of the small details that are part and parcel of what life is. More upbeat is the loving sentiment of detailing the small things that make his partner the centre of his life, and that each time he realises that I Fall In Love With You Again. The road, playing gigs and the necessity for long hours of travel and separation is covered in the title song, meeting people, hanging out but having, inevitably, to move on and continue with that routine and lifestyle. The Loner follows a similar thought process, though not always by choice.

But this is balanced by songs like Keeper which focuses on a person who is just that. The closing song I’ll See You Again is a heartfelt song relating to the loss of his father but understanding that it is a relationship that is not over.

Throughout there are some righteous steel and twangy Telecaster moments that underline the overall sentiments of the songs. All are bolstered by Scott’s deep, distinctive, warm and inviting voice which shows a progression and sense of depth that all his previous recordings and live experiences have helped to cohere into a memorable delivery. Nor should his skill as a writer be ignored, either solo or as a co-writer. On six of the thirteen tracks he is joined by other writers, which adds to the perspective of the material, allowing another viewpoint on a particular theme.

Scott is not standing still with his music and is not afraid to explore its range without ever making a song that would be considered to sit outside the parameters of traditional country music. He is a vital part of a, thankfully, growing number of performers who remain true to their heritage and are not going to be confused with either the ever expanding and often meaningless Americana label, or that which the mainstream still promotes. Ray Scott has made an album that is a testament to his life, love and literate nature, one that doesn’t need a billboard to tell you how good it is.

Review By Stephen Rapid

Reed Brake Visions and Dreams Self Release

Based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this four piece is made up of Davis Goode (guitar, organ), Lucas Hales (bass, banjo), Justin Hart (vocals, mandolin), and Matt Pavlick (drums). This debut album includes twelve songs that are firmly planted in the Roots music field and the organic sound is very pleasing, laced with nicely paced song arrangements that showcase the inventive interplay between the musicians. Hart takes lead vocals throughout but his delivery can get somewhat lost in the overall production at times. There is plenty of colour in the strong instrumentation but the lyrics are hard to decipher on some of the songs.

The musicians excel on tracks like Strange Courage, Savage Gulf and Dirty Field Golden highlighting strong playing on these up-tempo workouts. Elsewhere Return To Earth, Graveyard Of Ambition and Road Home show a softer, laid-back side to the band with the sweet melodies always present in the arrangements.

The album was produced by Bronson Tew at Dial Back Sound studios, Water Valley, Mississippi and he certainly brought out the creative dynamic in the band’s playing. The songs that are all written by Justin Hart, including two co-writes with Raien Emery, and on this evidence there is still plenty more gas in the tank and more to come from this group of talented musicians.

Review by Paul McGee

The Self Help Group Dream Of A Ghost Trieste

Brighton is home to this band and they formed back in 2009 when Mark Bruce sought out like-minded musicians to assist in bringing his song ideas into living colour. A debut album NOT WAVING, BUT DROWNING appeared in 2013, followed by DEAD STARS in 2015, before the band went into something of a sojourn. A number of singles and EP releases have seen the light of day in more recent times but the band remain largely undiscovered outside of their local environs.

Towards the latter part of 2023 the band released this third album and the eleven songs are beautifully conceived, delivered and wrapped in swathes of melody and sweet vocal harmony. The music reveals itself in a subtle unfurling of timeless tunes, the song meanings somewhat open to interpretation as the words form part of the overall lush canopy of sound. All in all, it’s an intriguing project and one that highlights the deeply rich talent that exists among this band of musicians. Maybe it’s something in the air in the Brighton seaside resort as the sense of joy in the playing is clearly evident in the song structures that soar and sweep around the gentle rhythms.

If you are looking for a road sign, then it may well point back to the uplifting harmonies of CSN, and  to the addictive sound of The Jayhawks. Songs like the beautiful Empty Drive and Spirit Lake share in common a celebration of the enduring connection that links us all across time, whether cataloguing a family and the changes through the years captured in photographs, or acknowledging a life that was lived  and lost in sacrifice to the wonders of nature.

Elsewhere, songs such as American Giants, William Dear and Yumi deal separately with subjects including nostalgic road trips, satanic ritual abuse and a couple who didn’t speak to each other for 20 years. There are no weak tracks on this album, and the celebratory power of A Language Of Music is balanced perfectly against the endearing Willow Tree, a love song that spans generations and closes proceeding with the message that love always endures.

The album was co-produced by Mark Bruce and Paul Pascoe at Church Road Studios in Brighton. Mark writes the songs and provides lead vocals in addition to displaying his multi-instrumental gifts across the tracks . Robert Swabey also adds guitar with Ian Bliszczak on bass and Jamie Fewings on drums. Sisters Clara Wood-Keeley and Sarah Wood-Herries sing beautiful harmony vocals and Helen Weeks (from the excellent Equatorial Group) adds inventive pedal steel guitar on a number of tracks. Strings and other soundscapes are added courtesy of other contributors and the entire listening experience is quite memorable. Definitely a band to put on your radar and this album comes highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

Sturt Avenue Bury Me In the Garden Self Release

This is the second full album release from a band that are based in Adelaide, South Australia. Their full length debut HOW DO YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE? appeared in 2021 and during the lockdown Bryn Snoden continued writing songs for this follow up release. The seven piece band are very adept at shaping the melodies around the nice rhythmic groove of the arrangements and on the more mellow songs the writing talents of Snoden come to the fore. The entire album revolves around break-up songs and it would be tempting to suggest that he is still not over the woman in question, despite singing about moving on and hoping for better days. Maybe broken dreams carry no lessons for the future, but I doubt it, and the question must be asked whether time is ever really wasted?

The album opens with an acoustic song Wake Me When the World Makes Any Sense and the home recording feel unveils a vulnerability, with the dread of night seeping in and sleep leaving by the door. The title track is upbeat in tempo with sweet background harmonies on a song about erasing all physical traces of a life so that only internal memories remain. Here I Am has a strong band dynamic and sings of living in the moment while looking for new beginnings. Getting past an old love is never easy and on Talk the memory of days gone by and that special feeling are in question ‘But quickly go the days, And the harder that I hold on, the faster you slip away’ – the band really shining on this track with great interplay.

Best Friend deals in the same territory and the joy of something once shared is quickly replaced by sadness ‘But you're looking to the future, And I don't fit into your plan, And if you don't see that changing, I guess that I understand.’ Co-vocal by sister Tarn Soden is very strong here as are all her vocal contributions throughout. Still In Love is another up-tempo sound before the softer Against the World delivers a slow rhythm and melody that echoes more separation blues. Perfect Afternoon has some superb guitar dynamics from John Soden before Make Do delivers another acoustic based song with horns and accordion adding to the sweet mix of instruments.

Wrong Side Of the Weekend is a standout track and the building song arrangement includes some excellent bass playing from Isaac Kerr before fluid guitar and keyboards intertwine towards a fine climax. The song Marion Bay conjures memories of childhood spent in a township in South Australia, surrounded by beaches. Sweet nostalgia.

The band is made up of Bryn Soden (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, harmonium, additional percussion), John Soden (backing vocals, lead guitar, slide guitar), Tarn Soden (backing vocals), Bryce Lehmann (drums), Isaac Kerr (bass guitar, backing vocals), Dave Thompson (accordion, keys, backing vocals), Ollie Patterson (violin), Sophia Dennis (saxophone), Sean Helps (trumpet, trombone, flugelhorn), and additional vocal contributions from Katie Pomery and Georgy Rochow.

The album was produced by Isaac Barter, with tracks captured across different studios, in addition to on-the-road recordings. This is yet another fine addition to the growing reputation of this band and I have no doubt, given the quality of musicianship, their talent will continue to guarantee a bright career over the years ahead.

Review by Paul McGee

Josh Washam Waxhaw Drive Good Work

Josh Washam grew up in Pennsylvania and is now based in Nashville. Along with his album releases this singer songwriter is also making a reputation as a producer. This new album follows on from his 2021 release Squash Blossom and the music remains in the Folk/Americana arena that has been his favoured medium thus far.

There are ten tracks included and the playing time of just thirty minutes delivers thoughtful arrangements, played with a style and inventive élan. Washam is a multi-instrumentalist and his talent is obvious on these songs. He is supported on the project by Andrew Kahl on drums and vocals, Greg Herndon on keyboards, John Mailander on strings, and Steve Peavey on synth sounds. The album is named after a street in his neighbourhood and the overall feel is very much one of spontaneous interplay among the musicians.

Opening with the funky Keep On Workin’ the delivery is reminiscent of Little Feat and the message to keep trying hard to succeed is one that resurfaces on other songs as a theme. Accept What You Deserve seems to say that we are our own worst enemies in that we deserve what we end up with. As if we are ever in full control of what happens in the greater scheme of things. People suffer bad breaks all the time and fate and circumstance intervene in perverse ways. Josh seems to say that we settle too easily and don’t keep pushing for more.

Again, on the song When You’re Thirsty, You’re Too Late it’s suggested that thinking ahead of the curve is what separates out winners from losers. As if we can somehow be in control of the random set of circumstances that life throws our way as curve balls. Staying hydrated at all times is not easy and the dust in the throat is often a sign of honest endeavour. Beach In My Mind puts the idea of having a ‘happy place’ to retreat to in order to escape the mundane reality of everyday worries. A true gift to employ if we have the fortitude to engage the imagination in such a positive fashion. Where do I sign up please?

8:27 states that ‘everything’s right until everything’s wrong’ and maybe refers to the routine by which we all feel comforted by in daily existence? Once change is introduced then all bets are off ‘ I see the constant but where is the change?’ On Up To You the tempo changes are interesting and the musicians rise to the challenge of painting different pictures as Josh sings about making choices to steer our direction in life and not simply accepting what occurs. Lazy Ambition talks about the polar opposite in that the inertia of trying to get everything without any realistic input is more than just personal myopia.

Island has a deep groove and attitude. Definitely one to hear in a live setting with the band meeting the challenge to again switch up the tempos, great guitar rhythm and a message that no man can survive by trying to remain aloof and alone. Hard Pressed is a nice gentle instrumental tune that acts like a palate cleanser, or a ramble on a sunny afternoon. The closing track Last Time, Till the Next Time is a Country themed sweet melody of keeping your options open until the next experience presents itself in relationships, the pedal steel and piano adding nuance to the song arrangement.

Washam started his recording career as a member of the duo Natural Forces. They released a few albums before the solo projects took precedent and the decision to spread his wings has certainly worked for this singer-songwriter as his trajectory continues in an upward direction. Worth checking out, folks!

Review by Paul McGee

Adam and Amy Pope Chances Worth Taking Self Release

This is a very engaging release from husband and wife duo Adam and Amy Pope, who have been releasing music together since 2017. Prior to that Adam had played in a variety of bands and performed regularly at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. He is from North Carolina and his musical interests focus in the arena of country, rockabilly and bluegrass. Amy comes from a church background where she sang gospel and worship songs in Tennessee and her voice is beautifully textured and very expressive.

In 2015 Adam released a really excellent country album titled Story and Song and it included 14 different songs with an introductory tale before each track. It was a suitably different approach to an album and one that could have become a train wreck, but the very personable narration from Adam Pope worked really well in this case, adding context to the song meanings. Certainly worth checking out. The couple have a strong Christian faith that runs through their songwriting like a chord that connects them to the important things in life such as family, honest living and helping out your neighbour. Much of this sentiment finds its way into the lyrics and the songs are performed in a very attractive tapestry of different colours.

The eleven tracks are all very inviting and the overall production from Darin Aldridge is impressive in the bright sound and the clarity of the instrument mix. Nine of the songs are co-writes between Adam Pope and other writers, their collaborations producing some real moments of magic. A cover of Ring Of Fire (Carter/Kilgore) is also included and the slow arrangement is superbly judged to give the iconic song a greater nuance in the vocal duet and the delivery that mirrors both passion and desire. Kite and a String is a song written by mother and daughter team Robyn and Jackson Collins. It could equally be a love song between a husband and wife but the meaning can also transfer to a parent and child in wanting to live our dreams but also needing to remain grounded ‘‘Can’t touch the sky without a dream… ‘A kite can’t be a kite without a string.’

Many of the songs speak of old traditional values and Granny and Pa is such an example with sage advice passed down to the younger generation from older wisdom accumulated over years of living. Songs of love and commitment are refreshing in their delivery and You Melt Me, I’m There and Memories Worth Making are fine examples of the bond formed between husband and wife, across the years and through both good times and bad. Lord, All I Need Is You is a song of faith and of overcoming doubts and fears. Having belief and faith gives the strength to overcome every challenge.

Other songs such as This Ain’t the Gospel and Playing Patsy are a look at the other side of relationships where things don’t always work out and hard decisions lead to a time for change presenting itself. The need to break away from routine and take a vacation in the sun is captured on Alabama Coast an up-tempo number that celebrates the good things to be gained by a trip to the sunny side.  Face to Face is a standout song that looks at returning to old values like communicating with each other and realising that people are all we really need in order to get by. It is the perfect example of the simple acceptance offered on this album.

The musicianship is superb throughout with the studio musicians lifting the songs with some creative interplay between fiddle and pedal steel, the use of dobro and mandolin adding to the symmetry of the varied guitar dynamics, and occasional harmonica all blending with the subtle rhythm section. The musicians are Adam Pope (vocals and rhythm guitar), Amy Pope vocals), Darin Aldridge (vocals, mandolin, lead and rhythm guitar), David Johnson (fiddle, dobro, electric guitar, pedal steel, harmonica), Tim Surrett (bass), Tony Creasman (drums). There is also a guest appearance from Kenzie Wetz on harmony vocals for one song. Overall, the chemistry between the musicians is very evident throughout and this is a very fine album that is worthy of your time and investment.

Review by Paul McGee

Suzy Bogguss Music, The Felice Brothers, Diane Coll Music, Ray Scott, Reed Brake, The Self Help Group, Sturt Avenue, Josh Washam Adam & Amy Pope

New Album Reviews

Brown Horse Reservoir Loose

Previously a four-piece folk band formed in 2018, Brown Horse original members Emma Tovell, Nyle Holihan, Patrick Turner and Rowan Braham were joined in more recent years by Ben Auld and Phoebe Troup to complete the current six-piece. With a core sound that reaches back to an earlier time and place, the Norfolk, UK band’s debut album offers a harmonised and edgy country rock sound.

The latest signing to U.K. label Loose, the album was recorded in just four days at Sickroom Studios in rural East Anglia, the studio being a large barn-like structure surrounded by fields and wetlands. With six songwriters in the band and years of collective songwriting to dip into, the final selection yielded ten tracks, several of which had been road-tested, honed and beefed up over the last few years.  

Often reflecting an emotional and raw terrain, a dark melancholic theme casts its shadow across much of the material. Opening with the gloriously ragged Stealing Horses and closing with the quietly pulsing Called Away, they fashion a fusion of edgy alt-country and modern folk that recalls equally experimental bands like The Felice Brothers and The Wood Brothers. The sombre and brooding Paul Gilley reminisces on the often-overlooked country songwriter, whose songs Cold, Cold, Heart, and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry were immortalised when recorded by Hank Williams. The instantly catchy Everlasting leaves the most profound impression, while the title track takes the listener on a moody cosmic journey. 

Impressively blending a hauntingly lonesome sound with doleful ballads and more up-tempo rockers, RESERVOIR is an album that doesn’t slot easily into any single genre. There is no harm there, as it’s a fiercely intense suite of songs by a collective that possesses the credentials and capacity to establish itself as one of the leading lights in the U.K. rock scene.  

Review by Declan Culliton

Glass Cabin Glass Cabin 2 Self-Release 

Although they spent their childhood and teen years living close to each other in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, Jess Brown and David Flint never met until they both relocated to Nashville and ended up living on the same street. Before forming Glass Cabin both enjoyed and still have successful careers in production and songwriting. Brown's writing credits include country hits for Lee Ann Womack, Sara Evans, Trisha Yearwood, Tracy Lawrence and Julie Roberts. His songs can be found on over twenty-five million CDs. Multi-instrumentalist Flint founded the country rock band Billy Montana and The Longshots, enjoyed a decade as a touring session guitarist and has produced albums by Lonestar and Addison Johnson. 

GLASS CABIN 2 follows on from their debut self-titled album from 2021. That album was fuelled by the downtime imposed on them by the pandemic, and rather than writing songs suited to the more commercial market to be recorded by others, Brown held forth on more clandestine and hard-hitting topics. Lonesome Highway described that album as 'Dreamlike songs of unease and unrest that play out like chapters from a Daniel Woodrell country noir novel.' This album is cut from a similar cloth, combining their writing, instrumentation and production skills with a collection of potent songs. Brown's grandfather's family were Appalachian miners who also ran moonshine, and his writing for Glass Cabin often explores the darker themes of those times from recollections related to him by his uncles. 

The songs more than touch on self-examination (I Wanna Live, Travelling Man, Damn Myself) and Closing Down The Bars tell of the travelling musician's never-ending slog to survive. The broody Sam Shepard Play recalls mid-career Neil Young, and the mood lightens on the piano-led/rock-tinged I Don't Mind The Rain. 

Co-produced by Brown and Flint, the former is credited as vocalist (including harmonies) and acoustic guitar, and the latter contributed all the instrumentation (guitars, bass, banjo, piano, bouzouki, keyboards, strings, lap steel, drums). Additional drums on two tracks, Closing Down The Bars and Weary Man, were played by Nashville session player Andy Hull. 

A fitting heir to its predecessor and a profoundly satisfying listen, GLASS CABIN 2 explores the subjects of pain and perseverance with a most impressive fusion of alt-country and folk. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Shirley Hurt Self-Titled Melodic

Toronto-based singer-songwriter Sophia Ruby Katz's (professional name Shirley Hurt) debut album was shaped during a six-month journey across the US and Canada in a camper van with fellow artist Harrison Forman (Zones, Hieronymus). Recorded at Joseph Shabason's (War on Drugs) studio in Toronto, the nine-track album was self-produced by Hurt. It follows the best part of a decade on the industry fringes for Hurt that included an electronic project under the title Ferrari Garden, her ambient recordings as Sifra Rifka and a number of stalled musical projects during that often-nomadic period.

Introduced by her father at a young age to post new wave artists such as Tom Tom Club, Laurie Anderson and Nina Hagen, those influences are close to the surface on MELODIC, not unlike the output of similarly minded artists such as Aldous Harding, Sharon Van Etten and Aoife Nessa Frances.  

Given her nom de plume, you would expect that her writing is directed towards self-examination. The opening lines on the album's first track, The Bells, would support this ('My life is like a koan, it's designed to make me break'). Still, elsewhere, her poignant and haunting lyrics invite multiple interpretations and are brought to life by a spacious and otherworldly soundtrack. It's not a listen that's likely to connect on the first visit, and attentive listening is the order of the day for the maximum return. The richness in Hurt's vocals and the supporting, often melancholic instrumentation unfolds on each subsequent hearing. Let Me Down Easy runs the emotional gauntlet, complete with a smoky saxophone break, and Problem Child's protagonist could be the author or an imaginary character. Other highlights are the rhythmic Empty Hands and Charioteer, a mid-tempo meditative reflection.

Settled in rural Ontario, close to family and friends, Hurt is preparing her second solo album. In the meantime, dive in and enjoy a collection of songs that refuses to be framed within any one genre.  

Review by Declan Culliton

Myriam Gendron Not So Deep As A Well Basin Rock

The New York author, poet and satirist Dorothy Parker was part of the American modernist movement that arose at the turn of the 20th century and spanned both world wars. In her role as a staff writer with Vanity Fair and Vogue she developed a media profile as an acerbic commentator on contemporary society. She also wrote for the New Yorker and Life magazine but her activities as a social activist for change and her political leanings were not always so well received at the time.

On this album, first released in 2014, Myriam Gendron, a Canadian musician, has taken some of Parker’s poems and interpreted them with musical accompaniment. The results are very rewarding and the quiet intimacy of the eleven tracks leave a lasting impression. The songs are focused upon love and the tangled relationships that can ensue from the lure of seeking out the perfect partner. Mostly the poems are somewhat caustic in their view of romantic love and the myth that it can be a panacea for everything. Ultimately, perhaps, we are destined to live alone with our thoughts and our longing, as the final song The Small Hours suggests.

Gendron is a very accomplished guitarist and her fingerstyle playing is a highlight throughout. There is percussion on two songs but it is minimal, and a quiet keyboard sound appears in the background on another, making this home recording a special moment in the timeless feel of these interpretations. Threnody is a lament and the sense of loss is palpable in the words. Solace speaks of fresh fields and new opportunities in love, no matter how great any potential pain, and Recurrence confirms that relationship breakdown is a given.

It may not be a popular notion, but moving on appears to be the default position in these poems. The title track is a beautiful instrumental piece and this reissue includes two additional songs that were not on the original album. If you enjoy Folk music played in a gently creative style and if the words of the poet Dorothy Parker resonate with you, then this is an ideal purchase.

Review by Paul McGee

Brian Kalinec The Beauty Of It All Berkalin

This album represents a third solo outing for Brian Kalinec, a Texan singer-songwriter who is the co-owner of Berkalin records, a label which is home to a number of Folk and Americana artists. In addition to his own releases Kalinec recorded an album with his friend and fellow artist Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner whom he has also toured with across Europe in recent years.

This album has fourteen songs that play out over fifty minutes and the challenge in putting so much music on a single release is not repeating yourself and over-cooking the whole project. In this case Kalinec steers clear of any such pot holes and delivers a very brightly produced album that is engaging on all levels. Producer Merel Bregante delivers a fine open sound that allows all the musicians free expression across the range of instruments that colour the song arrangements.

Bregante also plays drums and percussion on the album in addition to backing vocals and he is joined by a fine group of talented players, including Pete Wasner (grand piano, synths, fender Rhodes, accordion, Wurlitzer, Hammond b3), Rankin Peters and Mark Epstein (bass), Patterson Barrett and Dave Pearlman (pedal steel), Cody Braun (mandolin, harmonica), Michael Dorrian (acoustic and  electric guitar), Madelaine Herdeman and Dirje Childs (cello), James Rieder (chamber strings and double bass), and a number of different backing vocalists, with Sarah Pierce most featured.

The songs are very much in the arena of contemporary Folk and the title track starts things off with a reflection of living each day to the full and enjoying the moment ‘I want to feel the sunlight’s kiss as I raft upon the river, I don’t want to miss the beauty of it all.’ The album continues with Big Hearted and  a wish that we could all try to live with generosity and openness in showing each other more love ‘What if we showed up for each other, Took that chance? Showed a little love for each other, Just because we can.’

Another song titled Two Roads ponders on the different paths that people walk down on their separate life journeys. Sometimes these connect, cross over and influences each other ‘Two sides of a coin, One road leading somewhere, Another heading quickly to an end.’ Redwood Fence examines the issue of racial inequality and bigotry and the words resonate in the message ‘Just how long does it take a man to learn, That fear is just a hollow alibi.’ The theme of growing old and losing loved ones is at the centre of Fix-it Man and the need for acceptance in what life gives us along the way.

Other songs such as Next Door Stranger, Overcommitted and The Wind look internally at issues such as self-doubt, fears, the things we do for living and the little lies we tell ourselves. The final song River Of Kindness brings a strong message of optimism in these times of global warming and civil unrest, with the words ‘It’s a river of comfort, Washing over the pain, One heart to another, a hand for a brother, Ray of sun through the rain.’ Rather than think it could all be just some hippie dream there is real conviction in the positive message and a prayer for universal awakening.  This is a very accomplished album, beautifully performed by the musicians and a real achievement for Brian Kalinec to be proud of.

Review by Paul McGee

Wendy Webb Silver Lining Spooky Moon

Eleven songs and forty-plus minutes of superbly crafted music from an artist who has been releasing consistently strong music since 2003. Wendy grew up in Iowa where she learned piano and guitar before moving to Los Angeles, and later Nashville, in building her career and getting comfortable with her inner muse. Her debut, MORNING IN NEW YORK was followed by MOON ON HAVANA (2009) and EDGE OF TOWN (2011). Further releases THIS IS THE MOMENT (2015) and STEP OUT OF LINE (2017) enhanced her international reputation and led to greater awareness of her growing influence.

Now based on the island of Sanibel in Florida, Wendy lives a creative life surrounded by what inspires her and the results are evident on this beautifully realised album. Co-production by John McLane and Danny Morgan is superb and both also join Wendy as musicians. She recorded her vocals and piano parts in a live setting while McLane provided strings, horns, drums, bass, organ, accordion, electric and nylon string guitars. Morgan added his talents on bongos, acoustic guitar and percussion, with a guest appearance from Cowboy Eddie Long who played dobro on one track.

Wendy delivers heartfelt, soulful vocals on songs like Timeless Love and Rhythm Of Your Love while the Bossa nova groove of songs like Old Blue Panama and I’ve Never Been To Argentina add great colour to the texture of the album. The laid-back delivery on the seductive Jasmine Nights is a joy and the  positive message of Blue Skies On the Way is a balm to the soul in these troubled times with a strong message that only love can provide enduring hope and joy in the world, something that is also echoed in the title track, providing an upbeat reminder that ‘Love goes on and on, ever shining.’

A song in tribute to her father Children On the Blue is wrapped in a slow tempo and a sweetly soft melody reflecting on the strength of family ties across the miles and the passage of time.  Wendy’s vocal tone is beautifully warm and nuanced in delivery, at one turn echoing the resonance of Carole King and at another reflecting the joy of Norah Jones in full flight. Her talent is of course all her own and the strong musicality running through these songs is something to treasure on repeated plays. Another example of the great talent and seasoned musicality of this fine artist, Silver Lining comes highly recommended, as is the entire back catalogue of Wendy Webb.

Review by Paul McGee

John Jenkins Tuebrook Self Release

This is the eight album from Liverpool songwriter John Jenkins who has been creating consistently fine music since his debut record appeared back in 2013. He also co-hosts a local radio show that plays Americana, Country and Folk music at The Garden Party. There is no doubting the talent on display and his musical sensibilities are finely honed over years of immersing himself in the traditions of song craft and creativity.

There is a real intimacy at play here and his warm vocal tone is perfectly aligned with the sense of times past, regrets registered and hope for the future in these songs that capture the vagaries of daily living.  Tuebrook is in the North-East of Liverpool and the district has seen much change over the generations. This is a love letter to the past and the memories of youth are perfectly captured on Christopher Roberts a song to an old school friend that fell out of contact over the years. The story song 43 and Counting is both poignant and sad in capturing feelings of being left alone by a lover who has moved on to a new life. ‘And I feel so old, Silence has spread through this house and my soul.’

The gentle sway of A Child’s Sense Of Wonder is similar in tone to the Stranglers song, Golden Brown as it plays out a tale of innocence and holding back the impending weight of adulthood and lost dreams. William is a song that honours a childhood friend and his sad demise from addiction as an adult. It is a beautifully written and sensitively delivered snapshot of a past that cannot be cocooned from the colder reality of growing up and facing our differing challenges and demons.

The musicians include John Jenkins (vocals, piano), Jon Lawton (programming, bass, guitars, lap steel, percussion, keyboards), Pippa Murdie (backing vocals, guitar), Chris Howard (keyboards) and an assortment of original tape recordings from childhood that include family members and friends. The final song Mr Ford’s Hardware Store includes a recording of the infants choir at “Our Lady, Star of the Sea” School in Seaforth, Merseyside and it recalls the local corner store that had everything stacked perilously high in its inventory.

As a project, this is certainly up there alongside anything else that Jenkins has produced, even if the temptation to create a full concept album was passed over as some of the songs are not rooted in his local neighbourhood memories. Both Idaho and Passing Time are further examples of story songs that echo a similar writing style that finds a place on previous albums. She Feels Nothing examines that sense of having to go into self-protection mode in a relationship that could not deliver on dreams of wanting more.

Maybe I Just Came Along For the Ride has a sad realisation that commitment to anything comes at a price that not everyone is able to pay ‘ I was always by your side, even when you weren’t there, Maybe I just came along for the ride, Expecting you to care.’ The opening song Shadows reflects on change with the lines ‘how can I be part of something that ends in despair.’ However, much of the album is anything but downbeat, more a nostalgic visit to a past that strengthens the resolve to keep moving forward in search of new experiences and building upon the durability forged in the past.

Review by Paul McGee

Lady Apple Tree Self-Titled Self Release

This debut EP from Californian artist Haylie Hostetter was released in September last year and is just one example of the fine music that can sometimes slip between the cracks and miss out on greater media attention. The eight tracks included are beautifully arranged and delivered in a very pastoral Folk sound, wrapped in gentle melodies and sweet instrumentation. The album was produced by Will Worden at a studio in the Santa Monica canyons and a sense of idyllic isolation carries through into the sound. With just shy of thirty minutes, the songs leave an impression of wanting to hear more from this interesting musician.

There is a sense of innocence in the songs and the opener Round and Round delivers a nursery rhyme for adults with repeated lines sung on overlapping vocal harmonies to bring a depth in the delivery. The loss of innocence and corruption of youth haunts on Silver Hands even if the outcome is a new baby and life reborn. The Country feel of the title track comes courtesy of some nice pedal steel parts and the song celebrates the bountiful gifts that nature can bring in the simple joy of an apple plucked from a tree.

Flame has an addictive doo-wop feel and a swing to the tempo that celebrates the passion felt in a romance rather than the memory of having lost in love. The very enjoyable and creative use of pedal steel on the song And There She Was is memorable and the lonely feeling of leaving a lover is captured on Midnight Oil to great effect.                                 

The musicians deserve great credit for delivering such a well-constructed album and the lingering melodies stay with the listener long after making their mark. The studio players are Haylie Hostetter (lead vocals, harmony vocals, rhythm guitar, tambourine), Will Worden (acoustic guitar, harmony vocals), Connor "Catfish" Gallaher (electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, dobro), Cameron Knowler (acoustic guitar, mandolin), Casey Nunes (bass guitar), Ryan Miller (drums, percussion), Hunter Watts (backing vocals). Worthy of your time and a strong marker for more to follow from Lady Apple Tree.

Review by Paul McGee

Jesse DeNatale The Hands Of Time Blue Arrow

Album release number four in the career of this Californian singer songwriter. He has an easy way with a tune, a turn of phrase, an observation on the beauty of it all and something of a guarded acceptance for the failures that can still haunt. Overall there is an overarching sense of optimism running through and the sense of humanity is never far from the message of live and let live.

The title song is a highlight and speaks of enjoying the rollercoaster ride that we all purchase a ticket for in life’s fair ground. Streets Of Sorrow deals with the frustrations that we all can feel with the ways of the world but councils that we keep persevering, with some great guitar playing to keep us on track. The Hat Shop delivers an easy groove and some peace of mind while Station Master looks back upon a life lived as if in a dream, a goodbye to a loved one I suspect. Trying to turn back the clock and correct the mistakes of the day is partly the message in Stop The World a song which also touches upon the finality of gun violence and a search for answers.

These songs were recorded in 2022 at Bird & Egg Studio, Richmond, California and the co-production team of DeNatale and fellow musician Nino Moschella proves to be a winning team. There are fine melodies that permeate the song arrangements and the seamless playing is very enjoyable over the ten tracks included. The full line up of players is Jesse DeNatale (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards, harmonica), Tom Heyman (electric guitar, pedal steel), Paul Olguin (bass), Nino Moschella (drums, bass, electric guitar, organ, mellotron, vibraphone, glockenspiel, backing vocals), and Alisa Rose (violin). There is a special appearance from The Zemlimsky Quartet on the final song Late September and it celebrates the seasons as a circle and a dance of the light in the world. There is much to enjoy on this album and it comes recommended for those who enjoy the craft of the seasoned songwriting.

Review by Paul McGee

Brown Horse, Glass Cabin, Shirley Hurt, Myriam Gendron, Brian Kalinec, Wendy Webb, John Jenkins Music, Lady Apple Tree, and Jesse DeNatale

New Album Reviews

Dan Bern New American Language Grand Phony

Like meeting an old friend again after many years, this album was initially released in 2001 (on the fateful day of 9/11) and is getting another deserved run out in this remastered version, some 22 years later, next month in 2024 (and on vinyl for the first time too). It was produced by the trio of Will Masisak, Colin Mahoney and Chuck Plotkin. At the time, it was placed in with the emerging Americana movement, but as with its subject, it was not without its bite and featured some hard-edged guitar alongside the more tender moments. If I remember correctly, there were comparisons to The Boss and to (reasonably obviously) Bob Dylan. However, Bern never-the-less created his own body of work through the years that has stood the test of time. 

Two of the three producers (Masisak and Colin Mahoney) were also part of the assembled band alongside Eben Grace on pedal steel, guitar and banjo (which was enough of a link back then into the roots/rock movement). There were nine others whose contributions are essential elements of the overall sound. Bern's distinctive vocal, harmonica, guitar and songwriting skills were, however, still the central core of the release. The back cover of the original CD booklet names the key six-man team as Bernstein and the International Jewish Banking Conspiracy, indicating that Bern was not a man afraid of courting controversy. That particular wording may no longer be the case on the new vinyl version.

The title track shows a seeming ambivalence to a relationship with the opening lines: "She said love, love, love is everything / I said ok, I guess, whatever." But the closing line shows a difference in attitude: "I dream mostly about love." There are also tracks that are effervescent, like Honeydoo!, even when the lyrics suggest a man scorned. Toledo and Albuquerque Lullaby are songs full of atmosphere and lyrics that evoke a place and a spiritual search. But the track that really stood out on first listen was, and still is. Black Tornado summons up an inner turmoil of moving around in a way that is a "Budweiser, Budgetel, Bukowski kind of night." By all accounts, the final track took a long time to record and capture the feeling required for Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's an epic ten-minute song and a lyrical tour de force that covers a lot of observation and insight from Bern that is both poetic and prescient with lines like "And life is like a fairy tale / every step like a dream / that keeps on getting nearer / and more and more extreme."

As its title suggests, the opening track, Sweetness, is a touch more power pop-orientated and opens the album as an inviting welcome. Alaska Highway is a somewhat rougher Neil Young-ish sound that evokes some well-known but diverse names as he travels along, wondering, "Who's goin' my way / on that great Alaska Highway." It turns out that they include Leonardo Di Capri, Eminem, Britney Spears, Keith Richards and others. Another thoughtful song that deserves a listen is God Said No, where the protagonist meets God, and he asks if he could go back in time to save Kurt Cobain, but God, well, you know what he is going to say. Equally, he asks to be allowed to go back and take out Hitler but receives the same answer and the reasons why. His final denied request is to take Jesus down from the cross. This and other tracks on the album show that perhaps his vision was different from one that was likely to find overall favour in the mainstream either then or now - despite having parallels in the work of the two iconic artists mentioned above. However, as noted at the start, it is getting an opportunity to find a new audience and remind those who have encountered his work before that Dan Bern is one of those individual artists who always gave their best to their music.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Terry Klein Leave The Light On Self Release

Primarily a singer/songwriter, Terry Klein is adept at doing what time-honoured troubadours have always done: to tell a story and get to the heart of the subject with insight and impartiality. Songs that are honest and crafted from the perspective of the individual song’s subject. These ten songs are given a wide-ranging sonic exploration, many in a subdued enhanced folk setting and others taking a more country-orientated slant without breaking a sweat. The album was produced by the noted Thomm Jutz, who himself is both an artist and a facilitator to others. Jutz also worked on Klein’s previous album, GOOD LUCK, TAKE CARE. He is an ideal producer to bring out the best for all involved in what are often short-lived studio situations. In this case, a reported six-hour session, which tends to promote intimacy, vulnerability and spontaneity, all of which are on show here.

There was a selection of musicians tasked with bringing these songs to life in the studio, including both Klein and Jutz on guitars and vocals and a deft rhythm section who were joined, when required, by pedal steel and acclaimed fiddler Tammy Rogers. It was a versatile team employed to bring Klein’s ten songs (one a co-write) to a broader listening public. Klein sat alongside those writers who, despite their craftsmanship, remain primarily outside either the mainstream or the acclaim in the indie world. Klein has received praise from other songwriters who may be considered to have a higher profile in this world, such as Rodney Crowell and Mary Gauthier - as well as by our own Declan Culliton on this site for his review of Klein’s previous album, TEX. Other names that are linked to his work, in terms of comparison, include Guy Clark and Billy Joe Shaver, and fans of both will find an affinity here.

Shimmers and Hums, in a gentle mood, immediately lets you get acquainted with Klein’s warm, slightly world-weary voice. The pedal steel glides across the landscape on Blue Hill Bay allowing the sweeping atmosphere of lonliness to pervade. It is a song that looks at a lord of his domain, which happens reflected in the song title. More touching is Wedding Day Eve, wherein advice is given, whether wanted or not, the guitar and steel adding to the thoughtfulness of the song’s sentiment. More up-tempo and punchy is This Too Shall Pass, which has an effective guitar break from Jutz. It is not too far from the work of another artist, James Mc Murtry, who is not as well-known as he should. There is a much darker side to the tale of murder, Well Enough Alone, a subject that Klien, as a trial lawyer, previously may well have had direct experience with. It’s also a song that immediately impacted this listener and features Rogers’ fiddle effectively.

Another tale of bad times is the hard luck of the man from the the fringes of society looking to scrounge some the money for a pack of cigarettes, certainly not the kind of cash needed for anything harder, that is A Dollar, Two Quarters And A Dime. Also reflective of a less positive relationship, Oh Melissa has the protagonist reaching for the cigarette again. The seemingly endless routine of the daily travel to get to and from a less than satisfactory work situation has ended, leaving a contemplation of that journey from a different frame of view than exists for him now in That Used To Be My Train. 

The details of the life of a struggling musician is told in Sky Blue LeBaron, his car and mode of transport and perhaps, on occasion, his sometime bed. It tells of once being in a band and that oft-told tale of almost being signed to a deal and achieving a long lost dream, but that is now something that is well in the rear-view mirror. The simplicity and understated acoustic articulation all the more effectively illustrates the life left for the artist now past his prime and career possibilities. Contrastingly, the closing song, Starting At Zero, co-written with Aaron Smith, relates to trying to start again and gain some new life traction. That’s certainly not the case with Klein’s fourth album, which should receive the critical response and wider recognition he has been building towards. A thoughtful and well-rounded career-best (to date) release. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Chris Carrapetta Nothing To Lose Self Release

Twelve songs from Australian artist Carrapetta who is based in Sydney, New South Wales and releases his second solo album. He employs the talents of Dean Bennison to co-produce the album with him and they are responsible for almost all the instruments used in the recording process. The credits show Chris Carrapetta (guitars, bass, vocals, harmonica, keyboards, drums),  with Dean Bennison (drums, percussion, guitars, bass, keyboards, vocals), and Becky Bennison (backing vocals, keyboards).

The album kicks off with a nice mid-tempo tale of lost love and the questions that linger. Can You Help Me Out sets the tone for the twelve tracks with some melodic playing and interplay between guitars, keyboard and harmonica parts. Caught Out In the Rain has a message of troubled times and needing to leave town. It has some fine backing vocals from Becky Bennison and warm keyboard sounds. On Golden Light the glow of new love is in the air and the dual vocals of Carrapetta and Bennison blend perfectly as they move around the sweet melody.

A number of the tracks have an early 70s California sheen in the production and songs like I Hope It’s Not Too Late reflect on the urge to live each day like its your last. Carrapetta has a nice vocal tone that partly echoes Graham Nash and reminders of Crosby Stills and Nash do echo in the background.  The song Nothing Left To Lose continues the message of listening to your inner voice and stop trying to be all things to everybody. Peta Caswell on backing vocals and David Eaton on keyboards guest on this particular song and turn in strong performances as the sound builds towards a fine climax.

This Is Not the End speaks of taking chances and not getting trapped in familiar routine, the song arrangement bouncing along on nice guitar lines. The slow tempo of One Day At A Time reflects on a relationship challenge and seeking peace of mind. It strikes me as perhaps a personal song among the others that channel similar emotions and share in the vagaries of vulnerability and letting down your guard in order to love and grow. It’s all is summed up by the message on both Hard Times and When I Am Lonely with the reflection that all we can do is keep trying, through both good and bad experiences, and hope to have someone there by your side . Engaging music throughout and performed with polish and vitality.

Review by Paul McGee

Orit Shimoni Winnipeg Self Release   

This Canadian artist has been living the life of a free spirit for many years now, with no regular abode and just the promise of new adventures around every corner. Her musical talent is richly honed across many experiences and encounters that inform her creative process. Covid lockdown however, changed everything and forced a temporary halt in the nomadic wandering of Shimoni for an enforced period of staying still and taking stock.

With eleven albums to her impressive catalogue she embarked upon an interesting new project upon meeting a fellow musician by sheer happenstance. While considering her next move in pre-Covid Winnipeg as news of lockdowns appeared, she met Glenn Radley a local musician who offered her the chance to collaborate across a possible project with his friend Bryn Herperger. The meeting turned into collective companionship and writing new songs to create this new album. The players are Orit Shimoni (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo), Bryn Herperger (bass, backing vocals), Glenn Radley (drums, backing vocals), Bob Cohen (additional guitars), Paul Balcain (horns), Scott Duncan (fiddle), Bart Groenendijk (keyboards). The initial tracks were recorded by the trio before additional parts and instrumentation were enhanced by remote musicians getting involved in the process of colouring the basic songs. The flexibility of remote file sharing has certainly liberated the creative process, and even if you still can’t beat the joy of playing live with fellow musicians and bouncing off each other, on this record Shimoni got to have the best of both worlds in letting the overall process inspire her. Occasionally her vocal is reminiscent to a young Lucinda Williams in the delivery, with that sweetly tired and soulful tone. Winnipeg is a love song that looks across the distance and misses a lover in another place. What Does It Matter displays a certain despondency brought on by the lockdown and thoughts about what the future may look like and Numbers is about the need to try and control our random daily lives. As if mere statistics can provide safe haven and reassurance, more likely to perhaps scare everyone half to death with doom laden messages ‘Everyone’s an expert on those stats, Wearing self-appointed expert hats.’

Bananas is a clever play on the conspiracy theories and suspicions that ran though the pandemic and those who believe that society is being controlled and manipulated by the authorities who invented the virus. When This Is All Over is another love song about getting back to someone you love once the borders reopen. Its interesting to look back with perspective on the influences and opinions that we held over the months of isolation. ‘Til then the days are long and time feels kinda strange, Like everything I’ve ever known has gone and rearranged.’

New York is a love letter to the iconic city and reflections that ‘You seemed like a movie set of yourself when I came out the station.’ Another song I Can’t Wait is the longest track included and looks at the pain of longing. The frustrations of missing a lover across the miles is reflected in the slow burn and sadly seductive vocal delivery of Shimoni ‘To stand or lie beside you in the same damn place, I can’t wait to touch your face.’  Love is a call to arms and a prayer to endure during times of deep change and loss ‘And victimhood is a lottery, And some of us will be unlucky, Staying healthy is the key, We can’t even see the enemy.’

Witness is a touching song about racial segregation and the inequality in society between different ethnic populations. No matter how we express the concept of one love there is always a deep divide under the surface, something that has returned in the aftermath of the pandemic unfortunately. When will we ever learn?

Over finishes the album with a rueful look at what makes us such a divided society, victims of our nurture and childhood. Still, we continue to hope for a better tomorrow where peace and love can truly reign ‘Cause I’ve had some ideas, You know the kind, Where everybody gets along, And no one seems to mind.’ Maybe in an ideal world,  but in the meantime we can only work to change ourselves and what lies before us every day. Another excellent collection of songs from a wandering minstrel that shows great insight into the human condition and our collective conundrums.

Review by Paul McGee

Edward Abbiati To the Light Appaloosa

This album release is a follow up to the excellent solo debut, Beat the Night, which appeared back in 2019. Abbiati was a long-time member of Lowlands, a roots-rock band that had a great run over fourteen years, and with their demise in 2018 he began to collaborate on various projects with other musicians including Chris Cacavas, Mike Brenner and Joey Huffman. On this new recording, Abiatti reunites with many old friends, including bandmates from Lowlands, to self-produce a very enjoyable album.

Starting off with Three Chords and the Truth, and a love song to his partner who has stuck with him through all the bad decisions made in his younger days ‘Three chords and the truth, The holy grail of our youth, In the end that was not enough, I got lost and mixed up.’ Now that he has found a sense of direction Nothing Left To Say looks back at a romance that was never going to work out ‘Go left and go home, Go right into the great unknown, Or we can stay right here, And for once face our fears’ - the road not taken and the choices made indeed! This band of musicians really know how to deliver a dynamic sound and they bring the songs to life in their performance. Just About Now has the addition of strings and horns to colour the driving beat and the regular bass lines of Enrico Fossati keeps everything on the money, with drum duties shared by Winston Watson (four songs) and Mattia Martini (five songs).

The one acoustic track is a memory of living in London circa 1998 and Rags tells of losing your way and waiting for something to happen in empty days. Coast Of Barcelona is a completely different tale with a big sound to accompany memories of travel and being young ‘Late at night dreams were whispered and laughter was strong, Our lives still to be made, The story could be so long.’  Hammond organ (Joey Huffman) and lap steel (Mike “Slo Mo” Brenner) adding greatly to the melody. On nine of the tracks Maurizio “Gnola” Glielmo features on electric guitars and backing vocals and his playing is a very strong feature of the album. On the up-tempo Going Downtown his playing is something that lifts the arrangement in a song about protest and Alvin Davis features on trumpet, trombone and saxophone sounds to enhance the melody ‘We all walk down these streets, But it feels like we never meet, How can we call this a promised land, With all this hate and blood on our hands.’

While a number of songs deal with looking back at the past and mistakes made, others lean towards a better future, such as One Step At a Time, To the Light and Stairs To the Stars. The closing track Love Note is a celebration of everybody in Abbiati’s life and all that they bring. With twelve players featured, it’s a big statement in sound and one that embraces love as the only way forward. Another interesting album from an artist who continues to grow and expand his vision. Worth forty minutes of your time to enjoy the songs, strong production and superb musicianship.

Review by Paul McGee

Peter Gallway Grace Street Gallway Bay

There is very little that this accomplished New York native has not experienced over his career in music. Spanning six decades, he has released close on thirty albums, whether working as a solo artist, as a duo in Hat Check Girl (with Annie Gallup), or in other collaborations such as Parker Gray with British musician Harvey Jones.  In addition Gallway has produced over fifty albums and worked with artists such as Laura Nyro, along with other special projects.

On this new release Gallway took inspiration from a solo tour of Japan earlier in the year. With just a guitar for accompaniment, Gallway has now revisited ten songs from his extensive back catalogue and has come up with alternate versions that will please his many admirers. There are six different albums included across the ten songs, going back to 1994 and 2009 to select three songs from a pair of his solo albums, choosing another song from his album with The Real Band in 2022 and dipping into the Hat Check Girl catalogue with a further five songs covering three of their albums as a duo.

The results are predictably bare and stripped back in the delivery.. There is an intimacy in the performances and once you can accept the simple approach of just guitar and voice, there is a sense of almost being in the same room witnessing the playing. The guitar of choice is a Godin 5th Avenue model and the rich and deeply resonant sound is perfect for these gentle tunes that burrow their way into your senses to bring both relaxation and sublimation. Gallway doesn’t possess a big vocal range and yet his almost spoken words carry great character. He has been called the master of free verse and there is a strong impression of the joy this musician takes from composition.

The songs were captured live in his studio which is located in Maine, and also at his home on the coast. If there is a central theme running through these ten song selections then it is that of love and its place in our lives. From the sad longing of Under Those Trees to the challenge and mystery contained in Steel Clouds and Cold, Cold Rain, Gallway seeks the answers and comes up with the conclusion that love should always be what matters, as evident on the gentle You’ve Got Your Heart. There is also the desire and habitual compulsion of It’s Deliberate to shake things up, but the abiding rule on Not This Time is to face the changes that life brings and to test yourself.

Music is the subject of Just Think Back and memories of that first song you ever heard on the radio, followed by Texas and a nod to the influence of the classic singer songwriters in that southern state. The storms of life and what may lie beyond is tackled on Nor’easter and growing up in a rural environment lends itself to living the simple life on Up In the County. The final song is Nine Bridges and a love letter to NYC and the welcome extended to immigrants on its shores as they struggle in finding a new life. One would hope that the same optimism still applies in these days of fractured living but the original song was written back in 2009 and perhaps Gallway includes it here as a reminder of who we really are as a society and to suggest an environment of care and inclusion as we face an uncertain future. This is a very timely reminder of the songwriting talents of Gallway and a worthwhile addition to any music collection.

Review by Paul McGee

C. Daniel Boling New Old Friends Berkalin

This album is the ninth release from Folk artist Boling and it turns out to be a very pleasant listen over fifteen tracks and forty-five minutes. He has an easy guitar style and the acoustic songs sit nicely into his interesting insights and tales from the experience gained in racking up more than one hundred concerts a year.

Co-produced with Jono Mason in Santa Fe, New Mexico and featuring Tom Paxton on five songs, the playing is very impressive across the ensemble of players that assisted in bringing these songs to life in the studio. Boling plays guitar and sings, while Mason adds guitar on vocals and is joined on selected tracks by Jeff Scroggins (banjo), Jason Crosby (piano), Jon Gagan (upright bass), Michael Handler (harmonica), Char Rothschild (melodica, accordion, tin whistle), Kenny Mulhollan (mandolin, upright bass), John Enges (dobro) and Bill Ward (piano).

The songs came together over zoom calls during the Covid virus lockdown and opening Get A Life is about getting off the couch and jumping back into social activities now that things have moved on. New Old Friends is a testament to the joys of reaching out to each other and forming reals bonds. Bear Spray and Barbwire is a true story of hiking in the hills and the mishaps that can occur, while This Town Has No Café is a light and breezy arrangement with a more serious message woven through the lyrics.   

There are love songs (Of You and Me and How Did You Know?), political statements (Leaving Afghanistan and Red White and Blue), old age (The Keys and We Can Still Waltz), with reflections on the pandemic captured in The Missing Years. It’s a gentle album with lots of variety and many highlights to engage the listener.

Review by Paul McGee

Wayne Brereton The Robin’s Call Self Release

This seven-song EP plays out over twenty-seven minutes and marks the debut release for an Irish singer-songwriter who brings plenty of inspiration and potential. A native of Co. Offaly and a fluent Irish speaker, Wayne has played music for most of his life and been a band member in groups such as Turas and The Cardinal Sins. He also plays with Derek Warfield and the Young Wolf Tones, but getting to grips with a solo project is a very different challenge. Happily, it’s one that Brereton rises to in some style.

Recorded at the Nutshed studio in Clara, the production by Joe Egan is very engaging and leaves plenty of space for the musicians to be heard in the clear sound. Wayne plays guitar, bass and provides lead vocals. He is joined by Trisha Mulraney (fiddle, piano, whistle), John Tobin (bodhran, bouzouki), Bernadett Moran (whistles, backing vocals) and Eva Coyle who contributes piano and vocals on The Mountains of Pomeroy.

There is a lovely Irish traditional lilt to songs like Shepherd Lad with bodhran, fiddle and tin whistle lifting the melody in a tale of young love. The Diamantina Drover is another fine example of a traditional air and a tale of emigration to Queensland, Australia, leaving a sweetheart behind. There is also a song in Irish called ‘S Cuma Grain No Sion which translates as “I don’t care for sun or snow.”

The tale of courtship and thieving, ending in arrest at the hands of the authorities, is the subject of When First Unto This Country and Come Rain Or Come Shine is a song the promises lifelong fidelity to another. Keg Of Brandy  tells of a roving life and getting older while the love of a good woman lingers in the memory. Wayne has a warm vocal tone and the playing here is quietly restrained in highlighting the fine melodies. I look forward to hearing more from this talented new artist and this is a very promising start along his chosen path.

Review by Paul McGee

Mean Mary I’d Rather Be Merry Woodrock

A talented singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who started performing at the age of six, Mary James was given her stage name by the press after her debut song  Mean Mary from Alabam' went public. Despite several releases over the years she has stuck with the original performance name and it probably does her no real favours in terms of trying to predict her musical style.

However, if you have seen her perform live then you will know that her reputation as an impressive musician and personality is well earned. On this new album we are given a real sense of Christmas, even through the overall feel is not as rooted in tradition as most other seasonal offering. We have a few of the old favourites performed, such as Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, I Saw Three Ships and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Not always sticking to the original arrangements, Mean Mary mixes things up to include interesting melodic twists, with banjo and other instrumentation included in the arrangements. She is joined by her brother Frank on eight of the songs, contributing vocals and 12-string guitar. Their co-writes I’d Rather Be Merry and Cardboard Box are very funny and full of mischief in the delivery.

O Holy Night and The Holly and the Ivy are two more classic Christmas inclusions and some of the other players on the project include Nomad (accordion, piano), Larry Salzman and Jon Sterckx (percussion), Oli Hayhurst (upright bass), David Larsen (bass), David Henry (cello, upright bass) and Andy Kruspe (bodhran, percussion). The most upbeat song is the version of Here We Come A-Caroling with the band in top gear as the tempo spins out into a joyful declaration of the season. The laid-back, quietly considered It Came Upon A Midnight Clear is superbly delivered with just simple guitar, piano and vocals, and the final song Ding Dong Day is soulful reflection on the big day and the conflicting emotions it can bring. A seasonal fare with much to savour and one to be dipped into on more than one occasion for optimal pleasure.

Review by Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

The Pleasures The Beginning of The End Self Release

Between them Catherine Britt and Lachlan Bryan have won several Golden Guitars (the Australian equivalents of CMA awards) and have well established careers in their native Australia in the country/Americana field, but they had never recorded together before. Enter their new joint venture, The Pleasures, with their debut album THE BEGINNING OF THE END which is somewhat of a concept album, based loosely around infidelity and breakup. Britt freely admits that the breakup of her marriage just before lockdown influenced the writing, and between them they both have had their fair share of relationships, which provided ample raw material. The songs are clearly fuelled by real life experiences, such is the passion and intensity laid bare across this sparkling eleven song collection.

Starting off quite explosively with the title track, the heavy rock vibe is a backdrop for a relationship that was doomed from the start but still proved irresistible for the two protagonists, ‘we let that fire burn freely/like sparks on turpentine’, sung by both Lachlan and Britt in harmony. Homewreckers, also sung in harmony but with a more funky bluesy groove, came from Britt’s personal experience. Whether sung in harmony, or back and forth in a conversational style, their voices are perfect together, both powerful but capable of nuance when necessary. Every Story Has Two Sides introduces that conversational device, conveying the pain and depth of feeling during the worst throes of a breakup, complete with a dirty blues backdrop. More country duet in style and sound is the sublime You Made Another Woman (Out of Me) and Mutual Friends, which explores the wider repercussions of a divorce. The band’s full sound is completed by drummer Brad Bergen and bassist Damian Cafarello, who come into their own on the early rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack of Paranoid and even more so on the electric guitar and drum led Howlin’ For My Darlin’, one of Howlin’ Wolf’s classics. Three Star Hotel wraps a country sound around the tale of a couple who meet occasionally for a casual relationship, with neither party looking for commitment.

There’s an obvious Leon Russell influence on the tale of falling for a bluffer, complete with Southern rock piano and guitar, in I Fell For It and then the record wraps up with a sparsely beautiful (acoustic guitar and two voices) version of the tragic love song Seven Spanish Angels. This record seems to have slipped under the radar on this side of the world, so do yourself a favour and check it out. It’s one of my favourites of 2023.

Review by Eilís Boland

Ian M Bailey We Live In Strange Times Kool Kat

Two standout albums released this year by American artists - Marty Stuart & His Fabolous Superlatives’ ALTITUDE and Chris Stamey’s THE GREAT ESCAPE - were to a large extent influenced by the classic 60s sound of The Byrds. Lancashire-born singer-songwriter Ian M Bailey’s latest album, WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES, can be added to that list. 

It’s no surprise that Bailey has released this album and his last two on the USA Kool Kat Musik label. They are market leaders in supporting lesser-known artists recording melodic and hook-driven country and power pop, and this album hits the bullseye in that genre. Bailey doesn’t stray from the musical template of his last two albums, YOU PAINT THE PICTURES (2022) and SONGS TO DREAM ALONG TO (2021), with the emphasis once more on hook-laden songs, twelve in total, that tip their hat in the direction of the classic mid-60s sound from both sides of the Atlantic. 

The aptly titled opener, The Last Chime, kicks the album off in fine style with jangly Rickenbacker and layered vocals the order of the day. Mother Nature (Giving Out Signs) and The Clock Is Ticking enter more cosmic country territory, and the instrumental She Waltzes With The Devil would have qualified as the theme tune to a Secret Agent TV series back in the day. The instantly absorbing Pray For Me recalls early Jayhawks with a melody that’s likely to remain with the listener for some time. Other instantly catchy tunes include the title track and California Desert Sundown, and the album closes with the more acoustic but not less impressive, The Moon Floats On A Cloud. 

Bailey is credited for lead and harmony vocals, six and twelve-string Rickenbacker, bass, drums and keyboards. Not quite a one-person band, he employed the services of Alan Gregson on strings, Hammond, Rhodes piano and lap steel. The writing credits are shared between Bailey and Glaswegian Daniel Wylie of Cosmic Rough Riders fame. 

With the Americana genre shifting colours and becoming virtually all-inclusive, it’s a shame that this roots/power pop genre is practically overlooked by the industry currently. But with albums of this quality still being recorded, it just takes a small amount of rummaging to track them down. If The Byrds, Gene Clark, and classic 60s pop rock your boat, you will lap this up. It’s that good. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Dori Freeman Do You Recall Blue Hens

Dori Freeman's music's beauty has consistently been its simplicity, possibly reflecting her way of life. Not attracted by Nashville's bright lights, Freeman has instead remained in rural Galax, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and fellow musician, Nicolas Falk, and their daughter. Her albums have incorporated three essential ingredients: angelic vocals, sharp melodies and uncomplicated lyrics. Her fifth studio album, DO YOU RECALL, embodies all three in every respect and finds Freeman, lyrically and musically, staying faithful to her tried and tested template. 

Rather than record in New York, where she cut her first three Teddy Thompsom-produced albums, Freeman recorded and co-produced this album with her husband Nick in their timber-framed home studio in their backyard. That 'close to home' aura comes across strongly in the material with tales of everyday life, parenting, relationships, injustices and the environmental beauty of Appalachia. Particular examples are Soup Beans Milk and Bread, They Do It's True and River Run, which collectively harbours thoughts of both survival and wrath. 

Freeman's capacity to pen no-nonsense love songs has rung true on her previous records, and the title track here is as polished and catchy as any she's written. Her long-time pal Teddy Thompson sings harmony vocals on Good Enough, and her father, Scott Freeman, is credited as a co-writer on the light-hearted tear-jerker Laundromat. An element of self-effacement, whether first-hand or notional, raises its head on the punchy Why Do I Do This To Myself?

DO YOU RECALL is an impeccable exercise in modern folk and country, without ever crisscrossing into the bland pop-country market, a path that Freeman could easily have taken throughout her career. That she hasn't is to her credit, and hopefully, she will continue to create organic and beautifully crafted music and tender, intimate songs, as she has with this gem. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Jessi Colter Edge of Forever Appalachia Record Co.

Recent years have found octogenarian country artists delivering quite an amount of quality music. Willie Nelson continues to be prolific, as does Bob Dylan. Connie Smith sounded as good as ever on THE CRY OF THE HEART in 2021, and Loretta Lynn, who sadly left us in 2022, was recording up to a year before her passing. Jessi Colter, who was eighty years old in May of this year, joined that exalted club with her latest album, EDGE OF FOREVER, her first release since PSALMS in 2017. Christened ‘The Queen of Outlaw Country’ back in the 1970s, Colter sticks to the fusion of country, rock and soul that cemented her reputation as one of the standout female artists of that time. 

Colter joined forces with Margo Price for this ten-track album and availed of the services of Price’s backing band, The Price Tags, for the recording. Price’s involvement included producer and backing vocalist, and it’s fair to say that she proved to be the perfect consort, having been a lover of Colter’s music for many years. The completion of the project was not without complications and was a possible reminder of how little has changed since Colter’s early career as a female ‘outlaw’ artist. Margo Price has suggested that sexism and possibly ageism led to difficulties in sourcing a record label to support the album. Fortunately, the Nashville label Appalachia Record Co came on board, resulting in a highly listenable and enjoyable album.

Price shares vocals with Colter on three tracks: country rockers, I Wanna Be With You, and Maybe You Should and the upbeat ballad, Lost Love Song. The gospel writer James Cleveland’s song, Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus, gets a groovy and soulful reworking.

Her marriage to Waylon Jennings is represented by a song she used to share vocals with him, With Or Without You, and she opens the album with Standing On The Edge of Forever, a co-write with Waylon. Their son, Shooter Jennings, was responsible for the album’s final mix, and the standout track is also a family affair. Secret Place, a duet with her daughter Jenni Eddy Jennings, runs short of six minutes and bookends the album in fine style.  

Recently married, spiritually in a good place and recording great music, eighty is really the new sixty. Just ask Jessi Colter.

Review by Declan Culliton

Cory Grinder & The Playboy Scouts Snacks Self-Release

A late review here at Lonesome Highway HQ of an album released earlier in the year but one that nonetheless deserves to be heard. Cory Grinder's latest release with his band The Playboy Scouts (Anthony Papaleo - guitar, Tebbs Karney - pedal steel, Alex Buchanan - Bass and Bee Roberts - drums) has delivered an album of well-chosen covers that have formed part of their live set over the years. It was tracked and mixed by Jon Chips and proves to be a very enjoyable mix of songs with a cohesive style that aligns them with the overall sound that Grinder and the band have been delivering in the past. In this writer's humble opinion, it is not the only album drawn on past songs released last year but one of the best.

It opens with their deeply twangy take on Working Girl, a Conway Twitty song on the love of a person that parallels the theme of the film of the same name to some degree. Twitty also was behind If You Were Mine To Lose. Another song directly related to actual events is "travelling on the road is such a drag" Willie Nelson penned Devil In Sleeping Bag. A couple of critters show up more than once and are a noticeable influence on the band. Commander Cody, or Billy C. Farlow (as he's credited on three choices), wrote What's The Matter Now, with its loose swing affiliations, something that the other of his songs also have and show off Karney and Papaleo's interaction well. While Cravin' Your Love and Daddy's Gonna Treat You Right are, in some ways, different sides of the relationship coin in terms of approaching the subject. 

The third and again prominent artist in the band's mindset is Merle Haggard, with Seeing Eye Dog, All Of Me Belongs To You, and Silver Wings (an iconic song that rarely sounds less welcome) are all drawn from his canon. And again, as with everything else here, it sounds not so much as simply tribute but a core influence. There are other songs here that were mainly recorded by a female artist, such as Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad, best known by Tammy Wynette and written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton, which is delivered without irony as a cautionary message rather than a direct statement of intent. 

The Sons Of Pioneers recorded the Fred Rose song Home In San Antone in 1943, again alluding to Grinder's appreciation of western swing. Grinder, who is central to this music, gives it an emotional vocal delivery in a way that appreciates the original recordings but gives them a respect and resonance that is as current as it is considered.

The next outing will likely return to original material, and that is, as it was in the past, something to look forward to. But, in the here and now, SNACKS is a tasty addition to those bands of artists who are making traditional country, honky tonk and swing with the kind of spirit that has largely been lost or overlooked in the search for cross-over opportunities and commercial possibilities. These boys are gonna treat you right.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Drunken Hearts Reckless Ways Of Living Self Release

This band is centred around the talents of Andrew McConathy and a series of players that he invites to join him on studio projects and as members of his touring band. On the website McConathy lists the current band as himself (acoustic guitar, vocals), James Dumm (electric Guitars, vocals), Drew Packard (bass, vocals), Tyler Adams (Piano, organ, vocals) and Eric Low (drums, percussion).

However, this album was created using a different cast of musicians and the quality of the players is testament to the ability of McConathy to attract some serious hitters to share his musical vision. For many years he has been trying to shape his career as a musician to make financial sense, working day jobs and putting all his savings into trying to maintain himself and produce music that matters. His sound is that of the country heartland, with his deeply rich vocal imbuing his roots rock tales with a strong sense of grit and realism.

A number of albums and Eps arrived over the years as McConathy sought to define his sound and all the hard yards have now culminated in the release of this latest album. Dave Pahanish produced the new project and also contributed acoustic guitar, bass mellotron and percussion. He also co-wrote all the songs with McConathy with other artists contributing on two of the tracks. Some of the included musicians were Kyle Tuttle (banjo), Neil Jones (pedal steel), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (vocals), Silas Herman (mandolin), Vince Herman (guitar), and Adrian Engfer (bass). McConathy also invited Dumm, Packard and Adams from his current band to join the recordings and the entire troupe of players do great justice to the songs.

Kicking off proceedings is the country swing of Never Say Goodbye, an unapologetic love song with soaring pedal steel from Neil Jones to heighten the emotion, the musicians perform with great invention throughout, never more so than on Good Graces where everything comes together in a heady mix of instrumentation and great rhythm.

Falling Stars, 100 Proof and Dark Times stand out with some great ensemble playing and tales of relationships intertwined, troubled family history, lost lovers and friends that have passed on but not forgotten. Hard living remedies offer temporary respite on Popcornin’ Percocets while Fall From Grace is a look back at youthful dreams and a romance that didn’t go the distance. The final song Eventually covers similar ground and asks ‘ did we kneel when we should have charged’ - the core message being that everything that lives and dies becomes one, flowing together at the end of it all. This is a very enjoyable album, well-produced and filled with great songs that linger and demand repeated plays.

Review by Paul McGee

Anders Jornesten Train To Montreal Self Release

Living in Stockholm during the Covid pandemic and working from home was all the motivation that Anders needed to finally start recording his songs and taking the step to expose them to the world outside his apartment window. He has been playing guitar since teenage years inspired him to learn the instrument and try to follow in the footsteps of his musical influences that include John Prine and Blaze Foley.

The nine songs featured are all performed by Anders on acoustic guitar in his home surroundings and the inspiration to follow through on his dream is justified in the simple approach to the recording. Anders sings in a voice that has both character and a lived-in quality in the plaintive delivery. The songs are personal and observational in theme covering issues and topics that were no doubt highlighted by the sense of isolation and lack of community during the Covid lockdown. Doubts and dreams, regrets and revelations, are addressed in songs like Train To Montreal, Bruises and Scars, The Last Call and A Heart Split In Two.

There is a longing in the quiet solitude of home recordings where the artist is left alone with his reflections and wishful thinking. The intimacy of such a setting can be heard in the excellent guitar technique of Anders and the way in which we are invited into his creative process. This is what the spirit of independent music is all about, an urge to create and to communicate. A worthy effort and hopefully not the last time we will hear from this singer songwriter.

Review by Paul McGee

Brooks Dixon Rhododendron Highway Self Release

This musician has been treading the boards since 2012 when he started playing in local venues around his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, and further afield. A number of EP releases followed over the years since then and a debut album appeared in 2019, titled Pocketful Of Dreams.  Dixon now releases his follow-up album of songs, both old and new, enlisting the services of musician friends to assist in the recording process at Omnisound studios in Nashville.

Existing band members Shane Byler (drums), Jake Watson (bass) and Sara Middleton (vocals) appear on selected songs across the eleven tracks included here. They are joined by others such as Taylor McClesky, David Flint, Nathan Angelo, Chris Nole, Wayne Killius, and Dale Francis on various instruments and both Anna Stine, and Libby Rhodenbough on backing vocals.  Opening song Charleston has an old time western swing and a sweet melody with plaintive harmonica highlighting a yearning to return to that beautiful city by the ocean. Stranger’s Bed follows and speaks about a restlessness within and those inner voices that keep second guessing what is best. Midnight Shower is a song that examines choices and taking the right path; working to live or else following the dream to fulfill a passion. Needles is a reflection on addiction or illness and the time it takes for acceptance and recovery. Dixon’s vocal is rich and expressive and the backing harmonies of Sara Middleton are equally impressive. Hey Hey is a look at younger ideals and has a bluesy rhythm, with the lines ‘If there's one thing I can't understand, Why everybody talking about a promised land’ summing up the sentiment. 

The liberation in true love is at the heart of both Would You Say Yes and Married In the Mountains, while the song Store Your Treasure asks about the emphasis that we place upon our values, be they in material possessions or investing in experiences that build lasting memories. Dixon also muses over our place in the world (After All) whether home is the optimal choice (Rolling Stone), before ending with some good council to slow down and enjoy the journey (Good Conversation). This is a very strong album, with some excellent songwriting and creative playing from all involved. It comes highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

Nathan Seeckts Something Rare and Beautiful Self Release

This Australian singer songwriter has been making music for a number of years and building his profile outside of his native Victoria. In 2019 he played a showcase in the Bluebird Café as part of the AmericanaFest in Nashville which gained him a whole new level of recognition. A debut album The Heart Of The City appeared in that same year and Seeckts now follows this with his second release.

We are given an authentic look into what represents country music from the land Down Under. These ten songs are recorded at Union Street Studios in Melbourne and producer Roger Bergodaz captures the essence of Seeckts sound with a very engaging and impressive album. There is a depth of talent on display and the musicians highlight the strong song arrangements in their playing. Seeckts wrote all the songs and provides lead vocal and guitar. The fact that he can sound like Chris Stapleton in his vocal delivery is no bad thing either and adds a resonance to the natural gravel in his tone. The other players on the album include Sean McDonnell (guitars, backing vocals), Matt Dietrich (bass), Mark McLeod (drums, percussion), Gretta Ziller (backing vocals), Tom Brooks (pedal steel), Luke Moller (violin), Cameron Jerabek (keyboards), Charlie Woods (trumpet) and Nathaniel Sametz (saxophone).

The Wildest Thing is a mid-tempo introduction to the album and a story song about a one-night experience with a colourful lady up for damage and a good time. King Of the Room follows with a more driving rhythm and a song about people who talk at music gigs and the lyrics resonate ‘I asked you once, I asked you twice, If I have to ask again, I won’t be so nice.’ Cassette In the Tape Deck tells the tale about an old car that was owned by Nathan’s father and how much it meant to a young adolescent growing up ‘My hand out the window, My head in the clouds, Cassette in the tape deck, The music up loud.’ Although the car was sold, the memory still lingers.

No Ifs, No Doubts, No Maybes is a love song to the woman who has stood by the side of an aging musician all his life and it is very mellow and laid-back in delivery. The title track highlights a stage performer who captivates audiences with her songs and the sweet violin intertwines with the acoustic guitars to great effect. Little Church pictures a wedding day that goes horribly wrong and the pedal steel inter-play with the electric guitar adds nicely to the rhythm. Goodnight Bluebird slows things down with a fine vocal from Seeckts and a great feel to a song about a girl in the crowd at the weekly gig who sings along to all the songs and captivates the singer ‘You’re wearing the hell out of that dress.’

Measured and Wanting sings about handling rejection and coming to realise that in the end we all have to run our own race. Believe in yourself is the key message in this gentle song. I Watched You Slip Away From Me is about the loss of a loved one and the grief that ensues, with some lovely guitar parts elevating the melody. The final song End Of the Rope is another acoustic based arrangement and speaks of never giving up, finding courage and hope to carry on ‘When you get to the end of the rope, Tie a knot and try to hang on.’  Some good council to end proceedings.

The first Australian Americana honours night was held in Melbourne in 2017 as a mark of the growing roots scene in the country and the Americana Music Association was involved. Things have progressed since then and there is a building momentum for quality artists such as Nathan Seeckts. Long may it continue to grow with his music and this album is a signpost in style and substance.

Review by Paul McGee

The Pleasures, Ian M Bailey, Dori Freeman, Jessi Colter, Cory Grinder & The Playboy Scouts, Drunken Hearts, Anders Jörnesten, Brooks Dixon Nathan Seeckts

New Album Reviews

Billy Don Burns I've Seen A Lot Of Highways Black Country Rock

With a lived-in vocal and, as this album title suggests, many road miles under his belt, Arkansas-born singer-songwriter Billy Don Burns resurrects memories from a career that spans over five decades on his latest studio recording.

When asked about his road stories a few years back in an interview, Burns replied, 'I think I will pass on the road stories. Most of mine are either X-rated or incriminating.' He's certainly not short of writing ammunition, claiming to have been stabbed seventeen times, spent time in prison, battled with drug dependency and been married six times. That mind-boggling manner of living is presented in full colour in this twelve-song collection of self-written songs, and it's fair to say that he doesn't put a foot wrong from start to finish.

A classic songwriter, though one that remains somewhat under the radar, Burns' songs have been recorded by Willie Nelson, Connie Smith, Johnny Paycheck and Mel Tillis, to name a few. He has also produced albums by Paycheck (“He was not easy to work with in 1988 – the cocaine and the booze pretty much had him a lot then. However, I am not saying anything bad about him”) and Merle Haggard. The regard in which some current generation artists hold him is evidenced on this album by contributions from Shooter and Whey Jennings, Cody Jinks, and Wes Shipp. 

His failed marriages may or may not have been the prompt for both Don't Cry For Me and I Went Crazy. The former is very much in the 'good riddance' stable, and the latter is one of heartache and remorse ('I blew through a pack of Marlboro Red, trying to smoke her out of my head'). All She Put Him Through is a melodic treasure with a nod in the direction of Warren Zevon. The spoken tale, Mack Story, tells of a suicide pact fuelled by a chronic cocaine habit, interrupted by a phone call with the news of a several thousand royalty cheque ('So we got it cashed, bought ourselves a couple of eight balls and headed out in the middle of the night to California'). 

It's not all ruination and degeneracy, either. Two tracks touch on redemption and spirituality and probably define why Burns has survived his torrid lifestyle and lives to tell the tales. That's When I Knew ('I was down on my knees on the bottom with nothing and no one to turn to. He reached down and touched me, and that's when I knew') and Satan Is A Son Of a Bitch ('One of these days, Jesus is gonna kick ol' Satan's ass. It's gonna be a sight to see when good and evil clash').

Firmly rooted in the classic singer-songwriter panache of Guy Clark, John Prine and Townes Van Zant, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF HIGHWAYS is that good and one of the standout albums in that genre for me in 2023.

Review by Declan Culliton

Gram Parsons and The Fallen Angels The Last Roundup: Live from the Bijou Café in Philadelphia March 16th, 1973 Amoeba

Gram Parsons' debut solo album, GP, was released in January of 1973 on the Warner Brothers label. Despite critical acclaim from Rolling Stone journalist Bud Scoppa - and attaining legendary status for Parsons after his death - the album failed miserably in commercial terms. 

The opening dates on the tour to promote the album were shambolic and problematic. Parsons' wishes to bring Elvis's band (James Burton, Ron Tutt, Glen D. Hardin) on the road were scuppered for financial reasons. When the tour bus parked at the Bijou Café in Philadelphia, the line-up had changed from the original crew assembled by Parsons and his trusted tour manager, Phil Kaufman. Following several under-rehearsed and chaotic opening shows, they had disposed of the services of guitar player Gerry Mule and replaced him with Jock Barkley. Parsons and Emmylou Harris - her first experience on the road - were then backed by Barkley, Neil Flanz (pedal steel), Kyle Tullis (bass) and ND Smart (drums) for the remainder of the tour.

Parsons was abusing alcohol and drugs, overweight and subject to mood swings at that time. The presence of his wife Gretchen on the tour bus led to constant rows, often fuelled by the body language of Parsons and Harris on stage but also due to Gretchen's overindulgence in stimulants. A disastrous interview by Parsons and Harris with DJ Rusty Bell on KOKE-AM in Austin did little to promote either the album or the tour, and the bus and its crew continued on their travels, with the stage shows improving as the previously under-rehearsed band got their act together.

LIVE FROM THE BIJOU CAFÉ captures, warts and all, the most musically coherent period of the tour. Neil Flanz considered the show to be the best of the tour and, fortunately, sought the soundboard recording of the performance on cassette. Forty years later, the tape was acquired by Amoeba Music but was not rediscovered for ten more years when Amoeba relocated its offices.

Franz's notable pedal steel guitar holds the band together, and Parsons sometimes struggles vocally. However, his duets with Harris, particularly Love Hurts, are memorable. The magic of the GP album is also recreated on Streets of Baltimore and We'll Sweep Out The Ashes, both arrangements coming to life when Emmylou Harris' vocals kick in. Other highlights include Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man (introduced by Parsons as a song that actually made us money), the Merle Haggard-written California Cotton Fields and Sin City. The show ended in cabaret style with a rock and roll medley including Hang On Sloopy, Boney Moronie, Forty Days and Almost Grown.

Not only is this album a 'must have' for lovers of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, but it's also an authentic 'moment in time' by two artists who were to become household names in the future for different reasons. Six months after the recording and a month before he was due to be on the road again, Gram Parsons would die from a morphine overdose at the Joshua Tree Inn in California on September 19th 1973. Emmylou Harris' solo career would bloom in the coming decades, leading to her becoming one of the most cherished vocalists in the country and Americana genres. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Jon Dee Graham Only Dead For A Little While Strolling Bones 

Jon Dee Graham has been an intrinsic part of the Texan punk and alt-country scene since his days as a member of The Skunks and True Believers alongside Alejandro Escovedo. He has been inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times, with those bands and once as a solo artist. 

His back catalogue included thirteen solo studio albums before the release of his latest record, ONLY DEAD FOR A LITTLE WHILE, his first in seven years. Graham suffered significant trauma in that intervening period; he had a heart attack and actually died for five minutes - hence the new record's title – and had a stroke two years later.

Given the album's stimuli, it's little surprise that much of the material deals with mortality and related matters. It's a powerful affair in many respects, with Graham's lived-in gravelly vocals and driving guitar excelling on Going Back to Sweden, Where It All Went Wrong and Lazarus. His victory of life over death is celebrated on the latter ('You know we got so much in common and Lazarus just nodded his head'). There's A Ghost On The Train is a standout and strikingly evocative song with sharp lyrics that draw the listener in. Brave As Her (Marie Colvin), with its spoken lyrics, is a beautiful eulogy to the American journalist who perished in a rocket attack while working in Syria in 2012. Another highlight is the bewitching Astronaut, written by Graham's son, William Harries.

It may have taken major adversity to create ONLY DEAD FOR A LITTLE WHILE, but the result is a splendid mix of raspy air-guitar-inducing rockers and delicate and intimate ballads. The lyrics perfectly reflect the songs' moods and no more so than on the previously referenced Going Back To Sweden. Exasperated by the 'foolishness' prevailing in his country, he professes, 'Well in Sweden, Lee Hazelwood is considered The Godfather of the Cool. Aw Hell, Lee brought his horse to Sweden; Lee ain't nobody's fool.' Similarly themed, Where It All Went Wrong also considers humankind’s capacity for self-destruction.

Graham's latest album never drags its anchor. Instead, it demands to be listened to from start to finish, preferably with the volume cranked up, which I've done many times since it landed for a review. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Grey DeLisle She’s An Angel Hummingbird

A longtime favourite of mine and when I saw that this album was produced by Deke Dickerson and Eddie Glendening I had the feeling that it would be slightly different from some of her previous material. Some six previous albums have revealed a prodigious and unusual talent that veers to the more folk and acoustic side of storytelling. DeLisle has been quite eclectic in the past and had a long-time working partnership with Marvin Etzioni, with whom she worked with on several albums. She is also a sought after voice over artist and her distinctive voice is a strong pointer to that.

Here she has put together a fourteen track release that includes four co-writes alongside the other tracks she wrote solo. Her writing has always been engaging and entertaining and is none-the-less so here. The overall sound, given its producers, has a natural affinity with a twang sound that will doubtless find favour with fans of Brennen Leigh and other neo-traditionalists. Throughout there are echoes of Dolly and Loretta, which are more pronounced here than on some of Delisle’s previous recordings, all of which delineate her musical direction here. This in itself touches on more than one aspect of the music of an earlier time,  but it is done in a way that is both relevant now, as well as respectful to its sources. 

The musicians are a veritable who’s who of Austin and California players with names like the aforementioned producers, T. Jarrod Bonta, Tammy Rogers, Dave Berzansky, DJ Bonebrake, Mike Molnar and Ray Benson, alongside some other fine players, delivering a selection of songs that are both varied and vital in the way they bring the themes of love, life, death and dogs into clear focus.

The title of the opening song gives you something of an insight into the nature of her (sometimes) forceful nature. I’ll Go Back To Denver (And You Can Go The Hell) is one of a number of songs that tend to take no prisoners. Who Brought The Boots Beside Your Bed? and Quit Picking’ On Me would be other examples. There are also more tender moments like the title track, and I Really Got A Feeling is a straight up declaration of lasting love.

They sure can rock out to recharged rockabilly rhythms too, as Big Sister does, effectively using Bonta’s ivory tinkling to good effect. The clever Quit Pickin’ On Me is an appeal to her favourite guitar picker who has the tendency to name her as the subject of his “you done me wrong” songs. The Dog is as the titles indicates a song about a much loved hound who, though, creates some additional problems noting that “I cry in the driveway but don’t hit the highway ‘cause dang it I can’t leave the dog.” It features in the voice of Ray Benson, a perfect duet companion.

There is a touching tale of a boy who dreamed of the outdoor life and who had two loves, but the story of Cowboy Joe ends in tragedy. I Like The Way You Think I Think was co-written by Big Sandy and DeLisle and sounds pretty much as you would expect if you are aware of his output. So in the end, as mentioned, fourteen tracks to enjoy, and they are all good. 

De Lisle has an interesting back catalogue and though she may not be as well know or appreciated as some of her contemporaries is as deserving of your attention. Also, it goes to show, as we head to the end of a fruitful year, that there are still gems arriving and this is one of them. One of the year’s best.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Jenna Clark & The Salty Truth West To Texas Self Release

Another new name to me is Jenna Clark, a Texas based, Florida born artist who has released this eight track mini-album and it showcases an artist with both a strong voice and some adept songwriting. The opening track, This Ship Will Sail, has robust steel and guitar to set the tone, a defiant stance in the face of an ending relationship. Next up, Can’t Help That I loved Him is a highlight. It is an arresting tale of regret about an old flame who has departed but a meeting shows “that old flame keeps burning me.” It features fiddle and steel that underscore that ongoing heartache in a suitable arrangement, showing that the assembled ensemble has the undoubted talent to breathe life into the songs. More of the same permeates the next song, You Get To, which has some strident guitar demonstrating that her companion has moved on and gets to do what he wants.

Fiddle, guitar and steel all help to continue the overall theme of the lost love and heartache of many of the songs. The slow paced Bloom is another of those. Don’t You Dare Cry, tells that the protagonist was well capable of causing hurt and so shouldn’t feel hard done by when the tables are turned. There is a powerful use of trumpet as well as saxophone in the soulful More Sunrises, Clark delivering a passionate vocal that discloses she is able to tackle a number of different approaches to her songs and delivery.

Good Friends is a recognition of how much like minded people can provide a much needed friendship, which lays out the possibility of such an acquaintance benefiting both parties. The edgy, twangy duet with Mike Randall goes back and forth with the notion that Three Shots Of Whiskey can set the both if them up, at least for the short time and that they will be gone not long after their brief liaison. Reminds me a little of Danni Leigh in her earlier releases. 

Clark, it also appears, sometimes dons a blonde wig and plays Dolly Parton covers at specific shows. Now may be the time to step up and consolidate her own identity and image. On the strength of this release she would be well able to do that and has previously performed soul and blues material as well as country. There are a number of videos on her site where you can see this emerging talent as well as acquire WEST OF TEXAS without having to actually travel there.

Review by Stephen Rapid

My Sister, My BrotherTwo Self Release

Both Garrison Starr and Sean McConnell presently enjoy highly successful solo careers and their decision to join together in order to pool their abundant talents has been a real success on every front. Not that the artists themselves were ever in any doubt. Ever since writing together at a songwriting workshop some years back, both could immediately sense the magic that they created together as writers and performers.

Recording under the name of My Sister, My Brother the pair released a 5-song EP in 2020 and this follow-up album of seven songs is superbly crafted and delivers yet another seamless work that brings real reward. This accomplished songwriting duo blend their vocals to great effect and a beautiful symmetry is achieved with a strong sense of easy creativity across the project. Having toured together in pre-Covid times, there is intuitive understanding of what works and their vocal harmonies meld into moments of magic with superbly structured song arrangements throughout.

The title track brings a message of fellowship and support for one another in a soulful delivery, stating ‘All we’ve got in this old world is each other’ as a statement of strength. The more restrained Cry Me A River talks about communication in relationships and feeling apart from a loved one. The song asks for openness and an honesty that can break through the emotional barriers. The string arrangement on the song is particularly effective.

Elsewhere, the gentle acoustic feel to Maybe There Are Angels wonders if our lives are guided by unknown forces in our midst, disguised as other people. The unexplained mysteries of life that seem to turn in favour of those who believe, “I think I’ve figured out that fate and doubt are the same from different angles.” The song More Than You Could Give looks at the young experiences of a gay person growing up in a family who could not accept their child for being who they were born to be in life. It examines the lack of real understanding and love that leaves a mark into adulthood. The reflective arrangement is supported by acoustic guitars and additional piano as the song develops.

Another Life has a more upbeat tempo and channels memories of youth and carefree days that can be repeated right now, if having fun in a relationship is the key focus “You make it easy babe like it’s always been this way.”Almost There is a song about forgiveness and how it comes slowly and wrapped in painful memories. The unravelling of a relationship over time is elegantly captured in the lyric “Homemade movie of you and me, Golden days; Wish we could shout out to them - Look out, things will change.” The song Shelter is another promise of support for a loved one and a shoulder to lean upon in dark times.

Overall this another great example of the success that can be found in musical collaboration, where the combined results benefit so much from the joint input. This duo have the magic dust in their corner and no doubt will continue to mine this rich vein of gold. 

Review by Paul McGee

Luke LeBlanc Places Real Phonic

This is album number five in a building career and it’s further confirmation that Luke LeBlanc continues to grow and mature as an artist of some substance. Recent releases ONLY HUMAN (2021) and FUGUE STATE (2022) were well received and displayed  a solid momentum, while on this new release regular producer Erik Koskinen really steps up the game for all concerned. He also plays guitar on the album and other players include Eric Heywood (pedal steel), Caz Falen (bass and backing vocals), John Cleve Richardson (piano and backing vocals), Lars-Erik Larson (drums), Casey Frenz (saxophone and trumpet), and Kora Melia (violin). Recording took place at Real Phonic Studio in Cleveland, Minnesota during March of this year and the results are very persuasive.

Opening song A Place defines what follows with an easy acoustic blues woven with fiddle and pedal steel on a love song about giving it all up and the impression made is reminiscent of the great JJ Cale. No Good is another sweetly delivered melody that looks at a relationship that shouldn’t work but there are hopes to the contrary. Again the seductive combination of violin, pedal steel and an understated rhythm section delivers a fine country sound. Own It is more up-tempo in the groove and is a song about being in control of your life despite the knocks along the way. Sweet sax and guitar in the arrangement work so well in defining the attitude contained in the lyric. The song Defeated has a smooth soulful sound with sweet sax and pedal steel colouring a melody that drifts across the arrangement as LeBlanc looks to surrender fully into a relationship.

Never Met You At All is a real highlight with an easy rhythm and some sweet country violin, guitar stylings and harmonica lifting the song. Break My Wall is another song with a county cool swing to the arrangement and a look at getting to know the person behind the images and personas that we paint in our relationships. Hazy has a great lyric in “You know I wanna know when I’ll see you again, but if I ask too soon I might lose a new friend.” The subtle guitar and violin parts dove tail with the drum and bass tempo, sliding on by in a gentle reverie.

Marble Stone is an acoustic blues tune that arrives with a deep bass rhythm as LeBlanc sings about his future demise, fuelled by duelling guitars and violin that extend the song around the reflective chorus ‘They’re gonna write my name in the middle of a Marble Stone.’ The interplay is just superb among the musicians and the joy in the performance is clearly evident. Quite superb.

The final track is Right Way and a perfect conclusion to a beautifully paced album. LeBlanc relates to the love we all plug into occasionally in reaching out to another who needs direction in finding the way forward to better days. All songs are written by Luke LeBlanc and the album has a lovely feel to the arrangements the production. If LeBlanc continues at this pace of development then the sky is truly the limit.   

Review by Paul McGee

Afton Wolfe The Harvest Grandiflora

Seven songs from the talented Afton Wolfe, and a follow-up to the EP titled TWENTY THREE that was released earlier this year. Wolfe was raised in Mississippi and he continues to wear his early influences firmly on his sleeve. Both of the recordings from this year complement each other in sound and in their delivery, showcasing a depth of musicality and an interesting variety in the arrangements. For this new instalment, Wolfe has focused upon the songs written by his father-in-law, Nashville-based musician L.H. Haliburton. Good to keep it all in the family!

The studio musicians are different from those on the prior release with only Madison George (percussion) and Seth Fox (flute and saxophone) making the cut across both projects. Robin Wolfe provides harmony vocals, along with Courtney Santana, while the skills of Anthony Saddic (keyboards), Mark Robinson and Will Hammond (guitars), Anna Eyink (violin) and Erik Mendez (bass) provide the inspiration across the tracks.

Harvest is the opening song and should perhaps have closed out the album with its strong message of hope. We should embrace the rewards of the harvest in the Autumn, showing us that everything can be reaped as a just reward, even as the seasons change and we grow older. New Orleans Going Down is a heartfelt tribute to this musical heartland and the challenges that it has faced from the elements that nature unleashes upon its fragile defences in the form of flooding and hurricanes. Equally, the song Mississippi speaks of dark days and dark nights in connection with the systemic domestic issues that have haunted that great state. A genuine plea to sustain a quality of life for the inhabitants.   

Hello, Mr Wolf is the longest track here and includes a loose rhythm and off-kilter percussion that gives the song a broken quality as it looks at power-hungry politicians and rulers in the guise of wolves, ‘the dogs of the Gods.’ There is a sense of foreboding and being in the grip of predatory forces within the urban jungle that is city life. Lost Prayers is exactly that, a question to the heavens asking if anyone is really up there listening. The song seeks redemption and a reason for what has been lost and sacrificed in seeking to follow a righteous path.

On Til the River No Longer Flows we are given a statement of intent that Wolfe is in this for the long haul, searching for answers and not giving up the fight to find true meaning. The driving blues beat and the soaring guitar make this an excellent antidote to the present sorrows in this fractured world. Here To Stay is the closing song and has a simple upright piano backing a soulful vocal that channels Tom Waits in the ragged delivery. The search for a sense of home and the return of someone close haunts the track as it brings a feeling of longing.  Delta Blues, mixed with sweet Soul, and a southern R&B slow burn at the root of it all. Well worth investigation as Afton Wolfe continues to create music of both substance and real imagination.

Review by Paul McGee

Tommy Goodroad and the Highway Birds Self-Tilted Self Release

This 5-song EP was released in May and the honky-tonk sound of the collective is very polished and enjoyable. Goodroad grew up in Minnesota and these days he is based in Chicago where he has established a footing for his music career. The Highway Birds band is comprised of Nick Bates  (electric guitar, backing vocals), George Adzick (fiddle, mandolin), Peter Briggs (pedal steel), Cooper Gatzmer (electric, upright bass) and Samuel Stroup (drums). They perform as a very tight unit and the interplay is always interesting and inventive.

Goodroad released a debut album in 2021 titled SWIMMING IN THE CLAY and he has built on this with a number of singles in the intervening time. This new EP will only add to the reputation of the band as an act to seek out when they tour and the opening song Keep ‘Er Moving is a reflection of life on the road, travelling in vans, hawking gear into venues and trying to make it all work. The honky tonk sound is bright and breezy and their cover of the Cranberries song Linger is in a similar vein, giving an interesting spin on the original and kicking up further dance hall fun.

Goodbye For Good and 50 Degrees In September are both slow country songs that deal with the aftermath of failed relationships but the girl stays around on Teaching Me To Paint and brings colour to the shape of the world as love blossoms. A definite confidence booster for further releases and definitely a name to watch out for into the future.

Review by Paul McGee

Billy Don Burns, Gram Parsons Jon Dee Graham (Official) Jenna Clark My Sister, My Brother, Luke LeBlanc Afton Wolfe greydelislegriffin.com

New Album Reviews

Dean Owens Pictures Self-Release

Following his DESERT TRILOGY EPs from 2021, SINNERS SHRINE (2022) and EL TARIDITO (2023), Scottish singer songwriter Dean Owens is in a more reflective frame of mind and meditates on matters closer to home on his latest recording, PICTURES. Those three Tex-Mex-influenced recordings included collaborations with Joey Burns and John Convertino of Calexico fame. For this album, Owens worked once more with Grammy nominees and long-time musical partners in crime, Neilson Hubbard and Will Kimbrough. Hubbard produced Owens's albums, SOUTHERN WIND (2018) and INTO THE SEA (2015), and is also a member of Buffalo Blood alongside Owens, Joshua Britt, and Audrey Spillman. 

Given that the project was fashioned during the pandemic, Owens' recordings took place at Slate Room Studios in East Lothian, Scotland and Hubbard and Kimbrough's at Skinny Elephant in East Nashville. Jim Demain mastered the final recordings at Yes Master in Nashville.

As you expect, given the prevailing environment during lockdown when the material was written, the album's essence is self-examination and retrospection, with Owens giving the listener an inkling of what lay inside his head during those restless times. The dream-like opening lyrics, 'Today I flew over the old church where my sister was married, over the streets where I grew up,' written in a time of uncertainty, sets the scene for much of what follows, lyrically and in its musical content. That opening track, Hills of Home, is followed by an open-hearted and apologetic love letter titled Pure Magic. Sometime may be interpreted as a forward look to both the return of post-pandemic normality or encountering loved ones lost in another life ('The sun will shine again on you and I my friend. Sometime, sometime, someday, there'll be singing again'). 

Harking back to his younger days and Owen's treasured passion for boxing, Boxing Shorts recalls his days of donning boxing gloves in the gym. More poignantly, it identifies a childhood friend, the first to take him to the gym, but who fell into addiction and lost his life later in life ('When you get trapped in the corner cover up, sooner or later the punches have to stop'). A tale of simpler times and everyday lives is recounted in Daltry Cemetery. The historic, picturesque Edinburgh Garden cemetery dates back to the mid-19th century, and the song tells of two ordinary people, Annie and Frank. The former lives in the cemetery and maintains the graves, and the latter visits his wife’s grave on his way to see his football team play.

Mortality and loved ones passed away also raise their head on Friend and on the title track, which bookends the album. The latter, which is edged with affection and regret and no doubt autobiographical, speaks of the necessity to move on at a particular time and escape the menace of familiarity and restlessness, which can eventually lead to disorder.

On a lighter note, Great Song, complete with a whistled intro, echoes the singer songwriter's search for the epic song. To his credit, Dean Owens has written numerous songs deserving the title of greatness and continues to do so with this eleven-track record. While often directed towards self-examination, the lyrics are touching and plainly spoken, and the low-key arrangements from his partners are the perfect fit. The press release for the album mentions 'a Ronnie Lane vibe' to the album, which certainly rings true for me with this highly listenable collection of folk-rock songs.

Review by Declan Culliton

Al Backstrom Wild Colonial Boy Self-Release

A curriculum vitae that boasts touring in his mid-teens, a mainstay in the Melbourne pub rock scene for many years, a member in another life of Aussie band’s P-Tex and Bullet, and touring the US and Europe as guitarist with Jaime Wyatt, Austin Lucas, Moot Davis and MacLeaphart, is not to be sniffed at. With that lifetime dedicated to performance, it’s little surprise that Al Backstrom would eventually find the time and space to record a solo album.

Wild Colonial Boy is an Irish-Australian traditional folk ballad which tells of an escaped convict who perishes during a gunfight with the police. While the title does not reflect Backstrom’s way of life, it does dovetail with his musical and nomadic lifestyle, which currently finds him residing in Nashville, TN, and ideally located to solicit the services of his neighbours and musical acquaintances for this record. 

Backstrom more than wears his musical heart on his sleeve, blending his passion for rockabilly, power pop, and roots. The title track is a knees-up, toe-tapping ride and Don’t Even Know My Name, Puttin’ Me Down, and Analog Guy have all the hallmarks of a soundtrack from that purple period, early to mid-70s, for classic UK pub rock. One More For The Road nods toward Son Volt, and opener Through is a muscular guitar-driven affair.  Two covers are also included: fellow Australian Ruby Boots joins the party for a bustling take on Gram Parsons’ Ooh Las Vegas, which does justice to the original version and The Hoodoo Gurus Hayride To Hell gets a Charley Daniels Band-styled makeover. 

Self-produced and recorded in his home studio, multi-instrumentalist Backstrom’s impressive guitar skills shine, and his selection of contributors are A-listed players. Adam ‘Ditch’ Kurtz (Sarah Shook, Joshua Ray Walker) played pedal steel, Bruce Bouton (Garth Brooks, Ricky Skaggs) was on lap steel and last but certainly not least, Billy Contreras (George Jones, Hank 111, Crystal Gayle), whose fiddle contributions are outstanding. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Danielle Howle Current Kill Rock Stars 

Despite a recording career that spans four decades and numerous studio and live recordings, both solo and with bands Lay Quiet Awhile and Danielle Howle and the Tantrums, singer songwriter and producer Danielle Howle remains an ‘under-the-radar treasure.’ A pretty distinctive vocalist and very much a Southern storyteller, CURRENT is Howle's first studio recording in ten years. As the title suggests, it’s loaded with up-to-the-minute observations, often intense and vibrant and on other occasions, genuinely humorous.

Produced by Jeff Leonard Jnr., Howle vocals are very much out in front with, in the main, acoustic musical support from Josh Roberts (guitars), Kerry Brooks (bass), Tony Lauria (accordion) and percussion input shared by Leonard Jnr., Jim Brock and Russell Lee Padgett.

There are excursions into the woe of love lost – though with a degree of comedy (Another One), positivity in the face of anguish (The Damage Appears on The Frame), unconditional love (Keep The Light), and self-love and acceptance (While I Miss You). Seamlessly genre-hopping, she goes full-on honky tonk on I’m Alright, laid back and jazzy on How Is The Rain and strikingly gothic on the quite stunning Keep The Light. Also included is a cover - faithful to the original - of Tom Petty’s Southern Accents. 

‘I hope to make someone happy - for my music to be a blanket or a coat,’ Howle confesses about CURRENT. She more than achieves that for me with an album that embraces much of what represents modern life in southern America, beautifully articulated, carefully arranged and well worth your attention. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Bonnie Montgomery River Self-Release

Although her classical vocal training was in opera, Bonnie Montgomery's captivation with the bluegrass, southern gospel and Delta blues of her childhood have come to the fore in her recordings. Voted Outlaw Female of the Year at the Ameripolitan Awards in 2016, her latest record, RIVER showcases the Arkansas-born artist's love of country music and her capacity to create compelling country songs.

With time off from her heavy touring schedule in 2020 and suffering from near exhaustion, Montgomery's recovery process included brushing up on her piano skills and composing this often-autobiographical collection of songs. Her vocals, as you would expect, are note-perfect, and with her co-producer Kevin Skria - a member of the excellent Texas band The Broken Spokes - they set about developing the arrangements to compliment her songs. The recordings took place at Skria's Wolfe Island Recording Company studio, which he built in a farm barn in Dayton, and his input included pedal steel, drums, bass, electric guitar, piano, organ and percussion. Geoffrey Robson played bass and arranged the strings, and Whitney Rose and Jimmy Davis added harmony vocals.

The lush string-driven Countrypolitan sound of the '60s comes to mind on the title track and Half Drunk, though Music Row wouldn't have approved the forthright lyrics on the latter in those times. The smooth Connie Smith-sounding I Was Fine also harks back to that era, and Modern-Day Cowgirl's Dream lives up to its title with a more present-day country sound. Memories of the writer's grandfather unfold on the mystical Leon ('I think I saw Ole Leon; he was walking down the road where the river meets the sunset, holding his hat, and moving slow'). The cutting song, Cut Your Check, was written ten years ago while she went through a divorce and traumatic times also inspired No Way Around It, which speaks about addiction and mental illness. On an album with few, if any, lines wasted, its deepest cut is the stunning Seventeen. Telling the tale of a close friend whom Montgomery witnessed drowning, its heart-wrenching story is beautifully articulated. 

The angelic pureness of Montgomery's country-edged vocals, supported by superb playing and production, translates into a mesmerising musical journey from start to finish.  

Review by Declan Culliton 

Nora Jane Struthers Back To Cast Iron Self Release

Another album under the pandemic umbrella, but one laced with positivity and truthfulness, BACK TO CAST IRON plays out like diary entries as Virginia-born Nora Jane Struthers details the anxieties and positivity of those unsettling times. The overriding theme that the album imparts is one of combining motherhood and a professional career in the music industry, and Struthers articulates the matter with openness and tenderness. 

Currently living in Nashville, Struthers called on the services of Neilson Hubbard, as she had done on her two previous records, to produce BACK TO CAST IRON and credit is due to him for achieving a most impressive end result. Struthers possesses a classic modern country voice, and her perfect punctuation, alongside a gentle quiver, breathes life into the ten homegrown stories that unfold. Her multi-instrumentalist husband, Joe Overton, played pedal steel guitar and banjo and added backing vocals. Stephen Daly’s electric guitar work is standout, as are the contributions by Lex Price and Juan Solorzano on bass and Hubbard on keys and drums. 

Struthers opens and bookends the album with two unflinching statements: the powerful Is it Hope and the jubilant Back On The Road. The complications and anxieties associated with childbirth are not often addressed in songwriting. Still, the title track does just that, with Struthers recalling her experience as a baby-weaning mother while she and her husband worked towards their second embryo transfer. That reference to family, frequently addressed on the record, also fuels Children They Need You (All Of The Time). It’s a joy to behold, a classic country song written from the often rollercoaster demands of a mother and professional artist. She flirts with bluegrass on Trying To Get Ready, written during lockdown as she prepared for the birth of her son and the return to normality.

Nora Jane Struthers’ talent and potential have been evident since her 2010 self-titled debut album, and BACK TO CAST IRON is a career highlight. It ticks many boxes, combining Lucinda Williams-styled rawness and earthiness on some of the more raucous tracks with sweetness and melody on others that bring to mind the work of Kelly Willis - heartwarming country music of the purest kind.

Review by Declan Culliton 

Jaime Wyatt Feel Good New West 

Never one to be pigeon-holed in one genre and an Outlaw in the real sense, Jaime Wyatt's musical output has flirted with country, soul and R&B. Her 2017 record, FELONY BLUES, could be best described as 'beauty born out of chaos' and the Shooter Jennings' produced NEON CROSS from 2020, was a country edged affair that gained Wyatt a lot of love and acclaim.  

Her latest album, FEEL GOOD, is more Dusty and Bobby G than Dolly and Loretta. The album title may be good advice aimed in the direction of her queer country community or may reflect Wyatt's current state of mind. Still, her confessional lyrics on the album reference love won and lost, together with the ongoing social issues of racism, sexual inequality and gun violence. 

'I've been down and out but never fallen. Love is a place I've never known; I'd like to go, and would you take me there?' she asks in Love Is A Place. Directed at another woman and openly seeking her affection, it's a statement by an artist openly and confidently expressing her sexuality. It's immediately followed by heartbreak with the luxuriant and soulful outpouring on Hold Me One Last Time; it marries horns, gospel-like backing vocals and a ripping rhythm section. 

'I wanna show them the mountains and say, drink from the clear spring water, fresh from the mountain top… and Mother Nature is raising her voice, by hurricane, fire and wind, do you feel me?' she announces on the opener World Worth Keeping. A plea from the heart and a reaction to 'profit at all cost' society, it harks back to the late 60s - Jefferson Airplane's Revolution comes to mind - but with a modern spin. That '60s counterculture also raises its head by including a cover of Grateful Dead's Althea. The selection is a reminder of the numerous GD concerts attended by Wyatt with her late father, who was a long-time friend of founding member Bob Weir. That '60s sound is deployed throughout much of the album, emphasised by driving keys, piano and organ, credited to Joshy Soul and Josh Strauther, and brilliant guitar playing by eight-time Grammy nominee and Black Pumas member Adrian Quesada, who also produced the album. Other highlights are the nostalgic Back To The Country and Fugitive, the latter written in a Covid-induced fever. 

FEEL GOOD is noticeably more groove and melody-driven than Wyatt's previous work. Her vocals are as assured as ever, earthy and soulful, but sonically, she pushes out the boundaries spectacularly well. Making good on the promise of her previous recordings, the project reveals an artist celebrating self-assurance and brimming with confidence. She's raised the bar some distance here with a standout record that deserves to be heard by many.

Review by Declan Culliton

AC Wallin Sweet Revenge Self Release

Such a refreshing experience to plug into a second solo outing from the multi-talented A.C. Wallin. On this follow up to his 2021 debut USELESS HEART, the multi-instrumentalist plays everything on these ten tracks and delivers an album this is very engaging and enjoyable. Including various guitars, bass, 6-string banjo, programmed drums and all vocals, Wallin clearly spent a lot of time in getting the various parts down to his satisfaction in the studio. The seamless interplay of the instruments is impressive and delivers an authentic rootsy vibe in the process.

Based in Sweden, where there is a healthy country music scene, Wallin is part of a growing number of independent artists who are encouraged to create and perform. His attention to detail in the songs is very refreshing and his ability to write clever words adds character to the overall feel of this project. Road Hot kicks everything off in fine style as touring time comes around in the wake of Covid and the band need to get back in the van ‘I dug up our old stage clothes, And got us a gig in the next town over, From there we'll just keep on going, Rockin' and rollin' on.’ Gold Plated Blues follows with a great swing to the beat and a song about the secrets that we keep ‘What folks don't know, Goes on at night, Behind closed doors, And out of sight, Who's foolin' who? What's tempting you?’

In A Perfect World is rough and raw while capturing the acoustic blues of dreaming about the girl who is just out of reach ‘If you can't make it happen, Well, you sure can dream.’ The essence of People Who Call Themselves Your Friend is the reality of insincerity and falseness in others ‘They like to nestle themselves into your heart, Like some kind of invasive weed that's overtaken the garden, You'll find yourself going along, With all of their wishes, They constantly hurt you, And then ask for forgiveness.’ The guitar playing is superb in the song arrangement.

Fast-Track the Heartbreak is a tongue-in-cheek ditty with a real western swing as Wallin declares ‘I got all these memories to go through, I got all these tears to cry, No need to make the pain drag on, No need to waste more time, Can't we just fast-track the heartbreak and get to goodbye?’ This is a real country classic in the making and I can see many top-line artists wanting to cover the song. Payment Plans and Back Rent looks at the conundrum facing many musicians, whether to fix up that old guitar, buy new equipment, or just try to pay the monthly bills instead, ‘Payment plans and back rent, And you know it's just my luck, I bought a JCM 800 head, the week before the band broke up.’

What Can I Do To Help? Is a song that filters worries over global warming and feelings of being overwhelmed by it all, whereas Right Hand Man takes away all such concerns by stating that ‘ You've been making easy mistakes, You've been getting pretty sloppy lately, You need someone who got what it takes, To keep things from getting too crazy.’ The title track is another country blues swing tune that channels feelings of getting even ‘That sweet revenge won't mean nothing, It won't do a thing, so they say, Sweet revenge, I'll just try it for myself, Because I don't know if I see it that way.’

The final track Going Nowhere is another clever song that speaks of being an individual and believing in yourself always ‘I was going nowhere and I got there fast, They couldn't believe their eyes the way I hauled ass, Lightning speed the way I blew right past.’ Just about sums up A.C. Wallin in my view, intent on making a difference and enjoying the ride all along the way. Another excellent album to add to his impressive catalogue and one that you should explore at all costs.

Review by Paul McGee

Cameron Wrinkle in My Heaven Self-Release

A new Texas country singer and one of a number who are releasing these mini-albums of seven or eight tracks. This one opens with a song, I’ve Got A Thang, that initially sounds like it could easily fall into the trap of songs with superficial mentions of girls in jeans and cars. However, Wrinkle and the band’s delivery is energetic enough to make you stick with it, which proves to be a good choice. The songs show that his heart is solidly in traditional country with some 90s overtones. His voice fits the genre like a pair of well-worn boots and a cowboy hat.

Wrinkle is a co-writer of four of the songs, and the others seem well suited to his sound and country leanings. The band is right up there with him in terms of committing to the material and direction. They can handle a more melodic mid-tempo swing-styled track like The Day You Walked In, which alongside several of the songs takes the well-trodden path of heartbreak and balances with the unbridled lust of the opening track. The rest fall between those two points with titles like Takin’ This Leaving Too Far, I Wasn’t Through Loving’ You Yet, and the more regretful tale of a once “life of the party” participant who now realises that now I Can’t Take Me Anywhere. In My Heaven is a song that references the many things that fall into his definition of his own personal heaven, rather than the one that he heard in church, such as watching a sunset from a porch, not having to deal with politics, the Super Bowl, John Wayne and his grandpa who has passed away. It’s not an original concept but one that suggests that his sincerity is evident. 

The final two cuts are slightly different in tone, with steel and nylon string guitars used to help meet the need to keep a relationship Off The Record. It has a nice female harmony to help define the discretion that may be needed to achieve that. Some more hints of Western Swing underpin the final track Breakfast Of A Fool, which finishes the album with the protagonist again not wanting to set his breakfast alone. However, he is essentially the cause of that situation.

The eight songs open the career of Wrinkle as a recording artist, and it is full of promise in the George Strait style of things. In other words, strong lead vocals, a solid band with fiddle, steel and piano. No doubt, with his good looks and youthful energy, Wrinkle is doing very well on the live circuit, and this debut release will further solidify his appeal. Otherwise, it is a small slice of Texas county served up with all the right ingredients to make it a pointer for good things to come from him and his band.

Review by Stephen Rapid

CS Nielsen Better Times Kørfir 

The latest release from Danish singer/songwriter offers prime examples of his take on Americana influences he incorporates into his music. Two things are immediately apparent in listening to his deep, distinctive vocal delivery and well-crafted material - all written and sung in English. Additionally, his interesting take on Bob Nolan’s Cool Water a much-covered song written back in 1936. It closes this twelve-song set in keeping with his own songs and the album’s overall sound.

He is joined on the recordings (all tracked in Denmark) by producer, mixer and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Sage, Johannes Gissel and Michael Lund, both also adept on numerous instruments as, indeed, is Nielsen himself. Others joined in on keyboards, accordion and backing vocals to bring the necessary depth and textures that sit below Nielsen’s sonorous vocals.

Despite the number of instruments used throughout, they never overpower the songs. All are there to serve the song and its meanings. Overall, it might be considered that there is an acute sense of despair and doubt regarding where we are all heading. That is offset by the album’s title and lead song, which promises hope for all is in better times to come as envisaged by the lyric “Your voice of hope / Borne on the air / Could lift my soul / Above the clouds of despair.” 

Elsewhere, words like “Men will worship bondage and fight to keep their chains / Even make believe it’s liberty they struggle hard to gain” That song Harrowing Of Hell shows an understanding of the human population’s propensity to be its own worst enemy. There is also a strong sense of a biblical vernacular that pervades the lyrics as if Nielsen is a prophet whose role is to understand these challenging times and impart his viewpoint while also sensing the light that may be visible over the horizon, even as there is need to travel a distance to get there. Perhaps that is best witnessed in The Shepherd, a song wherein a harmonica plays over a slow beat and other sonic subtleties to create its mood and message.

But, as in all such scenarios, the overall soundscape will attract and keep one listening while lifting the soul in pure terms of the music here. Those acquainted with Nielsen’s music are unlikely to need further encouragement, and those new to checking out his distinctive approach will find it worth the effort.

Scandinavia has proved to be a rich and diverse setting for roots-based acts like Nielsen and both The Country Sound Of Harmonica Sam and the breakthrough duo First Act Kid. There is an understanding of the music of the country (USA) they draw inspiration from, but that is blended with some of their own folk and roots traditions to create something that has a broad appeal. It is often a case though, that these acts receive little attention, or less anyway, if not from America and its environs.

BETTER TIMES, in the context of this album are here, in terms of its content. It is also a timely testament to Nielsen’s talent. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Dean Owens Danielle Howle, Bonnie Montgomery, Nora Jane Struthers, Jaime Wyatt, A.C. Wallin, Cameron Wrinkle, and CS Nielsen.

New Album Reviews

Minor Gold Self-Titled Self-Release

Breaking down the barriers between folk and country ballads, ARIA nominated band Minor Gold are Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons. Having performed in their native Australia for over a decade, this self-titled album has brought them to the attention of music followers far beyond the borders of their homeland. My introduction to the duo was at Americana Fest earlier this year. During their tour of North America, they performed a hugely impressive showcase to a receptive crowd supporting this album at that festival.

The ten songs on the album were written during lockdown while the couple lived in a van, having relocated to Queensland from Victoria. The album was subsequently recorded in Brisbane with the production duties undertaken by Hugh Middleton, the frontman of the trio band Mid Ayr. 

The album combines Gillian Welch/Dave Rawlings styled country ballads, Lover’s Race and Tumbleweed, with other sun-kissed and laid-back melodic Laurel Canyon-fashioned songs like The River and the opener Mona Lisa. Equally impressive are the catchy and radio-friendly Way With Words and Cannonball; the latter could have been plucked from the Simon and Garfunkel songbook. 

What impressed me most at their live show was the exquisite vocal harmonies accompanying their tender and intimate songs. That angelic pureness of their combined vocals is reflected enormously on this album, supported by instrumentation that supports rather than overwhelms the songs. With a front porch ease to much of the material, Minor Gold’s debut album hits the bullseye as a timeless and charming listen.

Review by Declan Culliton

Carla Olson Have Harmony Will Travel 3 BFD/The Orchard

Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer Carla Olson has worked with many household names over a career dating back to the late 70s. Percy Sledge, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and John Fogerty are a few that she has collaborated with, and her debut recording in 1987 was SO REBELLIOUS A LOVER, the classic duet album with former member of The Byrds, Gene Clark. This recording is the third in a series of covers albums that she has recorded and follows on from her 2022 record NIGHT COMES FALLING, where she worked with Stephen McCarthy of The Long Ryders.

Well-known songs like the Jagger/Richards, Street Fighting Man and Pete Townsend’s I Can See For Miles are included alongside lesser-known selections. Two recently written songs composed by Olson and Allan Clake of The Hollies, It Makes Me Cry and A Love That Never Blooms, also feature; the former finds Olson and Clarke impressively sharing the vocals, the latter has Shawn Barton Vach on lead vocals with Olson on harmonies. 

She’s out of the tracks in rollicking form on the guitar-driven opener In Another Land. Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz, Broken Holmes) takes the plaudits for some epic guitar playing on the track, and that fervid pace is replicated on Face To Face and the previously noted Street Fighting Man and I Can See For Miles, which follow. Things take a more laid-back direction on the harmonised countryfied track, Stronger. A love-torn ballad written by Shawn Barton Vach, Tonya Lamm and Anne Tkach, Olson’s duet with Robert Rex Waller Jnr. more than does the song justice.

An exciting feature of the album is the inclusion of three previously unreleased live tracks, Gypsy Rider, Del Gato, both of which were included on their REBELLIOUS A LOVER record and Set You Free This Time, recorded with Gene Clarke, which date back to a recording in Nashville on May 30th 1987. Featuring only vocals and guitars by both Olson and Clarke, the vocals perfectly reflect the songs’ moods and are a reminder of the dynamic and heavenly vocals they both possessed. 

HHWT is a delightful listen that should appeal to followers of Carla Olson’s notable career and, with the fifteen minutes of input by Gene Clark, is a must for collectors of whom many consider to be the standout songwriter from The Byrds.  

Review by Declan Culliton 

Stuffy Shmitt Stealin’ Stuff Realistic

‘Expect the unexpected’ is possibly the best advice when approaching the music of the eccentric East Nashville resident Stuffy Shmitt. Following his 2020 pandemic release STUFF HAPPENS and CHERRY from earlier this year, his latest recording finds the ever-restless artist raiding the back catalogue of a diverse range of artists to reconstruct ten songs that fall into place remarkably well.

Growing up in Milwaukee in a dysfunctional and often frenzied family environment, Shmitt moved to New York and Los Angeles, and his near ‘meltdown’ has been well documented by Lonesome Highway in an interview and our previous album reviews of his work.

Now permanently residing in Nashville, which may be considered the mecca of Country and Americana music but can also boast a bohemian collective of musicians and producers, mainly living in East Nashville, that also thrive on the more experimental and abstract. Shmitt is unquestionably central to that community. 

Impossible to pigeonhole, his restless and edgy leanings have resulted in a back catalogue that shifts between rock and an occasional Americana side plate. STEALIN’ STUFF finds him in the main shifting his attention in a ‘down and dirty’ blues direction and raiding the songbooks of legendary artists. Bo Diddley’s Mona has an early Rolling Stones feel, and Lead Belly’s prison work song Take This Hammer gets a rootsy makeover. He does justice to Sam Cooke’s classic Bring It On Home To Me with his tender-hearted rendition, and his livelier take on Robert Johnson’s acoustic blues Ramblin’ On My Mind breathes new life into the song.

When Shmitt turns his attention away from the blues legends of yesteryear, things take on an entirely different backdrop and finds him toying with some unexpected selections. He sticks close to the original version of The Psychedelic Fur’s Here Come The Cowboys, less so with an acoustic take of The Del Fuegos’ I Still Want You. The pick of the crop is an outrageous and eyebrow-raising adaption of Madonna’s Like A Virgin. Bordering on the terrifying, it plays out like the soundtrack to a horror movie that is best watched with hands partially covering the face yet is hugely rewarding despite the induced terror. 

Self-produced and recorded at Wirebird Productions in Madison, Tennessee, the regular collaborators of Shmitt, Irakli Gabriel and Chris Tench (guitars) are credited. Voiceovers were added by locals The Wild Ponies (Doug and Telisha Williams), alongside the late comedian and recording artist Lord Buckley. 

Don’t expect STEALIN’ STUFF to dent the Billboard Charts or feature on your local radio station, but look no further for sheer playfulness, escapism, and a rollicking good listen.

Review by Declan Culliton

Israel Nash Ozarker Loose

Less experimental than his recordings of recent years, OZARKER is the eight-studio album from the Missouri-born artist. Currently residing in Dripping Springs, Texas, having relocated from New York in 2011, Israel Nash built a recording studio on his rural ranch where he recorded some cosmic experimental albums. A slight diversion from LIFTED (2018) and TOPAZ (2021), his latest recording is his most heartland / blue-collar rock album with ten tracks inspired by the people and events from Nash’s small-town Missouri upbringing.

Rather than write the songs in his homemade studio, seeking simplicity over complexity, Nash relocated to Wimberley, Texas, to create the bones of the album. The result is a collection of songs that examine the aspirations and often broken dreams of family, acquaintances and fictional characters often living on the margins of his home state. Some are from first-hand experience, and others from tales recounted to Nash by his mother. 

OZARKER finds Nash following the Springsteen and Petty model with guitar-driven and chorus-charged anthems. The fine title track, complete with Shalalalala’s tingling keyboards and slick guitar solo, certainly echoes Springsteen’s sound and the standout track, Roman Candle, that of Petty. The all too familiar plight of a Vietnam war veteran unable to escape the horrors of war and reintegrate into society is presented in Lost In America, and the desperation and ruination of substance abuse is addressed in Shadowland. 

Whether this venture into heartland rock signals a diversion in Nash’s musical direction or whether he returns to his more sonically exploratory style remains to be seen. Regardless, OZARKER is loaded with intensity and enthusiasm and will likely win Nash new admirers alongside his faithful fanbase.  

Review by Declan Culliton

The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam The Blue Side Of Me Sleazy

When it comes to hearing a perfect contemporary manifestation of classic country, it’s doubtful that you will find better than The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam, an ensemble  - for they are that and not just a singer and backing band - whose talent, understanding and love for the genre are apparent throughout this album as they have been, indeed, through all their releases. Though hailing from Sweden, this really hasn’t a great deal of bearing on the music they play (although that whole region has long had a strong connection with the traditional country formula, more than any others in Europe). They stand easily alongside their USA counterparts who equally share a passion for the music’s heyday. Think of the likes of Sean Burns, The Shootouts, Joshua Hedley, The Malpass Brothers, Wild Earp, Brennen Leigh or Jake Penrod; all of whom reflect back on the time when the music was inspirational and identifiable. They find an affinity in the music that imbues them, and not only in the music, but also in the clothing they choose to wear onstage and the graphics they use on their album sleeves. They offer a complete package that leaves no doubt where their hearts lie.

Penrod, who has released excellent albums in his own right, contributes a couple of the songs here that were not featured on his last releases, and show his talent has not diminished. Another writer involved is Theo Lawrence, who had a hand in five of the songs. He is a French artist who also releases his own albums and is another devotee to the form. But the longest running contributor to the band’s repertoire is Dan Englund, a talented writer who can pen songs that fit the genre’s mode well, but who himself has just formed a band called The Worried Minds to play indie-rock - obviously a versatile and adaptable writer. Harmonica Sam has always picked a number of covers to include on these recordings and this time out its material from Justin Tubb, Wayne Walker, Ben Parsons, Betty Jean Lewis, Ronnie Self and the inestimable Harlan Howard.

The album was recorded by David Carlsson in Malmo, Sweden and it again features the talented team of Peter Andersson on pedal steel, Johan Bandling Melin on lead guitar and vocals, upright bassist Ulrick Jansson (who also mixed the album with Carlsson) and Patrick Malmros on drums. They are joined by Thyme van Lassen on fiddle and Peter Barrelled on piano, to round out the recorded sound. Everyone knows what to aim for and they consistently hit the target. It is akin to taking a step back into a hallowed studio like Quonset Hut from the 1950s - but with a sound that is still as resonant today.

However, that’s all window dressing if the sound from these recordings doesn’t feel right. You can authenticate the looks and sounds but you also need the material that is still largely now, as it was then, about the finding, keeping, losing or abusing the universal emotional and physical aspects of love. The melding of complex and simple emotions are given their sense of belief by the band’s wholehearted performance and energy. Having been together for some years now, there is that instant rapport between each player that is topped by Sam’s vocal presence that is perfectly suited to each song. The band’s name comes from the fact that Sam was a noted blues singer and harmonica player for a good few years before decided to let his “country side” out on the town. There is much that is still affiliated with the blues here, as there was in a lot of early country music, and that experience shows in the way he delivers the essential humanity and belief here. He may be back to the blue side, but he’s definitely keeping it country!

Review by Stephen Rapid

The Equatorial Group Sea Self Release

Album number four in a steadily climbing career that sees the Equatorial Group continue to enhance their growing reputation. Their gently melodic sound has been quietly fashioned ever since a debut EP titled ELVIS appeared in 2017. In the same year a self-titled debut album was released, with 13 songs and a glimpse of the talent that would blossom into their dynamic interplay and engaging music. The term Americana is too widely used these days and does not always capture the essence of a specific sound or do justice to the artist. The character of Equatorial Group could best be summed up by suggesting an alternative term such as Anglicana, which mirrors the very strong sense of identity within the creative collective, something that defines this band.

Two further albums, APRICITY (2018) and FALLING SANDS (2019) followed their debut and established the band as firm favourites in their seaside town of Eastbourne and further afield. Covid put a temporary halt to their building momentum but the band didn’t just sit back and wait for the lockdown to pass. They recorded an EP of cover songs and continued to demo and create new music between August 2020 and August 2023 at various locations and rehearsal rooms around their home base. They emerged with a reset button having taken the time to create new music, visited unfinished songs and reworked ideas in their creative process.

With a stellar line up of quality musicians, this is music of real substance and deserving of a much wider audience. They paint from a palette of colours that is compelling in the creation and the delivery. Rich melodies intertwine with beautifully constructed arrangements and understated rhythm. It is a very satisfying album on many fronts with an easy flow that spreads out across these ten songs. A fine-tuned interplay between the band members elevates everything to a level that sets a high bar and delivers much of what was hinted at on previous releases. Here we have a greater maturity expressed in the woven parts and a growing understanding developed between the players.

The interpretation of songs is always something that engages the listener. The sense of some mystery and being open to meaning will often result in a different message to what generated the initial spark for the writers. These songs are full of cryptic hints into what could be contained within. Whether inhabiting a persona of imagined characters, or coming from a place of personal reflection, the joy of discovery remains a key component. The standout Liberated Steel has the lyric  ‘There are words about proportionate regret, And these are fights that we haven’t had yet, I hold your hand and pray you’ll never grow old, That’s a dream we’ve just been sold.’ The song could be about youthful dreams, idealism and naivety in equal measure. It contains a fine guitar-led song dynamic with the bass driving the arrangement forward.

Elsewhere the songs reflect interesting insights into the human condition and experiences that filter the world outside. Fire reflects on the loss of a family pet and the haunting image in the words ‘Scattered ashes in the woods, today.’ Equally the song Feet leaves a strong impression with the lines ‘ Are words on cardboard louder than opinionated men, Stand up to your fathers, Stand up with your friends.’ It’s a song that channels protest and defending what you hold to be true. Falling is a song about an absent lover and a failed relationship with distant pedal steel complimenting the guitar playing and the sense of loneliness. Final track Colourful is an older song that captures a sense of isolation and feeling separate. There is a sense of loss and of opening up to naked emotion ‘Make these lazy bones decide, Where to turn and who to turn to.. Does the song make you whole again.’

Throughout, the level of musicianship is top drawer and the cutting edge is often the lyrical guitar playing of Dave Davies, inventive and gliding across the rhythm and melody set by the other band members.  As an ensemble they work seamlessly, whether the lush keyboard sound of Twe Fox, the inventive pedal steel and guitar of Helen Weeks or the impressive engine room of Andy Tourle on bass and Neil Grimes on drums. Self- produced by the band with lead vocals shared across the songs by Helen Weeks and Dave Davies this is a worthy addition to any record collection and comes highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

Regina Ferguson Fortune Self Release

A debut album from Carolina native Regina Ferguson and one that makes a clear statement of intent. Currently based in Los Angeles where she developed a reputation as a singer of some note in various venues around the city, Ferguson met up with producer Matt Linesch to deliver these nine tracks that span the spectrum of traditional country, americana and radio friendly tunes. Opener Through the Pines has a pleasant melody and is a song that talks about trying to move on but getting drawn back to that home space where everything makes sense. Two Reasons looks at wanting a lover yet trying to reconcile feelings of holding back ‘ How do you know how deep a river flows if you don't dive in, How do you know how deep a heartache if you don't give in.’

American Made catalogues more relationship challenges and the doubt that creeps in ‘'I’ve been lookin' for a sign to bring me to the light, I'm fading in and out of you.’ The musicians get the opportunity to stretch out on this arrangement with some very cool electric guitar backed by warm keyboard fills, ending with simple piano. Carolinas is about a short summer romance that was fun in passing the time but never had the chance to build ‘ You told me everything there was to know on the first night, By the second night there wasn't much left to say, We just sat there with a bottle of wine, I needed company and you were just fine.’

Regina is a fine singer with a very clear vocal tone that leads from the front in these song arrangements. The studio players are excellent and the synergy between them is effortless. Many of the instrumental augmentations are nicely judged and never grandstand in terms of the song structures. The session players include Samuel Babayan (guitars), Fernando Perdomo (electric guitar), Aaron Embry (piano, Hammond b3 organ), Brett Simons (bass), Griffin Goldsmith (drums), and Ben Peeler (pedal steel, lap steel guitar).

The title song is about following your dreams and trying to make it in the big city. The music industry can be as tough as it gets, and having a self-belief is vital. There is something of Sheryl Crow in the delivery on Pearlblossom ‘Every now and then I get tired of the wrong thing baby, but it feels so right.’ Plenty to enjoy in the upbeat melodies and seasoned playing. Regina is a natural performer in her confidence and delivery, and this album will hit home with listeners who like an easy sense of having a good time and dancing to sweet country sounds with a beer and a friend.

Review by Paul McGee

Jeffrey Martin Thank God We Left the Garden Loose

It’s been a few years since the last release from Jeffrey Martin, (2017’s ONE GO AROUND), and for someone who reflects upon the pulse of these times in his intimate songs, that has been far too long away from the spotlight. Covid has come and gone in the meantime and the impact upon all our lives has been immeasurable on so many levels. If Martin pondered upon the brevity of life on his previous album and how this is no dress rehearsal, then this new release is a celebration of that fact that embracing each day is truly what matters. There is real clarity in the focus. It’s like the title of the album is really declaring that the garden of Eden is all around us if we only take the time to look and put aside our singular fears and apprehensions in daily living.

There is a deep humanity running through the music of Jeffrey Martin and it touches every corner in the quiet messages that it brings. Pondering the great questions of who are we and why are we here is at the source of these eleven songs. Recorded in a small shack in his garden, Martin had to wait until late at night for silence to prevail in the neighbourhood, the Portland suburbs dictating when there was sufficient quiet to record. It features Jeffrey on acoustic guitar and a few basic microphones, and sets a very intimate environment for this simple approach and atmospheric acoustics. John Neuman adds guitar on three of the songs in addition to co-producing the final record and it’s a great tribute to both musicians to say that they captured the essence of the songs perfectly.

There are traces of the late John Prine on the stand-out There Is A Treasure and the reflections of a life lived in the vastness of the universe, and our place in it. Elsewhere the laid back style of the song arrangements displays the lyricism of Jeffrey Martin on guitar and it lulls the listener into a recognition of the familiar with the sensitivity running through these songs. Are we not all just getting by, going the best we can and trying to grapple with fate and circumstance on a daily basis? There is an understanding here of the similarities we share and not the things that pull us apart and separate us out. Daylight speaks about a faith in the great unknown and the respite that morning can bring from the ghosts of the lonely nights. Red Station Wagon is a memory of days gone by and the lessons learned from failing a friend in need; the memories of callow youth haunting the present.

I Didn’t Know tackles the questions of family life and growing up with parents that are making the best of their situation ‘I didn’t know that they didn’t know what they were doing.’ A story that mirrors in the lives of children who are growing up and realising that their parents don’t hold all the answers. The uncharted future is captured in the lines ‘I laid in bed wondering what was already written and who gets to decide where I go.’ A powerful image of the uncertainty of life and the impermanence that informs everything. The song Garden deals with internal issues and whether anybody really knows another, feelings of loneliness rising to the surface and reflecting ‘I want to find out for certain if I’m here on purpose… ending with the message that ‘In my mind, there’s a garden.’

The final song Walking sums up the sense that we are all just passing through. Martin noting in his nocturnal reflections ‘We’ll be gone with nothing, the same way that we came, so I go out walking.’ A simple solution to the conundrum of life, live in the moment and try not to let the weight of the big questions lay too heavily upon your shoulders. A beautiful album and an essential purchase.

Review by Paul McGee

Norma MacDonald In Waves Self Release

Yet another superb album from the excellent Norma MacDonald, a singer songwriter at the height of her powers. With impressive production courtesy of Daniel Ledwell and a supporting band of musicians who turn these ten songs into real gems, this album is certainly a new peak in a career that has seen Norma release five previous albums of impressively high standards. She expands her colour palette of sound here with echoes of 60s Motown surfacing in some of the lovely harmony vocals and the lush arrangements.

The studio players include Norma (lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar), Adam Fine (bass), Jodi Comstock (drums), Nick Maclean (electric and acoustic guitar), producer Daniel Ledwell (keyboards, mellotron, pedal steel, “electronics”), Rachel Bruch (violin), with both Carmel Mikol and Melanie Stone adding backing vocals on four songs. The musical arrangements soar across the songs and the sense of timeless reverie is perfectly captured in the beautiful vocals of Norma. Her tone is soothingly seductive and the intonation just perfect on each performance.

Co-Star is a song that lingers, with a beautiful melody and a softly wistful vocal to conjure up images of a past memory that will not leave. Blues and Greens is another example of Norma’s knowing ability to create a sense of atmosphere perfectly in her delivery. The change of gears on Eastern To Atlantic is really like a palate cleanser between main courses and is a sweetly sad acoustic ballad that surrounds a sense of longing with missing someone across the miles. Absolutely gorgeous.

Glass Flowers has a 60s feel to the song and reminded me of Dusty Springfield in the vocal inflections. Same Mistake reflects upon a failed relationship and a determination not to fall into old habits. The string arrangement is very layered and the inclusion of brass sounds gives the song a big screen soulful production. Final song Rescue Mission is a perfect coda in the laid-back tempo and the gentle melody coupled with pedal steel and subtle rhythm. This artist is deserving of much greater recognition for the consistently high musical standards she achieves and on this latest album Norma really has knocked it out of the park. One of the albums of 2023.

Review by Paul McGee

MINOR GOLD, Carla Olson, Stuffy Shmitt, Israel Nash, The Country Side of Harmonica Sam, The Equatorial Group Jeffrey Martin, Norma MacDonald Music

New Album Reviews

Restos Ain’t Dead Yet Self Release

Fans of Austin, Texas band Western Youth will be pleased to hear that five members of that popular six-piece band have resurrected themselves after a hiatus of five years and recorded a debut album under the name of Restos. That title is Spanish for ‘remains’ and the band members that feature are Graham Weber (vocals, guitars), Mark Nathan (lead guitar), Chris Spencer (bass), Sam Powell (keys) and Brian Bowe (drums). Also contributing vocals on four of the album’s ten tracks is Jaimee Harris, adding to her busy schedule having released her album, BOOMERANG TOWN earlier this year.

Very much a team effort in respect of the songwriting, there’s little wildly original on the album’s ten tracks, simply a bunch of guys laying down some high-octane rock and roll and giving off the vibe that they’re having the time of their lives doing so. The opener Wild Heart is a full-on rocker written in memory of their close friend and singer songwriter Chris Porter, who tragically lost his life in a car crash in 2016 while touring with his band, Porter and the Bluebonnet Rattlesnakes (‘Wish I could shake your hand one more time, I can’t take your place and you can’t take mine’). That unbridled pace is maintained on the pulsating Wild As The Wind and Faded Love is cut from a similar cloth, while the slower groove on the title track brings to mind the melodic sound of The Byrds, with Harris’ vocals blending sweetly with Weber’s.

Co-produced by the band and Charles Godfrey (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cody Jinks, Whiskey Myers, Dropkick Murphys) and recorded at Jim Eno’s (Spoon) Public Hi-Fi in Austin, Texas, AIN’T DEAD YET lives up to its title and reunites a bunch of players that simply play head down Texan rock and roll.

Review by Declan Culliton

Cruz Contreras Cosmico Cosmico

Like so many others who used the downtime imposed by the pandemic for reflection and contemplation, Cruz Contreras focus was diverted from his work with the various projects he had previously been involved with and he concentrated on writing, mixing and recording this debut solo album. A founding member of Knoxville, Tennessee band The Black Lillies, Robinella and the CCstringband, Contreras set up shop at Cider Mountain in Northern Idaho where he recorded this nine-track record under the watchful eyes of co-producers and long-time friends of Contreras, Megan McCormick (Jenny Lewis, Allison Russell, Amanda Fields) and Ethan Ballinger (Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack).

Given the quality of the album and his previous projects, it comes as somewhat of a surprise to learn that Contreras confesses to a lack of artistic confidence that delayed this solo venture. Very much in cosmic country territory, Cosmico examines the life changing episodes that Contreras encountered during the past few years, from the passing of his father in 2018, his own recent marriage, the birth of his son, and the demise, temporarily or otherwise, of The Black Lillies.  

Sonically the album covers quite a lot of ground, from the relaxed to the more spacey and experimental. The title track - possibly a reminded by the writer to himself - is a melodic ballad, all the better for some slick layered vocals and an addictive groove that was embedded in my mind for some time. Similarly paced are the Leonard Cohen-sounding Separate Minds and the breezy Breaking A Habit, the latter no doubt referencing the breakup of The Black Lillies and the challenges of making a clean break with this project. On the flipside Doin’ Time finds Contreras and his crew rocking out and Call Me Crazy is a spacious affair with swirling keyboards and guitars perfectly consistent with the track’s title and sentiment. 

An album that sounds timeless and one that is not possible to pigeon hole in any one genre, COSMICO does steer away from the overcrowded car park that Americana can presently be accused of. With a perfect blend of soulful songs, deep grooves and unexpected rough edges, it’s an eyebrow-raising musical experience and a most successful solo venture by Contreras.

Review by Declan Culliton

Chris Stamey The Great Escape Schoolkids

With a curriculum vitae that includes forming the dynamic New York power pop band The dB’s, playing alongside Alex Chilton, founding the New York record label Car Records, producing albums by Whiskeytown, Alejandro Escovedo, Caitlin Cary, and releasing numerous solo albums, Chris Stamey can boast legendary status in power pop and roots music.

Enjoying a purple patch in recent years as a recording artist, THE GREAT ESCAPE is Stamey’s fifth full-length album in the past decade and with fourteen tracks featured in just under fifty-five minutes, it is packed with hook-filled songs. The final track is interestingly titled Credits, and with an instrumental version of the title track in the background, it includes a spoken-word acknowledgement by Stamey of the numerous musical contributors and others who assisted in bringing the album to fruition. Interestingly, the first player credited is pedal steel player Eric Haywood, whose playing has featured on numerous alt-country acts from Son Volt to Alejandro Escovedo. Stamey credits Haywood’s presence on stage with Escovedo - Stamey was musical director on Escovedo’s 2017 tour - as one of the prime motivators for this album.

Very much recalling the classic ‘pop meets roots’ style of the mid to late 60s when a cross-pollination of American and British modes inspired acts such as The Byrds and The Hollies, Stamey nails that electric guitar-driven sound to perfection. Tracks like The Sweetheart Of The Video and I Will Try are prime examples, the former a six-minute gem and album highlight for this writer, the latter written as a modern-day no-holes-barred wedding song. The opener and title track, complete with slick guitar breaks, hand claps and flawless harmonies, had me hitting the repeat button on the first spin and Realize, which follows, is equally impressive. A cover of Alex Chilton/Tommy Hoehn’s, She Might Look My Way, keeps faith with the original version, and he pays homage to the legendary producer Van Dyke Parks in the light-hearted The One And Only. Despite the numerous musicians and backing vocalists that Stamey called on, there remains remarkable connectivity on much of the material. Dear Friend is a heartfelt reach out to those who may be at a low point emotionally and could be a response to the sorrowful (A Prisoner Of This) Hopeless Love.

A timeless and smile-inducing album from start to finish, it includes a vast crew of contributors yet blends coherently. Rather than list those contributors, I highly recommend you check out this album and allow Chris Stamey to introduce them, one and all, as he does on the aforementioned album closer, Credits.

Reviewed by Declan Culliton 

Jason Hawk Harris Thin Places Bloodshot

 LOVE & THE DARK, the 2019 album from Jason Hawk Harris, dealt with themes of personal disarray and grief from his mother’s passing, his father’s company bankruptcy, and his own personal issues with substance abuse. Those dark and painful landscapes and recovery and rehabilitation also dominate his latest recording, THIN PLACES. ‘I wanted to explore every part of grief with this album, not just the devastating moments,’ explains Harris on this nine-track record that moves seamlessly between soul, roots and country. Eight of the tracks are originals with Warren Zevon’s Keep Me In Your Heart For A While, appropriately covered.

Harris’ musical career has been checkered. He studied classical music theory and composition and played guitar with the alt-folk band The Snow Ponies before the launch of his solo career. Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Harris recorded the album at Andy Freeman’s Studio Punch Up in Nashville.  Harris played vocals, guitars and harmonium with contributions by guest players Phil Glenn (strings, piano), Kevin Brown (drums, percussion) and Adam ‘Ditch’ Kurtz (pedal steel). Andy Freeman played bass alongside his production duties, and backing vocals are credited to Kristina Murray, Natalie Nicoles and Leeann Skoda.

The contrast in many songs reflects a ‘topsy-turvy’ mindset, possibly reflecting the highs and lows that motivated the writing. Harris navigates from the defiant and frenetic I’m Getting By to the rejoiceful So Damn Good, and from the ‘hymn-like’ Jordan And The Nile and the light-hearted Bring Out The Lilies. Despite these often-contradictory chapters, the bottom line is an album that is very much the sum of its parts and, as a result, warrants an uninterrupted listen from start to finish.

Given the backdrop that challenged Harris to tackle his demons, musically he confronts those adversities in a buoyant manner.  All in all, a hugely impressive album that requires several listens to penetrate, but it is well worth the time invested in doing so.

Reviewed by Declan Culliton

Dylan LeBlanc Coyote ATO

A welcome addition to his excellent back catalogue, COYOTE follows on from two standout recordings from the Louisiana-born artist Dylan Le Blanc. RENEGADE from 2019 and CAUTIONARY TALE from three years prior marked him as one of the most significant artists to emerge in the Americana/Alt-Country genres in the past decade.

His latest project, possibly semi-autobiographical in its gist, is a concept album built around a character who exists very much on the edge, trying to straighten himself out but caught at a crossroads between a life of petty criminality and attempted rehabilitation. The album’s compelling and melodic sound and Le Blanc’s distinct vocals stick close to the signature sound of his previous work, so why change a winning formula? Its title relates to a bizarre near ‘life or death’ experience encountered by LeBlanc. Having climbed a cliff face in Austin, Texas - no reason is given for the unusual escapade - he came face to face with a racoon being chased by a coyote. Fortunately, following a ‘stare off’; the animals departed, averting what could have been an unhappy ending.

A multi-instrumentalist, LeBlanc played electric and acoustic guitars on the album and called on some crack session players to join him in the studio. Keyboards are credited to Jim ‘Moose’ Brown (Bob Seger), Fred Eltringham (Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow), who played drums and bass guitarist Seth Kaufman (Lana Del Rey) completed the rhythm section. The Secret Sisters added backing vocals, and the project was recorded at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

We’re introduced to the central character Coyote in the opening and title track as he heads across the border to Mexico to set up a shady deal (‘I’m off to a new land, gonna steal a rich man’s gold, gonna take what’s mine’). Closin’ In, which follows, is a drug-fuelled reminisce of love lost or squandered. Dark Waters and Dust articulate his perilous journey and recollect his checkered past. More tender sentiments emerge on the gorgeous and standout track, No Promises Broken. Cut from a similar cloth; the protagonist considers his fortunes on the wistful Human Kind.

LeBlanc’s output has consistently brought to mind early career Neil Young and COYOTE is no exception. However, far from a pretender, this treasure chest of songs merits favourable comparison with much of Young’s work. Mirroring the author’s transition from an angry young man, who by his own admission survived a chaotic lifestyle, to a mature and ‘at peace’ thirty-something-year-old, COYOTE is DeBlanc’s most perceptive and compelling work to date, further revealing an artist on his commute to master craftsman status.  It is one of the most satisfying listens of the year for this writer and highly recommended. 

Reviewed by Declan Culliton

John Baumann Border Radio Self-Release 

Location plays a big part in the writing of John Baumann, a Texas singer-songwriter who has had cuts by mainstream artists like Kenny Chesney but has equally had his work recorded by the Randy Rogers Band. Whilst his music sits on that border between country and a more singer-songwriter aesthetic, he has previously noted the lack of something more authentically country on his song The Country Doesn’t Sound The Same from a previous album. He has a half dozen earlier releases to his name that have seen him grow as an artist along the way. The first of these, a five-track EP titled WEST TEXAS VERNACULAR, points to an interest in his home state for some time. He grew up in San Antonio but honed his talent in Austin. He has also worked with the Panhandlers (a collective of fellow writers and singers he sings and records with occasionally).

Baumann is joined here on this Dwight A Baker-produced collection by a selection of players who included the noted artist in his own right, Jedd Hughes, on electric guitar. Everyone else holds up their end too, on the nine self-written songs. Material that has a warmth in its delivery fits the location of much of the material and his vocal delivery overall. The writing details situations that, in Baumann’s hands, fall on the right side of the mainstream sense of what might be considered acceptable to radio - that is down to detail and nuance. 

Gold El Camino opens the album in a familiar cruising with a girl in the front seat car mode enthusing, “baby, let’s take a ride.” Sweeter is Reviving Engines, River Street offers the conundrum of what’s a boy to do “when there’s trouble to be found.” Opening with a hint, to these ears, of a Beatles’ song memory at the start, South Texas Tradition sets up an ongoing modus of custom and whereabouts for the album. The title track follows and is a high point and a song full of longing and landscape. It takes that often-mentioned broadcasting source as a reference to both people and place but in a way that brings you to that place and that time. 

The simplicity of the love song My Heart Belongs To You is all the better for its directness and sincerity. More up-tempo is the accolade to the energies and intentions of that regular night out that is Saturday Night Comes Once A Week; it features a short great piano break midway through. The best title of the album is up next in the sombre The Night Before The Day Of The Dead; that is the consideration of what the ramifications of such a night may mean. Equally laid back is Turning Gold, again detailing an uncertain lifestyle as someone looks to find their place and hopes to see that golden sunset offering something better. Again, Boy’s Town is about a district close to the border, where working men and military personnel can and do go to let off steam and cross the border to an area where solace may be sought in drink and prostitution.

In context, all these songs fit the sense of community and display an overall affinity with the men and women who work and find means to relax in that South Texas region. There is a certain textural quality that pervades the music that brings the listener to feel a similar sense of that location and purpose, and that is also, at times, full of hints of both melancholy and menace but does so in a way that you want to hear the songs again. And that is its strength.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Heather Lynne Horton Get Me To a Nunnery Pauper Sky

The title of Horton’s third solo album may give some clues as to the general influences running through the ten songs included here. It’s a play of words on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, during which he warns Ophelia against her female nature of fickleness and betrayal, telling her to lock herself away from all men in a nunnery, thus avoiding all contact. Horton also references the inspiration that the life of Sinead O’Connor provided to her and how her death in the final days of this album’s completion marked a huge moment. “May the world redeem her” writes Horton in the liner notes and I would rather that the world redeemed itself and embraced Sinead for all the bravery and passion that she showed in speaking out against injustice, in whatever form it presented itself.

There is an instrumental on the album that is dedicated to the memory of Lin Brehmer, the famous DJ at WXRT Chicago, who died this year after a battle with cancer. The track is titled Lin’s Never-Ending Song and it is something of a Magnum Opus for Horton, highlighting all her power on violin in the different passages that paint a colourful requiem to the memory of her friend. The instrumental could just as easily have been dedicated to Sinead O’Connor as it captures the thrilling essence of life and the vibrancy that attracts others to a belief or a cause. As the song slows in tempo and reflects upon it’s more energetic beginning, one is left to remember that the deeds we do indeed live long after we are gone.

Elsewhere the album gives many examples of the constraints suffered in trying to live with compromise in society. There are songs that touch on bigotry, misogyny, racism and abuse such as Ten Times and Call A Spade A Spade .  The subjugation of dreams in sacrifice to another is tackled on the powerful Take Off, and The Flight Of Beatrix, a good witch of love, who flies in the face of danger from angry menfolk, is another example of women being feared by the male of the species. There are songs about losing in love and All This Time observes “We’re here, But I’m alone, I wish I’d never know you.” Equally, on Six Foot the female angst is summed up by “Mom asks how I have agreed to stay, Dad said he knew I’d end up this way, I’d break both my knees if you’d hear me pray, But I won’t ask why anymore.”

There is another song titled I Don’t Like Your Children that takes aim at the Me-Generation and the push for personal gratification above all else, “I don’t like your children, You selfish, spoiled brat, Wasted generation, Who-ever taught you things like that.” The broken promises of youth run their course and we grow into the adults that we embrace. This is a very strong statement from an artist that seeks “to bring uncomfortable ideas into conversation through the medium of music.” 

In this, Horton certainly succeeds and the entire project was recorded during a mid-2022 return from Covid and completed into 2023 in both Pauper Sky Studios, and Transient Sound Studios, Chicago. The musicians joining Horton include her husband Michael McDermott, Will Kimbrough, John Deaderick Matt Thompson and Steven Gillis who contribute on an array of instruments in support of what is a very rich and ethereal sound. Co-production is by both Horton and McDermott and the vocals are layered into warm harmonies and placed high in the mix, with engaging song arrangements throughout. This is a very interesting album and one that ultimately holds a message of empowerment and strength in these challenging times.     

Review by Paul McGee

Old Californio Metaterranea Old Californio

This band hails from Pasadena in California and their sound is close to the classic Country Rock music of the 70s in terms of influence. However, this is not to try and categorise their talent too narrowly as the musicians display a range of expression that is both colourful and compelling in highlighting their songs. On this new album, their sixth since ALONG THE COSMIC GRASS appeared in 2007, there are ten songs that instantly engage this listener and deliver on all fronts. 

We witness the combined talents of Woody Aplanalp and Rich Dembowski on co-production and both musicians also contribute to the vibrant sound on a variety of guitars, bass, lap steel and both lead and harmony vocals. Long-time member Justin Smith shares drumming duties with Anthony Logerfo (three tracks) and Lon Hayes (one track), while bassist Corey McCormick appears on five tracks. With the very expressive Jon Niemann on keyboards throughout, there are further cameo appearances from Jason Chesney (vocals), Paul Lacques (lap steel), and Andres Renteria (congas).

There is a message of celebration and positivity on this album. The bright production, the lovely harmonies, the interplay across the melodies, and echoes of the Beach Boys intertwine. It’s as if Old Californio are aiming for that original hippie dream, brought into a modern context. They conjure up the past, looking back to old traditions, and also forwards into new beginnings. Psychedelic Country music borne again. The album opens with Old Kings Road a song that looks back at the El Camino Real, “The King's Highway.” A 600-mile trail that connects the 21 Spanish missions in California, from San Diego all the way to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, just north of San Francisco Bay,  ‘It’s that California sound, it’s got a mediterranean soul, And it echoes down the raveling years along the old kings road’

On the song Destining Again the band talks about the importance of the journey, and not the actual destination, stating “Like Sisyphus I gotta keep my rock, keep it rolling.” Come Undone looks at life as a continuum and includes the message ‘And though the past has passed, it’s not behind you, The soul keeps no curfew, And where you finish everything begins, And everything else starts where you end.’

The circle of existence is pondered on The Swerve and the reality of not being in control as human beings is part of Timeless Things, the process of letting go being the true answer to living. The rocking sound of The Seer recalls The Grateful Dead with a message of living in the moment. Tired For A Sea examines the superficial lives that many live, always seeking the safety of a bridge while the depths of the sea await exploration below. Taking a deep dive into yourself can only bring enlightenment and greater reward. 

Through The Days (And Past All Nights) is another message of hope, with both proportion and commitment being important measures to a balanced life. Just Like A Cloud finishes off the album with a full-on Crazy Horse workout on guitars and an end to the journey that returns to the source of it all, the energy of the absolute that endures in mother nature. A superbly crafted release that will resonate with anybody who enjoys timeless music.

Review by Paul McGee

Matthew Check Without A Throne Self Release

Once a member of Gangstagrass, a band that mix classic bluegrass and rap vocals, Check now lives in NYC, and releases this seven song EP as a follow up to his 2020 album THE CONDESA QUEEN. A few live releases followed more recently and this EP includes tracks that engage the listener. His style is reminiscent of classic 70s artists and the music includes rockers like What A Father Would Do (Absalom), country classics (Pretty Mama), and slower ballads (The Shape It Appears). There is some nice pedal steel courtesy of Thomas Bryan Eaton and piano melody from John Pahmer. Because You Can is another fine song that shows off the band in full flight and is reminiscent of CSNY in their prime.

Review by Paul McGee

Restos, Cruz Contreras, Chris Stamey, Jason Hawk Harris, Dylan LeBlanc, John Baumann, Heather Horton, Old Californio

New Album Reviews

Josh Gray Walk Alone CRS

Following on from his 2019 debut full-length album, SONGS OF THE HIGHWAY, singer songwriter Josh Gray’s latest album pursues a similar template of tales that are fuelled by personal experiences in an often-unforgiving music industry, alongside some more relaxed and heart-filled songs.

A relative latecomer to the industry, he didn’t play his first live show until age thirty-one; Gray moved to Nashville in 2015 to hone his skills and gather talented players for his backing band, the Dark Features. Building on the positive feedback for his debut album and with countless numbers of gigs under his belt to road test his new material; Gray used the crowdfunding platform to raise the funds to record this ten-track record.

Recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville and self-produced by Gray, the players included his bandmates Julio Matos on bass, Jason Munday on drums, and some local big hitters contributing. Guitar wizard Sean Thompson and equally distinguished pedal steel player Brett Resnick were among those guesting.  Credit is also due to Kristin Indorato and Nikhil Dafre for the most impressive photography and design on the album’s sleeve and inner booklet.

The opening track, Radio Stations, could relate to the majority of singer songwriters attempting to survive and keep their heads above water. It’s a breezy affair lamenting the lack of opportunity to have an artist’s music played on radio and the resulting financial hurdles. It’s followed by the title track, which also addresses survival in an apathetic world, with Gray confident in his ability declaring ‘You gotta fight in this life for everything you want. What you let pass you by tomorrow returns to haunt.’ Aching pedal steel perfectly mirrors the regret of poor life choices that end with the protagonist locked up in jail on the border-sounding Cheyenne. Rage and fury fuel the protest song Money or Blood, which points its finger at the unscrupulous employer and also the lack of Government empathy.  Not all of Gray’s tales are fuelled by anger and frustration. He exhibits his sweeter nature on the love ballad She Think’s The World Of Me and on the album’s closer and standout track Building Paradise. The latter is a duet with Morgan Connors that bookends the record on a resolute and hopeful note.

WALK ALONE is the work of a profoundly emotional songwriter and has earned Gray a distribution deal with CRS in the Netherlands. That marriage will likely result in the exposure in Europe that escapes many artists in their home country. Don’t be surprised if it also opens up touring options and a dedicated fanbase on this side of the pond.

Reviewed by Declan Culliton 

Brent Cobb Southern Star Thirty Tigers

Inspired by his southern roots and recorded at Capricorn Sound Studios in his Georgia hometown, SOUTHERN STAR finds Brent Cobb incorporating the country, soul, gospel, and blues sounds from that musical hotbed.

Rather than a ‘far away hills are green’ concept, the album was written when Cobb returned to Georgia, having spent a decade in Nashville. That period earned him a Grammy nomination for his 2016 album SHINE ON A RAINY DAY, together with writing hit songs for Luke Combs, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. SOUTHERN STAR is Cobb’s fifth album and evidence once more of his resourcefulness as a songwriter, with the ability to create more meaty material alongside the more mainstream country that gained the previously mentioned artists’ chart success.   

As well as recording in his hometown, Cobb self-produced the ten tracks on the album and hired local musicians, the only ‘out of towner’ being keyboard player Jimmy Matt Rowland. He captures the more laid-back simplicity of Southern culture to perfection in his writing. The title and opening track set the scene for his calling to return home, and Shade Tree, which bookends the album, reiterates that sense of serenity and contentedness. Elsewhere, he turns the heat up on the funk-filled Livin’ The Dream, Devil Ain’t Done and ‘On’t Know When and takes his foot off the gas on the slow burners When Country Came Back To Town and Kick The Can; the latter finds Cobb reminiscing on the passage of time from his childhood to the present. The former is a ‘thumbs up’ to the artists who kickstarted country music revival in the past decade. Name-checking many of those artists, pride of place goes to Sturgill Simpson for his input ‘But nobody sang like Brandi Carlile or wrote like Nikki Lane … but when Sturgill climbed High Top Mountain, Country came back to town.’

As a songwriter, Cobb seldom puts a foot wrong, and that’s very much the case with SOUTHERN STAR. It’s an uncomplicated and sentimental project that is as far removed from his more mainstream writing as it is from hardcore honky tonk. Given that versatility, it’s little surprise that he has opened on tours for both Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs. Best described as definitive easy listening, it’s another feather in the cap of a multi-talented artist

Reviewed by Declan Culliton

More Than A Whisper: Celebrating The Music of Nanci Griffith Rounder

Celebrating what would have been Nanci Griffith’s 70th birthday, it only seems fitting that a host of her friends and followers would gather to honour the legendary singer songwriter. This fourteen-track album does just that and is not simply a reminder of Griffith’s unquestionable talent, but equally an endorsement of the inspiration that she generated for so many others. In her liner notes, Mary Gauthier sums up the immense impact the Sequin, Texas-born singer-songwriter had on her career in simple terms ‘What Loretta did for Nanci, Nanci did for me’.

Griffith recorded over twenty albums from her 1978 debut THERE’S A LIGHT BEYOND THESE WOODS to her final studio album, INTERSECTION, in 2012. A multiple Grammy nominee, Griffith’s album OTHER VOICES, OTHER ROOMS won her a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk album of 1994. That album was her recognition of the artists that inspired her, so it’s fitting that her vast contribution to roots and country music is similarly honoured by others on this recording.

Given the quality of the material and the artists that pay their dues to Griffith, it’s difficult to highlight the standout tracks, every one draws the listener back to the original versions while also marvelling at many of the reconstructions. However, two duets do particularly strike a chord. John Prine and Kelsey Waldon’s Love At The Five & Dime is particularly heartrending, given that it must be one of the final recordings by Prine before his untimely passing. Lyle Lovett and Kathy Mattea’s rendition of Trouble in The Fields also captures the capacity of love to offer endurance during times of impoverishment – a sentiment that rings true today over thirty-five years after it featured on Griffith’s album, LONE STAR STATE OF MIND. Other household names including Steve Earle (It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go), Iris DeMent (Banks Of The Pontchartrain), Emmylou Harris (Love Wore A Halo) and Shawn Colvin (Outboard Plane), who grew up in the industry alongside Griffith, also contribute. A relatively younger group of artists also pay tribute. Brandy Clark’s version of Gulf Coast Highway lives up to the original version and Billy Strings joins Molly Tuttle on Listen To The Radio. The other contributors are Sarah Jarosz (You Can’t Go Home Again), Todd Snider (Ford Econoline), Ida Mae (Radio Fragile), Aaron Lee Tasjan (Late Night Grande Hotel), War and Treaty (From A Distance) and the aforementioned Mary Gauthier (More Than A Whisper).

Listening to this collection is bound to result in a revisit to the vast and absorbing back catalogue of Griffith, it certainly did for me. For younger music lovers, it’s an introduction to one of the finest voices and songwriters in roots music and an ‘every serious roots music lover should have’ album.

Review by Declan Culliton

Sean Burns Lost Country Department Store

This is a wonderful album and a career highlight for Sean Burns. Not only is the music top-notch, it is also an exploration of some of the lesser-known exponents of traditional country music released in Canada through the decades. This is a labour of love and a continuum of why many of us want to listen to country and not some semi-related lukewarm and rootless version of the same.

At the album’s heart are Burn’s vocals, which are full of passion, pain and purpose and bring that necessary connection to any country album's success. Aside from that, there are a host of musicians who are sympathetic and sincere in their understanding and talent to make this album the triumph it is. This comes about in a year that has seen many really rewarding records released that fit firmly in that hardcore country category. 

The ten songs come from a variety of writers and artists; the only one that I was readily aware of was Scotty Campbell, but they all provided Burns with a wealth of material to salute and revive. Among the players featured are Grant Siemens, who, along with Burns, produced the album, both are also members of Cord Lund’s band the Hurtin’ Albertans.  Others adding to the overall context of the album include Redd Volkaert on guitar, Mike Weber on pedal steel, Paul Weber on bass and drummer Sean O’Grady.

This music evokes an earlier time, and the nighttime townscape on the cover sums that up well too. This is all territory that Burns has undoubted knowledge of and suggests that it could be something he returns to in the future. The songs, as is expected, deal in broken hearts, beer joints and bad choices, something that can be gleaned from a quick look at some of the titles, The Final Word, Before She Made Me Crawl, Hard Times, Alone Again and Drinking’ Me Six Foot Under. It seems that the protagonists in these tales can’t get a break, but that’s beside the point, I don’t think that we’d be listening if we were expecting upbeat, positive paeans to the good life.

The overall sound, feel, and delivery make this, and similar albums, a pleasure to listen to. There is enough variety in style too to make this a contender for one of the best albums this year and an album that any honky tonk aficionado will embrace and enjoy. It is an object lesson in taking the past and giving it a future. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Jenni Muldaur & Teddy Thompson Once More Sun

There are some who say what is the point of recording and releasing new versions of classic tracks. This album does just that with iconic duets from the catalogue of Conway and Loretta, Porter and Dolly or George and Tammy. It makes a strong case for reintroducing these songs to prospective new listeners. Both of the latter couple’s selections were previously released as four-track EP’s, and this album rounds that up to twelve selections with four more tracks from Twitty and Lynn’s memorable  duets.

Released, fittingly, by the legendary Sun Records label, this has the spontaneity associated with the sections recorded in their famous studio. It was produced by David Mansfield (who also took the helm on Thompson’s recently released MY LOVE OF COUNTRY album), and the instrumentation is largely uncomplicated, with fiddle, piano, steel guitar, bass and drums all prominent. As was the case with the original versions,  the combination of the voices is the main attraction. On that front, the duo sound perfect in harmony and both also possess distinctive voices in their own right.

The argument about covering classic songs has been aired numerous times.  Many who take that route are doing so to bring the songs and artists that they replicate to the attention of a younger audience who may not be familiar with the originals. Whether there is a market for such a venture is open to debate, but I would also suggest that the integrity of the artists here and their obvious love of the genre is beyond doubt. Both are excellent singers and don’t hold back in their delivery.

The songs are classics to a degree, and one comment I noted elsewhere was that they were lyrically perhaps a bit old-fashioned and corny, but even a song like Bobby Braddock and Race Van Hoy’s Golden Ring is a tale of the expectation of a young couple at the outset of their relationship. One that turns sour as the love doesn’t last, and the ring again turns up in a pawn shop window for the next young couple starting their own journey to view. It is not a tale that is in any way devoid of a harsh reality. Therefore, perhaps, somewhat timeless.

In the end, this collection will stand on what it offers in the here and now, and this reviewer thoroughly enjoyed it and the songs it features - once more.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Robert Rex Waller Jr See The Big Man Cry BFD/Have Harmony Will Travel

A founder member of the band I See Hawks In L.A. and a respected musician among his contemporaries, Robert Rex Waller Jr. releases his second solo project. A debut album of cover songs, FANCY FREE, appeared back in 2016 and this follow-up is produced by Carla Olson, Los Angeles-based songwriter, musician and original member of the legendary Textones. Her credits as a producer run deep and she also appears on these tracks with occasional contributions on guitar and harmony vocals. Waller continues to dip into his musical influences and the thirteen songs selected include such gems as The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (Crewe/Gaudio) and Tougher Than the Rest (Springsteen). Also included is Gypsy Rider (Clark) and Reconsider Me (Lewis/Smith). His choices blend seamlessly together, whether with it’s in the country swing of Easy Loving (Hart) or the rocking Amanda Ruth. The  classic soul sound of I’ll Never Dance Again (Anthony/Mike) has Matt Von Roderick on trumpet and There’s No Living Without Your Loving (Kaufman/Harris) bounces out of the speakers with a big sound.

Waller does have one co-write on the sweetly melodic My Favourite Loneliness which also credits Paul Marshall, bass player with the Hawks band. There are also appearances from band-mate Paul Laques on guitar and Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin, viola and cello. Skip Edwards (Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin) appears on all the tracks and his rich sound on piano, keyboards and accordion adds greatly to the overall feel. However it’s the dulcet tones of Waller that dominate and his voice is like a seasoned brandy in the delivery. The songs are given great character through his vocal tone and timing, lifting the arrangements and confirming his status as a Californian treasure. A fine album.

Review by Paul McGee

Rod Picott Starlight Tour Welding Rod

Ten new songs from the erudite mind and pen of Rod Picott. His albums are always worth the wait and over recent times we have been spoilt with a succession of top-class recordings. In the last four years there has been real gold dust to be found on TELL THE TRUTH & SHAME THE DEVIL (2019), WOOD, STEEL, DUST & DREAMS (2020), and PAPER HEARTS & BROKEN ARROWS (2022). And now, a further instalment in a run that has seen the rich talents of this songwriter continue to produce some real gems. All the songs are written by Picott with four co-writes included, proof of his willingness to share the magic with others.

Kicking off with the superb Next Man In Line, we have Picott reflecting on ageing and picking at old memories “Just yesterday it was summertime, Did you get your share, did you waste your time, How does it feel to be the next man in line.” A look back on times gone by perhaps tinged with some regret. Next up is Digging Ditches which has a deep blues groove and a tension in the playing. It examines a life of manual labour and the sacrifices that the body makes in order to endure “work till you bleed that’s how you know you’re done, You gotta punish what you’re not where I come from.”

A Puncher’s Chance talks about relationships using the metaphor of a boxer’s life and the search for a love that can withstand the blows “If you are willing to go the distance with me , I’ll be in your corner whatever may be.” The song Combine sees a  farmer betting on football games in Alabama, risking the bank account in order to maintain his broken-down combine harvester through just one more crop. It captures the hard reality of surviving with a ragged elegance.

Title track Starlight Tour is about the inequity of life and the cruel way in which authority doles out a warped sense of justice. “She said he was my daddy but I ain’t so sure, He might have been just another bad night’s cure.” The song is a look at hard beginnings and struggle in the face of adversity “you can’t escape the skin you’re in, A walking reminder of another man’s sin.” Local drug dealers on Wasteland meet the needs of community dependency. It references Georgia and people lining up for Oxycotin and Fentanyl prescription cures for their pain. “If you think you’re better with your city lights, You best just stay there cause out here it’s dark at night.”

Pelican Bay, tells the lonely tale of a Vietnam Vet who is forgotten by the country he fought to defend, along with the ideals that all people matter in the American dream. His life is captured in simple imagery as his wife gets sick and dies while their daughter “went to college took a job way out of town, We don’t talk much now she’s got just got so much goin’ on.” An all too familiar story.

Homecoming Queen is about a local beauty who slipped off the track “No matter how many years go by, She still looks like 1985.”Picott observes that “everybody wants the chance to be seen.” It strikes me that Picott acknowledges the journey taken in weighing up all of life’s experiences and the price paid on arrival. Television Preacher looks at the lives of God fearing folks who want to believe in some form of redemption. However, the easy hypocrisy of seeking answers through media-fuelled solutions is not the answer. Breaking out of the stereotype is what keeps a life going and the husband in the song says he’s going for a drive and “open the door to that revival tent, Let Jesus himself find next month’s rent.”

Final song Time To Let Go Of Your Dreams is a gentle arm around the shoulder of disillusioned ideals and Picott councils “So go and make a new wish, Let it come soft as a kiss, Hold it close to your chest and there it will rest, It’s time to find a new dream.” Muted trumpet echoing the hard won wisdom of the whole album.

Rod Picott captures life’s tapestry with keenly observed insights. His characters come alive in the songs and leave a strong impression of quiet dignity with a great empathy and grace.  Produced by Neilson Hubbard, who also contributes drums and percussion, the players are Rod Picott on acoustic guitar and vocals, Juan Solorzano on various guitars, piano, trumpet and glockenspiel, and Lex Price on mandolin and bass. The playing and overall sound is stripped back to allow the character in the vocal delivery spin these tales of ordinary folks just trying to get by and looking for some deeper meaning or purpose in it all. Yet another example of the wonderful talent that enriches the lives of all who tune into the creative muse of Rod Picott.

Review by Paul McGee

Hannah Connolly From Where You Are Self Release

Initially released in 2020 and written during the Covid lockdown, this debut album from Wisconsin native Hannah Connolly is a very impressive creation. It’s almost as if these ten songs were just bursting to reveal themselves upon the world and the results are evident in the beautifully arranged melodies and the lyrics that capture so much in their longing.

Hannah lost her younger brother Cullen in a car accident caused by a drunk driver back in 2015 and the core of this album is a tribute to his life and also a reflection on grief and how it never leaves, once it has visited any of our lives. The bareness in the words, the honesty in the emotion, and the beautiful vocal delivery all come together in a compelling mix that puts this songwriter right up there with any of the current talents that are making a name on the country music circuit.

The musicians also raise a very high bar on this album with some exquisite playing, both understated and elegant in the delivery. Whether it’s the superbly aching pedal steel of Tim Fleming that haunts in the mix, or the lovely cello and violin played by Jane Kim and Phoebe Silva, or the superb musicianship of producer Jordan Rutz on a variety of instruments, from guitars, bass, drums and percussion to keyboards, accordion and backing vocals. There are also some cameo appearances on certain songs, from Eric Cannata (electric guitar), Tom Crouch (electric guitar) and Francois Comtois (drums); all adding to the impressive sound.

Hannah wrote the songs, with co-credits to Jordan Ruiz and additional writing from Eric Cannata on two songs. Her voice is an instrument of great colours; winsome, soothing and poignant in its rueful delivery. Her ability to capture emotion runs through these songs like a chord that binds everything together. Birthday opens the album and Hannah reflects upon the loss of her brother in the lines “We celebrated you today, And I miss you more than ever… ‘I’m grateful, I promise, For the years that we had.”

Other songs such as From Where You Are reflect upon a funeral and capture the essence of feeling lost and alone in grief “They say your name wrong, And I’m feeling pretty lost, I wonder what this mess looks like, From where you are.” Cullen Bay is a short instrumental played on the bagpipes by Cullen’s father, Jeff Connolly and it is beautifully delivered. Ocean (the light in everything) looks to nature as a place where solace can be found and the spirit of those who are gone can be truly felt “In the horizon, out of the silence, You are the light in everything.”

House/Home reflects upon the loss of love and the empty spaces that need to be filled ‘I remember standing there, watching birds in the morning sun, And I remember thinking, I don’t feel like anyone.’ Stay Home tackles the insecurity of new situations and trying to fit into a different life when you feel outside everything “It’s a worn out conversation, Every question insincere, While their eyes ignore my answers, To see who else is here.” Sounds familiar? Probably because we have all felt that exact emotion at some point in our own lives. Meet You There is another song that celebrates nature and the sense of quiet power in its presence ‘I’m learning to take notice, Of all that can’t be seen, Trying to find the truth beyond words, Living silent in the trees.’ On the final song The Right Words Hannah reflects upon the need for gratitude with the words “And I’m trying to be grateful, And I’m trying to smile, I’m trying to find all the beauty, But it’s taken me quite a while.”

Well, there is real beauty in this debut album and as fledgling flights go, this is as complete as anything that I’ve heard in a number of years. File under “one that got away” in the current traffic of new releases. A brand new album is due early next year, titled Shadowboxing, so my recommendation is to board this train now as it’s bound for glory.

Review by Paul McGee

Gregory Alan Isakov Appaloosa Bones Dualtone/Suitcase Town

In spiritual terms the number eight is a symbol for rebirth and transformation. Quite appropriate then that Colorado based artist Isakov should release his eight album after coming through the Covid years with a renewed perspective on everything that surrounds him. Isakov is part of a farm project called Starling Farm where they produce small-scale, bio-intensive market gardening, which produces a wide variety of vegetables, seeds and flowers. The farm is part of Community-supported agriculture that connects producers and consumers within the food system and a goal of strengthening a sense of community through local markets. All very relevant to the superb music that is based very much in the natural environment that surrounds Isakov and the inspiration that he takes from nature runs through his songs like a connecting thread.

If you are looking for a sign post along the road then the music of Isakov would travel along the route trodden by similar artists like Iron and Wine, Hiss Golden Messenger, and Bon Iver. The music is full of lovely melodies, stripped back to a very minimalistic style, where every sound has a central place in the sweetly haunting performances. Isakov performs his magic on an array of instruments, including banjo, ukulele, dobro, guitars, keyboards and understated drums. He also contributes ‘God noises’ on a number of songs and the additional ambient sounds and samples, courtesy of co-producer Andrew Berlin, add greatly to the atmosphere and warmth of the eleven tracks.

Leif Vollebekk plays atmospheric piano on six tracks and there is quite a list of other players who guest across a range of instruments that include fiddle, pedal steel, viola, violin, lap steel, and guitars. The harmony vocals are also beautifully judged and feature both Bonnie May Paine and Aoife O’Donovan. The lyrics are very much open to interpretation, Isakov planting suggested meanings rather than opting for a more defined content. Opener The Fall suggests a crisis of sorts and the title track hints at a sense of separation and feelings of anxiety. Given that Covid played a certain influence in the writing, this is no surprise and the message in other songs such as Terlingua and Sweet Heat Lightning leans toward the path of connection and the stillness of nature.

Closing track Feed Your Horses assures a loved one that all will work itself out despite feelings of restlessness and the reassurance of Silver Bell includes the lines “Finally found us some good luck, let’s see if it lasts.” An album of reflection, hope for the future and of taking stock in challenging times, Isakov continues to set impressive standards in his body of work that enrich the listening experience. Highly recommended.     

Review by Paul McGee

Josh Gray, Brent Cobb, Sean Burns, Teddy Thompson, Robert Rex Waller Jr Music, Rod Picott. Hannah Connolly Gregory Alan Isakov.