Various Artists Too Late To Pray - Defiant Chicago Roots Bloodshot
The latest compilation from the Bloodshot label in Chicago isa reaffirmation of their roots which were sown back in 1994 with the debut release of FOR THE LIFE OF SIN a similar compilation of some rough, rowdy and relevant renegades who chose to play country music of one stripe or another. It was often a personal take on the traditional country music that they had often discover on old vinyl albums in thrift stores. Many of those bands may no longer exist for some reason or another (The New Duncan Imperials, Milly and The Sequins, Iggy Yoakam and his Famous Pogo Ponies). While others who also featured on that album continue to make music (Jon Langford’s Hillbilly Lovechild, Robbie Fulks, Freakwater and The Handsome Family). Some continue ri define and refine their original ethic were others such as The Handsome Family sound very different on the new album with their electronic take on Leonard Cohen’s Tower of Song compared to Moving Furniture Around from the original compilation.
For this listener those Bloodshot compilations were a breath of fresh air. They were often post punk takes on country and old time music. They delivered the songs with the rough edges intact and did so with an enthusiasm for the genre that was infectious and immediate. Then, and even more so now, they were a million miles away from the majority of releases that were coming out of the mainstream labels in Nashville’s Music Row. It all made sense to a person invigorated by punk rock sitting in his kitchen in Dublin, Ireland. It was the welcome equivalent to those Nuggets style collections of garage band recordings from the 60s.
There are 22 tracks here. I pretty much liked them all but quite obviously some hit home harder than others. The opening Wild Earp and the Free For Alls sing about The Last Honkey Tonk In Chicago with piano and steel to the fore. The Mekons’ Jon Langford is pretty much true to form with I Am A Big Town a song he recorded with Steve Albini on guitar. Vocalist and writer Izzy Olive takes things a little slower with Half Gringa’s Wearing White. As distinctive vocally as ever is Robbie Fulks with his acoustic bluegrass styled take on his own Lonely Ain’t Hardly Alive, which features Ron Spears on tenor vocal. Equally sparse with just banjo and vocals is Freakwater’s version of the Jagger/Richards song Sway. Back to the honky tonks with David Quinn and Long Time Gone with some more pedal steel and twanging guitar. The Hoyle Brothers’ with the referencing song of influencing country stars that is A Little Bit Of Buck. Kelly Hogan reminds of a more sultry soulful time with cover of Gotta Have My Baby Back. The song, however that really reminds me of the time that twanging country connected in the way that punk did, is funnily enough Chicago Tex-Mex band Los Gallos whose song Yeah, Yeah, Yeah sounds less related to their cultural origins and more London 1977 - but works a treat. The Weston Elstons’ Toast That Lie is another bar room ballad that seems right out of the Texas ballrooms.
But as mentioned there’s nothing here that I would skip over. It is a tribute to the label that they have been able to bring some otherwise unknown names into the limelight. Many may not be around in years to come but for now that hardly matters in this worthwhile tribute to the sound of those inner city honky tonks and small venues that continue to host and feature these bands. The blood runs strong in Bloodshot. Their output may not be to everyone’s tastes but it is true to the origin and intent and that is to be applauded with any long time independent label. It is also appropriate consider that in there 1930s Chicago hosted the premier country music show in America via WLS with The National Barn Dance. That spirit of adventure of that time still lives on here.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Ags Connolly Wrong Again Finstock
This is the work of a man who believes in his music and one of the best artists that has emerged from the UK. Not that that in itself is the significant factor as I think I would feel the same about this release if Connolly was from his spiritual home of Austin. Connolly has produced the album with a clear update of his sound from the previous album in mind. He recorded in a studio in Oxfordshire working with a set of musicians to help him create the sound he wanted. Rob Updegraff on guitars, Anna Robinson on bass and vocals, Robert Pokorny and the pedal steel of Joe Harvey-White. These fine players were joined by special guests accordion player Michael Guerra (noted for this role as a part of The Mavericks team) and ace all round fiddle player Eamon McLoughlin. These guys get the job done as well as pretty much anyone could.
Finally, the two ingredients needed to make this complete are the lead vocals and a set of decent songs. Connolly has an utterly distinctive vocal and nine new songs to add to his already strong catalogue. These are songs of heartbreak, of a man always looking but not always finding (or keeping) the love he seeks, of sitting in barrooms and of thinking on life.
It is also an album that needs to be heard as a complete album in a single sitting to give the best result. Having said that, try the title track’s take on the gameshow of life, the self-explanatory Lonely Nights In Austin or the closing Sad Songs Of Life. There is one other track that actually fits in with the overall mood of the album and that is his take on Gordon Lightfoot’s Early Morning Rain – a song he makes his own.
As perhaps the only country album cover where you might see of a man nursing a pint and musing on life in an English pub, there is something of Connolly home country buried in the roots of these songs whose roots crossed the ocean having been transported there centuries ago to become part of the bed rock of the foundations of the genre.
His artistry is among the best contemporary exponents of a purer country music, that regardless of location, shows him to be a crafted writer. Though like any independent artist he may find it a struggle to get noticed outside of specialist publications and radio shows. The “country music” that is gaining traction this side of the ocean is a long way in spirit and truth from what is on offer here. That may be the current situation but Ags Connolly remains a worthy talent whose music is always welcome.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Daniel Meade Rust ButtonUp
Daniel Meade’s second album this year is quite different from the live album he released with his band The Flying Mules. Immediately noticeable is the fact that he sings in a much broader Glasgow accent. The opening song finds him sitting at the piano singing Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow in an immediately catchy attack on the sometimes superficiality of aspects of the current outlaw movement. It’s delivered in a singalong style that will be something of a winner live too. By way of contrast These Things Happen which follows, has more of a rockin’ group setting although the only player featured on the album is Meade himself. He has said that this album brings together all his life and musical influences he has encountered over the years - both good and bad. So, in the same way, you hear several different songs where a part of the song, chorus or riff, reminds you of some 60s rock, some folk (Celtic and otherwise) as well as roots and Americana although that latter label hardly fit this distinctly UK infused album.
What it does underline however is the undisputed talent of Meade as a musician and song writer. There are several songs which make their mark immediately, including the swearing in the chorus of Anyway, Anywhere, Anyhow (as in “I don’t give a f**k anyway, …”). Deams Grow On Trees or the song about a song, the folkish Workin’ On An Old Song - which at this stage is my favourite. To these ears there’s an almost “Faces-feel” about the approach to the looseness and groove to some of the material though it doesn’t exactly sound like that particular band. What the songs do is to evoke the way that Daniel Meade is exploring his musical muse.
There is a lot to like on this latest release from Meade who has really made up his mind about the way he wants to build his career - one that doesn’t include compromise or necessarily reaching for the golden ring. What he does, he does because it feels right (at that time) and he deserves to be recognised for pursuing an individual vision - and making some great music along the way.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Vetiver Up On High Loose
Since their formation in San Francisco seventeen years ago, Indie folkies Vetiver have been sharing stages and collaborating with household names such as Wilco, Devendra, Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom, Yashti Bunyan and former Vetiver band member Devendra Banhart. What is somewhat surprising, is the fact that their profile is not as high as it might be, given the consistent quality of their recorded output, which amounts to six full albums and three EP’s prior to this release.
Vetiver are fronted by Andy Cabic, a long-time collaborator with the aforementioned Banhart, having co-written songs and produced his CRIPPLE CROW album. Cabic’s musical influences range across a broad spectrum including Michigan psychedelic rocker Kelley Stoltz, the legendary Randy Newman, traditional American folk group The Carter Family, The Replacements and REM. Diverse as these acts may seem Up On High does reflect elements of them all, yet managing to create a quite unique sound that blends folk, power pop and indie in equal measures.
It’s difficult to identify the stand out tracks given the cohesiveness throughout. The Living End, To Who Knows Where and Swaying, which make up the first three tracks on the album, are all terrific. Filigree and the title and closing track Up On High are laid back delights. It may seem over simplistic but what comes to mind describing the album is an Unplugged blend of Squeeze and REM.
Written exclusively on acoustic guitar, where UP ON HIGH wins hands down is Cabic and engineer/collaborator Thom Monahan knowing when to hit the pause button. Much of the material sounds as if it’s heading to the mixing desk to be beefed up. Fortunately, this did not occur, rendering the songs beautiful in their simplicity and with Cabic’s vocals out in front. Highly recommended. An acoustic jingle jangly, folky power poppy delight!
Review by Declan Culliton
Orphan Brigade To The Edge Of The World Self Release
Ben Glover, Neilson Hubbard and Joshua Britt continue to find inspiration in local history, folklore and rugged landscapes on their latest project TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. Orphan Brigade is a side project for the three artists whose previous recordings include SOUNDTRACK TO A GHOST STORY (2015), a ghost story set to music recorded in a haunted house in Franklin Kentucky and HEART OF THE CAVE (2017), inspired by an invitation to explore the 2500 year old caves under the streets of Osimo in Italy.
Glover left his hometown of Glenarm in County Antrim in 2009 to further his career in Nashville and in particular to challenge himself artistically within that city’s creative community. The journey has resulted in a number of collaborations and co-writes with three of Nashville’s finest songwriters - Mary Gauthier, Gretchen Peters and Kim Richey. TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD finds Glover acting as tour guide to his fellow band members in Orphan Brigade, as he introduces them to the craggy and windswept coastline of his youth and the history embedded within its environs. The journey proved to be most fruitful, the guiding light and motivation behind the fourteen tracks that make up the album. These compositions were developed and recorded over a seven-day period at the one-time Franciscan Friary, St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland in Glenarm. The album effectively combines traditional, blues and folk music with a Celtic thread as the common link.
The uilleann pipes intro by Barry Kerr that introduces the album creates the perfect atmosphere for what follows. Madman’s Window tells the tale of the distraught young man who loses his sanity after the drowning of his lover while swimming in Glenarm Bay. Its chunky intro recalls P.J.Harvey before it merges into an eerie bluesy stomp. A similarly organic atmosphere is captured throughout the album. We’re offered songs written in a forest at midnight (Banshee), a graveyard (Under The Chestnut Tree), a mountain slope (St. Patrick On Slemish Mountain) and a headland cave (Fairhead’s Daughter). Captain’s Song, which features John Prine on vocals, recalls Sorley Boy MacDonnell, the local chieftain of the 1500’s. The title track also introduces the children’s choir at Glover’s old primary school. The album’s closer Mind The Road is a fitting reminder of both the beauty and perilous past contained in the history of this Ulster coastline.
All of this could easily have amounted to a self-indulgent project by Glover, nostalgically revisiting his former life. On the contrary, a passionate trio of musicians and historians, Orphan Brigade once again succeed in collectively creating strikingly evocative songs on their elected subjects. Powerful, chilling and charming in equal parts and well worth your attention.
Review by Declan Culliton
Jason Hawk Harris Love & The Dark Bloodshot
The title of this album from Los Angeles based singer songwriter Jason Hawk Harris is a road sign to the two key elements that embody the nine tracks contained within.
Prior to embarking on a solo career, Harris played in Show Ponies, a band that blended edgy folk and bluegrass. His solo career was launched with the release of an EP entitled FORMALDEHYDE, TOBACCO AND TULIPS in 2017. LOVE & THE DARK followed after disaster visited Harris and his family, sending his personal life into freefall. His mother passed away from alcohol related issues, his father’s company went bankrupt and his sister gave birth prematurely to a son with cerebral palsy after she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At the same time Harris developed substance abuse problems and found himself at rock bottom. With a background which touched on country, punk and indeed classical music, it’s no surprise that LOVE & THE DARK does not restrict itself to one particular classification. Instead, it transports the listener through dark and painful landscapes, crisscrossing between hard boiled country and rock.
The songs point to a catalogue of emotions, stimulated by personal disarray, often confused and conflicted, from an artist attempting to rationalise a world crumbling around him. Harris has drawn on those emotions to survive and rehabilitate. Phantom Limb, the most striking track on the album, reads like an open wound, as Harris recollects his mother’s body on open display at her funeral wake. The odours, sights and sounds remained ingrained in his subconscious. I’m Afraid is equally disturbing, describing the religious guilt often conflicting the young boy, with nightmares of devils and demons as he lies terrified in his bed at night. Givin’ In, which takes off like a freight train, is a tale of a guilt-ridden addict unable to resist another hit.
Harris’ introduction to music as a young boy came via his grandfather and the closing track is a tribute to him. Grandfather also gives thought to an afterlife where the ageing process is reversed and troubled people are at peace. The alcoholic’s plight is depicted on Cussing At The Light, the inevitable daytime drinking to kill the pain, killing the time before darkness arrives. ("If I drink enough at least I’ll sleep’’). Similar to the opening track The Smoke And The Stars it falls very much into the territory occupied by Jason Isbell on his solo albums.
The album was produced by Andy Freeman and includes a host of quality players notably Philip Glenn on piano, Kevin Brown on drums and Mark Lavengood on pedal steel. Rachel Baiman and Natalie Nicoles contribute backing vocals.
Harris occupies a similar space to his label mate Sarah Shook, delivering hard nosed country infused rock. Bloodshot Records have been at the forefront of cowpunk, alt-country and Americana for the best part of two and a half decades and when they sign an artist, you’d be rash not to investigate. Another great discovery and signing on their behalf.
Review by Declan Culliton
Jude Johnstone Living Room BoJak
Sometimes music reveals itself as a fragile thing that needs to be cherished and nurtured until it can be fully brought out into the light. The 10 songs included here were performed and recorded in Jude’s LIVING ROOM (the title) and could easily be retitled Songs From the Heart. The beauty in the melodies and words is matched by the honesty and wistful sorrow revealed by Jude Johnstone, an artist that has been producing music of the highest quality for many years, often sadly unrecognised by the greater media.
However, her stock is held very highly by many artists who circle around her burning flame, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Jackson Browne, are just some of the artists who keep her close to their circle. There is aching beauty in the arrangements here, the penny whistle and cello on My Heart Belongs To You, (Bob Liepman and David Brewer) giving an Irish lilt to the melody. The male vocal perspective of That’s What You Don’t Know (Hunter Nelson) and the juxtaposition of media image against private fears. Jude writes so well that her songs can be viewed from either side of the great male/female divide... The pedal steel playing on this song (Rob van Duuren) is just so perfectly placed that you feel like you were right there in the room when it all was captured.
All I Ever Do is a song that speaks of suicide and is tinged with both understanding and disbelief. It could have been written for her close friend Neal Casal (R.I.P.), with the winsome lines “Now you’re with a God I’ve never met, But I’m hoping he’ll be kind, And comfort you if you should regret what you left behind”; there is such beautiful acceptance...
This could almost be a soundtrack to a Broadway Play as the principal actors go back and forth over a relationship that has ended - if any enduring love can ever really end. One Good Reason asks why leaving is such a better choice than honouring all the years that have gone before, I Guess It’s Gonna Be That Way is a grudging acceptance that unrequited love is all that remains, carrying a torch and hurting still. The combination of piano, accordion, cello and pedal steel is sublime! So Easy To Forget is a duet (with Tim Hockenberry) that looks at both sides to a fractured relationship, all angst and questioning while the piano plays minor keys behind the upright bass. The curtain comes down, exit stage left…
Jude plays a Parlour Grand Piano made by Mason & Hamlin in the 1920’s. They were as big as Steinway in their day and while not as well known over time, many professional musicians consider they are the finest pianos ever made. You can hear the intimacy of the recording with the foot pedals being engaged in some songs and the silence between the notes is just so haunting. Serenita is a male vocal (Brandon Jesse) again, used to great effect, lamenting a promise to marry that was never kept.
Boy meets girl, love blossoms, years go by and now man leaves woman; all the crossroads along the way can only be guessed at… The play of life? The curse of Love? As one lyric contemplates “why’d you have to leave me here, With nothing left to do, But drink and disappear”.
This release is perfectly constructed and delivered with such beauty and grace. It is a work of great imagination, of sad reflection and of hope for the future. As Seasons of Time contemplates, “For the one thing unchanging, forever unwavering, Is I’ll love you for all of my days”. Again, piano, penny whistle, cello and violin just nail the accompaniment to a male vocal (Ben Glover) that conjures images of a couple that are elderly and still in love with each other, given all the miles travelled in their shared journey. The last song, Paradise, hopes “And you and I will search till dawn, For Paradise”; the dreams of youth made real by the trying.
Mike Meadows on percussion, Matt Rollings on accordion, Nick Scott on upright bass, Olivia Korkola on violin, Liney Hamilton on trumpet, David Keary on baritone guitar, plus others already mentioned – all take a bow!!
Order this wonderful music direct from the artist’s site at www.judejohnstone.com and while you’re there, do yourself a big favour and pick up a few more of her superbly crafted releases.
Review by Paul McGee
Ordinary Elephant Honest Berkalin
The simple beauty of music, captured in the song. Just the quiet arrangement of acoustic guitar, banjo and voices harmonising around the melody. Such a joyful pleasure. Many of these songs hold echoes of the past, just over the last hill, now almost forgotten in the light mist that falls upon the fields.
Ordinary Elephant are Crystal Hariu-Damore (guitar, vocals) and Pete Damore (banjo, octave mandolin, vocals). On this sophomore release they have taken great strides and are joined by Michael Rinne (bass), Nielson Hubbard (percussion, piano) and Will Kimbrough (acoustic & electric guitars, mandola, organ). Produced by Nielson Hubbard, the eleven tracks are beautifully realised with plenty to admire in the musicianship and the song arrangements.
Come From reflects on where we are born and grow up - the roots set down in learning the correct way to behave. Such rural experience has real substance and resonates in all that living a good life entails.
Scars We Keep is a message against prejudice, bigotry, ignorance and blindness passed down through the generations. The War is a wonderfully crafted look at the enduring memory that violence and death leave upon its survivors who become the next victims within a society that is oblivious and uncaring. Is the war ever over inside the minds of those who endured the nightmare?
Crystal sings strongly with conviction and nuance. Pete sings behind the lead of Crystal more often than not and their harmonies are very accomplished, caught in a timeless union.
Shadow is a song about living on the margins, lost in days of struggling to cope on the fringe of life. Again, simple but compelling arrangements abound. Jenny & James is a song about race and class restrictions on relationships. It could be a religious divide also but the need to break the chain on restrictions is evident, with the same enduring message “Don’t forget what you come from”.
The days of the Pony Express and the risks taken to develop the towns of cities of the New West are captured in Harriet, horse and rider as one against the challenges of the day. I’m Alright is a look at parents getting old and trying to protect their child from the reality of what lies ahead. The frailty of the passing years, “I see both your faces face the truth, Of who you love becoming who you lose”. Powerful stuff…
Worth the Weight is a song about life lessons from an adult to a child, to charter a steady course despite the mistakes from which you grow. “Half your life spent figuring out, How to make the other half count”; you can’t but be impressed by the strength of these songs.
Rust Right Through tackles the urge to stay safe against the need to break free and try new experiences. Life only comes around once so dive into the moment.
If I Am Being Honest is a standout lyric of trying to make sense of child fears and parental worries; how to protect and yet strengthen and teach. How well observed.
This couple are writing songs around subjects that are not always easy to articulate in just a few minutes, but they tend to pull it off with something to spare!!
The final song is Hope To Be That Happy, which brings everything around full circle with a look at what matters most in family and roots put down – strength in aged wisdom, a life well lived, to enjoy the days; “I hope I will know, All that matters, Is right in front of me”.
This is what it’s all about, songs of real substance and tenacity. A wonderful album and one that builds upon their growing reputation.
Review by Paul McGee
Ever More Nest The Place That You call Home Parish Road
A debut release from Kelcy Mae, as Ever More Nest, that is a very pleasant surprise. It kicks off with Unravelling, a song that is an honest admission that life can be directionless and without guidance; somewhat overwhelming to a young life who carries the weight into adulthood. The chorus has a soaring vocal and a rich orchestral feel.
So Low is a song of relationship woes and a lover’s fight. The pedal steel, banjo and violin weave a fine melody and the slow pace is just perfect for the sentiment of regret. Similarly, North Mississippi, is a song about driving away from something that has now become a bad memory, leaving the storm encountered on the drive as a metaphor for an unsettled and restless spirit.
The song-writing is excellent and the ten tracks featured here highlight the superb musicality of the ensemble gathered in the studio. The playing is superb throughout, all topped off with the clear and resonant vocal of Kelcy Mae that colours the songs quite perfectly. Kelcy Wilburn (aka Kelcy Mae) co-produced the project with Neilson Hubbard, who also plays drums, percussion and sings. Kelcy is also very comfortable on guitar and piano as and is joined by the seasoned talents of Will Kimbrough (guitar, banjo, mandolin and piano) and Kenny Hutson (guitar, dobro, lap and pedal steel). Dean Marols plays bass and Eamon McLoughlin contributes violin & viola. Joshua Britt appears on one track and plays banjo. Clocking in at just shy of 40 minutes, it is the perfect listen for a night at home with your favourite tipple - all restrained playing and laid-back atmosphere , with Will Kimbrough taking the guitar lead part on eight tracks.
Broken Bones is about returning home but never being able to go back to the youthful innocence that been left so far behind. Gimme That is about wanting a bite out of life; both good and bad – city streets and their temptations versus the joys of nature; all joined in a breathless swirl of pleasure. Paper Dolls is a surgical look at a relationship gone awry. Once exposed, the dysfunctional nature of everything becomes clear. Major Tom and I Wish I, are two songs that deal with the feeling of being outside and alone in negotiating the rapids of relationship routines.
The last two tracks are a perfect way to bring everything nicely together with Fine Right Here (This Time Next Year) being an acceptance of differences in a relationship or perhaps an admission that things are changing and people grow apart. Town With One Horse follows through on a dream turned into something unreal, a skewed look at love – “I want babies and romance and plants on the porch, but you want whisky and women in a town with one horse”.
Kelcy’s website states that Ever More Nest is a new music project that was born out of a trip to Tennessee where she experienced totality, met her spirit guide, and ended up making this record. Well, whatever occurred, she made pretty fine use of her time… An excellent release that is worthy of your attention and which brings many rewards in the listening.
Review by Paul McGee