Flashback Blues Around My Cabin Pinecastle
This is the third album from bluegrass ‘supergroup’ who were formerly members of JD Crowe’s New South in the 90s. They reformed as Flashback in 2015 and are still playing together, in between other projects. Self produced, this is a collection of solid traditional bluegrass songs, six of which are newly written by some of the band members.
The legendary multi instrumentalist, songwriter and educator Don Rigsby contributes the patriotic Will You Fold My Flag For Me and the standout title song. When The Blues Come Around My Cabin Door is a welcome departure from the traditional style, heavily blues-tinged and with Rigsby’s powerful tenor voice interspersed by his electric mandolin playing, with additional percussion provided by that well known bluegrass instrument, the shaker egg. Richard Bennett (guitar) has three originals here, the strongest of which, John Henry Holliday, recounts the story of outlaw Doc Holliday.
Stuart Wyrick (banjo) wrote the only instrumental, Tater Valley Chimes, a catchy tune named for his native area in East Tennessee. There’s a gorgeous gospel number, God Sees Me, where Rigsby’s vocals would almost melt the coldest heart.
A revival of a song from the little known Kentucky band from the 60s, The Sloas Brothers, provides another highlight. Queen of the Bar is a delicious slice of slow honky tonk, enhanced by guest Jim Heffernan on pedal steel.
Review by Eilís Boland
Silas J. Dirge The Poor Devil Self Release
Netherlands-based artist Jan Kooiker uses the pseudonym Silas J. Dirge, to release his Gothic Americana, Dark-Folk, Alt-Western based tales, that deal with death, religion and the vicissitudes of life and variations of love. In that light his work may well appeal to those who are familiar with the music of Sixteen Horsepower, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (and its offshoots) or, to a degree, that of Danish singer/songwriter CS Neilson. It is a path that is more populated than one might imagine (see gothicwestern.com for further illumination on related historical topics and music).
This is the second album released under the Dirge moniker and is the continuation of the themes of that album TALES OF WOE, released at the end of 2018. It also features several players who are also involved here including Harald de Ruiter on electric guitars, Thomas van Voorst on double bass and Justin Zandbergen supplying backing vocals. Others accompanying Kooiker’s multi-instrumental contributions are Jan Paul de Bondt on pedal steel and Nicole Schouten’s backing vocals.
In an interview Kooiker mentions his liking of the paintings of Carel Willink. These often show a brooding dark overcast sky above a deserted city, often in ruins. In some ways these images are related to the somewhat dislocated, unsettling mood of Kooiker’s music. However, that is the second half of the story, the other lies in the aforementioned artists and in the age-old murder ballads, the Appalachian hand-me-down folk tales and the music of Hank Williams Sr, Johnny Cash. Many other artists could also be quoted (some of more recent times), as well as the influence of the spaghetti western themes (both musical and storylines). This can be considered as parody or paragon.
In truth, the songs here are a little of both, but in the end, what counts is that the music is good, the production and delivery are strong and you are drawn into Kooiker’s musical vision. He has produced, recorded and mixed the album so it is through his perspective that we hear these songs. From the opening acoustic guitar and lines that introduce the first song Hang Me High where the narrator wishes to achieve the fate in the song’s title, in order to go where he belongs down below. Over a further nine songs the detailed layers of sound enhance these tales. Flowers On Her Grave, Devil’s In Town, You Reap What You Sow and Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing offer a musical landscape that is in tune with his world view and orientation. A Land More Than A Home is perhaps the most Morricone-esque of the tracks on the album and is larger instrumentally but uses a female vocal and whistling to heighten the effect.
Suffice it to say that the music here, over several listens, has been a rewarding experience that fits my musical tastes (or at least several of them), allowing the listener to engage. This is helped by Kooiker’s vocal which is well suited to these songs. It displays an amount of variety in the vocal department, which is then placed within, the often sparse, but highly atmospheric backings which might be interpreted as a long journey through a metaphysical Death Valley. There are interesting videos for the album singles Flowers On Her Grave and Devil’s In Town. They offer a perfect visual and musical introduction to the world of Silas J. Dirge. It is one worthy of exploration across the full album and serves as a reminder of the interesting Americana releases emanating from that region of Europe.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Margie Singleton Never Mind Aintquittin
With so many of the artists from the 50’s and 60’s passing away, it is good to celebrate one who, as in the name of her label, “ain’t quittin.” This singer worked in the 60’s as a duet partner which such names as George Jones (Did I Ever Tell You)
and Faron Young (Keeping Up With The Joneses) and also enjoyed a healthy solo career which included successful single releases and several top 50 Country albums as well as stints on the Louisiana Hayride and Jubilee USA. In 1949 she married producer Shelby Singleton and divorced in 1965. Her first son from that marriage Stephen, was instrumental in bringing his mother back to the recording studio.
This new EP includes five tracks, four of which are co-writes with her son and one she wrote solo. She is still in good voice and while one can detect her age in the songs, it has added a quality that enhances them. All are on the subject of relationship and are a continuation of her musical style from her heyday. Singleton was also renowned as a songwriter and her writing included Lie To Me, an R ’n’ B hit recorded by Brook Benton.
The second song Who’s Gonna Love You stands out and its timeless quality is in part due to the lively production and playing which includes Steve Hinson on pedal steel. Singleton’s vocals have been compared in the past to contemporaries Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn (who herself is poised to release a new album). This is a more reflective reading of the song which is understandable in that Missing You is figuratively both singular and plural. The final song is a new version of the aforementioned hit Lie To Me and it is given a bluesy and understated reading which suits Singleton's current vocal well, while allowing a sense of vulnerability to appear.
The front cover shows Singleton in her heyday with her guitar and on the back cover she is featured in a similar mode but looking happy to be back at 85. All the more credit to her for getting back in front of the microphone and while she is not going to upset the current crop of country singers, I’m sure they would all recognise a kindred spirit who still has something to say.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Rupert Wates Lamentations Self Release
Twelve songs, all recorded over a single evening, played on acoustic guitar and sung by Rupert Wates, an English singer-songwriter, now based in America. With such a project, there is always the risk that a certain amount of sameness will start to emerge and repeat, without the added layers that other players can bring to a recording project. However, the intimate vocal of Wates and his beautifully sounding Lowden guitar, deliver a hypnotic quality that reminds of quiet reverie, nights by a warm fire and absorbing these gentle songs of reflection and hope.
Wates has ten previous releases to his name and a reputation for being at the forefront of all that is good in acoustic, Folk music. His fluid, finger picking guitar style is very impressive and fills these songs of life, loss and love with plenty of nuance. It brings me back to the sound of the Folk artists of the 60’s when the likes of Richard Thompson and Nick Drake were shining their light.
Eleven albums since his debut appeared in 2005 is quite an output over the last 15 years, so when Wates delivers on solo acoustic guitar, there is an air of expectancy. Themes such as birth and death, together with the everlasting struggle to make love stay are visited in songs like The Carnival Waltz, In Time Of Breaking, Don’t Leave Me Now and Farewell & Adieu. Final song, I’ll Never Tire Of Looking In Your Eyes sums up the excellent performance and the special atmosphere generated by an intimate solo outing, a dedication to Stacey and the message that whatever else grows old and tired, true love and inspiration will endure.
Review by Paul McGee
The Burnt Pines The Burnt Pines Adraela
This newly formed band release their debut album and deliver an impressive contemporary Folk sound across these 12 tracks and 45 minutes of music that glide along with pleasant melody and interesting harmony dynamics.
Kris Skovmand is the songwriter and vocalist, now living in Lisbon and sharing studio space with Miguel Sá Pessoa, who contributes on piano, keyboards and melodica. They originally met after Skovmand married a Lisbon native and moved to the city from Denmark.
Aaron Flanders plays acoustic and electric guitars, guitar-banjo and tambourine. He had studied at Berklee College of Music, where he met Sá Pessoa, working with him on a number of different musical projects, before Sá Pessoa moved back to Europe.
All three musicians are friends and are joined by Fernando Huergo (5-string electric bass), Luis Barros (drums, percussion), with cameos from Dan Fox (double bass) on Only In the Soul and Outside of Us. Recorded at distant studios on different continents, Lisbon-Copenhagen-Boston, the beautiful melodies and harmonies create an overall feel of gentle days, floating along on the breeze. Light of touch, these magical song arrangements are a real joy and leave fond feelings of sharing in something special.
From Seville To Manhattan is one such example with sweet melody and the likeliness of clear skies in the message ‘Will the years all be forgotten? Is it too late to go home?’ Equally on the tracks, Outside Of Us and Waiting For You is the sense that the world is out there just waiting to be explored and that there is a security in feeling loved.
On the Burning Bridge has a relationship challenge at its centre and the words ‘I need to talk while we can, I have become the invisible man, I wish I was a stranger, so we could start all over again’ summing up the frustration in misconnection. Only In the Soul looks at wanting to see beyond the veil of illusion ‘What spirit are you? What’s the shape you take? can you give me a clue?’
Make the Sign has the lines, ‘Don't let your tears be the story you tell, I believe in angels ringing broken bells, I believe that you and I will find ourselves, We will escape when you give me the sign.’
Final song, April Child, has such a lovely melody and a message for our times ‘We’ve had bad days, Waiting for the rain, Mostly it’ll pass us by, And leave us just the same again.’ With the fears that COVID-19 brings and a new, fragile grip on daily living to the fore, there can be no better message than to reach out, soothe the spirit with reassurances that all will repair itself and return to better days. This album comes highly recommended.
Review by Paul McGee
Scott Cook Tangle Of Souls Self Release
Either you buy into the notion of a world that can be bettered through loving awareness or you don’t have time for such a sentiment. Whatever your belief, the central theme of compassion and empathy that runs through these songs is quietly compelling and worthy of great praise. This superbly packaged project is most enjoyable, entertaining and insightful, a complete artistic statement in music and words from a songsmith at the height of his powers.
To quote Scott Cook from his website ‘I think we lose something if we lose the experience of listening to an album as a whole, and savouring the art and liner notes while we're at it. You might say that my latest 240-page, cloth-bound, hardcover book is a bordering-on-the-absurd overreaction to that (streaming services) trend. I wouldn't argue with that, though I prefer to think of it as just a vote for the kind of world I'd rather live in.’ Amen brother.
This mighty tome begins with the words, ‘Fellow Dreamer’ and 213 pages later, in the afterword, Scott ruminates that ‘there’s a feeling of innocence we’ll never get back. We’re already living in Eden. Earth’s our only home. We’re made of it. It doesn’t belong to us, we belong to it.’
To say that this is an immersive listening experience is to understate the scope and scale of what Scott Cook has achieved. Each track has the full lyric, explanations as to how the song was created, the chord structure and associated thoughts surrounding the topics in question.
The album title is very appropriate when you consider what a tangled web we weave as beings upon this planet. If indeed, we are in paradise already, as Cook surmises, then the only thing that is screwing it up is humankind and our blinkered actions, both to the wonders of nature that surrounds us and indeed, to each other.
Having adopted the travelling bug of his predecessors, such as Woody Guthrie, Cook embarked upon living a nomadic lifestyle, spent in travel around the globe over the last 15 years. His perspective gained over these journeys form the fabric of these songs and deliver on every front.
These 12 tracks are contemporary Folk songs and each one is superbly crafted. They were recorded at various locations where the indigenous peoples in both Australia and Canada live. The credits include many names who all contributed in their own unique ways, whether as musicians, engineers, painters and printmakers, manufacturers of the book and CD, photographers, fans who pre-paid for the music, proof readers, parents, family and friends.
Travel songs, Put Your Good Foot In the Road and Why Am I Leaving My Home Again? (Scotty Dunbar) speak of adventure, fellowship and the risks in taking chances and walking out on the wire. The political message of Say Can You See is also a humanist plea to recognise the injustice caused to the poor and the weak, with the lines ‘And it’s working people who made this country great, Not the greedy opportunists or the peddlers of hate,’ ringing especially true.
Tulsa is a personal song about addiction and Scott’s battle over earlier years with alcohol. Equally, Leave A Light On and What To Keep are reflections on both the past and the future, the latter tinged with the sadness of leaving the past behind and lessons learned; the former filled with optimism and hope for better days.
Passin’ Through (Richard Blakeslee) is another travel song but one that is rooted in spiritual awakening as much as a physical journey, ‘All creeds and colours, every one’s a father’s daughter, a mother’s son, We’re all on one road and we’re only passin’ through.’ A similar message informs Let Love Have Its Way and the words ‘Like we hate the infidel, ‘Cause he shows us our own doubt, You can point fingers, deny any part, Or you can let love have its way with your heart.’
The Bluegrass rhythm of Rollin’ To You is both bright and bouncy while the instrumental Right To Roam is tinged with a gentle Irish traditional air with banjo, dobro and fiddle lifting the arrangement. Story song, Just Enough Empties, is a tale of lost innocence and the turns that a life can take. It is one of the strongest in this collection and covers universal themes in the power of the imagery and message, ‘And on long summer evenings with dinner in the air, We’d fly our bikes down main street, wind running in our hair. ‘
Title track, Tangle Of Souls, sums it all up with some more excellent lyrics, ‘Some say this world’s an accident, Just a clockwork running down, Some talk like it’s a tournament where the cruellest gets the crown, Seems to me it’s a pilgrimage and every step is hallowed ground, A walk through fire in a holy tangle of souls.’ Right on the money.
I’m glad that this review album didn’t reach me until Christmas last, as by arriving late for inclusion in 2020 favourites, it automatically goes forward into the New Year and sets the bar extremely high for all that is to follow. Please support this wonderful production by visiting the artist directly on https://scottcook.net/get-the-new-album.
Review by Paul McGee
Alex Maas Luca Basin Rock
Texan Alex Maas is the vocalist and bass player with psychedelic rock band The Black Angels and LUCA is his solo debut recording. Recorded at Space Flight Studios in Austin, the album was co-produced by Mass and Brett Orrison (Jack White, The War On Drugs, The Black Angels). Becoming a father in 2018 was a prime motivator for the album and is reflected on a number of the tracks. The themes also revisit joyful childhood memories of Maas’s upbringing at his father’s plant nursery in Seabrook, Texas, where his introduction to and love of music was fuelled by both the natural sounds from that environment and the music that flowed from the hidden speakers in the gardens. He also reflects on the social turmoil continuing to unfold in his home country, in an attempt to come to terms with the thin line dividing light and darkness.
That light and love sparkles on Shines Like The Sun (Madeline’s Melody), a touching ballad to his child and a vow to cherish and protect. The darkness and horror emerge on American Conquest, which is a harrowing exploration of mass mall shootings. Been Struggling takes a trip back to early 70’s folk and the semi spoken pronunciations on Slip Into enter Bill Callahan territory. The acoustic bookending track The City is a timely and prophetic reminder of the inherent dangers of history repeating itself. A striking body of work with a hypnotic and entrancing flow, LUCA will appeal to fans of The Velvet Underground as much as to lovers of the Americana genre.
Review by Declan Culliton
Steve Earle & The Dukes J.T. New West
‘’ I wish I could have held you when you left this world like I did then.’’ These heart-rending words from Steve Earle on the closing track of his latest album recall the day, thirty-nine years ago, when his son entered the world.
Released on January 4th - which would have been Justin Townes Earle’s thirty ninth birthday - J.T. is a tribute to Steve Earle’s son, who left this world in August of last year. The proceeds from the album will be donated to a trust set up for Justin’s three-year-old daughter, Etta St. James Earle.
Steve Earle has survived difficult times himself, recovering from drug and alcohol addictions, to forge out a hugely successful career. J.T. is his twentieth studio recording and features ten of Justin’s songs and fittingly ends with his father’s touching finale Last Words. The tracks are selected from seven of JT’s nine albums, the omissions, unsurprisingly, being SINGLE MOTHERS and ABSENT FATHERS.
The album was produced by Ray Kennedy and Earle was joined in the studio by his stellar backing band The Dukes. Chris Masterson (guitar and keyboards), Eleanor Whitmore (fiddle, mandolin, piano), Ricky Ray Jackson (pedal steel), Jeff Hill (bass, cello) and Brad Pemberton (drums, percussion) create the musical chemistry to support Earle’s emotionally delivered vocals.
Earle senior is no stranger to tribute albums, having honoured both Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark in the past. Given the tragic circumstances of his son’s passing, this must have been a harrowing project to undertake. The song selections and treatment of them are a fitting memoir to an artist of extreme talent, who possessed the skills to effortlessly shift between country, folk, blues and rock.
The album’s opener I Don’t Care gets a bluegrass make over as does the poignant suicide song Harlem River Blues. The confessional title track from J.T. 's most recent album The Saint Of Lost Causes is a striking inclusion with Earle’s vocal near breaking point. Equally touching is Turn Out My Lights, one of four songs selected from J.T.’s 2008 album THE GOOD LIFE.
The autopsy into J. T’s death reported an overdose of fentanyl laced cocaine, which implies that his death was caused by the contaminated cocaine he procured, rather than by an intentional overdose. In a less cruel and empathetic world this collection of songs should be packaged as a ‘Best of Justin Earle’ album and he would continue to record and perform. Tragically that is not the case and Justin Townes Earle leaves behind a catalogue of nine fine albums that stand shoulder to shoulder with those of his father.
This album is the senior Earle’s bravest effort to date, as he explains on the liner notes. “For better or worse, right or wrong, I loved Justin Townes Earle more than anything else on this earth. It was the only way I knew to say goodbye.’’
Review by Declan Culliton
Maria Shiel Fire In The Sea! KYO
Galway songwriter and artist Maria Shiel has released her debut full length album, following a musical career that spans over two decades. FIRE IN THE SEA is released on KYO Records, which she founded in 2011 by way of promoting international musical collaborations. Shiel was a founding member of the band Guava and also recorded electronic music under the byname MS44. Her musical Curriculum Vitae can boast appearances at both CBGB’s in New York and The Bluebird Café in Nashville.
You get the impression that FIRE IN THE SEA is a body of work that Shiel was destined to create. It’s a towering blend of Celtic and American folk/country music, which finds her commentating on American cultures and geography from her home in the West of Ireland. Together with the quality and fluency of the tracks on the album, the artwork and imagery on the packaging are charming. The design, paintings and graphics were all carried out by Shiel during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The album opens and closes with the sounds of the sea and fire and sandwiched in between are eleven tracks that explore the country, traditional and folk music of both Ireland and America. Calling Me Back, with Steve Wickham on fiddle, is no nonsense toe tapping country. Gairm Na Gaoithe (Call Of The Wind) and Nahosdzaan (Song Of The Earth) explore native traditional overtones from bygone times in both countries. Ebb And The Wave and Call Home offer free and easy melodic styles and echoes of Mary Chapin Carpenter surface on Broken Road.
Given the talented music community in Ireland there is, surprisingly, a noticeable lack of music that slots comfortably into the Americana genre. FIRE IN THE SEA most certainly fits that bill. The vocals and musicianship perfectly convey the sentiments and messages in each song, in what appears to have been a labour of love for Shiel. Well worth your investigation.
Review by Declan Culliton