Mike Barnett +1 Compass
Better known as a fiddle prodigy who has played as a sideman with a diverse range of top bluegrass artists, here Mike Barnett gets to indulge himself with his own compositions and musical interests beyond pure bluegrass. On record as saying that he enjoys the freedom that the duet configuration affords him - although it is very demanding musically - here on this second solo record he gets to revel in that freedom along with a bunch of other prodigies who have become his friends over the years. The result is an impressive collection of mostly self-penned songs and instrumentals that range across the gamut of newgrass, jazz, traditional Irish and traditional American genres. Challenging at times for fans of straightforward traditional bluegrass, those with an open mind (musically speaking) are sure to enjoy at least some, if not all, of this heady mix.
Opening with the barnstormer tune Fire In The Hole with avant-garde bluegrass/old-time guitarist Stash Wyslouch, and closing with another high speed tour de force with fellow fiddler Alex Hargreaves, in between are twelve more delights to explore. Fellow Berklee College alumnus (and now Grammy awarded!) Sarah Jarosz features on two songs, one of which Hollow City is a beautifully haunting song about the lingering sadness at Mike’s relationship with his former home of NYC.
Mike achieves what very few non-native Irish composers rarely do by writing a new ‘traditional Irish’ tune, The Breath and the Bow, on which he is accompanied by top saxophonist Eddie Barbash (Jon Baptiste, Vulfpeck). Elsewhere he is joined by other Berklee alumni (harpist Maeve McGuckian, guitarist/vocalist Molly Tuttle, mandolinist Sierra Hull) and fellow former Deadly Gentleman mandolinist Dominick Leslie for more new tunes.
His most recent boss, Ricky Skaggs joins him on fret less banjo and vocals for an old time medley of traditional tunes.
Tragically, Mike suffered a brain haemorrhage last summer after this album was in the can. He’s making progress with intensive therapy and we wish him well. (There’s a Go Fund Me - Mike Barnett Fund set up if you can help https://gofund.me/515e408d ).
Review by Eilís Boland
Steve Almaas Everywhere You’ve Been Lonesome Whirlpool
The founder of Minneapolis first punk band the Suicide Commandos obviously learnt how to keep things concise and energetic.That musical experience has meant a sharpness to the writing here that sees all the songs on his new album delivered under the 4-minute mark (There is also a hidden track (perhaps titled Sarah Lou?) after the twelfth song The One Thing That I Cannot Do). Almaas formed that band in 1996 and has since honed a sound that is part rockabilly, roots rock and country, all imbued with a pop and melodic sensibility that makes it an enjoyable and uplifting listen. No doubt due to lessons learned with later bands such as Crackers and Beat Rodeo and the many bands he encountered and shared stages with in New York. Those bands were as much inspired by the 60’s British Invasion and Bakersfield, as well as later stalwarts such as Nick Lowe and Rockpile and numerous acts who used close harmony as an essential asset. Alongside the then current New Wave adaption of punk hard edge into something more mainstream.
In the light of all that, this album covers many tempos, moods and eras. All topped by Almaas’ variable vocal and deft songwriting talent. Humour also plays its part as evidenced by the very 50’s swing assisted associations of Cigarettes, Coffee And You, wherein our narrator considers the dilemma of having to give up one of these, while the angel at his shoulder questions his choices. Almass adopts a gruffer vocal for the chorus to the otherwise harmony laden but powerful beat of 1955. This upbeat feel is also present in Someway, Somehow, Somewhere. Bred To The Bone has a touch of early Attractions as well as the attractions of the influential Nuggets compilation. The title tracks starts off acappella before the band joins in led by Jon Graboff’s emotive pedal steel guitar and is followed by an effective guitar solo, an interplay that occurs throughout the album (Graboff also played nylon string and electric guitars). The equally effective and largely understated Down By The Lake is a combination of two voices and strummed ukulele. Three Woman is a soothing admonishment of the fact that love may not be coming the way of the songs ever hopeful protagonist.
The harmony vocals are also a big part of the sound and in Goodbye Nicolina they underline the songs tenderness. He is joined here by Gary Louris. Elsewhere the harmonies were provided by Daria Grace and Vibeke Saugestad. Almass was joined by an important array of players that assembled around the core of Mark Sidqwick on bass and TJ Maiani of drums. Tony Garner adds upright bass on occasion while Almass himself contributes guitar, baritone guitar, bass and ukulele. Graboff, a long-time contributor and friend, added his tracks from his Santa Fe studio. Another notable contribution on two tracks was the innate playing from Kenny Vaughan who added his part when visiting from nearby to play a gig. Sax and keyboards also make an appearance.
The album was produced by Almaas and mixed by another old friend, Mitch Easter. It was largely recorded in and around his New York base and is an album full of special musical pleasure spots that make it an album that will most likely not garner wide ranging attention, other than critically, yet it shows that Almaas’ career to date has resulted in this accomplished sixth solo album. It’s one worthy of attention from fans of any of the aforementioned influences, as well as those who have encountered his crafted-songwriting and performances in the past. Something that has been informed, doubtless, from everywhere he has been - musically and geographically.
Review by Stephen Rapid.
Lael Neale Acquainted With Night Sub Pop
The feeling of old roads taken, echoes of lost days, ghosts in the attic and long evenings spent in quiet thought are all wrapped up in the music that Lael Neale delivers on this, her second album. She has searched for a stripped down, spare and delicate sound in these ten songs and in their construct. With a vocal that is both innocent and intimate in delivery, Neale seems to be on the verge of almost breaking, her delivery suggesting a fragile state of being.
She has chosen an Omnichord as her medium of delivery and the sound is very akin to that of the Autoharp and indeed, the simple Dulcimer. Maybelle Carter was considered to be the queen of the Autoharp, an instrument much loved over the generations that followed and taken up by legends such as Joan Baez and Dolly Parton. Joni Mitchell played the Dulcimer on her legendary Blue recording and endeared herself to the multitudes.
What separates out this electronic musical instrument is the ability to incorporate pre-set rhythms and percussion sounds. It first appeared in the 1980’s and together with a simple tape recorder, Neale has produced a work of some resonance and one that stays with the listener long after the forty minutes has wound its way into your memory cells.
The sparce accompaniment from Guy Blakeslee, who plays piano on Every Star Shivers In the Dark and guitar on three other tracks, is accompanied by Joce Soubiran, who adds flute on two tracks. Apart from this, Neale plays guitar on one song and Omnichord on everything else, plus delivers her haunted, and haunting, vocal that creates an atmosphere like that in an old Church, where the silence has an eerie presence. There is background hiss to be heard on parts of the recording and this resembles the old days of tape recordings, no doubt deliberate, in order to capture the sense of finding something old that had been discarded, but which delivers quietly, once the dust has been blow off it.
So, welcome to the ‘otherness’ of Lael Neale and her songs of quiet observation, perspective and reflection. Opener, Blue Vein, touches on images of leaving home, growing up, seeking your place in the world, before Every Star Shivers In the Dark is delivered with a sense of isolation, self-doubt, trying for connection, in the arrangement. The title track involves the pain of losing a lover, seeking light in the dark , learning from relationship woes; while White Wings finds itself looking for a happy place, longing for change, almost a note to self.
Measure, attitude, embracing the time given and not chasing false dreams are bound up in How Far Is It To the Grave and the simple observation of daily tasks, household routine, driving for the sake of the journey experienced, are all part of For No One For Now. On Sliding Doors and Warm Summer Roses, there is a warm glow, a smile when thinking of a relationship, with airy flute sounds, like a flitting bird, recalling summer days and happy feelings.
Third Floor Window, hints at a difficult communication issue, staying in the moment, maintaining self-worth and accepting the topsy-turvy nature of changing emotions. Let me Live By the Side Of the Road, has dual tracking on the vocal, and speaks of desire, of seeking experience and excitement in the present moment. Some Sunny Day, says to stop over-thinking it all, time is the teacher, just relax. A positive message to end this journey on. Neale is indeed a seeker and a dweller on the threshold. Her singular vision has produced a work of great resonance and sensitivity.
Review by Paul McGee
deFrance Second Wind Self Release
Taken from the surname of leader-in-chief, deFrance is a band are from Arkansas, USA who formed back in 2015. With this second album, released in 2019, the band is getting a media push into Europe right now. Call it a Pandemic knee-jerk delay or a phased campaign to spread the good word into different territories; either way, this music arrives at a time when we could do with more feel-good music to experience. The nine tracks featured are certainly that, with a mixture of different influences, and good times guaranteed for all.
Keep the Night On It comes out of the traps with a big rock sound and driving guitars. Runaway Heart wears a Tom Petty badge on its lapel and is a very strong track, while the commercial radio sound of Midnight Lover is reminiscent of a Cars song. There are horn section sounds, provided by Joseph Fuller, adding plenty of colour to the sound of Angel, a track with a strong Stones groove. Fuller contributes a similar dynamic on songs, Forever Girl and Fireball, to great effect.
Stir Crazy could have been written for these times, with quarantine and self isolating such a part of our days. The band veer towards a more radio Pop sound on Chain, and I‘m Blue (not because of you) closes out the album with pedal steel, strings, horns and acoustic guitar all clicking together for a relaxed ballad.
Drew deFrance handles guitar/vocal duties, with Andrew Poe (guitar), Connor Roach (bass/vocals) and Daniel Stratton Curry (drums), completing the line-up. Production details are not on the sleeve, but there are credits for additional studio guests Neil Jones (pedal steel), Logan J Kennedy (drums), Elliott Griffin (sax), Elliott S Cotton (guitar, vocals), Mary Osteen and Shanna Allen (vocals), all adding their talents. I believe that another album has been recorded for future release, but for now this taste of things to come will bring new admirers who enjoy an up-tempo sound complete with some virtuoso playing.
Review by Paul McGee
Rev. Sam and the Outcasts Self-Titled Self Release
Sammy Horner is the creative source behind this album and he has been making consistently excellent music since his involvement with Scottish band, The Electrics, dating back to the 1980’s. Their Celtic Rock sound owed as much to the influence of Horslips, as it did to the Pogues and the band continues to play occasionally, dipping into an impressive back catalogue of releases. Sammy also has created quite a number of independent projects over the years, together with his ongoing activities in youth and Christian work. He has produced children’s albums and books, promoted music as integral to Celtic spirituality and involved himself in community-based congregation. Something of a renaissance man, he can look at a career that has spawned forty-plus releases to date and there are no signs of slowing down for this human dynamo.
This particular album has a gospel rock focus, under the alter ego of Reverend Sam. Horner is an ordained minister in real life so it’s a tongue-in-cheek approach and something of a parody. That’s not to diminish the music in any way however, it’s a rollercoaster ride of hard rock, some soulful blues and passionate performance. There are also two bonus tracks that are funky workouts of main tracks, In the Name Of the Father and Higher. The rocking groove of Blind Leading the Blind is a great example of the exciting arrangements here, with some superb guitar breaks and the swinging, You Are Loved You Are Accepted, grooves along with sweet harmonies and dusky vocal delivery from the Reverend.
Other tracks like There Endeth the Lesson and God Loves You Son are great examples of the tight ensemble playing, the latter including a female harmony that borrows from Sympathy For the Devil. Little Billy Got the Fever is a bluesy swamp-romp while Higher looks to hope of rising above the pressures of sin. Scars has the heavy presence of backwoods brethren and a life of struggle under the hands of cruel masters. It’s Friday Now But Sunday’s Comin’ is both vibrant and laced with a great groove, dynamic guitar, soulful background vocals, handclaps and sassy attitude.
It’s difficult to know exactly who plays on the tracks as the credits are given to – Rev. Sam (vocals), Brother James (guitars, bass and backing vocals), Brother David (organ) and Saint Boolean (drums). Superbly atmospheric backing vocals are supplied by the Bad Habits, and they are Sister Joy, Sister Rebecca, Brother Graham and Saint Nick!
No doubt, they al hide in plain sight … All songs were written by Rev. Sam and the album was recorded at Big Feet Studio in Wexford and the Monsterpop Music Factory in Glasgow. Thrilling stuff and played with both fervour and no hint of redemption in sight.
Review by Paul McGee
Sammy Horner Far Away Places Self Release
This album has been released at a time when doubt and uncertainty have gripped the World and the immediate future remains largely uncertain. Similar parallels exist to the days of the Irish Famine in the middle of the 19th Century when the potato crop failed, leading to mass starvation on a widespread scale. Ireland suffered greatly and the population reduced by two million over a period of ten years. Over a million died and a further million emigrated to other countries, many dying on their journeys, looking for better lives.
The songs featured here are linked to the stories of those times with the horror of leaving loved ones, sea crossings, famine and hunger, sickness and death, all woven into the tracks. Titles like Immigrant Eyes, These Days Will Pass, Linger Here Beside You and The Good Ship Kelly Jean tell their own stories but the hardship of the times is captured so well by the musicians and the performances of all involved.
Starting out with the voyage of faith aboard the Good Ship Kelly Jean, we are transported by Linger Here Beside You and a sentiment to hope, wrapped in the arms of a Mother’s love, as she tries to protect her children against the gathering storms.
N.I.N.A. is an abbreviation for ‘No Irish Need Apply’ and tells of the hardships faced by newly arrived immigrants in looking for meaningful work abroad. The permanence of sea voyages is summed up in The Children Of White Rock and the price paid in leaving loved ones behind. Annie Glover was an Irish immigrant who suffered execution in the Salem witch trials of the 17th Century, long before the Great Hunger had driven Irish folks across the sea to America. The song, California, looks at the numbers who claim Irish heritage and name checks many surnames in the process. Skibbereen is a lament to the great suffering of the rural population during the Great Hunger and the decimation of a proud Irish village. Hush is a beautiful atmospheric Irish air, with Kylie Horner on whistles, Sammy on guitars and vocals and Tony Silcock on drones. It’s a very affecting tune and stands at the centre of the album concept; dignity and forbearance in the face of the worst of tragedies, visited upon a people.
The Song Isn’t Singing is about the price paid by a people who found their joy of living and their collective spirit broken. Immigrant Eyes is a reality check on all that is lost in the leaving, the haunted memories of home. No Man Is An Island is a duet with Kylie and Sammy sending out a prayer for better times and a hope for community to see everyone through. Bodhran and tin whistle lifting the melody. Final song, These Days Will Pass is a rallying cry, stick together and hope springs eternal.
Recorded and produced by Sammy Horner in Bigfeet studio, Wexford, with great credit due to the ensemble of musicians who bring these songs to life. Rhys Duursma and David Holt (drums, percussion), Nick Stiverson (mandolin), Jim Devlin (guitar), David Lyon and Phil Madeira (accordion), Howard Rogers (whistles), Tony Silcock (drones), Tess Wiley, Maria Ford, Sharon Clancy, Rodney Cordner (vocals) are joined by additional gang vocals in a celebration of collaboration and a vision to acknowledge all who have passed before, paving the way for our lives of comfort and privilege. Of course, at the core of the project is multi-instrumentalist Sammy Horner and his talented wife and muse, Kylie. A work of great merit and a real testament to all involved.
Review by Paul McGee
Renée Reed Self-Titled Keeled Scales
In creating her own musical genre in what Renee Reed describes as ‘dream-fi folk from the Cajun Prairies’, the southwest Louisiana born artist is bringing to pass a third generation of musical and cultural continuity. Both music and its cultures surrounded her from childhood, her grandfather being an accomplished accordion player and her great uncle was the folklorist, school teacher and radio presenter Revon Reed. Live music was all around her while growing up, including the countless jam sessions at the Cajun shop owned by her parents. Following in the footsteps of her great uncle, she studied Traditional Music and French having enrolled in the University of Louisiana.
Her self-titled debut album acknowledges the music that defined her early years and the wider variety of folk related music which she subsequently explored. Those musical probings introduced her to the 60’s British folk scene and also to the French orchestral pop music of Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy from the same era.
The resulting album is an Aladdin’s cave of variants which finds Reed recalling her most personal inner thoughts, fears, childhood remembrances and dreams. ‘Look at me, look at me daydreaming’ she repeats on the opening song Out Loud and the eleven tracks that follow do feel like eavesdropping on the writer’s subconscious.
Particularly pleasing are the nightmarish Little Flower Dance and the furious Fast One, which recalls Nick Drake at his most morose. Ou es la fee (translated meaning Where Are The Fairies) is delivered in French, an acknowledgment of Reed’s fascination with French musical culture and language.
Recorded by her at home on a simple four track recorder and quite skeletal, the songs contain crystal clear and often layered vocals, accompanied by acoustic guitar, keys and often little more. The end product brings to mind early career Angel Olson and is an absorbing introduction to a most interesting artist.
Review by Declan Culliton
Zach Schmidt Raise a Banner Boss Dawg
Having Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit as your studio band is as good a place as any to start when recording your second album. Those four players, Jimbo Hart, Chad Gamble, Derry Deboria, and Sadler Vaden, joined Zach Schmidt at Nashville’s Creative Workshop to work on RAISE A BANNER. Their boss Isbell also clocked in on electric guitar on the bustling opening track Foregone Conclusion. Vaden was also at the controls, taking on the production duties on the ten tracks that dash between solid heartland rock, breezy Americana and smooth country nuggets.
The material pays homage to a number of classic American artists. That opening track may be a full-on toe tapping rocker, but Schmidt is equally at home doing quiet as he is doing loud. You’re Still On My Mind is as gentle as a summer breeze, the type of song that topped up Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb’s pension funds in the late 1960’s. Schmidt might have raided the George Jones songbook with the tearful jewel I Look Different In Your Eyes and Burn Out Easy is laid back in a cool J.J.Cale sort of way. Jangly guitars, layered vocals and a killer riff collide on the instantly catchy Go My Way.
RAISE A BANNER is also much more than an album of impressively sounding songs. Behind the stellar playing and gritty vocals are subtle messages and truly touching lyrics, no more so than on the album closer Back Around. It’s a slow burning song that suggests some fervid personal searching, while giving thought to the devastation of lost love and abandonment. The title track is equally expressive, questioning bigotry often camouflaged as religion, which brainwashes a congregation barely surviving economically. A most listenable and forthright album, well worth your investigation.
Review by Declan Culliton
Hope Dunbar Sweetheartland Self Release
Unlike many of her musical peers, Hope Dunbar does not reside in a bohemian suburb in a hip location such as East Nashville, Austin or New Orleans, feeding off the creativity of her neighbours. Quite the opposite in fact. Instead, she can be found in the plains of Nebraska, living a quite normal life in a serene location, alongside her husband, who pastors at a local church, and their teenage sons.
Her debut album THE BLACK CROWS, released in 2017, was conceived and written in that same rural environment and the positive reviews it earned brought Dunbar to the attention of a wide audience, resulting in numerous gigs and tours in support of the album. Glamorous as that prospect may seem, the experience for Dunbar was draining rather than stimulating, leaving her somewhat burned out and pining for the more settled lifestyle back home. Following some time spent reappraising her artistic itches, aided by support from family and friends, her creative appetite was rekindled. Rather than rely on any particular inspiration to write new material, she developed a weekly podcast series titled ‘Prompt Queens’, the motive being to write a song each week based on a particular prompt. The prompt might be a film, an individual or simply a specific word.
The project yielded the nine songs that make up SWEETHEARTLAND and if the material was initiated by simple prompts, the songwriting comes from the pen of a writer that gives the impression of having lived every line in each song. The overall sound is a cocktail of roots and country with splashes of blues.
She’s spitting fire on the gloriously hard hitting What Were You Thinking, which recalls early career Mary Chapin Carpenter at her feistiest. ‘No, a gift card to a gas station is not a valentine’s present’ she reminds her two-timing partner, while describing his latest fancy as ‘'She was a bottle blond in a mini skirt, she was mutton dressed as lamb in a One Direction tee-shirt'. More favoured times and domestic bliss are saluted in the love ballad and title track. It’s the opening track on the album and possibly a statement by the writer of contentment and thanksgiving for her present state of normality. She goes all funky and bluesy on the doleful Dogs Like You. The all too common struggles with dead-end jobs and marriages hanging by threads surface on Dust.
The album was recorded at Ten Four Recording Company in Nashville with the co-production carried out by multi-instrumentalists Jesse Thompson and Zack Smith, who, between them, contributed various guitars, banjo, percussion, lap steel, dobro and backing vocals.
‘John Prine, John Prine I wish your songs were mine, wish I could steal one of your lines and no one would know’, she confesses on the song John Prine. Tongue in cheek or self-deprecating as those lyrics may be, SWEETHEARTLAND is the work of a mature songwriter, more than capable of writing sober songs which sketch the everyday struggles and occasional triumphs of real people. The songs, vocals and playing are complimented by the insightful writing on a striking album that will appeal to lovers of the aforementioned Mary Chapin Carpenter and Gretchen Peters.
Review by Declan Culliton