Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno Self Titled Free Dirt
Though barely out of college, both Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno have spent much of their lives accompanying their respective musician parents to old time festivals in the US, which lead to their becoming accomplished veterans of many jam sessions, honing their craft on guitar (Leva) and fiddle, guitar & banjo (Calcagno). Both have been members of old time band, The Onlies, Leva has released an acclaimed solo album and this self titled album is their second as a couple.
This collection of eleven original songs (one from RC, five from VL and five co-written by the duo) is a truly timeless record of mellow ‘old time meets classic country’ gems.
The choice of producer, Joel Savoy, a member of the Savoy cajun musical dynasty from Louisiana, was inspired. Resisting the urge to play on the album himself (unusual for a producer!), Savoy gathered a band of stellar players to realise the gentle vibe that insinuates itself from the start. Opening song, Will You, introduces us to Leva’s sweet vocal (reminiscent of Laura Cantrell) and to her maturity as a songwriter. It’s a song that tells of a lover who is wracked with the guilt of having an illicit affair but who wants to put it behind her. Many of the songs here - Leaving On Our Minds, On The Line, Biding All My Time, Love And Chains- are inspired by the pain of geographical separation, written while the pair were at college in different parts of the country. Chris Stafford (Feufollet) on pedal steel plays exquisitely throughout, with just the right amount of sensitivity for the delicate subject matter. Indeed the same can be said of the other supporting players - Trey Boudreaux (bass), Matty Meyer (drums) and Sam Fribush (piano). Their Louisiana influence ensures that the songs make you want to get up and dance a two step (everyone in Louisiana dances!). Calcagno only sings lead on one number, Love And Chains, and elsewhere his harmony vocals are perfectly pitched. His one song contribution, On Account Of You, could pass for an old time standard and is the most uptempo song on this laidback collection. Recommended.
Review by Eilís Boland
Len Seligman Our Turn Now Self Release
This Florida-based singer-songwriter releases his third album, following on from his 2011 debut, Head Over Heels. His gentle vocal delivery and folky sound includes a great sense of melody and the song arrangements are very welcoming, with a focus on themes such as peace and justice, compassion and gratitude together with dealing with loss. Community and open communication are big messages here and songs like Here For You and Love Is the Answer are typical of his expansive, open message of living in the now and grasping the moment, to let love in.
Seligman began his music career in folk and rock groups around New England in the 1970s, before pursuing a career as a computer researcher. He subsequently returned to life as a full-time musician and 2017 album, Shine Your Light, brought him back to the attention of the music media.
The title track, Our Turn Now, is a tribute to civil rights icon John Lewis, while You Are Home is a look at the history of racism and the attitudes of those who did not want immigrants settling in America. It is a call for inclusiveness. The blues shuffle of Negativity Bias Blues is a light bit of fun and both Precious One and Tonight the Subject Is Love are tributes to the enduring power of love. True, Helpful and Kind details a code for life and suggests that ‘Karma is a rubber band.’ Another song, I Say Yes, is about being open to the magic that surrounds us.
This new album features eleven songs, including a cover of the traditional, This Little Light, and there is a co-write with singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel on True, Helpful and Kind. Another co-write is with his brother, Jon, who contributes drums and percussion throughout. That song, On the Caravan, the final track on the album, is an instrumental that shows off the superb technical ability of both brothers, with a cool Arabian vibe, Jon on compelling percussive rhythm and Len’s superb guitar playing.
Guest musicians include JP Coley, Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines, Tom Kimmel, JD Martin, Jan Garrett, John Lee Sanders, and brother, Jon Seligman. The world right now can do with unbridled hope, even if it sticks in the throat of the more cynical among us. This album is full of sunshine and positivity and highlights a focus for spiritual awareness. Life is not a problem to be solved, rather a gift to be enjoyed.
Review by Paul McGee
Steve Yanek Across the Landscape Primitive
This is a most impressive debut release from an artist who has been associated with the music industry over many years. Having initially moved to Los Angeles as a young musician, his dreams of a recording contract suffered at the hands of corporate takeovers and Yanek decided to relocate back to Pennsylvania and start a small independent record label, while also becoming active in artist management.
Knowing the machine and all the pitfalls, plus suffering those early bad breaks, gave Yanek the perfect platform to run his career along personal preferences and to exert greater control over the outcomes. Yanek continued to write songs and after working in other industries, he has now come full circle, with the added maturity of all those years clearly evident in this album. The eleven tracks run over fifty minutes and I did not feel bored at any point during the experience. Plenty of hard work has gone into crafting these tracks and the ensemble playing is of the highest order.
Yanek plays both acoustic and electric guitar, piano and keyboards, as well as singing all lead vocals. He is joined by Jeff Pevar, who co-produced and also played bass, drums, mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars. They are joined on various tracks by the late T. Lavitz (piano, B3 organ), Joe Greico (keyboards), Dave Livolsi and Bob Welsh (bass), Rod Morgenstein and Tom Kristech (drums) and Leah Kunkel, Stuart Getz and Larry Kennedy (vocals). A fine band of musicians and the song arrangements are laced with a great dynamic throughout. The guitar playing is terrific with lots of great riffs, tight runs and inventive solos that are just so enjoyable.
Quarter Moon has a nice blues feel and a very addictive laid-back jazz groove to it; a feeling of late- night liaisons and giving in to sweet temptation. Other songs, such as, I Could Drown, Right In Front Of You and All I Ever Wanted are very melodic and with great rhythm in the arrangements. There is a rock sound to Dance With You which lifts the tempo but the overriding sound is one of gentle arrangements, with sweet melodies and some fine band interplay, especially on the deeply cool groove of Got To Hear You Say.
No One Said and I Could Drown, deal with the rocky territory of relationship challenges between a couple, whereas Barely Holding On is a love triangle and three-way dilemma where pain is the only winner. It’s a beautifully restrained melody with some subtle keyboard playing and nice backing vocals.
Roll Out Of Here has the writer running for another reality and wanting to escape social inequity and the insular greed of those in power who refuse to oversee change. Desperate times indeed. Final track, Safe Harbours, sums up all the uncertainty and fragility in seeking relationships that work, with the lines; ‘We long for safe harbours, As we stare down the hands of fate, At times we push onward, At times we hesitate.’
All songs are written by Yanek, apart from one co-write with Pevar. If taking a break in order to come back stronger makes for a more rounded musician, then Yanek is proof positive that the wait has been well worth the time.
Review by Paul McGee
Liam Moore Visions Of A Perfect Life Self Release
Despite a very questionable cover, which does nothing to entice the listener, this is music of a quietly contemplative nature. A media search instructs that it be filed under Alternative Folk, a strange choice, given that his musical palette is usually writing classical music for choirs and chamber ensembles.
It’s a very interesting album, with the ten songs playing out over thirty-four minutes and leaving a sense of wanting to hear the arrangements just one more time. They do burrow into the consciousness, with string instruments, brass and horns, lap steel and synth, banjo and mandolin, all anchored by double bass and drums, vying for position across the listening experience. There is a lightness to the arrangements, like on Horseshoe, where the strummed acoustic guitar and gentle keyboard melody is balanced by subtle lap steel.
Finis has a nice, soothing sound that has flute, cello and clarinet playing in tandem with acoustic guitar and creating a flowing sense of calm. Lift is trumpet, saxophone and trombone in unison while Moore sings of taking to the skies in flight. There is a pastoral air to the melody, whereas the more acoustic arrangement on Cottonwood, with guitar and lap steel, is a gentle reflection on time apart from the one you love. The Slouch is a look at posture from the perspective of an imposter that craves attention, ‘I lost my ambition, but found my resolve.’
Imbalances has some creative drum parts by Todd Olson and inventive guitar from Dexter Wolfe, who also recorded and mixed the album. Apologia, with violin, viola and soothing cello, is a look back on a relationship that never worked, and Early To Bed, Early To Rise, is a gentle lilt on banjo and mandolin that looks at bare cupboards and pantries while seeking domestic bliss with someone who can fill the empty spaces. Final song, Grow Up (You Don’t Have To), sums up the feeling that life is there to be experienced as we all, individually, see fit. Moore leads from the front and plays acoustic, electric and bass guitar, plus sings in an easy, warm tone. An album that is quietly addictive and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Review by Paul McGee
Tawny Ellis Love Life Music Building
This album slipped through the net towards the end of last year, as the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic continued and we all wrestled with delayed and lost mail, among many other challenges. The first thing that strikes me is the poor choice of album cover, which does nothing to promote the excellent content. However, while playing these ten songs, the highlight is the superb production, with Jesse Siebenberg credited on the sleeve notes as having arranged/mixed/produced eight of the tracks, in addition to contributing on various instruments, including lap steel, pedal steel, acoustic and electric guitar, drums, keyboards, synthesisers and background vocals.
There are three recording credits for Ted Russell Kamp, who also contributes bass and guitar on four tracks. In addition, Ellis is joined by her life-and-writing partner, multi-instrumentalist Gio Loria, who plays bass/guitar on five tracks, with production credits for one song. A number of other musicians play on specific tracks, with Quinn and Jamie Douglass (drums), Scarlet Rivera (violin), Kailin Wolfberg (violin, vocals) taking turns to add their talents to the arrangements.
Ellis lives in Los Angeles and has been steadily releasing music since her full debut in 2006. Her sound has been variously described as Rock, Pop, Country and singer-songwriter. So much for trying to box talent into a specific genre. To my ears, Ellis displays great skill and talent in crafting these songs and her sense of melody is very strong. As an experienced musician, she contributes on guitars, omnichord, percussion, lap steel and lead vocals. Her vocal tone is clear and warm, with a subtle power and control that impresses throughout.
The songs are quite engaging, with I Believe, a support for someone who doubts whether they have what it takes to succeed, while the title track speaks to never giving up and chasing after that silver lining. Pretend Love is a look at second chances and the risks in trying to start over, the pedal steel echoing a sense of desire and hope. No More has some superb lap steel playing from both Ellis and Siebenberg, together with a resolve to move away from a toxic relationship.
Story-song, Deep End Of Love, examines another cheating relationship and the price paid for exposing feelings and letting down the walls. Separately, Spark Of Love, deals with the fading inevitably of physical beauty and the internal scars that remain. All the nuance in the vocal delivery of Ellis is evident in this fine song.
There is a cover of the Steely Dan song, Dirty Work, which dates back to 1972, plus a dramatic arrangement on Powers That Be, a passionate look at abusive power, heightened by the excellent Scarlet Rivera on violin. Daddy is a heartfelt song about her Father, who took his own life, looking for forgiveness and understanding, trying to move on with life. Another fine vocal performance.
In addition to being an accomplished musician, Ellis is also a sculptor and actress. Her talents are very evident on this album of impressive songs, complimented by excellent players and delivering a most enjoyable listening experience.
Review by Paul McGee
The Pink Stones Introducing ….. The Pink Stones Normaltown
Coming from a music obsessed family in Albany, Georgia, with an out and out rocker for a father and a mother whose music of choice was country, Hunter Pinkston’s childhood was surrounded by those clashing musical genres. His father also played drums with local bands in South Georgia and as a teenager Pinkston was drawn towards rock music, discarding country music as being seriously unhip. He formed his own band in high school, gravitating towards hardcore rock and punk.
His awakening to country music came about accidentally. He picked up a copy of The Lemonheads’ single Brass Buttons which featured the original version by Gram Parsons on the B-side. Instantly absorbed by Parsons’ interpretation, he began revisiting the country music dismissed by him years earlier. His interest in country and country rock accelerated when he moved to Athens and attended the University of Georgia Music Business programme. Befriending other young enthusiastic musicians from the local music scene, Will Anderson, Logan Brammer, Adam Wayton, and Jack Colclough, they collectively became The Pink Stones. The final addition to the band was a big hitter in the Athens’ music scene and former Drive By Truckers’ pedal steel player, John Neff. Alongside Neff’s technical expertise on guitar and pedal steel, he also brought nearly two decades of industry experience to the party.
Their debut album was recorded at Chase Park Transduction Studios in Athens, where hundreds of artists and bands such as REM, Drive By Truckers, Bright Eyes and Amy Ray have recorded. At the controls was Henry Barbe (Drive By Truckers, Deerhunter, Jerry Joseph, Lee Bains III). With all the right boxes ticked, would the album come up trumps? The answer is a resounding yes! It revisits Cosmic American Music with new eyes and ears, often sounding like a modern day version of The Flying Burrito Brothers.
A sleepy late 1960’s laid-back stoned sound runs through both Put Me On and Shiny Bone, the latter written following a storm that flooded Pinkston’s apartment. Let’s Sit Down tips its hat in the direction of Neil Young, to the extent that with a more downbeat delivery it would fit snugly on side two of TONIGHTS THE NIGHT. The Gram influence both musically and lyrically comes alive on the raunchy Barroom Blues, it’s not difficult to imagine Emmylou moving to the mic for harmonies on the chorus. Love Me Hardly comes across as a countrified Velvet Underground track, drawled lyrics, thumping bass lines with a side plate of twang.
It remains to be seen if INTRODUCING…THE PINK STONES is a one-off venture, reflecting a moment in time and a pointer towards where Pinkston was, lyrically and musically, when constructing these songs. Either way the album presents bulletproof songs, aching vocals, a crew of like-minded musicians with splashes of piano and large doses of killer pedal steel all in the right places. It’s a seriously strong album and possibly a reflection of the musical direction Gram Parsons would have headed in, if he had lived longer. Without doubt, one of the best albums I’ve heard this year.
Review by Declan Culliton
Addison Johnson Dark Side Of The Mountain Self Release
With the country music charts loaded with lightweight formulaic songs delivered in the main by pop/country crossover artists, it’s a welcomed breath of fresh air that a number of artists continue to write and record vital country songs.
The Greensboro, North Carolina native, now resident in Nashville, Addison Johnson is one such artist and turned quite a few heads with his debut album I’M JUST A SONG five years ago. If that was a taster of his potential as a writer and singer of traditional country, he has raised the bar by quite a few notches with his latest recording DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN. Without the support of a major label, the album landed at No.3 in the iTunes country chart on the day of its release, placing him in the company of legendary artists Loretta Lynn and Willie Nelson. Quite an achievement for an independent artist but perfectly understandable after a few spins of the album.
Johnson comes from the ‘been there, done that’ school of hard knocks and much of his writing reflects on bad life choices and bad company, some fictional but mostly lived. His sound incorporates classic country with bluegrass influences and his vocal has an authentic twang to it. In the tradition of many classic albums of yesteryear, the title track is the album’s opener. With its bluegrass edge and tale of moonshining, pills, murder and outlaws, it’s the perfect introduction to where Johnson’s musical sentiments lie.
Sober for over two years, Johnson confronts his own demons on Black Leather Red Letters. It’s a touching gospel song, referencing the Bible in its title and inspired by stories told to him by older folks that also conquered their demons. Similarly personal is the gentle ballad Blues Eyes Red, which reflects on wasteful drinking days and the ensuing relationship carnage that followed. Equally standout are the two singles that preceded the album, the honky tonking Rollin’ Stolen’ and the mid-tempo Cumberland River ’58. The semi spoken, tongue in cheek You’ll Do Just Fine takes a pop at the music industry in Music City. It’s also as catchy as hell with some aching pedal steel and slick guitar breaks.
Gifted with the ability to write lyrics that fit the songs like hand in glove and with a style that circles back to a country sound more celebrated in the early 1990’s, DARK SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN is likely to considerably raise the profile of an extremely talented artist.
Review by Declan Culliton
Charley Crockett 10 For Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers
Honouring a commitment by Crockett to his friend and sometime mentor James Hand to record an album of the Texan’s songs, this eleven-track album plays as a compilation of some of Hand’s best work. It’s actually a ten-track recording of his songs, as the opening track is an intro by Crockett. It had been his intention to release the album prior to Hand’s death but regrettably that was not the case, as Hand passed away in June 2020 from heart failure. Hand failed to achieve a similar level of commercial success as many of his peers, hardly surprising given that he only released his first album at the age of forty-seven after decades playing in honky tonks, mainly in his home state of Texas. Nevertheless, he earned a reputation among the music community as one of the most lauded country singer songwriters, with Willie Nelson famously describing him as ‘the real deal’.
Crockett does not attempt to recreate Hand’s unique vocal styling on the selected songs, instead he sings the tunes in his own characteristic cracked drawl. Crockett survived a turbulent childhood and an early musical career that included busking in New Orleans and New York. What followed was a year spent in Europe, and on his return to the U.S., being placed on probation for possession of cannabis. Having lived through trying times, Crockett has blossomed in recent years as a recording artist and student of 60’s gothic country and western music. He recorded his debut album A STOLEN JEWEL in 2015 and his output has been prolific since then, releasing a further seven albums, including this one. Those albums featured both original recordings and cover versions of classic country songs from the work of Ernest Tubb, George Jones and T-Bone Walker, to name but a few.
The previously referred to intro track on this album finds Crockett recollecting his first encounter with Hand at The Allgood Café in Dallas. What follows is a compilation of Hand’s finest work with particular concentration on the more melancholic material in his back catalogue. Titles such as Mighty Lonesome Man, Lesson In Depression and Slim’s Lament leave little to the imagination and if the vocal deliveries are somewhat more forced that the casual loose style on the masters, the accompanying playing often outshines the originals. Equally affecting are the classic Midnight Run, the up-tempo rockabilly Don’t Tell Me That and the broody Floor To Crawl.
With a recording career that spanned from 1997 to 2014, James Hand released seven albums packed with classic country songs. Had these albums surfaced thirty or forty years earlier, his name would have been cast in stone as a country legend. Unfortunately, commercial success evaded him, but hopefully this superb collection of his work, tastefully recreated by Crockett, will bring the music of James Hand to a new audience as well as serving as a reminder of his creative writing to his long-term fans.
Review by Declan Culliton
Sarah King The Hour Self Release
Described by Sarah King as ‘a collection of songs influenced by bourbon and bad decisions’, THE HOUR is her debut EP. It’s a five-song suite of hard-hitting soul drenched Americana, with no holds barred lyrics that contain anger, pain and confusion in equal measures.
Four of the songs are self-penned, the fifth being a surprisingly potent and skeletal live cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, featuring King’s bluesy vocals and lightly strummed acoustic guitar. Elsewhere her self-written songs are every bit as powerful and in your face as the vocals that transport them. She’s not holding back on the soulful Not Worth The Whisky, where the offending party featured in the song is well advised to keep his distance. ‘What do you say to a man who won’t listen, I don’t want to waste my breath’ she utters on the equally forceful Poison. The liberty and freedom from pain and hardship, found only in death for some, is the theme of the sombre Cold Hard Ground.
King has survived and overcome multiple hurdles in recent years including the loss of her mother and the death by suicide of her estranged husband, who was a soldier that struggled with PTSD. Given the backdrop it is not difficult to get the impression of an artist singing deeply from the heart rather than from a script. The aforementioned anti-war song War Pigs came to mind in the aftermath of her husband’s death. Though apart, they remained on good terms and the song was chosen by way of dealing with the anguish of losing him.
The album came about after King sent a speculative email to Simone Felice containing a video of her song The Nightstand. Felice was suitably impressed by the hard-hitting lyrics and its bluesy stomp and invited King to record the EP at Sun Mountain Studio in New York with David Barton (The Lumineers) co-producing.
With lyrics that sound like they emerged from a session on a therapist’s couch and a striking voice, THE HOUR is hopefully a taster of what we can expect from Sarah King going forward.
Review by Declan Culliton