Paul Handyside Loveless Town Self Release
This is the fourth solo album from an artist who describes his sound as Folk/Roots and has been refining his music since his debut release, back in 2007. An experienced musician since the heady pop days of the eighties, Handyside calls on his regular go-to musical buddies, both David Porthouse and Rob Tickell, ever-presents on all his solo albums to date. Indeed, it is Tickell who produces and engineers the entire project and brings to life these gentle songs that mainly focus on affairs of the heart, the need for love and the hopes of finding connection with others.
Title track, Loveless Town, has some atmospheric lap steel playing from Tickell that wraps around the expressive vocal delivery of Handyside and the standard is set regarding the rest of the album. ‘Love wears a hopeless crown and fits like it should, Wherever you come from you’re still going down, Looking for love in a loveless town.’ A fine example of the song writing craft on offer throughout.
Light Of My Life is a sensitive love song to a partner and a wish to be saved by the love of a good woman, superb guitar interplay and the message that ‘Give me one last roll of the dice, be the light of my life.’ Tracks such as Deepest Love and New Frontier are honest love songs and have a restrained delivery that highlights the mood and the sentiment.
Not in my Name, is a protest against the self-appointed business, political and religious bullies who try and dictate how our lives should unfold, ‘Whatever you’re playing, I’m not a part of your game.’ It’s a little bit Bluegrass and a little bit Folk, crossing hands across the ocean between UK and USA. Another song that hits hard is the salutary tale of Hartley Pit Catastrophe. A coal mining accident in Northumberland, England, in 1862, which resulted in the deaths of 204 men and children. Sung in his native Newcastle accent, it is a heartfelt Folk song, performed with passion and righteous frustration. The disaster resulted in a change in British law that required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape.
Only You is another love song but with a harder edge in the great guitar lines that enhance the message; one that could be aimed at a higher power, as much as a partner in life, ‘For this lost cause that St. Jude won’t avow, only you can save me now.’
Lord, Show Yourself, however, is an angry plea to display some sign that He actually exists and to intervene in the continuous failings of Man – the self-righteous hypocrites who dare to pretend they know better, ‘And to the preacher in his fervour who fuels the non-believer in us all.’
Other tracks, like Lonesome Touch and Don’t Let Your Heart Be A Hotel, are focused on the harder side of love, where parting leaves regrets into the future and where an open, gentle soul can be abused by uncaring lovers who are selfish and cold.
Final track, Someone Like You, sums up the abiding emotions and message on the album, with the lines, ‘When I don’t know who to turn to and all my trust is gone, You will give me hope to still believe and faith to carry on.’ It’s this abiding message of hope, in both a love that can endure and in community, that repeats; the belief that we can lift each other up, in finding purpose in it all.
Paul Handyside puts in a real stellar performance throughout, on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes, organ, harmonium, harmonica and percussion. His musical friends are equally as influential with Rob Tickell on dobro, lap steel, weissenborn, electric guitar, bass guitar, percussion, backing vocal, joined by David Porthouse on double bass, melodeon, banjo, percussion, backing vocal. A very impressive album, beautifully delivered and performed. One that wraps itself around the listener with sensitively played music of real quality.
Review by Paul McGee
The Imaginaries Self-Titled Self Release
The Gospel Blues of opener, Revival, has an attractive slide guitar sound running through the melody with organ swells adding to the dynamic. It’s a song about renewal and highlights the vocal prowess of Maggie McClure and Shane Henry. It’s a great opening sound but one that this duo doesn’t revisit on the remaining tracks that are included here.
This debut album was recorded at the legendary Muscle Sholes studio in Alabama and calls upon some heavyweight players in the form of Dave Hood, Kelvin Holly, Shona Tucker, Rob Humphreys and NC Thurman. Based in Oklahoma, this duo has had individual success prior to releasing these songs under the name of The Imaginaries. The couple have worked at building careers over many years and experienced success as live performers and in having song placements in various tv and film projects, in addition to advertising media.
Their leanings are towards the commercial side of the music business and are apparent with radio friendly songs like There Will Come A Day, with soaring chorus and Geronimo, with a big production sound and a message about holding your nerve when taking risks. This is balanced against the Folksier sounds on tracks like Thinking ‘Bout You and Trust Falling With You, a pair of back-to-back love songs that also talk of staying strong and the joy of jumping into a relationship. One Life is another song that looks at enduring companionship, with restrained playing supporting a nice melody on keys, piano and guitar. ‘You are not alone in all you’re going through’ and ‘Put yesterday behind us, tomorrow is up ahead’ give the sentiment involved on this gently delivered song. Blue Sky carries a similar message and returns to a more commercial song arrangement.
McClure plays keyboards, piano and sings in a sweetly toned voice, while Henty contributes on guitar and a vocal that dove tails superbly with McClure, his strong delivery laying the bedrock for McClure to harmonise around. Enough Of You has a more Rock oriented vibe with some fine guitar riffing and is a departure from the rest of the album’s direction, mostly aimed at the commercial market.
I note that these songs were further worked on by adding the keyboard skills of Chad Copelin and Dan Walker, back home in Oklahoma. The harmonies and sweet melodies are very appealing, but I just wonder if some of the sonics err on the side of being over-produced and too crisply clean?
Final track,You Remind Me, is a nice message of trust and acceptance in another; a gentle melody that glides along on some understated ensemble playing, in my view, the direction that best suits this duo in their next recording activities.
Review by Paul McGee
Folks Like Them Our Places Self Release
This is a father and son, Allen and Chris Kave, and the duo deliver a traditional Country sound that is very expressive and warmly engaging. Both been recording and performing music for many years now and have released a couple of prior EP’s before this full length, twelve song, debut. The music is well produced and arranged with Nashville music veterans Chip Hardy and Rod Lewis at The 515 Studio in Nashville. The songs cover the entire range of emotions from looking back at paths taken, youthful memories, mistakes made, love gained and lost, wisdom from those who have lived longer on the earth and who bring the gifts of perspective in their life lessons. The vocals are strong and sung with great personality, balanced perfectly by the variety of instruments in the mix, with piano, dobro, pedal steel, violin, mandolin, guitars, all adding great range and variation.
The twelve songs play out over forty-plus minutes and deal with the simple pleasure of conversation and a beer (Don’t Need A Thing), learning life lessons (When You’re Called), reflections on father/son relationships (I Needed That / Eight A.M. / Daddy’s Garden), death and what gets left behind (When I Pass / Empty Church) and standing on the shoulders of those who went before over the generations (Fog On the Mountain).
There is also a relationship song, Home Again, that mirrors a house renovation with a renewal of connection, ‘Please take the time to find what the years tried to hide, Look underneath there’s more to me than meets the eye.’ There is a song that deals with Alzheimer’s disease, Bits Of Time, and is a standout track with ‘I feel so alone when you can’t remember my name, And your thoughts skip like the dusty records we used to play,’ summing up the sentiment perfectly.
There is the story song, Motel Six, and a look at shady deals, money and guns, murder most foul. The River Still Flows is a simple song about time alone, fishing and some solitary peace. Rod Lewis on bass and Tim Grogan on drums is the rhythm section on all songs and compliment the talents of Allen and Chris Kave throughout. The other players on the album were not available at the time of review but they flavour the songs with additional touches and the whole project is a great success.
Review by Paul McGee
Red Idle Rejects Ink and Nicotine Oak Honest
This band are based in Cincinnati, Ohio and formed in 2014. A debut album, Where the Lonely Reside, arrived in 2015, announcing the band to the listening public and starting a run of two further albums, in 2018 (ROOM WITH A VIEW) and 2019 (GENUS AMERICANAS). Their Country/Folk sound is rooted in the music of deep traditions, but they also have the ability to rock out when the dynamic requires a change of mood and tempo.
Way Down Deep In the Jar is a good time opener with some great guitar driven rhythm and a song about having one too many when playing music but getting high on the feeling created. Blind Leading the Blind is another great workout, reminiscent of a countrified Cheap Trick arrangement, again with jangling guitars and a great rhythm section.
The album title and centrepiece, Ink and Nicotine, contains a three-track section, that runs over seventeen minutes and looks at the plight suffered by the miners of days gone by in Kentucky, where exploitation of the poorer classes and dangerous manual labour were the order of the day and abused. Jumping to modern times, when the mines eventually bowed to progress and closed, they were replaced by opioid addiction in the rural towns where the lack of jobs for the youth continues to leave deep scars and occupy the need for a healthier way to live. The songs featured are Tradition, The Moon Ain’t Right, Abraham and Love and Dust. The fiddle playing of Justin Bridges is prominent across this section of songs and gives a reflective feel to the tunes, aided by the arresting vocals of Grace Bowling.
Underground is a fine example of the band dynamic with some superb guitar riffing on a track that takes an angry look at the war between the sexes. More rock-based than any other track included here, it shows the versatility of the band. Shades Of Blue continues in a Country groove with a look at a stalling relationship that is stuck in gear. It’s a brightly arranged song and the following track, Our Courtyard Tiles, has the sound going in the direction of rockabilly with the words, ‘These tiles we tread hold love between the crevasses and cracks unseen.’ A message to enduring love, despite the ups and downs of any relationship, again driven by some great guitar melodies.
Final track, Carved In Stone, has a similar theme and looks at love over the generations with the commitment to stay the course and forever honour the old family traditions. This is a fine collection of songs, superbly performed and plenty to engage for everyone. The full band is made up of Jeff Boling (electric guitar), Grace Bowling (keyboards and vocals), Steve Bowling (acoustic guitar and vocals), Daniel Parker Ferguson (bass guitar), Derek Johnson (drums) and Kurt Kaufman (guitar and percussion).
Review by Paul McGee
Deborah Henriksson So Far DHP
With the release of her debut album, SIMPLE GIFTS, back in 2007, Deborah Henriksson announced herself with a mix of different influences in her sound. Blending folk leanings with the original Celtic airs, this artist has built a consistent body of work over the succeeding four albums and years of putting in the hard miles of live performance across Europe and America. So much so, that we now have a retrospective package of twenty-six songs, including four alternate/extended versions, of her most popular tracks.
Based in Sweden, Henriksson played a series of outdoor concerts last year for senior facilities and nursing homes in lockdown, showing a great commitment to community in these challenging times. She has chosen a varied collection of songs on this compilation and they create an easy stream of gentle melody and refined vocal delivery. The mix of different styles, including pop and Americana, is somewhat typical of a lot of contemporary folk releases these days, with varied instrumentation and diffuse influences included. A cover of the Clannad song, Harry’s Game, is a prime example, with lush arrangement and layered vocals. Following on from the more rootsy sound of, In Time, it sits into a space where you wonder what is coming next. Similarly, Calling, is a track that wears its Celtic connection lightly and overall, the songs are infused with the mix of flutes, harps and synthesizer generated sounds, blended with guitar and percussion in a fusion that is very enjoyable.
There is no information regarding the musicians who play on this retrospective or indeed, production credits, so while enjoying the ninety-five minutes of varying sounds, including songs like Share This Moment, Shine, Ae Fond Kiss (Robert Burns), Always Near, A Woman’s Heart (Eleanor McEvoy), Evangeline and Trains, the overall sense of no real signature sound for this clearly talented performer remains.
Review by Paul McGee
Lindsay Ellyn Queen of Nothing Hail Mary/Queue
The debut album from New Jersey born Lindsay Ellyn follows a pattern of recordings reflecting on unfortunate life choices and regret that have arrived in the past twelve months at Lonesome Highway for review. No doubt the lockdown during 2020 gave many artists the time and space for reflection, together with the subject matter for their recordings.
Currently residing in Nashville, Ellyn is employed as a copywriter for a creative agency and that skillset at wordplay is very much in evidence across this album’s ten tracks. Rather than maudlin and overly sentimental, much of the material reflects light-heartedly on loss and life’s low points. The writing is matched by slick and striking melodies, no more so than on the jangly opener Dirty Fingers and the confessional and self-deprecating Pettyesque title track.
The heavy hitting is done by the melodies but the lyrics are equally impressive without attempting to be overly clever. She details her tales, often of woe, but seldom overly reprehensible. Carefree times house sharing are recalled on Hard To Forget and the album highlight Raising Hell is instantly catchy, sounding like Elizabeth Cook at her most brazen. Unease and unrest are set aside on the thunderous gospel anthem Glory, Glory.
‘I know about making mistakes, I know how it feels to miss your shot,’ Ellyn accepts on the title track Queen of Nothing. However, rather than a body of work composed at a low point in her career, you’re left with the impression that the album is an acceptance without remorse of the past and acts as a cleansing springboard from an artist currently quite happy in her own skin.
Review by Declan Culliton
The Accidentals Time Out (Session One) Self Release
A five track EP born out of quarantine finds three-piece band The Accidentals collaborating with a number of established songwriters. Their world seemed to fall apart in March 2020 when, following a successful twenty-three date tour, they were on the road to perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas. What promised to be the perfect opportunity to further showcase their talents was aborted when they learned that the festival was cancelled and they had to turn their van around and head back to Nashville.
The Accidentals are multi-instrumentalists Savannah Buist and Katie Larson, whose friendship dates back to high school in Traverse City, Michigan. The female fronted band also includes third member Michael Dause, who plays drums. TIME OUT (SESSION ONE) follows their highly acclaimed debut album ODYSSEY released in 2018. Alongside their band duties the members host master classes and workshops for music students. Buist and Larson are also in high demand for their stringed instrumental skills by numerous artists and bands in Nashville.
With their committed work ethic, it’s not surprising that they took full advantage of the Covid-19 enforced lockdown to record this album. Furthermore, on the realisation that others would also have time on their hands, they reached out to a host of respected songwriters to collaborate with. The result is an introspective set of songs that drift between folk and country, beautifully harmonised and performed, bringing to mind the music of Nickel Creek. The songs were composed via numerous Zoom calls starting with the opening track Wildfire, written with Kim Richey. The spirited anthem All Shall Be Well, was penned with Mary Gauthier and Jamie Harris. Two harmonised voices and two acoustic guitars feature on the song, which is the most stripped back of the five tracks. Dar Williams, whom they had opened a show for early in their career, came on board for the fuller sounding Night Train. A series of weekly remote writing sessions with folk legend Tom Paxton yielded Anyway. Written at the lowest point of the pandemic, its lyrics reflect fear, the unknown and the ongoing loss of life. The final song Might As Well Be Gold was composed pre-pandemic and is a co-write with celebrated songwriter and recording artist Maia Sharp. It’s an optimistic and hugely catchy inclusion, beautifully orchestrated.
All in all, a most enjoyable listen by a team of young musicians, hugely gifted, totally committed and with the world at their feet.
Review by Declan Culliton
Nate Fredrick Different Shade Of Blue Wanda Recordings/Queue Records
Some artists do their writing while on tour, others head for a cabin in the mountains for the peace and solitude they require for inspiration. Missourian Nate Fredrick’s time and place came about through a near tragedy. While running away from the police with a friend one night, Fredrick inadvertently fell off a cliff. He fortunately survived the incident but his injuries necessitated a two-year recuperation. He used the downtime during this period to hone his craft, write songs and gain the confidence to consider that a career as a musician was worth pursuing.
Relocating to Nashville in 2015, Fredrick wrote over one hundred songs in his first two years living there. Eleven of those songs appear on DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE. With a style that sits comfortably on the fence between country and blues, his sound is bullseye Americana and this debut album ticks all the right boxes.
Opening track Be The One is a bluesy and breezy affair echoing a young Van Morrison. The chilled country ballad Love Someone is a hard-edged heartland country affair. Paducah, the first single taken from the album, is an easy on the ear track. It’s the name of a town in Kentucky, midway between Nashville and Springfield, Missouri, that Fredrick passed every weekend on his trips home. The Dreamer is a light hearted anecdote of a teenager’s infatuation with an older woman, it’s also a classic honky tonk song. Love lost surfaces on All Over You Again, Forget Ever Loving Me and the ultra-catchy title track.
Recorded at Farmland Studios in Nashville with David Dorn (Hootie and The Blowfish, Maddie and Tae) at the controls and a host of skilled players contributing, DIFFERENT SHADE OF BLUE finds Fredrick pouring his heart and soul into a fine collection of songs.
Review by Declan Culliton
Toler Gibson The Days Before Rocket Girl
The opening song Dead End Lady on this ten-track album perfectly sets the scene for what’s to follow. Gentle and tender harmony vocals, recounting the tale of an unfortunate drifter, are backed by weeping pedal steel that immediately draws you into the song. Those well-matched vocals and distinctive pedal steel are a recurring feature on the melody laden songs that follow.
Gavin Toler and Kenneth Gibson have previously paid their dues in a number of bands including Old Gold, Furry Things, Bell Gardens and Winter Flowers. They both also previously performed solo. Mountain dwellers based in Idyllwild, California, the pair recruited drummer Charlie Woodburn and pedal steel player Drew Manne and expanded from their duo format to create the four-piece Toler Gibson.
Their musical tones and textures offer a sound that lands in the country rock genre, though with more emphasis on country than rock. It’s also a sound quite different to what many of their peers are doing, giving the impression of a band creating music on their own terms, without any external browbeating. The Murder Will Fly is a throwback to the late 1960’s and the type of song that you might expect to hear on a movie soundtrack from that era. The trippy Mountain Room and No Time Too Soon similarly recall the sounds from that era. They also enter fully fledged country territory on Firewater and dip their toes into old timey with Next Time We Meet, which offers a vocal styling that is somewhat more than spoken word yet not quite fully voiced crooning. That delivery is repeated in the quirky but very listenable I Want A Dog.
There’s something simple yet addictive about THE DAYS BEFORE that drew me back in for repeated listens. You’re never quite sure if some of the topics visited, such as domestic disaffection, are tongue in cheek whereas others dealing with empty lives and regrettable life choices, leave you in no doubt. Either way, it’s an album that never attempts to overwhelm the listener and one that I connected with on first play. It’s also one that I will most certainly continue to visit going forward.
Review by Declan Culliton