Wild Earp & The Free For Alls Dyin’ for Easy Livin’ Western Myth
I suspect that this particular outfit don’t take it too seriously, even though they are serious about what they produce. Under the leadership of Earp, they deliver songs that are well played, produced and persuasive. The Chicago combo have a little of that town’s insurgent country in their makeup, alongside some rockabilly, western swing and more, all of which creates an enjoyable set of spirited song supplication. Earp takes the producer chair and is the writer and co-writer of several of the songs along with contributions from guitarist Jed Taylor and one from bassist Charlie Malave. George Hurden also adds guitar and mandolin, while Sean Hughes plays piano and Alan Maniacek is the drummer. Earp also takes the lead vocals on several tracks where he is joined by ‘Sweet Sassy Molassey’ Moore on harmony. Moore also takes the lead on a number of the songs. This gives the album a variety that maximises the band’s potential. There are others involved on the musician side including Robert Daniels and Brian Wilkie on pedal steel, Felipe Tobar and Jess McIntosh on fiddle and Hope Arthur on accordion. Many of these also have nick names that remind me a little of early Hank Wangford and indeed the band’s overall tongue-in-cheekness and musical path is not dissimilar, even though they are decades and continents apart.
This time out they bring a new set of twelve songs for public consideration which should garner them a positive opinion from those who like their country and western delivered with aplomb and style. These are the inevitable tales of heartache, hell-raising, hope and helplessness. The band honed their trade in the clubs of Chicago and took their notion of a ‘free for all’ gathering of musicians to something more solidly purposeful. There are also themes that derive from the lifestyle they had prior to the current enforced layoff. I Wanna Go concisely sums up that feeling of getting out here and delivering their music to a ready and waiting audience. They want to break their new boots in and get back into their van again and to experience that collective band on the road closeness. Perhaps another key track in that line of thinking is Living’ The Life where Earp outlines his current feelings about this life and times ’”cause this glamorous life’s a little light on the glamour … or his doctor’s advice that “son, you’d better slow down this train / take it easy on the drinkin’ and absolutely no cocaine / I said, “doc, even if you’d support it, ain’t no way I could afford it.” Lyrics that reveal the sense of humour as well as the far from perfect lifestyle of a working musician, who travels from venue to venue to keep body and soul together. In Step On It he reflects on being something of a man who makes the wrong choices and is beginning to learn from his mistakes and impulses. It also highlights Earp’s vocal strengths. Moore’s vocal ability is maybe best shown in Two ’Til Midnight, an intimate tale of a couple not being able to stay together, a kind of classic country weeper for modern times.
Throughout the album there is an upbeatness that has the toe’s tapping and the song’s engaging in a way that makes a connection on a number of different levels. The open song and first choice for a single Ain’t It A Shame (When Your Horse Goes Lame) is a perfect introduction to the band and their tight sound. It is about the way that expectations and hopes can be thwarted by reality, when one is least expecting it. Wild Earp has conceived a look that is not out of line with that of the wild west figure that immediately springs to mind when you hear the name and likewise the Free For Alls also dress to impress. There is no mistaking the musical affiliation and intention and DYIN’ FOR EASY LIVIN’ fulfils its mission to update and at the same time be a part of a living tradition that has always managed to cover the different aspects and inadequate way we deal with them. That this is doing so in such an appealing way is all credit to these guys and girl, who show us that while we might all be looking for an easy living, it takes a fair bit of work to pull off. A tip of the hat to Earp and his outlaws for doing it their way.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Stuart Smith The Sun EP Vol.2 Illnoise
As the title proclaims, this EP was recorded at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis - the home of the legendary Sun Studios. As the cover denotes this is volume two, however neither his debut album WAR HORSE nor the previous volume one made it to our review desk. Smith, growing up, was fascinated by the music that came from that important studio and he finally got the opportunity to stand and record where numerous legends did before him.
There is a presence captured in the recording, although the recording is largely just voice and acoustic guitar and could in that light have been recorded anywhere. There is an electric guitar on Wait By The Window and a harmonium on one other track. But just being there gave Smith a special feeling haunted by the ghosts of many of the icons who has also stood in front of the microphones there. This is especially true on the one cover here which is his take onTownes Van Zandt’s classic Waitin’ Round To Die. The remaining five compositions are his own, with one, the opening song Josephine, being a co-write with William Fitzsimmons.
The recordings have a certain sense of melancholy which is emphasised by the simplicity of the vocal delivery that seems ensconced in the timeless echo and lyrical downbeat themes such as A Long Goodbye and Always & Never. But the bottom line is I enjoyed this short introduction to Smith’s world, as it serves as a reminder that there are always artists out there that are worth discovering. Hopefully the sun will continue to shine on him and his work going forward.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Malcolm Holcombe Tricks Of The Trade Need To Know/Proper
By this stage in his career, I reckon that those who are drawn to Malcolm Holcombe’s idiosyncratic take on Appalachian dirt folk and blues are already fans. His catalogue contains some seventeen albums, fifteen of which have been released since the start of the 2000’s. His respect among his peers has never diminished and he has always attracted players who understand the wisdom of his words. This album was produced by Brian Brinkerhoff and Dave Roe. Roe also handles the bass duties and is joined on most tracks by his son Jerry on drums. Long-time supporter Jared Tyler is also back here. Add to that backing vocals and contributions from Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris and some cello from Ron de la Vega (on Lenora Cynthia) and you have a a set of players willing to do justice to Holcombe’s often deliberately opaque writing. Equally, though, other tracks lay out tales of hard times and hardened hearts. Your Kin would be an example of this, where a family have to face the unpalatable truth wherein “the cops take away your children.” What is also a pleasant surprise is the melodic catchiness of Misery Loves Company, which belies its lyrics of a bar-room’s neon darkness of the psyche. The closing song Shakey Ground is another song that gets its melody and chorus firmly embedded in your head. Elsewhere in Higher Ground he notes that he has the “ freedom to choose / I got freedom to loose.”, suggesting that the path that we all get to chose is as much a choice as it is a destiny.
He has been described as a songwriter’s songwriter, with many of his contemporaries recognising his skill in that department. Equally he has a rough-hewn baritone voice that has the grit of a dirt road and the pain of experience. Behind his own deep inhabitation of his songs the assembled players are indispensable to Holcombe deliver wherein the voice, words and music create something more powerful than the individual components involved. There is a lyric booklet included, which is a help and although it is not difficult to make out the words, it is possibly a little harder to completely understand his meaning in every song or phrase.
Never-the-less this is perhaps one of the best sounding collections of songs that Holcombe has recorded to date and is, while maybe the word ‘enjoyable’ may not be the right term, a testament to a very unique performer and his talent as storyteller, whose music always leaves its mark on the listener. He is prolific in his output compared to some of those he first appeared alongside back in 1994 with his first album and long may he continue to adds his vision to this uncertain world.
Review by Stephen Rapid.
Erik Shicotte Miss’ry Pacific Black Country Rock
Recent years have seen a resurgence of what used to be tagged back in the day, as ‘Country and Western’ music. What is encouraging is both the quality of the product and the age profile of the torch carriers that have dug deeply into the musical archives for inspiration. Colter Wall, Charley Crockett and more recently Vincent Neil Emerson have been leading the charge and with considerable success.
Erik Shicotte is another artist travelling in a similar musical direction. With a booming baritone voice and songs written from personal experiences, he doesn’t put a foot wrong on this six-track mini album. An ironworker by trade, his days are filled constructing fire training towers and his evenings are often spent writing songs in motel rooms. With that lifestyle you’d expect songs about trucks, trains, highways and hardened blue collar workers and that’s exactly what is on offer here.
The title track pays homage to the Missouri Pacific Railroad, one of the first railroads in America west of the Mississippi river. It’s a lively opener with Shicotte’s billowing baritone surrounded by raging fiddles and lively pedal steel. The country waltz Kansas City, which follows, is a weepy ballad mourning love lost. Elsewhere, the honky tonkin’ and defiant Die Like A Man gives caution the two fingers and Flint has Waylon stamped all over it. It tells a tale of staying on a straight road despite the distractions and temptations. His existence as a transient steel worker, possibly autobiographical with a degree of embellishment, surfaces on Niners. Laced with sly humour, harmonica and pedal steel it’s a pointer to a writer that has a number of tricks up his sleeve. The sixth track Silver revisits the themes of self-doubt and survival.
With a powerful voice that adds gravitas to some fine songs, credit must also be given to the quality players that joined Shicotte in the studio. No stranger to Lonesome Highway and an accomplished recording artist in her own right, Miss Tess plays bass. Pedal steel and electric guitars come courtesy of the multi-instrumentalist Patrick Lyons. Nate Leath contributes fiddle, harmonica is played by Jake Groves and percussion by Aaron Goodrich.
If you’re reading this review it’s likely that real country music appeals to you and you may not have previously heard of Erik Shicotte. I’d highly recommend that you check this album out and if there’s any justice, you should be hearing a lot more about him going forward.
Review by Declan Culliton
John Murry The Stars Are God’s Bullet Holes Submarine Cat
Tupelo, Mississippi born John Murry’s third full album is another chapter from his eccentric lyrical and musical diaries. In a similar vein to THE GRACELESS AGE from 2013 and A SHORT HISTORY OF DECAY which followed five years later, the listener is advised to set time aside to drill into the often-impassioned wordplay on offer and the deviant sonic structures that surround them. Each subsequent revisit of Murry’s latest offering is likely to unearth previously unnoticed musical thrills. Furthermore, each visit will most likely promote conflicting interpretations and messages to the listener’s initial understandings.
Murry’s choice of producers on each of his three albums has been opportune. The late Tim Mooney, of American Music Club fame, created the optimum sonic backdrop to Murray’s confessional debut album. He then sought out Cowboy Junkies’ Michael Timmins to produce the second album, powered by a painful divorce. This time around Murry knocked on the door of John Parish. It was an inspired choice in hindsight, as Parish most certainly ‘gets’ Murry and where he’s coming from. Parish is a producer and artist that can take huge credit for the thriving musical career of P.J. Harvey, having worked on seven of her albums and co-written two. Unlike many producers, he does not work to a set formula. Instead, he forges individualistic musical nuances that define the artist he’s working with. Murray is on record noting his wonderment at Parrish’s ability to build the songs from what Murry considered to be meagre beginnings.
THE STARS ARE GOD’S BULLET HOLES finds the adopted Irishman in a more sanguine mood than previously, although one shouldn’t expect balloons and bunting. We are talking dark grey here, rather than the jet-black tenor of his two earlier full albums. The songs often appear to be exhausted, raw and unfinished. They’re often infused with scratchy guitars and mottled electronics, working alongside Murry’s intense and sometimes layered vocals. It all works spectacularly well. A fitting contribution are Nadine Khouri’s backing vocals on a number of tracks. Her murmurings act as involuntary support for Murray, something akin to a colleague joining a marathon runner for the last mile, as he struggles for the finish line. This particularly comes to light on the Ones + Zeros and Perfume & Decay. The former finds Khouri’s vocals bookending a song that kicks off in a defiant mood but ends in surrender. The latter, recalling past and lost love, alleges torture and self-despair (‘who will remember to place flowers on my grave after this world explodes?’) with Khouri’s whispered backing vocals akin to a cue to Murray from the wings.
The album’s opener Oscar Wilde Came Here To Make Fun Of You is loaded with streams of consciousness, flirting between self- questioning (‘Oscar Wilde came here to make fun of you /to dress well and play bridge/ so why the hell can't I do the same’) and exasperation (‘lock me up in Clerkenwell prison, I'll blow a hole right through it’). Although both questioning and self-searching, I Refuse To Believe - You Could Love Me kicks off like a distant relative to The Undertones Here Comes The Summer. It’s as close to radio friendly as Murray has ever been, even if the lyrics (‘this is my last dance; this is my final prayer’) dampen down the snappy melody. The ruminative Di Kreuster finds the writer reflecting on his adoptive family. Surprisingly, despite the thorny subject matter, (‘I know I'm not what you bargained for…. I'm a one night stand you can throw me out in the morning’), it’s as mellow as Murray has ever recorded, with Joe Harvey Whyte’s pacifying pedal steel alongside vocals which are soaked in disquiet.
Those familiar with Murry’s live shows, and in particular his solo shows, will be more than aware of his knack of plucking the most unlikely songs out of the air to cover. He’s done it once more here with Duran Duran’s Ordinary World. It really shouldn’t work but, surprisingly, it does and spectacularly so.
Following the unique THE GRACELESS AGE was an almost impossible task. Having just about manoeuvred the difficult second album syndrome with A SHORT HISTORY, Murry has come out with guns blazing this time. He has also - with considerable input from Parish - shaped his most powerful album to date, and by some distance. Despite the plaudits, name checks and cult following, John Murry has, to date, achieved only ‘big in his own backyard’ status. This intriguing eleven track gem could, and should, earn him considerably greater recognition.
Review by Declan Culliton
Shaye Zadravec Now And Then CRS
Alberta, Canada singer songwriter Shaye Zadravec follows her 2018 EP release NORWAY with her first full album titled NOW AND THEN. Essentially an interpreter of songs penned by others, the album is a collection of ten tracks reworked by her and, more often than not, sympathetic to the original recordings.
What makes the album stand head and shoulders above many cover albums is Zadravec’s stunning vocals. Her working of Windfall is a note perfect version of Jay Farrar’s opening track from Son Volt’s debut album TRACE. It’s also the first track on the album and had me hitting the repeat button on first play. And it gets better. Rosanne Cash covered and made her own the Jesse Winchester song Biloxi on her 2014 triple Grammy Award winner THE RIVER AND THE THREAD. Zadravec remains true to that version here with a disciplined, delicate and equally striking rendition. It would be challenging to maintain the standard of both those opening songs but she seldom lets her guard down on the remaining songs.
Selecting a song to cover from renowned Canadian singer songwriter Ian Tyson could have directed her towards his masterpiece Four Strong Winds. Instead, she invited Tyson into the studio to record his Christmas song Silver Bell, which includes the famed writer of the song on backing vocals. Zadravec’s crystalline vocals and accompanying weeping pedal steel guitar are the perfect match and are combined to fine effect on the Lynn Miles penned Night Drive and the Pat Mc Laughlin and Lawrence Russell Brown co-write The Whispering Wind. The latter was previously recorded by country singer Mandy Barnett and its inclusion finds Zadravec more than comfortable in the role of country songstress.
Paul Westerberg’s Skyway gets a gentle workover without straying too far from the original and she signs off with the haunting East Longview Serenade. It lasts slightly over one and a half minutes and features haunting vocalising alongside some more aching pedal steel.
NOW AND THEN showcases Zadravec as a dedicated flame carrier and interpreter of some classic songs. Her versions are a mouth-watering flavour of what she is vocally capable of. In former decades, artists such as Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris carved hugely successful careers recording the work of other songwriters. In today’s overcrowded market, Zadravec may need to follow this album with some more self-penned material in order to raise her profile. In the meantime, track this album down, slip on the headphones, put your feet up and have a listen. Satisfaction guaranteed.
Review by Declan Culliton
Jesse Terry When We Wander Self Release
The songs on this album were all written prior to the onset of Covid-19 and the new reality that followed during 2020. With a release date already set, Terry took the decision to hold back on all media activity, as the timing didn’t feel quite right. In the year that has followed, we have all sought inspiration and motivation in many places and none more relevant than through music, which can lift the spirit and deliver solace. As a sanctuary to ease our restless or troubled minds, we need look no further than these twelve tracks, with the impressive Jesse Terry providing his own balm for the soul. Releasing this album in 2021 makes great sense as the music speaks to the current space where we all look for a sense of connection and community.
Recorded at Skinny Elephant studios in Nashville, the superb musicianship that delivers the rich texture of these songs is very impressive, especially when you learn that the entire project was recorded live in the studio. The interplay between the assembled players is just wonderful and one can only imagine how inspiring it was to be present in the room for all concerned. The production by Neilson Hubbard is so bright and airy, with the spaces between the playing as much an integral part of the whole fresh and buoyant sound.
Opening song, When We Wander, was written for the previous life that Jesse Terry spent in touring on the road. He had been gigging continuously across America, joined by his wife Jess, prior to lockdown, with a lifestyle spent on the move and bringing its own spirit of freedom. However, the arrival of his beautiful daughter, Lily, has led to change in the plan and a schedule that has now been focused upon home performing and online streaming as the new Covid lockdown rules also brought change and delivered a new perspective.
A look at the past is also part of Hymn Of A Summer Night, where memories of youthful days are recalled; the band excelling on the melody and elevating the song to great heights. Hanging the Stars has a more commercial sound and a nice rhythm, with violin, guitars and piano working off the fluid backbeat. If I Were the Moon slows things down with a thoughtful ballad, acoustic guitar dovetailing with pedal steel and violin, on a love song that celebrates the harmony between two lovers.
Strangers In Our Town has a great arrangement and a sweet sound, with a look at the joys of returning home after a prolonged time away. Ghost Stories appears to be a personal song that looks at Terry’s past, before meeting his wife Jess, when he felt partly formed, wondering if he would ever meet the one to make him complete.
Little Fires tackles the doubts and fears that can lurk just below the surface, ready to ignite if not controlled. ‘It’s all just chemistry and faulty circuitry.’ Again, wrapped in some superb musical interplay. The band dynamic on Pretty Good Hand is a complete joy, an addictive beat and melody allowing violin and pedal steel to add subtle nuance to the arrangement. Just Out Of Sight is a slow song that soothes and suggests that we look for the unexpected and the magical in living.
Terry has a very warm vocal tone in his delivery and he produces quite an impressive performance in colouring these songs and setting the different moods. The harmonies, provided by Liz Longley and Mia Rose Lynne are an added benefit and they both support the songs with an understated elegance with their superb vocals.
Is There An Answer deals with the big question around world wars and the basic need for man to create division on the planet. The acoustic feel of In Spite Of You is an anti-establishment song that asks why there is never enough Government support for younger generations who need social assistance, direction and guidance in growing into adulthood. Similarly, Innocent Ones is a theme surrounding trust and developing some sense of balance in becoming a parent. Great band dynamic again and some superb guitar parts by Will Kimbrough.
Album number seven and one that benefits from the growing confidence and maturity of this artist who is becoming a real presence in the song-writing pantheon. The assembled players are Jesse Terry (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Neilson Hubbard (drums), Eamon McLoughlin (violin, viola), Will Kimbrough (electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin), Juan Solorzano (lap steel, electric & acoustic guitars), Dean Marold (electric and upright bass), Josh Kaler (pedal steel), Danny Mitchell (piano and harmonies), Mia Rose Lynne and Liz Longley (harmonies).
This is well worth your time and money. A superb achievement and one of the strongest releases this year.
Review by Paul McGee
Hiss Golden Messenger Quietly Blowing It Self Release
Mike (MC) Taylor started his band in 2007 and in the intervening fourteen years, has released some of the most eclectic, interesting and memorable music of these times. And, we can all agree, the last year that we have experienced has never been more challenging. So, please welcome MC Taylor to the room – his room, at home, during lockdown.
Out of the routine that has been his reality for so many years; the frequent touring, nomadic life on the road, anonymous hotel rooms and airports. It has been a time to reflect and to reboot. Taylor says “I went looking for peace,” in the promo sheets that announce this new album, following in the footsteps of the wonderful TERMS OF SURRENDER from 2019. Well, peace comes dropping slow, to quote WB Yeats, and the self-analysis and inner-quest that has always been a part of this gifted songwriters’ creative muse, continues to ask the hard and interesting questions. It’s as if the search is the most important thing from which to shape our life lessons and not any conclusions reached at the end of the journey.
So, eleven quietly addictive gems, across thirty-eight minutes of superbly crafted music. The album is written, arranged, and produced by Taylor and it delivers what is a real highlight in his career to date. Co-founder and friend, Scott Hirsch, plays some beautiful lap steel guitar and synthesizer, while Josh Kaufman contributes on acoustic/electric guitars and mandolin, with Devonne Harris on piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer, clavinet - all contributing superbly to a sound that is both soothing and soulful.
There is also the subtle and steady groove on these gentle musings, laid down by the duo of Alex Bingham on bass and synthesizer and Matt McCaughan on drums, percussion and synthesizer. Other credits for Brevan Hampden (drums), with contributions from Chris Boerner on electric guitar and both Stuart Bogie and Matt Douglas on saxophones. Mention too, for both Sonyia Turneron, vocals and James Wallace on piano. There are also guest appearances from the great Buddy Miller on guitar and Zach Williams of The Lone Bellow on vocals.
The title song states; ‘You gotta let someone in, That’s all that’ll save you.’ In a way, this is the key component that is shared across these tracks, a message of connection and humanity, running through everything and grounding the whole perspective. Mighty Dollar takes aim at the greed and infatuation with wealth that cripples our way of life, with the message ‘Poor man loses and the rich man wins.’ If It Comes In the Morning has more of that soulful sound which is very much the abiding influence across these eleven tracks, similarly on, It Will If We Let It and Glory Strums (loneliness of the long-distance runner); all loose and flowing with the vocal tone of Taylor elevating everything. There are some fine harmonica sounds on selected tracks and the warm keyboards of Harris weave their magic into the melodies and arrangements throughout. On Painting Houses, there is the despair of just surviving and getting by, ‘Time’s creeping past the quarter moon, If it takes forever, I guess we’ll be there soon, And still you hum that old tune, I Don’t Wanna Talk About It.
However, the ultimate optimism of the album shines through and the final song, Sanctuary, looks for the blue sky above; ‘Feeling bad, Feeling blue /Can’t get out of my own mind / But I know how to sing about it.’
Hope is the central theme that binds us together in these challenging times and this album is a testament to those who strive to seek better days ahead. A real cracker!
Review by Paul McGee
Brigitte DeMeyer Seeker BDM
If you are new to the music of Brigitte DeMeyer, then a real treat lies in store. If you already know her previous output then this album, number eight, shines brightly as one of her most cohesive works to date.
DeMeyer has been releasing vibrant music ever since her debut album surfaced back in 2000. With this new release, the nuance, tone and personality in her vocals have never sounded better as she delivers a real tour de force across ten songs that run just short of the thirty-five- minute mark. The musicianship is sublime and such stellar playing makes such a rich tapestry for soulful blues, jazzy tones, slow-burn rhythm and sweetly salted grooves.
This is a great example of the power in simple arrangements, letting the songs breathe and not getting in the way of the spaces in between the notes. Produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, a multi-instrumentalist who has worked on two previous releases, and augmented by Ted Pecchio (acoustic bass/electric bass), Kris Donegan (acoustic/electric guitar), JP Ruggieri (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, pedal steel guitar), Alfreda McCrary (harmony and background vocals), Oliver Wood (electric guitar, harmony vocals), Chris Wood (upright bass and electric bass), Viktor Krauss (upright bass/electric bass), the sense of time standing still is always to the fore as these songs weave their way into your consciousness. Imagine that sunny day, lounging in your hammock and sipping an iced tea, as these addictive sounds wash over you.
Whether it’s the classy slow groove of opener, All the Blue, or the easy, jazzy tone of Ain’t No Mister, the organic feel to the melody is infectious. The slow blues slide of Cat Man Do and Salt Of the Earth sit snugly side-by-side with the acoustic rhythm of Already In and the easy tone of the title track, Seeker, with DeMeyer singing about her continuing search for new horizons and opportunity. The wonderful Louisiana just drips atmosphere and New Orleans piano blues, with Roots and Wings and Bones another cool blues, slow groove -a song written for her son.
DeMeyer recently moved away from Nashville and returned to her original home of California and a number of these songs reference the need for change and in believing that you have the strength to continually shape character out of experience. The album title really sums it all up nicely, with the realisation that “often, art comes from struggle” and with this release DeMeyer raises the quality of her art to a whole new level. A standout album and certainly one of the year’s most vital purchases.
Review by Paul McGee