Charley Crockett Music City USA Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers
“They better watch out in country music because I'm just getting started, brother.”
These were the defiant parting words from Charley Crockett when we interviewed him in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and after the release of his excellent album WELCOME TO HARD TIMES. That album, written in 2019 and pre-pandemic, reflected a period of serious personal challenges for Crockett, culminating in life-threatening open-heart surgery from which he has thankfully fully recovered.
True to his word, he has cemented his reputation as one of the most prolific writers in the country music genre. MUSIC CITY USA is Charley Crockett’s second release of 2021, having earlier this year released CHARLEY CROCKETT SINGS JAMES HAND, which was a tribute to the much-loved country singer who passed away in 2020. His latest release is a double album, gifting the listener with sixteen tracks that branch off from traditional country to bluesy infused honky tonkers and horn backed country soul.
The nomadic songsmith describes his take on country music as ‘Gulf and Western’, which precisely outlines his talent to trigger the sound of country music from bygone eras while also sounding contemporary and original. His back story could be a movie script, having survived homelessness, open heart surgery, run-ins with the law and record label rejection. Twenty years into a musical career that kicked off as a seventeen-year-old busker, Crockett has built his career as an independent artist, dealing with the cut throat industry on his own terms rather than at the behest of a record label suit. MUSIC CITY USA took less than eight weeks to write and record and the songs offer personal reflections on relationships, both of the heart and with his chosen line of work.
Soulful horn drenched songs such as I Need Your Love, This Foolish Game and I Won’t’ Cry sit comfortably alongside some classic country tracks. ‘’ I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, the folk in here don’t like my kind’, he recalls on the title track and later tells of being locked up in Nashville on the track Muddy Waters. Both are standout tracks, delivered in his distinctive semi spoken drawl, which combine pain and confusion in equal measures. Surviving and moving on come to pass on Just So You Know and the Buddy Holly sounding Lies And Regret offers an upbeat tempo beside some down beat lyrics. The World Just Broke My Heart reflects the current state of uncertainty at large. He signs off with Skip A Rope, which was recorded back in 1967 by a like minded country artist, Henson Cargill.
The album title may point in the direction of Nashville but Crockett explains that it refers to ‘’any street corner where I put the damn guitar case down to make money’’. It’s also a statement of survival and worldliness in an unrewarding industry and due reward for an independent artist that continues to grow in stature. Talent alone is no guarantee of survival in the current crowded marketplace, though Crockett has endless amounts of that. However, coupled with hard graft, awareness of his market and a constant flow of new material, he continues to be a major player in the underground country music scene. A highly recommended album and by the sound of things we’ll be hearing more from him in the not too distant future, as he reckons he has already written the material for two more albums.
Review by Declan Culliton
Sierra Ferrell Long Time Coming Rounder
Having spent a number of years as a travelling musician, busking, playing at street corners and honky tonks and just about anywhere that she could, small town West Virginian Sierra Ferrell settled in New Orleans for a while prior to relocating to Nashville. Tapping into the bohemian musical community in East Nashville, she soon found herself on stage at the legendary Honky Tonk Tuesday Nights at American Legion 82. Those performances brought her to the attention of Rounder Records, who wasted no time in signing her to the label on the strength of her dynamic live shows.
Describing herself as having ‘a country heart but a jazz mind’, LONG TIME COMING, her debut release on the Rounder label, is a treasure chest of traditional country, western swing, bluegrass, crossover jazzy roots and border influenced songs. Apparently, Sturgill Simpson was so impressed by her live shows that he offered to produce this album. Instead, Rounder Records hired Stu Hibberd and ten-time Grammy winner Gary Paczosa to co-produce the album. They also surrounded her with a host of top players for the recordings at Southern Ground and Minutia studios in Nashville. Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Chris Scruggs, Sarah Jarosz, Billy Strings and Dennis Crouch all feature and their combined talents behind Ferrell’s dazzling vocals shine brightly on the twelve tracks.
Those twelve tracks shift seamlessly between musical modes and genres. Jazzy and New Orleans’ influenced offerings The Sea, Why’d Ya Do It and At The End Of The Rainbow nestle comfortably alongside old timey gems Jeremiah, Bells Of Every Chapel and West Virginia Waltz. She’s equally at home belting out honky tonkers such as In Dreams and Far Away Across The Sea is Tex-Mex at its finest.
The album title literally describes the arrival of an artist whose reputation as a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter has been expanding over the past number of years. This current chapter in her musical voyage is one of ‘being in the right place at the right time’ to merit the attention of one of the premier record labels supporting roots artists. It’s also most likely the launching pad for one of the leading lights amongst the newcomers to the Americana orbit and one that we will be hearing lots more from in the coming years.
Review by Declan Culliton
Jason Eady The Passage Of Time Self Release
My initial introduction to Texas based singer songwriter Jason Eady was his superb 2012 album AM COUNTRY HEAVEN. It made an instant impact which sent me checking out his back catalogue and tracking down his three previous releases. THE PASSAGE OF TIME is his eighth full length album and like its predecessors it’s packed with thought provoking and carefully measured songs. Over half of these songs were composed over a three-day period at the height of the pandemic in August 2020. The prevailing circumstances and uncertainty at that time stirred his thought process to the extent that he literally locked himself in his bedroom for three days and wrote.
Reflections on both the past and present emerge on Nothing On You and French Summer Sun. The former is the album’s opening track and reads like an ode to a loved one, possibly his wife Courtney Patton, who is also a singer songwriter who contributes backing vocals on the album and also gets a co-write credit on the track Saturday Night. French Summer Sun tells the powerful tale of Eady visiting the beach where his grandfather fought in and survived The Battle of Anzio in Italy during World War II. The spoken verses in the song draw the listener’s attention instantly as Eady reflects on how his grandfather’s survival ultimately led to his own inception. Less solemn is the aforementioned and possibly somewhat autobiographical Saturday Night, where the writer recalls early career gigs in empty rooms. Back To Normal considers the eventual return to times post pandemic, (‘What do we do when we get back to normal, and we find we’re somewhere we ain’t ever been’). Words regrettably not expressed in former times are considered on My Best Friend before the album closes with the title track which contemplates the aging process in confessional terms.
The album was recorded at The Finishing School in Austin where Eady surrounded himself with tried and trusted musicians with whom he had previously worked. Noah Jeffries plays fiddle, Geoff Queen is on pedal steel and dobro, Mark Williams plays bass, and drums are by Brian Ferguson. Backing vocals are courtesy of Courtney Patton and Jamie Lin Wilson. The production is credited to Gordy Quist of Band Of Heathens fame, who draws the best out of every player without ever competing with Eady’s introspective vocal deliveries.
In a similar vein to songsmiths such as Guy Clark, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, all of whom were hugely influential in his career, Eady possesses an acute attention to detail and a worldliness in his writing. Those attributes shine brightly on this wonderful batch of songs from a dedicated flame carrier for the classic singer songwriter genre.
Review by Declan Culliton
Dori Freeman Ten Thousand Roses Blue Hens Music
Twenty seconds into the first track Get You Off My Mind and before Dori Freeman’s vocals kicks in, you could be forgiven for checking the album sleeve to establish that you’re actually listening to the fourth album from the small town of Galax, Virginia native. The grungy intro to that track signposts a somewhat more experimental musical direction from her previous recordings.
The musical orientation may be a contrast from her previous albums but her instantly recognisable alto vocalising remains out front. Equally striking are her carefully considered lyrics which combine pain, confusion and empathy in equal measures. The songs on this album consider a range of topics including female emancipation, self-examination and her rural surroundings.
Having previously engaged Teddy Thompson to work the studio controls, she looked closer to home on this occasion. Husband Nicholas Falk undertook the production on the album, together with adding percussion. The husband-and-wife team were joined by a host of cracking players which included Eli Wildman on guitar and mandolin, Victor Furtado on banjo, Sam Fribush on piano and keys, Eric Robertson on guitar and bass and Aaron Lipp, who also played bass and banjo.
The ten tracks that make up the album were composed during the pandemic and unlike many of her peers, who recorded skeletal albums during lockdown, Dori gathered this team of skilled players and recorded the album live in the studio. The only remote addition was Logan Ledger’s vocals on the classic heart melting country duet Walk Away.
The Storm, which addresses unfaithfulness in a relationship, presents a lavish sound, cleverly layered vocals and a rousing chorus. Dori is very much an independent spirit and defiant in the face of any challenge. I had the great pleasure of witnessing her silencing a rudely talkative crowd when she played before Rodney Crowell in Nashville, by launching a capella into Ain’t Nobody from her debut album. She spotlights this feistiness on the sprightly I Am, reminding us in the opening lines, ‘I ain’t a good girl though everybody thinks I am, I got a mind as dirty as the bottom of a coffee can’. Equally autobiographical is the simply gorgeous Appalachian, where she sings proudly and sublimely of her heritage. The full on I Wanted To is as grungy and seedy as she’s ever recorded and she’s also calling the shots on the jaunty title track. Sounding like a companion giving sage advice to a close friend, she hits high notes well above most singers’ ranges on Nobody Nothing.
Songs that snap, crackle and pop, TEN THOUSAND ROSES is another triumph from an artist that is Americana with a capital ‘A’, both in her musical output and everyday lifestyle. The third generation in a musical family, Dori’s dad, Scott Freeman, and grandfather, Willard Gayheart, are also both musicians. The album is born out of a small-town rural environment rather than at the behest of a record label. Likewise, it’s one that marks another exciting chapter in the musical output of a classic vocalist and distinctive artist who continues to make music on her own terms. It’s also one of the best I’ve heard this year.
Review by Declan Culliton
JR Harbridge Long Black River Mob Acoustic
This singer songwriter releases his second album and it is a very enjoyable package of ten songs, perfect for anyone who enjoys Americana based rhythm and groove. Harbridge is based in England but his sound is very much steeped in the influences of American Country Rock with radio friendly melodies and engaging arrangements.
There is a great sense of easy confidence and freedom in the playing with the core players, Pete Larkin (organ, piano, Wurlitzer, mellotron) and Mark Bates (drums) supporting Harbridge (acoustic and electric guitars, bass, harmonica, percussion) across songs. The tracks focus mainly on relationship issues and letting our experiences change us with the times. A number of guest players add to individual tracks, with Thomas Mapes (bass on three songs) and both Nick Clarke and Paul Scott Connop each contributing electric guitar to individual tracks.
All songs are written by Harbridge, with one co-write, with the confident vocal style bringing a sweet tone to the arrangements. These are all very listenable songs, structured with melody and punch. The organ sound of Larkin elevates a number of the arrangements, along with the guitar work and songs like Wrong Side Of the Fight and Break the Spell look inward and seek to bring change and turn-around situations that are in need to redress.
Love songs, like Sunshine Not Rain and When the Sun Doesn’t Shine, show understanding and commitment while the slow groove to Open the Door and We don’t Talk About It bring a different dynamic to the album. We Don’t Like It is a protest song and a call to effect change, while Side By Side carries a similar message about community, fighting for ideals and spreading the message that love conquers all.
The title track has the band playing a slow burning Blues against a backdrop of fearing a lonely death and has some great guitar riffs. You Saved Me Twice references a loved one who has passed on but still leaves a strong influence and memory. The backing vocals on Side By Side are provided by the Facebook/Instagram friends of Harbridge and quite an interesting departure. Quite how he captured their collective voices is something of a mystery. It sums up the album in many ways, with a sense of inclusion, a strong band collaboration and some very enjoyable music along the way.
Review by Paul McGee
The Allman Brothers Band Down In Texas ’71/Live At Great Woods 1991 Self-Release
One of the great pleasures in reviewing music for Lonesome Highway is when a package arrives with unexpected treats from one of your favourite bands. It was a happy week when I opened a package that contained two separate live concerts from the legendary Allman Brothers, a band that were formed in Florida back in 1969. Their sound incorporated elements of different musical genres and the merging of Blues, Country, Jazz and Rock has made them untouchable among their peers over many years. The band went through many personnel changes over the five decades that they reigned, but never dropped the high standards or the quality of the musicianship.
Last year, I reviewed their famous live concert from 2005 at the Warner Theatre, PA and it had long been considered by the band themselves as ‘one that got away.’ Luckily, most of their concerts have been recorded, if not always by the band themselves, and a superb document of the show was released in 2020.
I have to admit that the Down In Texas ’71 CD that I now received is a strong statement of their prowess, although much shorter at only half the length (still, sixty minutes of prime playing), plus there is a thirteen-minute interview with a very bored sounding Duane Allman and Berry Oakley that is archival gold!
The original band are all here, barely two years after they formed, with Duane and Greg Allman joined by Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Jaimoe, Butch Trucks and a special guest appearance by Juicy Carter on saxophone for six of the nine tracks that are included. There are killer versions of Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell) and Stormy Monday (T Bone Walker), plus an incomplete rendition of In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed. The track, Hot ‘Lanta, gives the band creative licence to stretch out and the gloves really come off on the fifteen minute, You Don’t Love Me (Willie Cobbs).
The second live recording I received was on DVD (remember those?) and I was so pleased to have further proof of the bands’ continued quality, all of twenty years later, when they played this gig at the Great Woods Centre in Massachusetts. It captures ninety minutes of the 1991 concert and includes the aforementioned Statesboro Blues and an incredible version of In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed. So glad that this was reissued as it still has original band members, Greg Allman, Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Jaimoe, who were joined by the superb Warren Haynes on guitar and vocals, Allen Woody on bass and Marc Quiñones on congas and percussion. There are lengthy versions of Jessica and Whipping Post, together with Midnight Rider and End Of the Line.
One of the joys in listening to a jam band is that the tracks are nearly always played differently, with interpretations and flights into the unknown, freely allowed by the players on any given night. There is a mini acoustic also in the set and the DVD has uninterrupted concert footage, with all the band interviews that appeared on the original VHS version removed. A cover version of Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon) is also included and the overall sound quality is top drawer, with the energy of the night, in front of twenty thousand fans, perfectly captured. An exciting duo of live releases from a band who never get old, despite the years that pass.
Review by Paul McGee
Will Graefe Marine Life 11A
The band, Okkervil River, has been described as falling into either folk rock or alternative country. Take your pick when it comes to defining music that is often beyond genre and having its own unique sound. Will Graefe plays guitar in Okkervil River, in addition to collaborating with many other artists across a variety of different projects. Safe to say that he knows his way around the highs and lows of being a professional musician. Equally, when it comes to the world of relationships, things can be as tricky as trying to collaborate on a new album where you hope for both inspiration and real commitment.
This new solo release from Will Graefe succeeds superbly well in the lush production and the lovely melodies that drift along in a wash of sonorous, dreamlike Folktronica. The ten tracks chart the sad decline in a personal relationship that Graefe experienced in the lead up to Covid lockdown in early 2020. The way in which he decided to deal with the hurt and pain of losing a lover, was to pour his energies into creating the songs that appear here. The music is beautifully delivered and belies the message in the lyrics of trying to find a way through all the recrimination and the upset caused.
Will Graefe brings his A-game to the studio and in addition to producing the album, stars on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, piano, keyboards, programming and MIDI. Benjamin Lazar Davis joins him on keyboards, pump organ, samples and additional production.
There are key contributions from Katie Von Schleicher (vocals on three tracks), Shahzad Ismailly (Moog synth), Ricardo Dias Gomes (keyboards, synth), Jason Burger, Jeremy Gustin and Marshall Vore (drums), Adam Brisbin (bass, Nashville guitar), Ryan Dugre (tenor guitar), Aaron Kruziki (woodwinds) and Dan Lead (pedal steel). It all blends and flows so seamlessly that you simply fall under the spell of the collaboration as a whole.
The gentle vocal tone of Graefe is often multi-tracked and layered to great effect and tracks like Almost Morning, All the Ways, Green and Gold establish the high quality of sonically rich sound as they look at both failing to connect and walking away from the relationship; how it felt wrong from the start, with a lack of honesty and yet, still not sure what happened, in the autumn of their feelings.
Dead Reckoner and Coral Court Hotel look at how one can lose their way and any sense of ballast to keep things on an even keel. Moving on is painful, the hurt remains and letting go of blame takes time. There are two instrumental tracks, Bathing Griever and Neowise Griever, the former using pedal steel to great effect and giving the sense of love washing away with the running water at the close; the latter a more acoustic, reflective sense of memory. Run Away and Honey Boy are songs that further deepen the fear that we are in self-denial, shutting down emotions and not wanting to accept that we can never really know someone fully. We are all actors who like to hide.
The final song, Run To You, still harbours some hope for common ground and the sense that the next steps on the journey are still halting and uncertain. This is an album that bears rich rewards and wraps the listener in a world where both the pleasure and pain of being human are intertwined.
Review by Paul McGee
The Odd Birds Better Days Self-Release
This is a six-track release from a musical duo who have been gigging in the state of California for the last ten years. Playing live is the best way to hone your skills and to get those harmony vocals watertight. That is just what we are given on this debut EP, nicely played and performed songs that leave a positive impression.
Ron Grigsby plays a range of guitars, both acoustic and electric, bass, piano and harmonica. His music partner, Jennifer Moraca, joins on vocals and plays acoustic guitar. Her vocal is very powerful, with a warm tone, most evident on a fine cover version of Willin’ (Lowell George). Grigsby takes co-vocals on their self-penned songs, Better Get Outta Town, Jenny-Lynn (won’t you come home) and Fly. The harmonies are very pleasant and lead the song melodies with an easy style.
The relaxed arrangements are evidence that this duo can continue to move forward and build upon their reputation. Jennifer takes the lead on the memorable Better Days and again lifts the song with her vocal prowess. The final track is a cover of the classic, Return Of the Grievous Angel (Gram Parsons/Tom Browne) with Grigsby leading the vocal and Moraca harmonising to great effect. They are joined by Bobbo Byrnes, who adds bass, lead guitar and organ on two tracks, and Matt Froehlich who contributes on drums and percussion. All songs were written by Grigsby/Moraca, apart from the two covers and production was handled in fine style by Bobbo Byrnes.
Review by Paul McGee
Anthony Wilkerson Silver Self-Release
In June 2020, this artist released a seven-song EP, I Should Feel Heartache. It was an appropriate title for the times and song titles like The Last Trip and The Hand You’re Dealt reflected the mood of Covid lockdown.
Earlier this year, Wilkerson returned with a four-track EP, Silver, with all the essential tasks handled by himself; from the song-writing to the recording, mixing & mastering. He also played all the instruments, with the exception of one track, on which Elza Goodlow guested on guitar.
Wilkerson sings with an expressive vocal style and these four songs focus on the travails of love and the wrestle with heartache. What A Mess kicks off the trouble of having lost at the saloon of love and The Sorrow I Had, follows, with the blues getting bigger and his thirst matching the pain.
Magic Woman looks for respite in the potions of a mysterious lady who lives in the woods and can cure all heartache. No doubt it worked, as the final song, Dollar, has the hero with a good woman who deserves the best and the couple now leaving the drudgery of working for a dime and heading out for hills, breaking the chains and living free.
It’s a short visit with a musician who has plenty more to offer. Perhaps last year’s EP would have made a nice addition to the four tracks here and a full album to represent the talent on show.
Review by Paul McGee