HANK & ELLA with the Fine Country Band Good At Being Lonely Self Release
Infused with Californian optimism and sunny vibes, the second album from this Santa Cruz country band had me drawn in from the very first play. Subsequent listens have confirmed it to be a wonderful slice of country and honky tonk, comprised of thirteen original welcome ‘ear worms’ from the pen of Henry ‘Hank’ Warde. The Good Old Days Are Now sums up the philosophy of Hank and co - citing Willie, Hank W and George Jones, they exhort us to live in the moment and to make the most of the hand one has been dealt in life. That optimism informs all the songs here, whether they be the typical country themes of loneliness and heartbreak or the celebrations of true love.
The four core band members of Hank (acoustic guitar and lead vocals), his wife Ella (fiddle and harmonies), Meghan Leslie (bass and harmonies) and her partner, Poncho Lefty (electric guitar) came together a decade ago as bluegrass players, and that influence is still evident in the overall sound. However, they mainly pay homage to the Bakersfield and Nashville sounds of vintage country music. That sound is rounded out here by the fine contributions of pedal steel player Uncle Dave Magram and Marty Carpenter on drums.
Opening track Down By The Waterline is an extremely catchy song of wistful optimism, with Hank’s vocal wrapped in a blanket of fiddle, electric guitar, and pedal steel, yet never smothered by them. The project was recorded in the Wardes’ home studio and the sparkling production is down to bassist Meghan Leslie and Vince Sanchez. I particularly like the way that the fiddle is given equal prominence as the guitars, something that’s unusual in current country music but it really works here. The production is uncluttered, with room for all the individual instruments to shine.
Only Lucky When It Rains gives thanks to rainy weather for a rare chance to stay in with one’s love - clearly written by a Californian rather than an Irishman! Elsewhere though the themes are universal: Who Needs Eyes, Riding On Easy and River Of Love (with a Texas Swing feel) explore the intensity of love; while Double Vision and No Happy Hour detail the aftermath of a broken heart. Another memorable song, given a country rock treatment here, Time Is Slipping Away From Me very accurately portrays how one perceives time differently with age.
Check out all the above and even more on this highly recommended record and, while you’re at it, their debut album is equally worth investing in.
Review by Eilís Boland
Elijah Ocean Born Blue Self Release
One quick listen to this album and you will know which flag that Ocean sails under. It is a solid immersion in the classic stylings of honky-tonk, with all the necessary themes. It follows on from a number of previous albums which have increasingly moved towards this release. Ocean handles the production duties as well as composing all the songs that have touches of Bakersfield and beyond in the references to the music that emerged from the west cost over time, from the 60s to the early 90s. Indeed when you see the name of top session guitarist Brent Mason and Dwight Yoakam’s keyboard/guitar player Brian Whelan in the credits, the pointers are there. However these guests only appear on a couple of tracks and the remaining songs feature a well-honed team of other players who get things just right. Whelan was originally signed up to produce the whole album, but Ocean was not totally in sync with the results and decided to take over the helm himself. Given the results, that seems to have paid off.
There are twelve fine songs included here, performed with an honest passion and integrity. He’s not reinventing the wheel, instead concentrating on honing his music from the, reportedly, more Americana stance of his earlier work to something that will leave you in no doubt where his heart lies, at this point in his career. The subject matter of these songs is equally timeless, with love, disconsolation, cheating, break-up and divorce at the (broken) heart of each track. The titles give a clue as to which song relates to which emotion: from Livin’ To Love You, The Long Haul through to Honky Tonk Hole, The Ice Machine, The Writing On The Wall and Let’s Call It A Night.
All of these songs are testament to a writer who has learned well through his previous musical and life experiences and carefully honed his words and melodies to a consistency that is the mark of a maturing artist, happy to evolve his music without trying to court radio. It should come naturally and undoubtedly these songs would be well received if they did get wider exposure. Those Telecaster licks, smooth steel, fiddle and accordion all deliver embellishments that draw you into the songs and add a sense of timelessness, as well as referencing a specific period of real country music. This is an album that not only has that emotional empathy that country music should have, but also points you to the dance floor or, at least, some solid toe-tapping moments.
Elijah Ocean joins the ranks of those men and women who are making unashamed country music, on their own terms, for a discerning audience that is growing month by month, and long may that continue to be the case. Some will change and evolve and move beyond the boundaries of what’s considered to be country music (in a traditional sense) but there seems to be a new wave of artists ready to step up to the microphone. Watch, listen and enjoy.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Matthew Austin Hunt 11 Edgewater
Given the title, it’s easy to see that this is the impressive second solo album from Texas-based singer/songwriter Matthew Austin Hunt. However the title 11 is as much about the duality that exists within most people, as it is also, conveniently, his first release since his self titled debut. Normally a member of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band in his native Texas, Hunt has been around the music business for some time. It is something that has run through his family, going back to receiving his first guitar from his grandfather, and being influenced by the record collections and musical loves of both his grandfather and father. In terms of his developing writing skills, he acknowledges the likes of Robert Earl Keen through to Jackson Browne as influences. That equates to a country influenced sound that looks beyond the honky-tonks to a broader contemporary roots rock process similar in outlook, if not always in sound, to the likes of Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.
The song that opens the album is Free. Here, Hunt takes on a persona to deliver the song about personal freedom, or lack of it, considering the different aspects of what it is to be free and how that might be seen. In the realisation of this viewpoint and thinking, Things I Find has effective pedal steel and guitar and follows on from the opening song’s concept of perceiving things from different angles while still looking forward, to finding more about his life and the lives of those he meets. Each of these songs expands, in one way or another, from the character whose overall perspective these lyrics elucidate. This process is always tempered by Hunt’s own experiences and journey through life to date. Going Home deals with the good feeling that is associated with returning to that place of happier memories and extended family. By way of contrast Drink You Off My Mind is a more singular emotion, a bar-room bemoaning about drinking to forget an unsuccessful romantic encounter - something that is not an uncommon theme in roots and country songs. The accordion of Healin’ Time adds a welcome variation to overall sound, with its border atmosphere and celebration of tequila and temptation.
Overall there is plenty to like about this album which sits at a well though out place that has folk, country and more uptempo roots rockin’ sensibilities, all adeptly handled by Hunt, both vocally and musically. The production by Derek Hames, who is also a multi-instrument contributor the album alongside Will Van Horn’s steel guitar, Ellen Story on fiddle and mandolin, John Shelton’s guitars, Roberto Rodriguez 111’s accordion and a solid rhythm section. All of these players add much to the songs and doubtless enjoyed the process that built upon Hunt’s song writing and lead vocals. This second album of original material has shown him to be a name to add to the list of promising and purposeful performers from Texas and beyond, who continue in the tradition of those artists who inspired them. The future then is free.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Son Volt Electro Melodier Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers
The cancellation of a tour which was to mark 25 years since the release of their seminal debut album TRACE offered Jay Farrar the time and thought process for ELECTRO MELODIER, Son Volt’s tenth studio album. Jay Farrar may be the only original member of the band formed in 1994 following the acrimonious break up of Uncle Tupelo, but their core sound remains the same, fronted by Farrar distinctive and stellar vocals.
The current line up alongside Farrar features Mark Spencer (piano, organ, acoustic slide, lap steel, backing vocals), Andrew DuPlantis (bass, backing vocals), Chris Frame (guitar) and Mark Patterson (drums, percussion). Whereas Jeff Tweedy, his partner in crime in Uncle Tupelo, went down a somewhat indie rock route with Wilco, Farrar has remained closer to the alt-country sound of the ground breaking Uncle Tupelo.
ELECTRIC MELODIER’S title is taken from the names of two vintage amplifiers dating back to the 1950’s and follows the politically charged UNION, which was released in 2019. That album was fiercely critical of the Trump administration and although the latest album touches on broader issues, tracks such as the bruising Living In The U.S.A and the stripped back bluesy War On Misery, reiterate Farrar’s exasperation with social issues close to home and further afield. (“I wanted politics to take a back seat this time, but it always seems to find a way back in there.” admits Farrar). Similarly, The Globe is a call to arms for a universal fight for equality.
Elsewhere Laura Cantrell adds her sweet vocals behind Farrar’s drawling delivery on the standout Diamonds and Cigarettes and it’s business as usual with the trademark driving Son Volt sound surfacing on Someday Is Now and Reverie. Further highlights emerge on the optimistic and broodily melodic Arkey Blue. ‘’It’s alright the worst will soon be over, let the rhythm rise’’ announces Farrar in the song, stretching each syllable to its limit to make his point.
This latest album finds Farrar and his band at the top of their game. Songs of unease and indeed unrest never sounded better on an album that packs an equally hefty punch to that of their classic AMERICAN CENTRAL DUST from 2009.
Review by Declan Culliton
Choctaw Ridge New Fables Of The American South 1968–1973 Ace Records
When Bobby Gentry sang of that ‘third of June, sleepy, dusty Delta day’ in her 1967 single Ode To Billie Joe, she could hardly have imagined the impact that song, with its deep, dark and unsettling overtones, would have.
The country music lords in Nashville may have been initially dismissive of murky tales and shady characters from Tallahatchie Bridge, but this southern noir classic opened doors for a host of songwriters and singers, both male and female, and mainly from the southern States. That song from Gentry only entered the Billboard country charts after it had topped the pop charts and by doing so compelled the conservative music industry movers and shakers in Nashville to sit up and take notice. From it emerged a succession of classic songs, more often than not penned by songwriters that composed rather than performed. There was no shortage of singers to record the songs and many who charted them became household names as a result of that purple patch from 1968 – 1973.
Lee Hazlewood, Jerry Reed, Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Billie Jo Spears, all of whom became hugely successful country artists, grasped the songs presented to them with open arms and made them their own. Others such as Dolly Parton, Tom T Hall and Tony Joe White, composed their own similarly themed songs and also cemented eminently decorated careers. Somewhat lesser celebrated singer songwriters who blossomed during this era included Jeannie C Riley, Hoyt Axton, Nat Stuckey, Rob Galbraith, Ed Bruce and John Hartford. Michael Nesmith, becoming increasingly frustrated by the manufactured image imposed on him in the hugely successful cartoon pop band The Monkees, extracted himself from that band to pursue his preferred musical direction with the country rock outfit First National Band.
Ace Records pay homage to these singers and songwriters on this excellent compilation album which celebrates the golden era of progressive pop country from the late 60’s to early 70’s, prior to the arrival of what became known as outlaw country. It’s also a reminder, if needed, of some of the outstanding writing and performances that followed that original Bobby Gentry four Grammy winning record. The twenty-four tracks on offer read like a series of Tennessee Williams’ short stories, often as dark as the deep waters of the Tallahatchie river and seldom presenting happy endings.
Tom T Hall sings of a miserable existence in an orphanage on Strawberry Farms and both eternal and young love, infidelity and domestic abuse feature on Four Shades Of Love, courtesy of Henson Cargill. The House Song, by Lee Hazlewood, details a tragic family break up and heartache emerges once more when Hazlewood is joined by Suzi Jane Hokom on the duet Alone. The taboo subject, at that time, of pregnancy outside wedlock, is tackled by Dolly Parton on the self-write Down From Dover and a Korean War veteran, returning from battle and scarred physically and emotionally, fills the lines of the Mel Tillis written classic Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town, performed by Kenny Rogers & The First Edition. These songs referenced are simply a snapshot from an album of perfectly tailored songs, both topical and unflinchingly honest. It’s a ‘must buy’ for any discerning lover of country or indeed Americana music, but be warned, it’s also likely to empty your wallet as you get drawn into the shady world of southern noir and seek out other recordings by many of the artists featured.
Hats off to Ace Records for this enthralling musical journey. Let’s hope there are further volumes in the pipeline, rewarding a new generation of listeners with some ageless and classic songs that fully deserve to be rediscovered.
Review by Declan Culliton
Mikaela Finne Time Stands Still Self Release
Dubbed ‘The Outlaw Queen of Finland’, Mikaela Finne is another name to add to the growing list of artists in the mushrooming Nordicana genre. Born and reared in Finland, where her music of choice was heavy metal in her younger years, she currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden, where her latest album was recorded. Her crossover to country and roots music was fuelled by her father’s passion for all things Dolly and Creedence.
Producer and session drummer Brady Blade has worked with a host of household names in country and roots music including Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Buddy and Julie Miller and Patty Griffin. Given that Blade also lives in Stockholm, he was an obvious choice to get on board for the production duties and they recorded the album over a week in the studio during November 2020. Joined by a host of local session players, they also called on the services of the decorated pedal steel player Al Perkins to add his magic to the recording.
The combination of Finne’s nasally twang and the support of those players has resulted in a suite of songs with a very raw and live feel. An ode to the collection of female artists recording what they want, rather than what the market might demand, she puts her cards on the table on both Outlaw Women and the swinging opener What If. As you might expect she also includes a few lovin’ and leavin’ numbers. The textbook country ballad We Both Wanted Forever (But Got For Now) is simply vocals and acoustic guitar, only embellished with bass and drums as the story reaches its conclusion. She’s moving on from a relationship that has lost steam in the catchy You Put Your Fire Out and her classic vibrato voice is put to good use on the melancholy title track. The latter is a highlight on an album that delivers melodious country flavours on some perfectly tailored songs.
Review by Declan Culliton
Steve Dawson At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree Pravda
The soulful vocals of Steve Dawson formed a lasting impression on the music aficionados of the Chicago alternative scene in the early 1990s. His band, Dolly Varden, included his wife, the very talented Diane Christiansen, and they released six albums up to 2013. Since then, Dawson has released a few solo albums, collaborated on other projects and produced a variety of albums from his home studio, Kernel Sound Emporium, in Chicago.
This new album is another solo offering and it was completed during lockdown at home. Self-produced and containing fourteen songs, all written by Dawson, this is quite an achievement in both depth and vision. The writing seems to come from a personal place and many of the tracks speak of childhood memories, looking back to find clues to moving forward and reminiscing on what shapes a life.
Dawson played a range of instruments for the album, including all guitars, bass, drums, various keyboards, lap steel, dulcimer, accordion and harmonium. He still sings as sweetly as ever, with a resonance in his delivery that is very capturing. Alton Smith contributes piano on two songs, Michael Miles plays banjo on another and Diane Christiansen adds vocals on one track in addition to creating the cover art.
She Knew appears to reference his Mother and the life lessons learned from listening to her advice, ‘honey, you always worry too much.’ The message of enduring friendship in Hard Time Friend is a sanctuary from the cold world that cares little for the concerns of the individual, ‘here we are tired and obscured, Pulling the weight of the centuries, My hand reaching for yours.’ The need for connection is all too clear from these songs and it’s a theme that continues through the album.
On the title track, Dawson sings, ‘I am stunned by the cruelty, I am trying to be kind, To undo the damage left behind.’ The song conjures up an early memory of Dawson and his sister swinging on a large branch and channels childhood as innocence lost. Equally, I Will Never Stop Being Sorry, seems to capture another painful memory and family loss. The lines ‘But who are the ghosts, who plot and who plan? Who stomp ‘round the room with their sacks full of sand,’ paint an all-too real image of being haunted by the past. There is the thought in Forgiveness Is Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be that ‘There’s no choir of angels, no surprise epiphany, But I can wish you well out on your island in the sea.’ Resolving to let go of the past and the weight that holds us down is perhaps the best response to the feeling of being trapped by memories?
In, The Spaces In Between, Dawson says that ‘Life’s too short and it takes too long, Years fly by and the days drag on.’ The dichotomy of these thoughts only goes to highlight the dilemma of being in the present but consumed by the past. This is a brave album, bare in the writing with lovely melodies to soothe as the song arrangements lure you into an easy state of relaxation. A really impressive album and one that should feature in any discerning collectors list.
Review by Paul McGee
Charles Ellsworth Honeysuckle Summer Burro Borracho
Based in Brooklyn, New York and with a number of previous releases, this talented singer-songwriter delivers his latest slice of Americana. With plenty of insightful lyrics, these eight songs are very well produced by Joe Reinhart at Headroom Studios in Philadelphia and delivered by a group of musicians that include Jared Schapker on bass, Blake Suben on drums, Mike Brennan on pedal/lap steel, Nate Vaeth on piano/organ and Lucy Stone on backing vocals. They all support Ellsworth’s vision and play with a great understanding and groove on the song arrangements.
The title, Honeysuckle Summer, crops up in the song, Miami AZ, which is a look back at small town romance and a girl and boy striking out for something bigger. The reference to Miami in this song refers to a town in Gila County, Arizona, the state where Ellsworth grew up before moving to the big city lights.
Opening song, Gripping Onto Water, speaks of father issues, employer greed and unrequited love. It could have its roots in personal experience but equally it’s the song of everyman growing up in small town conservatism and limited opportunity. Equally, the song, Max and Geraldine, looks at a couple, teenage sweethearts, who now struggle to pay their bills in the middle of health issues. White Cross On the Highway looks at a life spent on the road and long-distance love. Perhaps, another personal reflection, with a sense of time running down; maybe a slice of personal regret, ‘Oh, this highway’s like a graveyard, For the lives I could have lived.’
Blessed is a song that hits home with commentary on the bankrupt morality in the USA. The hypocrisy and the Vaseline-smeared image of ‘The Land of the Free.’ Also, the song, Blood In the Halls, is an anti-gun lobby view of school shootings and punches out an anger that is palpable in the arrangement. Laundromat is a song that looks at the vicissitudes of life, the knowledge that love comes and goes and above all, to believe in yourself.
Final track, Trouble, is perhaps a view of our collective Covid fears and speaks of ‘Living in the past and worried about the future.’ Also, Ellsworth sums it all up in the final lines of the song, ‘Be right here, right now and remember to breathe.’
This is a superb album, coming from a personal space, filled with lots of great moments and well worth your time.
Review by Paul McGee
James McMurtry The Horses And The Hounds New West
When approaching a new album from this much-revered songsmith of hard-earned experience, it’s important to bear in mind that James has built a career based on observation. His gift in holding up many mirrors to the people from which he draws inspiration, is truly inspiring, and it continues to shine on this latest release. Of course, taking a character-based approach does not mean that his songs are exclusively about others, and despite his protestations, there is a hint of personal perspective that is bound to form part of the writing. Just how much of the former, or the latter, is the chalk line that will be drawn by the listener, but don’t take the opinions expressed in the lyrics on a too literal basis.
On this, his tenth studio album, James has taken a look at more of the cross section of life that passes by his finely tuned intelligence and wit. Again, taking his fictional approach and injecting it with truisms and keenly observed insight. James can often come across as pretty stoic but he has a dry sense of humour that reveals his sense of fun.
Vaquero is a song that James has written in dedication to the memory of Bill Witliff, a screenwriter, author and photographer who was a close friend of his father, renowned writer Larry McMurtry (R.I.P.). Witliff worked on the Lonesome Dove mini-series for tv in 1989, which was an interpretation of the great novel, written by Larry McMurtry and published in 1985.
Decent Man is a tale about a small rancher, on his last legs, who takes his frustrations out on a close friend and spends the rest of his days confronting his moment of madness. The travails of a long-distance relationship is tackled in What’s The Matter, with a touring musician trying to keep the lid on his challenges back home with a disaffected wife, ‘we’re nearly twenty years older, and it’s not like we thought it’d be, we never talked this over, you can’t lay it all on me.’ The twin guitar attack of Charlie Sexton and Dave Grissom driving the rhythm on a wave of high tempo energy.
Ft. Walton Wake-Up Call, is a cleverly worded tale of disillusioned honeymooners suffering the hotel blues and trying to get out of Florida during lockdown. It’s such a witty song with the frustrations manifest in the lines, ‘she’s camped in the shower and she won’t come out, and I don’t have a clue what that’s about.’
Canola Fields visits the past, reflected through memories of an old crush and how it’s never too late to try and relive an old dream. Lines like, ‘we all drifted away with the days getting shorter, seeking our place in the greater scheme, kids and careers and a vague sense of order, busting apart at the seams,’ capture the wonderful imagery in picturing the lost years of adolescence and growing up into adulthood.
Operation Never Mind is a scathing attack on foreign policy and modern military warfare as a PR exercise, with the KBR at the hub of spinning the whole policy of divide and conquer. They provide logistical support to the U.S. military and lines such as, ‘we just go on about our business, drop the kids off at the mall, play the Black Ops on the laptop, and don’t make too big a fuss about it all’ really nail the apathy and the ignorance of the American general public to the real truth behind the covert warmongering.
If It Don’t Bleed highlights the differences between the values of today with those of years gone by; when nobody got very upset about the ‘small stuff’ and had a philosophy of live and let live. The song character also muses, I’m near enough to Jesus as I ever want to get, seeking salvation isn’t part of my general plan.’ No self-righteous hypocrisy going on with this older generation dude! The title track is a co-write with guitarist Dave Grissom and looks at a man on the run, a runaway who is running out of options, in his life choices and his relationships.
The final track, Blackberry Winter, references Virginia Wolfe with images of both rocks and rivers, which is the way that she took her life. It mirrors a modern couple who are having relationship difficulties. The impact of progress on rural communities is tackled on the song, Jackie, where the female farmer/trucker does whatever she can to keep up with her financial commitments and constraints. Her worn-down attempts to keep everything together leading to a cruel end.
There are three co-writes on the album, something of a departure, as James tends to write alone. The remaining seven songs are self-penned and the album was recorded with producer Ross Hogarth at Jackson Browne’s Groovemaster studio in Santa Monica, California. Using a stellar cast of musicians, the album is testament to the prodigious talent that continues to set the bar very high for any aspiring songwriter who seeks to learn how this wizard continues to conjure up the magic.
Review by Paul McGee