Hank Topless Thank Your Dirty Stars Self Release
Hearing this I’m pretty sure that this particular Hank done it this way, his way. An engaging mix of edgy alt.countryeque sounds that go under the overall description of honky tonk country blues delivered, it has to be said, with no little sense of humour to alleviate the eternal themes of love, hate, lust and longing. From Tucson, Arizona he is backed here by his band The Dead Horseman who fairly gallop through these original Topless songs (bar one traditional song, the blues-based Another Man Done Gone). There can’t be that many writers whose subject matter includes a tribute to the late cult-writer Jim Carroll and his song People Who Died. But that is what Jim Carroll Blues is about - a song that got Topless himself thinking about those people close to him who died. Cut My Head Off bears a certain comparison with the likes of Junior Brown, in taking a thought to somewhere less well lit.
Topless’ connection to the darker side of country’s underbelly and the bluesier side is reflected in a trio of songs that end in the word “Blues.” So alongside the aforementioned Jim Carroll Blues there is Hard Time Blues and Skeleton’s Blues. However, the understanding of dealing with the downside of life in as positive a way as possible is inherent in other songs too. Baby Go By finds him at a traffic light when he notices a past love and reflects on the possibilities that didn’t get to happen. As with much of the album there are sonic elements that add to the overall unsettling and downbeat nature of the writing. He uses some distorted vocal effects on certain tracks such as the public domain blues perennial Another Man Done Gone. The ghost of Waylon Jennings stands firmly behind Topless on the album’s final track Country Western Crackhead Hippy, which closes the album on something of a high - both in sound and spirit. Its long guitar fade out uses a faux radio broadcaster headline, “Georgia’s crack induced paranoia was at an all time high”, to add to its sense of dark reality over its seven minute plus length.
Topless co-produced the album with Jim Walters and they achieve an overall consistency that serves the material well and uses the rhythm section of Eric Baldoni and Dani Ponce effectively. The guitars are shared by Topless and J Clay K who is the main lead player, but with the former effectively using both baritone guitar and his talk box to give a degree of additional tones to the recordings. Pedal steel on I’m Just Too Tired was provided by Caleb Melo and Nick Coventry played fiddle on Skeleton’s Blues. Topless delivers a vocal throughout that is purposeful, if seemingly imbued with resignation and regret.
Topless is not an act that will please everyone, especially those attuned to the mainstream interpretation of country music or indeed those who like their honky-tonk straight up. However those attuned to his world view and outlook will appreciate a kindred spirit who is not bound by any conventional view of country music. Not that Topless doesn’t appreciated the past, as witnessed by his online covers of songs by Ernest Tubb and songs like Behind Closed Doors and Night Life. But his view is that what’s been done has been done and in his particular case he wants to take it some place a little different. He is also a renowned performer who works solo or with his band, and has doubtless built some notoriety and a solid following locally in his Loser’s Lounge gigs in Tucson and in the surrounding regions.
Hank Topless is his own man and there are those who will thank their lucky stars that they have THANK YOUR DIRTY STARS to help that deal with their own blues - country or otherwise.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Cody Jinks Mercy Late August
With ten previous albums to his credit, it’s remarkable to consider that the Haltom City, Texas modern country outlaw Cody Jinks is still releasing his music as an independent artist, through his own label Late August Records. It’s most likely a testament to a maverick who likes to do things on his own terms and is knocking out a good living doing so.
There are no surprises on his latest album MERCY. Recorded at Sonic Ranch Adobe Studios, Tornillo, Texas with his core players, it shifts between classic outlaw country ballads and excursions into hard-nosed Southern Rock. The musicians that worked on the album are Jinks’ touring band of Chris Claridy (guitar), Joshua Thompson (bass), David Colvin (drums), David Harakal (keys), and Austin ‘Hot Rod’ Tripp (steel guitar and dobro). All but one of the twelve tracks are co-writes, the exception being How It Works. Celebrated artists in their own right, Kendall Marvel, Ward Davis and Josh Morningstar all lent a hand with the compositions.
With his hectic touring schedule, each of his albums are loaded with material that begs to be played live. MERCY is no exception with explosive rockers like Hurt You and the aforementioned How It Works being definite crowd pleasers. However, for me, it’s the more relaxed country ballads that excel on the album. The title track, Nobody Knows How To Read and particularly Dying Isn’t Cheap are out of the Merle Haggard school of songwriting, and perfectly suited to Jinks’ chiselled vocals. Equally memorable is the timeless I Don’t Trust My Memories Any More. Awash with aching pedal steel, it’s a perfectly tailored country song.
Cody Jinks continues to be one of, if not the, most successful independent country artists, regularly selling out arenas and headlining festivals. He has also released Certified Gold and Platinum singles without being played on country radio. With that profile, he must surely be under the radar of the major labels. It remains to be seen whether he’ll continue to do his own thing independently. Either way, don’t expect any major change in musical direction. MERCY is typical of Jinks handiwork and if it rocks your boat check out ADOBE SESSIONS from 2015 and I’M NOT THE DEVIL from the following year. Both are stonewalled Outlaw Country classics.
Review by Declan Culliton
The HawtThorns Tarot Cards and Shooting Stars Mule Kick
Nashville based husband and wife team The HawtThorns’ second album is released on their own independent label Mule Kick Productions, the label that has also supported recordings by Lonesome Highway favourites Side Pony, Rosie Flores and Andrew Leahey and The Homestead.
The HawtThorns are Johnny Hawthorn and KP (Kirsten Proffit) and this record follows on from their 2019 release MORNING SUN. KP was formerly a member of the three-piece California band Calico, alongside Jaime Wyatt and Manda Mosher. Johnny’s background includes three solo albums, stints in bands Wet Sprocket, Toad and Everclear, as well as production duties on numerous recordings.
TAROT CARDS and SHOOTING STARS remains true to the musical template of their debut album, drawing on the West Coast influences of their previous life in California. Their relocation to Nashville in 2020 also infiltrates the album’s direction, with splashes of southern soul and gospel evident.
Stand out track Let’s Get Together sounds like a song you’ve known all your life. Showcasing KP’s crystal clear soulful vocals, it reads and sounds like the definitive song to exit Covid, and moving on to more hopeful and positive times. A similar ray of hope emerges on Keep It Alive and the laid-back acoustic The One That Got Away features layered vocals by the duo, before they sign off with the similarly paced When Georgia Cries. The ‘love lost’ catchy opener All The Right Reasons (not to be confused with The Jayhawks song of the same name) also impresses and the one cover included is Neil Young’s Lotta Love, which gets a funky makeover, entering Fleetwood Mac territory.
Like so many other albums these days, TAROT CARDS and SHOOTING STARS has been placed in the ever-expanding Americana pool. For me, it is more of a mainstream radio friendly recording and a most impressive one at that. With a slick production, intricate arrangements, strong material and KP’s heavenly vocals, it’s another step in the right direction for a band that has all the attributes for a rapid rise up the industry ladder.
Review by Declan Culliton
Terry Klein Good Luck, Take Care Self Release
My introduction to the music of Texan Terry Klein was his 2019 album TEX. An album packed with memorable songs, it spent quite a lot of time in my cd player that year and featured in the best of year-end at Lonesome Highway. That album and its predecessor GREAT NORTHERN were produced by Texan troubadour Walt Wilkins in Austin. On this occasion, Klein hooked up with Nashville based songwriter, musician and producer Thomm Jutz at his home studio in Nashville, and together they recorded and mixed the album over a four-day period in October 2021. No stranger to classic singer-songwriters, in a previous life Jutz was a touring guitar player with Nanci Griffith, David Olney and Mary Gauthier.
In a similar vein to TEX and very much in the style of the celebrated Texan songwriters, GOOD LUCK, TAKE CARE is essentially a collection of ten stories, both from brutally honest personal experiences and episodes created by observations.
The forthright and self-deprecating opener 60 in a 75 (Sixty In A Seventy Five) describes the aftermath of a panic attack experienced on stage by Klein during a live show and the subsequent long drive home after the gig. (‘I try to listen to some music but it’s Twist and Shout, that’s a little too much and the sun’s in my eyes’). The track also signals a change in direction from his previous recordings. Gone is the polished production, replaced by a looser, rootsier, rawer sound. That high octane treatment also surfaces on Salinas, which was brainstormed following a road trip through the Salinas Valley while driving in California from Berkeley to Los Olivos.
Closer to the temper of TEX are the tracks What You Lose Along The Way and The Goldfinch. As much a poem put to music, the former is delivered as spoken word, recalling experiences and lost friends from previous decades. The latter, featuring Thomm on a mid-30s Epiphone guitar, was inspired by the novel of the same name by American author Donna Tartt. Elsewhere, very much a song of its time The Salt, a co-write with Allan Emmer, was written at the height of the pandemic in Spring 2021. The inescapable mental pressure that lands unannounced is the focus of the song. (‘Some days you float some days you fall some days you can’t let go. It’s not so much the bitter tears as the salt they leave behind’).
The album’s title is also a reminder of the thin line we walk between darkness and daylight and the often-unexpected hurdles that life presents. It also offers a suite of unhurried and intimate songs that draw the listener in with their candour, from an artist at the top of his game.
Review by Declan Culliton
Sophie & The Broken Things Delusions Of Grandeur Petaluma
Growing up on a farm in rural mid-Atlantic Maryland, Sophie Gault’s ‘go to’ music was the more raw and seedy sounds of Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle. Fast forward to the present and Grammy award winning producer Ray Kennedy, who worked with both those artists, is singing the praises of Sophie Gault, having mixed and mastered DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, the first full album from Sophie & The Broken Things.
Gault’s artistic journey kicked off strumming a guitar as an early teenager, eventually progressing into songwriting. A summer spent in Nashville during her college years led to her relocating to Music City in 2014. A chance encounter with Julie Miller, an artist much revered by Gault, at Americana venue Bobby’s Idle Hour, led to the band name The Broken Things, borrowed from the title of Miller’s 1999 album. Coincidentally, Steve Earle appears on the song Strange Love, from that album. A self-titled debut EP from Sophie & The Broken Things followed in January 2020.
The overall mood of their latest recording DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR is one of deep thinking and the musical sketches are decorated by Gault’s pristine vocals, supported by slick guitar riffs and breaks from Jules Belmont. Angling towards a mix of country and Americana, ballads such as Dashboard and the ‘bust up/make up’ Trouble - a duet with Logan Ledger - are finely honed. Echoes of Lucinda Williams are present on the opener Golden Rule, which features splashes of hazy guitar, all in the right places, and adding a melodic intensity. The location on the up-tempo ‘love lost’ track Churches and Bars is surprisingly not Nashville, but Oneonta, New York, which can also boast numerous churches and bars per square mile. She pumps it up on Heavy Metal, a co-write with Michael Davis Thomas and there’s a sense of torturous reflection and reconnection on Moving On.
A new name to me and one that I’m well impressed by, the album is packed with well-constructed songs presented by a genuine country voice and backing players to match. Lazy comparisons are often made to the early work of Lucinda Williams by reviewers, however, in this case, that comparison is spot-on. Highly recommended.
Review by Declan Culliton
Eric Brace & Last Train Home Everything Will Be Red Beet
Eleven songs and forty-six minutes of listening pleasure. Eric Brace and his merry band of musicians have been producing music of real quality ever since they first appeared with their debut album, back in 1997. Since then, a further ten albums have been released, including this gem. It’s been an interesting twenty-five-year career, with the band having stepped away from playing together for a period of time (ten years), while they settled into different lives in separate locations around America.
Between 1997 and 2008, they released six albums, three EPs, and a live concert DVD, while touring steadily across the USA and throughout Europe. While they slowed the pace, and limited touring had continued, there were no further recordings until 2019. Brace had moved to Nashville in 2004 and was collaborating with songwriters Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz for a number of years. When he reached out to the old band members and expressed a wish to revisit the original spark from their Washington DC origins, the results were captured in the superb, DAYTIME HIGHS AND OVERNIGHT LOWS, their tenth album that was released in 2020.
Having gotten the old groove back, Last Train Home decided to keep the momentum going and here we have another lockdown gem. Produced by Eric Brace and Jared Barlett, the album features seven songs from the pen of Brace (including one co-write) and four cover versions. The eight musicians who feature, are Brace (acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Jared Bartlett (acoustic and electric guitar), Jim Gray (bass), Martin Lynds (drums), Scott McKnight (guitars and keyboards), Dave Van Allen (pedal steel and dobro), Chris Watling (accordion and saxophones), Kevin Cordt (trumpet) and Bill Williams (acoustic guitar, banjo, harmonica, ukulele and harmony vocals). And what a sweet sound they all make when they come together in celebration of their continuing journey and success.
Everything Will Be is a title that captures the essence of just letting things take their own course and seeing where the dice fall. After all these years to be back together making music that resonates with the times is more than I’m sure any of the band could have expected. And what of their eclectic mix? So many fine players, so many diverse instruments and a melting pot that is what Americana/Roots music is all about - defined in the joy of ensemble playing on these songs.
Opening with the title track and a positive message about grasping life’s precious moments, the bright arrangement and superb guitar work of Bartlett drive the song to a fine conclusion. It sets a marker for the rest of the album with the warm vocals of Brace taking front and centre. The Country vibe on Lily Of the Day (Thomm Jutz & Craig Market) is framed by the considered pedal steel of Dave Van Allen and the piano of guest player, Kevin McKendree. Tomm Jutz adds some very tasty acoustic guitar licks on this song about the passing of time.
Language is a love song about communication and the easy way that words can be misconstrued. There are some subtle strings, courtesy of David Henry, and some restrained saxophone and trumpet parts. Better Days recounts the feeling of early lockdown and a return home from a cancelled Irish tour with Tomm Jutz. It captures the sense of community in the East Nashville neighbourhood where Brace lives. The easy interplay among the band is a real joy and the melody stays with you after the song has faded. If I Had a Nickel is another great band workout, this time with a jazzy swing and the horn section swapping parts with piano on a jaunty trip that looks at old father time, ‘We can’t make the moment stay, Just turn and watch it go.’
The Six O’Clock Train and the Girl With Green Eyes is a cover of the original John Hartford song. It captures that fleeting moment when you are waiting for a glimpse of a distant fantasy; the girl that you would like to have the courage to speak with and not feel nervous and self-conscious. Next Time looks at the lack of contact that many felt during Covid distancing and meeting up with old friends again, after the long separation. It’s thoughtful and restrained melody is perfect for the wistful sentiment, ‘The wonder of it all, will make me wonder if I’m dreaming.’
East Nashville Highball is a giddy instrumental with the ensemble really displaying their adept skills on a range of instruments, pedal steel to the fore, coupled with electric guitar and harmonica, plus feel-good saxophone and trumpet solos. In the Dark is a memory song for an old friend that highlights some fine harmony vocals and the sentiment, ‘ so much to say, I wish that you would stay.’ Warm keyboards and an easy backbeat set the tempo.
I’m An Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande), is a cover of the great Johnny Mercer song which has been a popular favourite of many artists over the generations. This has a big band feel and some tasty jazz rhythms, merged with a superb guitar break. The plaintive sound of pedal steel, banjo and harmonica also makes its way into the mix and a time-honoured whistling part to honour the old image of cowboys on the silver screen.
The final song, When I’m Dead and Gone (Gallagher/Lyle) is perhaps a strange choice, given the large number of deaths in the USA during the Covid pandemic (fast approaching the one million mark). It was always an up-tempo song, despite the subject matter, and Brace does it justice by ending things with a band sing-along, brass playing free and the rhythm section driving everything along at a pace.
One thing that you can be certain of with a Last Train Home album, is that a good time will be had by all. The musicians are of the highest calibre and with years of playing together, their spontaneity is clearly evident in the way in which they complement each other. A very worthy project and filled with great moments.
Review by Paul MCGee
Jason Baker Liberty Self Release
Written, performed, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by the artist himself, this is a fine example of the D.I.Y. ethic that has gained such a powerful momentum during the Covid pandemic experience of the last two years.
Jason Baker is a songwriter & performer from Burlington, Vermont. Given that he only started recording in 2018, there is already an impressive output with three full length albums to choose from. He also plays as part of a folk trio named Folk Talk Trio, and they have two releases of their own, in the last two years.
He namechecks, among others, Dar Williams in his credits on this four-track EP. Whether he simply drew inspiration from her work or whether he attended her music workshops is not clear, but either way, it’s a good indication of what to expect here.
Baker writes with a clarity that balances serious content with almost humorous delivery in his strong vocals and guitar style. The title track speaks of living your dream and being true to yourself; something we would all aspire towards, even if the reality of attainment can be somewhat challenging at times.
River Of Truth draws from the book of positivity and speaks of making a difference in the planting of community seeds to watch them grow. Being constant and letting the ripples of the pond spread wide. Again, the message is one of being true to your beliefs.
The Game Is Over takes a view on the avarice and greed in the world. Where the few get richer and the many continue to endure daily hardship and struggle. Baker uses the game of Monopoly as his metaphor; with the mentality of ‘winner takes all’ an indication that perhaps all this will to win is perhaps a weakness.
Opening track, The Bigotry Blues, uses clever juxtaposition of words to aim some well-directed blows at the malaise of increasing bigotry that has crept into our views and our societies. No doubt, sparked by the Trump years in power, Baker warns of the threat imposed by mass-hypnosis and the dangers of a movement growing out of activities that nobody predicted, ‘They want war and they want it now, Hating everybody is their sacred cow, Guess we should have known from the war drums drumming, But I swear I did Nazi (sung as: not see) see it coming.’ Very clever, and the message is lightened by the use of kazoo and ukulele as Baker’s weapons of choice. An interesting new artist for me and I look forward to hearing more.
Review by Paul MCGee
Clever Hopes Artefact Self Release
This is a debut album from actor/director and songwriter, Andrew Shaver (acoustic guitar/vocals), and Eva Foote (acoustic guitar/vocals). They first met on the theatre production of the musical, Once, (Glen Hansard), after which they formed Clever Hopes. Their collaboration on this very rounded and impressive project, delivers ten tracks that play out over a very generous and engaging fifty minutes.
Recorded over a few days at Union Sound Company in Toronto, the musicians played live in the studio, something of a rarity in these times of remote recording and e-mailed music files. The organic feel of that experience is reflected in the flow of these songs and the interplay among the ensemble is beautifully captured. The album was produced and mixed by Matthew Barber, who also contributed on Farfisa organ and vocals. The other musicians involved were Noah Reid (keyboards/vocals), Justin Rutledge (guitars), Kev Foran (brass), Joe Glass (guitar/pedal steel/mandolin/vocals), Steve Zsirai (electric/upright bass) and Marshall Bureau (drums/tambo).
The opening song, Interference, is wrapped in a sweet pedal steel melody and sets the tone for the album theme, which examines a doomed relationship, and the realisation that there will always be a disconnect in communication when two people are pulling in different directions. The Other Side has an addictive beat and a nice melody, while capturing the feeling of being far apart from someone, both physically and emotionally. The inclusion of horn sounds on the arrangement is a nice touch and heightens the sense of confusion where distance leads to anxiety overload. Shaver spent time in Australia during the break-up of this relationship so, no doubt, this gets channelled.
Shadow Waltz has some great pedal steel parts from Joe Grass and a slow tempo that reflects upon events that are sometimes outside of our control, ‘All the scars that shift between us, Like the glass at our feet, I touch your hand and you’re drifting away from me, I’d take your hand but you’re already out of reach.’
Made You Mad is a standout track with a look into the details that dissect a relationship. The co-vocal of Eva and Andrew is perfectly aligned as they trade lines on what drove each other crazy, ‘For every time I made you dinner, For every time I made our bed, There were a hundred thousand little things, That I know I should have said.’ The song arrangement is very addictive and reminds me in some ways of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions at the height of their power as it builds and plays out.
Corner Hotel recounts an experience of ships passing in the night and missed opportunities to connect over time and place. It’s a great premise for a song and skilfully delivered, both in the subtle musical touches and the vocal restraint. Now We Burn has such an atmospheric dynamic to the mood of resignation, ‘There’s a relief that comes, When something is broken, And all the hardest words, Are finally spoken.’ It reflects the nadir of the relationship journey as it winds its way towards inevitable breakdown.
Gravel Rash Stare has a great RnB groove, the keyboard and horn sounds capture the sense of memory and regrets, ‘I’m old enough to remember what it was all for, But I’m young enough to remember wanting more.’ As debut albums go, this one is as good as I’ve heard in a long time. Full credit to Eva Foote for playing the role of break-up partner in these songs and sprinkling them with magic dust in her vocal delivery and guitar parts - a perfect foil when the original protagonist has already left the ring.
Review by Paul MCGee
Steve Dawson Gone, Long Gone Black Hen
With a measure of humility, Steve Dawson intends to release three albums over the forthcoming year. Call it a result of Covid productivity while under lockdown. He has always been a busy guy, whether as a musician, a producer or a label owner. Steve is usually found with his hands on a new project and turning water into wine with his magic touch.
The ten tracks featured here are full of genre fluid treats, from the opener, Dimes, with its RnB feel and soulful backing vocals from Allison Russell; to the swing Blues of King Bennie Had His Shit Together, and that’s only the first two tracks! King Bennie Nawahi was a steel guitar player from Hawaii with a very colourful life story, captured here as a tribute to his exploits. Bad Omen follows and is a deeper blues workout with great atmospheric feel. Steve on vocal, Weissenborn and electric guitars; Jay Bellerose on drums and percussion; Jeremy Holmes on bass and Kevin McKendree on atmospheric organ.
The title track has Steve on vocal, acoustic guitar and pedal steel, while the seemingly contra-sound of Ben Plotnick on violin and viola, together with Kaitlyn Raitz on cello, works perfectly as a harmonious whole. The mark of a creative mind who uses musical intuition to break new ground. I Just Get Lost has an acoustic intro that blends into something approaching a Little Feat workout, with multi-instrumentalist Dawson finding subtle rhythms inside shifting melody lines. Kulaniapia Waltz is an instrumental tune that channels all that is best in the sweet groove of a Hawaiian melody, played on a different range of instruments, including pump organ and ukulele.
Skeletons In A Car is a true story of some guys who thought that getting wasted on the prairie at night was a cool idea – until they flipped their car. The atmospherics are captured with taut playing; Weissenborn guitar and organ swells, complemented by the upright bass, and twin drum sound, all laced through with the vocal acrobatics of Allison Russell (always worth the entry fee on her own).
The inclusion of a cover of the Faces, Ooh La, seems a strange choice, but it is given a laid-back acoustic treatment that works really well. Almost like the way in which the original should have been recorded in the first place! The almost-Gospel delivery is reminiscent of a deep south revival experience with National slide guitar, organ and soulful vocals lifting the arrangement to a sweet spot.
Cicada Sanctuary is an instrumental with Steve on acoustic guitar, confirming that all those years of isolated practice do pay dividends in the long run. He is such a gifted musician and his dedication to the craft brings its own reward. Closing track, Time Has Made A Fool Out Of Me, is a perfect coda to all that has gone before; a reflective moment to understand that ‘time is not a circle, It’s a line.’
The interplay between these top-drawer players is just sublime. Hats off to Jay Bellerose and Gary Craig (drums, percussion), Jeremy Holmes (bass), Chris Gestrin (Mellotron, pump organ), Kevin McKendree (organ, piano), Gerry Cook (baritone sax), Dominic Conway (tenor sax), Malcolm Aiken (trumpet) and Fats Kaplin (fiddle). Of course, all led by the vision of Steve Dawson. Roll on the next two scheduled releases.
Review by Paul MCGee