Steve Hammond Honky Tonk Record Club No.1 Lorco
A totally new name to me from a musician who has released numerous albums (some 36 releases are listed on his Bandcamp site) covering various musical genres. Does that make this honky-tonk oriented album any less valid? The answer to that, judging from its content, is no. While it covers other influences, and tracks like Someday Mother could equal sit on a power-pop album, from the get go we are in a world of twang and pedal steel. I’ll Return The Key is a relationship gone wrong song, as befits the format. Next up, the tale of a workin’ man and his blue collar white-line life is alluded to in Workin’ On A Highway. It features some unusual backing vocals that add to the overall enjoyment of the song, which is a standout in terms of delivery and melodic structure, and would have fitted in on one of Dwight Yoakam’s early albums.
The songs are all from Hammond, with the exception of a countrified version of The Jesus and Mary Chain song Halfway To Crazy, which fits right into the album’s oeuvre with energy and twang. The aim here is to create a contemporary honky tonk song that honours its past but seeks to have a future, and all Hammond’s other influences no doubt help him to achieve that. That he is producer, engineer, writer and performer/main musician here (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and lap steel) shows that he has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve with his music and has the ability to do so. This is done to essentially capture his vision rather than to have a hit record and cross over to the mainstream. He deserves both but given the nature of the mainstream it is unlikely to happen. However, one suspects that that won’t affect this outfit one iota.
Having listened to this album now numerous times there is hardly a track that I would want to skip over and there are numerous highlights here alongside those mentioned, such as Fever Dream, Glass Of Wine or the ‘if looks could kill’ narrative of the bitter ballad, The Knife Behind Your Eyes, to name just three more.
Another thing to note is that Hammond vocally draws from some of the honky tonk stalwarts of the past with some stylised vocal inflections that border on the classic yodel, showing that he knows this sources to a degree that many a mainstream artist would not.
Once again a new name comes to the fore and you realise that there are so many musicians out there who can so easily be missed. This is one that I would advise against missing. Hopefully there will be a No 2 to follow up on this in the near future. This honky tonkitis is catching.
Review by Stephen Rapid.
The Western Express Lunatics, Lovers & Poets Self Release
This Austin based outfit consists of singer and songwriter Stephen Castillo and his partner Phill Brush, both are natives of Houston, Texas but separately made their way to Austin where they met and formed the band. It is very much a creative partnership in which Castillo leads the band, is the songwriter and lead vocalist while Brush is the man taking care of the business, additionally playing upright bass with the band in its early days, and he does so on one track, Last Apology, on the debut release.
The album is produced by John Evans, an artist in his own right with several albums to his name, who does a sterling job of realising the excellent music on offer here. Evans brings in some members of his own band to lend a hand, notably drummer Patrick Herzfeld who also engineered, mixed and mastered the album in Austin’s Signal Hill Studios. Evans brings his guitar and bass playing skills to the sessions too, alongside those of Scott Davis, who also contributes keyboards and accordion. Add to that the fine fiddle playing of Dennis Ludiker, who has been associated in recent times with Asleep At The Wheel (amongst others performers), while Geoff Queen adds pedal steel to Trust Me, You Can’t Trust Me. All are part of the Austin music community, with all the multi-genre roots that that city thrives on.
The album is dedicated to the sadly departed Austin heroes, James Hand and Broken Spoke founder James White. That alone gives a hint as to the band’s direction and influences that range from Hank Williams Sr to later traditional stalwarts like Alan Jackson, but also taking in bluegrass and ranchera along the way. The results are impressive and stand on their own merits, with a set of strongly realised and crafted songs.
The first track on the album (Honky Tonk Saints) was written by Castillo in homage to the likes of Kitty Wells and Lefty Frizzell, but the more recent passing of those to whom the album is dedicated seemed to give it a more timely and appropriate meaning. It is the perfect introduction to Castillo’s characteristic vocal. It is written about those luckless folk who inhabit the honky tonks and bars, where “the brokenhearted are never alone / they raise a glass and sing along”. Flower Of The Rio Grande, the first single off the album, is the tale of an undeniable love for a girl from south of the border. It is again a memorable melody, as is You, Me and The Neon, a walk into a neon lit space that illuminates another possible liaison.
The tempo kicks up the dust for the warning of the unreliable and dishonest man who is the subject of Trust Me, You Can’t Trust Me. More contemplative with some heightened atmosphere and more of that border feel is the dark tale of Leyenda, a song with suggestions of murderous intent. In Lovin’ You For Awhile there is more than a hint of the Pete Anderson produced work of Dwight Yoakam. It is set to a dance floor rumba rhythm and uses the accordion for an additional Tex-Mex ambience. Dipping into the past of old sad country songs again is Last Apology, which laments the unforeseen break-ups. Finding solace in the emptying of the bottle may ultimately lead to a blank feeling inside, which is what Emptying Me takes on board. The final track Quesadilla Mamacita was written in response to a request to write a song about this corn based Mexican tortilla. It is full of befitting textures and is flavoursome as the food - as long as you don’t try for a share.
There is plenty to share here on this album that brings The Western Express’ name into focus as one of the best new names from Austin, who play it right and play it real. Recommended for lovers, poets and the occasional lunatic.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Dave Vargo Crooked Miles Self Release
A new album from the creative talent of Dave Vargo is always something worth waiting for. Having graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston he has developed a solid audience through regular touring and session playing. This included a You Tube/Facebook presence during the Covid lockdowns around a concept of “Two for Tuesday” performing a few songs and inviting guests to join the party. His sound is very much from the Americana songbook, and this third album builds upon the success of Burning Through (2016), Spaces in Between (2019).
It’s focus is around the real scenarios of daily life and the emotions and feelings that arise. Back Then looks back at memories formed and whether you can ever really inhabit that sense of place that once existed. Equally, You’ll Know, speaks about those moments when self-awareness dawns and the path ahead suddenly becomes clear. The playing on the album is really nicely balanced across the production and the ensemble consists of Dave Vargo (guitars, vocals), Tim Pannella (drums, percussion), Dan Haase (bass), Erik Romero (organ), Kim Boyko (backing vocals), and Sahara Moon (backing vocals on Fault Lines). Dave co-produced with Tim Pannella, who also engineered, mixed and mastered the tracks and who lays down an easy rhythmic drum groove on which to create the melodies. There is a nice tone to the lead vocals and Vargo certainly takes control of the overall direction that the songs take. Fault Lines is a slow burn, reflective song that wonders about directions taken and whether the decisions were the correct ones. Some sweet guitar lines colour the melody and the sense of something lost along the way.
All songs were written by Vargo, with only one co-write credited, and the easy flow of the band brings to mind a live feel to the twelve tracks. Nobody’s Fault is another highlight and a great example of the players being right in the pocket of the groove. Empty Space deals with being lonely and missing someone’s presence. “So much harder to pass the day and fill the empty space, I can smell the ghost of you that still haunts every place, I see your face.” The beautiful guitar lines on She Would display the fluency of Dave Vargo on his chosen instrument and there are really no weak songs on this album. The entire experience leaves you wanting more – always a good sign of strong content and compelling performance.
Review by Paul McGee
The Celtic Duo The Celtic Duo Self Release
This debut album from duo, Jonas Liljestrom and Emil Pernblad, is steeped in the traditions of Celtic folk music. From their home in Gothenburg, Sweden, this accomplished duo has been making music together for many years, dating back to 1990 when they formed the band, Celtic Connections. After a successful five-year run, the band decided to split, but Jonas and Emil continued to maintain contact, despite walking different paths. Jonas qualified with a masters degree in ethnomusicology and Emil immersed himself in the flamenco music culture of Spain. Bands came and went, before the duo started working again in 2010 as part of a group playing gypsy music - leading to the present, and their debut album release (both musicians currently play in five different groups)…
The folk traditions of Brittany, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are explored and played with an élan and a joy that is completely hypnotic and infectious. Their ability to weave together and to soar in the musical arrangements is very impressive and with Jonas contributing on fiddle, percussion and vocals; together with Emil on bouzouki and guitar, the interplay is quite spectacular. These old songs are given a contemporary feel in the structures and the addition of piano (Greg McDermott) and flugelhorn (Johan Asplund), add an extra colour on selected tracks. Of the twelve songs, five have vocals included and all tracks explore the influence of native folk music and narrative. There are Welsh love songs (Llangollen Market), Irish laments (Spancil Hill), Scottish/Irish jigs (Haste To the Wedding/ The Priest In His Boots/ Off She Goes), Australian folk songs (Streets Of Forbes), and the wonderful flow of both Neil Gow’s Lament… and Captain O’Kane/The Battle Of Aughrim, where these superbly gifted musicians really take flight.
Roots music contains both folk and world musical forms as intrinsic parts of the whole mosaic. Celtic music has always celebrated the culture of Northern Europe and despite many hybrids over the years, the purity of the folk roots has always shone through. This album is a worthy addition to this tradition.
Review by Paul McGee
Josh Johnston Reasons To Fly Self Release
This is very fine example of the local talent currently available on the Irish music scene. Josh has been involved with all aspects of music for many years now and along with his duties as organist at the Dublin Unitarian Church, his compositions have always been worthy of the time spent in their creation and delivery.
Whether the sweet soul sound of, (I Save You) Lodi, with the big horn section and the lyrical guitar of Brian Hogan; or the more considered and measured blues of Is it Still Called Love?, Josh has probably delivered the most cohesive album of his expansive career so far. Employing quite a stellar cast of musicians, fifteen in total on the liner notes, the superb co-production from Josh and Anthony Gibney is both bright and beautifully judged. Written largely during the Covid pandemic, Josh has released a really big statement of a record.
There is the reflective atmosphere on Melt Into the Room and the steady rhythm laid down by David Hingerty and Brian Hogan on Darkness By Your Head. Or the atmospheric Hammond organ of Scott Flanigan on Mrs Gogo, mixed perfectly with the expressive piano playing of Johnston. Savour the superbly timed playing of Marco Francescangeli on saxophones and clarinet, and the trumpet and flugelhorn of Bill Blackmore. Indulge in the creative violin and cello parts throughout .
Josh co-wrote six of the songs (four with Doug Kinch) and his own composition, He Is Here, has an interesting take on watching yourself from the side-line, ruminating over the past and the people we once were, still part of us in the present. The title track references a road trip taken and the reasons to leave a current situation behind. “Hopes and dreams, new directions, there is always a reason to fly.”
Two cover songs are included, Mountaineering (Ronan Swift) and Strange Weirdos (Loudon Wainwright 111). Both fit snugly into the eclectic mix of influences and songs that highlight the versatility of this, Johnston’s sixth solo outing. A worthy effort and impressively delivered by all involved. Take a well-earned bow, Mr Johnston.
Review by Paul McGee
Millpond Moon Sweeter Than Wine Tikopea
This seven-piece band are based in Norway and this is their third album. The creative hub is the partnership shared by Rune Hauge and Kjersti Misje. This talented duo share lead vocals and their easy tone combines to create a rich tapestry to wrap around the song melodies. Hauge writes all the songs and they focus on relationships in all sorts of different colours; from the woes felt in Just Before Dawn, to the sweet memories recalled from the past on Memory Lane. The interplay is quite superb between these talented musicians, highlighted especially on the excellent Memory Lane.
I’ll Do Anything To See You Smile and Fallen On Strange Times continue this relationship theme, with the band playing in an understated manner, full of gentle restraint and sweet harmonising across their instruments; Andy Leftwich (mandolin and fiddle), Jeff Taylor (Accordion), Rob Ickes (dobro), Kenny Malone (percussion), Mark Fain (Bass), and with Rune Hauge (Guitars and vocal), together with Kjersti Misje (guitar, vocals), heightening everything in the arrangements. Bil VornDick assisted in both engineering and mixing from his Nashville studios and Millpond Moon produced, also using studios in Norway and Spain on their travels.
Don’t Ever Make That Right is a song that tackles domestic abuse and it is finely judged in the playing. The obvious pleasure that this ensemble gets from coming together to play music is captured in the song, All My Life, and it captures perfectly the magic that is clearly present. ‘When the lights go down, I got the best seat in town, Everybody goes with the flow, Brings back memories from long ago.’ I couldn’t have put it better myself. Well worth further investigation.
Review by Paul McGee
The Rosellys On The Porch Clubhouse
Hertfordshire, England band The Rosellys, have been performing and releasing quality roots music for over a decade and a half. Very much a family affair, the band is fronted by life partners Rebecca and Simon Roselly, who play fiddles, guitar and banjos, as well as vocals. The remaining band members are Simon’s father Allan Kelly on pedal steel and accordion, and father and son Matt and George Kirby, who play bass and drums respectively. The latest family addition on their fifth studio album, ON THE PORCH, is baby Robyn Roselly, who makes her studio debut with a giggling intro on the song Lafayette Louisiana.
The album was co-produced by the Rosellys and Ron Rogers (T’Pau) and recorded at Up Lane Recordings in the Monmouth Hills in Wales. It offers fourteen tracks in all, blending country ballads, alongside mid and up-tempo rootsy numbers. They’re out of the traps at lightning speed with the fiddle-driven opener You Ain’t Gotta Go Home and the sprightly title track is equally toe tapping material. Other standouts include the banjo-led River Wye, the breezy and melodic radio friendly Night and Day and the equally easy on the ear Don’t Pull Away, which showcases Rebecca’s impressive vocal range. A further highlight is the calming and spellbinding Firefly. Also included is the nostalgic Camden Town, which recalls the early courtship days of Rebecca and Simon in that multi-cultural London district.
Impressively packaged and with full liner notes, ON THE PORCH is a gentle reminder of the quality of roots music close to home and further substantiation that it matters not where your roots are when you have the gift to write, perform and record strong material. An exercise in keeping things simple and to the point, The Rosellys’ latest recording does just that with a stylish collection of hook-driven roots songs, well worth checking out.
Review by Declan Culliton
Ken Yates Cerulean Soundly
CERULEAN is the fourth album by Ontario-born artist Ken Yates, a winner of two Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2017. The press release accompanying the album makes comparisons with Big Thief and The War On Drugs, which accurately describes the low-key indie folk material on this eleven-track album.
Produced by Jim Bryson (Kathleen Edwards, Howe Gelb, Lynn Miles), Yates invited a number of female artists to contribute backing vocals on five of the tracks. As a result, his composed vocals are joined by Kathleen Edwards (The Big One), Stephanie Lambring (Don’t Mean To Wake You), Katie Pruitt (Consolation Prize), Liz Longley (Good Things), and Caroline Marie Brooks (Honest Light).
Lyrically, the album reflects Yates’s mindset at a time when he was grieving the passing of his mother, alongside the uncertainty of the near future, with Covid dictating people’s movement and career plans. Those concerns are articulated in the opening tracks, The Big One and The Future is Dead, the former bringing to mind the work of Sufjan Stevens. Yates appears to express his emotions in chronological order across the album with the near despair of the early tracks evolving into hope on the track Honest Life and eventually to acceptance on the title track, which bookends the album.
“This is the first time that I’ve made a record where I feel like the songs were going to be written whether I wanted to release an album or not,” explains Yates. Fortunately, his inner thoughts and the healing process derived from the songs have been shared on an album that manages to capture and hold the listener’s attention. CERULEAN is very much a suite of songs that needs to be listened to, uninterrupted, from start to finish.
Review by Declan Culliton
Chastity Brown Sing To The Walls Red House/Compass
Minneapolis-based Chastity Brown’s initial introduction to music was playing saxophone and drums in church in Union City, Tennessee, where she was born and raised. Her professional recording career kicked off in 2007 with the release of her debut album, DO THE BEST YOU CAN, and she has subsequently recorded six more albums including her latest SING TO THE WALLS.
Written at home in South Minneapolis during a period of isolation during the pandemic, Brown describes the album as ‘a love album, in a way I didn’t plan on.’ Be that as it may but its content is often fuelled by frustrations arising from matters close to home. The riots that occurred a few blocks from her home following the murder of George Floyd in 2020 certainly colours the material, although Brown’s response is one of hopefulness and positivity rather than outright anger.
‘Does this black woman have too much power? Would it go down sweetly if I sang softer?’, Brown asks defiantly on Golden. Elsewhere she pours her heart out on the delightful title track (‘I will sing to those walls, hope it gets through, and I will sing to your scars, they need healing too’). The similarly paced soulful and hypnotic Like The Sun also impresses and Back Seat yearns for carefree days and liberty. Sharon Van Etten contributes backing vocals on the spellbinding album closer Gertrude.
Co-produced by Brown with both Brady Blade and Greg Schutte, the recordings took place in both Stockholm, Sweden, and Minneapolis. A treasure chest of modern soul, gospel/funk, and R’n’B, SING TO THE WALLS presents the listener with textured stories about survival and optimism at a time of extreme challenges.
Review by Declan Culliton