Wylie & The Wild West Bunchgrass Hi-Line
I have to thank Wylie Gustafson for not only bringing some great sounding country music to the world since his debut release in 1992, but also for being the first spectacle wearing artist in the genre that I had encountered on, the then European version, of CMT. Having the same visual enhancement, it induced a kinship that, alongside his authenticity and steadfast adherence to traditional country music, made him a continuing touchstone.
His latest release, his 25th by my count, shows that he has lost none of his passion nor pride in his music and lifestyle. He is a rancher working in Montana, as well as playing and producing his original and well chosen cover material that is at home on the open plains as much as it would be in a dark honky tonk. As is his normal process Gustafson recorded the album in Nashville with a crack team of musicians who would, by nature, be totally sympathetic to the direction his production took them. These players are note and placement perfect in terms of not grandstanding or over playing their individual parts. They instinctively know what best suits the arrangements.
With names like Denis Crouch, Billy Contreras, Mark Thornton, Mark Meyer, Matty Meyer and Chris Scruggs along side Wylie himself, you would expect no less. Gustafson delivers some self-penned originals that mix his sense of purpose with an element of fun. The songs are headed by Straight Up Country Music, one which emphasises his own preference, as does his affiliation with his lifestyle in the wry smile of Girlfriend Is A Barrel Racer. Then there’s Don’t Say Whoa, Water Of Jordan, Flying, Birch Creek, his arrangement of the traditional Cowboy Soliloquy and his usual foray into the territory of the yodel with Hiline Waltz.
The covers offer an equally diverse set of songs, like Gordon Lightfoot’s Ribbon Of Darkness which opens the album and shows off his distinctive and appealing vocal ability, as well as the strength of the song itself. The same could be applied to his choices of Heather Myles’ Rum And Rodeo, the John Hartford penned In Tall Buildings, Butch Hancock’s Dry Farm Land, the song Young And Beautiful (a song perhaps best known to some by its version from Elvis) and a heartfelt rendition of At My Window from Townes Van Zandt.
All of these selections show not only a wide ranging taste in music, but also a lyrical content that is in harmony with his own thoughts and actions. Wylie, you get the impression, records this material for his own satisfaction as much as that of his many fans. It would appear there is a steady appreciation of music that is rooted in Western themes, as evidenced by the success of artists like Colter Wall and Charlie Crockett and others. The recent loss of such iconic trail blazers as Don Edwards and Ian Tyson makes the continuation of the music of Wylie Gustafson even more important.
In the final round-up though, this is an exceptional album that has the ability to appeal on many levels and should not be overlooked or under-rated. As Wylie has written, this is straight up country music with the added touch of Western that deserves a wider audience and this writer, for one, looks forward to his next outing with as much anticipation as he does looking back on his previous work, that is a pure example of what country music is, was and should be.
Review by Stephen Rapid
The Miners Megunticook Match-up Zone
This album was one of those that got overlooked during a hectic year of reviews. It was actually released in 2021 but arrived for review last year. They are a band fronted by Keith Marlowe, who is the band’s songwriter and lead vocalist, while also playing guitars (acoustic, electric and pedal steel). He also handled the album’s production duties. He is accompanied in The Miners by Brian Herden on pedal steel, dobro, b-bender, upright bass and slide, as well as Gregg Hiestand on bass and Vaughn Shnkus on drums. Other guests include Bon Lowery on harmonica and backing vocals, Bobby Baxmeyer on mandolin, banjo and fiddle and Joe Kille, who also adds fiddle.
The assembled band play an alt-country blend that is both easy on the ear and accomplished. They cite Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown as key inspirations, alongside icons like Gram Parsons and Merle Haggard. There are ten tracks featured, which start with the loved and lost sound of Without You and finishes with the more politicized observation of life today, for some, with Cardboard Sign. Between those points, they cover some different topics such as departing in this case.
Leaving For Ohio. Call Me Up reflects on the difficult questions that relationships can offer up, often without resolving them. The fact that it is always an option is where Apologize delivers its message. The Day The Drummer Died is a sad tale of that event and its aftermath. All of this material is based in some real life observation, which was given depth by the musical structures that use the instrumentation well. The overall feel is that of a band who knew exactly what they wanted to achieve with this record , which has solid arrangements, vocal harmonies and integrated playing that sit comfortably with the lead and harmony vocals.
The band released a previous EP some years back and it has taken time for this second release to see the light of day. They are based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they recorded this album. They, doubtless, hold a torch for alt-country in that area, but are worthy of a wider consideration and enjoyment.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Ted Silar Last Rose Self Release
This seven track EP is a new release from a musician with a long history of playing different genres of music including rock ’n’ roll, blues, jazz, and he even mentions singing Bach in Saxony - so, a man of eclectic tastes. Here he turns back to a love of traditional country, especially that emanating from California and the likes of Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam. This album was recorded in a number of studios around the States at different times, as witnessed by the names of the various sidemen he features including Byron Berline (fiddle), Dan Dugmore (pedal steel), Jason Carter (fiddle) and Kristin Scott-Benson (banjo). Silar wrote the songs, played bass and drums and added the guitars as well as lead vocals.
However although there are 7 tracks featured, three are remixes - the songs are Why Do We Have To Dream, That One Last Rose, I’m Gonna Haul Off And Love You, Elana and She’s The One. The first three are the ones repeated in what seems a different emphasis on the instruments rather than a radical remix. While Silar, here, doesn’t have a particularly distinctive vocal style you can tell he is enjoying the process and the contributions of the noted players he had join him; even though they were added remotely to the initial tracks.
There is a solid melodic structure to the songs themselves that delivers a pleasant listen and deserves repeated listens, even if the above mentioned trio are doing just that. The contributions of the fiddle and steel are both thoroughly enjoyable and lift the songs to a new level that makes you wonder if a full album of such originals would have been worth pursuing. Given that the likes of Berline is, unfortunately, no longer with us, newer contributors like Carter can fill that gap.
So hopefully Silar might choose country as his chosen musical path on another occasion and get the opportunity to record with a band in the studio to create something new. For now we can settle for this latest release from a musician who follows his own muse rather than any particular trends.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Kassi Valazza Highway Sounds Fluff & Gravy
A recent signing to Loose Music in the UK., Arizona-born artist Kassi Valazza’s four- track EP HIGHWAY SOUNDS from 2022 is as good a place as any for an introduction to her music world. Inspired by the wide-open spaces of the southwestern state of Arizona where she spent her childhood, Valazza’s beautifully delivered dark lyrics, and the instrumentation that accompanies them, justly reflect that spacious environment.
HIGHWAY SOUNDS comes after her 2019 album, DEAR DEAD DAYS, and continues on her versatile musical alt-country template. The gentle opening track Little Flowers has its origins in early 70s country folk, and the EP’s highlight, Little Dove, lands between the psychedelic country of Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter and the desert noir of Calexico. Loaded with dreamy reverb and all manner of desert- inspired sounds, it is border flavoured country of the highest order. The dark country ballad Crying could have been plucked from the Jimmy Webb songbook, and Pastures continues that menacing theme of sunken and unfulfilled dreams.
HIGHWAY SOUNDS offers a gateway to the brooding Americana universe of Kassi Valazza. Equally, it reveals her versatility across the four tracks. Initially drawn in by her crystal clear and disciplined vocals, the haunting musical sketches behind those lyrics are soon revealed. A stylistic and impressive venture on all fronts, it’s more than likely going to direct the listener back to Valazza’s debut album, it certainly did that to me.
Kassi Valazza will be performing shows at Kilkenny Roots Festival during the May Bank Holiday weekend this year.
Review by Declan Culliton
Vanessa Bourne Give Me A Break Black Ribbon Records
An album that nearly passed me by in 2022, GIVE ME A BREAK is the second recording from Vanessa Bourne, following on from her debut album YOUNG AT HEART in 2020.
Born in India but living in Australia for four decades, country music played a major part in Bourne’s youth. Traditional country music was very much the order of the day in her household from an early age and despite being the possessor of a vintage country voice, her recording career only kicked off with that debut album in 2020. Having sent Nashville-based singer songwriter and producer Curt Ryle (George Jones, Billy Ray Cyrus, Gene Watson) a number of her songs, she headed to Nashville, on his recommendation, to record YOUNG AT HEART, with him at the controls, in February 2020. Buoyed by that recording experience, Bourne’s world soon came crashing to the ground due to the Covid restrictions applied in Australia, which resulted in her having to spend eighteen months with her parents in India before being allowed back to Australia. Despite the setback, that album struck a chord with lovers of twin fiddles and pedal steel-driven traditional country music and won her The Will Rogers Award for ‘Pure Country Female Artist of the Year’ (Academy of Western Artists). It also got her signed to Black Ribbon Records LLC, in Nashville.
Packed with ‘leavin’, lovin’ and drinkin’ songs, Bourne wore her heart on her sleeve on that record, recalling the classic Music Row sound of the 60s. A similar template is repeated on GIVE ME A BREAK, although it moves from Nashville to Texas across many of the ten tracks that feature, a number of which are co-written with Curt Ryle. She opens with My Three Queens, namechecking Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline, before professing her love of Texas on In My Next Life, the latter entering western swing territory. All Tied Up In You continues with that Lone Star State ambience and the title track mourns the lack of genuine country music on the radio in Australia - a sentiment that equally applies to both America and Europe. Lord I Hope, complete with impressively layered vocals, is an unhurried ballad and The Simple Things In Life, the album’s standout track for me, has Loretta Lynn’s stamp all over it. Also included is a duet with Ryle, the smouldering love tune, We’re Back In Love Again.
Bourne’s beautifully punctuated vocals - I’m reminded of Laura Cantrell’s singing on a number of the tracks - coupled with arrangements and production that more than complement those vocals, point to an artist steeped in old-school country and doing exactly what she pleases.
Review by Declan Culliton
Macie Stewart Mouth Full of Glass Full Time Hobby
Multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and composer Macie Stewart’s album, MOUTH FULL OF GLASS, is her debut solo record, having previously recorded three albums with the band OHMME. Stewart has also accompanied The Weather Station on tour, playing violin, guitar, piano and adding backing vocals.
The album combines Stewart’s background of performing folk, indie, jazz and classical music and was, in the main, written and recorded during the pandemic. Alongside the enforced isolation of that time, Stewart was also coming to terms with a family bereavement and a relationship breakdown, and, not surprisingly, the album confronts the loneliness and soul-searching of that period.
The Chicago-based artist recorded the majority of the instrumentation at her home, with additional parts added later by a host of Chicago eminent players including VV Lightbody (flute), Lia Kohl (strings) and Sen Morimoto (saxophone).
Confronting their plight, Stewart asks ‘I didn’t know myself, when will I know myself?’ on What Will I Do and that dilemma of isolation and solitariness also raises its head on the dreamlike title track, ‘I've got a mouthful of glass and no one to ask, I've got a mouthful of glass and no one to tell about it.’ In addition to the striking and often complex instrumentation, the vocal prowess of Stewart is to the fore on Tone Pome and the stand-out track,Garter Snake.
An album that traverses from the mellow to frenetic, no doubt reflecting the composer’s state of mind at the time of recording, MOUTH FULL OF GLASS bemoans a world of ongoing personal challenges. Gently seductive, it’s also an album that takes shape at a slow pace and requires multiple listens to appreciate it fully. File alongside the chamber folk of The Weather Station and Aoife Nessa Frances.
Review by Declan Culliton
Mallory Johnson Surprise Party Self-Release
Like many of her peers, Mallory Johnson left the comforts of small-town living to follow her musical dream in Nashville. Relocating from Newfoundland, Canada, to Music City five years ago, she follows on from her self-titled EP in 2019 with SURPRISE PARTY, the debut full-length recording from the East Coast Music award winner. Johnson was also recently nominated for the Country Music Program/Special of the Year at the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards for WISE WOMAN – THE SHOW, a radio special for SiriusXM Country, which featured Canadian female artists residing in Nashville.
Initially intended as a six-track mini album, SURPRISE PARTY features eleven songs, landing in the more mainstream and contemporary end of country. Produced by Kent Wells (Dolly Parton, Carly Pearce), Johnson collaborated with fellow Canadians and like-minded artists Tenille Arts, Kelly Prescott and Jason Blaine to name a few. Lost love and alcohol feature on quite a number of the songs, some of which contain light-hearted and humorous lyrics and others have deeper and more meaningful messages. The break-up song Hungover, with a nod in the direction of Brandy Clark, is particularly easy on the ear and her Billboard charting single Married is as cleverly written as it is expressed. Party Dress, with a driving rhythm section, is a full-on rocker laced with cut throat energy.
She takes her foot off the gas and places her splendid vocals out in front on a number of tracks. Both the title track and the semi-acoustic ballad Drunk Mind, Sober Heart work particularly well in this regard. Wise Woman (The Worktape) is stripped back with only vocals and acoustic guitar, and the mid-tempo Where The Good Times Are is further evidence of an artist that’s equally comfortable delivering folk ballads as she is belting out more raucous numbers.
Currently an independent artist, Johnson’s steady rise since moving to Nashville is most likely to increase in pace with this album of well-constructed and radio-friendly songs. Don’t be surprised if she appears on the C2C roster touring Ireland and the U.K. in the coming years.
Review by Declan Culliton
JD Clayton Long Way From Home Self-Release
Citing The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival as his main influences isn’t a bad starting point if your ambition is to succeed as a singer songwriter. Those three acts, in particular, were the benchmark for Arkansas-born artist JD Clayton’s first full-length album, LONG WAY FROM HOME, which follows on from his debut recording and five-track EP, SMOKE OUT THE FIRE, from 2018.
Despite the album’s title, Clayton currently resides in Nashville, where he moved to further his artistic career. Like many of his peers, the restrictions due to Covid in March 2020 hit him hard, resulting in the coffee shop where he worked closing down and leading to alternative employment with a landscape contractor and hours on the road travelling from job to job. Clayton used this time to crank up the headphones, listen to a lot of vintage roots music and formulate his own songs for this album.
Teaming up with producer Thomas Dulin, who also worked on Clayton’s debut EP, they recorded the ten tracks for this album at Dulin’s home studio in the Nashville suburb, Berry Hill. There’s a great deal of warmth in the lyrics, suggesting a contented and clear-thinking mind. The gentle rolling Beauty Queen and the jauntier Goldmine, which immediately follows, read like odes to his loved one and Clayton recalls the simple times growing up in small town America with Different Time Of Simple Life. Expressed like a letter written to his parents back home, that feeling of dislocation is also repeated on the title track. The opener Hello, Good Mornin’ is a stripped back acoustic intro featuring little more than Clayton’s vocal, acoustic guitar, and the sound of birds singing in the background.
‘I'm workin' my way to be one of the greats,’ announces Clayton on American Millionaire. Given the crowded playing field of singer songwriters, this assertion could either be tongue-in-cheek or profound. However, LONG WAY HOME is a pointer toward an artist with the prowess to write lyrics that fit like a glove on songs that appear to be written from the heart. The end result is a collection of songs that are both soothing on the senses and extremely listenable.
Review by Declan Culliton
Myron Elkins Factories, Farms & Amphetamines Low Country Sound / Electra
An old head on young shoulders, FACTORIES, FARMS & AMPHETAMINES, from the 22-year-old Otsego, Michigan (pop. 3980), singer songwriter Myron Elkins sounds like the output of a veteran rather than the debut album from an emerging artist. Having spent three years working as a welder after high school, this ten-track album is likely to find Elkins setting aside his welding equipment and plasma cutters permanently and replacing them with a touring van and all the accessories. He has already cut his teeth on the road supporting acts such as ZZ Top, Lucero and Blackberry Smoke and showcased the material from this album at 3Rd & Lindsley in Nashville a few months ago.
The recording took place at RCA Studio A in Nashville, with Grammy Award-winning Dave Cobb at the controls. With a weather-beaten voice that defies his young age and a sound that very much mirrors the country/rock style of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elkins’ move from small town West Michigan to Nashville resulted in – to quote Elkin – ‘stumbling into the right places and shaking the right hands.’ Whether fortuitous or not, the quality shines brightly on a record packed with songs that instantly connect with the listener. There’s a predominantly ‘live’ feel to the material, no doubt precisely what Cobb was attempting to achieve with the recording.
From the bluesy opener Sugartooth, with its bouncy bassline, to the break-up closer Good Time Girl, Elkins and his posse maintain a consistent ambience throughout, seldom taking their foot off the gas. Pick of the bunch is the hook-laden title track and the defiant Nashville Money, the latter’s driving rhythm recalling ZZ Top. The soulful Hands to Myself and Ball and Chain also impress, giving the impression of high-spirited young men inviting you into their musical world.
All in all, an impressive introduction to an artist and band that display the capacity to put a modern slant on their grasp of country and southern rock. Well worth your investigation.
Review by Declan Culliton