Minor Gold Self-Titled Self-Release
Breaking down the barriers between folk and country ballads, ARIA nominated band Minor Gold are Tracy McNeil and Dan Parsons. Having performed in their native Australia for over a decade, this self-titled album has brought them to the attention of music followers far beyond the borders of their homeland. My introduction to the duo was at Americana Fest earlier this year. During their tour of North America, they performed a hugely impressive showcase to a receptive crowd supporting this album at that festival.
The ten songs on the album were written during lockdown while the couple lived in a van, having relocated to Queensland from Victoria. The album was subsequently recorded in Brisbane with the production duties undertaken by Hugh Middleton, the frontman of the trio band Mid Ayr.
The album combines Gillian Welch/Dave Rawlings styled country ballads, Lover’s Race and Tumbleweed, with other sun-kissed and laid-back melodic Laurel Canyon-fashioned songs like The River and the opener Mona Lisa. Equally impressive are the catchy and radio-friendly Way With Words and Cannonball; the latter could have been plucked from the Simon and Garfunkel songbook.
What impressed me most at their live show was the exquisite vocal harmonies accompanying their tender and intimate songs. That angelic pureness of their combined vocals is reflected enormously on this album, supported by instrumentation that supports rather than overwhelms the songs. With a front porch ease to much of the material, Minor Gold’s debut album hits the bullseye as a timeless and charming listen.
Review by Declan Culliton
Carla Olson Have Harmony Will Travel 3 BFD/The Orchard
Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer and record producer Carla Olson has worked with many household names over a career dating back to the late 70s. Percy Sledge, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and John Fogerty are a few that she has collaborated with, and her debut recording in 1987 was SO REBELLIOUS A LOVER, the classic duet album with former member of The Byrds, Gene Clark. This recording is the third in a series of covers albums that she has recorded and follows on from her 2022 record NIGHT COMES FALLING, where she worked with Stephen McCarthy of The Long Ryders.
Well-known songs like the Jagger/Richards, Street Fighting Man and Pete Townsend’s I Can See For Miles are included alongside lesser-known selections. Two recently written songs composed by Olson and Allan Clake of The Hollies, It Makes Me Cry and A Love That Never Blooms, also feature; the former finds Olson and Clarke impressively sharing the vocals, the latter has Shawn Barton Vach on lead vocals with Olson on harmonies.
She’s out of the tracks in rollicking form on the guitar-driven opener In Another Land. Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz, Broken Holmes) takes the plaudits for some epic guitar playing on the track, and that fervid pace is replicated on Face To Face and the previously noted Street Fighting Man and I Can See For Miles, which follow. Things take a more laid-back direction on the harmonised countryfied track, Stronger. A love-torn ballad written by Shawn Barton Vach, Tonya Lamm and Anne Tkach, Olson’s duet with Robert Rex Waller Jnr. more than does the song justice.
An exciting feature of the album is the inclusion of three previously unreleased live tracks, Gypsy Rider, Del Gato, both of which were included on their REBELLIOUS A LOVER record and Set You Free This Time, recorded with Gene Clarke, which date back to a recording in Nashville on May 30th 1987. Featuring only vocals and guitars by both Olson and Clarke, the vocals perfectly reflect the songs’ moods and are a reminder of the dynamic and heavenly vocals they both possessed.
HHWT is a delightful listen that should appeal to followers of Carla Olson’s notable career and, with the fifteen minutes of input by Gene Clark, is a must for collectors of whom many consider to be the standout songwriter from The Byrds.
Review by Declan Culliton
Stuffy Shmitt Stealin’ Stuff Realistic
‘Expect the unexpected’ is possibly the best advice when approaching the music of the eccentric East Nashville resident Stuffy Shmitt. Following his 2020 pandemic release STUFF HAPPENS and CHERRY from earlier this year, his latest recording finds the ever-restless artist raiding the back catalogue of a diverse range of artists to reconstruct ten songs that fall into place remarkably well.
Growing up in Milwaukee in a dysfunctional and often frenzied family environment, Shmitt moved to New York and Los Angeles, and his near ‘meltdown’ has been well documented by Lonesome Highway in an interview and our previous album reviews of his work.
Now permanently residing in Nashville, which may be considered the mecca of Country and Americana music but can also boast a bohemian collective of musicians and producers, mainly living in East Nashville, that also thrive on the more experimental and abstract. Shmitt is unquestionably central to that community.
Impossible to pigeonhole, his restless and edgy leanings have resulted in a back catalogue that shifts between rock and an occasional Americana side plate. STEALIN’ STUFF finds him in the main shifting his attention in a ‘down and dirty’ blues direction and raiding the songbooks of legendary artists. Bo Diddley’s Mona has an early Rolling Stones feel, and Lead Belly’s prison work song Take This Hammer gets a rootsy makeover. He does justice to Sam Cooke’s classic Bring It On Home To Me with his tender-hearted rendition, and his livelier take on Robert Johnson’s acoustic blues Ramblin’ On My Mind breathes new life into the song.
When Shmitt turns his attention away from the blues legends of yesteryear, things take on an entirely different backdrop and finds him toying with some unexpected selections. He sticks close to the original version of The Psychedelic Fur’s Here Come The Cowboys, less so with an acoustic take of The Del Fuegos’ I Still Want You. The pick of the crop is an outrageous and eyebrow-raising adaption of Madonna’s Like A Virgin. Bordering on the terrifying, it plays out like the soundtrack to a horror movie that is best watched with hands partially covering the face yet is hugely rewarding despite the induced terror.
Self-produced and recorded at Wirebird Productions in Madison, Tennessee, the regular collaborators of Shmitt, Irakli Gabriel and Chris Tench (guitars) are credited. Voiceovers were added by locals The Wild Ponies (Doug and Telisha Williams), alongside the late comedian and recording artist Lord Buckley.
Don’t expect STEALIN’ STUFF to dent the Billboard Charts or feature on your local radio station, but look no further for sheer playfulness, escapism, and a rollicking good listen.
Review by Declan Culliton
Israel Nash Ozarker Loose
Less experimental than his recordings of recent years, OZARKER is the eight-studio album from the Missouri-born artist. Currently residing in Dripping Springs, Texas, having relocated from New York in 2011, Israel Nash built a recording studio on his rural ranch where he recorded some cosmic experimental albums. A slight diversion from LIFTED (2018) and TOPAZ (2021), his latest recording is his most heartland / blue-collar rock album with ten tracks inspired by the people and events from Nash’s small-town Missouri upbringing.
Rather than write the songs in his homemade studio, seeking simplicity over complexity, Nash relocated to Wimberley, Texas, to create the bones of the album. The result is a collection of songs that examine the aspirations and often broken dreams of family, acquaintances and fictional characters often living on the margins of his home state. Some are from first-hand experience, and others from tales recounted to Nash by his mother.
OZARKER finds Nash following the Springsteen and Petty model with guitar-driven and chorus-charged anthems. The fine title track, complete with Shalalalala’s tingling keyboards and slick guitar solo, certainly echoes Springsteen’s sound and the standout track, Roman Candle, that of Petty. The all too familiar plight of a Vietnam war veteran unable to escape the horrors of war and reintegrate into society is presented in Lost In America, and the desperation and ruination of substance abuse is addressed in Shadowland.
Whether this venture into heartland rock signals a diversion in Nash’s musical direction or whether he returns to his more sonically exploratory style remains to be seen. Regardless, OZARKER is loaded with intensity and enthusiasm and will likely win Nash new admirers alongside his faithful fanbase.
Review by Declan Culliton
The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam The Blue Side Of Me Sleazy
When it comes to hearing a perfect contemporary manifestation of classic country, it’s doubtful that you will find better than The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam, an ensemble - for they are that and not just a singer and backing band - whose talent, understanding and love for the genre are apparent throughout this album as they have been, indeed, through all their releases. Though hailing from Sweden, this really hasn’t a great deal of bearing on the music they play (although that whole region has long had a strong connection with the traditional country formula, more than any others in Europe). They stand easily alongside their USA counterparts who equally share a passion for the music’s heyday. Think of the likes of Sean Burns, The Shootouts, Joshua Hedley, The Malpass Brothers, Wild Earp, Brennen Leigh or Jake Penrod; all of whom reflect back on the time when the music was inspirational and identifiable. They find an affinity in the music that imbues them, and not only in the music, but also in the clothing they choose to wear onstage and the graphics they use on their album sleeves. They offer a complete package that leaves no doubt where their hearts lie.
Penrod, who has released excellent albums in his own right, contributes a couple of the songs here that were not featured on his last releases, and show his talent has not diminished. Another writer involved is Theo Lawrence, who had a hand in five of the songs. He is a French artist who also releases his own albums and is another devotee to the form. But the longest running contributor to the band’s repertoire is Dan Englund, a talented writer who can pen songs that fit the genre’s mode well, but who himself has just formed a band called The Worried Minds to play indie-rock - obviously a versatile and adaptable writer. Harmonica Sam has always picked a number of covers to include on these recordings and this time out its material from Justin Tubb, Wayne Walker, Ben Parsons, Betty Jean Lewis, Ronnie Self and the inestimable Harlan Howard.
The album was recorded by David Carlsson in Malmo, Sweden and it again features the talented team of Peter Andersson on pedal steel, Johan Bandling Melin on lead guitar and vocals, upright bassist Ulrick Jansson (who also mixed the album with Carlsson) and Patrick Malmros on drums. They are joined by Thyme van Lassen on fiddle and Peter Barrelled on piano, to round out the recorded sound. Everyone knows what to aim for and they consistently hit the target. It is akin to taking a step back into a hallowed studio like Quonset Hut from the 1950s - but with a sound that is still as resonant today.
However, that’s all window dressing if the sound from these recordings doesn’t feel right. You can authenticate the looks and sounds but you also need the material that is still largely now, as it was then, about the finding, keeping, losing or abusing the universal emotional and physical aspects of love. The melding of complex and simple emotions are given their sense of belief by the band’s wholehearted performance and energy. Having been together for some years now, there is that instant rapport between each player that is topped by Sam’s vocal presence that is perfectly suited to each song. The band’s name comes from the fact that Sam was a noted blues singer and harmonica player for a good few years before decided to let his “country side” out on the town. There is much that is still affiliated with the blues here, as there was in a lot of early country music, and that experience shows in the way he delivers the essential humanity and belief here. He may be back to the blue side, but he’s definitely keeping it country!
Review by Stephen Rapid
The Equatorial Group Sea Self Release
Album number four in a steadily climbing career that sees the Equatorial Group continue to enhance their growing reputation. Their gently melodic sound has been quietly fashioned ever since a debut EP titled ELVIS appeared in 2017. In the same year a self-titled debut album was released, with 13 songs and a glimpse of the talent that would blossom into their dynamic interplay and engaging music. The term Americana is too widely used these days and does not always capture the essence of a specific sound or do justice to the artist. The character of Equatorial Group could best be summed up by suggesting an alternative term such as Anglicana, which mirrors the very strong sense of identity within the creative collective, something that defines this band.
Two further albums, APRICITY (2018) and FALLING SANDS (2019) followed their debut and established the band as firm favourites in their seaside town of Eastbourne and further afield. Covid put a temporary halt to their building momentum but the band didn’t just sit back and wait for the lockdown to pass. They recorded an EP of cover songs and continued to demo and create new music between August 2020 and August 2023 at various locations and rehearsal rooms around their home base. They emerged with a reset button having taken the time to create new music, visited unfinished songs and reworked ideas in their creative process.
With a stellar line up of quality musicians, this is music of real substance and deserving of a much wider audience. They paint from a palette of colours that is compelling in the creation and the delivery. Rich melodies intertwine with beautifully constructed arrangements and understated rhythm. It is a very satisfying album on many fronts with an easy flow that spreads out across these ten songs. A fine-tuned interplay between the band members elevates everything to a level that sets a high bar and delivers much of what was hinted at on previous releases. Here we have a greater maturity expressed in the woven parts and a growing understanding developed between the players.
The interpretation of songs is always something that engages the listener. The sense of some mystery and being open to meaning will often result in a different message to what generated the initial spark for the writers. These songs are full of cryptic hints into what could be contained within. Whether inhabiting a persona of imagined characters, or coming from a place of personal reflection, the joy of discovery remains a key component. The standout Liberated Steel has the lyric ‘There are words about proportionate regret, And these are fights that we haven’t had yet, I hold your hand and pray you’ll never grow old, That’s a dream we’ve just been sold.’ The song could be about youthful dreams, idealism and naivety in equal measure. It contains a fine guitar-led song dynamic with the bass driving the arrangement forward.
Elsewhere the songs reflect interesting insights into the human condition and experiences that filter the world outside. Fire reflects on the loss of a family pet and the haunting image in the words ‘Scattered ashes in the woods, today.’ Equally the song Feet leaves a strong impression with the lines ‘ Are words on cardboard louder than opinionated men, Stand up to your fathers, Stand up with your friends.’ It’s a song that channels protest and defending what you hold to be true. Falling is a song about an absent lover and a failed relationship with distant pedal steel complimenting the guitar playing and the sense of loneliness. Final track Colourful is an older song that captures a sense of isolation and feeling separate. There is a sense of loss and of opening up to naked emotion ‘Make these lazy bones decide, Where to turn and who to turn to.. Does the song make you whole again.’
Throughout, the level of musicianship is top drawer and the cutting edge is often the lyrical guitar playing of Dave Davies, inventive and gliding across the rhythm and melody set by the other band members. As an ensemble they work seamlessly, whether the lush keyboard sound of Twe Fox, the inventive pedal steel and guitar of Helen Weeks or the impressive engine room of Andy Tourle on bass and Neil Grimes on drums. Self- produced by the band with lead vocals shared across the songs by Helen Weeks and Dave Davies this is a worthy addition to any record collection and comes highly recommended.
Review by Paul McGee
Regina Ferguson Fortune Self Release
A debut album from Carolina native Regina Ferguson and one that makes a clear statement of intent. Currently based in Los Angeles where she developed a reputation as a singer of some note in various venues around the city, Ferguson met up with producer Matt Linesch to deliver these nine tracks that span the spectrum of traditional country, americana and radio friendly tunes. Opener Through the Pines has a pleasant melody and is a song that talks about trying to move on but getting drawn back to that home space where everything makes sense. Two Reasons looks at wanting a lover yet trying to reconcile feelings of holding back ‘ How do you know how deep a river flows if you don't dive in, How do you know how deep a heartache if you don't give in.’
American Made catalogues more relationship challenges and the doubt that creeps in ‘'I’ve been lookin' for a sign to bring me to the light, I'm fading in and out of you.’ The musicians get the opportunity to stretch out on this arrangement with some very cool electric guitar backed by warm keyboard fills, ending with simple piano. Carolinas is about a short summer romance that was fun in passing the time but never had the chance to build ‘ You told me everything there was to know on the first night, By the second night there wasn't much left to say, We just sat there with a bottle of wine, I needed company and you were just fine.’
Regina is a fine singer with a very clear vocal tone that leads from the front in these song arrangements. The studio players are excellent and the synergy between them is effortless. Many of the instrumental augmentations are nicely judged and never grandstand in terms of the song structures. The session players include Samuel Babayan (guitars), Fernando Perdomo (electric guitar), Aaron Embry (piano, Hammond b3 organ), Brett Simons (bass), Griffin Goldsmith (drums), and Ben Peeler (pedal steel, lap steel guitar).
The title song is about following your dreams and trying to make it in the big city. The music industry can be as tough as it gets, and having a self-belief is vital. There is something of Sheryl Crow in the delivery on Pearlblossom ‘Every now and then I get tired of the wrong thing baby, but it feels so right.’ Plenty to enjoy in the upbeat melodies and seasoned playing. Regina is a natural performer in her confidence and delivery, and this album will hit home with listeners who like an easy sense of having a good time and dancing to sweet country sounds with a beer and a friend.
Review by Paul McGee
Jeffrey Martin Thank God We Left the Garden Loose
It’s been a few years since the last release from Jeffrey Martin, (2017’s ONE GO AROUND), and for someone who reflects upon the pulse of these times in his intimate songs, that has been far too long away from the spotlight. Covid has come and gone in the meantime and the impact upon all our lives has been immeasurable on so many levels. If Martin pondered upon the brevity of life on his previous album and how this is no dress rehearsal, then this new release is a celebration of that fact that embracing each day is truly what matters. There is real clarity in the focus. It’s like the title of the album is really declaring that the garden of Eden is all around us if we only take the time to look and put aside our singular fears and apprehensions in daily living.
There is a deep humanity running through the music of Jeffrey Martin and it touches every corner in the quiet messages that it brings. Pondering the great questions of who are we and why are we here is at the source of these eleven songs. Recorded in a small shack in his garden, Martin had to wait until late at night for silence to prevail in the neighbourhood, the Portland suburbs dictating when there was sufficient quiet to record. It features Jeffrey on acoustic guitar and a few basic microphones, and sets a very intimate environment for this simple approach and atmospheric acoustics. John Neuman adds guitar on three of the songs in addition to co-producing the final record and it’s a great tribute to both musicians to say that they captured the essence of the songs perfectly.
There are traces of the late John Prine on the stand-out There Is A Treasure and the reflections of a life lived in the vastness of the universe, and our place in it. Elsewhere the laid back style of the song arrangements displays the lyricism of Jeffrey Martin on guitar and it lulls the listener into a recognition of the familiar with the sensitivity running through these songs. Are we not all just getting by, going the best we can and trying to grapple with fate and circumstance on a daily basis? There is an understanding here of the similarities we share and not the things that pull us apart and separate us out. Daylight speaks about a faith in the great unknown and the respite that morning can bring from the ghosts of the lonely nights. Red Station Wagon is a memory of days gone by and the lessons learned from failing a friend in need; the memories of callow youth haunting the present.
I Didn’t Know tackles the questions of family life and growing up with parents that are making the best of their situation ‘I didn’t know that they didn’t know what they were doing.’ A story that mirrors in the lives of children who are growing up and realising that their parents don’t hold all the answers. The uncharted future is captured in the lines ‘I laid in bed wondering what was already written and who gets to decide where I go.’ A powerful image of the uncertainty of life and the impermanence that informs everything. The song Garden deals with internal issues and whether anybody really knows another, feelings of loneliness rising to the surface and reflecting ‘I want to find out for certain if I’m here on purpose… ending with the message that ‘In my mind, there’s a garden.’
The final song Walking sums up the sense that we are all just passing through. Martin noting in his nocturnal reflections ‘We’ll be gone with nothing, the same way that we came, so I go out walking.’ A simple solution to the conundrum of life, live in the moment and try not to let the weight of the big questions lay too heavily upon your shoulders. A beautiful album and an essential purchase.
Review by Paul McGee
Norma MacDonald In Waves Self Release
Yet another superb album from the excellent Norma MacDonald, a singer songwriter at the height of her powers. With impressive production courtesy of Daniel Ledwell and a supporting band of musicians who turn these ten songs into real gems, this album is certainly a new peak in a career that has seen Norma release five previous albums of impressively high standards. She expands her colour palette of sound here with echoes of 60s Motown surfacing in some of the lovely harmony vocals and the lush arrangements.
The studio players include Norma (lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar), Adam Fine (bass), Jodi Comstock (drums), Nick Maclean (electric and acoustic guitar), producer Daniel Ledwell (keyboards, mellotron, pedal steel, “electronics”), Rachel Bruch (violin), with both Carmel Mikol and Melanie Stone adding backing vocals on four songs. The musical arrangements soar across the songs and the sense of timeless reverie is perfectly captured in the beautiful vocals of Norma. Her tone is soothingly seductive and the intonation just perfect on each performance.
Co-Star is a song that lingers, with a beautiful melody and a softly wistful vocal to conjure up images of a past memory that will not leave. Blues and Greens is another example of Norma’s knowing ability to create a sense of atmosphere perfectly in her delivery. The change of gears on Eastern To Atlantic is really like a palate cleanser between main courses and is a sweetly sad acoustic ballad that surrounds a sense of longing with missing someone across the miles. Absolutely gorgeous.
Glass Flowers has a 60s feel to the song and reminded me of Dusty Springfield in the vocal inflections. Same Mistake reflects upon a failed relationship and a determination not to fall into old habits. The string arrangement is very layered and the inclusion of brass sounds gives the song a big screen soulful production. Final song Rescue Mission is a perfect coda in the laid-back tempo and the gentle melody coupled with pedal steel and subtle rhythm. This artist is deserving of much greater recognition for the consistently high musical standards she achieves and on this latest album Norma really has knocked it out of the park. One of the albums of 2023.
Review by Paul McGee
MINOR GOLD, Carla Olson, Stuffy Shmitt, Israel Nash, The Country Side of Harmonica Sam, The Equatorial Group Jeffrey Martin, Norma MacDonald Music