The Kody Norris Show Rhinestone Revival Rebel
Jimmy Martin, the exuberant character of earlier bluegrass, is often cited when The Kody Norris Show is being discussed, and his influence on them runs well beyond the fact that the band also hail from East Tennessee. The relatively young ensemble stands out, not just for their spectacular coordinated outfits (credited to Double 8 Custom Apparel, LA) but they equally have the musical chops and stagecraft to rival the best in the business. As this second album also shows, they can write catchy new songs and reinterpret older ones from other genres with ease.
Kody Norris (guitar) himself contributed four of the twelve songs, and any of his songs could well be mistaken for established bluegrass or country numbers. He may well have written Fiddler’s Rock for the sole purpose of creating a showcase for the twin fiddling of his talented wife, Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris and their guest, Jason Barie (Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers)! Barie also contributes fiddle and backing vocals on Kody’s slow burning, broken hearts country song, Please Tell Me Why. On another new original, the catchy Baltimore I’m Leaving, we’re introduced to some inventive and almost funky banjo playing from Josiah Tyree, in a reverse of the usual ‘country boy falls for the big city lights’ affair. Josiah is also a superb vocalist, and he gets his moment on Don Sowards’ instant ear worm, I Call Her Sunshine, as well as contributing backing vocals on most of the tracks. Mary Rachel sings lead, and this time plays mandolin, on Endless Highway (covered by Alison Krauss), and backing vocals here come from none other than the wonderful Brooke Aldridge. Her husband, Darin Aldridge, produced the whole project in The Shop Studio, NC and added mandolin on that track. The true saga of the infamous NC bandit, Otto Wood, a staple of Doc Watson’s set, is given a new treatment here, with Kody taking lead vocals, with bluesy harmonica from another guest, David Johnson.
There’s lots more to enjoy here on one of the best bluegrass releases this year, complete with the usual high standard of artwork and design from Rebel Records
Review by Eilís Boland
Lillie Mae Festival Eyes S||C
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, Lillie Mae is very much a ‘lifer’ in the music industry. Born into a musical family, she began performing with her sisters and brother at the age of three and, by her own admission, will be doing what she does so well most likely for the rest of her life.
Alongside playing residencies and touring with her family band, Lillie’s late teens and early twenties found her touring as part of Jack White’s bands and contributing to his early solo albums. She recorded her debut solo album, RAIN ON THE PIANO in 2015 and followed that with two albums on Jack White’s Third Man Records label, FOREVER and THEN SOME (2017) and OTHER GIRLS (2019), both of which registered impressively in the American Country and Heat charts.
Her latest project, FESTIVAL EYES, was recorded over a couple of days in Dallas. Finding herself and her band in that neck of the woods on the final date of a tour, Lillie hooked up with Dallas-based producer Beau Bedford (The Texas Gentlemen, Orville Peck, Paul Cauthen, Leah Blevins) to oversee the album.
With much of the material written during the pandemic, the recurring theme of togetherness and love is dominant. Titles like Love Is, Safe Place, Please Be With Me and Razor Love all point toward an appreciation for the most important things in life, love, peace of mind, and well-being. The latter song is a gorgeous Neil Young cover (check out the YouTube video of the song) and although not written by Lillie, the lyrics do mirror her lifestyle and mindset (‘Make a livin' like a rolling stone, on the road there’s no place like home’). The song was suggested by Bedford and coincidently Lillie’s mother’s maiden name is Razor, so the selection was a winner on a number of fronts.
The playing throughout, as you would expect from a road-tight band, is exquisite. Lillie plays acoustic guitar and fiddle, accompanied by her brother Frank Rische (electric and acoustic guitar), husband Craig Smith (electric guitar), and sister Scarlett Rische (mandolin). The non-family members that contributed are Geoffrey Muller and Brian Zonn (bass), Aaron Goodrich (drums, percussion) and producer Beau Bedford (guitar, piano, keys).
What particularly elevates a number of the songs are the harmony vocals between Lillie and Frank. While harmonies have been a regular feature in Lillie’s work, they surpass anything she has previously recorded on the album’s closing track, Love Is. It’s a sound that recalls the vocal experimentation that dominated The Beach Boys’ PET SOUNDS album and the album’s stand-out track. Cold June looks back on an unusually unseasonable start to the summer of lockdown and the title track, also written during the pandemic, longs for the return of normality (‘Oh, where there’s music, singing, dancing, living up the night and we’re laughing!’). Also impressive is the mid-paced dreamlike ballad, Wild and Free, co-written with Brit Taylor.
A stylistically impressive venture on all fronts, FESTIVAL EYES may not be a radical departure from Lillie Mae’s previous work, but it does include her most intimate and personal writing.
Review by Declan Culliton
John Surge and The Haymakers Almost Time Blackbird
The debut album from John Surge and The Haymakers was YOUR WONDERFUL LIFE and it was released back in 2019. This time out they decided to try something different and headed to record in Texas and there hooked up with Tommy Detamore to produce this new offering. Surge’s longtime collaborator and guitarist, Randy Volin, joined him for the journey. Recording in a studio in Floresville in Texas over two hard-working days, there they laid down the bones of the ten tracks on the album. It is full of Surge’s love of honky-tonk, cowpunk and country dance music.
They made the most of the location and time by rounding up some top notch talent in bassist Brad Fordham, Tom Lewis on drums and Floyd Domino on piano amongst other instrumentalists, as well as having Brennen Leigh join them on harmony vocals. In the context of country themes, the majority of the songs tell us about relationships falling apart and the lessons not learned from past experiences.
The album opens with You’re So Right and the message that it “didn’t take that long from ‘I think I love you’ to ‘I think I’m gone’.” It motors along with twang laden guitar and Detamore’s pedal steel and sets the scenario for the remaining tracks. A radio edit of the track also closes the album. Rattle Me is the effect a woman has on the man in question. Next up, Tricks Of The Trade is built around a strong chorus about those tricks being something of a series of heartbreaking tricks. Volin adds tight guitar solo to bolster things up.
Reflection is the key to the next song I Should Have Known, a dejected ballad with Domino’s piano effective in it’s tone. That contrasts with the more edgy tone of being crushed in Lesson I Never Learned. The title track has a solid groove and a solid back beat that is satisfying. Harmonica opens the riff based Big Train, a song previously recorded by a band who were a big favourite of yours truly on my early forays into cowpunk - that was Rank And File. Surge’s version adds the guest vocal of that band’s Chips Kinman to give a further seal of authenticity. All You Gotta Do has a strong classic country feel with fiddle, acoustic lead and vocal harmony giving it an additional push in the right direction - as it offers advice to the lovelorn. We go back to quieter pastures with the ballad of Sister Honeybee. It describes some of the good things that life has to offer.
Surge has made an album that fits like a pair of well worn jeans and feels the right side of retro country but also has an eye to the future and perfects his own personal vision of the music that came from the likes of the Palomino Club in its heyday in L.A. Seems like it’s almost time to listen again and make some hay in its audio sunshine.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Broken Radio Dirty Country Hausmusik
An album for those who like a bit of gravel and grit in their gothic country. DIRTY COUNTRY is the latest album from Klaus Patzak, a German musician, who spent a fair bit of time plying his trade in Austin, but hails from Landsberg. It was the town where Johnny Cash was once stationed when in the army. It must have left its mark, in some form or other, on Patzak. His music is rooted in that earlier time and the influences he heard on forces radio growing up. Those tales of songs rooted in folk, rock and country form the basis of the deep mix of music he makes now.
However it is the depth and suggested darkness of his voice that sets the scene for the songs here, all written and produced under the name of Broken Radio. This is not the music that is streamed or featured on unbroken mainstream country radio. There are the textures and effective use of late night desert twang, fiddle, pedal steel, trumpet, organ and electronics. All in all, a highly effective sonic landscape that also adds the impressive vocal contributions of Lois Walsh and Teodora Gosheva. They often evoke the classic country duets of icons of the genre in the past. From the album credits, it’s not exactly clear how many of these instruments he himself played but it would seem likely he handled the bulk, if not all, himself. Making it even more praiseworthy an effort and endeavour that was recorded back in his own studio on his own time.
But don’t think that there is nothing here that has the attractiveness of a left-field hit, for example Sweetheart Honey Baby could easily find its way onto any open-minded radio show. The vocal interaction is indeed captivating. Solitary Morning evokes its title with a guitar and steel and a more wearied but wistful tale of early morning travel. Travel is again the theme of Patzak falling for the titular Tow Truck Driving Lady when his vintage car decides to quit. But in truth there is a lot of diversification throughout, without swerving too far from its chosen highway. It shows that Broken Radio have grasped the mettle of effectively channelling a particular strain of virulent off-kilter country music.
This is the sixth release from Broken Radio and is packaged as you might expect from someone who has paid attention to detail throughout. It is recommended, if this review in any way whets your appetite and curiosity, that you visit www.brokenradio.de to see the videos that have been created for many of the songs featured here; as well as the covers of the albums and singles that have a nod to a world vision set back a few decades ago. The modes of transport and the references to place all point to Patzak being a student of those lost highways and often unforgiving landscapes.
This is my first acquaintance with Broken Radio and it is a welcome one. Perhaps, not everyone will enjoy its essence, but for those that do it offers a set of frequently tantalising tunes that can be heard broadcasting from this broken but far from unplayable radio.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Ryan Curtis Ain’t Ever Easy American Standard Times
For album number two, Ryan Curtis has taken his “alt-country from the high country” sound in the direction of a tougher, rockier sound (with equal measures of blues and southern overtones). He is another exponent of the gravel-gargling vocal delivery which suits his tales of those who exist on the margins and in the backwaters of middle and small town America, in other words real life characters who inhabit these songs with doubt and hope in equal measure.
Can’t Take Back is the opening song and it has a groove over its firm backbeat and guitar and Wurlitzer laden looseness as he tells that his woman, in time honoured blues fashion, ain’t never coming back. The album then moves to a more alt country tone that reminds one of the days when alt-country was a viable sub genre. Codependent Heart is built around a guitar riff that draws you in and then expands to a final segment where the guitar lets loose. There is more introspection on Wasted Energy, wherein he decides to put that to better use and to find peace (and love) in his life. It is more reflective, as suits its title and mood.
It was this song that made me think that fans of the early releases from Ryan Bingham could find themselves with a new singer/songwriter to admire and absorb. That overall connection resurfaces over the next few tracks, for example in the country rock forcefulness of Drunk Tank and the realisation that this is not a place you want to wake up in. Adherents of Drive by Truckers sound will see a similarity here too. This Town and I Love This City offer perspectives on hard lovin’ and livin’ in locations that make it difficult to do both with any success, and lead instead to that other perennial pastime, that of drinkin’ to forget. The former is another song that hits the spot and adds to the underlying and overarching honky tonk country feel, while there is another juxtaposition with Cactus And Cocaine. It has an almost sing-along feel without ever quite getting to that point and again benefits from some emotive and twangy guitar, as he draws those two C’s into the one song. Chris Stapleton’s Good Corn Liquor moves from its initial bluegrass rendition by the Steeldrivers to something closer to Stapleton’s current modus operandi.
There is a different atmosphere to the approach of the closing track,Through The Tears, with a spoken vocal that goes in further towards raspy and uses steel guitar, vocals and more to create a descriptive sonic landscape that has the sought after cinematic outcome. It comes as an interesting finish to some of the more rough-hewn elements of the preceding tracks and allows Ryan to explore the different nuances of his music.
The album was recorded at the famed OK theatre in Oregon, though Michigan born Ryan is now based in Boise, Idaho. He worked with engineer Bart Budwig and musicians Cooper Trail, Nevada Sowle and Tyler McFarlane and other guests including guitarist Rider Soran, all of whom have their own separate music careers, as did Ryan as a member of the more soul orientated rock band, The Weary Times.
Having gone through the rigours of lockdown which underlined the album’s title, he has emerged with an album he can be proud of and one that should find many adherents.
Review by Stephen Rapid
Hiss Golden Messenger Jump For Joy Merge
M.C. Taylor performs as Hiss Golden Messenger and, looking back over his career, says that he has lived “an outlaw life, but one that makes me happy.” For those who have followed his journey over the last sixteen years, you will know that Taylor has always worked on the fringes of what is considered mainstream, while creating music of insightful depth and country soul. He has been on a quest to discover his truth, regularly seeking to find answers to internal questions that have driven his creative muse. Now, after many albums, endless gigs and hotel rooms, airports and road trips, his current perspective comes down to “If we’re standing at some finish line of human civilisation… then I want to go out dancing.” The performance name itself is something of a contradiction in that “Hiss” conjures up a negative image and a sense of disapproval, whereas “Golden Messenger” brings the image of a heavenly visitor from on high. In a way it’s this dichotomy that perfectly captures the true essence of M.C. Taylor and his musical vision. Almost like he’s saying ‘don’t ask me for answers, I’m just looking myself and making the best of things as we go along.’
This new album was recorded at Sonic Ranch, Tornillo, Texas, by Scott Hirsch, with assistance from Mario Ramirez and it takes a new direction with upbeat rhythmic arrangements which capture plenty of joy in the playing. It also shines brightly in terms of the creative spirit that Taylor always brings to his projects. His sound is nothing if not soulful at it’s core, the music effortlessly gliding along on the impressive playing of his regular band mates, Nick Falk (drums), Alex Bingham (bass), Chris Boerner (guitars) and Sam Fribush (keyboards). They blend together so seamlessly and are a perfect example of the maxim that “the whole is better than the sum of its parts.”
We are given a jazzy New Orleans shuffle on the title song Jump For Joy and this is balanced against the sweet funky sound on Shinbone which sees Taylor talk about ‘Taking chances, If you lose it all, Can you love what’s left?’ There is an easy, gentle flow on Jesus Is Bored with a more reflective plea, ‘Please give me something to lift me up out of this darkness, Something to light my way,’ really hitting the key question on the head; is there anybody listening? Another song, the almost-Reggae groove of California King considers ‘Some prophets sing about bad things to all their Sunday sinners, They set their nets out on the shore, Try to catch the lonely surfers.’
However, it all really comes down to the message of community, as captured on the understated acoustic rhythm of My Old Friends, a song from the heart and expressing ‘But my old friends don’t mind my transgressions, May I forgive them the way I’ve been forgiven.’ It confirms that true friendship is ‘something to believe in’ and immediately we are at the essence of the album, feel the joy in what tomorrow offers and embrace the moment. For this project, Taylor decided to look back on his life journey through the alter-ego of Michael Crow, an alias that channels his memories of younger days. Songs such as 20 Years and a Nickel look at his attempts to write a successful song, ‘I am waiting, Trying to write my masterpiece… There’s no such thing as a simple song, I’m convinced of it, I should know.’ Then there is I Saw the New Day In the World with its addictive groove and optimism, while on Nu-Grape we have another soulful rhythm and the superb backing vocals of Aoife O’Donovan and Amy Helm; the lines ‘I’m just a nail in the house of the universe’ capturing the sense of wonder at all the big questions. Indeed, it is the song titled The Wondering that sums it all up with a lovely bass groove and warm keys wrapping the melody against lines such as ‘Strung out beneath the hot summer clouds, I know a place to go swimming, A place where I can be myself, When the world around me is too much.’ Yet another cracker from the pen of M.C. Taylor and an album to cherish.
Review by Paul McGee
Luluc Diamonds Community
This duo are Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett, an Australian couple who began creating music together back in 2008. This new release is the fifth album in their catalogue of what can be described as Indie Folk, with beautiful vocals and pastoral soundscapes in the sweet melodies that form an integral part of their sound. Dream-Folk is a label that has been popular of late in trying to describe a blissed-out approach to recording, with use of reverb, understated vocals and lo-fi atmospherics.
If you enjoy a sense of drifting away in your musical tastes then this is the album for you. From the opening title track Diamonds, which recounts a drive towards San Antone in Texas and learning an old Doug Sahm song, the music takes on a sense of calm. The following track Snow muses upon feelings of loneliness and missing someone with a slow drum and bass rhythm supporting a nice guitar melody that plays in the pocket. Come On Spring has a nice bounce to it and you can feel the changing seasons as Randell sings of ‘Sweet relief from everything.’
There is a wistful elegance to Moonbeam with haunting cello and pristine acoustic guitar in the mix. The use of string arrangements enhances an already beautiful song, reminiscent of Mazzy Star. The Shore uses restrained brass instrumentation and a resonant bass-line on a song that captures a longing for natural elements and a deeper love. Hooked begins with just a strummed acoustic guitar and simple bass that support the winsome vocal of Randell as she sings of ‘all the wasted chances’ and the futility of self-sacrifice in a relationship.
Sleepyhead is positively upbeat with a nice rhythm that delivers a message of love and understanding in the habits of another. There is a sad quality on Evermore with cello echoing a dream-like sense of love being perhaps a suffocating feeling. A cover of the Rolling Stones As Tears Go By is delivered in soft-focus charm but misses out on the sad distance that was explored in the Marianne Faithful interpretation of the same song. Matters conclude with a lovely song The Sky and reflections on the power of nature to deliver real awe-inspiring vistas ‘ The sun kissed the sky goodnight… give it up, give it over, that weight on your shoulder.’ A very impressive album that will delight many who look for their succour in weightless, subtle melody and ethereal vocals.
Review by Paul McGee
Paul J Bolger Beware Of Trains Pillar Stone
This interesting artist has been releasing music sporadically since the 1990s. He also has a strong interest in art and design, cartoon animation and film production, and all forms of self-expression. Originally from Waterford in Ireland, Bolger has travelled in both America and Canada and this latest album was recorded in Nashville with renowned guitarist/producer Steve Dawson at Henhouse Studios. Also featured are the talents of David Jacques on upright and electric bass (John Prine, Emmylou Harris), drummer/percussionist Jamie Dick (Rhiannon Giddens, Pam Tillis, Alison Russell) and vocalist Siobhán Maher-Kennedy (River City People, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams). Other musicians feature on the eight tracks, including Hugh Christopher Brown, Alex Soikans, Colin Shanahan and Sarah McDermott.
If you count the 1993 release of The Moss House, then this album represents the fourth full release, following on from PJB (20200), and HARD TRUTH (2022). Throw in a couple of Eps along the way and you have plenty to entertain in the back catalogue. There is much to delight on this new album and the songs are all very well written, atmospheric in the delivery and full of personality. The quality of musicianship is a big advantage of course and Bolger can more than hold his own on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. The co-vocal with Siobhan Maher-Kennedy on Breathless is a real stand-out song, as is the spoken word delivery on Dance Where You Stand. The pedal steel of Steve Dawson and the keys of Hugh Christopher Brown really lift the latter arrangement. Heather Road is a funky workout that channels a loosely-tight groove, while Watering Hole has a dynamic blues feel, all smoky laid-back playing and slow-burn delivery. The bounce of What We Did Wrong is certainly a feelgood track and features a nice rhythmic groove that channels Buddy Holly. Eight songs in all, and an album that ticks any boxes.
Review by Paul McGee
Michael Conor Murphy Where To Now? Self Release
Wexford based, Irish songwriter, Michael Conor Murphy, delivers thirteen songs on this album and the overarching sense is one of taking chances and making your own luck in life. Looking for a sure thing never really works out and sometimes you just have to take a shot. Otherwise, it can all boil down to time passing, chances gone by with missed opportunity. This is a follow-up release to Michael’s debut album, Ain't Asking for Nothing, which was released earlier this year.
Writing On the Wall tells of a doomed relationship ‘what did you expect, watching our slow trainwreck.’ There are portents of doom on Deep Black Water and sleeping with the Devil’s daughter can only lead to trouble. The song We Stopped channels the memory of the pandemic and the world on hold, while the message in Where To Now? is one of looking for redemption and trying to make sense of the times ‘Every year seems to put another furrow in my brow, Oh… where to now?’ There is some fine fiddle and bouzouki to enjoy on Summer Sent You and the up-tempo beat of Got My Boots On is the most rock orientated track on display here.
Hammers and Nails looks at the life of a handyman builder and the practical ways that love may find a home. There is some fine percussion, keyboard and bass lines running through the song arrangement, and something of a highlight on the album, ‘Want something fixed honey, you just have to ask, I’m a handy lover-man to have around your place.’ Small Mercies is another strong song with harmonica and sweet guitar reflecting the need to count our blessings and practice acceptance.
The album was recorded at Accipiter Nisus Studios in Piercestown, Co. Wexford and it was produced by Mick Egan, who also contributes keyboards, guitars and percussion. Other players are Richard Lee (drums), James O’Reilly (fiddle), Alice McIntyre (fiddle) and Ian Barry (bouzouki, vocals). Murphy plays guitar and harmonica, in addition to taking all lead vocals. He is also backed by local talent Imelda Keogh on vocals, and she has released some excellent music in recent years, including songs written by Michael himself. This is a worthwhile album, well performed and containing differing styles to suit all musical tastes. Contemporary and marketable.
Review by Paul McGee
The Kody Norris Show, Lillie Mae, John Surge and the Haymakers, Broken Radio, Ryan Curtis, Hiss Golden Messenger, Luluc, Paul J Bolger