Holly Macve Wonderland Loving Memory
‘This time, I will not follow anything other than my heart, red ribbons and velvet, no man will ever leave my world dark,’ announces Holly Macve in the opening lines of her third album. The defiant words are taken from the title track of the Galway, Ireland-born and Yorkshire-raised artist’s latest album as she moves on from a long-term relationship. That ordeal, coupled with a motor accident which could have been fatal but fortunately resulted in only minor bruising, gave Macve substantial ammunition for her latest record.
Our initial introduction to Macve was her appearance at the Kilkenny Roots Festival in 2017, a renowned platform for emerging folk, roots and indie artists, where she impressively showcased material from her debut album, GOLDEN EAGLE. That album was followed by NOT THE GIRL in 2021. For this writer, those two records draw comparisons with a diverse range of artists and bands, from Bobby Gentry to P.J. Harvey and Mazzy Star to The Velvet Underground.
Like many artists, Macve uses the songwriting medium to open and explore wounds that are not yet fully healed and address issues from former and current times by exorcising them. A point in case is the quite stunning Beauty Queen, where she addresses being taken advantage of by an older man and, though blameless, the guilt and hurt it unfairly bestowed on her. San Fran Honey speaks of a ‘dodged-bullet relationship’, mercifully avoided.
As is the case throughout the album’s twelve songs, the arrangements are sublime. They range from luscious strings complementing Macve's vocals (Best Of Your Heart, Suburban House, Colour Them Gold) to piano and key-led ballads (1995, To Be Loved).
Macve has quite a unique vocal styling that quivers, ebbs, and flows flawlessly - Lana Del Rey described her as ‘one of the most beautiful singing voices in the world.’ That compliment led to Del Rey sharing vocals on the album’s track Suburban House (over twelve million Spotify plays to date), a contribution that should deservedly introduce Macve to a broader audience.
WONDERLAND is an enchanting gateway into the mind of an artist whose haunting and lonesome songs are often beautifully communicated and whose talents have fully blossomed on this album.
Declan Culliton
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country And Western Music, Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 2, Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues, Crying Time and Best of Country & Western Compilation Tangerine
Ray Charles, an artist who presented a treasure chest of country songs to literally millions of music lovers with his 1962 album, MODERN SOUNDS in COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC, significantly elevated the profile of country music at that time. His influence, particularly on the Nashville Countrypolitan sound, drew listeners (who may otherwise have considered country music crude) into the more mainstream direction that popular music coming out of Nashville was going. The album’s title may be misleading, which was possibly the intention of ABC-Paramount Records at the time to promote country music to a broader audience. It’s hardly a reflection of Country and Western music in the true sense per se and more of a selection of country, western swing, and folk tunes.
The songs are presented in a very listenable format, with Charles’ classic vocal tones supported by a large band, including string and horn sections. There is as much R&B, pop, and jazz as country in the mix, with Charles putting his stamp on classic songs penned by Hank Williams (You Win Again, Hey Good Lookin’), Don Gibson (I Can’t Stop Loving You), and Eddy Arnold & Cindy Walker (You Don’t Know Me) and Eddy Arnold & Zake Clements (Just A Little Lovin’).
Given the commercial success that the album enjoyed, Volume 2 followed hot on its heels in the same year. The format was the same with versions of what were to become classic songs, including You Are My Sunshine written by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell and again tapping into the Don Gibson (Oh, Lonesome Me and Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles) and Hank Williams (Your Cheating Heart) songbooks. Both albums were gold sellers, with Vol.1 topping the U.S. Charts and Vol.2 reaching the No.2 spot, a testament to the enduring appeal of Charles' music.
Continuing his musical journey, Ray Charles released COUNTRY & WESTERN MEETS RHYTHM & BLUES in 1965, marking the first recording in his own RPM International recording studio. The album, following the format of his earlier successes, featured standout renditions of Buck Owens’ Together Again and Bill Monroe’s Blue Moon Of Kentucky, further solidifying Charles' influence on the music industry.
CRYING TIME was released the following year and won a Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance. Let’s Go Get Stoned, from the album, had been recorded the previous year by The Coasters and hit the top spot for Charles on the Billboard charts.
BEST OF COUNTRY & WESTERN is a new compilation of tracks selected from the albums of that purple patch of recordings from 1962 to 1966. It may be the best starting point for those unfamiliar with Charles’ interpretations of some iconic songs. But be warned: once this compilation has whetted your appetite, you are most likely to dive in and seek out the other four albums.
Declan Culliton
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes I Built A World Sugar Petunia
Grammy winner and IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, Charlottesville native Bronwyn Keith-Hynes invited guests Sarah Jarosz, Chris Eldridge, and Tim O'Brien to add vocals to her stunning fiddle playing on her 2020 album FIDDLER'S PASTIME. This time, and taking a leaf out of Alison Krauss' book, Bronwyn takes the lead vocal and musical arranger role on I BUILD A WORLD by adding her voice alongside her stunning instrumentation. As was the case with her debut album, she is joined by a host of household names in the bluegrass and country genres, who contribute an array of instruments and backing vocals.
Like a musical journey through time, the album is a delightful mix of old-time, country and bluegrass arrangements. An example is the song Trip Around The Sun written by Al Anderson, Stephen Bruton, and Sharon Vaughn. With backing vocals by Dierks Bentley, it is a simply gorgeous country ballad. On the other hand, Scotty's Hoedown will please the bluegrass purists; it showcases Bronwyn's extraordinary fiddle playing from start to finish and features Scott Vestal's slick banjo.
Molly Tuttle and Sam Bush add their voices to album opener Can't Live Without Love, and Bronwyn is joined on harmony vocals by Dudley Connell on Will You Ever Be Mine. Brit Taylor takes the guest backing vocalist spot on Answers. Peter Rowan's mournful immigration song, Angel Island, is beautifully covered and further enhanced by Jerry Douglas' dobro contribution. Fellow fiddle player, Bronwyn's new husband and Del McCoury band member Jason Carter joins her on fiddle on the Don Gibson-written Don't Tell Me Your Troubles and on the title track that closes the album.
I BUILT A WALL boasts a star-studded list of contributors, but the plaudits must go to Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. Her talents truly shine here; her playing is a joy to behold, and she can now add vocals as an instrument that caps off her undisputed talents. A mesmerising journey from the outset and an album to put a smile on your face, whether you are a die-hard bluegrass or a country music lover.
Declan Culliton
Mindy Smith Quiet Town Compass
Mindy Smith boasts a honeyed voice that immediately draws the listener into her songs. As is the case with her latest album, she matches that with her capacity to write well-constructed and heartfelt material. Twelve years after the release of her last self-titled album in 2012, she returns with an eleven-track record titled QUIET TOWN.
Smith's personal journey is intricately woven into the fabric of this album. Raised by adoptive parents in Long Island, she connected with her birth family in 2014, based in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian Mountain district. This late-life discovery resonates in several tracks, particularly the duet and co-write with Daniel Tashian, Hour Of My Departure.
Recorded at Skinny Elephant Recording Studio in Smith's East Nashville neighbourhood, the production duties were overseen by Neilson Hubbard, who, alongside a host of Nashville session players contributed to the recording. Megan McCormick (electric guitar), Juan Solorzano (acoustic guitar, pedal steel), Will Kimbrough (electric guitar), Lex Price (bass), and Danny Mitchell (piano, horns) are all credited with breathing life into Smith's songs.
The album's title track has a tinge of sadness and appreciation. Recalling how Nashville has changed quite dramatically in recent years, Smith expresses her gratitude for the city's more laid-back vibe in former times while lamenting how commercialised and tourist-driven it has become ('There goes another plane roaring over our heads. Yeah, I miss the days when we lived in a quiet town where people walked how they talked and they meant when they said, you got a friend you can count on').
Other tracks that leave a lasting impression are the empathetic I'd Rather Be a Bridge and the strikingly beautiful Jericho, reminiscent of Bobby Gentry's style. Farther Than We Should Have, a collaboration with Natalie Hemby and K.S. Rhoads, also resonates with its message of positivity and resilience.
A profoundly personal and instantly rewarding listen, QUIET TOWN hopefully serves as the springboard for more recordings from a hugely talented artist.
Declan Culliton
West Of Texas Hot Motel Nights Pleasant Valley Ranch
The latest album from Jerry Zinn and his team continues his mission to create original music that is steeped in heartbreak and honky tonk memories. It is also marinated in alcohol allegiances, as befits the life of a habitual loser in love. Zinn has co-produced with another stalwart of the Californian scene, Ted Russell Kamp. Other names, also noted on many a similar recording set-up, include James Mitchell, Jeremy Long on guitars, pedal steel piano and more besides, Ryan Posner on bass and drummer Kevin Brown. Add to that Phil Glenn on fiddle and contributions from Kamp himself. all topped off by Zinn’s vocals and acoustic guitar. He is in fine voice delivering the songs with an adeptness that shows a growing maturity in that department.
Jerry Zinn also had a hand in writing all the songs, either alone or with co-writers Teri Joyce and Kamp. From the word go, you can immerse yourself in a vibrant retelling of tales of disrepute and despair, all told with relish, reason and resolution while being steeped in the kind of arrangements that might have you dancing the hardwood floor with tears in your heart.
Wall Of Memories opens by letting us know that he no longer enjoys the memories he has ‘stacked from ceiling to floor.’ He has taken the blame for how things worked out. Steel and baritone guitar bolster the sterling opening song that sets the mood for what follows, a sound that Zinn is undoubtedly happy to explore even while others seem keen to move on from this particular style of music. However there are many who are glad to hear him remain true to his particular vision. The sense of regret continues with I Can Almost Taste The Whiskey, a song that recalls the lips of a lost love that feels sweet still.
The deep bass line that wanders through I Only Listen To Heartbreak Songs has echoes of Merle Haggard and shows how Zinn has absorbed the truth of classic country to create something that stands up on its own merits too. There is an upbeat swing to I’m Doin’ Time, facing up to a long period of loneliness while denying that the reason for his particular demeanour is that he’s using the same tactics to leave another. That feeling of pain is inherent in I Hate The World Again, a song that lets its understated arrangement and ardent vocal tell it true. However, in the energetic recall that is Get Back In Here, he celebrates continuing a current desire.
Zinn again proves his worth as a vocalist with 15% More Of Your Love, that sees him looking for that little bit more from a relationship. It also emphasises just how good this band works in the studio. They offer a broad palate of arrangements that touch on many bases without losing any sense of coherence and clarity. Throughout the vocal prowess and that of the individual players shines out on many occasions, really deserving a band name on the cover.
I’ll Ask Gin is a standout here that is a little more cinematic in its range, with simple effective guitar underscoring an interesting string arrangement. It proves how West Of Texas as a unit have developed a sound that is both varied and vibrant. We are back to the bar stool again for Whiskey, Wine & Empty Bottles as he tries to drink those bad memories away - once again. Perhaps saving the best for last (or at least one of the album’s standouts) is the closing ballad Tell Me, a song written well before this album was recorded and it therefore shows Zinn’s devotion to a sound that can be taken as nothing else than country music. Music free from the recent dilutions and deviations of a traditional form, rather one that relishes adherence to the icons that inspired his love, such as the aforementioned Haggard alongside the likes of George Jones and Buck Owens. They were individualistic artists who mixed pleasure and pain as a reflection of the life and hard times they witnessed, yet they turned it all into a music that had a wide, conscientious appeal that was a means of escape as much as anything.
But in this world there is also a space for humour and humanity. West Of Texas aim to take their place on that venerable list of those who made this music what it has been and should be.
Stephen Rapid
Don Merckle Same Devil New Skin Self Release
This is the fourth album from an artist who has been recording and performing since his debut appeared in 2014. His songs are based in the rich tradition of heartland roots with plenty of references to death, devils, ghosts and murder.
Covered In Dirt is a great opening track with the band immediately settling into the groove on a song about finding an entity risen in the fields and coming back to life. It’s got great delivery and a wry sense of humour. Die In the Country is another dark tale about being claimed by the devil for past sins committed ‘If I die in the country, Don’t come looking for no ghost, Cuz my soul went low, To that fiery glow, Now I’m chained to a whipping post.’
The Ballad Of A Dead Man is very atmospheric with great trumpet from Mark Rapp giving a lilting tex-mex feel to proceedings. Monster In These Hills again warns of impending doom if you dare to enter the woods and valleys that frame murder mountain. Monsters and demons lurk in the shadows and the grisly fate that awaits is never worth the curiosity, or the risk involved. There are very effective horns on the track and the vocals of Desiree Richardson and Lindsay Hollar are very haunting.
The title track is a story song of the outlaw life and the price that has to be paid ‘All the madness in these lands, All the blood on these hands, And the ground is thirsty for more.’ The foreboding feel on Cabin In the Woods sends a warning out to keep your distance and to be scared ‘When the wind blows slow, You can hear the trees grow, Around the cabin…in the deep, dark woods. ‘
Call the Lightning runs along at a fast pace and the words resonate ‘Call the lightning down, Let’s see what all this talk is worth, You cast the first stone, I’ll break the first bone, We’ll see which god answers first.’ Murders In This Town has a slow groove that again deals with our fascination with death ‘So, don’t come over tonight, I can’t believe the things I’ve seen, So many murders in this town, I can hardly breathe.’ The album ends with the longest track The Devil Showed Me His Hand and the song builds with a spoken vocal and warm keyboards joining with laid-back percussion and subtle saxophone ‘I can give you fortune, Even a little fame, No one cares cuz it ain’t about the prayers, But do you have some skin in the game.’
The players on the album are all worthy of a mention as they perform so seamlessly together and Don Merckle(vocals, acoustic and electric guitar), Evan Simmons (drums, percussion), Moses Andrews III (bass, keyboards organ), Zach Bingham(lead electric and acoustic Guitar), Mark Rapp (trumpet), Chris Bussell (saxophone , flute), Desiree Richardson (backing vocals), Lindsay Hollar (backing vocals), and Danny Morgan (mysterious whistling), provide all the sparks.
The devil is in the detail and often we find ourselves looking for some tantalizing dark deeds and ghostly happenings. This album contains plenty of that country noir/folk horror feel, with songs and themes that will excite.
Paul McGee
Jeff Evans Porkestra Willow Pillow Self Release
Atlanta, Georgia is home to Jeff Evans and he has been a regular on the local music scene there for many years. He formed the band Chickens and Pigs for a run that included nine album releases and their signature country blues sound is something that also surfaces on this solo release.
The six tracks vary in dynamic and the rich sound was captured at an old house that is called East Atlanta Recording Studio. There is a nice live feel to the music and Evans handles all the guitar parts in addition to providing lead vocals. The title track has a driving beat and the psychedelic guitar histrionics of Evans are very reminiscent of 60s jam band influences. As a contrast Happy Earthquake is a tale about a road journey that doesn’t quite go to plan; the country swing of the song sitting nicely into the upbeat groove.
Flavor Is Power starts with an acoustic guitar strum and both Tracy Clark and Celeste Conway Smith add some nice backing vocals on a song about a girl that stirs the senses and the attention of Evans ‘You can’t taste the strawberries without getting all tangled up in the vines.’ On I’m Going To Town we have a country shuffle to a tune about having a good time and breaking out with the ladies. There is a nice guitar break in the song that trips along on an easy melody. Lars Nagle guests on guitar and the understated drumming of Sandra Senn is nicely judged.
Mirror, Absorbent delivers a dreamy groove and somewhat obscure lyrics about driving to the airport with a girl that is leaving for Japan. Opening song Time Wrinkle perhaps best sums up the quirky nature of these songs with a bluesy number in celebration of the female form and it has some sweet slide guitar ‘she says time ain’t got nothing on you, no ransom note.’
Evans co-produced the songs with Sean McPherson, who adds bass guitar on three tracks and there is also the inventive drumming of Sandra Senn to enjoy throughout. An interesting debut solo project and no doubt there will be more projects to follow from the creative mind and pen of this artist.
Paul McGee
Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus Harbourtowne Berkalin
This duo has been creating music together since 2008. Their output has been very steady over the intervening years with four releases that culminated in a compilation, Collection 2008-2018. Since that album, the duo has released a further two studio albums and a live EP, which now have led to this current project of twelve Folk-based tunes that bring plenty of enjoyment.
Patton and Brokus first met back in 1980s Baltimore when both fronted the band Edge City. They went on to release a number of albums and as the new century brought a different focus they eventually decided to establish themselves as a duo. These songs are well written and recorded by long-time ally Ron Flynt at Jumping Dog Studio in Austin Texas, home to the couple these days. The arrangements are kept refreshingly open and uncluttered and the musicians that are involved all play their roles with an easy charm.
Ron Flynt provides bass, keyboards, harmonica, acoustic guitar and backing vocals. Jim Patton plays acoustic guitar and provides lead vocals, with Sherry Brokus supporting on percussion and vocals. Rich Brotherton plays acoustic guitars and mandolin, Warren Hood plays fiddle, John Bush provides percussion and Betty Soo appears on backing vocals also. Jim Patton wrote all the songs including seven co-writes and the themes are very much what you would expect to find in daily life .
Just Doesn’t Work Anymore is a comment on the planned obsolescence of so many things in these modern times, and When You Win the Lottery speaks of using a sudden windfall for good purpose rather than just blowing everything on having an endless party. Back In the Storm is a look at the cost of hurricane season in the USA, with the subject of the song trying to meet regular bills against the need to provide a decent quality of life. The Juggler is about a lost soul who doesn’t seem to fit into regular society, while songs Sally Brown and Never Going Back make reference to previous love that has now departed and become a past memory.
The title track Harbourtowne is a fictitious place where bright lights and fun awaits, and colourful living can start for a kid who is escaping a rural town upbringing.
Until the Fire Is Gone is a song that reflects upon past experiences, mistakes made, lessons learned and a perspective on getting older; nice fiddle and strummed guitars give the arrangement a certain poignancy. Missing You is another song of reflection and references an old friend who has now passed on. The piano and fiddle on Start Again set the melody on a song that speaks of every end as a new beginning ‘Don’t look back over your shoulder, Once you learn to start again.’
So, a mixture of character-based songs and some personal reflection on times past. Overall it’s an album worth investigating if only for the superb musicianship and the fine song composition.
Paul McGee
Laura Marling Patterns In Repeat Chrysalis/Partisan
Songwriter Laura Marling has always displayed a singular spirit. From the early influence of her parents; her mother a music teacher, and her father ran a recording studio, Marling struck out for independence at the tender age of sixteen, moving to London and the freedom to experience a big city.
At age eighteen she released her debut album and it was nominated for the 2008 Mercury Music Prize. Marling spent the next decade building upon this initial success and a further five albums were released to increasing media acclaim and further nominations for the Mercury Music Prize, plus a Grammy Award. Far from falling into the music machine and trying to satisfy all the impossible demands that it places upon such a strong creative muse, Marling stepped away temporarily and listened to her own internal song.
Song For Our Daughter appeared in 2020, three years after her previous album Semper Femina, which had explored the power of femininity in various forms. The title was something that was prophetic in that it spoke to an imaginary child and reflected the inspiration that Marling took from Maya Angelou's book, Letter to My Daughter. Now, four years on from that last release, we have yet another example of the rich creative talent that runs through the core of Laura Marling. It is a gently subdued project with no drums and a restrained approach on the eleven songs that never breakaway from the sweetly reflective atmosphere. The fact that Marling has now become a mother runs throughout the album and permeates all corners of the recording.
Strings are provided by multi-instrumentalist Rob Moose who also plays violin and viola. The effect of Marling’s honeyed tone on vocals blends seamlessly into the arrangements and she also excels on guitar, piano, mellotron, synths and bass. Much of the album was recorded in the basement studio at Marling’s home and the quiet intimacy captured is perfect for the mood that considers motherhood, the passing of time, the pull of family and the wonder in the everyday.
Dom Monks co-produced the album with Marling and he also contributes synths, bass, and bouzouki on the songs. Other musicians feature and Marling’s new baby is given a credit for her vocals that open the album on the gorgeous Child Of Mine a song that expresses the unbreakable bond between a mother and her child ‘Long nights, fast years so they say, Time won’t ever feel the same, And I don’t want to miss it.’
The two songs Patterns and Patterns In Repeat talk of how the familiarity in repetition can be a succour in daily routine and lives that spin by at a pace ‘And now the time leaps by and starts to fly, And only then can I see, That we’re patterns in repeat, And we’ll always be.’ Marling also uses these songs to project the lives of other characters, whether fictional or real, who have decided to live with the compromise that is ever-present in life as we move through experiences of career, having a family, maintaining relationships and so much more.
Caroline looks at an older man who has lived a happy life despite the ghosts of unrequited love that visit from his past ‘I’d like you not to call again, I’d like to keep you off my mind, You’re the one who went away Caroline.’ Equally, Looking Back is a song that reflects upon old age and the memories formed by experience ‘I wonder if you think of me, Watching evening summers.’ The song was penned by Marling’s father Charles, as a younger man projecting upon the ageing process.
Your Girl is a song that delves into feelings upon the passing of a parent and the sense of being alone in the world despite fond memories ‘I rushed around to ask my friends, Is this what it feels like when it ends.’ The sense of sadness that hangs over The Shadows is influenced by the loss of a mentor, or perhaps a matriarch figure, in the song, the feeling captured in the lines ‘I tried to persuade her in vain, of course later, That’s something that I’d deny, I knew it was better to say in my letter, That I never even tried.’
Lullaby is a love song to her baby that is beautifully constructed with simple acoustic guitar and strings, while a love song of a different type is dedicated to Marling’s partner on No One’s Going To Love You Like I Can. There are two instrumental tracks also included and ultimately it all comes full circle with Marling reflecting on the patterns that emerge in everything we experience. It’s a superbly crafted album and a worthy addition to what is already acknowledged as a beautifully evolving career.
Paul McGee