Hank Woji Highways, Gamblers, Devils and Dreams Self Release
This is the sixth release from songwriter Hank Woji who resides in Terlingua, Texas and it’s a welcome addition, given that the previous album came out in 2014. During this nine year gap Woji has continued to tour regularly in the United States, performing at festivals, theatres, clubs and house concerts both as a solo artist and in other duo and trio combinations. He also performs with a Tex-Americana Jam Band called The Hank Woji Conspiracy.
This ambitious project stretches into a double album with twenty three songs and a running time of almost two hours. There is a wealth of good music to choose from and quite a number of different music genres across these tracks. The entire album was recorded across eight different states and visited fifteen different recording studios. The musicians who contributed make for a very long list and they all add significantly to the rich tapestry that unfolds here. Michael Mizma (drums, wood block) and Thomas Helton (bass, double bass, sousaphone), anchored the majority of tracks with their sterling performances in the rhythmic engine room. Rob Pastore (pedal steel guitar) features on four songs and Karen Mueller (autoharp, mandolin) shows her skills on a further four songs, with others such as Radoslav Lorvic (piano, Hammond B3 organ, accordion) appearing on six songs. Hank Woji contributed on acoustic and electric guitars, bass, surdo, harmonica, banjo and vocals. He wrote all the songs and four date back to 2013, with another two written in 2011 and 2006 respectively.
The first disc includes four cover songs and versions of I Ain’t Got No Home (Woody Guthrie), I’ll Be Here In the Morning (Townes Van Zandt), Sitting In Limbo (Jimmy Cliff, Guilly Bright) and Land Of Hope and Dreams (Bruce Springsteen) are all delivered with due reverence, while also displaying the real talents of Woji in stamping his own sound on such timeless classics. Whether employing a folk or a country sound or incorporating some blues and gospel into the arrangements, Woji called upon the talented studio musicians to embellish the sound and the entire project is something of a magnum opus for this singer, songwriter and musician.
I’m Gonna Hit the Number has a terrific laid-back groove that channels JJ Cale in hitting the sweet spot. The gospel warmth of Saving Grace is another superb moment with such great harmony vocals, piano and organ sound. There are road songs that deal with the journey and the ultimate destination, with Don’t Look Back, Chasin’ My Headlights and Sunny Days all laying down the need to keep hope and endurance as the ultimate goal. Indeed, the opening Don’t Look Back would comfortably fit on a Neil Young album in terms of feel.
The second disc opens with the excellent bluegrass sound of Runnin’ With the Devil and tales of a life on the run from the law. There is one cover song included and Take You Burden To the Lord and Leave It There is a classic gospel blues tune dating back to 1927 and written by Charles a Tindley. It’s one of the highlights here, among many, including the laid-back bosa nova beat of Man In A Cave, the Mexican rhythm of El Sonador (The Dreamer), and the strong message contained in On Our Way Back Home.
There is a nod to the soulful sound of The Band on the country gospel influenced Start Building Bridges, a song of hope and of unison. The tongue-in-cheek country twang of Corporations Are People is a reminder that such organisations are not above the law, and the reggae beat of Can’t Happen Here has a similar message about ignorance and choosing not to see the truth in front of our eyes. The Devil’s At the Door is a standout song, fused with a gospel blues groove and the final song is Peace Onto You and an abiding message to love as you would want to be loved in return. Guest appearances by Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock and Jaimee Harris on vocals add even more spice to the whole melting pot of different sounds and this music comes highly recommended. It represents a high water mark in the career of this talented musician and one that contains a depth that will resonate with anyone who is passionate about music of the senses and the soul.
Review By Paul McGee
James J Turner Future Meets the Past Touch The Moon
This album is a very enjoyable listen and marks the fourth solo release from Liverpool based James J Turner. A debut album arrived in 2002, titled The Believer, and was followed in 2012 by How Could We Be Wrong, before a third solo project appeared in 2016, Spirit, Soul and a Handful Of Mud. After opening his own recording studios Turner decided to focus on distributing his own music and Touch The Moon Records releases and promotes his musical activities these days. Outside of surviving the dangerous reefs of an independent solo career, Turner had originally cut his teeth as a young musician in local bands such as Lies all Lies and The Electric Morning playing a mixture of rock/new wave music and gigging live throughout England and Europe on a very regular basis.
This latest release contains twelve songs that highlight a very positive message, coloured by a big production sound with all arrangements and songs created by Turner himself. His message is one of embracing the spirit that rests within each of us and releasing a positive energy into our daily lives. Turner is not one for embracing traditional institutions such as church and state. He questions the way in which our institutions impose conformity and sublimation in our social mores.He is a bardic druid who seeks to connect people to the natural world and also to their cultural and historical roots from the past. As a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Turner channels inner reflection and spiritual landscapes, incorporated in a message of concern for the environment.
The songs here focus on themes such as self-awareness, self-healing and questioning the status quo. The opening song, and album title, talks about learning from past events in order to shape future outcomes. Kalahari Rain is a driving rock song that jumps out of the speakers, while Cycle Of Life slows the pace with a more acoustic arrangement that highlights violin in the mix. Real Change has a Celtic air laced through the melody and is a call to break free from this ‘well-oiled machine.’ Whistle and flute introduce Breaking Of the Ties which has a folky feel to a tale of progress stamping on the livelihoods of the common man.
Heaven’s Inside You has a compulsive drum and bass rhythm and a sense of Paul Weller in the delivery with violin adding colour to the arrangement and a message that all we seek is already within us. The pace slows once again on Same Old Story and a look at corporate greed in the push for profit above everything else. Such short sightedness is tackled again on Move Up to the Light with a message that eco-awareness is the solution to the over-arching corporate greed that threatens our environment. We Won’t Live Under Fear is a call to arms and a manifesto to come together in fighting the powerful forces that dictate our daily reality.
Full credit goes to the musicians who brought this music to life in the studio. Etienne Girard (electric bass, double bass), Dave Ormsby and Mark Rice (drums, percussion), Amy Chalmers (violin, backing vocals), Chris Haigh and Neil McCartney (violin) and Vicky Mutch (cello) all contribute seamlessly across these songs. James J Turner takes all lead vocals and plays acoustic, electric guitar, mandolin, whistles and shruti. His singular vision is laudable and there is a passion that runs through his strong vocal delivery and engaging songs. To the Wild closes the album with simple acoustic guitar and whistle, and a promise to get back to simpler days when life seemed less complicated. Now, that’s a place that we can all relate to; that chance to get back to the garden of youth. Maybe this music can take you there.
Review By Paul McGee
Malcolm MacWatt Dark Harvest Need To Know
The traditions of British folk music run deep, and the sense that it belongs exclusively in the past can hang over contemporary artists in their search for new ways to interpret old folklore and heritage. Different generations come and go, and each of us learn from listening over time to the stories of our elders. What would it take to merge modern interpretations with the old influences and to capture that sense of constancy that runs through it all? Well, Malcolm MacWatt is an artist who strives to bring together the old with the new. A multi-instrumentalist from the Scottish highlands, he has been capturing the old traditions and interlacing them with his interest in modern themes since his debut release in 2018.
This sixth album is a very absorbing look into what defines us as individuals and as a society. The theme running through the fourteen songs is one of personal reflection and the consequences of our actions in terms of universal karma. The songs reveal themselves as messengers from another place that impact upon the revolving wheel of life. Strong Is the North Wind opens the album and sings of the portents of doom, of ancient clans divided, and the way in which separation is fuelled by powerful forces that seek to rule our way of living in modern society. The plaintive harmonica is particularly atmospheric as the plea to ‘come to the polling stations and make yourselves known’ is highlighted as the only way to break the chains of oppression.
The Church and the Crown follows and has a similar message, with the restrained arrangement echoing a rueful look at the abuse of power; the combination of violin and vocal spinning a familiar tale, captured in the words ‘while the nobles and bishops grow fat on their lies.’ MacWatt entreats that ‘the poor and the workers rise up like a wave.’ The sense of injustice running through these two opening songs is palpable and it is a thread that runs through the album. Red River Woman has simple percussion and banjo, interspersed with dobro and violin, on a tale about race crimes and the murder of a First Nation girl. Harmony vocal by Shannon Hynes is very powerful in relating the sense of anger and disbelief that is captured in the arrangement.
Angeline Morrison is featured on Empire In Me and the song visits the topic of the slave trade and the dark forces that took away basic human rights from so many, coercing them into a life of incredible cruelty and depravation. The young child, born as the outcome of abuse, reflects upon the crime committed ‘So father I ask you when you look at me, Am I flesh of your flesh? Or your property?’ Nathan Bell tells the tale of Gruinard Island on the title song Dark Harvest and the local suffering caused through use of the land as a testing ground for anthrax experimentation by both the English and American governments. ‘One generation’s terrorist or political prisoner, Is the next generation’s activist or politician.’ These folk songs have all the traditional framework of tales spun from bitter experience and received memory passed down. The songs are equally as powerful in a modern context as in the times they mirror.
The traditional song Out On the Western Plains is one that I can recall being played by Rory Gallagher in the 1970s in concert, and here it is given great resonance with the guitar of Pat McManus. You can sense the ghost of Lead Belly walking through the bluesy arrangement. The tale of Brave David Tyre recounts the last man to be hanged, drawn and quartered in England, back in 1782. The Scotsman had been convicted of being a French spy and suffered his gruesome death in Portsmouth. Phil Dearing plays atmospheric piano on the song. The Nightjar’s Fall From Grace is a song that uses the nocturnal bird and it’s monotonous call as a metaphor in examining divisive ego and foolish pride and the repercussions of boastful behaviour.
Buffalo Thunder is a standout song that laments the disappearance of the vast herds that once dominated the American landscape, slaughtered to near extinction by the white man, exerting control over Native Indian tribes. It highlights some fine playing on banjo, fiddle with resonator guitar also featured. Heather and Honey sings of the compromise caused by private land ownership and the impact upon the ability of local farming communities to make a basic living ‘ I see the highlands becoming parks for a new monied clan, As people head south to the big towns and cities for jobs and a better chance.’
The longest song is The Last Bowman and it tackles the question of whether there is ever art in war. The skill involved in training an expert archer to master his craft is in stark contrast to the easy way in which anyone can pick up a gun and shoot it. ‘The alchemy of gunpowder became the atom bomb’ MacWatt sings as he plays a military tattoo on a share drum with Phil Dearing supporting on piano. Drowsy Maggie has a traditional air and a melody that harks back to past generations, with the song unveiling a tale of robbery and dire consequences for the extended family. It captures the cost of addiction with the needless loss of life caused by poor decisions taken.
The final song Semi Scotsman brings a personal touch to bookend everything and a declaration of the proud heritage to which MacWatt identifies. That sense of belonging and of pride in being part of a greater whole ‘It’s where I walk in all my hopes and dreams.’ This is a very impressive and embracing album, calling you into the message of equality and equity in all things. It comes highly recommended.
Review By Paul McGee
Matt Blake Cheaper To Fly Self Release
The story telling singer/songwriter is releasing his second album which judging by the credits, has been in the works for some time, as it includes a dedication to the late Don Heffington, the renowned drummer who was a founder of Lone Justice and played with numerous top notch artists. He was a fundamental contributor to the recording of this album, along with other notable names likes Doug Pettibone, who produced and played guitar and pedal steel throughout the album. The other members of the team included Patrick Warren on keyboards and David Piltch on bass, along with a number of singers adding their supportive vocals to the mix.
It is, however, the warm tone of Blake’s voice that draws you into his stories. One deals with highly inclement weather that finds him holed up during a fierce snow storm in Wisconsin and dealing with that only to find another coming just behind it while he’s waiting for the sunshine! Big Snow is the opening track of the album and finds the band clearing their own path. It features a solid keyboard break to give it a lift. More internal is Help Me, which again looks at isolation and the anxiety that that can develop from that situation, even in a cityscape. The pedal steel is central to the sadness of the track’s sentiments. Ohio talks about that particular State and acknowledges that once the factories began closing down, so did the communities built around them. However, Ohio is home and its inhabitants may well love it too, the effective guitar here helping to set the tone. There is a quid pro quo in his thinking, though, as he offers to save the world if his partner can do the same for him. The song has an upbeat feel and a brief but captivating yodel from vocalist Alice Wallace.
Another solid uplifting beat underpins Things We Used To Do, which finds Blake wondering how he could forget those things, whilst at the same time hoping to do that thing for other lesser moments. Again, Pettibone adds some compelling guitar to the track. Reflections of earlier times, particularly of his high school days, is what The Bottom takes on, in this case a particular sadness that suggests something tragic unfolding in the memories.
Matt Blake’s lyrics touch on a number of themes that effectively convey the sense of emanating from someone who has witnessed or endured the feelings contained within. Overall the collective contribution of all involved has produced an album that never fails to keep one engaged and demonstrates why he is an artist respected by his peers. There is a tenth song that closes out the album, a demo version of the title track, which provides a hint as to how he has stylised his studio time to fully realise the songs, whilst showing that its essence was there from the start. Blake has opened shows for Lucinda Williams, which in itself should indicate the character of his music (indeed she joined him on a track from his debut album). That album was released back in 2014 and, as mentioned above, for an artist like Blake it can often take time for an independent artist to be in the position to release new music.
Blake shows his development here with CHEAPER TO FLY and how he has gathered a a team of players around him (especially Doug Pettibone, who also produced the previous album) who have done much to realise his dream. So it may be well worth your time to sample a slice of his Americana storytelling, which will hopefully give him the opportunity to be able to release material more frequently.
Review By Stephen Rapid
Lori Yates Matador Self Release
This new album from the Canadian singer/songwriter immediately sounds like an old friend. The nature of Yates’s writing and singing is delivered with an ease that is immediately appealing, but equally there is an apparent passion when she sings too. The songs are full of reminiscences of people and places that remind her of earlier times, times she may have moved on from but that she is not afraid to revisit. Indeed, the title track concerns a much loved venue that, like many, is faced with demolition - in the name of progress. The Matador is remembered by some small incidents that show how it was a meeting place for like minds as much as a place to see and play music. but the overall plea is to not tear down “the grand old matriarch of Dovercourt.”
Yates produced the album alongside fellow musician Tim Vesely, who contributes on numerous instruments. They are joined by Steve O’Connor on keyboards, Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, banjo and pedal steel, Michelle Josef on drums and Basil Donovan, who is a member of Blue Rodeo, alongside playing with other musicians. There is also sadness as her long-time friend, guitarist and Hey Stella stalwart David Baxter passed away during the making of the album. Their combined contribution is, however, a fitting tribute to him.
Again, her skill as a writer as much as a vocalist is evident in the nine featured songs, all written by Yates bar a new version of a song (Time After Time) that she wrote with Guy Clark at the time she released her debut album on Sony back in 1988. Since that time, Yates has largely been an independent artist, which has allowed her the freedom to develop her music in a way that suits her. That is witnessed by the consistent sound over the tracks. They are held fast by the solidness of the rhythm section, with the guitars, keyboards and steel adding the textures which provide the forward moving current that sits behind Yates vocal delivery, which is at turns tender or determined, as the songs require.
Perhaps the immediate stand out here for this writer is the song 3 Sisters, which is an atmospheric take on the elements of heartache, sorrow and teardrops that are at the heart of a melancholic plea to live a life again. It is full of a delicate pain and distant hopefulness. It has a keening quality that is delivered with an obvious intensity. Cowboy, on the other hand, offers the man in the saddle a way to come home after the lure of the midnight skies begins to fade. The sentiments of need and longing are apparent in songs like Alive, as in it’s good to be there but there is a hurt there too. Then there is the acceptance of I Loved Ya which tells of the awareness of “I know you’re waiting there for me / you’ve been waiting for the longest time” and how in the end there is also the realisation that “I’ll make my way back to you.”
These feelings suggest a person who has come to terms with the vagaries that survival throws at everyone, but also the acknowledgement that it is part of what makes us what we are. Yates is a matador facing the bull(shit) but holding her ground too. This new album is one that fans will simply adore and newfound friends and fans should search out, as it’s a testament to Yates’ talent and determination.
Review By Stephen Rapid
Ellis Bullard Honky Tonk Ain’t Noise Pollution Feels So Good
Tagged ‘True Blue Honky Tonk Music’ on his homepage, you are not going to be in any doubt about where Ellis Bullard is coming from musically. Then the album more than justifies the tag, as a hardcore take on the past but given a modern twist in the tale. Bullard and his band are based in Texas, in Austin, and play a lot of the honky tonks there. He is something of a road warrior with a lot of gigs under his belt. He has always considered the road band he uses as much a part of the adventure, though it is his name on the albums and posters. That band backs him up to the hilt, making a collective sound built around music that folks want to listen and dance to. He translates his hard won experience and observations into songs that wouldn’t be out of place in a set by Waylon Jennings or Merle Haggard. The outlaw aspect of that lineage is alive and well in Bullard.
His debut release, from last year, was a seven track EP but now with HONKY TONK AIN’T NOISE POLLUTION he and the band have delivered a ten track collection that relates to different aspects of life - on the road and off. The pitfalls of the use of alcohol to mediate a bad relationship are outlined in Lucky You, Lucky Me, My Unlucky Ways. This is delivered, as are many of the tracks, with a dance floor dynamic that means even the hardest heartbreak can be tolerated with a little swing. We are not too far off that turf with the anguish of Prison In My Mind wherein the highway is the cause of that emotion. Further down the line, It Aint Easy Needing Green contrasts the need to make some money against the needs of a troubled planet. It features an effective interplay between guitar and harmonica.
Taking a look back at his younger days and those seemingly easier times is the subject of Young, Wild, Free, while praise for a particular combination of a preferred libation is the subject of Patron And Lime. The slower pace of Hopeless Waltz demonstrates how a slower song fits the band as much as the more uptempo material. The nature of his chosen lifestyle is outlined in Cocaine Money as in “country music - fortune and fame making cocaine money - there ain’t no other way.” The final track is the title song that opens with a distorted vocal before hitting a solid groove and an another affirmation that this must run through the band’s blood. It is a little more edgy, rockin’ and contemporary than earlier tracks but makes a strong final statement of intent.
Sam Norris, whose steel guitar adds much to the overall sound co-produced the album with Bullard along with bassist Cole Beddingfield and the engineer Patrick Herzfeld. The other band members here were guitarists Adam Duran and Austin Roach, Kyle Ponder on drums, Jon Grossman and guest harmonica player Jonathon Tyler. They all stepped up to the plate to deliver a strong, solidly entertaining album on which Bullard has something of a classic honky tonk vocal presence that is perfectly suited to his songs and the way they have realised them here.
There is certainly no noise pollution here, that is if you are of a like minded disposition. However, some fans of a more recently-minted misbranded version that is passed off as ‘country’ may disagree, as will those who are immune to its attractions. Otherwise Ellis Bullard has made an album that will be one of the stand-outs for this coming year.
Review By Stephen Rapid
Simon Stanley Ward and the Shadows Of Doubt Rocket In the Desert Self Release
Originally formed in 2013, and with two previous albums to their name, Shadows Of Doubt are a vibrant fun loving four piece band that hail from London and play on a regular basis on the UK circuit. Simon Stanley Ward is the main songwriter and he also performs as a comedian when not burning up the roads and venues around the various local circuits that they plug into. The original band included Paul Lush (lead guitar), Neil Marsh (drums) and Geoff Easeman (bass), with Simon Stanley Ward on acoustic guitar and lead vocals. Sadly, the band lost Geoff Easeman in 2023, the tenth anniversary of the band, and the story of their close bond is captured on this album.
Geoff played on eight of the tracks included here and his parts were captured in the hospice where he was spending his final months. The other three members had recorded the basic songs in a local studio in Norwich with producer Gavin Bowers providing the magic in capturing the live feel of the sessions. Incredibly, all the songs were finished over a period of just two days. Later in the year after the passing of Geoff, a further two songs were added to the album with Geoff’s son, Richard Easeman, taking the bass and playing superbly in honour of his father. Such a moving and poignant story and one that is touched by a sprinkling of magic dust also.
Opening song I’m A Worrier has a nice calypso groove and rhythm, despite the lyrical content which describes anxiety suffered in daily living. It could also be tongue-in-cheek as it speaks of training up in the mountains ‘A dedicated scholar in fabricating fears.’ However, there is no doubting the rockabilly strut of This Ain’t It or indeed the sunny guitar pop sound of the title track. Bigfoot Baby has a great rock and roll beat and a fun lyric to enjoy ‘Well a lot of folk will tell you that it ain't real, But try saying that out loud when you're gonna be its next meal.’ There is also some tasty guitar courtesy of Paul Lush who also plays in Danny and the Champions of the World, another fine London band.
Tony has a soulful 60s sound and the song was written for a friend during lockdown. The guitar work on Deadheading is superb and the vocal attack has an urgency in the delivery ‘Get your knees down in the mud, Shadows of Doubt nip it in the bud.’ The clever wordplay continues on Terpsichorean Footwear which looks at dancing shoes and states ‘Like the antelope, On the African plain, I'm gonna move my feet and drive you insane,’ elsewhere urging that ‘all the long words, you gotta look them up.’ Elsewhere Designated Driver and When September Comes hit the mark with country and rock sounds capturing the mood.
The ensemble really play with a freedom and intensity that is invigorating and the fresh sound on the album is very engaging. The final song Loving You is a folky sea shanty that is a reflection on the enduring power of love. Ward sings, plays acoustic guitar and fiddle, with Paul Lush turning in yet another standout performance on guitar and mandolin. Throughout, Neil Marsh plays superbly in the engine room alongside the bass parts of both father and son, Geoff and Richard Easeman. As a tribute to the memory of Geoff Easeman this album is superbly crafted and with Richard Easeman on bass for the final two songs, capturing the essence of his father, it is indeed the perfect homage. An excellent album and worthy of your time.
Review By Paul McGee
Corb Lund El Viejo New West
‘It’s a lot of minor keys and gambling songs, is what it is,” explains Corb Lund, reflecting on his latest album, ‘It was just a few of us in my house. No studio. No outside producer. No adults in the room. No stress.’
Working with members of his band, The Hurtin’ Albertans, the eleven-track album was recorded with anyout electric instruments with many of the tracks being ‘first takes.’ It follows his 2020 covers album SONGS MY FRIENDS WROTE and arguably his career finest record, AGRICULTURAL TRAGIC from 2020. The former included two songs (Montana Waltz and Road To Las Cruces) written by fellow Canadian Ian Tyson, who passed away in 2022. EL VIEJO pays tribute to Tyson, Lund's close friend and mentor. The album’s title translates as ‘The Old One,’ the nickname conferred on Tyson by fellow singer-songwriter Tom Russell.
Very much a modern outlaw, Lund was never one to follow markets or trends. Despite never hogging the limelight, he has been the recipient of both Juno and Canadian Country Music Association Awards. EL VIEJO is typical of his practice of making music that reflects his frame of mind at any given time, putting it out there without any significant ambition in terms of shifting units. It’s a strategy that has worked well for him in the past, evidenced by the fact that he has retained the support of New West for over a decade and a half.
Lund confesses to following the lyrical style of artists like Marty Robbins, Kris Kristofferson, Bobbie Gentry, and Jerry Reed on this record. He more than achieves this with lyrics that are both articulate, good-natured and laced with black humour. A point in case are the hilarious Redneck Rehab and Old Familiar Drunken Feeling. The former is a racy and hilarious tale of hillbilly-style self-administered cold turkey. The latter is based on a true story when Lund, high as a kite having experimented with some legal edible cannabis before playing a gig, resorted to downing copious amounts of whiskey to overcome the onset of paranoia. Gambling, cheating and drinking are well represented in the opener The Cardplayer and The Game Gets Hot. Out On A Win tells the tale of the chronic, unfortunate, ageing fighter wishing to bow out on one last victory. The title track is a heartfelt tribute to Tyson, grieving his passing and acknowledging his significance.
A master class in astute storytelling, country-edged vocals, and fine instrumentation, EL VIEJO is a worthy addition to Corb Lund’s impressive catalogue. It's no surprise; he seldom puts a foot wrong.
Review by Declan Culliton
Chatham County Line Hiyo Yep Roc
The early career days of singing around a single microphone, acoustic instrumentation and a modern bluegrass sound are long since in the past for North Carolina roots band Chatham County Line. It is not surprising, given that they have recorded fourteen studio albums over the past two decades before the release of their latest project, HIJO. Their last album, STRANGE FASCINATION from 2020, was their final recording with founding member and banjo player Chandler Holt. His departure, together with the appointment of Rachael Moore (T-Bone Burnett, Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, Kacey Musgraves) as co-producer, has culminated in the band pushing out the boundaries with their most experimental recording to date.
Drum machines, synthesizers, percussion and copious amounts of electric guitar all play their part, which is a noticeable departure from the band's comfort zone. They have not entirely abandoned their modern bluegrass leanings, and the harmonies by the three band members, Dave Wilson, John Teer, and Greg Reading, still enthral. Acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and pedal steel also still play their part. However, they are often more innovative and enhanced in terms of tuning and employing effect pedals.
That change in sonic direction reveals itself in the opening two tracks, Right On Time and Magic. Way Down Yonder, which follows, is a sync-led murder ballad that harks back to previous eras but with a modern-day spin. The mood lightens on the gentle ballad Stone, and also in the lesser gears are a delicate version of Hank Cochran's She's Got You. The piano-led album's swan song Summerline is an excursion into jazz territory, with Wilson's rich and echoed vocals out in front of a slow rolling groove.
'Hiyo' translates as 'an exclamation to proclaim surprise.' That definition may acutely relate to how long-time fans of Chatham County Line will regard this album. It's an album that casts its spell far and wide and is, without doubt, the band's most sophisticated recording to date. Stepping into unchartered territory, Chatham County Line has bravely set aside the tried and tested with this album. I, for one, am giving it the thumbs up. It is an album that requires several listens to appreciate fully, but the rewards are well worth the time invested.
Review by Declan Culliton
James J Turner, Malcolm MacWatt, Matt Blake, Lori Yates Music, Ellis Bullard, Simon Stanley Ward and the Shadows of Doubt, Corb Lund Chatham County Line.