Seth Mulder & Midnight Run In Dreams I Go Back Mountain Fever
In just a few short years, mandolinist Seth Mulder and his band have risen from relative obscurity to being one of the top drawer bluegrass bands in the US. After graduating from college music courses, they developed their chops and stagecraft playing 5 hours per day, 5 days per week in Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (where they still continue to play when not out on the road). Yet they also manage to keep it fresh in the studio, which is clearly evident in this, their third full length album.
From the opening track, One More Night, it’s evident that there are a lot more influences filtering through the music than just traditional hard driving bluegrass, in the case of this Seth Mulder original it’s ‘rockabilly meets bluegrass’. It also gives the first taste of Mulder’s superb tenor voice, that can do high lonesome with the best of them. Three part harmonies are de riguer throughout the song choices, particularly on traditionally themed numbers like Carolina Line, The Mountains Are Calling and Back To The Carolinas. They show their strong country leanings in the George Jones favourite, Picture Of Me Without You, and in another wonderful Seth Mulder original, Your Love, with a catchy opening and closing riff from guitarist Ben Watlington. Banjo player Ben Colton shines everywhere, but also gets to contribute his baritone vocals to the gospel song, My God Will set me Free, another song co-written by Mulder. There’s more country flavour and three part harmonies in the fast-paced waltz, In Dreams I Go Back, while fiddle player Max Silverstein is featured on the breathtaking two minutes and ten seconds long My, My, My. One of the standout tracks is the only instrumental and another Mulder-penned tune, Bull Head Swamp, which is up there with any bluegrass instrumental anywhere, in this reviewer’s opinion.
We’ve been lucky that Seth Mulder and his band have played Ireland twice already and I hear they’ll be back this way during another trip to Europe this summer. Check them out and tell them we sent you.
Eilís Boland
The Secret Sisters Mind, Man, Medicine New West
Muscle Shoals, Alabama-born sisters Lydia Slagle and Laura Rogers's self-titled debut album in 2010 was an introduction to siblings whose exquisite harmony vocals and well-constructed songs signposted them as 'ones to watch' in the Americana world. Since then, they have released three more albums, including the Brandi Carlile Grammy-nominated 2020 album, SATURN RETURN.
Their fifth album, MIND, MAN, MEDICINE, was co-produced with John Paul White and Ben Tanner. They returned to Muscle Shoals and the Fame Studios for most of the recording, also availing of the services at Sun Drop Sound in Florence, Alabama. A lot has changed in the fourteen years since their debut album. Motherhood and its inherent pressures and responsibilities, the pandemic, broken friendships and a realisation of the people and things that really matter in life provided the framework for this album. The result is an album that breathes hopefulness and positivity, most probably a statement of the sisters' current mood and perspectives. Opening tracks on albums are generally a thematic pointer to what follows, and Space, the first track here, is a delight. 'I am holding space for you,' they announce in the song, reading like an olive branch held out to those who may need a helping hand.
That overriding sense of compassion and empathy also surfaces on I Can Never Be Without You Anymore, Bear With Me and Never Walk Away. The soulful All The Ways, which features Ray LaMontagne on vocals, is vintage R'n'B, and in complete contrast, the hymnlike Planted is a gentle lullaby. I Needed You combines the sisters' vocals with rich orchestral layers and, on a lighter note, Paperweight is a catchy slice of country soul.
Despite the Grammy nominations, Lydia Slagle and Laura Rogers have faced their fair share of challenges. From being dropped by Republic Universal Records to navigating lawsuits and the realities of motherhood, their journey has been a testament to their resilience. MIND, MAN, MEDICINE is a reflection of their perseverance, a project both lyrically and musically that The Secret Sisters have always aspired to create. In my view, it stands as their most powerful work to date.
Declan Culliton
Pat Reedy & The Longtime Goners Make It Back Home Self-Release
One of my most enjoyable musical experiences in Nashville didn’t take place in a salubrious venue like The Ryman, Grand Ole Opry or even that legendary honky tonk Robert’s Western World. The location was the office of an underground car park, which required the assistance of Google Maps to eventually locate it. Pat Reedy and his pick-up three-piece band chose this less-than-swanky venue to showcase his album THAT’S ALL THERE IS AND THERE AIN’T NO MORE during Americana Fest week in 2018. The band included an upright bass player, singer-songwriter Michaela Anne’s husband Aaron Shafer-Haiss on drums and a Scandinavian pedal steel player Pat had met only hours before. Despite the haphazard arrangements, they performed a killer set from an album that became one of my favourites of that year and one that I still regularly revisit.
Reedy is a survivor of an industry that has found him busking at street corners in New Orleans, founding the band Sundown Songs, which included similarly bohemian street artists Alynda Segarra and Sam Doores, and working various construction jobs before moving to Nashville. Very much part of the underground country scene in Nashville, he can be found with his ever-changing band, The Longtime Goners, entertaining locals and out-of-towners at the American Legion Post 82 on Gallatin Pike or, more recently, his residency downtown at Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern.
Many of the talented crew of players who shared the stages with Reedy contributed to his latest album. Stalwarts of the East Nashville country scene and recording artists in their own right, John R Miller played electric guitar and bass, Kristina Murray added background vocals, and Thomas Bryan Eaton added electric guitar. Other contributors included Leo Grassl (pedal steel), Ryan Elwell (drums, harmony vocals), Evan Martin (organ) and Meredith Watson (harmony vocals). The production duties were handled by John James Tourville (The Deslondes), who also added electric and acoustic guitar. Collectively, they impeccably recreate the dynamic of Reedy’s live shows across twelve tracks.
Telling his tales in simple and to-the-point terms, the songwriting signposts the highs and lows of Reedy’s often disorderly career. Doomed relationships and empty pockets are recurring themes, whether factual or imaginary. The pedal steel-drenched Bright Lights, the sharp-witted Runnin’ Out of Reasons, and the mid-tempo Long Drives and Lonesome Mornings particularly impress. It’s not all ‘tears in your beer’ either; the title track has a ring of defiance and self-worth. There is a striking desert border vibe to Traveler on the Plains, and Tallest Man in Tennessee salutes the untiring blue-collar working man.
MAKE IT BACK HOME won’t feature in the Billboard Charts or country music radio—it’s far too ‘country’ for that. But with a collection of well-constructed nuggets and exceptional playing, anyone who craves ‘rough around the edges’ styled country music loaded with swing, twang, and wicked humour will find this essential listening.
Declan Culliton
Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz Simple Motion Red Beet
Nashville-based duo Brace and Jutz are life-long friends and consummate music professionals. Over the decades, they have played together in various ensembles, produced other artists and steered their business interests successfully through the shark infested waters of the music industry. For Brace, the journey to Nashville was in search of recognition as a founding member of Last Train Home, a superb band of heartland and roots rock leanings. Jutz took a separate path as a musician for hire and his reputation grew out of contributions to albums by Nanci Griffith, Marty Stuart, Kim Richey, Mary Gauthier and Amy Speace, among others.
Both have played with Peter Cooper, journalist, historian and producer, who died in 2022 following a tragic accident. They played together, as a trio, and released two albums, in addition to touring on a regular basis. Brace also released a number of duo albums with Cooper but this new project marks the first occasion that both Jutz and Brace have come together as a duo to record. It’s a landmark album in many ways as it honours their old friend and also visits the memories of time past when a simple life was something to be valued over the crazy motion of this modern world.
The fourteen songs are perfectly formed and recorded in a bright and inviting fashion by the duo and at forty eight minutes of playing time, there is plenty for every listener to enjoy. Opening song Frost On the South Side tells of seasonal farm workers who move across the country in search of the next harvest and a living wage. Burn is another song about travelling and soaking up all the experiences that life can deliver along the journey. The title track continues the theme, and the album image of two rail workers on a push trolley captures the need for motion in order to enjoy the adventure. Yet another song, Ramble, councils to put on your shoes and go walking.
The musicianship is quite superb at all turns and the combined talents of Mike Compton (mandolin), Richard Bailey (banjo), Justin Moses (dobro, banjo), Jeff Taylor (accordion, tin whistle), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), and Mark Fain (bass) deliver ensemble playing of the highest order. The combined guitars and vocals of Brace and Jutz highlight the easy manner in which the songs flow seamlessly together and their blended talents are a real highlight throughout. Just A Moment refers to the fact that ‘everything has changed’ and alludes to the passing of their great musical brother, Peter Cooper.
Can’t Change the Weather is a song that was co-written by Cooper and Jutz and it fits nicely into the narrative here. It’s a song about tour plans to Ireland being put in jeopardy and the need to just let things take their course. The relationship woes of Anywhere But Here play out in a slow waltz while the light jazz feel of When London Was the World has a swing that is sweetly delivered. The story song of Adam and Eve tells of tragedy on the high seas, while the pull of the ocean on Sea Fever captures the freedom of being out on the water and sailing away from all your cares.
Nashville In the Morning frames the city in a love song that captures the creative energy that has always formed part of the spirit over time, despite the changes that have come to pass over recent decades. All in all, a great album wrapped up in a creativity that delivers quality songs and an understanding that the magic remains in the communication between musician and listener.
Paul McGee
Vanessa Peters Flying On Instruments Idol
This Texas singer songwriter has been releasing music as far back as 2003 when she first came to media attention with a debut release, titled Sparkler. Over the intervening years she has pursued a successful career, recording with other artists such as Ice Cream On Mondays and The Sentimentals, in addition to releasing a further seven solo albums. With this new release, Peters has opted for a very bright Americana sound across nine tracks that feature her European touring band "The Electrofonics" which consists of Federico Ciancabilla (electric guitar), Andrea Colicchia (bass), Matteo Patrone (keyboards), and Rip Rowan (drums).
The up-tempo opener Beauty Or Grace speaks of the fallout from Covid and reflects ‘I don’t need a golden calf, I’d just like to afford to keep doing what I love, and I’m long past needing recognition, or a sign from above.’ A message to live in the moment is at the centre of Halfway Through which muses over ‘what to carry, what to leave behind, and what I can do without.’ The song Blind Curves slows the pace with a look at the life options that we either decide to embrace or to ignore; whether leaving is the way forward or perhaps staying is the true path ‘numb the pain with too much work and alcohol, pretending I don’t miss anyone at all.’
Better is wrapped up in a nice melody that is very much aimed at a radio-friendly audience, even if the lyrics point at self-reflection and issues of self-acceptance ‘I spent a lot of time on wasted decisions I couldn’t seem to make, and kept a lot of feelings hidden away, with others I couldn’t fake.’ Pinball Heart is a song that rocks out with a driving rhythm section and a message to live life large ‘If you’re stuck in the way that it was, then you’ll always be missing the way that it is.’ How Long is a highlight with a look at the vagaries of life. A friend who loses his wife, another who is wrestling with a decision regarding being pregnant, and heart surgery on the horizon for yet another acquaintance as Peters reflects upon life ‘moving forward, while always sliding back.’ This song also references the album title in the lines ‘we’re all flying on instruments, no one’s got a crystal ball.’
Other songs deal with the struggle of relationships and both Out To Sea and Wasted Days are questioning the channels of communication, while Hey Claire hints at the futility of making plans, suggesting that things fall apart and leave us stumbling through the dark. I would prefer to imagine us all in the space of free-will where our decisions have their own karma. An interesting album with a very assured sound and Rip Rowan co-produced the project with Joe Reyes (guitar, lap steel) in Dallas. Peters has an inviting tone in her vocal and her acoustic guitar sits easily into the mix of song arrangements. Her lyrics are nicely balanced between insight and reflection and the inclusion of a string quartet on some songs helps to lift things to further heights. Worthy of your attention.
Paul McGee
Michael Lane Memories Greywood
Released towards the end of 2023, this album represents the sixth record in a career that goes back to 2014. Lane is resident in Germany and he previously served in the American army, seeing service in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His album in 2021 was titled Take It Slow and the songs were a look at issues such as acceptance and rebirth. The spiritual tone and the message of hope is reflected into this new album also with the emphasis this time on personal relationships. The need to share our inner feelings with another and to be prepared to express vulnerability are themes that run through these ten songs of loving awareness.
The opener Getting’ By talks of selling a guitar to pay the rent but even if bad luck abounds, the message to keep moving on is repeated as a mantra to push through the tough times. I Can’t Live Without You is a song that looks at communication issues between couples and the dark days that bring out the need to find the light. Balsam Tree is a song that appeared on the debut album in 2014 and the female voice who shares the duet is uncredited but very engaging as the acoustic arrangement drifts along a banjo and guitar melody, conjuring up images of summer days and letting go of all cares.
Memory is a more up-tempo arrangement with a driving rhythm section setting the pace and a song that looks back at a former relationship that has slipped away. Also, Remember the Days covers this same ground in realising that the insecurity of youth can be a stepping stone towards more mature relationships into the future, once love can endure. Walking A Long Road also appeared on that same debut album and is included here as a hope that an old lover is doing well and that somewhere their paths will cross in the future. Here With Me is a wish for dreams to come true and for a safe place where those who are close can hold memories of what is lasting.
There is a commercial influence to some of these contemporary folk musings and the sweetly toned vocal of Lane is a real plus in terms of reaching out to a different market where his music can find a wider audience. In Your Arms is a gentle love song and definitely a contender for inclusion in some future movie soundtrack as the celebration of love is highlighted in the nice melody lines with the players delivering a fine performance. Someone New is a song in hope of reinventing yourself through the love of someone new, to shedding the old you and embracing fresh beginnings.
The final song is Summer Love and a rousing message that our desire to feel emotion that burns like a fire is the fuel that drives us forward. An interesting album and one that certainly delivers on a number of platforms. Music to both soothe and signal a way forward for the true believer the dwells within us all.
Paul McGee
SG Sinnicks Fridge Magnet Self Release
Although this was originally released in 2022 it recently arrived for review here. It is a well-rounded six track EP of original songs and one cover. that are short and (very) sweet in a very appealing folk-rock style (there is a mention of Nick Lowe on his site, which may give you an idea of the general wide-ranging direction). Sinnicks is a Canadian with strong Irish roots who has seventeen releases listed on his website.
That one cover is a version of Buddy Holly’s Words Of Love that keeps the basic format of the song but gives it a new arrangement that works well and shows Sinnicks affinity with the iconic music that Holly pioneered. On all the tracks Sinnicks is joined by a number of fellow players who are sympathetic to his gameplan. Though they rarely number more than two to three contributions for each track. Sinnicks himself plays baritone and acoustic guitar as well as percussion and drums. Although not noted on the cover I would imagine was also produced by him.
The five originals are When You’re Gone a beat heavy ode to being essential unable to cope with life’s small vicissitudes such as using the remote or remembering card numbers when his partner is gone. With a sixties swing and symptomatic backing vocals The Dance Tonight feels like a lost song from the era and underlines Sinnicks’ adaptable and stylistic vocals. About change and moving on That Old Road is another well thought out folkish take on believing as time passes that “not everyone’s the villain and not everyone’s the same” and that change is essential to growth - it also has some effective slide guitar.
There’s a slight night club feel to the rhythmic feel of White Charlie that would appearbvto be talking of individual needs and phone addictions. It has some effective mood-enhancing piano from Mike Boguski and mandolin from Randall Hill. Different again is the tale of the Landlady Of Boxhill - a story of a lady who worked in a bar in London’s Camden, pulling pints. It tells of a liaison between a young woman and an older man. It also has a violent undertone of that area’s late night darker criminal activity. It shows Sinnicks ability with a lyric which reminds, for perhaps obvious reasons when you hear it, of Richard Thompson. It uses a simple but effective beat, over which bass and acoustic guitars thread a strong structure that allows the voice to clearly tell its tale.
I’m unaware of Sinnicks previous work but on the strength of this introduction look forward to hearing where he will place his magnetic music next time out.
Stephen Rapid
Neil Bob Herd & The DLAB 5-Reel Feature EP Self Release
The former member of the Coal Porters released a well-received album in 2020 with EVERY SOUL TELLS A STORY. On it he was accompanied by his current comrades who are know as DLAB (Dirty Little Acoustic Band). They are here again on this new five track EP of new songs that opens with the interesting and stand-out song Angel At My Table. But that presence may not be totally a one of enlightenment “the angel at my table visits me at my table when I do something wrong … do you want to be remembered as someone who faked his own life.”
Throughout the EP there is a loose affiliation with folk, roots and twang that has earned him a moniker as a reminding some of a Scottish Nick Lowe. Again you can see the connection even if it’s only in overall terms. But as Lowe himself has covered some very different bases with his music it is perhaps something of an apt comparison.
DLAB, despite their name are not adverse to hooking up to electricity and that is demonstrated by the twanging Guild guitar on there closing track, the instrumental The Night that also uses some guitar pedal effects over a solid bass and drum rhythm. Steel guitar also features in the overall sound especially effective in the aforementioned Angel At My Table. Have a look at the video for the song on Herd’s website. It shows a tight and self contained band at work and adds a touch of visual humour at the end that shoes they are not taking themselves seriously - although the take their music with deliberation. Between those two points there are there quite different arrangements, for instance Brother has a heavier feel overall that is an option of the overall diversity on offer. There is a live version of The Heart, The Mind, The Purse that finds Herd offering all three to the right person. Herd’s accent is apparent as are the guitar skills from Herd and Paul Fitzgerald. The other members here include bassist Glenn Lamberton and Gary Smith Lyons.
Who’s Going To Dance offers something of a loose rockabilly groove that will make it a floor-filling favourite in a live setting - while on record it adds to the overall of the structures and diverseness. EPs tend to allow some media focus and opportunities for tour merchandising but also tend to leave you wanting some more. Something witnessed by the strength of the debut album release. So this can be seen as something of a stop gap until the opportunity arises for the release of the next album proper. - a full length feature.
Stephen Rapid
Tylor and the Train Robbers Road Ready Self Release
When I hear of a band from Idaho I immediately think of Pinto Bennett and the Famous Motel Cowboys. This band has been around for ten years or so and deliver a similar commitment to their music which, in turn, makes them a logical contender, creating a blend of country and rock that was once alt.country and now passes as Americana. They are fronted by singer, guitarist and main writer, Tylor Ketchum. The band also included his brothers Jason Bushman and Tommy Bushman on bass and drums respectively. They are rounded out by lead guitar and pedal steel player, Rider Soran. This album was produced, as was their last album, by Cody Braun whose membership of veteran outfit Reckless Kelly makes him well suited to that role.
Ketchum has a distinctive enough vocal to distinguish him out and his songs are reflections of life and that of anyone whose living is made through some constant travelling. The opening title song is an obvious testament to that. It opens with some tinkling keyboards before Ketchum’s voice takes over the song and the band join in with a catchy guitar motif and some steel to back it up, over the (country) rock-solid rhythm section. Same sense of the road ahead is true of Next Long Haul, which features harmonica effectively, On The Go is another tale of keeping on keeping on, even if you are “on you own .. .all alone” - it has some great guitar and a solid beat to help get the message across. Not long ago this would likely have been tagged alt-country, as the band’s stance is not without depth and a sense of some harsh realties that take them a good distance from the somewhat bloodless mainstream of today. That may thankfully be slowly changing to a degree, but a cohesive band like this offers something more, something tangible and heartfelt.
They immediately make inroads into the memory with some upfront, upbeat, driving crowd pleasers in The Way We Learn and Skittle Man, both with instrumental textures that add to the overall sound. They can just as easily captivate with a song like Sailing Song which, while taking the pace down a notch, doesn’t lose the band’s inherent power both lyrically and in arrangement. It uses the metaphor of the sea to make the point of needing to sail across life to find a destination that is desired. Following a similar path in terms of overall feel is Straight As An Arrow, which finds the protagonist looking for some immediate satisfaction rather than succumbing to the realities of the future. By “shooting straight as an arrow / flying sideways / right on track for going off of the rails / if tonight were all I had I’d say to hell with tomorrow / least the morning will put the night in my palms.” It’s a song that I’ve listened to several times now with the rest of the album and it remains a standout. The album closes with Ton Of Trails, it has an almost campfire feel at the start as then, slowly, the snare, the steel guitar and rest of the band join in, under Ketchum’s believable vocal delivery.
Though the band originate in Idaho, the album was recorded in Yellow Dog Studio, Texas and manages to straddle those two musical locations with a sound that touches on both of the regions’ musical heritage. There is no doubt that this four piece band has the vocals, harmonies, story-songs and musical muscle to make them ready to choose their own path, no matter where their road might take them. But I think they have found a niche that works for them and for their fans, one that is ready to be discovered further afield.
Stephen Rapid
Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, The Secret Sisters, Pat Reedy & The Longtime Goners, Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz, Vanessa Peters, Michael Lane, SG Sinnicks, Neil Bob Herd & The DLaB, and Tylor & the Train Robbers.