The Henry Girls A Time To Grow Self Release
The hint is in the title - Inishowen trio The Henry Girls show that they have indeed grown, both musically and emotionally, on their latest album, recorded in their native Donegal in Attica Audio Recording studios. The McLaughlin sisters (Joleen on harp and piano, Lorna on piano, tin whistle, accordion and uke and Karen on fiddle and uke) took their maternal grandfather’s name when they started performing as a trio over 20 years ago. Their unique blend of Irish folk and traditional music with an Americana bent has brought them recognition in Ireland, and they also have a strong following throughout Europe and indeed in the US.
The choice of producer Tommy McLaughlin (who is also a member of Villagers) has really paid off, with his rock/pop credentials bringing a new dimension to their folk-orientated material. As you would expect, familial harmonies play a big part in their signature sound, evident right from the opening of the title track, A Time To Grow, which starts with the sisters singing a capella, before the harp, accordion and fiddle begin to layer behind the sweet harmonies. It’s a song inspired by the pandemic (yes another one!) but while it ponders the initial shock of the unknown, it ends on a hopeful note. Leaving Dublin is a co-write with their longtime friend from Boston, Ry Cavanaugh (Session Americana), and it is a metaphor for the perennial Irish experience of returning to one’s home after a time in exile, the lyrics ‘my pictures never looked right on your wall’ ringing true for so many Irish emigrés.
Apart from two songs, all the rest are written by the three sisters, and are performed with crystal vocal clarity, mostly in three part harmony. Breathe is an exquisite example of same, opening with one voice and harp, building up quietly with a four piece brass section, then swelling with layered echoey backing vocals, and subsiding again to one voice, emphasising the subject matter of gaining strength through grounding oneself in nature. One of the outstanding tracks is Not Your Fight, a co-write between Karen and Rioghnach Connolly (an Armagh native who is currently the BBC Folksinger of the Year). Written to recognise and support the victims of conflict everywhere, it is a powerful rendition of the difficult subject matter, Rioghnach’s unique vocal style and her appropriately percussive flute playing are complemented by Karen’s fiddle and Lorna’s accordion to provide a suitable musical backdrop for the violent atmosphere depicted in the lyrics. Equally affecting is Where Are We Now, a superb no-holds-barred (and brave) depiction of the emotional damage that accompanies the usually hidden burden of infertility.
The McLaughlin sisters are also adept at composing instrumentals, going by the beautiful set of tunes written to honour their departed friend and beekeeper, Paul Moore. Opening and closing with the sound of real honeybees recorded in Co Donegal, Honeybee is a gentle lullaby-like tune, led by twin whistles, and it runs into Hard Border, recalling the gay abandon of the lively bees on a sunny day, happily ignoring all land borders. Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland) is the other impressive instrumental, particularly appropriate for the centenary commemorations of the Irish Civil War etc, where the pivotal role of women is being reevaluated. As well as co-producing and arranging, Tommy McLaughlin adds guitars and synths throughout. There’s lots more to discover across the twelve tracks, and I must make particular mention of the fabulous artwork by Tim Stampton, who also hails from the Malin peninsula in Co Donegal.
Eilís Boland
Barbaro About the Winter Storysound
This band is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has been creating music together since 2017. The current line-up includes Kyle Shelstad (vocals, guitar), Rachel Calvert (vocals, fiddle), and Jason Wells (vocals, bass), and their unique sound owes much to the origins of roots music, mixed with interesting influences from classical and folk leanings.
Shelstad founded Barbaro as a duo in 2017 with Isaac Sammis, who played on early sessions for this album, and while Calvert replaced him, Wells did not join until early 2019. The direction they are headed seems to encapsulate a lot of what similar bands like 3hattrio are exploring in their music, which is both inspiring and rewarding in equal measure.
Apples To Apples open proceedings and is a perfect barometer for what follows with gentle melody complimenting the hushed vocal delivery in a song of regret ‘I’m calling for you, But I’m pretty sure that you’re ignoring me.’ The next song is Gardens and an esoteric look at pain and loss, the playing reflecting the complexities of stream of consciousness musings. There is a Bluegrass feel to The Lil Sweaters and a sense of joy in the delivery, while Subtle Hints sees Rachel take lead vocal in a song that examines a relationship in the sweep and swoon of the arrangement.
Violin, banjo, piano and upright bass continue to tickle the senses throughout and gorgeous melodies swathed in bluegrass intonations and jazz inflections add an intensity that is both compelling and subtle. At every turn the songs are engaging, playing on the senses, as a melody or a phrase sticks in the memory and strikes a chord with the emotion of the moment, like on Honey, for where everything soars towards a climax, only to stop suddenly. Rachel returns with her emotive vocal on One x One the gorgeous violin sweeping the melody along in a sense of reverie.
Subpoena Colada is one of the longest songs and excites in the arrangement, challenging the listener to stay on the surfboard that rides the waves of jazz-fused expression, rooted by upright bass, with banjo and fiddle solos. All My Friends has Rachel in pole position once more and another interesting arrangement that builds to a satisfactory climax, with piano mixing into the violin and banjo runs.
Let’s Talk About the Winter is a real highlight and shared vocals point to a sense of things left unresolved in a past relationship. With no lyric sheet to guide me, there is the risk that my interpretations are wide of the mark but the defining emotion is one of rueful reflection. The final song is Ike’s Farewell and is an instrumental that showcases the dextrous playing and inventive sense of fun in the arrangement. The album was recorded in Eau Claire, Wisconsin by Brian Joseph and Kyle Shelstad and it is a really impressive piece of work throughout. The rewards on repeated listening are many and I recommend that you seek out this music as a source of inspiration.
Paul McGee
Phoebe Rees Bring In The Light Strictly Country
This English folk artist has lived a very interesting life that has included community and volunteer work in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mumbai, India. Her childhood saw Rees immerse herself in old folk traditions drawn from Celtic, English and American influences. A multi-instrumentalist who performs mainly on fiddle, viola and piano, Rees is a qualified instrumental teacher and creative music workshop leader with a wide range of teaching and project experience.
On this album she was approached by American singer-songwriter Si Kahn, founder of Grassroots Leadership, a non-profit organization which advocates for several causes, including coal worker rights, cotton mill and Alaskan fisheries conditions, prison reform, improved immigration detention policies, and violence prevention. As a social activist, now in his 81st year, Kahn wanted to have his songs interpreted for future generations and his connection with Rees was a perfect place to land. Previously, the songs of Si Kahn had been highlighted by the likes od Dick Gaughan and June Tabor to UK audiences but here we are given a fresh perspective across fourteen tracks and an hour of superbly crafted music.
Rees sings in a clear and expressive vocal tone and she is joined by Janos Koolen (banjo, guitar, accordion, bodhran), Lucas Beukers (acoustic bass) and Sophie Hanna (harmony vocals). Si Kahn assisted on production along with Pieter Groenveld with main duties shared between Phoebe Rees and Janos Koolen. Her song choices include the first tune that brought her to the attention of Si Kahn, a version of Mississippi Summer and a song that highlights the plight of cotton pickers. Songs of struggle and quiet resolve are visited on In Afghanistan, When the War Is Done, Peace Will Rise and Freedom Is a Constant Song. The unquenchable dignity of people shines through the words and the musicians compliment the song messages with some impressive interplay.
On a lighter note songs such as the Irish traditional jig The Didin Didin recall endless days of reverie and the tribute to Ola Belle Reed, the Appalachian folk singer, songwriter and banjo player is another heartfelt tune in High On A Mountain. Belle La Follette is honoured also with a song, as she was a women's suffrage, peace, and civil rights activist in America for many years. Wigan Pier is a song for the mining community and Molly In the Mill is similarly a tribute to the mill workers of old ‘Back in those olden times, The dust was like November snow.’ Such stark imagery of a time when heavy manufacturing and hard labour were a grim reality.
Ultimately, the album is a celebration of all that makes us human, the fortitude to endure and the desire to persevere. The final song People Like You sums it up in the words ‘Old fighter, you sure took it on the chin, Where’d you ever get the strength to stand, Never giving up or giving in, You know I just want to shake your hand.’ Certainly a laudable project and one that is delivered with a quiet aplomb.
Paul McGee
John Shipe Water This Dark Self Release
Grappling with the big questions is something that preoccupies John Shipe on this new release. The opening song What Do I Owe? looks to try and make sense of it all while struggling with the reality of having buried both his son and his wife. The next song is also the title of the album Water This Dark and relays a near-drowning incident without spelling out what led to the dangerous scenario in the first place, the lyric suggesting some surrender to the situation ‘When in doubt you can’t figure it out, Just go with the river downstream.’
Unfinished Business is a song to the sassiness of youth and to a daughter who knows her own mind well enough to not take any bullshit right from the starting pistol ‘Got her grandmother’s name, but her granddad’s look, She doesn’t do nothing by the book.’ The end of a relationship is captured in Counting Song and the pain of having to admit defeat ‘I counted the all the reasons I can’t stay, Counting all the things I could never say, Now I’m counting the miles as I drive away.’
Gold Into Yarn is a song of regret and looking at the years gone past in such a hurry ‘First you tell yourself, you’re just trying to do the right thing, Twenty years go by in the blink of an eye, It’s frightening when it hits you, You’re old a helluva lot longer than you’re young.’ Another song is based upon the repetition that happens in our lives and Starting Over and Over Again comes to the realisation that ‘Wherever you go, you’re stuck with you.’
The futility of war is tackled on The Darkness I’ve Been Waiting For and the cost of serving for a higher calling ‘The War is over, and I’m walking pretty good with a cane, Every now and then I feel it when it rains, And staring through the window panes. Waiting.’ The final two songs are musings on our journey and whether we really learn as the years unfold; on Lessons(Do They)? we have Shipe reflecting that ‘I learn all my lessons well, just in time, You better put out that fire, When the flames of envy climb’ and the final track By Now states that ‘All my love is written in these rhymes, Things I can't shake from long ago, What I don't talk about, I can't let go.’ Proof that the search is ongoing and the quest for peace of mind is a long road.
In total we have nine tracks that play out over a concise thirty four minutes and the musicians turn in a fine performance in bringing the arrangements to life and injecting plenty of layers in the melody. The album was produced by Tyler Fortier who also plays guitars, keyboards, percussion and sings. John Shipe provides all lead vocals and plays guitar and piano, with Mike Walker (organ, pianos), Bryan Daste (pedal steel), Lilli Worona (violin, vocals), Nate Barnes (drums), Sam Howard (bass), Phillipe Bronchtein (lap steel, organ, piano) and Erin Flood Fortier (vocals), all contributing to what is a very interesting album.
Paul McGee
Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus Big Red Gibson Berkalin
This Astin Folk duo have been making music together since 2008 that saw the release of their first collaboration. A number of albums have followed since, including a live EP and a ten-year retrospective collection, with their last record appearing in 2022 last. This seventh full album was produced by multi-instrumentalist Ron Flynt (guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals), and he is joined by Cordy Lavery's (guitars), Steve McCarthy (drums), and BettySoo (vocals). Eric Hisaw (guitar) makes a contribution on one track and Jim Patton (vocals, guitar) with Sherry Brokus (vocals) complete the troupe. The production took place at Jumping Dog Studios in Austin and all songs were written by Patton with five co-writes included.
The eleven songs play out over thirty two minutes and sound very clean in the production. From the urge to break away and get a new start on Dead End Town, to the plight of trying to make it as a full-time musician on the title track Big Red Gibson ‘I started a new day job, Just to make it through the year, Yesterday it was a stopgap, Today it’s my career.’ A similar theme is highlighted on Devil’s Highway with the career musician striking out for the horizon ‘He put all his possessions on a Greyhound bus, Left his family in that small town dust.’
Broken love is the sad outcome on My Heart’s Turned To Stone and the need to forget runs through the song. Janey Has A Locket is another relationship song, this time about unrequited love and the rock arrangement on Wild, Dumb and Unsatisfied showcases the guitar driven dynamic of the band in full flow. Promises To Keep celebrates the urge to keep thinking young as increasing age appears ‘We’ve still got a couple of miles to go and promises to keep.’ The final song is a tribute to a partner in the words of I Still Believe In You ‘Somewhere there’s a lonesome highway, That siren song begins to moan, And something calls me toward that darkness, But something stronger calls me home.’
Paul McGee
Carl Solomon The Whisper Self Release
This Folk artist lives in Portland and the ten songs included here are a fine example of his songwriting talent. There are three co-writes included and the atmosphere created by the studio musicians is one of gentle melody and quiet mid-tempo arrangements.
The players include Carl Solomon (acoustic guitar, vocals), David Pearlman (pedal steel), Mark Epstein basses), Michael Dorrien (guitars), Peter Wassner (piano, organ, Wurlitzer, accordion), Merel Bregante (drums, percussion, Lori Beth Brooke (accordion) and Cody Braun (fiddle). Backing vocals are provided by a combination of Sarah Pierce, Alex Winters, Micheal Henchman and Merel Bregante.
The title song is a tribute to Jenny Joyce, his wife, and Solomon sings sweetly of his enduring love for the bond shared. The pedal steel on Singin’ With the Ghost is nicely atmospheric in a tale of a car crash on the road home one night. Lincoln Continental has another nice melody with accordion playing alongside pedal steel and a tale of young love. Window Shopping For Jesus is a song that suggests ‘paradise is one day out of reach’ and that ‘another grievous angel cries out for peace.’
Soldier’s Psalm is a highlight and a song that reflects on the price paid by serving soldiers in the US army and recognition given to their regiments. Solomon is very active in Soldiers Songs & Voices, a body that provides free guitar and songwriting lessons to Armed Forces veterans in the Portland Metro area. While not counsellors, there is a healing value to be found in the act of self-expression through creative workshops. These are songs of genuine sentiment and much to enjoy in the variety.
Paul McGee
Birdfeeder Woodstock Soul Selects
A trio made up of Chris Harford (guitar, bass), Mark Mulcahy (drums, vocals) and Kevin Salem (guitar) is something to savour and the eight songs on this short record capture the friendship forged by these artists over an extended period of years. In just twenty five minutes of music they produce a unique sound that frames their combined sense of creativity.
Big Chairs and Candy opens up the collaboration with strummed guitars and an intimate vocal that captures a local meeting house scenario where vested interests get resolved. The next track is She Stood Up At the PTA and an incident where a poem delivered results in a dilemma that concerns family and domestic matters. Mulcahy is well known for his passion-fuelled vocal dating back to his Miracle Legion days and here he shows that none of that quiet power has been lost.
So It’s A Bomb follows and the uncredited keyboard sound backs the rhythm and a sense of alienation in the song arrangement. A threat of outside influences being brought to bear perhaps? We are then introduced to My Cousin and a tale of relatives not seeing eye to eye as family life unfolds. The song So Triangular has a quiet tempo and lyrics that state ‘Go back to Pakistan and tell your mother it’s all over.’ Hints of prearranged marriage?
Standout song Born This Way and Your Expectations is a song that tackles the question of gay disposition and coming out – with certain assumptions made that bring pressure and upset. A Fairy Tale is a relationship song that reflects upon the support given by a loved one while the final track Super Diamondaire is a demo dating back to the 1990s when the trio were first exploring song structure together. It has some heavy, sporadic drum sounds, angular electric guitar and fun vocal experimentation. All in all, an intriguing collaboration that hopefully will lead on to future recording together.
Paul McGee
West Of Eden Whitechapel Self Release
Contemporary Folk group West Of Eden is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and formed in 1995 when Jenny and Martin Schaub enlisted local musicians to bring their Celtic-based music to life. Now on album number thirteen the current line-up comprises Jenny Schaub (lead and backing vocals, accordion, tin whistle), Martin Schaub (lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitars, tenor guitar, dobro, mandolin, bouzouki, cittern, keyboard, Hammond organ, Rhodes, celesta, piano, pump organ, accordion, glockenspiel), Ola Karlevo (drums and percussion, cajón, bodhrán, backing vocals (since the beginning), Lars Broman(fiddle, viola, backing vocals (since 2009), Martin Deubler Holmlund (double bass, bass guitar, backing vocals (since 2013), and Henning Sernhede: (electric, acoustic guitars, mandolin (since 2016).
This is a concept album that contains twelve tracks and the forty five minutes tells the tale of Jack the Ripper and his victims in the London area of Whitechapel in the 1880s. The women that feature in the songs are portrayed as flesh and blood individuals who lived and dreamed of a better future under the most challenging of circumstances. Kicking off with Whitechapel Blues the scene is set with a tale of poor living conditions and people out to take what they can ‘Whitechapel alleys and Whitechapel streets, Where the outcasts and the penniless meet.’ The song has a great band feel in the playing and the vocal is very reminiscent of Ian Anderson in his early Jethro Tull days. The Ten Bells is a song about a local hostelry where the locals drink their cares away and the prostitutes stroll the street looking for potential punters.
Read All About It is a song that recounts the paper coverage of the Ripper murders and sale of terrible news ‘ We have made a little career, Writing stories of terror and tears, We are profiting upon your anguish and fears.’ The local street trader in Harry the Hawker brings rumours of murder and sells turnips and cherries as he promotes his tales. A rural girl of innocence moves to the big city in The Register Of Shame and ends up losing her dreams to the grim reality of survival on the streets. A standout song is Mudlarking which is a co-vocal shared by Jenny and Martin Schaub that highlights the practice of scavenging along the banks of the river Thames looking for items of value. The ensemble playing on this arrangement is superbly delivered by the band.
The instrumental tune Dark Annie is another high point with a melody that is close to an Irish jig in the delivery with flute, fiddle and tin whistle playing in symmetry above the guitar accompaniment and lilting percussion. Closing song We Will Never Be Afraid Again sends a prayer of hope to the future when things can change for the better ‘Someday these dirty streets will glitter in the sun, The sound of laughter in our ears, and food for everyone.’
There are a number of guest musicians, eight in all, who join the band across these twelve songs and the brass arrangements by Martin Schaub are also very influential in the overall feel of the album, conjuring images of olden times when life was not as comfortable as today, but the inner strength of the people was reflected in their strong spirit to keep going. Very much a tribute to another era but an album that reflects the quality musicianship of this talented band.
Paul McGee
Grey DeLisle Driftless Girl Hummin’bird
Californian artist Grey Griffin wears many hats when it comes to creative output. She started out as a comedian before turning her talents to voice acting and this change of direction brought much acclaim. She has performed over 1500 cartoon voices since 1996, and has also acted in a number of movies. When it comes to creating music DeLisle (a performing name) has not been shy in putting her talents into the delivery of eight albums since her debut in 2000.
On this new release, DeLisle shines across eleven songs and her fragile, distinct voice holds sway at all times in the quiet melodies and gentle arrangements. The opening song Where You’re Coming From has a contemporary country sound with some sweet guitar provided by Buck Meek. The title track continues the theme of feeling apart from normal life and on the lookout for a direction to hopefully bring stability. Again the playing is superb with Ben Boye on restrained piano and Jolie Holland on viola, Nikki Grossman providing backing vocals.
The Ballad Of Ella Mae is a story song about domestic violence in the true traditions of old time country music and DeLisle sings with a tone that is reminiscent of Emmylou Harris. Another song I Don’t Wanna Want You No More follows closely in the same vein with tasteful pedal steel courtesy of Adam Brisbin, who also plays great bass parts on the album. It’s a song of yearning and the frustration felt in thwarted love is superbly delivered.
Quick Draw is a highlight with a bluesy groove and the opening lines ‘You’re a quick draw darling, Ain’t sure who shot who’ declaring the frisson between two lovers who spark off each other. The rhythm section of Andrew Maguire on drums and Adan Brisbin on base anchoring the interplay between Ben Boye on keyboards and Buck Meek on guitar, with swirling pedal steel also in the mix.
My Two Feet and Little Ol’ While take the tempo up a notch with the musicians able to stretch out and Mama’s Little Rose is another story song that would not be out of place on a Dolly Parton album; producer Jolie Holland providing duet vocal with Gil Landry playing banjo on the standout performance. Indeed, the one cover song on the album is a Dolly song Down From Dover and the tragic tale of a young girl fooled by a selfish lover who leaves her alone and pregnant. The easy waltz of In the Living Room is a testament to lasting love where no outside stimulus is necessary ‘Our love sends us to the moon, Right here in our living room,’ pedal steel and piano laying down a sweet drift across the melody lines.
DeLisle wrote all the songs with the exception of one song (My Two Feet) from Murray Hammond of OLD 97s fame, and another (Where You’re Coming From) is a co-write from Jolie Holland and Buck Meek. This entire project is quite an achievement and certainly an album that leaves a lasting impression.
Paul McGee