Darin & Brooke Aldridge Talk Of The Town Billy Blue
North Carolina’s much loved bluegrass and Americana duo, Darin & Brooke Aldridge have returned with their tenth studio album and their best yet. They are a match made in heaven: Darin with his pedigree in bluegrass (starting off as a young instrumentalist in Acoustic Syndicate, followed by joining The Country Gentlemen) and his songwriting and production skills, and Brooke as fourtime IBMA Vocalist of the Year with her background in gospel and country. Her instrument is her voice, and she approaches Emmylou’s pedigree with her crystal clear tone and reach. Not surprising then that they chose the Desert Rose Band’s Price I Pay as the opening track, one that has, of course, been covered by Emmylou since her Nash Ramblers days. Not only that, but they called in old friend and guitar whizz John Jorgenson to help out on vocals and lead guitar. That opening song also gives the album its title and Brooke says that it resonates with her because it reflects exactly how she felt when she initially started dating Darin when she was at college and he was away for extended periods of time touring.
Although honouring the deep roots of the bluegrass tradition, the couple have always been influenced by country, gospel, folk and West Coast rock, and Brooke is quoted as saying that they ‘decided to really do that this time and not be bound down to one thing … to just be us’. Four of the songs are self-penned and the remaining eight are a selection of well chosen new and old classics from across those genres. The stand out gospel song of the three has to be Lori McKenna’s Jordan, where they’re joined by Mo Pitney on vocals and Ricky Skaggs on mandolin and vocals (check out the video). The self-penned Same Old New Love is an instant ear worm, as is another love song, Here We Are, from the pen of Beth Nielsen Chapman and Vince Gill. The latter also guests on vocals on A Million Memories, his moving tribute to the much missed fiddler, Byron Berline, who passed away in 2021.
Hank Snow’s classic country heartbreaker, A Fool Such As I, is simply gorgeous, with Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Mark Fain (who also co-produced with Darin) on acoustic bass, Brent Rader’s keys and Eddie Dunlap’s pedal steel. They are also joined on various tracks by the cream of bluegrass musicians, including Matt Menefee, Cody Kilby, Samantha Snyder, Jacob Metz and Lynn Williams.
Already a contender for my album of the year, I urge you to seek it out.
Eilís Boland
Jack Garton Original Skin Demon Squadron
I love it when an album defies category and that all-too-common need to try and squeeze the creative talent of the artist into some definable box. Before the onset of large record labels and their desire to market ‘product’ to an unsuspecting public, there was the timeless creative energy that fuses all music together into a creative whole, with no categorization, and where the joy of the song was more than enough.
Well, this album will certainly give the listener plenty of food for thought as the fourteen tracks visit many different genres as they weave their way into your consciousness across an hour of eclectic music. The PR sheet describes the music as both Folk and Roots and there are indeed such influences at play. However the essence of the album is in the willingness to push the creative process into new areas and to try and make something that is of lasting value. Jack Garton is known in his native Canada as a musician who has collaborated with groups such as Viper Central and Petunia and the Vipers, among others, over a long career. He has released two prior solo albums, with the last appearing pre-Covid, in 2018. This album is like a dear-diary entry, as it traces the journey taken over the years of gigging, living on the road, meeting all sorts of characters and being given time to reflect upon the life lived and the memories that linger.
You will be hooked from the opening song Watching Kurosawa and a hugely enjoyable peek into the life of a night shift security guard, and movie freak, who keeps crushing boredom at bay by replacing the security monitor tape with favourite films to watch. Making the mundane bearable through such tiny victories in rebellion – pure songwriting genius... ‘I'm working hard, hardly working, my boss here is a jerk’ - the graveyard shift has never felt so attractive.
Garton plays a whole range of instruments and is mostly known for his prowess on accordion and trumpet. Both feature regularly along with an array of other instruments from the studio musicians who recorded mostly in a live studio setting for that sense of spontaneity and to capture that special chemistry. Noah Walker (electric and acoustic guitar, musical cartography), Jodie Ponto (drums, percussion, backup vocals, album photography), Steven Charles (upright and electric bass, piano, baritone guitar, backup vocals), Corwin Fox (banjo, backup vocals, emotional support), all play key roles throughout the songs and Garton contributes on lead vocals, accordion, trumpet, Rhodes, organ, piano, classical and acoustic guitars, mellophone, secret reeds. There are additional vocals by Ashley Robyn and Carolyn Mark that also add great colour to the song arrangements.
Coming Back To Life Again is a song about the onset of Spring and the optimism of new beginnings amid a happy sound with an uplifting melody. There is a doo-wop vibe on Decoy Love while the Cajun groove on Good Times echoes an Elvis Costello vocal in tone, with a cool piano motif. Christina is all horns and keyboard swells while the playful Western Shirt has a pure Country sound and a cool delivery.
Rock n’ Roll on Berkeley In the Springtime surfaces with a great backbeat and rhythmic bass fills. The slow blues on I Can’t Trust My Heart Anymore turns into a Rockabilly celebration on Hey Grandad and another great groove. Things become somewhat reflective on The Real Thing and the stripped down piano reflects that ‘Sometimes the real thing is the same as the dream.’ Surf rock mixes it up with a Tex-Mex dynamic on the instrumental Stovetop Coffee which features plenty of Link Wray guitar attack.
Where the Mystery Is has a nice tempo and an acoustic feel as the writer looks back to capture old memories, and that youthful reminiscence continues on the final song The Field, a real Magnum Opus that clocks in at thirteen minutes of spoken vocal and a chorus that looks at old neighbourhood and school memories where lots of old ghosts are lurking in the environment ‘Meet me out at the field, we’ll try our bodies on for size, and we’ll see what gets revealed, under the light of open skies.’ If you can bottle childhood rites of passage, then this song does it’s best to cover growing up, feelings of attraction towards the opposite sex, football games, classroom fights and standoffs, gym class, locker rooms and the drama of the schoolyard, all captured with acoustic guitars, banjo picking and sweet harmony vocals. It’s the perfect end to a very impressive album and one that will bring many hours of pleasure. Highly recommended.
Paul McGee
Bobbo Byrnes Self-Titled Self Release
Growing up just north of the Boston, in the state of Massachusetts Bobbo was fond of reading the novels and poetry of Jack Kerouac. The words of the beat generation pioneer would instil a sense of adventure into any impressionable youth, but the difference with Bobbo Byrnes is that he acted upon his growing sense of inquiry and he took his wanderlust onto American highways in search of his dreams. Relocating to California, Bobbo lived the life of the roving troubadour and played in various collaborations over the years. His musical skills became quite honed during his time with The Fallen Stars (four studio albums, a few Eps and a live recording) and then, with Riddle and the Stars (two albums).
Jump forward to 2017 and the release of a debut album as a solo artist; a move that saw Bobbo speed into the distance with a strong work ethic, and no little talent, as he continued his musical adventures. Now, some six solo albums later, Bobbo has decided to release a self-titled album and the results are hugely enjoyable. If you liken a journey in music to a winding road of no fixed destination, sprinkled with plenty of interesting stops along the way, then Bobbo has seen it all over years of gigging across the USA and Europe. His sound is certainly what we describe these days as Americana with his leanings more towards the Rock side of that broad category. Put simply, he just makes great music.
The album opens with the rocking rhythm and inventive guitar of Around Here, a song about having to leave the local scene of his youth in order to develop and grow. The next track I Cannot Say follows in a similar vein with jangling guitar and a strong melody line that echoes thoughts of addiction and character traits that are best kept monitored and under control. He is such a fine guitar player and the band are really tight in the dynamic delivery. Bobbo plays various guitars, mandolin, organ, pedal steel, piano and takes lead vocals throughout. He is joined by his wife Tracy Byrnes (vocals, bass), Matt Froehlich (vocals, drums), with Brian Matteson and Ben Riddle (backing vocals) and Allen Morris guesting on bass for one song, completing the line-up.
Plain Street slows things in tempo with a nicely spaced arrangement and thoughts of nocturnal activities. Too Many Miles is a standout song with a slow pulse in the backbeat and nice organ sounds to augment the winsome vocal of Bobbo. It deals with relationship issues and the too-often breakdown of real communication; again, some stellar guitar licks here to enjoy. Bad Decisions is another rocker with attitude and aims towards the urge of letting it all go ‘I want to make some bad decisions, come on let’s get a tattoo.’ The tempo changes up a gear during the song and delivers an interesting work-out that creates a fine energy.
Some Salvation is a country influenced song arrangement with warm organ sound and great harmony vocals. Glad and Sorry is a standout with a hypnotic guitar riff that lingers, and again, memorable harmony backup. The final two songs use pedal steel to great atmospheric effect and the lengthy Chance is a real tour de force. Bobbo double tracks his guitar sound and the layering really enhances the enjoyment of the album; all bright and celebratory in the excellent production. In terms of a back catalogue there is no disputing the consistency and real quality on offer from this impressive singer songwriter. He should be on everybody’s radar that seeks to purchase music of enduring quality and excellence.
Paul McGee
Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts Let The Light Back In Self Release
A fine, understated album that largely stays with the low-key unhurried arrangements of some finely balanced songs. The band is fronted by writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Rick Wagner. The album sets out its stall with the opening Tom Petty song, Room At The Top, a sad reflection on isolation which immediately brought to mind the latter day work of Elliot Murphy (as mentioned in a previous review) as well of its author. That world-falling-apart awareness is a frequent theme, one that is enhanced by the similar tone of his vocals that have enough gravel to indicate a real understanding of life, love and loss. Also covered is the soul classic That’s How Strong My Love Is which has its own soulful qualities without trying to be a carbon copy, but rather a rendition with a similar feeling and an incisive spirit.
Picking up the tempo and the wish to attempt to give it one more shot is the place that Ain’t Nothing Good About Goodbye takes us to. It has the assembled band of Wagner, drummer Jonathan Kampner, and additional slide and lap steel guitar from Lance Doss. Matt Wissler adds occasional mandolin and Brandi Thompson brings her background vocals to Black And Blue. However it is Wagner front and centre as producer, musician, writer and vocalist. This is indisputably his baby, under the Luther Black headline banner.
The sense of traveling a difficult path is alluded to with mentions of “highway of regret” and the “long and lonesome road.” Ain’t Nothing Good About Goodbye tries to foster a mood of reconciliation to get back on track and give it one more try. It is rendered with a more full on band sound that feels more heartland rock than anything. The gentler and moodier approach is taken for Lost In The Rye, with the lap steel adding a sense of the feeling of loss. The grittiness in the vocal mirrors the regret that is that nothing ache like a memory; one that is not only for people, once a part of a person’s life, but also of music and places that have become, with the metaphor of location again, like Ghosts On The Boulevard. The ominous siren that opens in the background of Black And Blue offers a dark indication in a tale of racism and harsh realism. Wagner’s delivery is more spoken than shouted and more telling for that approach.
Acoustic guitar and drum beat open the plea that is Let The Light Back In, which asks for some faith in human nature. Understated and effective. The Rest Of My Days is listed as a live version but it is again performed with a quiet subtly that makes it seem to be a live in the studio take rather than a venue recording. There is a sense of completing a full circle with the stripped back acoustic guitar, harmonica and voice of Coming Home, a realisation that the time has finally come to make that, often difficult, decision to take the road back to where you started out from.
All of the Luther Black and The Cold Hard Facts releases have delivered on different levels without really ever troubling the mainstream or media heights, yet Wagner continues to deliver his own personal take on life, love with a musical direction to fit an individual persona to light his path.
Stephen Rapid
Karen Jonas The Rise And Fall Of American Kitsch Self Release
There is an obvious energy in the recording of the songs in this the latest album (her seventh) from Karen Jonas, which may be because it was recorded live in the studio. Jonas declares herself a lover of vintage kitsch, from a time when there was an optimism for the future and a love of the past. This album may well be full of that kind of positive expectancy. Something apparent from the opening album track Rich Man’s Valley is a summary of her rags to riches story of success, from a dirt poor background growing up in Poor Valley,Virginia to her rise and success and move to the heights of fame and more prosperous circumstances. From then on this is an album of songs that are a testament to Jonas’ growth as writer, singer and band leader. The album was helmed by engineer Blaine Misner over a three day session, in close consultation with Jonas’ long term foil, guitarist Tim Bray, who manages to touch base on numerous country guitar sounds of the past while bringing things right into focus for today’s audience. The rhythm section of Seth Morrissey and Ben Tufts provided the forward motion, and the additional vintage flavourings came from steel player Ahren Buchheister, Booby Hawk’s fiddle and keyboards from Benji Porecki. A solid, distinguished team indeed who are able to adapt with ease to the given instrumental setting required, of which there are a lot of different scenarios on offer; from straight country to touches of soul, blues and swing.
Given the album title it’s not surprising that the presence of Elvis is omnipresent too. A fair number of the songs including Four Cadillacs, Call Dr Nick, Shake Bump and Grind and Mama’s Gone all deal with aspects of Presley’s ongoing myths, legend and magnetism. Inspired in part by the recent biographical movie which painted a largely bright and in your face portrait of the star’s rise, the fall doesn’t feature in these musings. Other stops along the shopping mall of kitsch and sink offer an ode which features a list of purchases available to the home procurer, with some sonic steel and twang laden guitar to help this sale of Online Shopping. Another features those Plastic Pink Flamingos while tells us of the heightened reality of a woman obsessed with those mimicked sham birds. While the ambition of Let’s Go To Hawaii is of a housewife’s dream to persuade her husband to go on a vacation to the island of here dreams, it’s not surprising that it gives a nod to Jonas’ love of the music and storytelling of Jimmy Buffett on the journey (as well as the movie career of that sunburned, sideburned icon). There is a distinctly more Vegas lounge feel to the post wedding chapel carousel in Gold In The Sand. American Kitsch is a narration with a subtle atmospheric setting that, more than anywhere, by the focus on the words, shows her talent as a consummate wordsmith.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that there is a sense of fun, both in the arrangements and delivery, as there is in Jonas’ lyrical direction, which is smart, engaging and an exercise in taking a long established format and giving it a new coat of paint. But it is also a sign of her maturity as a vocalist of no mean ability, who is able to take on the various guises necessary to bring these songs to life. The understanding that occurs between all parties is apparent with the ease with which they can give each song a different perspective ,while never losing focus of an overall vision and vocabulary. It is surprising that Jonas isn’t more lauded overall, as she is deserving of that ahead of many of her contemporaries who have far bigger budgets to utilise, thanks to major label involvement. Yet perhaps what she has gained is the space to develop and control of what she writes and records. That may count for more in the long run for any independent (or otherwise) artist. Much to savour in this ode to the pleasures of kitsch and country music - the real kind.
Stephen Rapid
George Dearborne Lotta Honky Tonkin’ Left In Me Self Release
This album has been receiving a lot of praise as an example of honky tonk at its best. Deservedly so and with a lot of music aimed at the same demographic coming out of Texas, it is even more admirable. I have to admit that this is my first aquaintance with the music of Beaumont singer George Dearborne. He plays traditional based country music with a passion and purpose that will appeal to the growing number of listeners who want something that is imbued with the honky tonk.
The album was produced by an avowed veteran of the format in Jimmy Ritchey, a man who knows what he is about and also adds his guitar and writing talents to the album. He had a hand in co-writing five of the cuts and assembled a band of solid Nashville A-teamers such as Brent Mason, Jim ‘Moose’ Brown, Glen Worf, Larry Franklin, Mike Johnson, B. James Lowery, Shannon Forest and background vocalists Pam Willis and Wes Hightower. You couldn’t ask for a better selection of players if you wanted a real country album, musicians whose credits have appeared on numerous critically acclaimed recordings in the past. They prove their worth again here.
Dearborne is a top notch vocalist, who is not a writer on this outing but an old school interpreter of songs that define the genre. A couple may be know to some, such as Muddy Waters or Haggard’s Fighting Side Of Me. The others maybe not, but they are chosen with care and are perfect for an album with this title. Writers like Jim Lauderdale, Whitey Schafer, Pam Willis and Cledus T. Judd have form in this particular rodeo. There are also, maybe surprisingly to some but not those who know, a couple of songs written by the late great Doug Sahm. Dearborne has been around since the 70s as, initially, a drummer before forming his own band that played in Beaumont, a place that also claims George Jones, Mark Chestnutt and Tracy Byrd as their own and can now add Dearborne to that list of acclaimed vocalists. He has a previous 2020 album, OLD BROWN BOTTLE, that included original songs and which was also produced by Ritchey. However, it is this album that will hopefully turn the spotlight on his aptitude.
These songs sit at the bar of heartbreak and try to drown their sorrows, as do so many of those who need to immerse themselves in that sadness to feel happy. For many, this is the kernel of what real country music does, as indeed does much of the blues, both forms dealing in that emotion and in creating music that in its misery finds a lot of company. There isn’t a misstep or out of place tune here and, when the album is finished, you want to go back to the beginning to appreciate how good it is one more time.
From start to finish, these fifteen tracks help define the music that has seemingly been absent for so long, but in truth has always been around, if you looked hard enough. This year alone there have been a number of artists who will make it hard pressed for an aficionado to choose the top ten honky tonk albums of 2024. This is most definitely a contender for that particular accolade.
Stephen Rapid
Martha Fields Bramble Bridge Self-Release
Named after a bridge in Wayne County, West Virginia, Martha Fields' latest album sticks to her well-tried template of country, blues, and rock and roll. A proud Appalachian who wears her heart on her sleeve, she fuses the sounds of East Kentucky and West Virginia of her childhood with the Texan and Okie country music handed down from her father.
Fields divides her time between Bordeaux, France and Texas. She performs regularly in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, playing festivals, headline and private shows backed by her regular players and backing vocalists, Manu Bertrand (dobro, mandolin, banjo, guitar), Olivier Leclerc (violin), Urbain Lambert (guitar), Serge Samyn (bass, fiddle). Denis Bielsa completes the lineup on drums.
Recorded in France and mixed in Nashville by Grammy winner Sean Sullivan, BRAMBLE BRIDGE features eleven tracks, ten originals and a five-minute version of the traditional gospel song, Wayfaring Stranger. Field's material may be primarily impacted by her childhood exposure to the music that surrounded her. Still, Biscay Bay and Country Roads Of France have their origins in her adopted country of recent years. The latter tells the tale of the joys and stresses of long days and nights on the road from show to show; the former pays homage to the peacefulness and serenity of a place close to her heart. Party Marty is a fun-filled and funked-up ditty and opener All I Know could have been plucked from Rodney Crowell's songbook.
BRAMBLE BRIDGE replicates what Martha Fields has been dishing out on all her studio albums. Songs forged from traditional and more modern country roots supported by a bunch of exceptional musicians are once more the order of the day. What's not to love about that?
Declan Culliton
David Newbould Live In Germany Blackbird
Coincidentally, this album review comes shortly after I witnessed a blistering live set by David Newbould and his band at the Static Roots Festival in Germany. Many of the tracks on the album featured in his fifty-minute setlist at the festival, and the added bonus on the album is another twenty minutes of mostly full-on rock and roll across eighteen tracks.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Newbould has previously spent time honing his skills in New York and Austin. He is now an integral part of the multi-genre music scene in East Nashville. His former band members include the much-lauded Dan Baird and drummer Brad Pemberton, who is a member of Steve Earle’s backing band The Dukes and has previously worked with Ryan Adams and Brendan Benson.
The lion’s share of the material on LIVE IN GERMANY is taken from Newbould’s 2019 record SIN & REDEMPTION and POWER UP! from 2022. Also included are a few covers that readers will be familiar with: Neil Young’s Powderfinger and Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance? written by the late Rusty Wier. The closest live recording that comes to mind with this record is Young’s WELD, so it’s little surprise that a song by Newbould’s fellow Canadian features.
The highest praise I can pour on Newbould’s material is that many of the songs have that ‘where did I hear that before?’ quality. Particularly of note are the face-melters Peeler Park, Sin & Redemption, and Sensitive Heart, the latter bringing to mind a pumped-up Tom Petty delivery. Jean is a short and snappy dose of rootsy power-pop, and the mid-tempo Home Depot Glasses is a tribute to John Prine, written by Newbould the day after he passed away.
If Neil Young, backed by Crazy Horse or the crunching no-holds-barred rock of Rich Hopkins & The Luminarios rock your boat, you’ll love this. Thumbs up to Newbould’s band members, Adam Dalton on guitar and backing vocals, Joel Strandberg on bass and backing vocals, and Tommy Goss on drums for their injection of energy and buzz on the recordings.
These days, it can be a case of having to scratch beneath the surface to unearth twin guitar-driven roots rock, so albums like this are a breath of fresh air. Headphones and full volume are essential for maximum return.
Declan Culliton
Melissa Carper Borned In Ya Mae Music/Thirty Tigers
Our introduction to the musical world of Texan Melissa Carper came about in 2021 when we reviewed her album DADDY'S COUNTRY GOLD and subsequently interviewed her. Born into a musical family and performing from the age of twelve with her family's four-piece, The Carper Band, her musical journey included studying music at college in Nebraska, getting immersed in the vocalists Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald, and becoming obsessed with blues legend Leadbelly.
Taking a leaf out of all their books, Carper's vocal phrasing and devotion to old-time country, jazz, and blues have rung true in her impressive catalogue of albums, both solo and with her other projects, Sad Daddy, Buffalo Gals Band, and her more recent collaboration with Brennen Leigh and Kelly Willis, Wonder Women of Country.
Carper's latest album takes its title from a quote from Ralph Stanley, ('I don't think you can get this sound unless it's borned in ya,'). Sticking with the formula that worked so well on her two last recordings, the aforementioned DADDY'S COUNTRY GOLD and RAMBLIN' GOLD from 2022, this album was recorded at Andrija Tokic's Bomb Shelter Studios in East Nashville and features a number of the players that also guested on those albums. Household names like Dennis Crouch, who co-produced with Tokic, Chris Scruggs, Chris Gelb, Sierra Ferrell, Matt Combs and Billy Contreras all lent a hand. Working with that talented crew contributed boundlessly to Carper's distinctive and flawless silver-voiced deliveries.
That’s My Desire, previously recorded by Patsy Cline and one of two covers included on the album, and You're Furniture's Too Nice recall an era when dinner-jacketed gents and their costume-dressed wives and girlfriends dined in elegant surroundings, entertained by Billie Holiday. The second cover is a splendid rendition of Cole Porter's Every Time We Say Goodbye. The title and opening track is a gospel-flavoured affair, and There'll Be Another One, including strings and orchestration, is a countrypolitan treasure. Old-time jazz is modelled in Let's Get Outta Here, and Evil Eva is a shot of early rhythm and blues.
A comforting suite of soothing tracks that sound like they have been around forever, unique may be an overused word lazily used to benchmark certain artists. In the case of Melissa Carper, it is true in every respect.
Declan Culliton
Links: Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Jack Garton Music, Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts, Karen Jonas, George Dearborne, Martha Fields Band, David Newbould, Melissa Carper