Annie Bacon and her Oshen Storm Self Release
An entire album that is based around the issues of grief and loss may seem like a daunting task for the listener. Could it turn out to be an exercise weighed down by onerous self-reflection? Happily this is not the case and this project wraps the songs in a blanket of compassion and empathy. It takes a real gamble to place your raw emotions on such public display and yet, by making the deeply personal into something that embraces the universal, Annie Bacon delivers a healing in the power of her music.
Having suffered a series of losses in recent years, Bacon reflects upon the various stages of grief and channels the realisation that it can take on various guises. Divorce is one form of real loss, and in dealing with this, the death of your ex-Mother in law brings additional challenges to the emotions. When you are also hit with the sad reality of having to say goodbye to your best friend, the pain is palpable. Bacon also lost her father, who passed away before the Covid virus closed the world down and the end result of all this death has been a period of self-analysis and pouring all manner of confused disbelief into the songs that appear on this new album.
The ability to cope and indeed endure is also at the heart of these fourteen songs, The conclusion drawn is that sitting back in the moment and acknowledging these feelings as they arise, and staying grounded until they pass, is the real key, and a code by which you can chart the unfolding of the rest of your life.
The loss of relationships, and the grief that death unlocks, all culminate in heartbreak and a deep sense of also losing a vital part of who you are as a person. These songs cover the full range of such loss and uncover real emotions along the road to ultimate healing. Secret Broken Heart looks at the cost of hiding pain inside and putting on a brave face to the world. Mist is a song that sees the reality of losing yourself to grief and the remedy to solve matters by coming into the moment and sitting still with the pain. California Heat is written in memory of her best friend who died, and the image of a hiking trail and the isolation of being alone in nature brings a coping mechanism.
Walk A Little Farther covers similar territory with the resolve to keep going and not submit to crippling inaction under the weight of loss. Alone With Grief is probably the defining song in this woodland of sadness with the words ‘ No one can walk your path for you, But so many have and so many do, Feel alone with grief tonight.’
Realising a relationship is over and having the courage to leave normality and routine behind is at the heart of songs Can’t Remember, When Will I Learn and Love Can Mean, with the latter song capturing the essence ‘But if you’re twisting yourself into knots just to stay, And you’re screaming to be heard but ignored anyway, And the illusion of peace is not a price you can pay, Remember that love can mean walking away, You can love yourself enough not to stay, That’s okay.’ Wise words that show a resolve to develop a perspective on the slings and arrows that life throws your way.
The final song is Worry and has a message that the problem can indeed be worry itself. By letting it go you can open up a new vista that leads to happiness - ‘Or maybe worry is the trouble, Maybe I should worry a little less.’ The excellent band is worthy of the highest praise for the way in which they wrap these songs with a protective cocoon of care and creativity.
The musicians are Annie Bacon (guitar, vocals), Paul Defiglia (bass, keyboards, synthesiser, organ, drum machine), Thomas Bryan Eaton(guitars, pedal steel, mandolin), and Anson Hohne (drums, percussion) make up this band and the album was produced by Annie Bacon & Paul Defiglia in Natural Daylight Studios, Nashville. All songs are written by Annie, with one co-write.
Anne Bacon is an Ann Arbor resident and a singer-songwriter and guitarist of real depth and quality who took her fledgling steps in the industry with the release of a debut album in 2012. She built upon this when a further album appeared in 2019. I may be wrong about Annie’s performing name but I think that OSHEN is a variation of Ocean, it’s power and vastness capturing our sense of place, surrounded by all this tranquillity and mystery. A really fine album and worthy of your exploration.
Paul McGee
The New Leaves A Sketch Of Home Corn Crake
There is a gentle contemporary Folk sound in the music of Irish quartet The New Leaves. Based in the seaside town of Warrenpoint, a small port town in Co. Down, the members are Declan McKay (guitar, vocals), Cian O’Hare (guitar, mandolin), Patrice McKevitt (bass) and Paddy Goodfellow (drums, percussion). Together they make a very soothing sound with a collective approach in their song arrangements of ‘less-is-more.’ They are childhood friends and the band was formed in 2022.
Mother Nature features quite a lot in the lyrics of Declan McKay who writes all the songs and his affection with the locale comes through on songs such as Donaghaguy Reservoir, In the Shadow Of the Mournes and The Lights From Omeath, a small village on the Cooley Peninsula. The ensemble playing is very engaging and the harmony vocals of Patrice McKevitt are particularly bright in the production mix. The sense of separation and space brought to the album recording by Steve Fearnley is impressive and the project was recorded at Narrow Water Studios in Warrenpoint.
The inclusion of cello on the album is an inspired choice and the lyrical playing of Ben Triggs elevates the songs throughout, Maggie’s Island being a particular highlight. The sense of easy reverie threads these songs into a tapestry that is very appealing and tracks A Silk Road To the Moon and Rocky Mountain River include some subtle guitar work from Cian O’Hare, who also contributes harmony vocals. The drumming of Paddy Goodfellow is nicely judged and he never overplays, expertly supporting the song arrangements as evidenced on the very pleasant Away With the Fairies. Across these thirteen songs there is a real sense of joy, and the sentiment on A Giant Murphy Favour is one of standing tall for each other and facing the challenges with an open agenda.
All in all, a very accomplished debut album and I look forward to hearing more from this talented group on their developing musical journey.
Paul McGee
Gerry Spehar and Friends Other Voices Self Released
This album is a compilation of songs that were written by Gerry Spehar and performed by a number of artist friends who recorded his work over a period that spans four decades. The album title is very appropriate in that, across the twenty tracks, the consistently strong writing is given a chance to see the light of day through the interpretations of others, and we can celebrate the talent of this Colorado songwriter who has been creating music since his teenage years.
He initially cut his musical teeth by playing in a 1970s band with his brothers George and Tom. After a period of going solo he hooked up with long-time associate Bobby Allison and together they had increasing success during the 1980s. Gerry then stepped back from the music business to work a day job and raise a family but he never stopped writing and his guitar was always on hand to partake in any sessions that were going down. After a break of 30 years he returned to the recording studio in 2017 and he has released four albums over recent years, making up for lost time.
There is a stellar cast of musicians that appeared on these recordings over the years, and far too many to list. All songs were written by Spehar, including nine co-writes, four with Mike Becker and five with Bobby Allison. Two of the songs appeared on a previous album DELTA MAN (2022), with the inclusion of Train, Train, Train and Rockin’ On A Country Dancefloor. In fact, the latter song appears on each of these two discs with different versions provided by Teresa James and Gary F. Floyd. Both tracks are highlights on a very strong compilation that includes contributions from Dale Watson, Lisa McKenzie and Lisa Daye.
There is plenty to appeal across the different styles that range from traditional country to soulful ballads, taking in blues and rockabilly sounds also. The slow burn of What He Said and Georgetown are complimented by the sweet melody of Angel, Grandpa’s Daisies and The Last Person; balanced against the up-tempo Lovin’ Proof, Do Whatcha Used To Do and Joanne. There are also love songs and Both Ends Of the Rainbow and The Longer I Love You are excellent examples of this songwriter’s craft. A very rewarding album and one that I’m sure will bring plenty of pleasure to those who like well-crafted songs.
Paul McGee
Krista Detor Chaos, Collisions and Clocks Tightrope
While this ‘best of’ collection dates back to 2019 it is a timely reminder of the deep well of talent that dwells within the creative muse of Krista Detor, a singer-songwriter based in Bloomington, Indiana. Over the course of her career Krista has delivered eight recordings that highlight her songs and playing skills in a manner that leaves an enduring trail for those who wish to follow the yellow brick road that leads to her door. This collection was produced by Krista and her husband Dave Weber at their Airtime recording studio which is based on their farmland and attracts many musicians who avail of the professional and extensive facilities on offer.
Krista has a very expressive voice that is arresting in it’s sweetly delivered tone, both wistful and knowing; yet forgiving and universal in capturing the ache and yearning contained within the dichotomy of living. Krista speaks of the spectre of depression that visits many of us at certain points in our lives and in having the bravery to investigate the source and tackle it head on. Where does that sense of sadness come from? Is it perhaps self-doubt at a young age that turns towards unwarranted inner reflection? Could it be caused by a distorted vision of oneself?
This collection contains only one song from her great breakthrough album MUDSHOW (2006,) which brought her overnight media attention and praise. Indeed, the follow up album COVER THEIR EYES (2007) only merits two songs here, and it is the twin releases of CHOCOLATE PAPER SUITES (2010) and BARLEY (2016) that feature mostly, each contributing four tracks.
Given the wealth of choice across the span of her career, Krista has chosen her personal favourites and this album is full of truly great moments. The haunting Deliver Me and the personal reflection of self-liberation on Hear That are just two stand-out moments among many. Also included is the excellent More Than I Can Say and the delights of Clock Of the World, For All I Know and Icarus. There are three bonus songs also included and these unrecorded tracks show that Krista continues to write music of great insight and beauty. Plenty for everyone to enjoy and if you have yet to become aware of this superb artist and her many talents, then this album is a fine place to start. File under ‘buried treasure.’
In recent times she launched The Hundredth Hill Artist Residence and Retreat in Bloomington and much of her energy has been focused on making this enterprise a success, with its rolling green woodlands and creative spaces that attract artists and leaders from across genres, disciplines, and borders to find inspiration and focus.
Krista also delivered a TEDx talk in 2022 that focused upon ‘Shattering the Looking Glass Self’ and an insight into the career arc of this very entrepreneurial talent. It is well worth finding on your social media and it will certainly inspire.
Paul McGee
David Starr Better Me / Starr and Stucky Self-Titled Cedaredge
Two releases from the talented David Starr over the last 12 months and both are examples of the fine qualities this songwriter possesses. Better Me is a six track EP that runs for twenty-plus minutes and includes the talents of Matt Bubel (drums, percussion), Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle), Dan Dugmore (steel, electric guitar), John Reno Prentice (electric guitar), Irene Kelley (background vocals), Michelle Prentice (background vocals), Mark Prentice (bass, keyboards), with acoustic and electric guitars played by Starr. The songs are all written by David Starr and the delivery is a roots rock sound with the musicians very much front and centre in the groove.
Title track Better Me is a hope for inner growth gained from ongoing maturity, while the softer Some Angels Fly shows another side to the ensemble playing, and a tune that reflects upon a friend who has passed away. The rock beat of Poison the Water brings a great dynamic with the guitar riff driving a song about corporate thirst for power and the soulful vocals are particularly impressive. Because You’re Right is a love song that plays along on a gentle melody and harmony vocals that reflect upon a doomed relationship. Closer To You is another roots rock arrangement that allows the musicians space to express their individual skills.
The closing track Any Chance Of Going Home is a song about circumstance and fate where the timing in a relationship is always out of step. There are some lovely fiddle and piano parts and a lyric that reflects ‘Sometimes circumstance lays waste to best laid plans and it’s years until we find out what it means.’ Starr sings in a very clear vocal with a nice tone and this adds character to the song arrangements. The music was recorded in Nashville, at Addiction Sound Studios, and was produced by Starr and Mark Prentice.
The second release Starr and Stucky is an acoustic album with friend and mandolin player Erik Stucky. The record is comprised of reworked acoustic versions of original setlist favourites and the nine songs come from five different albums in Starr’s discography with three tracks featured from THE HEAD AND THE HEART(2017) and SOUTH AND WEST (2018). The production and the playing is very impressive and full of nice moments with guitar and mandolin stretching out in stellar fashion throughout. Good As Gone comes bursting out of the traps before the slower Waiting In the Dark brings a more reflective tone. Other songs like Don’t Give Me Hope, Night Rolls Around and Edge Of the World continue the laid-back feel and the considered interplay between Starr and Stucky is beautifully realised.
Head and Heart is a great example of the understated melody that both players dance around with the reflective lyric echoing the sparce arrangement and simple song craft. Cabo San Lucas is a cover of a Toby Keith song and is delivered in a Tejano fashion with mandolin lifting the song to new heights. Another fine album from this Colorado-based musician who delivers on a regular basis with soul infused vocals and a fine writing sensitivity.
Paul McGee
Joana Serrat Big Wave Great Canyon
"This is the foundation of who I am now. It's the best album of my career so far, and I don't think I'll ever be able to put out an album like it again," declares Joana Serrat on her latest and most soul-searching album.
Packed with emotions that range from anger to exhilaration, sonically, the album is a significant departure from the Catalan singer-songwriter's previous work, fuelled by a period of personal transition, the loss of both her grandparents, the demise of a long-term relationship and the onset of another one. That's not to say she hasn't previously been afraid to move outside her comfort zone. Her 2017 album DRIPPING SPRINGS was an ethereal psychedelic affair produced by Israel Nash and recorded, with the aid of his backing band, at Nash's Plum Creek Studios in Texas.
For Big Wave, Serrat collaborated with producer Matt Pence and recorded at The Echo Lab Studio in Texas. The characteristic reverb, a sonic signature of Serrat's previous work, is more pronounced, drawing comparisons to P.J. Harvey and Liz Phair. The guitar work of Joey McClellan, a longtime collaborator, is central to the album's sound, with McClellan also credited as co-producer.
With her foot firmly on the cosmic pedal, opener The Cord, Big Lagoons, and Sufferer find her pushing out the boundaries and exploring previously unvisited sonic territory. She returns to more familiar ground with This House and Freewheel, and the album's underlying themes of lost love and grief are pronounced in You're With Me Wherever I Go and Broken Hearted.
Prepare to be transported to a different place from that expected with BIG WAVE. It may take a few visits to settle into, but the time invested is well rewarded.
Declan Culliton
Elaine Palmer Half Moon Rising Butterfly Effect
I don’t recall encountering this singer/songwriter before, but on this encounter she is someone worth investigating. She was born in England in the North Yorkshire Moors, but travelled to the US often to Arizona. She was interested in music for a long time and use the two countries as inspiration for her material. There are folk, country and Americana influences from a place where the roots of those were largely intertwined. She spent time teaching songwriting and signed a publishing deal for her own work and has recorded a number of prior releases while continuing to tour.
In 2023, Palmer went to California to work with producer Mike Butler in a week long session, recording the album in mostly live sessions, something that, when you have the right musicians involved, can offer positive results capturing the live essence of a group of players. They were those who Butler worked with previously in San Diego, including Dave Berzansky’s pedal steel, Theron Wall and Bobby Furgo’s strings and Butler’s own guitar work - all of which immediately became cornerstones of the album. They are given a good foundation by the often understated rhythm section of Matt Lynott and Patrick McClory. However, from the opening bars of the first song, it is the clarity and strength of Palmer’s vocal that give the album its identity and personality.
There are eight songs on the album that are observations on the varied conditions of love and a consciousness of landscape, a similar working pattern to many of those working in the Americana scene who draw from a comparable set of stimuli. It is, doubtless, the result of homing her melodic and lyrical skills that may have produced her best release to date.
The album opens with Heart And Soul, which sees her welcome an old flame who she sees is still “all fire and fool / how the years have changed you … I just wanted to feel your heart.” She wishes for love that is real and unquestioning in A Love Like That, yet seems tinged with a sadness to notice “my dreams have been and passed / through the eyes of my child I live now.” This sense of melancholy carries on with So Long, realising that “if there are many fractures / then we may never go back into one piece.” This is a ballad with plugged violin and strings to enhance that mood. One song would seem to be returned to, judging by the title, Let Me Fall (revisited) wherein she knows that she “can’t catch myself in here / so let me fall into you.”
Somewhat more affiliated with place but not without emotion is Freebrough Hill. It has a more impassioned vocal that has a distinctive crack, making it appear more fraught as the song builds, with the guitar mirroring the sentiment with deftness and effectiveness. The lyric may reveal something of the substance and source of its hard message with “judged only by a man of cloth / who has never had to endure / the things that I have.” Not Lost has an electric folk feel that will appeal to many who have missed that blend of storytelling and powerful guitar. It accepts that though broken she is not lost - again the steel guitar is paramount to the frame of mind that is expressed. On The Way Up hopes to meet in happier times with the thought that may be relevant to many who would echo the feeling, often expressed, that “youth is wasted on the young / wisdom lies with the old.” This the offered from someone with life experience to draw that thought from. Another stripped back arrangement is used for The Last Dance, the violin used to portray Palmer’s belief that she was mad from fire and rain so that she can leave rainbows. A pretty good sentiment to end the album on.
When taking account of the lyrics, in their written form, you might assume that this is a somewhat sombre album. But Palmer, like many artists who look into the darkness, can see a light and help others to see it too. It is a short eight track album but nothing is lost in its brevity, indeed the short space of time in which it was recorded added an energy that makes the album vibrant. Palmer’s moon, it would seem, is on the rise.
Stephen Rapid
Joe Ely Driven To Drive Rack‘Em
The moment you hear that big jumbo acoustic following by the immediately recognisable voice of Joe Ely, accompanied by the accordion of Joel Guzman, Drivin’ Man motors you into the world created by the iconic singer/songwriter over a long career of outstanding music. The next track is the one that will doubtless garner much attention - Odds Of The Blues is a simple duet between two friends and mutual admirers. Ely and Bruce Springsteen‘s voices blend especially well over a simple backing of acoustic guitar and bass from Ely and electric guitar from Jeff Plankenhorn. For Your Love will be readily identifiable to fans from its band enhanced previous version. Here it is stripped back to acoustic guitar, accordion and vocals. Of course Ely has previously released the album LIVE CACTUS where he was solely accompanied by Guzman. Watching Them Semis Roll is another song about traveling the highways of America, this one written by his Flatlander’s companion Butch Hancock.
More beat laden is Didn’t We Robbie which sees Ely playing electric drums with Mitch Watkins on electric guitar and Bill rockin’ out on roadhouse piano. I’m sure it will make many nostalgic for Ely’s earlier full band and full blown recordings. Similarly Ride Motorcycle finds Watkins on synths and guitar with Ely also on electric guitar. This track fairly puts the pedal to the metal and it has the kind of raw elemental rock that has worked through the history of rock ’n’ roll. The title track uses an actual drivin’ drummer in Pat Manske and again Plankenhorn is the lead guitarist. Contrastingly, with San Antone Brawl its all down to Ely on his todd. Again you can see the power in his voice as an instrument in its own right, a timbre that gives the human touch to these songs. The diction is always clear and you can follow the lyrical themes easily as he tells these tales of outlaws, outsiders and outcomes.
The electric drums are used again on the border feel that pervades Slave To The Western Wind, with Guzman and fiddler Richard Bowden adding to that hot wind ambiance while, as the title might suggest, Gulf Coast Blues has a feel related to that particular strand of music, with the accordion doing what a harmonica might otherwise have done in similar circumstances. It also suggests that Ely could do a similar thing to Jimmie Dale Gilmore by working with Dave Alvin to good effect. Jackhammer Rock, a song written by Donald Elwood Dykes, closes the album with Ely playing synth and guitar - something that is partially of a nod to the time he experimented with electronics back in the day. Eddie Beethoven is the harmony singer here. The remaining tracks were all written by Ely and show that he is also a engaging writer as well as performer.
So what you have is a collection of songs that have existed in one form or another for some time. The title is a recognition of a restless, seeking, traveling persona that was with him from the start. For instance, the title song is one that he started out writing in 1986 and is only now reaching its final destination on this album. The songs were recorded over a long period of time in his Spur Studio either as demos or initial sketches. They are songs that are fundamental to the notion of discovery or, occasionally, disclosure that not everything takes you to where you might want to be. None-the-less the need to carry on carrying on is undoubted. I have listen to many of Joe Ely albums in the past and seen him live on numerous occasions, both solo, with his band or as a member of the Flatlanders. He doesn’t disappoint, so long may he continue to ride.
Stephen Rapid
SUSS Birds & Beasts Northern Spy
Anyone remember the band Rubber Rodeo who, not unlike Wall of Voodoo in intent if not sound, tried to merge electronics with a Country and Western sentiment? They emerged from Rhode Island in the 1980s and released a number of albums before calling it a day. Two members of that band were Gary Leib and Bob Holmes, synths and guitars respectively. These gentlemen are key members of SUSS who have been described as ‘ambient country.’ Here on this new release which quite possibly lives up to that description, they are joined by former associate Jonathan Gregg on pedal steel and Pat Irwin on multiple instruments. The end result is a sound that could as easily reflect a desert landscape, moving clouds or slow moving water, diving into the landscape of the mind and floating along with its diffuse current. At times it is peaceful, at others there is a hint of unforeseen menace.The acoustic and steel guitars are a bedrock over which the other sounds stream and infuse.
This is an album that offers a sense of tranquility, that can be heard as a background element or as something that helps to create a more focused imagined visual. Others attracted by the two cornerstones may well find it irritating or confusing. It is very much a musical setting that lets the listener find their own label for what they have heard. It does tend to remind me, to a degree, of some of the music released by the German label Sky back in the 70s and 80s, or some similar sounds of the Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois album APOLLO.
That the various members have remained as band mates since their earlier incarnation shows that they have likely developed an instinctive understanding of how to work together as a unit, without having to use that much communication for them to express their vision.
It would now appear they are a trio who are working together without Leib - at least that’s how they are portrayed on their website. They have a following for the music they play live or on record. The website offers numerous samples of their work together which is, perhaps, the best place to decide on where you might place their endeavours. Are they birds or are they beasts?
Stephen Rapid
Annie Bacon, The New Leaves, Krista Detor, David Starr Music, Joana Serrat, Elaine Palmer, Joe Ely SUSS