Chris Murphy The Tinker’s Dream Teahouse
What do you get when you mix some Reels, a few Jigs, a couple of traditional airs and a waltz? Well, you get a damn fine example of what is commonly called World Music or indeed, Roots Music. The strong well of Irish traditional themes is a central influence throughout, but the array of instruments used outside of this strict idiom makes for a collection that celebrates all types of indigenous, native music.
From the giddy opening of Connemara Ponies, which comes bursting out of the speakers, to the more reflective Union of the Seven Brothers; the 12 tracks included here spin off in different directions like a flock of birds looking for the open sky. Guitars mix with mandolin & fiddle; bodhran & Bass duel with uilleann pipes & accordion, while flutes, whistles and violin vie with piano and violin to make a joyous sound and lift the spirits ever higher.
The celebratory nature of this music is perfectly captured in the production and arrangements. recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Chris Murphy and Joshua Cutsinger, the sound is very liquid in feel and reflects the wealth of experience gained over the years by Chris in absorbing the eclectic sounds of all kinds of traditional music.
It is impossible to keep still when this music is playing and it is the perfect party CD. Wicklow is a great dance tune as is Cape Horn with the guitar, fiddle and whistle interplay. Small Wonder has a refrain that stays with you, while Thistlewood Bridge will have you skipping around the floor.
Throughout, the dextrous playing of Chris Murphy is a delight and the overall sense of fun and living for the moment makes this an essential purchase for lovers of all things traditional.
My Politic Anchor Self Release
Well now, this is impressive. Sounds like everything that new Country music should embrace; a lot of the old with a healthy sprinkling of the new.
My Politic is an indie/americana trio hailing from Nashville, Tennessee. Originally formed in 2007, this troupe deliver a nine-song set of laid-back, melodic songs that just keep getting better on repeated plays.
Tight harmonies, interesting lyrics and a musical identity that brings to mind the best of Americana/Roots musical artists, I have no doubt that this release will be figuring in my favourites of the year.
Nick Pankey and Kaston Guffey recorded their first album in 2008 and over the next five years they released a further four albums. A move to Nashville in 2013 led to meeting their newest member Wilson Conroy, who has added further colours to their sound.
This is the sixth album and the song-writing is of the highest order with reflective musings on the human condition (God Vs Evolution), youthful hope (Before It’s Too Late), Love in all its complex forms (Ways of Love and Heartless), drug addiction (Nobody to Blame), marital breakdown (The Truth), temptation and human failings (Ain’t No Saint) and the need for a solid base in life (Anchor). This is highly recommended.
Little Diamonds New Orleans Bound Self Release
Luks LeBlanc has a classic country delivery and his vocal is reminiscent of a young Bob Dylan meets Randy Travis. The 12 tracks on this CD are well produced and recorded with plenty of variety in the arrangements. According to media research, Little Diamonds is a combination of Cajun, folk, Americana, Appalachian rockabilly, gospel, and Dixie-land, however to my ears it is simply acoustic folk.
LeBlanc is a self-taught musician, who plays multiple instruments and has just released this second album. On the cover, he is seen hitching towards New Orleans and on the inside, he is pictured in a bar with some bikini-girls in a cosy huddle – hardly the image of ‘having arrived’; or perhaps his sights are just set very low…?
In any event, the music is very good, despite the off-putting album sleeve. The easy song arrangements feature LeBlanc on guitar, piano, harmonica & and banjo. He is joined by lap steel, saxophone, violin, drums and bass on various tracks and he is definitely a talent to watch over the coming years.
Too Early Gone and Duluth Grandma are fine examples of the song-writing talent on display and Drive Away highlights his easy guitar proficiency and style. Understated and peppered with simple sentiment; a song collection that will bring rewards to those who like music that quietly grows on the senses.
Runaway Horse Beautiful Blue Self Release
This EP of 5 songs marks the debut of Mari Tirsa and her band, Runaway Horse. Daniel Barrett produces and also plays guitar, bass, percussion and backing vocals. Rick Richards plays drums.
Holy Water speaks about not giving up and standing on your own ground, on your own terms. The Well is a reminder that the reserves we have can always be called upon, whatever the adversity faced. Once reflects on the spiritual journey that results in the realisation that ‘everything is in me’. Beautiful Blue is soothing and Arrive considers whether we have already been given all the gifts that we need for a fulfilled existence.
A fine collection of songs that are light in touch and gentle on the mind as we seek to find the personal treasure within.
Backtrack Blues Band Way Back Home Harpo
The Backtrack Blues Band hails from the Tampa Bay region of Florida and has been performing original blues music since 1980. They have performed with many blues legends over their career and this album was selected as one of the world's top 50 blues albums for 2016.
Think early Chicago blues and you have a good idea of what is on offer with Sonny Charles on harmonica and vocals, Kid Royal on lead guitar and vocals, Little Johnny Walter on rhythm guitar, Joe Bencomo on drums, and Stick Davis on bass.
If Paul Butterfield got together with Fabulous Thunderbirds, then you have some idea of the musical storm created here. It is heady stuff with impressive performances throughout. It may not be the country blues of the original rural folks who created the genre but it certainly swings with a New Orleans vibe on Shoot My Rooster and some mean and dirty licks on Your Funeral, My Trial by Sonny Boy Williamson - great song title and the title of a Nick Cave album.
There really isn’t a weak track on this collection of 10 stellar workouts and there is no doubt that this is a band to see live and just boogie the night away. Sonny Charles writes 6 of the songs here and the cover of Baby Please Don’t Go, is a real treat.
Proceedings are brought to a close with Help Me Just This Time, which really sums up this band who are more than a sum of its’ parts with all members playing with a loose abandon that just rocks the blues.
Jude Johnstone A Woman’s Work BoJak
What a consummate artist this lady is…
Across a career littered with plaudits for her song-writing talents and her regular supply of hit songs for other artists, her body of work has gone largely unnoticed by the general listening public. Perhaps this will be the release to push that tipping point?
Never Leave Amsterdam reflects on a love affair abroad that cannot survive the need to return to a child at home. The title song, with sublime cello and piano, speaks of the price of love and the embers of a failed relationship. People Holding Hands could be a Randy Newman classic with a diatribe from the protagonist against the fuzzy logic of love’s desire, complete with jazz-tinged trumpet. The Woman Before Me is a song that served Trisha Yearwood very well some years back and Jude sings it with an understated sadness that really brings out the true meaning of the lyric.
Little Boy Blue is just a gorgeous example of the talent on display here; a song that touches on the need in all of us to find comfort in the wake of personal vulnerability in a relationship. What Do I Do Now speaks of the vulnerability we all expose ourselves to in trying to be honest in our search for happiness. Road To Rathfriland is a song that reflects on love lost and the need to endure. I’ll Cry Tomorrow is a song about a fractured relationship that points to a new tomorrow and Turn Me Into Water is a Gospel/Soul lament for a resigned feeling of lost trust. The album ends with Before You, which is a beautiful affirmation of love in all its’ ragged glory.
This lady is one of the great songwriters and is deserving of every attention that can be directed to her door. A must buy for any record collection.