Travis Green A Little Too Late - Self Release
A blend of blues, country and rock from Austin-based singer songwriter Travis Green. The inspiration for many of the songs can be traced back to Green’s exposure as a young man to artists such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters yet the album also has nods towards Nashville.
Recorded in Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California the album features a host of renowned West Coast session players including Norwegian Kid Anderson, who produced and mixed the album together with contributing guitar. Other musicians include Randy Bermudes (bass), Jim Pugh (keyboards), Jason Hansen (drums), Nancy Wright (saxophone), Lisa Leuschner Anderson and Courtney Knott (vocals).
The title track kicks the album off in fine style, a tale of lost love delivered in a country/rockabilly style and features some wonderful guitar licks by Anderson. Everybody Knows maintains a similar lyric theme of relationships going south ("Everybody Know you’re a bitch at heart"). Keep You Off My Mind has a lovely Dave Edmunds rockabilly feel. Damage Done could be drawn from the Dolly Parton songbook having a melody not a million miles away from Jolene. Caroline bounces along with ripping saxophone by Nancy Wright and pulsating keyboards by Jim Pugh dominating.
Very impressive album and a particularly easy and rewarding listen.
Locust Honey String Band Never Let Me Cross Your Mind – Self Release
Delightful rootsy Americana offering from the Nashville based bluegrass band. Originally from North Carolina, Locust Honey String Band celebrate traditional Southern music, intelligently mixing fiddle/banjo duets with heavenly harmonies and old time honky tonk.
Locust Honey String Band consists of Chloe Edmonstone (vocals, fiddle, guitar) and Meredith Watson (vocals, guitar). Hilary Hawke and Ariel Dixon play banjo on the album with bass duties carried out by Andy Deaver Edmonstone.
Fourteen tracks in total including three originals credited to Chloe Edmonstone, two Carter Family songs (Lonesome Song, Righten That Wrong) and a fine execution of Nick Cave’s Henry Lee. Immaculate harmonies and elegant playing throughout combine to get the old boots stomping throughout this timeless offering.
Steve Dawson Solid States and Loose Ends – Black Hen Music
More often named on the inner sleeve of albums rather than the cover, Juno Award Winning producer, session player, multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Steve Dawson is one of the most respected artists on the Nashville music scene at present.
Solid States and Loose Ends is the eight studio album recorded by the Vancouver born Dawson and includes contributions by many of the artists that he has regularly worked with over the years. Regina and Ann Mc Crary add backing vocals, Fats Kaplin plays fiddle, Jim Hoke contributes saxophone and Gary Craig plays drums, to name a few.
Ten of the fourteen songs are penned by Dawson, a pulsating version of Joe Tex’s You Got What It Takes is also included together with the traditional Delia and Riley Puckett’s Monkey On My Back.
Dawson plays electric and acoustic guitar, steel guitar, chamberlain, mandotar and Weissenborn combined with a relaxed and effective vocal style throughout. Gid Tanner and The Skillet Lickers Henhouse Door (ironically Dawson’s recording studio is called Henhouse Studio) is the final cover, recorded acoustically with sublime slide guitar by Dawson.
In contrast to his solo acoustic instrumental 2014 recording Rattlesnake Cage his latest album explores a much wider musical landscape embracing gospel, blues, country and beyond. As would be expected the production is immaculate throughout and strong comparisons could be made with the late 70’s early 80’s output of Ry Cooder. Loose Ends opens the album in style, a full rich bluesy sound with delightful backing vocals by the Mc Crary sisters. So much to savour on the album from the pulsating Driver’s Wheel, showcasing the wonderful fiddle playing of Fats Katlin to the laid back California Saviour which includes sweet steel guitar by Dawson.
All in all, a wonderful bluesy Americana album immaculately produced with masterful playing throughout.
Rupert Wates Colorado Mornings (True Love Songs) – Bite Music
Eight solo recording from the London-born singer songwriter Rupert Wates. A professional songwriter since the late 1990’s when he was contracted by Eaton Music Limited to write music for a variety of musicians crossing a number of genres from folk right through to blues, Wates is very much a touring artist playing over 120 shows annually.
Dividing his time between New York and Colorado his latest offering is a collection of love songs based on the travels of two lovers through the state of Colorado in times long gone by. Understandably the album has quite a British Folk sound to it (The Green and Goody Valley) but also embraces jazz (Motorbike of Midnight Blue) and traditional folk.
The packaging and artwork on the album are delightful, striking photography depicting Wates and partner suitably clad in turn-of-the-century period costumes.
The Southern Fold A True Ascension from the Wayward Path – Self Release
The Southern Fold have been earning quite a reputation on the local live music circuit over the past eighteen months, well justified on the basis of this very impressive six track mini album.
The band is the brainchild of Kilkenny based singer songwriter Emlyn Holden and co-singer Laura Hand. They are joined by recent recruits Joe Maher (The Mariannes) on guitar and Frieda Freytag (Fox Owl Crow) on cello and piano. Recorded at Crossroads Recording in Kilkenny the album features four self writes by Holden, the most powerful being Romance in Morphine and Home From The War, together with two covers (Farther Along by Baxter/Stevens and Ledbetter’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night?).
The shared vocals and harmonies by Holden and Hand are the highlight of the album, no more so than on the aforementioned WWhere Did You Sleep Last Night?.
The Southern Fold are one of an endless number of bands mixing country, folk and blues at present. I get the impression, listening to this album, that they have the potential to make a much more lasting impression than most. Credit must also go to Lorita Preiano for the beautiful cover photograph on the album.
Auburn Love & Promises – Scarlet Records
Originally formed by Liz Lenten in the UK back in 1999 Auburn recorded two very well received EP’S (Sweet Sebastian and For Life) before the release of their debut album Dreams in 2003.
They disbanded in 2005, regrouped in 2011 and have been particularly productive since then. Following a tour of the UK supporting Jefferson Starship they gained considerable industry acclaim with the release of their 2013 album Indian Summer which included a host of renowned guesting musicians including Eliza Carthy and Laura Vane.
On a creative roll, the band followed in 2014 with Nashville, which explored country, jazz and southern blues and twelve months later released Mixed Feeling’s both produced by Thomm Jutz (Todd Snider, Sid Griffin, Nanci Griffith, and Lynn Marie Rink).
Love & Promises sees Auburn sticking with the same winning formula that worked on the previous album with Jutz again producing and contributing guitar, Jen Gunderman of Jayhawks fame on keyboards and accordion, Evan Hutchings on drums and Mark Fain on bass. Notwithstanding the excellent musicianship throughout its Lenten’s distinctive and sometimes strained vocals which standout on what is most likely the strongest work the band have recorded.
Probably the album’s standout track is the opener Asleep, with a nod towards Bonnie Raitt. Cross The Deep Atlantic features shared vocals with Austin based singer-songwriter Chet O’Keefe and If Everyone Was Listening simply cruises along beautifully.
The thirteen tracks on the album were produced by Jutz and mastered by Alex Mc Collough in Nashville with all songs written by Lenten with the exception of If Everyone Was Listening which was co-written with Mark Gustavina.
Without doubt well worth investing some time enjoying this very good album
Al Rose Spin Spin Dizzy – Self Release
"I’m a lazy fuck, a dedicated schmuch. I kick right back and I bank on luck" announces Al Rose in a Crazy Horse moment midway through his seventh studio release.
It’s business as usual from the Chicago resident. No frills blend of high octane country blues featuring Rose on electric and acoustic guitars accompanied by Steve Doyle on guitar, Steve Hashimoto on bass, and Lance Helgeson at the drum kit. Worse Came to Worse (I Feel Alright) simply rocks along, the title track Spin Spin Dizzy is gloriously bluesy and like much of the album sounds like a live recording.
It’s not all a hundred miles an hour though and Rose is more than capable of penning cry in your beer material as demonstrated with the delightful ballad Sweet Bouquet.
A satisfying blend of rock, roots, soul and no little humour, well worth a spin.
Blue Moon Marquee Gypsy Blues – Self Released
Forth offering from Rocky Mountain blues duo A.W.Cardinal and Jasmine Colette who perform as Blue Moon Marquee. It’s high energy, no frills blues from the opener Trickster Coyote to the closing title track. With all twelve songs written by the duo, Gypsy Blues does not attempt to reinvent the wheel but simply deliver a raw and retro sound covering expected themes of poverty, lost love, whiskey, loose and fearless women. The album was recorded at Afterlife Studios, Vancouver and engineered by Erik Nielson.