Christmas Albums -Mandy Barnett, Joey & Rory, Skaggs Family - Reviewed by Sandy Harsch

I have a taste for Christmas albums which can go year-round, so I was delighted to have these three to plonk into the CD player. They are all pretty good in their various ways, with Joey + Rory coming out on top by a narrow margin.

The Skaggs family CD (A Skaggs Family Christmas, Volume Two) is actually stronger than their first volume and includes a full length (26 tunes) DVD of their travelling Christmas show. On the CD itself Ricky sings lead on 4 of the 10 songs; the Whites (Ricky’s wife Sharon, her sister Cheryl and father Buck) sing lead on one , Sharon, solo sings lead on Silent Night while daughter Molly takes lead on two while daughter Molly sings lead on two. The album is rounded out by two instrumentals. As one would expect from Ricky Skaggs it is immaculately played, but it somehow lacks the energy and personality that most Skaggs music exhibits.

Mandy Barnett’s career started when she was 9 and the only question that comes to mind is: why isn’t she a superstar? She has a phenomenal voice and unerring musical taste. That her music is sweet and smooth in the Nashville Sound style to have barred her from chart heights which is a shame. This album (Winter Wonderland) is classics done with classic Nashville Sound musicians and is absolutely faultless. The title track is fabulous as is the string-drenched All I want for Christmas and the bouncy Jingle Bell Rock. Actually, there isn’t a sub-par song on it and it will feature in my Christmas for sure.

My favourite of the three though, is Joey + Rory’s Farmhouse Christmas. The variety of styles and materials from a twangy two-steppin’ version of the Kent Blazey/Garth Brooks I Know What Santa’s getting’ for Christmas to the Jimmy Buffet flavoured Let it Snow (Somewhere Else); Merle Haggard duets on his If We make it through December and the wonderful Bradley Walker (will his second album ever be released?!)

sings with Joey on a beautiful acoustic Away in a Manger. The standout track for me is Stephanie Davis’ gorgeous celebration of a cowboy Christmas which unfurls Joey’s excellent yodel. Yodel, good Christmas song with Dobro backing – what more does anyone need in a Christmas album?

MaryAnn & The Revival Band 'Proper' Self-release

This five song ep is from the Austin based band who are fairly eclectic blend of old school country, folk and indie-rock overtones. They are young and enthusiastic and bring an energy to the songs that feature brass on three tracks as well as pedal steel. The vocals are shared with Marina Hendrix being the female vocal focus and the guys sharing lead and backing vocals. There is no Mary Ann. As a starting point these 5 songs point to a number of sonic possibilities, which is what an ep should be about as an opening gambit. See what works with listeners. The songs are all band co-writes and with some nine players listed on the sleeve they may be in the process of settling into a solid line-up going forward.The song here that has the most resonance here in it's recorded form is Doc Holliday, a song tinged with sadness, musically and lyrically "...roses don't grow around my grave". The other songs here are on occasion more upbeat in tempo though the closing Happily Alone again takes a downbeat viewpoint but from a male vocal perspective. MaryAnn & The Revival Band will make an interesting full length album as there is enough going on here to warrant further inspection and you can view their current activities on their Facebook page.

Toby Keith 'Clancy's Tavern' Show Dog/Humphead

In a world of ever changing attitudes, of personal beliefs and of doubtful country music, taking Toby Keith's music at face value it's country in a way that is immediately recognisable as that. His themes are about perennial - about love (Tryin' To Fall In Love, I Won't Let You Down), beer (Beer's Ago) and the life a regular Joe's (Red Solo Cup, Made in America, Clancy's Tavern) and they come from a man who has nailed his patriotism to the mast. Keith has written many of these songs with strong writers like Bobby Pinson (who made one of the better Music Row album's some time back which, naturally, got nowhere at radio), veteran Eddie Raven, Scotty Emerick and Bob DiPiero. Production is handled by Keith and is robust and rigorous and allows the studio band it's head. The guitar by Kenny Greenberg is well to the fore over a solid and propulsive rhythm section of Chad Cromwell and Kevin 'Swine' Garrett. Aubrey Haynie is on fiddle and mandolin. Steel guitar duties are shared by Paul Franklin and Russ Pahl. They are part of  solid studio team that are able to deliver the lighter songs as comfortably as the more full-on songs. That four people were need to write the novelty sing-along Red Solo Cup, but its one of those songs that will be loved and hated in equal measure. Toby Keith comes with his own reputation and attitude, something he also brings to his music and while in some minds in may be hard to divorce the two this album will please his fans and is one of his strongest to date. The are 4 additional tracks on the UK edition. Four good-time live tracks, a band out for a good time, the songs where recorded as Incognito Bandito who include several of the album's players having fun in a live setting. They close the album in roadhouse style and one of those songs, a cover of Truck Drivin' Man, show clearly where Toby Keith's musical roots lie along with his rockin' cover of Chuck Berry's Memphis that show Keith enjoys making music. 

Paul Kamm & Eleanore MacDonald 'From The Fire' Freewheel

A folk music duo who have spent a lot of time playing together and have during that time perfected their vocal harmonies and interaction. Their latest album, their ninth, highlights their voices and songs. All written by the duo other than Ship Gonna Sail where Kamm has taken words for the renowned Utah Phillips and set them to music. Indeed the title track is dedicated to Phillips. The duo have produced this album with Tom Menig and have brought in a selection of like minded players to fill out their largely acoustic sound. To Let The Light In features Mark McCartney's strong drum pattern and Larry Tracey's pedal steel to add some texture to this songs which is for those who give their time to care for the less fortunate. Throughout the songs have a sense of perception and understanding that shows a maturity that comes both from playing together and from an affinity with those they have encountered on their travels. That they deliver these songs with equal skill is somethimg that is apparent. This is folk music with heart and no little dexterity on Kamm part as a guitarist. This album will appeal to many who like modern folk music in general and songs with some openess and heart. From The Fire burns quietly but will warm those who get close to it. www.kammmac.com

Martina McBride 'Eleven' Humphead

This album is in many ways the antithesis to Timeless, my favourite McBride album, that was an album of covers of classic country songs. Before that she made such spirited and, at the time, ground-breaking songs as Independence Day on the album The Way That I Am that included songs from writers like Kostas, Billy Lloyd, Paul Kennerly as well as Gretchen Peters. The way she is now is a little different. A lot of the songs here have a McBride co-writing credit and she is also co-producer and while the features names like Dan Dugmore on pedal steel, Ilya Toshinskiy on mandolin and bouzouki and Stuart Duncan on fiddle the overall sound is a long way from those previous albums. She is still a powerful and emotive singer never less so that on I'm Going To Love You Through It, a song about helping a person dealing with cancer. These songs have their roots in her previous albums as she has never been an out and out traditional singer but rather one with an eye for where the future of country music was going. Eleven consolidates that future and opens the door for Martina McBride to move in any direction she may wish to travel and this album will find favour with many her fans and bring her a few new ones who know nothing of her previous album but have a fondness for well-sung, heavily arranged songs hat touch on a number of areas that may hit home with a wider audience. But I have a feeling that if I want to listen to McBride sing it will be something more timeless.

My Darling Clementine 'How Do You Plead?' Drumfire

That this album has taken so long to get released, it was recorded over two years ago, is surprising. On the other hand I can see the reaction to an album of newly written classic-style country songs written by two English singer-songwriters might be a hard sell. However it shouldn't be as this is superb. From the singing, through the songs and the exemplary playing through to the solid, warm production. This must rank as one of the best country music albums to come out of the UK and that's not to damn it with feint praise as it also stands tall against similar albums released in the US and elsewhere. The assembled players are Martin Belmont on guitar, Alan cook on pedal steel, Bob Loveday on violin, Geraint Watkins on keyboards and Bobby Irwin and Jim Russell on drums and Kevin Foster on bass. All deserve praise for the way they deliver a classic country setting for the songs of Michael Weston King and his real life partner Lou Dalgleish. While Weston King has written the majority of the songs Dalgleish is equally adept at getting the mood right. Witness her song The Other Half wherein she delivers what might be her best vocal performance here and both vocalists deliver emotional and expressive singing throughout. That both writers have absorbed their obvious love and understanding of the genre shouldn't be a surprise given their track record. This is an album that is immersed in the golden age of country music as well as having an ear to contemporary takes on the form like Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan. At the heart of these duets is an understanding of the human condition and the interaction between couples when love can go wrong and be twisted into something more malevolent and spiteful. There's also regret and recognition of weakness. But in the end it's the sound that counts and even if you don't listen too closely to the lyrics the sound here is uplifting and entertaining. It is an album that repays repeated listen and one I will return to often. I plead guilty to loving this album. All involved should be justly proud and let's hope the undoubted praise it will receive will turn into more substantial sales for this fine, well-packaged album and its accompanying lyric booklet.

Merle Haggard 'Working in Tennessee' Vanguard

That he is still making albums of this quality is reason enough to enjoy this album but Merle Haggard is a legend who has remained truer to himself than many of his contemporaries. That he hasn't crossed over to a wider audience by recording songs written by names that they may be familiar with also says a lot about his attitude and aims. What I Hate is an uncompromising reflection on his views about what goes on around him showing that Haggard is still in touch with the world around him. He is also writing songs that reflect on his life and those close to him. Sometimes I Dream looks inward while Under The Bridge is about eternal hope. Too Much Boogie Woogie sees the writer hearing too much boogie woogie on the radio and not enough Hank Williams Sr, Ernest Tubb, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. People like himself who rarely gain radio play in these times, a sentiment I think we can all agree with. The playing throughout is spot on with players like Reggie Young, David Hood, Rob Ickes and Scott Joss involved that's not unexpected. He also picks some well know songs to cover and while they might not  replace the originals are all given an satisfying Merle method-acting. There's Cocaine Blues and Jackson, the latter a duet with wife Theresa. She also co-writes several other songs and that's not the only family involvement with son Ben joining in on vocals and guitar and Jenessa Haggard also co-writing. Family means a lot to this man. He also appears, especially on Laugh It Off to be enjoying himself here. That's important here is man at ease with himself, his life and music and that comes across and counts for a lot.

John Henry Olthoff 'Selfish Portraits' Self-Release

Another singer-songwriter in a world full of them. Maybe but there's something about Olthoff's songs and voice that help it to stand it out. There is an underlying humour alongside a certain bitterness, regret and isolation in these tales from the fringes. One song that sums that up is the stripped down Weekend In Jail - "Drove his rusted Chevy through the window of the gas station store. Filled up the backseat with beer and cigarettes 'til he couldn't fit no more, surveillance cameras saw the whole thing and when the cops came came to his door he said "when you need beer and cigarettes you'll do anything for sure". Then we he spent the weekend in jail". These songs are sung in Olthoff's downbeat nasal voice that once you get into it seems right for these tales from the other side of the tracks. Their may be a kinship to the territory covered by Willy Vlautin with Richmond Fontaine. Though Olthoff uses a full band here the two acts only have a passing similarity as both acts can be loosely be placed in the roots rock corral. The album was recorded by Frank Schiazza, who also plays lead guitar, bass and keyboards. David Ciolino-Volano is the drummer and Glenn Spivack plays some nice pedal steel touches. There are some full on songs here like the driving No Other Kind that sit easily beside the acoustic sadness of Anymore and Broken Meter or the buoyant 99 Cent Store where the protagonist wishes he "only had 20 dollars more I'd buy 20 things at the 99 cents store". The 15 songs on his latest release all have merit and while the overall mood of the writing looks toward the darker end of the street Olthoff's music is, once explored, something to savour. This New York based musician has something to say and here's where he's saying it, selfish or otherwise.

Joshua Radin - The Rock & The Tide (Warner/14th Floor)

I was worried about this one. I've given it two spins. My worries were justified. Do you like white bred?

Frankly, this album doesn't belong on a bluegrass / folk reviews site. It doesn't even belong on a singer/songwriter reviews site. I'm sorry to sound harsh but why sign a folky singer/songwriter and then try to turn him into a top 40 charting artist? The album from start to finish sounds like overly polished, auto tuned, pro-tooled, producer led soft pop. And just because there is a synth banjo on track two 'Streetlight' doesn't make it a 'folky' song. Way down the back end of the album there are a few softer, more folky numbers that actually sound half-decent. If you read between the lines here it seems to me that Radin wrote a soft, folky album and the label has brought in producers and writers to try and 'Radio' it up. Thus they've bumped the better songs further down the tracklisting and moved the 'radio' songs up front. 

I have to stress actually that the auto tuning is so bad on the lead into track three 'I missed you' that you can hear the vocal actually being cut up in the transition from pitch to pitch. Not good. Also there seem to be three writers credited on this track. It always amazes me how songs with more writers can be WORSE than those written alone. 

The ONLY song worth half a listen on this ten track indulgence is a track Radin wrote himself 'You Got What I Need'. He's written a beautiful mid tempo guitar ballad. Played out on what sounds like a strat or a tele his voice echoes Ray Lamontagne a little and we can actually start to feel with him. Minimal production of guitar, bass, drums, a beautifully warm rhodes/Wurlitzer type keyboard sound and vocals on this leads me to believe that this album should have been a one track single - with this song plugged to death. This is THE one for sync as far as I can tell. 

Each to his own, but I'd like to hear Radin if he ever makes a real down to earth, heart on his sleeve record produced with no budget. I think that's the place we'll all connect deep down with Radin. The writing and production of this album reminds me far too much of that annoying hat-wearing popper Jason Mraz. Unfortunately, a thumbs down from me on this album barring the song 'You Got What I Need'. If you want to listen to a Josh, try Josh Ritter or Josh Rouse.

by James Cooper

Water Tower Bucket Boys - Where The Crow Don't Fly EP

I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to review this EP. Perhaps it's the fact that I liked it so much straight away. There's a possibility that I was waiting for it to wear out on me. Well, it hasn't done anything of the sort.

Garrett Durant's cover art grabbed me straight away and as soon as I started spinning the CD in my car I was hooked. 'Meet me where the crow don't fly' opens the EP. It has a lazy blue grassy feel that sort of sucks you in. What with its banjo pickin' and upright bass boom you can't help but be won over. Vocally the song gives us a great introduction to where the WTBBs are going to take us.

Moving on then to 'Walkin' down the road' we're sort of running down the road! With the fast tempo, high strung mandolins, banjos, blues harp and again, thump of the upright bass, this stuff just gets under your skin. I'm surprised I have not seen these guys on a double bill with Old Crow Medicine show in Dublin. 

If vocal harmony is your thing like me, then 'Pilgrim song' is your song. The two and three part harmonies and resonator backing are dead on. 

Track four 'Easy Way Out', is not as well written as the first three songs and the appearance of drums disappointed me (as they're not needed on a blue grass release). However I suspect it's a good, up tempo, show opener. And closing with the intimate and delicate 'R Song' is a good move.

These guys are tight. It's a good thing when an EP makes you want to find out everything you possibly can about a band. 

I was longing for a new Gillian Welch record this year and even though it has now arrived, I feel like this EP is a more exciting prospect. 

So from the Water Tower Bucket Boys - Josh Rabie, Kenny Feinstein, Cory Goldman & Kyle McGonegle we ask 'More Soon Please!' Buy the EP at: http://www.watertowerbucketboys.com/music.html

By James Cooper.

Norianna Kennedy 'Ebb 'n' Flow' Self-Release

This collection of covers and traditional songs celebrates the voice of Norianna Kennedy. It is, undoubtably, a strong and striking one capable of expressing and emoting these songs, of understanding the ebb and flow of songs. The album has been co-produced by Kennedy with Trevor Hutchinson and Gerry Paul and it allows the voice its central role while giving a solid and varied musical setting of acoustic ambiance. There are fiddles, 5 string banjos, bouzouki, guitars and double bass and flute to give texture to the songs that veer toward the traditional on this release. Ó Fill A Bhruinneall is a pleasant excursion into her native tongue while many of the other songs are traditional arrangements. The more recent songs include a take on Damien Dempsey's Beside The Sea which is a simple but thoroughly effective voice and guitar reading. Kennedy plays her banjo ukulele on Ain't Got No Use a song which sounds more like the Americana side of her work, something that comes across stronger in live performance that is readily apparent on this album. Some have likened her to a young Mary Black and while there is no doubting her interpretative and vocal skills are paramount her direction may ultimately take a different path than that of the rightly lauded Black and time will add depth and experience to her singing. However the talent is there and it will be interesting to see how it develops to see if she can capture the onstage dynamism in her future recordings. For now Ebb 'n' Flow is an entertaining and rewarding first step to a talent artist and her playing and production team. 

Farrell Spence 'Song For The Sea' Self-Release

This is singer/songwriter second outing for her delicate crafted songs. The album was partly recorded in a hotel room, on a portable studio, in Rome. This was to avoid over-thinking and over producing the songs. She wanted them to develop in an organic style that was based around her and her musical foil guitarist Francesco Forni, Three additional musicians where later added to bring keyboards , guitar and ukuele to blend with the overall sound. It is otherwise a very sparse sound built around the bottom line of voice and guitar. The theme, as evidenced by the title, though tangential is the tides of life. Songs include effective readings of the traditional Wayfaring Stranger and I Never Will Marry, the latter delivered unaccompanied but with a multi-tracked vocal chorus. There's a impressive take on Nick Lowe's The Beast In Me which maintains the same sense of inner pain that Johnny Cash's version had though, understandably, at the other end of the sonic scale than Cash, but still capturing the song's essence. The remainder of the  songs other than Good Morning Bird (written by Barbara Spense) are from Farrell and have an intimacy and life outlook that fits with Spense view of her life and times. The album closes with Going Down The Riverside where she goes to wash her blues away and she adds a percussion element on spoons. Spence offers a serious take on not taking yourself too seriously and while she won't be troubling the X Factor generation is making music that those who came across her A Town Called Hell debut will be glad to be re-acquainted with her muse and music.

Murray & Falkenau 'The Leipzig Sessions' Tree Tone Music

A Galway based duo who blend Irish and American folk traditions into a series of original songs, written by Ivan Murray and Anna Falkenau, and  well chosen cover and versions of traditional songs delivered in an understated setting, recorded in Echolux Studio on Leipzig, using just the playing skills of the duo with Falkenau on fiddle and lead guitar and Murray on rhythm and vocals. Falkenau also adds backing vocals that help fill out the vocal delivery. There are, by their nature stripped down arrangements but must reflect the duos live sound and therefore be a fitting souvenir of such a performance. Murray has a soft vocal style that suits the delivery of the songs. There are also a number of instrumentals that highlight the playing skill of the duo, especially Falkenau's - as witnessed on the title track. Their cover of Joseph Arthur's In The Sun is well suited to Murray's voice and it's effective directness. This duo are enjoying themselves and this album is awaiting you to do the same.

The Good Intentions 'Someone Else's Time' Boronda

This Liverpool based trio have recorded their second album in their hometown and in Los Angeles. It was produced by the experienced hand of Rick Shea and recorded by Dave Raven (with others), both who play on the album alongside a set of players including David Jackson, Brantley Kearns, Wyman Reese and Eric Brace. Key to their sound are the balanced harmonies of Gabrielle Monk, Francesco Roskell and songwriter R. Peter Davies who together make up The Good Intentions. The songs have a warmth and depth that touches on simpler, but no less difficult, times as witnessed by songs such as Coal Miner's Lament, Send The Devil Back To Hell and Dark Stranger. Though the songs tell their stories in a way that is captivating and rewarding. The playing and production enhance that overall mood and give the songs an acoustic based sound that is rhythmically driven by a tasteful upright bass and drum foundation. The fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar melodies are bolstered by keyboards and steel guitar. All of which makes for a very appealing and repeat listening experience of assured Anglo/Americana folk-country. Davies' songs are all strong enough for him to find a place alongside some of the better contemporary songwriters currently and will please those who make the effort to look out this accomplished trio who highlight that there is much on offer in this area outside of the US. Someone Else's Time all round it's time well spent.

Various Artists 'The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams' Sony Music

There has been a lot of debate and controversy surrounding this album, largely about the artists chosen to contribute to the collection, the time it's taken to complete and the nature of the project itself. The original notion was for Bob Dylan to take from these notebooks of unfinished lyrics a selection of song to complete but in the end he passed on that and finished one song and the lyrics were passed on to other artists to complete. With all such major label there is going to be a suspicion that marketing and salability plays a greater part than artist credibility. The end result is going to divide people, as the end result is so subjective to personal taste and ideals. But in the end it comes down to the music and one's own taste. So for this listener the most successful tracks include Alan Jackson, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams and even Jack White, who some have found his vocal a little too mannered but I think it works in the context of the song and the source. That Hank Snr's granddaughter Holly Williams is here rather than his grandson Hank 111 has upset some too but again it comes down to something very personal. Most of the artists have approached the concept by either channeling the legend or by adapting the lyrics to their own style and the results may vary but are all delivered with some conviction and commitment. The last album released on Bob Dylan's imprint was also the subject of similar "who, why, what-ism" and you can never satisfy everyone. In the past we have had tributes to an artist like Merle Haggard where there was a major label tribute and an independent version and in most cases the indie release beat the major label version hands down. But in the end there\s more than enough on this album to make it, at the very least, worth a listen and in the end is is good to see these lyrics finally being used and one can hope that similar to the Woody Guthrie Billy Bragg/Wilco project that more of these songs will be finished by sympathetic and sensitive singer/songwriters. 

Various Artists 'Inspired' Frontier

An important factor in the appreciation of music, especially live, is an understanding and appropriate venue. The Bronte Music Club is one such venue it is situated in Rathfriland in Northern Ireland and with Andy Peters' Frontier Promotions brings a variety of Americana and roots artists to play there. Funding for such a venture is always difficult and no more so than in these financially restrictive times. In that light Peters asked many of the artists if they would contribute a track to this CD the profits of which will help to keep the venue in action. This 21 track double CD compilation is reflective of his and the Bronte Music Club's  choice of artists. As with any such collection each listener will have his own favourite artists and tracks. The range of choices includes Lynn Miles, Kimmie Rhodes, Madison Violet, Kevin Welch, Ian Matthews, I See Hawks In LA and The Believers. It is a good way to introduce yourself to some artist you may not have heard before as well as to remind yourself of the power of this largely intimate music. The album is available from brontemusicclub.com and by buying this and attending the venue itself you help keep the music that is so necessary at all times alive.