Having made repeated visits to Europe Eve Selis has built up a healthy fanbase for her roots rock sound on both sides of the pond. The band are increasingly assured in their delivery and Selis is voice and focus of the sound with her powerful presence and lasting vocal ability. A lot of the songs here she has co-written, many with guitarist and long time band member Marc Intravaia, as well as with writers such as Doug Crider, Rich Wiley and Kim McLean. There is a respectable version of the oft (over?) recorded Leonard Cohen song Hallelujah which will please many of her fans. Lori McKenna's Witness To Your Life is another outside song. Steve Churchyard's clear and concise production balances the restraint shown on the more plaintive songs such as When Is Everything Enough, Family Tree and the country infused Don't You Feel Lonesome with the more amped up delivery of Rubber and Glue, Water Off A Duck's Back or the roots rockin' mid-tempo of All Roads Lead To Here or the proto swing of Bump In The Road. She also delivers the inward pain of the piano ballad I Don't Want Cry with ease. In other words Selis cover a lot of bases with her songs and her style and her band is right behind her giving them a full-blown roadhouse sound. While the more hardcore 'real deal' country fans won't particularly find a whole lot to savour those who are already fans will find this the best step to date on Selis career path and those who are new to the music but came in through the more pop-orientated Nashville sounds will find this album one that will appeal on a lot of levels. Eve Selis has worked hard to get here and with her band should reap the rewards that has seen them gaining the endorsement of 'Whispering' Bob Harris amongst others. This Family Tree will soon bear fruit for the award winning San Diego native.
Katy Boyd 'Paper Hearts' - Self-Release
A native of California who relocated to England Boyd has in recently returned to music and Paper Hearts is her second album. Produced by guitarist Thomm Jutz in Nashville it takes her songs, often introspective and autobiographical and puts them in a subtle electric folk setting with touches that hint of country and rock that suits their overall nature. Alongside Jutz on guitar, keyboards and harmony vocals are notable local players Fats Kaplin, Mark Fain and Lynn Williams on respectively steel/accordion, bass and drums as well as Justin Moses on fiddle, mandolin and banjo and Boyd on acoustic guitar. Jutz's work with Nanci Griffith should give an idea of how this may sound. Her life and that of many a (single) mother is précised in Happy Single Mother's Day where she expresses that natural frustration which might find her going to "put the kids on E-Bay, free delivery the next day". The songs here all come from the heart and the one cover, Steve Windwood's Can't Find My Way Home, is equally an expression of a person looking for their place in the world. That Boyd has found a way to express these thoughts and emotions and observations is something that is good for her and those who will find a sympathetic voice in her music. The subtle steel that blends into a song like Colors tell of chasing the rainbow "to find a pot of gold". That sense of search pervades the album. There are songs here with immediate appeal like the analogy of life's uncertainties in Circus Folk and the personal indecision of Borderline which finds her hovering "between that man of mine and a ten dollar ticket on the bus line". Some of these lyrics may pass you by on first listen but are reveled on later listening and on the sleeve artwork. This is the work of a set of mature, reflective musicians and will appeal to those of like minds.
Reviews by Stephen Rapid
JP Harris and the Tough Choices 'I'll Keep Calling' - Cow Island
The latest release from that bastion of all things real in country music, Cow Island Records, is this debut album from JP Harris and his tight Tough Choices band. The songs are bar-room missives on heartbreak, hitting-the-road and the high hopes for love, life and, all too often, lament. The songs are all written by Harris, who also produced the album, he understand this music in a way that so many on Music Row don't. I'll Keep Calling includes a surfeit of pedal steel, fiddle, baritone guitar and twang - all good. Harris sings in a voice that belies his 29 years. He has lived his life in a way that understands what these songs can mean to all those who hear (and equally have lived) them. A standout is the ballad Just Your Memory, "that's just your memory keeping me company", it uses a classic country premise to reveal loss and regret, as does the break-up bargaining of Take It All. This album is full of great and timeless examples of this music and despite some of the songs negative subject matter the music is vital, vibrant and entirely uplifting. Return To Sender is another song that will have feet tapping and faces smiling. With Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives Nashville has one such flag flyer for all honky-tonks heroes, but now the city has another in Harris and his band, also based in Nashville, but traveling all over the States and playing in bars and small festivals. It's not too big a leap to say that these guys aren't far behind in terms of overall quality and commitment. There is a humour at work here alongside the perceived pain and that makes I'll Keep Calling an album that all hardcore country fans should immediately check out. This music, like all good independent music, needs as much support as it can get these days and this is just one deserving cause. There are many great bands out there that need to be heard. I'll Keep Calling is a damn fine country album, and in this day and age that matters.
Willie Nelson 'Heroes' - Sony Music
When you think that you might have enough Willie Nelson albums in your collection he comes along with another essential addition to his catalogue. This Buddy Cannon produced set features his son Lukas on several tracks, three of which he also wrote. His voice has an instant family recognizability and makes him an ideal duet partner for his father. He is also joined by a selection of friends and fellow travelers in Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price, Billy Joe Shaver, Sheryl Crow, Jamey Johnson and Snoop Dogg. Good company and not there to help give some new upstart credibility. Willie is such a icon and, as such, is so immediately identifiable that he is never in danger of being upstaged. A veteran of many a duet he's always front and centre as is unique use of his trusted guitar Trigger. There are a number of classic songs like My Window Faces The South and Cold War With You as well as a distinctive takes on Eddie Vedder's Just Breathe and Coldplay's The Scientist (this track produced by Justin Stanley and Doyle Bramhall 11 and the only solo vocal from Willie). But the songs that will immediately raise a smile is Roll Me Up a new song written by Nelson, Cannon and others. "Roll me up and smoke me when I die" being it's appropriate theme. There are a number of players important to the overall success of the album and they include Mike Johnson on steel guitar, Lukas Nelson on electric guitar and long time contributor Mickey Raphael on his trademark harmonica. All of those involved deliver and it is a pleasure to listen to this album again and again, as you hear little nuances that might pass you by on first listen. It is also a celebration of some of country music's surviving heroes. That they aren't as lauded as their friend Johnny Cash was is a great pity as Haggard, Kristofferson, Price and Shaver as well as Willie himself are all vocalists and song interpreters who give so much life and dignity to these songs, bringing both old and new together in a cohesive way. As Willie sings " the world's getting crazy and seems to be getting worse every day", so you need this sort of album to help you deal with it. The album Heroes is full them. It's an album old fans and new ones should celebrate and hold close to their hearts.
Johanna Divine 'Electric Tide' - Taureau Music
Since her last album (Mile-High Rodeo) Miss Divine has progressed her music into a more electric setting to deliver some music she calls "swamp pop", an appealing blend of swamp rock, cajun, jazz-noir, roots and Americana. The songs, all bar one, written by Divine, show off her sultry, southern, satisfying voice. From the Attractions-like organ and trumpet that are central to the late night, off-kilter, mood of the title track through the more rock-headed Harder They Fall. That organ sound, very Vox Continental, crops up on a lot of the songs. Producers Glenn Patscha and Dirk Powell have given Divine a palate as colourful as it's fine illustrated sleeve. Muted tones totally appropriate for these songs and their intentions. Basin Bridge mixes Patscha's organ and Powell's accordion together with seamless ease. It's that kind of interaction of tone over the solid rhythm section of Christian Dugas drumming and Powell's bass that give these a robust base from where the songs fly. Divine has grown as a vocalist and turns in nuanced performances that are full of strength and resolve, as in Last One To Know where she is the subject of a broken relationship and delivers her hurt with the restrained reticence of being "the first one to find out but the last one to know". The 12 songs are divided into Side One and Side Two. The second set opens with Sunday Morning an uptempo take on that particular time of the week and what might occur after it. The bluesy tones of the trumpet filled contemplation of Either Way follows. Where Does A Little Tear Come From? is positively jaunty given the title. The only cover it was previously recorded by George Jones but it fits easily into this new soundscape. "There ain't A whole lot I can do without love" she declares on Taking Your Time and shows again that Johanna Divine is a good writer as she is a good singer. Son Ambulismo, a trumpet, guitar and organ instrumental closes the album with a musical swell that makes you want to swim again in the warm current of this electric tide.
This album is currently available at Johanna Divine gigs and will be released later in the year.
Reviews by Stephen Rapid
Viper Central 'Thumb & Howl' - Self-Release
Old time and bluegrass are the starting points for this Canadian band. They however bring other influences along too. Opening track Saskatchewan adds pedal steel to the acoustic instruments and features prominent fiddle and banjo. It's a song written by Kathleen Nisbet, vocalist, writer and fiddler. Nisbet, mainly, takes the lead on the songs that she has written while Steven Charles takes the lead on his songs as well as playing a mean guitar. They have a strong vocal presence with various of the other songs sung by the other members alongside some self-written instrumentals and a couple of covers including The One I Love Is Gone by Bill Monroe. There are eight players involved with the album to help the five members of Viper Central to thump and howl. That title song again employs Tim Tweedale's pedal steel on a song that pays homage to a now demolished Vancouver venue, a chicken coop, where the music played long into the night and legend has it Loretta Lynn was discovered. Their assembled instrumental skills are highlighted on Tweedale's composition Redwolf and fellow member Mark Vaughan adds his tribute to an English ale on the instrumental Brewer's Gold, a mandolin led-tune. Their Canadian heritage is apparent in the music as well as other more diverse influences. They play a couple of Métis tunes add some touches of Klezmer and a slice of hard country into the mix or good measure. It makes for an uplifting, energetic sound that won't fail to appeal on some level that will have many thumbing and howling along. Another example of the resurgent Canadian roots music scene and it's willingness to bring their music to these shores recorded or in person.
Six Mile Grove 'Secret Life In A Small Town' - Rena's Kitchen
This Minnesota quartet grew out of two brothers making music and looking for like minded souls to help them grow. They are many who share their music with the world through some relaxed accomplished Americana. They live, play and record locally and through touring and their recorded output they reach out to a wider world. The songs of singer Brandon Sampson talk about family and friendship, love and making it last. They try to sort out a world view that may be mistrustful at times as they say in One Of These days "Everybody lies, everybody cheats, everybody says the truth is what you need, everybody tries to become someone else" and as the song Sunshine In The Pouring Rain sums it up it's a never ending fight to make love work. These are family men who love their families and they love making music and do their best to balance these two ends but if they are as committed to their personal lives as is apparent in the music they should be doing well. They are joined on the album by John Wheeler on steel, dobro and accordion to create a warm, layered sound that sits beneath the confident vocal delivery. This album stands or falls on what they produce as a band as across the world there are countless band using the same reference points, playing a similar blend of influences. Six Mile Grove reveal a not so secret life that can exist in any quiet town in many corners of the world. One that many will relate to, even those in big cities. They do so with music made on their own terms and in their own way, outside of external pressure. They undoubtedly have their own pressure points and problems but have their band and music to help them express that and they do that well.
Rosco Levee 'Final Approach To Home' - Red Train
Roots rock recorded in Rochester in the UK that opens a little more on the rocking side. The rootsier elements become more apparent around track four with Never Stops which has a more harmonic vocal delivery from singer songwriter Rosco Levee, who is both an individual and a band name. The five piece band are joined by some additional players who add trumpet, violin, banjo and harmonica to the overall armoury of the album. Levee and the band produced the album which hides its origins well and could easily have come from anywhere in the US. The influences are blues, rock, country and that's filtered through a UK prism of the Stones and Faces. I Got Soul is even more stripped back with acoustic guitar and an impassioned vocal while 97-3 has a nice groove and a fast pace. Hey Lady has a border town feel that is bolstered by an atmospheric trumpet. Headlight Burn has a Stones/Faces ramshackle but right feel and powers along at a rate of knots with the band harmonies again present. A vibrant country rock feel pervades Old Bessie and it again is an uptempo with a lively piano break at its heart. Final Approach To Home has it's heart in that place and mixes some solid balladry and rockin' resilience that culminates with the effective work out that is the brass and keyboard led When Your Gone To Ramble.This debut album finds Rosco Levee, the man and the band in fine shape and ready for action.
Reviews by Stephen Rapid
Tilford Sellers & The Wagon Burners 'Heartaches, Lies and Cheating Songs' - Self Release
It's good to know, and hear, that out there in the regions of the U.S. there are still acts immersed in the sound of the honky-tonks. This tight Columbus, Indiana outfit play a set of original songs that recall the heyday of 50s and 60s country music without sounding like they belong in a museum. The very fact that Sellers is a strong writer with a warm and weighty voice that recalls, without mimicking, the great vocalists that have gone before him is enough to warrant him some attention and admiration. As with a lot of the best pure country Sellers is not re-inventing the wheel here. He is instead, with his band, re-affirming that there is a lot of life left in the music that so obviously in their lifeblood (if not on the radio or in the charts) . The Wagon Burners are Baylee Pruit on snare drum, Sippy Boulton on pedal steel and guitar and Justin Meier on upright bass along with guest Pat Fiddle on fiddle. They deliver a solid, rhythmic and righteous sound that runs from the instrumental Sippy's Lament to a whole slew of songs that live up to the title, a theme too often absent from the mainstream these days. The titles of these songs tell you what to expect; You Always Shut Me Down, Two-timing Mama, Bad Times Are Here To Stay. Most of these songs are short, catchy and eminently danceable, for the most part. The life blood of a honky-tonk band, the place where they still sound best no doubt. But if you can't get there then this, their first full length album, is the next best thing. This album contains exactly what it says in the title but it won't bring you down, rather it warms you up for another round and gets you ready for a Saturday night, no matter where you might be. As the opening songs says "If you've got the time (just stop on by)", you won't be sorry you did.
JD McPherson 'Signs & Signifiers' - Rounder/HiStyle
Looking the part, JD plays an invigorating blend of rhythm 'n' blues, rockabilly, rock 'n' roll and country. He may look to some like he should be playing with Richard Hawley but the nearest reference may be to the early Blasters. The draw from the same well of sources, with the same love and the same aim of bringing that music kicking and screaming into the 21st century. And believe me they kick and scream. They being his essential partners in crime - Jimmy Sutton and Alex Hall. The former is the album producer, bassist, baritone guitarist and backing singer while Hall plays drums, piano and organ. The are joined by a range of guests on piano, strings and brass to fill out the sound and give it the depth that the recorded versions of these songs benefit from. There is no doubt that these three have absorbed those early influences, everything and anyone from Little Richard to The Clash and all those beloved Specialty and Vee-Jay recordings to deliver a set of songs that are co-written by combinations of the three. The opening track North Side Gal has been gaining airplay and has a great video to accompany it (on YouTube). Country Boy is written by the renowned Bryants, one of two covers featured has a nice mid-tempo groove that balances with the uptempo songs and the slower numbers like the tremeloed title song or the mournful athmosphere of A Gentle Awakening. B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R -which translates as "big gold mine of sweet Rock 'n' Roll" is just that with the ensemble swinging. Of course the man who has his name on the title is the focal point and his dynamic and versatile vocals are front and centre as is his essential lead guitar playing. JD McPherson may well be one of those vintage orientated acts who clicks with a wider audience to bring retro back to the future. Either way the signs are apparent that this is a very fine album and a great career debut.
Farmer Jason and Buddies 'Nature Jams' - Courageous Chicken/Universal
It seems kinda ironic that the most commercially successful faze of Jason Ringenberg's career is as his alter-ego (identical twin-brother) Farmer Jason. This is because though the Farmer Jason albums are aimed at kids the music on them differs little from the Jason Ringenberg solo albums. Here it also confirms the respect and friendship he has with other musicians, some old friend some new ones. Each track on the album has a bunch of guests and opens with some dialogue that introduces the song and the guests. This may get a little tiresome after repeated listens as it is aimed at a younger audience that some listeners may be. But with such guests as Suzy Bogguss, Iris DeMent, Mike Mills, Todd Snider, Webb Wilder, The Saw Doctors, Hank 3, Tommy Ramone and author Jo Nesbo along with The Scorchers there are a lot of different flavours to keep the whole album songs diverse. Jason is still central to the whole project his voice, songs and enthusiasm are the lynch-pin of the creativity. He is a unique vocalist who is immediately identifiable. He also brings with him his usual crew of players as well as long-time producer (for many of these songs) George Bradfute. who plays many instruments alongside players like Jim Hoke and Fats Kaplin amongst others. There is a DVD of four of the songs included, which show Jason with a group of children, which adds a visual element to the package that also has a coloured cartoon style booklet with full credits. There are going to be many different favourites for listeners of all ages but right now I like the Iris DeMent, Hank 3, Webb Wilder and Mike Mills tracks but that changes with each listen. This is the most ambitious and accomplished collection yet from the Farmer Jason collective and underlines the unique nature of both sides of his talent and longevity. Farmer Jason succeeds because he doesn't play down to his younger audience or by compromising his music, many of these songs (with different lyrics) could easily fit on his other albums.
Nels Andrews 'Scrimshaw' - Self Release
The third album from Andrews is inspired by the sea, the whaling boats of the 1800s that set out on voyages of 3 years and more. A scrimshaw is a piece of carved whale bone or whale ivory. The space, loneliness, fear and expectation of such a journey is reflected in the songs here that have a engaging light touch that draws you into their heart and immerses you in the music of the album. Producer Todd Sickafoose has given each song a depth that allows Andrews vocals to float free and and the same time to anchor each song. Around the vocal the players carve out the characters who inhabit the songs. There is an air of melancholy in Andrews folk/rock/Americana that finds the evocative pedal steel sound blending with flute, banjo, mandolin and violin to create a wholly enjoyable sound that makes the album work as a unit rather than a set of individual intricate songs. The vocals are also integrated together to create another layer that is equally effective. One track Three Hermits uses the words of WB Yeats to good effect alongside Andrews' sometimes poetic use of words and inventive musical beds. The overall mood is of a becalmed sea, a gentleness that is its own reward that has occasional spikes and troughs. Lost Year opens with ambient sound and cymbals while a banjo picks and the drums come in to drive the song slowly forward. That is typical of the slow intensity that this music has and the way that Andrews words and voice suggest something foreboding and impending. Scrimshaw is a collection of songs of flickering characters and places, like an early Vitascope projection on a peeling wall. Nels Andrews is worth looking out for on any musical horizon.
Woody Pines 'You Gotta Roll' - Self Release
This six track ep is the latest release from the band released to coincide with their current tour which was recorded with new line-up. Guitarist, clarinetist Lyon Graulty is a welcome addition to the band which is led by founder, singer, guitarist and harmonica player Woody Pines. A vibrant and forceful singer who combines the various musical strands into something whole that would find favour with fans of the modern interpretation of old time sounds as played by such acts as Pokey LaFarge and The Wiyos. The songs here are the traditional tunes Long Gone Lost John, Treat You Right, alongside covers of Doc Boggs, Leadbelly and Hank Williams. The band play with life and with an easy musicianship that suggest a band who are enjoy what they do and transmitting that fact through their music. Their next album with a few new Woody Pines originals should be well worth checking out. Meantime You Gotta Roll is a bite-sized intro to the band if you haven't heard their earlier releases.
The Two Man Gentleman Band 'Two At A Time' - Bean Tone
If you ever wondered what your favourite 50s styled band would sound like stripped down to guitar, voice and double bass this album will let you know. What you see and more importantly hear is exactly what you get two instruments, two voices, twelve songs recorded straight to analog tape, no edits, over-dubbing, no effects by Wally Hersom (Big Sandy alumni). Andy Bean plays a 1961 Gibson tenor guitar and Fuller Condon plays a upright bass on a bunch of clever songs written by Bean along with a couple of covers. If you like the sound you love the whole album if however you aren't as taken then the very nature of the delivery will not appeal as the sound of the duo is, by it's very nature, similar throughout. They mix early jazz, jump blues and its assimilation into early country swing into a sound that is unashamedly coming from a musical time tunnel. But that will make it sound quite modern for many a listener not so familiar with the source sounds. Those who know that era's music are equally likely to be captivated by the vocal and instrumental skills on display. That attention to detail also extends to the hand made, linotype machine printed sleeve. There is a limited edition vinyl version too for those of you who would like to go the whole hog. A number of the songs on the album menu make reference to food. There's Cheese & Crackers, Pork Chops, Tikka Masala which shows that though these gentlemen take their music seriously they have a sense of humour that means they don't take themselves too seriously. All in all a fine package that gets all the elements right and as they themselves say "let's get happy together". Can't argue with that.
Reviews by Stephen Rapid
Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Back To The Quonset Hut' - Ramseur Records
Albums of cover songs are made for a lot of reasons, not all of them good, but on occasion and artist makes a album that pays tribute to music that inspired them and in doing so they bring something of themselves to the project. A spark that ignites the songs to burn fresh. Chuck Mead's last album, his solo debut Journeyman's Wager, expanded his musical palate to bring in some wider influences that all musicians can bring to bear on their music. But as Chuck explains in his song by song liner notes the first music he ever remembers hearing was Hank Williams. That's going to effect a man's musical outlook one way or another. Real country music is at the heart of Mead's soul no matter what music he plays. Back in the early days of BR5-49, playing in Roberts, there set was largely made up of then largely ignored classic country with the occasional "true story" song played alongside. These true stories were the bands increasingly competent original songs which sat easily with the older repertoire. Both Mead and fellow singer Gary Bennett's songs have stood the test of time. With country music of the old school values becoming a thing of the past at radio and on major labels a number of artists, like Marty Stuart, continue to mine the music's rich vein in a rewarding way. There is an accompanying DVD with this album that further explains how this project evolved and how they came to record it in the refurbished Quonset Hut studio using a blend of Mead's band and some of the legendary members of the A-Team crack session unit who played there back in the 50s on some classic recordings.
The seasoned sessioners included Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Bob Moore, Buddy Spicher and Harold Bradley alongside BR5-49 alumni Chris Scruggs, Mark Miller and steel guitarist Carco Clave and drummer Martin Lynds. Producers Michael Janas and Chuck Mead also brought in a slew of guest singers in Elizabeth Cook, Bobby Bare and Jamey Johnson as well as Old Crow Medicine Show for the opening vibrant take on Wabash Cannonball. This sets the tone and you know that over the next 12 tracks you into something special. I'm aware that not everyone will view it that way and they still have an aversion to covers album in general but to hell with that. I like what I'm hearing here and no mistake. At this point it's worth noting the stature of Mead's vocals which are increasingly assured and distinctive. He's having fun and sings the hell out of these songs. having listened now to the album several times there isn't a track I don't like but let's pick a couple of highlights. Sittin' and Thinkin' is full of truthful regret. Apartment No.9 is full of similar heartbreak and sensitivity, While the uptempo takes on Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor and Hey Joe and the closing Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries lift the spirit and set the toes tapping. Chuck Mead and the entire crew can be justifiably proud of this album, that brings a new energy to the genre while tipping it's hat to the stars, musicians and studio of the past.
Davy Jay Sparrow and his Well-Known Famous Drovers 'Olde Fashioned' - Bean Tone
Those who were drawn to the music of Wayne Hancock or Johnny Dilks should tune in to Sparrow's mix of early country sounds that included the yodeling of the title track the Slow Slow Boogie with its not so double entendres, double bass and upright steel evoke and earlier era with clarity and vision. This modus runs through the album. Hot Tamale! is an uptempo hot sauce song spiced with Sassy Larry's trumpet. Sparrow and his Drovers can easily slip through a variety of mood with Think Again using Michael Kapinus' piano to give the song its traditionalist feel. This blend of western swing, early rockabilly, blues and old time country is not new but it is as powerful as ever when it's delivered with skill, understanding and love. The instrumental The Well-known Famous Boogie has a voice over from Davy and his son 'Railroad' Jack introducing the band members. Sparrow brings an authentic edge to his music, he's not trying to modernize rather he wants to celebrate it. As he does on the fiddle and concertina led Swing Me Around My Walkin' Cane, a traditional song arranged by Sparrow, something he does on a couple of the songs featured - Devil In The Cornfield and Bring It Down To Jack's House. The rest are Davy Jay Sparrow originals. All sound like there coming through the airwaves from a border station in the early 50's. Music made to get you dancing in your living room, a honky-tonk or in your head. The era of the singing cowboy is evoked on A Cowgal's Cowboy. The album closes with The Death Of Me and features, as do most of the tracks the steel guitar of Chance Wagner, the guitar of Artie Thomas and the upright bass of Justin Meier. These guys are as immersed in the music as much as Sparrow and Olde Fashioned is what it says on the cover and it's exactly what it is and it's just right for these times and for those who may love this music the first time round as much as those reared on Bear Family reissues or loved it the first time round.