David Francey 'Late Edition' - Greentrax

A Scot who moved to Canada while still a child, I had vaguely heard of David Francey as yet one more excellent Canadian folksinger. Now I’ll have to get hold of his earlier albums as this one is a real corker. It is mainly folk, but some of the tracks are straight country – the excellent When I’m NotThinking about You, Blue Heart of Texas and Just the Same, all of which will feature on Country Time in the very near future.

The rest of Francey’s songs are folk; Borderlands is a co-write with Scottish singer Lori Watson about her native area on a winter’s day;  Pretty Jackals is a pointed swipe at TV news – there are also love songs, break-up songs and a song dedicated to the Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa about the degradation of life and the fight for personal dignity. The song is not at all as ponderous as my description of it an is very moving.

The album is really well produced by Keiran Kane and the backing musicians are Kane stalwarts Fats Kaplin on fiddle and accordion, Lucas Kane on drums, Richard Bennett on guitar and bouzouki and Keiran Kane on everything else. It was my third time listening before I realized there was no bass player, but the way the album is arranged there was no need for one.

Francey is, for me, a great discovery and the album is really, really good on every count.

Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys 'Release Your Shrouds' - Earthwork Music

This excellent album was presented to me as bluegrass, and although there is some very good bluegrass on the album (Hat’s Off, My Side of the Mountain) there is also country

(Pass Me the Whiskey, The Leaves are Changin’), straight singer/songwriter (Leaves and Pods, The Power) as well as the jazzy Tied Down to You and the funky strut of Lemon Squeezy. I kinda feel that the point of the band is to push aside any such strict genre definition and just make good music – and in this they succeed.

The line up is two banjos, mandolin, doghouse bass, guitar, resonator guitar and the delightful, surprise guest trumpet of Andy Wilson which is really well used as an unexpected accent.  All the band contribute vocals, but the main vocalist is Lindsay Lou (Rilko) who has a flexible and appealing voice that she uses well and her talents extend to the cover artwork.

It is a good album, beautifully produced with (generally) good songs, although I could have done without the instrumental Barbarossa and the earnest singer/songwriterish The Power, but this is a personal quirk and they could be your favourites. I would definitely search for RELEASE YOUR SHROUDS as it is an honest and very enjoyable – and in places, even danceable album.

Anna Coogan & Daniele Fiaschi 'The Nowhere, Rome Sessions' - Self-Release

Two musicians, introduced by another player, have no common language, but learned to work together by instinct, intuition and intelligence. The two are singer-songwriter Anna Coogan, who has two previous albums under her own name, and musician Danilele Fiaschi who has played rock with a number of top Italian bands.

Here the two perfectly complement each other with Fiaschi's guitar being both ambient and assertive, providing a special depth behind Coogan clear and incisive vocal and rhythm guitar. The songs are Coogan’s,  with a couple of co-writes and good choices of covers including Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald which captures much of the song's inherent drama. Phil Ochs strong song The Crucifixion is taken from a live performance at a festival in Holland,  whereas the other songs were recorded at Nowhere Studio in Rome over two days more or less straight to tape.

Coogan's own songs include Red Shoes, Black Dress (an immediate standout ) to Back To The World where her voice shines over the subtle but thoroughly effective electric guitar tones. Like Sergio Webb with David Olney, this combination of singer/songwriter and electric guitar is so effective you don't miss additional instrumentation. One song How Will You Find Me? strips things back to just voices and guitar and shows that even in this basic form Coogan is a compelling performer.  There is no doubi though that the additional layers of steel-like guitar that Fiaschi plays add to the overall mood of the recordings and the fact is that this partnership works on many levels.

The Vagaband 'Town & Country' - Eggsong

This is another band for whom the term roots music was coined. This Norfolk crew of 8 draws from myriad  sources and the band name suggests the slightly restless nature of their music. Vocalist/guitarist José McGill is the main singer and songwriter who writes both solo and with different band partners. Perhaps a good place to start is with the albums deconstruction of well know Merle Travis/Tennessee Ernie Ford song; Sixteen Tons. This opens with finger-picked guitar and world weary voice before introducing a variety of instruments including clarinet, fiddle and pedal steel, the former having a near middle-Eastern feel that make the song  something special. This may not sit well with all listeners, but it sure sits right with this one.

There are some 22 different instruments named between the eight members and five guests listed on the sleeve and photographed on the cover! McGill produced this debut album, with contributions from others, largely from home and given that basis the sound is clear, full and iinfused with a spirit that a studio might not have captured. 

The Ballad of El Molino has twangy guitar, banjo, pedal steel and a brass infused coda that suggests New Orleans more than Norwich. The rhythm section throughout adds a swing that drives the songs along in a way that shows that this band can move the feet as much as the head. The Bad & The Ugly is a duet with guest vocalist Lauren Dove and again confirms the "ecleticana" that Vagaband represent. There is also a humour at the heart of several of the songs. "Caught in a headlock by the grip of morning" is the opening line of the closing song My Maria, a mid-tempo relationship songs of a lady who stole more that the man's heart.

This band have played numerous festivals and would seem to be ideal to add some festiveness to most occasions and the near hour-long length of TOWN & COUNTRY is filled with many moments that bring a smile to the face and a rhythm to the foot that suggests many would enjoy the trip between their town and through their particular (take on) country.

Mark Mulholland and Craig Ward 'Waiting for The Storm' - Jezus Factory Records

Both Mulholland and Craig have long and varied careers which encompass  playing  with and in variety of musical projects. They got together over a mutual love for the music of Pentangle and Nick Drake and others of the English folk club scene.

 The duo are joined here by double bassist Hannes d'Hoine to create a tapestry of guitars underscored by the sonorous, dexterous bass. They mix skilled instrumentals with subtle and gently-voiced songs written largely by Mulholland with a couple of contributions from Ward. This is the sort of music ideally suited to a live listening room or to a quiet sitting room, where its ambience can fill the room and even allow reading or another quiet pastime whilst absorbing the playing skills of the participants.

The music made by the duo is subtle, and as such, is not going to make too many waves in the music world. Rather, it exists in its own space, one that will be of interest to those who appreciate music on a different level to that which requires hype or decibels to make its point. Whilst awaiting the storm you can enjoy that which comes before in the company of some fine players and their collective music. 

Scott Cook 'Moonlit Rambles' - Self-Release

A man whose music is essentially folk music in thought and action, Scott Cook delivers his gentle observations on people, place and politics. Described as a prairie balladeer, Cook is a Canadian based in Edmonton and this  is his third solo album. Moonlit Rambles is self written and produced and Cook has gathered a group of friends together to give these songs additional depth and texture.

Fiddle, accordion, dobro, and pedal steel join drums, guitar and upright bass with a bunch of harmony singers behind Cook's own acoustic guitar and occasional banjo picking and warm welcoming voice. Cook is a disciple of Woody Guthrie, a traveling troubadour and people person who brings a sense of space and open skies to his songs.

The songs range from Song For The Slow Dancers, which opens the album and deals with authenticity in music. It is prefaced in the booklet by a quote from Guthrie. Goin' Up The Country has a certain hippie-centric approach to a solstice gathering in Northern Alberta. High and Lonesome Again is about wanderlust and the meeting of new friends found. Perhaps the most pointed song is The Lord Giveth (and the Lord Taketh Away) which is prefaced by the very relevant quote from William K. Black that "the best way to rob a bank is to own one". Go On, Ray is a song dedicated to his paternal grandfather, an obvious influence, which is a tribute to a much loved figure in his family. The need to get out on the road and absorb is again underlined in Song for a Pilgrim the closing track on what is an enjoyable and entertaining album from another member of the Canadian music fraternity who seem at ease with their music making. MOONLIT RAMBLES carries the storytelling torch with pride.

Audie Blaylock 'Hard Country' - Rural Rhythm Records

Being a bluegrass radio host based in Ireland I don't have the luxury of regularly seeing the top touring bluegrass bands live, so I have to base my assessments on recordings to comment on current standards and styles. Rural Rhythm Records are a consistent source of top end CDs which keep my Lonesome Highway listeners glued to their computers each week.

With the increasingly high standard of Bluegrass CDs these days, it's hard to single just one out for special mention as they all are streets ahead of what is being spewed out as Country Music right now. But Hard Country from Audie Blaylock and Redline jumped right into my hand as an example of what I'd be really pleased to brag about as an intro to Bluegrass listening for newcomer or seasoned listener alike.

From the opening A Real Good Way To Lose to the hard driving instrumental closer
Newton's Grove here are 10 tracks to keep you hooked from the get go. Home Is Where The Heart Is and A Grandmother's Love are two beautiful ballads while Woody Guthrie’s Philadelphia Lawyer and the Louvin's Stormy Horizons filled the traditional bluegrass and country slots really well.

Redline are a band of seasoned musicians who sound as comfortable on this CD as sitting around in your favourite old cowboy boots. Jesse Brock on mandolin and Mountain Heart’s Jason Moore on bass round out the sterling qualities of Russ Carson on banjo and Patrick McAvinue on fiddle. Audie and Patrick provide the vocals and complete the round up on this really excellent CD.

If I were to select one album from this years bluegrass output to introduce a non-believer to the joys of bluegrass then this would have to be it, from it's very well designed cover art to all ten memorable and well balanced "bluegrass to my taste" tracks. 

Steve Spurgin 'Folk Remedies' - Blue Night Records

I could tell, even before I listened to the CD, that this was to be a special treat. The cover art is simple, stylish and spot on; the support band is spectacular. 

Steve Spurgin and I have been email buddies since I first found his Distant Faces album on eMusic Live many years ago. I have followed him since on his various journeys with the bands California and Sundance then duetting with Dan Crary and in his own band Sawmill Road as well as several most enjoyable Spurgin solo projects.

With stellar musicians Jim Hurst, Missy Raines and backing vocals from Chris Stuart and Janet Beazley Folk Remedies was a winner from the start for me. I’m hoping that this combo might just tour on this side of the pond. Steve has a most pleasant voice with more than a passing resemblance to the great Gordon Lightfoot and his compositions are storytelling tributes to his formative years in West Coast folk, folk/rock, early electric bluegrass and a mis-spent youth in the company of some of the finest musicians ever to grace my musical memories.

This particular CD, as the title suggests, is a return to the sounds of his folk roots and would sit very well in the middle of my well thumbed LPs from my own Irish folk boom days of the 60s and 70s. Shades of Gordon Lightfoot, early Bob Dylan and Ian and Sylvia vie with the guitar styles of Red Shea, Terry Clements and Dick Rosmini to totally enthrall on this timeless set of Spurgin originals.

The album opens with Whiskey Town which sets the tone for 12 other fine, well-balanced vocal/guitar driven tracks. The second track Long Gone introduces the tight vocal harmonies of Back Country ‘s  Chris Stuart and banjo heroine Janet Beazley. I must also mention If I Never See Ireland Again which manages to get an emigrant’s feelings across without sounding all ‘Oirish’ or patronising. The CD finishes with Carolina in the Fall, one of the best from the Kruger Brothers.

This album is a very welcome addition to my Steve Spurgin collection and only helps to reopen my interest in and enforce regular airplays of all his previous CDs. And I can't finish without saying a big thanks to him for introducing me to one of my most played signature tunes on my radio shows It's A Great Place To Be When You're Lonesome which really says what the I feel that Lonesome Highway e-zine and radio shows are trying to get across. 

Various Artists 'Pa's Fiddle: The Music Of America' - Compass Records

From the rousing opening by Ashton Shepherd to the final All Join In of the Pa's Fiddle Ensemble this DVD and CD are a fine tribute to the sound and visual treat that is the Loveless Barn in Nashville Tennessee. Having recently seen a recording of Music City Roots there earlier this year, this was a welcome revisit to one of the finest venues it has been my pleasure to attend.

Pa's Fiddle is a twin DVD/CD set of a concert in January 2012 which pays homage to the music remembered in the writings of Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder and her memories of music played by her Dad as she grew up. Under the sympathetic stewardship of musical director Randy Scruggs an A List backing band lays down a top class musical red carpet for the equally A list of performers to strut their stuff  on, in an audience-pleasing evening of glorious nostalgia.

It would be unfair to single out any particular track or singer and there are too many to individually list here, but I guarantee that if you see the DVD then the CD will be a permanent passenger in your car for personal or family sing-a-longs.Much credit is due to Compass Records for their continued commitment to projects like this and we in turn should support their efforts by putting our money where our hearts are in making this a success.

Selfishly I have to admit that seeing and listening to the Roys is always a treat and its great to see Randy Travis looking good and sounding just like his old self. As a bluegrass radio DJ, I get a special kick out of seeing Shad Cobb on banjo, Matt Combs on fiddle and the ubiquitous Dennis Crouch on bass included in the band. Ashton Shepherd is riveting with her opening song O California and 16 tracks later, like the attending crowd, I was hollering for more.

There are a lot of recent rootsy Americana collections available but this one is special.Like the author whose memories it celebrates it should be around for quite a while to come. 

Hadley J Castille 'Refait (Remakes)' - Swallow Records

If you like your Cajun music fiddle rather than accordion-based and with more than a tip of the hat towards New Orleans jazz, then this little beauty is for you. For once I wished that my school French was up to speed so that I could have enjoyed the storytelling element of this re-recording of Hadley Castille's most requested songs and tunes.

In Refait, Hadley and his long time band The Sharecroppers revisit and re-record 20 of their all time favourites, much beloved of Cajun music loving audiences all over the world.The sound owes a bit more to Chuck Berry than our beloved Balfa Tojours and is a real crowd pleasing collection of danceable two steps and waltzes featuring the unique fiddle style and equally unique vocal talents of this long acknowledged master of Cajun heritage music.

I can't profess to a great knowledge of Cajun or the traditional music of Louisiana, but like all amateur art critics I know what I like. I found this CD to be infinitely more listenable than most of the commercially available Cajun albums that I have previously encountered. If, like me, you bopped to Diggy Liggy Lo or tapped your foot to the great sound of recent visitor to these shores, Sarah Savoy and the Francadians, then top up your collection with this well stuffed goodie bag of the real deal from Hadley J Castille and The Sharecroppers.

The Honey Dewdrops 'Silver Lining' - Self-Release

There are so many really top class duos out there these days that it can be hard to keep track when a new one jumps up. But the Honey Dewdrops  (Kagey Parrish and Laura Wortman) went straight for my ‘must listen’ nerve centre. Information is sparse on their website, classifying them as a Virginia based duet who write all their own songs, which however true, doesn't do them justice at all. The blend of vocals and instruments here is pure Goose Bump City as clean as an Appalachian mountain stream and tight as a handmade Killorglin bodhran.

Their sound is timeless and yet fresh as today’s bread which I'm sure was in plentiful supply on the mountain farm in Catawba, Virginia where this little gem was recorded in April this year. Drawing on the skills of guitarist Caleb Stine and mandolinist Barry Lawson, they have put together a collection of their own compositions which are so good that it makes it almost impossible to select any ‘best of’ tracks.

Kagey and Laura swop lead vocal duties and lead instrument work so naturally that the fine banjo and guitar backing blends seamlessly on each track. The two instrumental tracks Catawba and Somerset and the acapella Bright Morning Rain are little island breaks in a secret lake of listenable folky, rootsy old timey songs that need a lot more exposure than The Honey Dewdrops seem to be getting right now.

This is a very well produced CD, both visually and musically, and I, for one, intend to check out more on their background and heritage. Have a look at www.thehoneydewdrops.com and you won't regret it.

Furnace Mountain 'The Road To Berryville' - Self-Release

This is the 5th album from a band that has been together since 1995 and it is a culmination not only of all their combined musical talents but also the influences of their travels which have taken them from  Furnace Mountain to the waters of the Yangtzee. This no CD to visit casually, instead it is one to sit back and enjoy the range of Furnace Mountain’s musical mystery tours which are not just folk, bluegrass,old timey or Americana but rather a very pleasant mix of all the above in a genre-busting 12 tracks which allow all the band members to showcase their specific talents, yet without bragging or boring the listener.

Aimee Curl lays down a solid bass foundation for the intricate string skills of Danny Knicely, Morgan Morrison and David Van Deventer on fiddles, guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. Aimee and Morgan handle the vocal harmonies which sound as relaxed as a Sunday afternoon family sing-a-long on a back porch in their native Virginia.

W.B.Yeats "Fol De Rol" sounds just right next to Bob Dylan's "I Want You". The rest of the fine tunes and lyrics are drawn from a circle of friends' or are the band’s own  compositions. I found it hard to pick out my favourite tracks but "The Crow on The Cradle" and the almost western swing lilt of "Bonaparte's Retreat" stand a little higher on my rating scale.

I fully agree with the comments on the cover from none other than Bruce Molsky; this CD made me happy from the first moment I listened to it and I found that The Road To Berryville runs closely parallel to the Lonesome Highway and should feature regularly on my radio shows.

Malcolm Holcombe 'Down The River' - Self-Release

Malcolm Holcombe is easily recognizable with a voice that sounds like sand-blasted gravel and that voice tends to divides opinion. However there is no doubting his writing talent and the respect that his peers have for him. On his latest (his ninth) album he is joined by such notable musicians as Ken Coomer, Russ Pahl, Tammy Rogers and Darrell Scott,  with vocalists Kim Richey, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris all of whom acknowledge Holcombe’s skills as a writer and performer.

There is anger, frustration and understanding in these songs and the music underscores these fragmented emotions. Twisted Arms has a tough hard edge and some cutting guitar, while by way of contrast, the next track The Door has a gentler acoustic edge with steel guitar. That contrast runs through the album with Holcombe's song alternatively full of understanding for the lives of others or howling in rage at the injustice, imbalance and greed that exists at many levels of society.

Some song are stripped back to a bed of voice and guitar, with subtle atmospherics. Holcome uses his guitar as another means to bring his country-blues based songs to life. The Empty Jar uses strings behind the voice and guitar to lend a sense of hope. In Your Mercy, has a beauty and the beast aspect with Holcombe's gritty voice contrasting with Emmylou Harris' clear voice - a pairing that works well. Steve Earle plays harmonica and trades verses on Trail of Money which contains the lines *"My instincts are wounded, my schools bleed with guns, my children are recklessly, lost in the sun" as a sample of his distaste for the corporate greed that runs through society at many levels. Those who have heard and seen Malcolm Holcombe will not need encouragement to seek this out; others should check him out on his site and on Youtube. Holcombe is a true troubadour, a truth teller and a man with human frailties that are reflected in his music. Ray Kennedy's production has given this album a sound and structure that makes it one of Holcombe's best and well worth exploring its rivers and tributaries.

Whispering Pines 'Whispering Pines' - Self-Release

A tree with many branches, Whispering Pines opens with the rock of Move On and then slows the pace down with Come & Play,  which has a more country-rock feel. Much of what you hear here sound like it could have come from the late 60 and 70s country rock movement. Add to that touches of Southern Rock and blues and you have a rootsy sound that will have immediate appeal for many.

There are four writers in the band and that gives the songs a wider range that is apparent in some single writer bands. There is also an attention to the vocal harmonies within the songs that are effective and easy on the ear.

Purest Dreams opens with a burst of guitar that is followed by a strong harmony laden song with harmonica and a long guitar break. The tracks are divided into sides A and sides B though there is no immediately discernible difference between the two sides. Wolfman which opens side B has a slight Stones-ish feel. while Love Is Free is an uptempo songs with strong joint vocals and a good hook. The quieter Sunrise To Sunset again highlights the band’s tightness and also the band’s production, which has them firmly in control of their own sound and musical direction. The songs are immediately and could fit in any number of formats. Fine Time again sounds like it was recorded back in the early seventies, as does the gentle country rock of Broken Spoke which is another highlight of the vocal contributions of the four writers, each of whom sings their own compositions, while the others provide strong vocal support.

Whispering Pines cover a number of bases with their music but do so in way that absorbs their influences to create something that , while being rooted in previous times is  ready to bring it to a contemporary audience.

Awna Teixeira 'Where The Darkness Goes' - Self-Release

This is a singer/songwriter who, her biog tells us has had something of a mixed past,  but that music has  always been the key to her life. In 2004 she became a member of Po' Girl and this is her solo debut album. It's a joy,  with Teixeira's voice an immediate and powerful presence.

 Awna’s music crosses barriers and draws from any number of sources and inspirations. Teixeira is a multi-instrumentalist and is joined by other musicians who bring these essentially folkish songs into rich territory.

 It is the  vibrato in her voice that is the key quality that makes her the focus of the album. Her banjo playing is dominant on many of the songs and gives them rootsy grounding that can then take you to different places and differing moods.

The songs are observations of her life and times and travels. She uses the full ensemble where appropriate and elsewhere strips the sound right back. Her Po' Girl companion Allison Russell joins her on vocals on many of the songs and the end result is, from start to finish, a thoroughly captivating experience. On the liner tray she offers a short dedication for each of the songs that show a woman who has a wide empathy for her fellow humans. The Little Review is for the staff and children in a Polish orphanage. The title songs is dedicated to those friend who were there during difficult times, while others are for lost friends. All are equally honest and heartfelt which comes across in the music which has a gentle and effective strength.. With her strong and direct songs, Awna Teixeira has opened a door that takes you in disperses the darkness. 

Allen Thompson Band 'Salvation In The Ground' - Palaver

The cover reveals a hirsute bunch of guys and the one lady who make up the Allen Thompson Band - a collective which realizes Thompson’s songs and takes them to a new level. They have a sound that has roots in the 70s West Coast sounds of rock, soul and country-rock.

Based in Nashville the music they makes is a million miles away from that emanating on Music Row even though they are only about a ten minute drive away from that industry hub. This is a full band sound with keyboards and guitar providing the melodic structures over a solid rhythm section. Thompson sings his songs with conviction, if not in a totally distinctive voice. There is a lot here to get acquainted with and the music is honest and no doubt works well in a live context but may not have enough individuality to make it stand out from the crowd.

A song like Everybody Knows which is a more stripped down setting of voice and piano by its nature stands out and allows Thompson voice its space. The folky acoustic While I'm Young is similar and has nice vocal harmony around Thompson's voice and the accordion is a nice texture that shows this band is capable of versatility and subtle playing. Salvation In The Ground is an album that shows a band developing an ensemble sound that has its share of songs that, given time, will give back what you put into them. When all the elements come together, as on the singalong Love One Another then this band have the potential to create songs that translate across the ether and to connect with a wider audience.