Dave Van Ronk 'Down In Washington Square' - Smithsonian Folkways

With the Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis focusing on the 60's folk scene in New York's Greenwich Village this compilation is a timely release. Van Rock, for many, epitomises the generic folk singer and over the 54 tracks featured here legitimise that description to a degree though it was a label he himself didn't see. He felt he was using a traditional fingerpicking style to play a songs he heard from a variety of sources - mostly from the 20s and 30s. More often than not it is voice and guitar that draw you into the heart of these songs. Though on occasion he gathers voices around him to deliver a hearty sea-shanty such as Leave Her, Johnny or Santy Anno. Otherwise the songs are a mix of originals and traditional blues material like Willie Dixon's Hootchie Kootchie Man, or the gospel of his friend and mentor Rev. Gary Davis' Oh Lord, Search My Heart. 

Other interpretations include Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down, Stackalee, In The Pines and House Of The Rising Son (which was then "borrowed" by Bob Dylan whose recording was then covered by The Animals). The blues was something he understood and such original songs as Standing My My Window and If You Leave Me, Pretty Mama make that clear. Van Ronk never strayed far from his path. There was no electric conversion that may have brought him to a bigger audience. Instead he concentrated on his arrangements of a wide variety of source material that included everything from traditional tunes to Bob Dylan.

This collection includes 16 previously unreleased recordings and is annotated well giving details of the songs and their recording as well as sleeve notes from archivist Jeff Place and an essay by Andrea Vuocolo, his widow. All in all it is a worthy and well compiled and produced package to the man known as the Mayor of MacDougal Street who never had the mainstream recognition that many of his contemporaries achieved but who remained true to his vision and was a supreme singer, guitarist and writer and this 3 CD set makes he music readily available to many who may have only heard his name in passing. It is testament to a talent who, though he is no longer with us, left behind a legacy that will stand the test of any time.

Robbie Fulks 'Gone Away Backward' - Bloodshot

Back with the label he first worked with as an insurgent country artist Robbie Fulks latest album finds him in a relatively acoustic mode. Producer Steve Albini has kept the sound direct and raw. The songs straddle a country/bluegrass mode, although both styles of songs are delivered in a similar fashion and Fulks voice and delivery holds it all together. The songs are tales of those facing the struggles that life and love has thrown at them in this current century and in earlier times.

I'll Trade You Money For Wine, has a urgent bluegrass feel and the title sums up its overall theme. The realisation that how some of life's cards may fall and can dictate the way life pans out is expressed in the effective forthrightness of Where I Fell. That's Where I'm From is back to bluegrass and song that lauds the spirit of song (and other simple opportunites) over more monetary aspirations. It is the album's longest song at over 6 minuets but holds attention throughout. That theme is also echoed in That's Where I'm From, which details some of the values that have shaped him in his current outlook. When You Get To The Bottom has a more country feel though the delivery is still very much acoustic with a plaintive fiddle motif and some tight harmony singing.

There are a couple of instrumentals featured in Snake Charman's Tune, a melancholic fiddle lament, while Pacific Slope has a more some fast picked guitar that gives the song a more  vibrant energy. The album closes with some songs that again reinforce the somewhat dark and foreboding image on the album's cover Sometimes The Grass Really Is Greener finds Fulks ruminating on the choices he made during his career and where he feels his heart truly lies. The more gentle understanding of Guess I Got It Wrong shows an writer maturing and learning from all that has occurred in his life to date. The final tracks The Many Disguises Of God and Rose Of The Summer have a more traditional folk song elements that makes them feel more timeless and indeed could well have been played at any folk festival in the 60s.

 It is good to have Robbie Fulks back and with a label more sympathetic to his needs. However at this point he may well be playing to those who are aware of him and have followed him from his first album to this point, rather than being able to break through to a broader audience. He has not gone away even if he is looking backward which is something his fans can look forward to.

Billy Currington 'We Are Tonight' - Humphead

This country music artist has released four previous recordings and has had seven number one singles, including the song Hey Girl which is the first cut on this new release. Born in Savannah, Georgia, he has come a long way in a short space of time, witnessed here by the presence of Willie Nelson on the excellent Hard To Be A Hippie.

Wingman is a fun song about guys on the town and their plans to hit the jackpot. One Way Ticket is straight out of the Jimmy Buffet songbook and the easy groove of 23 Degrees and South is a well thought out arrangement that speaks of love and the dreams of youth.

Despite three different producers across the ten songs here and a host of different musicians, it is to his credit that the parts add up to a cohesive whole. Most of the songs slip easily into each other and the bright sound keeps the listener engaged at all times. Banana Pancakes and Hallelujah close the record in fine style and turn in a very steady performance from this country artist with a fast growing reputation. Dare I say Tim McGraw with a twist..? And no big hat either.

Alabama 'Alabama & Friends' - Humphead

Alabama are an American band who took their name from their home State who won a huge reputation in the arenas of country music and southern rock. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass guitar, background vocals), plus Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, keyboards).

Alabama is often credited with originally bringing country music bands into the mainstream and paving the way for the success of today's top country groups. This band has experienced unprecedented success and has over 30 number one country records on the Billboard Magazine charts.

They have also sold over 75 million albums, making them one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.

With a massive back catalogue, it is impossible to pick the ultimate song selection for a greatest hits collection. So, Alabama do the next best thing in asking nine different performers to interpret some of their most widely loved songs. We get to hear Rascal Flats, Kenny Chesney and Trisha Yearwood  in quick order and many of the songs are kept close to the original arrangements. Some new country talent is also given free reign with the appearance of Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line.

Alabama also include two new songs in That’s How We Were Raised and All American both of which sit comfortably with the more famous tried and tested songs. The final  song is a Jamey Johnson take on the hit My Home’s in Alabama and it proves to be a fitting conclusion to a record that celebrates everything that is good about country music and points an arrow at the past to realise just where country rock was born. A very timely and welcome release.

Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman 'We Made It Home'

Guitars, banjos and mandolin exclusively create the song arrangements on this release. Twelve songs played across a stripped down production, that highlights the fine playing and singing of both musicians.

This duo has been two short years in existence. This is their first release, although both musicians come from backgrounds that included various band and solo incarnations, in addition to playing together as part of the bluegrass band Front Country.

Produced by Laurie Lewis, country and bluegrass fuse together in a potent mix of harmony vocals and sensitive playing. Black Grace is a song that has won Melody Walker recognition and a first place in gospel song-writing circles. “Heaven is right here, if you’re doin’ it right” reflects the lyric and this could be taken as a guide for the confused and vulnerable in search of the celestial map.

We are given fine cover versions of Paul Simon’s Graceland and Peter Rowan’s Mississippi Moon and Melody writes a further six songs, including the excellent O Heartbreaker which is a plea to love ourselves first before we can hope to find the love of another.

Billy the Chimp is a true story about a circus boxing performer who ‘never moved back to Africa’ while Yellow Haired Girl, to quote the liner notes, is a meditation on the simultaneous worship and exploitation of pretty women around the world; an arresting song with body and hand percussion used to great effect.

This is a fine collection of songs and recommended to lovers of acoustic collaboration.   

Ashleigh Flynn 'A Million Stars' - Home Perm

Originally from Kentucky, Ashleigh Flynn has released three previous records and I will wager that her name hints at a little Irish blood somewhere in the family line. This new release includes songs that were written in tribute to unnamed female heroes that history has overlooked. The playing is excellent throughout as we are treated to tales of pioneering women.

 Chris Funk of the Decemberists is producer on the record, in addition to contributing as a musician across a fine array of musical instruments with banjos, trumpets, fiddles, clarinets and any other instrument you could name in the next 20 seconds. The song arrangements add to a feeling of celebration to the music and the twelve songs are very engaging.

Prohibition Rose is a real treat with its New Orleans swing and easy jazz feel.  Dirty Hands and Dirty Feet is a dip into banjo and fiddle stomp music, while The West Was Won is a tribute to Calamity Jane.

There is some fine pedal steel guitar underpinning the song Runnin’ with the cautionary message; “Walk the line searching for the limit, watch for signs that won’t come unless you’re willing…”

Michael Mattice 'Comin’ Home'

In the liner notes, Michael Mattice dedicates this recording of ten songs to the purchaser and asks that we follow our dreams, listen to our hearts and never give up. This could well be a summary of the life of a musician who is trying to be heard above the endless parade of talent across many crowded stages.

This talented musician has a qualification in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and this collection represents his debut release as a guitarist and singer-songwriter. He has a pleasant voice and his musical virtuosity extends to playing all instruments across the ten songs.

With only acoustic guitar and bass accompaniment throughout, we are asked to ignore the inevitable feeling of repetition and focus on the playing quality to keeps matters from becoming somewhat predictable.

Songs of hope and words of encouragement abound and this young artist gives thanks to the World and his life journey thus far.  ‘No I don’t ask why, ‘cause how could I deny, the workings of the great mother in the sky’.

Perhaps God is female after all?

Jim White 'Where It Hits You' - Loose

This is the seventh release from an independent, idividualistic song-smith from Pensacola in Florida. Mentored in his early musical days by David Byrne, his debut of country songs appeared in 1997 titled Wrong Eyed Jesus. This went on to spawn a movie of the same title and a soundtrack release that included a variety of different musical influences and styles. Having gained the reputation as an eclectic artist, his recordings include appearances of diverse guest artists such as Aimee Mann, Barenaked Ladies, Bill Frisell, to name a few.

His interests are wide and Jim collaborates with numerous other artists in projects of artistic, journalistic, media and musical direction and influence. He is a very literary writer and full of unique lyrical musings in his written word vignettes. He sings in a hushed and melodic voice that is both warm and welcoming. The playing on this recording is beautifully restrained and varied across the eleven songs with the Tom Waits influence of the Infinite Mind groove and the laid back alt-country feel of What Rocks Will Never Know adding to the sad reflective soundscape of Epilogue To A Marriage.

The joy of Sunday’s Refrain is replaced by the haunting arrangement of The Way Of Alone and we are taken into different mind-sets as Jim White reflects upon life and relationships. Both challenging and engaging, this recording is all that you could wish for in a set of songs that run smoothly together and call to you from a quiet space in your consciousness. 

Kimmie Rhodes 'Covers' - Sunbird

When you can boast the company and respect of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Townes van Zandt, Emmylou Harris, Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood you don’t need to prove anything to anybody when it comes to penning a song. Kimmie has stood tall among her peers for numerous years now and Willie Nelson once dubbed her an ‘undiscovered superstar’.

Born in Lubbock Texas, this country music great moved to Austin in the late 1970’s and released her first recording in 1981. Jumping 32 years, we now find Kimmie releasing her 15th recording and for one as feted as her in terms of song-writing over the intervening years; we are given a record of cover versions.

This selection of 15 tracks has been the fulfilment of a career-long dream to record a complete collection of songs written by other artists. We get an interesting mix and an insight into the songs that have inspired Kimmie over the years.

The problem in recording a covers album is that everybody listens with the memory of the original song and compares the cover version against it. By this very process, an artist can fall a long way and lose the listener. Some of the songs are brave attempts to bring a new spin to an old favourite, while other selections could be said to be best left alone.

After all, how do you improve on what is already deemed to be perfection?  The song interpretations here contain some are obvious fits, while others may take a little bit of time.

We get two Lennon/McCartney songs, two Bob Dylan songs, Jagger/Richards, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler and Rodney Crowell songs; all added to the mix of what is undoubtedly a recording of high quality.

It is the unusual selections that stand out most for me. Georgia Lee, written by Tom Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan is a standout interpretation and brings new colour to the idiosyncratic style of the original artist. Stuck in a Moment by Bono is less successful and yet the slow tempo gives the simple arrangement an added depth on repeated listenings.

Kimmie lost her husband, Joe Gracey, in 2011 and this is her first recording following such a sad event. Joe was an instrumental figure in the development of the country music scene in Texas and was a collaborator, bass player and soul mate to Kimmie since the beginning of her journey. I cannot help but hear his memory in many of the vocal performances here and the Rodney Crowell Adam’s Song is particularly affecting and a standout moment.   

The playing and song arrangements are excellent throughout and the stellar line up of musicians is ably guided by Gabriel Rhodes, both son and producer, in addition to playing guitar, keyboards, mandolin and accordion. A very gifted musician and a talented producer; I know that Joe would have been proud of the results on this fine collection.

Kimmie has indeed earned the right to record this guilty pleasure and to indulge herself a little. A worthy addition to her impressive catalogue of music and recommended to all country music lovers who enjoy real quality. Good on you girl.

Peter Bruntnell 'Retrospective' - Loose Music

This release is an essential purchase for any serious collector who values both insightful writing and melody laden song arrangements.

The creative talent on display across this impressive 17 song collection, both challenges and enthrals with songs of self- reflection, love lost, disillusionment, broken dreams, sympathy and understanding. Throw in some broken relationships, the vagaries of life, fate, circumstance; some blue skies, optimism and hedonism, plus much more in between.

Peter Bruntnell has been producing quality music for many years now and while never breaking through to commercial success, his reputation within the music industry is firmly established as a recognised and respected talent. The old ‘writer’s writer’ reputation does not pay the bills alas and I have often wondered why this exceptional talent has never seen his vignettes of real life picked up for film soundtracks – he is eminently qualified on all fronts.

We are treated to a beautiful vocal delivery, both fragile and sweet, on top of hooks and harmonies that compel you to stop and listen. The song arrangements, taken from eight separate releases & spanning sixteen years,,  drive everything with a talent that echoes balance, experience, maturity, perspective and a wistful knowledge of the fragility in relationships between people.

Witness 25 Reasons and the lonely imagery of ‘There’s a deepening low, coming for me off the coast’. He also has the distinction of fitting in a refrain for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in Shot from a spring, a song that unfolds with a lovely, languid arrangement and sweeping melody.

Peter Bruntnell has had a close connection with writing partner Bill Ritchie for some time and their song lyrics can be interpreted on different levels. Handful of Stars is a song about understanding the value of friendship and reaching out to a friend in need ‘Even if I gave you a handful of stars, you would still be here, deep at the bar’. 

The yearning of I Want You visits a sense of isolation in matters of the heart while Here come the swells touches on the greed of developers and local politicians to turn a buck at every opportunity,

The gorgeous Played Out, featuring Rumer on vocals, ends the selection with a wistful look back in time at a previous relationship. With beautiful lines like ‘Always say that you are better for things that you go through; but I still have nothing to show for you’ showcasing the craft of song-writing in such subtle and worldly terms.

‘When you can’t tell that you are the key in the lock of an open door, you just need someone to walk through for’ – beautiful..! Peter Bruntnell has had his key in the lock for many years and I for one look forward to his eventual acceptance into the spotlight of premier song-writers. The best release of 2013 for me by some distance

D.B. Rielly 'Cross My Heart & Hope To Die' - Shut Up & Play

Now this is a cracker, a varied and powerful follow up to his debut release Love Potions & Snake Oil. The album opens with the Telecaster twang of Rielly's version of the Bob Seger song about the lonesome nature of the touring musician's life. Using a tight band that includes Hiromasa Suzuki on guitar, Bruce Gordon on bass and Rohin Khemani on drums. The second track Wrapped Around Your Little Finger finds Rielly uses his fingers on accordion and rubboard on a cajun-inspired song that is a direct reference to his last album. To show the diversity of the songs here Some Day, by way of contrast, is a Chris Isaac/Roy Orbison style ballad about getting over heartbreak.

It might surprise that D.B. Rielly is living in New York where there are not a great many roots artists at work. But where ever he chooses to base himself Rielly is deserving of praise from fans and respect from his peers. He possess a strong, dependable and adaptable voice that is ideally suited to the delivery of these songs.

On some like Come Hell Or High Water or Your Doggin' Fool the songs are stripped back to just Rielly's voice, and simple, effective instrumentation such as guitar, banjo or accordion. Then a song like Moving Mountains aims for a bigger sound and has the rhythm section laying down a beat under Rielly's guitar, banjo and B3 on a song of faith and determination. 

It's Gonna Be Me has a dirty edge and some upfront electric slide guitar over Khemani's multiple percussion bedrock. Again another direction but one that sits well with the other songs. I sometimes read reviews that suggest and artist may be too diverse for their own good and should have maybe concentrated on a particular direction. Not so here, here it adds the spice that makes the album special. Rielly's music often deals with darker times but is not without humour or understanding of the how's and why's of any given situation and is therefore universal in its tone and language.

Offering yet another perspective is the closing song Fíorchroí (True Heart), it is a song of loss - a lament for a departed soul mate. It is given a Celtic heart by the use of accordion and penny whistle giving which gives it a reflective end to what is a largely up-beat and effective album that further underscores D. B. Reilly's worth as a compelling roots artist - cross my heart and hope to die (peacefully).

Rick Shea 'Sweet Bernardine' - Tres Pescadores

With a new Rick Shea album you always know you're in for some great music. Shea has a distinctive lived-in voice that immediately draws you with its sense of a man who has experience of life as it is lived from the bottom up. He is also a storyteller who takes you on a ride on the Mexicali Train on to stay at the Mariachi Hotel. He tells us about Gregory Ray DeFord and John Shea From Kenmare in his tales of times past. Recorded by Shea and Paul Du Gré at studios in California this is music that comes from a long tradition of roots music from that State. One maybe best know for such country/rock icons as Gram Parsons, but has a history that long predates, and indeed follows, Parsons involvement with his Cosmic American Music.

The band is a tight unit that allows the rhythm section to sit back and add a relaxed groove behind a predominantly acoustic lead and rhythm guitar setting. But as the occasion demands he brings his undoubted skill on electric and pedal steel to the fore. He also plays dobro and mandolin to add additional colour to the sound. He is joined by West Coast veterans Don Heffington on drums and Skip Edwards on accordion alongside a variety of companions on bass, keyboards and fiddle. In Nicole Gordon he has a excellent harmony vocalist especially on the tale of a man forced into outlaw territory by adverses circumstances Gregory Ray DeFord as well as on the funky Shake It Little Sugaree and other tracks. These two song alone would highlight the diverse nature of Shea's writing.

Then there's a version of Hank Williams Snr's Honky Tonk Blues - a stripped down and bluesy take on the song and one of the better version of the song apart from the original. Another cover is the live acoustic duet with Mary McCaslin on Roy Acuff's Streamline Cannonball. This closes the album with another song about a train, fittingly enough, as the aforementioned Mexicali Train opened the album. There is no doubting the subtle skill and sense of history that Rick Shea brings to his music. He understand the roots and branches of the music that has always found ways to grow in the environs of California and, indeed, still thrives there.

If you're not familiar with the music of Rick Shea then Sweet Bernardine is a good place to start and you can then discover his extensive back catalogue of finely honed music. Rick Shea has played with Dave Alvin and others and has also served as producer for an number of artists and thus understands what it takes to make good, lasting music. Exactly what he is doing here. 

Tim Grimm 'The Turning Point' - Cavalier

A folk singer who defines his sound with songs that are perceptive and tell stories that resonate. Grimm has a voice of the ages that seems to go to the root of the people and places that are featured in his folk tales. The sound is a broad stroke that encompasses cello and violin alongside banjo, concertina and mandolin. These instruments often sit over a bass and drums base that give the songs some welcome propulsion and drive.

However it's the depth of Grimm writing and vocal presence that make these songs so compelling. King Of The Folksingers is a homage to the folk scene in general and to Rambling Jack Elliott in particular. A song like Rovin' Gambler is delivered with voice and guitar and some harmonium and shows Grimm well able to get a song across in the simplest of settings on themes that are as old as the format. The title track features the band Harpeth Rising to good effect as they add a additional perspective to the song with strings, drums and banjo. A long time supporter and supportive player is John Prine guitarist Jason Wilber who has made an appearance on all Grimm's recent albums.

A while back Grimm made an album of cover songs called Names that may give a clue to what makes Grimm the writer and singer he is now, There were traditional songs alongside covers of John Mellencamp, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Mickey Newbury and Woody Gutherie. Distill all these and you have the basic template for the thoughtful artist that Tim Grimm is now. He is however in no way a pale imitation of these writers but has found his own voice and delivers his full-blooded songs in it.

One such example of his writing is Anne in Amsterdam a song written about a visit to the place that Anne Frank hid from detection from oppression. He draws strength from this and it is a telling marker for the character that Tim Grimm is and his obvious concerns for humanity and it's many and varied patterns. Put he also writes of nature and it sense of survival like he does with his song The Tree. A song which brings to mind Guy Clark. No mean comparison. The humour of Blame It On The Dog ends the album in foot-stomping, upbeat string band style that rounds the album off the album with a smile.

Those who appreciate any of the artists listed above would do well to check Grimm out and I'm sure they will enjoy his music as it is certainly on a par with many a troubadour currently making their mark in people minds with memorable music. These are artist who exist outside the mainstream and rarely get the media attention they deserve but continue to deliver work of character and contemplation. 

Laura Cantrell 'No Way There From Here' - Spit & Polish

After the diversion for the more countrified direction taken by Kitty Wells' Dresses Laura Cantrell returns to the path of original material written with a variety of friends and contemporaries including long-term Amy Allison. There are performances by Jim Lauderdale, Paul Burch, Paul Niehaus and Kenny Vaughan. Cantrell has stated her commitment to writing songs that are careful and deliberate. Her aim is to make them close to perfection as possible. This is what she aims for here with this new album which in many ways returns to the themes and sound of earlier albums. She is still concerned with the emotions and experiences that are attendant on everyday living - its highs and lows.

Producer Mark Nevers draws a strong performance from all those involved and Cantrell's voice is central to this. It has matured and developed from her earlier albums and is still has a distinctiveness that is immediately identifiable. The motivation is to take elements of what could be defined as the instruments played in traditional country music but using them in a way that serves the song rather than just a sound. Washday Blues is a case in point where the steel guitar underlines the wistfulness of the seemingly mundane task of doing the washing but which takes on a larger meaning in overall context.

The opening song All The Girls Are Complicated is a self-realisation of a fairly self-evident truth. Though much could be said for the other half of the human equation too. There is much on the album that intertwines her love of the traditional influences of country and southern sounds with a more pop-orientated sense of melody and structure. This finds the assembled players working in harmony with the songs. Songs which are the primary focus point and which define the album and Laura Cantrell's music at this point in time.

Laura Cantrell has many fans and No Way There From Here will take them to where they want to be.

Billy Yates 'Only One George Jones' - M.O.D

With his black cowboy hat Billy Yates looks like a country artist, so he should as he has always played country music. He plays it straight up and often close to the mainstream. But as the direction of that mainstream shifted he has increasingly, like a lot of other traditionally minded artists, found himself relegated to the margins. There's nothing here that should not fit on country radio but as their closely defined demographic changes the harder it gets to hear such songs finding their place on playlists.

So Billy Yates does what he does best, he keeps making solid albums. Albums which he produces himself using material he's written on his own or with a number of equally like-minded co-writers. He also uses a selection of the best studio players such as Eddie Bayers, J.T. Corenflos, Mike Johnson and Glen Duncan. Names you see on many a big label album. Recording in Nashville, this will raise a smile on the face of anyone who likes it how they used to do ten years ago and more.

Yates has a believable solidly country voice that is seasoned in the great voices of country music. While he would never place himself in the same vocal category as the album's title subject - the late great George Jones - he does a great job on these songs. The opening track is the title song and a sincere tribute to the man he admired and learned from. In fact the album closes with a bonus track, Choices, a song recorded by Jones that was written by Yates and Mike Curtis and which features Jones here in a duet with Billy Yates. It is a song that tells us that we all have choices and those choices sent us down a particular path for better or for worse. 

Choices is one of many fine songs that Yates has penned that fit a format that could only really be called "country". Songs like I'm A One Man Band, about fidelity, Till The Old Wears Off, That's Your Memory On My Mind, Sad Songs or The Man I Used To Be. Love - lost, found and strayed, is at the heart of many of Yates songs but there's also an amount of humour in place too. This album runs through a range of emotions that will strike a chord with many. Such is Yates way with a country song.

Billy Yates so obviously loves what he's doing and there's a lot of people out there who do too.

Haymaker 'Now, Now, Now' - Honey Bucket

Making a solid sound built around a attractive blend of power pop and roots rock this California quartet deliver a tight assured set of twelve original songs. You can immediately feel at home with the catchiness of songs like Different Girl and Stomp The Gas. But equally these guys can lay off the gas and show that they are also at home on the more reflective and emotional doubt of Leave For Awhile. The songs are all written by J.W. Surge and Mike Jacoby, the band's twin singer/guitarists, either together or solo. The line-up is completed, for this their third album, by drummer Dale Daniel (a former member of the Hacienda Brothers) and David Serby on bass. Serby is an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right but is here happy to take a sideman role in the rhythm section. Producer Ed Tree captures them in a vibrant and purposeful setting that has them sounding dynamic. He also adds keyboards to the album to fill out the sound.

The songs are all full of well work melodic hooks that underline the fact that these guys have worked these songs up for recording. Haymaker live up to there name by packing a punch. The individual writer tends to take the lead on the song he wrote but is then backed up by the harmonies and heft of the additional vocals. Haymaker may recall such bands as The Del Fuegos, The BoDeans, Old 97s, The Revenants, or even a touchstone like Tom Petty, among others. A particular sound you don't hear as much as we used to and judging from this we could accommodate a little more of.

Haymaker are an ideal bar-band. They make music that people can dance to or let off a head of steam. Equally they make good records that give the ears a workout even if you never get the chance to see them play live. They may not harbour ambitions for world domination but they have managed to find a dominant place, musically, in their own chosen world. Those interested in listening to such a fine example of power-roots music can hear them anywhere in the world. Now, now, now is the time to check 'em out.

Barrence Whitfield and The Savages 'Dig Thy Savage Soul' - Bloodshot

Though he has released two previous albums made with Tom Russell this new album is more rock than roots as are much of his back catalogue. It comes from the insurgent country label Bloodshot, whose output lately, in truth, has often moved away from that particular tag. Never-the-less it's a great album with Whitfield giving a dynamic and distinstictively powerful vocal performance. His Savages, led by producer/guitarist Peter Greenberg, keep it mean, tight and rockin'. The rest of the band Peter Lenker on bass, Andy Johns on drums and Tom Quartulti on sax are right up there too.

The opening song The Corner Man is full on and opens the album with attitude and that savage soul. The song Oscar Levant could have easily come off any New York Dolls album and Whitfiled and David Johanson are, at times here, not that far apart in the way they deliver a song and Dolls fans would do well to check out the album. Barrence Whitfield fans will already know they treat they're in for. Much of the album is taken at a hot-rod race pace. There is much to set the pulse racing with powerful songs like Bread, which extols the mighty dollar, or the grooving Daddy's Gone To Bed.

There are moments were the uptempo attitude takes a break and Whitfield on I'm Sad About It channels Little Richard, someone he was no doubt influenced by. Dig Thy Savage Soul is no soul soother but takes a rather more incendiary path that packs a powerful punch and is a knockout album and one of the year's best even if it is unlikely to appeal to some hardcore country fans in the main. But then again it might as they could warm to it's savage truth as much as I do.