The Coals ‘A Happy Animal’ - Self Release

An LA based band with their second release, an 8 track mini-album type of thing, that displays their overall sound to good effect. The play a blend of California country/folk/roots that has obvious antecedents. But the music stands or falls on the strength of the songs and they are good. Written, bar one co-write, by singer/guitarist Jason Mandell they are memorable, punchy and crafted. Mandell also produced the album and so, to a large degree, directs the band’s journey and makes it sound like a band rather than a singer and his backing band.

The album opens with a voice of a prophet of doom for Los Angeles before we find ourselves joint the singer in looking redemption of one sort or another. From then we take a different path for Dirt Road which has the joie de vivre of a hot New Orleans night. It’s not to long before were heading down south for the mariachi trumpet of Maria. A tale of an alluring object of desire. as respite songs like Hand To Hold and Let Me Down Easy take a quieter more acoustic approach that also highlight some easy harmonies among the band. The groove for Steal My Heart is set by Darice Bailey’s piano. Throughout her keyboard skills bring different textures to the band’s sound and vision. Baseline Blues bring hints of that titular branch of roots music into the mix which only serves to highlight the diversity that the band can bring to their music. Yet they give the whole set a cohesiveness due to their overall approach and the unifying strength of Mandell’s live-in voice and love-lost songs. On the strength of this release these Coals should burn bright.

The Delines 'Colfax' - Decor

Taking a temporary break from Richmond Fontaine (who have a new album in the pipeline) Willy Vlautin has taken the opportunity to write and record some songs written with Damnations vocalist Amy Boone in mind to sing. The end result is an album of sultry country soul that has a light night laid back feel that soon finds it’s way into your head and heart. Nothing here is overplayed, rather all the songs are delivered with the confidence that comes from mutual respect. The players individual, undeniable talents are merged for a equally shared group experience.

The songs by Vlautin are his usual studies of human nature, when those humans are faced, more often than not, with having to deal with the mundanity and spiritual malnutrition that life on the line tends to offer. Yet there’s always something in his songs that offers glimmers of hope and opportunity. Boone has a voice capable of delivering the empathy that is important for these songs to work as the should. Her delivery makes every word legible so that you are carried into the heart of the proponents lives. There is something of Jimmy Webb in these songs, in the way the deal with people and place, that are at the heart of good country songwriting. Tucker Jackson’s evocative pedal steel adds much to underscore that. But they also manage to transcend genre making them appeal to those to whom country music generally is an anathema.

The other members of The Delines include bassist Freddy Trujillo, keyboard player Jenny Conlee-Drizos and Richmond Fontaine drummer Sean Oldham all bring their A game and deliver much to the overall sound of the album. Whether this is a one-off or, it is to be hoped, the first of a series Colfax is an album to savour and enjoy. Co-produced by John Askew with Oldham and Vlautin it has a warmth and fluidity that sometimes gets lost in studio polish but here the patina is of something well-worn and lived in.

Ash Gray ‘Once I Got Burned’ - Luv Rock

A solid roots outing from Ash Grey who usually records with The Girls in a more psychedelic style and who has also released previous work as Ash Grey. For instance his 7 Rocks ep of some years back does just that in classic rock style. Here on these 12 original songs Grey has gathered a wide selection of players to accomplish this musical vision for this album. Players like John Hagen on cello and pedal steel guitarist Dave Biller are just two of number of players brought in to accompany him achieve this largely 60s/70s orientated outing.

The album opens with the title track, a song that starts with Grey’s vocal giving authority to the song of lesson’s being learned. It is followed by some equally strong like Two Lane Backdrop a twangy paean to vehicular escapism. Fiddler’s Son is more minimal and has some dexterous acoustic guitar picking. Whiskey Down is straight country with the singer being advised to let “whiskey down your sorrow”. The steel is also central to Sante Fe Sand another song that hits it’s mark. The insistent melody of 55 is also a winner and highlight Ash’s overall sense of melodic structure. All are delivered by Ash’s seasoned and versatile voice. 

It is however the overall blend of different roots with hints of rockabilly, blues, country and melodic rock that makes this album work as well as it does. Grey obviously has a lot of music in him and it may be that some of his previous outings would not appeal to those taken by this album. What it does do is to confirm that Ash Grey is a musician capable of bringing his various musical visions to fruition in a way that listeners can equally be rewarded by.

The Barn Door Slammers ‘Self-Titled’ - Ruben

From the opening bars of the first song you know right were you are. You’re back in the western swing sounds of the 1940s. This seven piece play vintage instruments to recreate a sound that was happening in dance halls across Texas and beyond in post second world war America. They play in the Pacific Northwest but will be touring in the UK and Ireland next year and should be a joy to behold if you are in the least interested in hearing the music of that era recreated with energy and devotion.

The songs are a mix of classic, lesser know songs and originals. The songs that many will know who are acquainted with the music are the likes of Snatchin’ And Grabbin’, Roped And Tied, Jelly Roll Blues and Brain Cloudy Blues. If you liked the music of that era alongside current interpertations by Wayne Hancock and others like Davy Jay Sparrow or Johnny Dilks then you will, doubtless, be tapping you foot to this talented ensemble. Vocalist Bret Ervin Lien fits the bill with that slightly nasal delivery that perfectly suits the songs. Having said that there are several instrumentals here where Lien can sit down and take a breather. 

Truth is that The Barn Door Slammers are the latest in a line of contemporary exponents whose love of performing and playing western swing and jazz-tinged honky tonk is apparent to all who see and hear them. There are immersed in an earlier era musically and as such don’t pretend to be doing anything new, rather they are extending the life of musical form that will always have its ardent fans and exponents. It is never going to be the next big thing but that is beside the point. It is a music that should be heard live in a dance floor environment as much as with the recorded versions. So go slam that barn door and get up and dance.

Ollie Vee 'Lonesome Girl' - Self-Release

Not the Ollive Vee of Buddy Holly’s Rockin Around With Ollie Vee fame but rather a trio (now a quartet) whose music is none-the-less grounded in the sound of 50s rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly. They got together in their native Ontario over a shared dislike for much of the music that was then current preferring instead to write and record songs in a way that leaves you in no doubt about their particular musical preferences. Indeed Paper Hearts rocks around like the aforementioned Holly and sounds like it could have come out of a famed Lubbock Studio sometime back in the 50’s. 

Although there is no denying the inspirations and influences the band have a sound that doesn’t feel like it belongs in a dusty museum. Rather it has a sparkle that is effervescent and addictive if you are at all attuned to that particular channel on the music dial. They have a relaxed, sometimes smouldering delivery that has none of the frantic pace that is often associated with some contemporary rockabilly combos. They are about writing catchy tunes with choruses and recording them in an understated style that creeps up on you as you listen. You feel then that these songs have been around for much longer than they have. 

Ollie Vee make and play niche music that occasionally comes into vogue (Chris Isaak - Wicked Games) but usually exists outside the mainstream. Unless that are fortunate enough to have a song featured in a film or TV show that briefly shines the spotlight on their sound. That should not deter you rom checking the band out and having a listen to songs of the calibre of those included on their debut album. Looking for A Fast Time with its chugga-chugga Tennessee Two rhythm, the Orbison-esque ache of Underneath The Sparks, the r’n’b of Hip Shaking Baby, the late night twang of New Boots or the Sun stroked bass of Shinin’ Bright. That might sound like a sound that’s quite derivative and it is to a degree, a degree that may deter some looking for something sounding more contemporary, but it still stand squarely on it’s own stylistic feet.  Which suggests that this particular Lonesome Girl might make new friends rather easily.

Sam Outlaw 'EP' - Black Hills

Following on from his very fine Nobody Loves album Californian Sam Outlaw has released a five track EP which was produced by Elijah Thomson. It features Molly Jenson on harmony vocals alongside such players as Jeremy Long on pedal steel, piano and organ and guitarist Brad Lindsay on a bunch of new self written songs that continue the themes of lost love, loneliness and looking for love that encapsulates the message of the opening songs Cry For Me and Kind To Me as in “you could have been kind to me”. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink (And Fall In Love) is a song where the steel guitar underlines the regret as he admonishes his friends for leaving him in an inebriated state in a bar to make a fool of himself in his search for something that might resemble love. 

That heartbreak is apparent in Outlaw’s voice but it is one that also has hope for the future and that has a quality that gives it an additional memorability. Outlaw fits with a long standing tradition in Californian country music and makes him the latest in a long line of those who are adhering to the notion of bringing what has come before into a place that makes sense on many levels to an audience that is looking for some authenticity in their (country) music.

It is to be hoped that this talented performer will achieve greater recognition as his music progresses but he is, like some many, trying to make the most of limited resources while flying well under the radar. Time will tell whether this Outlaw will be on the wanted list outside of his home state. But catch up with his releases to date, I don’t think you will regret making his acquaintance. 

The Dinosaur Truckers ‘Self-Titled’ - Off Label

I kinda like this band. They play an spirited mix of roots music that has a potent blend of upright bass, lap steel, banjo, mandolin and guitar. What this German band quartet have is a real feel for the music they make. It has energy and enthusiasm  infused with skill and understanding. They deliver thirteen self-written songs sung in English that display a depth of immersion in everything from Motorhead to Merle, from Hanks 1, 11 and 111 and a whole lot more in between.

On the album they are joined in occasion by a drummer to strengthen the drive of the song but for the most part the have enough momentum on their own. Take a song like Shadow Fallin’ Down My Face the mix trumpet sounds with mandolin and lap steel over a solid double bass slap and guitar gives it an atmosphere that would easily fit in From Dusk Till Dawn.  It is just one of many highlights on a constantly good album. There’s the uptempo rush of songs like Halfway Through and Hey People sitting alongs side the less frantic delivery of The Ends Are Just The Same and High, Low and Lonesome.

Singer Philip possesses a voice that is well capable of delivering the songs with conviction and they are also strong enough to compare and compete with their counterparts in the US or to those in the UK and Ireland. The other Truckers, know on their website only by their first names, are Till, Daniel and Tobi. All are also fully committed to keepin’ on truckin’ and playing with and to like-minded people. As their name suggests these are hard working musicians who travel the roads bringing a sound routed in the past into an ever beckoning future.

Victor Camozzi 'Cactus & Roses' - Volco

An aptly titled album as Camozzi’s songs consider the beauty and barbs of life and love. Texan Camozzi has released this third album of his songs which he recorded in LA. His producer Matt Downs is also responsible for all the instruments other than Gary Mallaber’s drums. The end result however is a very full sound that sits behind Camozzi’s rough-shod voice that is somewhere between late Kristofferson and early Robert Earl Keane. Not an instrument of perfection but one of some personality. It is the voice of someone with some experience of the vicissitudes of life.

The tempo and tone is similar throughout the albums ten original songs. Something that may not makes for instant standouts or easy listening. Add to that themes are fairly downbeat and some may head for the hills. Others will enjoy its pervasive mood that includes the title song which considers “the beautiful way we hurt each other”. Children are the subject in songs such as Like A Child and in the promise of the title that is Daddy Don’t Do Cocaine. These are big brooding ballads that are centred around the voice which is accompanied on the title track by of the sweeter contribution from Helen Henderson and by Downs and Danny Wilde elsewhere.

Not an album that will be attractive to all but to those acquainted with his previous albums or who warm to honesty of his writing then Victor Camozzi may well be an singer/songwriter to add to the list of those less known Texans (such as Calvin Russell) who haven’t quite reached the status of some of their more recognised musical alumni but who are making records that have merit in their own right.

Hannah Aldridge 'Razor Wire' - Trodden Black

On the inner sleeve of this album is a picture that shows Aldridge leaning against a wall that has “For The Love Of Music” painted on it and that seems to sum up Aldridge. The daughter of a successful songwriter she has fashioned a set of ten spiky songs, nine of which she wrote or co-wrote. The one exception is a cover of Jason Isbell’s Try. This is her debut album and it is powerfully fully formed and formidable. It was produced, recorded and mixed by Chris Mara in the main. On Try she was backed by Isbell’s band, the 400 Unit. Elsewhere she has gathered together a set of players totally sympathetic to these memorable songs.

She is steeped in the heritage of Muscle Shoals as well as Nashville and this produces a mix she describes as “dark Americana”, a fitting title. The band delivers a musical bedrock that can be as subtle as the evocative title track or the piano led depths of Parchman as well as the attack and decay of Try or the opening defiant You Ain’t Worth The Fight, or even the more upfront delivery of Old Ghost which has swirling B3 and edgy guitar that warns a partner “don’t let me find you sleep with that old ghost again”. Strand of Pearls features our old friend the musical saw to good ethereal effect. Lonesome,  a song she wrote when she started out making music, found some success when it was featured in the TV series Hart Of Dixie. It helped get her a publishing deal and encouraged her writing. It is the last track on the album (bar an uncredited acoustic version of the title track that closes the album proper) and it has a mood befitting its title.

Overall the music allows the impact of the lyrics and Aldridge’s delivery of them to attain full resonance. This creates a balanced and satisfying album that marks the debut of a new and insightful artist and one who will grow with experience. Mark her as a name to watch out for with subsequent releases.

Gina Villalobos 'Sola' - Pony Farm

Villalobos is always an interesting singer/songwriter who has released four previous albums. This 7 track mini-album follows a four year break during which she felt herself lacking the energy, creativity and motivation to make new music. Thankfully, at the end of this period she found her mojo again. Taking charge of production, Villalobos gathers together an accomplished and experienced band that includes Eric Heywood on pedal steel, an instrument used here to underline the poignancy of many of the songs.

Sola means alone,  but here it is a state of mind rather than a musical direction as the five players bring much to the songs. There is a depth of latent anguish that give many of these songs their wounded edge. The music matches that sense of quiet desperation and ideally suits their sentiments. Songs like Come Undone (Interstate Ache), Everything I Want and Tears Gone By lyrically deal with hurt, but do so with an aching beauty. Villalobos has been compared with Lucinda Williams and both are unwilling to make compromises in their music and both have created their music from a country rock vein filtered through individual viewpoint.

Villalobos has the courage to face up to her vulnerability in these songs and while the result can not be classified as an easy listen, it is one that is a both rewarding and a recuperative experience. The songs impel one to realise that life may not be easy, but there are many out there who are facing up to what life has placed in their path. Gina Villalobos has opened her heart and this music reveals the possibilities that are out there and does so over seven memorable performances from band and singer

Brownwynne Brent 'Stardust' - Self Release

The cover may suggest a Donovan-esque folky, but from the opening bars Brent offers a multi-layered music in a unique voice. Her producer Johnny Sangster has the experience to steer the album through musically creative settings that feature some excellent nimble players in the likes of Calexico’s John Convertino on drums and percussion with bassist Keith Lowe, Jon Rauhouse on banjo, steel and Dobro as well as Sangster himself on a variety of guitars. They are joined, on occasion, by keyboard, strings and trumpet, all of which makes this a rewarding album. 

It is Brent’s songs and voice however that is the focus here. Lyrically accomplished, these songs veer towards the poetic. “You’re just a prisoner watching shadows dance, dancing to your grave.” (Devil Again) or “I keep my heart deep inside, it left a scar I cannot hide, but I will live to love again”. Just two songs that reflect a melancholy and mournfulness that is there like a veil around many of these songs. However as the latter lyric indicates there’s a hopefulness here that, in this musical setting, is uplifting.

The songs though tell there own tale. Heartbreaker, Bulletproof, Dark Highway, Already Gone and When You Said Goodbye all speak to a inherent sadness of the frailty of the human condition. The ability to express these sentiments in song goes back to the dawn of time and may in a different setting be considered “blues”. However while there are strong elements of the South inherent in her music, it has a has the feel of dark orchestral country that harks back to the work of Lee Hazelwood at times. But it is Brownwynne Brent who is the focus and fulcrum. She has an aged voice that belies her look. It has a fragility and is evocative but at the same time has a steely resolve that marks this album as something special and sprinkled with stardust.

Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons - Vital Music

Fronting her three piece band ,Perley plays it rough and ready with rootsy rock pumped full of power chords, fuzzed guitar and the spirit in the sky. Here the quartet are joined in the studio by guest backing vocalists, keyboard players and a steel guitar player to round out the sound. Production by Jerry DePizzo and Mike Landolt keeps it real and ready to kick ass. There are reminders all over the place in Perley’s voice and the overall sound to a selection of like-minded influences which means that while there is nothing specifically new in the soundscape they deliver, it is one that pleases nonetheless.

The ten original songs tell of people and places like Athens, George Stone and of attitude, with Howlin’ At The Moon, Bad Reputation and Down and Drunk. There are quieter moments like Rock and Roller that has insomnia as part of its theme. The Ohio-based band deliver some roughed-up roadhouse rock that engages you from the off. Milk in the Fridge is a paean to a youthful hedonistic lifestyle that doesn’t need to settle down but rather wants to live for and in the moment which is delivered with Stones-style raunch. Likewise Hurricane is a little more rock than country roll which makes this album the ideal candidate for a noisy party where the music is just on the right side of rootsy and hasn’t fallen into a bad hair metal day or night, but is still raucous enough to have the neighbours banging on the wall. Everyone can howl at the moon!

 

Susan Cattaneo 'Haunted Heart' - Jersey Girl

This New Jersey Girl has releases several albums before this current collection. Her songs fall into a folk/pop/country genre and are a blend of the upbeat and the more circumspect. Abide speaks of how the “the world’s wicked ways abide”,  an honest truth. The word wicked appears again in Lorelei where “something wicked grows within”. But lest you feel that there is an oppression hanging over the album, Cattaneo feels she is “worth the whiskey” and that “she feels like dancing”. 

Producer Lorne Entress, who has worked previously with Cattaneo,  has assembled a fine studio band to give these songs their verve. Between the participants a lot of instruments are featured to give the songs added textures.

A recent life or death experience had a profound effect on Cattaneo’s writing and she notes this changed the direction of her songwriting from the more country style song she had written for others. A big fan of Wille Nelson, she wanted some of his musical dexterity and indeed wrote Queen of the Dancehall as a female take on Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger. Writing from a female perspective is an important part of her work and she tries to tell it from a position of strength and understanding. 

The fourteen songs here do just that and veer between a more traditional view like the steel drenched album closer How a Cowboy Says Goodbye through the more contemporary mode of Lies Between Lovers which to these ears has an echo of Because The Night. Between these two songs Cattaneo explores aspects of aspects of Americana in a way that would be familiar to fans of Mary Chapin Carpenter. Similarly,  Cattaneo has her own voice and is a strong writer. There are times when the downbeat lyrical direction is at odds with the musical setting which, on occasion, might be a bit tougher. But overall Haunted Heart works, as it has confidence in and commitment to its largely contemplative songs. That in itself doesn’t always happen, so take it to heart, haunted or otherwise.

Laurie Lewis 'One Evening In May' - Spruce and Maple

This is a live album recorded back in May last year with Laurie’s friends Tom Rozum and Nina Gerber. Though known as a bluegrass patriot,  Lewis opens the album with one of my favourite songs Ring Of Fire. This features some taunt electric guitar that suits the songs well. That doesn’t quite set the tone for the album as the next few songs have acoustic instrumentation spiced up with some tasty interjections from Gerber’s electric guitar. The trio are also joined by some friends adding harmony vocals and fiddle.

The end result is like being in the room with the musicians, as there is little added in post-production and that allows the spirit of the evening to be captured as it happened. There are some great songs from Lewis like Barstow, though I found myself drawn to the folkier deliveries like Sailing Boat, En Voz Baja, Kisses (a humourous song listed the many kissers that Lewis has encountered in life) and the rockier songs like I’m Missing You Tonight. The bluegrass orientated material like The Crooked Miles fits in the overall set and as it’s a genre that Lewis is most associated with this will doubtless please her longtime fans. Her crystal clear voice is highlighted on the unaccompanied opening of Trees and it is a worthy instrument capable of delivering the variety of emotions that her songs have, from the uplifting to the more weary considerations of separation and situation.

Overall this is a 15 song set that enhances the reputation of all involved and a fine souvenir for all those lucky enough to have caught Laurie Lewis playing live on any evening in a small and friendly venue.

Karen Jonas ‘Oklahoma Lottery’ - Self-Release

A number of things hit you straight off with this album. First, Jonas can really sing. Second, she has written some great songs. Third, she is supported by a subtle and solidly inventive band.

Often when you listen to an album the lyrics tend to wash over you at first,  but here you pay attention from track one. Suicide Sal takes on the Bonnie and Clyde saga and shows how Jonas can weave a story using elements of a true story. The song’s title comes from one of Bonnie Parker’s prison poems. The title track is another song rooted in historical fact as well as fiction. Inspired by  John Steinbeck’s The Grapes Of Wrath, it deals with the hardship of dustbowl migration. The singer inhabits these songs as though she’s carrying the thoughts, indeed even wearing the clothes of the characters.Jonas can even kick up a couple of notches as she does with Money which is a song that muses on what money can actually provide.

The songs never tip over into anything that loses control. The tight and talented band includes Tim Bray’s evocative guitar over the sterling rhythm section of Claude Arthur and Brian Barbe. Jay Sterling added the textures of lap steel and piano, while Jonas herself plays acoustic guitar throughout. The album was recorded by Jeff Covert in Fredericksburg, Virginia and shows again that some vital music is coming from places outside those associated with this style of music.

The ten songs all bear repeated plays and reveal their many layers. Jonas’ vocal is full of personality, hints of pain and of passion that can be both sultry and spirited. But she never over-sings, as often is the case, revealing only as much as she wants to and allowing the listener to imagine the deeper crevices of the character’s motivations. 

You can add Karen Jonas to such notables as Eilen Jewell and Zoe Muth. These women are all singer/songwriters who front great bands and make music that is special and definitely worthy of attention. This is music with heart and soul, music that is made because the artist needs to make it  - for herself as much as anyone.

There are elements of honky-tonk, jazz in its Americana overtones. It was recorded quickly in a live setup in the studio with Jonas allowing all of the participants to have a say in the direction the music took. This explains the organic and instinctive interactive feeling that the music has and why there is an energy and rawness in the music that’s appealing on a number of levels.

The final song, White Trash Romance, is a tongue twisting tale of  a relationship that has humour as well as narrative. It is just one of ten great songs on an outstanding debut release that promises much for the future for Jonas and for those who still seek the truth in music.

Paul Burch ‘Fevers’ - Plowboy

You can always rely on Paul Burch to deliver rewarding music. Since his debut release Pan American Flash, he has been mining a rich seam of Americana from honky tonk, blues, rock ’n’ roll to soul inspired sounds and also taking in a love for a good Buddy along the way.

Fevers is produced by Burch with his old friend Fats Kaplan. This is Burch’s tenth release that has included a collaboration with the Waco Brothers (Great Chicago Fire) as well as an album based on a book Jim The Boy by Tony Early (Last Of My Kind) and the aforementioned set of Buddy Holly covers (Words Of Love). This album’s lineup includes such regulars as Dennis Crouch, Jen Gunderman, George Bradfute, Chris Scruggs, Richard Bennett, Kelly Hogan and Kristi Rose as well as Kaplin on fiddle and steel. Burch himself plays upright bass, drums on a number of cuts, and guitar on the majority. He is the constant while the other musicians are varied on the different cuts. The musicians are used as required to suit a particular song and this adds to the variety and tone throughout. 

The album opens with Cluck Old Hen a cover song that has an old-timey folk feel but one with a sonic edge that signals that Paul Burch is no mere copyist but an artist weaving the strands of American music into an honest song. Couldn’t Get a Witness has the feel of a Bo Diddley classic. The pure honky-tonk of Straight Tears, No Chaser goes right back to his days in Tootsie’s on Lower Broadway. The sound moves slightly further South with Sagrada.  Saturday Night Jamboree wafts in from the airwaves of a forgotten radio barn dance and is marinated with a joyous swing and some compulsive fiddle and steel. That all these songs (bar Ocean Of Tears and I’m Going To Memphis) are from the pen of Burch only adds to your knowing that this man has a deep understanding of a wide range of music. In other hands this range might be too diverse to have a single vision, but Burch is the lynchpin here. His voice is distinctive and dynamic and his personality and positivity shine through. This is the sound of someone who cares more for performance than perfection, but in saying that, Fevers is close to achieving that perfection. It is the synergy between all those involved that is captured here and this makes it so ultimately rewarding.

Paul Burch has dedicated himself to music as producer, player, writer, singer and student. He remains one of Nashville undiscovered talents,  but with albums like this he deserves to heard by many more listeners than he previously.

Sturgill Simpson ‘Metamodern Sounds In Country Music’ - Loose

This second album from Sturgill Simpson lives up to the promise of his debut. Producer Dave Cobb is again behind the desk and together  they have explored the fringes of traditional country music. This doesn’t mean that Simpson has strayed into the county-pop, southern rock and rap infused territory that seems the sound de jour in Nashville right now. Instead this is something more visionary and mildly lysergic. It was recorded quickly with his road band came off the road after a series of live dates. It is sharp, tight and most definitely countrified.

At the heart of this is the voice and songs of Simpson. The voice has the ring of authenticity, of someone steeped in the music he and his family grew up listening to. His phrasing may suggest some classic country singers but he is very quickly developing an individuality which makes him as distinctive as some of the singers he most admires. His need to move on and develop his music so that he is not repeating himself at this stage in his career is crucial to his progress. This second album is fundamentally coming from a similar place as High Top Mountain. There is a reflection of lives lived, emotion in turmoil, induced visionary experience but with a heart grounded in love.

The opening song, Turtles on The Way Down,  is accompanied by a video that is a visual equivalent of the sound. The lyrics here talk of “alien reptiles” and equally spacey drugs as well as Jesus, Buddha and the devil. That’s just the first song - not too many tan lines or tailgates here folks. So we have a tight country band, a strong singer, an off beat set of lyrics set in a world that is somewhat out of this world. From then on we take in a Life of Sin, Living The Dream, the Long White Line of life through to the final testament that It Ain’t All Flowers. Amen to that. The band here may not include such former A-teamers as Hargus “Pig” Robbins, who graced the debut, but they do an equally good job of making the album a strongsonic experience. Laur Joamets on guitars, Kevin Black on bass and Miles Miller on drums are joined by keyboard player Mike Webb and producer Dave Cobb. Together with Simpson on acoustic guitar they deliver the goods in an organic and unforced way.

The are two outside songs among the ten tracks here (there’s an acoustic hidden track at the end). Buford Abner’s trucking song Long White Line and a version of the band When in Rome’s The Promise and both fit perfectly on the album, showing that Simpson can easily deliver a credible and creative take on a song he loves just as he does in his live set. The Promise is a sad ballad played straight and is a perfect act of contrition that serves to show the emotional depth and soulfulness of Sturgill’s vision. This definitely connects with Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, another album from another time but one that also had it’s own vision. Comparisons abound with Simpson’s voice but there is as much bluegrass influence in it as there is straight country. A certain soulfillness also plays it’s part in shaping such a powerful vehicle.

There are moments of the elemental in the sound - like at the end of Long White Line and especially on the (official) closer It Ain’t All Flowers where the full flavour of psychedelic sonics are unleashed musically and vocally and thus ending the album the same way it started with a “what the hell was that!” question that will have you coming back to the album to experience it’s many pleasures a metaphysical pain killer.