Album Reviews

Resonant Rogues Autumn Of The World Self Release

Out of Asheville, N Carolina comes this excellent self produced third album from a stringband who successfully encompass elements of folk, Appalachian, gypsy jazz, country, klezmer and old time music in their unusual but appealing sound. The core of the band are two colourful characters: Sparrow, on accordion and clawhammer banjo, and her partner Keith J. Smith, on guitar. Sparrow’s rich resonant vocals kick off the opener, Maker’s Song, an anthem which could be adopted by ‘makers’ everywhere. It tells of the powerful drive in all creative souls, be they ‘storytellers … builders or bakers.’

His penchant for, or addiction to, travelling is detailed by Keith J Smith on several offerings, including Tramp and Watching Those Wheels Roll, both of which are heavy on the gypsy jazz feel. Kristen Harris ably supports the band with her stunning fiddle playing, whether that be on the several swing jazz inflected songs or the more folky offerings. Eric Heveron-Smith completes the line up, mainly on upright bass and vocals but he also plays trombone on one track.

Irish audiences will particularly identify with, and perhaps gain some solace from, Sparrow’s homage to (rain)water in Strength Of Water! Her soaring haunting vocals lull the listener gently into a sense of acceptance - ‘Let it roll, let it rain, let the water wash your tired frame’. Yeah right.

It is, however the title track that stands out most for this listener. In the very moving Autumn Of The World, Sparrow sings beautifully of the fragility of life and the devastation of depression and suicide - ‘a song for the sad ones, those of us who cannot stay away from the edges of existence, whose flame it burns too bright for it to stay’.

The CD is accompanied by fine cover art, combining photography and line drawings and lettering, continuing the ‘earthy’ theme. Resonant Rogues are touring the UK in July and I urge you to get out and hear them, as well as buying this album.

Review by Eilís Boland

Pete Gow Here There’s No Sirens Clubhouse

Readers may or may not be familiar with the U.K rock flavoured country band Case Hardin.  Their frontman and songwriter Pete Gow’s stunningly beautiful solo debut album is far removed from the more upbeat music in the band’s repertoire. Here There’s No Sirens is an intimate and confessional collection of songs, laced with pain and tales of personal disarray.

Gentle piano and dusky vocals introduce the opening track One Last One - Night Stand, before being joined majestically by symphonic strings, one and a half minutes into the song. It chronicles an elusive cry for help and affection of any kind. (‘’One last one-night stand, unprotected, uneven, unplanned. They get to be boring; they can start to taste bland’’). We learn of a doomed relationship and a bond sealed by personal needs rather than love in Mikaela. (‘But songs are like tattoos, and you should think before you name one after a girl’).

What raises the album well above the parapet are the most impressive arrangements. Many of the tracks are drenched in orchestral arrangements. Strings, brass and pianos all emerge in exactly the right places, without ever dominating Gow’s husky whispered vocals. The title track is divine, particularly goose bumps inducing when the strings kick in mid song. It’s plea for help and release is heart rendering as the songs end fuses atmospherically into The Pogues Rainy Night In Soho. Some Old Jacobite King grieves the loss of a wayward son, unsatisfied and unprepared to exists within the confines of his parent’s lifestyle. Emotion seeps out of Gow’s every pore as the tale unfolds (‘He made it away before the snows came in late’88. The ferry pulled the port mists apart, and his mother’s heart’). Strip For Me, which namechecks the Donald Trump accuser Stormy Daniels, leaves the listener considering various definitions of power, abusive control and chauvinism. A song very much of today.

 No doubt this album will pass many people by, given the difficulty for lesser known artists to get exposure. Most unfortunate if this is the case, as it’s a joy from start to finish. If Gow never releases another album, this is a legacy that he can be justifiably proud of. An exceptional listen.

Review by Declan Culliton

Buddy & Julie Miller Breakdown on 20th Ave. South New West

Ten years after the release of their last duo album, husband and wife team Buddy & Julie Miller return with an impressive recording that considers the often traumatic period since their last recording. They had already commenced writing songs for the follow up to 2009’s Written In Chalk, when Julie was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a disorder characterised by muscular pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Buddy’s workload at the time also accelerated, collaborating with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on Raising Sand, producing and appearing on a multitude of albums and touring with a number of artists. He also worked with T Bone Burnett on the ABC-TV Series Nashville.

The illness and work-related issues put serious strains on the marriage but also gave the often bedridden Julie the inspiration and ammunition to write up to sixty songs over that period. The album could have rightly been released as a Julie Miller solo album, given that she wrote the twelve tracks and is the main vocalist on many of the songs. The production, recording and playing were carried out by them both.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, finds Julie setting her stall out from the word go. It was the first song recorded for the album. It catalogues a demand for the support of her otherwise engaged husband and a reminder that she’s no longer going to wait in line for his attention ("I’m gonna make you love me and be your number one girl. I’m gonna make you love me and shout it out to the whole wide world").  Similar mantras are repeated throughout the track to a thumping back beat. Everything Is Your Fault is frank and to the point, a cry for help at crisis point ("I’m fragile, you’re agile at being so covert. Let’s pretend then, make it all end, as if no one got hurt"). The sparse sounding Till The Stardust Comes Apart hints at reconciliation and rebirth, a vocal duet that reads like an oath ("I’ll be yours and you’ll be mine, Til the clock runs out of time").

The title track opens the album, a raw grungy sound with snarling vocals, a reflection on a turbulent relationship facing possible disintegration. Feast Of The Dead, with its mandolin intro, finds Julie sounding like Lucinda Williams performing a song plucked from an early Steve Earle album. We’re nine tracks into the album before Buddy takes a lead vocal on the soothing and confessional Secret.  Accompanied by a gentle acoustic guitar intro, it plays like a response and apology from him to his wife, having considered and accepted the frustrations she had vented on previous tracks. The album fittingly closes with Storm Of Kisses. The only co-write on the album, it was written by Julie and her nephew Alasdair MacKenzie. The title was thought of by Alasdair when only four years old and the lyrics, delivered as a duo, are written in memory of Julie’s brother, tragically and fatally struck by lightning.

Fortunately, having lived and survived through trying times, it’s a happy ending album. It could very well have been a partner to Richard & Linda Thompson’s break up album Shoot Out The Lights. On the contrary, the lights appear to be shining brighter than ever on the partnership, both in loving and creative terms.  A moving, charming and soothing listen from start to finish.

Review by Declan Culliton

Kieran Goss and Annie Kinsella Oh, The Starlings Self Release

This is a family affair and all the better for it… Kieran Goss has been a much-loved part of the Irish musical landscape since he first appeared in the late 1980’s and his excellent songs have brought many pleasures to the airwaves and concert halls of Ireland over the years.

This project is undertaken with his wife, Annie Kinsella, who has one of those beautifully disarming voices, soft and sweet with a real warmth. The eleven tracks here include five covers and six originals and the choices blend together into a seamless whole to create a very pleasant listening experience. Gentle, soft, easy flow are words that come to mind when reflecting on the mood that is created by these songs that seduce and connect on many levels.

Kieran sings lead vocal on the sweet lullaby, Time To Go Sleeping and shares lead vocal with Annie on Hollywood Boulevard. Annie takes the remaining songs and makes them her own. The title track is a husband and wife co-write and Into Your Arms, Hollywood Boulevard and Hymn To Love are written by Kieran with Brendan Murphy and Sharon Vaugn. Crazy For Your Love is written by Kieran, Stephony Smith and Brendan Murphy.

The covers include W.B. Yeats, The Song Of Wandering Angus and Jewel Of The South by Rodney Crowell. Time stands still while these lovely melodies and understated playing spin their spell. A very welcome addition to the body of work from Kieran Goss and one that is delivered with no little skill and dedication to the work itself as the most important ingredient.

Review by Paul McGee

Danni Nicholls The Melted Morning Proper

This English rose has been making quite a name among the right music circles and there is a real buzz spreading, given her bright talents as a singer-songwriter. This release is her third and the growth as a musician is obvious from the opening Wild As The Water, a song of desire, passion and promises that is wrapped in the most appealing melody and song arrangement. 

The warm organ sound on Hear Your Voice seeks courage and self confidence in another. Unwanted is a song about leaving and the end of an unhappy relationship. Wish I Were Alone is a song about missing an ex-lover and feeling lonely. Frozen deals with self-doubt, the inability to open up and being our own worst enemies while Lemonade spins a different perspective of being positive and looking for good things in life. 

Losing It is a song about feeling lost and in need of stability while Texas is a co-write with Ben Glover and deals with hope, despite the pain of feeling lost but surviving. Power To Leave is about moving on, meeting an ex-lover and realising that life has already gone forward. Here is an artist that is maturing with the perspective of life lived and reflecting on all the growing pains that result.

Nicholls has a very expressive voice and her vocal tone and timbre are quite absorbing; both reflective and wistful in delivery. Production is by Jordan Brooke Hamlin who also contributes on drums, bass and electric guitars, trumpet and piano and her contribution cannot be underestimated. She also supplies the string arrangements on a number of tracks and the various studio musicians all contribute to what is a beautifully rounded and delivered production. The Secret Sisters appear on backing vocals for three tracks and the cello of Larissa Maestro is very memorable. This is a highly recommended album and a real keeper.

Review by Paul McGee

Six Mile Grove Million Birds Self Release

Lyle is a township in Minnesota, a mile from the Iowa border, which also flanks the city. The population is 550 approx. and is home for all five members of Six Mile Grove. This is the story of hometown boys made good and these childhood friends have grown into quite a compelling country music band. 

The core of the group revolves around the superb and richly textured lead vocals of Brandon Sampson, augmented by his guitar skills, together with the excellent drumming of brother, Brian. Other members are Barry Nelson who plays keyboards, electric guitar and provides backing vocals, with Dezi Wallace on bass guitar and John Wheeler on steel guitar. 

Recorded in The Barn Studio, Pine Island, Minnesota; all eleven tracks are written by Brandon Sampson and this is their seventh release over a 20-year career that has seen them hone their impressive talents into quite a convincing unit that delivers a sound that is full of character and charisma. The slow Country sound of tracks like Early Morning Rain, with restrained guitar solo and warm keys, is pure quality and Shot In The Arm is vintage Heavy Rock with a mean groove and snarling guitars sparring with the rhythm section. 

The title track and Damned If I Do are both gentle tunes that weave a spell while Shame On Us smoulders with a plea for greater empathy and compassion. The Radio is a more commercially friendly song as is the easy tempo of Money Doesn’t Matter, which includes a fine guitar break. 

The band has previously collaborated with Johnny Cash guitarist Bob Wootton over the years and he is credited with saying; "There's nothing fancy about them and they don't try to be something they're not. And that's what I like about them."

Roots music doesn’t get any better than this and I recommend this band to anyone who likes their Alt-Country sounds both energising and exciting, played with an integrity and presence that demands attention. There is an element of Son Volt meets the Jayhawks but really, their sound is all their own and filled with personality. Highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

Ian Noe Between The Country Thirty Tigers

Noe is an accomplished songwriter who is from Kentucky and belongs to a tradition of songwriters who have a strong sense of place that in recent times has brought such artists as Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, Dillon Carmichael and Kelsey Waldon to the fore. Noe’s songs deal with a deeper, darker side of life and are delivered with a voice capable of passion and purpose. The underlying sense of desolation is also tinged with compassion, something that Dave Cobb’s RCA Studio A’s production is perfectly suited to. Also, in keeping with the songs, the musicians remain in the background adding colour and conscience to his sometimes harrowing tales that deal with the underlying drug abuse that is prevalent throughout his country. He can also reach back in time as with the track, Barbar’s Song, which deals with a train derailment in 1904. Hard times are always with us as these songs make clear. Yet there is a positive feel in this music which makes it eminently listenable.

Adam Gardner, Chris Powell and Cobb himself provided the musical setting behind Noe’s vocal and guitars and Savannah Conley’s backup vocals. A tight and focused team who understand what needs to be done with these songs. 

Sure, there are undoubted influences with the likes of Prine, Dylan and older inspirations like Woody Guthrie to be heard, but then folk music is somewhat eternal and Noe is yet another expression of this need to tell the tales of his time. Following on from his debut EP, Off This Mountaintop this album exposes the work of another artist who deserves to reach a wider audience. However, due to the realism that is the backbone of his writing, Noe may struggle to reach the exposure that his mentors and influences achieved. That, however, was delivered over many albums and years, so hers’s hoping that the music of Ian Noe will have time to grow and be appreciated in a wider context.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Jade Jackson Wilderness Anti

Social Distortion’s Mike Ness is back behind the board on Jade Jacksons’s second album and it more or less continues from where the debut Gilded left off. Lyrically she is also pulling no punches from the opening Bottle It Up which is something of a declaration of her independence. ‘Bottle it up the way we feel right now, Whenever I get lonely gonna drink a little down.’ A means to an end by not confronting some emotions head on with the impact lessen with drink. The sound is upbeat rocking country with Jackson voice bolstered by experience garnered on the road and off. Closer to home are the content of songs such as City Lights which details a personal accident. A serious back injury led to some darker times and addiction problems which have undoubtably influenced her writing since that introspective time in her life. 

Overall the sound is on the edge with some pedal steel and fiddle to blend with the guitars and B3 organ. All which create a tension in the sound that drives these songs along. Ness’ understanding of old school country and hard edged punk rock makes him the ideal person to to develop her music - initially as a mentor but now as her producer. There are comparisons to Lucinda Williams in reviews which there are to a lot of the strong-willed females singer/songwriters in roots music these days. And while I would see it as a pivotal influence it is no doubt a considered one.

On the album she is again joined by guitarist/pianist Andrew Rebel (who has subsequently left the band), Tyler Miller on drums and Jake Vukovich on bass guitar. This core unit deliver a committed sound throughout the album that has a wide ranging appeal that never falls into the overblown rock that some of her mainstream contemporaries displays live. However it whats on the record here that counts and many of the songs. Tonight conceals a sense of handling things alone while also revealing a sense of vulnerability by doing so while revealing that ‘boys like you make me want to spend my nights alone.’ Long Way Home takes a similar position. Dust is a slower song with steel guitar glides and a solid twanging guitar riff under her softer vocal approach that under lights the strength oh her vocal ability as well as it does her songwriting. Wilderness finds Jackson relishing her freedom but not entirely from the emotional landscape that title might suggest. The song itself is a powerful statement of knowing when you are and where you want to be at this time in your life and sums up a career in the ascendency. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Latest Reviews

Foghorn Stringband Rock Island Grange Self Release

Well, you can’t say you’re not getting value for money in this latest superb release from Portland’s Foghorn Stringband. As well as the nineteen listed tracks, there are a bunch more thrown in for good measure. Possibly the best (and hardest working) Old Time American string band in the business, this recording gives a true flavour of what it’s like to experience the band’s legendary live gigs. All of the band members are masters of their instruments, and all of them can take lead vocals.

Founding member Caleb Klauder is a natural frontman and an incredibly talented mandolinist and fiddle player. The other original founding member Stephen ‘Sammy’ Lind is an outstanding old time fiddler, and plays banjo here also.The lineup has been completed for the past few years by Québécoise Nadine Landry on rock solid upright bass and Reeb Willms on guitar. 

Recorded live over three days by Bruce Harvie in the historic Grange venue in Caleb’s native home of Orcas Island in Washington State, the album is a rollicking ride through a selection of songs and instrumentals. All of the band members are proud historians and custodians of the music so it’s no surprise that the cleverly designed folding card cd cover is accompanied by extensive notes on the provenance of every tune. Most of the tunes are taken from sources both old and more recent - a gorgeous version of Hazel Dicken’s little known Only The Lonely being one of the latter, sung beautifully here by Reeb.

This album could serve as a perfect introduction to old time music, if you are not familiar with it, while established fans will know exactly what they are going to get and will relish it, as do I.

Review by Eilís Boland

John Blakeley & Jeff Larson Yesterday’s Dream Compass 

If you’re a fan of the California Sound, this album will be right up your street. I have to admit that it didn’t grab me on first listen, but the more I listened the more it got right under my skin. Throw in some other West Coast influences like country rock and folk, and you’ll have an idea of the retro, but simultaneously modern, aesthetic invoked here by the two veterans of the SoCal music scene.

Both artists contribute original songs to the project, while Jeff Larson takes all lead vocal duties and John Blakeley plays most of the instruments. John is an underrated guitar player, not well known outside of this scene, but he has played in sessions and on stage with a myriad of top  artists like Van Morrison, Glen Campbell and Country Joe McDonald. In his 73rd year and a survivor of two heart transplants, here he plays acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and mandola, and bass and slide guitars.

 Straight from the catchy opening song Renaissance Man, it’s obvious there’s something a bit unusual going on here - it is the prominence of John Blakeley’s mandolin as the main instrument insistently holding down the rhythm. On Day Trip, the only instrumental, the opening guitar riffs are pure surf guitar a la Dick Dale, and again the mandolin interjects. The interplay between the two instruments is phenomenally good, thanks to the strength of John’s writing and producing. Elsewhere, his prowess on various stringed instruments is breathtaking but never showy.

Jeff Larson is a singer-songwriter, producer and is also the archivist for the band America. He has long been connected also with The Beach Boys and Chicago. His ability to write catchy tunes and his clear pure voice impress on songs such as The Calamar Trees and Always the Mystery. Long time collaborators/friends from The Beach Boys are called up eg Scott Mathews on drums and Jeffrey Foskett on backing vocals.

Lastly, the minimalist cover art is contributed by another senior surfer dude, the ceramicist and musician Ron Nagle. Worth checking out!

Review by Eilís Boland

Jim Lauderdale From Another World Yep Roc

 It’s somewhat stating the obvious to label Jim Lauderdale as prolific.  He has released at least one album each year since 1998 and From Another World is album number thirty-two from the twice Grammy Award winning artist. The twelve track album sticks with the winning production team from its 2018 predecessor Time Flies. Jay Walker again co-produces with Lauderdale, with the engineering duties carried out by David Leonard. The title perhaps recalls less turbulent and aggressive times, in keeping with many recent recordings coming out of the US under the Americana brand. Much of the albums spark is motivated by our rapidly changing world. However, rather than personalised attacks, Lauderdale’s messages are more controlled, subtle and understated, without the slightest hint of ego. Not surprising given his Tai Chi proficiency.

 Titles such as Listen and Some Horses Run Free are pointers to less knee jerk reactions and more thoughtful contemplation. The Secrets of The Pyramids, the first single from the album, includes some fine fiddle playing from Third Man Records artist Lillie Mae, while her brother Frank Rische also features on the track, providing backing vocals. The previously mentioned Some Horses Run Free opens the album in fine Southern Rockin’ style, pounding drums and screeching guitars competing with Lauderdale’s distinctively nasal vocal. For Keeps is no apologies classic country, which would sit comfortably on a mid-60’s George Jones album and I’ll Forgive You If You Don’t is on the same page. Country Soul is represented on the closing track Are You Trying To Make a Song Out Of Us.

Lauderdale has seldom stood in the same musical spot for too long across his career. Always a fervent student of various musical genres, bluegrass, soul, southern rock, experimental and traditional country have all been represented in his recordings. This album dips in and out of many of those categories, resulting in his strongest album in some time. Recent albums have found Lauderdale recording music very much in the present, neither overly retro nor futuristic. From Another World follows that pattern. Another stellar listen which can be summed up by his often-used phrase ‘‘Now THAT’S Americana’’.

Review by Declan Culliton

Norrie McCulloch Compass Black Dust 

No stranger to Lonesome Highway, Norrie McCulloch’s two previous releases, These Mountain Blues and Bare Among The Branches, both made favourable impressions on us. If those albums revealed a singer songwriter growing in confidence, his latest offering Compass, raises the bar to an entirely higher level. Rather than the tortured soul searching and politically frustrated writings of many of his peers, McCulloch’s nine song album is overflowing with affection, cherished memories, love captured and love lost.

In a different era, the wonderful Road Sign would be played to death by radio stations. A beautifully constructed love song, it emphasises McCulloch’s mastery of the minor detail, as he daydreams of his loved one during another torturous late-night journey. Fond childhood memories are recalled on Janey (When We Were Young) before he reverts to amorous themes on both She’s So Good and the closer With You In My Life.  Dear Lady Blue reflects on the tragic loss of a loved one and the ensuing aloneness. Drinking Money is a tongue in cheek ballad and closer to traditional folk than anything else on the album. The title track is a dreamy affair, streams of consciousness underlined by echoing vocals, swirling guitar and rhythmic bass lines.

Mc Culloch, who plays guitar and harmonica on the album, is reunited with his trusted musical contributors. Iain Thompson plays electric guitar, Dave Mc Gowan bass and Marco Rea adds backing vocals. In simple terms, Compass is a delightful listen from start to finish, by another totally under rated U.K. singer songwriter. Americana delivered with a charming Scottish accent never sounded better.

Review by Declan Culliton

Kevin Daniel Things I Don’t See Self Release

This new talent is currently living in the Brooklyn area and his debut album includes eleven tracks that are all written by Daniel. He plays Americana music with a confidence that augers well for his developing career and the musicians used here all turn in superb performances that add plenty to the the overall groove and sound for the project. 

Eight tracks were produced, recorded and mixed by Ben Rice at Degraw Sound in Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY. A further three tracks were produced, recorded and mixed by Kenny Siegel at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY. Different producers and session players don’t always make for a smoothly cohesive end product, but in this case, there is a seamless quality to the entire project and the soulful groove of Daniel comes over strongly.

The players on the eight tracks are Muddy Shews on bass, John Hummel on drums, Anthony Krizan on both tenor guitar & slide guitar, Judd Nielsen on organ and Erica Mancini on accordion. Backing vocals are delivered by Irene Blackman and Roman Urbanski. 

Separately, Jon Ladeau on electric guitar, Lee Falco on vocals and drums, Brandon Morrison on vocals and bass, Will Bryant on vocals, organ and keyboards deliver on the remaining three tracks.

The songs are all very strong and All I Need, Jupiter And Xanax, Cocaine & Whiskey are Country tinged songs that sit well into the overall tempo that is very much driven by Daniel on vocals and guitar. Pour Me A Drink is a slow blues that showcases the band in full flow and Name Of Fame has an up-tempo bluegrass vibe with some nice fiddle playing. The acoustic strum of 22 is a Folk tinged reflection at the disappearance of youth and the rites of passage as College years begin and the emergence of hesitant adulthood. 

There are strings on some of the arrangements and there are horns on others, plus occasional fiddle and piano playing but I have no information as to who played what. Advance review copies don’t always have sufficient liner notes sadly, but this cannot take away from the overall enjoyment of the songs.

The opening tracks Used To Be and Things I Don’t See set the tone with warm keys and tales of life experience taking its toll in shaping us and our dreams along the way, while City That Saves is a fine bar room boogie that closes the album. The playing is superb throughout and I can recommend this album to everyone who likes their music big, bright and brimming with bravado.

Review by Paul McGee

J.D. and the Straight Shot The Great Divide Self Release

This is the seventh release by a band that is the self-realised creation of Jim Dolan, guitarist and vocalist who has been front and centre since their first release back in 2005.

Dolan has continued to chase his passion to perform and play music that is based in a Country Rock sound and despite criticism of his deep pockets as a successful business tycoon, one cannot fault his dedication and doggedness... If there was no back story regarding the wealth that Dolan has amassed, then the music would stand some chance of being assessed purely on its own merits. The musicians in the band are certainly top drawer and the album is not in any way an artificial exercise in self-promotion by Jim Dolan… 

The album was recorded at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville with Marc Copely producing and also contributing on guitar, mandolin and vocals. He is joined by Byron House on upright bass and banjo, Carolyn Dawn Johnson on guitar and vocals, Shawn Pelton on drums & percussion and the stand out Erin Slaver on violin & vocals. The harmony vocals of Tabitha Fair, Erin Slaver, Byron House and Mark Copley are also very strong throughout. The eleven tracks featured here are expertly performed by this group of experienced musicians and cover versions of the Turtles, Happy Together, and the Allman Brothers, Jessica, showcase the band in full colours and displaying the depth of Nashville talent that exists across their collective experience. 

Production by Marc Copley is crisp and precise throughout with the wonderful Erin Slaver lifting many of the tracks with her superb solo runs on violin. Invisible, It Must Be Night and I Should Have Known are all prime examples but the rest of the band more than chip in to the arrangements with the swing beat of Bees highlighting some nice guitar work  and the Salsa sound of Take It Slow hinting at a commercial Latin groove. The duelling solos that energise Jessica are delivered on violin (Slaver) and mandolin (Copley) in place of the sweet guitar of the Allman Brothers Dickey Betts on the original.

Review by Paul McGee

The Royal Hounds Low Class Songs For High Class People Self Release

This Nashville trio can be placed somewhere between Jesse Dayton and Southern Culture On The Skids for their take on roots rock/rockabilly. There is equally a strong sense of humour lurking within the grooves, from the opening The Walk, the most simplistic of dance craze tunes, to The Parthenon, a song about a brothel in Greece and the strange clientele that is to be found there. Then there’s Chinese Buffet which contains the following lines as a sample of the general lyrical direction on offer here: “Well lock up the house, chain up the dog. We’re going into town to eat like a hog. Got my plate stacked high as hay at the Chinese Buffet”. However that’s not to take away in any way from (name?) lead singer and upright bassist’s vocal and musical skills. He is joined by new Brazial guitarist Matheus Canteri - a player who the US government deemed to have ”extraordinary talent” and granted him a visa to live and play there. The drummer on the album is Scott Billingsley. Hinds has written five of the songs solo and two with Canteri, who also contributed two instrumental tunes. 

They are joined by some extra musicians who add pedal steel, accordion, organ, trumpet and backing vocals which all helps to give the music a wider scope on the recordings. The album was co-produced by Hinds and Canteri and they give the proceedings a full and expansive sound throughout.

There is an additional bonus track - a recording of the Stan Jones classic Ghost Riders In The Sky which might give Kenny Vaughan’s version a run for its money. The stated aim of the band is to entertain, get people dancing and in a party mood. Well, they have pretty much done all of that with some style and a tongue-in-cheek approach to life. Not sure about high class people but these songs have the ability to make you forget the lows of life. Facetious and friendly - just like the hound who adorns the cover.9

Review by Stephen Rapid

Sam Outlaw Hat Acts Self Release

This is a digital release from the ever interesting Sam Outlaw, an artist that has been on Lonesome Highway’s radar since his first independent album release. He has managed to create a sound which he is developing, that appeals on many levels. Despite his chosen name, his music sits outside what would generally be considered on the outlaw side of non-mainstream country. His idea of “pop”, however, is far more interesting than what we usually associate that term with on major label releases.

For Hat Acts he has recorded three new songs. Cigarette, Shake A Heartache and Humility all are solid extensions of the sound he has been developing over the last few releases. The first sees him wishing he was a cigarette close to the lips of the woman in question. It features some good steel guitar, as indeed do the others two tracks. Shake A Heartache is an uptempo attempt from the man in question to forget his woes on the dance floor. Humility is a slower song that opens with guitar as our ‘hero’ realises what he needs is not more drink but in truth ”one strong shot of humility”. He has a distinctive voice and sound that will doubtless see him reacher a wider audience in time. Also notable, but not for radio play, are three before and between song scenarios wherein the character in question is caught trying to talk to a girl outside the venue and finally being insulted by another attendee. They fit the overall mood well and each song directly relates to the ambient mood. Outlaw also recently released a single Love Is On A Roll that has more than a hint of Jimmy Buffett in its production. All are available from his website and are worth checking out as, indeed, are all his releases to date  - which you can buy as a special rate job lot at the moment.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

The Boxmasters Speck Keentone

The debut album from the Boxmasters, which set out their stall, was a double album that mixed original songs and covers. A muisial style best summed up by the title of their second double album set Modbilly where they combined two of their favourite musical influences Mod and Hillbilly - hence, obviously, the title. You again got one CD of original songs and a second of such covers as The Lord Knows I’m Drinking by Bill Anderson mixed with the Rolling Stones’ As Tears Go By. Some of their own titles were Heartbreakin’ Wreck and That’s Why Tammy Has My Car. The Boxmasters were then listed as Michael Wayne Butler, JD Andrew and W.R. “Bud” Thornton. The current album features the latter two but the trio are completed now by Teddy Andreadis - a gentleman who had played keyboards for the extended band since their debut in 2008.

W.R. is perhaps better know as actor Billy Bob Thornton and he is the vocalist and drummer with The Boxmasters. It has to be said that this is something that he takes very seriously and the band now have released 9 albums, with Thornton being the main songwriter for their original material. Looking over past reviews some were not that favourable, but all those I have heard have sounded pretty good to these ears. Essentially the group are an authentic beat group with their roots in the 60s but they keep the music in the realms of today rather than the past. For this album they worked with producer Geoff Emerick, a renowned studio expert who worked with George Martin on several classic Beatles albums. He also worked with such notables as Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick and Wings.

He passed away in 2018 so Speck would be among his last work. The album is dedicated to him and resonates with his understanding of the kind of music the band wanted to record. Again some critics may say the sound is derivative and, be that as it may, as it is intentionally seeking that sound the songs themselves stand up. Thornton’s singing is good with strong harmonies and solid melodies. The songs are all written by Thornton, mainly with Andrews and, occasionally, Andreadis. The scene is set with the opening I Wanna Go Where You Go and then over the next 35 minutes, they deliver another 10 songs. The production and mix is clear and precise making the most of the songs and the performances. The guitars stand out and there are times where brass and trumpets mix with the keyboards to deliver a layered sound that is inviting and memorable. It is a sound that is more focused on the overall vision of the album. Let The Bleeding Pray opens with a trumpet and Thornton’s solid vocals and a great guitar sound. There are many more moments that satisfy and Speck is an album that best exemplifies the way the band has developed from the first album, bringing one aspect of their sound to a logical conclusion.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Arroyo Rogers Single Wide Self Release

This is the debut release from the husband and wife duo Lisa Mendick Powell and Kim Powell. They are an offshoot of a previous band Forty Miles Of Bad Road. They recorded these original songs in New Orleans with Tom Stern acting as engineer and playing guitar. The end result is a humorous and entertaining EP of seven songs. Two are co-writes from the duo with the other songs by Powell solo. Both share the vocal duties. Also prominent on a number of tracks is the pedal steel of Dan Cooper.

Promised Land, Eleanor, Hitch Hike Home and Three Sheets To The Wind are examples of their memorable mix of classic country and high desert sound that is likely inspired, to some degree, by their current home base of Joshua Tree, California. The main stand out is Albuquerque while the final song was recorded in their house and is also representative of their overall sound and ethos. She Went Out For Cigarettes has the obvious next line in a sad tale of a relationship break-up. Both are talented players, with Mendick Powell playing keyboards and accordion and Powell on bass and some electric guitar. Their voices are a good and blend easily. They have worked in the music industry for some time and were previously based in Austin. Mendick Powell has three solo albums to her name - the first Artifacts of Love in 1994 - and Powell appears to have played with several different artists in the past.

This single wide need to be updated to a double wide as soon as they can, with a  full album of songs to hear. I think, on the strength of these seven songs, it would be welcomed.

Review by Stephen Rapid

The Colonel J.D. Wilkes Will I see You One Day In God’s Land Arkam

This new album is a solo extension of the interests and music that Wilkes has made as a member of The Legendary Shack Shakers, and it is a good representation of his current solo performances. It is a mix of original and traditional songs such as his Tennessee Dog Attack and Coo-Coo Bird. It features his skill as banjo and harmonica player as well his distinctive vocal style. Very much in the spirit of earthy pre-bluegrass styles, it is front porch storytelling that takes in Liza Jane, and the murder ballad Willow Garden. He is a chronicler and collector of some of the older songs that emanated from deep in the Appalachians.

The album was recorded in three locations, including Jimmy Nutt’s studio in Alabama Nutthouse. Though essentially solo recordings, there is some fiddle from Jamie Barrier who also sings on Soldiers Joy and Are You Missing Me? His skill on harmonica is represented fully on his own Gob Iron Stomp. His pickin’ is on display throughout the album, especially on the instrumental Freight Train. Watching Wilkes live, you are aware of the energy in his performances whereas listening to these recordings they seem to have a greater sense of human vulnerability and, at times, indeed a certain melancholy. This is then a welcome addition to the recorded music that Wilkes has brought us through the years. It has heart, soul and integrity - something often sadly lacking in much of the music around today.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Lasers Lasers Birmingham Warning Self Release

This may be one of the more unusual names for a country music act but, be that as it may, it is a certified good one. The name is a front for singer/songwriter Alex Owen who also co-produced the album with multi-instrumentalist Jason Soda. Warning is one of those unexpected albums from an artist new to me that turns out to be a great listen, with the whole album working in its entirety. This is the first full length album from the act, following two previous EPs.

Owen has a warm and inviting voice that is well suited to the slightly relaxed 70s sound that seems to be at the heart of the band’s music. The lyrical content is worthy of attention, as Owen writes some intriguing words that may fall outside the normal themes for a mainstream country album. There is both an offbeat sense of humour and some insight in his songs that deserve repeated listening. It’s a shame there is no lyric booklet but the economics of self-releasing often exclude such a welcome addition. Though the duet with Sie Sie Benhoff follows a scenario that is not uncommon in country music wherein the two antagonists trade verses outlining the reasons why they don’t see eye to eye anymore.

Mention must be made of the contribution of the supporting players, including Dan Wistrom’s pedal steel contribution. All are excellent throughout and give the songs the kind of justice that they deserve. Whether this album would be easier accept if Alex Owen recorded under his own name is debatable, especially given the notion in some quarters that the likes of Daniel Romano and Daniel Peck are stylists and playing with the genre (though the former has moved on from his original musical and visual stance).You can make up your own mind about that. But be warned that this is an addictive album that provides a contemporary vision of a country music that gets harder to find these days, but this release is well worth the effort. Lasers Lasers Birmingham are another name to add to some of the fine country music that has emerged from Los Angeles in recent times.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Sarah Lucy Dole Tell No Lies Self Release

Born in Cheltenham, UK and a singer-songwriter with more than 20 years experience, Dole has delivered this second album as a follow up to Buckle Up, which appeared in 2013. She has a fine vocal style with a good range and confident delivery. Sadly, my review copy arrived with no information regarding the project, neither musician credits nor production information. Her website yields little additional information but the entire 16 tracks is a statement of some confidence, clocking in at just short of the hour-mark with plenty of variety in musical styles.

Starting out with the blues/soul of Tell No Lies and Rv Rocking, the tale of a family down on their luck is followed by a groove that reminds me of KT Tunstall, with references to 6 different country music legends in the repeated refrain. Mr Blue Man and These Arms Of Mine are further examples of Dole’s Blues leanings but she also shows a rockier side to her sound on Wild Woman, High & Low and A New Horizon. Across these tracks are a variety of highlighted instruments; the harmonica works well, as does both fiddle and slide guitar in parts, but the synth strings don’t always enhance and seem out of place on some arrangements.

The country-tinged songs work best with You Shine On, I Thought I Heard A Train, Without You (nice guitar), With This Ring and Ruby Slippers all scoring well. Closing track, What’s A Heart Supposed To Do has a strong country blues style with fine guitar and piano lines under the strong vocal delivery. Plenty for everyone in this lucky bag if you decide to dip in…!

Review by Paul McGee

TK & The Holy Know-Nothings Arguably OK Mama Bird

Taylor Kingman writes all the songs, fronts the band, plays guitar and lives in Portland Oregon. Drummer Tyler Thompson and multi-instrumentalists Jay Cobb Anderson (lead guitar, harmonica), Lewi Longmire (bass, guitar, pedal steel, flugelhorn) and Sydney Nash (keys, bass, slide guitar, cornet) make up the rest of this talented troupe. Their sound is that of a loose, yet tight bar band and their songs deal with much of the fall-out from lives lived in either quiet desperation or with the conviction of nothing left to lose.

This is a debut release and was recorded live at the OK Theatre in Enterprise, Oregon over a three-day period of intense playing and fine tuning the tracks. Kingman and Thompson shared the production and a very fine job they make of it too. Great songs, great words, great playing and a terrific sound. 

Alone is the opening song and wears its heart on a solitary white flag of surrender. Emmanuel tells of a drug addicted dweller on the fringes of society who needs regular top ups to keep him functioning. Good Stuff is about living hard and in the moment; no time to waste. The slow groove of The Devil’s Point is undiluted self sorrow of a loser who drinks to forget in a strip bar while pedal steel soothes his troubled mind. 

And on it goes, one song after another and all displaying the craft of this excellent band, led by the singular talent of Kingman. Desert Rose is a slice of rhythm and roots; a great work out with driving guitars. Hard Times is a dark tale of murder and junkie survival while closing track Lord, Why’d Ya Make me? is a plea to the great unknown to wash away all the frailties of man and bring peace to troubled souls. An interesting album with plenty to challenge and satisfy in equal measure.

Review by Paul McGee

The Golden Roses Terlingua Graveyard Self Release

Honky Tonk music played with great swing and swagger from a band who hail from Austin Texas and wear their credentials big and bold. The members are Johnny “2 Much” Mutchler (Vocals/Guitar), “Too Tall” Troy Wilson (Vocals/Bass), “The Revenuer” Shawnee Rose (Drums), “The Boy From Bell County” Sam Blumenthal (Steel Guitar) and “Rockin” Heather Rae (Vocals/Fiddle) ….

This debut release has eleven tracks and each one is a real diamond that shines and shimmers. Country music comes with so many sub categories that it can make your head spin but the sound of Ameripolitan music includes a mix of western swing, honky-tonk, rockabilly and outlaw attitude. It’s about upholding old traditions. From Buck Owens through to Dwight Yoakam, there is a wealth of rich sounds in the tracks here and the playing is such a joy. No doubt their residency at the White Horse in Austin is quite an experience and something that one hopes they eventually bring overseas to our European shores. All songs are written by John Mutchler and the tight sound is testament to the finely-honed ensemble that has paid its dues on the live circuit in the dancehalls and honky tonks of Texas over the past three years. 

The title track is a fine example of the band in full flight and the guitar twang and steel guitar and fiddle interplay is quite addictive. Whirlwind is an instrumental that calls to mind the Sadies at full throttle and Life Of The Party is a salutary tale of a couple who can’t quit the high life and settle into something more sedate. The Usual Suspects is a country swing song that has a lilt and tempo that lifts the spirits while Room 302, Divorce Division shows the darker side of relationships gone wrong. Bad Habit and Lone Star Saturday Night live right up to their titles and the collective playing is very impressive. Big Black Cloud is a drinking song that is laced with heartache, the perfect ingredients for a country tune.

The closing song, Top Shelf Whiskey And Cold Lone Star Beer sums up the essence of the band as they play live to a Friday night local crowd and set the tone for a good time to be had by all with fiddle and pedal steel swooping around the strong rhythm section while Mutchler leads from the front with a fine vocal and engaging presence. Stirring stuff…!  

Review by Paul McGee

Ana Tivel The Question Fluff & Gravy

This is the fifth release from an artist who is based in Portland and who explores soundscapes that fit into a contemporary folk arena. Her sweetly seductive vocals and the gentle accompaniment on these ten songs give a hypnotic, less is more, effect to everything. Wistful tunes, finely honed and reflective, whispered images and emotions play across the production by Shane Leonard. He is a multi-instrumentalist who provides drums, Wurlitzer, acoustic guitar, organ, synthesizer, violin, electric guitar and percussion. 

There are many more players who contribute to the overall feel of this beautifully realised album but throughout, it is the sense of ensemble playing that captures the imagination as different sounds introduce themselves in the melodies, all driven by Tivel on guitar and violin to compliment her captivating vocals.

These are relationship songs from different perspectives and the observation in her words of the little things that frame and shape a feeling or a sensation are an integral part of Tivel’s skill. Figure It Out is the repentant lover who steps over a line and now reflects on what is important as her partner walks away. Minneapolis is a tale of isolation framed at night by lonely, stark car headlights on the blinds and an urge to leave in order to start again. Fenceline is an immigrant trying to keep a sense of dignity in a cold world that ignores his humanity.

Anthony is a tale of self sabotage and ending life in a burning apartment as memories of a lover come flooding in. Homeless Child is about a single mother, down and out, while the thin line between survival and capsizing blurs and disappears. There is empathy here but also a tired anger. 

Velvet Curtain is a mini play of a cleaner singing alone in an empty theatre after closing time and a vagabond sneaking a peek in order to feel connection in an empty world. So beautifully conceived and delivered. Two Strangers is a last shot at love through the loneliness of city life, a glance and a chance to meet that extends beyond mere dreams into reality. If only.

The title track is a song about observing a cross-dresser and the empathy that arises in looking at a life half lived behind the dark of night and pulled curtains. Tivel is a songsmith of the highest talent.

Review by Paul McGee

Latest Reviews

This Is Tunng Magpie Bites and Other Cuts Full Time Hobby

An English folk music band that are often associated with the folktronica genre, due to the electronic influences evident in some of their work. Tunng are often noted for their use of strange instruments, unusual tunings and changes in timing and tempo. A prime example is Death And The Maiden Retold, a reworking of a traditional folk song, arranged in a uniquely different way...

This is album release number seven and is comprised of outtakes, special edition 7 inches and hidden tracks, old bits n’ pieces left off earlier projects and whatever else they came across in their vaults. The eleven tracks are selected across the years of their recording career and span 2004 to 2018. Two songs, Heatwave and Bank Holiday were left off the most recent release, Songs You Make At Night while a cover version of the Tim Buckley song, No Man Can Find The War is just an oddly, weird joy.

The arrangements are quirky and avant-garde but somehow it all holds together with a kind of pastoral elegance reminiscent of Old England in more innocent times. Bodies is an example of this and the strange Pool Beneath The Pond suggests medieval chant music with added sound effects. Magpie Bites is another addictive whacky piece of magic, reminding me of Gentle Giant. Band Stand is a slice of elegant pastoral electronica and Clump, like the whole project, is gently addictive on repeated playing. Check out this ground-breaking band!

Review by Paul McGee

Rupert Wates. Full Circle. Self Release

In early 2008 we posted a review of this artist’s last release, The Lights Of Paris, an impressive set of songs that dealt with the issues of our times in a time-honoured Folk tradition. This time out he returns to his roots – just voice and Lowden guitars, recorded live at Kevin Kelly's Workshoppe East Studios in Huntington, New York.  Wates produced the project himself and all 11 tracks were completed in less than five hours, with no overdubs, live in the studio.  It’s his tenth release over a career that has delivered much quality. 

His rich vocal style recalls, in part,  Richard Thompson, especially on Driverless Train, a song that reflects on a life and a society that is out of control and moving with no real direction. There are also echoes of an early John Martyn and tracks like The Sun On Clear Waters speaks of the legacy we are leaving for our children and the hope that young love and the simple beauty of nature can endure.

His guitar playing is of the highest order and his technical prowess on the instrument is perfectly matched by his flawless vocal delivery. Wates was born in London and has been a full-time songwriter since the late 1990s, His music has a timeless quality and tracks like God Knows and Easy Come & Easy Go, examine the circle of life and the passage of time with more questions than answers, but with a strong philosophy that sharing love and fellowship is what lies at the heart of everything. Highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

Jake Xerxes Fussell Out of Sight Paradise of Bachelors

This talented musician has been releasing music of real quality since his debut recording appeared in 2015. However, long before this, Fussell was quietly learning his craft through early influences; originally his Father, Fred C. Fussell, a folklorist, curator, and photographer. He travelled across the American Southeast, documenting traditional vernacular culture, which included recording blues and old-time musicians; all of which had a profound impact on Jake. Growing up in Colombus, Georgia, he also travelled and lived in California and Mississippi, before settling in Durham, North Carolina where he currently resides. He focused on narrative folksongs and deepened his studies while honing his guitar skills under the guidance of blues legend Precious Bryant.

On Out of Sight, is the third album and as both guitarist and singer, Fussell displays a gently confident knack of interpreting the nine tracks selected from a variety of sources. Using a full band that  features Nathan Bowles (drums), Casey Toll (bass), Nathan Golub (pedal steel), Libby Rodenbough (violin, vocals) and James Anthony Wallace (piano, organ), the understated playing a sheer delight throughout and the ensemble really capture the evocative sound of these traditional tunes that stretch from 1900. 

There are songs about fishmongers (The River Of St. John’s), ship deckhands (Oh Captain), Cotton Mill workers (Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues) and the instrumentals Three Ravens and 16-20 showcase the superb fingerstyle of Fussell on guitar. The production is uncluttered and clear as a bell, evoking a timeless quality to the melodies and the understated playing. 

Michael Was Hearty, The Rainbow Willow, Jubilee and Drinking Of The Wine all contemplate the relative virtues of love and life with the obscure sources adding great integrity to the selection process and fastidious work of Fussell. Music to calm the soul and lift the spirit.

Review by Paul McGee

Mike Ross The Clovis Limit (Part 1) Self Release.

This is the third release from UK artist Mike Ross, a talented musician who trawls in the Roots/Blues seas and based on the evidence on The Clovis Limit (Part 1), he is something of a hidden gem. The ten tracks are of a consistently high quality with the playing and arrangements complementing the excellent song-writing ability of Ross, who also produced the project.

Kicking off with The Reason This Railroad, a slice of sweet Americana right out of the Stephen Stills songbook, with fine ensemble playing and leading into the sassy bar-room, Dr John feel of Young Man, dripping in atmosphere; the pace has been set.

 The soulful blues of Pick Up Our Anchor, with Elles Bailey on co-lead vocals, illustrates a confidence and swagger with the pedal steel of Smith Curry underpinning the strong tempo laid down by Brian Irwin on drums and Derek Randall on fender bass. Scarlet Coat reminds me of vintage Blue Rodeo in full swing and is an addictive tune, featuring an up-tempo beat and swirling pedal steel.

Ross is a fine singer and his delivery on the slow groove of Blow Away is perfectly accompanied by the fiddle playing of Andrea Young and the ever-present pedal steel that duels around the arrangement. Lily features dobro, fiddle and acoustic guitar and is a gentle ballad about unrequited love with deft and restrained playing throughout.

Grow Your Garden and Ever After are Blues tinged melodies with the warm sound of Stevie Watts on Hammond Organ and Matt Dutot Slocum on Wurlitzer piano to the fore. The closing track, Driftwood, is a country ramble through the realisation that we are no more than fragile entities upon this Earth and drifting on the sea of life. The addition of four radio edit tracks is a welcome way to end proceedings and this is a release that comes high on my list of favourites this year. 

Review by Paul McGee

Den of Ashes California Starry Eyed

The gentle easy sway of the title track opens this debut release and talks of leaving the rain of the East coast for the sunshine and optimism of life on the West coast of America. It sets the tone for the rest of the eight songs included here that deliver an elegant, contemporary country sound. 

Ash is the creative source behind the Den of Ashes moniker and his experience in visual media serves him well in the impressive presentation that accompanies the arrival of this album for review. It is always a good sign when you see a carefully packaged release in support of the music contained within.

The warm breezes of California gently blow through the sense of lightness here, where the vocals are delivered with an easy tone and the playing of Alex Alessandroni (piano, keyboards), Lili Haydn (violin), Dan Rothchild (bass), Robin DiMaggio (drums, percussion) anchor everything in a relaxed and restful way. The presence on four songs of Greg Leisz, on pedal steel, is a very pleasant addition to a production that is both clean and bright with plenty of space in the arrangements. There is a dream-like quality to the soundscape and an atmosphere that allows the players to perform with an understated touch and economy that brings depth to the songs.

The slow tempo of tracks like Sun In My Eyes and Canyon Walls are balanced by the more radio-friendly sounds of Easy Town and Late Night Radio. Hangman channels the voice of a deceased victim of the noose and a past that haunts, rather than reconciles. The plaintive tones of Living In My Dreams and Silver Dreams give the sense of wishing for another reality where life seems sweeter and wishes come true; the past brought to life in the present.

Recorded at The Séance Room in Los Angeles and self-produced by Ash, who also wrote all the songs and contributed guitar, harmonica and vocals, the project is one that brings plenty of rewards. A recommended release.

Review by Paul McGee

Tim Carter Wishes Tree O

It’s fairly obvious that Tim Carter is held in high esteem by his fellow Nashville musicians when one looks at the lineup he called upon to collaborate on his second solo album. Well known to Irish and British audiences from visits with his Carter Brothers Band, Tim has also played banjo with Hank Williams III, among others. A native of North Carolina, he is a Grammy nominated sound engineer and now produces music projects in his Treehouse Studio, outside Nashville. While he can play bluegrass banjo with the best of them, as heard on the opening instrumental Split Lip, Tim really loves to fuse his Appalachian roots with his lifelong love of blues, rock and soul.

He plays mandolin on the love song Shivering (co-written with his wife Cindy); here he’s joined by regular band member Mike McAdam (Steve Earle, Rodney Foster) on blistering electric guitar, and Johnny Neel (The Allman Brothers) on Hammond B-3. Together they create a whopping great slice of rollicking Southern Rock - Americana at its best. Johnny Neel’s incredible B3 playing also features heavily on Tim’s original song Fatback, where his funky banjo gets right down and dirty, accompanied by Rob Ickes’ bluesy lap steel and Trey Hensley’s electric guitar. Notable Nashville players in the form of Dann Sherrill on drums and Dave Roe on bass do a good job of keeping them all under control. Another standout track is the instrumental Fungus Amungus, where Tim’s sweet mandolin lead is complemented by brother Danny’s acoustic guitar playing, aided and abetted by the great John R Burr on organ and Smith Curry on dobro. All of the instrumentals and four of the six songs are originals or cowrites. The two covers are of Dylan’s Man Gave Names To All The Animals, which they manage to make enjoyable (it’s one of those marmite songs!) and a lovely cover of These Wishes Are Horses from the pen of David Goodman, featuring Barbara Lamb on fiddle. 

You might also catch Tim in his part time gig playing with Hayseed Dixie around Europe, but let’s hope he gets to tour over here with his Tim Carter Band sometime soon. In the meantime, check out this album.

Review by Eilís Boland

David Leask Six in 6:8 Self Release

David Leask is a Scotsman who has been living and making music in his adopted Ontario for much of his adult life. This album is a short collection of six songs, all written in ‘his favourite 6/8 time signature’. The well crafted songs are given a broadly folk rock treatment here by David and his co-producer Justin Abedin.

All co-writes, it’s easy to see why David has won (or been placed in) several songwriting competitions over the years.

 Red Balloon, a story song about a woman remembering her mothers words to ‘let it go, let it fly’ when her balloon flew off ... only to recall this advice when her marriage breaks up and again at her mother’s deathbed. It is given a Celtic flavour with the tin whistle, flute and concertina of Loretta Reid, subtly interwoven with Rob Ickes’ dobro playing. By contrast, When You Think No One Loves You finds David singing a solo ballad with only the piano accompaniment of Jonathan Goldsmith. The struggle of a post-conflict military veteran is explored in Can’t Make It Back Home - ‘so far from heaven, living this hell’.

If you like this solid collection, you might want to check out his five album back catalogue.

Review by Eilís Boland

Ben Bedford The Hermit’s Spyglass Cavalier Recordings

If, like me, Ben Bedford is a new name to you, do yourself a favour and check out this beautiful recording from a winner of the Kerrville Grassy Hill New Folk award in 2018. A concept album of sorts, it takes the listener through a day in the life of Ben and his trusty companion, Darwin the cat. Subtitled An Illinois Prairie Story, Ben (armed with just his voice and his acoustic guitar) magically transports us to his rural home The Hermitage and immerses us completely in his world, one in which he revels in the native trees, plants, birds and animals around him. There are five instrumental tracks, interspersed with six songs.

From the opening chords of the brief instrumental Morning Rise to the gentle closer Quiet on the Green Hill, it is almost impossible not to be drawn in. Lyrically, these poetic songs could stand on their own as spoken word pieces. “Little falcon way up high, how I wish that I could fly. Then, I wouldn’t have to know the unkindness here below” (Little Falcon). Another favourite is the little vignette Morning Coffee - “The kitchen alight, the coffee is on. Fill up my mind, thorn-tree of song.”

Ben’s accomplished guitar style is reminiscent of the British 1960s players like Bert Jansch and Davey Graham. Co-produced with David Cain, the sparse production is perfect for this immersive mindful journey,

Ben is due to return to tour in the UK and Europe again in Autumn 2019 - definitely worth travelling to see. The CD is accompanied by delightful simple line drawings of Darwin and Ben by Kristin Diehl. Seek it out, then sit back and relax.

Review by Eilís Boland

New Album Reviews

Peter Bruntnell King Of Madrid Domestico

I’ve always failed to understand why Peter Bruntnell is not a household name in the industry. His latest offering King Of Madrid, had me head scratching on that very point after just a couple of spins. In a similar vein as the excellent Nos Da Comrade, released by him in 2016, it includes both explosive and heartrending material in equal measures. Again, there is nothing approaching a filler or weak track on the album. The only distinguishing factors this time around, are a lot more jangly guitars and gloriously slick pedal steel. Once more the listener is presented with a cracking collection of songs, that land somewhere between Son Volt and The Byrds, with a pinch of Teenage Fanclub on the side. 

The beefy opener Broken Wing at over six minutes isn’t a second too long. The subject matters of liberation and healing are visited. Like so much of Bruntnell’s material, the lyrics are often only considered after a few plays, such is the addictive impact of the melodies and hooks, that initially hit you right between the eyes. His distinctive vocals alongside twangy guitars and competing pedal steel are a joy. A striking guitar break, courtesy of Bruntnell, closes the track in fine style. Mr. Sunshine, the opening track from his previous album, aimed fire and brimstones at a political showman across the pond. This time around the shambolic political quagmire closer to home surfaces on Dinosaur (‘‘Greed just follows you around …..how could you know that public opinion never counted for much ‘’). Its edgy lyrics are the perfect match to the equally edgy and psychedelic sonics. Thief of Joy follows a similar thread (‘’You had the people’s fate in your hands, talking about the promised land … you can’t even tell me the truth but you don’t know why’’), directed at the monstrous political figureheads dominating the U.K. political landscape at present. Its infectious melody disguises the sordid message within.  National Library the albums closer, has a similar sentiment (‘’Do what you want it’s up to you, I know that you really don’t care, don’t want to change your point of view, you wouldn’t know what is fair’’). Bruntnell’s clever mid song inclusion of politicians squabbling childishly in the background enhances the songs message perfectly.

The title track heads in an entirely alternative direction, giving the listener time to pause for breath. It reads and sounds like an apology written to a lover for, perhaps, a minor misdemeanour. It’s a more relaxed lounge lizard offering than the majority of other tracks alongside it. The boxing gloves are removed, replaced temporarily, by a tuxedo and bow tie.  London Clay is vintage Bruntnell, bright and bouncy, loaded with more hooks than a fisherman’s tackle bag. 

Taking control of the production duties this time around, Bruntnell surrounded himself with trusted musicians and friends, all of who have performed with him on stage at some point. Mick Clews play drums, Peter Noone bass, Dave Little guitar and James Walbourne adds keyboards on the track Snow Queen. The icing on the cake is the addition of B.J. Cole and Iain Sloan on pedal steel guitar, which elevates much of the material to an altogether higher level. 

Mention must also be made of the impressive packaging and the messaging contained within.  A lovely  touch in mentioning our Kilkenny friends Clive Barnes, Garrett Kehoe, Gerard Moloney and in particular the late great Willie Meighan, all of whom have been enthusiastically supportive of Bruntnell on his many visits to Ireland, both on and off stage

In simple terms, the album is yet another collection of strikingly and evocative songs from Bruntnell. It once more showcases his talent at writing, arranging and delivering lasting music.  I hope to hear a better album this year, but seriously I doubt that I will.

Review by Declan Culliton

Caroline Spence Mint Condition Rounder

Spades & Roses, recorded in 2017, was my initial introduction to the music of Nashville resident Caroline Spence. Magical and dreamy and laced with tales of personal disarray, the album drew comparisons to Patty Griffin in both its song structure and vocal delivery. Mint Condition, her third release, is further evidence of Spence’s ability to blend impassioned lyrics and engrossing melodies. It also demonstrates a growing maturity and confidence from Spence, even if much of the material ventilates the frustrations of personal relationships and the strife of survival and personal fulfilment in a gruelling and often unforgiving industry.

Sometimes a Woman Is An Island, Who Are You and the title track, which features Emmylou Harris on backing vocals, are all beautiful tunes. However, the stand out material comes to the surface when she lets rip on the Kathleen Edwards sounding What You Don’t Know and the equally muscular Who’s Gonna Make My Mistakes. It’s unfair to always compare an album with its predecessor. Nevertheless, Mint Condition is a giant step forward by an artist coming out of her shell, growing in confidence and striking another homerun for the seemingly endless list of female artists that are dominating the business end of Americana at present. 

Spence appears to be opening up more and gathering strength on each successive album. While her earlier albums traded in traditionally melodic country folk, she has the skill set to challenge herself outside her comfort zone. Parts of this album are confirmation of this, so hopefully she might take a leaf out of Margo Price’s book, play less safe and push out the boundaries a bit more going forward. The results could be well worth the gamble.

Review by Declan Culliton

Orville Peck Pony Sub Pop

Who is that masked man? Orville Peck (alias Daniel Pitout) is the drummer from Vancouver indie band Nu Sensae. He’s also the proud owner of no fewer than fifteen handmade fringed masks, which he wears on stage.  His sonically experimental debut solo album is a left of centre throwback to what was once labelled ‘country and western’ music. The album plays out like a Western movie score, more Gothic than Spaghetti, brilliant in parts, even if it does stray well wide of conventional at times. With a booming vocal range that lands somewhere between Marlon Williams and Daniel Romano, Peck's lyrics and vocal delivery create stunning imagery across the twelve tracks on the album.  Fading light, blood red skies, rodeo queens, outlaw gamblers, wide uncrossable rivers, desert winds, marauding and careering cattle, all entered my subconscious a couple of plays in.

The material ranges from easy on the ear tours de force Dead Of Night, Winds Change, Roses Are Falling, Hope To Die and Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call) to the more challenging and mythical Kansas (Remembers Me) and Old River. The common denominator in them all is Peck’s full-toned vocals, equally impressive playing, arrangements and killer melodies.  Peck contributes the bulk of the instrumentation of guitars, banjo and keyboards. Additional guitar and keyboards are courtesy of Duncan Hay Jennings, with Lucas Savatti adding bass guitar. Recorded at The Noise Floor Studios in Gabriola Island in the Strait of Georgia in British Colombia, the tracks were recorded and mixed by Jordan Koop.

Credit to the Sub Pop label for giving Peck the exposure to a wider audience than would have been the case had the album been self-released. It will be interesting to follow whether it’s an attention seeker to launch his career, or whether Peck lets the mask slip and gallops off in a different musical direction next time around. Either way, although it may not be to everyone’s taste, personally I found it to be enthralling in the most part.

 Review by Declan Culliton

Frankie Lee Stillwater Loose

There is currently no shortage of bearded male singer songwriters taking shade under the Americana umbrella. Many appear to have been indoctrinated on a musical diet of Neil Young (1969 to 1976). Frankie Lee could be accused of being a member of this mushrooming household. If you played Stillwater and Young’s Harvest Moon back to back, you would pick up the likenesses. The dissimilarity between Lee and other such artists is that these resemblances are more a compliment to the strength of the material on the album than any copycat suggestion. In the same vein as his Loose label mate Israel Nash, the quality of his music outshines the majority of his peers.

Signed to Loose in 2015, Lee’s impressive album American Dreams - named debut album of the year by Rolling Stone - was a pointer to the potential and talent of the Minnesota born artist. Stillwater raises the bar further, offering delicate and intimate grooves, alongside some more rock tinged songs.

The album’s title namechecks the small town in middle America where Lee was born. It is also where the album was recorded over three days. Setting up studio in the small house where he grew up and under the watchful eye of co-producer Jacob Hanson, all nine tracks were either first or second takes. Given that he returned to his home town to record, it’s not surprising that much of the album’s direction focuses on reflections on his past, possibly seeking final closure on unsettling personal issues. Given these origins, themes of lost lovers, land repossessions and dwindling local employment all feature. Gentrification and the ill effects of unrestrained commercialism are visited on Downtown Lights, the first single from the album. The song is derived from a dream he had of walking with actress Jessica Lange down Stillwater’s Main Street. The ex-resident Lange, on leaving Stillwater, lamented how the town had lost its soul when the condos and tourist shops arrived, a sentiment also close to Lee’s heart.

The albums opener Speakeasy is a delight, acoustic and electric guitar wrapping around Lee’s silky vocal, unexpectedly but atmospherically joined by wind instruments at the songs climax. The slower paced In the Blue also impresses, echoed vocals and tingling piano complimenting each other. Desperation and actuality are the themes on (I Don’t Want To Know) John, the innocence of bygone days traded against the harsh reality of small town America. The albums final track Ventura is stripped back to the bare bones, only piano and harmonica accompanying Lee’s vocal.

Thoughtful song constructions, unhurried and patient, all contribute to another very satisfying album from Lee. Surprisingly he still remains slightly under the radar. If there’s any justice at all, Stillwater should raise his profile. Do seek it out, I’ve no doubt you’ll enjoy every bit as much as I am

Review by Declan Culliton

Silver Lake 66 Ragged Heart Self Release

Album two from the Portland, Oregon based duo of Maria Francis and Jeff Overbo. It continues from where their debut album left off, with a slew of self-written songs that mix classic and country rock with a solid energy and enthusiasm that is forward looking rather than retro in outlook. The majority of the songs come from Overbo with four contributions from Francis. They write solo, which offers an individual viewpoint yet a similar outlook. The songs mix lead vocals, with one or the other normally taking that role, ably backed by the other. Although some songs, like the opening Blue Earth Country, feature both handling the lead together. They are both very capable of delivering in that department and they do so throughout.

The duo produced the album with Bryan Daste, who plays pedal steel and alto sax and prepared the string and horn arrangements on the album. They are joined by Toupee Zehr and Chaz Holmes on bass and drums as a string and brass section on certain tracks (the trumpet player is one time Richmond Fontaine member Paul Brainard. This all makes for a sound that is varied and emphasises the melodic nature of the songs that are written, largely, from an honest, personal perspective. Hard Things To Do has an impassioned vocal from Francis on the Overbo written song, evoking the difficult nature of relationships.

There are a number of songs that are taken at a slower tempo that allows the pedal steel to underline the mood of the song as in Check Out To Cash (which in these parts that would be Cheque). The song has a slow intensity, underscored by steel, strings and guitar. Francis’ Broken Dreams And Cigarettes follows a similar pattern and features what may be Francis’ best vocal that perfectly fits the meditative melancholy of the lyrics. The album closes with something of a back-handed love song in Such A Mess. Ragged Heart is a show case for Silver Lake 66, one which will be well received, marking the continuing development of their music.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Kelly Hunt Even The Sparrow Rare Bird

On the cover of this album, Hunt in a tintype photograph, is pictured holding a banjo. Both suggest an earlier place and time and, indeed, the music here possesses a timeless quality. Kelly is credited with the songs which are tales of bygone eras that have a resonance in the present. This is particularly evident in Men Of The Blue & Grey (a song about a American Civil War photographer), Back To Dixie and Across The Great Divide (a love song, although one that may not be necessarily be reciprocated).

That banjo on the cover was a discovery of a case that contained an instrument which produced an altogether different sound than expected, softer and more soulful. It was once owned by a player named Ira Tamm back in the early years of the 20th century. It has a softer less harsh tone, but offers a perfect accompaniment to her fluid, folk flavoured voice. To fill the sound, she adds as required, upright bass, fiddle, organ and pedal steel as well as background vocals. Stas Heaney who (with others) plays most of these instruments, is the album’s co-producer. The sound throughout is subtle and effectively sparse, allowing the voice to tell the stories with conviction.

The album took time to record and is Hunt’s debut. She wanted to get it right and detect a way for these songs to find their own voice. It marks the start of what is likely to be a noted career. Hunt joins the ranks of those who embrace an older time and order, but do so in a way that is redolent of the modern traditionalist movement. Hunt not only involved herself in every aspect of the music, but also designed the evocative cover. A complete package that stands out by being true to itself. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Jeffery Halford and the Healers West Towards South Floating

A heavy and life hardened sound that is full of grit and gavel with tales entirely suited to a country-noir visual setting. There is evidence of some dirty blues and heartland rock, setting the perfect tone for these tales of dead men’s hands, gallows and suffocating small towns. Each song reads like a brief scenario for a gritty realism and retribution. Aside from Halford and his Healers, there are a number of additional players bringing their skills to create this elemental sound. Halford produced together with Healer Adam Rossi and engineer Dion Zimmer, who also co-wrote several of the songs with Halford. 

The album opens with the title track, a tale of Cyrus and Ambrose, who also feature in the final track Ballad Of Ambrose And Cyrus. They are a part of the story elsewhere too. It’s Halford voice that is the focus of these songs, an instrument of depth and dynamism, that draws you into the maelstrom of ragged guitars and swirling keyboards. A sound of hard-worn Americana that could easily have come along twenty years ago, but is as welcomed now as it would have been then. This cycle of songs tells its own tale of two brothers and their paths, offering a glimpse into a place that many would not physically want to go, but are happy to ride along with these musicians as guides. Deeper The Hell, Dead Man’s Hand, A Town Called Slow, Sea Of Cortez, The Gallows and Geronimo all sounds like episodes of a gritty TV series - one filled with atmosphere and abrasion.

After eight albums, the sound that Halford has been forging has now been honed to a sharp edge. Strong arrangements that are a distillation of certain aspects of Americana may spark comparisons with some contemporaries, but he has made  this album in a way that does not always come together in other cases as well as it does here. West Towards South should be on your musical compass if you like some roots rock and roll that is a hard as it is real.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Sean Whiting High Expectations Eastwood

The image of a large truck on the album’s front cover is backed up by the full throttle voice and music of Sean Whiting and his band. They play a Southern Rock orientated selection of songs, that sound like they could easily have been around a few decades ago. Whiting grew up in Eastern Kentucky listening to ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, Free and Hank Williams Jr. All of who are detectable in the DNA of this album. His demeanour is that of a man of the South, something that is clearly in his soul and in the way he sings. His hometown also was the birthplace of Loretta Lynn and her sister Crystal Gayle as well as Chris Stapleton. It is with the latter that he would have the most affinity. A big sound behind a big voice.

The players here have been previously associated with Whiting and include guitarist David Prince, Chris Justice on bass and drummer Hayden Miles. They are all players capable of delivering a ballad as well as hot for the highway gear shifting grooves. The songs are ones that are reflections of Whiting’s life and times, either lived, observed or understood. His voice is  flexible, one that can be reflective as in Melody or be tender as in the ode to his wife that is The Happy Song. The ten self written songs were co-produced by Whiting and Wesley Allen and by using the three players mentioned, they produce a full and expensive sound that is in keeping with the overall intent of his musical direction. Stop Crazy has a solid riff that reminds of U.K. rockers Free amongst others, with Whiting’s voice powering the music along. SOB finds Whiting alone with his guitar and performing the song, with as much conviction (and honesty) as the full band tracks.

This is an album that shows how wide the spread of Americana/Roots music spans. Some few years ago it would have been classified as rock, pure and simple. Whiting grew up with music, playing drums at an early age and later playing guitar in a covers band, before he began to write his own material. Finally The Beginning, his previous and first album, was released a couple of years back and this second album is a consolidation of what he learned from that experience and from countless gigs. His possesses a sound that is now as current as it was back when his influences were regulars in the charts. A place, that given the right breaks, Whiting might just find himself in the future with high expectations.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Chad Richard Worthy Cause Self Release

With the ongoing rise of Chris Stapleton as an alternative to the more wayward elements currently pushing for places on the country charts,there should be room for a singer and writer whose overall style would not be dissimilar to Stapleton’s. Richard is based in Texas and this, his second album, is recorded with Walt Wilkins again wearing the producer’s hat,alongside Ron Flynt. 

What is immediately impressive is Richard’s deep and resonant vocals and a set of self-written songs that reflect a life that has seen both light and darkness. A solid studio team has been gathered that includes both producers,who add enough variety and texture to the songs to hold interest throughout. The album opens with Slow Rollin’ Stateline a slow, soulful reflection on growing up in Louisiana and absorbing the different musical influences that surrounded Richard and which  form the diversity on show here. Love Anyway is more country in style and reminiscent of some of the best 90’scountry. Other songs like Right Now, with some solid Dobro playing,makesthe point of living in the moment. Slightly more other wordily is German Angel, the story of a house in the Texas Hill country which has the retained a ghostly presence of former lodgers.

The title track is a love song and is perhaps going to remind the casual listener of the aforementioned Stapleton,though not in any calculated way. This album is true Richards’ soul through and through. Also personal (and universal) is 12 More Days Of Blue which deals with the  relationship of a child and a divorced parent and the regulated time they may have together. Fredericksburg is a song that looks at a way a couple can drift apart with life’s demands and finding the time to find each other again.

The tempos, in the main, are slow paced and bluesy and allow the mood to balance a certain melancholy with a positive outlook. The overall album speaks for itself and is best considered within some quiet space and time. As the album title says it is a worthy cause and one that should and, hopefully, will find listeners for its  mature and mindful roots music.

Review by Stephen Rapid

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Adam Carroll I Walk In Them Shoes Self Release

This well regarded musician’slatest album underscores why he has achieved many  admirers among other songwriters,as well as fans. This is a stripped back recording that features just Carroll’s voice and guitar and some judicious pedal steel, rhythm and slide guitar accompaniment from producer Lloyd Maines.

Carroll introduces each song with a spoken title and what follows is the bare bones delivery of the songs with sparse arrangements or no uneeded elaboration. It is then likely to be close to what you would hear in a live concert,allowing the words to be clear and considered. There have been comparisons to John Prine, Guy Clark and to Townes van Zandt; which makes sense, given that this songsmith has sought to make every word countv throughout. His songs are about characters and lifestyles that are vivid and visual in their descriptive power. This Old Garage is about songwriters and song-writing and mentions Ritchie Havens, John Sebastian and Willie Nelson in passing. The title song, a co-write with Paul Cauthen and Brian Rug, also looks at the life of the modern troubadour for good and bad. On Cordelia Carroll, there isuse ofa harmonium to add an element of depth to a song that is one he wrote for his wife. My Only Good Shirt equates the garment with a life that has been equally well worn but loved.

Carroll’swriting style is not oblique,but rather uses its commonality of language to bring clarity to the essence of what these songs mean. In this bare state they are the essence of storytelling at its most direct and therefore brings you closer to the songs that Carroll (and his co-writers) intended. It feels like those shoes will comfortable for many a mile.

Review by Stephen Rapid

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Jonathan Byrd and The Pickup Cowboys Self-Titled Self Release

Although Byrd has other releasesunder his own name this is the only album recorded with The Pickup Cowboys. This was due to the illness and subsequent passing of bassist/cellist Paul Ford. This is an obvious loss, as the album they recorded together is both interesting and enjoyable one. The songs were, in the main, written by Byrd with a few exceptions, including two songs written by Matt Fockler. The sound is a modern take on some traditionally-minded contemporary country music. Lakota Sioux (by Fockler) is a celebration of the Native American tribe and its culture and pursuit of the buffalo before being forced to live on a reservation. There is a  kind of tongue in cheek humour that runs through some of the songs such as Temporary Tattoo “I showed my love for you with a temporary tattoo … I didn’t want it to hurt.”

Very much at the heart of this album with Byrd is fellow multi-instrumentalist Johnny Waken and the rhythm section of the aforementioned Ford and drummer Joanna Miller. The sound is a blend of folk, rock and country embellished with touches of mandolin, piano, toy glockenspiel and musical saw. The album was recorded in Chapel Hill in North Carolina and a location that has been immersed in  a strong musical community for several years. Byrd has a distinctive enough voice to handle the different moods of the songs from the semi-yodel of the opening Pickup Cowboy, through the up-tempo and invigorating Tractor Pull - a boy meets girl scenario. Another highlight is the catchy and true When The Well Runs Dry.

Later in a more folkish mode is the cello and acoustic guitar mode of It Don’t Make Sense and the sweet acoustic lullaby of Do You Dream, that uses the musical saw to good effect. The latter two songs end the album in a more reflective, less upfront mode, that works even if it gives the album a wider remit than some may like. In the end though, it is a fitting tribute to all involved.

Review by Stephen Rapid

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Eric Bolander The Wind Eastwood

The title track has garnered attention for its considered look at adversity and the struggle that can come to stand up to it. Bolander is an Americana artist with all that that entails: a mix of country, folk, country rock, southern rock, country soul and all points west. There is a brooding weary intensity to some of the songs like Oh Lord, a prayer-like exhortation that has cancer and medication at its core. It, like many of the tracks here, has both banjo and cello giving a high/low balance behind the sonorous vocal. Many of the other songs fall into this  theme of hard times and the compensating look for highs. Bolander grew up in a small Kentucky town and knew all about the needsto work hard and think beyond expectations to achieve what he wanted in life. This is not exactly a cheerful album but neither is it one that brings you down; rather you can empathise with the struggles involved in the subjects of these songs.

His version of Purple Rain is not the first time that Prince has been covered by a country/Americana artist but this version takes the song to a different and more rootsy place that justifies its inclusion and its sounds perfectly in sync with the overall mood of the album and Bolander’s songwriting. Bolander co-produced the album with Duane Lundy and uses the core players of Ben Caldwell and Seth Murphy on drums and bass/cello. Trenton Jenkins plays the banjo that is often prominent on the album. Lundy adds keyboards and Bolander the guitars.

He has previouslyplayed in blues/rock bands and that experience is a part of his musical landscape, alongside the influence of such straight hearted country singers like Keith Whitley, Don Williams and George Jones. Closer to home he also cites John Moreland in that list of influential musicians. The Wind is an album for a certain mood and listening time where and when it will offer you solace and satisfaction.

Review by Stephen Rapid

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Bard Edrington V Espadín Self Release

A performer who is channelling the directness and simplicity of blues and old-time music in his own way. The Santa Fe, New Mexico singer songwriter has made an album that takes his influences a step forward into these times and does so while respecting the traditions that the songs were drawn from. The title is a reflection of the time he spent playing music in Mexico and the culture and landscape of that country has also found a place in his own writing and playing.

He worked with co-producers Bill Palmer and Boris McCutcheon to deliver an album that sounds like some storytelling at its most concise,accompanied by arrangements that run from the stripped down (Spread My Wings, Rendezvous Duel) to the full band with trumpet that evokes a region with some shades of authenticity (Take Three Breaths). There are a number of additional instruments involved here that add to the flavour of these location infused stories. Bass, drums and guitar are central to a lot of the music but it is enhanced with cello, viola, fiddle, banjo, mandolin and accordion. Centred around an acoustic heartbeat the songs are full of life, love and latitude.

Edrington is also a convincing singer and player who utilises his gifts to good effect on this hisdebut solo release. He previously released a number of albums as a part of a band, The Palm In The Cypress. He is a musician who, with his family, lives anoutdoor life where he can experience life at its most grounded. That connection comes across in the music. However,in the end what makes this special is how you feel about the music that is on offer here and that is a powerful distillation of all the thethings that have made Edrington who and what he is. And that is a musician who brings his blend of the flavours of Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, Mexico and New Mexico to life in this rewarding album.

Review by Stephen Rapid

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Josh Hyde Into the Soul Self Release

Opening with the blues shuffle of Rocking Chair and continuing with the rich rhythm of Smile; Louisiana native Josh Hyde continues to confirm himself as a musician of some depth and groove. This is his second release and there is a mix of Little Feat meets Bonnie Raitt to some of the arrangements and a strong sense of New Orleans influences on a number of other tracks.

The slow drift of For You I Ache, with atmospheric pedal steel by Chris Lippincott meeting creative piano runs of Jimmy Wallace, is a real joy while the easy tempo of Lover’s Curse and The Key suggest a more commercial, radio-friendly workout. 

Down On Bourbon Street and All You Need Is Soul really solidify the feeling that here is an artist of real talent and the closing track, Reasons Why, delivers a slow reflective coda to all that has gone before. Country Soul with some swagger and a very enjoyable listen.

Review by Paul McGee

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Andy Statman Monroe Bus Shefa

Growing up in Queens, NYC was the beginnings of an eclectic education in a variety of musical genres, all of which have led to the creation of this impressive collection of 13 tracks, supposedly centered around the influence of Bill Monroe, bluegrass legend, but, in reality, delivering so much more outside the confines of such a restrictive box.

The bluegrass influence is very prevalent on tracks such as Monroe Bus, Brooklyn Hop, Raw Ride, Statman Romp and Lakewood Waltz, but there is so much more to admire in the colour of the jazz tinged workouts, Ain’t No Place For a Girl Like you and Reflections; to the avant-garde progressions of Ice Cream On the Moon, which reminds me of that wonderful English band, Gentle Giant, in composition. The lack of any vocals on the album should take something away from the overall experience but it doesn’t seem to impact as the various tracks unfold.

A mandolin player par excellence, Statman has gathered a group of studio musicians who generate quite an impressive array of phrasings and skills across the tracks on offer. Statman has a very fluid and lyrical playing style and some of his solos are quite dizzying in technique. All tunes are composed by the man himself and production by Edward Haber brings great clarity and space to the sound.  The reflective Old East River Road, with Hammond and pump organ accompaniment, is typical of the side roads taken throughout this project, with all routes leading back to a very impressive destination that delivers on a number of fronts.  

Review by Paul McGee

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Kristina Stykos River of Light Thunder Ridge

Kristina Stykos is a music producer, recording engineer, songwriter, radio host, podcaster and a very talented musician. She is based in Vermont, where she has her own recording studio, Pepperbox - a solar, wind and generator powered space, fully off-the-grid and where this record was created. She also has her own record label, Thunder Ridge Records, to release her own material and has produced over 20 albums for herself and various clients since 2005.

In the past, Lonesome Highway has reviewed two of her own releases; Wyoming Territory (2012) and Horse Thief (2015). Her sound is very much American Roots music and as an artist who appreciates the beauty and benefits of nature, her rich lyrical imagery is matched by her passionate delivery.

On this project, Kristina delivers 13 self-penned songs and a self-produced sound that is crystal clear and full of bright spaces. Kristina plays a range of instruments throughout, from guitars to mandolins and from keyboards to her powerful vocals - reminiscent of Patti Smith; some spoken-word, plenty of edgy conviction and always delivering in spades.

The studio band comprises Val McCallum (guitars, vocals), Steve Mayone (guitars, bass, lap steel, shaker & vocals), Patrick Ross (fiddle, cello), Jeff Berlin (drums) and Abby Jenne (vocals). Together they complement each other seamlessly and produce a real tour de force with a high level of playing and performance. 

Songs like Walking These Ridges and Since You Asked look at standing alone in life, being independent and looking to Mother Nature for answers and quiet calm. A theme of going back to basics repeats in songs like Breaking Trail and Waging Peace, while in Blessed Light, there are prayers for our redemption offered in the hope that humankind can find a way back to the Source.

At the Edge has a terrific groove and looks to new answers, as revolution seems to be a viable solution against the greed in the world.  Relationships and their abusive power are the subject of Caught By The Heart, while In The Cleansing Rain looks at the naked honesty and trust that are sought in true love.

Our lack of perspective is pitted against the path that mother nature walks, as a primal influence, and Kristina examines the need to trust ourselves and the enduring power of this Earth to provide. This is a talent that merits close attention.

Review by Paul McGee

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Latest Album Reviews

James Steinle South Texas Homecoming Self-Release

Less than a minute into the opening track of James Steinle’s maiden album and his cards are laid squarely on the table. The accented drawled vocal and stinging pedal steel have an undisputable Texas ring about them. These benchmarks are firmly stamped across the twelve tracks on the album. It’s a direct statement of where he’s coming from musically. Although he’s uncomfortable being simply branded with the ‘country artist’ tag, the album is a throwback to what was once labelled ‘Texan Country’. There is a new generation of artists emerging from the Lone Star State keeping that flame burning and Steinle’s name can undoubtedly be added to that checklist. The driving forces that inspire these enthusiasts are often fellow statesmen such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen and adopted Texans Steve Earle and Chris Knight.

South Texas Homecoming pays homage to them all, both in the structure of the material and the quality of the playing throughout. A number of the songs had me head scratching, wondering had I come across them before. Finding Out Who I Always Shoulda Been may be a statement of Steinle’s musical vocation. ‘’I’ve been known to spread myself thin and I’ve gone back time and time again. These wheels have taken me for a spin, now I’m finding out who I always shoulda been’’. Plucked out of Robert Earl Keen’s styling it boasts slick lyrics, flowing vocals, neat fiddling and lots of gilt-edged pedal steel. More than just a copycat track, it could nestle proudly beside the best of Earl Keen’s work. Pictures slows things down a notch or two, a gentle acoustic ballad with a story to tell of loneliness and separateness. The eerie Give Some More is vintage Earle, Copperhead Road era.

Western Swing gets an outing with the jazzy South Texas Way: you can nearly feel the burning sun and see the fish jumping in the midday heat as Steinle rejoices “Y’all city slickers been living alright, but when’s the last time you saw stars at night? That’s why I’m sticking to the sticks. Outta sight!”. Zancudo (Mosquito) Blues plays out like it’s dressed up in old-time hillbilly attire. However, far from tongue in cheek, its lyrics insinuate unimaginable pain from a persecuted soul, racked by loss.  Look Out Below Mama follows an autobiographical tale of returning to Texas from the Middle East after a seemingly lifetime away from home. Confessional to the bone, it tells of a privileged upbringing abroad and a difficult rehabilitation both psychologically and socially, on returning to Texas. The old timey delight Sticky Nickels hints at personal recovery and comeback. It features another emerging Austin talent Carson Mc Hone on harmony vocals and a pledge by Steinle - “Because the way I’m living it’s quite unorthodox, got a busted compass and holy socks. I never quit moving, don’t mean I can’t stop’’.

For this writer, South Texas Homecoming is one that nearly got away. Released in mid-2018 it only came to my attention recently. A couple of plays in and it feels like a collection of songs I’ve been listening to for an age. John Ross Silva, who previously worked with Kris Kristofferson, Hayes Carll, Hal Ketchum and Jamie Lin Wilson, handled the production duties and got the mix spot on, helped enormously by the quality of the playing throughout.

There is great music still coming out of Texas, although sometimes you just have to do a bit of digging to uncover it. With the calibre of Steinle, Carson Mc Hone, Kayla Ray, Jamie Lin Wilson and Jason James representing the newer generation of Texan songsmiths, it’s safe to say the future is in safe hands. Let’s hope they bring their generation of music lovers and punters along with them to support them on the journey. South Texas Homecoming arrived over a month ago and a lot of other albums have landed since. Having said that, I’m still finding myself wading through the pile to play this one time and time again. It’s discoveries like this that make this reviewing lark so worthwhile!

Review by Declan Culliton 

Massy Ferguson Great Divides North & Left

Seattle grinding alt-rockers Massy Ferguson’s reputation as a storming live act is well established. Occupying the same space as The Bottle Rockets, Lucero, The Hold Steady and to a slightly lesser degree Son Volt, the four piece’s music concoction of high energy grunge, cowpunk and rock excels on Great Divides. The album follows their 2017 release Run Right Into The Wall. It’s musically on the same page but creates a more lasting impression of a band shifting into top gear and delivering their beefiest collection of songs to date.

I often feel that slotting bands like Massy Ferguson into the Americana genre, however well meaning, does not do them favours, or justice for that matter. I’m eagerly waiting the re-emergence of a simple tag called ‘rock’, and giving acts like them and others a larger and more appreciative listenership. 

The four-piece band features founding members and songwriters Ethan Anderson (vocals and bass) and Adam Monda (vocals and guitars).  Dave Goedde (drums) and Fred Slater (keyboards) complete the foursome. Adra Boo, one half of the now defunct electric funk duo Fly Moon Royalty, adds bluesy vocals on the albums first single - the Stonesy Maybe The Gods.  Drop An Atom Bomb On Me rocks along full tempo with a wily Sweet Home Alabama riff. Echoed guitar and keyboards open the full-on belter Rerun. It’s not all full throttle though - Saying You Were There and Wolf Man prove that Anderson and Monda are no slouches, penning and delivering killer torch ballads as well as rampant rockers. The album’s highlight is Momma’s In The Backseat, bringing to mind The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. The song communicates directly with the listener, catching your attention and holding it. Its spoken delivery of adolescent misadventure is instantly addictive. The song narrative tells of teenagers out at night, cruising and looking for action. It all ends in tears as they are sent packing by kids with a similar motive, with the scribe relieved to get home to Momma and his comfort zone; “what I wanted to do was wrap myself in that old Star Wars blanket and go to sleep’’. 

Massy Ferguson are yet another band from the US that have earned a growing fan base in Europe where they tour regularly, playing festivals and headline shows. Lovers of the previously mentioned The Hold Steady’s music will recognise the similarities and qualities of Great Divide and love it. A killer rock album, simple as that!

Review by Declan Culliton

Steel Blossoms Self-Title Billy Jam

First impressions can often be deceptive. On my initial spin of Steel Blossoms second full length release my first impressions were of gorgeous harmonies, tight playing and some slick songs. The liner notes with the album open with the following acknowledgment “First, we want to thank our heavenly father for giving us the gift of music and blessing us with the opportunity to share it with others for a living’’. On further spins and having read that I was surprised, but not disappointed, by the subject matter of many of the songs, which contradict the girl next door images of the duo that adorn the impressive album packaging. Topics including domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, infidelity and murder are visited across the albums ten tracks, giving the album an unexpected quirky edge.

Sarah Zebley and Hayley Prosser are childhood friends raised in small town Pittsburgh. Relocating to Nashville, the duo initially made their mark performing in bars and honky tonks in Music City before spreading their wings with bookings at festivals across the US. They were the first signing to award winning songwriter Jerry Salley’s Billy Jam record label. Salley also undertook production duties and co-wrote five of the tracks on this album.  

You’re The Reason I Drink is a modern day take on a familiar country song theme. “I was feeling kinda cautious when you brought me two Beroccas, you were thinking this would set me free’’. I don’t recall any other classic country song that name checks an energy drink but it’s tongue in cheek and catchy as hell. Trailer Neighbour is equally light hearted, playful and easy on the ear.  Revenge is an altogether different story, a dark tale of domestic abuse narrated by the slayed partner as she plots to haunt her killer. Killed A Man revisits the controlling relationship issue, unremorseful and matter of fact: “I didn’t want to do but he would have beat me to it’’. Pick Me Up is classic country - alcohol enslavement and escapism from the mundane nine to five job at its core. Innocent laments the loss of childhood simplicity and the often hard knocks that real life delivers. The rousing You Ain’t Sleeping Over is full on Route One honky tonk: “ Put that ring on my finger or don’t come knocking on my door’’. Kentucky’s Never Been This Far closes the album in style - abandoning the booze, pills and marauding of the preceding tracks, it’s a simple country love ballad, the only cover on the album and a fitting bookend to the album.

Steel Blossoms should appeal to fans of Kacy Musgraves, Miranda Lambert and particularly  The Secret Sisters. Their formula of polished country songs, flawless musicianship and production, together with divine vocal delivery and spikey harmonies should get them a lot of industry attention. The album is loaded with radio friendly songs without crossing over to the dreaded pop/country that dominates radio playlists at present. With the benefit of a few breaks and with the correct exposure, this album should establish Steel Blossoms as serious players in the mainstream country market.

Review by Declan Culliton

Eric Brace, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz Riverland  Red Beet

Concept albums don’t always work, but this Nashville trio of friends have blown that concept right out of the water with this superlative collection of songs themed around the Mississippi River. Seldom does an album come along that impresses this much on first listen and then continues to improve exponentially with each play.

In fact, it’s not surprising, given the pedigree of the artists involved, that there was a bit of a fight here in Lonesome Highway when the album came up for review! I’m just lucky that I was in the right place at the right time..

German born multi-instrumentalist songwriter Thomm Jutz is rarely out of the bluegrass charts these days, either as a songwriter or as a producer. This collaboration is the second album from the trio and was recorded and mixed in Thomm’s studio. Renaissance man Peter Cooper is renowned as a music journalist with The Tennessean and a lecturer in Vanderbilt University, as well as being a consummate songwriter and performer. Co-founder of Red Beet Records, Eric Brace formerly worked as a journalist in DC before moving to East Nashville and falling into the company of fellow musicians and songwriters.

Most of the songs are written by one or other of the trio either solo or collaboratively, but they are also joined by regular co-writer John Hadley for a couple of songs. Mainly recorded on acoustic instruments, they are bolstered by the presence of Mark Fain on bass, Mike Compton on mandolin, Lynn Williams on drums and Tammy Rogers (The Steeldrivers) on fiddle. 

The historical context of the river is explored in two songs: Down Along The River details the taking of Vicksburg in 1863 by General Grant after a four month siege; and Drowned And Washed Away is a sombre retelling of the horrors of the flood of 1927 - here Thomm’s melancholy playing on resonator guitar sets the mood most beautifully. Mike Compton’s mastery of the mandolin shines in the story of a keelboat man (half wild horse and half swamp gator!) who was effectively made redundant by the arrival of the steamboat - all explained in King Of The Keelboat Men.

In The Presence Of The River mentions many of the literary and musical geniuses that the famous river has spawned, but it stands out as a demonstration of the heavenly three part harmonies that the three close friends are capable of. Civil right and civil wrongs are raised in Mississippi Magic from Peter Cooper, where he is inspired by the life of the late Rev Will D. Campbell. Campbell was a well known white preacher and civil rights activist, friend and supporter of Martin Luther King and also a close friend of songwriter Tom T. Hall. The pair were known to make whiskey and drink it together - find out all about it in Tom T. And Brother Will.

Lastly, the album is accompanied by a detailed booklet with notes and superb historical photographs of the people and places chronically so lovingly in the project. 

Review by Eiliís Boland

The Lonesome Ace String Band When The Sun Comes Up Self Release

Canadian trio and stalwarts of the Ontario folk/bluegrass/old time scene for many years, Chris Coole, John Showman and Max Heineman have released an absolute tour de force of an album. Although steeped in the Old Time tradition, there’s a distinctively progressive feel to this third album, with many new tunes and songs contributed individually by the talented three, as well as a few covers. Refreshingly there are no cliches here, either in the playing or in the compositions. 

Each of the band are comfortable delivering lead vocals and the playing is tight - honed over years of playing together both in their hometown gigs in Toronto and on the road together.

Clawhammer banjo player Chris Coole is respected as one of the best in the business. His original  instrumental composition American Refugee (inspired by the huge flood of enquiries to Canadian immigration authorities after a recent US Presidential election) is simply haunting. But he’s also got a knack for songwriting, like in his murder ballad Joe Puckett and his Loving Mother wherein one of them comes to a sticky end. I won’t spoil the surprise, but just remember that “you know there ain’t a mother alive, can’t tell when her son is lyin.’’

O’Grady Road was written by bass player Max Heineman in response to the tearing down of his ancestral home. This event prompted a poignant retelling of his family’s history (his mother’s Irish antecedents were road builders) but it ends on a positive note - ‘I’m not certain now about the why or when, but I know Lord, I know we’ll build again’.

Self produced, the production sparkles and the arrangements are fresh - none more so than on fiddle player John Showman’s retelling of the last hours of the infamous bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd. Deft songwriting and a catchy fiddle riff transports the listener right into the scene, described in graphic and gory detail, and Pretty Boy delivers his last words over the back drop of cleverly arranged backing vocals. John also contributes a gorgeous instrumental tune Sweetberry Wine, a homage to the W Virginian fiddle tradition.

And if all the above wasn’t enough, the whole album is beautifully packaged - the jacket is based on a traditional letterpress design in hues of orange and yellow. 

Review by Eilís Boland

Carl Solomon Simple Things Self Release

This is the third release from a singer songwriter who resides in Portland, Oregon. He is involved in a local chapter of a national organization, Soldier Songs & Voices; a valuable service which gives a creative outlet to War Vets by teaching them music, guitar & song writing skills.

Solomon writes all his own material and included in the ten tracks here are four co-writes, which shows his collaborative side. Just Like You is a song about the struggles that war veterans face in trying to fit back into society. Whistle of the Train and Ticket to Nowhere deal with the pain of lost love while Come What May tells of lost souls on the road looking for a meaningful destination. 

Produced by Solomon, the songs are very pleasant without ever getting into a different gear – nice playing from the studio musicians and an easy laid-back style.

Review by Paul McGee

The Jake Bartley Band Brotherhood Bonfire

If you like a blend of rock, country, soul, jazz and blues, then this band are right up your street. From the opening smooth soul groove of Slippin’ to the country sound of This One’s For the Highway; this 6-piece band cover all the bases with consummate ease. Cannonball features Vince Gill on vocals, so you know that a certain standard has already been reached in attracting such a named artist to this project.

Jake Bartley has a fine voice and sings all the lead parts, as well as contributing on rhythm guitar. The saxophone of Bill Christmas brings plenty of gifts across the 12 tracks featured and his interplay with Steven Cathcart on pedal steel is a real standout. Bartley contributes 5 songs, including 2 co-writes, and other band members also get credits across a further 6 tracks. 

The extended jam on One Way Out (Elmore James/Sonny Boy Williamson/Marshall E. Schorn), features an excellent interchange between guests Randy Kohrs on resophonic guitar and Robby Turner on pedal steel. Another cover, Where Rainbows Never Die (Chris Stapleton/ Mike Henderson), is given a fine arrangement with the superb voice of Bartley really kicking into gear.

Stephen Hudson features on fiddle and Andrew Crawford, on various guitars, is also excellent throughout. Tracks like Too Sad to Sing the Blues, Wild and Free, The Miles and Music Life, highlight the fine production of band members Jake Bartley, Matt Miller (bass, 3 song credits) and Andrew Crawford (guitars, vocals, 5 song credits). A very enjoyable listen.

Review by Paul McGee

The Lowdown Drifters Last Call For Dreamers Self Release

The Lowdown Drifters are a Country band from Stanwood, Washington State and were formed in 2015. They released a debut in 2016 (Wood & Water) and with this new release they build upon their local reputation as a band on the rise.

With Big John Cannon (Vocals), Ryan Klein (Acoustic Guitar), Richard Williams (Electric Guitar), Tim Fernley (Bass) and Galen Bailey (Drums) comprising the core band, the sleeve notes credit an additional 12 musicians who contributed to this album. There is no breakdown of who plays what among the additional players but there are fiddles & steel guitar sounds on a number of tracks that fill out the production by Malcolm Springer. Ryan Klein has credits on 6 songs, with John Cannon chipping in on a further 7 tracks (4 co-writes included).

There are road songs about paying your dues; Barstools, Last Night In Denver, Diesel Smoke and The Road. The radio friendly, We Three Kings, scores with a fine tempo, backed by a driving beat and many of the songs on this collection come with a quality in the playing and an authenticity that convinces these guys are the real deal. 

Red Rock, This Old House and Black Hat are songs about lost love and fractured relationships while drinking away the pain and sinking towards the dark side are topics that get an airing in Empty Bottles and Between the Bottom and the Bottle …. Diamonds and Rust has an interesting guitar refrain that repeats as the melody builds into a powerful tempo and Won’t Find Me Anymore is reminiscent of early Skynyrd with a smoky, gravely tone in the delivery by John Cannon. Indeed, his rich vocals lead from the front throughout.  Highly recommended.

Review by Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

Lucy Kitt Stand By Westbere 

The debut album from Essex based singer songwriter Lucy Kitt harks back to the classic folk sound of the late 60’s and early 70’s, with Joni Mitchell an obvious influence. However, it would be overly simplistic to brand Kitt merely a Mitchell imitator, her talent as a writer has been acknowledged by both the BBC Young Folk Awards and her success in the 2014 Gibson/Sundance Song Writing Competition in 2014. She also graced the stage of Glastonbury in 2017.

The album is essentially acoustic, the focus being Kitt’s gentle celestial vocals on the ten self written tracks. Spirited support comes courtesy of Sam Beer on piano, Wurlitzer and guitars, Dave Holmes on bass and Pat Kenneally on percussion. Rather than flesh out some of the tracks, Kitt has stuck to her guns and delivered tracks mostly accompanied only by her acoustic guitar. A brave move it has to be said, as the songs may have made a more instant impact on the listener with the inclusion of additional instrumentation in the mix. The exception is the punchy Devil’s Luck, the most electric of the ten tracks. Kitt’s song writing is both personal and confessional. The opening and title track finds her creating beauty out of pain, bearing her soul as she ponders on a failed relationship. Gone follows a similar theme, lost love still raw and tender. Said And Done brings to mind Courtney Marie Andrews, beautifully pitched vocals on a tale of reconciliation and survival. Better Days, the albums closing track, pleads for regeneration and relief (‘’All I’m looking for, all I’m looking for are ways, back to the better days’’). 

Bearing in mind the recurring theme of loss surfacing on much of the material, it’s presented without a hint of self-pity or ego. Simplicity is possibly the strongest element throughout this collection of well-constructed and candid songs. It’s a creative forward step for Kitt which did take me a few listens to connect, but the time invested was well worth the effort. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Todd Snider Cash Cabin Sessions, No.3 Thirty Tigers

The latest offering from raconteur Todd Snider was recorded at the Johnny Cash Cabin Studio in Tennessee. An apostle of fellow songwriter and story teller Jerry Jeff Walker – he recorded an album of the New Yorker’s songs in 2012 – Snider possesses similar talents as a tale teller and songwriter. Excellent early career albums Songs For The Daily Planet (1994), Happy To Be Here (2000), East Nashville Skyline (2004) and The Devil You Know (2006), surprisingly made little or no commercial impact, despite the high regard he is held in by his peers and ardent fan base.

 His latest recording unfolds very much in the same vein as his live shows, hard edged folk songs laced with discerning observations and self-effacement.  Stripped back, acoustic and raw, the material ranges from the beautifully shambolic The Blues On The Banjo to the razor-sharp Talking Reality Television Blues. The latter details the control and misinformation of the media and its eventual capacity in influencing the election of a certain President (‘’Reality killed by a reality star’’). Acoustic guitar, harmonica and Snider’s semi broken, semi spoken vocals dominate across twelve tracks. The recording environment inspired some nostalgia tripping, with references to Loretta Lynn dancing with the ghost of Johnny Cash (The Ghost of Johnny Cash), Elvis Presley’s roadie (Watering Flowers In The Rain) and Cash’s close buddy Cowboy Jack Clements (Cowboy Jack Clements Waltz). The standout track Like A Force of Nature features a cameo appearance by neighbour Jason Isbell.

Raw, roughhewn and unpolished, Cash Cabin Sessions No.3 could be an album of outtakes to be fully fleshed out and dressed at a mixing desk. Maybe not the best starting point for newcomers to Snider, it’s hardly going to gain him any new friends but will be loved by his cult following. 

Snider’s finger never seems too far away from the self-destruct button yet he continues to be rightly regarded as a classic American songwriter. Long may he reign. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Patty Griffin Self Titled Thirty Tigers

It has been four long years since the last studio release, Servant Of Love, which was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Folk Album. The good news is that this latest collection of 13 songs is every bit as good and another important milestone in a career that just keeps climbing higher.

The core personnel remain largely the same, with a group of experienced players that set the atmosphere and mood of the songs, all of which are embellished by the soaring soulful voice of Griffin. A voice which exists on a level that few artists attain, let alone sustain for what could be considered any enduring length of time. 

David Pulkingham (acoustic guitar, piano); Craig Ross (bass guitar, lap steel, organ, drones, percussion, baritone guitar); Lindsey Verrill (cello); Conrad Choucroun (drums & percussion), are the key players across the project, with both Patty and Craig Ross on co-production. The sound is wonderfully clear and full of space for the impressive talents of each musician to shine forth.

Starting proceedings on Mama’s Worried, with Patty on sublime vocals and David Pulkingham displaying his sensitive and sophisticated playing, sets a strong marker for the rest of the album. The metaphor of water appears on both River and What Now, where we are given insight into the self determination and endurance of a woman to survive, both strong and free; hints of the mystery contained in the grand plan and our place in the unknown, an invitation to trust the Universe.

Luminous Places seems to deal with acceptance and the possibility of life as a dream – dust to dust! The orphan in Had A Good Reason spins a wistful tale that is heart rending in its’ sense of confusion and sad acceptance. The refugees of Mama’s Worried and the emigrants of Boys from Tralee could also be looked upon as one and the same; as relevant today as in times past, as history repeats itself in different parts of this dizzy world. 

The Wheel has a blues shuffle and understated groove. The longest track on the album and one that deals with perhaps the cycle of life, depression and crushing mortality. The last two songs are performed solo by Patty, one on piano, the other on guitar and both are simply stunning. What I Remember is an insight into the fragile nature of relationships and the fleeting nature of life. Just the Same is lighting a torch in the darkness to failed love and the enduring essence in trying.

The lyric booklet has a picture of Patty, sitting in a garden chair, boots on the armrests, and two dogs sitting with her, howling towards the sky…Hers has always been the space to look with sensitivity at the heartache and longing on this journey we try to make sense of; the pain and suffering are tempered with compassion and empathy and running through everything is the possibility of hope and redemption. Long may she shine!

Review by Paul McGee

Fruit Bats Gold Past Life Merge 

Folk rock, Indie folk, alternative country… What’s in a label these days? Fruit Bats started as a solo project for Eric D. Johnson before evolving into a band that has released 6 previous records. Johnson has been a guitarist in both Califone and The Shins and the influence of other acts suggest an eclectic approach to this latest project. 

Drawn Away walks a line between dream pop and Americana. Where this line gets crossed is entirely up to the listener and the strains of ELO meets Scissors Sisters on the title track are balanced against the Beck influenced, The Bottom Of It.  Ocean is an acoustic track that highlights the easy vocal tone of Johnson, while the hints of lap steel on Your Dead Grandfather and A Lingering Love suggest an interesting detour among the swirling keyboard sounds.  

It all comes together on Mandy From Mohawk (Wherever You May Be), a look back at love remembered amidst sweet melodies and gentle rhythm. Engaging and energising.

Review by Paul McGee

Cat Fury & the Thunderbirds Visions of Eden Self Release

Comprising of Cat Fury (vocals, guitars, mandolins, keyboards & bass) and Kurt Schefter (guitars, bass, Synthesizers, vocals) this duo has produced an album of some substance. Both musicians are very experienced, having met in Canada and played in any number of previous bands. Schefter recorded and toured with Alannah Myles for many years while Cat Fury had spent lots of time and talent establishing herself on the Toronto music scene. Now living in Ireland, they combine with Sean Kilbride (drums), Conor Daly (banjos) to produce great quality and variety across the eleven tracks included here. 

The rock sound of He’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll and Jailbreak is balanced by the easy blues of Irish Warrior and Terradactyl Luv, which channels a JJ Cale groove that smoulders. Iseult’s Blues showcases the impressive talents of Schefter and the sultry vocals of Fury as the brooding tempo builds around the legend of Tristan and Isolde (Iseult). There is the rockabilly sound of Rock-A-Billy Boy to enjoy and the country sounds of The Roselined Road, together with the hilarious My Husband Hates My Mandolin, balance things beautifully!! 

There is a commercial Pop sound to tracks High Strung and High On Him while the superb duet on Albuquerque is a real treat with Schefter sounding all Jagger-esque on a slow blues burn. 

Plenty here for all to enjoy, even if this duo is yet to truly define their signature sound. Well worth investigation.

Review by Paul McGee

Martin & the Fall Self-Titled Self Release

A 4-track EP from a trio that really impress and leave you wanting more. Martin is the vocalist, along with Tania Hancheroff and they are augmented by the excellent Chip Martin on guitars, bass and mandolin.

All four tracks are instantly likeable; The Things You Cannot Win, The Last Time, Better Off In Love and Didn’t Mean To End Up Here have a charm and quality that resonates. No other information available, despite web searches – such is the lot of a music reviewer! Perhaps Martin and Chip Martin are one and the same; marks for effort?

Review by Paul McGee

Marty Brown American Highway Plowboy 

Not so long ago on the Lonesome Highway radio show we did a feature on artists who appeared to have gone under the radar. One artist featured on that programme, with a track from his third MCA album, was Marty Brown. Those albums produced by Tony Brown between 1991 and 1994 we’re excellent if already too country for the mainstream even back then. He released one more album Here’s To The Honky Tonks on Hightone in 1996. Then there was a long silence until Brown appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2013 where he sang his version of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love which subsequently gained many views online.

Now Brown is back with a brand new album on Plowboy for his first album in 25 years. A lot has changed in those years but Brown is still worth hearing. The sound of the MCA albums has changed as has Brown’s voice to something more mature and seasoned. The sound is broader and current while making no concession to pop-country that is filling the airwaves these days. None-the-less it is aiming at reaching a wider potential audience. Brown, realistically will never be a major name in the current market place. However his fans will be delighted to have him back and new listeners will find a singer and writer giving his all and hitting some solid blue collar sentiments. His co-producer and often co-writer Jon Tiven is responsible for the overall sound. Tiven has previously worked with such h diverse artists as Frank Black (who adds some harmony vocals here), Lesley West, Wilson Pickett, Waylon Jennings and Chuck Mead. Recorded in Nashville they have produced a big warm sound that should engender a wider appeal.

Brown can easily handle the emotional and often soulful tones of such titles as Mona Lisa Smiles, Kentucky Blues to the hard edged I’m On A Roll (Better Than It’s Been) or Right Out Of Left Field. Brown brings his influences to bear on these tracks. There is a mix of country, blues, rockabilly, soul and gospel influences that blend into something solid and wholesome. Welcome back Marty Brown.

Review by Stephen Rapid

The Shootouts Quick Draw Self Release

This Akron, Ohio five piece band have cover a number of musical bases all related to a knowledge and love of the more traditional aspects of country music. they describe themselves on their website as blend of such good things as Bob Wills and Roy Orbison as well as Marty Stuart and Dwight Yoakam. So that’s an enticing mix of Bakersfield beat, western swing with some honky tonk essence on top.

The production team of Luca Benedetti and Jim Campilongo were the team who headed up the recent Zephaniah Ohora album. And are obviously perfectly suited to oversee this album. As well as the five band members they bring such hired hands as Al Moss on pedal steel and both producers on a number of different instruments. The album includes a surfeit of Telecaster twang as well as fiddle and steel. The necessary ingredients for a band that relishes its traditional roots alongside a forward looking attitude. But what makes it special is the solid songwriting and the vocal interplay of Ryan Humbert and Emily Bates. The writing is a mix of Humbert co-writes and some well chosen covers from the likes of Tim Carroll, Shel Silverstein, George Ducas and Stacey Earle and a numbers of tracks written by steel player Al Moss. All are strong and different enough to keep things interesting throughout.

California To Ohio is both a love song and a possible expression of their musical direction. The song also appears as an unlisted track again at the end of the album. Guitarist Brian Posten wrote the guitar infused instrumental title track. Then there’s the acoustic based interaction upbeat effervescent Must Be Love written by Ducas and Earle. That’s contrasted with the downside of love that’s displayed in Lonely Never Lets Me Down and Losing Faith In Being Faithful written or co-written by Humbert. Mention to for the rhythm section of Ryan McDermott and Dylan Gomez who are right on the beat as the song requires. There is as sense of not taking themselves too seriously as in their take on Shel Silverstein’s Alimony. All in all a treat for those who love the traditional sounds of country music that’s on target for a good time.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Latest Album Reviews

Son Volt Union Thirty Tigers

Jay Farrar’s Son Volt have not always enjoyed the commercial success and adulation visited on his former Uncle Tupelo bandmate Jeff Tweedy and his band Wilco. A trifle unfair perhaps, as Son Volt have recorded equally strong albums throughout their 25-year tenure. That two and a half decade run has witnessed personnel changes, but what has remained consistent is the band’s distinctive sound. Few other define alt-country quite like Farrar’s exemplary cocktail of country, rock and twang.

The current line up alongside Farrar is Andrew Du Plantis on bass, Chris Frame on guitars, Mark Patterson on drums and Mark Spencer on keys and lap steel. A similar alliance played on 2009’s American Central Dust and collectively they manage to re-create the sound that made that particular album a stand out in the bands back catalogue.

Union’s theme is politically charged, a reflection by Farrar on public rather than personal concerns, as he wades through the political chaos at large, both at home and further afield. Four of the tracks were recorded at The Woody Guthrie Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma and three more at Mother Jones Museum in Mount Olive, Illinois. Irish born community activist and school teacher Mary Harris (Mother) Jones - considered the ‘most dangerous woman in America’ for organising mine workers labour movements – has the song Rebel Girl dedicated to her memory. More recent social discontent is addressed in the lively opener While Rome Burns and continues on the following track The 99. The tempo may slip down a few gears on the exquisite Reality Winner, but the despair, questioning and venom in the lyrics remain consistent.  The equally mid paced title track which follows bemoans the ‘divide and conquer’ political tactics at large (‘’Two party system, the donkey and the elephant, liberals and conservatives both fight for their own survival’’). Lady Liberty, the shortest of the thirteen tracks on the album is equally up front (‘’ Lady Liberty sighs at the words from the highest office’’). The album is bookended by the chilling The Symbol, the desperation of the pending deportation by the Mexican immigrant alongside his American born children. 

Much of Jay Farrar’s early career writing was directed towards and paid homage to the plight of the underdog and voiceless, often addressed at characters from yesteryear. Union finds him exploring similar concerns but very much in the present times. The Union has been described by Farrar as “a testament to the role of folk music as protest music”. It’s not the first and most certainly will not be the last album whose direction is aimed at the tumultuous political cycle currently at large. However, the actuality of these times has shaken Farrar to gift us with the strongest material he has produced since American Central Dust nearly ten years ago. Its an album that improves with every listen and I look forward to revisiting it regularly in the coming weeks and months.

Review by Declan Culliton

Ted Russell Kamp Walkin’ Shoes PoMo 

LA-based singer songwriter, producer, music teacher and critically acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Ted Russell Kamp has released his twelfth solo album titled Walkin’ Shoes - a particularly impressive feat given that he’s also been bass player with Shooter Jennings’ band for over fifteen years, together with his session work with Wilson Phillips, Whitey Morgan, Wanda Jackson, Rosie Flores and Billy Ray Cyrus to name but a few. 

With shoulder length wavy hair and heavily moustached, Kamp has the appearance of a mid-1970’s West Coast dude and Walkin’ Shoes possesses a bluesy country rock sound often harking back to that era. Thirteen tracks, all co-writes with the exception of two, and with a gallery of exceptional players lending a hand, the album remains remarkably consistent given the number of personnel that contribute. Kamp provides vocals, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, Hammond, Wurlitzer, piano, trumpet, trombone and percussion and is joined by a list of contributors that include Rich McCulley, Gene Edwards, Brian Whelan, Sam Morrow and Jaime Wyatt.

The album could be a mirror image of Kamp’s whirlwind lifestyle, which finds him constantly on the move. You can smell the burning tyre rubber on much of the material from twangy opener Home Away From Home to bluesy rockers We Don’t Have To Be Alone, Tail Light Shine and Roll On Through The Night. Kamp is equally impressive when his foot is less firmly on the accelerator, both This Old Guitar and Heart Under Pressure hitting the country ballad bullseye. Paid By The Mile, a tongue in cheek consideration of the road weary touring hired hand, finds Kamp sharing vocals with emerging Southern rocker Sam Morrow. 

There’s a lot to like about the album, which has nods back to the days when West Coast singer songwriters on the same page as Kamp were snapped up by major record labels and toured in luxury sleeper buses with all the accompanying excesses. Such indulgences may be history for all but a select few, but fortunately for us artists like Kamp are still producing music every bit as admirable as many of his predecessors. 

Review by Declan Culliton

The Plott Hounds Damn The Wind Plott Hounds 

If explosive Southern Rock is your thing then Damn The Wind, the latest album from Minneapolis five piece The Plott Hounds is most likely right up your street. Their guitar driven sound does not in any way attempt to reinvent the wheel and it’s a road that any number of American bands have travelled in recent years, yet I still found the album refreshing and invigorating. The album is peppered with all the key ingredients that combine to cook up classic Southern Rock, raspy whiskey laced vocals, gripping guitar riffs and solos, a thumping rhythm section, and most importantly, impressive songwriting. 

 They don’t waste any time getting out of the traps, Country Blues kicks the album off in rocking style. The guitar onslaught by Noah Alexander, Kirk Humbert and Jeff Powell continues on Winding Road with spirited support and chunky bass lines from Kevin Coughenour and percussion by Scott Tate. Not All Tornadoes Come From Texas recalls Lynyrd Skynyrd and the closing track Tough (For Avery) is a slow burner, echoed vocals replaced mid song by a classic twin guitar solo. However, It’s not all blood and thunder, the band park their grungier side with some classic country tinged blues on Old Photos and Good Night Buddy. 

Simplicity possibly being the albums strongest point, Damn The Wind delivers text book rock and roll across it’s ten tracks. Well worth checking out.

Review by Declan Culliton

Joy Williams Front Porch Thirty Tigers

Americana duo The Civil Wars had all the hallmarks of the act most likely to make a major industry breakthrough at one stage. Their debut album Barton Hollow, released in 2011, sold over 650,000 copies in the U.S. alone and they were awarded four Grammy Awards. By the time their follow up self-titled album was released in 2013, Joy Williams and her musical partner John Paul White had already parted company some months previously. The official dissolution of The Civil Wars took place in 2014. Coincidentally, both artists have solo album releases in the coming months. 

Williams was raised in Santa Cruz California but resided in Nashville for much of her musical career. She moved to Los Angeles after the demise of The Civil Wars but returned to Nashville after her father passed away. 

Front Porch, is Williams second solo album since the dissolution of The Civil Wars. ‘’I took a long way looking for a shortcut. Come on back, come on back to the front porch’’ she sings on the album’s title track. Perhaps a metaphor for her return not only to the city where her artistic creativity blossomed, but also to her musical roots. The album is a collection of simple songs, beautifully delivered and enhanced by understated acoustic instrumentation.  

The Civil War’s break up, after so much promise, played out like a car crash, much acerbity and no winners. Time spent away for Williams seemed as essential as the inevitability of her return to Nashville. Kenneth Pattengale of Milk Carton Kids fame came on board as producer for the album, with the agreed objective of creating the sound of a front or back porch setting, where Williams’ vocal was always the lead instrument. They also invited an impressive collection of songwriters, eleven in total, to co-write with Williams. Caitlyn Smith, Angelo Petraglia, Liz Rose, Emily Shackelton, Trent Dadds, Cason Cooley, Thad Cockrell, Mat Morris, Paul Moak, Natalia Hemby and John Randall all contribute across the twelve tracks. Admirably, the album works well as a unit, the tracks consistently on the same path, despite the arsenal of writers involved. 

When Does A Heart Move On, The Trouble With Wanting are both dreamy slow burners, emphasising the depth, range and grandeur of Williams’ vocal. One And Only is somewhat pacier, closely related perhaps to Roy Orbison’s Only The Lonely. When Creation Was Young is Alison Krauss & Union Station sounding, Williams’s vocals dancing alongside some slick acoustic guitar, dobro and fiddle. Preacher’s Daughter, autobiographically reflecting on her adolescence, is delightful and Look How Far We’ve Come, the final and shortest track at barely two minutes, closes the album on a positive note.

Front Porch is very much a rebirth for Williams, both spiritually and visionally. Her greatest asset was always her gorgeous voice, from her childhood days singing gospel in church and throughout her professional career. Gone are the crossover pop leanings of her previous album Venus, to be replaced by a more paired down and primitive offering. It’s a direction that is perfectly in keeping with her core skill set and a delight to behold.

Review by Declan Culliton

Bambi Lee Savage Berlin-Nashville Express Hoof & Anchor

The latest album from Bambi Lee Savage mixes indie rock with classic country sensibilities. Miss Savage previously worked with Mick Harvey, who played on and produced of her last album Darkness Overshadowed. That relationship goes back further to the 90’s, when she was engaged as an engineer in Berlin’s Hansa Studios. She worked there with Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and also with U2. She was encouraged to the other side of the studio window and released her debut album Matter Of Time in 2003. She was also encouraged in her endeavours by Daniel Lanois, recording some demo tracks with him. One of those tracks was included on the Sling Blade movie soundtrack. That particular song Darlin’ is included here also in a remixed version.

Despite the stated influence of Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn, this album would be at the indie edge of Americana. There are many studios and musicians credited on the sleeve but it is all held together by Savage’s overriding sonic vision.  Touching on a number of different cornerstones, traces of David Lynch’s fondness for female torch songs are evident throughout.  All of which means that this is not really for fans of walk-the-line traditional minded country. The songs do however have the flavour of country with titles such as This Blue Heart, Get Out MY Pillow (I’m Coming’ Home), I Can’t Count On My Man and I’ll Have To Leave Town (To Get Over You).

Beside Harvey she employs such Nashville notables as Dave Roe, Spenser Cullum and Will Kimbrough on two of the albums 10 tracks. It is something of a journey as the title suggest, that draws from all of Savage’s influences. The album boasts an Americana theme throughout, without being overplayed. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Jane Kramer Valley Of Bones Self Release.

Overall the air of a quite acoustic folk/country prevails on Jane Kramer’s third studio album. One thing that is crystal clear is Kramer’s voice. Possessing a depth of emotion, it delicately handles subjects as diverse as joy, marriage and the loss of miscarriage.

Kramer has gathered a selection of impressive players to accompany producer Adam Johnson and her co-producer Chris Rosser.  The latter is a multi-instrumentalist who lays some textural playing over the subtle yet inventive playing of upright bassist Eliot Wadopian and percussionist River Guerguerian. These players, alongside others who contribute here, also appeared on her 2015 album Carnival Of Hopes. The other instruments given space to elaborate on the overall feel of the songs are Billy Cardine’s dobro, Nicky Sanders’ fiddle and Franklin Keel’s cello input. They all add to the overarching intimacy of the songs. I’ll See Your Crazy And Raise You Mine is a sweet ode to married life. Wedding Vows confirms a deep love that has grown over time from those initial vows. Likewise, Child evokes love and loss and is heartfelt, evoking a melancholic prayer.

Kramer has a folky voice that runs clear and free like a mountain stream and on this her third release, displays her development as both a singer and writer. She has been praised by Mary Gauthier which is understandable given the texture and detail of her songs. Kramer’s album is well worth seeking out and covers a number of bases in the Americana firmament. She breathes life into this valley of bones to create some full-bodied entertainment.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Vicky Emerson Steady Heart Front Porch

The effective lack of a strong female infrastructure in the music industry was something that was central to the direction taken by Vicky Emerson on her new album Steady Heart (her tenth release). She produced the album and wrote, or co-wrote, all the songs bar one. She recorded the album in Minneapolis with a set of players that included Steve Bosmans on some well placed and effective electric guitar. Other contributors included Zach Miller on percussion, Aaron Fabbrini on stand-up bass and Jake Armerding on violin and fiddle. Kari Arnett, Annie Fitzgerald and Sarah Morris all sang background vocals. The resulting sound is built around Emerson’s strong vocal presence and appealing arrangements. While there are not that many women gaining mainstream media exposure there are many who are producing the best work of their careers right now. 

The one cover here is Richard Leigh’s Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, best known by Crystal Gayle’s interpretation. This version is slowed down, giving the sentiment of the song a darker hue, not dissimilar to the deconstruction that the Cowboy Junkies have used as a template in the past. However, it is Emerson’s own songs are the highlights here. In The Pines, Bird’s Eye View, the title track and The Reckoning with its sense of foreboding expressed as “I feel the storm rolling in. Like thunder chasing the lightning, I never knew how this would end.”

Overall this has an electric folk sensibility with sparse layered instrumentation and an equally alluring use of vocals. Something that is present throughout the whole album. The sense of purpose is readily apparent with Emerson in control and delivering the exact album she wanted - with a steady hand and heart.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Kari Arnett When The Dust Settles Self Release

First full album from this Wisconsin singer songwriter following the EP Midwestern Skyline in 2025. Arnett recorded the album with Danny O’Brien who took Arnett’s songs and gave them a sonic layered template that is full of atmosphere that sets the tone for the songs. there is a element of foreboding in the both the title and content of the opening song Dark Water. Then a song like One More Chance takes a more direct route with Arnett’s voice leading the song over a solid but controlled setting. One song that sits with the prevailing voices in music tackling the men-centric music industry is Only A Woman. Another powerful song is This American Life that employs some twanging guitar and solid bass drum beat over which various instruments intertwine to build the song understanding of what the American Dream might, or might not be. She showcases the power of her voice with this song.

Credit also to the players, Haley Rydell (fiddle), Jay Scabich (guitars), Alexander Young (drums), Andy Schuster (bass) and Ben Cook-Feltz (keyboards) and Aaron Fabbrini (pedal steel) who provide the backbone and muscle over which Arnett’s literate and thoughtful songs have room to grow and find their own level. The songs on the album are all self-written and are heartfelt observations of the ups and downs of the human spirit and its relationships, both for the good and the bad.

The more that one listens to the album there more it hangs together as a whole and each song stands on its own merits. When The Dust Settles marks Arnett as another genuine talent in the ever growing number of female Americana artists who are taking control of the direction their music might take with undue pressure of those more concerned with sales that with creating music that lifts the spirit. The roots of this music sit in country and folk but it also understand where those genres have moved over the last few years since the likes of Emmylou Harris incorporated the harder elements of Wrecking Ball into that traditional melting pot. When the dust settles the strengths of this album will be plain enough for all to see.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Kim Lenz Slowly Speeding Blue Star

“The idea was to try and use all the ingredients that made up rock & roll, but shift around the time frames’’, explains Kin Lenz on the direction of her fifth solo album, the shamelessly rampant and abrasive Slowly Speeding. Though she is generally labelled as a rockabilly artist, Slowly Speeding is testimony to Kim Lenz’s wide musical footprint and her capacity to excel across wider genres including blues, gospel and old-time country, without ever straying far from her trademark rockabilly sound. Guitars screech, bass lines thump and drums keep pace with Lenz’s seductive vocals throughout the album, which finds Lenz and her cohorts at the top of their game from the outset. The brutal stomping blues opener Bogeyman sets the scene for what’s to follow. I’ll Find You has a dynamic beat that recalls Should I Stay Or Should I Go? by The Clash and the title track Slowly Speeding is a cracking two step country dance tune, with precise and alluring vocals (“Slowly speeding, my heart is beating, Going zero to sixty with you’’). Percolate is Chuck Berry sounding no nonsense rock & roll, naughty but nice (“ Percolating, percolating, stimulating, undulating, generating. You’ve got me percolating’’). Bury Me Deep is equally toe tapping and danceable with a ripping guitar break and pulsating bass lines throughout.

 D.H. Phillips, who co-produced the album with Lenz, plays electric and steel guitar, Tjarko Jeen also plays guitar and adds six string bass, with Jake Erwin on bass and Santos De Leon on drums. Between them they create a dynamic musical landscape, the sympathetic production giving every instrument equal space to accentuate Lenz’s raspy growling vocals. 

 A rockabilly rollercoaster that delivers on so many fronts, I expect Slowly Speeding to be inhabiting my car CD player for quite a while in the coming months!

Review by Declan Culliton

Paul J Bolger The Start Of It Pillar Stone

Better known as an animator, film maker and author, The Start Of It is a four track EP released by Paul J Bolger. It’s not his first diversion into recording, his previous release The Moss House was recorded over twenty years ago. Given the success of his other artistic offerings you could possibly expect The Start Of It to be self indulgent and throwaway. Nothing could be further from the truth, it’s a really impressive listen across its four tracks that evoke the musical direction of early Elvis Costello, particularly on the standout track Lady Love & The Cavalier.

The album was co-produced by Bolger and Dave Molloy for Pillar Stone Productions in Waterford and features vocal, guitars and keyboard contributions from both producers, together with Ronnie O’Flynn on bass, Michael Black on drums and Catherine Flynn on piano.

Review by Declan Culliton

Suzanne Jarvie In The Clear Wolfe Island

The history leading to Suzanne Jarvie’s entry into the music industry reads like a film script, fortunately one with a happy ending. Born in Honk Kong and raised in Toronto, a criminal defence lawyer and mother of four children, she made her recording debut in 2014 with the release of Spiral Road. An avid music lover from childhood, the catalyst for the recording of the album was a near tragic accident, whereby her eldest son fell down a spiral staircase, was comatose and given little chance of survival. Fortunately, he did survive and his stay and recovery in hospital lead Jarvie down a song writing path by way of dealing with the extreme trauma, culminating in the collection of songs that, not surprisingly, included titles such as Before and After, Tears Of Love, Wait For Me and Love Is Now. The album on its release drew comparisons with Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris from a selection of the numerous positive reviews it received, particularly making an impact on the European market. 

In essence this album follows a similar path to Spiral Road, with strikingly evocative songs often dealing with the life changing experiences of both a mother and her family that inspired the debut album. The material reads like a retrospective reflection on the nightmarish saga visited on the family, revealing scars that are partially but not yet fully healed. Jarvie’s lyrics are thoughtful, provocative, avoiding repeated choruses in favour of lengthy poetic streams of consciousness, sometimes quite abstract, leaving room for varying interpretations. Her vocal delivery, most particularly on the closing track Trilogy, recalls Karen Carpenter.

Musically the breezy opener Headless Rider camouflages its gothic nightmarish lyrics, as if inspired by a recurring fantasy. The equally surreal and abstract Carpenter Bay follows (“Last night I dreamed we went boating down an ion channel, Sat on the gunnels and just gloating for beating the odds’’). Point Blank, featuring label mate Hadley McCall Thackston on backing vocals, visits the toll of Jarvie’s son’s recovery process, both personally and on the mother (“Mind bent up and insane, killing me like a freight train’’). At close to fifty minutes long there’s quite a lot to absorb across the ten tracks on the album. Nine of those minutes come courtesy of the closing and previously mentioned track Trilogy. The albums standout track for me, it dips and soars across its three chapters that consider birth, impairment and resurrection. 

Jarvie returned to Hugh (Christopher) Brown for production duties, and the album is released on Wolfe Island Records, the label responsible for signing some stellar acts including David Corley, Hadley McCall Thackston, Kate Fenner and the Stephen Stanley Band. It features a host of talented artists that appear on many of the label’s recordings including Tony Scherr, Kenny Wollesen, Gregor Beresford, Joey Wright and Chris Brown. 

In The Clear reads like pages from a personal diary, deliberating on the predicaments and life challenges that visit us, by times foreseeable but often without notice. A very eloquent and engaging listen indeed.

Review by Declan Culliton

Sean McConnell Second Hand Smoke Big Picnic

Few artists can boast having recorded their debut album at the ripe age of 15 and on their own record label. Sean McConnell’s 2000 recording Here In The Lost And Found did exactly that and Second Hand Smoke is the thirteenth recording by the Boston born and Nashville based singer songwriter and prolific musician. Recorded at his own home studio and self-produced over a two-month period, McConnell takes the credit for all vocals and instrumentation, with only the strings and synths outsourced and background vocals provided by The McCrary Sisters on the gospel tinged Shaky Bridges.

The writing on the album is impressive, not surprising given that McConnell has written songs for a number of artists including Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Buddy Miller, Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, Christina Aguilera and Meatloaf. You could be forgiven for assuming that the content would be country and roots slanted, given this imposing roll call. The album is actually marketed as ‘modern folk’ - whatever that is - whereas in fact much of the material is a closer relation to Jason Isbell’s last release The Nashville Sound, a blend of heartland rock and instantly catchable gritty pop.

The opener and title track Secondhand Smoke is one of the impressive slow burners included and is equalled by the lovely Greetings From Niagara Falls, telling the tale of sacrifices and missed loved ones, the high price paid by the touring musician. Closer Wrong Side Of Town is similarly paced, a piano led ballad lamenting unrealised dreams. However, the two standout tracks on the album are the previously mentioned gospel flavoured Shaky Bridges, featuring The McCrary Sisters and the stunning I Could Have Been An Angel, which boasts killer riffs and melodies that were firmly locked in my memory bank after a few spins.

All in all, Second Hand Smoke is a terrific catalogue of ‘easy on the ears’ tracks from start to finish. I’m interested to see how it performs sales wise - I reckon if the aforementioned Isbell had recorded the album, it would shift by the lorryload.

Review by Declan Culliton

Carolina Chimes Rudi Ekstein’s All Original Bluegrass Instrumental Showcase Foxfire 

It’s quite unusual these days to be presented with a whole album of bluegrass instrumentals. Rudi Ekstein - writer, producer, engineer and musician - may not be a well known name but in his  studio (Foxfire Recording) in Asheville, NC he has recorded some of the best in the business. And he has called on some of those very best to bring his own compositions to life. How could he really go wrong, with players like Stuart Duncan (Nashville Bluegrass Band) on fiddle, Jeff Autry (John Cowan Band, Edgar Loudermilk) on guitar, and bassist Mark Schatz (Claire Lynch Band, Nickel Creek) on board? They are augmented by Rudi’s fellow Californians, John Plotnik on banjo and dobro and Patrick Sauber (Laurie Lewis, Peter Rowan and most recently seen in Ireland with Darin & Brooke Aldridge) on banjo. Rudi himself plays mandolin throughout and his own playing is not overshadowed by any of these luminaries. 

And what of the tunes themselves? They are an utter delight. Ekstein allows each of his musicians their chance to shine on each of the 12 tunes, which vary from the gentle paced waltz of Dixie Sunset to the serious hardcore bluegrass of All Night In Kentucky. Spikebuck is an exhilarating two minutes of a mandolin-led white knuckle ride, depicting a family whitewater rafting adventure, while Bacon in the Pan is a fiddle tune dedicated to his late friend and musical compadre, Billy Constable. Rockalachia is a nod to Bill Monroe, consciously incorporating boogie woogie and rock n’ roll elements into this swinging tour de force. 

Highly recommended.

Review by Eilís Boland

Marty Rivers Maltese Falcon Amberstar

It’s a pleasant surprise to get an album of good old fashioned country music. It’s even more of a surprise that it comes from Malta! Performing since his teens, Marty Riviera has wisely returned to Gary Carter’s Nashville studio to record his fourth album. Familiar to Connie Smith fans, pedal steel player Gary is a longstanding member of her Sundowners but he has also played with such country royalty as Randy Travis and Faith Hill. The songs are all cowritten by Marty and his friend Joseph Spiteri and I could hear almost any of the 14 songs being cut by major artists, so strong is the writing here.

The songs range from the decidedly honky tonky (Texas Lady, Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool, If Only These Walls Could Talk) to slow country ballads and the production is superb. It is particularly in the ballads that Marty sings with a vulnerability in his voice that is strangely appealing. Love is A Wonder is a beautiful closing song - enhanced by Gary Carter’s ever so sweet pedal steel. Maltese Falcon is another memorable ballad, this time with Gary on dobro and Jason Roller deserves a mention for his guitar playing on all tracks. Two of the songs, Magnifico Mexico and Sweet Lorena are successfully given the Tex Mex treatment, very reminiscent of The Mavericks’ sound.

Not surprisingly, Marty has figured in various European Country charts in the past and this new album is deservedly doing well too. Check it out.

Review by Eilís Boland

Kyle Daniel What’s There To Say Self Release

Fitting right in with the current crop of contemporary “outlaw” musicians Kyle Daniel has produced a second EP of songs that speak to the human condition, yet one that is imbued with hope, hedonism as well as humanity. Daniel has faced these problems in his own life as a traveling musician who has experienced and seen the hard options and occasional highs that come with that choice.

Born To Lose, the opening song, on this 5 track release was inspired from personal experience. It takes an honest view of addiction and the reason that it might arise. The other titles further elaborate on that viewpoint in Don’t Give Up On Me, or What’s There To Say? He has acknowledged the strong influence of Southern Rock and the Allman Brothers on his own music and, to these ears, there’s something of classic Bob Seger in the mix too. He rusty-rail voice is matched by some hard rockin’ riffs and a solid rhythm section. Though the players are unnamed on the sleeve and neither are the the writing credits  - so I assume that he has had a hand in all of the material.

In a post-Stapelton world there is a growing appetite for this type of roots influenced rock that is never quite metal and is certainly a long way from traditional country music. But in these times the banner ‘Country Music’ might be where Daniel might find his most accessible audience. On the less full on songs like Somewhere In Between he displays a voice that is both as expressive as it is powerful. Good Bless America (Damn Rock ’n’ Roll) has a B3 swirling around the mix and is not that far from an early Joe Cocker sound. The song’s title may be a little ironic however. Kyle Daniel sounds like an artist whose time might be about to come.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Andrew Leahey & The Homestead Airwaves Skyline

On the inside of the CD cover Leahey dedicates this album to the last generation raised on FM radio. All of which means that Leahey is a rocker who, from his press release, should appeal to fans of such diverse acts as Tom Petty and The War On Drugs. There may be a fondness for Echo and The Bunnymen also as the only cover here is of that band’s memorable Lips Like Sugar. Overall the self and co-written songs are uniformly melodic and with anthem potential.

The album was produced, engineered and mixed in Nashville by Paul Ebersold who brings echoes of Leahey’s heroes such as the already mentioned acts and others like Big Star to mind. Leahey and his band - Jon Estes on bass, bassist Jon Radford and guitarist Thomas Heesen (who were joined on some of the songs by additional players)  did a great job of evoking that FM era where a sense of melodic structure was such a part and parcel of that sound.

Leahey had apparently recovered from a serious illness when he recorded this album and the exuberance of that release shows itself in a similar spirit in the songs. The 11 songs play out like a segment of a decent FM rock show with enough variety to keep it interesting throughout. it is indeed a reminder of a time when pure rock was a vibrant force. One led by the much missed Tom Petty. However in acolytes like Andrew Leahey that sound might be around for for some time to come. So one hopes that Leahey may be around for a similar long run and his music would likely to be equally progressive and interesting.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Sunfire Sinners’ Town Self Release

Sunfire are a Dutch band who released this second album in August 2018. The band’s sound is a mix of folk, country and bluegrass and they comprise Sophie Zaaijer (fiddle & vocals), Satria Karsono (Resonator, guitars, banjo, percussion, vocals), Berend de Vries (electric guitar), Michel Beeckman (bass) and Jeroen van Leeuwen (drums, percussion) … 

There are 14 tracks that run to 70 minutes, so this is quite a project to take on in one sitting. The songs are loosely based around a Wild West theme and the hard times and sorrowful lives that inhabit the occupants of the mythical Sinner’s Town. Throughout, there is an energy and vibrancy in the playing, with the outstanding talents of Sophie Zaaijer on fiddle a recurring joy. Songs about the devil abound and the dark days of simply surviving and enduring fill the grooves on tracks like Reapers Train, Shot, Gallows Waltz, Roadburn and The War Is Won.

Woman is a highlight and the tongue in cheek, My Horse Doesn’t Love Me Anymore, a fun filled hoedown. It all ends with the campfire strum of Long Road To Come and the hope that redemption is just around the corner. Engaging and something here for every taste.

Review by Paul McGee

Damien Jurado In The Shape Of A Storm Loose

Yet another fine release from the considered pen of an artist who has been making music of shifting shapes and real quality since his debut, back in 1997. Following on from his 2018, self-produced The Horizon Just Laughed, Jurado has finally decided to release a solo acoustic record which is very sparse; just guitar and vocal across ten tracks that clock in just over the 25-minute mark. 

Quality and not quantity I hear you say and of course you are correct. The gentle leanings in these stripped back arrangements contain a refreshing honesty in their musings on love, openness, real connection true meaning and loyalty. The simple strumming on acoustic guitar contains real melody and Jurado recorded the project in just two hours, according to the press release. These are a collection of songs that had been left on the shelf during various other recording sessions over the years. They come together with a quiet elegance that makes you feel like the intimacy of the performance is something just for your ears alone. Jurado sings in a vocal tone that resonates between fragile, soft and wistful, adding to the sweet nature of proceedings.

There is a melancholy that also runs through the songs and the recent death of long-time friend and producer Richard Swift has no doubt influenced the overall mood. Newspaper Gown is a terrific song and the title track, together with Throw Me Now Your Arms also stand out, alongside the closing track, Hands On The Table. Jurado displays a naked honesty not usually associated with a songwriter who has typically written character songs over his previous recordings. So, hats off to a very different, concise treatise on the human heart and all the emotion wrapped around its gentle beating.

Review by Paul McGee

Michael Chapman True North Paradise Of Bachelors

Never one to bow to the vicissitudes of the ageing process, this celebrated artist releases yet another fine example of his song-writing craft. After a life spent honing his sound, beginning in the Folk clubs of the 60’s with fellow artists like Roy Harper and John Martyn, he has arrived at a place where his artistry has attained legendary status across multiple releases and an ability to incorporate varying musical styles and changes in direction, at any given point along his journey.

For this release, Chapman located at Mwnci Studios in rural West Wales with a group of friends that include Bridget St. John (vocals), Sarah Smout (Cello), BJ Cole (pedal steel) and guitarist/producer Steve Gunn. The eleven songs include two instrumentals, Eleuthera and Caddo Lake, while the remaining tracks contain a quiet resonance as the 78- year old artist looks back at the years gone by, in reflective mood. Never better illustrated than on Truck Song where the sublime interplay of the musicians is framed in the wry lines “but the highway never seems to sleep; I guess it’s a sign of the times” … 

Youth Is Wasted On The Young looks back at missed opportunities along the way and It’s Too Late follows a similar path, with the lonely sense of a life in regret, for a chance at a relationship not taken. The converse of this is the song After All This Time, where a long-term relationship has broken down - “we grew up; we grew apart”.

Full Bottle, Empty Heart tells of a drifter who has lost out in love and Hell To Pay can be taken as either a love song or as a commentary on the current times we find ourselves and likening society to a “ship out on the ocean, sailing out of sight” – maybe things can get better but they probably will just get worse. Overall, this is a very strong statement from a singer-songwriter who has seen and done it all over his career but the flame still burns brightly.

Review by Paul McGee

West Of Eden Flat Earth Society West Of Music

This band from Gothenburg, Sweden deliver a contemporary folk sound that is inspired by the Celtic music tradition.  The main songwriters are Jenny Schaub ( lead vocals, accordion) and Martin Schaub (vocals, guitars, mandolin, piano, cittern). This is their seventh release, not counting compilations and Christmas albums and they are joined by by Lars Broman (vocals, viola, fiddle), Ola Karlevo (drums, percussion, bodhran, vocals), Henning Sernhede (guitars, lap steel, vocals) and Martin Holmlund (bass guitars, vocals).

Their sound is reminiscent of The Corrs in part with the excellent vocals of Jenny Schaub to the fore throughout. The record is produced by Martin Schaub who delivers a rich tapestry of sound and the ensemble deliver a very compelling performance across the twelve tracks included here. Guest artists Damien O’Kane (guitar, banjo), John McCusker (fiddle and whistles), Jarlath Henderson (uileann pipes, whistle, vocals), Duncan Chisholm (fiddle) and Heidi Talbot (vocals) add their talents to selected tracks and add another layer to what is already a very confident and strong record.

The songs speak of enduring in times of trouble (Porcelain Days), travelling free (Horsehoofs & Primroses), being left at the altar (Kate, Are You Ready Now), the push and pull of relationships (Viper & Fireflies) and love leaving (Flat Earth Society and Come Winter, He’ll Be Gone). There are also two instrumental tracks, Isak/Doris and Rowbotham’s Map, plus a peek at either a witch or a simple widow (Old Miss Partridge) and the loneliness of losing a partner as we age (The Dwindling Of The Day). Another strong statement from this talented group of players who are clearly driven and focused on traditional Folk with a Celtic twist.  

Review by Paul McGee

The Brother Brothers Some People I Know Compass

Sibling harmonies have a long history that goes back to duo like Osbourne’s, the Louvin’s or the Everly Brothers to name but three. It’s slightly ironic that the most frequent comparison that these brothers get is with non-siblings Simon and Garfunkel. However, that in itself is something of a compliment as that duo was known for their harmonic perfection. Adam and David Moss though seem vocally closer, sounding like a single voice double tracked at times. That matters little if their songs weren’t melodically strong in themselves. I first encountered these boys on the Tugboats EP. Now comes their first full length album and it lives up to the promise shown on that EP.

The album was produced by Robin MacMillian, who alone engineered and mixed the album in Faraway Sound in New York. They were accompanied by some select players who added bass, keyboards, acoustic guitar and saxophone to various tracks, but the  trio of the Moss boys and MacMillan contribute the core of each of the songs which obviously have their voices as the central tenet of the sound. Overall the music is fairly stripped back as in the case of Banjo Song which is largely accompanied by the aforementioned titular instrument with added violin and guitar keeping it simple and direct. Elsewhere the songs are more layered as in Ocean’s Daughter where Adam Moss’ violin takes flight. In The Nightime sounds more like a foot stomping front porch session and adds a sense of variety to the material on offer. The gentle I Will Be With You certainly has that early Simon and Garfunkel feel in its assertion of love and longevity.

The songs deal with people and places in the main as the album title suggests. They are composed by the duo in the main other than a cover of Peter Rowan’s Angel Island, Sam Bridges from the pen of Alexander Meek and I Will Be With You by Joanna S. Frankie, which considers the loss of friends due to the way an area can becoming upscale and force a section people out of the part of the city as rents increase. Other titles like Colorado makes reference to a specific location and how that place can relate to the people living in them. Red And Gold is poetic, as are several of the lyrics, a short song that appears about the sun. But whatever the meaning, you are emerged in a world that is quietly powerful and immensely thoughtful in the way it draws from something within the Mosses musical motivation and draws you into their circle.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Marty Stuart The Definite Collection Vol.2 Hump Head

Although I have pretty much everything that Marty Stuart has released these two volumes curated by Stuart and released by Hump Head are essential even to a fan like myself, as they include hard to find tracks from tribute compilations as well as unreleased material. They confirm that from the start, even though he has explored some different musical direction it is all held together by a singular voice and vision. 

It is Stuart personal take on the traditional music and icons that he holds dear and sees as his mission to keep alive on record and on stage. The earliest track here is from 1977, which is a medley of Mystery Train /Tiger Man. There are a couple of cuts from the late 80’s and early 90’s like 1991’s The Whiskey Ain’t Working, a song recorded as a duet with Travis Tritt with whom he toured around that time in the No Hats Tour. However, the vast majority of the songs are from the 2000’s. Many are recorded with his definite band The Fabulous Superlatives - a band who live up to their name. However, Stuart has always surrounded himself with top notch players who share his outlook.

This is 100% country music even when he steps outside the lines as he does on his version of that renowned bluegrass band The Who’s I Can See For Miles, recorded with the Old Crow Medicine Show and taken from his duets album Compadres. That track is one of several songs written by authors other than Stuart himself. Tillman Franks, Merle Kilgore, Dallas Frazier, George Jones, Ralph Mooney, Rabon Delmore, Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Ira and Charlie Louvin, Benny Goodman and Charles Christian are just some of the writes who have credits on the three albums.

There are five unreleased tracks included, Mose Allison’s Parchman Farm, Billy Cole’s Homesick alongside the  original songs 99 And A Half Won’t Do, Graveyard, Rattle & Roll and Le Tingo Tango. But aside from these it is a welcome reminder of many other old favourites from a notable career of an artist who hasn’t always been flavour of the month in mainstream circles but seems now to be having a resurgence both live and on record. This hard back triple CD offers sixty five tracks of some of the finest country music ever recorded. It is definite and definitive. A real Marty party!

Review by Stephen Rapid

Shelby Texas We Are Shelby Texas Self Release

This is an accomplished debut 7 track EP from Californian duo, Shelby Lanterman and Michaelryan ‘Texas’ McCauley. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, the collection is particularly well produced by Gawain Matthews, who plays many of the instruments and has given the album a big radio friendly sound. Texas wrote and sings four songs - one could easily hear them being played on US pop country stations. The three songs contributed by and sung by Shelby are special. She is blessed with a powerful voice, which she has honed over many years of playing and performing in bands, even though she is still only in her early 20s. Her song writing is impressive and she combines catchy hooks with well crafted lyrics.  Tennessee is a gentle ballad of longing for the southern state. No Regretsis a rousing rootsy country song about moving forward, while the pain of rejection is explored in Unrequited.

Just as we were about to post, we learn that the band have decided to go their separate ways. Keep an eagle eye out for Shelby, who continues to perform around her native California as Shelby Ann - I hope we’ll be hearing more from her.

Review by Eilís Boland

Various Artists Country To Country Vol 4 HumpHead

Mo Pitney’s stand out contribution to this 40 track compilation is the self penned song I Met Merle Haggard Today. It’s sad to say that most of his fellow contributors have probably never even heard of Merle. This is a companion album to the C2C roadshow that has brought ‘country’ music from its original home in the US to Dublin/Glasgow/London every year for the past seven years. In a cleverly programmed move the artists play all three venues once over the three nights in March - a logistical nightmare for the crews, no doubt, but it does work well. The songs here are from a selection of the artists that have played at one of those shows at some stage over the years.

The album could act as a souvenir of the weekend for the attendees, or as an introduction to what passes for ‘country’ in Nashville these days. With a few notable exceptions, the music here is closer to pop/rock than any other genre. Shamelessly aimed at the young market, and performed by young artists, it consists of a bunch of power ballads. On a positive note, most of the songs have been written or cowritten by the artists themselves, and there are hints of rap and metal creeping in in places. No one expects a musical genre to stand still - there has to be progression and development through time, but it disappoints me that these artists are being promoted commercially when a whole host of talented and more rootsy acts are being ignored.

Even the once lauded Americana artist Kacey Musgraves has gone down the pop route (which of course is proving very successful for her, both commercially and with her Grammy award). The few exceptions here are relative newcomers Lukas Nelson and Ashley McBryde, and the longer established Lyle Lovett and Marty Stuart, who stand out in a crowd of very similar sounding bands.

Review by Eilís Boland

New Album Reviews

Danny Schmidt Standard Deviation Live Once

The first thing you notice and the thing that draws you into this record is the warmth and intimacy of Schmidt’s voice. His songwriter is mature and poetic dealing with the kind of things that really matter to someone who has a few years behind them. This is essentially a broadstroke folk album but one where the assembled players round out the sound with subtle but essential touches and song-serving restraint. Producer Will Robertson crew of Fats Kaplan, Colin Agnew and Robertson himself handle the instrumentation in the main. The harmony vocals also play an important part with Schmidt’s wife Carrie Elkin joining Mira Stanley Costa, Chuck Costa and Cara May Gorman adding their voices to Schmidt’s voice and acoustic guitar. The sound they create has a wonderful all encompassing feel that has had me returning to the album more often that happens usually.

There is a strong sense of love (and gratitude) on the album which is dedicated to his wife and baby daughter. Something to welcome when so many albums rail against the woes of the world this album largely celebrates the more positive sides of life. Songs like Just Wait ’Til They See You, Blue Eyed Hole In Time, Bones Of Emotion and The Longest Way. One song Newport ’65 reflects on and quotes from Bob Dylan but does so in a non-obvious way that makes it an interesting observation in its own right. The final song is intensely personal yet universal and deals with the grief and trauma of miscarriage and the need to treat the experience in a more compassionate way. We Need A Better Word closes an album that is a career high and one that places Schmidt among the best songwriters of his generation.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Pete Berwick Island Self Release

Delivering what may be according to himself his last album Peter Berwick makes sure that it counts. It is a forceful album built around Berwick’s hard-scrabble voice and guitar. His music has been described as punk infused alternative country which about sums him up in the past through these days, he is well capable of a less forceful, more reflective set of slower-paced rock songs like the “love the one your” with sentiment of Just Make It You And Me Tonight or the yearning love of the title track. That as opposed to the full on opening salvo of I’m Getting Tired Of This Place. He is, as his song says, getting through One Setback At A Time maybe arriving at a place where he can look both backwards and forward and see that he is not afraid to face either view.

He recorded his album with producer Jason Botka (who plays keyboards and guitars) and the band The Mugshot Saints who include Jennifer Botka on baking vocals. It has a certain grit and grief in his outlook on a country that both gives and takes away. However, there is hope in his outlook as They Gave Love A Chance testifies though their other side of the coin is spun out with I’m Really Not That Kind. This mix of styles places him on the fringes of what might be termed outlaw. Berwick is never going to compromise his music and as such Island is a continuation of the path he has trodden since his first album was released in 1996. Berwick has made a journey to get to this point which is why these songs seem to be real slices of heartland rock drawn from real life.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Luke Spehar The Pilgrim Self Release

There is a sense of deeply held faith in this elevated folk album from the Minnesota singer/songwriter who now lies in St. Paul with his wife and children. Here he has penned a set of songs that encompass a sense of love, life and a lasting and enduring sense of hope. Spehar has a gentle but rewarding voice that sits above these quiet and largely acoustic bass songs that are not, though, without some occasional up-tempo moments. Otherwise he speaks softly of his travel as a pilgrim wherein he has brought together his experience from traveling about the US and further afield in his search for spiritual honesty.

Spehar produced the album with Matt Patrick in his home state and employs light touches of percussion, keyboards, bass, banjo and fiddle to give some weight to these songs which move through tempo and mood. They can vary from the drive and accessibility of the bonus track Joshua which has a big and encompassing chorus that make it an immediate stand out. This mini album contains 7 tracks so acts as an introduction to the artist who had previously released 3 previous full length albums. His work is maybe a little too pure for some but the opening songs The Farmer and America And Me offer a sense of place and of spirituality that offers a peace that will appeal to those looking for something that offers a lighter perspective without becoming lightweight. Spehar brings this thoughtfulness to this album and it something that is sure to find its followers.

Review by Stephen Rapid

William The Conqueror Bleeding On The Soundtrack Loose

Newquay based U.K. three-piece William The Conqueror have raised the bar quite a number of notches with their second album, the Ethan Johns produced Bleeding On The Soundtrack. The band comprise Ruarri Joseph on vocals and guitar, Harry Harding on drums and Naomi Holmes on bass. Glasgow born Joseph formed the band following a solo career that delivered four solo albums. Their debut album Proud Disturber Of The Peace was released in 2017 and their reputation has grown steadily as a dynamic live act bleeding grungy folk and hard edge blues and rock, a throw back to a sound often excelled by Brit bands in the late 60’s / early 70’s. If their debut album created a few ripples in the industry, Bleeding On The Soundtrack is more akin to a tsunami, with Ethan Johns the consummate producer to channel Joseph’s forthright, enraged and exasperated storytelling into a powerful and rugged piece of music. John’s equally manages to capture the dynamic of the band’s live shows on the album, from the rocky opener Path Of The Crow, to the beautifully paced and exceptional closer Within Your Spell. Following on from their debut album, it’s a further retrospective by Joseph into a traumatic and troubled journey from adolescence to adulthood. Tales of family alcoholism, drug addiction, self-loathing and remorse feature in the autobiographical writing by Joseph, reflecting on his early adulthood. However, the content is delivered more by way of cleansing and healing than contrition. There’s no lack of humour also, Sensitive Side recalls adolescence and confused signals as Joseph revisits an unfulfilled teenage crush (‘’ What a scene, I was only fifteen the world was a thorn in my side’’). Madness On The Line has a thumping bass line and harmonica riffs straight out of Canvey Island courtesy of Dr. Feelgood and Be So Kind could be an outtake from Van Morrison’s Into The Music. Crashing bass chords, brisk drumming and rumbustious guitar breaks are what define the band and no more so than on title track Bleeding On The Soundtrack - a hypnotic blues burner which explodes into a rip-roaring finale – and the equally impressive The Curse Of Friends.

William The Conqueror’s growing reputation as one of the U.K’s most dynamic emerging live acts can only be enhanced by BOTS. Ethan Johns has managed to capture their live high-powered energy and faultlessly transfer it to the studio. I’m loving this and looking forward to seeing them live once more at Kilkenny Roots in May. Crank up the volume to max and enjoy!

Review by Declan Culliton

Jamie Lin Wilson Jumping Over Rocks Self-Release

They don’t come much more authentic ‘country’ than D’Hanis South Texas (population 550) resident Jamie Lin Wilson. The former Gougers and Trisha’s band member may have arrived late to her calling - picking up her first guitar at the age of 19 - but she has certainly made up for lost time. The writing on her solo albums Holidays and Wedding Rings (2015) and her latest album Jumping Over Rocks, harks back to yesteryear, when many country writers were in

spired by simple everyday occurrences and observations. She also balances her musical career with motherhood, often overcoming the impediment of touring and providing for her family by bringing her four children on tour with her. She doesn’t hang around either, this album was recorded live in four days at Arlen Studios in Austin Texas, with no overdubs or vocal auto tunes. The production duties were handled by Steve Christensen and the album in many ways benefits from the accelerated recording giving it a sense of a live recording.

Five of the songs are self written, four are co-writes and one is a cover of Guy Clark’s Instant CoffeeBlues. Some covers work particularly well, if the artists put their own slant on the song, others less so. Electing to include the Guy Clark classic had me scratching my head prior to playing it. Fortunately, Wilson’s recording of the song sticks very close to the original. It’s a duet with Jack Ingram (whose vocal contribution sounds remarkably like John Prine) and they simply nail it, to the extent that I had the track on repeat several times. The choice of co-writers is also impressive and an indication of the regard Wilson is held by her peers. Ingram, Brian Wright, Mike Ethan Messick and Evan Felker all contribute. Opener song Faithful and True, co-written with Jack Ingram, is beautifully paced with Wilson’s disciplined vocal delivery entering Emmylou territory. In fact, the album as a whole recalls the sound Emmylou Harris created on her mid 70’s Reprise Label albums, the idyllic blend of country and roots music. Wilson’s Hot Band for the recording include a formidable gathering of quality players in Charlie Sexton on guitar, Scott Davis on bass, Richard Millsap on drums, Trevor Norton on keyboards and Cody Angel on pedal steel and dobro. Oklahoma Stars, written with Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours, is a sweet country ballad, the added vocals by Felker and weeping pedal steel by Angel adding depth to the song. The strength of her own songwriting comes to bear on the stunning Death & Life, a widow’s reflection on the early passing of her husband (‘’it’s been three years in November, she still ain’t bought a stone, I used to be a lover and I still feel like a wife, that’s the way that it goes in the game of death and life’’). Run, grappling with a relationship gone sour, is possibly the most radio friendly inclusion, a richly textured sound complementing Wilson’s soaring vocals.

Jamie Lin Wilson is yet another name to add to the growing list of Independent female artists writing and recording outstanding material, yet remaining somewhat below the radar. She’s certainly pushed out the boundaries this time around, so do check this album out. I’ve no doubt you’ll enjoy it every bit as much as myself. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Buffalo Blood Self-Titled Eel Pie

Neilson Hubbard has been a busy man of late. Three artists, whose albums he produced, Mary Gauthier, Ben Glover and Dean Owens, won awards at the recent AmericanaFest U.K. He also recorded his last solo album Cumberland Island in 2018 and continues to perform with three-piece band The Orphan Brigade. His latest collaboration Buffalo Blood, is a blend of Celtic and Southern American roots folk, inspired by a desire by Hubbard and his musical associates, Dean Owens, Joshua Britt and Audrey Spillman, to consider and reflect on the landscape and environment previously occupied by the Native Americans. The recording voyage for their self-titled album brought them across The Trail Of Tears, the journey enforced on the natives as they were driven from their ancestral lands to what was designated as Indian Territory, across The Mississippi River. The album was recorded in locations from the New Mexico Desert to La Plaza Blanca in Abiquiu and atmospherically captures much of those environs and habitat including real life sounds of birds, animals and winds. 

The concept album consists of fifteen tracks, intended as a double vinyl release, with the song writing duties shared by Hubbard, Owens and Britt, some of which is fictional, others based on real life events. Instrumentation includes guitars, percussion, bass, keyboards and mandolin. Ghostly whistling and chanting  are also included, but the real winner are the gorgeous harmonies they create across the exceptionally well written narratives. Sadness, wrath and regret understandably surface, particularly on tracks Comanche Moon, Vanishing World and Reservations which deal directly with the banishment of communities from their lands, but there’s also positiveness and pride on I’m Alive and Carry The Feather.

The album is an ambitious and brave project, tackling a topic often ignored musically, with the possible exception of Buffy Sainte - Marie. To their credit, Buffalo Blood have managed to bring to pass an exceptionally well researched, written and vocalised work, which would pass with flying colours as a soundtrack to a movie on the same subject. 

Review by Declan Culliton

Great Peacock Gran Pavo Real Self Release

Nashville based Great Peacock release their second album and all songs are written by Andrew Nelson (guitars, electric piano & vocals) and Blount Floyd (guitars, harmonica & vocals). They open with Hideaway, a track that rocks with organ swells and a bright guitar tone. Following with the slow tempo and loose groove of One Way Ticket, this is alt country music that resonates. The soulful sound of Begging To Stay is balanced by the bar room feel of Heartbreak Comin’ Down and the slow blues of Take Me Down displays a different band dynamic as they build the arrangement into guitar driven territory. 

Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium, the album was produced by Dexter Green (Jason Isbell, Elizabeth Cooke), who also contributes electric guitar, organ and bass to the record. Tom Blankenship (My Morning Jacket) also plays bass and Ralph Lofton plays organ and piano across the ten tracks. Nick Recio (drums, percussion & acoustic guitar) completes the line-up.

Oh Deep Water is a chilled, relaxed sound with pedal steel by Carl Broemel floating across the melody. Rattlesnake has an up-tempo rhythm with nice guitar lines while the acoustic sound of All I Really Want Is You suggests a more commercial direction. The final track, Miss You Honey, is a slow tempo melody and a wistful vocal about lost love. The band produce an impressive sound that channels Americana at its best.

Review by Paul McGee

Ben Fisher Does The Land Remember Me? Self Release

It’s always about Land – the conflicts of this World, dividing Nations and causing untold suffering upon so many populations… Land to be conquered, to be claimed, to be annexed, to be granted by Political favour, to be controlled by Governments and armies.

Ben Fisher has a degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies and he moved to Israel in 2014 in order to gain first-hand knowledge of the conflict between the Israel and Palestinian people. He wanted to present both sides of the argument that surrounds the daily focus of survival and the right to live a life in service to deep-seated beliefs.

He asked celebrated singer-songwriter Damien Jurado to produce the project, which runs to 17-tracks and clocks in at just shy of 56 minutes. The uncluttered approach and stripped-down use of instrumentation bring great focus and resonance. All songs are written by Ben Fisher apart from one cover, Why We Build The Wall, by Anais Mitchell. The sequence jumps around in terms of time and history while some songs are written from a personal, modern-day perspective (Brave New World, Horses and Helpers). The last song, Take A Look Around, is referenced by the comment that “The making of the modern state of Israel was a miracle...” 

Well, my understanding of history thinks that the United Nations Special Commission examined the Palestinian question and recommended the partition of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. Despite growing conflict between Palestinian Arabs and Palestinian Jews, United States President, Harry S. Truman ultimately decided to recognize the state of Israel. Great Britain had opposed both the creation of a Jewish state and an Arab state in Palestine, as well as unlimited immigration of Jewish refugees to the region. 

The holocaust of WW2 caused the immigration of millions of Jewish people to Palestine and this is covered in songs like Exodus. The title track refers to the mass emigration of Arabs from Palestine having lost the 1948 war with the new Israel, a pivotal moment in all this conflict, and Yallah To Abdullah also covers this period with Jordan taking many thousands of fleeing families into the country. 

The inclusion of Why We Build the Wall is perfectly legitimised, given the fear, hatred and paranoia that exists on both sides of the divide. It also gives a wry nod to the utter chaos and absurdity of the USA situation where Mexico is considered less than human and a place where inhabitants must be corralled against leaving for greener pastures and opportunity. Had Palestine the power to take a similar stance, then would the current situation have developed - one can only ponder?

Gaza is addressed in terms of a jump between 1956 and 2014; the murder of a Jewish boy is set against the airstrikes and rocket launches where thousands of Palestinians died against 76 Israelis in terrible atrocities. Fathers and Sons lives repeat across the decades and the heartbreak of 1948 is balanced with the moments captured by, If I Have To Go, and the sense that everything is transient.

In the World where war torn reality invades our easy lives in TV land, a release like this is a wake-up call to realise the suffering of part of our human race on a scale that rarely impacts upon our comfortable way of life in the Western World. Credit to Ben Fisher (Vocals, Piano, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Mellotron, Harmonica), Faustine Hudson (Percussion), Micah Simler (Bass), Steve Norman (Pedal Steel), John Northey (Flugelhorn, Trumpet), Noah Gundersen (Electric Guitar, Vocals), Shelby Earl (Vocals) and Damien Jurado (Vocals) for a work of some substance and most worthy of investigation.

Review by Paul McGee

New Album Reviews

Stone Mountain Sinners Tones Of Home Self Release

A debut release from a 6-piece band who are based in the U.K. and who really hit all the spots with a dynamic and energetic Americana & Rock sound. Lead vocalists Sarah Warren and Neil Ivison had separate bands and careers before deciding to join forces and experiment with a new sound. Joined by Nick Lydon (acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass & vocals), Roger Roberts (piano, hammond organ, vocals), Adam Hood (bass) and Duke Delight (drums & percussion) they have discovered an authentic sound that is hard edged and filled with plenty of drive in the song arrangements. The opening tracks, Roadhouse and Arms Of Love set the tempo with full on high energy playing and there are echoes of Bob Seger on tracks like Round Here & All Night Long.

Keeping On shows another side to the sound with a Blues workout that recalls the Allman Bros. The vocal delivery of Sarah Warren is very powerful, full of a bluesy soul and reminiscent of Janis in her tone. It blends nicely with the deeper, gravel timbre of Ivison and together they deliver a convincing performance across the nine tracks here.

Stronger is a track that shows the band in full flight with all players channelling a rockabilly beat with all jangly guitars and shuffle drum beats. The slower Music City Blues features Maurice Hipkiss on pedal steel guitar and the extended closing track, Tones Of Home suggests a direction they could explore further with duelling guitars playing around the rhythm and bouncing off the pedal steel parts. Impressive debut and worth investigation.

Review by Paul McGee

Taylor Martin Song Dogs Little King

A singer-songwriter who grew up in Virginia and who now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, Martin releases his third album and Song Dogs is a very impressive statement of his talent and intentions. Amanda Anne Platt produces and along with her co-producer/engineer, Robert George, she delivers a beautifully balanced record with plenty of texture and vitality in the arrangements. The players on the album are quite superb and the quality and richness of each song is a joy to be discovered by the listener.

Little Pictures is a look at our modern addiction to cell phones/social media and how we end up “missing everything”. It has a blues feel with B3 and piano filling out the funky drum beat. The roots rock of Here Comes The Flood is followed by the country strum of Eden Colorado and the interplay between acoustic guitar and pedal steel. Martin writes eight songs and there are three excellent covers, which include Sign On The Window (Bob Dylan), Kern River (Merle Haggard) and Music Arcade (Neil Young). Milk & Honey and Our Memories are pure country with the fiddle playing of Lyndsay Pruett a real highlight; not only on the latter track but throughout the record. The title track closes the album and the simple piano lines, complimented by the lonesome sound of pedal steel, just leave you wanting more.

The musicians deserve the spotlight and this ensemble really knock it out of the park on every track; Taylor Martin (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Richie Jones (drums, percussion), Matthew Dufon (bass), Matthew Smith (pedal steel), Josh Shilling (piano, B3), Aaron Woody Wood (electric guitar), Aaron Ramsey (acoustic guitar), Lyndsay Pruett (fiddle), Amanda Anna Platt (harmony vocals). Quite superb and a must buy.

Review by Paul McGee

Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane Grit Greywood

This is a debut release from Canadian artists Gordie Tentrees and Jaxon Haldane as a duo. Both have recorded previously in their own names and have collected works that bear out their unique talents across a range of instruments. This release is a live album and was recorded at various venues in Alberta, Canada during 2016. Gordie plays dobro, acoustic guitar, foot percussion, porch board bass and prison whistle. Jaxon joins him on cigar box guitars (electric & lap steel), fiddle saw and 5-string banjo. The sound is very organic as befits twelve stripped down acoustic arrangements. There are story songs and others of keen observation while the Folk & Blues influences of Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson are never far away in these ballads. 

Ten songs involve Tentrees in the writing, with seven written solo and two involving Haldane. They all sound like old standards, which is testament to the authenticity that is brought to their delivery and performance. I hear echoes of Loudon Wainwright III in the vocals, especially on the blues tinged rendition of I Don’t Have A Gun (Womack/Kimbrough). 29 Loads Of Freight, Junior and Bottleneck Of Wire are all very strong songs and performed with great energy and passion. Well worth investigation for all folk music enthusiasts.

Review by Paul McGee

Blue Fish Diamond From Dark To Light Self Release

This debut album appeared in late 2018 and Blue Fish Diamond are an Irish seven-piece band who originally formed in 2016. Their sound is very melodic and resonates with commercial and contemporary Folk leanings across the ten tracks included here. The lead vocals of Jim Murphy are quite soft and he sings in a gentle, almost fragile tone, especially on tracks like Salvation Call and Innocent Child. Time To Go and Angels Of The Wind are more up-tempo arrangements and A World Away has a nice guitar break from McDonald which energises, before the song takes a change in tempo at the mid-way point. 

The harmony vocals of Ella Ryan and Matilda O’Mahoney are very appealing throughout and add colour to the arrangements. Gavin Glass produced the project at his studio and he also played on the tracks, with a credit of ‘all other instruments’ perhaps not telling the full story. The rhythm section of Ronan Quinn (bass) and Shay Sweeney (drums & percussion) provides a strong platform for the guitars of Murphy (acoustic) and Alex McDonald (electric) and the piano playing of Laura Ryder is also full of nice runs and subtle touches. Laura has a separate band which appeared recently at the Ones To Watch 2019 Festival in Dublin and her performance was excellent. 

The band originally met at the BIMM Dublin music college and they certainly are making the right steps forward with this release. So, overall a very pleasant listen with hope for more to follow in the future. 

Review by Paul McGee

Carl Broemel Wished Out Bismeaux

Better known as guitar god with My Morning Jacket, this is Carl Broemel’s third solo effort. Recorded in his newly constructed home studio in Nashville, he has roped in friends like Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick), Russ Pollard (Sebadoh) and MMJ band mates Tom Blankenship and Bo Koster to help out.

It’s a collection of eight self penned songs of mainly dreamy folk rock, but with more than a hint of his rock guitar leanings finding their way in, to a greater or lesser degree on most tracks. My favourite track is Wished Out - by far the longest at 6 minutes, Carl here gets to show his excellent vocal range on a soulful groove of a song, augmented by an appropriately long languid electric guitar solo.

There’s quite a variation of styles and influences here, from the retro twin harmony guitars of opening song Dark Matter to the Ryan Adams-esque vocals and piano on Starting From Scratch. Another standout track is the acoustic driven Malibu Shadow, with it’s catchy tune and lovely layered vocals. The album ends on a real rock out with the guitar driven Out Of Reach.

Review by Eilís Boland

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards Live In Manitoba Nobody’s Favorite

Mark & Raianne, a folk duo from Massachusetts, had the wise idea of bringing along a recording engineer during a 13 date house concert tour of Manitoba, Canada, and this album is the result.

It stands as a perfect calling card for their superb blend of original folk songs and musicianship. True folkies in every sense of the word, they are already known locally for initiating the Massachusetts Walking Tour, a now annual event where they walk through the state, carrying their instruments and camping along the way, performing concerts in out of the way locations en route. They even paddle their way in canoes at times!

The collection showcases their accomplished songwriting and duet singing, and between them they play guitar, ukulele, harmonica, clarinet (an acquired taste which has so far eluded me in folk music) and tin whistle. A nice touch is the inclusion of some of the between song banter, where you get an idea of their easy rapport with their audiences and their sense of humour and, indeed, humanity.

Review by Eilís Boland

Daniel Meade and the Flying Mules Live Mules Self Release

Glasgow’s finest exponent of ol’ time Americana with a hillbilly boogie woogie edge is back for a busy year where he intends to release 3 albums. Given his dexterity they are likely to show different aspects of his musical muse. The first of these will doubtless appeal to anyone who has seen the Flying Mules play across the U.K. or in Ireland where they were regulars at the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival. Meade is an authentic songwriter and many of his original songs have a timeless quality that would easily place them along side some of the classics pop the era that they evoke.

Neither should the contribution of the Flying Mules be underestimated. Guitarist Lloyd Reid is a top notch player well the equal of many better know players. While the rhythm section of upright bassist Mark Ferrie and drummer Thomas Sutherland bring the swing to its rightful place as the bedrock of the overall sound. The album was recorded at Mareel in Shetland  in 2016. It was their first visit and from the audience reaction and solid delivery that was captured on the night it was a memorable one.

The album features a selection of Meade’s songs taken from their first album to the then current album Let Me Off At The Bottom. That title song, along with astute titles like, There’s A Headstone Where Her Heart Used To Be, If It’s Not Your Fault (I Guess It’s Mine), Not My Heart Again all play out the timeless emotional relationship game viewed form both sides of love/leave divide. The album closes with a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee cover that brings the roots of the music full circle.

So crank up the sound system as this is a pretty hefty live sound given it’s simple origins and you can have the Flying Mules stopping round your living room while you wait to see what Daniel Meade come sup with next. Whatever that is it’s bound to be interesting.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Michael McDermott Orphans Pauper Sky

The many fans of Micheal McDermott will be more than happy with his latest release which underscores the reason they became fans in the first place. Strong songs that don’t shy away from the darker paths his life has taken in the past. As with Out For Under they are something of an exorcism of those times to the more positive place he finds himself. McDermott produced this album which has a big, full sound that will place him alongside some of those to whom he has been compared. Whenever I play his music to new listeners there is, inevitably, a comparison to Bruce Springsteen and on a certain level I can understand that. The instrumentation and delivery are similar as are the occasional arrangement but one major difference is that while Sprinsteen’s songs tend to focus on the working man McDermott’s are more about the ups and downs life of a working musician. The many nights away, the cheap hotel and cold motels, the sparse audiences that are very much a part and parcel of the life of a traveling troubadour. Not all the songs, of course, are about that and neither is he asking for your sympathy. It’s a life style he has chosen, or chosen him, so rather it is a more honest detailing of the path he has taken or, as truthfully, won’t let him go.

His wife (and singer in her own right) Heather Lynne Horton is a part of the musicians involved, many who were a part of the band The Westies with him and also played on his previous solo albums like Lex Price, John Deadrick and Fred Eltringham as well as guitarist Will Kimbrough. All in all these musicians are in tune with McDermott’s vision and production. He is also singing with energy and no little passion. Given that this songs are mostly drawn from his journey so far that have a conviction that is integral to McDermott’s thinking and actions. Songs like Ne’er Do Well, Meadowlark, Los Angeles, A Lifetime Ago and the closing What If Today Were My Last all take different perspectives mirrored in their delivery which ranges from piano ballads to more uptempo arrangements. All of which show that Michael McDermott is on a upward path that continues to produce music that has an all round excellence.

Review by Stephen Rapid

New Album Reviews

Tellico Woven Waters Organic

Original Roots music and a second release following debut album, Relics and Roses, in 2015. The band comprises Anya Hinkle (guitar, fiddle, vocals), Greg Stiglets (bass, harmonica, vocals), Aaron Ballance (dobro, lap steel) and Jed Willis (mandolin and electric guitar). There are guest appearances from David Brewer (drums) and John Doyle (bouzouki), who also produced the project. 

The band are part of the vibrant Roots music community in Asheville, North Carolina and the nine tracks included on this release run to almost 40 minutes and are played with impressive technique and subtle skill by these tightly integrated musicians. Storytelling was an integral part of the Appalachian sound and songs like the Ballad Of Zona Abston keep that tradition alive, as does the song, Salsa, which tells of a favourite horse who goes missing in the mountains. 

There is bluegrass, old timey rhythms and some sweet folk leanings included in these songs but it’s the collective playing that impresses mostly with songs like West Of The Cumberlands, Courage For The Morning and Like November that linger. Hinkle has a fine delivery and her vocal is very expressive, with hints of Natalie Merchant. Never more so than on, It’s Just Rain, with the lyrical imagery of “another storm has come to wash the sin out of the stain”, staying on the breeze. Anya writes five songs, with Greg penning three more and there is one co-write between them. Worthy of your time and attention.

Review by Paul McGee

Blake Brown & The American Dust Choir Long Way Home We Believers

This debut release goes back to March 2018 but it only found a recent place in my review pile. Blake Brown is an American singer-songwriter from Denver, Colorado. Collaborative projects apart, he formed The American Dust Choir which includes wife, Tiffany Brown (keyboard/vocals), Adam Blake (drums), Jason Legler (bass) and Trent Nelson (guitar). Their sound is based around guitar orientated arrangements that echo an Americana feel and the dynamic is added to by the subtle vocal style of Brown, who employs an approach of ‘less is more’. 

On repeated playing, the overall sound is understated, yet addictive, and the easy swing of tracks like Up In Arms and Fever Dreams channel a Chris Isaak mood. Clocking in around 35 minutes, this release does not overstay its welcome and the neat production of Joe Richmond has much to recommend it. With clean lines and a nice separation on all instruments, it makes for an engaging listen and the commercial sound of Stop Shakin’ and Bended Knee indicate one direction that the band could focus on. Acoustic numbers, Accidental Love and Untitled are also engaging. However, it is the more ‘noir’ sound of tracks like Kissing Knives and Get Out that indicate where the true heart of the band’s sound may lie. Interesting.

Review by Paul McGee

Martha Reich Brave Bird Self Release

This 7-track release opens with a simple banjo, cello & fiddle accompaniment to the sweetly sensitive vocal of Martha Reich on If You Only Knew, and you are instantly hooked. Drawn into a space where time stands still and the plaintive, sparse sound of this Folk artist slowly takes hold of the moment. Self produced and written by Reich, with the exception of a cover, Over The Rainbow, you are touched by the sense of being in the presence of, perhaps, Joni Mitchell’s older and wiser, sister. Ethereal, gentle soundscapes that drip with restrained atmosphere and tracks like So Brave, The River, Fade Away and I’d Rather Be Surprised, over 30 minutes plus, leave you transformed. Yes, it’s that good!

Review by Paul McGee

Kalyn Fay Good Company Horton

I was very impressed by Fay’s last album Bible Belt and the Oklahoma musician (and graphic designer) has gone one better with her new album. On this release she has brought in Jesse Aycock to produce. He is a session musician and a recording artist in his own right. The sound is layered and varied, one that runs from the solid riff and propulsion of Highway Driving to the more folkish soft rock of Good Company and all points in between, that include country and rock in its make-up. 

The result is a collection of thoughtful and considered songs that benefit from Fay’s alluring vocal. It is a sound that speaks directly to you in a way that is personal and not without its own sense of panache. A sound that is intensely welcomes you to a deep sense of her heritage, talent and place. Described as quintessentially Oklahomaian, it is also quintessentially Kalyn Fay, as the two are largely intertwined. The one feeds the other and as Fay has recently made a move to Arkansas to further her fine arts career, it is no doubt twinned with some sense of that separation.

To help her realise this set of songs Fay has a range of local musicians involved including John Fullbright and Carter Sampson, as well as Aycock’s contribution on guitars, pedal steel and piano. While these may be names known only to those who follow the musicians mentioned, the othermusicians are equally attuned to the song-writing which takes into account the possibilities of love, loss and of locality,. The songs include 10 originals and a well chosen cover of Malcolm Holcombe’s Dressed In White (an underrated songwriter). The titles offer a clue to her inspiration from Oklahoma Hills to Fool’s Heartbreak. These songs bookend theunderlyingsense of place and relationships. Though both, as with most places, exist as often inseparable points on life’s compass.

They overall theme that these songs touch on is one that is universal and the sound is also one that captivates on a broader level to make the album work for thelistener, no matter where they happen tom reside.It is simply an album that shows an artist communicating at her best with her finest music to date. 

Review by Stephen Rapid

Boo Ray Tennessee Alabama Fireworks Self Release

The album opens with steel guitar on a song whose lyrics include the album’s title. It sets the tone for a selection of tracks that cover a number of different moods that are held together by Ray’s songs, allied to Noah Shain’s production and the assembled players collective skills. “What doesn’t come from the heart doesn’t reach the heart” a line from that opening track,A Tune You Can Whistle, sums up Ray’s credo. There is a consistent theme of travel, highways, truckers and small towns. Going Back Down To Georgia, as suits that particular song, has a more soulful direction with  sone funky guitar, bass and brass. Honky Tonk Dream continues to use the steel guitar and brass to good effect. 20 Questions finds Ray under the spotlight trying to deal with a wide array of lifestyle enquiries from his partner. The slower paced,She Wrote The Song, has a solid beat with some effective guitar lines mingled with the pedal steel to emphasise the emotion of the song. Dee Elle is an instrumentalist that again has the steel well to the fore and giving it a desert atmosphere. Out Run The Wind is more straight up country. 

There is a weariness and understanding in Ray’s voice which shows that he understands these emotions and motivations. His music is described as “Outlaw” on his Facebook page and while he may not fit the current stereotype, he fits the description in that he does his music his way, without interference from outside sources. Music that reflects his varied musical influences and experiences in the clubs and stages of Nashville, LA and in South Georgia, as well as his experiences from growing up in North Carolina. His sound has been perfected over recent albums such as Six Weeks In A Motel and Sea Of Lights, as well as some interesting single releases that feature such duet partners as Elizabeth Cook and Lily Winwood. An easy album to like and one that gets better with repeated plays. The cover depicts a sign that Ray repeatedly passed in his travels appearing as a “surreal, southern gothic effigy” - a pretty good marker for his music then.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Charles Wesley Godwin Seneca Self Release

Looking not unlike an old-time explorer on the cover of this album, Charles Wesley Godwin is perhaps fitting for a songwriter who is constantly making discoveries about the people and locations he has met or passed through in his life so far. Previously a member of Union Sound Treaty with whom he released one album, he played and listened to bluegrass and traditional country and began writing his own songs. These were coloured by his upbringing in West Virginia where he grew up with a coal mining father and a school teaching mother. He understood the people and places that he encountered along the way and these experiences of life are the bed rock of these songs.

His songs can be affecting, like Seneca Creek, a downbeat ballad that lays out a story of arelationship that has been touched by different aspects of weather and the weathered relationships that can occur in a particular place. It appears twice on the album,as afull band version and it also closes the album in an acoustic guitar and voice version. Both adequately highlight the storytelling power of Charles Wesley Godwin’s song-writing and singing. 

Charles Wesley Godwin recordedover a 12 month period, in between touring to raise the money to make the album. Inthe process he met some of the musicians he wanted to work with and allowed for their schedules to achieve this. The results show the time well spent and the affinity that producer Al Torrence has with the material and the artist. The rhythm section provide a solid base over which there are bass, guitars, keyboards, fiddle, banjo, dobro and pedal steel embellishments that colour the  textures but never over paint the pictures that Charles Wesley Godwin conjures. Seneca is an album that is deserving of a wider audience. Several of the songs in an acoustic setting are featured along with his back story on his website and are well worth checking out.

Review by Stephen Rapid

Balsam Range Aeonic Mountain Home

Great expectations awaited this eighth release from Balsam Range, who are named after a sub range of the Appalachian Mountains in their home state of North Carolina. They have, after all, twice been voted Entertainer of the Year by the IBMA membership and between them they have won 11 other individual IBMA awards. 

And they won’t disappoint their myriad of fans with this latest self produced offering, ambitiously titled Aeonic (enduring, lasting immeasurably). The selection of songs from well established bluegrass and country writers and a couple of covers from other genres, all delivered in their traditional bluegrass style but with a smattering of newgrass and country touches, show that Balsam Range are not content to stand still musically.

The Girl Who Invented The Wheel kicks off the album at blistering pace, band leader Buddy Melton’s superb vocals doing more than justice to an unusual theme - extolling the virtues of a woman who has just dumped him but he is still in awe of her wonderfulness. In true bluegrass style, Buddy also gets to show off his much awarded fiddling on most of the tracks. Another particularly memorable tune is Tumbleweed Town (from the pens of Milan Miller and Beth Husband) wherein Tim Surrett shows that he’s as adept on the dobro as he is on bass. Guitarist Caleb Smith’s sweet vocals here are perfect for the pacy country ballad, with lots of lovely mandolin infills from Darren Nicholson.

Ray LaMontagne’s early song Hobo Blues is given an appropriately simpler arrangement and, again with Caleb Smith’s vocals, is one of the standout tracks.

The four gospel choices here are predictable fare but they allow the vocalists to indulge themselves in gorgeous three and four part harmonies. Marc Pruett’s legendary banjo playing shines on Let My Light Be A Life and also on the driving Get Me Gone.

Most outstanding though is the cover of George Harrison’s classic If I Needed Someone. Taken at double pace, and with Buddy Melton working some sort of electronic sorcery on his fiddle making it sound like a whole string section, it is over all too soon! 

Review by Eilís Boland

Whiskey Shivers Some Part Of Something Devil Duck

Whiskey Shivers seem to have exploded onto the music scene recently - certainly they have only come under my radar in the past year - but would you believe that this is their 5th release? They’ve been bubbling under in Austin for years now - often described as ‘Austin’s best kept secret’ - but the secret is out! Currently in the middle of an extensive European tour, I suspect Europe doesn’t know what has hit it.

The band’s live performances are by now legendary - they are known for their high energy, irreverence and good humour, and much of that spirit comes across on this album. Produced by Houston’s Robert Ellis, the songs are a combination of original songs and covers of traditional bluegrass and folk songs, all performed in their signature ‘thrashgrass bluegrass’ style.

If you’re a bluegrass purist, you can turn off your set now. Whiskey Shivers play with a marked punk sensibility that is strangely compelling to these ears, and definitely grows on you with repeated listens. ‘Manic' is the description that springs to mind on hearing their breakneck cover of the bluegrass/folk standard Angelina Baker, and it also applies to their original songs Reckless and No Pity in the Rose City. Cluck Old Hen sounds like it is being sung by a chain gang in the 20’s, but it really works with this rollicking bluesy psychedelic treatment. Long Gone, a country tinged ballad, allows the band, led by vocalist/ fiddle player Bobby Fitzgerald, to show that they are no mean musicians.

Music to drive to - but watch your speed! 

Review by Eilís Boland

Reviews by Paul McGee

Hat Check Girl Cold Smoke Gallway Bay

This is the seventh release from a duo who have quite a track record in the music business, including numerous albums as solo performers, namely, Peter Gallway and Annie Gallup. Their sound is essentially Contemporary Folk with subtle Jazz leanings in the sparse arrangements. Annie can sound somewhat like Joni Mitchell in places, while Peter reminds me of Eric Taylor in his delivery on occasion. Of course, any such similarities are purely in the mind of this reviewer and my subjective thoughts and the entire listening experience across some 53 minutes is quite a lesson in song craft and expansive lyrical ideas. 

I have always found the music of Hat Check Girl both challenging and rewarding in equal measure. Not for them the simple love song or whimsical throw-away line; rather they build their story songs from historical context or imagined characters, placed in all kinds of straitened circumstances…

So, the soldier posted to the Army Air Corps in WW2 finds himself on an island where the Enola Gay lands, just before carrying out its fateful mission of dropping the Atomic Bomb in 1945.The lament for humanity is palpable in the narrative of the soldier as he helplessly witnesses the catastrophic build-up.

Andersonville is a song that relays the stark story of a Confederate prison of war camp during the American Civil War, told from the perspective of Newell Burch, the longest held prisoner at 661 days, in conditions that were dominated by infectious disease and severe overcrowding. The stockade commandant, Henry Wirz, was later tried and hanged for carrying out war crimes that were held to be the reason why quite a number of the 13,000 prisoners died.  Another Union prisoner, Dorence Atwater, recorded the names and numbers of the dead and his diaries were key to the eventual trial verdict. All these characters are interwoven into the song, making it almost like a short story or a movie script.

The story in Highway Of Tears refers to the British Columbia section of the Yellowhead Highway, a stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert where numerous women have gone missing over the years. It has been reported that eighteen women went missing, presumed murdered, but speculation puts that number into the forties… This tale is narrated by a chief of one of the indigenous, or first, people - an aboriginal, ethnic group who were the original settlers.

Thirteen Cents An Hour tells of the great industrial fire of New York in 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was the worst industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in U.S. history, causing the deaths of 146 garment workers – 123 women and 23 men. It is told through the eyes of a young Irish immigrant girl who worked and perished alongside her Mother.

And on it goes; a song about righteous objectors and the conviction to take action (I Broke The Law); a song about a family pet who gets recruited into the canine corps during the war (Liza Blue); another that tells the story of a runaway, single mother who makes a living by performing songs (Songbird Of Cincinnati) and the wife who seeks redemption in the company of a soldier returned from the war, risking her own marriage and thinking that her husband never knew (Cobalt Blue).

Towards the end of the project there is a duet between Annie and Peter that takes the form of letters received and sent between two young lovers during the Vietnam War and it is both poignant and heart rending in its description of the futility of battle and the longing to return to more innocent times.

A long review indeed but well merited and a release of some substance that will invigorate and involve the listener in all aspects of the creative process. 

Deer Tick Mayonnaise Partisan

Following the commercial and critical success of their dual release albums, Deer Tick Vol. 1 & Deer Tick Vol.2 in 2017 and the subsequent Twice Is Nice tour in support of the music, the band from Rhode Island are back to prove that their punk-roots rock leanings are a sharp as ever.

They have always walked a line between the light and the loud in terms of their musical output and this dual approach has won them many admirers over a career that began in 2007 with their debut release. With band members John McCauley (lead vocals, guitar), Christopher Ryan (bass, upright bass, backing vocals), Dennis Ryan (drums, backing vocals) and Ian O'Neil (guitar, backing vocals), this new release is a mixed bag of cover versions performed on tour, alternate versions of songs from Vol.1 and five new songs.

White City (The Pogues) works really well, with all its raw energy, both in a live setting and on this record. Run Of The Mill (George Harrison) has a slow groove, understated accordion mixed with jangly guitars, while Too Sensitive For This World (Ben Vaughn) has a very laid back, cool vibe. 

The 7-minute version of Velvet Underground song, Pale Blue Eyes, is given an acoustic Country treatment and new songs Strange, Awful Feeling and the instrumental, Memphis Chair, follow a similar sound. From Vol.1 we are given alternative versions of Limp Right Back, End Of The World, Doomed From The Start, and Cocktail, a song about drinking exploits that is rooted in the past memories and younger days of McCauley.

The loose electric attack of Spirals, another new song, kicks everything off in fine style and Old Lady is quite the opposite with a slow country tempo. Something for all tastes then and plenty to keep existing fans happy, while attracting new admirers to their eclectic musical world.

Jess Klein Back To My Green Blue Rose

This is the first release in four years from a singer songwriter who has been producing a consistently interesting body of work since her debut release in the late 1990’s. Now living in Hillsborough, North Carolina with her husband Mike June, she has put together a collection of songs that range from the commercial pop sound of opening track, In Dreams, to the blues tinged gospel arrangement of Gates Of Hell. 

However, it is her folk leanings that show her at her most natural as a contemporary singer songwriter of real depth and maturity. A strong sense of this is evident on songs like New Thanksgiving Feast and I Hear Love, two of the strongest statements on the album. With simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, New Thanksgiving Feast is a reflection of modern life in America and holds up a mirror against the injustice, prejudice and hatred that boils beneath the surface and all too often erupts. I Hear Love is an appropriate song to end with, as the sentiment captures the overall message of the project, which is one of healing and redemption.

Blair Mountain tells of the largest labour uprising in United States history where 100 people were killed and many more arrested in seeking to improve Mine Workers conditions. It has a fine rock arrangement and has an anger in the delivery that is reflected in the distorted guitar attack of the song. Kid is a song that offers sage advice to the young from the perspective of someone who has learned a few life lessons along the way. 

Tougher Than The Rest and Mammal are personal manifestos to believe in yourself and live life to the full, while Back To My Green has a similar theme with a prayer to leave all our burdens down and just breathe in the air, feel free and celebrate Nature.

Along with Jess, producer Mark Simonsen and engineer Thom Canova brought everything to life at Studio M in Durham and Hondo Creek Studio, North Carolina. Both contribute as musicians, with Canova (bass, electric guitars, percussion) and Simonsen (piano, organ, keyboards, electric guitars, drums, vibes, glockenspiel, percussion, vocals) adding greatly to the overall sound. Other guests include Mike Grigoni (pedal steel, lap steel), Laura Thomas (violin), Aubrey Keisel (viola), Leah Gibson (cello), Gaelynn Lea and Jonathan Byrd (vocals)… Another excellent release from an artist that should have a place in any discerning music collector’s library.

Peter Rogan Still Tryin’ To Believe Self Release

Debut release from an artist who lives near Philadelphia and who delivers twelve songs of real quality which resonate in the memory. He’s not afraid to mix the overall feel and sound with a diversity in the song structures that is impressive. From the southern rock of the title track to the country feel of The Only One and the blues funk of Kickin’ The Can, there is a confidence and swagger about this release. Beautiful Honey has a slow and easy groove while Big Green Rambler channels an Allman Bros feel and very enjoyable it is too. 

Rogan has a hand in all the songs (7 co-writes), which include two instrumentals and has assembled an impressive group of studio players in Will Kimbrough (guitars, dobro, pedals), Phil Madeira (guitars, organ, piano, lap steel), Chris Donohue (acoustic & electric bass), Dennis Holt (drums, percussion) and a selection of seven backing singers across the tracks. There are also additional players on selected songs that add to the colour of the arrangements. Produced by Rogan in Nashville, the sound is bright and clear which adds greatly to the enjoyment; no clutter, just straight down the middle arrangements laced with fine melody and rhythm. 

Rolling Mill Blues gives the ensemble a chance to really stretch out and the results are very compelling with a Stones vibe very evident. The slow blues of River Man is particularly appealing and the gospel rock refrain in Mercy is only topped by a searing guitar solo by Rogan that lifts everything to a new level.  

The jazz instrumental, Song For Keith, is beautifully delivered by a coterie of players who don’t appear on any other tracks, so it must have been created elsewhere – Rogan on jazzy guitar runs and the flugelhorn playing of Bob Meashey blend with the understated piano of Ron Stabinsky and the gentle rhythm of John Riley (drums) and Steve Varner (bass) – quite superb and so different to anything else here.

Working as a professional guitarist for many years and also holding down a day job as an electrician, this is the profile of the modern-day musician who tries to balance a lifetime passion with the everyday reality of paying the bills. The songs were written over a 4-year period and the old adage that ‘patience is a virtue’ has never rung truer. A highly recommended release.

Jesse Matas Tamarock Self Release

Jesse Matas is one third of The Crooked Brothers, a trio that hail from Winnipeg, Canada. They have released three albums and are recognised for their blend of country, back porch blues and folk sounds. On his solo debut, Matas does not veer too far away from this template and delivers music that is very easy on the ear and full of variety. There seems to be a Nature theme running through the project and the songs were written over a period of years outside of urban life and using the simple joys in Nature as a touchstone.  

Recorded in Winnipeg and Waterloo, Canada and produced by Matas and John Paul Peters, who also plays violin on the tracks; this is an understated sound that kicks off with a slow acoustic song, Tamarack, augmented with a brushed drum sound. The sweet instrumental, Sleep, is followed by the spoken word, jazzy, free-form arrangement of Monarch, a song about collecting butterflies no less.  Peace River Song has a country twang with banjo and harmonica setting the mood. Walking Human and Rock & Sound are two songs with a slow build and a rhythm that brings Neil Young to mind as the fluid and loose guitar lines give a great feel to both. 

The slow strum of Hardline and the easy groove of Before, We are both superb examples of the otherworldly quality that this project has. The Myth Of Forests is all jangly guitar, violin and spoken word and full of atmosphere. Overall, a fine release and one that comes highly recommended to fans of laid-back Americana.

Trent Miller Time Between Us Bucketfull Of Brains

This fourth release was recorded at Reservoir Studios in North London and co-produced by Miller with Graham Knight. The album also features renowned session guitarist Paul Cuddeford, violinist Barbara Bartz, cellist Bethany Porter and drummer Patrick Degenhardt. Miller was born in Italy before moving to London in search of a career in music and his road to this point has not always been an easy one. However, he has endured and made his way through to a point where his song craft is gaining greater recognition.

There is a big Rock sound on the title track and the closing She’s Leaving This Place For Good with electric guitar and harmonica winding around the rhythms and How Soon Is Never has a big strings sound to augment the arrangement. Moonlight Café has a strong keyboard/synth melody running alongside the plaintive vocal of Miller and the more acoustic arrangements of Motel Rooms Of Ocean Blue, Lament Of The Sea and Bonfires Of Navarino Road show another change of direction. A big, bright production and lots of good moments across the twelve tracks here.

Kaz Murphy Ride Out The Storm Self Release

An experienced singer-songwriter who has shared the stage with many noted artists and who released his debut album back in 1997 to critical acclaim. This is the fourth solo album and is produced by Scrappy Jud Newcomb (Patty Griffin, Slaid Cleaves, Ray Wylie Hubbard). Newcomb also contributes on various guitars, both acoustic and electric, in addition to playing mandolin, bass and singing. Pat Manske plays drums and percussion.

Eleven songs based around a folk/blues sound with fine ensemble playing and a focus around varied relationships in the song-writing; Blue Devil Sky has a deserted family story while Soft Heart has a message of helping out others less fortunate. When People Come Together is a song of hope for society and our ability to endure.

Where You Come From is a song about having a strong identity with your roots and where you were born and raised, with a driving bass line and a great melody running through it. Forget About The World Tonight is a fine sentiment and one that is best enjoyed by a night fire with a slow glass of wine. The final song, Rise Me Up, with Penny Jo Pullus on backing vocals has a celebratory message and an appropriate end to proceedings. 

Dirk & The Truth Along The Road Self Release

This band are based in Annapolis and this debut is a 5-track EP produced by Matt Ascione and engineered by Bob Dawson. There are a lot of players on the song credits, with the core 4-piece band augmented by a further seven musicians across the tracks. 

Dirk Schwenk writes all songs and Table Set For Two is a cheating song while The River celebrates nature and the feeling of revival. I Am Graced is a love song with a nice melody and tempo and the following song, Along The Road She Comes has a similar theme, with the message of feeling lucky in life. 

The final song, Flag On A Hill, is a patriotic statement of defending the land of the free in the USA. Whereas the sentiment is perfectly fine, I’m somewhat troubled by the evidence to the contrary, every day, in the media. Professing to adhere to the words in the declaration of independence is one thing but the words of George Washington sound a clear warning; “Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism”.

Overall, this is a country rock sound that bodes well for future projects.

Reviews by Stephen Rapid

Amy McCarley Meco Meco Records

I have to admit the production credit of Kenny Vaughan and George Bradfute was the reason my interest was sparked by this artist’s latest album. I had not come across her work previously and it is something I will explore on the strength of this album. A release that is already going to be, for me, one of the best albums of 2019. Okay I know it’s only January but I doubt I will feel any different about it later in the year given the number of times I have gone back to it since the first listen. It is superb.

As well as the two gentlemen mentioned above, if you add the names of Chris Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Harry Stinson, Kenny Lovelace and Pat Alger, you know you are going hear something rather special. Those names however shouldn’t overshadow McCarley’s contribution as singer and songwriter. She possesses a strong and expressive voice that can display presentiment and positivity equally. The songs, McCarley writes in her sleeve notes, are about her life since leaving her role in NASA. The title is an acronym for “Main Engines Cut Off” something that occurred when the main engines had completed their task of getting the craft into orbit. This was a metaphor McCarley used to describe her life and for her musical career. 

She met Pat Alger, the noted songwriter and began to co-write with him in Nashville. One of their songs, Days, is an album highlight, an observational insight into the ordinary moments that she observed about her family. It is a deeply moving song. Alger co-wrote four more of the ten songs on the album. His input has no doubt helped McCarley as a writer but the other five songs show that she is a very capable writer in her own right. Such as, Never Can Tell, which looks at the unknown quantity that life is but that in the end, it’s your friends that count. This is done to a more acoustic setting with Marty Stuart on mandolin. How You Do is another reflection on life that shows off the versatility of McCarley’s voice and delivery. The lyrics question another’s role in her life. Elsewhere the songs take a more upbeat tack, such as the questioning Happy or the comment of Ain’t Life Funny.

Vaughan and Bradfut’s production is spot on, never overwhelming the vocal or getting in the way of the song. The playing throughout is supportive and inventive and shows the understated skill of all those involved. It is a shame that this album many never go into orbit in terms of sales and recognition. None the less, everyone involved can feel justifiably proud of what they have achieved with MECO. It features everything that is lacking in the majority of the mainstream right now. Ain’t life funny!

 Jason Ringenberg Stand Tall  Courageous Chicken

There is a line from an old song that says that ‘you don’t miss your water till your well runs dry.’ In that light you don’t know you miss Jason Ringenberg until a new album arrives on your desk. Ringenberg says himself, in the sleeve notes, that he didn’t think there was an “internal drive or external demand to maintain a recording career.” Yet here he is and it’s great to have him back. The impetus for this venture was when he was made an artist in residence at Sequoia National Park. Spending a month in a mountain cabin, the location proved inspirational and he wrote several of songs that form the core of this album. 

This is prime Ringenberg, writing songs that are often humorous as well as heartfelt. To bring the album to fruition he co-produced with Mike Lescelius and decided to record in Misunderstudio in Illinois. He brought in two members of one of his college bands Tom Miller and Gary Gibula as the rhythm section and he then added players to fit the songs, such as George Bradfute, Fats Kaplan, Steve Fishell and guitarists Robbie Stokes, Andrew Staff and Richard Bennett amongst others. This set of musicians perfectly realise what is one of Ringenberg’s most enjoyable and diverse albums. The funding for the recording came from friends and fans who knew that Jason Ringenberg’s mission was not yet done.

The album opens with a strong, rounded and evocative instrumental, Stand Tall, which he notes took longer to get the right atmosphere than any other track he has recorded. From there on we get songs about The Ramones, John The Baptist (in which he notes that Baptist was a real humdinger), a Civil War story and a disenchanted soldier in I’m Walking Home. Here In The Sequoias is a song about the overall experience of being surrounded in such all-purpose environment. John Muir Stood Here is a more folk-based song that again is evocative of this special location. 

While the majority of the songs are written by Ringenberg with one Looking’ Back Blues written with his old friend Arty Hill. There are two songs that were added to the project when they turned out so well in the studio; they are Many Happy Hangovers To You (a Jean Shepard classic written by Johnny McCrae) which is delivered with tongue firmly in place. It also features some vibrant steel and electric guitar playing that is testament to the band enjoying themselves. The final track is his take on the old Bob Dylan song Farewell Angelina and it closes the album on a quiet note but on that is equally redolent of a revived spirit and passion.

Ringenberg, like fellow Nashville resident Jim Lauderdale, should be now be considered icons of determination with careers that have gone through ups and downs but now care only to make the kind of music that they feel in their souls. Both are decent men doing the very best they can to make the world a better place (musically at least). Take a bow and stand tall Jason. 

The Ponderosa Aces No Particular Way Mad Duck

This is a solid honky tonk five-piece band from Long Beach, California who after a previous album and ep are releasing their second full length album. The eleven songs on the album appear to be originals but there are no writing credits on the album! The band is fronted by Mike Maddux, who has the kind of voice that you want and expect from a hard-core honky tonk band. That is to say it has some gravel and depth without being totally unique. it serves as focal point of the band’s overall sound that is further enhanced by Marty Beal’s sterling guitar and Steve Meister pedal steel and the robust driving rhythms of Arthur Rodriguez and Jonny Bottoms on drums and bass respectively. 

The song titles fit with the overall notion of a honky tonk bar band and include If You Think I’ve Got A Drinkin’ Problem, Lots Of Ways To Be An Outlaw, Raising Hell In Honky Tonks and Gotta Keep Truckin’. Perennial themes for a band who trade in hardcore country and who were nominated in the Best Outlaw Band category in Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan Awards in 2017 and Maddux certainly has the beard that goes with the overall image! 

However, these guys have it down and deliver an album that works on many levels and while it may not be totally different from a number of other bands ploughing a similar furrow, they do what they do with enough panache to make it easy to see why they have built a strong following in the US and also in Europe. No Particular Way, produced by Maddux and Beal, has a real affinity with grass roots, hardwood floor country music made for dancing and the album finds the Ponderosa Aces playing a winning hand.

Dave Rosewoood Gravel And Gold Self Release

This is another example of the fine, homegrown music that is coming from Scandinavia these days. Rosewood lives and works in Sweden after emigrating from the States.

He has a voice well suited to these Americana focused songs that recall any number of different influences and directions that are held together by Rosewoods voice and songs. He is ably backed by his Swedish backing musicians who sound as if they all work full time in a Nashville studio.

Oh No More is full of twanging guitar and vocal harmonies on a tale of returning to the place of growing up only without any troubles as he is now residing in a pine box!  While 20 Years is a song that opens with a distorted voice that sounds like it’s coming off an old scratchy 78. Before it boogies along with a roots groove. Blowin’ Round is about the preciousness of time. Back When features Rosewood on harmonica on a more acoustic based take on looking back at one’s past. Ozark Mountain Jam is a jaunty instrumental. Elsewhere Rosewood also touches on Southern Rock (In These Halls) and the music he grew up with so there are elements of folk, bluegrass, Bakersfield country, Allman Brothers blues and Gospel music on this first album, even though he has been playing music for some 20 years.

Settling in Sweden has doubtless, given him a perspective on his own country and a focus on the roots music that provided the impetus to make this a reality. Rosewood recorded the album in Aula Studios in Mariannelind where he co-produced the album (with Björn Holm) with a set of like-minded musicians to capture the essence of this Americana sound. Rosewood may well be making a name for himself in Sweden but could garner a wider audience on the strength of this, bringing together his many years on the road (gravel) and the songs that have come from those experiences (gold).

David Olney This Side Or The Other Black Hen

A renowned but underrated singer/songwriter David Olney has always released records that are full of literate storytelling delivered in a voice that is redolent with the understanding of age and what can be learned from surviving in a troubled world. Olney has lost none of his desire to continue to observe and offer his songs as testament to these times and to his world view.

This time out he is co-producing with Steve Dawson and they have gathered some musicians that infuse these songs with a depth and dexterity. Alongside multi-instrumentalist Dawson there is some atmospheric harmonica playing from Charlie McCoy, Fats Kaplan on oud and accordion and background vocals from Anne McCue and the McCrary sisters. The end result is a textured sound that is topped by a nuanced vocal performance from Olney. The songs themselves consider the peculiar nature of love and relationships in Death Will Not Divide Us, Open Your Heart (And Let Me In) and Running From Love as well as the sense of being that encompasses an outsider in Always The Stranger. Mortality seems central to biding one’s time in Border Town. Some of the songs are co-writes with John Hadley and on occasion a couple of other writers. The final track might seem a surprising choice with his take on Rod Argent’s Zombie classic She’s Not There. However, it fits completely within the context of the album.

Olney’s songs have been recorded by a lot of different artists and he has himself recorded many albums through the years. He delivers songs that are always contemplative and even when sometimes opaque they are open to individual interpretation. A new album from Olney is always worth exploring and that is true of this fine collection which will further enhance his reputation.

Doug Collins & The Receptionists Good Sad News Self Release

An album rooted somewhere between mid-sixties Beatles and Buck Owens. Collins writes some pretty meaty and beaty rootsy, pop songs. For his third album Collins brings his band into a couple of studios in Minneapolis to record these 10 tracks that sound like a lot of good pop songs should. Concise, fresh and memorable. The whole album clocks in just under 30 minutes so nothing ever overstays its welcome. Produced by Collins and Rob Genadek, it sounds contemporary without losing sight off its influences.

Some of the songs take on a more country influence with the addition of Joe Savage’s pedal steel guitar. Little House, I Saw You Dancin’ and Halfway Through are enhanced by its smooth sound. The core band of Collins, Charlie Varley on bass and drummer Billy Dankert are also joined by Dan Newton for a Tex-Mex flavoured Hey Mary and Jeff Victor brings his piano sound to Please Don’t Let Me Leave You and Tomorrow. The songs largely trade in misplaced lust and misunderstood love though the final cut, Top Of The Watertower, is about escapism and finding a place where no one else can find you.

The rhythm section also add some rewarding vocal harmonies and Collins is no slouch on the guitar either. The overall effect is to bring a smile to the face and a beat to the feet as the Good Sad News fills your head with a selection of catchy riffs and capable choruses.

Surrender Hill Tore Down Fences Blue Betty

Third album for Surrender Hill which is a husband and wife duo of Afton and Robert Dean Salmon. I had previously encountered Salmon as a solo artist (he has some 10 albums under his own name) but this pairing adds another dimension as their two voices are a perfect match. The writing is shared as are the vocals. Each taking a lead or harmony. 

There is a solid group of players working on the album with them, including steel and dobro player Mike Daly, Mike Waldren on electric guitar, drummer Matt Crouse and Eric Fritsch on bass and Hammond B3. Fritsch also co-produced the album with Salmon. They have delivered a solid sound that fits the songs well. The duo, after their first two albums, decided to consider some of the darker aspects of their lives before their paths crossed and they started working together. There were challenges that both endured and together they have faced their own pasts and are able to reflect  them in songs. There are also songs that show how their partnership, both personal and professional, provided the platform to help that introspection. There are also some songs that deal with  positivity as they were able to tear down fences and face a future together. One song that has a sense of their long-time commitment is Misbehave, while the closing PBR & Cigarettes is a celebration of some of these crazier times.

Tore Fences Down is the sort of album that those who love their roots rock robustly delivered with strong vocals. It is one also that will reward numerous plays, whether as focused listening, or music to accompany a drive.

Bye Bye Banshee Deathfolk Magic Self Release

The voice of Jezebel Jones (for whom this is a side project from her other musical activities) is the key factor in this strangely compelling EP. The songs embody a sense of pagan magic, feminism and ancient folklore. On one of the songs, Psychopomps, we are told of the spirit guides who surround a dying person. If I Die In My Dreams draws on the fear of death that many view as an equal fear of the devil. Bye Bye Banshee, one of the songs as well as the artist name, takes the Irish spirit that is often portrayed as an evil one but here sees it as one that warns of an impending death. So, the music that accompanies these four songs is likewise a dark, sparse, atmospheric, ambient folk music.

In the music it is the voice that is the key figure, with the surrounding background voices, percussion and upright bass (which takes a prominent place in the mix) supported by lap steel, cello, electric guitar and Hammond organ. The overall effect is melancholic yet entirely listenable and memorable. The effect, despite the darker aspects of the subject, is oddly soothing and soundtrack like. Not a release that will be for everyone but if your interests lie in the direction of the “old ways” and some the arcane folk tales such as the folklore of the Appalachians and other areas, you might well find this appealing.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Carol Markstrom Desert Rose Desert Rose

Awarded 2018 Country & Western Album of The Year by the Rural Roots Music Commission, Desert Rose is the third album release by Carol Markstrom. It’s a particularly ‘easy on the ear’ listen, a combination of folk and country ballads. Named after the flowering desert plant that survives and blossoms against all the odds, a similar resilience exposes itself on many of the songs included on the album. Bandida tells a tale of a fleeing escapee from an abusive relationship, having killed her abuser in self-defence and Where Did You Go hails the spirit and fortitude of the left behind partner, working menial jobs for a mere existence. It’s one of five co-writes with multiple Grammy Award winner Bil VornDick who also produced the album at Mountainside Audio Labs in Nashville and features a number of Music City big hitters including Andy Reese (guitar), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle, mandolin), Charlie McCoy (harmonica), Mark Fain (bass), Bryan Sutton (guitar) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel).

A research psychologist and university professor in a previous life, Markstrom specialised in Native American cultures and has written extensively on the subject. Recent years have found her pursuing a professional career as a musician. It’s not surprising therefore that she includes songs such as Medicine Bottle, inspired by the execution of the Dakota Sioux leader of the same name and many of his warriors in the U.S.- Dakota War and Seminole Wind, another reminder of the colonisation of Native Americans’ lands.

Impressively packaged and very much delivered from the heart, Desert Rose is a body of work from an artist every bit as passionate about her writing as she is in delivering her messages in the live setting. 

Dillon Carmichael Hell On An Angel Riser House

Chris Stapleton’s somewhat unexpected rise to fame in modern country music circles has created ripples for like minded artists, whose previous opportunities to be played on country music radio amounted to zero. 

The young Kentucky native Dillon Carmichael ticks all the right boxes on his Dave Cobb produced debut album Hell On An Angel, from the astute selection of ‘go to’ guy Cobb as producer and engaging crack musicians Leroy Powell (guitars), Brian Allen (bass), Chris Powell (drums) and Robby Turner (pedal steel). Arresting artwork and packaging also impress, but the big winner is the selection of material, a combination of self writes, co-writes and well selected covers. Blending traditional and 90’s country, southern rock and a few weepies, is the perfect jumble to gain far reaching attention and each are well represented across the ten tracks on the album.

Natural Disaster kicks off the album with a tornado siren warning, preceded by six minutes plus of regret and reflection on a lifetime of travels down best avoided paths. Setting the scene for what follows, it’s one of two covers on the album, the other being a raunchy cover of Jon Pardi’s Country Women, which name checks Merle Haggard. 

Title track Hell On An Angel is standard southern rock fare as is the impressive bluesy Dixie Again. Hard On A Hangover is a slow classic country tune, What Would Hank Do may not be particularly original, penned by three writers it’s predictable enough, but still manages to sound good. Dancing Away With My Heart, the albums first single release, hits the spot on first spin, a big earthy sound. Might Be a Cowboy is catchy as hell, melodies and hooks that would work equally well in a stadium or barroom. Old Flame follows a similar pattern, big sounds and slick guitar breaks.

Dave Cobbs production works well throughout with Carmichael’s impressive baritone vocal always out front. Over a dozen co-writers are featured across the eight original songs on the album and the whole package is a box ticking exercise in what the industry considers marketable by a new and younger breed of Outlaws. Recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A and with Cobb at the controls it’s a fair indication of the potential the industry places in the young man from Burgin, Kentucky. All in all this is fair enough, as it certainly beats the dreadful crossover pop/country dirges that dominate much of country music radio at present. Carmichael has all the credentials to move from honky tonks to arenas in jig time and with this album he has climbed the first few rungs on the ladder.

Hayes Carll What It Is Dualtone

The sixth album from the Texan troubadour with the golden pen and it’s business as usual, sticking to his effective, non-cryptic and to the point song writing.  No surprises, simply another trademark album that ebbs and flows across its twelve tracks and finds Carll tackling issues close to his heart, both personal and social. 

Brad Jones, who produced Carll’s award-winning albums Trouble In Mind (2008) and KMAG YOYO (2011), is at the controls once more, alongside Carll’s partner Allison Moorer, who is also credited as co-writer on the opening track None ‘ya. The song tells the tale of a less than attentive partner – misunderstood in his own callow eyes – and similar to much of Carll’s writing, it’s laced with caustic humour. Times Like These, which follows, wipes the smile from your face and blows off the cobwebs in rockabilly fashion. Scratching his head at the often baffling present day political mess, he poses the question, ‘In times like these do I really need a billionaire just taking up my time, trying to tell me how he’s treated unfair’. If I May Be So Bold is a twangy joyride, an appeal for people to take back control of their lives despite the constant negativity at play. The Dylanesque Things You Don’t Wanna Know bemoans a dead in the water relationship and on the opposite side of the coin Beautiful Thing is a moving ode to a lover. Reading like a Valentine Card, it rocks along to a Stonesy beat, complete with tingling piano and slick guitar riffs. The powerful Jesus And Elvis mourns the unnecessary loss of life, the tale of the bar owner’s son not returning from war and his memory remaining some years later by a hanging picture of Jesus and Elvis behind the bar. The title track, with its toe tapping bluegrass rhythm, advises fulfilment and contentment and Wild Pointy Finger speaks to the judgemental, whether it be politicians, spin doctors or indeed ourselves. ‘I’ve got ten digits like most other people, I can build the church, but I can’t hold the steeple Nine of them stand up and do exactly what I say, but the one by the thumb it just points all day’.

Fittingly, the album closes with an eloquent love song, the charming I Will Stay, presumably dedicated to his partner.It’s the perfect bookend to another chapter of exceptional songs by an artist continuing the legacy of Townes Van Zandt and John Prine as one of the insightful pen smiths of his generation.  

Josh Peters Pages Of My Heart Memramcook 

An award-winning tattooist is not one who immediately springs to mind as a creator of a very traditional and classic country recording. Enter Josh Peters from New Brunswick, Canada.  A member of the High Tides Tattoo company, he has been inking the locals and not so locals for the best part of a decade. Pages Of My Heart, his debut recording, has been cooking for several years, as a tribute by Peters to his love of straight down the middle country music, the type performed by artists such as Charley Pride and Ray Price to name but two. One glance at the album cover, before even removing the disc, and you instantly get a flavour of where he’s coming from. Everything about the artwork – not unlike the images used by Colter Wall in his recent releases – suggest ‘country’ and very much without the word ‘rock’ following it.

The eleven-track album is made up of nine self-written songs, one co-write and his take on the traditional ballad Hesitation Blues. Titles such as Who Closed The Honky Tonks, Prison Of My Mind and The Working Man follow the classic country themes, but the quality of the material elevates Peters above that of a pretender. A close observer of traditional country, I expect Peter’s spent quite a while rooting in the bargain bins seeking out old classics to inspire him. 

 In some ways Peters may be accused of attempting to pay tribute to a greater range of artists than necessary. His accented vocals do vary considerably on a few tracks, to the extent that you could be forgiven for assuming different vocalists delivering them. However, this is a minor quibble which should not distract from the overall quality of the album.  Pages Of My Heart may or may not be a one-off project by a musician captivated by the time honoured sound of yesterday, or possibly the first instalment by an artist following a similar path to Joshua Hedley, Zephaniah OHora and Jason James, carrying the torch for real country as it should be heard. Let’s hope it’s the latter.

Joshua Ray Walker Wish You Were Here State Fair 

 Maybe I’ve just hit a purple patch, but only three weeks into 2019 and I’ve already come across three or four albums that are most likely to feature in my favourites of 2019. The latest of the batch is this gem from a young man from Dallas, Texas named Joshua Ray Walker.

Not too many albums impress on first spin to the extent that it remains in the cd drawer on rotation for multiple spins, but that was the case with Wish You Were Here, the debut album from Walker. Initially drawn to Walker’s crystal-clear rich vocals and killer musicianship by his players, it’s only when you combine these with the quality of his storytelling that the whole picture emerges. And some picture it is! 

Walker has a lot to say across the ten tracks on the album, all self writes, and it’s fair to say he doesn’t waste too many words getting his stories across. Only one track, Lot Lizard breaks the four-minute mark and most of the others barely last more than three minutes. That track Lot Lizard finds Walker hitting notes yodel style that are octaves over most singer’s ranges. It’s a delightful Texan love ballad enhanced by some dreamy accordion playing by Ginny Mac. Burn It raises the temperature – pardon the pun – rocking along in top gear like a young Dwight Yoakam on speed. Keep is a Joe Ely style two stepper with Walker sharing vocals and Love Songs would sit pretty on any Mavericks recording. Trouble recalls Steve Earle back in his debut Guitar Town days, a lush melody enriched by perfectly timed piano and a killer guitar break with just about the perfect dosage of twang. 

I also love the album cover, a simple yet evocative Texas honky tonk shot, with Walker propping up the bar, beer in hand. The young man from East Dallas has recorded an album with the maturity of someone that has decades of life’s experiences under his belt. There is competition at present among several talented young men making waves outside the dreaded commercial country music drivel. The vast majority of them are targeting the outlaw side of things, given the success in recent years of Chris Stapleton, and more power to them. However, this young man is coming from a different direction entirely. Nothing outlaw about him at all, simply a country singer that can write and deliver strikingly impressive country songs. He has produced a treasure of a debut album with Wish You Were Here! 

Lula Wiles What Will We Do Smithsonian Folkways

Long before forming the three-piece Lula Wiles, Isa Burke, Eleanor Buckland and Mali Obomsawin sang and played instruments together at Berklee College of Music in Boston and around the many folk clubs in that city. The natural progression of their combined talents lead to the creation of the band and the release of their self titled debut in 2016, an album featuring all original material.

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution of the USA, is the perfect label to host the trio, alongside other treasures that continue to keep the flame burning for traditional folk music such as Don Flemons, Kaia Kater and Los Texmaniacs.  Smithsonian Folkways are supporters and champions of artists that create what they simply describe as ‘people’s music’ - passionate writing and playing, reflecting political and environmental everyday occurrences, whether by way of protest or mere reflection. 

What Will We Do most certainly does just that, with reflections on their birthplace of Maine on Hometown, to romantic hopelessness on Nashville, Man. An album honouring the past as much as the future demands a murder ballad of sorts and Bad Guy ticks that box. However, unlike many of its predecessors, the perpetrator is the sister of an abused wife, who disposes of the offender in time honoured fashion ‘I followed her husband down to the glade, I drew my dagger across his chest, And the wound I dug deeply as his grave’.  A cover of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner’s classic The Pain Of Loving You also impresses. The national opioid epidemic is the motivation behind Morphine, the painful progression from a wide eyed and innocent child to the anguish and despair of the adult addict. The closing and title track What Will We Do is credited to Irish ballad singer Mary Delaney and fittingly bookends the album as a reflection on the themes and threads across the previous eleven songs. 

 Most notable is the forty-page coloured booklet accompanying the album, complete with attractive artwork and particularly informative liner notes. However, the real winner is the quality of the musical content across the twelve tracks on the album, stunning lead and harmony vocals and flawlessly understated guitar, bass and fiddle by the trio with the addition of drums on several the tracks courtesy of Sean Trischka. 

A joy from start to finish with vocals that call to mind Nanci Griffith at her peak and stands shoulder to shoulder with their fellow sisters Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins on their similar journey with side project I’m With Her. Take my word for it, this is seriously good!

River Whyless Kindness, A Rebel RollCall 

Asheville North Carolina quartet River Whyless follow their impressive 2016 release We All The Light with a more experimental and dynamic sound under the guidance of progressive producer Paul Butler (Bees, The Dawn Chorus, Devendra Banhart, Michael Kiwanuka). Formed while all students at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, the band have matured from their alt-folk beginnings to a more adventurous and imposing outfit with Kindness, A Rebel. Four songwriters in a band can create hurdles, whether it be competing egos or attempting to be overly diplomatic by allowing each member a free hand to include their individual compositions. The decision to give Butler a relatively free hand with their third album has resulted in an entirely more mature and compelling recording. It’s also very much an album of its time, exploring political and environmental landscapes. Born In The Right Country – with a melody not unlike Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark - addresses the privileged white classes, The Feeling Of Freedom laments the two-job minimum wage culture. Falling Farm and Darkness In Mind – both recalling Talking Heads – particularly benefit from Butler’s input, as does the powerful opening track All Of My Friends. New Beliefs enters The Decemberists territory, impressively it must be said. 

Kindness, A Rebel heads in directions that River Whyless could hardly have anticipated when they formed a decade ago. Sounding better and better on each listen, abandoning their folky overtones for a more expansive, dynamic and edgier sound has elevated them to another level which should introduce them to a wider audience. 

Willard Grant Conspiracy Untethered Loose

A posthumous release and a reminder of the virtuosity that the music industry lost at the untimely passing of Robert Fisher from cancer in 2017. At the forefront of what we now label Americana, Fisher had been the front man in Willard Grant Conspiracy since their formation in 1995. The band survived until his passing – albeit with numerous personal changes - despite never gaining the industry recognition his unique brand of gothic roots richly deserved. Up to thirty band members came and left during the lifespan of WGC, but their distinctiveness remained unchanged, with Fischer cavernous baritone vocals instantly recognisable.  He often performed as a duo in later years with long-time collaborator and violin supremo David Michael Curry. Their amalgamation fitted like hand and glove, Fischer’s prowling voice and Curry’s stylish and atmospheric strings adding the perfect effects to uncompromising and searching lyrics. Curry is on record describing how WGC’s final album was originally a fun time weekend project, in parallel to both their busy schedules prior to Fischer’s diagnoses.  It’s very much to Curry’s credit that he ensured that Fisher’s final works were not packed off to the archives, unlikely to see the light of day.

Notwithstanding that thirteen of the fourteen tracks were written prior to his diagnoses, an atmosphere of impending doom dominates throughout, from the Nick Cave echoing opener Hideous Beast to the ghostly and prognostic closer Trail’s End. The latter dipping and soaring gloriously with free fall instrumentation, confusion, distortion and indiscipline.  The albums title track was composed by Fisher after he became aware of his fate and it’s an honest, open hearted and plainspoken commentary on his impending death, not unlike Lazarus from David Bowie’s farewell album. Love You Apart has echoes of an outtake from the Lou Reed/John Cale tribute album Songs For Drella, it’s delivered semi spoken and aches and rejoices in equal measures, concluding with magical viola playing. Likewise, Saturday Night With Jane recalls mid-career Lou Reed. The chaotic Let The Storm Be You’re Your Pilot implies anxiety and agitation, Fischer’s drifting whispered vocals intensifying the sense of misgiving.

A poignant and fitting farewell that sits alongside Regard The End (2003) as a career highlight from an artist whose body of work, if there is any justice, will be uncovered, recognised and valued by generations going forward.

Reviews by Paul McGee

Heart Hunters American Eclipse Pretend Sweetheart

There are a number of husband and wife teams out there on the music highway, all trying to make a living while following their shared, creative muse. There are practicalities of travelling as a duo but when you have children at home, then the tug of the road is tempered by the urge to be settled into some form of domestic bliss.

Brianna Blackbird (vocals, guitar, Bolivian drum, bass) and Drew de Man (vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, pedal steel, percussion), decided to experience life as a couple in a mountain village in Bolivia and the experience gave them a new perspective that cemented their belief in writing about the environment and the way that nature has fallen under the wheels of big industry. They have enlisted some premier players for this record that spans ten songs and is produced to a very high standard by Peter Case. Included are the talents of Case himself on piano, organ, harmonium, guitar and percussion; Fats Kaplin on violins, viola, accordion, mandolin and oud; Don Heffington on drums & percussion; Dennis Crouch on upright bass.

The Spanish verse of Cristo is suitably different to the rest of the project and has a haunting melody that reflects a hymn, sung with quiet passion and a wish for better tomorrows. Angels is an autobiographical song about life on the road and the struggle to make ends meet, while Normal America questions the pursuit of the American dream and urges a look behind the veil. The Good Fight asks about the waste of deserted strip malls and the hope that we could restore mother nature to her original form. Living a self-sufficient dream and making sweet music is enough at times and this duo certainly have their hearts in the right place.

Annie Oakley Words We Mean Horton

She was a sharp shooter in the Wild West days of yore and her name is aptly adopted by this trio that comprises of twin sisters, Sophia & Grace Babb (vocals, guitar) & Nia Personette (violin, vocals). They hail from Oklahoma and play Folk based acoustic music that is very appealing. All songs are written and arranged by the trio and the sound is bright and full of colour across the twelve tracks here.

The Curse is a song about love and loss and Did You Dream is a love plea, asking for answers, framed by a sensitive delivery. Good Things has a sense of discomfort, foreboding and sadness while If I Were A Ghost is about wanting more and looking for a closer bond. The message of honesty in relationships is continued in two further songs, Words We Mean and Into The Light. 

Missed Connection deals with a close relationship where a lack of communication has dented the love. Brother speaks of a lost soul with no direction and Nothing To Say is again about complex relations where trust has broken down. However, things end on a positive with the excellent Sweet Time, a song that speaks of belonging and loving over the years.

With great harmonies throughout and stellar support from a studio band that adds just the right amount of texture and tone to the gentle and restrained arrangements, this is a very fine release and comes highly recommended. 

Tia McGraff Stubborn In My Blood Bandana

Co-produced and arranged with husband Tommy Parham (banjo, guitars), Tia McGriff delivers her seventh release since her debut in 2000. Impressive vocals throughout and the conviction and timbre in her vocal really sells these eleven songs. Especially on the opening Pilot Of Change and Hole In Your Heart, one a song of renewal and change; the other a sad look at feeling broken and low. The pressures of live performance and the travel schedule of a journeyed musician is explored on Travellin’ By Guitar, while the message to always believe in yourself is perfectly captured on Own Your Sunshine. 

The excellent production continues on Let Em’ See Your Strong and Stubborn In My Blood, songs about living proud and being emotionally strong. Far Away Man is a song about how distance makes the heart grow stronger and a new day with hope of change is the message of The Faithful Ones. The temptation and attraction in Forbidden brings matters to a fine conclusion and the players are very much aligned with the song structures throughout.

David Haerle Garden Of Edendale CMH Records

Solo debut from an artist who has been president of the CMH Label Group for the past 27 years. He describes himself as a late bloomer but has been playing guitar since his early teens. This project took 7 years to complete and I have to say that it is quite an impressive achievement. The 13 tracks run for approx. 65 minutes but I didn’t find myself getting tired of listening at any point. The production is top drawer with a bright and vibrant sound while the assembled musicians play with great finesse and freedom around the song structures. 

The guitar prowess of Haerle is quite something and he can take a solo run with the best of them. The violin of Luanne Homzy is also very much to the fore but every player contributes to an overall sound that is commercial pop/rock with sweet melody lines, catchy up-tempo numbers (Finding Natalie, Tell Your Story, The Tracer), mixed with more reflective, sombre songs (The Stranger, Do You Know Surrender?). The duet song, Women Make The World Go Round has a Beautiful South feel to it while the excellent Glendale reminds me of a Dire Straits workout. 

The Tone That Got Away is an impressive instrumental track and the closer, Everything I Ever Wanted is another instrumental that features some fine violin parts before going into a Skynyrd workout as it builds to a climax. A most engaging album and one to seek out if you like guitar oriented commercial rock with a touch of class. 

Mandy Rowden When the Day Comes Howlin’ Dog

Starting out with the religious message of the title track could go either way for this artist who grew up in East Texas. However, when you can deliver a vocal that suggests much of the attraction in the vocals of Lucinda Williams, then you have something of an open road ahead.

San Antonio is a love song to a place of refuge and safety and If I Could Have Known is a look back at an old relationship. All songs are written by Rowden (2 co-writes) and there is one cover version, a tribute to Tom Petty, with a stripped back Angel Dream #2. Don Richmond plays an influential role in mixing and production and also plays a range of instruments. James Doyle provides drums on eight of the thirteen tracks and Rowden chips in with multi instrumentation on guitars, piano, organ, viola and fiddle. So, a tight bunch of players who produce a fine record to build upon previous successes. Pedal Upon The Metal is steeped in Country with pedal steel from Richmond adding real charm to the song structure. A Chance To Give You Love displays a quiet anger at a close friend who took their own life. The chance to help a friend move on from a toxic relationship is captured in Sticks & Stones, a fine song that shows the trio in all their understated power. Well worth having this release in your collection.

Ken Pomeroy Hallways. Horton Records

This 7-track EP was recorded on 4-track cassette tape – the more things change, the more they stay the same! What we get is a stripped-down acoustic sound of guitar, sometimes supported by piano, mandolin and muted electric guitar. Her voice is really beautiful, with a pure and strong delivery. Ken is a 16-year old artist from Oklahoma and this is her 2nd EP release. Wow...!

Deprived speaks of surviving in an indifferent world and Three Wonderful Words is a fragile need to be loved. There is a plaintive quality to Ken’s voice and the vulnerability in reaching out for a connection is delicately delivered on the title track, Hallways. Sidewalk Song is about homelessness and the self-belief to endure and rise above. It’s bare bones, full of gentle playing and rumination from an artist that is wise and talented beyond her years. A big future lies ahead…

Reviews by Paul McGee

The Tumbling Souls Between the Truth and the Dream Wee Studio

This Scottish group has released a collection of folk songs that reflect their influences and the twelve tracks are all performed with great gusto and no small amount of skill. The collective boasts eight players who create a celebratory sound and the mix of fiddles, guitars, accordion, banjo, mandolin and piano serve up lots of fine melodies in what is quite an enjoyable listen. 

Grounded by the double bass playing of Keith Morrison, the talents of all the ensemble are given flight across songs like Knowing Where You Come From, King Of The Moon, Wishing My Time and Stornoway at 2am.

All songs are written by Willie Campbell a veteran of many years playing in different bands and other collaborations and his vocal performance is very strong here. Production by Pete Fletcher is bright and clear and the inclusion of a live track, Dance A Little Better, gives a sense of just how good these musicians are in a live setting.

Eryn Lady E Self Release

Sweet soul music from a talented singer who knows how to deliver a powerful performance across the six songs included on this EP. There is a blues feel to tracks like The You Missing From Me and Just Jump, while the Gypsy tempo to the arrangement on Stranger In My House is suitably different and adds a new focus. Running Red Lights is back to a soulful delivery and the production of Jack Daley, who also plays bass, is very sensitive to the undoubted vocal talents of Eryn.

Trevor & Sylvie Time Is Free Self Release

Trevor Wheetman and Sylvie Davidson are a husband and wife duo based in Nashville. Trevor is multi-talented and can lend his skills to being an actor, musician, composer, and musical director. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and together with Sylvie, who also boasts acting skills in addition to her musical abilities, they deliver folk-based music that is both engaging and impressive in equal measure.

All of the thirteen songs included on this debut are written by the duo, with the exception of a Mark Knopfler cover, The Bug. Wheetman pens four songs, Davidson takes credit for three and the remaining five tracks are co-writes. Production by Nick Foster is very proficient and the fine harmony singing is given a central place in the mix. Foster also contributes on guitars, slide, mandolin, dobro and banjo while the other studio musicians play in a restrained and tight fashion throughout.

There is a nature theme with songs like Stolen Flowers (a wedding with a difference) and Thirsty, which speaks of love, simple ways and going back to the land. Build This Love speaks of union and the bonds of family. All I Know is a catchy love song with strings arranged by Matt Montgomery and it is another good example of the craft at play here.

Idiot and Opposite Of Love, both have a slow groove and an easy vocal from Trevor that channels James Taylor. Cupid’s Confession is a real joy and a clever look at the routine involved when you are a bored facilitator of love. The Few and Through The Cracks are two stand-out tracks as the project winds down, the first a slow folk blues with fine vocals from Sylvie & Trevor and beautifully restrained cello provided by Alex Kelly; the latter an acoustic reflection on love with winsome vocals from Sylvie and again, the superb cello of Alex Kelly. Definitely a recommended release that continues to unveil new treasure on repeated listening.

Low Lily 10,000 Days Like These Mad River

This is contemporary Folk music played to a very high standard indeed. The 11 tracks display a vocal dexterity and harmony heaven from the three key musicians involved, Liz Simmons (guitar, vocals), Flynn Coen (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Lissa Schneckenburger (fiddle, vocals). There are two instrumentals included, The Good Part and Single Girl. The former displays the power of the trio, with accompaniment on banjo and bass driving the arrangement; the latter is a reflective piece with solo fiddle from Lissa that shows off her impressive talents to full effect. This collection of songs bears repeated listens and the clear vocal delivery and the terrific production of Liz Simmons raises the experience to new levels. Songs like Dark Skies Again, Hope Lingers On and 10,000 Days Like These bear strong testament to the joy of fluid playing, sweet melody and harmonious vocals. The superb cover of Brothers In Arms (Mark Knopfler) also sits comfortably into the overall thrust of the project and I have little doubt that seeing this group in a live setting would rank as nothing short of a compelling evening. Highly recommended. 

Lee Palmer Horns & Harps Self Release

In the liner notes of this release, Lee Palmer says that he has had the privilege of releasing 5 studio albums over the last 6 years and that this release counts as his most musical experience to date. We are not inclined to disagree at Lonesome Highway, having reviewed a number of his previous releases on the website. 

Ten tracks that are split between featuring acoustic & electric harp, courtesy of Roly Platt, and saxophone by Turner King. The rest of the band are terrific support players with the back beat of Sean O’Grady and the bass of Alec Fraser Jr. adding greatly to the loose feel and blues drive of these songs. The warm sounds of Steve O’Connor on piano, organ & wurlitzer are augmented by the impressive background and harmony vocals of Chris Ayries and the production is crisp and uncluttered.

Tracks like My Baby Again, Isn’t That So and Shake 'Em Blues provide a classic bluesy feel while Old Picture, Old Frame and Life Rolls On, highlight sweet guitar playing over a gentle beat. The big sound of Rockin' Strawberry Jam is countered by slow burn of Somebody’s Daughter, a song that addresses homelessness and one that stands out here among an impressive body of work.

Swampcandy Mine Self Release

This collective hail from Annapolis, Maryland and have a number of prior releases dating back to 2007. Ruben Dobbs is the creative force behind the band and in addition to playing guitar and singing, he displays a healthy disregard for being pigeonholed into any genre. Included here, across 13 tracks is a huge gumbo of swamp groove (JC’s Revenge), light New Orleans jazz (Party With The Devil), jazzy blues (Holy Rope), hard rock (Dead Man Walking) and some ragtime, polka sounds (Burn The Meadow). To say nothing of the spoken word links between tracks, some of which are very humorous, with the loose percussive sounds of a Tom Waits, delivered in tracks like Knock Out and Never Going Back.

There are credits for 18 different studio players who range on instruments from strings, percussion across a heady mix of banjo, piano, keys, vibraphone, bass and things that go bump in the night!! Interestingly, no guitars, as would be expected on a big production project like this – voodoo with a bit of the Devil himself thrown in for good measure. Addictive and very impressive.

Reviews by Declan Culliton

Amy Ray Holler Daemon

Indigo Girl Amy Ray possesses the musical and writing talents to effortlessly work folk, country, indie, gospel and blues like few others and her latest and sixth solo release, finds her at the top of her game. The album covers the emotional baggage of a lifetime spent in Georgia and is a reflection of personal struggles together with those of her fellow Southerners, across a range of topics including sexuality, racism, religion and addictions. It’s the third impassioned album of this year which follows a similar tread, the subject matter being the inspiration for two most impressive albums by younger female artists Kristina Murray (Southern Ambrosia) and H.C. Mc Entire (Lionheart).

Calling on the same production team and musicians as her 2014 album Goodnight Tender, the album includes guest performances by a host of musicians and has vocal contributions from Justin Vernon, The Wood Brothers, Lucy Wainwright-Roche, Vince Gill and Brandi Carlisle. Producer Brian Speiser also combines strings and horns this time around and with such a vast array of instrumentation it is to his credit that the sound mix is impeccable, each instrument crystal clear in the final mix.

The opening track Gracie’s Dawn (Prelude) lasts barely forty seconds before the stunning rocker Sure Feels Good Anyway kicks in. The song challenges racism head on and is a precursor for much of the compelling material which follows. Particularly moving are the final two tracks of the fourteen across the album. Bondsman (Evening in Missouri) inspired by the Debra Granik directed movie Winter’s Bone, paints a bleak picture of poverty and desperation ("Oh Lord, let me sleep through the thunder, Let me sleep through the rain, One more night before the bondsman comes, And takes it all away’’). Didn’t Know A Damn Thing, dedicated to the African – American author and social  activist Toni Cade Bambara, reflects on the  racial inhumanities and horrors inflicted on her people while she was a baby and young girl, oblivious to what occurring in her home State ( "Bodies were hanging, bodies were burning, And my Mama and Daddy, they were earning, I was rocking the cradle, while in that Tertile Black Bell, They were taking the blows for every toll of that Liberty Bell, I didn’t know a damn thing’’). Given the subject matter of much of the material, the album is also not without humour. Tonight, I’m Paying The Rent is an upbeat reality check about the toils of the industry, the hard-earned cash and the hardship often endured for that hard-earned cash. ("If it don’t feed the soul, it’s still heaven sent, Tonight I’m paying the rent!’’).

Holler is a reminder of exactly how gifted Ray is, as both a songwriter and storyteller, and her ability to translate personal emotional baggage in a compelling manner. It reads like chapters of a book by an artist that remains proud of her heritage having never abandoned her religion, while reflecting on being born during the civil rights protests in the 60’s, the horrors inflicted by her people on their neighbours, touring for over thirty years and the conflict of being a left wing and gay Southern woman. It’s a worthy successor to Goodnight Tender and one that will no doubt feature in my 'Best of 2018' listings.

 Whitey Morgan & The 78’s Hard Times & White Lines Self-Release

One of the caretakers of what many of us consider to be authentic country music, Whitey Morgan has been firing up audiences for a dozen years or more with his ass kickin’ and full on live shows. His studio output may be relatively sparse but always manages to recreate the hell for leather stage shows, that he and his trusty honky tonk brothers, The 78’s, continue to deliver.

Hard Times & White Lines sticks to his trusted formula of songs about drinking, drugging, suffering, self-destruction, surviving and carrying on, both from a personal and third person perspective. Don’t expect particularly deep thought-provoking lyrics to explore, that’s not what’s on offer here. Instead, we’re treated to full on straight-talking assault of hardcore country, kicking off with the opener and first single from the album Honky Tonk Hell ("The doors are always open and you're welcome inside, The whiskey and women or whatever you like, You’ll never check out of this heartbreak hotel, A man can get caught up down in this honky tonk Hell") – possibly a homage to a dodgy dive bar or maybe a state of mind. Raging guitars and pedal steel introduce Morgan’s raw baritone drawl on that first track and the ignition is finally turned off over forty minutes later, with the more traditional barroom country closer Wild And Reckless. ("Guitar on my shoulder, a drink in my hand, one keeps me from falling, one helps me to stand, I’ve been wild and reckless, a little insane, and there's a crowd just inside here calling my name"). The eight tracks that make up the balance of the album don’t stray from similar territory, though a cover of ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid drifts somewhat into straight rock. It is one of three non-originals on the album, the others being Dale Watson’s Carryin’ On and Don Dupre’s What Am I Supposed To Do. 

Steel guitar always earns pride of place with Morgan and three peddlers are name checked on the sleeve notes - regular 78’er Brett Robinson and guests Larry Campbell (who also played on Morgan’s self-titled 2010 album) and Austin Tripp.  Also adding muscle to the guitar sound is Jesse Dayton alongside Joey Spina, Kevin Key, Tony Martinez and Dylan Dunbar. Bass and drums contributions are courtesy of Alex Lyon and Tony Dicello and Jim (Moose) Brown and Drew Harakal play keys. 

Morgan’s pace of life, by his own admission, has slowed down somewhat since becoming a parent and relocating to rural California and the aforementioned Carryin’ On -alarmingly similar to Glen Campbell’s Gentle On My Mind! -  though written by Dale Watson, could be autobiographical, reflecting Morgan’s present predicament.  Hard To Get High, with its instantly catchy melody possibly refers to an earlier career chapter ("I put the lid on these pills, gave away that cocaine, I couldn't drink another whiskey to kill all this pain, your leaving left me damned down in this hole, and it's hard to get high when you're feeling this low").

There does appear to be an industry driven change in recent times – even if it’s at a snail’s pace – in respect of country music of the classic and outlaw kind. It seems to be slowly grinding its way back into favour with artists like Chris Stapleton, Jamey Johnson and Sturgill Simpson earning warranted exposure. Let’s hope the resurgence filters it’s way down to Whitey Morgan, there’s little doubt that it’s entirely deserved and anyone giving Hard Times and White Lines a listen, will no doubt concur.

John Blek Thistle & Thorn Self-Release

John Blek’s last album Catharsis Vol.1, released this time last year, was written while he was hospitalised having contracted a mysterious illness that side lined him for a number of months. Thistle & Thorn, his third solo release in as many years, was not inspired by such unorthodox leanings but still manages to improve on the lofty fineness of its predecessor. Recorded in both Wavefield Recordings, Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Louisville, Kentucky, the album contains ten songs written by Blek over a twelve-month period.

Whereas his last album flitted between folk and trad, his latest offering remains steadfastly in the former camp, a genre that Blek particularly excels in, both in his writing and vocal delivery. It’s a solid collection of folk ballads punctuated by some sumptuous vocal contribution’s courtesy of Kentuckian Joan Shelley and guitar work from her artistic partner and Grammy Nominated Nathan Salsburg. The production duties are by Blek and Brian Casey who also adds guitar, bass, piano, organ and mandolin. 

Conflicted emotions are addressed on The Body, the inevitable parting of former lovers driven by waywardness and neglect ("I’ve grown weary of you, the late nights and the drink too. Your foolish sense of duty, it means nothing to me"). It’s delivered delightfully in a call and response fashion by Blek and Joan Shelley.  Merrier euphoric times in (possibly) the same relationship are referred to the Colours Rising ("O my lover lay back down, I see the colours rising when you’re around"). Subtle strings courtesy of Lea Miklody and Dolcie Ross Keogh assist in creating a dream like ambiance to the song. IF I is an uncomplicated poem put to music. The Blackwater opens the album in an unhurried and patient manner, paving the way for what is to follow. Simplicity has always been one of Blek’s finest points and in a similar manner to his previous solo work, Blek’s vocals are out in front on Thistle & Thorn, but fleshed out more dramatically on this occasion by some wonderful instrumental arrangements. In Your Likeness considers existence and continuity, an ode to a fallen brother. Self-control, longing and mental well-being are present on the closing track All The Night. It’s an impressive closer to an album that once more reinforces Blek as one of the premier singer songwriters in the folk genre in Ireland and indeed beyond, where his talents were formally recognised in 2017 with his nomination for Song of The Year by The International Folk Alliance. 

With tours of Ireland, U.K, Germany and further afield programmed for 2019, Thistle & Thorn is a powerful statement to have to offer from an artist that pays homage to writers from previous decades such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and Nick Drake as well as his modern day peers Ryley Walker, Steve Gunn, Joan Shelley and Alela Diane.

Daniel Romano Finally Free New West

You certainly cannot accuse Daniel Romano of being predictable or unproductive for that matter. Never idle or dwelling in one musical location, his output of eight albums in eight years have covered traditional country, folk, rock and roll, desert and ‘in your face’ rock. His latest release creates a late 60’s early 70’s ‘back to basics’ feel across the mainly acoustic recordings. In essence it’s a one man show, with the only contribution being that of Kay Berkel, who plays piano on Between The Blades of Grass and There Is Beauty In The Vibrant Form.  Vocals, writing, instruments, production and engineering are all by Romano, with the album being taped on a four track Tascam cassette recorder from one microphone, which remained in a single position throughout the recording, picking up the various instruments from their locations in the room.

Finally Free may be a head scratcher on first listen and does demand repeated and undisturbed plays to appreciate, but it’s well worth the time invested. Romano admits that "A lot of it is intentionally out-of-tune and not sung obsessively, but I just felt like that's how it needed to be." Though the album may appear to be ‘mind changing substance induced’,Romano actually confesses that the lyrics came to him while driving across the Prairies and suggests that he does not necessarily totally comprehend them himself and therefore the lack of a lyric sheet is no handicap. It’s as equally challenging to interpret the albums title as it is the lyrics. The discerning listener may draw his own assessment from the streams of consciousness, but in real terms the charm of the album lays in the melodies and harmonies throughout.

Empty Husk, opens with gentle harmony vocals and guitar strumming before erupting mid-section and closing as calmly as it started. All The Reaching Trims is a beautiful ballad with languid vocals and acoustic guitar dancing from speaker to speaker. Both these tracks together with Gleaming Sects of Aniram recall early career Roy Harper, possibly played at 33rpm instead of 45rpm. The Long Mirror Of Time stands out, the most conventional and up-tempo offering, Romano’s vocals dip, soar and wail impressively aided by some delightful organ contributions. Celestial Manis is distorted, ghostly and searching, its trippy melodies recall Bowie at his most experimental, the sound of lost souls in purgatory seeking liberty. There Is Beauty In The Vibrant Form bookends the album, mischievously distorted vocals, guitar and percussion combining seductively.

Followers may not necessarily have seen this coming but Finally Free is very much the sum of its parts, an album to be savoured in one sitting, preferably alone and in a dark room. Romano continues to challenge the listener as much as he challenges himself and this new album is yet another essential instalment from an incomparable craftsperson.

Bill & The Belles Dreamsongs, Etc. Jalopy 

Four-piece Johnson City Tennessee band Bill & The Belles signature sound is a throwback to popular music in America back as far as the 1920’s when Ragtime was the flavour of the day, soon to be overtaken by Jazz, Swing and eventually merging with country music as the preferred choice for many radio listeners. Bill & The Belles manage to recreate all these styles with their amalgamation of the various genre across the thirteen tracks that comprise Dreamsongs, Etc. Five of the inclusions were penned by lead vocalist Kris Truelsen.  

Reflecting a sound that is also closely aligned to bluegrass, it’s no surprise that they were nominated in 2017 for four IBMA Awards, though it hardly does them justice to pigeon hole them to one single genre. Banjo, fiddle, clarinet and guitar are provided by Truelsen, Kalia Yeagle and Grant Van’t Hoff respectfully, the trio also contributing harmony vocals, with fourth member Karl Zerfas adding bass. The musical arrangements, production and performances throughout are impressive and stylish.

Hum Your Troubles Away starts the ball rolling in simple Ragtime style, followed by the Hank Williams sounding - both in title and musical content - Lonesome Blues. A similar melancholy is visited in Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues – complete with yodelling – one of two Jimmie Rodgers songs covered, the other being the broody My Carolina Sunshine Girl. The self-written material compares favourably, in particular the timeless Wedding Bells Chimes and Good Gal I’ll Be Okay, both of which could have been borrowed from The Great American Songbook. 

The Jalopy Theatre and School of music, located in Redhook, Brooklyn, NY is a grassroots cultural centre preserving traditional music from The States and further afield, with an inhouse record label. Bill & The Belles debut recording is their latest offering and fits perfectly into Jalopy’s ethos. Anyone with an awareness and appreciation of old-time music should explore their impressive catalogue of artists.

The Hot Club Of Cowtown have developed a very successful touring and recording career presenting a similar approach to music of bygone eras as did the Manhattan Transfer some decades back. Here’s hoping Bill & The Belles can also continue the tradition.

J.R. Harbidge First Ray Of Light Absolute Label Services

You could be forgiven for assuming that First Ray Of Light was a recording by an artist hailing from Long Island or the like, given its Americana singer songwriter feel. In fact Harbidge hails from the Black Country and has been present in the Birmingham rock music scene for over two decades. Currently residing in Derby, First Ray Of Light finds Harbridge somewhat abandoning his rock and grunge background for a more polished and considered collection of songs. Included are some impressive weepies (When You Don’t Love Your Man, Learn To Love The Rain, A Side Of You That Cares) alongside more up-tempo songs including opener – and very much a song for our turbulent political times -  Turn The Screw, a damning commentary on political and financial institutions. The albums highlight and closing track I Know You Know I Know, which kicks in at nearly seven minutes, follows a similar upbeat and rattling sound. I Won’t Support Your Wars continues the political overtones of the opening track and the title track First Ray Of Light optimistically visits a sense of possible rehabilitation from darker times.

Nine tracks on the album are self-penned by Harbidge and one track is a co-write. He also contributes vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica and mandolin together with production, recording and mixing duties. The album delivers a collection of thoughtful and honest song constructions, easy on the ear and well worth investigating.