A to Z Album and Gig Reviews
Sacred Harp, or more correctly shape-note singing, is a truly glorious sound, totally unlike anything else in music. A mighty, full-bodied, abundantly soulful, often quite rough choral attack that confronts you then sweeps you along like an unstoppable tide, swelling and breaking with incredibly powerful momentum. Once heard, never forgotten. You either love it or hate it, it seems; myself I love it, it's seriously addictive, and this CD gives me my fix! It brings us in its 72 minutes 30 tracks, each a separate hymn from the 1991 edition of the Sacred Harp collection. And before you turn hastily to the next review, the word "hymn" loses all its connotations of lugubrious piety in these utterly joyful enactments. Yes, shape-note singing is Fun!
The recordings were made not just at one Sacred Harp Convention but at a variety of shape-note singing events in Western Massachusetts during 2000 and 2001. As the liner notes point out, each "sing" has a character all its own, reflecting all who participate (largely "untrained" voices, no "professional" snobbery here), in their beauty and blemishes alike. The hymns are positively belted out, with spirit and energy a-plenty and foot-thumping to mark rhythms - the atmosphere is potent indeed. Most individual selections follow the usual format of first "sounding out the shapes" then singing the words themselves.
The uniform tonal and dynamic range fully reflects the participants' absolute vitality of expression, though there's one surprising intrusion into the normal scheme of things with the performance of a longer hymn (Long Sought Home, which sounds like a not-so-distant relation to Amazing Grace) where the participants take a more conventional approach to varying mood by dynamics. Satisfying though this is on its own terms, it's not quite in keeping with the rest of the selections. But no matter; the whole CD is a vibrant mix of the comparatively familiar (like Windham) and unfamiliar, consistently well sung, and for sheer rugged, full-throated joy (happy-clappy in the desirable sense!) this CD proves irresistible.
David Kidman
The album produced by Gary Louris from the Jayhawks, folksier flavours emerge with Anna Leigh and My Heart of Wood but the dominant influence here is 60s West Coast even if the lyrics and themes are slightly darker (sample "If I'm still alive when the autumn kills the leaves, I guess I'll be what they consider free") than the era's general sense of psychedelic optimism. Featuring Howe Gelb on piano, closing instrumental The Last Inquisition (pt V) serves reminder of just why they're regarded as the backing band of choice by so many but, for all its retro feathers, there's also ample proof that they're a solid, tight and talented alt-country outfit in their own right.
Mike Davies October 2007
Live albums have to be a bit special if they're to transcend the usual tour memento status for those who were there or couldn't make it. One thinks of Joe Cocker and Springsteen for example. This double set by the Toronto outfit isn't in that league, but it's still well worth a spin and a useful introduction for anyone yet to discover their Byrdsian jangles, bluegrass and psychedelic rock.
Over 40 tracks are variously trawled from their eight year career, band favourites and contributions by show guests, ranging on disc one alone from the McGuinn folk rock burr of Why Be Curious to the Stan Ridgeway-like 1,000 Cities Falling Apart, surf twang instrumental Rat Creek, bluegrass gospel yelping Higher Power and rockabilly rabble rouser Leave Me Alone.
Disc two hits the tracks with a couple of trash blues rockabilly covers from Heavy Trash with Jon Spencer on guest vocals before the set welcomes in an array of other special guests that include Jon Langford from The Mekons on his co-penned American Pageant and Strange Birds, Garth Hudson playing piano on the Band's Evangeline with Neko Case handling vocals. Case also takes over the mike for a cover of Roger Miller's Home and her Sadies collaboration Hold On, Hold On while the Jayhawks' Gary Louris drops by to take charge of Syd Barrett's Lucifer Sam and their own Byrds do Dylan flavoured Tailspin while Canadian faves Blue Rodeo handle duties on You're Everywhere from their Casino album
It's rough and ragged, but you certainly get the sense of everyone having a good time hanging out and playing music together, there's even a set by the band's trippy stoner rock side project The Unintended. Fans will love it, the uninitiated might find themselves scouring the gig guides on the offchance.
www.thesadies.net
www.myspace.com/thesadies
Mike Davies, Sept 2006
The Sadies - Favourite Colours (Yep Roc)
Their fifth album - and second for the label - finds Travis and Dallas Good harking back to their prime Americana and 60s psychedelia influences, kicking off with surfbeat bluegrass instrumental Northumberland West tribute to Clarence White before heading off into further thought of The Byrds circa Sweetheart and Byrdmaniax with Song of the Chief Musician, Good Flying Day and Why Be So Curious? while 1000 Cities Falling manages to sound like Stan Ridgway fronting The Flying Burrito Brothers. Those West Coast memories come flooding out again too with Translucent Sparrow suggesting the more country shades of Moby Grape with Jerry Garcia sitting in on fuzzy guitar.
It's not entirely successful, with Only You And Your Eyes never living up the promise of its jangling Beatlesesque opening and neither As Much As Such or Coming Back summoning any life or interest at all. But, mid-sectioned by gentle droned instrumental The Iceberg and rounded off with Robyn Hitchock taking over vocals for his own Why Would Anybody Live Here?, when it does work it's worth borrowing off a friend to take a listen.
www.yeproc.com
www.thesadies.net
Mike Davies
Here we are back in the 60s, sunshine and flowers in the air, bands skipping through San Francisco fields with their guitars and drumsticks to the sound of sherbet fizzing psychedelic pop with tumbling melodies and hook laced choruses. As it turns out, despite sounding like they were given a McGuinn blood transfusion on the opening See Myself, they actually come from the UK, rising from the ashes of frontman Michael Gagliano's previous outfit, Epic.
Come Make My Day and Sgt Pepperisms of the string laden Firebell Alley and you'll be hearing the Beatles inputs loud and clear, while, just to underline their English heritage, they even have a love song named after famed goalie Peter Shilton ("I'll never let you down, I'll never drop the ball") that sounds a bit like a cross between the Byrds and Herman's Hermits.
Shamelessly retro, with She Is All That Matters providing both the expected Beach Boys touch and a dash of classic baroque pop and Be Everything cut from classic Everlys country-pop ballad cloth (with a melody line partly borrowed from Little Drummer Boy), it doesn't offer anything new, but with irresistible numbers as Chocolate this is absolutely past perfect.
Mike Davies, Sept 2006
St. Agnes' Fountain - Three Ships (Cuppity Records)
It goes without saying that the singing, playing and overall musicianship are all first-rate, and the balance is well struck between rehearsed accomplishment and warm-hearted, spontaneous music-making - much in the manner of a typical Chris 'n' Julie live set, in fact. The mix of material on Three Ships proceeds on its usual sprightly way - a couple of carols (a suitably glistening O Come All Ye Faithful, and as an encore a jaunty uke-ridden Ding Dong Merrily On High), a small clutch of excellent original compositions by Chris and/or Julie (When She Was Nine, Follow That Star and the glorious Innocent New Year), and some less well-known traditional fare (I specially liked Seven Rejoices Of Mary). There's also a Hutchings-style sequence drawn from two separate gigs, comprising a recitation of words by William Kimber (Boxing Day 1899) and a stepthrough of the Bean Setting dance. Tongue-in-cheek humour (or should I say "light-up relief"?!) is provided by David Hughes' recitation Smoker's Christmas, but at over six minutes long it hangs somewhat stalely in the mind after one play I find, despite the topicality of its sentiments!
Overall though, St. Agnes' Fountain have carved themselves a goodly niche in the seasonal market with their nicely un-formulaic treatments of familiar and unfamiliar material - and long may they continue!
David Kidman
The first St. Agnes' Fountain album was one of the surprise delights of last year's seasonal offerings for me, and this year's follow-up maintains its high standard. Again, David Hughes and his team (here Chris While, Julie Matthews and Chris Leslie, with a guest appearance from Steve Brookfield on just four tracks) have taken an admirably fresh slant on some by now rather hoary seasonal standards, credibly leavening these with more recent material, and the result is a most pleasing album which the marketing gurus might well term the ideal seasonal gift for the modern mainstream folkie - though its appeal will, I suspect, extend further.
Comfort And Joy is built round a sequence of traditional and yes, overly wellknown Christmas carols; normally, the very thought of this would be a guaranteed turnoff for me, but SAF's artistry and vitality is such that their new renditions are invariably worth hearing. On carols such as Silent Night and We Three Kings, what we'd think of as the "proper" tunes are preserved, and (as you'd expect) accurately and most beautifully sung, but here and elsewhere the brightest jewels probably lie in the innovative and unexpectedly foot-tapping arrangements - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen gets a swinging Brubeck-style cool-jazz rhythm treatment, for instance, and a gentle reggae lilt proves ideally joyous for Once In Royal David's City, the Caribbean sunshine feel extending over into Away In A Manger. I particularly liked the soulful-gospel groove of the reworking of O Little Town Of Bethlehem, and the ensuing Follow That Star. Note that the album's not entirely devoted to carols however - the team's decision to tackle Joni Mitchell's The River is similarly inspired, and there's also a bonus track wherein Ralph McTell reads an extract from his wonderfully evocative autobiography to a simple and fairly unobtrusive musical accompaniment - a perfectly judged way of ending proceedings.
All the instrumental work is superb (no surprise there), but I'd have to single out Chris Leslie's mandolin embellishments, which are exemplary in their taste and discretion. The non-vocal tracks include a vibrant Breton-style Boules Et Guirlandes set. The otherwise typically sumptuous package is deficient only in respect of omitting the composer credits. Comfort And Joy is not only ideally titled, but also a fine festive souvenir, one to keep on the shelves alongside the Maddy Prior/Carnival Band seasonal CDs and one that I'd not be ashamed to dip into at other times of the year.
David Kidman
ST AGNES FOUNTAIN is the labour of love of four of modern acoustic music's brightest (Christmas) lights - singer/songwriter David Hughes, Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie and respected female duo Chris While and Julie Matthews.
The St Agnes Fountain oak grew from the acorn of a limited edition Christmas EP released a couple of years ago by Hughes and Leslie. Well received for its infectious and imaginative reworkings of traditional carols and tunes, the two protagonists decided it would be great craic to expand the project and rope in a few pals - and St Agnes Fountain was born. This 11-track album lives up to - and surpasses - its predecessor with some great arrangements providing the springboard for a series of dazzling displays of singing and playing. The songs and tunes will be familiar to most and few would fail to be impressed by the way this festive feast has been laid out on this particular table.
"I Saw Three Ships" gets things off to a start, which promises much to come. Hughes' distinctive guitar ushers in a peppering of banjo notes from Leslie before fellow Fairporter Gerry Conway swoops in with a booming percussive repetition that, from then on, propels the song along mightily. The four-part vocal harmonies are quite delicious and the whole thing's lent a middle-eastern flavour thanks to Leslie's violin and dulcitar. It's a stunning opener and, just as you're catching your breath, you're hit with the most soulful reading of "Deck the Halls". As Hughes takes the lead vocal with his unmistakable half-sung/half-spoken delivery, While and Matthews go mega-Motown with the sweetest of backing vocals. Track three gives us yet another contrast as Chris While's beautiful unaccompanied vocal leads us into Matthews' keyboards and Leslie's mandolin for a magnificent, and dead-straight, reading of "In the Bleak Midwinter/Jesu Joy of Manis Desiring". While's daughter Kellie contributes a verse, showing, once again, that she's certainly inherited the family pipes. So, three tracks in and already you're thinking: "Phil Spector's Christmas Album? Puh!"
"Masters in This Hall" has a medieval feel to it with the harmonies bringing to mind monks at Evensong in ancient minsters. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is a showpiece for some very nifty mandolin from Leslie, given rhythmic support by Hughes and Conway and sounds as if it and "The Holly and The Ivy" were recorded one immediately after the other when the musicians had enjoyed it so much that one of them said: "Hey, let's try another like that." Or something.
Leslie's vocals and Matthews' piano take centre stage for "Sweet Bells" and Leslie's violin and banjo give "Good King Wenceslas" a most unexpected, almost Wild West saloon ambience. Where are those high-kicking dancing girls?
Also given the SAF treatment are "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Troika (Sleigh Ride)" and "Auld Lang Syne", each of which goes to making this a record that, while rewarding repeated and careful scrutiny, would also provide the perfect soundtrack to a traditional roast turkey Christmas Day lunch.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be bombarded with ads imploring us to buy this or that and a selection of "essential" Christmas CDs. Take no notice of those - this is the best Christmas album. Ever!
Fred Hall
St Thomas - Let's Grow Together: The Comeback of St Thomas (Track and Field)
With this his fourth album in as many years it's not exactly as if the former Norwegian postman and footballer has been away, the comeback refers to a personal clawing back from too much drink and too many drugs and the fact he wasn't happy at not having control of his last album, feeling it didn't contain his real personality and there were just too many musicians involved. Well, it was produced by Lambchop's Mark Nevers who roped in a fair few of the collective to help out.
So this time he's playing most everything himself for a more intimate, simple and, yes, stoner, folk/bluegrass hybrid album. Also, given the fact he hates the comparisons, there's rather less of the Neil Young falsetto about it too, though having said that you'd be hard put to identify the Elvis, Dylan and Creedence influences he cites. Elliot Smith and Lou Barlow maybe, Will Oldham definitely.
Unfortunately his assorted mental meltdowns seem to have left him with an unfortunate propensity for coming over all Jonathan Richman with dippy songs about, er, growing together in the colour blue, being born to make a song every day and going to the mountains to catch a fish. And as if the skies and flowers weren't enough, then there's the kazoos. And yet even when it threatens to overwhelm with whimsy and twee something like the skewed weirdo Norwegian folk of Waltzing Around Insane, an almost brooding Like You Know and a frankly creepy The Red Book pop up to remind you that Hansen's mental state is up there with Syd Barrett and Brian Wilson. There are times here when his fractured genius almost climbs the same heights.
www.stthomas1976.net/thomas
www.trackandfield.org.uk
Mike Davies
St Thomas - Hey Harmony (City Slang)
Thomas Hansen is a former Norwegian postman and footballer though listening to him you'd readily believe he drank his mother's milk from the bosom of Nashville and grew up practising singing Neil Young songs in front of the mirror. Indeed, if you can imagine Neil Young's falsetto with a Norwegian accent then that's exactly how Everything Was Up For Romance sounds. He even mentions a cowgirl, though not in the sand. And surely Heroes Making Dinner owes just a touch to Dance Dance Dance.
The good news though is that while the phrasing inflections can still be heard on things like People In The Forest, with his third album - and production by Lambchop's Mark Nevers and a helping hand from assorted members of that musical community and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb - he's starting to come out of his hero's shadows and find his own voice.
With noises off including a barking dog and crickets on Institution (an emotionally devastating story about two children being sent away for summer camp as seen from their feelings of abandonment), the feel is of rough hewn home recordings, the gentle pop rhythms of the perky skipalong A Long Long Time and the loping 45 Seconds sounding like something a bunch of chums put together having that cup of tea or the wine and cookies he mentions in New Apartment and Heroes Making Dinner.
Given his documented meltdowns in the wake of a higher public profile, it's not too surprising to find songs about variously Falling Down (dark and broody with neurotic guitar and mariachi brass) and hiding away (New Apartment). But if, as the cheerfully offhand title and the jaunty Strengthen Your Bow (pronounced bough) , suggests he's found a new serenity, then we can hopefully look forward to many more songs about milking cows as positive get yourself together therapy.
Mike Davies
Think of Scandinavian music and the word Abba usually springs to mind - Europoppy, trebly, naggingly catchy stuff that dominated the singles charts in the seventies and early eighties. Or, more lately, The Nordic charm of The Cardigans or the sharp-edged cheekboned pop fluff of Morten Harket and A-ha. But alt.country, Americana? Never. Well, there is a thriving alt.country scene in the land of fjords and Thomas Hansen - no relation to Beck Hansen, in cidentally - is at the forefront. Thomas is St Thomas, who has released two albums for the City Slang label. His first, I'm Coming Home, was a revelation when it was released last year. A revelation insomuch as it was almost a complete take-off (or maybe rip-off?) of Neil Young. The vocal phrasing, the loping beat that Young favours on his more country-ish songs, the very construction of the songs (save for Young's coruscating lead guitar breaks) were all strictly Canadian. So much so that I played the album to a friend - a real Neil Young aficionado - and he genuinely believed it was a new release by The Master. Hey Harmony, thankfully, isn't more of the same. Produced by Mark Nevers, who asists Lambchop create their sonic identity; it comes across as less Neil Young and more Thomas Hansen. The songs have more polish, for a start, and rely less on stereotypical Young-isms. There's more variation, for a start, in a conscious attempt to create a distinct St Thomas sound. Mark has produced Will Oldham, and it shows; Hey Harmony has a more spartan feel, but is no less warm. Touches of harmonium, banjo, electric piano and percussion here and there add variety and texture and depth to the 12 songs. It's still very Neil Young, but taken down a slightly different country path. Like A Big Time, for example, has echoes of Merseybeat in its rhythm guitar part. This is great stuff, and I look forward to Thomas Hansen developing even further so he can leave his mentor behind and become his own man.
John Stacey
The Sallyangie - Children Of The Sun (Castle)
This is a first-time CD reissue for a delectable curio from the tail-end of psych-folk, which first saw the light of day on the Transatlantic label in 1969. Sallyangie was named by cobbling the name of one of the duo's participants (Sally Oldfield) together with that of the famous Davy Graham tune (presumably to reflect the instrumental prowess of the precocious second member of the duo, none other than Sally's then-only-15-year-old brother Michael).
Sally, then just 20, had just undergone a revelatory spiritual experience which had diverted her academic, Eng-Lit-driven student path with a burst of creative energy that caused her to write a bunch of songs in just two days. Sheer naïvety led her to contact Bert Jansch and John Renbourn of Pentangle, whose label offered her a deal on the spot, and the album was recorded in two days, Terry Cox brought in to provide percussion, Ray Warleigh flute and David Palmer some string arrangements. But it's mostly just voices and guitars here, full of the "gentle innocent" folk ambience that's very much of the time and actually rather charming in its own way.
From today's perspective, many listeners will find Sally's quavery, mousily childlike singing style a major irritant, and some of her vocal gymnastics are pretty strange, while the very nature of the songs (like Donovan-ISB-Sun Also Rises with less immediate grasp of structure maybe, if you're seeking a comparison) may make them an acquired taste for those who "weren't there" (if you see what I mean). But, especially never having owned the original LP, I enjoyed hearing Sallyangie at some years' remove, immersing myself effortlessly in the heady aural perfume of those halcyon experimental days before prog excesses turned hippie ideals and everything else sour and trashy. (And interestingly, I don't recall Twilight Song and Song Of The Healer at all from the vinyl version – indeed, there's no mention of them on the repro artwork in the CD's insert booklet.)
Not surprisingly then, Sallyangie didn't last long as a duo, and Mike went on to the Kevin Ayers band and greater things, Sally returning to her spiritual quest before her singing career re-emerged in the late 70s. This reissue completes the issue of the early recorded output of Michael and Sally with the inclusion of a 25-minute bonus disc containing material recorded the year after the split and previously unreleased (three of Michael's early acoustic guitar improvisations and two somewhat over-produced cuts by Sally) together with one abridgement.
David Kidman
The Great Scottish Latin Adventure continues apace... and, four albums in, it's symptomatic that there's still a keen sense of adventure. Exuberant and exciting though the full-blown band's vivacious fusion of sensuous salsa with Celtic dance undeniably is, and has been proved on (in particular) the outfit's two albums for Greentrax and some fabulous live performances, El Camino shows a different focus to the Salsa Celtica artistry, partly in its trading off the presence of a number of guest artists and partly in its desire to pursue further the strand of their musical inspiration signifying their Celtic roots (specifically in respect of song and Celtic dance). In other words, there's not just dance-floor fun to be had here; the vast majority of it's viable as a purely listening experience too. Not surprising considering the wealth of talent from all over the globe that makes up Salsa Celtica, not only from Scotland and Cuba but also from Ireland, England, Australia and Venezuela, and these musicians bring to the mix so much more than their individual national sensibilities. Isolated elements within the overall texture are balanced and emphasised credibly - banjo, pipes and fiddle take their due place every bit as much as piano and Latin percussion for instance, while the brass section bristles, the rhythm section scintillates... I loved the beguiling nostalgia of Esperanza (Hope), the heady whirlwind of the equally hopeful Cuando Me Vaya, the spicy strut of Córrela (Chase It Away), and perhaps most of all Grey Gallito, an eerie night visiting song on which Eliza Carthy turns in a spine-tingling vocal performance (with the coro sections sung in Spanish by the band and possessed of a distinct guajira feel), set to a spare but effective accompaniment. I also rather liked the milonga Fuego, Alma Y Paz, where harpist Catriona McKay's guest contribution rather accurately reflects the character of the piece's translated title (Fire, Soul And Peace). The latter is a standout track among the vocal items, but the standard of songwriting throughout this album is very high indeed too, with the band's trumpeter Toby Shippey taking what you might call el león's share of the credits for the writing here (or, more correctly, co-writing with colleagues Phil Alexander and Lino Rocha). Significantly more than any of their previous records, then, El Camino really defines the potential of Salsa Celtica both as a real going concern of a band and as a practical, creative concept. And although the booklet contains synopses, the full texts and translations for the songs are available on the band's website.
David Kidman March 2007
The third offering from Salsa Celtica (their second for Greentrax) is an exciting affair, surpassing even the spectacular energy of The Great Scottish Latin Adventure, which was touted as "a salsa album made by Scottish musicians in love with Latin music and by South American musicians in love with Scotland", yet on which the Latin element seemed to over-dominate just a tad. But I'd say that El Agua De La Vida ranks as the best integrated of the three albums yet, with an unstoppable fieriness and a good degree of commitment to both sides of the divide that transcends the moments where the joins are obvious, to the degree that it doesn't really matter. The traditional Scottish tunes are allowed to breathe as they enter the basic Latin texture. Admirably too, Salsa Celtica have toned down the bouts of silly forced high-jinks that marred their previous efforts, without letting go of the fun element in the playing. The basic eleven-piece ensemble is augmented to produce an awesome sound indeed, with blasts of blowsy brass and tinkling piano that enhance the party atmosphere. We even hear Eamonn Coyne's guest banjo percolating to the front of the mix when he steps forward up to the mike on two of the tracks. One of these, believe it or not, is Auld Lang Syne, at the thought of which I cringed at first - but the slinky, smoochy opening section soon gets the spirit going with a hair-down workout to finish. Sometimes I thought the vocal interjections just a little too enthusiastic, and amusingly I experienced a mondegreen moment on Whisky Con Ron (I really did think they were singing "Whisky Gone Wrong"!). But seriously, this is a really intoxicating release that should even appeal to those with a distinct salsa-allergy (to coin a phrase - at least you know what you're latin' yourself in for…).
David Kidman
Other than a couple of acoustic gigs as a duo, the year's seen a fairly low profile for Neal Cook and his Wolverhampton Americana cohorts. However, now they're back on the scene to kick up a storm with long awaited follow up to 2004's Asphalt Good.
There's no major departures from the blueprint (which the web sites calls a cross between the Replacements and Wilco, but which also features a fair dab of Neil Young and Green On Red), but it's served them well so far and it's far from broken. So, cranked up ringing guitars, throaty dust coated vocals, swaggering rhythms, and twangy melodies then, kicking out of the traps with Mindshakes, a gutsy slow burning guitars on fire song about screwing up things at home by not keep your 'damn mouth shut'.
They keep it amped up and rolling with the circling guitar riffing Sore Eyes, a track that hints to the country side of the Stones as well as more current Americana heroes, keeping the pace moving with a Scorchers-ish Map and the jerky Dixie boogie Still In Love.
But it's probably the slower numbers on which they shine best, here ably represented by a plangent Fair Warning, highway keening closer Windshield Blues with its speed bump time signatures and, arguably the album's highlight, Coming Home, a weary gravel under heel ballad that recently scored pole position in the Cosmic American Radio charts. They may never find the wider audience and sales enjoyed by such kindred spirits as Ryan Adams and Wilco but, along with the likes of Broken Family Band and Michael Weston King, they're a solid shining reminder that Americana is a matter of mind and musical attitude rather than geography.
Mike Davies, June 2006
Mike Sanchez with Knock-Out Greg & Blue Weather - Women & Cadillacs (Doopin)
It's not just his keyboard skills that are apparent here as he shows a silky quality to his voice on the bluesy The Voice Within and the earthy vocals on Hot Dog show his range. The pick of the self-written songs is You Gonna Win which has a Howlin' Wolf quality to the music if not the vocals. There's a little Professor Longhair in Gambling Woman Blues and the enthusiasm of King Kong and the title track will have you joining in despite yourself.
You Got Money is barrelhouse blues at its best and All She Wants To Do Is Rock along with Let This Lovin' Begin are complete rock n roll songs. His cohorts on the album are Swedish rockers Knock-Out Greg & Blue Weather and it surely won't be too long before these guys are starring in their own right.
If you're having a party and you like your rock n roll and rhythm & blues then you could do a lot worse than stick Mike Sanchez on the CD player.
David Blue
Deb Sandland - Semer Water (Hairy Dog Records)
This, Deb's second solo release, although undeniably still a vehicle for her amazing voice, is in many ways very different from her first (My Prayer). It's an album that celebrates and explores the theme of the supernatural in song, through some exceptional and beguilingly atmospheric arrangements of songs both familiar and unfamiliar. In creating these new arrangements, Deb is demonstrating her developing maturity as both musician/arranger and singer, aided considerably too by the supporting presence of performers of the calibre of multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer (her regular touring partner of late – and what a scintillating combination!), pianist Simon Thomas, Ralph Sandland and Martin Green on guitars, Miranda Sykes on double-bass and (on one track) Garth Turner's melodeon. Not to mention a veritable female choir of six (multitracked up to 30) on the final song Will You Meet Me Tonight?… but I'm getting ahead of myself! In spite of the common theme, the material Deb's chosen is extremely varied in nature, from eerie ballads such as the title track (which recounts the tale of a cursed, now drowned village in North Yorkshire), the classic Cruel Sister and a supreme treatment of Goethe's Erl King that's every bit as worthy a setting as the celebrated Schubert Lied (and it even comes complete with an insistent string quartet backing that's comprised of multitracked Phil Beers!). Another highlight is Deb's sparse and sensitive version of Lal Waterson's haunting Scarecrow, and I also loved Deb's freshly considered take on Phil's Don't Look Now (oh so different from the Show Of Hands version on Cold Frontier, but if anything speaking even more closely to the listener) and her acapella masterpiece Get Thee To The Drowning (which sounds authentically traditional but is in fact a joint composition by Deb and Liz Atkins). In contrast, two rather more obviously foot-tapping moments are provided with The Dancers Of Stanton Drew and that perennial Beer/Sandland live favourite Long Black Veil. Deb's vocals throughout are absolutely breathtaking (pun intended!) – I wonder anew each time I play the CD, at Deb's inventiveness in both expression and phrasing. This is a tremendous album, and Deb's a tremendous talent. Still scary, yes, but in the nicest possible way. Get this CD, and you'll be haunted forever by its magic.
David Kidman
Deb Sandland - Semer Water (Hairy Dog Records)
A remarkable sequel to My Prayer, Tamworth born Sandland's sophomore solo album confidently secures her a place at the top table of UK folk music with its assured fusion of traditional atmospheres and arrangements and contemporary sensibilities. As with the brooding title track, a tale of cruelty and curses inspired by Yorkshire poet William Watson's own The Ballad of Semerwater, much here draws on rural legends and stories, often with a supernatural basis. Underpinned by Phil Beer's fiddle, The Dancers of Stanton Drew revisits an account of a doomed wedding party whose insistence on dancing into the Sabbath attracted the attentions of a real devil of a fiddler, The Erl-King is an arrangement of Goethe's cheery epic poem about a gnomish being and the death of a child while, perhaps more familiar, she also visits country classic death song Long Black Veil for a duet with Beer to a simple mandolin backing.
It must be said that the album doesn't have the sunniest of dispositions. Taken from Robert Burns and set to a spare piano and recorder backdrop, Mary's Dream tells of a lover lost at sea, the self-penned a capella Get Thee To The Drowning (where Sandland's voice is at its nakedly purest) deals with sacrifice by suicide, hanging, the Crucifixion and death by gassing in WWI. The inclusion of Lal Waterson's The Scarecrow, trad doom laden The Cruel Sister, Steve Knightley's chilling Don't Look Now and, yet another death by demon, her own My Kind And Gentle Man all serve to pile on the sombre notes though the stunning unaccompanied vocal harmony arrangement of emigrant ballad Will You Meet Me Tonight (On The Shore) at least closes the album with at least a glimmer of heart warmth.
Downbeat yes, but rarely has misery, death, depression and doom sounded quite so stately and majestic.
Mike Davies
Deb Sandland - My Prayer (Hairy Dog)
Spawn of a musical family (dad played jazz bass, one brother's a multi-instrumentalist, the other musical director for the RSC), Tamworth born Sandland has steered her inclinations in a folk direction, initially working with Julie Thurman as unaccompanied duo The Aqua Sisters before expanding to a more fulsome five piece. That having run its course, she moved back to duo work again, this time with Phil Beer, eventually joining his band and recording a couple of ltd edition albums and contributing to the two Heart of England compilations before finally taking the solo plunge (albeit helped out by the band) with this album.
It's an interestingly mixed collection that ranges from the trad flavours of John Tams' Hold Back The Tide, and the a capella Ivy is Good and the evergreen Wind That Shakes The Barley to the Christine Collister flavours of the acoustic guitar accompanied The Thing You Love (which sounds at times like Killing Me Softly) by way of laid back smoky folksy covers of Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years and The Stereophonics' I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Elsewhere she tackles Nick Cave's arrangement of Henry Lee and Mike Scott's When Ye Go Away with assured strength.
She's got a soft, breathy autumnal evening and raindrops voice of deceptive depth that is brimful of assured poise and the confidence of experience but can, as with Don't Leave For The City and the closing My Prayer, still sound beguilingly innocent and wearily vulnerable. Falling between the trad and contemporary stools may make her hard to pigeonhole for audiences who like to know whether they're getting Kate Rusby or Thea Gilmore, but approach with open ears rather than closed labels and you'll realise she can hold her own with either and both.
Mike Davies
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Bavarian Fruit Bread (Rough Trade)
An unlikely combination on the face of it, but on a couple of tracks here the sometime Mazzy Star singer and former My Bloody Valentine cohort Colm O'Ciosoig join forces with veteran British folkie Bert Jansch. It works too, his delicate melancholic guitar tracery a perfect foil for her wasted on valium vocals. On The Low sounds like a show tune from the heroin cocktail lounge and those drugged up Velvet influences are to the fore too on Lose Me On The Way and their cover of Jesus and Mary Chain's Drop. It's a sparse comic wash of sound like waves lapping on some lunar shore, vibes tinkling on Suzanne, lazy harmonica blowing across On The Low, a piano's nerves fraying the brief instrumental Baby Let Me and a cello scraping mournfully on the rustic chill out that is Feel the Gaze. Enervated in a good way it weaves a narcoleptic magic, never better than on a cover of Butterfly Mornings, a song hitherto (to the best of my knowledge) only ever before heard sung by Jason Robards and Stella Stevens on the soundtrack of Sam Peckinpah's 1970 classic Western The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Hope and indeed glory.
Mike Davies
Why it's taken this excellent singer/flute player so long to get round to recording a solo album is a real mystery. Mick's been around music all his life: his Northumbrian background and musical family ensured early exposure to the delights of music-making, and together with his sister Susan he was heavily involved in the London Irish music scene after leaving university (he was in a group with the three Boyles at one point). Latterly Mick's been concentrating on theatre work, among other things adapting medieval and ethnic vocal music for use in classical plays, but he's not neglected folk music, keeping his hand in with the London Irish session scene. But this slightly-offputtingly-titled CD (well it is a bit of a mouthful!) by and large steers clear of both of the above aspects of Mick's talent, concentrating instead primarily on his fabulous singing voice. Having said that, it proudly encompasses a vastly more varied selection of source material than you might expect to encounter from Mick, even acknowledging his multi-talented nature. The disc is bookended by truly delightful performances of two indigenous songs from the north-east: Up The Raw (taken from the Northumbrian Minstrelsy) and When The Boat Comes In - the latter backed percussively (and most creatively) by spoons and handclapping! - while a further reflection of Mick's north-eastern lineage comes with I Drew My Ship. The second track, the beautifully melancholy Autobiography, is a superb setting by Mick of a favourite Louis MacNeice poem, accompanied by Siáned Jones' keening violin and Clive Carroll's guitar. On which subject, Mick couldn't have chosen a finer guitarist to complement the unique character of his own singing voice - notwithstanding the fact that Clive's immensely highly regarded as a skilled soloist, nay virtuoso, in his own right (and here on Mick's record he's no mere subordinate support artist). Back to Mick's singing, the solo and/or unaccompanied tracks are tremendous: potent yet utterly unaffected renditions of Dónal Og (with only a pipe drone for backing) and Robert Burns' Slave's Lament, and a seductive rendition of Cunla which at times sounds almost casually tossed out of Mick's mouth - but by gum, its tongue-tripping lines are expertly handled! Instrumentally, Mick demonstrates his considerable skills (mostly on flute) on a lovely Forest Fields (a medley of Roumanian air, jig and slip-jig) and a set of Midsummer Reels (where you can marvel at Clive's extraordinarily sympathetic guitar work), also an intriguing, freshly syncopated "Irish-flavoured" version of Maid On The Shore (though I hear as much of Eastern Europe in those dashing rhythms!). Mick's treatment of Silver Dagger is set as a kind of Appalachian slow-drag-blues - and very effective it is too. As is Mick's own original song Where The Deerness Flows, a poignant lament for the loss of the west Durham coalfield and the area's industrial heritage that has much of the feel of a traditional Irish ballad. And last but not least there's Tres Damas, Mick's atmospheric yet simple setting of a traditional Sephardic text (originally done for a RSC production). This is a landmark CD, as well as a brilliant portrayal of Mick's multi-faceted musical personality.
www.copperplatedistribution.com
David Kidman March 2007
The Lee Sankey Group - Tell Me There's A Sun
Lee Sankey's wailing harmonica welcomes you to the title track of his second album. The harmonica soon gives way to layers of horns, keyboards and Ian Siegal's soulful voice. The richness of the opener is in stark contrast to the spoken vocal of The Man, which provides some silky bass from Andy Hamill and strangled harmonica from Lee. This is music for smoky clubs with the audience right on top of the band.
No Man's Land provides a funky beat and some more soulful vocals from Siegal. He certainly has added an extra dimension to his vocals. The acoustic Heading Into Town is laid back in the extreme and He Doesn't Live Like The Others starts with some Miles Davis style horns before going off onto another spoken vocal with excellent National Steel guitar from Chris Whitley.
Doing What I Should Have Done is more upbeat than most of its predecessors and has some outstanding horns. The High Points is very jazzy and normally this would not be to my taste but Lee Sankey and the band win me over and they may do so with you as well. A return to the slinky bass for Frank's Brother, this time by Rob Mullarkey, gives us some more spoken vocals - maybe too much for one album. This sounds like the introduction to an old American detective film.
National Steel guitar introduces The Unchosen and it soon goes off on a pseudo-blues riff that will have your head nodding and your fingers tapping. Monkey Lips shows, in my opinion, Lee Sankey at his best. This is over 5 minutes of class harmonica playing and I could listen to this all night. The longest track is saved for the last and has a big band feel to it, showing more of the bands versatility. Remember to leave your CD player on until the end or you'll miss a little harmonica and steel guitar blues.
The second album, I've heard say, is the hardest one to produce but on this evidence then Lee Sankey and his group should have no fears about going on and becoming a force in British and world music.
www.leesankey.com
www.10yearnoose.com
David Blue
Is this guy cool or is this guy cool? The opening track, Drinking Game with its Steely Dan horns and guitar is a spectacular start to this, his debut album. We are then taken into the Larry Adler-ish harmonica of Only My Baby. This jazzy song profiles both Sankey's high-class harmonica playing and laid-back vocal style.
The harmonica is also to the fore on Women And Trouble, exchanging riffs with the horns before the song lifts off into an R&B extravaganza. Sankey visits the world of big bands with Shout It On Out and continues the jazz feel with Office Politics.
Stone In My Shoe is more in the style of Little Walter's playing while S'picious Woman is likely to be a British blues classic of the future. The title track takes us back to the jazz tinged efforts of earlier in the album and it's a sound that pervades throughout.
I Don't Like My Way Of Living is a classic title for a blues song and is one of the few slow tempo songs on the album. The closing track Where We Going To has a great riff and is a fine way to finish.
This, of course, is a special edition and what makes it special is that you get an extra CD. The second CD provides five tracks, starting with the 11 minute She's Not Alone, a slow blues with the now customary top-notch harmonica. Three live tracks give an insight into what we can expect if we get to see Lee and his excellent band in the future. My favourite has to be the last track Country Blues Intro and Stone In My Shoe where Lee turns himself into Sonny Terry and Kim Wilson in one fell swoop.
I think that this is a fantastic debut and I'm sure that it will continue to grow on me.
www.leesankey.com
www.10yearnoose.com
David Blue
Julian Sas is considered to be one of the best live acts on the blues-rock scene in The Netherlands and Resurrection is his first assault on the rest of the world. Starting with Moving To Survive, a fast blues rock with incisive guitar licks akin to Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore, Sas sets out his stall with nine original songs. I love slow burners and Burnin' Soul is one of the best that I've heard. The band plays in the classic power trio format with Rob Heijne on drums and Tenny Tahamata on bass. Slide guitar from Sas is most welcome and, on this, he shows his class. Runnin' All My Life is powerful blues influenced rock and he's made the transition from being a big fish in the small pond of Dutch blues to swimming with the bigger fish very well. He has nothing to worry about and he is so easy to listen to. The obligatory power ballad comes in the form of All I Know as Sas strokes his Strat on this 7-minute epic. His sanguine vocal is well suited here and there's a telling guitar break.
Ain't No Change is standard fare as far as blues rock goes and the eponymous title track stays on the rock side of the blues with fuzzed guitar. He's managed to keep his standards high throughout the album and Stranded is another high-class song even if the Bon Jovi style ballad isn't quite in the same sphere vocally. Junkies Blues is a gritty blues and the band play it extremely well. The only drawback is that it is let down by the vocal, which happens a little too often on this album. He closes with another 7-minute epic that embodies everything a power trio should be, gentle in places and powerful in others. This is, quite simply, three players at the top of their game.
www.juliansas.com
www.mascot-provogue.com
David Blue March 2007
Sauce Boss - Come And Get It! (Burning Disk)
This is the eighth album since 1989 from Bill Wharton, otherwise known as Sauce Boss. The guy is a phenomenon, he and his band spend part their nights off making gumbo for the homeless at centres in his native Florida and beyond and he fits in a gig for them as well. There's just about everything on this album and the cookery tips and chef's garb aren't just a gimmick -- what lies beneath is an accomplished musician. Opening with, surprisingly enough, the Caribbean and African influenced The Gumbo Song. It's quite laid back, apart from the odd burst of samba drums, but don't let that fool you because you are in for quite a ride.
The familiar traditional song Down In The Valley showcases his powerful voice and his 'drunken' delivery is very effective. This is one of only two covers on offer. He returns to the cooking theme, quite literally, for Dirty Rice. This fast paced slide guitar song is accentuated by Big Jim's flailing arms on the drums – good fun. I Broke My Heart must have a special place in Sauce Boss's thoughts as he suffered a heart attack during recording for the album. However, within six weeks he was back on tour and in the studio to finish the album. This is a National steel guitar blues and he certainly can sing the blues despite his ventures into other styles.
Four Letter Word is middle of the road and just drifts over you. Locals is a deep-south, rough and ready frolic, much akin to early Dr Hook and Sun is a happy-go-lucky song that shows his zest for life. Little Miss Heartbreak is a country blues with signature electric slide guitar. There's acoustic guitar on The Bottom Of Our Love which just about fits in every genre of American music possible (those that netrhythms review, that is). Whatcha Gonna Do starts with an amazing drum beat and leads into a little rap with a big meaning.
The closing tracks keep up the variation of their counterparts. We're On Our Way is another gentle acoustic song that is very easy to listen to, Going Back To Florida is a further blast of National steel guitar and to finish with, there's an instrumental version of Four Letter Word which is beautifully played and is a better version than the first. Special mention has to be given to the Bumblebee Slim song Going Back To Florida. This is the highlight of the album with clean steel guitar and suitably jubilant vocal. It's worth the cost of the album alone.
David Blue
Kim Simmonds and the latest incarnation of Savoy Brown really don't need much of an introduction so let's get to the music. They open with a Lowell Fulsom song - that's a good start in anyone's book - Monday Morning Blues, we all get them, don't we? Simmonds voice may not be what it used to be but boy can he still play guitar and this is confirmed on a strong solo on. Long As I've Got You is a stormer, a first rate boogie with excellent slide. I Don't Remember You is a moody, grungy blues that suits his mature voice better. It's the type of song that lends itself to an extended guitar solo and Simmonds cranks one out, big style. You Don't Do A Thing For Me is blues rock that almost drifts off into a Southern boogie and Simmonds is keeping up the pace on guitar. Fly Away has a ringing guitar introduction and the fact that I find it difficult to pigeonhole this rootsy offering turns it into an unexpected favourite.
By the time we reach Crying Forever, Simmonds is warming to his task and harks back to his heydays. Daybreak is a straightforward blues, played on the rock side whereas Echo Of A Sigh gives us a break from the blues. It's an instrumental that allows Simmonds to express himself and show how good he still is. I'll Keep On Singing The Blues is played in the Chicago style with a stinging guitar that cuts right through you. They finish with Keeping The Dream Alive and I'm pleased that they are choosing to boogie to the end. Just turn up the volume and get on down to Kim Simmonds ringing guitar.
Kim Simmonds says on the reverse of the CD that he wanted to get back to recording blues with energy. I think that he has achieved his goal.
David Blue December 2007
Bring It Home opens with Mr Brown Boogie, a fast paced instrumental with excellent slide guitar from Kim Simmonds and Pete McMahon on harmonica manages to keep up the pace too. Sweet Loving Thing is a grinding blues rock, the kind that John Mayall excels at. There is a gritty vocal from former Kingsnakes front man McMahon and punchy guitar from Simmonds. Too Much Of A Good Thing has another excellent vocal from McMahon – swing/jump blues this time but Simmonds guitar is consistent and former Robert Cray Band drummer, Dave Olson keeps the whole thing together. Misery is blues based rock and more than competent standard fare. Your head will be nodding to the staccato beat of Willie Dixon's Shake For Me as Simmonds and Hubert Sumlin trade riffs. Pack It Up, with pounding bass from Jim Heyl is a Freddie King song turned into blues rock, British style. Savoy Brown and their ilk cornered this market in the 60s and 70s and the genre went on to spawn Free and many others.
'Lonesome Dave' Peverett is the guest vocalist on High On Your Love, which could be classed as an old shuffling Texas style blues. The harmonica gets another outing here and is used to great effect. The grinding Worried Man has more of Simmonds' excellent slide guitar and the vocals are better than its predecessor. John Lee Hooker's Little Wheel is given a sympathetic treatment and the guitar and harp get it on at the beginning. This is more rhythmic than the original but not quite as hypnotic. Percy Mayfield's You're In For A Big Surprise (the title, not a statement) is a big, powerful, sophisticated blues and there are strong vocal and harmonica performances on the New Orleans flavoured Real Fine Woman. The contemporary blues of That's What Love Will Do are still fresh, even 12 years after the original release. They finish with Baby Please, a slow moody Chicago blues that has Simmonds' guitar and the vocal melding very well.
David Blue July 2007
Savoy Brown has been around as a band for what seems like an eternity. This incarnation, from 1999, has perennial member Kim Simmonds joined by Nathaniel Peterson on bass and Tom Compton on drums as well as a number of guests. They open with Going Down To Mobile, a standard blues but of very high quality. She's Leaving is an electric blues that will bore its way into your very being. Just sit there and feel the blues. Willie Dixon's That's All I Want Baby is a bit more up-tempo and utilises the acoustic slide guitar of Duke Robillard – extremely easy to listen to. The eponymous title track is a funky blues and Bad Shape is a slow blues of the kind that Gary Moore excels - classy playing.
Mississippi Steamboat is a fast paced, good time blues. Simmonds' vocal is not the best but his stinging guitar more than makes up for it. Ain't No Need To Worry is an acoustic blues with an authentic Delta feel. Headline News is contemporary (even though the album is from 1999) and has soaring guitar. Little Red Rooster is Chicago blues, as expected. However, it is very much different from the better known versions of The Rolling Stones and Howlin' Wolf. There is a long guitar intro for a start. This is an excellent version of Willie Dixon's classic and one that will be my favourite for some time to come. When You've Got A Good Friend has them electrifying Robert Johnson. I'm not sure about Simmonds' vocal again, though. More up-tempo than the original and the guitar is the star. Peterson and Compton keep the rhythm well and it gets good marks overall. Everybody Says They Want It is an upbeat finish and a good time is had by all as Simmonds and Robillard swap guitar licks with ease.
www.mysticmusic.com
www.lightyear.com
www.savoybrown.com
David Blue July 2007
David Saw - Different Story (Saw)
There's no profound observations on the world or social issues, but for an album of wearied, downbeat but radio friendly songs like Big Deal that cut to the emotional core of those looking for a soundtrack to their heartaches, this is one musical Saw you really do need in your toolshed.
Mike Davies
Boz Scaggs - Dig (Virgin Records America)
When you see the words Boz and Scaggs on the cover of an album, you can be pretty damn sure that you're in for some smooth, sophisticated soul, leavened with a fair smattering of grit - just to keep things interesting. Dig delivers all that, served up with the degree of professionalism you'd expect from a man who's been plying his trade for more years than he'd probably care to admit. Of course, the Scaggs man can't do it all himself and, for his first set of original material in more than seven years, he's called upon the services of lots of old pals to produce a sound that gels and flows despite the changing personnel from track to track. Thus, at various times across the 11 songs, we hear the likes of Danny Kortchmar and David Paich - who, in addition to guitars and keys, co-produced Dig - Ray Parker Jr, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Lukather, Nathan East and Roy Hargrove Jr; each top in his field and on top form here. 'Payday' sets the ball rolling - a nice bluesy piece taken a respectable lope with some tasty guitar and a first opportunity for Hargrove to flesh out a song with some effective horn fills. Tracks two and three - 'Sarah' and 'Miss Riddle' - show the side of Scaggs' music which least excites the old Hall backbone. Cool, smooth, laid-back, soul-tinged love songs that ought to be listened to only after midnight in an expensive penthouse apartment with the Gucci loafers casually kicked off on to the hand-woven Persian rug. It's really not my cup of tea at all but either of these could do a fair job of work of getting the likes of Barry White or Teddy Pendergrass back into the charts. And I suppose that, if push came to shove and I had to listen to this kind of thing, I'd rather it be by Boz Scaggs than many others I could name.
By way of complete contrast, Scaggs can also offer up the wonderful 'Get on the natch' - all growled vocals, choppy guitar, upfront drums and sharp angles. Reminds these ears of the Alabama 3 and is the dirty, raunchy side of Scaggs that I could happily groove along to from dusk 'til dawn. 'King of El Paso' has a similarly lived-in appeal and, in addition to the guitars of Scaggs and Kortchmar, features a great backing vocal from a lady called Monet, of whom more will undoubtedly be heard. 'I just go' sees Scaggs playing the part of the perennially selfish and ultimately lonely man, once again having to apologise to his love for thoughtlessly taking off without a word of explanation. The rhythm section of East's bass and Robin DeMaggio's hand percussion lends the slow pace real depth. It is, quite simply, lovely. Possibly more renowned for his ability to achieve a certain sound and feel, it could be said that Scaggs' songwriting has taken something of a back seat in the past. That's not the case with Dig as, whether singlehandedly or in collaboration, the tunes and lyrics bear close scrutiny. It's an album with a variety of moods and one which is destined, I reckon, to become known as one of Scaggs' best.
Fred Hall
Minnesota-born Martha has latterly relocated to Montana; she's worked on the Cold Mountain movie soundtrack, and spent six years in East Tennessee as a key member of the highly regarded Reeltime Travelers until they disbanded in early 2005. During that stint, she won both first and second prizes at a songwriting competition at 2003's Merlefest; meeting up with Dirk Powell provided just the catalyst she needed to get on down and make a solo record, and The West Was Burning is the result. Martha's songs are at once straightforward and enigmatic, with a gentle organic feel, and really capture the essence of the backroads of the west ("places where there's no exit number", as Dirk puts it!) where she's most at home. Having said which, it's not always easy to say what they're about, for even the more tangible imagery she uses has a peculiarly elusive quality that comes as much from an appealing looseness of expression (matched in the music) as from succinct, even wry observation from the other side of the barroom or tracks. The downhome authenticity and no-nonsense emotional intensity of Martha's personal vision at times recalls that of Gillian Welch, but hers is arguably a more measured, less overtly bleak view, with telling resonances evoked from the most simple activities ("riding on a troublesome vine", indeed). Her musical settings complement the quivering timbre of her teasing, intimately fragile singing voice: pure and sensitive, characterised by her own rippling guitar and clawhammer banjo (Riley Baugus), with bass (Eric Frey) and occasional steel (Guy Fischetti), dobro (Michael Juan Nunez), fiddle (Gina Forsyth) and piano (Glenn Patschka). Many also boast a raw, edgy rhythm coming from what often seems like a back-lot garage drumkit (interestingly, drum duties are shared between Levon Helm of The Band and Amy Helm from Olabelle). The sound just sort-of comes together, I can't put it any other way. And naturally, Dirk himself augments his producer's role by playing (among other things) fiddle, electric guitar, banjo and mandolin, for he can't resist contributing just one instrumental (Call Me Shorty), where his mournful fast-drivin' fiddle is very much in evidence. This album may sound at times slightly low-key, but it proves to be of significantly deeper impact - quite irresistible, in fact - and the quietly grainy charms of its music and poetry readily, if subtly, insinuate themselves into one's consciousness.
David Kidman 2007
Dingle-born Pauline, though singing professionally since the age of 15, only released her debut album (Red Colour Sun) around four years ago; I haven't heard it, but I did note that one critic thought it an ill-considered excursion into ambient electronica... So it would appear that evidently Pauline's now seen the error of her ways (or at least had a re-think) since, since for this latest offering she's settled for a rootsier approach, employing a stellar array of backing musicians that comprises Nashville stalwarts Stuart Duncan, Kenny Malone and Darrell Scott, with ex-Lúnasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy, double bassist Danny Thompson and pianist John R. Burr.
The mood is thus predominantly gentle-roots-Celtic, newgrass or bluegrass, with a bit more punch in some settings than others - and that statement proves the rule for the disc as a whole, in fact, for it applies even more to Pauline's own treatments of her chosen songs. This is simply because the intrinsically delicate character of Pauline's voice, though distinctive in its own way, works against her on some of those songs. It's an exquisite voice, which is heard to best effect on Deartháirín Ó Mo Chroí and to some extent The Boys Of Barr Na Straide, although the latter also shares with the weaker tracks (like the bland When You And I Were True) Pauline's tendency to warble the pitch uncertainly at times (under the premise of decoration, presumably). When Pauline allows some of her latent power to come through, as on Rain And Snow and the driving opener Wearin' The Britches, there's more satisfaction to be had; nevertheless, Pauline clearly recognises that she's no "belter" of a singer and generally steers clear of songs that require more of that kind of approach (though I'm not sure how she views The Flower Of Magherally, which in this reading just doesn't connect). Sure, the tender precision of her singing can be quite mesmerising, much in the same way that of Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins (to which it bears a certain resemblance) can be - as on The Green Fields Of Canada and the distinctly Rusbyesque Farewell My Love, Remember Me. Yet Pauline's delivery can also at times be irritatingly breathy and over-whispersome: for instance, when she tackles the ballad of The Demon Lover, as a vocal duet with Darrell Scott, she's clearly not up to the emotional demands of the role and her part is reduced to an almost presence-less whisper.
There are other times, too, when Pauline takes the qualities of understatement and "blessed quietness" to a needless extreme; indeed, I'm inclined to view the album title itself as a description of Pauline's singing - altogether too "hushed" to do much of the material justice, and a case of "winsome - lose some". Which is a shame, for the musical arrangements are winning: attractive and generally well-considered, while the playing's finely-graded as you'd expect (I'd single out Stuart's fiddle and Darrell's banjo, but everyone plays superbly).
www.myspace.com/paulinescanlon1
David Kidman December 2007
Pauline Scanlon - Red Colour Sun (The Daisy Label)
A native of Dingle Co. Kerry, although Scanlon had been performing round the Galway pubs since she was 15, she first came to most people's attention when she provided the vocals for John Spillane's All The Ways You Wander on Sharon Shannon's Libertango album. Shannon repays the favour on Scanlon's debut, produced by and featuring Lunasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy, lending her accordion to a breathy voiced but jauntily earthy bodhran driven version of Cyril Tawney's Sally Free and Easy. Scanlon claims her singing style to be influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos, and while that's not immediately obvious there's no denying the quality of her timbre, not as ethereal as, say Maire Brennan or Sally Oldfield, traces of both in evidence, but still suggesting faerie folk qualities behind the cut peat flavours. Despite her background, there's only a handful of traditional interpretations here, the murder ballad What Put The Blood and the equally cheerful Molly Ban, but she has selected her diverse covers well. Peggy Seeger's The Springhill Mining Disaster, on which she duets with Damien Dempsey, is a suitably brooding affair that stands in distinct contrast to the dreamy love beneath the stars readings of Don McLean's And I Love You So and Willie Nelson's Valentine while, along with the equally a capella interpretation of Kerry folk tune The Boys of Barr Na Sraide, her haunting drone accompanied version of John Spillane's All The Ways You Wander is one of the album's most striking moments. She writes too, and while Churchyard's the only one self-penned contribution here, it's something of a gem, a trad styled ballad inspired by False Knight On The Road and veined with Eastern textures. It's an impressive debut that bodes well for Scanlon's future. She's generous too. She actually has no input at all on the title track, a 90 second instrumental epilogue written and performed by cellist Caroline Dale.
www.daisydiscs.com/pauline.htm
Mike Davies
Scatter is a somewhat indescribable outfit. After releasing their acclaimed album Surprising Sing Stupendous Love back in 2004, they then by all accounts made a hell of an impression at last year's Green Man Festival. Scatter turns out to be a loose Glasgow-based collective (here comprising nine participants) with one foot in the folk/world camp and another in improv, yet their second, and latest album, The Mountain Announces, while generally veering (sometimes a little queasily, one might say) between the two poles, in the end sounds like neither and actually provides stimulating and often pleasing listening. Deconstructed folksong meets organised confusion, one might say...Three (possibly four) of its eight tracks are ostensibly based on folksong - or rather, derive their inspiration from the mood of a particular folksong: She Moves Through The Fayre brings the most audibly recognisable statement of the source song itself, and here it's sort-of-chanted, wailed, by the ensemble's new vocalist Hanna Tuulikki. Instrumentally, the band sound is now darker than previously, with the recent addition of viola and trombone to the bouzouki/guitar, drums, cello, trumpet, double-bass, harmonium lineup (and the departure of their flute player too) - though dark doesn't necessarily mean gloom-filled, and Scatter's music can be strangely uplifting, as on the perversely beautiful celebratory processional that forms Delitier The Organ (a rolling snowball of sound where triumphant ululating voices perch atop Brass Monkey chordings and a bouzouki that sounds like a hammer-dulcimer). The title track nosedives off a Beefheartian pseudo-Japanese guitar riff to a jabbering cacophony of public-address and into a strident jazz ostinato passage. And by transporting the Dowie Dens Of Yarrow to the home of rebetika they're evoked as "a place of mystery and misery" in Scatter's intriguing arrangement. O Death is perhaps the strangest of all: dubbed by group vocalist Oliver Neilson as Scatter's "hold-music", its "call-centre field-holler" reminds me more than anything else of the pitch-and-toss sequence on the Incredible String Band's Creation, with its discordant keening and tumbling storm-racked drumming. All told, this is an extraordinary album, which takes the concepts both of folk-drone and radical jazz to new and often dizzying heights; but it takes an open mind and close listening to unravel its curious tapestry of delights, a mind that will be receptive to following Scatter's tangents wherever they may lead.
David Kidman, July 2006
Mark Schatz & Friends - Steppin' In The Boiler House (Rounder)
Mark's one of those enviably talented performers (Bruce Molsky's another one!) who might in all honesty be termed jack-of-all-trades, for he's a gifted singer and dancer as well as banjoist. It's primarily the latter, however, which is on proud display on this, his second solo album. He plays the banjo - and how! - in the approved clawhammer style, but his playing blends the precision and attack of traditional bluegrass with the soul and grit of the real old-timer, and he's unafraid either to bring in some swing-band influences or to mix new tunes in with the old. Steppin' In The Boiler House starts out with just that - Rig Root, like the title track later on, features Mark's "rock clogging" feet alongside his banjo - but then settles down to an enticing and varied menu that's not by any means all "flash Harry" picking. The enchanting delicacy of Eileen's Waltz forms a perfect foil to the rootsy galumph of the preceding Cajun Stomp, and the expertly controlled hoedown stringband runpast of Last Old Dollar (featuring Tim O'Brien guesting on vocals and mandolin) leads through naturally to the more reflective Season Of Joy and the beautifully poised original tune Robindale, inspired by the mountains around Asheville, North Carolina, that ushers in some seriously blistering picking on Slate. Mark's "house band" for the album sessions unites two seasoned veterans Missy Raines (bass) and Jim Hurst (guitar) with "young turk" fiddler Casey Driessen (fiddle), while Tim helps out on several cuts and there are some notable contributions from Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Jerry Douglas (dobro) and Bela Fleck (mandolin) too. There's a grand sense of fun on these sessions, everyone's having a ball yet they're content to let the pace ease back apiece rather than go hell for leather for effect - and the miracle is that there's still plenty of excitement and internal tension in the performances. And that makes all the difference of course. Tim puts it exactly in his booklet note: "Mark Schatz's music echoes and freshens those many shared experiences of good times, good music and good friends"; and you too will feel you've made a few new good friends after listening to this spirited disc.
David Kidman
Andy Scheinman - Make Amends (Tangible)
Thank goodness for labels that release albums outside the celebrity/marketing-led loop. Tangible of New York is one such and they have some wonderful surprises in their catalogue. Signed to the label is New Yorker Andy Scheinman, whose debut album has recently been given distribution in the UK. This is one to seek out now and play often during those moments when you need the Linus-blanket of feel-good music and a sunny day smile.
We are in familiar Nashville territory but it is refreshingly good. For all of you who are tired of polished mediocrity, this is unvarnished honesty, impossible-to-resist rootsy, hatless 'country' fare with a 'recorded live' energy and songwriting of the highest calibre. His are catchy tunes with great hooks and lyrics which had me suspecting that he has his tongue in his cheek some of the time! Andy cites The Band, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash as some of his influences. Their echoes are all there on this 13-track collection in the best possible way. Make Amends is produced by Tommy Spurlock who adds his own steely talents on guitars, mandolin, pedal steel, dobro, lap steel and bass. His assured, no-nonsense contribution made me check him out. He's produced albums for Dave Olney and Chip Taylor, played on the albums of artists such as Delbert McClinton, Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and The Band and he's a member of cult band Jon Wayne. What a pedigree and what an album!
Sue Cavendish
So here's the promised new Waterbug release from the Texas-born songwriter whose 2005 set Parables And Primes so impressed me on its way-belated UK release last autumn. And it lives right up to expectation in just about every way (even tho' there's no epic track like Stained Glass on this record). Unlike Parables And Primes, though, Little Grey Sheep draws on seven years of Danny's writing. It "takes its title from the fact that at one point in time or another, each song had been deemed too askew to fit neatly alongside its peers", yet its unity - as a "flock", if you like - resides in that each song can be traced back to a very particular episode in Danny's life, and in Danny's special worldview as applied to the personal rather than (as on Parables) the generalised human experience.
The album as a whole still compels close listening and commands (and gets) your undivided attention right from the outset. Danny's beguiling and highly individual brand of apparent gentility emerges from the ether on the opening song, Leaves Are Burning, a jaw-droppingly atmospheric piece dripping with highly sensory imagery and cocooned with ear-burningly eerie female harmony vocal (Joia Wood, who shares this role with Devon Sproule over the course of the album). Danny goes on to examine the ambiguities of relationships on Cliff Song and Around The Waist: the former is a seemingly simple relationship song, sung in a quivering tremolo that emphasises the utterly scary nature of the predicament, while the latter is a lighter reflection on the mystery of emotions. Towards the end of the record, though, Danny presents a more straightforward stance on the constancy of love and friendships, with the beautiful and delicate Song For Judy And Bridget and the powerfully valedictory litany-cum-credo Company Of Friends (this itself complements the fairly cautious optimism of Drawing Board earlier on the disc).
The disc's two parables provide contrasting experiences: Go Ugly Early is steeped in desperate southern-gothic familial mythology while Tales Of Sweet Odysseus is a more overtly ironic twist on a mythological adventure that's craftily set to a sideways cod-Irish slip-jig (as a companion to Beggars And Mules, it's almost kind of another in-joke for Danny's muso friends, I suspect). Then there's an almost-too-easy Guthrie-esque demeanour to the next pair of songs, Emigrant, MT and the quirkily double-edged California's On Fire, but both make their points concisely and attractively. The only track I'm unsure about is Adios To Tejasito, which may well be summed up by the "It's nice enough to visit, It's nice enough to get back in your car" couplet for which sentiment the song's general of air of too knowing over-flippancy and somewhat sloppy rhythm-section input don't hope to compensate.
Helping Danny with production this time round is Paul Curreri, a genius who plays a large assortment of instruments very sparingly and is blessed with an acute ear for just what limited textures should grace each of Danny's compositions (banjo, guitar, piano, whatever); other Charlottesville musicians (fiddle, accordion, harmonica, steel guitar, bass, drums) are also occasionally brought in for softly judged traceries and subtle effects. Even the "heavier" electric arrangement for Trouble Comes Calling isn't allowed to swamp Danny's lyrics. This convincing new set from Danny was worth waiting for, sure.
David Kidman March 2008
Texan-born songwriter Danny had previously only entered my consciousness through a track on the Waterbug Anthology #8: I made a mental note to look out for his recordings but heard nothing more till this one arrived through my mailbox just a short time ago. On this evidence, Danny is a really captivating talent, with an intensely literate take on things that at times recalls that of Josh Ritter but if anything encompasses a wider stylistic range and an arguably even greater sense of poeticism. His songs are characterised by an easy kind of poetry that seems to just spill off the end of his pen fully formed, and delivered in a winning kind of unassuming but entirely confident soft drawl that beguiles the ear with little apparent effort and draws the intellect in too with its spun word-patterns. Most of the time on this disc, there's just Danny and his guitar, with tasteful little embellishments from steel guitar (Lloyd Maines, no less), accordion or organ (Stefano Intelisano) and gentle stringed instruments like violin and cello, while trumpet, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, bass and vocal harmonies also appear in the exhaustive cast-list. Yet there's never any excess baggage or clouding of textures and full concentration always rests squarely on Danny's lyrics. Every song on this disc immediately impresses, but the crowning glory has to be the epic yet claustrophobic Stained Glass, which recalls Leonard Cohen in its dazzling use of often primal religious imagery to tell its story.
There's a distinctly weary, resigned-yet-defiant demeanour to Danny's writing too: This Too Shall Pass was written in the midst of a bout of cancer, while Ghosts is pure meditative gallows-Gothic. Elsewhere among this disc's eleven amazing creations, Neil Young is a double-edged love-song that partly pays tribute to one of Danny's evident inspirations, the freewheelingly jazzy mode of Happy All The Time is reflected in its mood of twisted irony and Beggars And Mules is a sly take on the country-roots barroom lament, written expressly for Danny's muso friends. The "parables" include the truly bizarre political allegory of A Circus Of Clowns and the pseudo-fairytale character sketch of Dark-Eyed Prince. Danny has a hell of an imagination, but one which doesn't exclude his listeners, whom he holds in rapt attention throughout his storytelling and ruminations. I was so impressed with this album I just had to investigate further, and it turns out that Parables And Primes is Danny's fourth CD, recorded back in 2005 and only just now gaining a UK release; apparently there's a further new album on the way as we speak (from Waterbug I believe), which I'm looking forward to immensely. Parables And Primes is an absolutely outstanding singer-songwriter album by any standards, truly one of the finest and most individual I've heard this year, and I'm glad to report that Danny's going to be touring the UK briefly next month.
David Kidman October 2007
A cult figure on the Austin indie rock scene with former bands the Scabs and Ugly Americans, the Michigan born singer-songwriter's Schneider's now carving a successful solo career, cropping up on such film soundtracks as Miss Congeniality, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back while this, his first to get a UK release, was named Album of the Year in his hometown Music Awards,
He's been compared to such names as Counting Crows and The Wallflowers, to which, judging by the laid back shrugging lazy rock of Captain Kirk, you might also want to add Steve Miller, the track clearly owing a debt to The Joker.
He's got a relaxed, warm style, easing through mellow Americana hued numbers like Come With Me Tonight, A Long Way To Get (shades of Paul Simon here) and the string enhanced lullabying ballad Love Is Everywhere while a sparkier side's revealed with the Dylan-like jogging rhythmed title track and a Tom petty flavoured C'mon Baby with its hard guitar riffs. And, as The Bridge Builders demonstrates, he can whip up a beefy quiet-to-a-storm moody rock ballad too.
With broken relationships, alienation and drugs on the lyrical agenda, he deals in the darkside but there's a sense of wit and ironic humour in there too; viz God Is My Friend which, nodding melodically to Joan Osborne's If God Was One Of Us, offers the image of the Almighty lounging around on a cloud snorting coke or wearing Italian shoes and chugging on a Coors Light.
The album takes a while to work its way inside your head and there are a couple of tracks that probably won't figure on the repeat play button, but it is something to which you will find yourself returning.
Mike Davies
Manchester's finest Matt Schofield returns with his fourth album and makes it a set of two apiece for live and studio albums. He has recently been voted by Guitar & Bass magazine as one of the Top 10 British Bluesmen of all time and that is some accolade. Just as he was influenced by Albert Collins and Robben Ford he now is regularly quoted as being an influence on many a young British guitarist. Although a studio album, Ear To The Ground was recorded live with the band in a single room and the overdubs were kept to a minimum. They open with Freddie King's Pack It Up and turn it into a funky blues, strong both musically and vocally. Nine Schofield and band written originals follow and start with Troublemaker. This gives Jonny Henderson on keyboards a chance to shine, and he takes it. Schofield joins in with Albert Collins influenced runs as he burns up the frets. The eponymous title track is a grittier, tougher blues altogether and the trio get into a groove. Heart Don't Need A Compass is a slow brooder. Schofield's guitar is a star - jazzy and much influenced by Albert King's Stax period. Once In A While is even slower and has a Gospel feel surrounding it - classy guitar.
Room At The Back, a short instrumental that allows free flow guitar, allows Schofield to tip the nod to such bands as The Meters and Soulive. Someone has a full blown harmonica burst from 'Big Pete' Van Der Pluym and is heavier than most on offer. It builds well and the guitar and harp work well together. Searchin' (Give Me A Sign) is jazzy blues with an edge - slinky guitar and reputed to be Matt's favourite. Move Along is full blown jazz/blues with Schofield and Johnny Henderson in synchronization. A fast paced, energetic instrumental with drummer Evan Jenkins chipping in to complete a classic organ trio song. Cookie Jar is organ based but Schofield steals the show and turns it into a highlight. When It All Comes Down is a BB King cover and a great finish. It is different enough from the original but still keeps the ethos. Schofield manages to sound like the great man on guitar and it sounds as if everyone who was in the studio that day is involved in the sing-along finish. The Matt Schofield trio have an album that keeps them in the highest echelons of British Blues.
www.mattschofield.com
www.nugenerecords.com
David Blue June 2007
Matt Schofield is a bright young light in British guitar playing and this debut album recorded at the Bishops Blues Club shows why. There's a strong guitar and drum start on the funky, jazzy Uncle Junior and Evan Jenkins provides a continuing rhythm, for over 8 minutes, on his kit. The classic Everyday I Have The Blues is given the treatment and showcases Schofield's excellent guitar style. His voice is silky but it's not BB King. Bloody Murder is done in a John Mayall style – just close your eyes and listen. The stunning guitar work on this make it a highlight.
Treat Me Lowdown is a swinging jazzy blues and Jonny Henderson is given his chance to shine on the organ. There's some good interplay between guitar and organ on Cissy Strut and this 8 and a half minutes of virtuoso playing just makes you realise how good a guitarist Schofield is. I don't know many people who would cover an Albert Collins track but Matt's version of Travellin' South will have made the maestro proud. His chopping, snappy guitar and vocal are delivered with feeling.
There's another blues classic next, it's Sitting On Top Of The World. This is different from the original and also from the version done by Cream and Schofield has managed to put his own stamp on the song, something very difficult on a much-covered track. The trio belt out the jazzy blues Hippology to finish and I detect the Albert Collins style in there once again. The trio are a very good live band and the only thing that I can criticize them on is that they did not offer up any self-written material. Maybe they are saving that for the next studio album and I wait in anticipation.
www.nugenerecords.com
www.mattschofield.com
David Blue
Willy Schwarz - Home (Clearspot)
The second album from Tom Waits' raspy-voiced New York German-Italian Jewish keyboard player bears the subtitle Songs of Immigrants, Refugees and Exiles. It contains exactly what it says on the label. The opening track's clattering rhythm may initially recall his former paymaster, but as it opens out into Native American tribal colourings the album's globe hopping musical and thematic nature is quickly signposted. Calcutta, Italy, Malawi are among the places Schwarz's stories visit, taking potent angry, sorrowed or yearning photos of the socio-political landscapes and emotional climates. Here are the world's unwanted and rootless, forced to move on (Same Old World), work in menial jobs (Lavaplatos), left 'pacified' in their own blood (Refugees) or trying to scrape a life in the land of the free (Taxi). Here are personal stories of torn dreams and crushed hopes but also of the tenacity to survive (Mother of Exiles) and the strength of love (Wind In Our Sails) in the face of adversity. Musically eclectic, it journeys through the blues, Hindustani tala, Bulgarian trad, Tijuana waltzes, Celtic twilights, African funk, Jewish roots, show tunes and Kurt Weill cabaret, constantly and consistently in tune with the humanity from which it's birthed and which it observes. A quite magnificent and moving work.
www.efa-medien.de/frankf/frame_hausgemachtes_clearspot.htm
Mike Davies
Lo-Fi/garage/punk from an American boy and girl duo (boy on guitar and girl on drums). Sound familiar? No it's not The White Stripes. Schwervon! is Nan Turner and Major Matt Mason USA (Matt Roth) and they hail from the Lower East Side of New York City.
This, their debut album, opens with the angst ridden American Girl (not the Tom Petty song) and continues to ask questions about your musical leanings for the next ten tracks. The only song not written by the duo is the final offering, the classic Surfin' Bird which is given a slower treatment than the original but when it gets going it is the best track on the album. This would be the ideal song for them to do on 'Later With Jools Holland' if they get an invite.
Songs like Holy Cat and Twin Donut could easily be modern American classics although the formers title sounds like one that Phoebe from Friends would sing. The simple yet effective Dinner is one of my favourites and the equally simple and powerful Springtime may have you humming 'Don't Fear The Reaper' before it settles down.
They do tackle the classic them of love as well as the offbeat. Breaking In is their version of a love song. Something Else (again a title from days gone by but this is a new song) is very reminiscent of The Eels and Schwervon! could be a classic 60s TV theme but with a contemporary twist..
Schwervon! will find a market for their music and they may even achieve the cult status of that other aforementioned duo.
www.olivejuicemusic.com
www.shoeshine.co.uk
David Blue
[Ed. See NetRhythms reviews of urban-folkster Major Matt Mason USA's albums Honey, Are You Ready For The Ballet and his debut Me Me Me at Major Matt Mason USA
Look out for the excellent Call It What You Want, This Is Antifolk on Major Matt's own label Olive Juice Records - a collection of performances, including his own, from other New York anti-folk acts.
"I'm going to find my state of grace," sang Scialfa on 2004's 23rd Street Lullaby. Judging by the follow-up, it seems the quest took her deep into the American south. Indeed, on the opening Looking For Elvis she pretty much lays out her map and motivations as she sings "I'm just looking for some inspiration, I'm looking for something to rock my soul, I'm looking for for a brand new destination, I'm looking for Elvis down a Memphis road."
She certainly seems to have found it, producing an album steeped in Memphis rock n soul and gospel, a vintage R&B mood that sets the mind thinking of such names as Laura Nyro, Bonnie Raitt and, with the 'doo-lang doo-lang' back ups culled from He's So Fine on Like Any Woman, such girl groups as the Chiffons.
That's not the only specific 60s reference either. A smoulderingly earthy acoustic blues-soul number, The Word features elements from folk staple Sally Go Round The Roses while the bluesy groove swagger Town Called Heartbreak quotes Janis Ian's Society's Child. And although there may be no sample as such, the lyrics of a slinky love fever Bad For You surely deliberately reference both Say A Little Prayer and Knock On Wood.
But then the whole feel of the album harks back to those musical streets, Play Around a gently rippling ballad that Ben E King might have sung had he been Dion De Mucci while Run, Run, Run struts the sort of dirty heat Tina Turner patented back in her scorching raw youth.
There's a strong sense of melancholy, of falling from grace, finding salvation and getting back up, to several of the songs, a mood that fuels the album's strongest, simplest ballads, the dock of the bay/back porch feel of the reflective world weary title track and the love pledging Black Ladder, that bring things to a hushed, evening calm close. I suppose I should mention that, yes, husband Bruce does play some guitar and organ, while the musicians also include E-Streeters Lofgren and Soozy Tyrell, but, more than ever, it's clear from this album Scialfi's standing in no one's shadow.
Mike Davies September 2007
Patti Scialfa - 23rd Street Lullaby (Columbia)
It's been over a decade since Mrs Springsteen released her excellent but underestimated debut album Rumble Doll, immediately attracting speculation that hubbie had anonymously provided the songs as well as playing on the album. The domestic connections are evident again, Bruce providing occasional guitar and keyboards (fellow E Streeters Nils Lofgren and Soozy Tyrell are also present and correct) while the nostalgia steeped atmosphere and images of streets, rain and romance recall much of his own work. No great surprise there, but this is patently Scialfa's baby, the songs hewn from her own and her family's experiences and while the melodies may conjure him indoors its influences hark more to the guitar ringing Jersey soul of Southside Johnny and the delivery to Dylan.
"I'm looking for a piece of my past," she sings on the Lou Reed-like You Can't Go Back, recalling New York City 1988 when she "used to walk invisible." It was a time and place caught between faith and failure, of searching for a place in the American Dream (State of Grace, Young In The City), of kindly waitresses with wordly wise words (a sha la la ing Rose), of getting knocked back (Stumblin' To Bethlehem) and finding solace in lovers arms (Each Other's Medicine, Romeo) however temporary they may be.
Rich in hooks and harmonies, tumbling emotions caught in folky vocal catch on songs that veer between the Mink De Ville meets The Corrs of Love (Stand Up), the swaggering bluesy City Boys, the gospel hued piano ballad showtune that is When You're Young in the City and the wonderful title track's down on the avenue and up on the Brill Building rooftop city valentine. "I'm going to find my state of grace," she vows. Musically speaking, this album suggests the quest's well underway. A ltd edition also includes a bonus disc with three live tracks, 23rd Street Lullaby, Spanish Dancer and As Long As I (Can Be With You)
Mike Davies
This sparkling new set of 13 contrasted songs also moves their musical development on a stage further, taking their basic approach and extending it with some finely contoured musical arrangements which, while remaining tastefully minimal, really do enhance both the songs and the singing. Credit here to producer Dave Walmisley and engineer Ken Powell, both formerly of the well-regarded trio Risky Business, whose trademark gentle mellifluosity pervades the proceedings to good effect (and all of whose members appear sporadically during the course of the disc). Both Sue and Liz happen to be really good singers, either heard individually or together in attractive harmony, and their thoroughly professional attitude to their craft enables them to relax sufficiently as they demonstrate their affinity with their chosen material and communicate its essence directly to their audience. Their delivery is captivating, refreshing and entertaining, and often very moving; coincidentally perhaps, the latter quality characterises my personal highlights: the powerfully evocative Siren Sea (one of Alan Bell's finest compositions in my opinion, and complementing his beautiful Sailor's Sky which closes the CD) and Briege Murphy's The Sea (some nice whistle playing from guest Phil Brown on all three of these songs by the way), also the unjustly neglected Dransfields song Fair Maids Of February, and a sensitive interpretation of the traditional Rigs Of Rye. I also really liked the ladies' tender setting of Ron Baxter's succinct yet poignant character portrait Molly, also their unsentimentalised take on Mary Benson's Sail Away, both of these done straight acappella (the latter with Felicia Dale guesting), and their lovely treatment of Allan Taylor's deceptively simple Come Home Safely To Me. But Scolds Bridle can make you laugh as well as cry too - the disc's "fun" song, Lynne Heraud's piquant little discourse on The Menopause, is a perfectly acceptable interlude in this context, while one has always to acknowledge that "fun" songs tend to wear less well in the cold light of home listening (hmm, I'm tempted to label this particular song "less suitable for regular periodic (sic!) replay"!)
Any minus points? - well, some may consider the similarity of tempo marking for the vast majority of the material to be a drawback, but I'd say the variety in the actual songs more than compensates. Recording-wise, there's an occasional tendency to fierceness or over-closeness in capturing Liz's lead vocal contributions, but this is a minor point that's more noticeable on some CD players than others. In summary, this is a very lovely CD that, while almost effortlessly pleasing Scolds Bridle's growing loyal fanbase, really ought also to bring them plenty of new admirers.
David Kidman August 2007
For some years now, the Irish music scene in Liverpool has been a vibrant one; the charming and distinctive singing of Liverpool Irishman Bruce Scott, one of that scene's most charismatic performers, is captured faithfully on this disc, which has been put together exclusively from recent recordings. Bruce's performing style is both a reflection and a consolidation of a lifetime spent singing; it embodies a bold and quite florid use of decoration and vibrato, while retaining a fluent sense of pacing that does not destroy the internal rhythms of the songs. This collection of 15 songs brings together both strands of Bruce's artistry - his interpretation of existing (principally traditional) song and his own songwriting (the latter being a comparatively recent venture, we're told). The former is the source for just over two-thirds of the CD's material, and includes versions of The Rocks Of Bawn, Easy And Slow, The Month Of January and She Moved Through The Fair which are very characterful indeed, if at times some listeners may find some of the slower songs a mite strident perhaps, or even slightly laboured. To introduce a bit of tonal variety into the proceedings, Bruce is accompanied on five of the songs, on whistle or flute, by Terry Coyne (who you'll know as member of Garva). Good though Bruce's renditions of traditional songs may be, his own compositions, very much in the traditional style, are uniformly excellent; this CD's title track won him the title of 2004 All-Ireland Champion in the category of newly-composed ballads, and no wonder - although all four self-penned songs display a comparable flair for composing within the tradition, especially in respect of Bruce's creative adoption of traditional airs. This well-presented CD makes for mesmerising listening, and proves a worthy addition to Veteran's catalogue.
David Kidman
Grammy-winning country musician Darrell Scott is not your common or garden variety of singer/songwriter.
And it's not just because he's a member of Steve Earle's Bluegrass Dukes, or the producer of two of Guy Clark's albums or even that he plays with John Cowan or Sam Bush, the real reason he's so special is revealed on The Invisible Man - the title shows a nice line in irony because it is going to make him anything but invisible.
The songs on the album aren't plucked from the imagination of a writer, they're hewn from the beliefs and experiences of a man who just happens to be one of the most talented musicians around country music today. Even if he weren't, the passions that drove him to write and perform I'm Nobody would have to find an outlet somewhere, it's music's gain that his safety valve is a guitar and a lyric.
Darrell Scott's brand of country is deep-rooted, there's a substance and solidity to his music. He opens up his soul on Looking Glass but he's not about to crumple while he's doing it. But the 'messages' are also wrapped up in some great country-rock riffs and melodies, not once has Scott forgotten that he's also an entertainer.
While Darrell Scott was born in London, it was a tobacco farm in London, Kentucky that was his first home and it may be fanciful notion to suggest that, alongside Kris Kristofferson and Micky Newbury, Scott picked up on the late, great Lindisfarne front man Alan Hull. However with In My Final Hour and the title track, he steps out of country and t