Category: Americana Music

By Terry Roland

John Fogerty and his new take-no-prisoners album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, has done the nearly impossible task of taking familiar classic songs and infusing them with fresh energy and inspiration, so much so that it seems as though these songs, culled from Creedence Clearwater Revival hits and his solo albums, are brand new. His voice carries the same soul and rock ‘n’ roll passion that gave his band such distinction over 40 years ago.

It is the kind of comeback that Fogerty has managed to pull off at various  turns in his long career, sometimes waiting a decade between releases. The arrangements here are crisp and dynamic. These re-creations give the songs a new sense of authority and power.  

 By Ken Paulson

There’s a moment on the Chet Atkins and Les Paul album Guitar Monsters (Real Gone Music) where the two playfully compare notes on CB radio and Dolly Parton’s attributes. It’s an exchange that simultaneously signals just how long ago Atkins and Paul recorded the LP, and how much fun they had doing it.

This 1978 album, their second together, showcases the two virtuoso guitarists in a playful and informal setting. Paul came from pop and jazz and Atkins from country, but they admired each other and their talents were truly complementary on this release.

“Over the Rainbow,” “I Want to be Happy” and “Give My Love to Nell” are musical highlights, and you’ll enjoy the pair’s spirited banter on “I’m Your Greatest Fan.”

Alive on Arrival/Jackrabbit Slim –Steve Forbert

Blue Corn Music has released Steve Forbert’s first two albums in a deluxe package that includes 12 bonus songs. It’s a reminder of just how rare it is for a singer-songwriter to release two consistently excellent albums at the outset of a career.

Neil Young did it. So did Jackson Browne and James Taylor. But Elton John didn’t (Empty Sky was no Elton John.)  Carole King didn’t, although Tapestry was a heck of a second album.

Forbert’s Alive on Arrival was a vibrant debut, sporting enduring songs like “Goin’ Down to Laurel” and “You Cannot Win if You Do Not Play.” For an encore, Forbert delivered the ambitious Jackrabbit Slim, kicking off the LP with “Romeo’s Tune,” an idiosyncratic hit record that he’s played for more than three decades.

Forbert is an amazingly consistent artist and every album offers up new treasures. You can have that kind of career when you build on a foundation of quality, as evidenced by this new collection.

Complete Original #1 Hits – Eddy Arnold

Album titles don’t come any more straightforward than this one. This Real Gone Music release includes the 28 Eddy Arnold songs that rose to #1 on the Billboard country chart, beginning with “What is Life Without Love” in 1946 and concluding with “The You Can Tell Me Goodbye” in 1968.

It’s a rich anthology that tracks both Arnold’s early career and the evolution of country music. Arnold’s use of strings and lush arrangements broadened his appeal well beyond country music audiences. Highly recommended.

By Paul T. Mueller

— Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is “the feel-good album of the year.” That’s how the Austin-based singer-songwriter described his latest CD during a recent in-store performance in Houston. He was kidding, of course. A better description of his outlook can be found in “Lookin’ for You,” the second track: “You know I like it/Dark and hot/Torn and twisted/Tied in a knot.” Such are the conditions many of Morlix’s characters seem to find themselves in.

“My Life’s Been Taken” is the lament of a man paying a high price for a bad decision, while “Series of Closin’ Doors” could well describe the process that leads to such a decision. The foreboding organ that dominates another track, “Present Tense,” is echoed by the lyrics – “I’m feeling heavy vibrations/Find the present tense.”

Morlix deals mostly with personal matters, but political commentary makes an appearance in “Bang Bang Bang,” an indictment of America’s gun culture that includes a reference to his old friend Blaze Foley, an underrated singer-songwriter who was shot to death during an argument in 1989. The song’s bouncy tone can’t disguise Morlix’s pain over Foley’s death – “Shot down, gone away/Gone forever, miss him every day” – or his outrage at the violence that led to it. “Guns in backpacks, guns in schools/We’re a bunch of gun-carryin’ fools,” he concludes.

It’s back to the darkly personal in the CD’s final three songs. Morlix’s raspy voice and a twangy country arrangement are perfectly suited to the raw pain of “You Walk Away,” in which he asks, “All these years, don’t they count for nothin’?/Don’t you remember our last kiss?” “These Are My Blues” finds the narrator a little farther down the road, still hurting and not in any big hurry to feel better. The CD wraps up with “Empty Cup,” a plea for the love that proves so elusive. “I’m a simple man, I can’t decipher your clues,” Morlix sings. “All I know is, I can’t live without you.”

Morlix’s songs are well served by his understated production, and by the strong contributions of backing musicians including drummer Rick Richards, keyboardist Ian McLagan, violinist Gene Elders, and singer Eliza Gilkyson, among others.

Having worked with Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen and many others over the years, Morlix is probably better known as a sideman and producer than as a solo artist. But he’s got his own story to tell, and he does a pretty good job of it on this collection. It’s not a very uplifting message, but it’s worth a listen.

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By Ken Paulson

—Down Side Up from Old Man Markley is a riveting, high velocity bluegrass album, with surprisingly potent political content. There’s been some marketing effort to label this as a cross between bluegrass and punk, but that’s trying too hard. The only Clash-like elements are the highly topical lyrics. “The corporate propaganda paralyzes us with fear, destroying our ability to trust,” the band warns in “America’s Dreaming.”

There’s  irreverence throughout, including “Beyond the Moon,” in which we learn the singer doesn’t “wanna lose my mind like Gary Busey did.”

This isn’t “newgrass,” but the topicality suggests “Newsgrass.” Old Man Markley features fine playing throughout, with bonus points for attitude.

Upcoming tour dates for Old Man Markley:

Mar 21 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
Mar 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Mar 23 – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
Mar 24 – Fullerton, CA – The Slidebar
Mar 28 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues

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By Ken Paulson

— Unsung Hero: A Tribute to the Music of Ron Davies is a remarkable collection of songs, all written by Davies, and performed by an amazing line-up of artists.

I’m not sure I’ve seen a tribute album this deep in talent and most of it is straight out of Nashville. Dolly Parton, John Prine, Alison Krauss and Rodney Crowell join another 18 artists in this salute to a talented and under-recognized songwriter.

I knew Davies’ work primarily from the versions of his “It Ain’t Easy,” recorded by David Bowie on Ziggy Stardust and by Long John Baldry on the album of the same name. Impressive as those cuts were, Davies’ catalog runs deep and it’s showcased beautifully here.

His sister Gail Davies organized and produced the album to celebrate her late brother’s work. Unsung Hero benefits the W.O Smith Music School in Nashville.

In his lifetime, Ron Davies must have generated a tremendous amount of goodwill. That’s reflected in the roster of their performances and the clear admiration shown throughout.

The highlights include Jeff Hanna and Matraca Berg’s version of Dark Eyed Gal, first recorded by Jeff with the Nitty Gritty Dirt band, Guy Clark’s take on “Walk and Don’t Walk,” Krauss’ “Good Lover After Bad” and Prine’s “You Stayed Away Too Long.”

But that just scratches the surface. This album is 22 strong songs deep, including performances by John Anderson, Jim Lauderdale, Delbert McClinton, Mandy Barnett, Crystal Gayle, BR549, Jimmy Hall, Suzy Bogguss, Vince Gill, Kelly Hogan, Kevin Welch, Jonell Mosser, Robbie Fulks, Bonnie Bramlett and Gail Davies.

Highly recommended.

 by Paul T. Mueller 

–This live set from Texan Nick Verzosa and his bandmates is pretty standard bar-band stuff. Drinkin’, dancin’, lookin’ for love, gettin’ over lost love and so on – you’ve heard it before. But some things here give cause to hope for bigger and better things.

Verzosa’s writing is a notch better than the usual for this genre and he’s got some talented people playing with him. Maybe more important, he’s forged connections with some better-known people in the music business: musician/producer Walt Wilkins produced a couple of earlier projects, one of which featured a guest appearance by guitarist and producer Rich Brotherton.

Verzosa, another in a line of singer-songwriters graduated from the improbable hotbed of Texas A&M University, wrote 11 of the album’s 14 tracks and co-wrote two others (the remaining track was written by his bassist, Shawn McGee).

Some standouts:

•  “I Wouldn’t Answer,” a ballad in which he advises an ex NOT to give him another chance, featuring some nice electric guitar by Matt Gracy and harmony vocals by Courtney Stefan
•  “7^th Year Senior,” a twangy tribute to a longer-than-usual college career (his introduction to the song concludes with “Take it from me, kids, stay in school!” )
•  “Stronger Than That,” a bad-love ballad in waltz time that again showcases guitarist Gracy and solid playing from bassist McGee and drummer Danny Poole
•  “She Only Loves Me (When I’m Leaving),” a bouncy love lament co-written with singer-songwriter Matt Harlan  “Back When Love Was Easy,” a bittersweet look at the reality of a relationship after the initial euphoria fades; the song wraps up with band introductions and a crowd-pleasing snippet of the Eagles’ “Already Gone.”

Nick Verzosa seems to have a lot going for him – writing chops, a good ear for melodies and catchy hooks, and a road warrior’s work ethic. This collection has some rough edges, but plenty of energy and potential as well. This is a band worth watching.

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Billy Joe Shaver

By Paul T. Mueller—If you were looking for the perfect artist to anchor a concert series called “Songs of Lovin’ and Redemption,” you could hardly do better than Billy Joe Shaver. Legendary songwriter, road-dog performer, one-time connoisseur of chemical excess, committer of serial matrimony, notorious hell-raiser, born-again Christian – you’d have to figure the guy knows everything there is to know about lovin’ and redemption. Judging from his March 6 appearance at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Houston, you might be right.Shaver, who’s 73, moseyed up the center aisle shortly before showtime. He stood at the front of the pews and related a long story about being born again, and the dissolute life that led him to that turning point. Explaining that he’d emerged from his addictions and the withdrawal that followed only after finishing a song he’d been struggling with, he proceeded to sing that song – “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal,” which became one of his biggest hits – without benefit of band or instruments.

At that point his band – guitarist Jeremy Woodall, bassist Matt Davis and drummer Jason McKenzie – joined him for a full-band (albeit acoustic) reprise of “Old Chunk of Coal.” A bit shaky at the beginning and seemingly somewhat ill at ease, Shaver worked his way through a few more of his hits – “Georgia on a Fast Train,” “Old Five and Dimers Like Me,” “You Just Can’t Beat Jesus Christ” – punctuated with more life stories. “I’m a little short-handed,” he said by way of explaining his limited guitar-playing skills – holding up his right hand, minus parts of three fingers, and describing the long-ago sawmill accident that resulted in that injury.

Performing in a venue far removed from the bars that are his usual habitat, Shaver referred several times to the dissonance between the rowdy outlaw country he’s best known for and his more spiritual songs. “I hope there’s no one expecting ‘Honky Tonk Heroes,’ “ he said at one point. “I’m just not going to do that in here.” But after a few more of the softer songs, and a couple of audience calls of “Thunderbird!”, the church’s rector, the Rev. Patrick J. Miller, held a brief conference with Shaver and apparently gave his blessing, so to speak, to Shaver’s performing some of his more worldly fare. The band then launched into “When Thunderbird Was the Word,’ “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “That’s What She Said Last Night” and “The Devil Made Me Do It the First Time” – pretty much the same stuff you’d get at a plugged-in Shaver show, minus the amplification.

Shaver talked for a while about the dangers of drugs and about how his son, Eddy, died of an overdose in 2000. He followed that with the gentle tribute “Star in My Heart,” which he told the audience “was written for Eddy and you.”

More stories and more songs ensued – “When the Fallen Angels Fly,” “Hottest Thing in Town,” “You Asked Me To,” “Ride Me Down Easy,” “Try and Try Again,” among others. Woodall’s excellent picking and string-bending made for fine accompaniment, and an interesting contrast to the full-on electric sound that’s been the hallmark of Shaver’s bands for many years.  Bassist Davis improvised his lines on an acoustic guitar, while drummer McKenzie wowed the crowd with an impressive display of percussion skill using only bongos, brushes and a few small instruments.

After a standing ovation, Shaver promised “a couple more” and took off on a long tale involving youthful marriage, breakups, truck repair, panhandling, carousing and despair, all of which led into a rowdy rendition of “Ragged Old Truck” that left a knocked-over mic stand lying on the floor. He finished “The Road,” a slower, almost mournful ballad featuring Woodall’s beautiful Spanish-style playing. “Love me one more time before I go,” the song ends, and by that point there was plenty of love to go around – the audience’s for Billy Joe Shaver, and his for them.

“Songs of Lovin’ and Redemption,” put together by the Rev. Miller and the Rev. Eric P. Hungerford (the church’s rector and associate rector, respectively) continues with Sara Hickman on March 13 and Terri Hendrix on March 20.

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