We’ve been fans of Amy Rigby since meeting her at a party at Greg Trooper’s home in Nashville in 2002. Both Amy and Greg were working on new albums and played some new songs. Trooper played “Muhammed Ali (The Real Meaning of Christmas)” and Amy followed with “Are We Ever Going to Have Sex Again?” Both songs were jaw-dropping, for slightly different reasons.
Common to both, though, was honesty and a refreshing perspective. That – and a healthy shot of irreverence – have been the hallmarks of both Amy and Greg’s work.
There’s great news for Amy Rigby fans this year. There’s a vibrant new album called “The Old Guys” and “Girl to City,” a compelling memoir about Amy’s early career in New York and the era that spawned it.
We were able to catch up with Amy at this year’s 30A Songwriters Festival in Walton Beach, Florida and spoke to her about both the album and book in this edition of the Americana One Podcast.
We’re basking in nostalgia this week, thanks to the recent release of the Omnivore CD capturing the New Riders of the Purple Sage at the Academy of Music in New York City on Nov. 23, 1972.
Jerry Garcia was gone, but the classic line-up of John Dawson, David Nelson, Dave Torbert, Buddy Cage and Spencer Dryden is on hand on Thanksgiving in New York City.
The core setlist of that era is here, including “Louisiana Lady,” “Henry” and “Last Lonely Eagle,” and draws on the first two albums. There are multiple covers, though the value of a New Riders take on “Take A Letter, Maria” escapes us.
For an archival project, the sound is fine and energy undeniable.
Here’s a clip of the New Riders of the Purple Sage just 6 months before the Thanksgiving show.
Singer-songwriter Allison Moorer gets a lot done on her newest album, Blood. In its 10 songs, Moorer addresses her troubling past, deals with her present, and finds hope for the future. Recorded as a companion piece to her memoir of the same title, Blood is a courageous and inspiring musical document.
By way of background, Moorer’s father, Vernon Franklin
Moorer, ended his troubled marriage to her mother by killing her and then
himself when Allison Moorer was 14. With the help of her sister,
singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne,
Moorer pursued her musical ambitions and carved out a successful career (Blood
is her 11th studio album, dating back to her 1998 debut, Alabama
Song). She wrote and recorded Blood after she realized that some of
the stories she wanted to tell – the stories of everyone in the family – could
be told well in song.
The album starts on an ominous note with “Bad Weather,”
whose imagery portends a coming storm. Moorer next revisits “Cold Cold Earth,”
a minimalist retelling of her parents’ story that was first released on her
second album. The gentle “Nightlight” is a hymn to her sister, who was a few
years older than Moorer and tried to shield her from the worst of their
family’s tragedy.
Allison Moorer at Cactus Music (Paul T. Mueller)
“I’m the One to Blame” is a confessional ballad that was written more than 50 years ago by Moorer’s father, an aspiring and ultimately frustrated musician. Moorer’s beautiful voice and solitary guitar work well with the sadness of the lyrics: “But I’ll do my best, if you’ll do the same / and forgive me, my love, ’cause I’m the one to blame.”
Moorer describes her mother’s struggles in the first-person
“The Rock and the Hill,” and her own in “Set My Soul Free” and “The Ties that
Bind,” which describe her efforts to leave the worst of her past behind and
move forward. The title track finds her reckoning with the idea that we are the
guardians of what we inherit from those who came before. “All your secrets have
a home,” she sings. “They won’t be traded, won’t be sold.”
The album concludes with “Heal,” which Moorer has called “probably
the most important song I’ve ever written.” A collaboration with fellow
songwriter Mary Gauthier (and the only co-write on the album), it’s a quiet
prayer for healing, forgiveness and clarity.
Moorer’s collaborators, overseen by producer and guitarist Kenny Greenberg, provide excellent
backing without getting in the way of her honest words and effective delivery. Blood
isn’t exactly a feel-good album, but it’s a powerful one.
Although the recording industry has taken a beating from digital disruption, there’s been a real plus for musicians – some in their 50s or 60s – getting around to recording that first album. Nobody needs to wait for a record company’s approval anymore.
Joe Middleton just released his first solo album “Highway Tremolo,” which draws from influences like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Steve Earle. That’s good company. Here’s a song about lifelong loves from the new album.
By Ken Paulson – It wasn’t until about the fourth track on Dee White’s new album Southern Gentleman that I realized that something special was going on.
“Crazy Man” is a highly melodic song about redemption and a revived relationship, and is representative of the sound that works so well on this new release. Produced by Dan Auerbach and David Ferguson, the collection melds Countrypolitan with pop sensibilities circa 1968-72.
“Bucket of Bolts” is a good song about a bad car and great memories, while “Oh No” explores the opposite territory: the sheer despair of knowing that the person you love coming back. Yet even that has its earworms.
Sitting in are Ashley McBryde on “Road That Goes Both Ways” and Molly Tuttle on “Weary Blues From Waitin’.”
This could easily have been my favorite country album in 1970, but it sure sounds fresh in 2019.
If I ever find myself referring to Bonnie Bishop as Bonnie Bramlett, it’s not age or alliteration. Ms. Bishop’s soulful voice and approach very much brings to mind the vibrant sound and style of Ms. Bramlett.
It’s welcome news that Bonnie Bishop has a new album produced by Steve Jordan and featuring co-writes with Gabe Dixon (Their “Love Revolution” is a highlight), Rebecca Lynn Howard and Emory Dobyns (including the title cut, performed in this video:
The Mavericks Play the Hits is to be taken literally. The band plays the hits. Other artists’ hits.
In this edition of the Americana One Podcast, Raul Malo tells us why the Mavericks decided to cover songs like Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Freddy Fender’s “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” – all with new arrangements and in delightfully tacky packaging.
By Paul T. Mueller – Austin-based singer-songwriter Chuck Hawthorne’s sophomore effort is an eclectic collection of nine originals and a cover, exploring themes as diverse as Native American lore, the struggles of growing up in the shadow of a famous father, the loss of comrades, and the hardships of life on the road. Hawthorne’s writing is personal but accessible, combining literalism and metaphor to explore a range of human experience.
The
opening track, “Such Is Life (C’est la Vie),” is a tribute to a fallen buddy
that draws on the language of music and motorcycles. Dealing with a friend’s
death isn’t easy, but Hawthorne finds positivity and acceptance at the end: “His
holy wind, I gave him back/Now he’s riding on the zodiac/And such, my friends,
is life.” Another farewell song, “Worthy of the Sea,” reflects Hawthorne’s
military background – a couple of decades in the U.S. Marine Corps. “May your
gift be sailing through the end,” he sings. “Calm seas and fair winds keep her
steady as she goes.”
“Arrowhead
and Porcupine Claw” is a coming-of-age tale featuring a young Native American
acquaintance trying to find his place in the world, and the narrator’s efforts
to help him along. Fittingly, one of Hawthorne’s own mentors, singer-songwriter
Ray Bonneville, contributes of harmonica to the track.
“Broken
Good” is about as happy as this collection gets. It’s a lively shuffle and a
celebration of imperfection, describing a couple who make music together and
don’t care that it “don’t get much farther than the neighborhood.” Hawthorne
closes with a fine rendition of Richard Dobson’s “I Will Fight No More
Forever,” based on the story of Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce tribe of
the Inland Northwest.
Producers
Walt Wilkins and Ron Flynt do a fine job of letting Hawthorne’s songs speak for
themselves. Contrast is used to good effect – Hawthorne shifts easily between
full volume and a voice barely more than a whisper, between fast shuffle beats
and slower tempos. The small but capable cast of musicians yields a sound
that’s clean and textured, but not cluttered. Both producers also play, mostly
guitars; other notables include Libby Koch
on vocals, Ray Rodriguez on percussion, and Geoff Queen on pedal steel and
dobro.
It’s the rare album cover that makes you laugh out loud, but that was our immediate reaction to Mike Duke’s “new” album …took a while. On the front is a young bearded man singing his heart out. On the back is a photo of the current-day Duke, all 71 years of him.
This engaging project from the Little Village Foundation features demos and a handful of more recent tracks from Duke, who wrote a number of hits for Huey Lewis and the News, but never had an album release of his own.
By Paul T. Mueller – Amy Speace is a keen observer of humanity, and of all the good and bad humans are capable of. She’s also a gifted songwriter and performer, able to translate her observations into beautiful and moving songs. Speace’s latest collection is titled Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne, and it’s full of the excellent writing and singing we’ve come to expect from this New Yorker turned Nashvillian.
The title track is a description of the traveling musician’s
life, drawn from Speace’s experiences and using the aftermath of a show in Aachen,
Germany – said to have been the birthplace of the medieval German emperor – as
a jumping-off point. Amid the architectural remnants of centuries of European
history, Speace reflects on her hopes for her own legacy. “We all want to leave
behind/A thing that says that we were here before we die,” she sings.
Speace moves into more uncomfortable territory in “Ginger
Ale and Lorna Doones,” an account of a woman’s experience at the kind of medical
clinic that draws protesters and worse. For all its social and political
implications, the decision this unnamed character has made is a difficult and
lonely one, softened only by small gestures along the way. “Closest thing to
kindness/Who would ever think of this,” Speace sings about the products in the
song’s title. “Little bit of sweet and fizz/Filling up the emptiness.” The
song’s emotional impact is the more devastating for its understated nature.
“Icicle King” is another disturbing trip to the dark side, a
first-person account of a child’s escape from domestic violence through
fantasy. That’s sad enough, but toward the end the words hint at a more ominous
possibility: “I sailed from the port of Ohio one night in December/Snuck out of
the back from the door leading west to the creek.”
Speace is happy to acknowledge good in the world as well.
“Grace of God” is a gospel-flavored ode to redemption, and “Both Feet on the
Ground” is a declaration of commitment that can be heard as a lullaby to her
young son or as a hymn. The album closes with her rendition of Ben Glover’s
“Kindness,” a musical benediction whose verses end with “May you know kindness
and may kindness know you.”
The rest of the album’s 11 tracks are of similar high
quality, fueled by her powerful and expressive voice (she was a theatrical
actor before her musical career) and her capable playing on guitar and piano.
Speace’s fine supporting cast includes guitarists Will Kimbrough and Kris
Donegan, bassist Dean Marold, violinist Eamon McLaughlin and drummer Neilson
Hubbard, who also produced the album.
“First Couple of Americana Music” may be a fictitious title,
but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some real contenders out there. Two such
duos, Buddy and Julie Miller and Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison, stake convincing claims
on recently released albums – Breakdown on 20th Ave. South
and Beautiful Lie, respectively.
Of the two, the Millers’ Breakdown – their first
joint effort in 10 years – is the more personal. All 11 songs were written by
Julie Miller (her nephew Alasdair MacKenzie gets a co-writer credit on one).
The lyrics reflect Miller’s poetic leanings as she explores love in its various
forms. Some are cryptic – “Feast of the
Dead” begins with “Send the drummers down every street/The hurdy gurdy drones
loud and sweet.” Others are brutally direct and confessional. “I run my fingers
up and down the edge/Of my time out on the ledge,” Julie sings on the title
track. After “Thoughts at 2 AM,” a heartfelt declaration of religious faith,
the album closes with “Storm of Kisses,” a tribute to Julie Miller’s brother;
the title is one MacKenzie came up with, at age 4, for a song he had yet to
write.
The words on Breakdown may be Julie’s, but Buddy
Miller helps bring them to life with fine vocals and guitar work throughout;
songs such as “Till the Stardust Comes Apart” and “Spittin’ on Fire” come
closer to the country sound he’s known for. The Millers did most of the playing
themselves; other contributors include drummers Marco Giovino, Brady Blade and
Steve Hindalong and bassist Rick Plant.
Robison and Willis are both fine writers, but, as with their
previous collaborations, much of Beautiful Lie consists of songs written
by others. But the two always manage to put their own stamp on whatever they
record; they’re aided this time by Robison’s skillful production. The focus here
is romance (“If I Had a Rose”), and, more often, the end of romance (“Nobody’s
Perfect,” “One Dime at a Time,” “Lost My Best” and the title track, among
others). All are performed with a distinctive sound that walks the line between
traditional country and Americana.
A couple of outliers deal with other subjects. “Astrodome,”
by Robison and Jack Ingram, finds the narrator sitting in a derelict landmark,
wondering where the years went. “Can’t Tell Nobody Nothin’ ” is a funny
take on the futility of good advice, written by Adam Wright and Shannon Wright.
The album’s excellent supporting cast includes guitarist Scott Davis, bassist
John Michael Schoepf, drummer Joshua Blue, keyboardist Trevor Nealon, and the
indispensable Geoff Queen on electric guitar and pedal steel.
Guitar fans could be forgiven for neglecting the lyrics on Back to the Garden, the new CD by Rich Hopkins and Luminarios. Such is the quality of the playing, both electric and acoustic. But the words are worth listening to as well. The two singer-songwriters at the heart of this band, Hopkins and his wife, Lisa Novak, have things to say, and they’re good at saying them.
Garden is an appealing if slightly uneven mix of
guitar pop and country, fueled by the “desert rock” approach of Arizonan
Hopkins and the country-folk sensibilities of Texan Novak. Most of the 11
tracks feature the excellent electric tones of Hopkins and guitarist/singer
Damon Barnaby, backed by Novak’s acoustic playing. Hopkins and Novak share most
of the vocals, whether alternating as duet partners or harmonizing beautifully
– the latter evoking the sound of the Byrds and the Beatles.
An optimistic tone underlies much of the album. “All are
welcome in this garden,” Novak sings in “The Garden.” “All that matters here is
who you love.” Given that the album’s title can be found in Joni Mitchell’s classic
“Woodstock,” it’s a sweet message that seems fitting as the 50th
anniversary of that iconic event approaches.
It’s not all rainbows and unicorns. “Before” addresses current conditions, if obliquely. “Did you see the darkness, feel it in the air?” Novak asks, backed by ringing guitars. “Don’t turn a blind eye, ignoring that it’s there.” Other highlights include “On and On,” a tribute to the craft of songwriting and playing; “Always a Way,” about making relationships function (the next four words are “to work it out”), and “Keep on Shinin’,” a country-flavored Novak composition about resilience after heartbreak.
Less successful are a couple of rants – “Get Off the
Telephone,” lamenting the way technology takes over lives, and “Pissed,” which
takes issue with slobs who can’t be bothered to pick up their trash.
Fun fact: The album’s opening track, “Acoma Mary,” features lead
guitar by Steve Hunter – who, among many other accomplishments, was responsible
(along with Dick Wagner) for the long and lovely intro to “Sweet Jane” on Lou
Reed’s Rock n Roll Animal album from 1974. Numerous other talented
players contributed, and production, by Hopkins and Novak, is clean and bright.
We recently enjoyed a not-so-strange chat with the engaging Mandy Barnett about her new album Strange Conversation. The setting was WMOT’s 895 Fest on the fields of the Hop Spring Beer Park, a distinctly different venue than her upcoming “Nashville Songbook” concert at Feinstein’s/54 Below on Broadway on August 13.
But that’s no surprise. Mandy Barnett’s career has always been about versatility, balancing the classics and the contemporary, as you’ll hear in this week’s podcast:
Best Beasts marks the return of Houston-based singer-songwriter Matt Harlan after a couple of years’ hiatus from writing. The subject matter of this fine collection seems drawn from recent events, on personal and public levels. Love gone wrong is explored in “K&W,” a dark country ballad narrated by two voices, Harlan’s and that of Kelley Mickwee (The Trishas), and the sad “Somebody Else.” “Like Lightning” and “Mountain Pose” look at the resilience that helps us get through hard times. And the process of starting over, older and wiser, informs the bluegrass-tinged “Darla Mae” and the horn-driven R&B of “Gemini Blues.”
Harlan addresses wider concerns in the opening track, “What
We Saw,” which checks off such topical subjects as celebrity sex scandals,
tainted water and school shootings. Hurricane Harvey, which devastated many
parts of Houston in 2017, serves as a metaphor for judgment to come in “Low
Pressure,” which laments the destruction caused by “Old Testament Rain” but
warns, “We’re bringing fire next time.”
Harlan’s characters often seem lost in a world controlled by
more powerful forces, struggling to get through another day and trying to find
meaning and purpose that may not exist. To his credit, he doesn’t claim to have
all the answers. “We’re just trying to be the best beasts we can be,” he sings
in the title track. “And find a way to sleep, don’t dig too deep.”
The 13 tracks on Best Beasts, all written or
co-written by Harlan, are anchored by his confident and expressive singing and
his excellent guitar. The collection also features an impressive cast of
contributors, drawing from the top levels of Texas Americana: vocalists BettySoo
and Libby Koch, guitarists Paul Ramirez and Caleb Pace, bassist Glenn Fukunaga,
drummer Mike Meadows, violinist Warren Hood, pedal steel player Will Van Horn,
and keyboardist Stefano Intelisano, to name but a few. Producer Rich
Brotherton, longtime lead guitarist in Robert Earl Keen’s band, does an
excellent job of weaving these diverse contributions (including his own on
guitars and other instruments) into a clean and cohesive whole.
Steve Poltz has a new video taken from his current album Shine On and it’s unsurprisingly goofy. Best of all, he recreates the incident that inspired the song, a tale he shared in his Americana One podcast interview.
Out now is the intriguingly titled Narcoluptuous from Sugar Lime Blue. This rootsy band with a strong blues, jazz and folk/country foundation is based just outside of Nashville. You’ll find more about the band here.
Out now is the intriguingly titled Narcoluptuous from Sugar Lime Blue. This rootsy band with a strong blues, jazz and folk/country foundation is based just outside of Nashville. You’ll find more about the band here.
Mark Rogers’ affection for the Byrds and Jesse Winchester is prominent in “Laying it Down,” the new collection from the DC-based writer returning to music after a long layoff.
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tim Easton takes his wandering troubadour persona pretty seriously. For his latest project, Exposition, he hit the road to record in several musically significant locations: the Okfuskee Historical Society in Okemah, Oklahoma,where Woody Guthrie was born; the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, where Robert Johnson made his historic recordings back in 1936, and the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Muddy Waters’ birthplace.
The result is a 10-song collection of personal
songs that look both inward and outward. The former include first-person
narratives such as “Saint Augustine,” “Sail Away Sailors” and the
heart-wrenching “New Year’s Day.” The latter are showcases for Easton’s
well-known activism, including the calls to action “If You Want Something Done
Right” and “Don’t Spectate; Participate.”
Exposition is
very much a solo project. Easton earns credits for writing, performance,
recording and production, and the only collaborator credited – for handclaps
and backwards piano – is his young daughter. Easton accompanies his gritty
vocals with his usual excellent guitar, as well as bass, mandolin and piano,
and the production is clean and sharp. While this collection doesn’t seem
destined to make its creator rich, it’s a fine example of a unique vision
skillfully realized.
Not every backing band can make an album that stands on its own, but the Red Dirt Boys are not just any backing band. Emmylou Harris’ touring outfit – guitarist/mandolinist Will Kimbrough, bassist Chris Donohue, drummer Bryan Owings and keyboardist/guitarist Phil Madeira, with all but Owings contributing vocals – are excellent musicians on their own. But they play together with a cohesion that comes from long experience playing together, and a sense of fun that comes from being friends as well as bandmates. This collection, produced in conjunction with their appearance with Ms. Harris on this year’s Cayamo music festival at sea, is a real pleasure to listen to.
There’s
no fluff among the album’s 11 tracks, just solid, well-played and well-produced
music that deals with themes ranging from Creole cooking (“Cook That Down”) to
love (“Plenty Enough”) to hypocrisy (“Religion”) to death (“All Saints Day”).
Much of it has a New Orleans sound and vibe, possibly owing to the proximity of
Kimbrough’s native Alabama to the Crescent City.
It’s
hard to talk about highlights when the whole collection is this good, but
“Religion” delivers a heartfelt skewering to people who deserve it; “Plenty
Enough” is a realistic take on real-life romance, and “All Saints Day” is a
poignant farewell song sweetened by harmony vocals by Ms. Harris herself. Closing
track “Jesse” finds Kimbrough and Madeira alternating vocals on a touching
tribute to singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester. Kudos to John Mark Painter,
whose horns add excellent atmosphere to several tunes.
Adults
deserve adult music. The Red Dirt Boys deliver.
We met Steve Poltz in Nashville on July 4th, 2017 when he happened to walk into a local club where we were holding one of our free speech in music nights. He wasn’t on the bill, but about two minutes into his visit, he committed to performing.
That spontaneity and commitment show up big time on his just-released album “Shine On” on Compass Records. We had the chance to visit with Steve a few weeks ago at the 30A Songwriters Festival. Among the topics: our shared respect for his producer Will Kimbrough and a night two decades ago when he opened for Lisa Loeb in Nashville.
