Review: Craig Kinsey’s’ “The Nylon Sessions”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

kinsey_nylon“This should tide you over until the next full studio album,” read the words of Craig Kinsey on the back cover of his latest CD, The Nylon Sessions. No such disclaimer is needed. This 13-song collection from Kinsey, a singer-songwriter based in Houston, holds up just fine on its own. For the most part, the songs are unplugged renditions of previously recorded Kinsey originals – “songs in their bedroom, without formal attire or affectations,” in his words.

Kinsey, who spent several years in an Arkansas monastery before earning a college degree and launching a career as a musician, is known in Houston for his theatrical stage shows, for which he often wears a top hat and employs burlesque dancers. The Nylon Sessions takes a much simpler approach. All but one of the songs feature Kinsey, an expressive singer who accompanies himself on a nylon-strung guitar (hence the title) and harmonica, plus one other player. The result is a worthy showcase for the thoughtful lyrics of the 11 originals and two covers – as well as for the skills of the supporting musicians.

The Nylon Sessions demonstrates Kinsey’s comfort with several musical genres. Old-time country is represented by a beautifully understated reading of the Lefty Frizzell hit “Always Late (with Your Kisses),” with Kelly Doyle, of Robert Ellis’ band, The Perfect Strangers, on synthesizer. Doyle’s guitar is also featured on the jazzy “Bits and Pieces” and “Romulus and Remus.” Other Ellis bandmates also contribute – pedal steel player Will Van Horn, on the straight-up country of “Cold Shoulder”; banjo player Geoffrey Muller, on the nice gospel workout on “Look at His Hands,” and Muller on electric bass on an excellent cover of Bob Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.”

Houston-based trumpeter Aaron Koerner lends his jazzy chops to “Siddhartha’s Dancers” and “Montrose Blvd. Blues,” a fond, New Orleans-inflected tribute to the eclectic Houston neighborhood that has long nurtured the city’s musicians and other artists. Sergio Trevino, front man of Houston indie/Americana band Buxton, provides nice harmony vocals on the folksy, irreverent “Atheist’s Love Song.”

The album’s only solo effort is Kinsey’s lovely solo rendition of “Green Grow the Rashes,” Scottish poet Robert Burns’ ode to the ladies. The closing track, another highlight, is the bluesy lost-love tale “After All,” featuring Mike Whitebread on guitar.

“Simply songs. Words,” Craig Kinsey calls this album. That’s plenty.

WMOT launch: Jim Lauderdale, Suzy Bogguss, Will Hoge

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, WMOT Roots Radio

Jim Lauderdale hosted the launch party for new Americana radio station WMOT at the Country Music Hall of Fame, drawing on the talents of Will Hoge, Suzy Bogguss, Mike Farris and an All-Star Americana band. The new station, based at Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment, can be accessed on mobile devices with the Roots Radio app for Apple and Android devices.

Review: Tim Easton’s “American Fork”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

tim eastonTim Easton has some advice for you: Stop wasting time. Put down your smartphones. Talk to each other.

Any folksinger worthy of the title throws some messages in with the music, and Easton, a singer-songwriter based in East Nashville, is no exception. But on his new album, American Fork, he does it in an entertaining way instead of preaching. His earnestness is wrapped in excellent musicianship, which happily results in his best album in a while, and one of his best ever.

Fittingly, he wastes no time in getting to one of his big themes, leading off with a polite diatribe on wasted time. “Every minute that you stare at that stupid screen,” he sings in “Right Before Your Own Eyes,” “and read all the chatter that you think you should read/is another minute sooner that your young old mind is dying.” That’s a serious point, passionately made, but the delivery is good-natured and it’s backed by some terrific instrumentation that includes saxophone and steel guitar.

“Killing Time” explores a similar theme in a slightly different way, incorporating a concept – “What do you live for?” – that Tim Easton has used in a series of social-media mini-interviews with people he’s met during his travels in the past few years. “Don’t hang there like a broken door,” he sings. “Find out what you’re living for/There has to be something more than just killing time.” Again, strong advice, but the tone is gentle and encouraging, not hectoring.

Easton takes a tougher tone on “Gatekeeper,” an angry blast at the powers that be – maybe in the music industry, maybe on a bigger scale. “Then you knocked me off my feet as you pinned me to the ground,” Easton sings, accompanied by sinister-sounding slide guitar and ghostly background vocals. “But I called you as you walked away/but you never turned around/Gatekeeper, go count your money.”

Easton shows his lighter side on “Elmore James,” a lively tribute to the pioneering slide guitarist, and the rollicking “Alaskan Bars, Part 1,” which recounts a series of nightlife anecdotes that one suspects might be based on actual experiences.

Another reality of the troubadour life – one Easton is no doubt familiar with – is its transient nature. In the album’s closer, “On My Way,” he sums it up: “Like the trucks out on the highway/like the seasons and the days/like the river that passes through your town/I really must be on my way.” The quiet tone and understated playing hark back to Easton’s sound on earlier works such as The Truth About Us and Break Your Mother’s Heart.

The full-band production on this album is a big jump from the minimalist approach of Easton’s previous outing, 2013’s Not Cool. Here he and co-producer Patrick Damphier use a broad spectrum of instrumentation. Jon Radford’s drums and Michael Rinne’s bass provide the foundation, while Easton handles the guitars with his usual formidable skill. Further color and texture come from talented Robbie Crowell on keyboards and horns, Russ Pahl on pedal steel and Larissa Maestro on cello. Backing vocals are nicely done by Maestro and fellow singer-songwriters Megan Palmer, Ariel Bui and Emma Berkey.

Tim Easton has spent a lot of years on the road and he’s learned a lot about life and music along the way. We get the benefit of some of that hard-won knowledge on American Fork, in a way that’s both thought-provoking and pleasing to the ear.

WMOT: Nashville has a new Americana radio station

 in WMOT Roots Radio

Americana Music News Editor Ken Paulson also oversees a public radio station at Middle Tennessee State University. This just in:

WMOT_rev2MTSU’S PUBLIC RADIO STATION EMBRACES AMERICANA MUSIC

Unique partnership with Music City Roots launches “WMOT-FM/Roots Radio 89.5” on Sept. 2

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — WMOT-FM, Middle Tennessee State University’s public radio station, is dramatically expanding its reach and range of music to launch a new format dedicated to Americana music and a new home on the dial for its current jazz format.

With the format change on Sept. 2, the 100,000-watt station, known going forward as WMOT-FM/Roots Radio 89.5, will become the region’s only channel devoted to the unique amalgam of bluegrass, folk, gospel, soul, country and blues music defined in the music industry as Americana. The station boasts the clearest and strongest radio signal in greater Nashville.

This innovative partnership combines the reach and scholarship of a major university with the expertise and experience of radio and music industry professionals. A special public kickoff celebration will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, featuring live music and the beginning of DJ programming. Video of the event will be streamed through musiccityroots.com.

“Imagine, in our neck of the woods, a radio station with real people playing music they actually care about, even love,” said revered artist Rodney Crowell, recipient of the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting. “WMOT is bringing Middle Tennessee real music when we need it most. Miracles happen.”

WMOT-FM will continue to serve as a training ground for MTSU students who are integrating audio editing and narration skills into their multimedia portfolios, which include television, social media, print and website management.

“This will give our students the opportunity to work and learn in a vibrant professional environment and provide greater interaction with the music industry,” said Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment, which operates the station.

The station has partnered with the creative team behind Music City Roots — including its executive producers Todd Mayo and John Walker — to develop a unique, Nashville-centric take on the Americana musical genre. WMOT will also become the flagship station for Music City Roots, a weekly variety show that airs nationally on American Public Television, with its fourth season premiering Oct. 28.

Bluegrass Underground, an Emmy-award winning PBS program and radio show recorded live 333 feet below ground in Cumberland Caverns in McMinnville, Tennessee, also will find a home on WMOT.

“Among Nashville artists charting with Americana albums in recent months have been Sturgill Simpson, the Mavericks, Elizabeth Cook, Darrell Scott, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and many more,” Paulson noted. “Nashville is Americana’s hometown.”

The station will remain the flagship for Blue Raider Athletics and will continue to air “MTSU On the Record,” a 30-minute public affairs interview program highlighting the university community, as well as regular area news updates.

WMOT, which first went on the air in April 1969, reaches as far north as Bowling Green, Kentucky, to as far south as the Alabama border.

It has aired mostly classical music, with jazz on the weekends and evenings, since 2009, when it moved from its all-jazz format.

In a nod to its tradition of jazz programming, the university will also launch on Sept. 2 the MTSU Jazz Network on WMOT’s HD channel as well as its FM signals 104.9 in Brentwood and 92.3 in Murfreesboro.

“As much as Nashville has cried out for a true Americana station that represents the roots revolution taking place here, we also see jazz as a pure American art form that deserves its own focus,” said Walker, who will oversee the development of new programs for WMOT.

“We couldn’t imagine a Music City radio landscape without it

New programming to showcase ‘roots music’

The new WMOT will showcase and celebrate the past, present and future of American roots music with a focus on Nashville’s unparalleled track record of artistry and songwriting, while also highlighting regional and stylistic “roots and branches” from around the country and across the world.

Curated by the programming team of Music City Roots, the Roots Radio playlist will be deep and wide, covering styles associated with Nashville, such as classic country and bluegrass, plus genres that have made up the fabric of Americana and roots music broadly speaking, including gospel, soul, R&B and blues.

The station’s playlist will include thousands of songs from the past, plus a strong rotation of current, vital Americana music. The station will seek to span genres and generations, in defiance of standard radio industry demographic micro-targeting.

Listeners can expect live radio hosts from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, including veterans of roots music broadcasting. Anchoring the team and directing musical programming will be industry icon Jessie Scott, the first roots music director on satellite radio and a founding board member of the Americana Music Association.

Music City Roots’ Walker will host morning drive. Grand Ole Opry veteran Keith Bilbrey will handle midday, tapping his expertise in country music. Long-time radio man Whit “Witness” Hubner will work early afternoons.

All shows will be able to accommodate drop-in guests, including Music City artists as well as MTSU’s extensive roster of expert faculty.

Greg Reish, for example, is the director of the Center for Popular Music at MTSU, one of the nation’s deepest archives of recordings, sheet music, books and ephemera. He will host a weekly “Lost Sounds” show drawing on the archives with historic context. Plus the archive will inform and inspire other programming and special on-campus events.

Leveraging university, Music City connection

The format transition marks only the latest progression in WMOT-FM’s 47-year history of dedicated service to the university and the community.

From its inception as a pop and rock music listening resource for students in 1969, through its jazz and classical incarnations, the station’s professional broadcasters and their student protégés always have put the listeners’ concerns first, said Val Hoeppner, executive director of MTSU’s Center for Innovation in Media, which oversees the station.

WMOT has received more than 70 awards from the Tennessee Associated Press Broadcasters’ Association since 1984 with more than half of them being first-place honors. It also is one of the most honored radio newsrooms in the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters’ history. This legacy will continue with regular area news updates and top-of-the-hour national and international news from National Public Radio.

“This change will allow WMOT to grow audience, relevance and influence in the Music City market – and beyond,” Hoeppner said. “And we will be able to leverage our ties to the Nashville recording industry by showcasing artists on a radio stage that will reach almost all of Middle Tennessee.”

As a public radio station, WMOT depends on underwriting support from community-minded businesses. Music City Roots’ Walker and Mayo have drawn on long-standing relationships with some of Nashville’s biggest music supporters.

Additionally, remote venue broadcasts will be a big part of WMOT’s community outreach, with shows originating from the Factory at Franklin, Acme Feed and Seed downtown, and The Family Wash in East Nashville.

WMOT/Roots Radio will broadcast and stream the 2016 Americana Awards Show and Red Carpet arrivals from the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 21.

About MTSU

Founded in 1911 as one of three state normal schools for teacher training, Middle Tennessee State University is the oldest and largest undergraduate university in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. With a fall enrollment averaging more than 22,000 students for the past five years, MTSU remains committed to providing individualized service in an exciting and nurturing atmosphere where student success is the top priority. MTSU features eight undergraduate colleges and the College of Graduate Studies, and more than 140 programs and departments including accounting, aerospace, concrete industry management, music and recording industry. Offering a wide variety of nationally recognized programs at the baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral levels, MTSU takes pride in educating the best and the brightest students from Tennessee and around the world. For more information, call 615-898-2300, visit http://mtsu.edu/ or www.mtsunews.com. Follow MTSU on Twitter @MTSUNews and like us on Facebook.

About Music City Roots
Music City Roots is a weekly live radio show, HD webcast and annual series distributed by American Public Television featuring outstanding roots and Americana music based in or passing through Nashville. Since going on the air in October 2009, Music City Roots has broadcast the authentic sound of today’s Music City, embracing the traditional and the progressive in equal measure. The show reaches around 40 public radio partners on a syndicated basis and most of the U.S. through an annual 14-week series on American Public Television. Every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Central, four guest artists perform to an audience of 300 to 800 people in Liberty Hall in the Factory at Franklin, Tennessee. A professionally directed shoot of the show reaches thousands of viewers worldwide via Livestream.com, and as of September 2016, the show is broadcast live to the entire Midstate of Tennessee via 100,000-watt WMOT-FM/Roots Radio 89.5. Veteran Grand Ole Opry announcer Keith Bilbrey emcees with help from musical host, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale and interviewer Craig Havighurst. The show was created and produced by Todd Mayo and John Walker and is supported by valued underwriting partners Nissan, Star 129, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Acceptance Auto Insurance and Vietti Chili. More information at www.musiccityroots.com.

 

 

 

New releases: Bobby Rush, Kiefer Sutherland

 in Americana Music, New releases

New and recent releases from Bobby Rush, Kiefer Sutherland and Woodland West –

Bobby RushBobby Rush – Porcupine Meat – Rounder Records -We should all aspire to be just like Bobby Rush when we’re 82 years old. Granted, it’s a big leap for most of us to become a seasoned bluesman at that age, but the vibrancy Rush exhibits on his new album is truly inspiring. Due September 16 is his new album on Rounder Records called Porcupine Meat. It features guest artists Dave Alvin, Joe Bonamassa and Keb‘ Mo’. it’s all decidedly old-school (in a good way,) right down to the jealousy-fueled “Dress Too Short” and “I Don’t Want Nobody Hangin’ Round,” in which Rush declares “milkman, don’t bring me no milk” and sings that he would rather have his house burn down than have a fireman near his girlfriend when he’s away.

Kiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland – Down in a Hole – About the best compliment an actor-turned-singer can expect from music writers is that he’s “actually not bad.” “And he’s not. It’s refreshing when someone like Kiefer Sutherland can deliver an album like Down in a Hole, a collection of hardscrabble songs written and performed with Jude Cole. Sutherland has some gravel to his voice and is well-suited to these often dark and dispirited themes.

 

 Woodland WestWoodland West – Devil to Pay – Set for release on August 19 is the first album from Woodland West, an adventurous Americana and bluegrass band from Seattle. You have to love the album cover, depicting harred parents and a clearly unhappy baby. The band is scheduled to tour the West Coast Sept. from Spet. 16 through Oct. 2.  Among other new releases: Blues artist Johnny Nicholas’ Fresh Air, Ron DiLego’s Magnificent Ram A, John “Papa” Gros’ second solo album River’s on Fire and Dear Country, the debut album from Mark Lynn and Arrica Rose, due August 26.

Review: Quirky, intense “Robert Ellis”

 in Americana Music, New releases

By Paul T. Mueller

RobertEllis“You are the only person who truly knows what is supposed to happen with your art,” Robert Ellis writes in the booklet that accompanies his self-titled latest CD. The Texas-born singer-songwriter takes those words to heart, having moved on from his earlier country-folk sound. There’s still plenty of Texas in his voice, but from the lyrics and arrangements on Robert Ellis, he seems to have more in common these days with the likes of Paul Simon (whose songs he’s covered both live and on record) than with most of his Lone Star State contemporaries.

You don’t have to dig too hard to get to the truths Ellis is trying to put across. They’re pretty much right on the surface. The opening track, “Perfect Strangers,” describes, with unflinching directness, the progression of a romance from giddy beginnings to eventual disillusionment. “Perfect strangers moving further with each heartbeat,” Ellis sings, “in directions that may not meet up again.” The same kind of quiet desperation informs “California,” whose narrator is trying to make plans out of the ashes of a relationship, and “Drivin’,” a story of boredom and hopelessness that was co-written by Angaleena Presley.

Grim stuff, it would seem, but Ellis’ bouncy melodies and imaginative arrangements form an interesting counterpart to the depressing words. More contrast can be found between the backwoods twang of Ellis’ voice and the sophistication of his arrangements and playing. He’s equally at home and equally skilled on keyboards and guitar, and gets plenty of room to demonstrate his virtuosity on both.

Ellis’ penchant for drama shows in the crashing chords of “How I Love You”; the soft/loud dynamics of “You’re Not the One,” about the disturbing suspicion that one has ended up with the wrong person, and the discordant playing on the album’s closer, the forbidden-love anthem “It’s Not OK.”

There aren’t a lot of happy tunes in this collection; the only one that really merits that label is “Couples Skate,” a lively rocker about young love at the skating rink, and the hope that it may turn into something longer-lasting. “Please don’t move too fast, make it last,” Ellis sings. “The music is slow, I never wanna let go.”

There’s only one name on the cover, but Robert Ellis is very much a band effort. Guitarist Kelly Doyle, bassist Geoff Muller, steel-guitar player Will Van Horn and drummer Michael (Tank) Lisenbe have been together for a while and they’re good. Ellis produced the album, with help from Doyle.

Thematic darkness aside, Robert Ellis is a fine artistic achievement. It’s quirky, intense and most likely exactly what Robert Ellis wanted it to be.

 

Re-issue: Petula Clark’s “Natural Love”

 in New releases

petulaBy Ken Paulson

Petula Clark is about to release a new album. Yes, at age 83, she has a new collection called From Now On, set for release on September 30. That will mark an astonishing 74 years since she first stepped to a microphone to sing on the radio at age 9 during World War II.

Most of us know her from her amazing run in the ‘60s, turning out some of the finest pop singles of all time, including “Downtown,” “I Know a Place,” “My Love” and “Don’t Sleep in the Subway.”

Yet after that chart-topping success, there were relatively fallow years, even though she kept recording. Natural Love, a new collection from Real Gone Music captures an intriguing chapter of her career in the early ‘80s when she was signed to Scotti Brothers Records and was recording songs with a country flavor.

That made sense. Olivia Newton-John had enjoyed extraordinary success blending pop and country. Surely Petula Clark could do the same.

The career move started promisingly with “Natural Love,” a top 20 country hit in 1981. But there were no more hits in a country vein and the label didn’t even issue an album.

Natural Love remedies that, with 11 tracks from the Scotti Brothers years. There’s a notable cover of the Fred Rose song and Willie Nelson hit “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” and the playful “I Like What I’m Looking At” should have been a hit in an era of Janie Fricke and Barbara Mandrell.

Included are two songs written by Clark – “Because I Love Him” and “Darkness” – and a cover of “Edelweiss,” a song Petula Clark performed at the time in a revival of The Sound of Music.

Natural Love is a worthy addition to the recorded legacy of one of the most successful pop singers of the 20th – and now 21st – century.

New Releases: The Coalmen, Chip Taylor

 in Nashville music, New releases

By Ken Paulson

New and recent releases:

CoalmenThe Coalmen – Pushed to the Side – Coming August 19 is Pushed to the Side, the fifth album from the Nashville-based Coalmen. Band leader Dave Coleman is a next-generation Tony Joe White, writing soulful and thoughtful songs and he’s joined here by Dave Ray and Paul Slivka. The songs are sometimes sobering and always well-crafted. Highlights include “Depreciation,”  an insightful song about the aging process and the driving “The Payoff.”

Various artists – On Top of Old Smoky – New Old Time Smoky Mountain Music – In the excellent liner notes to this new collection,Ted Olson explains that a scholar named Joseph Sargeant Hall was hired in 1937 to research the local culture and record the music of the Smoky Mountains just before those living there had to move to make way for the new national park. This collection features contemporary artists, including Dolly Parton, and Norman and Nanci Blake, revisiting the songs captured by Hall.

chip taylorChip Taylor – Little Brothers – Trainwreck Records – It’s hard to say which is more remarkable – Chip Taylor’s prolific output or the consistent thoughtfulness behind his work. His new collection include “Refugee Children,” a song about kids he met during his travels in Europe and “Enlighten Yourself,” a self-help song he punctures with his own irreverent commentary. Taylor also has a bonus release– I’ll Carry For You – a song about the bond between sisters.

Sarah Watkins – Young in All the Wrong Ways – New West – This striking new collection from Sarah Watkins shows her growing confidence and skills as a songwriter. It’s a long way from Nickel Creek.

Ruby Dee and the Snake Handlers – Little Black Heart – Caddy Town Records -Today is the release date for a new album from Ruby Dee, who overcame  significant medical challenges to release this rockabilly-fueled collection.

 

Amy Black, Spooner Oldham salute Muscle Shoals

 in Nashville music

Americana Music News – Tonight Amy Black brought a bit of Muscle Shoals to the City Winery in Nashville,

Spooner Oldham and Amy Black

Spooner Oldham and Amy Black

showcasing classic songs from her Muscle Shoals Sessions album with a horn section and a guest appearance by the legendary songwriter and keyboardist Spooner Oldham.

The evening’s highlight was Black’s duet with Oldham on “I’m Your Puppet, the James and Bobby Purify hit written by Oldham and Dan Penn.

Other great renditions included the “Lou Rawls version” of “Bring it On Home to Me,” Mel and Tim’s “Starting All Over Again,  and Arthur Alexander’s classic “You Better Move On.”

 

Review: Megan Palmer’s “What She’s Got to Give”

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases

by Paul T. Mueller

Megan PalmerWhat She’s Got to Give marks a real step forward for East Nashville-based singer-songwriter Megan Palmer. Palmer’s earlier recordings, including 2012’s Waycross, showed promise, but this one delivers on that promise, offering thoughtful lyrics, interesting arrangements and excellent playing and vocals.

Romantic difficulty lies at the heart of several of these songs. The oddly titled “The Only Trumpet” is an angry blast at a disappointing lover, while the bouncy tone of “Knifetwister” contrasts with its dark narrative about a bad girl behaving badly. Similarly, the sweet melody and gentle playing on the title track are at odds with its bittersweet theme – loneliness and the high price of trying to avoid it. “No one’s listening to what she says she wants,” Palmer sings plaintively, accompanied by intertwined guitar and piano lines. “They’re just taking all they can, and she knows that’s what she’s got to give… She knows that it’s never-ending.”

The album’s only cover is a nice rendition of John Hartford’s “In Tall Buildings,” which deals with growing up and accepting the drudgery of the 9-to-5 life. Again, the subject matter isn’t all that pleasant, but the song is enlivened by some sweet harmony from vocalists including Emma Berkey, Ariel Bui, Nellie Clay and Dylan Lee Johnston (Amy Speace contributed vocals on other tracks). The album closes with an uncredited final track, the bluegrassy “Tomorrow’s Gonna Make Up for Yesterday,” which showcases Palmer’s fine fiddle.

That fiddle is what Megan Palmer is probably best known for, but she’s also credited here with guitar, piano, organ and harmonium, as well as vocals. Other players include Tim Easton on guitar, mandolin and harmonica, Larry Cook and Tony Scherr on bass, and Jon Radford on drums. Patrick Damphier gets credit for clean production and interesting arrangements, as well as guitar and vocals.

Palmer, who’s dealing with a serious medical issue, was the beneficiary of a July 13 happy hour at Nashville’s 5 Spot. Hosted by Rod Picott, the event featured performances by Wild Ponies (Doug and Telisha Williams), Tim Easton, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Amy Speace, Allen Thompson and “surprise guest” Steve Poltz. A GoFundMe campaign to help Palmer with her medical bills has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/meganpalmer

New releases: Sarah Jarosz, Beat Root Revival

 in New releases

New and recent releases:

SarahJarosz_Undercurrent_coverRGB_Sarah Jarosz – Undercurrent – Just released is Undercurrent, Sarah Jarosz’s fourth album and arguably her best. The new collection reflects her maturation as a songwriter, drawing on life experiences to write or co-write every song on the album. Undercurrent is musically more spare than earlier work, but impeccably performed.  She recently told the Los Angeles Times about driving from North Carolina to Nashville just to see Paul Simon perform at the Ryman. That makes perfect sense. Like Simon, her songs seek that sweet spot between intellect and emotion. Helping out on the album are Parker Milsap and her I’m With Her partners Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins.

beat-roots-revival1Beat Root Revival – Toulouse Records – Ben Jones and Andrea Magee are Beat Root Revival, a folk duo from England that relocated to Austin and has been touring the U.S. with Jonathan Jackson + Enation Their songs – largely written separately – are often anthemic, from the striking opener ‘The Revolution Begins Today,” to “Fire”,” (“There’s no time to wait now/ We just need to break down the walls”) and “Hold On” (“Glory or defeat? Do you stand and fight or jut retreat?” A highlight: Magee’s “Forever,” a pledge of love. There’s much to like on their Toulouse Records debut.

Michael McDermott – Willow Springs –Michael McDermott’s 10th album Willow Springs reflects a personal journey spanning dark and more recent, much lighter days. His “Half Empty Kind of Guy” pretty much describes the tone of the album. In press materials, McDermott describes this as “an album of reckoning … dealing with sobriety, grief death, mortality, shame and forgiveness.” McDermott has described Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen as his biggest influences and both are evident here.

More new releases:

Redleg Husky – My Old Heart –  Asheville trio’s second album blends roots, bluegrass and country.

Pete Kronowitt – A Lone Voice – Contemporary protest album San Francisco artist Pete Kronowitt includes the biting “Got Guns?”

Chet O’Keefe – Because of You -Scarlet Records – 3rd album  includes two songs co-written with Kim Richey, producer Thomm Jutz and Jon Weiberger

Lasers Lasers Birmingham – Royal Blue – LA-based artist Alex Owen set to release new EP on July 22.

Re-issues: Survivor – The Definitive Collection

 in Reviews

By Ken Paulson

survivorOn one level, Survivor: The Definitive Collection is a rich anthology chronicling the best moments of a hard-working rock band from the ‘80s. On the other, it’s a testament to the talents of Jim Peterik, an under-recognized rock songwriter whose hits span decades.

As lead singer and writer for the Chicago-based Ides of March, Peterik’s “You Wouldn’t Listen” just missed the Top 40 in 1966, followed four years later by the monster hit “Vehicle.” In 1978, Peterik founded Survivor, which recorded 18 charting singles in a 9-year span, including 5 in the Top 10.

All of the hits are here, including the Rocky movie themes “Eye of the Tiger” and “Burning Heart,” “Is This Love,” “High on You” and “The Search Is Over.”

Survivor played straight-ahead rock and the occasional power ballad. The music holds up well, largely because of the craftsmanship of Peterik  and co-writer and guitarist Frankie Sullivan.

The new collection includes Survivor’s recording of “Rockin’ Into the Night,” an initially rejected song that made its way to .38 Special, who turned into it their first hit in 1980.

The liner notes for this Real Gone Music release include an interview with Peterik and an album-by-album recap of the band’s history.

Here’s the video from Survivor’s biggest hit, with 197 million views on YouTube:

Review: “Dreamer” celebrates Kent Finlay

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller

finlay_cover_400“I love my songwriters,” Kent Finlay is reported to have said, moments before he took his last breath. Clearly the feeling was mutual.

James Kent Finlay was the owner of Cheatham Street Warehouse, a small music venue in San Marcos, Texas, that helped launch the careers of many Texas musicians – including, among others, George Strait, Todd Snider, Slaid Cleaves and James McMurtry. Finlay died last year at 77 (on March 2, Texas Independence Day), but his spirit lives on in this 14-track tribute, consisting of songs written or co-written by Finlay and performed by some of the artists who spent time at Cheatham Street. For those not familiar with his work, it’s impressive proof that in addition to his nurturing of other artists, he was a fine songwriter in his own right.

Most of the musicians on the album are probably better known around Texas than nationally, but they all deliver polished performances that do credit to Finlay’s songs. Terri Hendrix opens with “I’ll Sing You a Story,” which Finlay used to perform himself at the beginning of songwriters’ night each Wednesday at Cheatham Street. Walt Wilkins covers “Bright Lights of Brady,” a nostalgic look back at youthful yearnings. James McMurtry’s weathered voice is a fine match for the grim outlaw ballad “Comfort’s Just a Rifle Shot Away,” and Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay give an excellent reading of “Yesterday’s Oatmeal,” a sad story of faded love and domestic disappointment.

From Finlay’s younger daughter, HalleyAnna, we get “I’ve Written Some Life,” which could be the autobiography of a lot of songwriters. Adam Carroll provides a nice rendition of “Be Nice to ’Em Son,” a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of fame and fortune, while Jon Dee Graham’s gruff persona is well suited to the hard-living ballad “Taken Better Care of Myself.”

Houston-based singer-songwriter Matt Harlan, who used to drive to San Marcos most Wednesday nights to play at Cheatham Street, does a fine job on “The Songwriter,” which neatly sums up Finlay’s philosophy: “Yesterday is all we have that’s sure to last forever/Today will end in darkness, there’s no doubt/But you can never make him stop believing in tomorrow/Tomorrow’s all today is all about.”

The album’s last credited track is “Hill Country,” Finlay’s lament for the Central Texas region he loved, sung by Jamie Wilson of The Trishas. Its two final choruses feature the Hill Country Choir, a large cast of “fans and friends, songwriters and song lovers” recruited through social media to a Wednesday night recording session. Leigh and McKay return to close Dreamer with an uncredited rendition of “Saturday Night,” a nice story of a cross-border, cross-cultural love affair.

The CD – much of it recorded in San Marcos just after Finlay’s death – was ably produced by Jenni Finlay, Kent Finlay’s firstborn daughter, and Brian T. Atkinson. The two are the authors of the recently published Kent Finlay, Dreamer, which details the history of Cheatham Street Warehouse and includes first-person recollections from dozens of artists.

New releases: Tommy Womack, Michael Fracasso

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases, Reviews

By Ken Paulson

namasteTommy Womack – Namaste – Tommy Womack is back and we’re grateful. One of the smartest, and simultaneously sweet and subversive songwriters in Nashville, Womack has recovered from a life-threatening 2015 car crash and released Namaste, an album with a front cover that conveys his gratitude for recovery.

Womack has been a member of Government Cheese, the Bis-Quits and Daddy (the latter two with Will Kimbrough), but his solo albums are always the most personal and reflective.

“Angel” opens the album with a melodic and gentle expression of hope, and then Womack throws open the doors to tackle everything from his balding (“Comb-Over Blues”) to the essence of Christian faith “God Part III.” That’s quite a range.

Nashvillians will recognize their changing city in the blistering and funny spoken-word “Nashville.”

“Darling Let Your Freebird Fly” revisits the headlines of pop music and throws an elbow in the direction of Geraldo Rivera and Chevy Chase. On “I Almost Died,” Womack’s account of his first near-death experience in 2007 will give you chills,

Namaste, produced by Brad Jones, is powerful, irreverent and distinctly different.

FrancassoMichael Fracasso – Here Come the Savages – Blue Door Records – This new album from Austin-based artist Michael Fracasso combines solid originals with intepretations of classic pop songs, including Brian Wilson’s “Caroline No” and the Rascals’ “How Can I Be Sure,” both delivered with the sad, slow delivery that the lyrics call for.  Fracasso’s buoyant take on the Kinks’ “Better Things” is a highlight.

Steve Dawson – Solid States and Loose Ends – Black Hen Music – Steve Dawson’s bluesy new album draws on some of Nashville’s most talented musicians, including Jim Hoke, Fats Kaplin and Regina and Ann McCrary.

Urban Pioneers – Feast or Famine – This hillbilly music/string band is set to tour Texas, beginning with a June 17 date at Badlands in Austin.

Thomas Hine – Some Notion or Novelty – Folk singer-songwriter from Colorado issues his follow-up to 2013’s “Forgive My Future.”

 

Bill Lloyd: “Lloydering” through pop history

 in Nashville music, New releases

By Ken Paulson

lloyderingBill Lloyd’s new album Lloydering is an entertaining walk through pop music history, featuring covers of lesser known songs by great bands and artists.

This compilation of songs that Lloyd recorded for tribute albums over the past 26 years reflects both his musical passions and his record collection.

There’s “Coconut Grove” from the Lovin’ Spoonful, “The Lottery Song” from Nilsson, “Lonely You” from Badfinger, “The World Turns All Around Her” from the Byrds , the

Bill Lloyd and Pat Buchanan at Lloydering release party

Bill Lloyd and Pat Buchanan at Lloydering release party

Hollies’ “Step Inside,” the Raspberries’ “Goin’ Nowhere Tonight” and  Todd Rundgren’s “I Don’t  Want to Tie You Down,” plus covers of Wreckless Eric, the Bobby Fuller Four, the dBs and Let’s Active. The one song familiar  to everyone: the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.”

Lloyd performed a number of tracks from the album, along with more than a dozen of his own songs, in a spirited two-set show at the Family Wash in Nashville last night.

Lloydering, which includes Lloyd’s liner notes on each track and band,  is available at the SpyderPop Records site.

 

 

Celebrating Sun Records: Margo Price, JD McPherson

 in Americana Music, Reviews

margo priceBy Ken Paulson

We lost Sam Phillips in 2003, but his spirit filled the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame on Saturday. Margo Price, J.D. McPherson, Webb Wilder and the Planet Rockers showcased the Sun Records sound with songs from the label and some original tunes that were clearly inspired by Phillips’ work.

Webb Wilder opened the show with two tracks from his pivotal “It Came From Nashville” LP and a raucous cover of “Ubangi Stomp.”

JD McPherson offered up some Junior Parker and Charlie Rich, closing with his Sun-fueled ‘North Side Gal.”

Jerry Phillips

Jerry Phillips

Margo Price, who recorded her current album at Sun Studios, sang Johnny Cash’s “Big River” and bent the “rules” a bit by doing a Billy Swan-inspired cover of “Don’t Be Cruel,” Elvis’ first RCA single after leaving Sun.

The afternoon’s biggest surprise was a guest appearance by Sam Phillips’ son Jerry, all decked out in a red sportcoat and a rockabilly attitude. His “Never Too Short to Rock” was great fun.

Backing up most of the artists and offering up a spirited set of their own were the Planet Rockers. The energetic afternoon closed with all of the artists returning to the stage for a finale of Carl Perkins’ “Boppin’ the Blues.”

It was an extraordinary 90 minutes and a testament to the power and passion of Sam Phillips. The Hall of Fame’s exhibit “Flying Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips” closes on June 12. Highly recommended.

Review: Hayes Carll’s “Lovers and Leavers”

 in Americana Music, New releases, Reviews

By Paul T. Mueller

carll_ll_160Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll made a splash with his last album, 2011’s KMAG YOYO, which featured such raucous fare as “Stomp and Holler,” “Another Like You” and the title track. On Lovers and Leavers, he turns inward, focusing on such themes as love, loss and struggle. The subject matter reflects Carll’s challenges during the intervening years – divorce, vocal problems and new love, among others – but Lovers and Leavers is more than a collection of sob stories. The songs are full of insightful (and sometimes painful) observations that illuminate wider truths, and they’re marked by fine playing, singing and production. With the help of a distinguished group of collaborators, Hayes Carll has succeeded at turning personal travail into good art.

Hayes Carll

Hayes Carll

Each of the 10 tracks is a co-write, with such illustrious names as Darrell Scott, Will Hoge, Scott Nolan, Jim Lauderdale and J.D. Souther, among others. From Carll and Scott we get “Sake of the Song,” a concise overview of the musician’s life and those who live it; “Love Don’t Let Me Down,” about hope and fear at the outset of a new romance, and “The Magic Kid,” a touching tribute to Carll’s young son (an aspiring magician who’s been known to open shows for his dad) that touches on the larger themes of courage and truth. Hoge contributed to “Good While It Lasted,” a clear-eyed look at the emotions, good and bad, that come with the fading of good times. “Nothing lasts forever and time knows that it’s true,” Carll sings. “Sometimes a little while’s the best we can do.”

Carll teamed with Jack Ingram and Allison Moorer on the sad but beautiful “The Love That We Need,” a cautionary tale about settling for less than we should and finally facing up to that truth. “We lie down together/but our hearts never touch,” Carll sings, later adding in the chorus, “We got the life that we wanted/but not the love that we need.” A better side of love features in “Love Is So Easy,” written with Ruston Kelly: “I’ve always had a hurt that I can’t name/but it all feels better when you call my name.”

The album closes with the lovely “Jealous Moon,” written with J.D. Souther. Maybe no one else would have thought to lament the plight of Earth’s lonely satellite, doomed to watch over the pageant of life without ever getting to participate. Carll and Souther did, and Carll – his voice apparently recovered from the problems of the past few years – does a fine job telling the story.

Carll is credited with all the guitar (all acoustic) on the album. Other musicians include Jay Bellerose on drums and percussion, Tyler Chester on keyboards, Eric Heywood on pedal steel and David Piltch on bass, all ably produced by Joe Henry.

This just in: Americana Music nominees

 in Americana Music, Americana Music Festival

The Americana Music Association has just released its list of nominations for the  15th Annual Honors & Awards:
Album of the Year
Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell, Produced by Dave Cobb
The Ghosts of Highway 20, Lucinda Williams, Produced by Greg Leisz, Tom Overby and Lucinda Williams
The Very Last Day, Parker Millsap, Produced by Parker Millsap and Gary Paczosa
Traveller, Chris Stapleton, Produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton

Artist of the Year
Jason Isbell
Bonnie Raitt
Chris Stapleton
Lucinda Williams

Duo/Group of the Year
Alabama Shakes
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Lake Street Dive
The Milk Carton Kids
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Emerging Artist of the Year
Leon Bridges
John Moreland
Margo Price
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Song of the Year
“24 Frames” Jason Isbell
“Dime Store Cowgirl” Kacey Musgraves
“Hands Of Time” Margo Price
“S.O.B.” Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats

Instrumentalist of the Year
Cindy Cashdollar
Stuart Duncan
Jedd Hughes
Sara Watkins

New releases: Darrell Scott, Cyndi Lauper, Honeycutters

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases, Reviews

New and recent releases from Darrell Scott, Cyndi Lauper, Jeremy Nail, David Newbould, the Honeycutters, Mike Eldred Trio and Robert Rex Weller, Jr.:

CouchvilleDarrell Scott – The Couchville Sessions – It’s a measure of Darrell Scott’s depth as an artist and songwriter that he could record an album’s worth of material 15 years ago and then put it on the shelf. The Couchville Sessions was worth the wait, highlighted by the haunting “Waiting for the Clothes to Get Clean” and covers of Johnny Cash’s “Big River” and James Taylor’s “Another Grey Morning.”

 Cyndi Lauper – Detour – Sire Records – We suppose we shouldn’t be surprised by Cyndi Lauper’s collection of country covers recorded in Nashville. After all, her Memphis Blues was recorded just down the interstate not long ago. We assume a celebration of Knoxville is next. It’s a fun release with guests galore, including Emmylou Harris on “Detour,” Vince Gill on “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly” and Allison Krauss on “Hard Candy Christmas.”

 Mike Eldred Trio – Baptist Town – Great Western Recording Co. – The new Mike Eldred Trio album was recorded in Sun Studio in Memphis and features guest turns from Robert Cray, John Mayer and David Hidalgo.

 Jeremy Nail – My Mountain – Open Nine Music – Jeremy Nail’s new album was produced by Alejandro Escovedo with a band that included Chris Masterson, Eleanor Whitmore, Bobby Daniel and Chris Searles. Our favorite track: ”Dreams.”

honeycutters The Honeycutters – On the Ropes – Organic Records – Rich new album from the Honeycutters is their fourth. The title track sets the tone with equal measures of defiance and resignation:
“ I paid a lot to feel this bad.”

 David Newbould – The Devil is his Name – Coming May 20, the new David Newbould EP follows up his strong Tennessee release. Helping out are stalwarts Michael Webb and Jefferson Crow.

Robert Rex Weller, Jr. – Western Seeds Record Company – Robert Rex Weller tackles a wide array of covers, ranging from Willie Nelson to the Hollies and the Doors.

In concert: Kelley Mickwee

 in Americana Music, Reviews, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller

Kelley Mickwee

Kelley Mickwee

Austin-based singer-songwriter Kelley Mickwee brought a kind of career retrospective to the Fulshear House Concerts series on April 30. The show, in the Houston suburb of Fulshear, featured Mickwee performing songs from her early days as half of the Americana duo Jed and Kelley; from her days as a member of vocal quartet The Trishas, and from her more recent solo career.

Mickwee was born in Birmingham, Ala., and grew up in Memphis, Tenn., which helps explain the bluesy, soulful tone that colors her singing. She has a powerful, expressive voice, which she uses effectively to convey the emotions in her lyrics, exploring such topics as love, loneliness and temptations of various kinds. “I’m a singer first and foremost,” she told the audience of about 30. “It’s what I really love to do.” She accompanied herself capably on acoustic guitar and harmonica, plus a little foot-stomping percussion when needed.

The 15-song show was more or less chronological, starting with one of Mickwee’s earlier songs, “Strangers,” a look at what happens when lovers grow apart. She noted that she started writing the song before her marriage to (and eventual divorce from) Jed Zimmerman, who was also her musical partner in Jed and Kelley. “I didn’t know what I was talking about,” she noted with a laugh.

Mickwee performed several other songs that were recorded by The Trishas during the roughly four years the group was actively touring and performing (other members included fellow singer-songwriters Jamie Lin Wilson, Savannah Welch and Liz Foster, plus guitarist Brandy Zdan). These included the funny-but true romantic lament “Liars & Fools” and “Rainin’ Inside,” co-written with singer-songwriter Kevin Welch (Savannah’s father). She also sang a couple of songs that effectively showcased her strong, clear voice – “Drive,” a ballad about getting away, and “Take Me Home,” about loneliness and homesickness.

Between songs, Mickwee related details of her personal history and how it shaped her songwriting and singing. She accompanied a nice rendition of Eliza Gilkyson’s “Dark Side of Town,” a ballad about a talented musician whose hedonistic habits become his downfall, with the story of how she first met her father when she was 21 and had only a few years with him before similar lifestyle choices led to his demise. She took a similar approach with an excellent version of Emmylou Harris’ “Boulder to Birmingham,” noting that her relatively late start as a songwriter paralleled that of the Americana icon.

Mickwee ended the show with “Closer,” a plea for intimacy that she has yet to record. The song is in a key that’s outside her usual vocal range, she said, but added that pushing one’s limits is the path to artistic growth, and that the song has become her new favorite to sing.

Mickwee’s most recent solo CD, You Used to Live Here, came out in 2014. “It’s time for another one,” she said in an interview before the show, noting that she has several songs ready to record, but plans to wait until she has more before going into the studio, possibly by the end of the year. “I’m not in a rush,” she said. “I want to make sure I have 10 really great songs.”