Americana afloat: Cayamo in photos

 in Festivals, Music Cruise News

Sun209 correspondent Paul T. Mueller was on board  the floating Americana Music celebration  known as the Cayamo cruise. Among the highlights:

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Kanene Pipkin, singer and mandolinist with The Lone Bellow, performed with the band during its set on Friday, February 7.  Songs included “You Don’t Love Me Like You Used To” and “Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold.”

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Songwriter and singer Kris Kristofferson played solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica. The setlist included such hits as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times” and “Here Comes That Rainbow Again.”

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Pianist and singer Bruce Hornsby (left) and mandolinist and singer Ricky Skaggs (right) acknowledged applause following their set on Sunday, February 9. They performed Hornsby’s “The Way It Is” and Rick James’ “Superfreak,” as well as traditional bluegrass tunes.

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Singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer Buddy Miller headlined a show appropriately dubbed “Buddy Miller and Friends,” featuring band members Dave Jacques (bass), Marco Giovino (drums) and Joel Guzman (accordion), plus guest appearances by Jim Lauderdale (guitar and vocals), Larry Campbell (fiddle), Teresa Williams (guitar and vocals) and Lee Ann Womack (vocals).

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Singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett smiled in appreciation of a band member’s solo during a performance by Lovett and his Acoustic Group on Monday, February 10.  The setlist included “Here I Am,” “I Will Rise Up” and “South Texas Girl,” among other Lovett songs, as well as “Head Over Heels” by band members Luke Bulla and Keith Sewell.

Reissues: Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Complete Columbia Singles

 in Americana Music

BST8By Ken Paulson

From 1969 through 1971, it looked like horn bands might rule the world. Blood, Sweat and Tears had three top 10 singles in 1969, the Ides of March went to #2 with “Vehicle” in 1970 and Chicago broke through with three hit singles the same year.

44 years later, Chicago is on the Grammys with Robin Thicke, the Ides of March play occasional dates in Chicago and a reconstituted Blood, Sweat and Tears still tours under the direction of original drummer Bobby Colomby .

Blood, Sweat and Tears was hot – and then was not. What once was the hippest horn band lost its footing with multiple personnel changes and direction shifts.

That’s captured beautifully on Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Complete Columbia Singles on from Real Gone Music. The two-disc, 32-track set offers up both the A-sides and B-sides that document the evolution and  unraveling of the band.

The first disc opens with “I  Can’t Quit Her,” the near-hit recorded by the Al Kooper-led version of the band. By the next album, Kooper was gone, David Clayton-Thomas joined as lead vocalist and the band exploded into the Top 40 with “Spinning Wheel, ” “And When I Die”  and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.” The original mono and edited versions are in this collection

The retrospective offers some revelations. “Lisa, Listen to Me” was a brilliant record that should have been a much bigger hit. The band’s final charting single – “Got to Get You Into My Life” in 1975 foreshadowed the Earth, Wind and Fire cover in 1978.  And despite a constantly-changing cast, the musicianship stayed strong even when the material wasn’t.

Predictably, the first hit-laden disc is stronger than the second disc, which largely features Clayton-Thomas’s successors. Still, it’s a fascinating and fulfilling collection and a must for fans of Blood, Sweat and Tears.

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140 characters: Quick reviews, new releases

 in Reviews

At Sun209, we receive many more review copies than we’re able to write about, but try to flag some of the best we don’t get to.   A sampling of our recent reviews on  Twitter:

.@BuzzCason ‘s Troubadour Heart an engaging showcase for “Everlasting Love” writer. Plus Dan Penn and Bobby Keys! @plowboyrecords

Twelve Tales by A.J. Croce : Smart, soulful songs throughout. 6 different producers, including Cowboy Jack, @AllenToussaint @CroceisCroce

Dave Edmunds’ import “Again” offers just four new tracks”,(“Babyface?”) but we’ll settle. One of the great rockers.

Coming March 25:  @TheIveys ‘ “Jenna’s Song:” Fresh sounds, fine harmonies, promising future, with songs by Arlen B. Ivey. @michaeljmedia

.@davidserby and Latest Scam: Cowboy cover belies energetic, hook-laden 2-disc set. More power pop than Americana. Fresh and fun.

Coming March 25: @TheIveys ‘ “Jenna’s Song:” Fresh sounds, fine harmonies, promising future, with songs by Arlen B. Ivey. @michaeljmedia

And check out this cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand:”

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Review: Irene Kelley’s “Pennsylvania Coal”

 in Nashville music, Reviews, Songwriters

Irene KelleyBy Ken Paulson

This should be a very good week for Nashville singer-songwriter Irene Kelley.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, she’ll drop by to perform at Grimey’s record store in Nashville, followed by a full show on Friday at the legendary Station Inn.

Best of all, this is also the week the world will get to hear her remarkable new album Pennsylvania Coal, which just entered the Americana Music Association airplay chart.

From the back cover depicting her coal-mining grandfather to “You Are Mine,” the closing track written and performed with her daughters, Pennsylvania Coal is fueled by family.

“Angels Around Her” warmly recalls Kelley’s mother, “Pennsylvania Coal” honors her grandparents, “Sister’s Heart” is about her loving sister and “Garden of Dreams” is for her daughters Justyna and Sara Jean.

Yet the first two tracks – both written with Peter Cooper – may have the most universal appeal. “You Don’t Run Across My Mind,” distributed as a single, is about a relationship that lingers in your mind long after it’s over. “Feels Like Home” delivers the familiar “You can’t go home again” message  in a fresh way.

The album includes co-writes with David Olney, Thomm Jutz, Justyna and other fine writers, plus harmonies from Trisha Yearwood on “Better with Time.

Kelley’s voice and the intimate instrumentation are a perfect fit on this compelling, touching album.

While many will see Pennsylvania Coal as a bluegrass album,  it’s for anyone with a love of strong, evocative songwriting. Highly recommended.

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Review: Hard Working Americans

 in Reviews

Hard Working Americans by Paul T. Mueller

It’s hard to tell whether Hard Working Americans, #2 on this week’s Americana Music Association airplay chart, is a one-shot deal or a long-term project. But even if the band’s self-titled debut turns out to be a one-off, it seems like it was worth the effort.

Hard Working Americans is fronted by singer-songwriter Todd Snider, sounding grittier and more subdued than he used to. His colleagues include guitarist Neal Casal of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Ryan Adams’ Cardinals, bassist (and co-producer) Dave Schools from Widespread Panic, keyboardist Chad Staehly of Great American Taxi and drummer Duane Trucks from Col. Bruce Hampton’s School of Music.

All 11 songs on Hard Working Americans are covers, and these guys picked some good material. “Another Train,” a rowdy love song by former Snider guitarist Will Kimbrough, gets a riff-heavy rendition that recalls mid-’70s bands like Montrose. Casal’s guitar fuels the world-weary “Down to the Well,” by Kevin Gordon and Colin Linden, while Staehly’s piano, Trucks’ percussion and harmonica from guest John Popper give Hayes Carll’s “Stomp and Holler” a nice honky-tonk vibe.

Snider’s take on Kevn Kinney’s “Straight to Hell” is more understated than Kinney’s all-out redneck rock approach, but the trailer-park drama still comes through, punctuated by a nice Casal solo. Other highlights include an uptempo rendition of the Bottle Rockets’ “Welfare Music” and a suitably folky take on Randy Newman’s “Mr. President, Have Pity on the Working Man.” The album closes with a quiet version of David Rawlings and Gillian Welch’s hard-living tale “Wrecking Ball.”

It’s nice to hear what these talented musicians bring to other writers’ songs, but it should also be interesting to hear what they do with their own material, if they decide to go that route.

 Follow Sun 209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.

 

Mandy Barnett celebates Don Gibson

 in Nashville music

mandyBy Ken Paulson

Visitors to the Nashville airport see three electronic signs as they descend on the escalator to baggage claim. This week, the first extolled the virtues of Opryland, the second was a greeting from Mayor Karl Dean and the third showcased Mandy Barnett’s new album I Can’t Stop Loving You: The Songs of Don Gibson.

Perfect. Barnett is as Nashville as they come, particularly in her interpretation of  the classic countrypolitan Nashville sound. She’s perhaps best known for her performances as Patsy Cline in Always: Patsy Cline, a role that demands an extraordinary voice.

On her new album, she revisits the work of another iconic figure, songwriter and singer Don Gibson. The classic songs are all here: Gibson’s hit “Oh Lonesome Me,” “Sweet Dreams” recorded by Cline, and “I Can’t Stop loving You,” performed most memorably by Ray Charles.

The album, on the Cracker Barrel label, entered the Americana Music Association chart this week at number 35. This classic material, reinvigorated in faithful, but fresh performances, is clearly finding a new audience.

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Review: Jim Bianco’s ambitious “Cookie Cutter”

 in Americana Music, Songwriters

By Paul T. Mueller

cds-CookieCutterCDfrontshotHere’s the recipe Jim Bianco used for his latest album, Cookie Cutter: Send out the same 69-question questionnaire to each of 17 people, collect the answers, and write songs based on those answers. The resulting 18-song album (one song has two versions) proves that, musically speaking, Jim Bianco is quite a chef.

A New York native now living in California, Bianco has produced several albums of distinctive and well-crafted adult pop. Cookie Cutter is no exception. Each song starts with some background – imagined messages on answering machines, re-created phone conversations, slide-show narration and such – revealing some of the details the song is based on. The questions, printed on the inside of the CD cover, cover a wide range of topics: “What’s your name? Where do you live? Do you have any pets? Any tattoos? What was your first car?” And so on.

Taking a little literary license along the way, Bianco turned those answers into a batch of excellent songs, performed in a variety of musical styles. The opener, “Apache,” features a jazzy Latin-tinged arrangement powered by horns. It’s nominally about a woman’s dog that ran away, but it ends up being about much more than that. In “Kilpatrick Man,” Bianco spins some facts about a man’s life and work, provided by the man’s brother, into a believable Irish ballad. “Blue Subaru,” written for a fan’s two young nieces, starts out as a bouncy, repetitive ditty with nonsensical lyrics – and then evolves into a complex and beautiful arrangement that would have sounded at home on Sgt. Pepper.

Bianco has a gift for writing about melancholy and heartbreak, and many of the songs explore serious subjects such as romantic troubles, medical problems and loneliness. But it wouldn’t be a Jim Bianco album without at least one funny song full of double entendres, and on Cookie Cutter that song is “That’s What She Said.” Bianco even throws in a twist by faking a serious beginning before downshifting into several verses of goofy, synthesizer-driven pseudo-rap.

Cookie Cutter succeeds as a songwriting exercise, but this collection is strong enough to stand on its own, even without the backstory.

Follow Sun209 on Twitter at @Sun209com.

 

 

Review: Will Kimbrough’s “Sideshow Love”

 in Nashville music, Reviews

sideshow loveby Paul T. Mueller

On his seventh solo album, due for release in mid-February, Will Kimbrough turns away from Big Issues to focus on more personal matters. There are 12 songs on Sideshow Love, and they’re all about one or more aspects of human relationships – love, sex, loneliness and various combinations thereof.

Check them off: Anticipated love (“When Your Loving Comes Around”), physical love (“Let the Big World Spin”), boastful love (the title track), practical love (“Home Economics”), and so on.

High points include “I Want Too Much,” a confessional song that features some really nice acoustic picking; “Has Anybody Seen My Heart,” a gentle lost-love ballad written with Joy Lynn White; and “Who Believes In You,” co-written with Carter Wood and featuring some beautiful cello by engineer and co-producer David Henry.

Will Kimbrough is an excellent player, singer and producer, and his talents are on full display here. One could wish for a bit more poetry in his lyrics, but in light of his other contributions that seems a bit churlish.

Best, maybe, just to appreciate the moods and colors he creates with his guitar (and several other instruments) and his voice.

Follow the latest in Americana music news on Twitter at @Sun209com.

 

 

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music

The week in Tweets on Sun209:

Review: Willie Sugarcapps

 in Americana Music, Reviews
Willie SugarcappsBy Ken Paulson
We first saw Willie Sugarcapps in the Grimey’s Record Store parking lot in Nashville this spring and for the record, there’s no Willie. This is a band of friends with considerable musical talents and their energy and collective spirit fueled a fun and engaging set in the parking lot.
Willie Sugarcapps consists of  Will Kimbrough, Sugarcane Jane (Savana Lee and Anthony Crawford), Grayson Capps and Corky Hughes, an amalgam in name and spirit.
Their impressive album feels homespun and acoustic, and sounds like someone set up recording equipment on the front porch.
Many of the songs are about life’s basics: celebrating the birthday of a 93-year-old, repairing a relationship and just working your way through life.
Capps’ “Poison” is a particular treat and natural sing-along: “Drink a little poison before you die.”
And then there’s “Willie Sugarcapps,” the title track and self-mythologizing tale of a singer and multi-instrumentalist who we need more than ever:   “Folks are suffering all across this land, Woody Guthrie’s long gone, won’t you give us your helping hand?”
It takes a confident band to name itself, a song and album after a legendary figure they just made up. Bo Diddley would have approved.
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Review: The Whiskey Gentry’s “Holly Grove”

 in Reviews

By Ken Paulson
whiskeygentryIt’s that time of the year when we rush to catch up with particularly worthy albums that we never quite got around to reviewing. Case in point is the Whiskey Gentry’s Holly Grove, the second album from the Atlanta-based band.

The Whiskey Gentry melds high-energy bluegrass and traditional country with some attitude, opening the album with heartbreak and honky tonk on “I Ain’t Nothing” and closing with “Here’s Your Song,” presented with the hope that “it finds you in the gutter or in bed with another or wherever the hell you are.”

It’s an album full of impeccable playing, some unexpected themes (“Particles” and the title song) and impressive vocals from Lauren Staley. To top it all off, there’s the surprisingly fresh cover of Peter Rowan’s “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” first recorded by the New Riders of the Purple Sage on their Adventures of Panama Red album in 1974.

Here’s a clip of the Whiskey Gentry in their appearance last year on Music City Roots:

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Duane Allman’s “Skydog” issued in “encore” edition

 in Americana Music, Reviews

duane allmanAmericana Music News – The new Muscle Shoals documentary tells the fascinating story of Rick Hall, Fame Studios and the against-all-odds success of two great studios in the same small town. There’s a great moment in the movie when we hear about Duane Allman showing up, ingratiating himself with his style and guitar, and eventually urging Wilson Pickett to tackle “Hey Jude” on the now-classic recording. It’s a reminder of Allman’s gifts and his career in music well before the Allman Brothers.

Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective documents his career in impressive style, ranging from early recordings with the Escorts, Allman Joys and Hour Glass to sessions with Clarence Carter and Aretha Franklin and recordings with Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers Band.

The 7-CD set was released by Rounder Records in a limited edition in March and is now back in an “encore edition.” The packaging is stripped down, but the 72-page booklet and extraordinary music are intact. This should make a lot of “best of” lists for 2013.

Follow Americana Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.

 

 

 

Review: “Woody Guthrie American Radical Patriot”

 in Reviews

GuthrieBy Ken Paulson

I thought I had a pretty good sense of Woody Guthrie. I’d read the books, listened to the music and even watched a mediocre film biography starring David Carradine.

But all of that pales next to Woody Guthrie: American Radical Patriot, an extraordinary box set that chronicles Guthrie’s work for the U.S. government.

While you wouldn’t expect the politically restless Guthrie to embrace the government, he saw that government could do some good for the poor and he clearly appreciated the paycheck.

The most revelatory aspect of this project is the opening interview with Alan Lomax of the Archive of American Folk Song on a recording made for the Library of Congress. This is Guthrie before he stepped onto the national stage and he talks candidly about his childhood, musical influences and stunning personal tragedies.

The 6-CD collection sounds great, and includes a wide range of performances, including those he wrote while working for the Bonneville Power Administration, plus some venereal disease prevention songs.

Included in this limited edition box is a DVD of “Roll On Columbia,” a fascinating University of Oregon documentary about Guthrie’s stint as a songwriter trying to convey the importance of the Woody Bonneville Dam Project .

The box set also features a 60-page booklet (and a full-length version on an included PDF) and a 78 of Bob Dylan singing Guthrie’s “VD City” and Guthrie’s home recording of “The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done.”

This Rounder Records release epitomizes a great box set: rare recordings, insightful documentation, multi-layered content and artful packaging. Highly recommended.

Follow Americana Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.

Americana Music Association’s Top 100 albums

 in Americana Music
IsbellAmericana Music News – The Americana Music Association has just released its list of the Top 100 most-played albums of the year, based on airplay from November 19, 2012 through December 2, 2013.
Jason Isbell’s haunting Southeastern is at the top of the list, with  the top 10 largely occupied by Americana music’s royalty: Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale.
And then there are the surprises: the reunions of Delbert and Glen (after decades) and the Mavericks, the always-great pairing of Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison and top ten finishes by Carrie Rodriguez and Holly Williams.
“Surprises” may be the wrong word. These are all remarkable artists in the Top 10 and we’ve seen their albums dominate airplay much of the year.
The full list from the Americana Music Association:
Artist                                                               Title
1. Jason Isbell                                                      Southeastern
2. Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses)   The Low Highway
3. Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell           Old Yellow Moon
4. Patty Griffin                                                     American Kid
5. Mavericks                                                         Suited Up And Ready / In Time
6. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison                       Cheater’s Game
7. Delbert McClinton & Glen Clark                 Blind, Crippled & Crazy
8. Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale             Buddy and Jim
9. Carrie Rodriguez                                           Give Me All You Got
10. Holly Williams                                             The Highway
11. Richard Thompson                                      Electric
12. John Fogerty / Various Artists                 Wrote A Song For Everyone
13. Slaid Cleaves                                                 Still Fighting The War
14. Tedeschi Trucks Band                                 Made Up Mind
15. Mumford & Sons                                          Babel
16. Aoife O’Donovan                                          Fossils
17. Guy Clark                                                       My Favorite Picture Of You
18. Black Lillies                                                  Runaway Freeway Blues
19. Steeldrivers                                                  Hammer Down
20. Steve Martin And Edie Brickell               Love Has Come For You
21. Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson      Wreck & Ruin
22. Dwight Yoakam                                           3 Pears
23. Dawes                                                            Stories Don’t End
24. Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line   Carnival
25. Donna The Buffalo                                      Tonight, Tomorrow And Yesterday
26. Kacey Musgraves                                         Same Trailer Different Park
27. Son Volt                                                         Honky Tonk
28. Sarah Jarosz                                                Build Me Up From Bones
29. Civil Wars                                                    Civil Wars
30. Howlin’ Brothers                                       Howl
31. Sturgill Simpson                                        High Top Mountain
32. Ben Harper w/ Charles Musselwhite    I Don’t Believe A Word You Say
33. Mavis Staples                                             One True Vine
34. Band Of Heathens                                     Sunday Morning Record
35. Amos Lee                                                    Mountains Of Sorrow Rivers Of Song
36. Sons Of Fathers                                         Burning Days
37. Billy Bragg                                                  Tooth & Nail
38. Neko Case                                                  The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight.
39. Kim Richey                                                Thorn In My Heart
40. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors         Good Light
41. Ashley Monroe                                          Like A Rose
42. John Hiatt                                                 Mystic Pinball
43. Wayne Hancock                                       Ride
44. Various – The Music Is You                   A Tribute To John Denver
45. Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott                  Memories & Moments
46. Shooter Jennings                                     The Other Life
47. Jamey Johnson                                         Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran
48. Avett Brothers                                          The Carpenter
49. Various – Let Us In Americana             The Music Of Paul McCartney
50. Amanda Shires                                         Down Fell The Doves
51. Iris DeMent                                               Sing The Delta
52. James Hunter Six                                    Minute By Minute
53. Tim Easton                                               Not Cool
54. Mark Knopfler                                         Privateering
55. Wheeler Brothers                                    Gold Boots Glitter
56. Tift Merritt                                               Traveling Alone
57. Pokey LaFarge                                         Pokey LaFarge
58. J.J. Grey And Mofro                              This River
59. Various                                                     Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
60. Chris Knight                                            Little Victories
61. Kris Kristofferson                                   Feeling Mortal
62. Jason Boland and the Stragglers        Dark & Dirty Mile
63. Milk Carton Kids                                    The Ash & Clay
64. Josh Ritter                                               The Beast In Its Tracks
65. Peter Rowan                                            The Old School
66. Marshall Chapman                                Blaze Of Glory
67. Dale Watson And His Lonestars         El Rancho Azul
68. Over the Rhine                                       Meet Me At The Edge Of The World
69. Gibson Brothers                                     They Called It Music
70. Houndmouth                                          From The Hills Above The City
71. Max Gomez                                              Rule The World
72. Time Jumpers                                         Time Jumpers
73. Wood Brothers                                        The Muse
74. Randall Bramblett                                  The Bright Spots
75. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit            Live In Alabama
76. Willie Nelson                                           To All The Girls
77. Steep Canyon Rangers                           Tell The Ones I Love
78. Various                                                     High Cotton: A Tribute To Alabama
79. North Mississippi Allstars                    World Boogie is Coming
80. Robbie Fulks                                           Gone Away Backward
81. Shannon McNally                                   Small Town Talk
82. Mando Saenz                                          Studebaker
83. Underhill Rose                                       Something Real
84. Departed                                                 Adventus
85. Della Mae                                                This World Oft Can Be
86. Vince Gill & Paul Franklin                   Bakersfield
87. Statesboro Revue                                   Ramble On Privilege Creek
88. Will Hoge                                                Never Give In
89. Elephant Revival                                   These Changing Skies
90. Avett Brothers                                        Magpie And The Dandelion
91. Valerie June                                             Pushin’ Against A Stone
92. Gary Clark Jr.                                          Blak And Blu
93. Willie Sugarcapps                                  Willie Sugarcapps
94. Devil Makes Three                                 I’m A Stranger Here
95. Ryan Bingham                                        Tomorrowland
96. Greencards                                              Sweetheart Of The Sun
97. Buddy Guy                                               Rhythm & Blues
98. Andrew Bird                                           Hands Of Glory
99. Wild Ponies                                            Things That Used To Shine
100. Civil Wars And T-Bone Burnett       A Place At The Table Soundtrack

In concert: John Fullbright at Unitunes Coffehouse

 in Reviews
John Fullbright

John Fullbright

By Paul T. Mueller

John Fullbright played a gig for a couple of hundred people in a church on December 7. It was an excellent setting for the Oklahoma singer-songwriter, spacious and intimate at the same time. Those wanting a similar experience should probably make arrangements to see Fullbright sooner rather than later. He has the chops to play bigger stages, and after seeing him it’s hard to imagine he’s not headed in that direction.

Fullbright’s show was part of UniTunes Coffeehouse, a concert series held at Houston’s Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church. In a little more than two hours, including a break, he and his band performed 19 songs, more than sufficient to show off Fullbright’s fine writing and expressive singing, as well as his considerable skills on guitar, harmonica and especially piano.

At 25, Fullbright has only two solo albums to his credit (including last year’s Grammy-nominated From the Ground Up), but his writing has a maturity that suggests a much more experienced artist. He has a delivery to match – his voice isn’t the most polished instrument, but it’s got plenty of range and a compelling theatrical quality. At the UniTunes gig, he demonstrated his power on some of his louder material, such as “Satan and St. Paul,” “All the Time in the World,” “Gawd Above” and “Fat Man,” on which Fullbright played piano and harmonica simultaneously. He’s equally at home with quieter, more sensitive material, such as “I Didn’t Know I Was in Love With You,” with which he opened the show, and “Nowhere to Be Found.”

Other highlights:

–          “Never Cry Again,” a country tune featuring excellent Telecaster twang from lead guitarist Terry “Buffalo” Ware

–          “That Lucky Old Sun,” which Fullbright described as a gospel tune but which was infused with blues as well

–          “Rain Just Falls,” a sad but beautiful ballad, which Fullbright introduced with effusive praise for its author, David Halley

–          “Jericho,” a soulful rocker featuring enthusiastic harmonies from drummer Giovanni Carnuccio III, who played most of the show with a big grin on his face (his partner in the rhythm section, David Leach, also did a fine job, playing an improbable-looking bass about the size of a ukulele)

In a nice nod to the Houston audience, Fullbright threw in a cover of “How I Love Them Old Songs” by the late Mickey Newbury, a Houston native. He closed the show with a nice rendition of Jimmy Webb’s “If You See Me Getting Smaller.” Maybe that last was a little inside joke. Nominated earlier this year as the Americana Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year, John Fullbright gives no indication that he’s going to be getting any smaller anytime soon.

Follow American Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.

Celebrating John Lennon: In Nashville and on recordings

 in Americana Music, Reviews

NutopiansBy Ken Paulson

We lost John Lennon 33 years ago today and we continue to both mourn the loss and celebrate his life and music.

This Thursday, a group of Nashville artists will gather at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville for Imagine No Gun Violence, a concert and fundraiser featuring Lennon’s songs. Performers include Tommy Womack, Bill Lloyd, Will Kimbrough, members of Poco and many more. It’s always a highlight of the musical year, and in a town like Nashville, that’s saying something. Tickets are still available.

Lennon work also continues to be celebrated in recordings, and the Nutopians’ Lennon Re-Imagined is a particularly impressive example.

The Nutopians , founded by Rex Fowler of Aztec Two-Step and Tom Dean of  Devonsquare, bring a gentle sensibility to Lennon’s music, with acoustic and harmony-laden renditions that work on multiple levels.

“Revolution” is a revelation, with Maggie Coffin distilling the familiar rock song into a conversation about the world and the need for change. Two medleys sung by Fowler – “Cry Baby Cry/Bunglaow Bill” and “Love/Oh My Love” are seamless and beautiful.

In these treatments, the lyrics resonate deeply – and unexpectedly. Alana McDonald’s “Beautiful Boy” is sweet and sad, while the obsessiveness of “No Reply” come across as a little creepy.

The Nutopians take their name from Lennon’s playful treatment of his immigration problems in the early ’70s. Only true fans would know that, just as only true fans could create such a fun,  insightful and moving collection of Lennon’s work. Highly recommended.

Follow Americana Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.

 

 

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Americana music Grammy nominees announced

 in Americana Music

Americana Music News – Nominees for the 56th annual Grammy Awards have been announced  by the Recording Academy and the Americana Music Association has helpfully distilled Americana  artists from the academy’s massive list:

Best American Roots Song

BUILD ME UP FROM BONES Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)

INVISIBLE Steve Earle, songwriter (Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses))

KEEP YOUR DIRTY LIGHTS ON Tim O’Brien & Darrell Scott, songwriters (Tim O’Brien And Darrell Scott)

LOVE HAS COME FOR YOU Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin & Edie Brickell)

SHRIMP PO-BOY, DRESSED Allen Toussaint, songwriter (Allen Toussaint)
Best Americana Album

OLD YELLOW MOON Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell

LOVE HAS COME FOR YOU Steve Martin & Edie Brickell

BUDDY AND JIM Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale

ONE TRUE VINE Mavis Staples

SONGBOOK Allen Toussaint

Best Bluegrass Album

IT’S JUST A ROAD The Boxcars

BROTHERS OF THE HIGHWAY Dailey & Vincent

THIS WORLD OFT CAN BE Della Mae

THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH James King

THE STREETS OF BALTIMORE Del McCoury Band

Best Blues Album

REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER Billy Boy Arnold, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia & James Harman

COTTON MOUTH MAN James Cotton

GET UP! Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite

SEESAW Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa

DOWN IN LOUISIANA Bobby Rush

Best Folk Album

MY FAVORITE PICTURE OF YOU Guy Clark

SWEETHEART OF THE SUN The Greencards

BUILD ME UP FROM BONES Sarah Jarosz

THE ASH & CLAY The Milk Carton Kids

THEY ALL PLAYED FOR US: ARHOOLIE RECORDS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (Various Artists) Chris Strachwitz, producer

Review: The Black Flies’ “Roots and Roll”

 in Reviews

Black FliesBy Paul T. Mueller

Roots and Roll, the third album from Niagara Falls, Ontario-based band the Black Flies, has a lot going for it. There’s a wealth of polished playing, strong singing and catchy melodies to be found on this collection, described in publicity materials as both Americana and Canadiana.

Where the 13 tracks fall a bit short is the lyrics. Some are a little too obscure – “Gimme Something” seems to be talking about fog, but it’s not clear why. Others seem a little too obvious – “Lost (In Your Eyes)” packs a lot of love-song clichés into three and a half minutes.

Lyrical quibbles aside, The Black Flies’ sound – upbeat, folky pop with some country touches – is eminently listenable. Vocals, including some nice harmonies, are shared between guitarists Jeremy Vokey and Nathanial Goold (who also handles most of the songwriting) and bassist Jay Forhan. Drummer Chris Chudiobiak completes the quartet. A couple of guests make some very notable contributions as well: Dean Malton, who plays lead guitar and also produced the album, and keyboardist Rob Killian. Their value quickly becomes evident – the opening track, “Blinded by the Sun,” is fueled by Malton’s slinky guitar and Killian’s atmospheric backing organ.

The Black Flies have been playing together for about seven years and have been nominated for and/or won several local and regional music awards over that time. With more focused songwriting, bigger and better things seem like a real possibility.

Follow Americana Music News on Twitter at @AmericanaToday.

Americana Music Association announces board election results

 in Americana Music

The results of the Americana Music Association board election are in, and four new  members have been added. The Americana Music Association’s press release follows:

The Americana Music Association has announced the outcome of their annual Board of Directors election. The results include both the member voted and board appointed

Directors, for terms to start in January 2014. The results reflect the rising influence and the creative, independent and progressive characteristics of the Americana genre itself.  Re-elected or appointed for new terms are John Allen (BMG Chrysalis), Jonathan Levine (Paradigm Talent Agency), John Ingrassia (Vector Management) and Kurt Vitolo (KV Financial Group, PC) who will serve once again as Treasurer. Musicians Rodney Crowell and Buddy Miller return as artist ambassadors.  New board members starting their terms in 2014 include Cliff O’Sullivan (Sugar Hill Records), Scott Goldman (GRAMMY Foundation/MusiCares), Wayne Leeloy (Warner Music Nashville) and Carrie Colliton (Dept. of Record Stores/Record Store Day).

 The incoming directors join returning board members current President Holly Lowman (Ramseur Records), 2014 President Elect Mark Moffatt (Independent Producer), Tim Fink (SESAC), Mary Gauthier (artist), Amanda Hale (Vector Management), Al Moss (Al Moss Promotion), Jessie Scott (Music Fog/Hill Country), Shauna de Cartier (Six Shooter Records) and Lynne Sheridan (GRAMMY Museum).  Terry Lickona (Austin City Limits) and Ashley Capps (AC Entertainment) will continue to serve as Ex Officio officers of the Association.