Review: Chris Ronald’s “Turning Tides”

 in Songwriters

By Joe Ross

Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Chris Ronald is usually heard in intimate listening environments where there is ample stage space, cold beer and good burgers. Restaurants, music circles and open mics are great places for small, attentive audiences to experience his music in its purest, unamplified form.

In concert, he also talks about his influences, song ideas, inspirations, and the songwriting craft. Chris Ronald has been writing music for nearly three decades, and Turning Tides is an ideal way to bring the songcrafter’s relaxing music right into your own living room. With folk, pop and even a few soft rock influences, this album is a definitive portrait of his music with its thoughtful lyrics and insightful observations on family, love, places and life.

Chris’ warm tenor voice is soothing, and he usually tracks his own vocal harmonies. The uncluttered production results in songs that emphasize Chris’ guitar, vocals and occasionally some harmonica. I particularly enjoy hearing clear, resonant lyrics which are easy to understand and relate to. I would encourage him to upload his words and messages right to his website.

Chris plays all instruments on “Turning Tides,” with the exception of a few contributions from Fred Beach (bass), Kent Anderson (mandolin), Ily Barnes (drums), Kamile Kapel (piano, backing vocals), and Steve Taillefer (electric guitar). Chris moved from Great Britain to Canada in 2002. He was embarking on a career change from sales into teaching. About that time a college course in multi-track recording software allowed him to economically document some his music on disc. His first album Pacific Time was released in 2004 and is only available from the artist. Eight years later, Turning Tides is a strong and delightful second effort that displays the ebbs and flows of his life.

He opens the set with a warm, upbeat, well-arranged rendition of “Sunshine” that is probably a testament to his wife and three children that bring “color to the world.” The importance of family and love are emphasized when the album closes with a lean, fingerpicked reprisal of the same song. The same theme is found in “Evergreen” and “Simple Things” with their distinct echo of sensitive and sympathetic singer/songwriters from decades ago. While Chris’ songs have marked appeal to baby boomers of my generation, songs like the contemplative “Please Don’t Come for Me Now” and “Best Place on Earth” have some charming contemporary folk elements that will pull in a younger demographic of fans for Chris’ pure, unadulterated music.

Chris Ronald’s soulfulness complements the intimacy of this project. His clear, plaintive vocals work best on the most introspective tracks, as well as with the beautiful melodies and subtle, lyrical charm of songs like “Sailing from Nanaimo” and “Home to Roost.” Chris Ronald has found music as the perfect medium for sharing thoughts and musings with underlying sweetness and a sense of wonder.

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Americana chart: Kathleen Edwards’ “Voyageur” at #1

 in Reviews

On the day of its release, Kathleen Edwards’ Voyageur is at the top of the Americana Music Association Chart. The Little Willies’ For the Good Times is at the number three position, just one week after release.

Both albums are new to the market, but have been played for weeks on Americana radio. The release of albums to radio weeks or even months in advance helps build a foundation that pays off when the CD is actually available to consumers. There was a one-month lead time on Robert Earl Keen’s Ready for Confetti, and that album has been in the top five for months, with almost 7,000 spins to date.

This week’s Americana music chart debuts include Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home (Full Light) at #21, Reckless Kelly’s Good Luck and True Love at #27 (No Big Deal Records), the Wood Brothers’ Smoke Ring Halo (Southern Ground Artists) at #32 and Ruthie Foster’s Let It Burn (Blue Corn) at #37.

Scott, Foster and the Wood Brothers also show up on the list of most added albums, along with Gretchen Peters’ Hello Cruel World (Scarlet Letter Records) and the Guy Clark tribute This One’s For Him.

30A Songwriting Festival: Rodney Crowell, Steve Forbert and the Bangles

 in Americana Music

By Ken Paulson

Seaside, Florida – The third annual 30A Songwriters Festival, closed out its three-day run today, wrapping up an ambitious and entertaining celebration of songs.

Very similar in scope and approach to Nashville’s’ Tin Pan South Festival, run by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, 30A showcases a wide range of artists and genres in both open-air and intimate indoor venues. There are still some growing pains – parking can be tight and some audiences don’t get the whole “listening” thing – but the festival is clearly moving in the right direction.

Among the highlights:

–  Rodney Crowell at the Gulf Place Amphitheater: Crowell is savvy enough to complement his most challenging and topical songs with his country hits, including “Crazy for Leaving” and “Stars on the Water.” His cover of “Like a Rolling Stone” was great fun.

 

–   An impressive solo acoustic set by Vicki Peterson of the Bangles. Her “Mixed Messages” was recorded by both the Bangles and Continental Drifters, and it was a pleasure to hear it as it began. Susan Cowsill followed with a very brief and off-kilter performance, but somehow it was charming. The show featured cameos and heckling by assorted Bangles and Cowsills. Truly memorable.

 

–   Steve Forbert at Fish Out of Water: His introduction – something about a Grammy-nominated songwriter from Mississippi – badly undersold one of the most literate, consistent and prolific singer-songwriters over nearly four decades. The audience enjoyed his energetic and entertaining set, and then roared as they recognized “Romeo’s Tune.” So that’s who that was.

 

–  The Bangles: We reported earlier on their great set; it was one of the most memorable of the weekend. Rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t get much more joyous.

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30A Songwriters Festival update

 in Americana Music

We’re  at the 3rd annual 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa, Florida, with Matthew Sweet and the Bangles headlining. The weather is as good as it gets in Florida in January and turnout so far has been impressive enough that some veteran attendees of the festival are saying it’s too crowded.  Clearly these people have never been to Bonnaroo.

We’ll post reviews of the Bangles and Matthew Sweet shows later, but we’re headed out for a full slate of acoustic performances tonight. This is our first year here and the festival’s map left us with a sense that we’d be travelling all over the county to visit the mulitple venues, but the festival is actually fairly compact, with most of the Saturday shows clustered near the Watercolor Resort on A30.

 

Bangles showcase great songs and writers

 in Americana Music, Reviews

Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles

By Ken Paulson

–Seaside, Fla. — As headliners at the 30A Songwriters Festival, the Bangles proudly proclaimed their founding three decades ago. Both the band and their music have held up remarkably well.

There’s some irony in the Bangles being the biggest names at the festival because while they’ve written a good part of their material, some of their biggest successes and most popular tracks have been covers of others’ compositions.

Their driving set at the Lyceum in Seaside, Florida included spirited versions of Prince’s “Manic Monday,” Alex Chilton’s “September Gurls,” Jules Shear’s “If She Knew What She Wants,” Paul Simon’s “Hazy Shade of Winter” and Emmitt Rhodes’ “Live.” Indeed, that is one of the most endearing qualities of the Bangles: They know and respect great pop songs and their covers typically match or beat the originals.

The concert began with “Anna Lee,” the same song that leads off the Bangles’ fine new album Sweetheart of the Sun. The album was well-represented in the set, and the new material is strong, particularly “Under A Cloud” and “Ball and Chain.”

Susanna Hoffs may have been the most visible of the Bangles due to videos and a solo career, but the show was a reminder that this is a band with balance, with Hoffs, Vicki Peterson and Debi Peterson trading off lead and harmony vocals throughout the concert.

The Bangles’ harmonies were impeccable, and songs like “In My Room,”  and “Going Down to Liverpool” remain vibrant.

Surprises included a medley of “Get the Girl” and the Turtles’ “Outside Chance” (written by a young Warren Zevon) and set closer ‘Walk Like an Egyptian/Magic Bus” with a chorus/dance troupe made up of bands that have opened for the Bangles.

The Bangles may play hits from an earlier era, but this is no oldies band. There’s a vitality and energy here that few of their peers can match.

Matthew Sweet at 30A Songwriters Festival

 in Reviews, Songwriters

Matthew Sweet opened the afternoon show at the 30A Songwriters Festival with a set that drew heavily from his breakthrough 1991 album Girlfriend. Sweet joked that the girlfriend was now 21 and old enough to drink.

It was a tough setting for Sweet. Most of the crowd had come to see the Bangles, and though there’s some stylistic common ground, he wasn’t big on pop radio.  Although Girlfriend is widely considered a classic, this was new material to much of the crowd and the response was somewhat subdued.

Sweet said he had been playing the album in its entirety on his current  tour, but was going to skip some songs “because we can.”

Highlights included Girlfriend tracks ““I’ve Been Waiting” and “Evangeline”   and the hard-driving closer ‘Sick of Myself,” from 100% Fun.

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30A Songwriters Festival begins

 in Americana Music

Sun209 is headed for Santa Rose Beach, Florida to cover the 30A Songwriters Festival this weekend. Watch for updates on Twitter (sun209com) and on this site.

The News Herald of Panama City previewed the festival today. You’ll find the full story by Tony Simmons here, but here’s a preview:

Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles described the event as “a series of magical moments unfolding over the course of the long weekend — old friends reuniting, new friendships being born. … Large audiences and performers enjoying days and nights of music, storytelling both poignant and humorous, spontaneous jams, Southern hospitality, delicious food and wine.”

The festival is produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and presented by Visit South Walton. Proceeds benefit the CAA.

Festival venues include Vue, Fire, The Naked Grape and the Gulf Place Amphitheatre in Santa Rosa Beach; First Note Music Hall in Blue Mountain Beach; Hibiscus, Pandora’s and Shorty’s in Grayton Beach; Fish Out of Water, The Gathering Spot and The Boathouse in WaterColor; The Lyceum, Bud & Alley’s, Pizza Bar, Central Square Records and the Seaside Meeting Hall Theatre in Seaside; La Botana in Seagrove; Caliza in Alys Beach; the amphitheater in Seacrest Beach; and Amavida, The Summer Kitchen and the Town Hall in Rosemary Beach.

Review: Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators

 in Americana Music

By Joe Ross

Texas-based Jonathan Jeter and the Revelators’ 5-song EP Late for My Own Funeral shows that they can rock hard. The catchy opener “19 Doin’ 20” is a bit frenetic, while “Come On” and “Barfly” provide some nice contrasting grooves at a slower pace. The album’s short on credits, but I assume drummer Chris Evans is propelling the group. Jonathan Jeter’s vocals have some of the style and grit of Leon Russell.
“Voodoo Woman” is tightly wound, tough southern twang that simultaneously draws inspiration from Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. This band’s messages may be simple, but there’s definitely something intrguing about its straightforward roots rock.

30A Songwriters Festival releases schedule

 in Americana Music

The 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, has just released its performance schedule for this weekend, Jan. 13-15.

You’ll find it in PDF form here.

Top draws on opening night will include the Psycho Sisters (former Continental Drifters Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson), David Olney, David Ryan Harris, Steve Forbert, Indigo Girl Amy Ray, John Oates, Corey Smith and a solo show by Bangle Susannah Hoffs, with a guest appearance by Matthew Sweet. Hoffman and Sweet recorded two volumes of Under the Covers together, both of which were terrific collections of classic rock and pop.

The Washover Fans: “That Habit Suits You”

 in Americana Music, Reviews

By Joe Ross

A “washover fan” is a term used by scientists for those sandy landforms that wash in over an island or spit of land during a storm.  While one member of this Washington-based acoustic Americana quartet was studying geology, the band adopted its moniker. It’s a good initial indication of their earthy approach to music.

That Habit Suits You features an appealing mix of organic and expressive contemporary folk. Together since 2009, The Washover Fans include Gillian Tart (guitar), David Smith (guitar, mandolin, percussion), Colin Isler (guitar, cello, harmonica), and Seth Hayden (lead guitar, mandolin, banjo). All but Hayden contribute vocals. Their musical influences stem from each member’s life and upbringing in New England, Washington, North Carolina and Georgia.

Despite the fact that their unpretentious music is all original, they have a keen ability to take us back to the roots, drawn from old-timey front porch sounds as well as folk-rock and alt-country. The Washover Fans’ slower songs strive for evocative moods with enticing vocals and instrumental accompaniment. Songs like “Light Sweet Crude,” “The Last Thing” and “A Ways” address fundamental visions of life from struggle to survival, love to heartbreak and perseverance to commitment. Gillian Tart’s journey in “Santa Fe” takes her from Alaska to Seattle to the desert, and finally to New Mexico.

I was also pleased to hear them occasionally pick up the pace with songs like “Soldier” and “Last Place to Go.” “Honeys” has a unique arrangement and catchy hook. While I enjoyed the fills of cello, harmonica, mandolin, banjo and lead guitar, I was also left wishing for a fiddle in the mix. Despite these minor pitfalls, it’s still an auspicious debut for this Puget Sound area band. They demonstrate a voice and sensibility beyond their years, and they seem ready for more than open mic showcases, taverns, cafes and coffeehouses. Count me as a Washover Fans fan.

Guy Clark tribute, Charlie Faye, Imelda May enter Americana charts

 in Americana Music

The Americana Music Association Radio Chart is back after a month-long hiatus, and Ryan Adams’ Ashes & Fire (PAX-AM/Capitol) remains at the top. Taking the holidays off is an odd call for an association promoting a genre that still needs to build its brand and visibility. And it’s not as though all those Americana stations just played Christmas music over the past month.

On to 2012: The outstanding Guy Clark tribute This One’s For Him debuts at number six on the chart, with 16 new stations adding it in the last week. The double-CD set features classic material by some of Americana music’s most prominent artists (Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker among them). Expect a long chart run.

Other chart debuts: Charlie Faye’s Travels with Charlie (Wine & Nut) enters the chart at #22, Danny Barnes’ Rocket (ATO) comes in at  #33 and Imelda May’s Mayhem (Decca) is at #35.

After the Guy Clark project, these albums were the most added: The Little Willies’ For the Good Times (Milking Bull/EMI), Reckless Kelly’s Good Luck and True Love (No Big Deal Records) and Orbo and the Longshots’ Prairie Sun (Blue Mood.)

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Review: Mark W. Lennon’s “Home of the Wheel”

 in Americana Music

By Joe Ross – Eclectic singer/songwriter Mark W. Lennon is a transplanted tarheel guitarist who now makes his home in Los Angeles, so he’s probably encountered a little upheaval in life’s routines. Lennon points out that we can always count on the river to stay the same.

A connection with The Songwriting School of Los Angeles is helping Lennon to further find inspiration, tap his creativity, and develop the craft. He’s said that his 2009 EP release “Down the Mountain” was an album without a plan, which “led to more of a jam style record.” And he realizes that the more songs he writes, the better they become.

Lennon’s connection with the Burbank, Ca. songwriting school also led him to this new album’s producer Marvin Etzioni, who also plays mandolin, guitars, bass, piano and percussion on this rawboned, soulful project. Lennon’s full-length album debut Home of the Wheel displays his developing maturity in Americana and contemporary folk music.

The title cut is a ballad that begins with the birth of his father in 1938 and “tobacco fields run red in the rain, ‘cause World War II was closing in.” I reckon this boy is making his family proud. With its country twang, “California Calling” emphasizes that life is not only full of change, but also presents different roads that influence one’s journey. That song and the rocking closer “Stop and Go” were co-written by Lennon and Etzioni.

Lennon’s songs are clear, concise and well-defined. Others helping to bring Lennon’s songs to fruition include Jerry Zacarias (drums, percussion), Jacob Morgan (bass), Dean Vivirito (ukulele, piano, vocals), Bryan Dobbs (guitar, steel guitar, lap steel, vocals), Scarlet Rivera (fiddle), and Sally Jaye (vocals).

Mark W. Lennon is a confident, talented, up-and-coming artist you should check out. His debut album indicates that he’s still developing his specific > personalized musical identity, and he shows interest and skill in a broad multi-genre spectrum.

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Bangles, Crowell, Ray headline 30A Songwriters Festival

 in Songwriters

The Bangles, Rodney Crowell and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls are among the headliners at next week’s 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

While some songwriters festivals feature writers who have composed for others, the 30A festival features a wide range of performers with recording careers, who also happen to write their own material.

Artists scheduled to appear at the festival Jan. 13-15 include Matthew Sweet, Mary Gauthier, Tania Elizabeth, Shawn Mullins, Jeffrey Steele, Miles Zuniga of Fastball, Joan Osborne,  Jim Lauderdale, Steve Forbert, Chely Wright, the Sam Bush Band,  David Ryan Harris, Corey Smith, Marti Jones and Don Dixon, Tommy Talton, Randall Bramblett, Susan Cowsill, Teddy Gentry, Lenny LeBlanc, Joseph Arthur, Lori McKenna, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, Chuck Cannon, Brigitte DeMeyer, Jeff Black, David Olney, Over the Rhine, Tommy Womack, Emily Lynch, Larkin Poe and Suzi Ragsdale.

Schedule details and ticket information can be found here.

Glen Campbell’s return to the Ryman

 in Americana Music

We reported here about Glen Campbell’s November 30 show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, but a return performance on Dec. 5 was postponed due to illness.
Campbell made up that date this week.
Here’s what Dave Paulson of the Tennessean said about the show:

“Little appeared to be impeding his performance Tuesday night. Teleprompters set up at the edge of the stage were glanced at for lyrical cues – almost a necessity for anyone tackling the songs of wordy popsmith Jimmy Webb – but Campbell remained in fine voice and proved to still be a staggeringly sharp and fluid guitarist, wowing the crowd early on with an explosive solo on “Gentle” and muscular melodic licks on his classic “Galveston.””

Read the Tennesean’s full review here.

Carole King at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe

 in Americana Music, Reviews

By Ken Paulson – Carole King performed some of her biggest hits in the relatively small confines of the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville Monday night, a memorable evening even in a city known for them.

King’s “Troubador” tour with James Taylor was an enormous success, but the remininiscing was largely scripted, with the same photos and anecdotes appearing night after night. The show at the Bluebird was as real as it gets, full of spontaneity and charm.

King shared the in-the-round with Gary Burr, Jim Photoglo and Georgia Middleman, three Nashville songwriters who offered harmonies and instrumental support, along with some impressive songs of their own.
King sang every fourth song, and others in the circle joked about the audience having to endure their material.

King opened her performance with “Chains,” a hit for the Cookies, later covered by the Beatles. It was joyous, with all four voices joining in.
Her “Up on the Roof” was stirring and may have been the evening’s highlight.

Before playing her “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” she took a few minutes to defend the Monkees’ recorded legacy. As Burr chimed in, “They had good material.”

Over the course of the evening, King performed three hit songs from her solo career – “So Far Away,” “I Feel the Earth Move” and “You’ve Got A Friend,” plus “New Year’s Day” a track from her new holiday album, written by daughter Louise Goffin and Guy Chambers.

For Burr (who toured with King), Middleman and Photoglo, it must have been like being in the line-up with Babe Ruth. All played at the top of their game.

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Rounder, New West, Lost Highway top Americana labels

 in Americana Music, Reviews

Among the joys of Americana music is the range of artists and labels. Indie labels often break through, leading to dark horses and pleasant surprises.

Yet this year’s Americana Music Association list of the top 100 albums from November 16, 2010 through November 14, 2011, serves as a reminder that the bigger labels still play a major role.

An analysis of both the number of charting albums and their relative position in the charts suggests that five labels are dominant, accounting for the top six releases of the year and more than a quarter of all charting albums:

1.Rounder is the top player in Americana music radio. The label placed a total of nine albums in the top 100, including two in the top 20 and 6 in the top 25, including Alison Krauss and Union Station’s Paper Airplane (4), Gregg Allman’s Low Country Blues (6) the Jayhawks’ Mocking Bird Time (12), Robert Plant’s Band of Joy (17) Abigail Washburn’s City of Refuge (24) and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers’ Rare Bird Alert (25)

2. New West had six albums on the Americana music charts, with two in the top 10 and three in the top 20. They include Steve Earle’s I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive (3), John Hiatt’s Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (8), Buddy Miller’s Majestic Silver Strings (13) and the Old 97s’ The  Grand Theatre (30.)

3. Lost Highway had four  albums on the Americana chart, including the top two slots, Hayes Carll’s KMAG YO-YO and Lucinda Williams’ Blessed. Their other charting albums were Robert Earl Keen’s Ready for Confetti (19) and 19 and Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses’ Junky Star (40.)

4. Nonesuch was the fourth most influential label, with five albums in the top 100, including Emmylou Harris’ Hard Bargain (5) and Wanda Jackson’s Party Ain’t Over (Third Man/ Nonesuch) at 23.

5.Sugar Hill also fared well in the annual chart with five albums, including Sarah Jarosz’s Follow Me Down (20) and Kasey Chamber’s Little Bird (31)

Review: Mary Z. Cox -“Girl with the Banjo Tattoo”

 in Americana Music

By Joe Ross – Mary Z. Cox is an accomplished player, teacher (and collector) of banjos and mountain dulcimers. At last count, she has 17 banjos and 12 dulcimers. The Florida-based artist’s seventh album, Girl with the Banjo Tattoo is a solo project with Mary playing one or two instruments on each of the 14 tracks. On one cut, “Chickens Crowin’ at Midnight,” she is joined by Ellen Sheppard on banjolin.

Mary’s instruments of choice appear to be a John Bowlin 1865 fretless banjo that is played on that song and two others (“Pretty Polly, ” “Needed Time”), and her Goldstone 5-string cello banjo that appears in the mix of five songs. That instrument provides a sweet, mournful sound, and I wonder if she also has a bass banjo in her collection. It would no doubt be a killer to play due to its size.

On various other cuts, we hear Mary’s banjos with and without frets, ones with open back or resonator, and mountain dulcimers of mahogany, cedar, spruce and cherry. Quite novel, the album opens with “Last Chance” played on a cigar box banjo built by Joe Masel. It takes a discerning ear to hear the subtle variations among her instruments.

With such a rawboned approach, it’s a tad unfortunate that she also simplifies a few of the fiddle tune melodies and employs few variations in her short 2-3 minute song arrangements. She adds her guitar on “Star of County Down,” and I would’ve enjoyed hearing a few more instruments (e.g. guitar, bass, fiddle) for occasional accompaniment.

Despite these minor criticisms, the crowning moments for the “Girl with the Banjo Tattoo” are when regular and cello banjos are employed together (“Chinkapin Hunting,” “Gaspe Reel”), or when banjo and dulcimer provide bouncy melodic interplay (“Sweet ‘Bama,” “Goodbye Girls I’m Going to Boston”). I’m used to hearing “Gaspe Reel” at a slightly faster tempo, but Mary’s performance is a nice, rhythmically expressive rendition.

Besides her instrumental proficiency, Mary Z. Cox is also an award-winning singer, so I was surprised that she didn’t add her voice to the project on such numbers as “Scarborough Fair,” “Morning Has Broken” or “Pretty Polly.” That wasn’t her vision, however, for this spare front porch instrumental setting of clawhammer banjo and mountain dulcimer. I guess I would’ve preferred a more raucous and full sound, similar to that of Bob Flesher’s old-time minstrel and clawhammer banjo albums.

“Girl with the Banjo Tattoo” will gain plenty of traction and attention among banjoholics as it’s a well-wrought and captivating musical story that instrumentally carries us back to the old homeplace on the mountain in the mid-1800s. You’ve simply got to appreciate how the vivacious drive and charismatic magnetism of Mary Z. Cox’s banjo and dulcimer playing draw us right into her old-timey music.

Review: All the Real Girls’ “Tinsel Town”

 in Americana Music

By Joe Ross – The aching vulnerability of young people coming of age is the rootsy musical territory explored by All the Real Girls on their 5-song EP, Tinsel Town. Many songs have been inspired by life’s journeys and struggles, and this folk-rock project doesn’t succumb to cliches. Rather, the thoughtful music was written by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Peter Donovan (guitar, organ, piano) for a low-budget film called “Lost on Purpose” directed by Ian and Eshom Nelms, two brothers who grew up in the San Joaquin Valley.  The movie tells the story of five ranch hands on a dairy farm fighting for survival, direction and friendship when times are tough.

“The Way It Is” sets the stage for a young man (presumably the movie’s protagonist) accepting the cards he’s been dealt, but also having an optimistic note. A breezy jaunt, “Lose the Sun,” is a pleasantly nostalgic song about making time stand still. It similarly has a positive and confident message. Opening with just guitar, piano and vocals, “Follow the River” slowly builds with its encouragement to “keep your head up, kid, because tonight’s the night.”

Glittery Hollywood is often referred to as “Tinsel Town,” and as an analogy to life, we have to also find and understand perspectives about trust, substance, pride, truth and love. The title track conveys a sense of enlightenment and insight “when I hear the tales of you out on the road, it starts to make some sense why I’m so afraid of home.”

The understated earthiness of Bruce Derr’s pedal steel and Jordan Walston’s banjo provide a soothing country twang in “When I Had You.” The rest of the band includes Eric Ambrose (trombone), Chris Elliott (trumpet), Andrew Blowen (piano, organ), Matthew Cosby (bass), Travis Kline (guitar), Juliet Nelson (cello), and Jon Nolan (drums, guitar, percussion, vocals). Additional vocals are added by Elsa Cross, Amy Elhoff and Elijah Ocean.

As with the movie, these five effective songs have settings, characters and a plot that tie them together into a meaningful, relevant story. Peter Donovan gently blends words and melody. As you listen, see what kinds of picturesque images are conjured up in your own mind. Then catch the movie to determine how close you’ve come to those portrayed in this contemporary Americana music. Hopefully the images have worth and substance unlike L.A.’s “tinsel town.” This music also provides understanding of a younger generation’s confidence and optimism, but also of the occasional misguided direction and confusion they experience. Haunting truth and beauty are really all we can ask for in a song.