Review: Chip Taylor and the Grandkids

 in Americana Music, Reviews

Chip Taylor’s new album is a family effort, teaming him with his grandchildren for a refreshing and engaging kids’ record. Golden Kids Rules  (Smithsonain Folkways Recordings) features songs they wrote and performed together.
The title song sets the positive and loving tone: “5-6-7-8 who do we appreciate? Kids, even if they’re breaking some rules.”
“Big Ideas” is sweet and melodic, but also a confident statement from a 10-year-old: “Take a good look at me I’m not just a kid I’ve got big ideas. I don’t tell them to everyone. What about you?”
Not that the album is free of tension. “Daddy is a Red Sox Fan/Mommy Is a Yankees Fan” asks “What’s a little girl to do?”
You get the idea. It’s a fun and smart album that will entertain you and your kids (or grandkids.)
It’s a bit of a surprise to see the man who wrote “Wild Thing” record a song called “Magical Horse,” but this album, like his recent collaborative effort Rock and Roll Joe, makes one thing very clear.
Chip Taylor plays well with others.

 

 

 

Saluting Buck Owens and the Bakersfield Sound

 in Reviews

Fans of the Bakersfield Sound have plenty to celebrate.  First there’s the just-released Buck Owens collection “Bound for Bakersfield 1953-1956: The Complete Pre-Capitol Collection.” The Rockbeat album collects songs that Owens recorded for the Pep, Chesterfield and La Brea labels before a much more successful run on Capitol.

It’s a mixed bag of honky tonk and early rock ‘n’ roll, but even the 1953 “Down on the Corner of Love” hints at what’s to come. It’s by definition a collector’s album packed with alternate takes, but a casual fan of the era will also enjoy much of “Bound for Bakersfield.”

Buck Owens’ later hit years will be featured at a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame March 24, 2012 in Nashville.

“The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and California Country,” is scheduled for an almost a two-year stay.
“From its earliest chapters on through to today, California has played a significant role in country music history,” said Museum Director Kyle Young in a statement. “Long before the outlaws or alternative country, the Bakersfield Sound evolved specifically to suit a time and a place, made an indelible mark on popular music, and spawned two of the most charismatic stars in the firmament.”

Americana Music Festival preview: The 1861 Project

 in Americana Music Festival

The upcoming Americana Music Festival in Nashville will feature a number of free shows open to the public. Prominent among these is an Oct. 15 performance of songs from the 1861 Project, a new album that recounts the civil war through song. From the original Sun209 review:

This ambitious, engaging and yes, educational project chronicles the Civil War through the perspectives of those who fought it.
The stirring John Anderson performance on “The Turning of a Field” foreshadows the events of the next four years, culiminating in the surrender at Appomattox and the soldiers’ return home.
There are inherent challenges in a project that tries to recapture the emotions and spirit of an era long gone. The music has to be contemporary (the hit songs of the 1860s don’t wear very well) and yet sound like they’re of a kind with the time. Producer Thomm Jutz and a talented group of writers, including Peter Cronin, Charley Stefl, Jon Weisberger, Stan Webb, Irene Kelley and
Dana Cooper accomplish that nicely.

Jutz and Kelley are among the performers scheduled to appear at the free show.  The performance, staged in partnership with the Southern Festival of Books, is set for 2:30 pm on Oct. 15 on the Legislative Plaza in Nashville.

Will Hoge, Wilco surge on Americana Music Chart

 in Americana Music

The top five spots in this week’s Americana Music Association Chart remain unchanged, with the Jayhawks, Robert Earl Keen, John Hiatt, Gillian Welch and Guy Clark ranked one through five. Will Hoge’s “Number Seven” jumps from #26 to #13.

Fresh off two triumphant nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Wilco enters the chart at #21 with “The Whole Love.” (Pictured.) Other Americana music chart debuts include Jason Boland and the Stragglers’ “Rancho Alto” at #30, Pieta Brown’s “Mercury” at #35,Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three’s “Middle of Everywhere” at #37 and Lydia Loveless’ “Indestructible Machine” at #39. The most added album of the week is Ryan Adams’ “Ashes and Fire.”

D.J. Fontana to be recognized as “Nashville Cat”

 in Americana Music

The Nashville Cats series of conversations with pivotal country, rock and Americana music artists continues Oct. 22 at the Country Music Hall of Fame, as Bill Lloyd interviews legendary drummer D.J. Fontana. Fontana was the drummer on Elvis Presley’s earliest hits and appeared on almost 500 Presley recordings. He was also a prominent session player and has recorded with a wide range of artists, including Lefty Frizzell, Waylon Jennings, Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, Carl Perkins, Keith Richards and Charley Pride.
The interview will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the hall, and is free with admission to the museum. The program will also be available as a live stream.

The program featuring Elvis’ drummer comes weeks after a Nashville Cats appearance by James Burton, who played guitar for Elvis and Rick Nelson.

Jayhawks top Americana chart

 in Americana Music

The Jayhawks, with founding member Mark Olson on hand for the first time since 1995, have the top album on the Americana Music Assocation chart this week. “Mocking Bird Time” (Rounder) replaces Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” after a one-week run at the top.
New to the top ten is Ry Cooder’s “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down” (Nonesuch) at number nine. It’s also one of the chart’s most-added albums.
This week’s chart debuts are Will Hoge’s “Seven” (Ryko) at #26 and the Dirt Daubers’ “Wake Up, Sinners” (Colonel Knowledge) at #39.

Del McCoury featured in new in-studio video series

 in Americana Music

Three years ago, Steve Fishell, a one-time member of Emmylou
Harris’ Hot Band and later a producer of a number of cool country and Americana
acts, launched the Music Producers Institute in Nashville.

It was a studio with a twist. Fishell’s business model gave
artists an economical way to record a new album, while inviting recording
students and fans to pay tuition and watch the recording process in person.

MPI recording sessions have featured Kris Kristofferson, Delbert
McClinton, Poco, Radney Foster, Raul Malo, Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider, Jace
Everett, Jerry Douglas, Rodney Crowell, Asleep at the Wheel and the reunited Foster
& Lloyd.

In an innovative move, MPI is now releasing videos showing
highlights of the sessions. The first release features new Bluegrass Hall of
Fame member Del McCoury recording tracks for “Old Memories: The Songs of
Bill Monroe, ” due to be released on Sept. 27.

The price is certainly right. Viewers can access the 65-minute video for $4.99, and even share a second viewing with a friend.  You’ll find details at the MPI site.

Concert review: Elvis Costello at the Ryman Auditorium

 in Reviews

Roy Acuff wouldn’t have approved.

There on the stage of the legendary Ryman Auditorium tonight was a go-go dancer moving to the music of Elvis Costello and the Imposters. The dancer’s cage – and the multi-colored “Spectacular Spinning Songbook” that drove the setlist- contributed to a carnival-like atmosphere and an entertaining and outlandish show.

This was in sharp contrast to Costello’s performance on the same stage in 2008. That was a lethargic show, top-heavy with tracks from the then-current “Momofoku” album.

Tonight the Ryman’s karma must have taken over. Every time the wheel was spun, it turned to classics like “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” “Everyday I Write the Book” and “Clubland.”

Audience members were invited onstage to spin the wheel, dance and lounge. One woman bent the rules and requested a song that wasn’t on the wheel. She was rewarded with a striking version of “Almost Blue.”

The show began and ended with high points, book-ended by Nick Lowe songs. Costello opened with two songs from “Get Happy” – “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” and “High Fidelity, and then played a driving cover of Lowe’s “Heart of the City.”

The show closed with Lowe’s “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding” and a cover of the Who’s “Substitute.”

Indoor fireworks indeed.

Jackie DeShannon: “When You Walk in the Room”

 in Reviews

“When You Walk in the Room,” Jackie DeShannon’s first album in 11 years, is a remarkable retrospective of songs she wrote and others she made famous.
DeShannon is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, but you have to wonder why she’s not also in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Like Carole King, she wrote songs for some of the biggest names in pop and rock music, and carved out an impressive recording career long before female singer-songwriters were commonplace.
The new album features acoustic performances of DeShannon’s finest work, including big pop hits written by others – “What the World News Now” and “Needles and Pins” – and her own versions of songs she wrote for others. The latter includes “Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe” (recorded by the Byrds) and the title song, which was a hit for both the Searchers and Pam Tillis.
DeShannon wrote “Bette Davis Eyes” with Donna Weiss for her “New Arrangement” album, but the song was rebuilt when Kim Carnes recorded it, and it became one of the biggest hits of 1982. DeShannon wisely does the Carnes arrrangment here, although your brain will want to supply the missing handclaps.
DeShannon stills sings beautifully, and the simple instrumentation and production bring the songwriting to the fore.
“Break-A-Way,” a DeShannon song recorded by Irma Thomas and later, Tracey Ullman, is slowed down here. I’ll admit I missed the original recording’s energy, but this take puts the melody front and center.
James Taylor and Carole King were a huge touring and recording success last year as they revisited their hits on the Troubador tour. DeShannon and this new album are certainly in that league and deserve the same kind of attention.

Mark Twain: Words and Music

 in Reviews

It’s been a good month for Americana music fans who love history. First came the fine 1861 Project , which chronicled the Civil War. New today is “Mark Twain: Words and Music,” a fundraising project for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home in Hannibal, Missouri.
We haven’t heard the two-CD package yet, but the spoken word and music set features a remarkable line-up, including Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Marty Raybon,  Rhonda Vincent, Carl Jackson, The Church Sisters, Sheryl Crow, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie and Ricky Skaggs.

The set will be limited to an initial run of 5,000 copies, according to hannibal.net.

 

Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” tops Americana chart

 in Americana Music

Robert Earl Keen’s “Ready for Confetti” hits number one on this week’s Americana Music Association Chart. That’s no surprise. The album first appeared on the chart a month before release and its climb has been relentless.
John Hiatt’s “Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns” falls to third after a long run at the top. Elsewhere in the top ten, the Jayhawks (#2), Ollabelle (#6) and Guy Clark (#7) also move up.
New to the chart: The Gourds’ “Old Mad Joy” at #34, the genre-defying Pistol Annies’ “Hell on Heels” at #37, and Ray Bonneville’s “Bad Man’s Blood” at #39.

This day in Americana music: Gram Parsons died in 1973

 in Americana Music

Sept. 19: On this date in 1973, Gram Parsons died of a drug overdose at age 26. His recordings spanned just seven years, but his melding of rock and country was hugely influential, and established a foundation for what we now call Americana music.
From his role in the Byrds and “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” to the founding of the Flying Burrito Brothers, his later solo recordings and influence on the Rolling Stones, Parsons bridged genres and broke new ground.
38 years after his death, Parsons’ impact is still apparent. Emmylou Harris wrote about her friendship with him on a song called “On the Road,” which leads off her current album, “Hard Bargain.”
NPR music had an inspired idea to salute Parsons by asking a young intern to review his final album, “Grievous Angel.” Laurin Penland wrote “Each time I give Grievous Angel a spin, I listen to Parsons’ voice for a glimpse of the downfall that was to come only a month later — but I never hear it. In fact, there’s relief here for people who have survived hard times.” You’ll find her full review here.

Nick Lowe’s “The Old Magic”

 in Reviews

Someone somewhere once told Nick Lowe to act his age and he took the advice seriously.
His new “The Old Magic” is a masterful album, impeccably performed and produced, but it’s also sad and subdued, a quiet declaration that “the Basher” has abandoned any thought of actually rocking ever again.
You can’t knock that. Lowe has decided to croon through the rest of his career, and the album’s subjects are fitting for a 62-year-old. Maybe too fitting.
“Checkout Time” is representative, a song about Lowe’s reputation after death: “Though I know this road is still some way to go, I can’t help thinking on will I be beloved and celebrated for my masterly climb, or just another bum when it comes to checkout time?”
Then there’s “I Read a Lot,” a devasting ballad about a lost romance. It’s a riveting story, and more MOR than Chuck Berry. The slightly more uptempo “House for Sale” is more of the same, with a little edge: “Take a look inside/this is where love once did reside.”
It’s an impeccable album. Lowe’s voice is still in great shape and his songwriting may be at an emotional high point.
Still, I’ll have to admit I miss the Nick Lowe of “Raging Eyes” and “Half A Boy and Half a Man.” At his peak, Lowe played full-throttle, melodic and irreverent songs that no one could match. Surely there’s still a “So It Goes” in there somewhere.

On this date: Hank Williams’ birthday in 1923

 in Americana Music

Sept. 17: On this date in Americana music, Hank Williams was born in 1923. His impact on country, rock and Americana has been enormous, particularly in terms of songwriting.
It’s appropriate then, that some of today’s top songwriters are paying tribute to Williams by taking lyrics found in a notebook on the day he died, and completing the songs.
Billy Bragg and Wilco set the standard for this with their collaboration on Woody Guthrie’s songs. The line-up for “The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams,” set for release on Oct. 4, looks very promising:
Alan Jackson on “You’ve Been Lonesome, Too”
Bob Dylan on “The Love That Faded”
Norah Jones on “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?”
Jack White on “You Know That I Know”
Lucinda Williams on “I’m So Happy I Found You”
Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell on “I Hope You Shed a Million Tears”
Patty Loveless on “You’re Through Fooling Me”
Levon Helm on”You’ll Never Again Be Mine”
Holly Williams on “Blue Is My Heart”
Jakob Dylan on “Oh, Mama, Come Home”
Sheryl Crow on “Angel Mine”
Merle Haggard on “The Sermon on the Mount.”

Americana chart: Ry Cooder, John Doe among new entries

 in Americana Music

Today the new Americana Music Association Chart showed Matraca Berg still in the Top 20 with her “The Dreaming Fields” album. Tonight she sang her “You and Tequila” (number four in this week’s Billboard country charts) on stage at the Ryman Auditorium along with Grace Potter and Kenny Chesney. That’s a pretty good Monday.
The chart remained largely unchanged this week, with John Hiatt still at number one and no new Top 10 entries.
New to the Americana Music chart: Ry Cooder’s “Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down,”(pictured) Girls Guns and Glory’s “Sweet Nothings,” Jimmie Dale Gilmore’s “Heirloom Music” and John Doe’s “Keeper.”

Americana Music Lifetime Achievement winners named

 in Americana Music

The Americana Music Association has named Lucinda Williams, Gregg Allman, Jerry Douglas and executive Rick Hall as this year’s lifetime achievement award winners, and will recognize them on Oct. 13 at its annual awards ahow at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Also to be honored: radio host and journalist Bob Harris, who will receive the AMA’s trailblazer award.

Carolina Chocolate Drops at the Ryman Auditorium

 in Americana Music

The biggest surprise for most attending tonight’s Grace Potter show at the Ryman was opening act the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Give a mini-skirted rocker credit for counter-programming.

You don’t expect to hear string tunes from the 19th century or an Ethel Waters cover at most rock shows. The audience seemed pleasantly surprised – and mesmerized. The show was outstanding.

During their Nashville stay,  Chocolate Drops member Dom Flemons did an interview with the Star-Telegram. An excerpt:

The North Carolina-based quartet, one of just two known African-American “string bands” in existence, traffics in a style more evocative of Will Rogers than Lady Gaga, or what multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons calls simply “old-time fiddle and banjo music.”

“What we do, as a whole, branches off in a lot of different directions,” Flemons says by phone from a Nashville tour stop. “There are a lot of different strains that are in there. It’s such a huge breadth of material.”

Review: Slaid Cleaves’ “Sorrow and Smoke”

 in Reviews

I first saw Slaid Cleaves on stage at the Barns of Wolf Trap outside Washington, D.C. He was the opening act, but he quickly won over a tough audience with his compelling story-songs and confident presence.
“Sorrow And Smoke: Live at the Horseshoe Lounge, a new two CD set (#26 on the Americana music chart), captures a similar performance at an Austin bar that he confesses he was once afraid to enter.
It’s as real as a live album gets, complete with banter, audience shout-outs, a false start and plugs for a local record store and Cleaves’ website.
It’s also pretty stark, with basic acoustic accompaniment, and serious themes. “Another day another year, death keeps whispering in my ear,” he sings on “A Sinner’s Prayer.”
When Cleaves does lighten up a bit, the performance is fun and boisterous, particularly on “Tumbleweed Stew.”
“Go for the Gold” is the set’s new song and it’s an intriguing one. Cleaves channels Woody Guthrie on this vintage-sounding, yet very contemporary gospel song that criticizes those who would use faith to divide us.
Slaid Cleaves is a talented songwriter who can win over an audience. “Sorrow and Smoke” makes that doubly clear.

“The Old Magic:” Free streaming of new Nick Lowe album

 in Americana Music

Nick Lowe’s new album “The Old Magic”  is due out on Sept. 13, which means heightened visibility and promotion. Lowe appeared at both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grammy Museum, and has done quite a few media appearances, including a guest DJ role on “All Songs Considered.”
Now Yep Roc is offering the chance to stream the new album before it’s released. The catch – and it’s not a big one – is that you have to “like” “The Old Magic” on Facebook. You’ll find the details here.

Sept. 8: Jimmie Rodgers’ birthday

 in Americana Music

Sept. 8 in Americana music: Jimmie Rodgers, known as the “father of country music,” was born on this date in 1897. He’s also arguably the father of roots and Americana music and his work has had a profound impact on generations of artists. He was one of the first three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and later was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
There are countless Rodgers covers and albums, but Steve Forbert, who shared Rodgers’ Meridian, Mississippi roots, did a particularly nice job in 2002. “Any Old Time” gives a contemporary feel to a classic body of work.