Darrell Scott (Paul T. Mueller)
We’re pleased to kick off the 2019 Americana Music Podcast season with Darrell Scott, an outstanding singer-songwriter whose body of work includes “It’s A Great Day to Be Alive” and “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” On this edition of the podcast, Scott talks about his musical origins and his work that resonates most. We’re looking forward to seeing his performance later this month at the 30A Music Festival.
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New and recent releases from Darrell Scott, Cyndi Lauper, Jeremy Nail, David Newbould, the Honeycutters, Mike Eldred Trio and Robert Rex Weller, Jr.:
Darrell 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.”
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.
By Ken Paulson
Americana Music News — Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott have teamed up again for an impressive new album called Memories and Moments.
This is their second studio album, with songwriting duties split between the pair, and a powerful new collaboration on “Keep Your Dirty Lights On,” a powerful environmental message.
We had the chance to talk to Tim about the new album at the American Music Festival in Nashville.
Follow Sun209: Americana Music News on Twitter at @Sun209com.
Americana Music News – The Americana Music Association has announced an impressive line-up for the Americana Music Festival & Conference September 12-15 in Nashville , with more performers to be named later.
As usual, the roster includes a good mix of accomplished veterans and emerging artists.
Among the biggest names: Billy Joe Shaver, the Punch Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Richard Thompson, Sara Watkins, John Hiatt, Steve Forbert and Rodney Crowell.
Also booked are newer artists who have enjoyed extensive airplay on Americana music radio, including honeyhoney, John Fullbright, The Deep Dark Woods, Shovels & Rope and Eilen Jewell.
The full list: American Aquarium, Amy Helm, Andrew Combs , Angel Snow, Anthony da Costa, Bearfoot, Belle Starr , Bill Kirchen, Billy Joe Shaver, Black Lillies, Blue Highway, Blue Mountain, BoDeans, Brandi Carlile, Brennen Leigh, Buddy Miller, Buxton, Caitlin Harnett, Chastity Brown, Corb Lund,Cory Branan, Darrell Scott, The Deep Dark Woods, Della Mae, Derek Hoke, the Dunwells, Eilen Jewell, Felicity Urquhart, Fort Frances, Gretchen Peters, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, honeyhoney, Humming House, Immigrant Union, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Jill Andrews, Jim Lauderdale, Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition, John Fullbright, John Hiatt, Jordie Lane, Julie Lee, Kasey Anderson and the Honkies, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, Kevin Gordon, Lera Lynn, Lydia Loveless, Mandolin Orange, Mary Gauthier, the Mastersons, Max Gomez, McCrary Sisters, Mindy Smith, Nicki Bluhm and The Gamblers, Phoebe Hunt, Punch Brothers, Reckless Kelly, Richard Thompson, Robert Ellis, Rodney Crowell, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Sara Watkins, Shovels and Rope, Sons of Bill, Sons of Fathers, Star and Micey, Starr Anna, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Forbert, Teresa Williams, Larry Campbell, Tift Merritt, Turnpike Troubadours, Two Gallants, Wheeler Brothers, Whitehorse, The WoodBrothers and The World Famous Headliners.
You’ll find more details on the Americana Music Festival on their home site.
Follow Sun209: Americana Music News at @sun209com.
by Paul T. Mueller
–Let’s hope that Levi Lowrey’s debut CD, I Confess I Was a Fool, is at least partly a work of imagination and not completely autobiographical. It’s easy to imagine that the excesses he writes and sings about so well might cut short his promising career, if not his life, and that would be a real loss for the music community.
Several of the 12 tracks on I Confess are first-person narratives of a troubled soul, afflicted by pain, self-doubt and alcohol, not always in that order. That said, it’s also a fine collection of well-written songs, tastefully performed by Lowrey and an excellent supporting cast.
Lowrey, a Georgia native and Zac Brown protégé who records for Brown’s Southern Ground label, sings in an understated, but rich and expressive voice that’s well suited to his very personal lyrics. He’s backed on this recording by several members of Brown’s band and other veterans of the Georgia music scene, as well as such Nashville luminaries as Jerry Douglas and Darrell Scott. Producers included Brown and Clay Cook, a well-known Atlanta-area musician who’s also a Brown band member.
The CD opens with the bluegrassy “The Problem With Freedom,” which considers the conflict between freedom and commitment and concludes that “the problem with freedom after all/is that no one’s there to catch you when you fall.”
The way love can fade under the pressure of everyday life is the subject of “Act Like We Are Lovers,” a gentle ballad that pleads for a revival of romance and features some nice dobro and pedal steel guitar from Jerry Douglas. “Wherever We Break Down” mines a somewhat similar vein as the narrator dreams of ditching the rat race and hitting the road with his lover.
Things turn darker in “Another Sunday Morning Hangover,” a slow country song with a bluesy vibe, about the bad times that sometimes follow good times. “I know the Lord turned the water to wine,” Lowrey sings, “but the Devil made me drink it last night.” That’s well-trodden territory, especially in country music, but Lowrey pulls it off with a style that recalls Kris Kristofferson.
The mood lightens a bit with “No Good Dreaming Kind,” Lowrey’s first-person tribute to dreamers and rule-breakers. It’s a nice bit of songwriting, with a chorus that goes from dreaming to rules to lines and circles back to dreaming.
“Whiskey and Wine,” co-written with Brown, is a slow, mostly acoustic ballad about an illicit affair between two people who find excuses for their actions in the contents of their glasses. “Freight Hopper” somewhat predictably uses trains as a metaphor for freedom, but when the narrator sings, “A train was made for leavin’/and I was made for dreamin’,” it’s not clear whether his threat to leave town on the first thing smoking is genuine or only a daydream.
“All American” is more or less an update of Charlie Daniels’ “Uneasy Rider.” Lowrey spins another funny tale of a long-haired outsider who finds himself in a tight spot in a small-town bar. He raises Daniels a few words you can’t say on the radio and throws in a twist or two to reflect some changes in the American way of life over the past four decades or so.
“Yesterday’s Fool” is pure country of the kind that’s too rare in Nashville these days. The lost-love lament is nothing new, but this one is redeemed by Lowrey’s writing. “Tomorrow’s a far cry from forever, but I guess it’ll do,” he observes, and ends the chorus with, “If you walk out tonight, then tomorrow I’m yesterday’s fool.” Tasteful piano and some nice a capella singing by Lowrey contribute to the mood.
“Roselee and Odes” is another love song, this one about a love that lasts instead of ending, but while pleasant enough, it’s not one of the CD’s standout tracks. “Space Between” is another lament about the things that keep us apart, and the effort it takes to overcome them. It’s pretty dark, but the album ends on a brighter note with “Hold On Tight,” a testimony to the power of love and optimism that starts out with a shotgun wedding and follows the young couple as they grow, mature and help each other through life’s ups and downs.
A photograph on the inside of the CD jacket shows Lowrey holding a burning picture of himself, presumably at a younger age. Maybe that’s a visual metaphor for Lowrey’s determination to break with his past; maybe it’s just a nice way to illustrate the themes that run through many of his songs. It works either way.
It’s been a relatively stable week on the Americana Music radio airplay chart, with Lyle Lovett again holding on to the top position with Release Me, followed by Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home.
There’s only one new album on the chart this week, with Janiva Magness’ Stronger For It entering at #36.
Tommy Womack’s fine Now What! is back on the chart after dropping off for a week. It stands at #38.
Albums with the most adds:
– Justin Townes Earle’s Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me, with 18 new stations.
– Andrew Bird’s Break It Yourself (13)
– Todd Snider’s Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables (12)
– Peter Mulvey’s The Good Stuff (11)
Tin Pan South, the pre-emiment songwriters festival, has just released its line-up for the 2012 event scheduled for March 27-31. It’s a wide-ranging collection of talent, spead over ten venues. Attendees can pay cover at the door or buy a weeklong pass that offers preferred access.
Many of this year’s performers are songwriters who have also had successful recording careers, including Ray Wylie Hubbard, Walter Egan, T. Graham Brown, Lari White, Michael Johnson, Peter Yarrow, Sam Bush, Mark Hudson, Felix Cavaliere, Radney Foster, Darrell Scott, Buddy Miller, Lee Roy Parnell, John Oates, Jim Lauderdale, Dickey Lee, Buzz Cason, Shawn Mullins, Jim Peterik, Al Anderson, Shawn Camp and the Wrights.
You’ll find details on the schedule and tickets at the Tin Pan South site. For coverage of past Tin Pan South events, go here.
(Follow Sun209and the festival at sun209com on Twitter.)
The top three positions on the Americana music airplay chart remain steady this week, with Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home, the Guy Clark tribute This One’s For Him and the Little Willies’ For the Good Times remaining first through third.
Lyle Lovett’s Release Me jumps into #4 in just its second week. It’s also one of the three most-added albums, with 15 stations picking it up this week.
New to the chart this week: The Carolina Chocolate Drops Leaving Eden at #27 (also the most added), Sugar + the High-Lows’s self-titled album at #31, Joan Osborne’s Shake Your Hips at #35, Otis Gibbs’ Harder Than Hammered Hell at #37 and Tommy Womack’s Now What! at #40.
Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home moves into the top spot on the Americana music airplay chart this week, after a virtual three-way tie at the number one spot last week. The album is being played on 54 stations.
Chart debuts this week include Lyle Lovett’s Release Me at #16, the Chieftains’ Voice of Ages at #24 and New Multitudes, an album of new music and Woody Guthrie lyrics by Jay Farrar, Wil Johnson, Anders Parker and “Yim Yames, “ at #34.
Most added this week: Lovett’s album with 29 stations and Otis Gibbs’ Harder Than Hammered Hell with 13 stations.
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They don’t make elections this close: The top 3 slots on this week’s Americana Music radio airplay chart include the Little Willies’ For the Good Times with 389 spins, Darrell Scott’s Long Ride Home, also with 389 spins, This One’s For Him, the Guy Clark tribute with 388.
New to the chart this week: Amos Lee’s As the Crow Flies at #28, Elliott Brood’s Days Into Years at #31, the Punch Brothers’ Who’s Feeling Young Now? at #35, Chuck Mead and the Grassy Knoll Boys’ Back at the Quonset Hut at #37 and the Dunwells’ Blind Sighted Faith at #39.
Chuck Mead told us about the Quonset Hut project in December.
You’ll find the audio interview here.
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.