By Ken Paulson
The Boxmasters – Somewhere Down the Road – 101 Ranch Records – It’s not every album that has its own built-in mood swing. The Boxmasters – “Bud” Billy Bob Thornton, Teddy Andreadis, Brad Davis and J.D. Andrews – will release a new two-CD set this week, each disc with a distinctly different tone.
The first disc features their brand of “Modbilly,” an amalgam of jangly pop and country that emulates everyone from the Searchers to the Mavericks. It’s breezy, melodic and often amusingly quirky, as exemplified by “Kathy Won’t Share,” a song about adding another woman to a couple’s lifestyle.
The second CD is considerably darker. Sample lyrics: “As much as I hate myself, I love you.”
“Who Can I Tell” is the saga of a man with a burning secret about a lover who is later found “on the rails, in pieces in the rain.” “Long Black Veil” it’s not.
Sam Lewis – Waiting for You – Brash Music – Sam Lewis must have spent a lot of time listening to Moondance. The influence is unmistakable on his soulful second album, which includes performances by Will Kimbrough, Darrell Scott, the McCrary Sisters and Kenny Vaughan. He’s on tour now, with a Nashville date set for April 23 at the 5 Spot.
Monty Byrom – 100 Miles South of Eden – Due on April 14 is the new album from Monty Byrom, a member of Big House and the co-writer of the Eddie Money hit “I Wanna Go Back.” It includes a 1998 live performance of Buck Owens’ “Big in Vegas” by Owens and Big House.
Matt Lax and Nearly Beloved – Attaboy Records – The fourth album by Matt Lax and the Nearly Beloved, a Northern California band, is set for release in May.
Rob Nance – Signal Fires – Rob Nance follows up Lost Souls & Locked Doors with a more musically adventurous second album, set for release on April 21.