http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/ Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:31:51 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 www.nocomebacks.co.uk I fully expected to hate this: two ageing Brits in cowboy hats, one ageing Texan whose star has long faded, a bunch of singing cowboy songs and a drum machine. What can go right? I mean, I've been to one of those country shows where people turn up in their rhinestone jackets and cowboy hats and I vowed to run a mile if I ever felt myself slipping in that direction. I like my cheese on toast, not on the stage. So I guess this is one of those things that you know instantly is a guilty pleasure because I confess I listen to this with as much a grin as a grimace. After all, we all know all these songs and when they're performed with as much gusto and enthusiasm as they are here then you can't help but bend before the wind they make. Some of these songs are real favourites of mine: Tumbling Tumbleweeds (which Mike Nesmith sold me when I was but a lad), Wayward Wind (good enough for Neil Yong, good enough for me), Don't Fence Me In and Ghost Riders in the Sky are all songs I'd give a listen to anytime and they're all delivered here with a great dollop of cheesy sincerity. Tina Dean helps out on the singing which sweetens the aroma of all these ageing cowboys but really all I can say is that next time you've got some long list of household chores, chuck this on the stereo, turn it up loud and lose yourself in some ludicrously Technicolor fantasy world. John Davy FSR Interview Here PS We need your help to relaunch Flyinshoes Review. If you've enjoyed the music and this review, please share it with your face book, myspace, twitter and indeed anyone you think would be interested, you can access all of these and your address book from the share button below left, thanks. Editor ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:40:29 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 http://www.myspace.com/johnsieger John Sieger, from Milwaukee, has been through several incarnations as musician and band leader and along the way has produced several albums under his own name. His previous offering, 'The Shaming of the True', was the first time I'd come across him and didn't really set my world on fire, to be honest - too mannered in his songwriting style for my taste, really. 'Live at Bob's', though, is altogether more listenable. Lovingly recorded at a house concert, it has all the intimate atmosphere of music being made in the moment that such a recording should have. This was actually the second attempt at a live recording so full marks for dedication to the cause of quality control. I still have problems with his songwriting sometimes: he's too fond of rather strained puns for my liking. He can be direct, though and When My Angel Smiles, for example, is a rather beautiful song and a fair indication of why several of his songs have been picked up by high profile artists over the years. The thing that gives this album something special though is the easy going musicality of the players; John's brother Mike - with whom he's played for ever and a day - is on bass and the very fine Bill Dwyer contributes electric guitar. It's a pretty low-key sound that they're making but there's room for some very fine breaks, slightly jazzy in tone at times and the sound of three guitarists working so effortlessly together is pretty fine. It reminds me of the records a guitarist friend of mine sends my way by the likes of Peter Rowan and Norman Blake - not exactly high on hit making possibilities but very high on amiability and musicality. Live at Bob's is just such a gentle pleasure. John Davy Here is John in an earlier oncarnation with Ther Subcontinentals PS We need your help to relaunch Flyinshoes Review. If you've enjoyed the music and this review, please share it with your face book, myspace, twitter and indeed anyone you think would be interested, you can access all of these and your address book from the share button below left, thanks. Editor ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 17 Jan 2010 13:39:38 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Here's a best of the decade list; I'd like to have put both of Drew Nelson's albums in, partly because nobody seems to have picked up on him much and I reckon he's quite special. In no particular order. All of these I love everytime I hear them and some of them are definitely comfort music for me by now. AJ Roach: Revelation Nels Andrews: Sunday Shoes Bruce Springsteen: Magic Drew Nelson: Dusty Road to Beulah Land Joe West: Human Cannonball Wilco: Wilco(the album) Thamusement: Silver Seed Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub: Blue Notes Loomer: Songs of the Wild West Island Willard Grant Conspiracy: Let it Roll John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:51:32 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Dave Desmelik has been round a musical block or two. At one time he was a member of the hottest band in Flagstaff - can't say I know how big Flagstaff is, but it's a fair bet it's bigger than Dingwall. Now, though, he's moved back to the old south and has recorded this, his sixth album, in Nashville. There's country sounds in here, and some supporting players, but in line with the album title this sounds pretty much like classic introverted singer-songwriter territory. Generally fairly downbeat, these songs sound like private reflections that he's happening to let us eavesdrop. Well other people's reflections are sometimes a way of getting into some gentle contemplation of our own lives and I guess this is what happens here. He sings of things that happen to us all, though maybe not as insightfully as some of his better known contemporaries; we can all observe but I guess we want our poets to offer us some fresh understanding. Where Onlooker does shine is in some of the music; there's some really beautiful playing: Dave Desmelik himself on guitars, mandolin, banjo and piano decorates his own songs with some real delicacy, broadening the emotional landscape created by each song. Josh Gibbs dobro playing is similarly supportive and restrained. Vocally, he sings with character and something of an accent which generally I reckon to be a good thing; it's not always the strongest voice but at his best - say on If It's Good For You - he sounds remarkably like the Avett Brothers, or maybe Jay Farrer. A few of these songs sound like stripped down versions of material written with an electric band in mind, but mostly I can picture hearing these in a small bar somewhere, sipping my pint and contemplating the ways of the world. John Davy Find more music like this on The House Concert European Hub (& Acoustic Music Club Network) ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:32:10 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 It's the top ten end of the decade, time to reminisce about some great times seeing musicians play in the Highlands. It's been a great time for me, re-discovering gig going after all the years when a young family meant other things took priority. My only regret is that I don't have the time and money to see more. Still, scarcity value counts for a lot. Anyway, here's my completely arbitrary list of favourite gigs in the last ten years (or so): Willard Grant Conspiracy, Caledonian Hotel, Portmahomack Ah, the sun going down over the Dornoch Firth as Robert Fisher and band produced the richest, most complex sound wrapped around the sonorous vocals of possibly the most rotund human being I've ever seen; how did he fit on that tour bus? The most amazing thing is that the seven guys on stage put on a memorably beautiful performance for the seven of us sipping our drinks who'd turned up to see them. (OK. Maybe there were ten of us). She-Haw, Invernairn Hotel, Nairn Again, the sun going down, this time over the Moray Firth, as the She-Haw girls opened their set; acapella and in perfect harmony, they pinned us in our seats with 'Oh Death', familiar now from the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou?. It was a hairs on the back of the neck moment, just brilliant. Wrinkle Neck Mules: Hootenanny's, Inverness The most testosteroine-fueled, supercharged blast of alt-country; strongly in the wave of music unleashed by Uncle Tupelo, this was the most fun I've had at a gig for twenty years and the Mules just blasted the Friday night crowd at Hoots. Amy MacDonald: Belladrum Festival Hauling the punters into the Grassroots tent on the strength of her (then) one hit single, Amy and her band played with the exuberant joy of kids who couldn't believe all that had happened to them in recent months and we all bounced along to her songs, happy to share in her joy. Drew Nelson: Argyll Hotel, Ullapool One of my favourite songwriters to emerge in the last few years, playing his warm, life-loving songs on a beautiful summer's evening as the light faded slowly over Loch Broom. Top moment, when he really won people over, was when he invited the mouthie player from house band, The Confederates, to join him and the fella just took off. That put a grin on everyone's faces. Tom Russell: Belladrum Burning with energy and prepared to win people over by sheer force of personality. Folk singing along to 'Who's Gonna Build Your Wall?' and Rob Ellen grinning and bouncing on the spot with sheer happiness. Nels Andrews and AJ Roach: Hootenanny's, Inverness I've seen Nels four times now, but this was the gig where he showed how much he'd worked on his performance and it was intensely beautiful. AJ, a wiry scrap of a man, played with the intensity of Moses coming down from the mountain with the tablets of stone and was absolute ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:31:22 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 An impressive debut album from Scotland's own Sandra MacBeth, 'Conjugal Scene' is accomplished and ambitious. Accomplished because Sandra and her bandmates play with an assurance that springs from knowing exactly what they';re about. Ambitious because she and her producer, Felix M von Racknitz, have taken her songs and explored what they're capable of beyond the sound of one girl and her guitar. The opening song, Ya Hoe, is presumably much as you'd hear on stage - Sandra and her bandmates bouncing along with Amy MacDonald-like vigour whilst Sandra's voice catches the ear immediately with her beautifully pure clarity: very reminiscent of Andi Neate in fact. There's a sprinkling of other songs across the album that come over pretty much as Sandra must have demo-ed them with just the barest of embellishments to beef up the sound a bit; full marks to the producer for keeping it simple and letting the songs breathe. There are two sides to this album, however. On the one hand there is the folk-pop that is enjoyable if unsurprising. On the other hand, there is this jazz-inflected performer who is really quite something with a voice that can reach from that high purity down into the richer, warmer sounds of a lower register, all the while swinging away with the best of them. With the aid of Douglas Millar's beautiful piano playing there are some lovely moments here; Eight Ball is slow, regretful and beautifully played. Let It Go moves along more quickly in a jazz shuffle and Sandra's singing is just great - really feeling the song whilst remaining so relaxed, loose and yet in control. Stand-out song by some distance is Mooneyes: it's light, joyful and swings easily along with the banjo and accordion out in front. Should be a hit; it calls to mind Fairground Attraction and all it needs is to get onto some radio playlists. Not all the songs here quite come together in a way that would make them memorable but Mooneyes is a class apart. Three things are going to stick with me from this album: the first is that Sandra MacBeth is a very talented singer with a gorgeous voice; the second is that this Felix guy is a very good producer and the third is that I'll be listening out for Douglas Millar and his piano whenever I get the chance. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:50:04 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Tom Mason Actor and musician (or musician and actor), seems like an all-round good guy, living life to the full and keen for us to have some fun with him. He is one very fine guitar player and has got a cohort of familiar Nashville names to help out here - Jen Gunderman, Dave Jacques and Mark Horn of The Derailers amongst them. A joyful melange of American sounds from the modern country of I Surrender (as in, I could imagine Mary Chapin Carpenter singing it)to the Cuban rhythms of Chano Pozo's Shoes, Alchemy displays a familiarity with and love for all the rich veins of twentieth century American music. Lyrically, there's a lot of unembarrassed hokum here, from the faux-voodoo of Conjurin' to the fakest of fake shiver-me-timbers accents for Pirate Song. This has a cheerful chorus of 'We'll all go down, we'll all go down with the ship' and I saw Tom Mason perform this when I was in the company of a man whose boat had indeed sunk beneath him. It's a measure of the songs pantomine qualities that my companion just grimaced a little, then grinned. There's a loose theme of magic, myth and mystery going on here but Little Walter and Chano Pozo's Shoes are testament to Tom Mason's deep love affair wth music. Mostly it's all about as serious as Kirsty McColl's 'In These Shoes?'. What is unusual for an Americana record is that songs are frequently extended with long instrumental developments that are absolutely the best reason for getting hold of this cd. Always interesting and coloured by some lovely guitar work from the man himself there is never a sense of these passages rambling on aimlessly but, rather, a strong sense of the thread of the song hanging in the air with all the musicians dancing around it before coming back to the original tune. The Clown falls Down and Stealing Stars are both particularly fine examples of what these guys can do and make you feel that an evening listening to them play would be an evening well spent. John Davy http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/15/492638/Artist/11662/Label/link";; return false;"> http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/10/492638/Artist/11662/Label/link";; return false;"> ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:17:07 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Daddy are an occasional band bringing together Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack along with John Deaderick on keyboards, Dave Jacques on bass and Paul Griffith on drums. The thing with occasional projects like this is that nobody's going to get too po-faced. This is pretty much about having fun first and then seeing if anything worthwhile emerges from it all. I'd give it four stars on the fun front and maybe three and a half for its repeat listen qualities. Reading Tommy Womack's blog postings he certainly feels like they're getting somewhere so I hope that means they'll be back for more. Anyway, 'for a second time' opens with all the sounds you want to hear from a roots rock band - a funky little rhythm going on the drums, some introductory notes getting seriously bent on the electric guitar and some glorious organ chords somewhere in the region between Ian McLagan and Garth Hudson. Aaah, bliss! Between there and the end of Track 10 we get an awful lot of high-grade rock played by guys who really know what they're about and who definitely tend towards a southern-fried flavour. 'Love in a Bottle' is a driving, down and dirty bit of swamp rock, followed up immediately by 'Wash and Fold' - way more New Orleans than Nashville sounding - with Will Kimbrough's bottle-neck guitar careering wondrously about the place and a lyric that is very Randy Newman-ish in it's sly, dry wit. Different styles keep being tried out, like they're dipping into the dressing-up box in the hope of finding something that suits. 'I Went To Heaven in a Dream Last Night' is a kind of talking blues, vaguely Dylan-ish, with the band gradually building to a crescendo and there are even bluesier things elsewhere but then there's 'Early To Bed, Early To Rise', an aggressively satirical address to new graduates. This is possibly my favourite track, due, no doubt, to hearing Tommy Womack perform it solo this summer with a furious energy and take-no-prisoners attitude. The blues-y stuff on this album is good - 'Hardshell Case' is one of those slow-rolling blues that has plenty of space in it for things to develop on stage as the mood takes them - but there is a feeling that the album drifts away a bit after all the energetic stuff is loaded on the front end. Perhaps this only matters for those of us who like to go from beginning to end, just like the old days. The real odd man out is 'Redemption is the Mother's Only Son', credited to Finlin/Kimbrough, a quiet, more folk-oriented song of great seriousness and some beautiful, gentle backing from an organ wash sound and some wistful harmonica. In fact, if I pick that out and play it as a stand-alone, I realise that's my favourite here; it's really quite haunting. Definitely a band to catch live if they ever all make it to the UK together - check out youtube to find out why, but overall on record I'd say they could do with nailing down a band personality. John Davy. www.reverbnation.com/daddytheband http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/15/310755/Artist/11662/Label/link";; return false;"> http://www.reverbnation.com/c./a4/10/310755/Artist/11662/Label/link";; return false;"> ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:49:23 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream on Mondays:' 'Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up' - Album: 'Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up' - Label: 'Little Sandwich' - Genre: 'Folk' - Catalogue No: 'Music007' Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream on Mondays: Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up (Little Sandwich Music007) A Texan girl who's relocated to Italy, Vanessa Peters is quite some songwriter - certainly quite some lyricist. She plays with words and ideas in an arrestingly intelligent fashion, weaving together in this set of songs figures from myth and legend, personal experience and emotion, real world events and the imaginative life, so that all are part of the same fabric and we can only wonder that we never saw the connections before. Her opening song (Good News -The Siren Song) is as good an example as any. Sung in the voice of a luckless mermaid, failing to lure any sailors from their passage home, the scenario is clearly fantastical, but the wry reference to continuing war ("good news...this war keeps draggin' on/ and they're sending more sailors out to sea/ to get sucked in by a song") and the closing reference to being the girl left behind that sounds more like confession than fantasy serve to broaden the scope of the song and set the imagination going. Vanessa's love of a good pun is evident enough in the band title on the album sleeve (V.P. et Ice Cream on Mondays...) and there are plenty more examples scattered throughout, but it's her ability to delve deftly beneath the surface of her subject matter that makes her lyrics memorable. As to the music - this full band album provides her with a backing of distinctly Lucinda Williams-ish country inflected rock. They're a good band and the drumming is notably solid and no nonsense but I persistently get the feeling that either the band or the production, or both, are not really in tune with what the song needs - they're doing their thing and putting the song at their service, instead of the other way round. This is particularly true when the guitar features - it consistently comes in too heavily, seemingly insensitive to the mood of the song. These things are difficult to disentangle but I guess the problem is more in the mixing than in the playing itself. Vanessa's singing has been compared to Beth Orton's before now - my house guest, unprompted, asked if it was Beth Orton on the player, so I guess there's a fair bit in the comparison. Personally, I think I probably prefer V.P.'s voice; it might not be brightly attractive in a pop-tastic sort of way but she makes a lot of it even if that is sometimes lost in the production on this cd. Three or four of these songs stand out for their tunefulness, and the album closer (Okay From Now On) is richly satisfying from that point of view, the sort of song that, performed at the end of the set, would pretty much guarantee the encore. The standout track for me though is First Lesson; the lyric comes through clearly starting from a shocking line sung over the descending guitar line played on acoustic guitar: "So this is my first lesson in dying..". Our attention is grabbed and then held as she gives a personal take on 9/11. Good stuff. She's not a clone of anyone I've ever come across, so hooray for that; listening closely to the quality of these songs it's a surprise that she hasn't attracted the music biz support that would give her a breakthrough. It's not for the want of trying: "Austin, I Made a Mess" chronicles her failure to catch fire in that particular music city. Can't help feeling though that she's just a step away. Keep an ear out for her John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 14 Jun 2009 18:45:15 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 John "biscuits and gravy" Davy lives on the outer reaches of the Western Highlands on the off grid community of Scoraig, he and his partner Debbie raise Exmoor Ponies, Cats and Kids and go to the spring for their water and to a windmill for their electricity, so if you email us, please be patient, we need the wind to be in the right direction to reply. John also goes to the spring for his music, regularly!! Literally treking to gigs all over Scotland (least some of the way, the 3 miles or so to where the tarmac starts) to take in show's. His reviews are featured in Irelands Whisperin & Hollerin http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com England's Net Rhythms, http://www.netrhythms.co.uk he has his own column "Roots Round Up" in Scotlands Crooked Rain http://crookedrain.org.uk/?cat=3 and is UK correspondent to USA's Americana Homeplace. http://www.americanahomeplace.com/NewsCurrent.htm#Americana%20in%20UK click for Johns over view of the UK Americana Scene, and has recently been invited to contribute to http://www.music-news.com/Reviews.asp Please get in touch if you would like your cd review. Here are a the first nessmp3.com offerings, click read more at the bottom for full review, please subscribe to my rss feed. and have a listen to our Radio Station, Its great to be here, enjoy your Biscuits and Gravy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:44:17 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Po' Girl: 'Deer In The Night' "Po' Girl are hauling their music from a deep well of influences and I'd recommend joining them for the ride" John Davy - Album: 'Deer In The Night' - Label: 'self' - Genre: 'Folk' - Release Date: 'May 18th'- Catalogue No: 'PG004' Po' Girl: Deer In The Night (PG004) www.pogirl.net I've not caught up with Po' Girl till now but this is their fifth album in six years which is pretty prolific by modern standards. If you add in the substantial amount of gigging, the forging of musical alliances right across North America and a deterrmined effort to develop their skill at songwriting, it's a case of hats off to these girls for their ambition and drive. Allison Russell and Awna Teixeira jointly front the band with Benny Sidelinger as multi-instrumentalist sideman and JJ Jones on drums for the current tour. By their own description they bring us 'urban roots' music. For me, this is Americana of the kitchen sink variety: that is not intended disparagingly, just a way of saying that you're never going to fit Po' Girl into any tidy box of a musical genre. Allison and Awna harmonise, at their sweetest, in the style of the Be Good Tanyas and the songs that feature banjo heavily could easily leave you in an Appalachia frame of mind. Their enthusiasms are far more eclectic than that, though, and they're certainly not in search of any faux - authenticity. (Hooray for that.) Before you know where you are, here comes a song heavily featuring Allison Russell's clarinet playing and your mind scrambles for a context - is this lounge jazz? Or cabaret? Or clarinet co-opted for the blues? The best thing is to stop worrying and let yourself get taken along for the ride. With the exception of a 'bonus track' that covers Julie Miller's 'All My Tears', the fourteen songs are all written by Awna and Allison and generally eschew any conventional format. They are by no means devoid of melody but there's no big singalong choruses or sweeping tunes. Their approach rather seems to fragment the songs a little, dividing them into beautiful, intriguing elements, making for a soundscape of intricate detail rather than broad brush strokes. This makes us, the audience, work a little harder but we get our reward in the end. There's depth to this music. I've struggled with the lyrics, I'm afraid - no lyric sheet in the cd box or on-line to help me out, either - but from what I've picked up the girls seem to write songs of real experience honestly transcribed and I look forward to piecing these songs together as I get to know them better. Po' Girl are hauling their music from a deep well of influences and I'd recommend joining them for the ride. John Davy http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profile/JohnDavy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:54:14 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Scott Paul: Paradise http://www.reverbnation.com/scottpaul I love this album to bits, I feel like I've stumbled on someone who has taken all the threads of my life and made fresh sense of them all. As far as I can work out this is all the more remarkable as 'Paradise' represents a mid-life fresh start for a man who's never bothered with the music industry till now. Having discovered how to be happy and content in his Pennsylvania home, he's also discovered an urge to communicate to the world the possibility that we can find this for ourselves. The title song, 'Paradise' tells it all ; using the tag 'What if...?' where John Lennon used 'Imagine...', this is a far more grounded set of propositions about where we go wrong in life and where we might go right, culminating in the line 'What if paradise was just a really good day?'. This idea is taken up in 'Love What I Do': ' I only make a pretty good living/ But I'm living a real good life/ Get up like the sun and have some fun/ It's the key to making everyday new'. Accept what life gives you and give freely in return, that's the general idea. Scott Paul loves playing with words and this comes out best in the political songs, especially 'Roll With The Punches', a mini-epic of a story song with a Dylanesque catalogue of characters, a sardonic humour for the trials and tribulations of life and a rolling funk that builds and builds until you're left floored and need to go back to the beginning to catch all the detail in the words. 'New World Order' is a shorter but similarly sharp take on the state of the world and both these songs contain enough short, sharp observations to be the seed material for several dozen political essays. As if this mature and intelligent songwriting weren't enough, 'Paradise' has a team of musicians and producers (Scott Paul himself and Teri Amico) dedicated to flying the flag for the strand of Americana founded by The Band. Piano, drums and, above all, guitars sound like Robbie, Rick and the boys re-incarnate. Even Scott's vocals at times have a hint of Levon Helm about them, though it has to be admitted he doesn't in fact have the strongest of voices. Somehow the production manages to get round this and the words always come through clearly and allows him the space not to have to fight against his band. Whether this album is a 'grower' that will achieve the acclaim it deserves I really don't know, but I urge you to seek it out - it's great. John (Biscuits and Gravy) Davy http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profile/JohnDavy Sarah MacDougall: Across The Atlantic www.sarahmacdougal.com This album comes to us from Vancouver, not previously noted for internationally successful music - Vancouver conjures a significantly different mental image to Seattle, its close neighbour just across the American border. Strange, then, that this music from the shore of the Pacific should be called 'Across the Atlantic', but that reflects Ms MacDougall's split background, her young years having been divided between Sweden and Canada. Something has been made in the press of a Scandinavian folk background to her songs. That's as maybe; it strikes me that's just a useful critical/promotional peg to help her stand out from the crowd a bit. In fact there's not too much that's obscure or difficult going on here. Mostly it's a remarkably skilfully performed and produced album that should travel to pretty much anywhere that English is spoken or understood. At its most upbeat, 'Across the Atlantic' has songs that do the Amy MacDonald thing: gloriously energetic, strongly rhythmic, driven along by crisp drumming and with the lyric absolutely at the service of a tuneful bounce that communicates itself instantaneously. 'Cry Wolf', for example, has halls full of people dancing, I'm sure, wherever she plays and it certainly has me dancing round the kitchen; however, the energy of the song belies the reflective, slightly anguished, lyric - not that you'd notice as you sing cheerfully along to the chorus. The album divides fairly evenly between these sort of numbers and much slower tunes with the space in them to indulge a bluer, more reflective mood. A couple of times, on 'I've Got Your Back' and 'Ramblin' ', this comes off as distinctly Lucinda Williams-ish which is due in no small part to Tim Tweeddale's steel guitar and dobro playing. It's also a tribute to the strength of Sarah's lyric and the emotional intensity of her singing. Her voice is the star instrument here, so strong, warm and authoritative with that folk music warble at times, like Joan Baez or even Buffy St. Marie. The furthest she gets from a mainstream approach is on 'Crow's Lament' and ''Hundred Dollar Bills'; with their 2/4 time signatures (which does indeed evoke European folk music) and distinctly spooky lyrical references, as if Rennie Sparks had popped in with some ideas for a song or two. Different again is the closing song, 'Goodbye Julie' . Very quiet and reflective, the lyric is enigmatically inconsequential; sung in a wistful frame of mind at the end of the relationship, the question is - is this the end? The two people involved are not currently communicating but the feeling persists that neither has quite given up on the other for good. It's a nicely sophisticated and self-confident note on which to end a hugely impressive debut record. John (Biscuits and Gravy) Davy http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profile/JohnDavy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:32:00 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Drew Nelson: Dusty Road to Beulah Land (Waterbug WBG87) www.drewnelson.com Can it really be pushing four years since Immigrant Son came out? That first full album from Drew Nelson is still in my top five of the last decade and, glory be, 'Beulah Land' is at least as good and establishes Drew as a Michigan Guy Clark for his generation. Teaming up with Michael Crittenden again as producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist this collection of songs expands the sound a bit and frequently has a greater sense of urgency about it - as it should, I guess, given that these are mostly protest songs. Drew's protest is at the pace of change in our world that leaves people lost and confused, and at the relentless march of corporate capitalism that leaves no space for the quietly satisfying lives led by the old farming families of his native state. Time and again, his songs deal with the hard times of ordinary folk - to the point where you might think there's no such thing as good times in these folk's lives - but he does in fact balance this downbeat view of the world with a deeply felt appreciation of the simple joys of life. Nowhere is this better shown than in 'Grandmother Moon', a radio-friendly song of sublime beauty; the guitar style is very much late 60's folk-pop style along the lines of 'Everybody's Talkin' At Me' with a soft urgency to it whilst the vocal, to my mind, is somehere between Van Morrison and John Martyn, circa 1970. Actually Drew's voice has got a little huskier since Immigrant Son and sounds even better for it. Innately warm and intimate in his singing, he sounds completely unforced and now even more confident in his ability to do just what he wants with his voice. On 'Hello', he seems to have all the time in the world and comes close to speaking, even whispering, the lines. On 'Molly's Home' he sings from his belly, it seems, and produces a rich sound that is all too rare in popular music. There's a cracking band of supporting players on 'Beulah Land', every one of them sympathetic to the songs, broadening the aural landscape almost imperceptibly, never coming close to ego-tripping. I am, however, a particular fan of well-used pedal steel playing and Captain Midnight (aka Drew Howard) is absolutely impeccable here - nowhere more so than on the opening track 'Highway 2' which is a wonderful mini epic of a song building a complete picture of the world according to Drew Nelson, from the personal to the state of the nation, around a little road trip down Highway 2. With any luck, 'Grandmother Moon' is possibly the song and 'Dusty Road to Beulah Land' is quite possibly the album that will bring Drew Nelson the really widespread acclaim he deserves. He makes me glad to be alive and in posession of a cd player and a pair of ears. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:42:13 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profile/JohnDavy Angie Palmer at The Riverside, Conon Bridge March 3rd, 2009 It's always nice to find a congenial venue to hear some live music and The Riverside's certainly that. Good beer, good atmosphere and a comfortable mezzanine area to sit around and listen, to Angie Palmer in this case. A Lancashire lass who's relocated to France, she turned up with one fifth of her full band, namely Billy Buckley. He picked out a seemingly endless run of inventive tunefulness on all things guitar; his dobro and lap steel playing were particular fun and I kept looking forward to the 'middle eight' to see what he would come up with next. I hadn't come across Angie Palmer before but I'd heard tell that she was a British Lucinda Williams. I couldn't see that to be honest; my ear picked out something of the earnestness and warm vocals of Eleanor McEvoy and something of the sly humour of Eliza Gilkyson. What was really enjoyable was the switched-on nature of her performance, a really controlled commitment to the performance of each song. I can't report much on the content of her songs, first acquaintance obviously leaves only a fleeting impression but I enjoyed her introduction to a new, Radio 2 friendly, song. Apparently they favour a jaunty tune with no more than 14 seconds of intro, which is exactly what Angie had written. 'Deep Blue Sea' had one of those jolly little tunes that you would whistle as you walked down the street if anybody whistled any more. This was a 'Pass The Hat' promotion and I cheerrfully put my contribution in the hat in appreciation of a pleasant Sunday afternoon, well spent. John Davy http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profile/JohnDavy Incidently Angie returns north to play the shed house concert Inverness March 14th ]]> medicinemusic Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:35:29 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 PHIL LEE: So Long, It's Been Good To Know You "Palookaville PAL08" www.phillee1.com What is folk music, then? All acoustic? Traditional instruments? Traditional tunes/lyrics? Long hair/sandals/beard all compulsory? For myself I go with the notion that: 'as far as I know, it's only folks that make music'. I don't know where that quote comes from but it's lodged in my brain as a useful corrective for all those who are too precious about their genre. Anyway, if you've been watching 'Folk America' on BBC4 you'll be delighted to come across Phil Lee's record and find that he's carrying a torch for the best traditions of American folk whilst doing his best to earn a living squarely in the heart of musicbiz, usa. The picture on the inside cover says it all; resplendent in his Stetson hat Phil Lee stands on a road on the rundown edge of town, the shining towers of capitalist success in the distance behind him. The most important thing to know about 'So Long...' is that it's one of those rare albums where every track shines, thirteen songs of varying style and consistent excellence, each with something to latch on to and relish. The title track, of course, is the old Woody Guthrie song, performed with sly good humour; there's the traditional song, Miller's Pond; love songs that are loving, bitter and blue and social commentary of the highest order. The standout track is 'Sonny George', a country ballad on a tragic theme with a big tune and glorious resonator guitar; flirting knowingly with cheesiness but falling comfortably on the right side. 'Let There Be Love Tonight', another gloriously irresistible tune, has you checking that it's not a Bob Dylan (early 70's version) song that you've overlooked. Phil Lee and his producer Richard Bennett (“Dire Straights” Neil Diamond” Notorious Cherry Bombs” ) know this, too, and tease you with everything from his vocal style to the organ sound. It put a big smile on my face and who cares how close to pastiche it is? Dylan's done it to enough people, after all. In fact, there's references all over this album to musical heroes, including a Phil Lee as Tom Petty photo on the back cover, and I love it all, it's done with such affection and panache. Playing and production is shared amongst a bunch of familiar Nashville Good Guys, George Bradfute to the fore. The relaxed, joyful playing is recognisable from the work of Paul Burch and the WPA Ballclub. Paul Burch is a guest player on this record but George Bradfute seems to be the major common factor, so three cheers for George with Mr Bennett providing Guitars of course. I can't really recommend 'So Long...' highly enough. It sounds like an old friend when you first put it on and as time goes on, it just becomes an even better loved old friend. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:36:47 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Six Mile Grove' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/sixmilegrove 'Steel Mule' - Album: 'Steel Mule' - Label: 'Eclectonic' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '12/01/08'- Catalogue No: 'ECL029' Our Rating: 8 of 10 Six Mile Grove: Steel Mule (Eclectonic ECL029) There's some sort of time warping going on in deepest Minnesota; on 2004's Bumper Crop the four guys from Six Mile Grove looked like they were fresh out of school but the tight lipped portraits provided for Steel Mule show four guys who seem to have had a fair bit more than four years worth of the vicissitudes of life since then. Well, they're tough winters in that part of the world; maybe they age a fellow a bit. Steel Mule picks up pretty much where Bumper Crop left off, which is to say that these guys are a tight unit capable of whipping up a fair old storm of rock or of being tender and contemplative, a gentle rhythm and blues-y keyboards behind a bruised vocal from Brandon Sampson. They have a sense of landscape - the rural landscape where they grew up - that is rare in rock music, which welds itself more comfortably to urban landscapes. It's not that this is laid on with a trowel, so to speak, but phrases come through that suggest there's farming soil in these veins. More than the imagery, though, is the sense of taking your time - 'take your time, say your piece' Brandon sings at one point - that fits with the steady, laconic patience of the farming life. The music, too, has something of a sense of apple pie order, of being thoughtfully and carefully constructed so that it flows tunefully and satisfyingly from beginning to end. This is absolutely not to say that they're no fun. They exist to entertain - themselves and as many people as possible who are prepared to pay to listen. As with Bumper Crop before it, Steel Mule is liberally sprinkled with upbeat numbers driven along by Brian Sampson's drumming, songs to get up and dance to, whilst 'Making Up For Leaving You' works up into a bit of a frenzy before dissolving into a very Wilco-like blur of noise. On the page, it's difficult to follow the drift of Brandon Sampson's lyrics but in performance the phrases fit the mood of the music and offer themselves for whatever you want to make of them; you'll sing along here and there without knowing or caring what it's all about. Six Mile Grove are building something pretty fine and solid out of their music and I can imagine them plugging away at this for years, probably never getting that rock star trajectory with mega bucks and limousines but never disappearing in a morass of drink and recriminations either. Solid, satisfying, always there - abit like farming John (Bisciuts and gravy) Davy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 19 Jan 2009 18:18:50 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Robby Hecht:''Late Last Night ' - Album: 'Late Last Night ' - Label: 'self' - Genre: 'Folk' Our Rating: 9 - 10 Robby Hecht: Late Last Night Self-published and beautifully produced in every way, 'Late Last Night' is one of those albums that will just grow in stature as time goes by. Eleven songs of quiet beauty that are not going to knock your socks off at first pass - no obvious toe-tappers here - but demonstate an impressive self confidence. Robby's done things his own way and found his own voice as a writer and as a performer so that the likes of me can't take the usual short-circuit and say, 'oh, he sounds like so and so'. His songs are mostly about love and the loss of love - like many writers he's more likely to write about the girl who left than the one who stayed - and alll demonstrate the polish of having been worked at and worked at till each is a distinctive gem. I reckon it's a good sign for an album when, on each new listening, your favourite song changes; at the moment, mine is 'two tickets' which brilliantly connects the adult man who has just been walked out on with the boy stood up on a date at the fairground. The adult might seem to cope better with the rejection but internally the pain still feels the same. There is one song about war from the perspective of a G.I.Joe, liable to believe the propaganda of a just war and then unable to believe how he ends up as a licensed killer, sent hither and thither as the army demands and divorced for ever from the life he knew back home; there is also a cover of AJ Roach's 'My Chemicals' (which comes from one of the finest albums of the last five years, 'Revelation'). Robby takes it slower than AJ but he's completely sure of what he's doing and this amounts to a reinterpretation. The closing song, which I shall call 'Ferris Wheel', doesn't appear on the track listing or lyric sheet, so I presume it's Robby's own song but it really is a bonus song in the sense of having the most insidiously beautiful, gentle hook. He does hooks but they're all pretty understated; this one, though, will haunt you. Full credit is given in the 'thank you' column to Lex Price in the producer's chair and on all things guitar and guitar-like. It's a beautiful job: strings, accordion, organ and other assorted keyboards, backing vocalists and all appear in a watercolour wash that enhance without dominating, even leaving space for those momentary silences that can be so effective in a song and most definitely are here - especially in 'my love was gold, a poignant song remembering when being in love put him on top of the world. This is a Nashville album without a hint of country about it, proof that Nashville's much more than CMA town. John (Biscuits & Gravy) Davy Appearing in Glasgow at Celtic Connections ]]> medicinemusic Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:03:52 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Eric Hisaw:' 'Nature of the Blues' - Album: 'Nature of the Blues' - Label: 'Saustex Media SEX0801' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Catalogue No: 'SEX0801' Nature Of The Blues Our Rating: 7 - 10 Eric Hisaw: Nature of the Blues (Saustex Media SEX0801) Austin based Eric Hisaw has been around a while but this new album is the first time I've come across him. These thirteen songs that are stories in miniature really impress; he's got a knack for setting a scene in a few words and for writing about what he sees around him - about small town life out in the sticks of West Texas where nights by the river with cheap booze and the car stereo blaring are as exciting as it gets. In 'Cheap Living' he really gets to grips with the ambivalence experienced growing up in such a place: "and you're feeling a little claustrophobia/Where everyone knows your name/How are you going to fare without/The ones who care about/What Happens to you". These observational songs are married to a mood generally set by the title song ("Something's not right with my heart again/Something's not right with my head again...../And that's just the nature of the blues, my friend"). The music is country and blues-tinged rock, illuminated throughout by Eric Hisaw's exceptionally accomplished guitar playing. He never cuts loose on this record and could never be accused of being showy, but throughout 'Nature of the Blues' his understated playing is over and again the highlight of each song, though Jud Newcombe's resonator guitar on 'Hotel Grand' certainly gives him a run for his money. There is some variation in mood, from the downbeat 'Carnival' (which put me vaguely in mind of Richmond Fontaine) to the almost jaunty 'Jake', a story of a drifting troubadour followed in the life almost inevitably by the son he abandoned. In fact there's almost everything here to make a really killer album; what is missing, sadly, is a big tune or the hooks that would really get us singing along; they're almost there and maybe sometimes they are there but Eric's voice isn't quite bright enough, or rich enough, to really hit home and I'm left with the feeling that he could become better known through other people singing his songs - or that just hearing one of these songs at a time on the radio or the shuffle would enhance their impact. Well worth checking out, though and I'd expect his guitar playing alone would make it a bit of atreat to see him live. John (Bisciuts and Gravy) Davy ]]> medicinemusic Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:15:50 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/nathan_hamilton - Album: 'Receive' - Label: 'irondustmusic' - Genre: 'Alt/Country Americana' Our Rating: 8 - 10 Nathan Hamilton: Receive (irondustmusic http://www.nathanhamilton.com) A little gem from a new voice to me; a quick check on the web reveals that this Austin-based performer is, in fact, about ten years into his career and that Receive will be his fifth release. Starting from country/folk roots he has apparently moved more towards what Americans describe as an indie rock sound. Well there's certainly plenty evidence of a rock edge and drive here, but his roots are certainly showing, too. Just seven songs of high quality combine a Guy Clark-like fondness for characters and story-telling with a very twenty-first century musical approach. Three tracks of random radio stuff ("reception#1", etc) don't make too much sense to me; I guess it's an attempt to make the songs seem like random unknown voices from the ether too. Nonetheless, bags of atmosphere are conjured from some pretty sparse ingredients; Nathan's warm, slightly fractured vocal on Cinders is sung right up against the mike and supported by an arrangement of great delicacy shot through with steel - reminiscent, I suppose, of one of Lou Reed's painfully intimate songs. If Cinders was on your mp3 and popped up out of the blue I think you'd have to stop what you were doing to drink it all in. Weary World, on the other hand, demonstrates an ability to make an apparently simple, straightforward tune and lyric carry an awful lot of emotional weight, not an easy trick to pull off whilst Change could have come from Nels Andrews' songbook; it has a similar weighty, considered style to the acoustic guitar sound, an echo-laden pedal steel for the atmosphere and an acute sensitivity for the disappointments experienced in real lives - a long way from the vacuous optimism of pop music. Receive, in contrast, gets the electric guitar brought out and a pretty fuzzy, heavy sound backed by a thumping drum; Nathan's vocals have the edge required for a very good rock voice and the warmth that draws you in for the quieter, folkier songs. It's a slow-burner, this one, and it'd be well worthy buying or downloading what you can and familiarise yourself with Nathan Hamilton's style before you check him out live; there's hidden treasures here and I think the man could be a real find. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:07:28 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Chris Cook:' 'Bag of Emotions' - Album: 'Bag of Emotions' - Label: 'Bandore Entertainment' - Genre: 'Rock' - Release Date: '2008' Our Rating: 9 - 10 Chris Cook: Bag of Emotions http://www.nessmp3.com/music/chriscook Hoorah for Chris Cook! Anyone brought up on early 70s blues based rock is going to love this record. Fresh as a daisy, Bag of Emotions carries echoes of Little Feat, Eric Clapton, BB King and early 70s Stones. There's Hammond Organ, rocking piano, girl backing singers and stacks of great guitar work - all topped off by Chris Cook's soulful voice. Chris is in his thirties and has been on the road all his adult life with a variety of bands; he probably has more songs in his repertoire than could be put on twenty discs. Bag of Emotions, then, is just a snapshot of what the man's capable of and for this, his third solo cd, he's gathered an expert studio band who produce the goods with the fluid ease that leaves you happily washed away by the flow of the music. Standout track for me is Track 2, Tonight I Need A Friend, with it's joyful, full-blooded recreation of the Allman Brother's sound. The music industry being full of retro sounds these days it's always possible that Chris could catch a wave and find himself hugely popular but it's sheer love of the music, not a business calculation, that has brought him to make this record; whether it ever becomes fashionable again is in the lap of the gods - or the marketing men - but Chris's talent and commitment will always find him an audience and the familiarity of the style will always put a smile on our faces. Lover Lover, the opening track sets the mark for the album as a whole: pretty generic blues rock lyrics delivered with a swaggering blues-y stomp driven by Chris's harmonica playing and lifted by the exuberant backing singers. Ten tracks later, Chris has run the gamut of all the musical joys to be found in this genre and we, the listeners, are left feeling a whole lot better about life. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:49:04 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Mia Riddle:' 'Tumble and Drag' - Album: 'Tumble and Drag' - Label: 'Miss Mandible' - Genre: 'Indie' - Release Date: '2008' Our Rating: 8 - 10 Mia Riddle: Tumble and Drag http://www.nessmp3.com/music/miariddle Here's new adventures in the enigmatic music of Mia Riddle. Not sounding like anyone else I'm aware of, Mia has a unique tension going on in her music, the fragility of her voice and the delicate precision of her lyrics being tugged taut by the steely drive of her band. The music is frequently sparse, but there's no mistaking the firm beats from the drums and the understated but determined drive from guitar, banjo or piano as the melody is picked out. There's not much in the way of sustained notes or big production number to make a warm bath of sound that might contrast with Mia's cool, slightly detached vocal style. This being a continuation of the style evident on Tigers, her previous full-length cd, I guess she must be happy with the sound she's producing but it feels to me that there's some bits waiting to fall into place. Only occasionally does the listener feel invited into the song - no hummable choruses, no big warm tunes; what compels, though, is the sense of serious artistic intelligence at work searching for new ways of expression within the very traditional guitar, drums, voice format. Mia's poetic way with words explores episodes and incidents in life - usually specifically enough to understand what she's writing about and yet obliquely enough to leave room for our imaginations. The most succinct lyric here is married to the most delicate arrangement: Sneak takes a snapshot as a teenager slips out of bed, past her parents still awake downstairs, to meet an unspecified friend across the street under a tree. There's no sense of excitement or liberation here, only a kind of downbeat tension that I can't identify with at all - she has a most individual vision, Ms Riddle. Elsewhere there is considerable aggression from the band, certainly enough contrast in one set of songs to sustain our interest. Odd man out is (The Great State of) Texas, a paean to the one thing Texas has given her; "this sweet native son, this tall dark handsome one". All but acapella, church hall style with handclaps and foot stomps, and including a little riff on Amazing Grace this waltz time tune sounds very down from the mountain and very unlike everything else here. She gets curiouser and curiouser, does Mia Riddle and is quite likely to get under your skin with her most distinctive approach. John Davy]]> medicinemusic Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:51:36 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Lou Vargo' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/louvargo 'American Disaster' - Album: 'American Disaster' - Label: 'self' - Genre: 'Americana'- Release Date: '2008'- Catalogue No: 'louvargo.com' Black Eyed Jane Our Rating: 8 - 10 Lou Vargo: American Disaster http://www.louvargo.com 'American Disaster' is a five-song calling card from a man who has learnt much about the craft of singer-songwriting in his years on the road with a band. He sings it like he means it (which counts for a lot) and he can write a song that I think Willie Nelson would be happy to call his own. Two songs, even: 'Footsteps' and 'Lay Me Down' both have that characteristic neatness and balance that is the hallmark of somebody truly prepared to work at their craft. Lou doesn't sound like Willie Nelson, though. His style is at the folk end of modern Americana: very committed, vocally, and prepared to extract a wide range from his acoustic guitar - picking gently and tunefully for one song and then bashing the heck out of it for the next. He gets some very classy support on American Disaster, from Jack Hale on cello and all production and engineering duties, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and Al Perkins on pedal steel; coupled with Lou's strong, warm singing, there's a very solid, un-flashy feel to this collection. His songs are about real experiences, not easy cliches, and lines come through that resonate with our own experiences; there's an essentially downbeat air to these songs, of things coming to an end rather than of bright new tomorrows but there's also a sense of the resilience that comes with experience of life and that serves you well once the blithe optimism of youth starts to falter. The quality of these songs suggest Lou Vargo will be around for the long haul and I hope the good reception this collection has been getting will give him the impetus to record a full length album; he's got a distinctive voice and style of considerable quality that I believe should make him a fixture on the Americana circuit. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:35:21 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'The Loose Acoustic Trio' 'Sorrow Be Gone' - Album: 'Sorrow Be Gone' - Label: 'Big Book Records' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2008'- Catalogue No: 'BBR15' Sorrow Be Gone Our Rating: 7 - 10 The Loose Acoustic Trio: Sorrow Be Gone (Big Book Records BBR15) Appearing on the same label as I See Hawks In L.A., but sounding like they come from a different planet, the Loose Acoustics do pretty much what it says on the can. The unusual, possibly bizarre, combination of Richie Lawrence's accordion and Ken Cooper's various stringed instruments (mostly mandolin and guitjo, which will be a six-stringed banjo I believe) are here to entertain in a light, offbeat manner. I guess they're an antidote to anything that's vaguely music industry; there's no posturing or self-importance here, just three talented musicians ( Steve O'Neill is on bass and occasional brass) seeking to have some fun and invite a load of musical mates along for the craic. There's a couple of covers, PInball Wizard being one which puts the tin lid on this band's capacity for bizarreness. Other than that, the songs are written half and half by Lawrence and Cooper and in themselves are no more oddball than stuff The Barenaked Ladies would come up with. What makes Sorrow Be Gone wilfully eccentric is the odd extra instrumentation - an oompah-ing tuba here, a shuffling washboard there, a ghostly saw on the closing track, 'Flying' and jews harp (sic) courtesy of the Hawk's Paul Lacques on a couple of tracks. Disappointingly, nobody gets to play kazoo. Half a dozen tracks of this stuff can be quite fun, but I'm afraid the full fifteen tracks has me a little wearied of the self-conscious quirkiness. There's a nice guest vocal from Rita Hosking, whose voice swings nicely, and otherwise the best moments come from the accordion, I think, which surprises me given that I've never been that fond of the sound of an accordion. 'Leaving You', a slow instrumental in waltz time, is really very nice, quite mellow and atmospheric. More tracks like that, focusing on the guys' musicianship, would have been appreciated by me. Otherwise the Loose Acoustics are the sort of band that it'll be worth checking out in the midst of a festival sometime, light relief from big band bombast on the main stage. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:12:22 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Two Dollar Bash' 'Lost River' The Man In Black - Album: 'Lost River' - Label: 'Cannery Row Records' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'June 2008'- Catalogue No: 'CRR0806' Our Rating: 7 of 10 Two Dollar Bash: Lost River (Cannery Row Records CRR0806) An amiable acoustic four piece, Two Dollar Bash are veterans of a European wide music scene, playing music that is their own particular distillation of folk, country, blues and bluegrass influences. There is electric guitar here, on occasion, but there isn't too much in the way of drums; rather, we have the interplay of guitars, bass, banjo, mandolin and mandola with Mark Mulholland's lap steel and Matt de Harp's harmonica extending the atmospheric range. There's no stars here, just four guys taking turns at contributing a song and providing the lead vocal to go with it. Kind of like CSNY, without the monstrous egos, I hope and with booze as the drug of choice, I suspect. Also, it has to be said, without the strength of vocal performance. Tony Rose is the best of them, vocally, and has a pleasing, blues-y gruffness to his singing but otherwise too often there's a sense of the singing teetering on the edge of falling off-key. The songs pretty much all follow the same sort of themes; these guys are like old-fashioned troubadours, forever on the road, living their lives in the twilight hours with the smell of drink and the easy bonhomie of bar life - and this is what they sing about: playing "in this old cafe/For nickels and dimes, it ain't St Tropez". For us, the audience, we can have the vicarious pleasure of getting the feel of their lives whilst, perhaps, feeling comfortable in our safer, more predictable 9 to 5 lives . For their part, for every occasion when they can celebrate the high points of life on the road, they are almost as often looking back over their shoulders at more settled lives they might have had. Whenever the balance is weighed, it always comes down on the side of the addictive pleasures of the troubadour's life: "I hear the highway calling me/ Just like it's done all down the years". The poignancy of this album, for me, comes from theact that I know one of these songs from fifteen or so years ago; "Further Down The Road", written by Joe Armstrong and Mark Mulholland, was sung by Mark on a tape he recorded with Andi Neate in the mid-90s. Then, it's theme of the happy-go-lucky fellow, just passing through, had the carefree optimism apparent in its chorus: "I'll see you further down the road/somewhere along the line/Don't let those dark nights get you down/everything will work out fine". Now, Mark's older, cracked voice and Matt's blues-y harp undermines the lyrical optimism and gives the sense that the road has provided no answers over the years and that it does, indeed, have an end. No longer does the road go on forever. The chief strength of Lost River is the musical interplay of these four guys, comfortable with each other and absolutely in love with making music. At their best their songs are warmly atmospheric and redolent of lives full of rich experience; I reckon an evening in their company would give you a nice warm feeling about the wealth of possibilities life has to offer. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:03:47 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Jefferson Pepper' 'American Evolution' - Album: 'American Evolution' - Label: 'American Fallout' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2008' Trail Of Tears from Evolution Part 1 Our Rating: 8 - 10 Jefferson Pepper: American Evolution (#2 ,'White' album) Sometimes songwriters put the words at the service of the music. Here it is most definitely the other way round as befits a project that is primarily about telling stories. Three cheers, then, for Jefferson Pepper's ambition; 'American Evolution' is recommended listening for anyone who cares to give a thought to where we've come from and where we're going. Part Two of Jefferson Pepper's ambitious three album series has arrived. 'American Evolution' seeks to explore the themes of American (i.e. U.S.) history from 1492 to the present day and this 'white' part of the red, white and blue trilogy covers the years from 1941 to 1991. The seventeen tracks - about 70 minutes of music - cover some major political events: World War Two, Vietnam and Three Mile Island are all dealt with. More than half the album, however, deals with less specific issues - social trends, if you like. From 'Real Good Time' and 'Disposable Me, Disposable You' which deal with the sudden burst of affluence in the 1950s, to the closing tracks 'Orphans of Endorphins' and 'Another White Line' which chronicle the rise of the hard drug culture in the 1980's and '90's, Jefferson Pepper's making a great effort to draw the big picture. Through all this subject matter, his common thread is the social hierarchy that always seems to have the same folk at the bottom of the pile, doing the dirty work, fighting the wars and being perennially confused by the golden future promised in the adverts never arriving for them. This being his golden theme, some familiar observations crop up: 'One Percent' reminds us that 1% of the people own 50% of the wealth whilst 'Crucify' offers the unstartling possibility that if Jesus came to earth today 'With no wealth or power given him at birth, I'll bet they'd crucify him again'. I guess Jefferson's more interested in identifying the downsides of things than in shining a light on the good things in life, but that's fair enough. Even the celebratory 'Real Good Time', about the excitement at the birth of rock and roll, has a sardonic air: 'They tell me Beale Street is paved with gold, if we go there we're never gonna get old' - rock and roll as just another ad-man's glib promise. The one answer he does offer to all the wickedness and duplicity in the world comes in 'Doin' It Right': 'It doesn't matter if you're the president or a farmer out in the field/ If you do your best at every test, we'll all have a better yield'. It's a simple homily and maybe it's a bit short on detail as political philosophies go, but you know where the man's heart is at. The thing that is really appealing about his lyric writing is his ability to sketch a recognisably real-life situation that illustrates his larger point. His intent is obviously deeply earnest but is leavened with great affection for the characters in his songs and some gentle humour; 'The Ballad of Betty Wulfrum', for example, is a sharp attack on an American culture 'where your appearance determines your worth' but it is dressed in a wryly funny story. As if this huge piece of work wasn't ambitious enough in it's lyrical content, there is a musical dimension to this journey through American history. It's not slavish, but the instrumentation and style is sometimes moulded to match the period conjured in the lyric. Given that Jefferson is clearly a country artist in his roots, 'One Percent', for example, is surprisingly reminiscent of Paul Hardcastle's 'Nineteen', whilst 'Orphans of Endorphins' and 'Another White Line' are both fair stabs at grunge-y punk. A good slab of the album has an atmosphere reminiscent of early 70's country rock but I'll freely admit I get the sense that there's plenty of references here that I'm not quite picking up on; folk with broader knowledge of American music in the last forty years might get plenty of fun pursuing the connections. Though this is largely one man's gargantuan effort, Jefferson's roped in plenty of pals to help out; the playing is skilful and appropriate throughout and the hooks and the singalong bits are there but I don't intend to demean the music when I say that it leaves the impression of being amiable and unobtrusive. Sometimes songwriters put the words at the service of the music. Here it is most definitely the other way round as befits a project that is primarily about telling stories. Three cheers, then, for Jefferson Pepper's ambition; 'American Evolution' is recommended listening for anyone who cares to give a thought to where we've come from and where we're going. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:58:41 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Justin Rutledge' 'Man Descending' - Album: 'Man Descending' - Label: 'six shooter records' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2008'- Catalogue No: 'six039' St Peter from Man Decending. Our Rating: 8 - 10 Justin Rutledge: Man Descending A beautiful record, physically and aurally, 'Man Descending' should bring Toronto's Justin Rutledge wide attention. The title is taken from a line by the Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe: 'A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene'. As lines go, that's a pretty fair summation of the atmosphere of this record as it drifts dreamily from one song to another, reflecting wistfully on the world. Undeniably downbeat, yet with a welling beauty frequently expressed by the long notes of the pedal steel, 'Man Descending' is quite an enigmatic beast. 'This Too Shall Pass', typically, notes a long list of the sad things in life that will pass with time but closes with the killer line: 'we've figured out how to make a good thing last/ but this too shall pass'. Justin's your man if you want to contemplate the emotional complexities of life. There's a lot here, lyrically, that I don't get. It's possible that his scenes are borrowed from Guy Vanderhaeghe's book, in which case a read of that would clarify the song content. Without such insight, the language is oblique enough that it offers new opportunities of interpretation on each listening. Justin has a poet's soul and, given the right frame of mind, I think his songs could hit you right where it hurts. For me, though, the chief joy of this record is the stately grandeur of the music. There are no big tunes here, no jolly dance numbers or rocking out, but the deceptively simple song structures disguise a very carefully crafted collection. Less frequently equals more as Justin's fragile, Colin Blunstone-ish voice delivers the poetry and the band construct the atmosphere behind him. Bob Packwood's organ and Burke Carroll's pedal steel are frequently the stars of the show, delicate and yet powerful. 'Alberta Breeze', the last track on the album, epitomises all that's good. The first third of the song has sparse guitar accompaniment but the band come in later as the autumn mood of wistful regret for the recently passed glories of summer is built and built.The lyric, I'm sure, is literal and metaphorical and I daresay it resonates powerfully for Justin's hometown audience. 'Man Descending' is an album of quiet joys and wistful beauty. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:01:38 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'John Sieger:' 'The Shaming of the True' - Album: 'The Shaming of the True' - Label: 'Self' - Genre: 'Rock' - Release Date: '2008' Our Rating: 7 - 10 John Sieger: The Shaming of the True http://www.nessmp3.com/music/johnsieger When You Gonna A pun on The Taming of the Shrew that's apropos of nothing much in the content of the album (and might be accused of being too pleased with itself), The Shaming of the True comes over as a sketchbook of ideas - musical and lyrical - that suggests the possibility of greater things rather than offering any finished product in itself. Twelve tracks, coming in at an average of three minutes apiece, play with a broad range of musical possibilities and have a lightness and sureness of touch that demonstrates old hands at work here, totally confident in the medium. For an album recorded in Nashville it's a surprise that there's more evidence of a blues influence than a country one - white man's blues, right enough, but blues for all that. 'What is the Measure of a Man?' and 'Goodbye For Good' in particular are really rootsy and earthy, whilst you could easily imagine Eric Clapton covering 'St.John'. Actually these really bluesy tracks come over best partly because of some lovely easy guitar work and partly because John Sieger's voice seems to suit them best. The other end of the range here is, perhaps, 'I Married Money' with its light, throwaway lyric - humorous but true. It put me in mind of Nick Lowe at his most pop-tastic, except I've never heard a Nick Lowe song that features trumpet, provided here by the estimable Phil Lee. None of these songs get much beyond hanging around one lyrical idea, or a hook; 'Warm Welcome in a Cold Town', in particular outstays its welcome by not having enough going on. On the other hand, 'You Gotta Be Strong' teases us with an echo of John Lee Hooker's 'Boom Boom' and then is gone, in under two minutes. It's a good album to put on random play, giving each track a chance to shine; the best moments come from some great guitar work, especaially the slide guitar on 'What is the Measure of a Man?'. It's not going to change your life but 'The Shaming of the True' offers plenty of fun along the way. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy ]]> medicinemusic Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:12:35 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'I See Hawks in L.A.' 'Hallowed Ground' - Album: 'Hallowed Ground' - Label: 'Big Book' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'May 6th 2008'- Catalogue No: 'BBR 14' Our Rating: 9 - 10 I See Hawks in L.A. : Hallowed Ground http://www.nessmp3.com/music/iseehawksinla Hallowed Ground A successful band from the Californian country scene with a great live reputation, the Hawks are as down to earth - literally - as you could wish. How many other bands have ever sung a paean to fossilised ferns (Carbon Dated Love) or squeezed a line like 'The earth is a self-regulating organism' into a wistful ballad (Environmental Children of the Future)? Are they too po-faced to be fun? Well, no, because they marry this almost entirely serious lyrical agenda to some really great music. Coming from a country rock base (for Hawks think Eagles with a harder edge) they've broadened their outlook considerably. The pedal steel of auxiliary Hawk Dave Zirbel is frequently a distictive feature of their music but on Hallowed Ground they stretch themselves in to an Irish Sea folk sound ( that is, borrowing freely from folk traditions on all sides of the Irish Sea) and yet still rock out with some loud, head-in-the-speaker, ****-shaking numbers. 'Ever Since The Grid Went Down' is built around a rockabilly shuffle and 'Getting Home Tonight', amongst others, has an electric guitar passage, ripe for expansion on stage, that you could lose yourself in. Rob Waller's vocals tend to be the stamp by which you know it's the Hawks; a warm baritone, his voice suits the folkier numbers really well - it has that masculine gruffness. At other times, though, it feels like a bit of a blunt instrument, unable to produce a brightness of tone that would provide a welcome contrast. Instead, the contrast is brought in by some bright, light notes from the pedal steel or accordion and that does the trick. Can't help feeling, though, that a second voice to share the lead vocals would make this band truly mighty. There's some beautiful fiddle playing here, too, that makes a big impression; in fact it was a surprise to look up the credits and discover that there's only fiddle on four out of the fourteen tracks. All in all, it's a beautifully balanced album; the warm wistfulness of 'Highway Down', for example, contrasts just fine with the sweet, neat, anti-love song 'Open Door', the only song not written by the Rob Waller/ Paul Lacques team. For me, this is a step up from 2006's 'California Country' and a very satisfying record altogether. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:03:39 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'D.Mulligan' 'The Late Great Southwest' - Album: 'The Late Great Southwest' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' Our Rating: 7 - 10 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/dave_mulligan Postcard D. Mulligan comes out of the Californian country scene and The Late Great Southwest is an impressive production courtesy of Tim Bluhm in the Gurf Morlix seat - playing, engineering, producing and probably making the coffee. Mulligan writes songs about life near the bottom of the heap, about the events, dreams, loves and travails of ordinary folks' lives. His voice is suitably husky and sincere and marries well with some warm, resonant acoustic guitar playing. The full band sound has some lovely lyrical pedal steel from Tom Heyman, redolent of wide open spaces, and the Hammond organ sound, provided by Tim Bluhm, is something I can never resist. On the best numbers, like 'Postcard', 'Get Back' and 'Don't Wake Up', they all chug along in a very engaging manner, a familiar sound without being hackneyed. Occasionally, though, they try for big drama: 'Miriam' is very sparse with picked acoustic guitar and Mulligan right up against the mic, singing his phrases with long - very long - gaps between them; 'Collapsible Plans' goes for the big atmospherics with portentous chords and more long gaps between the phrases. In neither case does it come off, for my money, which is a shame because these slower tracks are a drag anchor on the album as a whole. Mulligan's lyrics are pretty direct and work best in a straightforward setting. I can enjoy these atmospheric productions as much as the next fan of the bleaker side of alt country or whatever you want to call it, but maybe they go better with more enigmatic lyrics where there's space for the listener's imagination to roam. Muligan does pull off the trick with 'Pace of Change' which is slow and considered without inducing impatience, but generally I would say it's the faster half of The Late Great Southwest that makes this album worth a listen. ]]> medicinemusic Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:04:30 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Twice As Mean A follow up to 2005's 'Fabletown', and Tim Scott's musical identity is coming together; 'Rarely Fall' comes into that well-populated musical territory where some pretty energetic rocking comes side by side with more atmospheric numbers. The latter have the country elements of pedal steel, dobro and mandolin brought to the fore and when the band you have behind you is as inventive and committed as the one Tim Scott has, then folk are going to **** up their ears. I felt Fabletown was fine in the tunesmith's department but let down by oblique, uncommunicative lyrics. There is still something of that problem wirh 'Rarely Fall'. Too frequently, his lyrics arer either oblique to the point of obscurity or awkward in the attempt to be poetic.. 'Leaving A Clean Break', for example, is about the end of a relationship (a subject that sems to crop up frequently) and has the lines: 'Time ain't the prison now hear me say/ It gives us the chance to get things straight/ And fractured time is worse than leaving a clean break'. Now I don't think I'll be alone in finding that this neither gives me a window into Tim Scott's soul, nor resonates with my own experience. There are songs, though, where greater directness and simplicity get his point across. 'Offer Up The Hand', for example, describes one of those long conversations deep into the night when friends open up to one another and has the ring of truthfully re-told experience about it. Elsewhere, he's been working on his story songs: 'Finally Got It Right' is succinct and sweet about lifelong love and the pleasingly prolix 'Baker's Dozen' follows his protagonist's journey away from Texas, around the world on a naval career and finally back to the Texas soil that bred him. This song rolls on long enough to take on a life of its own and I can easily imagine it being a highlight of a Tim Scott gig. The elements of 'Rarely Fall' don't always hang together, the tune not quite marrying the words effectively or the arrangement not quite matching the mood; consistently I felt that Tim Scott's vocals aren't forward enough in the mix but, having said that, it's definitely a grower. The character of each song is distinctive and though there's never quite a knockout punch there are enough little hooks and flourishes - from the drums, the pedal steel or from Eric Herbst's fine guitar playing - for 'Rarely Fall' to work its way into your affections. ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:18:08 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Washing Day Genre-hopping easily and happily, best known for his tenure as Norah Jones side man and guitarist. Adam Levy's second solo album offers a host of pleasures amidst its quiet sophistication. Broadly based on on a bluesy-jazz sound - late night lounge music with soul - this band are plenty capable of rocking out in a Silos-like manner or of producing the lightness of touch that makes a sweet pop song out of the album closer, 'Never Been Alone Like This';. They're one of those bands (Adam Levy on guitar, Andy Hess on bass, Tony Mason on drums) that have the knack of making music that seems uncontrived, as if they are merely the means by which music already in the atmosphere might be heard. The arrangements are deceptively simple - a rhythm overlain with some laid-back, almost off-hand, guitar work - but the magic is in the gaps and silences where the listener's imagination has the space to hear the undercurrents in the musical cvonversation. Augmenting this easy skill is Adam Levy's singing, which is quite splendidly varied - warm, bluesy, sly and soulful by turns. Rough enough for rock, warm enough for jazz, his voice is the exemplar of the extra instrument that adds so much to a band's sound. I favour the faster and louder tracks myself, having never been much of a jazz fan, but I can appreciate the skills he brings to each change of mood. There's a broad palette on 'Washing Day': 'I Put A Spell On You' (not the old familiar song of that title) is slow late night lounge jazz; 'Longest Day Of The Year', co-written with Jen Clapp, is in the style of Neil Young at his most disarmingly straightforward, there are shades of Wilco in their quieter moments from time to time whilst the real ear-worm of the album, 'I Can Promise You That' - well, I can't give you a comparative for that but, trust me, it'll drive you to distraction trying to work out where you'vr heard it before. In fact, there are enough snippets amongst these songs to suggest Adam Lewvy has a list of influences from here to next week and he's quite happy to tease us with them. The references to The Searchers' 'Needles And Pins' on 'Never Been Alone Like This' are testament enough to that. Excellent stuff all round, then, slow to reveal all its treasures and one of those growers capable of becoming a firm favourite. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:07:10 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Roberto Cassani' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/robertocassani - Album: 'Chicka Boom 'Live'' - Label: 'self' - Genre: 'Rock/Comedy' - Release Date: '2008' Our Rating: 9 out of 10 Roberto Cassani: Chicka Boom 'Live' "Working Class Blues" If he wasn't amongst us already, somebody would have to invent Roberto Cassani, he's such a blast of fresh air in a tired, self-regarding world. A native of Milan who married and settled in Scotland some years back, he performs his material with raw throatiness in a voice that slides between Joe Dolce-like amusing foreign fellow and extremely idiomatic Scots English. In America, this cd would be plastered with 'parental advisory' stickers. Recorded live in Perth at the end of last summer, Chicka Boom 'Live' has all the atmosphere of a rowdy pub gig; sometimes the guys at the back get more involved in their conversations than Roberto's rants but then he'll gather them back in and everybody will be joining in with a beery chorus of 'We ain't gonna vote for you!'. He's irresistible, really, wearing his working man's perspective on his sleeve but wrapping it in such broad good humour that you can't help but be on his side. I saw him at Belladrum Festival last year, with a marquee full of half-drunk punters grinning broadly; laughing with him, at him and at themselves for joining in. He's totally in-yer-face, but you'd have to be overly prim to be alienated by him. Tackling the subject matter of everyday life, Roberto casts an eye over drunken women, the office party, the internet and other familiar, everyday stuff, bringing a good-humoured lairy knowingness to it all. Ferociously strumming his guitar and exploding his stream of words into the microphone ( 'Come closer!' he exhorts his audience, at the outset. 'But watch out! I spit!' ) sometimes something like a song emerges; he's more storyteller than musician, though, with a stream of gags that are difficult to catch all in one go and football crowd choruses, easily learnt and easy to join in with. There's that many good lines, everybody will find their own favourites, but for me nothing tops: 'Money, when accumulated, will change your personality/ - And that's a bloody fact -/It turns you from working class angel/ Into a pretentious ridiculous ****!' Subtle, sensitive and intensely musical it ain't, but Chicka Boom 'Live' has more raw fun and atmosphere than anything you're likely to have heard in a month of Sundays, so hoorah for Roberto Cassani, a real one -off. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy author: John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:47:39 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 http://www.davidinsley.com 'West Texas Wine' - Album: 'West Texas Wine' - Genre: 'Country/swing' Our Rating: 8 - 10 Dave Insley: West Texas Wine Arizona born but now based in Texas, this is Dave Insley's third album and he sounds like he knows what he's about. And what he's about is honky tonk music that delivers songs about the familiar themes of blue collar lives: hearth and home and your one true love are what makes a man happy, but the temptation of the bottle is always there, and there's plenty of times when incomings can't match outgoings and 'Everything's Broken Again'. Sometimes tragedy overtakes everyone; 'Exit 93' is written from beyond the grave by a trucker who swerved to avoid a school bus and was killed in the ensuing crash: 'Now I'm up in heaven, driving big rigs for the lord I'm haulin' harps and angel wings and bibles by the score'. That's a pretty characteristic lyric for the album as a whole. Sentimentality looms large and nothing ever quite resonates as having been written from personal experience. Still, if that doesn't bug you, then there's plenty to enjoy here. Dave Insley's rich voice is warm and friendly and he's got a pretty good band behind him. There's plenty of old-fashioned swooping pedal steel from Bobby Snell and a guitar rich sound from Dave Insley himself and his producer Dale Allen that's sometimes Johnny Cash-ish ('Exit 93'), sometimes quite rock/pop ('Beatin Ya' Down') and otherwise frequently pretty much like classic Bakersfield to my ears. Occasionally, Texas Swing style , there'll be a succession of breaks as each band member gets their few bars in the spotlight and overall you get the feeling that, first and foremost, Dave Insley and The Careless Smokers are about a good night out. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:18:09 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Lisa Haley' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/lisahaley 'King Cake' - Album: 'King Cake' - Genre: 'Zydeco' Our Rating: 8 - 10 Lisa Haley King Cake Hey! Lisa wants you to dance, so get up and dance! And if you're not partying in The Big Easy, then party to 'King Cake' while you're doing the household chores, 'cos it's great for that, too. Go on! Sing along with Lisa as she gets to the chorus, that'll clear the cobwebs out! Lisa Haley's a zydeco evangelist but she plays music that borrows from other areas ('blending our Swamp/Zydeco with the timeless sounds of Americana', as she puts it). Consequently, if you've never found a way into Zydeco music, then Lisa's the woman to guide you along. A dozen or so songs, dating from the last dozen years, cover a fairly wide field, and the sleeve gives you notes (or 'song stories') about each one, which is better than just having the lyrics for helping you understand where the music's coming from. Welcoming Americana on board offers license for a wide range of stylings, so it's no particular surprise to hear uillean pipes ( and a suspiciously Oirish vocal from Lisa) on 'Always Be Your Guide', one of the slower numbers in the mix to let you catch your breath between wild dance songs. From the opener 'King Cake', a barn-storming, foot-stomping crowd loosener, through 'Zydecosis' ('all you can do is dance - till the symptons pass') to 'Don't You Tell Your Mother', a jolly and softer-edged dance to close with, the emphasis is on having a good time and with an energetic, sharp band behind her and a fair old army of guest singers and musicians, 'King Cake' pretty much sounds like a party in progress. Lisa's strong vocals take the lead in whipping up a storm, her fiddle playing complements the pumping accordion sound that I'd always taken to be the essence of cajun/zydeco and the rhythm of the faster, dance numbers is irresistible. This album was one of the Grammy nominees for 2008; understandable given it's joyful inclusiveness trhat welcomes all along to the Zydeco party. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy author: John davy ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:37:32 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'Carrie Elkin' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/carrieelkin 'The Jeopardy of Circumstance' - Album: 'The Jeopardy of Circumstance' - Genre: 'Americana/Folk' - Release Date: 'feb 08' Our Rating: 9 - 10 Carrie Elkin: The Jeopardy of Circumstance This album is an absoluite treasure trove of riches: the songs, the singing and the music all have complexities that take time to explore and offer new possibilities of appreciation and interpretation each time round. Broadly country in character, but not shackled by any genre constraints, 'The Jeopardy of Circumstance' is an impressive collaboration between Carrie Elkin, songwriter and singer, and her production team of Colin Brooks, Mark Addison and Amy Burchette. Colin and Mark play an impressive array of instruments between them - drums, guitars, keyboards, lap steel, bouzouki - and each song seems to get a separate combination of these elements.Mostly, the arrangements are quite full with lots of detail as one instrument after another appears for a few bars. Even the songs that sound sparser, such as 'Black Lung' - about her father's death from a mining related disease - have a surprising number of instruments deployed, though this song retains its stark dignity throughout. Another song, 'Roots and Wings', has an arrangement that reflects the title quite magnificently. Having laid its roots in a simple, understated melodic construction, the song steadily takes wing with soaring guitars before being brought back to its roots as Carrie quietly re-states her opening stanza. Throughout, the music surprises; never quite doing the obvious thing, or at least not just the obvious thing. This is true of Carrie's singing, too. Her style is pretty straightforward and unaffected but can move from a delicate fragility to a strong, vibrato-rich forcefulness as the occasion demands. Best of all, she is fantastically expressive, adding so much to the words that appear on the page - an actor's facility for making the lyric come alive. Her lyrics are observations of ordinary lives, quite oblique at times; I mentioned that 'Black Lung' was about her father's death but given that at least two songs, written in the first person, are about men, it could be that she just feels more comfortable constructing her stories as if she's living them herself. Each song is nicely constructed, not obviously conventional but, like The Band's songs of old , having a clear idea of shape and rhythm that is so satisfying to listen to. I'm not sure quite how long she's been playing music, but this is her fourth album and reflects an accumulated skill in achieving on disc the song in her head. These are songs that grow on you and have it in them to become well-loved friends = excellent stuff. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:37:06 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 The Bean Picker's Union: Potlatch http://www.nessmp3.com/music/the_bean_pickers_union - Album: Potlatch - Genre:Alt Country Our Rating: 8 out of 10

When I was thinking of buying the car that's served me for the last 80,000 miles, I took it to a mechanic friend to give it the once over. He took it out for a run and when he got back he didn't say much, just nodded at it as if to say he was impressed despite himself and eventually pronounced: 'That's a whole car, that is.' I knew just what he meant, and his summation of that car's virtues were brought to mind about the fifth time I played 'Potlatch'. Ten tracks that clock in at under 35 minutes in total don't sound much like value for money but this recent trend for greater quality control pleases me; I have more than enough cd's on my shelf that outstay their welcome as every last recorded morsel is thrown on. The Bean Picker's Union is essentially songwriter/guitarist/singer Chuck Melchin, with strong support from Eric Lichter on piano, bass, drums and production. A fair host of other musicians appear in the course of things as we go from the quiet, reflective, acoustic sound of 'Home' to the intense driving rock with a full band on 'Warrior'. 'Warrior' and 'I'm So Sorry' are the two tracks to feature Rich Atkins on drums and his enthusiastic, forceful drumming are as clear a demonstration as I've ever heard of how much difference a drummer can make to a band's sound. I really like the whole album, but these two songs are irresistible on account of the energy coming from the drum kit. Otherwise, I think Chuck Melchin's a guy in love with guitars; there's a huge range of guitar sounds on 'Potlatch', and they're all good. There's Eric Lichter's slide guitar, dominating the atmosphere on 'Reaper', a modern murder ballad; there's Steve Saunders' e-bow guitar on the mighty 'Jenny Anne' that closes the album and there's the beautiful interplay of Chuck and Eric on assorted guitars and mandolin on 'Bride'. This last song has more than a hint of Led Zep in acoustic mode about it, and who's to complain about that? Lyrically, though, Chuck's a long way from Led Zep territory, with thoughtful, individual reflections on events and people that catch his interest. I guess he's covering similar territory to Loomer, rock'n'rolling with a country heart. At times, as I listen, The Silos or The Walkabouts are brought to mind and I'd say 'Potlatch' is as good as anything by those guys. It's a 'whole album', carefully wrought, not a duff track on it and with a wealth of musical goodies for you to uncover. John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:53:30 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'NAUGHTY JACK:' http://nessmp3.com/music/naughtyjack 'GOOD TIMES' - Album: 'GOOD TIMES' - Genre: 'Rock' Our Rating: 7 out of 10 NAUGHTY JACK: GOOD TIMES One man, his dobro and some blues; a beautiful, atmospheric cover shot of the man and his whisky in a barroom promises some boozy, bluesy fun, and that's pretty much what we get. Song titles like 'Whiskey Song', 'Naughty Jack's Blues' and 'Forget I Was Ever Gone' suggest the late night, bottom-of-the-bottle mood that prevails, though Naughty Jack (known to his folks as Adam Morley) writes lyrics in a simple, direct style that avoid the maudlin cliches you might be dreading; he just deals straightforwardly with the ordinary, everyday things of life, and that's fine. Clearly a man in love with his music, Naughty Jack has been an itinerant musician for some years, getting around the festivals a bit and 'Good Times' is his first shot at making a record. A pretty spartan production concentrates heavily on his dobro playing, which is colourful, atmospheric and quite inventive. There's just Jack's voice, some acoustic guitar and a double bass to flesh out the sound, so I guess if you're not much into dobro playing, you won't linger long in his company. For me, Jack's lyrics and singing (in a range that's certainly no bigger than Morrisey's) never seem to quite marry with the music; words trip over themselves a bit to fit into a line and consequently his singing tends to sound a bit hurried. Sadly, this intrudes on the mood established by the dobro, and exposes the limitations of his voice; it's not the strongest though it's certainly suited to this bluesy style - kind of reminiscent of some British blues-rock voices of the early 70s. However, this boy's certainly a very good dobro player, and some of his licks will stick in your head. 'Good Times' is a very amiable listen and admirably down to earth; it's also true to himself. Though he happily lists his influences in the sleeve notes, he's not really trying to sound like anyone other than Naughty Jack. john Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy author: John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:51:37 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'David Ogilvy' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/davidogilvy 'Heaven and Earth' - Album: 'Heaven and Earth' - Genre: 'Blues' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 David Ogilvy's "Midnight Train" from Heaven and Earth

For such an accomplished musician, David Ogilvy remains surprisingly keen to give homage to his singer-songwriter heroes through his music. Added to Biscuits and Gravy Station click "read more" for full review, but right click and open in new page if you want to listen to the tune while reading the review On 'Heaven and Earth', Dylan gets covered again with a version of 'The Immigrant Song' (never far from being topical in Britain, but sharply so again, just now). It is Nick Drake who is most frequently brought to mind, however; David Ogilvy's style is so remarkably similar at times that you might feel his whole career is a tribute to Nick Drake's own, tragically brief, career. Beautifully produced - from the cd sleeve to the backing vocals - and elegantly played, 'Heaven and Earth' sees the Nick Drake sound eliding firmly in the direction of JJ Cale territory; with those two in mind, you'll know that this is laid-back music for late in the evening, reflective and soothing. 'Last Night', an original song, is about as raucous as it gets, and sounds like one of JJ Cale's upbeat moments- that is, raucous in a restrained, 'let's not get too excited, chaps' sort of a way. 'Midnight Train' demonstates David's continuing ability to pull a neat tune, with a hummable hook, out of the hat and 'Last Pink Chip' is, really, about as close to JJ Cale as you can get without infringing copywright. Elsewhere, a cover of 'Can't Get Used To Losing You' is a quiet delight; Yolanda Antonio's backing vocals become a wry commentary, where she plays the 'you' of the title. It's an original take on an old favourite and quite lovely. 'I Woke Up', another Ogilvy original , seems to take 70's era Paul Simon for a songwriting model - a fine enough thing to be trying, in my book. I hope I'm not making him sound like a pastichist, though, because that wouldn't be fair. It's just that he's unafraid to let his influences show, he's such a fan of all these guys.. Anyway, a good half of these songs show no such obvious debts and are just beautifully crafted David Ogilvy songs. The only dud track, for me, is the cover of 'Whole World (In His Hands)' which really doesn't benefit from the languid pace: it's a song of joy, if it's anything. Otherwise 'Heaven and Earth' is a mellow charmer, one to enjoy in the quiet moments of the day. John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy author: John Davy ]]> medicinemusic Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:31:02 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 'NELS ANDREWS' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/nelsandrews 'Off Track Betting' - Album: 'Off Track Betting' - Label: 'Reveal Records' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'Feb 2008' Our Rating: 9 out of 10 JOHN' LILLY, ' 'Haunted Honky-Tonk' - Label: 'self - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2007' Our Rating: 10 out of 10 www.nessmp3.com/music/johnlilly SUE' QUIGLEY,' 'Outside In' - Label: self - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2007' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 www.suequigley.com ' 'DUNCAN EARLWALTERS', 'Guardian' - Album: 'Guardian' - Label: 'Spent Round Records (www.duncanwalters.com)' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'August 2007'- Catalogue No: 'SR27050' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 www.nessmp3.com/music/duncanwalters More John Davy Reviews Here http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/search/results.asp?submit=1&frmCategories=null&keyword=john+davy&btnSubmit=go+ click read more full review 'ANDREWS NELS' 'Off Track Betting' - Album: 'Off Track Betting' - Label: 'Reveal Records' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'Feb 2008' Our Rating: 9 out of 10 Nels Andrews: Off Track Betting http://www.nessmp3.com/music/nelsandrews

"Sunday Shoes", Nels' album from 2004, was an absolute standout and at long last we have a follow-up album to enjoy. The "El Paso Eyepatch" band that made that album are no more; Nels is now settled in Brooklyn and the new album is recorded with a large-ish band of players under the production of Todd Sickafoose. For all the new circumstances, the sound is not radically different - low-key and atmospheric, with Nels' vocals well to the fore; the extensive use of piano is probably the biggest change, and that fits very nicely into the songs. I do have a quibble, though, with some of the "atmospherics" - electronic trills, brushed cymbals, single bars of picked banjo and a "wine glass orchestra" - that frequently irritate, getting in the way of the structure of the song. Sometimes these things work: "Sunday Shoes", re-worked completely from the radio recording of 2004,

'QUIGLEY, SUE' 'Outside In' - Label: 'www.suequigley.com' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2007' Our Rating: Sue Quigley has the sort of voice that careers are built on: it is strong, rich and distinctive and she uses it masterfully. At times she'll hold a note until your breastbone resonates; at others, she'll back off from the mic and draw you in to her private world - absolutely captivating singing. "Outside In" is her debut full-length cd and features eight songs that explore the emotional life in oblique but heartfelt terms; personally I found a lot of her metaphors and references didn't quite click for me: "But you're saving something - for someone else/ Someone who'll run and not let you catch up/ Safe enough to be where you left them." Perhaps the meaning teases itself out eventually, perhaps it's just me and all this seems perfectly direct to another listener. That quibble aside, however, there is so much to enjoy and treasure on this album, moments in songs that touch an emotional chord and make it quiver. Produced with admirable simplicity and clarity by Joe Reineke with Sue Quigley, it's the guitar playing that shines almost as brightly as that voice. Sue Quigley's own playing on acoustic guitar is very atmospheric, whilst David Wall on electric guitar brings a controlled intensity to his supporting role that adds a whole extra palette of colour. With John Mills on bass and Roy Adler on drums capable of building a huge backdrop of sound, this is music that at its best you can lose yourself in. You may find yourself completely drawn in, lost in a maelstrom of emotional intensity: very highly recommended. as an eerie backdrop of sounds behind the building urgency of the music, and the tension rises like floodwaters behind a dam, never quite reaching breaking point. It's Nels' voice that makes his music so captivating, though. Seemingly effortless and unaffected, his singing is matter-of-fact, warm, thoughtful, affectionate, gruff - all of these things at the same time sometimes. Though his songs tend to sound downbeat, they are in fact full of a love for life, an appreciation of the small things in life that hit home. They're also beautifully constructed and I expect the man's a perfectionist: just nine songs here, and two of those are, to my knowledge, several years old, ("Three Days" appeared as "Warm Rain" previously). Still, I reckon the quality control is a good thing - there's more than enough albums padded out to over 60 minutes with second-rate material. There's three quiet, contemplative, songs here that are quite beautiful; they offer the promise of many years to come of first-rate songwriting from this man. Having seen him perform - just himself and his guitar - inside the last twelve months, I can also promise you that he is a most impressive performer, with a quiet way of absolutely nailing your attention. John Davy http://www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy

'LILLY, JOHN' 'Haunted Honky-Tonk' - Label: 'self www.johnlillymusic.com - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '2007' Our Rating: 10 out of 10 Hats off to John Lilly for a nigh-on perfect record; for a man with one of the most unassuming stage presences in planet showbiz he is the most astonishingly assured performer. In thrall to Jimmy Rodgers and Hank Williams, and a past winner of the Ghost Writers in The Sky in the style of Hank Williams song writing competition, this album is in fact packed with John Lilly originals that are just wonderful. Unashamedly but un-stuffily old-timey, John's songs liberate Hank from the museum that has grown around him and make him the progenitor of a style that lives anew. I remember some sleeve notes of Mike Nesmith's back in the 70's that said his highest ambition was to approach the simplicity and purity of Jimmy Rodger's and Hank Williams' writing. Well, John Lilly is there, and it's just sheer joy for a country fan to soak it all in. His voice will remind you of Jimmy or Hank, but also of Jimmy Dale Gilmore, whilst his guitar playing combines precision and feeling exquisitely. Supporting roles are taken (mostly) by Buddy Griffin on fiddle and Ginny Hawker on backing vocals, but also include contributions from Chris Stewart, Janet Beazley (Back Country) Bill Kirchens (Commander Cody) Chuck Campbell (The Campbell Brother) all bringing considerable musical sensitivity to their performances. An object lesson on why less is often more, there's a lifetime's musical experience brought to bear on this record, and it's one for us lucky music fans to treasure. author: John Davy

'WALTERS, DUNCAN EARL' www.nessmp3.com/music/duncanwalters 'Guardian' - Album: 'Guardian' - Label: 'Spent Round Records (www.duncanwalters.com)' - Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: 'August 2007'- Catalogue No: 'SR27050' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 The great thing about the emergence of Americana as a marketing tool is that it gives a profile to musicians and songwriters who would otherwise stay below the radar of us lot, the punters. I guess that it recognises that a lot of us have pretty broad tastes, always ready to hear something new. Well here at the country end of the Americana scale is Duncan Walters with his second album; the sound is somewhere in the broad country between Dale Watson, Don Williams and, perhaps, Joe Ely, without actually sounding like anyone else. Warm and easy on the ear, Duncan's slice of life songs seek to entertain, to warm the heart and get the feet tapping. With the help of some first rate playing from a pretty starry studio band (most notably Flaco Jimenez on accordion), he ticks all these boxes with ease and has made one of those albums that, without quite delivering a "wow!" factor, insinuates itself as a quiet favourite. From the honky-tonk fun of "Mess Up My Truck" to the mellow sound of "Wash Away", featuring a contemplative fiddle part, Duncan covers a fair bit of musical ground so that there isn't one sound that defines "Guardian", but you feel that, given the chance over the years and many more albums, we'll come to know and love the Duncan Walters sound, and "Guardian" is a fine place to start that process. author: John Davy

]]> biscuitsandgravy Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:33:20 +0100 http://www.nessmp3.com/music/bands/811 Jon Garcia (Self-Titled) http://www.nessmp3.com/music/jongarcia Label Self - genre Alternaive 7 out of 10 Fed up of that old verse-chorus, verse-chorus, middle eight, verse - chorus to fade shebang? Then Jon Garcia's the man for you. Added to Biscuits and Gravy Radio 'ROACH, AJ' http://www.nessmp3.com/music/ajroach 'Revelation' - Label: 'New Folkstar Records - Genre: 'Alt/Country' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 First time round, with "Dogwood Winter", I didn't really get AJ.'s thing; it was all a bit low-key and introspective for my taste. Well, now I can make up for lost time because "Revelation" has grabbed my attention in a big way. Added to Biscuits and Gravy Radio (read more for full review) Jon Garcia (Self-Titled) www.nessmp3.com/music/jongarcia Label Self - genre Alternaive 7 out of 10 Fed up of that old verse-chorus, verse-chorus, middle eight, verse - chorus to fade shebang? Then Jon Garcia's the man for you. Jon announces himself with this independantly produced cd that is generous in the extreme with its big arrangements and overflowing profusion of musical ideas: probably about half a dozen separate ideas per song, and there's fourteen songs. Most of these songs clock in at around four to five minutes, pretty short by prog rock standards, but the feeling that these are "pieces", rather than songs, changing dramatically in mood as they take you on a ride through some mixed terrain, put me very much in mind of British bands of the early to mid seventies. There's too much variation to make any direct comparison but anywhere in the area of The Enid, Camel or even Be-Bop Deluxe, might give you an idea - not that any of these bands make his list of influences on his myspace site (myspace.com/jongarciaportland), so maybe it's just me. Oh, and there's quite a bit of soul in his vocal stylings, and a smidgeon of jazz in the arrangements at times. When he contains his inventiveness and gives the song a focus, something quite beautiful emerges, as on "Life's String Symphony"; in isolation these songs are memorable and moving, but in the context of the album as a whole, they're a little lost. Pulling off the trick of successfully dealing with both sides of your muse is not easy, at least not in terms of keeping your audience with you. I guess being able to download single tracks on to your MP3 keeps everybody happy. How his more complex arrangements will translate with a touring four-piece band I'm not sure, but I would expect a fair bit of fierce intensity interspersed with oases of calm: could be interesting. Added to Biscuits and Gravy Radio John Davy 'ROACH, AJ' www.nessmp3.com/music/ajroach' 'Revelation' - Label: 'New Folkstar Records - Genre: 'Alt/Country' Our Rating: 8 out of 10 First time round, with "Dogwood Winter", I didn't really get AJ.'s thing; it was all a bit low-key and introspective for my taste. Well, now I can make up for lost time because "Revelation" has grabbed my attention in a big way. This man grew up with Appalachian folk and gospel music all around him, but flirted with rock and relocated to California before rediscovering his roots and started producing his own music springing directly from those roots."Revelation" opens with "Clinch River Blues", a suicide song in the fine tradition of all those old murder ballads, delivered with a pace and intensity that grips you tight, and you think to yourself that this guy means business. The guy in the song takes the notion of washing away your sins in the river to an extreme length and the religious imagery returns throughout the album, as does the self-loathing; the song "Chemicals" celebrates the healing power of whisky as it riffs on "The Lord Is My Shepherd": "So whiskey's my shepherd/Oh and I shall not want/It maketh me lay down/ In a strange woman's bed/ It maketh me talk/ Out of both sides of my mouth/ Maketh me feel/ Like I'd be better off dead". Whereas Dog wood Winter's songs tended to meld together with the similarity of their arrangements, here AJ's assembled some pals to colour in the background, and multitracked his vocals to give some depth to the performance. The big surprise is "Devil May Dance" which owes it's sound far more to Crosby Stills and Nash than to Appalachia, and is quite sumptious. Otherwise AJ's gift to us is to bring us elements of that mountain gospel music and the famed "high lonesome sound" without ever getting po-facedly "authentic" about it; for a tradition to live and breathe it needs writers and performers who are prepared to innovate from within the tradition. The most impressive thing with this collection of songs is the immense care taken over the writing; he uses pretty strict rhyming schemes with his lyrics but the rhymes never seem to obstruct the flow of his story, but rather give it a rhythm that he emphasises with his singing. The words play tag with each other, too; a word will be re-used in a new context in successive phrases so that the listener's brain has got the rhythm of the rhyme as well as the rhythm of the repeated word to engage with. Clever, well-worked stuff that rewards close attention and many hearings. "Revelation" is the closing song, and is a storming sermon on the subject of the day of judgement, when "every man is judged/ by what he's really worth". You don't have to share the creed to be impressed by the ferocity of the message, with the whole band going full tilt. Fantastic stuff, and well worth the three year wait. AJ's playing around Britain this October and November with Nels Andrews; can't wait, myself. author: John Davy Added to Biscuits and Gravy Radio (read more for full review) ]]> biscuitsandgravy Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:34:54 +0100