Stephen Simmons. Drink Ring Jesus.

Posted on by

We set our sights here on an album which was originally released back in 2006 and then kind of disappeared. It’s popped back up into view due to a vinyl pressing by the UK label Unspun Heroes whose raison d’etre is, to quote, “To go on a musical adventure of reissued vinyl. Releases happen in small batches, limited to no more than 500 pressings… the label has a guiding principle: to find and highlight music deserving of wider attention. It does both of these things with a love for the vinyl format and the music itself.” You can read more about the label here.

As to why Simmons was selected for such a venture the label doesn’t say but after a couple of listens it’s clear that they have done the public a service in highlighting Drink Ring Jesus as it’s quite a compelling listen. Simmons is a singer/songwriter from Tennessee who currently resides in Nashville and who has several albums under his belt. This was his second release and it’s a truly solo effort featuring just Simmons’ guitar, voice and harmonica. He credits Springsteen’s Nebraska as an influence here but it’s Steve Earle who casts a longer shadow due to Simmons’ occasional vocal similarities. As such it’s not a party album, rather it’s one to be contemplated on and delved into as Simmons reflects on his upbringing within a strict religious community along with his reaction to the then recent events of 9/11, both conflated within the opening title song. Simmons explains in the liner notes how he was trying to avoid the non-stop news footage of the Twin Towers but eventually succumbed while having a couple of whiskeys whereupon he noticed that his drink had left a stain on his coaster which “revealed itself as a drink ring pattern that so looked like Christ that it spooked me.” We suppose stranger things have happened but this happenstance moment laid the ground for the album.

Jesus, and his supposed followers, feature in several of the songs here. Devil’s Work Is Never Done reflects the notion of opposing religions at war despite fewer folk actually practising their religion while Time To Pay tackles the dichotomy between love and revenge inherent in Christian teachings and Carpenter Skills takes us back to basics, Christ as a simple carpenter and not the vengeful deity championed by those in power. This last song is quite masterful, replete with wheezing harmonica and halting guitar. There’s a crossover of sorts on You Give Us, written by Simmons aged 33, the same age he notes as Jesus was when he “transformed on the cross.” A wonderfully delicate song which humanises the biblical story it finds Simmons losing his religion but trying to find his spirituality. There’s no real resolution here but the closing song Long Way To Go tries to simultaneously untangle and unify opposing beliefs and all the different names for God, basically saying that we’re all in the same boat. On a more secular note Simmons gives us an alternative mode of worship on the excellent Crying Elvis where he notes that pop culture icons have become our modern day gods.

Drink Ring Jesus is a stark yet warming slice of a man’s soul, masterfully delivered. This vinyl reissue is quite the delight but is strictly limited. You can grab one here and it’s also available as a download. Whatever your preference it’s well recommended.

Daniel Meade. Hip Hip Hooray! From The Top Records

Posted on by

If your concept of boogie woogie piano only extends to hearing Jools Holland tinkling the ivories, no matter who he’s playing with on the telly, then prepare to have your boundaries expanded by Glasgow’s Daniel Meade on his latest album. While Meade is a versatile character, as seen on previous albums, a rocker, a balladeer, a country singer at times, Hip Hip Hooray! is a straightforward celebration of the piano tradition in rock’n’roll which of course encompasses Jerry Lee Lewis but here he pays special emphasis on the grand roll call of New Orleans players including Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, James Booker and Dr. John.

Whether the inspiration for the album was due to the acquisition of a new set of keyboards as laid out by Meade on the most immediate song here, Got A New Piano, is moot. What matters is that the song is a rip roaring barrel house trip with Meade announcing that he’s back in town with a brand new piano that won’t let you down. Fat horns adorn the rolling rhythm while the piano solos just trip and rip from the speakers while the chorus is tailor made for audience participation.

The album opens with the very brief shot which is The World Is On Fire, just a minute long but it sets the scene for what is to follow. There’s a brief respite halfway through but aside from that there’s little breathing space allowed as the album thrashes from start to end. There’s the aforementioned Got A New Piano which is then followed by the darkly humorous Carry Your Own Coffin, another rollicking horn blown boogie woogie which serves to remind us that Meade is a master of catchy choruses as he basically tells an estranged father to fuck off.  Come Back To Me is a Fats Domino like ramble with a slight zydeco influence while I’m An Addict (I Can’t Help It) skelps along with percussive handclaps bolstering the barrel house blues piano which drives the song. Meade’s talent for grabbing a headline title and chorus comes to the fore again on Crackpot Jackpot, a song which was probably recorded in Meade’s front room but sounds as if it were zooming in from Memphis’ Sun Studios. It also allows Lloyd Reid, Meade’s long time guitar foil, to unleash a solo. Reid gets another opportunity to shine on the closing song, Like Your Boogie Woogie, where he lets rip in between the verses as the song builds to a tumultuous climax.

We mentioned a possible chance to let our breath out amidst the album’s infectious onslaught and it’s to be found on the fifth song, Sinking Stone. Here, Meade harks back to the country tinged songs of Keep Right Away and his piano and organ cleave more to the likes of The Band as opposed to the New Orleans players which abound elsewhere. It’s a gorgeous song which just goes to demonstrate how versatile Meade is.

Website