Kimmie Rhodes “Dreams Of Flying”

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With 14 album releases under her belt since 1981, Lubbock, Texas born Rhodes has steadily carved a reputation as a solid songwriter and a vocal foil to numerous country stars. These include Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and even Townes Van Zandt. Despite this she has never achieved the popularity of peers such as Emmylou, Nancy Griffith or Lucinda Williams. Plowing on, her latest release Dreams of Flying is a firm reminder of her songwriting and performing qualities.
Recorded in Austin and featuring a stellar band (Charlie sexton, John Gardner, Mike Thompson and John Mills, check them out) and produced by her son Gabriel Rhodes who adds some fine guitar touches the album sounds wonderful with Rhodes’ tender voice ably supported by some sumptuous playing. This is immediately evident on the opening title song which has a dreamlike quality similar to the otherworld inhabited by David Lynch’s ethereal soundtracks. Rhodes glides through Back Again with a quiet majesty while the band inhabit an ambient space that Emmylou Harris used to great effect on Wrecking Ball that wraps itself around the listener like a warm blanket. Like Love To Me has a touch of Van Morrison’s Caledonia soul to it with muted horns adding the honey. One By One is an almost unbearingly poignant song while New Way Through is an almost perfect song. Rippling mandolin and a wheezy keyboard sounding like an accordion support Rhodes who does indeed sing like an angel here as she uses clouds as a metaphor for her state of mind. With a cover of Donovan’s Catch The Wind, performed as a duet with Joe Ely that transforms the song into another elegiac rhapsody the overall feel of the album is of lost opportunities delivered in a heart melting style.
This might be Rhodes’ most fully realised album and there is an opportunity to hear and see her at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow when she appears in May.

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Yvette Landry. Should Have Known

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Yet another in what has been a bumper bag of fine honky tonking country swing type albums from female artists that have arrived over the past few months. Should Have Known is a fine debut from Yvette Landry, a seasoned sidekick for numerous bands and artists but here standing tall on her own two feet.
The 16 songs are written by Landry and while they remain firmly in the tried and tested tradition of being about drinking, loving, heartbreak and fighting she proves that she can dip into tradition and come up with a set anyone of which could become a staple on country radio. One More Broken Heart is perhaps the best example of a song that drips with an old time Nashville feeling with fat steel guitar but the mention of “cougars in the night” brings it smack up to date. Although the tempo is varied with the lighting quick title song, Blue Moon Girl’s frenzied delivery and the bluegrass rush of Jack all perfect for the dancehall the standouts are the tearstained ballads. Better Days and Friday Night Special are made to be listened to late at night after a few drinks and perhaps in a morose mood. At times like these the mournful guitar playing of Richard Comeaux and Chas Justus are like teardrops falling from the songs.
While Landry can sound like a Loretta Lynn for these days her Louisiana roots are evident at times. The album was co-produced by Joel Savoy who plays some fine harmony fiddle while Betse Ellis (of the Wilders) handles the main fiddle duties (and provides some of the highlights of the album especially on the opening title song).
An above average debut and one which already is reaping praise and awards.

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One More Broken Heart – Yvette Landry by paulk

Dead Rock West. Bright Morning Stars.

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The chattering classes may have been well impressed by Tom Jones and his recent “gospel” album however for an education on how to marry rock with gospel here’s a primer that swings and wails with a holy rolling beat.
Dead Rock West are currently a duo consisting of Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennan. Their debut album Honey and Salt was a mixture of LA rock with rootsy Americana and evidenced a strong X influence. Here they take this one step further with X members John Doe and Exene Cervenka helping out on vocals on several songs and D. J. Bonebrake on drums throughout. Digging into old time spiritual songs the duo eventually decided to “get back to the simplicity of life by connecting with the source.” Their masterstroke was to enlist Peter Case as producer and as anyone who has heard his latest album Wig would testify Case is a master at rootsy American music. In addition Case plays guitar and adds vocals on several songs. In the main however guitar duties are handled by Ron Franklin who impresses mightily on the opening song Ain’t No Grave and throughout the disc.
From the onset the scrubbed guitar and pounding drums on Ain’t No Grave bode well with Doe duetting with Wasserman on a song that can’t avoid comparison with latter day X. However it’s a tremendous curtain raiser, all fire and brimstone with the band stoking the fire as if their lives depended on it. The rhythm section are on fire all through this album with Bonebrake sounding like a freight train, pummelling, barrelling and firing on all cylinders. It’s a brave move putting such a tour de force at the beginning of an album but believe it or not there are several other gems that match it. Second song, God Moves On Water has a Bo Diddley beat that hypnotises the listener with enough clatter and clutter in the engine room guitars to satisfy anyone who misses Ry Cooder’s forays into this genre. Overall this is like listening to a hi octane version of the Robert Plant /Alison Krauss album. The infectious gospel harmonies, shuffled beat and stinging guitar of Two Wings are straight from the Staple Singers stable and one is left wondering how, after this tremendous opening trio of songs Dead Rock West can better this. The answer is that they don’t but for the most part they maintain a firm hand on the tiller with several other songs that are on a par with these. Wings of Angels has Mark Olson (Jayhawks) singing with Wasserman on a fine spiritual stomp while Tell The Angels and This Might Be The Last Time are stone cold solid updates on spiritual gospel with glorious harmonising and dread filled backing all in place. The production here is perfect with gutbucket bass and drums thudding away while the guitars and organ speak in tongues.
A surprising rendition of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s God Help Me fits well into the overall feel of the album and even has a touch of their signature feedback guitar noise but the rendition of Case’s Beyond The Blues smacks perhaps of hubris on the part of the producer. While it’s given a fine telling it does seem slightly out of place here and the album would not be any the less for its omission.
Overall a tremendous piece of work that carries on the work that the likes of Cooder, Plant and Krauss or even Woven hand do. Dead Rock West are in Glasgow on March 8 at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, maybe a fine night.

Website

Dead Rock West- Two Wings by paulk

The Lucky Strikes. Gabriel, Forgive My 22 Sins.

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Concept albums are a tricky business with the number of successful ones able to be counted on the fingers of possibly one hand. Generally the vaguer the concept the better the chances of getting away with it. The Lucky Strikes from Southend have come up with this (their second attempt at a concept, their previous album being based on an account of the murder of blues legend Robert Johnson), a hard luck story concerning a boxer who could have been a contender or so he hoped. Instead he descends into the murky waters of back street boxing, shady bets and gangsters eventually dropping out of sight and into mythology.
A potentially fine tale which tugs at memories of black and white movies, On the Waterfront being the main contender here. Fittingly the band have a big cinematic sound that at times recalls Springsteen and The Waterboys, lurching between urban rock and driving Celtic folk. Unfortunately it all tends to get a bit cluttered and there is a feeling that the listener is almost being bludgeoned, song after song into a punch-drunk acceptance. The primary one two double whammy here are the songs The Fight and The Man With The Golden Arm. Real sluggers both I’m sure that live they would have an audience begging for mercy. The band throw everything they’ve got into the ring to create a mesmerising and pulverising sound. With influences ranging from Gospel, blues, country and cabaret and with Americana and European influences entwined (think of Tom Waits’ The Black Rider) this is an album that requires close listening.

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The Lucky Strikes- Man With The Golden Arm by paulk

Round Up Time

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Adrian Nation. Fall or Fly.

A busy fellow, Adrian Nation seems to spend a lot of time on the road, either at folk venues in the UK or in Greece, strangely enough. His second album is an engaging listen with hazy echoes of Celtic mist and what appears to be a slight Richard Thompson influence. The quality of the players he has assembled here is quite superb and includes Fairport drummer Gerry Conway and the excellent Canadian, Colin Linden of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings. The album has been lauded by our own Iain Anderson on Radio Scotland who chose it as his folk album of the week back in November and that practically tells you all you need to know about it.
Songs like All Our Yearning Moments are classic examples of fine writing and heartfelt playing, warm and engaging, perfect late night listening, the ebb and flow of the album is nicely balanced. There is a strong Celtic influence on The Other Side of The Light and Set Fire to The Sky with whistle and Uilean pipes from Troy Donockley The frenetic opener Don’t Turn Away and the chunky Thompson like Undo The Chains are invigorating while The Heart Beats On with Linden on slide guitar is a stone fox chase of a song. Nation himself is no slouch on the guitar as evidenced on the acoustic piece Five Finger Rapids.
Nothing groundbreaking here but a fine example of a mature songwriter and well crafted modern folk.

website

All Our Yearning Moments.

The Loz Netto Band. Bridge of Dreams.

While Blabber ‘n’ Smoke has a deep love and respect for blues music it has to be said that the majority of modern electric blues doesn’t rock the boat here. Going back to the roots of country blues is often appreciated (see the recent Tom Feldman review for example) but it’s far too easy to slip into a copycat mode and few artists have achieved the power and visceral feel of blues since the likes of John Campbell, Rainer Ptacek and Stevie ray Vaughn (all sadly deceased). This Loz Netto chap however is intriguing. With a history going back to London pub rock with the bands Moon and Sniff ‘n’ the Tears (remember the great Drivers Seat) and a cover of Little Feat’s Dixie Chicken on the album it begged a listen.
On the face of it The Loz Netto Band are a typical three-piece blues band. However the opening song Bridge of Dreams is like the soundtrack to a film noir classic, As I said, intriguing. In fact there are no routine 12 bar blues here with covers of Alan Toussaint’s On Your Way Down and Lowell George’s Dixie Chicken owing more to the New Orleans southern soul slink that does fill our heart with wonder. With a nod to Ry Cooder in their cover of Cash’s Get Rhythm the band overall are tight and the fatback guitar sound employed by Netto is a welcome reminder of the great Danny Adler and Roogalator, another staple of those long lost pub rock years. Get hip and enjoy some gumbo here.

website

Bridge Of Dreams

Natasha Borzilova. Balancing Act

Winding up this trio is the even more intriguing idea of a Russian born Americana songstress. Natasha Borzilova was born in Obinisk, Russia but now resides in Nashville. Despite her stated original intention of recording an album of Russian folk songs this album consists of her own songs with only the closing traditional Rechka betraying her roots. Taking her cue from this song which deals with three sisters crossing a river and one of them drowning Borzilova writes about elemental links between nature and humanity, highlighted on the superb Water and Wood.
Although traditional in sound there are moments such as the guitar in Balancing Act that add an edge to her crystal clear vocals. The closing Russian song Rechka, sung in her native tongue, is a beautiful and climatic end to what is a fine album.

website

Balancing Act

James Overbee The Old Way.

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If the old way was to get a guitar, strum along to some songs and entertain folks, then this album is aptly named. From Kentucky, Overbee has forsaken his band The Talking Machine (their last album, Stayin’ In Touch is a fine slice of Neil Young/Rich Hopkins guitar laden rock) to deliver eleven songs that flow ever so well in a folky manner. Accompanied only by David Vaughn on bass, Overbee sings, plays guitar, drums and blows his harp on a selection of his own compositions that recalls more innocent times. His delivery, particularly with the harmonica present is reminiscent of Neil Young in his folky form, think of Long May you Run and you’re halfway there. Overbee’s voice has an attractive worn way with it and this is heard to best effect on the ballad So This Is What You Wanted, a little gem of a song. There is a naïve, untutored quality in his singing that takes a bit of time to get used to but its used to fine effect on Song For No One and Do You Think I’m A Fool, a pair of songs that reach back to the likes of Woody Guthrie and old time folk Americana. Do You Think I’m a Fool in particular is almost archetypal and one can imagine it having been sung by Hank Williams or Michael Hurley.
The album ends on a high note with the delightful folky froth of Mistaken, a simple song that buskers everywhere should learn. Simple, homespun and heartfelt, if you like your folk woody and plain give it a go.

http://www.myspace.com/jamesoverbeeandthetalkingmachine

The Pines. Tremolo.

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David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsay are The Pines, a duo based in Minneapolis. They are currently touring the UK and appearing in Glasgow on December 1st. On this, their third album they are joined by an impressive band who conjure up a great rootsy sound that resembles Bob Dylan’s recent forays into America’s folk and blues past particularly on Time Out of Mind. Of particular note is the guitar playing of Bo Ramsay (album producer and father of Benson). On Lonesome Tremolo Blues he plays spectacular slide guitar but throughout his playing is a delight while J.T. Bates on drums, James Buckley, bass and Alex Ramsay (another family member) on keyboards provide a sympathetic bedrock.
Vocally Ramsay and Huckfelt resemble Dylan or at times John Prine, their parched voices sound vulnerable, earnest and honest and they draw you in to the songs which by and large are all outstanding. For the most part these are moonlit poems set to crepuscular music. Twilight hymns that tell no stories but which are packed with arresting images, mysterious allusions and overall a sense of alienation and loss. At times one feels as if one were listening to the poems of W. B. Yeats set to music. Even when they play what appears to be a simple love song as on Hearts and Bones the lyrics seem more like a script for a surrealist movie
Last night you were in my dreams/Heart and bones/When I woke up you were next to me/Heart and bones/Blood is red and the sky is blue/Heart and bones/And I’ve never met anyone like you/Heart and bones/Big bright moon over old St. Paul/Heart and bones/I met you when the apples fall/Heart and bones.
There are two cover songs on the album, “Spider” John Koerner’s Skipper and His Wife and Mississippi John Hurt’s Spike Driver Blues are given fairly straightforward run-throughs with the latter reinforcing the John Prine comparison, both sit well in the overall feel of the album but in the end it is the Pines’ own songs which stand out.
This is a tremendous album, one of the best of the year and there is an opportunity to see this duo on their first UK tour as they play in Glasgow on December 1st at the Woodend Bowling Club supported by the Wynntown Marshals (a definite bonus there).
website
Lonesome Tremolo Blues

Tensheds Crazy Beautiful.

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They say you can’t judge a book by the cover. Likewise this album. Tensheds (aka Matt Millership) is pictured on the sleeve looking like some Bowie clone from the early seventies and his publicity sheet has him resembling the boa feathered Eno from back in the Roxy Music days. So all in all one was expecting a glam rock rehash full of synths and retro seventies riffs. Instead there was an album that owes more to the early balladry of Tom Waits and at times a touch of a country jaunt
Opening with Go Out On the Weekend Tensheds’ debt to Waits is obvious and even more so on Angel of London where he sings lustily over swirling organ and some great horns. Vocally Tensheds has an attractive husky delivery that works as well in a delicate ballad such as Stains as on the uptempo City of Dreams which is reminiscent of Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance with its saloon bar piano.
While the majority of the songs are piano based there are a couple of songs where acoustic guitar is prominent. Of these Flying Cars (with a lyrical nod to Life on Mars, so the Bowie look might not be so coincidental) is an excellent embittered tale of regret rendered from a cheap hotel room. The closing song, Paradise, with atmospheric guitar and percussion that does recall some of Eno’s ambient music is eerily beautiful, a song about death and memory.
The album was released on November 1st and Tensheds is currently touring.
website

City of Dreams

Round Up Reviews

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Let’s hear it for the girls. Oops, sexism aside here’s a slew of albums received recently from a bunch of great female artists. One thing you can say about Americana is that there’s a decent ratio of male/female artists with 9 out of 20 women in the current EuroAmericana chart including three of the albums reviewed here.


First up is Ashleigh Flynn, originally from Kentucky and now based in Portland Oregon with her third album, American Dream (Home Perm Records) and a bit of a dream it is too. Flynn has a truly fine voice, well suited for these songs with a little bit of backwoods twang and a little bit Sarah Jones smokiness in there she makes it all seem effortless. The ten self-penned songs are all excellent from the poppy Mystery to the hard luck story of Isaac on 3rd and Burnside. To top it all Flynn has gathered a great band of musicians with fine contributions from Paul Brainard (Richmond Fontaine) on pedal steel and trumpet. The upright bass, played by Jim Bromberg is an important part of the equation but there is some fine fiddle and Dobro flying throughout. The Seventh Sea is a perfect example of the picking and playing here with Flynn’s vocals betraying her Kentucky background. A fine album indeed.
Website
Listen The 7th Sea

In a similar vein is Lynne Hanson, based in Canada, originally from the American south. She too fronts a fine band of pickers and writes all the songs on Once The Sun Goes Down. Where Flynn’s album has an organic feel around the production, this album has a burnished feel with David Baxter’s production similar to Daniel Lanois’ trademark sound. Guitars ripple and burn while the percussion has a brooding quality to it best heard in Here we Go Again. Hanson’s voice is planted firmly in front and on a song like No More Rain she recalls early kd lang but the best elements here are the slower pieces. Somewhere A Lonely Flower is a sublime, impressionistic account of a trip to London while the last song, Lilacs Dancing, catches a romance in the moment it starts. Riptide is a sinewy snarl of a song with evil sounding guitar over a ripple of banjo. Again, a cracking listen.
Website
Listen Here We Go Again


Tara Linda’s Tortilla Western Serenade is a different kettle of fish altogether. Linda defines her music as tortilla western, “a musical genre blending spaghetti western, rock and Tex-Mex styles; roots music influenced by the land and stories of the American Southwest. So far so good. This boils down to a collection of songs, some with the rock inspiration to the fore as on the fabulous opener, Muse’s Duel with its twang guitar and mariarchi horns which is incredibly invigorating. Dream out Loud is another guitar-based song that is sexy and sinister while Crossroads showcases the guitar playing of Az Samed as it grumbles menencingly. This approach reaches its apogee on Leavin’ Texas (Drivin’ Slow) where LA punk inspired guitar and screeching Mexican horns collide
A good part of the album however is more restrained. Songs about historical Mexican figures (Teresita de Cabora, Padre Kino) have a more traditional “conjunto “ (the button accordion, the bajo sexto) approach. That some of the accordion is played by Flaco Jiminez is a recommendation in itself. For a debut album this is impressive and is heartily recommended for anyone into Calexico, Los Lobos or even Ry Cooder.
Website
Listen Muse\'s Duel


Finally we have Annie Keating with Water Tower View. Keating comes from a folkier side with an earthy delivery, her vocals husky, at times sounding like a female John Prine, at others reminiscent of the frailty of Melanie Safka. Her subjects are the usual folk topics, tales of losers for the most part and one might wonder what more there is to say about the underbelly of American life. However Keating has the ability to take a well worn scenario such as gambling in On the Loose and breathe new life into it.
With some very sympathetic backing from a variety of players all of these songs beg to be heard but the standout songs are The Borderline with a very restrained backdrop and Keating’s vulnerability well to the fore and the closing Scene I/Scene II which, as the title suggests, is like an aural movie. Intimate and engaging, an excellent recording.
Website
Listen The Borderline

Roundup Time

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The Art Gomperz Band are a sparkling little combo with a sound as fresh as a mountain stream on their CD, A Different Story to Tell. With a classic line up of acoustic guitars, Dobro, mandolin, banjo and bass there are no surprises in these 12 cuts which range from bluegrass to country folk to gospel. Fronting the band is Jenna Mammina whose voice is attractive and well suited to the genre. The album as a whole is a tribute to and based mainly on the songs of the late Bev Hahn with whom band leader Dan Geib played as a duo and whom he planned to record these songs with. Following her death Geib decided to record the songs with the new band line up, recruiting Mommina to deliver the words. While Geib and Mommina both contribute songs the standout is Hahn’s Don’t Worry Anymore, a fantastic piece of country gospel which the band whips into fine shape with a fine sense of exuberance and where Mommina sings like an angel in the vein of Loretta Lynn. Overall a nice little album and a worthy tribute to someone whose loss was obviously a major blow to all involved.

Art Gomperz Band website
Don\'t Worry Anymore


Earl Pickens and Family caused a minor stir a few years back with their bluegrass version of U2’s album The Joshua Tree. Gathering is a collection of original material that shows that they don’t need to rely on the Irish superstars for material. The opening song Time is a fine bare boned ballad with some plaintive fiddling from Bruce Derr. Do You Have a Secret is a dark bluesy song with sinister fiddle and skeletal banjo which is enhanced by some spectral keyboards. The band can also produce attractive country pop as heard on The Broom which showcases the harmony vocals of Pickens and Jessie Yamas while fiddler Derr references the old song Diggy Liggy Lo. All this and no sign of Bono, a definite plus.

Website
Time


On a different tack Australian Spike Flynn has released his debut album It’s Alright while in his mid fifties. As befits a man of his life experience this is a world weary, knowing and slightly philosophical take on things. Meditating on the blues as on the opening song It’s Aright which clocks in at nearly nine minutes, Flynn is obviously not in a hurry to tell his tales. It’s Alright could have fallen out of an early Tom Wait’s album with its vignettes of small town life and the smoky saxophone that accompanies it. The sax is present also on Silver Nitrate Serenade, another lengthy mood piece with lyrics that catch an emotion and a moment in time so well such as
“the strong black coffee shoots my nerves, full of tin foil and memories and rust, and a mind almost spent checks its change for the rent.”
This is rain drizzled neon lit night music and Flynn captures it again on several other songs on the album including The Pennywhistle Lament. With a voice that at times is similar to Butch Hancock, Flynn also turns in some well written uptempo folk songs, That’s The Way it Goes in particular sounds as if it should be a folk song standard while Falling Rain Blues is similar to latter day Bob Dylan especially on Time out of Mind. All in all this is terrific stuff.

Website
Spike Flynn The Penny Whistle Lament


Winding up this roundup we have US 32, a husband and wife team who on Tumblin’ Home rollick through 13 songs that in turn are catchy (Mabel’s Car, Credit Cards), evocative (the title song, Hamer House) or plain beautiful (Under the Bridge). Named after an American highway Michael and Christy Kline take the listener on a tour of Americana with some excellent back up from accomplished players on fiddle, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steeel guitars. Mabel’s Car with Christy on vocals sounds like one of Kathleen Edwards’ poppier efforts while she nails a sweet country voice in Under The Bridge, a tearful lament of lost love caressed with pedal steel and fiddle backing. Husband Michael’s voice is less impressive but he manages to deliver on Chasin’ the Sun, a jaunty tale of leaving one’s troubles behind and heading for the horizon in the hope that things will improve. He fares better on the title song, a civil war tale based on a letter written by Kline’s great , great uncle who fought in the war. With whistles and bagpipes evoking a martial feel the song is slightly out of place compared to the rest of the album but is undeniably heartfelt.

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Mabel\'s Car