Little Diamonds - New Orleans Bound

Little Diamonds - New Orleans Bound 

URL: http://littlediamondsmusicllc.com/ 

The sophomore album from a songwriter is usually a proving ground about whether or not they have the staying power to make a career out of this. Little Diamonds’ second release New Orleans Bound not only improves on the high quality of his debut 1^st Rail, it moves the goalposts substantially and establishes a whole new bar for success that signals this is an artist committed to realizing the fullness of his artistic potential. This is a professional recording through and through that balances out the relatively narrow range of instrumental voices with the central musical force on the album, Little Diamonds’ own voice. He has come a long way from winning a Bob Dylan impersonation contest and is rapidly evolving into one of the most respected performers and songwriters on the Americana scene. There are twelve songs on this album that testify to a talent deserving of such a reputation. 

There’s a John Prine-esque turn to the album’s first two songs “I Don’t Know About You” and “Never Met You at All”, but it’s never over-exaggerated to the point of outright parody. Diamonds is a multi-instrumentalist, but his work on acoustic guitar is particularly impressive and the musical hinge upon which these dozen songs swing. He has a clearly articulated style and his playing remains steady throughout while adding countless low-key embellishments to give the progressions some added flair. “12-12-12” is much more Little Diamonds’ own confection and owes little to anyone. The light humor has a delicious dark twist, but it isn’t so black as to drag down the listeners’ emotions. Instead, the band arrangement he adopts and the brisk pace they set come together to make for an exceptionally nice performance. His vocal is full of great phrasing that plays up the song’s comedic elements some, but concentrates much more on tailoring the singing as closely as possible to the music.  

“Duluth Grandma” has stronger lyric imagery than any previous song and showcases his skills for creating characters to inhabit his songs. It creates an effect of eavesdropping on a life and being able to observe without having to pay a penalty for what we hear and see. These are immensely human songs and “Duluth Grandma” has even more humanity than most. “Old Man Al” has a similar template, but it isn’t quite as dark and the musical accompaniment provided by Diamonds’ guitar is a little less intricate than we heard on the preceding track. His guitar takes a very direct approach on “Come Back Here” and the majority of the song’s melodic content comes from the beautifully phrased fiddle accompanying Diamonds. This song has good natured warmth that some of the recent songs have lacked and it comes at a good place. 

The upbeat mood continues with the album’s title track. “New Orleans Bound” is full, musically and lyrically, with a vivid sense of possibility. The steel guitar and brass don’t sound at all incongruous together in this context and Little Diamonds provides a perfect counterweight to those elements with his plaintive singing. New Orleans Bound is an impressively unified and clearly conceived musical and lyrical work. Little Diamonds never sounds uncomfortable or uncertain and the songs have a tightness of focus that never wastes the listener’s attentions. Few albums in 2016 will prove as satisfying for fans of Americana music. 

9 out of 10 stars 

SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/60Wf0zeykV2PkBgWJfHSUF?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open 

Gilbert Mullis

Erica Sunshine Lee – Elixir

Erica Sunshine Lee – Elixir 

URL: https://www.ericasunshinelee.com/ 

Elixir, the follow-up to her last studio album Southern Amendment, is another stellar entry in Erica Sunshine Lee’s growing discography of top flight rock infused country music. The fifteen songs on her latest album veer from raucous country rockers with a bluesy spirit all of the way to spiritually minded songs that brood over her connection to higher powers and His place in her life. Stylishness pervades over both types of songs. The raucous country rockers are never too dumbed down; Lee and her accompanying musicians play those cuts with skill and a generous amount of inspiration considering that the songs aren’t particularly taxing from a technical point of view. Enthusiasm for what you’re playing is irreplaceable. The spiritual songs never beat listeners over the head with their convictions; instead, they come from a much more personal place and have no real agenda beyond communicating the performer’s heart. The album’s overall production gives these songs an excellent presentation that gives Elixir a virtual guarantee to please the hardcore devotees while positioning itself to appeal to a much larger audience. 

Elixir starts off on a decidedly commercial, rock oriented note. “Shut Up Heart” and “The Bottle Ain’t Enough” pull from the mainstream in two distinct ways. The first song isn’t nearly as grounded in genre, from a songwriting perspective, thanks to its wont for reaching beyond the confines of the style for its lyrical content and its understated comedic value. The second song, however, has numerous antecedents in country music and Lee turns it into a gritty, high octane track thanks to the electric guitar muscle and powerhouse drumming it makes use of. “My Favorite Word” has similar commercial potential, thanks to its classic balladic elements, but Lee is a performer who never has to pander. There’s no sense of compromise in how she brings together the song’s various elements and the hint of minimalism it maintains gives the song space to breathe in a way that only benefits the performance.  

“Medicated” is another of those aforementioned high octane guitar-fueled rockers. Lee gives a credible vocal, spitting out the words and tossing them aside with great relish, and the six string work along with the thundering rhythm section never tries to steal a single sliver of the spotlight from Lee’s singing performance. “Pills and Booze” has some of the same rambunctiousness, but there’s not even a hint of celebrating the lifestyle in this song and Lee’s vocal concentrates, instead, on conveying the heartache that relying on the combination cited in the song title has brought to her life. “Jesus and Georgia” has some restrained climatic points, but this is overall one of the album’s most laid back numbers. The acoustic guitar playing is quite melodic and the song’s percussion provides just the right rhythmic touches. “Briars to Ferns” musically recalls the earlier “My Favorite Word”, but this is much more of a big screen production number and far more cluttered in comparison. The vocal and lyrics are good enough to mask a certain amount of premeditation and overthinking going on with this song.  

It ends, however, on a much more relaxed and natural note. “Take the High Road”, based on title alone, could promise a high-handed and cliché ridden statement of character, but Lee’s far too great of a songwriting and performing talent to fall for that particular brand of bathos. It ends Elixir in the right place musically and emotionally. It will likely help seal the deal for most that, seven albums in, Erica Sunshine Lee is reaching her peak as a singer and songwriter. 

9 out of 10 stars.

REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/EricaSunshineLee

Charles Hatton

StonerPop - Self-Titled

StonerPop - Self-Titled 

URL: http://www.stonerpopculture.com/ 

StonerPop’s five song self-titled debut is a collection of electro pop that harbors no apparent ambition to make you dance. This is dire, soul-crushing laments about alienation and broken love, but StonerPop are clearly looking to create music that breaks with norms while still making use of the genre’s sonic template. Many outfits working in this vein are adept at creating soundscapes but, while StonerPop’s Jimmie Maneuva clearly can’t resist weaving some atmospherics, StonerPop largely refrains from using its electronic firepower in such a way. Instead, the songs on StonerPop’s debut elongate structures some, but follow precise patterns and show a clarity of vision most first releases lack. This isn’t music that sprawls; instead, Maudie Michelle and Maneuva keep its elements under tight control and shape the compositions through an accumulation of effects rather than singular, dramatic turns. They are joined by Fred Kalil from the band Porcelain People on the EP’s final two tracks, but there’s no question that every creative decision made on this release bears the mark of Michelle and Maneuva.  

Those decisions pay off nicely from the first. The patience and playfulness in the opener “Preachers” is hard to miss. Michelle gives the audience an often emotive vocal, but the confidence reflected by the song’s surprising use of its instruments, the dramatic spikes and dips in intensity, and its slowly unwinding quality contrasting its relatively short length make this a memorable start to the EP. The EP’s second track “Running” raises the bar even higher. This is a song with something hot on its heels and the stressed out qualities in the music give it an immediacy other composers in this area might have struggled to suggest so easily. There is something of the same stripped down effect here that we heard in the EP’s first song, but it’s overall a much busier number. “You’re Never Listening” wears its emotions on its musical sleeve. Much like “Running”, this song feels under pressure from the first seconds on and only narrowly avoids blowing up. Michelle’s singing has an almost seething sound during much of the song that adds immeasurably to its appeal.  

Fred Kalil’s contribution to “Monsters” is primarily musical and his vocals don’t figure much into the performance. Michelle’s voice dominates this song and she turns in what sounds like a painful performance reliving emotions and memories that, perhaps, she has kept long buried. His vocal turn on the EP’s finale “Fox” is quite good, if not a little inexplicable. There’s nothing about the song lyric that should have disqualified Michelle from singing this song, but it’s likewise a good sign in certain respects. This decision shows how StonerPop isn’t beholden to the audience’s expectations and will do what they deem best for their art irrespective of other’s thoughts. This sort of blindness to the standard operating procedure is one of the best things setting this band apart from their contemporaries. StonerPop’s debut is an entertaining and idiosyncratic piece of work. 

9 out of 10 stars

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stonerpop-ep/id1172111781 

Scott Wigley

Jesse Eplan – Dreams

Jesse Eplan – Dreams 

URL: http://info62103.wixsite.com/jesseeplan

Jesse Eplan has released a wide variety of singles reflecting his interests in pop, rap, and hip hop music and the latest, “Dreams”, is his best yet. The blooming reputation of this young musical artist isn’t the result of being in the right place at the right time; instead, Eplan has put himself in this promising position through monumental talent and the sheer dint of hard work. He’s handled the production duties on this new song just as he has on all of his previous efforts and it’s thanks to his perfect pitch and abilities as a multi-instrumental that he’s able to pull this juggling act off so well. He’s been chasing after these musical dreams since first discovering his love for self-expression at the age of seven and through multiple bands, live appearances, television outings, and a growing chorus of praise, Eplan has retained the same commitment to finding inspiration in what he does and communicating that same feeling to the widest of possible audiences. 

His vocals are perfect for such aims. Eplan sounds quite comfortable in his own skin and in complete command of the song throughout. It’s thrilling to hear such a young singer and songwriter confidently navigate the twists and turns of a subject so front-loaded towards cliché and never strike a single overly-familiar note throughout. Instead, he picks listeners up from his first line and carries them through the entire lyric as if he alone were capable of sharing these experiences with the world at large. It’s particularly exciting to hear how he gradually responds more and more to the song, ratcheting up the emotional intensity, and making sure each listener will, in some way, respond differently to this song than others. This has such open-ended possibilities for interpretation that it wouldn’t be a shock if Eplan himself doesn’t sing it differently every time in a live setting. 

It’s a remarkable lyric for the form. Instead of composing some ode to seeing all of his dreams come true and staying relentlessly upbeat throughout, Eplan throws a little light swagger into the mix and the knowledge that success, like many of the other phenomenon we go through in life, is illusory or has little permanence. He delivers those sort of lines with emphatic conviction that the other lines don’t lack and blends his emotional stances so artfully that it will be impossible for listeners to ignore his skill.  

The musical backing focuses on create a strong R&B setting for these musings. If someone tells you that it’s hard to pull off rhythm and blues with electronic instruments, the soulful color of this song should conclusively prove that’s a lie. Instead, “Dreams” has the sort of slow burn we expect from the best R&B balladry and doesn’t go in for any of the saccharine turns populating so many similar tracks. Jesse Eplan’s “Dreams” is his best recorded work to date and heralds a turning point of sorts – this isn’t some unknown commodity making great music in a vacuum, but a steadily rising commercial and artistic force capable of turning heads and ears alike. 

RELATED ARTICLE: https://patch.com/new-york/merrick/amp/26828535/jesse-eplan-singer-songwriter-muti-instrumentalist-and-producer-debuts-brand-new-single-dreams 

Charles Hatton

Big Tribe - In This Together

Big Tribe - In This Together

URL: http://www.bigtribemusic.com/ 

Many bands, having experienced even a modicum of success with their first release, wisely opt to follow the path of least resistance with its follow up. These are bands with primarily commercial concerns – they want radio play, they want songs that seamlessly translate to the stage, and they want their follow ups to sound as much like the first album as possible. Big Tribe is not one of these bands. Their debut From the Fringes announced the arrival of Peter Panyon as a songwriter, but the second effort finds Big Tribe building on the accomplishments of their first collection rather than merely trying to replicate it. In This Together has a dozen numbers that cut across a wide swath of musical styles, but never in an ostentatious way that calls attention to itself. These are rock solid compositions and even the looser moments have the feel of a band who naturally play with confidence and a talent for simply letting the songs flow through them rather than laboring over both the writing and performance to such an extent that all of the life and verve are drained from their efforts.  

Big Tribe’s In This Together begins with “Martha”. The lonesome train whistle starting off the song might suggest listeners are going to hear a convincing blast of Americana but that quality is confined to Paynon’s lyrics. The storytelling aspects of this song make the lyrics a must hear and it’s paired quite well with an arrangement that sounds like biting folk rock. “All in This Together” has a straight-ahead, no frills instrumental attack that fits remarkably well with Panyon’s unique vocals. The drumming, in particular, reaches out and grabs listeners with its physicality. “The Final Boat Out”, however, pulls the album back towards a much rockier tilt while still never veering too far from its singer/songwriter heart. Panyon’s vocal on this track is more relaxed, more natural sounding, than the opener and the lyrical content is quite as enigmatic. There’s a woozy, late night blues feel to “I Want To Be With You” that has an unusual side thanks to the inclusion of violin. Panyon and second vocalist Bonnie Eyler tackle this tune together to marvelous effect. 

Eyler, however, is the whole show on the song “How the Mind Wanders”. Unlike songs like the opener and “The Final Boat Out”, this reaches the level of performed poetry without indulging in any of the verbal and symbolic play heard in those two tracks. Instead, unvarnished and eloquent honesty is the order of the day here and Eyler’s vulnerability practically throbs through each verse. There’s no vulnerability at all, however, on the next track “You Lied”. This is the album’s zenith for guitar work, but it never gets heavy-footed and allows Eyler the chance to command the audience’s attention with her searing vocal. “Just a Boy” is another moment of great vulnerability on the album, but Paynon and Eyler share much more of the vocal duties here than on the earlier “How the Mind Wanders” and it gives the song a different character while still championing the same melodic strengths. If you appreciate musical clarity and a little daring to spice up your traditional loves, Big Tribe will not disappoint. In This Together sparks with creativity and imagination from the first song and never loses that fire throughout.  

9 out of 10 stars. 

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Together-Big-Tribe/dp/B01N3L3FJH 

David Shouse 

The Cavalry - Build Your Own Empire

The Cavalry - Build Your Own Empire 

URL: http://www.thecavalry.fm/ 

Build Your Own Empire is the first release from one-man Nashville Rock outfit The Cavalry. Tristan Jackson, the songwriting vision behind the project, proves himself to be a wildly talented figure with this offering. He’s already established a reputation as a quality first-tier supporting actor, but Build Your Own Empire distinguishes him as a gifted vocalist and nuanced songwriting with a mastery over his chosen idiom. Jackson conjures up universal images through the prism of his own experience and creates eminently relatable tracks that will please a broad-based swath of the listening public. The EP’s five tracks follow a general similarity of plot, but there are important variations from song to song that help set them apart from each other. The collaborators he brings into the mix are another important factor in the music’s success. Jackson works with, among others, the songwriters of the group Love & Theft to craft a singular listening experience.  

“Don’t Mean You’re Gone” is a resounding song with a light touch that brings together pleasing strains of melody with tone-setting drumming. Jackson carefully weaves the song’s various elements together in such a way that no one particular strain assumes prominence over the others and balances his vocal, as well, with expected attentiveness. None of the album’s songs risk over-indulgence and never run longer than four minutes. “Wake Up Call” is the album’s single ballad and, accompanied by guest vocalist Kristie Lane, soars high on its orchestrated texture and superb vocal performances from both singers. Like some of the EP’s other songs, “Wake Up Call” has an impressive amount of sound but never achieves such density that it slows up the track in a negative way. It comes at a great place in the running order because it gives listeners an entertaining one-two punch in tandem with the EP’s fourth song, “When the Radio’s Gone”. The commercial leanings of this song are much stronger than the earlier numbers and its mood, deliberate yet wonderfully organic, agrees wonderfully with the preceding song. Jackson excels with the big chorus and this is probably the best example yet of Jackson’s skill with this facet of songwriting. His vocal, likewise, underscores the strength of this part of his game. 

“Red, White, & Blue Jeans” has a much more cluttered vibe than the earlier songs, but there’s still much of the melodic strength and southern rock attitude fueling this track that made the earlier numbers so memorable. Guest vocalist Nolan Neal brings a lot to the song without ever competing with Jackson for attention. It ends Build Your Own Empire on a rousing note that will pick up even the most jaded of music fans. Tristan Jackson has a rambunctious vocal edge that emerges on this album, but he has also has an impressive fluency that allows him to convincingly inhabit any style. The five songs on this EP have something to offer any listener of this style and should touch a wide audience of potential fans. 

9 out of 10 stars

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/CavalryNation

David Shouse 

Uncle Frank Band – Fountains

Uncle Frank Band – Fountains 

URL: http://www.unclefrankband.com/ 

This is top shelf pop music with a brain and the ability to get you moving to match. That’s a rare combination in any year, but with the continual dumbing down process that a lot of pop music has seemingly undergone in the last day, it is a great thing to still find a band of real human beings who don’t rely on machines to generate danceable grooves and, instead, pack a personal wallop with their instrumental and vocal talents. Uncle Frank, based out of the Leicester area in England, have swiftly established a reputation as one of the best bands purveying a particular form of pop that doesn’t just aspire to make people boogie. As the saying goes, there’s something here for everyone. The first single from their forthcoming sophomore album, Love Lion, is a monumentally entertaining number called “Fountains” and it manages to get your tapping your feet and shaking while still appealing to the heart.  

The lyrics are definitely worth hearing. Without ever seeming pretentious or overreaching, “Fountains” has lyrical content that will unite an attentive audience and makes the band seem every bit as human as those listening to their music. Viewing the world as a madhouse from which they want escape, the yearning for joyfulness and something affirming comes through in every line of the song. There isn’t one needless word tacked on and, in a rare development, there’s a sense here that the band’s lyrical content is every bit as important to their music in some ways as the music. Vocalist Frank Benbini doubles down on that impression with his powerful, yet highly finessed, singing. A crasser approach to handling the lyrics on this track might have been to belt them out with all the conviction and lung power that a vocalist can muster and some might have enjoyed that. Benbini, however, brings his considerable experience as an important member of the Fun Lovin’ Criminals to bear on this song and chooses tastefulness over browbeating his audience into submission. 

The arrangement is quite straight-forward, but the individual components that make it work so well merit examination. The engine room rates above them all. Drummer Junior Benbini and his musical partner bassist Luke Bryan lay down a massive groove that, undoubtedly, makes Frank’s job all the easier. There isn’t a large guitar presence in this song and, instead, the track gets its top line instrumental melody from Jay Lynz’s keyboard work. He never overdoes it. Instead, the shimmering synth work gives the song a glossy sheen contrasting nicely with the hard hitting rhythm section. 

“Fountains” has the makings of a major hit for the Uncle Frank Band. The musicians and singer alike have combustible chemistry that never fails. The production, benefitting from a stellar mixing job by renowned producer Tim Latham, frames this track in the best possible sonic light and sets up the presentation of their next album in such a way that its success is virtually a sure thing.  

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tJfHo5gyxc 

Scott Wigley

 

Magic Music – Self Titled

Magic Music – Self Titled 

 

URL: http://magicmusicband.com/ 
 

This is an ambitious debut. Colorado based Americana six piece Magic Music could have released a ten song collection and easily contended for one of the best debuts of the year in that genre. Instead, Magic Music swings for the grand slam shot and authoritatively connects. The seventeen songs on their first release are rarely happy with pursuing one line of inquiry. Instead, there are innumerable shadings and layers in the album’s best songs and even its nominally throwaway numbers have musical and melodic substance. The production presents the music, vocals, and songwriting alike in an ideal light. The album sports a number of important guest stars like violinist Scarlet Rivera, Little Feat vocalist Bill Payne, and Jimmy Haslip. They enrich what is already a superb entertainment experience with the extra bonus of being a virtual master class in how to write and play this music.
 

It’s obvious that they have aspirations on even the first song. “Bring Down the Morning” focuses an impressive amount of lyrical and musical artistry into one relatively short song and manages to make it a complete listening experience. The production handles the work of producing Magic Music’s vocals with sensitivity and frames the voices up front and center in the mix. They turn up the musical attack on the second cut “Bright Sun Bright Rain” while holding onto the same poetic intensity that lights up the opener from within. The fierce musical attack is never rough hewn, but it has unusual passion and physicality that will win over many listeners. Melodies are so strong in “The Porcupine Flats Shuffle” that the song, despite its retro mold, has a strongly commercial quality. It’s hook filled and moves the listener in subtle ways. The playing is a high point on the album as the players lock in tightly with one another while still playing in a relaxed and nuanced fashion.  
 

“Gandy Dancer” maintains a much straighter line than many of the other songs on the debut, but that doesn’t mean it’s dull in comparison. It shows the band’s ability to focus and forego much in the way of added instrumental pizzazz. Instead, the song places its attention on giving the lyric and vocals a highly musical framework for communicating with the band’s audience. “Carolina Wind” is a much more varied and dramatic number, but Magic Music handle any challenges they set for themselves with easy-going command of the music. “A Cossack’s Song” has a steadily mounting sense of musical drama that rides out on a sustained and rousing climax. The vocal delivery is a little different here than other songs, but still familiar somehow. Another exceptional instrumental track, “Old Man Das”, counts among the major works included on the release. The same hallmarks of melodic excellence listeners encounter in the best lyrical-driven works are equally present in the album’s instrumentals and this is the band’s finest moment in that area. 
 

The closing track “The Cosmic Jingle” is a great finish. The fiddle has a patiently developing elegiac quality, slightly mournful, and interacts well with the supporting instrumentation. The lyric is delivered quite earnestly and avoids too much sentimentality, but the best part comes with the harmony sections. Magic Music is a powerful and fully realized work of traditional music filtered through a modern sensibility.  
 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/magicmusiccolorado  
 

9 out of 10 stars 
 

William Elgin III

RedBelt - Beautiful Surround

RedBelt - Beautiful Surround 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/redbeltmusic/ 

RedBelt sure loves uptempo punky rockers. Their first release, Beautiful Surround, is packed with an assortment of souped up ragers that come flying out of the gate and hit listeners like a jackhammer. They have a strong melodic streak that keeps the song popping and jumping from the first note on and those melodic strengths are a compelling juxtaposition with the fiery attitude that they manifest. Half, at least, of the songs on their debut utilize this approach, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The band’s debut is likely a little too long for even the relatively short length of the album’s individual tracks, but they keep the energy level dialed up throughout and longtime fans of rock and punk alike will find much to like about their sound. This four piece from Milwaukee, Wisconsin brandishes considerable musical firepower from the first song on and their signature mix of three part harmonies and melody augmenting the songs clearly reveals them to be a band who hopes to be around for years to come. 

“American Mercy” is the album’s first high point. This is an impressive confluence of punk, melodic rock, and straight up classic rock. Lead guitarist Mike Mann proves time and again on Beautiful Surround that he could lift any rock band up with the fury and skill he has as a player. He has an excellent partner on the instrument with second guitarist and lead singer Kevin Brown. Brown’s voice is more than adequate to handle these songs single-handedly, but the addition of two other backing singers, Mann and bassist Ricky Ganiere, only further strengthens Beautiful Surround. “Shoot It All the Time” brings slide guitar and acoustic into the mix. These additions alone help the song stand out from the remaining dozen, but Brown’s vocal and the thunderous rhythm section performance give it even more muscular grit.  

“Sweet Release” is one of the hard-hitting punk rock songs on the album and has a skeletal power that explodes at crucial points and peaks nicely at various points during the song’s length. The intensity dies down a little for the song “Cold”. It’s the most obviously melodic effort on Beautiful Surround, particularly its vocal melody, but it doesn’t give up any of its gravitas to achieve that effect.  “30 Seconds”, unquestionably, is the most raucous reference to alternative and punk rock on the album. It clocks in at just under three minutes and there’s no wasted motion at all in the band’s efforts to hit their audience right between the eyes. “Throw Away” is their most fleshed out, fully developed effort in this area and nicely incorporates alt-rock, classic, and punk rock posturing in a single song better than any track before or after. The final track “Hard Light” doesn’t lean as heavily on Mann and Brown’s axe work and, instead, the rhythm section ends Beautiful Surround with a different sort of intensity than what the band has offered us on the preceding tracks. The album could be a 2-3 songs shorter for an even greater impact, but RedBelt are going to linger in memories regardless if they overreach a little here.  

8 out of 10 stars 

SPOTIFY:  https://play.spotify.com/album/2a5lfbgAHWZeMb4UmmyCVj?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open 

Robert Fulford

Jemima James - When You Get Old

Jemima James - When You Get Old 

BANDCAMP: https://jemimajames-tl.bandcamp.com/album/when-you-get-old 

Jemima James’ album from Team Love Records, When You Get Old, has been released with a companion piece, her thirty seven year old intended debut At Longview Farm. It’s instructive to compare the two albums. Both albums have a lot of musical credibility they derive from their command of traditional American music, but they put that knowledge to work in distinctly different ways. At Longview Farm is a product of its era more so than When You Get Old – besides the fact that there’s a bevy of instrumentation employed on the first album that is missing from her follow-up, the production wholeheartedly encourages listeners to hear both works as emerging from completely different contexts. At Longview Farm’s ten tracks are musically substantive, but they are also clearly geared for radio play. The thirteen songs on When You Get Old, however, have a sound and approach that signals they were truly written and recorded for no one else by Jemima James. She presents them in such a way, however, that those who share her tastes will find it well night impossible to not admire them as well.

She opens When You Get Old with its title song. While there’s a wealth of autobiographical musings in this song, there’s an abundance of humor as well. It isn’t jokey or punch-line oriented; instead, James conveys the darker humor of the piece through her vocal delivery and phrasing. The music has a deceptively light-hearted bounce as well that belies the song’s more serious subtext. She uses organ on “Magician” to further flesh out the color in its quasi-waltz time arrangement, but it is her voice and lyrical content working with the arrangement that really makes this song a success. The sleepy slide guitar stretching out over the even-tempered shuffle fueling “If I Could Only Fly” underplays the yearning at the heart of this song, but James really does well with weaving seemingly contrasting elements in a song into something lucid and credible.  

The tempo picks up some on “If It’s the End” and some of the darker humor present in songs like the title cut returns here. James gives this song a much straighter delivery than the earlier track and the music certainly doesn’t attempt approximating or exceeding the jauntiness of the first song, but the sighing with a smile resignation in the lyrics is difficult to ignore. Harmony vocals make a significant contribution to When You Get Old and few songs benefit more from their use than “Bats in the Belfry”. The same lazy bluesy feel surrounding the earlier “If I Could Only Fly” is strengthened further on the song “One and Only” along with some tasteful brush drumming that gives the track a consistent, but never overpowering, pulse. James ends When You Get Old with “Nothing New” which somehow manages to be a little moodier than the earlier songs while still affirming life before she exits. It is, for all intents and purposes, a solo performance sans any sort of double-tracked or harmony vocals and, like the rest of this album, James carries it off with subtlety and panache.  

9 out of 10 stars 

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/when-you-get-old/id1164766266 

Shannon Cowden 

Martin X. Petz - Broken Man

Martin X. Petz - Broken Man 

REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/martinxpetz 

The best songwriters resist pigeonholing. It might be easy for the uninformed to give Martin X. Petz’s latest full length album Broken Man a single listen and slap an ill-fitting label on it as faith-based or intended for adult oriented radio play. The source and appeal of this nine song work, however, is much broader. These are songs that attempt to dramatize Petz’s own interior struggles, but they just as often look outside the confines of self and connect wonderfully with facets of our lives that, undoubtedly, resonate with a wide swath of potential listeners. His lyrical content avoids inaccessible or high-flown moments of pseudo poetry, but make no mistake that Petz isn’t a superior writer when compared to many of his contemporaries in the field. There’s great intelligence and literacy driving these songs. He emerges from this album not just as a gifted songwriter and musician, but as a storyteller with a voice that’s an ideal vehicle for communicating with his audience. 

The title song incorporates a full band, but their touch is light. Petz keeps this track clipped and doesn’t waste a word or note, but the atmosphere of the song keeps the energy level at an engaging medium. It’s a credit to his songwriting skill that Petz never lets things get too overwrought, but his plain-spoken depiction of despair will be an affecting listening experience for many. “Noble Blues” takes on some of the full band trappings heard on the first song but tempers them somewhat. The result is a much more intimate approach for the song’s first quarter before Petz opts for ramping up the musical stakes during the remaining duration. The album’s third track “Fall” is constructed around a tasteful half shuffle tempo accentuated by understated drums. His vocal shows all of the care and sensitivity for phrasing apparent on the album’s first two songs and there’s some tasty lead guitar here as well. 

A classic count-in opens “Heart & Home” which, as the title implies, celebrates the connections that sustain our lives. The arrangement is full of the sound musical decisions and compelling playing that characterizes the album as a whole, but it does more than that. The song has a great uplifting swing that picks listeners up and keeps them engaged throughout the song. “Count” reaffirms the virtues that guides much of the album’s songwriting with a clean, uncluttered track primarily centered around Petz’s evocatively recorded vocals, his guitar, and light percussion. “They Say (You’ll Know)” has much of the same breezy confidence heard on the album’s best songs and a light shuffle pace that keeps things moving without ever forcing them along. Broken Man’s final song, “Chained”, has much of the same musical focus characterizing earlier tracks like “Count” and relies on intimacy to make its case to the listener.  

There’s deceptive simplicity here, but Petz is a songwriter who realizes the virtue of a song having no more than it needs to get its message/point across to the listener. The nine songs on Broken Man do not pretend to remake the wheel artistically – instead, Petz is a fine product of the singer/songwriter school of popular music and excels at giving his audience entertaining musical material along with substantive words that will reach and touch many hearts.  

9 out of 10 stars 

CD BABY: http://www.cdbaby.com/artist/MartinXPetz

Lydia Hillenburg

Django Mack - ‘Round Christmas

Django Mack - ‘Round Christmas 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/djangomack 

Music devotees are familiar with the customary glut of Christmas music releases that has long been a staple of the business. It’s usually a safe bet. The better performers choose top notch material and put it over with all of the skill and technique that’s helped them to build successful careers. No one questions the sincerity of such efforts. It’s entertainment and serves a purpose. Sometimes, however, an artist doesn’t restrict themselves to sentimental and hopeful invocation of the season. Django Mack’s latest release, a single entitled “’Round Christmas” is a heavy duty lyrical drama with an elegant, slightly ghostly performance from sharp collaborators who play to Mack’s voice well while never neglecting the arrangement. It’s accompanied by a bonus track called “Big Black Dog” that highlights Mack’s talent for shifting gears.  

The single has persistent and precise drumming without ever cluttering things up with too much percussion. It’s illustrative of one of the central qualities present in Mack’s music. His memorable vocals never attempt biting off anymore than they can chew and the musical backing never attempts to overshadow his role in the performance. “’Round Christmas” hits listeners with the gloom more or less from the first line on and Mack doesn’t bother with allowing the audience any sort of release. The release comes in the form of often beautiful guitar work accompanying his vocal and the delicacy of their performance is another of the track’s highlights. The effects surrounding the lead guitar give it an assertive side when required and the song peaks at just the right times.  

His lyrics for the track will definitely capture the attention of first time listeners who appreciate that sort of thing. Some of the lines and rhymes alike are a sort of inevitability that marks the best songwriting and never seem forced. Like his vocals and the arrangement, Mack doesn’t waste a single word in the songwriting process and everything sounds tuned for maximum effect. 

The second song “Big Black Dog” is a funny romp, but it has musical value. Mack is in high-spirited form from the first line on and his vocal locks in really tight with the vibrant, energetic piano that’s pushing the track forward. Mack has some great backing singers working with him on this song too, but he uses them lightly and thus makes the presence all the more memorable. It’s a great song because it shifts the mood of the release so well, but more so because it shows off Mack’s ability for excelling with very different styles within the same wheelhouse.

This isn’t just some novelty tune for the holidays that you quit playing by December 27^th. “’Round Christmas” traffics in much more serious emotion than those sort of songs and has the sort of sharp-eared music that suggests he wants to write and record music that invites multiple listens and more. “Big Black Dog” is every bit as entertaining, albeit in a different mode, and makes a great match for the single.  

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/djangomack

Aaron Ellis

Kelly McGrath - You and Me Today

Kelly McGrath - You and Me Today 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Kellymcgrathmusic 

Despite its painful subject matter, Kelly McGrath has returned with a new single that rates among the most beautifully penned numbers of the year. This harbinger from her soon to be released fourth album shows that her musical evolution is ongoing and that she continues improving with each successive release. This single is perhaps the best job of song construction she’s managed yet – “You and Me Today” has deliberate pacing and assorted passages that hang together nicely with the pleasant sense of inevitability. Experienced listeners will often recognize where McGrath is going musically but she gets there so artistically that it’s impossible to not enjoy the journey. She is nominally an Americana artist, particularly since she’s based out of an admittedly more cosmopolitan than ever before Nashville, but the reality is that McGrath is much more of a comfortable fit in the singer/songwriter school of performers with irrepressible commercial appeal.  

This is much more than some weepy overwrought tribute to her dead father. McGrath fashions some beautiful melodies to help depict for listeners her journey in grappling with the enormity of her loss and reflecting on the significance of the relationship with the man. Her voice reflects the miles racked up in dealing with these truths – it emotes beautifully, aching one moment, scaling great heights in the next. She plays her cards right with the phrasing as well and never renders a single line in the song in some cheesy, off-putting way. Her voice likewise shows how much she listens to the band’s performance. Her singing dovetails neatly into every musical movement and truly embodies what it means for a human voice to serve as one more instrument in a musical performance. 

Her lyrics could do for all of the Hollywood moments, the common images we would associate with this topic, but instead she takes on a more introspective tint while still peppering the track with a number of relevant details that help create a narrative. The song has a great running time to pull this off and never wastes the audience’s time at all waiting for payoffs that never arrive or fail to satisfy. The chorus is the song’s big top moment and it doesn’t disappoint, but even then, McGrath is clearly determined to do this song the right way and resists any urge for vocal showboating.  

Certain musical performances stand out. The guitar work on “You and Me Today” essentially acts as a second voice answering McGrath in an elegant quasi-call and response fashion. It’s the central way “You and Me Today” delivers its melody and, in the end, melody is the key to making this subject easier to handle. McGrath never cheats the listener though. This is a challenging track emotionally and shows Kelly McGrath has developed into a fully-realized artist unafraid to bare her pain in her art. 

NO7DIGITAL:  https://no.7digital.com/artist/kelly-mcgrath/release/you-and-me-today-5810335

Aaron Ellis

Jemima James - At Longview Farm

Jemima James - At Longview Farm 

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jemima-james/id5125882 

The album At Longview Farm was initially recorded by Jemima James in 1979, but was shelved and never released until now. Team Love Records is the label for James’ son Willy Mason and, following the release of his own debut, Mason began pushing label co-owners Conor Oberst and Nate Krenkel to investigate the possibility of releasing his mother’s long neglected collection. The ten songs on At Longview Farm have a wide ranging command of American popular music styles without ever overexerting in an effort to impress its audience. This isn’t a confessional album in the mold of Joni Mitchell’s earlier work, but instead shows great imagination in the songwriting that’s much more the wont of a storyteller than heartbroken poet. James gathered some great musicians to accompany her on this album and there are a number of tracks that are clearly intended to push outside the relatively narrow confines of the folk rock genre towards something much more commercial that, nevertheless, doesn’t pander to her desired audience. 

Those more commercial efforts, like the opener “Sensible Shoes”, “Easy Come Easy Go”, and “One More Rodeo” more often than not embrace uptempo energy to help put over their pop-oriented sensibilities. They never entirely abandon the folk music influence woven through her songs and while they make their concessions to the marketplace, in the form of catchy choruses for example, they retain great substantive value both lyrically and musically. Melody is one of the hallmarks of the collection and there isn’t a single track that doesn’t benefit from James’ skills in this area, but the musicians playing with her on this album are equally responsible for realizing its musical potential. Manifesting the necessary restraint to play simply and coherently isn’t always easy for well-versed and proud musicians, but the best technicians in the genre are those who serve the song first and eschew any ego trips. The stamp of this can be discerned on every track.  

There’s a solid storytelling aspect that defines many of the songs. “Havana Cigar”, “Jackson County”, “Billy Baloo”, and the final song “Water at the Station” are all full of simple, conversational elegance and flashes of real poetry thanks to her frequently deft use of imagery to make a point. They likewise gain much from her phrasing – there’s never a single passage on the album as a whole where James fails to sound completely invested in the moment. Her ability to make full use of her talents as an interpreter of Americana musical traditions helps strengthen the album as well. Tracks like the aforementioned closer, “Book Me Back in Your Dreams”, and “Precious Love” are all solidly rootsy affairs that always sound credible rather than studied recreations of old-timey tunes.  

Sometimes better late than never really has meaning. Fans of folk rock and singer/songwriter works will keep coming back to this over and over and finding new riches in the impressive array of songs James brought to this release. At Longview Farm references the long tradition of American popular music without ever being beholden to it and makes a personal statement that’s revealing and highly entertaining.  

9 out of 10 stars.

ALLMUSIC: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jemima-james-mn0000321919 

Charles Hatton