Nick Black - Deep Blue

Nick Black - Deep Blue 

URL: http://nickblackmusic.com/ 

Nick Black’s first album, The Soul Diaries, likely rates as one of the most memorable debuts in a traditional soul and R&B music over the last decade or more. His second album Deep Blue picks up the gauntlet he laid down with the first and raises the stakes to dizzying heights. His songwriting invokes an array of styles over the course of ten songs twisting and remaking the genre in his creative image. All of the recognizable elements are here, but they’re charged to a white hot sheen thanks to the endlessly inventive arrangements and playing that characterizes the collection. Deep Blue has some impressive vocal pyrotechnics as well, but they are never gratuitous. Instead, Nick Black puts on a vocal clinic for fans of the genre and will undoubtedly mesmerize any fan of the genre who hasn’t heard him so far. This is a jewel of an album that deserves a wide hearing. 

“Ocean” is a song that sounds like a young man reaching a turning point in his life. He doesn’t put any more emphasis into the song’s lyrics than what they need to succeed and they speak to the listener with such plain-spoken clarity that his approach can’t help but work. “Grownups” doesn’t rely on horns as much as the opener but it has much more outright bounce and a smile on its face from beginning to end. The guitar work is particularly tasty. “Falling in Life” rises from hushed grooves into rousing, full-blown crescendos without any disconnect in the transitions and packs an emotional punch that makes its lyrics quite believable. The first of the album’s two major ballads comes with the song “D.I.Y.” and it’s a much more bluesy exploration than the second cut. The slowly evolving arrangement is a classic move in the form, but the song never sounds like a simple paint by numbers exercise. Some of these younger artists who tackle older forms find great success thanks to their willingness to use the genre as a vehicle for genuine self expression rather than just paying half arsed tribute.  

“Let’s Be Glad” is a rocking and fun nod to American southern gospel without ever being too slavish about it. Instead, Black gets this over in an unusually personal way that only increases during the song’s second half when the lyrics take on an even more intimate touch and speak with breathtaking directness. “Reason to Stay” is a bluesy barnburner that wouldn’t sound out of place from someone like Buddy Guy. Black owns every second of the song with his powerful, yet highly artistic vocal. His greatest moment as a singer on the album, however, comes with his performance of “Don’t Leave Louise”. Nick Black takes his time here, as if he’s consciously reaching for this to be the album’s big payoff moment, and if that’s the case, it works magnificently. This is stripped down and straight to the point compared to much of what’s come before and, as a result, connects with the audience in a much more direct way. Deep Blue covers an impressive gamut of emotional experiences and Black always sounds credible attempting to personify each one for listeners. This is a great effort and will be hard to better, but it’ll be interesting to hear Nick Black try. 

9 out of 10 stars 

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/deep-blue/id995874511 

Montey Zike

Brent Daniels - Every Road Has a Turn

Brent Daniels - Every Road Has a Turn 

URL: http://www.brentdanielsofficial.net/ 

Sometimes albums signal their quality before you even hear a single note of music. The assortment of top flight Nashville players who signed on to guest on the debut release from Brent Daniels, Every Road Has a Turn, are among the elite working in the genre today. These guys don’t need the paycheck. Steel guitarist Steve Hinson and Tim McGraw’s long time guitarist Troy Lancaster are among the best that the form has to offer and, if they turn their attentions to help someone with their debut album, the chances are quite high that you should be listening to that new artist. Their faith in Brent Daniels and his talents aren’t misplaced. His debut album might run a couple of songs too long, but Every Road Has a Turn is an otherwise fine effort in the modern pop country vein that never entirely forsakes its roots.  

Those roots are showing on the album’s first song. “My First Friday Night” is relatively standard fare for the genre, a man ruminating on his uncomfortably new found freedom following the end of a long term relationship, but every element of the song locks in so tightly with the other that you can’t help but be impressed by its construction. Daniels is who makes the song really live, however, with his plainly emotive vocal. There’s no need for artistry on the album’s second track. “My Truck’s Bigger than Your Truck” is a hit waiting to happen, a countrified rocker with big guitars, an obvious as a heart attack chorus, and an unabashedly gleeful vocal from Daniels. A commercially minded album like this needs tracks tailored in such a way – there’s a sizable contingent of fans who want these kind of tracks they can scream aloud to and identify with. Daniels makes it happen in a big way – no pun intended. “Long Way from Leaving” has just the right amount of push without ever overplaying the song’s scenario and Daniels cuts his voice to suit the song’s needs. He shows a lot of vocal personality throughout Every Road Has a Turn, but this song gives him more of an opportunity to do so than the preceding two songs do and recalls how inspired he sounded on the opener. 

There’s something much simpler, life-affirming even, about the sentiments of “One Big Party” when compared to other “good time” songs on this album and that helps the track stand out. It has great, forceful drumming that lays down a strong groove for the band to follow and wisely spices up the tempo along the way. The acoustic ruminations of “Hold On” turn listeners’ ears on to a different side of Daniels’ vocal character than we’ve heard so far and he unwinds the lyric with sensitivity and palpable emotional ache. The speaker in “Need a Little Love Right Now” clearly has a blue streak running through his soul and Daniels embodies that with just a dollop of weariness in his singing. The song has another strong chorus in an album full of them and Daniels tackles it with all the gusto he can manage. He finishes things off with the song “I’ve Been Gone”, a supremely delicious musical blow off to a former romantic partner that stays entertaining despite the very real bite in its lyrical content. Daniels, wisely, doesn’t weigh the vocal with an overdramatic singing style and it makes the performance even better. It echoes the traditional country style of songwriting while retaining a modern commercial edge. There’s across the board quality on this release that goes far beyond simply making a good product – this release, like anything good you hear, is a full on team effort that results in a top notch piece of professional music with feel and good times galore contained within.  

8 out of 10 stars 

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/OFFBrentDaniels 

Scott Wigley

Nick Dakota – Vision

Nick Dakota – Vision 

URL: https://www.nickdakotamusic.com/

Debut albums don’t always aim as high as Nick Dakota’s Vision and they should. No matter how good you are or anyone thinks you are, the brass ring of commercial success and a lasting career only lands in the laps of those willing to wheel out their best effort every time out. It’s about the songwriting, the singer, the playing, and presentation. It’s about showing the willingness to put in the long hours success requires. Producer Robyn Robins knows that very well and his work on Nick Dakota’s first album reflects that. This a polished collection with well integrated guest spots from a variety of respected Nashville players. The city’s reputation as a hub for great musicians goes far beyond genre and releases like this show that off to exceptional effect.  

The first song “We’ll Always Have Paris” refers to the city in Texas instead of the French capital. It’s a good example of the classic songwriting style dominating the bulk of Vision, but it works quite well in capable hands. Dakota understands how orchestrating his voice into an arrangement is important and raises his vocal intensity in lockstep with the song’s emotional swing. “How Cool is That?” is another fantastic example of the first class compositions standing out on Vision. Dakota is a great “narrator” here detailing the appeal of the song’s subject with humor and energy in his voice. He’s the biggest reason why “One Last Request” arguably rates as the album’s most successful ballad because he finds his way so far inside the lyrical content that Nick Dakota, as we’ve heard him on earlier songs, disappears. The greatest singers are, among other things, chameleons. They can disappear into a variety of landscapes, inhabit them fully, and provoke our feelings and imaginations. Dakota, on “One Last Request”, makes you feel every drop of the emotion.

“Fall All Over Again” has a lot of promise, but the lack of a particularly dramatic chorus on an album full of them helps this song stand out negatively.  There’s an alternating approach on “The Deep End” filling the verses with tension and releasing it with each chorus. This song has one of the strongest choruses on the album; Dakota’s energy really picks it up and further elevates it. “Used” has an exceptionally strong surge carrying out of its simmering verses into a powerful, roof-raising chorus and Dakota once again shows off his skill for shifting vocal gears. “Too” is one of the rockiest numbers on Vision and is hued with a little more darkness than many of the album’s songs. The rockier vibe continues on the track “Rain Down Sunshine” and gathers further steam thanks to the tense, muscular guitar working alongside Dakota’s voice in the mix. “Sledge Hammer” is one of the album’s more inventive numbers and closes Vision on a high note.  In some ways, this is a common enough song – the narrator reflects on the impact a woman’s made on him – but it has an unusual backing performance from the band, full of verve and energy, while Dakota’s vocal sounds excited in a way we haven’t heard in many earlier songs. It’s a song that brings Vision to a conclusion in quite a memorable way while also setting the stage for Nick Dakota’s future.

8 out of 10 stars 

SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/34a4rQ0ug8ypCPAlUu55s9?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open 

Lance Wright

Andriana Lehr – Artifacts

Andriana Lehr – Artifacts 

URL: http://andrianalehr.com/ 

Second albums are, traditionally, a steep hump for many performers to get over. If they’ve experienced significant critical success, like Andriana Lehr did with her 2013 debut Try to Be True, the urge to follow the lead of that first album with the sophomore effort is a powerful lure. It is, however, a dead end. Entertainers want to entertain. Artists, however, who write and perform from a much deeper need soon realize that successful artistic runs are not built on the backs of repetition. Instead, the challenge is to grow, branch out, and evolve without losing the initial spirit that fired your career and passion. Andriana Lehr fills this mission out quite handily with her second album Artifacts. It’s a well crafted and deeply felt sophomore release that finds her musical adventurousness at a higher level than ever before, but it shows a command of technique that outstrips even her fine first release.  



“Outrun the Change” gives us a clear idea of where her head space is with these songs. Undoubtedly, the numerous years that have passed since Lehr left her South Dakota farm for the bright lights and boundless promise of the big city, in this case the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metroplex, have provided her with numerous examples of how our connections in life change and fall away no matter how much we might value them. The vocal melody here is simply gorgeous and brings the lyrics to listeners in a very attention grabbing fashion. There’s an urgency here that’s quite appealing. Other songs find this urgency as well, albeit in different ways. “Ready to Be” has an understated, just below the surface level stream of frustration and regret about the challenges of establishing one’s individuality in a culture that seems to undercut it and honest communication at every turn, but the message likewise stresses the necessity of our efforts if we want to experience self-realization. “Ashes in the Fog” is a much more muted affair both musically and lyrical with a poetic veneer that many will enjoy. Ken Wilson’s pedal steel guitar is a wonderful addition to this track and takes it in the direction of pure classic country without ever confining itself to genre.  

“Bright Yellow Lights” is another impressive stylistic turn. In this song, Lehr makes great use of tenor sax to bring another unusual instrumental voice into what most will likely hear as an Americana performer. The reverb effects on the lead guitar work also provide another semi-unusual sonic element. There’s a lot of pain and thoughtfulness laced through this particular track and much of that bubbles to the surface thanks to these imaginative choices and her fine vocal. “Halfway Home” takes the album a little into neo-classical territory with its use of a string quartet and Lehr’s piano playing, but it’s a very theatrical piece that still keeps a strong connection to simplicity and certainly has atmosphere to burn. The album’s second to last song, “Streets of Saint Paul”, has some of the same hints of classical flavor bleeding in around the edges, but this is much more of a straight-autobiographical track that Lehr wisely chooses to keep as uncluttered as possible. Artifacts is one of the most well thought out releases coming from the singer/songwriter genre in recent memory and promises much for Lehr’s future. 

9 out of 10 stars 

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/andriana-lehr 

Dale Butcher

Chris Murphy - The Tinker’s Dream

Chris Murphy - The Tinker’s Dream 

URL: http://chrismurphymusic.com/music/ 

Chris Murphy’s astounding productivity as a writer and recording artist is, apparently, inexhaustible. He’s released three full length albums since the mid way point of last year and the latest of these releases, The Tinker’s Dream, will likely stand as his supreme achievement from the recent spate of recordings. He’s shown a remarkable flexibility delving into a number of musical styles and this new album sees him pursuing largely European influences with strong hints of Americana naturally seeping through. The Irish/Italian born native of the New York City area has played alongside some of the most iconic recordings artists and songwriters of recent generations, but his solo work measures up every bit as much to the creative bar set by those names on his artistic résumé. The Tinker’s Dream is a largely instrumental work, but it surges with melodic ideas and instruments that embody, in their virtuosic display, every bit as much vocally as the greatest of singers could provide.  

“Connemara Ponies” starts off The Tinker’s Dream in a very cinematic way. This is melodically lush and Murphy solos over the top of the other instruments with clear designs in mind regarding the song’s melody but, likewise, a untethered spirit playing with unmistakable inspiration. It has a breathless pace but Murphy and his accompanying musicians never push things along too fast. “Union of the Seven Brothers” is another instrumental, but has a much more restrained feel than its predecessor. There’s still an abundance of instrumentation in the tune, but the relaxed pace it takes in comparison to the opener makes for a dramatic contrast. The album’s title song is more reminiscent of the first, but it takes a moderately relaxed posture in comparison and has a bit more playfulness about it than the music on a mission feel audiences will likely get from the album’s initial track. The first lyric and vocal comes with the song “Wicklow”. Murphy’s vocals don’t have the same attention-grabbing fluency of his violin playing, but he’s a more than capable singer who obviously puts thought into his phrasing and listens carefully to the surrounding music in order that it inform his vocal approach.  

The other standout song on The Tinker’s Dream with singing and words is “Cape Horn”. It’s the album’s first single and has an accompanying video, but one listen will illustrate why this is the case instead of one of the album’s fine instrumental tracks or the other lyric laden numbers. It’s a much more developed narrative here than any of the other lyrics and the song also sets itself up as a instrumental spotlight for a variety of players, including Murphy, to show off their skill set. “The Tower” is one of the album’s finer instrumentals and the pronounced hop in its musical step will remind some of the bubbly energy we heard in the first song. A final instrumental surprise comes with the track “The Thistlewood Bridge” thanks to its interesting melody lines and their graceful movement throughout the piece. The Tinker’s Dream is a dazzling display of musical skill and imagination spiked with a strong dose of pure inspired fun.  

9 out of 10 stars 

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/user187167513/sets/chris-murphy-the-tinkers-dream-upcoming-lp

Bradley Johnson

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