Welcome to the Rocking Magpie – a box-room on the Internet for one man and a bunch of his Roots Music loving friend’s thoughts and musings on a wide variety of music, be it CD’s, Gigs, books and the occasional DVD. Usually; but not exclusively based around all things ROOTS:- Americana, Folk, Blues, R&B, all variants of Country, a bit of Ska, Reggae and Soul too.
After many years writing reviews for a variety of magazines, newspapers and websites I decided to break up the band and go solo in 2014; putting everything under one roof on ……THE ROCKING MAGPIE.
Me? I live in the North East of England; but the team live across the UK and two are in America, and we receive music from all around the world….mostly the UK, USA and Canada and our readership reflects this, as we have followers in over 130 countries across all 4 continents.
Our priority is bringing you reviews and previews of music that has actually been listened to and appreciated…not just the regurgitation of a Press Release (like too many other ‘household name’ websites!). We do this because we love music and want you to get an Independent view from someone just like yourself; and in theory this will make you want to actually buy a copy not just scam a free listen on the likes of Spotify and Apple Streaming! #BuyDontSpotify As of May 2022 we returned to the radio on NOVA RADIO NE in Newcastle with each two hour broadcast available the day after …… but for personal reasons I stopped in March 2024. All shows are still available to stream by typing ‘RADIO SHOW’ into the box on our home page.
Dig deep into the site; as the bonus is a myriad of my old reviews (400+), some dating back to 2010 which really are a snapshot in time – some I got bang on, others I raved about yet the album and artist still drifted into musical obscurity. Keep in touch rockingmagpie@outlook.com or on Twitter @RockingMagpie
To ‘Follow’ us, press the like/follow button for irregular postings of reviews that you can be read in the comfort of your own home…workplace, train or the loo. FAO Bands, singers and PR’s…….like all other writers and bloggers we put an inordinate amount of timeand effort into these reviews; so please, please, please promote them on your websites, social media and the telephone ……they do actually lead to SALES….I have written proof!!!!
Alan aka The Rocking Magpie
If there’s one song that sums up our attitude to what we do and why we do it, it’s this song……. Rex Bob Lowenstein by Mark Germino
Stephanie Sammons Time and Evolution Self Released
A Fully Formed Debut Album From an Exceptional New Texan Singer-Songwriter.
The first day that I played this was one of those when I couldn’t decide what I wanted to listen to – at first I was skimming through the files for something Bluesy and possibly even noisy; and it was by randomly pressing ‘play’ that I stumbled on opening track Make Me Believe and I was smitten in under thirty seconds. FYI Stephanie Sammons is the polar opposite of Bluesy and/or noisy …. as she’s a ‘certified financial planner’ by day and charming singer-songwriter by night! That opening song took me off into a whole new universe from the one that I expected, although one inhabited by the likes of Nanci Griffith, Beth Neilsen Chapman and Mary Gauthier, of whom the latter two she cites as mentors. The first thing that hit me was Stephanie’s voice … simple yet expressive and not without the strength and wisdom that only comes from a woman who has worked hard to succeed in life. Second song Innocence Lost finds the singer looking back at events from her childhood and youth too that have stayed with her throughout life; “I feel shame like I feel the wind,” and I’m sure many who listen to her song will nod along in unison. While the arrangements are very easy on the ear; much like the two mentors I mentioned earlier Sammons writes from the bottom of her heart and when you scratch the surface of Faithless, Mend and the final song on the record, Holding On To Jesus you will be caught in her trap and find yourself stunned and stung by her intricate musicality and the way she sings making them more profound on every play. Especially on debut albums writers are advised to ‘write about what you know’ and Stephanie does just that of course; but that still didn’t prepare me for the powerful Lazarus which trundled along nicely the first few times I played the album, then one day I was in the car and had a Eureka! moment. Man! Sammons took my breath away the way she tells a bittersweet story of small town hypocrisy that meant she had to hide her sexuality “Maybe if I pray a little harder for the rain that’s gonna fall Maybe if I wait for the seasons to change These big things will be resolved,” Billboard Sign follows a similar stony path, as she tells us of the challenges internal and external she endured while coming to terms with and accepting herself:starting with “her mother claiming she’d yet to meet the right man; a father who told her she was only welcome in his home if alone; and the person she saw in the mirror each morning, who sat in a pew each Sunday praying for salvation despite living like a saint.” The production here, by Mary Bragg (who joins Sammons on Living and Dying) is really quite exceptional, especially for a debut record, as everything you hear has a place and nothing sounds even remotely out of kilter with Stephanie’s lead vocals and Bragg allows the singer the freedom to let the songs flow like a country stream. It was only when I was thinking of what would be my Favourite Song that I began to worry about where to fit this album into my collection. Why? Well there’s plenty of pedal-steel littered throughout, so that must make it a Country album – no? Well, not really – perhaps Americana, but the structure of most songs are from the modern Folk idiom I think; so I’ve decided to go back in time and label it simply under Singer-Songwriter … which is a very apt genre at the end of the day. The dilemma came about as I listened to Grow Up (featuring Vernon Thompson), Year of The Dog and Billboard Sign in my quest, and all three are built quite differently but all three sound almost perfect in a way I associate with those songwriters I mentioned earlier. Although it’s far removed from my own life, I’m going for the bravery coiled inside the challenging Billboard Sign as my Favourite Song as I’m sure it will live with me for many years to come. I think this album is quite sublime especially for a first attempt …. Stephanie Sammons is a ‘keeper’ that’s for sure and I look forward to any visits to the UK where there will be an appreciative audience waiting for her.
Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts Let the Light Back In DA Records
Unflinching Honesty and Sad Songs Full of Hope
Let the Light Back In is the third album from Luther Black and the Cold Hard Facts, an album full of sincere Americana, with hard-hitting lyrics, and honest musicianship throughout, brought to you from Rick Wagner, formerly of the bands the dBs and the Silos. Wagner penned all these songs, save two, and played most of the instruments himself with some help from Lance Doss on slide and lap steel guitar, Matt Wissler on mandolin, and Jonathan Kampner on drums.
Wagner has always strived to create great music, and this collection of songs may be his best yet. “Room at the Top,” originally written by Tom Petty, kicks off this album, albeit with a tinge more positivity than Petty’s version, as Wagner finds some hope in Petty’s lines: and manages to deliver them with grace.
Another cover, “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” made famous by Otis Redding, also shines with Wagner’s touch. But it’s his original songs here that really grabbed my attention.
“In my mind it’s 1983, and nothing aches like a memory” Wagner intones on “Ghosts on the Boulevard,” the guitars marching him forward while the swirling organ and slide guitars propel his thoughts back in time like a waking dream you can’t shake from your head hours later.
“Can’t Catch the Wind” is a tale of missed chances and lost dreams; while “Ain’t Nothing Good About Goodbye” kicks off with screaming guitars and chugs along like a latter-day Replacements song. “Lost in the Rye” could have been just another sad story about drowning your sorrows in drink, but Wagner lifts it higher with some graceful introspection: “It’s the sanity of the song, It’s the reason for the rhyme, Keeps you up all night, Searching for the next line.”
It all comes together in the middle with the two songs “Black and Blue” and the title track, “Let the Light Back in.” “Black and Blue” is a gospel-tinted swampy Blues with Wagner’s gritty voice front and center, as a police siren keeps pace with the drums, delicate guitars and perfect background vocals by Brandi Thompson. Inspired by the protests of racism and police crime the past few years, Wagner paints an impressionistic soundscape of futility and fear, prayer and darkness, but not much hope for change, because that is the world we sadly live in. I’m reminded of John Murry’s “The Murder of Dylan Hartsfeld” with it’s bleak honesty, and unflinching facts, a truly difficult song to get through, but well worth the pain.
“Let the Light Back In” is the sister to “Black and Blue” and is impassioned plea for humanity to not give up, to have faith after the hard times: “I walked through sleet and rain to repent for all my sins, gotta have a little faith, to let the light back in,” he sings, hoping to convince himself, even the smallest bit.
The album closes out with “Coming Home” and only acoustic guitar and harmonica, Wagner circles back on the years, reflecting on simpler days, yet thrilled to get this point in his life. “We are living in dark times, and this album is my way of finding an escape from the darkness,” he says, and that’s all we can hope for.
Twangtastic, Honky-Tonkin’ and Silver Tongued 21st Century Country Music.
When I received this album a few weeks ago I was convinced that I’d reviewed at least one of his earlier albums, but skimming through the site proved me wrong – so I presume it must have been in my magazine days so hasn’t been moved over. That apart, this is Grant Langston’s tenth album and as the quirky title aLAbama suggests, is a Country album that comes from his roots in Alabama and his home town of twenty plus years, LA … and the combination is quite fabulous. We have one national Country Radio station in the UK, and if I was involved in programming, the lead track Country Or Bust would be played on the hour every hour; but because they seem to favour ‘Country by numbers’ Trucker cap wearing tattooed ‘good ole boys’ singing about drinking and demeaning girls; it probably won’t get a single airing – which is their loss. Langston’s songs swing and sashay like so many of our Country heroes over the years with Make Your Move, Pure Grain Guarantee and Keep It Coming all being floor-fillers on a Friday and Saturday night. There’s more than enough Twang here to please everyone who prefers Classic Country, but his good-timey songs are invariably subtly deeper than most songs from the 60’s and 70’s, if you take the time to listen to As Is Sale, the razor sharp ballad Corporate Hack or This Heavy Load to hear where I’m coming from. When he’s on the ‘up cycle’ Langston isn’t afraid of a melody or a catchy chorus, something which evades Country Radio these days; but This Old Truck and the whimsical Layaway “That fender guitar sure sparkles in the window. Periwinkle telecaster sounds like a dream The neck pickup coos like a little baby And single coil bridge sure knows how to twang and scream Put it on layaway I ain’t got the scratch today” tick all the boxes I need to hear in Country Music these days. It’ll be all too easy to have this album on the background while driving or just plain working; but scratch the surface of songs like How Much Do You Want, Jailbird and/or Jailbird and you will hear some very articulate words and stories worthy of Vince Gill, Brad Paisley or even David Olney in many ways. For my Favourite Song I’m going a bit left of centre, as Sing Along is a beautiful and courageous song about desperately missing a loved one and the memories that are regularly evoked; in this case the young man’s father who was the county Sherriff who .. ‘was cut from an old piece of leather with a glass of Gistler’s whisky in his hand if he ever liked me much he never let it show .. Maybe that was part of his plan…” a song that is as Country as Country gets in the 21st Century, that’s for sure. My only wish is that I’d discovered Grant Langston earlier as this is very much the type of music I like when the sun is shining and the world outside my gate is a distant memory as I wallow in the words and music.
Keeping it Country – Classic, Appalachian and Even The Pop Variety.
After a seventeen year hiatus Grey DeLisle returned to the music scene in 2022 with an album of covers, aptly titled Borrowed, featuring a brilliant Country version of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in The Wall! That was followed less than a year later with SHE’S AN ANGEL which RMHQ said “This is Country Music … 100% Proof Deluxe Heartbreakin’ Country Music” now it’s the turn of the Jolie Holland (Be Good Tanyas) produced Driftless Girl, which has Adam Bisbin, Nikki Grossman (The Sapsuckers), Buck Meek (Big Thief) and ex-husband, Murry Hammond all lending support.
American singer-songwriter and auto-harpist Grey DeLisle opens with the ‘stop you in your tracks’ track, Where Are You Coming From. Heaped in wondrous textures of piano, electric and acoustic guitars with percussion and wonderful lyrical content that is rich in hypnotic gracefulness. My Two Feet (Hammond) springs instantly into action, due no little to the superb electric lead guitar work as she speaks of ‘going down the mountain, on my own two feet‘, adding “I’m going slow” across an addictive groove featuring a pressing rhythm coupled with harmony vocals that see the energy levels lifted.
While music plays a huge part in her life, Grey DeLisle is also recognised as one of Hollywood’s most successful and prolific voice actors… she’s actually the voice behind countless cartoons like The Flintstones and Scooby Doo and computer games too.
Like many, her creative output increased during the COVID-19 restrictions, with Grey going into overdrive as she wrote songs like most people jot down shopping lists. DeLisle was also invited to co-host a Hee-Haw style variety show, Ray’s Roadhouse with Asleep At The Wheel veteran bandleader, Ray Benson, and was offered the job of providing the voice for Wanda Jackson’s memoir, Every Night Is Saturday Night? How cool is that?
Title-track, Driftless Girl is warmed in sensitive piano and fiddle featuring Nikki Grossman, “she won’t stay blue, she’s a driftless girl, she’ll row her own canoe, she plays those Sapsucker records louder than she should”
and “lost her heart to an Amish boy, ‘neath the covered bridge, mother hung her washing in the west prairie sunshine. She’s a driftless girl, she don’t need you.”
Little Ol’ While is the kind of music Dolly Parton was making back in the 1960s, a charming innocence that is warmed in barroom Country guitars, piano etc. it’s the kind that suits both her vocals and, my palate too.
On mentioning Parton, DeLisle takes her leave with a cover of the lady’s heart-wrenching drama of a young woman left on her own when becoming pregnant, Down From Dover. Put to a shuffling rhythm it’s a pleasing cover, albeit, she doesn’t quite match the writer’s anguish.
The Ballad Of Ella Mae, DeLisle brings an Appalachian feel to the table, its tempo and general melody it lends itself towards the likes of Folk ballad classics, Pal Of Mine and Engine 143, with its pure, heartfelt lyrics warmed in a stripped bare instrumental support, housing little but, very fetching harmony vocals (Holland). Keeping it Country, I Don’t Wanna Want You is loaded in pedal steel guitar and graceful fiddle and shuffles along in style on a song about a troubled relationship. A stellar inclusion btw.
Pretty Jolie enjoys a chugging rhythm as electric lead guitar, piano and drums provide ample backing for her vocals with fine accompaniment as she speaks of going on the road, and being pushed around. There ain’t no stopping her while she’s out on the road with her ‘pretty Jolie’ though. Quick Draw as you’d expect has a rocking edge, as DeLisle presses forth. “You’re a quick draw darling, all the heart we’re packing is gonna see us through, you’re a sure shot baby, I’m so glad, baby. That you took me out.”
In The Living Room has no little nostalgia running through its veins as she sings, “right here in the living room, conversations end too soon. Conversions end too soon, you fall asleep on my shoulder.” At opportune moments a pedal steel guitar and deceptively simple piano rolls it around and sashays home in style with some fine and vivid imagery. Mama’s Little Rose chugs the album along to a close with the sound of restless banjo, old time fiddle and scintillating pedal steel, Delisle performs Country Music of a bygone and timeless era with harmony vocals from Holland placing the icing on the cake as her reflective tale once again offers, songwriting wise hints of classic Dolly Parton.
Dusty and Occasionally Ambient Americana and Alt. Country Drenched Modern Country
Austin, Texas-based JM Stevens’ second album, Nowhere to Land, is not as raucous as his debut of 2019, Invisible Lines, but is still full of the same solid songwriting, with a clean, modern production, and Stevens voice up front. Stevens has a clear bright voice destined for country pop, and it shines on these ten tunes.
Modern Country has learned much from Americana/Alt-Country over the years and 25 years ago Modern Country was trying to sound more like an arena rock band, but nowadays they’ve added touches of slide guitar, obligatory Hammond B3, and traded in the four-to-the-floor Rock drums for something a little more dusty and ambient. Add a touch of psychedelic ambience to that with Stevens’ song “Dry Creek” which reels you in with acoustic guitars picking out a bluesy walk-down, a swirling organ bubbling through the undercurrents of the song, and a world-weary vocal.
“Cherry Sunburst” is a Country Pop tune extolling the virtues of the perfect guitar, under the guise of a love song. Are guitars better than relationships? There is definitely an argument to be had there.
The title track, “Nowhere to Land” finds Stevens contemplating an unexamined life: “It’s hard to find the words to say, So I’m gonna do less looking And more listening today”
The guitars seemingly giving the impression of a man walking back to when life was good. It’s not everybody who can write with such positivity and make it genuine, but Stevens has a way of crafting his songs in such a way that they don’t patronize.
There’s a satisfying dobro on “After the Storm” that weaves around the vocals, while Stevens sings about starting over and creating hope. I’m wondering if this one was crafted during the pandemic with it’s imagery of empty places and loneliness.
“Cobwebs” is a broken romance song, Stevens attempting to figure out how to fix a busted relationship, then “Too Fast for Me” ends the album in a reflective mode, another failed relationship song—what is it with songwriters and bad romance? But Stevens keeps it hopeful, which seems to be his lynchpin. “Yes, I messed up, but I’m hopeful for change,” is what he seems to be seeing in these songs and that’s a worthy sentiment right there.
Stevens also runs a recording studio in Austin, Texas and has done an admirable job of producing this album, filling it with dreamy keyboards, lush guitars, crisp drums, none of which get in the way of Stevens lyrics. I would have appreciated a bit more of the psychedelia like on the first track, “Dry Creek” but this is a great collection of songs, either way.
The Avett Brothers The Avett Brothers Ramseur Records/ American Recordings/Thirty Tigers
Excellent Genre Fluid Americana Imbued Bluegrass and Alt. Country With Folk Flourishes Too.
Brothers, Scott (banjo, vocals) and Seth (guitars, vocals) Avett; aka The Avett Brothers from Concord, North Carolina have been around for over two decades; with longtime band member Bob Crawford (acoustic, electric bass) with them most of the time and Joe Kwon (cello) and Mike Marsh (drums) are the band’s other mainstays. They have carved out a well respected niche in the music business, with twelve full length albums to their name, and the awards, nominations and critical acclaim to go with them. For the uninitiated, The Avett Brothers cover folk, country, bluegrass, pop, and rock and to a degree ‘singer-songwriter’ can also be thrown into the mix
Never Apart (w/ vocal prelude) opens their latest record with some beautiful lyrics. Spread over the record there’s a mix of family ties (members of the band included) growing up and with spiritual grace drawn upon too. Like it’s most recent predecessor, Closer Than Together it’s produced by good friend and famed producer, Rick Rubin. In the world of Americana music Rubin will forever be linked to the late Johnny Cash and how he revived the Man In Black’s career on American Recordings.
Since their last album as a band, five years ago there has been Seth Avett’s solo record, ’Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown” because the singer-songwriter is a hero of his. Sometimes the brothers can venture off into totally unexpected directions, but they always return to base. Their album, Mignonette (2003) recently became the subject of a musical (picked up by an outside force) focussing on a 1880s shipwreck tragedy and performed in January this year in Washington DC to good critical acclaim. Stories passed on down from their father, non fiction with a particular interest in heroism and survivalism has served them well Seth and Scott’s above noted album Mignonette came from the book, The Custom Of The Sea.
Amidst the honours, and album records one of the units biggest musical recordings saw them covering Tom T. Hall’s perennial That’s How I Got To Memphis (undoubtedly they are admirers of the Nashville Storyteller, and two other songs for the all-star Punch Brothers, (Jack White, Rhiannon Giddens, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings Machine, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez among others) recording, Another Day, Another Time : Celebrating The Music Of “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2015, Nonesuch Records), this recording came in the wake of the acclaimed T. Bone Burnett, Joel and Ethan Cohen produced movie Inside Llewyn Davis.
Returning to the present, the excellent songwriters Scott and Seth Avett include the seven minute epic Cheap Coffee which is warmed through with gentle keyboards and guitars presenting a really soothing brew that features some poetic chapters. It’s a far cry from powerfully propelled, Love Of A Girl that offers punk and rock wrapped together as it spirals round the moon a couple of times. Striking! “Got a good deal on flowers at the grocery store” reminds me in a complimentary way of a few acts (the V-Roys?) and is a great use of creative energy. Forever Now though, is particularly sombre in spirit, aided by upright bass, acoustic guitars and drums finds them in reflective, questioning mood, highlighted by the graceful, keyboard entries as the song shuffles along neatly.
Country Kid has a quirky, addictive edge, speaking of growing up in the country confines of North Carolina. “Smokes in a homemade shirt welding machines, having parties in the woods, dragging friends from the neighbourhood” and “the shape of bodies in the pale of moonlight. Flowing fast, like the Mississippi“ Primed in fiddle, banjo and other traditional country wares the boys are found at their best.
Orion’s Belt flies out of the blocks and is excellent (as ever) with lead vocals that are powered by an incessant, bustling rhythm, smoking fiddle and among other delights a wonderful, lead electric guitar solo. Hence a happy feeling ensues for anyone hearing it.
2020 Regret calms it all down again, as to the sound of little other than piano warm, the measured lead vocals (Scott) embrace your attention and heart and soul of the listener. It speaks of how the love of another isn’t always as visible as it could. It’s something John Fullbright could easily have written and I would like to hear him perform it, as it’s a keeper alright. Spurred on by dramatic interludes of fiddle and piano the characters passion overflows as seamless harmony vocals give exceptional support.
Stripped-down Broken Bones too has a special feel, with its intelligent musical arrangements (piano, cello etc) after an a cappella Folk styled intro to the lead and harmony vocals. “Every town has the same broken bones and the loneliness. Someone is waiting for me, somewhere apart from the part I can see, he never visits except in my dreams” The singer delivers, in a personal reflectiveness and solitude, as the song has all three in abundance oozing from its veins. Quality.
The melancholy of We Are Loved wanders, slowly forth, mellow with the sensitive timbre of the lead vocals being totally excellent, varying on occasions from superb to sublime. On introduction of the second (and third) voice the song is lifted to even greater heights. It’s one of those that becomes more profound with every listen. I imagine done live you will be able to hear the proverbial pin drop. What a way to sign off. On hearing this records I now feel the urge to hunt out more from the Avett Brothers
Alt. Country to Invest Time In To Get The Best Out Of and They Will Repay You Many Times Over.
This review should have been a lot simpler and quicker off the mark, as Mrs Magpie still plays the previous Claire Bowen album religiously every week, so it’s ingrained in my psyche making the follow up something short of a ‘cut n paste’ exercise surely? Nothing could be further from the truth it turns out, for several reasons … not least because this is definitely a duo album, with Bowen’s husband Brandon Robert Young getting equal billing, and deserving it too as he is very much an equal entity here. Even knowing that in advance I still presumed the songs here would be from the commercial end of the spectrum and yet again I was wrong! Much to Mrs Magpie’s initial disappointment and my pleasure, Bowen Young have thrown the baby out with the bath water and created an album that errs more on the Alt. side of Country music with a few Indie Rock flourishes in the shadows too, which has meant we’ve had this album on heavy rotation over the weekend. The gutsy opening track Water To Wine comes out of the speakers like something from the pits of Hell! Any thoughts of twee kissy kissy love are left at the starting gate, as the two give it everything they have to express their love for each other. What follows is generally heavier and occasionally darker than you’d expect; starting with Track #2 Hair Of The Dog which finds Claire Bowen on lead with foggy harmonies as she regrets the goings on from the night before, then Brandon cuts in with his version of events, which may not corollate with Bowen’s. I shouldn’t really do this, but it reminds me of the type of song that The Exes sang in the Nashville TV programme, and will surely find a home among a younger demographic. Now I think about it, the album is probably targeting a younger and more passionately cynical audience than Bowen’s first album … with songs like Gets Late Early, the raw To The Bone and God Forbidden all targeting the lovelorn and heartbroken. I know that can mean older people like myself; but the arrangements hear are heavier than normal and will appeal to the freshly divorced. Speaking of ‘age’ we both new that Halo was a cover song; but I had to Google it to find that it was a gazillion seller for Beyonce! I’m not knowledgeable to do a ‘compare and contrast’ but this bittersweet love song is certainly one of the highlights here, with both Bowen and Young using their voices like instruments rather than voice boxes. The more I’ve played the album, the more I’ve come to like it, especially the chances the couple have taken; choosing and arranging songs for their own pleasure rather than for ‘commercial success’ … I mean including a bouncy Gospel fuelled song like World Brand New will be a surefire end of concert singalong; but on record feels a little out of place, but is a pretty damn good song anyway. When it came to selecting a Favourite Song Mrs Magpie was non-committal, erring perhaps on the orchestral and almost theatrical title track US, or maybe when pushed – Aurora and I can’t really disagree; but I’ve gone Seven Days as Brandon Young totally bares his soul as his partner purrs her harmonies beside him, no doubt with a loving smile on her face. This album certainly wasn’t as ‘immediate’ as I’d expected and hoped, but all in all I’ve come to really enjoy it a lot more than my wife has; possibly because some of the songs are challenging in subject matter and the way they are arranged too, which appeals to me. Here’s a thing … I think the people who actually buy a copy (LP, CD or even download) will play it a lot more than those who use streaming services, as you have to invest time to get the best out of these songs, and when you do they will repay you many times over.
Modern Folk Songs Aligned To ‘Easy On The Ear’ Melodies Full of Lusciousness and Thoughtfulness.
We’ve met Paul Thompson before; when Anita reviewed his last album LONE STAR in 2022; and while the world has disappeared further towards Hell on a handcart; this singer-songwriter and his songs remains in the wings charming all who sit before him. The opening song Traveling Light is a sweet love song that thankfully falls well short of Hippy-Trippy whimsy; and somehow made my heart flutter a tad when I played it last week …. “And we’re travelling light on a summer breeze With the wind in our hair, breathing mountain air And the world far below will never know We are there.” Some of the words I will use to describe Thompson’s songs will make many raise their eyebrows, but some of our greatest songwriters have produced a canon of work that has a powerful spine aligned to an ‘easy on the ear’ melody that’s full of lusciousness and thoughtfulness designed to make you smile (as well as ‘think’) and that’s what we have here. When I first heard Now The Sun Is Up and Time and Tide I wrote ‘channeling his inner Donovan and Ralph McTell’ and I can’t see beyond that now; and that’s certainly meant to be a compliment. I’m sure Paul does listen to a lot of 1960s Folk music; but when you delve deeper into this album, there are hints of Bluegrass and the type of songs that came and went in the blink of an eye when Mumford & Sons ruled the charts too, not least Light a Little Fire and/or Nightfall spring to mind, but there are others too. I doubt Paul ever thinks he will ever headline Glastonbury, but he has played the smaller tents (which real music fans inhabit?) to wall to wall packed crowds and I presume that’s the case with other festivals too … he’s that type of act. This is Thompson’s sixth album, and while I can’t compare and contrast with the first two, I think it’s fair to say that his writing and observations have matured since 22’s LONE STAR, which to my ears comes across ever so well on the torrid tale of a man leaving his family, in Child In Me “Left you standing by the garden gate Superman pyjamas and a teddy bear You waved goodbye Too late” While I’m a man in his mid 60s and not particularly a Folk fan; but with songs like the haunting part spoken word Spirit Guide and Lady In The Lake in his play book Thompson will win over music fans of all generations from teens to my elders with his eminently listenable arrangements and velveteen vocals. As usual I’ve played this album a few times now in a few different locations, but best of all was when I was in the conservatory on a sunny day editing photos, with no distractions apart from making copious cups of coffee. This brings me to my choice of Favourite Song, it was nearly the metaphorical Baby Hedgehog which is a pure delight and very thought provoking too … “But I’m lost just like you Trying to find my way back to A safe place to hibernate I’d rather just hide away with you.” The other; and song that really caught my attention this morning as I was writing the review; The Crow Calls Nightly which is one of those songs where it’s difficult to put into words why another’s words and emotions mirror your own; and that’s the case here. I listen to copious amounts of angsty singer-songwriter fayre on a weekly basis; and in fairness they suit my mood after an hour or so watching the news or scrolling through Social Media … but the world needs more like Paul Thompson!
Amazing, Timeless Acoustic, Bluegrass and Californian Infused Folk Songs.
Singer-songwriter, guitarist, champion fiddler, Folk, Bluegrass and Country act, Laurie Lewis has been at the top of her game as a musician and bandleader for over five decades. Dating back to her days with the Good Ol’ Persons and Grant Street among others and her occasional recording partner, Kathy Kallick (also of Good Ol’ Persons) she’s long been a model of consistency. ‘Her voice is a rare combination of grit and grace, strength and delicacy. Her stories always ring true’, cites Linda Ronstadt.
A pioneer in many ways, Lewis helped open the way for artists in the Acoustic, Bluegrass / Californian styled Folk genres. Her music stands tall (as tall as the Sequoia trees that she sings about?) among fellow female acts, especially Kate Wolf and the unique song interpreter, songwriter, and musician Mary McCaslin and from the 1960s-1970s, West Virginia-born, Hazel Dickens and Seattle, Washington-born Alice Gerrard among many others that are also Category defying and unique to themselves, just like Lewis.
Her huge appreciation and understanding of nature is not only displayed in the album’s title, but the songs themselves. The majority were written by herself, as she uses her ability to evoke serene tranquility on the likes of Rock The Pain Away, that’s warmed in string bass, harmony vocals and lead guitar of an old friend Nina Gerber; Lewis taps into her wanders out and about in the great outdoors, making it pure in every sense. Personal and inward looking, maybe, it’s one of her best ever? Here she visits tough times where a big hug is needed, a heart-wrenching composition matched by very few anywhere else.
On opening track, Just A Little Ways Down The Road she has Andrew Marlin (mandolin), Brandon Godman (fiddle), Patrick Sauber (banjo, vocals) and Hasee Ciaccio (bass, harmony vocals) bursting at the seams with joyful enthusiasm as they kick up their heels. Enough has her speaking in saddened tones of the great Sequoia trees that took a huge hit due to California raging fires in recent times. Texas Wind is curated from words she’s crafted and carried around in her notebook for years, and only just completed for this album. Plied in fiddle, bass and banjo it offers a vibrancy most typical of the work supplied by her accompanying band.
The fourth song on the record isn’t only a tribute to John Prine but something special in itself! Lewis sings of first hearing of his passing and a comment made by Prine after he had listened to Lewis’ lunch-time set at the Strawberry Festival ‘Why’d You Have To Break My Heart? A beautiful pairing and the phase couldn’t have been better utilised. Again; it’s just so pure and bittersweet. Many a tear has appeared in the eyes of those brought up on the former’s work on hearing Lewis’ beautiful homage paying, ode. Take a bow, Ms Lewis.
On the subject of beauty, Lewis’ interpretation of Mark Simos’ Quaking Aspen would take some beating. Old time fiddle, banjo and general authenticity shines throughout, like spring sunshine on a song awash in mountain imagery. Title-track, Trees is an exquisite four-part a ‘cappella delight, where she’s joined her by Ciaccio, George Guthrie and longtime musical partner Tom Rozum. Due to Rozum developing Parkinson’s disease it’s the first time Laurie hasn’t had his mandolin accompany her every stride since their association started back in 1986.
Adding to her own songwriting efforts you have songs from the late, singer-songwriter Bill Morrissey, the vibrant, Bluegrass ripper Long Gone as well as Iris V N Hall & Tom T Hall’s Hound Dog Blues (that sounds like it was written way back when, but actually isn’t that old) and features Ciaccio’s brilliant slap bass that’s only matched by ace harmony vocals, banjo and fiddle on this mighty lonesome Bluegrass, Country, Blues ode… Bill Monroe meets Jimmie Rogers?
Down On The Levee is a bouncy descriptive ditty from legendary Steamboat lover, musician John Hartford and from modern day singer-songwriter, Kate MacLeod you have the keenly driven, Bluegrass presented, The Day Is Mine, which is notable not least for its storming fiddle and banjo.
The Banks Are Covered In Blue, a co-write with Godman enjoys some fetching three part harmonies with the couple and Ciaccio (to go with fiddle, banjo, guitar and bass) creating a beautiful calming affair.
Deceptively Simple Modern Folk Songs With a Tragic Celtic Edge
Scots singer-songwriter Nicky Murray is a friend of one of our reviewers, one who felt uncomfortable writing about his music objectively, so the task has fallen to me. I knew next to nothing about Mr Murray when I pressed ‘play’ on the office hi-fi, so I was surprised; nay … stunned when the first song, the titular How Long slinked out of the speakers. WOW! What a voice! The song was barely a minute old when I scribbled ‘this is an album that took a lot of hard work to make it sound so simple’ …. and a week later I still feel the same way; perhaps even more so. Nicky Murray has a slight Scottish ‘burr’ to his singing; but not so much that you will ever pinpoint where he comes from; as you will be so enamoured by his soft and emotional style that every thing else seems irrelevant. His songs are far, far from ‘irrelevant’ by the way. He obviously writes from the heart and is a keen observer of the world around him; bringing us the brittle beauty of 100 Horses, Fox Behind the Snow and The Days We Had too; but that description could probably be a catch-all for everything else here too. I’ve used the expression a couple of other times over the years, but Nicky Murray is a songwriter with a poet’s soul; such is the imaginative way he constructs his songs and arranges them too. I hadn’t really noticed before today; but there’s a gorgeous Celtic edge to So It Seems and the final song on the album, Sweet September; something that conjures up misty mountains and glistening rivers that feels as natural as breathing for the singer. Of course this is where I’m legally bound to say that this is a long playing record that needs to be played from start to finish with absolutely no distractions to get the best from his deceptively powerful modern folk songs. Track #2 Hearten is simply breathtaking, not just for the way Murray purrs the story, but the instrumentation behind his voice too; not least the shimmering cymbals, violin and soft piano playing too. That said; two songs have haunted me in between plays; which must be a good thing, so I will point you to the tragically gorgeous The Days We Had and the delicately intricate Take Time as joint Favourite Songs; but I’m sure something else will touch you in the exact same way these have effected me. Although Murray has released a couple of songs as singles in the run up to this release; I’m not sure where they will fit in on radio; as his whispering delivery must surely get lost on that format. My gut feeling is that in much the same way as I’ve found him; word of mouth and judicious use of Internet forums and Social Media will beget him more sales and fans than print advertising or diverse radio plays ever will. *a bit quirky and I like it; but a few tracks start with Nicky, unedited introducing the songs as ‘take 3’ or such. Mischa Stevens: Bass Fergus McCreadie: Piano Alex Palmer: Drums Ellen Torrance: Harmonies Chloe Bryce/Juliette Lemoine/Selina Ross/Laura Wilkie: Strings Nicky Murray: Guitar/Vox
The Rocking Magpie 