Ruth Moody Wanderer True North Records/ Blue Muse Records
A Most Compelling Album That Is The Perfect Accompaniment For the Personal Hard Times Many Of Us Are Feeling.
Canadian Folk Singer-Songwriter, Ruth Moody’s much awaited new solo album, Wanderer finds her in complete control of the recording process, from writing the songs to the finished article being primed for release. Recorded at the echo chamber of the legendary Sound Emporium Studio A and East Iris Studio; it greatly enhances Moody’s standing as a folk singer-songwriter.
Wailing Jennys’ founder member, Ruth Moody has certainly paid her dues over the years, earning the respect of her peers in the process. Apart from being a founder member of the critically acclaimed Canadian band since 2002 and from 2010 she has also won favour through her solo recordings too. In 2015, a year prior to her musical sabbatical (due to motherhood) the multi-instrumentalist both toured, and recorded with renowned guitarist, singer-songwriter, pop star etc, Mark Knopfler, and he appeared on her second album, These Wilder Things (following her 2010 debut solo record, The Garden) as did Moody on two of his!
Already Free opens the record, and by her standards features a big production, and finds her pure soprano voice in fine form. Written by Moody and about which she says, ‘it is for anyone who is ready to let go of the weight they are carrying and be free’, adding, ‘I wrote the lyrics during the pandemic. This is me, saying I’m not coping well. I’m losing my grip’. She found strength in that admission, and inspired by her heroes, Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling its’ open tuned guitars are expertly utilised.
Twilight continues the whimsical feel of the former, warmed in harmony vocals and gentle instrumental work allowing Moody to take flight, with a beautiful arrangement and pristine lead vocals.
Aided by claw-hammer banjo, folk ballad The Spell Of The Lilac Bloom featuring vocalist, Joey Landreth has an abundance of beauty running through its veins. Simplistic in format, this wistful delight enjoys tender, amazingly performed harmony vocals etched in sensitive guitar (Anthony da Costa), timely keyboards (Kai Welch) and an upright bass, creating a perfect platform for their duetting vocals. It’s Moody at her best, and I could listen to them, and the accompanying music all night long. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Seventeen, is a true-life story (a homage to her hometown of Winnipeg) driven by a steady rhythm with a little electric lead guitar giving it a Pop Folk feel as Ruth edges forth artistically. Michigan sees her voice become the central point, especially during early exchanges as it soars artfully prior to the additional instrumentation taking charge. Here you have tasteful pedal steel guitar (courtesy of Nashville’s in demand session man, Russ Pahl) keyboards and more; not least her partner, Sam Howard on upright bass and harmony vocals, plus her older brother, Richard Moody, who’s been an ever-present on her recordings.
The gentle The Way Lovers Move has Moody singing with great poise and sensitivity as she speaks of the various stages of a relationship and eventually being doused in tempered pedal steel and extra soft drums the song edges home perfectly. The album in general reflects the joys and pain of relationships, from motherhood to the longing for home especially on occasions when you are in need of a place of solace.
Coyotes has more tenderness in its arrangement, with Ruth Moody’s enchanting lead vocals captivating the listener from start to finish, and with a gradual build on the instrumental side the track is well centred. Moody speaks of ‘wearing your shirt, and how there’s a fire in her heart. I’ve been trying so hard not to feel. I swear I’ll feel a sense of it yet.’ It sounds like it was written during a time she was parted from the love of her life, as it contains more than its fair share of anguish as a strong resonance rings throughout.
With claw-hammer banjo back in the mix, North Calling offers a feeling of space, and reflective observations as the singer takes stock of her life, which is something she shares, generously across the record.
Wanderer is a solid low-key track, where she’s wistfully found her muse and speaks of times when she was afraid of change. The album closes with Comin’ Round The Bend which finds Moody’s vocals in top form again, as she speaks of coming out of a darkness, ‘coming round the bend’ and feeling that a metaphoric dawn is near and It brings the album to a close amidst gentle instrumental tones. A most compelling album that is perfect accompaniment for the personal hard times many of us are feeling .
This was my first visit to this historic, VERY West Country venue: cue a characterful old barn converted into a Folk Club back in the 1970s and still houses the original water pump by the stage!
I cannot think of a more perfect setting to catch The Often Herd, as RMHQ loved their debut album Where the Big Lamp Shines, describing it as “Pedigree bluegrass meets folk to become classy and classless newgrass” and that’s exactly why I have been so keen to see this Newcastle band live as they offer something quite refreshing and genre defying.
Kicking off the night, the support slot from Frome based duo Masa (Latvian for sisters) and this explains the spine-tingling sibling harmonies which charge the room the minute they took to the stage, opening with their atmospheric track Little Boat, from their first album Sailors and Insomniacs, Faron and Merle describe themselves as playing “Miserable Folk” which had the opposite effect on the audience as we immediately warmed to their honest songs and introductions. Their style echoing ethereal, timeless, sea shanties played across keys, violin, guitar and harmonium which forged a varied and intriguing set.
A highlight was their atmospheric new single The Last Chord of a Love Song Played at 21,000 Beats Per Minute which is a piano driven ballad about “never declaring how you feel”, a rapid heartbeat chant-like string chorus ends dramatically with a whisper and … rapturous applause.
The most fascinating track had to be the title song from their new album Meat for Grandma which they loosely based on the Russian folktale of Baba Yaga (An ogress who eats children!!!), an epic folk/ goth macabre strumming tale, casting a delicious spooky shadow over the barn and altogether making for a very memorable first half.
You can catch Masa next at The Bell Inn, Bath on June 4th.
In the interval I popped upstairs to check out a quaint gallery which was full of bench seating, and as imitate in feel as downstairs, and a charming way to increase capacity. The rafters are covered in signatures of bands who have treaded the boards here but before I can get stuck into deciphering some of them, The Often Herd bounded on stage.
They launched with an energetic, pacey cover of a classic bluegrass song Blue Night, immediately laying down their gauntlet of tightly woven, toe tappin’ exemplary musicianship: fiddle, guitar, mandolin and double bass all bouncing off each other, whilst allowing space for every instrument to dance individually. This gig is early into the tour and they have a stand in bass player, courtesy of Elliott Roffe, yet they really ‘fit together like a glove’ indeed.
Fiddle player Niles Krieger introduced Sycamore Gap, a fiddle driven instrumental inspired and written after his first visit to the (sadly no longer with us) famous tree in Hadrian’s Wall and as he explains “It never was meant to be a lament, but it’s turned out to be that way”. Their beautiful folk strings fill the barn, circling around both levels as the attentive audience absorbs this traditional melodic song which seemingly reflects the joy of nature, now a poignant tribute indeed.
Next up, vocal duties are from guitarist Rupert Hughes who co-wrote Casablanca, with Niles. Rupert admits he’s not even sure what it’s about; but that doesn’t matter a jot as it’s one of my favourites on the album: and live it’s sung sweetly, with backing harmonies that amplify it’s hook and transforms it into a new smash hit genre for me “Popgrass” as they sing “The sun is calling and the flowers are all in bloom”. The feel-good barometer in the barn hits 11 at this point and stays there for the rest of the night.
The set was incredibly varied; from the Country Twang of Hold On, lead vocals this time by mandolin whiz Evan Davies, who hits the mood just right with a mournfully Bluesy delivery and Niles taking a turn singing a Mickey Newbury song “Why You Been Gone So Long” which is unexpectedly one of my favourite moments of the night. The crowd prepped to singalong as Rupert dispatches a blistering harmonica solo but best of all the band’s harmonies are vintage 50’s’ divine and sliding up-pitch right on the money.
I now appreciate why The Often Herd are breaking down barriers within the Roots world, the set genuinely flew by. Other highlights included the album’s opening track Inner Peace, written by Evan whilst in the French Alps and without a phone signal … it’s a feisty, Celtic drenched breezy song which inspires us to get back to basics once in a while and “rise with the sun”. To close they showcased two impressive new, but unnamed songs, based around the theme of love, which are due to be released in the coming months.
Little time to mention the hilarious banter between the music, the friendship is infectious between these four: from Spinal Tap moments involving a camp fire and stay-press trousers to Niles doing his best Arthur Daley impression with Merc sales pitches. BTW they had the best variety of goods I’ve seen at a gig in a long time! I know I’m getting old to be genuinely delighted to see tea towels and shopping bags for sale, all with the striking, hand linocut artwork of a bison by Phoebe Stephenson.
There was one huge surprise left for the enthusiastic crowd; they bid farewell by covering The Letter by The Box Tops. Originally a two-minute hit from the 60’s, they completely elongate and own it, summing up their bridge between Pop and Bluegrass for me. No matter what you normally listen to, this simply put, is an outstanding band with a bunch of superb songs that will hook you into their blended Bluegrass world! Go see them and join in the fun, we guarantee you’ll come out smiling.
The Often Herd 2024 tour continues 1st May Grateful Fred’s Southport, 2nd Kitchen Garden Café Birmingham, 12th Tredegar House Folk Festival, 18th Spring Grass Festival Newton Stewart, 24th Cambridge Folk Festival, 25th Fishery Wharf Café, Hemel Hempstead.
Chris Smither All About The Bones Signature Sounds
Intelligent American Folk Swathed in a Cloak of Bayou Mystery and History.
Chris Smither’s twentieth album opens with All About The Bones and is full to the brim with Smither’s distinctive vocals and also fully primed with acoustic guitars, a fiddle and a haunting melody giving hints of the bayou and old New Orleans. Support here comes by way of Zak Trojano (drums), Chris Cheek (saxophone), Betty Soo (harmony vocals), and David ‘Goody’ Goodrich (guitars, and producer). Smither has been the real deal for decades, as honest as the day is long, and an incredible performer; the kind to hold an audience in the palm of his hand throughout a set. Once heard he’s never going to be forgotten and you just have to catch him the next time he’s in your area. On record, he is, likewise, great company, usually writing most if not all of the material, with his stellar cover of Tom Petty’s Time To Move On here being a brave exception.
Digging The Hole also features ample amounts of sax, but a lot more of the regular, floorboard vibrating Smither vocals that we so love. A fearless live performer and intelligent not only in his playing, that’s often as not, incredible, but his hypnotic grooves and wondrous textures are of a kind that keep listeners hooked until the very last note.
Still Believe In You is more somber than most here, with Smither singing, ‘when the sun goes down my heart sinks again. One thing I still believe in you There are some that live that will take credit for their survival’. Weaving his words, like someone picking their way across a muddy field with a sax (beautiful solo) warming affair with great depths of emotion, sounding like some of Smithers’ Zen thinking put to music. Simply Majestic.
Calming the urge to move on incessantly If Not For The Devil has a tempered feel as it shuffles along most nicely. A dark and moody Blues as Smither eases along to the sound of a chugging rhythm as his throaty tones soothe the listener, not unlike good blended whisky. Apart from Smither’s own guitar work Goodrich likewise lays down some finely displayed notes too. Calm Before The Storm speaks of how ‘easy does it, let the good times roll’. Sit back and just let the song take you wherever it wants. Harmony vocals and swirling keyboard aid a splendid tune, that makes your feet tap on the floor as Smither with the help of Betty Soo’s ever effective harmony vocals, Chris Cheek’s effervescent sax combine to create a killer groove that makes hay in the sunshine. Oh, man, this guy is hot; and …. what a wonderful rhythm as Trojano and Goodrich get cooking, cool as you like music.
Down In Thibodaux has it all, infectious hooks complete with wonderful, story-telling reflective lyrics, and Bayou/New Orleans imagery awash in typical Smither warmth making it one to lift your spirit no matter what. On In The Bardo Smither speaks of the closing to the day, and how the evening will be morning before long. Such the arrangements and gentle hues of it all you can feel the night fall. It’s one of those songs the listener will forever be gaining new insights each time they listen to the beautiful lyrics.
Close The Deal is a dream like affair; gentle and coercive as Smither speaks of ‘standing on the corner, but you didn’t show. Nobody is playing by the rules. What are you going to show me now, is it real?’
Completion likewise has a mellow feel, ‘Its never easy when you don’t know how’ he sings in a Mystical manner on a song swathed in tinkling keyboards as he creates something of rare beauty. The album closes with Tom Petty’s Time To Move On (there’s two versions, one a radio edit without his closing words) is a magical piece. Like his previous Bob Dylan covers (there was a spell when it wasn’t a Chris Smither album if it hadn’t one) he adds to the song! It contains more of that ‘in the groove’, live feel, with Smither’s busy work on foot board making the tune chug a-long at a merry lick, and there’s also fellow recording act Betty Soo lending harmony vocals; and of course, his wonderful guitar playing. Only problem, it all ends way too soon. Chris Smither is an unassuming master of his craft, despite being in his 80th year he still tours as hard as acts sixty years his junior; and shouldn’t be missed if he ever graces your part of the world.
It’s always great to hear a familiar voice; and I have been listening to Kim Richey’s voice since the mid-90s. She once played as my special guest at a charity show in Nashville and we had only known each other a few weeks, such is her generosity. As most fans can attest to, her voice is sweet and she comes by her song material and humour honestly. As she mentions in our interview ‘unless I’m writing with an artist to help them find their voice, I wouldn’t write a song that I wouldn’t want to sing myself.’ Which brings us to the conversation we have about her new album, her songs and collaborations, her studio band and touring.
We start with the pleasantries and Kim admits she’s been under the weather with Nashville allergies, as a former Nashville resident, I can relate but she says she’s on the tail end of it and doing fine. I compliment Kim on the photos (taken by Stacie Huckeba) she used for her new album and promotion too. Kim looks luminous, and casual, like she’s happy just to chat about life and such. I got a sneaky listen to the new album and it sounds sweet, Doug Lancio, a frequent collaborator, produced it using returning musicians Dan Mitchell, Neilson Hubbard, and new addition Lex Price. The album features some co-writes (Don Henry and Aaron Lee Tasjan to name two) and songs she’s written solo, in recent times and others coming out of the extensive back catalog Kim has stashed away. It’s important to mention that Kim is a songwriter through and through, she is prolific and has so many choices when it comes to picking songs for a new album, in this case she found songs that felt like the time was right.
I ask Kim how the journey for this new album differs from previous albums. ‘This record had a lot more parameters on it because I had a lot less money to work with, so you know, it was just important to get it finished within the time we had to work. The cost of the studio and musicians, you know how that goes. I think that’s the biggest difference. I’ve been doing this for so long it’s gone from when there was nothing but money and big studios – and most of those studios are gone now – to where people can now make their records in their own home studios and they sound pretty decent too. I’ve been around for the whole spectrum. We worked in a beautiful little studio to make this record and we also did a little bit of work … well, Doug did a lot of work with the guitars and loops and stuff down in his basement after we did the tracking.’ The studio Kim is referring to is Skinny Elephant and engineer Dylan Armitage where I recorded my own Cardinal in the Snow album, and it’s a great choice nestled in the neighborhood of East Nashville.
I take a moment to run over the names of the musicians that were involved – Neilson Hubbard and Danny Mitchell are on Kim’s new album, and she has plenty of other incredible players on board too, Lex Price on bass and, if you don’t know him, Danny Mitchell is also an incredible keyboard player and tours with country star Miranda Lambert. She tells me, ‘I had always admired Lex and I really wanted to work with him, if I ever make another record I wouldn’t even consider doing it without Dan (Mitchell). He’s the ringer. He’s a beautiful flugelhorn player and a beautiful singer too.’ Kim continues, ‘He’s actually one of my most favourite people to sing with and Dylan is such a sweetheart to work with too, Doug’s fantastic, I love everything about him, then there’s Neilson, he’s not really a drummer, so it was this different kind of feel. Dan and Neilson and I were going out as a trio for years and at first we were carrying all this stuff with us to try and recreate the record we made and then we figured out our best thing is singing, so we just concentrated on that. Neilson taught himself how to play drums, so he was playing drums and bass and Dan was playing keyboards. I mean both those guys are great musicians. Dan was playing the flugelhorn on one hand and bass with his other while sitting at the keyboard! They’re both pretty great. (Going back to the current album) and then also Aaron Lee Tasjan who sang and played on a couple songs. He’s ridiculously good.’ I mention here that Aaron is so intriguing and that the best thing about him is you don’t know what you’re gonna get; he has such range. ‘I love him!’ Kim enthuses. ‘He used to be my ‘across the alley’ neighbour and then they had to move out, but it was before I got to know him. Stacey, the photographer, she said ‘that’s Aaron Lee Tasjan over there’ and I was like, really? ‘Cause I could sit in my carport which we used as a patio and he would be out on his carport playing the guitar. But the first time he came over to write with me, we wrote Joy Rider, and you know how it is when you write with someone for the first time, it’s like a blind date. He came over and I didn’t know what was going to happen. It could have gone terribly wrong but we just had a blast, he’s so funny. I just love him to bits. He’s one of my favourite people.’
I mention to Kim at this point that after listening and reading through the album notes it feels quite ‘nostalgic’. There are goodbyes, looking back, childhood memories? I ask her if that was a thread she was pulling when she was looking for songs that were contenders or did it just happen to be the way that some of the songs came together.
‘Well, some of the songs are older songs and some of them were written around 2020, our favourite year? (laughs) I mean that bit of time there, a lot of people, myself included, were looking back over things and we didn’t know what was gonna happen. I don’t know if you had the same thing but all of a sudden you’re hearing from old friends you wanna get in touch with, family too and you’re looking a bit over your life. I think I do a bit of that (on this record) but I write a lot of personal relationship songs and that is always looking back ‘here’s what happened’. Also when I go to pick out songs for an album I do that with a producer and they have songs that appeal to them and then me as the writer, I have songs that are really important to me, and we’ll figure out what to do. It’s a joint decision, but I have the final say. I’m just a serial collaborator and I really like working with other people, so I like doing that when I’m picking songs for an album as well. I mean I’ve been doing this for thirty years and the first five years I just wrote songs full time, I have a massive back catalog and even after I was making records and I wasn’t on the road nearly as much as I am now, I was always writing, writing, writing because that’s what I love to do, sit and hang out with my friends and write songs.’
‘Some songs when you write them they don’t ‘speak’ to you at the time or until you’re older. I had a song on my album Edgeland ‘Chase Wild Horses’ and that’s about looking back over my life and I was crazy and all that sort of stuff. It didn’t seem like a song I felt like singing at the time that I recorded it and then years later I think … ‘ah, ok, I get this song now.’
‘On the other hand there are some songs I don’t sing now (like Commercial Country) but even then I would say ‘ok, would I sing this song?’ I never had any luck writing FOR other people. I’m trying to write songs that I would stand up in front of people and sing, unless you’re helping another artist with THEIR project. That’s different.’
I ask her did anything surprise her after she listened to the finished product. ‘I don’t know if surprising is the right word but when we were sequencing the record which is always hard to do and you’ve got the ‘bangers’ up front and the nice quiet song at the end, that’s kind of the generic way. With the song Chapel Avenue, Doug says that would be a nice song to end it on and when I was listening back to all the mixes and trying to put them in order, I listened to Chapel Avenue. It hit me so much and I love the arrangement and how it turned out. I’m not burying it at the end of the record … I’m gonna put it right up front and I’ll start off the record with a quiet introspective song and if that’s what people like then come on in and if that doesn’t appeal to them – skip it! (and we both laugh).’
Mentioning Chapel Avenue brings up Don Henry, her co-writer on the song. Don’s a wonderful songwriter and collaborator. Kim tells me ‘we really did have a good time talking about being kids and everything, we had so much fun. And that song was written in just one sitting but then I felt it needed something else rather than just…(she takes a pause) it’s nice to reminisce but I like things that have more elements to it. Like I would rather see (the film) Pulp Fiction rather than a film that is all happy or all sad or all scary. There are more things going on and I like things like that so I felt like it needed a little bit of something else so I wrote a bridge to it. But I loved writing the verses and the chorus with Don.’
I mention the power of reminiscing and Kim adds ‘it gets to a lot of people. I remember I recently played that song at a show with John Cowsill and Vicky Petersen and I finished playing that song and John has tears in his eyes. The verse that got him was ‘the sissy bars and banana seats’ and he said that was me when I was a kid.’
I mention that Kim’s voice in Chapel Avenue put me in mind of Kirsty MacColl and she says ‘wasn’t she great’ and A Way Around has Fleetwood Mac vibes to which she agrees. Floating on the Surface which is the demo that couldn’t be bettered in the studio with Kim’s secret love of playing percussion, Kim explains ‘It sounds completely different from everything else on the record which I think is ok because, I mean it’s nice to have something different … I wrote that with Roger Nichols, we also had so much fun writing that song. He’s such a good friend. That’s the first song we ever wrote together. When he came over to write I was listening to this band, I think a duo? Ultimate Painting? I think they’ve since broken up. Their stuff was really simple, it sounded like there was a drummer and electric guitar, there wasn’t a lot going on but there was a lick going on underneath the song, I don’t write that way, I’m a strummer, I’ve never built a song on top of something like that so when I got together with Roger, he’s a great guitar player, I said let’s try to write a song on top of a really cool guitar lick and he came up with that and that’s how we got started off recording that song.’ I agree with Kim in that it sounds different and that it’s a good thing because it gives you a bit of an interlude but it isn’t so different that it doesn’t take you out of the album. Then I bring up Feel This Way and its old school R&B vibe with Danny on the keyboards. It fits beautifully but has a little bit of sass and attitude. ‘ Yeah, Jay Knowles and I wrote that, he’s a really great guy he’s a great ‘old school classic’ songwriter… I had a blast writing with him.’
I realise we are nearing the end of our chat and I want to make sure we talk briefly about Kim’s upcoming UK tour in May. I ask her about her relationship with being on the road. Kim answers, ‘There are things I love about it and there are things that are hard. We are going to go out as a trio for some shows and then I have a band show in Nashville after the UK. But for the most part it’s me and another person and I usually end up doing all the driving which I don’t love. That’s physically hard on you. My job is I just carry shit from one place to another (she gives a little laugh), a sherpa? You know, you can relate to that, putting it all in the car, taking it all out, setting it up, putting it all back in the car, taking it all out again when you get to the hotel. So I don’t love that part. I love the people I tour with luckily, and I have a great time with the people I play with. What I love about touring is just seeing different places, man, ‘cause I must have a tiny attention span, ‘cause I’m always wanting something new. What I do love about touring; is if you’re in a bus, a bus is awesome to tour in, you have your berth to read and hang out in, but you don’t have as many experiences as you would have if you’re travelling in a car. I can say ‘whoa what’s that?’ and pull off and go see what that is and I go to these places I never knew existed let alone choose them to go on a vacation. Especially in the States, or anywhere, really all these smaller towns I would never end up going to see. I mean London and Glasgow you might go there for vacation, but all these other smaller towns, I mean the last tour, Dean and I were driving along and we were on our way to play a show that night and we were hungry for lunch so we just pulled into this diner and it was a fantastic place. We sat up at the counter and it had oysters for breakfast. (she laughs) I mean it was just fantastic. Then I have met so many really super nice people in the audience over the years and the house concerts too, some I have played four or five, six times and those people have now become friends. Some nights are better than others, and when the energy is happening, man, between us and the crowd and that interplay … it’s just electric and it’s awesome. That’s the music business. Just performing is like WHOA whoa WHOA whoa! (She raises her voice high and drops it down low). I can’t think how many times I’ve quit the music business in a month. There’ll be a few times where I say I’m not doing this anymore and then I’ll have a show where I’m like WHOA I LOVE THIS. It’s kinda funny.’ I tell her it’s like being in a relationship with a person you can’t break up with. Go away! No, wait I love you, and we have a good laugh. Like you do when you’re talking to a friend and just having a conversation and laughing with each other.
On stage Kim Richey is the same, like a friend, and I think that is what draws people to her. She has no pretences, no airs, she’s just happy to be there, sharing these moments with her band and the audience. Whatever happens, happens.
Kim tells me Scottish artist Carla J Easton, a songwriter she met at the BANF workshops in Canada, is opening some Northern shows for her. She is also going to play with the guitarist Paul Kelly. Luke Brighty is playing some shows with Kim as well and FYI Glasgow is already sold out, The Green Note in London is with a band and it will sell out … so get a ticket. Check out her website for more tour dates. Enjoy Every New Beginning out on May 24, although not officially out on the early part of the tour Kim says there might be some exciting merch still on offer to her UK fans.
The Mavericks/Jarrod Dickenson Bridgewater Hall Manchester 22nd April 2024
Latino country heat on a wet Monday in Manchester leaves everyone steaming
The last time that the Mavericks were booked to play at the Bridgewater Hall – a fairly brutal, cavernous venue across the road from the old G-Mex – the gig got cancelled as a result of plumbing issues… not a euphemism! Since then, they’ve played at the Albert Hall, adding to the collection of places in the city that they’ve performed in – starting with the University and rising as high as the Apollo. Of these, the Bridgewater Hall is perhaps least well-suited for the Mavericks, as it’s an all seated space with not much room for the dancing that your average Mavs’ fan would require. So – this was a test of the elements as such. Could they do it on a cold, wet night in Manchester?
Before getting the answer to that question, support Jarrod Dickenson took the stage – I’d seen him twice in the last twelve months in two much smaller venues (Badehaus in Berlin – a former industrial bathhouse for workers at a foundry – and…Biddulph Moor Village Hall…!) so this was very different. The addition of a scratch rhythm section (including Dickenson’s musical compadre David Ford on bass) and a good sound mix brought his rich baritone and twangy guitar to the fore. With wife Claire Dickenson’s family in attendance, the positive audience response must have been pleasing. The half hour set was well-chosen with the immediate “Your heart belongs to me” a standout and the closing Suzy Q type of blues shuffle “Long Hard Look” making a strong impression too.
A short twenty minute break and the Mavericks’ “Can Can” intro music led into the jam of “Come Unto Me” followed by less well-known (for now) takes on “Live Close By (and visit often)” and the unreleased “The Name of the Game” (not the Abba song!) – a brave move to introduce the songs early in the set, but these guys are masters of pacing a set and things were really kicked into gear with “All over again” which triggered the first dancers out of their seats. After that, the band juggled the pace up and down – with judicious use of brass on “There Goes My Heart” giving it real punch and in between were more strategically placed new songs “Moon & Stars” (unfortunately Sierra Ferrell hadn’t made the trip) and the gentler 60’s Herb Alpert flavoured “Look Around” which added light and shade; and there was the traditional Raul Malo (almost solo) mid-set crooner – this time it was “Blue Moon” – surprisingly there were no heckles from the *red-supporting members of the audience.
There was a lengthy introduction to a new song “And we dance”, inspired by the sad, but ultimately defiant story of a Ukrainian widow, that featured a Max Abrams sax solo lifting the song deep into Springsteen territory. This was followed by a fantastic reinvention of the hit “Dance the Night Away” – long term Mav’s fans have somewhat of a Marmite relationship with the song, likely due to over-exposure, but it was turned into a slow, silky mariachi style singalong which worked brilliantly tonight. Thereafter it was up-tempo all the way home – from the medley of “Rancho Grande/Rolling Along” to the last notes of the burn through “All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down” and the Bridgewater hall was bouncing.
Once again, this was a master class in how to work an audience in pace, timing, and selection of material – “could they do it on a cold, wet night in Manchester?” I asked; every time – and then some…hasten ye back!
*Manchester is host to two football/soccer clubs; Manchester United who play in red shirts and Manchester City, blue shirts, and City fans have adopted Blue Moon as ‘their’ theme tune.
The Cinelli Brothers Almost Exactly Self-Release/CRS
The Exciting New Sound of Soulful British R&B!
I’m only just ‘in the loop’ regarding The Cinelli Brothers, even though they’ve been on my radar since the pre-lockdown days when a friend was very excited about seeing them play live. Then après Lockdown a local promoter joined a conversation I was having with a friend and he too extolled the virtues of the band, followed by a couple of Blues magazines featuring them …. and I still hadn’t heard a note … but after seeing their name high up on a few Blues Festival posters, I knew that they would be ‘right up my street.’ Step forward another two years and after missing the UK release a copy of this album arrived in time for the European release such is the way of the music world these days. So, it was with some excitement that I pressed ‘play’ on the office hi-fi and sat back in anticipation. An almighty drum roll kickstarts the opening track Last Throw of The Dice before the band and especially singer Marco Cinelli’s grizzled and lived in vocals make their appearance; and what an appearance it is! Industrial strength drums, a diesel powered bass, growling guitar, and demonic harmonica with a powerful melody and chorus – what’s not to like? It’s patently obvious that these cats are an R&B band of the highest order; but with songs like the slow and sleazy Hammond driven Nobody’s Fool and the dark Making It Through The Night in their canon of work, they could easily fit into an Alt. Country bill without changing a note; such is their dexterity and fluidity with their songs. There’s something ‘special’ here, and that shouldn’t be a surprise with two Italian brothers, an Englishman and a Frenchman in the mix all adding their own musical potency to not just the sound that the Cinelli Brothers create; but the song constructions too, with the finale Fools Paradise being a prime example of their combined musical voodoo. I’ve been a critic of the current style of Rhythm and Blues that many of their contemporaries play either in Europe or the US as they are usually Rock Bands masquerading as a Blues Band; but that’s not the case here, as the nuances and soulful playing on Leave It With You or the soulful Blues of Lucky Star would suggest to tutored or untutored ears. What I like best here is the use of melody in the creation of the songs and especially the hooks provided by Marco Cinelli’s heart busting playing on the Hammond; reminding me of a young Georgie Fame on Dozen Roses or the judicious lung busting Harmonica playing by Tom JJ throughout the album. While there are no direct comparisons that I can think of, but I’m guessing that the music the players were listening to on the way too and from the studio included tracks by the early Rolling Stones, Little Feat, Van Morrison, Bad Company and an assortment of Stax and Atlantic compilations as there are occasional hints and flourishes here and there that could have come from those players at one time or another. It’s probably because the Cinelli Brothers aren’t trying to be anyone else that I’ve fallen head over heals for this album; and a couple of tracks in particular. Prayer breathes new air into the Rhythm & Blues scene, with a hypnotic chorus and intensely gorgeous arrangement allowing the individual members the opportunity to show off their skills for a few seconds at a time. The other is the absolutely timeless Ain’t Blue But I Sigh a Chicago meets SE London in a Louisiana hot spot, Bluesy riff featuring some sizzling harmonica and a lairy vocal performance from Marco that could be a great lost b-side from one of the Masters in the sixties or very early seventies and remained undiscovered until now. After playing this album numerous times over the last couple of weeks (mostly in the car – cranked up to 9!) I can now understand why my friends have raved about the Cinelli Brothers for years now … and I can’t wait to see them play live.
Charles Esten Glasshouse Music Centre Gateshead Tyne and Wear Thursday 24th April 2024
I guess pretty much everyone reading this will already know who Charles Esten is; but for the uninitiated he was Deacon Claybourne in the TV programme Nashville. Even a cursory look at his history tells you that he was already a regular on TV shows in the US while having a successful career as a songwriter too, plus played a lot of bars etc. learning his craft. All of that combined to make the venue formally known as The Sage pretty full for a school night, even though it was his second appearance under his own name in only a couple of years. The evening started with a solo acoustic slot for Charlie Greene from a band called Betcha, who coincidently is the fiancée of Esten’s daughter … what a coincidence. Wearing double stone-washed denim, Greene delivered a set of mostly, his (band’s) own songs which in this format came across as a heady mix of punk passion and channelled anxiety. There were a couple of songs that suited this format; Calm Down and Coincidence spring to mind; when he used his vocal talents at their best; notably his key changes and authentic Country slur/rasp. Just as I was scribbling that he owed more to Ed Sheeran than Townes Van Zandt; Greene introduced a cover song while extolling the quality of songwriters in and around Nashville …. Then delivered a heartfelt and slightly twisted version of Paul Simon’s This House! In fairness it really suited his voice. He finished with two more songs that I’ve labelled Country-Punk in my notes; and perhaps with a band behind him Jaded and July could be barnstormers. There was a twenty-minute break before Charles Esten appeared out of the shadows to join the pianist; Andy on stage …. With the crowd whooping and a’ wailing like teenyboppers! With only his trademarked smile, the two broke into a raw and stark version of Love Ain’t Pretty from the new album of the same name, that sent the crowd into ecstasy as it faded at the end. When we saw him a couple of years ago it was apparent that a number of people (women?) thought that it really was Deacon on stage; but tonight they were here to see and listen to Charles Esten and it was a pleasure watching so many people mouthing the words to such new songs. Although I knew some of the back stories to the songs from the album’s press release; but it was a key part of the evening that he explained where songs like One Good Move, Make You Happy and especially The Whispering Goes come from. Maybe because success like he’s achieved took so long to arrive; Esten seems very comfortable on stage and had the whole audience in the palm of his hand all night not least when he sang the self-depreciating One Good Move which was followed by the haunting In a Bar Somewhere too. Esten’s wife and daughter were in the audience tonight, which added an extra touch of romanticism to Make You Happy and the surprising choice of Dire Straits’ Romeo & Juliet but the tearjerking story before it, made the choice quite perfect. I’m beginning to think that Simon & Garfunkel might be having a resurgence, as I heard two different singers include their songs last week; and tonight the duet between Esten and his future son in law Charlie Greene on The Sound of Silence was extraordinary and deserved the spontaneous standing ovation at the end. Pretty much all of the new album were there somewhere tonight; and a couple of songs from Nashville too, Halfway Home and No One Will Ever Love You which he crooned from a bar stool while the pianist, Andy like he was in a Vegas lounge. For Mrs Magpie and myself, the highlight of the night was next, and that was the staggeringly powerful stripped down version of Candlelight which very nearly had me waving my phone in the air if I could have only found the bloody torch! As the time flew by Esten strapped on the Stratocaster again and told us to get ready to party! Another self-depreciating song; All Downhill From Here followed and bled seamlessly into Bruce’s Pink Cadillac and the Stones’ Honky Tonk Woman that had about a dozen dancing in the aisles. Of course there was an obligatory encore; and it was actually one of Mrs Magpie’s favourite song from the TV Show; the soft and thoughtful ballad, Life Is Good …. And the smiles on the faces as everyone left the hall told their own story. A good night was had by all.
Digging Deep To Turn a Lot of Personal Experiences Into Alt. Country Songs With a Bluesy Tinge
As soon as I received this album I recognised Pi Jacob’s name and her 2020 release TWO TRUTH’S and a LIE, which made it into that year’s Top 20 albums list, and still gets the occasional run out in the car. It appears a lot has happened in Ms Jacob’s life over the last few years, and she’s dug deep here to turn a lot of personal experiences into songs; and not just any old songs; but ones that will resonate with even the most casual of listeners. “Hallelujah, it’s just me again,” she sings on the album’s opener, Hallelujah a raucous mix of Folk/Soft Rock/Alt. Country with a Bluesy aftertaste …. which I like a lot. Her words are astute and intricately observational as she looks forward to ‘time on her own’ rather than wallowing in self-pity following a break-up. While her beautifully distinctive voice carries on from where she left off in 2020; but the content matter here and the way Pi Jacobs has written these songs shows a woman approaching the top of her game after serving a twenty year apprenticeship. I doubt she could have written Two High, Too Low, or Smoke Signals at any other time in her career as alongside the fan base that has grown with her both songs (and others) are very much from the heart of someone who has lived a life of ups and downs … and come out the other-side relatively unscathed. To some degree, the songwriting here reminds me of Lucinda Williams circa WEST and LITTLE HONEY, as there’s a strong sense of melancholia drenched in hope that simultaneously appeals to your heart, soul, and brain. The second verse in particular of I Don’t Feel Lonely sums up the mood of the songs that flow through this album: “Years are never kind to the laborer of love Keep a running tab, of things that you gave up A simple kind of life, was never in the cards I don’t know how to not follow my heart“ While ostentatiously a ‘break-up’ album, Pi never sits back wallowing; she’s too fine a songwriter for that … and as we all know, heartbreak always begets a smart song that will touch the heart of a listener who has gone through the same thing and felt alone until they hear Mermaid and Something To Lose which were probably aimed at kindred spirits the world over. Even though I’m happily married; I’ve always loved album like this …. it brings out the romantic side of me; which brings me to my choice of Favourite Song. On an album of clever, fascinating and cool songs, it’s not been easy; but two got 4 stars in my original notes and I probably feel that they still stand out today, a week later … Coyote bounces along like a Western stagecoach running late, as Pi uses this misunderstood creature as a metaphor for her life, as Adam Hall plays a mean Dobro in the background alongside a militaristic drum beat. The other, a very punchy My Last Day is the type of song I think Linda Ronstadt would have given her eye-teeth for if she was still recording these days; it really is that good with gold plated hook and a chorus written with audiences in mind. It’s a very crowded market out there with are a lot of female singers and songwriters a bit like Pi Jacobs; but there is something really special about her singing and especially her astute and innovative about her songwriting that will push her to the front of the pack.
Quirky 60’s Coffee Shop Drenched Insurgent Folk Music
We liked and reviewed Henry Luther’s last album; LIVE AT FRESH BREWED in 2023, as we (not including Mrs Magpie btw) really liked the rawness of it, as well as some well-written and thoughtful songs. Perhaps I was too gushing in my praise as its follow-up seems to be unnaturally quick off the marks! While he’s previously recorded studio albums; I certainly get the feeling that Luther ‘comes alive’ on stage and capturing that ‘magic’ in the studio is historically difficult, as the opening song Hallucinogenic possibly proves; as he stumbles over a couple of words and his phrasing is a bit ‘hit and miss’ …. but his charm and energy carries him through in a way that the studio can be unforgiving. Henry Luther is one of those troubadours that never actually ‘tours’ but probably plays two or three gigs 52 weeks a year, growing a fan base by word of mouth rather than via full-page adverts in Rolling Stone. I guess I should call his style as ‘quirky’ which it is, but don’t be put off …. because with songs like Denmark, Weary, I Can’t Sleep, and/or the magnificent Dystopia under his belt Luther will easily appeal to fans of Jonathan Richmond, Barenaked Ladies and maybe even Randy Newman too, given half a chance. Back by The Blackouts again, the arrangements are ‘choppy’ but always thought-provoking in a way I’d associate with any or all of those acts I’ve just mentioned; but the sparky New National Anthem especially, is worthy of any of the great 60’s coffee house songwriters and with hindsight, the 90mph ode to Busch Beer is too … and I mean ANY of them; but especially Tom Paxton or Dave Van Ronk. Don’t ever expect Henry Luther to headline Coachella or Glastonbury; but don’t be surprised to find him in a packed tent tucked away near the car park at some Folk or Bluegrass gathering, singing his heart out with his angry homage to modern Country Too Many Honkies and Not Enough Tonkin’ and the fast and furious Cocaine Fairies to a righteously fired up audience shouting the choruses back to him! There’s a good bit of banter and audience participation in between songs, but not so much that they age too quickly, with his intro to High Again still making me smile an hour later as he describes watching a Jason Isbell documentary and thinking “I can write a song like that!” I’ll let you judge if he’s correct. That only leaves me to choose a Favourite Song, and I’ve already mentioned a couple of contenders, but I think I’ve narrowed it down to 2am which needs to be listened to quite intensely to ‘get it’ whereas The Way It Goes Bad is as dark and cerebral as the title suggests; and the stop/start arrangement feels as if it’s designed that way for effect, rather than Luther stopping to catch his breath … but both could be true. There’s a raw energy here that I’ve only rarely come across in Folk Music, regardless of how hard others have tried; possibly because Henry Luther (and band) genuinely seem to believe in their songs and inhabit them in a way that will touch the listeners’ consciousness in a way that they didn’t expect.
Crisp, Astute, Articulate and Always Worth Your Time and Effort to Listen And Absorb
The first thing that caught my attention with this release was the artist’s name – Heather Little, which is the same as my favorite Sister in Law who sadly died 10 or so years ago and is still missed today. This Heather Little appears to be a completely different proposition all together! Texas Heather is what is known as a ‘songwriters songwriter’ with only one album from 2013 to her name; but several hits from top-shelf acts that you hear regularly on the radio; to her name. Many of our favourite female acts at RMHQ fall under that same banner; with their own albums being exemplary in our opinion; but regularly falling under the radar. The album opens with Five Deer County, a drole and gut wrenching ballad featuring the wonderfully monikered Randy Van Sickle; about a couple with no money to spare, yet the man still finds enough to finance his hunting trips …. “San Saba, you can have him cause I can’t compete That five deer county is the girl of his dreams Ain’t no babies crying in that old Airstream I was strangling that boy with my apron strings Choking that boy with my apron strings” “ It’s a very clever and articulate song, that by Country Music standards actually borders on ‘poetry,’ but more of that to come. The pace drops on the second song; the harrowing Hands Like Mine which features the fabulous Patty Griffin on BV and harmonies, while both voices also make your spine tingle. While not sounding like either, Heather Little’s voice and songs will most certainly appeal to fans of Patty Griffin and late dear departed Nanci Griffith, by the way, There are ‘no laughs here’ as Heather digs deep for her songs; mostly observational like the dark Landfall, This Life Without You (again alongside Patty Griffin) and the world wearying Bones too. I guess it’s no surprise that after all these years Heather Little’s songwriting is crisp, astute and always worth your time and effort to listen to and absorb; Transistor Radio being a prime example … “Seventeen ain’t what it was when my grand dad was a boy And he lied about his age so they’d let him fight the war Then my brother took his turn Lord did our family foot the bill They just thanked him for his service And pumped him full of pills.” I said ‘poetry’ earlier and I believe that to be an influence on Little’s writing; but invariably what she’s created here are a series of short stories, set to music the way they are constructed; with several …. the horrible story inside My Fathers Roof, then Sunset Inn and the Hill Country Noir of Better By Now, all deserve storyboard videos to run alongside them. While I’d love to hear any or all of these songs on radio; there’s absolutely nothing that fits into what Country Radio deems to be worthy of their time these days; probably because they are all too ‘real’ in content and arrangement; but there’s always the shows on Community/College Radio who are less afraid and a whole lot more adventurous in the music they play. Which brings me to my selection of Favourite Song; at first it was going to be the vividly detailed and powerful Gunpowder and Lead alongside Van Plating that features a stark fiddle and some very angry acoustic picking as well as two bewitching voices. Then on a car ride (in the dark) Better By Now featuring Ronnie Bowman and sounds like Heather is channeling her inner Ashley McBryde at times; caught me by surprise and became a contender; but at the end of the day I can’t see past the the harrowing mixed up love song, California Queen which nearly microwaved my heart at one stage and still takes my breath away, a week later… which shows you the power Heather exudes through her words and music. “I will always be the queen of your California king While all the jesters come and go with no strings attached They don’t know I am a fixture I am a mixture of confusion and the surest thing you will ever know Believe your California queen is on her throne.” Perhaps it’s the mood I’m in at the moment; not as dark as a few months ago, I hasten to add; but every one of these songs has touched me in one way or another, and several made me think about friends and family who are or have gone through the torments that Heather Little has not just wrote about, but put her heart and soul to singing them too.
The Rocking Magpie 