Lawrence County NOTTAMUN TOWN

Lawrence County
Nottamun Town
Self Release

A Splendid and Insurgent Alt. Americana Style Remake of 10 Olde Folke Songs

We’ve been friends and fans with singer/guitarist and occasional banjo player Al Rate for many years now, so far back it was before RMHQ had been invented, so nepotism or whatever doesn’t really come into the equation … I hope.
Lawrence County hail from the Bagthorpe Delta in and around Nottingham in the East Midlands of England and joyfully embrace traditional (English) Folk Music with their collective love of all things Americana.
Their latest album starts with the title track Nottamun Town, the local pronunciation of Nottingham and their punchy and slightly ‘rocky’ rendition of Jean Ritchie’s romantic tale, which was re-discovered in America in 1917 and listed in a 1932 book of Appalachian Folk Songs. Here’s something for the historians to debate over a beer or two; the melody was appropriated by Bob Dylan on Masters of War!
While normally Lawrence County write their own songs, this album is a collection of various Folk Songs from across the ages and continents.
Of course there are a couple of very famous songs here, but Lawrence County put their own distinctive spin on them, making them never less than ‘interesting’ but occasionally exceptional; and I’m thinking of their Country Noir take on Norma Waterson’s Poor Wayfaring Stranger which is actually spine tingling in this format; whereas Bonny Light Horseman, a staple of Folk clubs when I was a lad, is played ‘straight’ with some haunting fiddle from Martin Gallimore.
I’m really impressed by the bands’ choices of songs here; the majority totally unknown to me (and probably you too) but all are well worth the dusting off and re-varnishing by the band; not least the tragically beautiful Molly Bawn; originally Irish but corrupted by English singers over the years until it finally found its way into a studio in Nottingham in the 21st Century.
It’s possible that I have heard River In The Pines before as it was made famous in the sixties by Joan Baez; but the way Al Rate growls and hisses the story I doubt I would ever have put two and two together.
Vocal duties are shared by Al and Bill Kerry, with both leaving their own indelible stamp on their songs, with Bill caressing the words in the jaunty Peggy Gordon like a love lorn youth, and later on the incestuous Murder Ballad Lucy Wan he gets to show his range while digging deep to keep the listener engaged as the pace rattles along like a getaway car.
Kerry also takes lead on Little Pot Stove, written in the 1950’s by Australian Harry Robertson, but most people will recognise it from Nic Jones’ seminal Penguin Eggs album.
Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty, as I have to select a Favourite Song … obviously the soot and grime encrusted finale, Ewan MacColl’s Dirty Old Town which, while given a claustrophobic arrangement, owes more to the original than the more famous renditions by The Dubliners and The Pogues.
But, being the contrary soul that I am, I’m actually going for the sweet, sway-along Rosin The Beau a charming story of a popular ladies man in his youth, who grows old not realising that his wayward ways are long gone; but still fondly remembered by those whose lives he touched.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first received this CD as the monochrome artwork front, back and centre spread are so unlike their previous releases I half thought Lawrence County had morphed into a Gothic Smiths tribute band; but no … they have changed and changed for the better here; bringing a bunch of old Folk Songs back to life for a new and inquisitive audience that will adore them.

Released 29th June 2024
https://www.lawrencecountymusic.com/

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Black Deer Festival 2024

Black Deer Festival 2024
Eridge Park
Kent

Having attended the Black Deer Festival in the two years prior to 2024, I’d come to appreciate its well-curated bill and friendly atmosphere – apart from one wet afternoon in 2023 and a late night electric storm in 2022, the weather had been generally kind too.
This year’s forecast wasn’t quite so optimistic, and the line-up (to my taste) didn’t seem to have quite so much strength in depth as previously, so I was a little apprehensive if truth be told, about spending the weekend under grey clouds in sodden clothes listening to music that I wasn’t too keen on.

Well, pathetic fallacy is obviously a thing in real life, as both the weather and bill were better than expected – albeit not perfect.

Friday got off to a good start – the promised rain didn’t appear and the musical clouds were lifted by a sprightly set from Jarrod Dickenson in the Ridge tent.
The diminutive Jade Bird on the cavernous main stage seemed an odd placement, but she filled the space with a lively and dynamic set.
Courtney Barnett is always a reliably energetic festival fixture and she didn’t disappoint this year; back in the Ridge Tent, the day’s highlight was a sublime set from The Delines, who teased new material in between a festival highlights selection.

The good thing about festivals is that they place excellent music in front of you that you may have missed – and that was very much the case with whose soulful classic pop went down a treat to these ears, and apart from catching a couple of intriguing numbers from Jack Browning on the Live Fire Stage and photographing the scorching bluesy fingers of Joe Bonamassa from the photo pit, that was my Day 1 done.

Day 2’s weather forecast promised early rain to that which had fallen overnight, but fortunately a combination of a delayed arrival and the fact that the site was on a grassy slope meant that I missed the worst of the weather.

The day began for me with Brennen Leigh & Joshua Hedley on the main stage – again, a slightly odd stage choice, especially as they were followed by Dale Watson in the Ridge Tent – both were great, but most who I spoke to agreed that it would have been better still to have reversed the stages. While we’re on about Dale Watson – what a show – what a Showman!
In the 25 years or so since I first saw him, he’s developed into a top-drawer stage presence who can command a big stage – delivering a fiery crowd-pleasing set that wasn’t bettered all weekend.

Discovery 2 followed immediately after Mr Watson – the golden tonsils of Jalen Ngonda channelled the spirits of Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye – he’s got a ‘stop you in your tracks voice’ – duly added to the post-festival research list.
It was feelgood, soul revue time from there on in, in the Ridge Tent – JJ Grey & Mofro brought a gruff New Orleans harmonica-led take on things, whereas Eli “Paperboy” Reed’s preppy country soul got everyone dancing into the night.
Elsewhere, I caught vague glimpses of Sheryl Crow from the distant main stage video screens and caught a couple of songs from Dylan LeBlanc who was playing a set to a rapt audience in Haley’s Bar before his amp conked out. Earlier in the day, I’d had a passing acquaintance with the sets of Seasick Steve (raucous) and Rachel Croft (Need to see her on a gig of her own, rather than a festival coffee tent slot).

Day 2 turned out to be my busiest day – although there were highlights on Day 3, it offered less for my taste. I enjoyed a splendid set by Roseanne Cash & husband John Leventhal and the finger-picking country blues of Muireann Bradley, but tended to avoid the pop-country/radio- country offerings that were regaling my ears from several directions at once (billing and stage sound-bleed reasons both).
Bits and pieces that I enjoyed in between the noise were a Laurel Canyonesque harmony set from Motel Sundown (who are rapidly becoming ones to watch to these ears) and Memorial on the Supajam stage.
I finished off the festival, not with Rufus Wainwright but with the Western AF takeover in Haley’s Bar where Pat Reedy’s tales won over the die-hards.

So – there wasn’t as much for me as in previous years, but plenty to enjoy if you looked beyond the obvious and were prepared to take a few risks.
Black Deer remains a solid fixture in the festival calendar and hopefully it will remain so for years to come.

Review by Nick Barber
Photos by Nick Barber – https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBvEvi

Nichole Wagner PLASTIC FLOWERS

Nichole Wagner
Plastic Flowers
Self Release

Vividly Detailed Stories that Err on The Side of Southern Gothic and Americana Noir.

It’s been a long few weeks at RMHQ, with some building work coinciding with Mrs Magpie being ill, meaning I’ve depended more than ever on the team picking up the baton review wise; and they’ve been outstanding bringing you some tip-top reviews of albums I may have missed.
But now that things have levelled out, I’m back in the saddle … but I sat all day Sunday skimming through albums for release at the end of May/start of June that attracted my attention and I came back to this a couple of times.
I’d not heard of Nichole Wagner before I received this album, but bearing in mind where my ‘head was’ she has been the perfect company for the last two days.
‘On paper’ she’s a generic Americana singer-songwriter; but like so many others of that ilk, there is something extraordinary in Nichole’s voice and the way she uses it to convey her emotionally punchy stories in her songs.
The magnificent opus Monsters opens the record like a raw wound, as it stings the soul and makes you wonder if it will ever end and go away; only for you to be drawn back to it like an addiction.
Yep … this is my kinda music!
“I watched the clouds roll in and I watched the fire burn out
Lines drawn in the sand get swept away by doubt
There’s nothing left to give, it’s all so intertwined
I carved your name into a tree someplace you’ll never find“.
There have been times listening to these songs when I’ve wondered how Nicole conveyed the songs’ ‘concepts and feelings’ to the studio band, as they are quite complicated but the musicians involved seem to have grasped the nettle on Self Defence, Until The Water Comes and Everything too which, alongside most others make you concentrate the first few times you hear them.
I rather like the brittle final song, Road That Jim Built not least because of the rolling acoustic guitar accompaniment, but the way she describes her Grandfather who made her his ‘favourite’ out of 100 kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
While the subject matter here is quite deep, which is why we historically love singer-songwriters; but Nichole Wagner’s arrangements make songs like the vulnerable and edgy Beauty Where We Find It is eminently ‘listenable’ too; which is quite an accomplishment.
I’ve never been sure why artists release singles anymore, but here Nichole Wagner has picked some absolute winners among the four that preceded the album release; not least the title track Plastic Flowers which is about a variety of relationships in Wagner’s life and errs on the side of Americana Noir if I’m not mistaken.
The other two singles actually vie for the title of RMHQ Favourite Song, which is a rarity; but they really are exceptional songs …. but the organ driven A Way With It a Southern Gothic type tilt on addiction and how it affects all around the sufferer.
The winner by a hair is Raised By Wolves. Thankfully I no longer feel this way about my own family, but I certainly remember the sentiments that Wagner’s central character sings about and how they managed to break free; and I guess many more out there will gasp when they hear it for the first time and think it could be about them; and them alone.
The Press Release mentions Jenny Lewis and Neko Case as contemporaries; but in my collection I’m filing it alongside Tift Merritt, Mary Gauthier, Terra Spencer and Kim Richey too; all women that straddle the genres to deliver songs that will last the test of time.

Released 7th June 2024
https://www.nicholewagnermusic.com/

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Otis Gibbs at Jumpin’ Hot Club, Newcastle

Otis Gibbs
Jumpin’ Hot Club
The Cluny
Newcastle
Friday 07th June 2024

As Otis tells us every time he visits Newcastle, if it wasn’t for the Jumpin’ Hot Club many years ago, booking him to support Guy Clark at the SummerTyne Festival, when his day job was planting trees … he would never have had the musical career he’s had and he will be forever grateful.
Subsequently he’s returned too many times to count on your fingers, and judging by the sold-out crowd in Cluny II on Friday; he’s still attracting new fans, and young ones at that!
Following an introduction from himself, Otis started the gig with Second Best, a deep song that I’ve not heard for years, and it sent a shiver down my back.
This was followed by Sons & Daughters from his latest album, HOOSIER NATIONAL and even though I’d not heard it before; it got 2 stars in my notes which is an achievement in itself.
As everyone who’s seen Otis before will testify, his stories are very nearly as good as his songs; tonight he started talking about ‘travelling’ and specifically to the show; and he had a pre-prepared punchline that blew up in his face when a Scottish voice piped up “Three hundred miles!”
Similar stories littered the night and I’m not going to spoil them in case you’re booked to see him anytime soon… you’d never forgive me.
Back to the songs …
Another of his older songs, Caroline was heartbreaking and followed by the intimate Ed’s Blues (Survival) which were heard in absolute silence and greeted with a roar from the packed crowd when they ended.
I’d love to tell you the story behind Otis’s ‘wrestling song’ Sputnik Monroe but won’t; but what I will say is that it will bring a tear to your eyes as you applaud it before and after one of my Favourite Otis Gibbs songs.
Another Favourite of mine Kansas City followed then what is seemingly becoming his ‘signature song’ … The Darker Side of Me all received 3 stars each; which with hindsight wasn’t a surprise.
The vast majority of Otis Gibbs’ contempories would have to keep a song like Ghosts of Our Fathers for the end of the show or as an encore; but such is the quality of Gibbs back catalogue it was casually dropped in half way through tonight.
Following the story of his days planting trees he seamlessly went into the majestic Small Town Saturday Night which I suppose I’ve heard over a hundred times; but it never fails to leave a lump in my throat, and tonight was no exception.
The final two songs before the ‘I can’t believe it’s an encore’ were familiar, but I still can’t remember the titles but one mentioned ‘Being American Jaded in a Factory Town’ or something like that, and I gave it another 3 stars!
Otis Gibbs gave up the pretence of walking off stage and counting to 5 before coming back on pretending he was surprised; but asked for requests and after dismissing a particularly obscure song, selected the haunting Charles Bridge Tonight (?) followed by a hilarious story about those weird ‘statues’ dotted around the USA that he’s infatuated with which led into the actual finale The Great American Roadside from Hoosier National and then he rushed off stage to collect the last of the CD’s … 15 assorted that merited some friendly pushing and shoving as people wanted a shiny souvenir of a rather fabulous gig.

*The review will be updated when I find out what the missing song titles were 🙂

https://otisgibbs.com/
https://www.jumpinhotclub.com/

Keegan McInroe DUSTY PASSPORTS AND EMPTY BEDS

Keegan McInroe
Dusty Passports And Empty Beds
Self Released

Proudly Carrying The Torch For Texan Singer-Songwriters and Country Outlaws Everywhere

Dusty Passports And Empty Beds is Texas singer-songwriter, Keegan McInroe’s seventh studio album and very much a product of post 2020; when the world went into lock down, and what managed to come out at the the other end was our ambition.
With time for reflection, McInroe was holed up at his mother’s home in Dublin, TX for the duration.
“If hindsight is 2020, I hope to never look back again”, he states. 

Opening track, Big Year somehow reminds me of New York-born singer-songwriter, Chip Taylor as the vitality it possesses literally jumps up at you as McInroe speaks of all the bad news around him, but how here and there the sun still shines out.
“I ain’t brave,
but I ain’t scared,
come what may,
I’ll face it with an open heart”,
says McInroe. It has all the hallmarks of a song written early, Covid-19? It’s certainly something we can all relate to.

McInroe covers John Prine’s Lonesome Friends Of Science. Taken off John’s last album, The Tree Of Forgiveness (2018) and is a beautiful piece of writing.
“I live deep inside my head,
where long ago I made my bed,
I get my mail in Tennessee,
my wife, my dog, my kids and me”.
A gentle, rhyming affair, its soaked in sympathetic electric lead guitar and brushed drums as it shuffles along, almost in a hypnotic fashion. It’s a brilliant cover, of a song that doesn’t readily invite others to perform. 

The album cover I hasten to add, it too might be a nod to John.
Like Prine’s debut record, the self-titled, John Prine McInroe likewise is sat on his own (plus his dog), in double denim., his acoustic guitar tucked alongside him.
Title-track, Dusty Passports And Empty Beds is loaded in harmonica, chugging electric lead guitar that gives reference to such acts as Paul English, Billy Joe (Shaver), Jerry Jeff (Walker), Charley Pride and of course John Prine that left this world during the period McInroe was putting together the material for the record.
It bustles, swaggers, and generally flourishes as his vocals, warmed in harmonies sees him recall Covid-19, and the hardship it caused, and getting through it was the best many could hope for and, how some didn’t. 

Ey Brother accompanied by acoustic guitar (on its opening) speaks of how
“it’s a wild world,
ey brother,
and if all goes to hell,
or if we wind up in jail …
Yes I saw the news today”
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
Warmed in finely honed dobro, sax and rhythm he gets to reflect, as does much of the album that sees Keegan in reflective mode. Not sad, just a man reflecting on life.

Thanksgiving Night shows off a smidgen or two of wry humour.
“It’s Thanksgiving night,
Had my dinner in a diner,
I worked all day, …
The coffee was cold,
but it got warmer.”
Which seems like a raw deal and a tad melancholy, but things do work out
“So thankful to be with you tonight”,
Swaying and ever so gentle piano, delicious Country lead guitar noodling and descriptive lyrics speaking of a loner, a truck driver in a corner booth with his family, and a woman who’s face he couldn’t see.
“But I think she was smiling”.
It sounds like McInroe has found peace, with the world, and life in general. What a vivid scenario.

Barroom romp Only To Be Songs is propelled, by a busy rhythm, harmonica, swirling lead guitar and female harmonies.
“Sat on an old park bench,
made love on the kitchen floor.
Choking on the madness”,
he offers. When it comes, the song is notable for the change in tempo, and exciting harp, guitar solo and brilliant piano too. A superb ‘Country’ song.

Eat, Drink And Be Merry is a sombre, low paced affair that enjoys some particularly tasty pedal steel guitar, as the singer reflects on the mortality of us all, rich or poor.
It’ll be best to have a party before this song comes around, as it’s bathed in haunting slide guitar, piano etc as he edges his way home, unflinchingly. What a song.

John’s Songs is Keegan McInroe’s tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter John Prine,
“I was down in Dublin, TX in quarantine, when I heard the news that John Prine died.” he opens.
“Life’s for the living, death is for the dead”.
Soaked in sax it rocks, brilliant lead electric guitar, gorgeously old fashioned barroom piano, and harmonica too.
Some great picking on the acoustic too. It’s moving to hear how his young, niece on recognising his sadness helped him come to terms with the loss.  
It’s a wonderful ‘celebration’, about the man and his music.
A true working man’s hero, with whom he connected from day one!
“Yeah Brother Prine sure blessed us all”.
He sure did.

Traveler’s Wind has McInroe muse
“a traveler’s wind blows ‘cross my face.”
Here he speaks in gentle tones of the passing of time, and mortality. Fuelled by a set of wonderful players on acoustic, bass, electric lead guitar, organ, pedal steel guitar and mandolin he nails it.
“Never knowing when I leave, If I’ll pass this way again,”
speaks McInroe. Elegant.
Keegan McInroe has been around for quite a while and proudly carries the torch for insightful Texas songwriters for the generations, old and indeed new.

Review by our Man Back in Havana Maurice Hope  
Released 7th June 2024
https://www.keeganmcinroe.com/

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Kim Richey EVERY NEW BEGINNING

Kim Richey
Every New Beginning
Yep Roc Records

Delicately Complex, Beautiful and Nostalgic Character Driven Songs To Wallow In

I’ve been a fan of Kim Richey after first seeing her at The Jumpin’ Hot Club in Newcastle where she’s been a regular visitor over many years.
Of her albums that I’ve subsequently reviewed this has possibly been the most difficult for me to decipher and put words to paper; not that there’s anything wrong here – the opposite actually; as every time I’ve sat down to start writing I barely get past the second song when I find myself kicking back and wallowing in Ms Richey’s delicate musings.
The opening song here, Chapel Avenue is a charming look back on life when our biggest worry in life was ‘not falling off our bikes when popping a wheelie!’ and while the story is very personal to Kim,
“Skateboards and lemonade stands
4th of July parade bands
Creature feature matinees
High dive – I double dare you
Hormones enough to scare you
Day dreaming summer time away“

but her memories will resonate with everyone who hears it in one form or another, and she’s correct in opening the record with it.
While some of these songs come from the Covid Era, several are older still and finished off then and later while Kim was collating tracks for this project; and that gives the overall feeling that you get an emotional and melancholic aftertaste when you hear the likes of Joy Rider, Take The Cake and especially for me, Feel This Way all of which are distinctively Kim Richey Songs … but ones that she probably couldn’t have released until now.
While the production throughout is rock solid; allowing Kim’s voice to take centre stage while the beautiful melodies and tunes float effortlessly in the ether behind her; there’s often a deceptive fragility to the stories in the songs; I’m specifically thinking of Goodbye Ohio and Moment In The Sun, but there are others this applies to as well.
One of the songs I first found myself ‘wallowing in’ was A Way Around and it wasn’t until I found myself listening on ear-pods while on a bus journey that the words and story hit me like a punch to the jaw …
“Drop the needle on your favorite sad song
You’re not the only one
Whoever got it all wrong
Just another lonely one“
is only one verse; and it’s a song that everyone will interpret to fit their own feelings and lives; as I did.
I know it’s getting boring when I say ‘this album needs to be played in order, from start to finish’ … but it really does; it’s far from being a ‘concept album’ but it’s patently obvious that a lot of thought has gone into the running order, which begets a rollercoaster of emotions that you will kiss otherwise.
For my Favourite Song, I’m going left of centre and spinning a coin between the Celtic/Appalachia tinged Come Back To Me which is strikingly beautiful and nothing like anything I’ve heard from Kim Richey previously; and the other, which is something of the Polar opposite, The World Is Flat which I take to be a metaphor for a relationship that isn’t as ‘perfect as first hoped for’ and everything the protagonists thought they knew about each other gets turned on it’s head and perhaps The World (really) Is Flat after all.
“It’s hard to be kind when you’re caught in the middle
The best we can do is try and be civil
We twist and we turn but, we can’t solve the riddle
We’ve come to the edge of the map
Only to find that the world is flat.“

and the brass section that separates verses will bring a tear to a glass eye!
It behoves me to describe this as Kim Richey’s ‘best album’ …. it isn’t and can’t be, as each album she’s ever recorded has been impressively different from its predecessor over the years; but I do think it’s the perfect set of songs not just for her at this stage of her career … but us as listeners/fans too.

Released May 24th 2024
https://kimrichey.com/news/
EXCLUSIVE RMHQ Interview
https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2024/04/27/exclusive-kim-richey-interview/

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https://kimrichey.com/discography/
https://kimrichey.bandcamp.com/album/every-new-beginning

Tim Easton FIND YOUR WAY

Tim Easton
Find Your Way
Black Mesa Records

Proudly Flying The Flag For the Folk Troubadour Singer-Songwriter.

Americana singer-songwriter Tim Easton has been at this game for thirty years now, and touring heavily during that time from Alaska to Spain, plus he’s busked in Paris and Prague during a seven year adventure that also took in Madrid, London and Dublin playing their clubs and streets before returning to North America stopping off in New York City, Los Angeles, Joshua Tree, California before settling on Nashville.

Find Your Way follows his albums, You Don’t Really Know Me (2021) and North American Songwriter in 2023, (a set of fan picked favourites recorded acoustically) on the Oklahoma label weren’t only recorded in Victoria, Canada, but only uses musicians from the North too.

A genuine day in day out working musician, songwriter and steeped in fine attributes, Easton really is a modern day Folk troubadour, and a ‘decent observer’ of humankind and the ups and downs of our behaviour; he also knows how to lay down a cool groove or two.

His latest album, title-track Find Your Way is an unbending affair, aided by fine harmony vocals he sings “everyday is another chance to find your way.
I went slow across the tracks just to catch my breath,
just after another wake up call,
a wreck within a wreck.
How long it takes”.
Whimsical vocals and a soulful lap steel guitar, it’s a big song, inspired from a close call with death that came after doing a recording session with Texas’ act, Band Of Heathens.
Easton shares wisdom learnt from that near fatal day and how much a wake up call it was.

Everything You’re Afraid Of speaks of removing yourself from everything you’re afraid of. Unlocking the chain and asking yourself ‘why?’, and to send a meaningful prayer to all your enemies.
Give yourself a shake.
“Remove yourself from everything you’re afraid of”
goes the chorus as a wonderful guitar break that’s pounding alongside a hypnotic rhythm.
Easton draws the listener into his world, as he’s a master of sharing his emotions, fears and highs making his stories reachable and memorable for the listener.

Here You Are is warmed in acoustic guitar, banjo and mandolin while his relentless questioning speaks of taking stock,
“I fell asleep with the lights on.
No matter what you told your friends
I’m always here for you.
Even when I’m gone“
Whether that be good or less so.

Easton picks up the ante on Jacqueline;
“Let’s go down to the river’s edge.
Don’t it make you feel alive.
Jacqueline, what’s the deal with you ever changing mind,
Jacqueline turn the wheel.
It’s only time on the line.
When will you ever take your foot off those foot breaks”.
Young lovers?
What great music.

Little Brother has a stripped bare, echoey feel as he sensitively reflects on the past reliving his time in Upper Bangor, Maine,
“We found girls with pills.
Little brother I don’t know what to tell you.
We have both been on the run.
Mama, won’t you come back now.”
He quietly shares his advice, and speaks of how he wished his mother hadn’t taken her own life, leaving him having to answer questions she might otherwise have done.
Fact or fiction? 

Of a wondrous Blues feel, Bangin’ Drum (Inside My Mind) has him carving out a superb  groove with relentless force fuelled by mandolin, harmonica and acoustic guitar which had me thinking of Malcolm Holcombe.
A tribute in itself.

Arkansas Twisted Heart is a brilliantly jaunty number, full of striking finger-picked acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle and harmonica accompanied by a strong, restless rhythm that will hook you in.
Easton speaks of having some ‘Tennessee times‘, ‘having another Stanley Brothers’ song to sing‘ and having ‘a mess of a wounded heart’ all amidst swirling harmonica it really burns a trail.  

John Hiatt fans should take a listen to Dishwasher’s Blues; it’s got an old American car, girls and a super cool groove from some smart acoustic, drums and a roving fiddle plus an unlimited supply of energy to ensue you follow that white line alongside him, as the song buzzes along.
Easton is so descriptive in his songwriting the listener can’t help but become hooked on the entries.

What Will It Take has his raspy vocals, singing
‘It’s no use looking back.
When I do I suffer knowing.
What will it take to get for you to love me again,
all these dusty questions still expecting answers.”

then …

“I was young and careless, breaking all my chances.
Bound to my impossible desire”.
All warmed in fine harmony vocals as the story rolls along as he seeks retribution.
Produced by longtime friend, Leeroy Stagger (see also Easton, Stagger, Philips) it’s heart-tugging till the last.
Nice harmonies too.

By The End Of The Night opens in an idiosyncratic fashion as gentle, chugging rhythmic drums and guitar escort his mellow musing that speaks of not wanting to be alone.
“I don’t want to be foolish,
or dangerous,
well a little.
By the end of the night,
if it is to be you’ll be with me,
there’s nothing more to do than fall in love with you“

Dreamy?
It’s message that two is better than one and being alone and, maybe even lonely too.
Doo-wop hinted, whatever.
A pretty darn cool album, if you were to ask me.

Review by Maurice Hope Esq.
Released 17th May 2024
https://www.timeaston.com/

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Elaine Palmer HALF MOON RISING

Elaine Palmer
Half Moon Rising
Butterfly Effect Records

Bewitchingly Intimate Singer-Songwriter Country From a Late Night Grande Hotel.

I guess I’m as guilty as the next person for ‘taking for-granted’ local musicians, regardless of their talents. While I know Elaine Palmer is very talented and I loved her last release THE LAND BETWEEN, that hasn’t stopped me continuously pushing this CD to one side in favour of newer ‘more interesting’ acts over the last month.
Then, last week we were returning from a weekend at Son #2’s 200 miles away and as I scrolled through my phone’s playlists this showed up, and I nonchalantly pressed ‘play’ not expecting anything other than an Elaine Palmer song (I know that sounds odd – but stick with me.) and what came out of the speakers stunned me like a Vulcan death grip!
“Check that this is Elaine Palmer” I asked my wife as I carefully drove along the country roads. “Yes it is … why?” was her reply.
Well, dear reader …. opening track Heart and Soul is as good a heartbreakingly dark Country song as you are going to hear this year or next!
In my head Elaine normally straddles the Folk/Americana fence and her last album even included a bit of Twang guitar, but here she’s gone full on Lucky Spoke Country singer-songwriter … and I couldn’t be happier.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s no Twang here but there is some sublime pedal-steel and best of all, Elaine Palmer finding a home for her distinctive singing style.
Her songwriting hits new levels too, with the intricate musicality and frailty in her voice on So Long and later On The Way Up taking Ms Palmer deep into Linda Ronstadt and Suzy Boggus territory with barely a look over her shoulder.
The latter opens with the profound …
“Youth is wasted on the young
Wisdom lies with the old
So don’t get fooled by the sun
It’s not spinning ’round on its own
All the flowers I plant in Spring
Every June they start to bloom”
Elaine has always had the ability to conjure up pictures in the listeners’ minds with her songs; but here it’s on another level, not least with Last Dance, A Love Like That and Let Me Fall (Revisited) which all conjure up clear imagery negating the need for an accompanying video … or that might just be me and my vivid imagination; but I think not.
Perhaps it’s Mike Butler’s razor sharp production or the fact the songs were recorded ‘as live’ with very little post production noodling; but Elaine Palmer genuinely has never sounded finer or better, which brings me to my choice of Favourite Song, at first it was always going to be Freebrourgh Hill an epic and brooding few minutes that deserves its place in everyone’s music collection.
Then, as the days have gone by I keep being drawn to the intimate Not Lost, a song that I’d probably have associated with Nanci Griffith circa Late Night Grande Hotel, as Elaine and that damn pedal-steel compete to break your heart into tiny little pieces; and as I’m a sucker for that type of song … it is my Favourite Song on a really special Mini-Album of 8 perfectly formed songs.
I could be wrong of course, but it’s only going to take a tiny bit of luck with radio or TV picking up on this record and it could/should be a game changer for this talented Yorkshire born and Arizona bred lass.

Released May 17th 2024
https://elaine-palmer.com/bio

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https://elainepalmer.bandcamp.com/album/half-moon-rising

Stephanie Sammons TIME AND EVOLUTION

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.

Released May 3rd 2024
https://stephaniesammons.com/

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https://stephaniesammons.bandcamp.com/album/time-and-evolution

Grey DeLisle DRIFTLESS GIRL

Grey DeLisle
Driftless Girl
Hummin’ Bird Records

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.     

   Review by Maurice Hope 
Released North America 27th February 2024
Released UK and Europe May 31st 2024
https://www.greydelislegriffin.com/

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https://www.celebworx.com/greydelisle