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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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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The Avett Brothers THE AVETT BROTHERS

The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers
Ramseur Records/ American Recordings/Thirty Tigers

Excellent Genre Fluid Americana Imbued Bluegrass and Alt. Country With Folk Flourishes Too.

Brothers, Scott (banjo, vocals) and Seth (guitars, vocals) Avett; aka The Avett Brothers from Concord, North Carolina have been around for over two decades; with longtime band member Bob Crawford (acoustic, electric bass) with them most of the time and Joe Kwon (cello) and Mike Marsh (drums) are the band’s other mainstays.
They have carved out a well respected niche in the music business, with twelve full length albums to their name, and the awards, nominations and critical acclaim to go with them.
For the uninitiated, The Avett Brothers cover folk, country, bluegrass, pop, and rock and to a degree ‘singer-songwriter’ can also be thrown into the mix

Never Apart (w/ vocal prelude) opens their latest record with some beautiful lyrics.
Spread over the record there’s a mix of family ties (members of the band included) growing up and with spiritual grace drawn upon too.
Like it’s most recent predecessor, Closer Than Together it’s produced by good friend and famed producer, Rick Rubin.
In the world of Americana music Rubin will forever be linked to the late Johnny Cash and how he revived the Man In Black’s career on American Recordings.

Since their last album as a band, five years ago there has been Seth Avett’s solo record, ’Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown” because the singer-songwriter is a hero of his.
Sometimes the brothers can venture off into totally unexpected directions, but they always return to base. Their album, Mignonette (2003) recently became the subject of a musical (picked up by an outside force) focussing on a 1880s shipwreck tragedy and performed in January this year in Washington DC to good critical acclaim.
Stories passed on down from their father, non fiction with a particular interest in heroism and survivalism has served them well Seth and Scott’s above noted album Mignonette came from the book, The Custom Of The Sea.

Amidst the honours, and album records one of the units biggest musical recordings saw them covering Tom T. Hall’s perennial That’s How I Got To Memphis (undoubtedly they are admirers of the Nashville Storyteller, and two other songs for the all-star Punch Brothers, (Jack White, Rhiannon Giddens, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings Machine, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez among others) recording, Another Day, Another Time : Celebrating The Music Of “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2015, Nonesuch Records), this recording came in the wake of the acclaimed T. Bone Burnett, Joel and Ethan Cohen produced movie Inside Llewyn Davis.

Returning to the present, the excellent songwriters Scott and Seth Avett include the seven minute epic Cheap Coffee which is warmed through with gentle keyboards and guitars presenting a really soothing brew that features some poetic chapters.
It’s a far cry from powerfully propelled, Love Of A Girl that offers punk and rock wrapped together as it spirals round the moon a couple of times.
Striking!
“Got a good deal on flowers at the grocery store” reminds me in a complimentary way of a few acts (the V-Roys?) and is a great use of creative energy.
Forever Now though, is particularly sombre in spirit, aided by upright bass, acoustic guitars and drums finds them in reflective, questioning mood, highlighted by the graceful, keyboard entries as the song shuffles along neatly. 

Country Kid has a quirky, addictive edge, speaking of growing up in the country confines of North Carolina.
“Smokes in a homemade shirt
welding machines,
having parties in the woods,
dragging friends from the neighbourhood”
and
“the shape of bodies in the pale of moonlight.
Flowing fast, like the Mississippi“
Primed in fiddle, banjo and other traditional country wares the boys are found at their best.

Orion’s Belt flies out of the blocks and is excellent (as ever) with lead vocals that are powered by an incessant, bustling  rhythm, smoking fiddle and among other delights a wonderful, lead electric guitar solo. Hence a happy feeling ensues for anyone hearing it.

2020 Regret calms it all down again, as to the sound of little other than piano warm, the measured lead vocals (Scott) embrace your attention and heart and soul of the listener.
It speaks of how the love of another isn’t always as visible as it could.
It’s something John Fullbright could easily have written and I would like to hear him perform it, as it’s a keeper alright.
Spurred on by dramatic interludes of fiddle and piano the characters passion overflows as seamless harmony vocals give exceptional support.

Stripped-down Broken Bones too has a special feel, with its intelligent musical arrangements (piano, cello etc) after an a cappella Folk styled intro to the lead and harmony vocals.
“Every town has the same broken bones and the loneliness.
Someone is waiting for me,
somewhere apart from the part I can see,
he never visits except in my dreams”
The singer delivers, in a personal reflectiveness and solitude, as the song has all three in abundance oozing from its veins.
Quality.

The melancholy of We Are Loved wanders, slowly forth, mellow with the sensitive timbre of the lead vocals being totally excellent, varying on occasions from superb to sublime.
On introduction of the second (and third) voice the song is lifted to even greater heights.
It’s one of those that becomes more profound with every listen.
I imagine done live you will be able to hear the proverbial pin drop.
What a way to sign off.
On hearing this records I now feel the urge to hunt out more from the Avett Brothers

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

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*180-gram vinyl LP. Includes 32-page lyric chapbook featuring illustrations by Scott Avett.

Chris Smither ALL ABOUT THE BONES

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.

 Reviewed by Maurice Hope 
Released May 3rd 2024
https://smither.com/

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Pi Jacobs SOLDIER ON

Pi Jacobs
Soldier On
Blackbird Record Label

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.

Released 26th April 2024
https://pijacobs.com/

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Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris Jumpin’ Hot Club, Gosforth

Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris
Jumpin’ Hot Club,
Gosforth Civic Theatre
Newcastle

19th April 2023

It really shouldn’t have been a surprise after all of these years. Still, it was a surprise all around that the venue tonight was sold out with 195 tickets being sold and more whining on Social Media that they too wanted tickets to see Mary Gauthier in Newcastle for the first time since way before Covid became popular.
There was an air of expectancy in the hall even before support act Jaimee Harris made her entrance … and when I say entrance I mean ….. ENTRANCE!
Dressed in an outstanding pink and rhinestone suit and huge pink sunglasses; she looked like Gram Parson’s more exuberant younger sister …. honestly.
After a brief introduction, Jaime started with a fabulously tongue in cheek song about being a support act’ which went down very well.
While she told us she’d visited the club before and proudly wore her Jumpin’ Hot Club t-shirt around Nashville Town; I have no recollection of seeing or hearing her before; which was a shame as she was fantastic.
Her songs were all Country Deluxe; a skill she learned after leaving jail the last time and becoming ‘clean’ ten years ago; and I guessed it must have been cathartic, as most songs were dark, with a catchy melody, and certainly came from the recesses of her heart.
The story behind her song, about her previous addictions Fair and Dark Haired Lad, left the crowd spellbound and certainly had many of us hoping she would come back sometime soon as a headline act.
Her forty minutes flew by, and the final three songs all got 4 stars …. Boomerang Town was blistering and followed by the imaginative Tattoo Zoo which was apparently inspired partly after watching a Gordon Lightfoot documentary, and the finale; Love Is Gonna Come Again was borderline tragically beautiful, and well worth hunting out.
During the twenty minute break the smiling audience mingled, bought drinks and most importantly quickly plundered the merch desk, and everyone was seated by the time Jaimee Harris made her second appearance alongside the legend that is Mary Gauthier.
With barely a smile as an introduction Mary and Jaimee started this set with the haunting The Meadow which received a tumultuous reception, which may have been partly the audience welcoming back the singer into our fold.
Without a brand new album to promote; Mary dug into her astounding back catalogue, regaling us with songs that I barely recognised and at least two I’d not heard before, with 2007’s Between The Daylight and the Dark, For Rose from 2002 and The War After The War all having the audience in the palm of her hand, with Harris providing harmonies and backing guitar.
What should have been a highlight of the evening was when Mary read a few passages from her new biography/memoir which detailed an evening amongst some of East Nashville’s finest songwriters and singers which culminated with Nanci Griffith giving Mary a Taylor guitar to ‘carry on the songwriter tradition.’
Maybe others will disagree but I thought it a bit rambling and could/should have been judiciously edited; especially as it led into Jaimee Harris pouring her heart into her version of Listen To The Radio, which received one of the loudest and longest rounds of applause of the night; and that particular competition was fiercely challenged as the evening rattled along.
I’ve listened to it many times over the years; but there was something in tonight’s arrangement that finally made Drag Queens and Limousines finally unravelled before my very eyes – I get it now!
This was followed by the song that Gauthier introduced as ‘being a game changer’ for her; a harrowing slow version of I Drink which featured some extraordinary harmonies from Ms Harris alongside her.
That wasn’t even the most memorable song of the night!
That award goes to ‘well told story’ that led into a staggering version of Last of The Hobo Kings; another song I’ve heard her sing numerous times; but there was something about tonight’s performance that bordered on the mystical.
A loud standing ovation begat a performance of a new song, which was a co-write with none other than Vince Gill; Some Times which was partly a history lesson regarding the train, The Orange Blossom Special and Gauthier and Gill’s history lesson about America over and beyond the life of a steward on that train that the couple had seen a photograph of.
While I think my gripe about the ‘reading’ is valid; it was only three minutes of a near two hour concert that will live in my memory for a very long time.

https://www.marygauthier.com/
https://www.jaimeeharris.com/home
https://www.jumpinhot.com/about-us/

Andrea Van Cleef and the Black Jack Conspiracy HORSE LATITUDES

Andrea Van Cleef and the Black Jack Conspiracy
Horse Latitudes
Rivertale Productions

Taut, Emotionally Driven and Cinematic Olde Worlde Americana

Horse Latitudes is the fourth solo album by Italian singer-songwriter Andrea Van Cleef, who took the time to record both in Texas with Rick Del Castillo (a collaborator with film-makers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino) and in Italy with Simone Piccinelli.
Crafting this project on two differing continents has definitely given these songs a unique and ambitious air.
“Cinematic” is a word I would use to describe this album, “taut” and “emotionally-driven” are others.
This is “Americana” with an Olde World mystique, a 21st-century flair, and a focused production to match. These songs would make perfect soundtracks to a film set in old Europe, and Van Cleef’s songs are punctuated throughout with extensive detail.
Check out the vocal reverb on “A Horse Named Cain” which envelops fully, yet quickly decays atmospherically, yet remains evocative of a cold damp night.
The upright bass on “The Real Stranger” which sets a mood of noir and mystery, Van Cleef’s voice getting close to Jim Morrison territory here.
The contrast between the acoustic and electric guitars on “Come Home,” gives truth to the distance between Van Cleef and his long lost love while he intones for them to please “come home” even though he knows they won’t.
This last one drips with blood, as if from a cold war spy novel.
The unexpected cover of “Oh La La” by the Faces is optimistic and bright, and a true toe-tapper.
“The Longest Song” features bewitching backing vocals by Italian pop singer Ottavia Brown as well as some lovely violin playing throughout.
Throughout these songs, Van Cleef’s affected vocals are fraught with character, as he uses his voice, not just as an instrument, but as more of another character—like an actor living the part, not just playing at one.
He’s also not afraid of reverb-drenched vocals which I am completely onboard with, ‘. Drowning in Reverb’ is a perfect match for Van Cleef’s baritone, and more artists should follow heed.

review by Roy Peak

Released April 5th 2024
http://www.andreavancleef.space/

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The HawtThorns ZERO GRAVITY

The HawtThorns
Zero Gravity
Red Parlor Records

West Coast Country Rock Meets Pop-Country Behind a Grungy Biker Bar

East Nashville-based duo, Johnny and KP Hawthorn are chasing success in a hugely competitive market place, but they do have an edge over their contempories with the style of music they perform, Pop, country / Alt-Americana steeped in solid harmonies and energetic music.

Zero Gravity is the former LA located (independently and as a duo Johnny and KP obtained their start in music) HawtThorns’ third album, recorded live with the band onto a 2 inch tape at the Wood Brothers’ recording studio.
Musical director Ted Pecchio (bass), Jane Rix (keyboards), Nick Buda (drums) and guitar playing Johnny Hawthorn providing the base for KP’s nicely toned lead vocals.

Nothing But A Shadow opens the album, bustling along, the music and vocal delivery are positive from the word go, then title-track, Zero Gravity speaks of coming to terms on losing your soulmate, it’s a mellow and dreamy at times, as the music contains wonderful soothing qualities.
Spirited Hands On A Clock has a strong, cushioned rocking vibe, here they speak of
‘keeping your feet on the ground,
keep you ear on the sound,
keep your friends all around,
there’s no stopping us now’.
Plied in lead electric guitar and a general good to be alive ambiance it is a winner.
Keenly driven, keyboards aid Trouble giving it a hooky, pop rhythm, as KP speaks of how ‘trouble comes looking for you, and the prettiest things get chocked out’. 

Fakin It sees a welcome relaxed change in direction as KP is allowed more space to entice the listener, with her prompting tones
’I don’t want to see your pretty face,
anymore,
in fact I’m glad you’re gone
For a while I believed you were just what I need’,
as she explains away a short lived attraction.
No more need to fake it.

Of a more mellow, thought provoking measured feel, Flying eases ever so gently into one’s subconscious, as she suggests to another to take control of what you can in this land of insanity.
‘You don’t need someone to tell you what you are carrying
….Sometimes you gotta let the rain fall down’.
Shuffling percussion drives the track and her caressing vocals are as good if not better than on any other track.

Don’t Plan To Lose races out of the blocks with smart lead electric guitar rumbling into the underbelly as the rapid loose rhythm section guide KP’s fine lead and seamless harmony assists.
Shades of 1970s California’s West Coast Country Rock swamp the guitar work, as well as having a little jangling and swirling twang. Brilliant.   

Long Game evokes of the twilight hours, such is the imagery portrayed.
‘I’m trying to get a better deal.
Hold on for the pay off.
You gotta play the long game’
sings KP on the warmed acoustic guitar, and steady rhythm nicely propel the song along.

Don’t Wait By The Phone explodes out of the blocks as Johnny handles lead vocals in majestic fashion. Driven by impressive keyboards, drums, lead electric guitar (a swirling solo included) he takes charge, Big time.
Can we have more of this next time around I enquire (plead)?

On a gentle, whimsical note Save This One sashays gently along as a dreamy, contemporary Pop Rocker speaking of love and its intricacies.

From the 1960s – 1970s the duo perform a most credible version of the classic, When Will I Be Loved, best known from the catalogue of the Everly Brothers (No, 1 hit in 1960), and later there was Linda Ronstadt’s 1976 dynamic stellar version!
Here they have singer-songwriter Alice Wallace adding complimentary sibling-like, harmony vocals and I couldn’t have wished for a better way for them to close the record.

Review courtesy Maurice Hope
Released April 5th 2024
https://www.thehawtthorns.com/

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Sarah King WHEN IT ALL GOES DOWN

Sarah King
When it All Goes Down
Self-Release

Insurgent Country That Deliberately and Delicately Colours Outside The Normal Lines.

We’d almost definitely have missed this release if our eagle-eyed reviewer Bill Redhead hadn’t spotted a Tweet from Sarah talking about its’ imminent release; so as is my won’t I followed it up with Sarah herself and thankfully she is the patient type and regardless of my ongoing e-mail issues with Outlook, we finally received a download late that evening, and here I am three days later, totally besotted.
It was Bill who reviewed Sarah’s original EP, but there’s very little I’d have changed had I done it myself – it really is/was a belter of a debut … as is this, Sarah’s debut Album.
Ms. King describes her music as ‘Gothic Americana’ and I can’t disagree, but there’s a healthy dose of both Blues and Country in her music too, which all comes together as a spicy Gumbo somewhere on the Alt. Country spectrum.
The hypnotic opening track Lord Take My Soul is a prime example; and I can imagine the singer standing menacingly at the mic. as she spits and growls out her story; challenging the listener to metaphorically ‘make eye contact.’
First and foremost, this album revolves around Sarah King’s distinctive vocals, which delicately balance gritty and soulful at the same time; occasionally using it on the sultry side during Always an Almost and Pretty Things which also actually do err on the side of Gothic in the way the songs are arranged.
The songwriter takes on some interesting subjects for her songs; although I (and you) have heard many a song about the ‘perils of drinking’ and sadly we all know someone on either side of the glass; but very few match the pain Sarah conjures up on the heartbreaking Blame It On The Booze.
This is matched note for note by the ballad Whiskey Thinking; a regular staple in both Country and Blues music alike; but again Sarah finds a whole new thread to pull on to make you sit back open mouthed.
Okay; Sarah has been on the road for most of her adult life; but that doesn’t necessarily mean she would be a good songwriter; but that’s the very least way I can describe her prose here – it’s simply outstanding for a debut album …. as the punchy, pedal to the metal When It All Comes Down and Devil’s Try prove with both being the type of songs I’d expect to hear from Beth Hart or Bonnie Raitt; and that’s the honest truth.
As usual I’ve played this album several times now, both in the office and also in the car; and it works fine in both arenas; especially the car where that claustrophobic feeling of being alone is the perfect way to hear and get the best from songs like The Moth and the powerful sapphic love song Hey Hey What Can I Do? too.
While this sounds very much like a full on band effort in the way the songs are constructed and arranged; but obviously; everything revolves around Sarah King’s fabulously emotive voice; which most certainly comes to the fore on the two songs that tie for the accolade of RMHQ Favourite Song.
The first; The Longest Night can’t decide if it’s a Power Ballad or a Torch Song; and inside my head it’s the the of song that if it was a cocktail would taste like a fizzy soft drink, but when you try to stand up your legs will give way and you will fall flat on your face; such is the hidden potency in both words and deed throughout.
The other is You Were Wrong About Me; and it’s the type of song that will appeal to both men and women alike, although I think it’s aimed at the female of the species who have come out of a bad relationship slightly damaged; but kicking and screaming into the daylight and able to move on in a righteous manner.
For many years I was a huge fan of Bloodshot Records who were keen advocates of something they called Insurgent Country and that’s exactly how I think this album could be described; “a rebel or a revolutionary, someone who takes up arms against the authorities” which is exactly how Sarah King sounds to me … someone who colours outside the lines in the name of her Art.

Released April 1st 2024
https://sarahkingsings.com/home

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The Pernice Bros. WHO WILL YOU BELIEVE?

The Pernice Brothers
Who Will You Believe
New West Records

Beautifully Conceived and Executed, Joyously Melancholic Songs – Who Could Want Anything More?

It’s been a while….in the five years since 2019’s “Spread the Feeling” Joe Pernice has undergone the dips of life’s rollercoaster – in a single six-month stretch in 2019 Pernice was left reeling from the deaths of two friends and a close family member. Pernice’s response was to recognise “That was such a bad stretch of time. When things settled some I was thinking about them a lot and doing my best to try and take nothing for granted.”

The partial outcome of that time and the times around then is this very welcome new release “Who Will You Believe” – it begins with the joyously twangy title track, which is something straight out of the Travelling Wilburys/Bennett Wilson Poole playbook of chiming guitars and mighty choruses and harmonies.
“I fell in love with the possible world
then I smashed my heart against the stone”.

“Look Alive” stays in similar musical territory, but is rhythmically jauntier, with added brass and falsetto choruses.
The oddly titled “Not This Pig” provokes the listener with
“it’s so embarrassing to see you now…”
line and Jellyfish (the band) melodic shifts and psychedelic backwards guitar swathes.

There’s a beautiful acoustic downturn with the close-mic-ed “What We Had” which echoes the Velvet Underground in their more reflective moments – melodically gorgeous,
“It’s hard to watch good love go bad”
was never so delicately and melodiously framed – and it has a swooning guitar solo to match. One of the best songs I’ve heard this year so far…

“December in Her Eyes” keeps things low key, taking a slight diversion down a southern Philly soul track on this tail of love about to go wrong…brass and strings leap into the equation and it all ends up in a Dusty Springfield orchestral finale.
“A Song for Sir Robert Helpmann” (A former Australian ballet dancer and choreographer) is somewhat fittingly in waltz time – it’s a lush, orchestral sway-along – and apart from the backing of “Da-da-dee” on the melody line, it’s an instrumental interlude that would serve as the backing to a scene in a weird French arty romance movie.

The tempo kicks back up with “Hey Guitar” and its busy Powerpop riffing overlaid with slashes of acoustic strums. There’s a taste of psychedelia in the distorted guitar and telephone vocals and in the lyrical nods to “Tune in , turn on, drop out”.
“A Man of Means” inhabits similar territory, but takes the musical spirit of The Beatles “Taxman” with its heavy bass and swirling guitar – stating that
“She’s a man of mean
like this world has never seen”…and many more “een” rhymes!

“I Don’t Need That Anymore” leans back into gentler acoustic twang and chime and features a crystal pure duet contribution from Neko Case, whereas “Ordinary Goldmine” keeps things low(er) key with an Elliot Smith-type moody reflection on not being able to “remember the cues or signs”.
Into the final stretch, “How Will We Sleep” starts with a quiet count-in before the strummed waltz time of the the truism
“if you’ve found love in life, you’ve found everything”
stripped back to the basics of mainly vocal and guitar, it doesn’t need much more – melody and emotion unite to make a very lovely thing.

Final track “The Purple Rain” gently and summatively faces the themes of loss, acceptance and acknowledgement spread across the album
“Remember me to her sea-bound train.
 Remember me to her fruited plains.
Purple mountains and purple rain won’t always separate the shining seas.
The wake is washing over me.”
The swell of Toronto’s Choir! Choir! Choir! On the later choruses give the song an even greater strength of message and it’s a joyous, yet somewhat oxymoronic acceptance of inevitability and the need for carpe diem.
It may have been five years, but it was certainly worth the wait. There’s not an ounce of fat anywhere on this album – beautifully conceived and executed, it’s going to be in my albums of the year list come December.
Welcome back….

Review by Nick Barber
Released April 5th 2024
https://www.pernicebrothers.com/

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