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Various Artists Moody Bluegrass Two…Much Love Bunny Rae Records

Billed “A Nashville Celebration of The Moody Blues,” this is the second volume of bluegrass-amplified, mostly acoustic interpretations of songs from the deep catalogue of the British prog-pop band.

Featuring some of the finest instrumentalists and vocalists from the bluegrass world, these 16-tracks occasionally sound like square rock songs being forced through circular
bluegrass holes. At other times, as when Vince Gill takes the lead on I Know You’re Out There, Larry Cordle’s rendition of Have You Heard, and Ronnie Bowman’s interpretation of The Story In Your Eyes, things sound natural.

Much more than the latest installment of some generic Pickin’ On series, Moody
Bluegrass Two…Much Love has a consistent sound and vision, and it helps
that the Moodys drop by to make vocal contributions. That it doesn’t overwhelm
us comes down to a matter of taste and preference. (www.TooMuchLove.com)

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My review of October 23′s Spinney Brothers concert is posted at http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/FervorCouleeBluegrass/entry.asp?xid=828\ A very good evening of bluegrass by my measure. Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

 

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My review of Junior Sisk’s outstanding new album has (finally<g>) been posted to the Lonesome Road Review site: http://lonesomeroadreview.com/2011/10/23/the-heart-of-a-song-by-junior-sisk-ramblers-choice/ will get you there. Additionally, I’ve decided to start posting reviews of older albums whenever something is relevant to a new release. In this case, a reviews written several years ago that involved Junior Sisk; for whatever digital file misplacement, I can’t my more recent reviews of Junior Sisk albums.

From 2004:

BlueRidge Side By Side Sugar Hill

Last year, by rough estimate, I was fortunate to catch about 50 bluegrass bands in
concert, ranging from regional heroes to living legends.  No band collectively impressed me more than BlueRidge.  BlueRidge is a band that does its best to combine the traditions established by Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers with the contemporary approach taken by bands such as IIIrd Tyme Out and Blue Highway.

With Alan Bibey’s mandolin providing the melodic heart of their sound, on this new
release the band successfully embraces the finest elements of bluegrass precision instrumentation, gracefully constructed harmonies, and awe inspiring devotion to the creation of a identifiable banjo-fueled sound.  A predominant component of this sound is the voice of Junior Sisk.

It has been said, most recently by Dave Robicheaux, that all real artists seem to disappear into that which they create; therefore, Junior Sisk is an artist of the highest order, as he becomes the words he sings, creating a reality as true as his voice is distinct.  Few bluegrass singers capture the country music roots of the genre as effectively as Sisk;
the resulting effortless sound is one that softens some of the music’s harsh edges.  Equally impressive is the quality of his songwriting including the ultimate ‘kiss-off’ song, What If (Then I’ll Come Back To You.)

BlueRidge has recaptured the bluegrass power they established on their previous album, Come Along With Me, and Side By Side should be as favourably received.

 

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New from Dale Watson is The Sun Sessions, a rocking little album inspired by the 50s rock and roll and country that made the Memphis studio famous.

http://youtu.be/o1V0PHD_StE, http://youtu.be/ljmULpS93Fw,

and http://youtu.be/EnyYwdFQJgk are among the many videos from the project posted on YouTube. They don’t come much cooler than Dale Watson and The Sun Sessions provide ample evidence that roots music doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.

I’m spending part of this afternoon writing my review of this new Red House release and am enjoying every minute of it.

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

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My latest look at the Bluegrass charts has been posted over at the Fervor Coulee Blog at Country Standard Time. Who is really buying all those Steve Ivey department store offerings that keep appearing on the Billboard chart? I don’t answer that question, but if you are wondering what is #1 this week at Bluegrass Today, Billboard, or eMusic, click on the link: http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/FervorCouleeBluegrass/entry.asp?xid=827

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

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Houston Jones Queen of Yesterday Summerhill Records

Veterans of the California Americana circuit, on their fifth album Houston Jones presents mature, thoughtful, and completely engaging roots music.

With a healthy mix of country, jazz, and rock influences, this past September Houston Jones brought me into their crazy little world of sounds. Before receiving Queen of Yesterday in the mail, I had never heard of the band. Since then I’ve returned to the album numerous times: it has accompanied me on early fall drives, I’ve listened to it when sitting in a dark and otherwise silent house interrupted only by the light from passing cars, and I’ve listened to it carefully while jotting notes.

The album works in all of those settings, providing new treats with each listen.

Seemingly rooted in free-flowing, jam-based performance, on Queen of Yesterday the five-piece Houston Jones band is tight and mostly laid back, bringing to mind to what a Tim O’Brien-fronted Bruce Hornsby group might sound like. Filled with deft picking, light, swinging instrumentation, and a soulful-smooth approach to vocals, Queen of Yesterday features several memorable songs including “Three Things” and “Monsoon Horizon.”

Travis Jones takes a calm approach to lead vocals, nothing is rushed or too intense and yet he manages to clearly convey each song’s emotion. In a land where “Midnight is the end of yesterday” Houston Jones cleverly play with shadow and sound to create an album ripe with imagination and intrigue, both lyrically and musically.

A generous album at 64-minutes, Queen of Yesterday’s dozen songs work individually and as a cohesive unit. A very strong album from an outfit I had never heard of two months ago  (www.HoustonJones.com)

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

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Various Artists  Acoustic Café Putumayo Records

Attempting to define the singer-songwriter sound is a fool’s errand and fortunately on their latest release Putumayo makes no such claim. Rather they have gathered 11-tracks from names both familiar (The Waifs, Justin Townes Earle, Harry Manx) and less so (Trevor Hall, Jon and Roy, Fences) that share little in common.

I’ve often felt out of my depth with Putumayo releases. With albums featuring a breadth of music from around the world, I’ve often wondered if their featured African and Caribbean tracks are the ‘world’ equivalent of “Sunglasses at Night”: they sound legitimate but are rather silly and insubstantial.

So it is nice when Putumayo releases something that is right in my wheelhouse, an album I can consider with some measure of confidence and even expertise. It reaffirms my faith in the label’s commitment to quality.

Along with Manx, Lucy Kaplansky provides an experienced perspective to the set. Her lyric-heavy “Manhattan Moon” is a substantial offering that deserves a fresh chance at capturing those who may have missed it when it was released several years ago.

Multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz, the youngest artist on this collection, delivers the requisite Dylan cover and one questions why a more inspired original from her very impressive Follow Me Down wasn’t selected; similarly, Manx has many tunes more substantial than his rather pedestrian cover of Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love.”

The Acoustic Café discovery, for me, was Jon and Roy, a Vancouver Island four-piece with which I was previously unfamiliar. Their offering “Any Day Now” has a light island (Caribbean, not Vancouver) vibe that is appealing.

For me, this type of coffeehouse collection has limited appeal because I’m always thinking, “But they should have a song from…” That Mark Erelli, Tracy Grammer, Maria Dunn, and John Wort Hannam are not included should not enter into my evaluation of the set, but invariably does especially when confronted with dreary tracks from The Sweet Remains and The Waifs.

Preaching to the converted, Putumayo’s new endeavour could easily have gone deeper (at 37-minutes, it is rather brief) but as a compact sampler still provides trails for future exploration.

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

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Just posted my contribution to Gillian Turnbull’s blog entry: http://www.nodepression.com/forum/topics/name-five-albums-that-you-can-sing-all-the-lyrics-to

A nice little thread has been generated and I could/should have added Joan Jett’s I Love Rock n Roll album.

The image to the left is a big hint to the first album on my list. Likely somewhat appropriate that the picture I just posted is of a cut-out bin copy.

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

 

 

 

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Talk about black and white.

Two very different types of bluegrass are represented by The 23 String Band and Nu-Blu, and my reviews of each band’s new release have been posted over at the Lonesome Road Review.

The edges of bluegrass and jamgrass meet at The 23 String Band while Nu-Blu takes a more smooth, overtly “commercial” approach. I wasn’t much interested in the Nu-Blu album at first listen, and found it a bit syrupy in places but found myself giving it a proper listen last weekend and discovered quite a bit more to appreciate than to criticize. While not the type of album I’m likely to pull off the shelf very often, I can see why many people will enjoy listening to it; it is well executed and features strong vocals.

On the other hand, The 23 String Band appealed from almost the first note, it is a little greasy- but not too greasy- and has an abundance of good material.

Different strings for diffferent folks.

http://lonesomeroadreview.com/2011/10/14/the-blu-disc-by-nu-blu/

http://lonesomeroadreview.com/2011/10/14/catch-23-by-the-23-string-band/

Thanks for visiting Fervor Coulee. Donald

 

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Laurie Lewis Skippin’ and Flyin’ Spruce and Maple Music

I’ve been told that I have a tendency to occasionally write more than people want to read, given these days of shorter attention spans and such. So here is the capsule review: West coast bluegrass maven Laurie Lewis pays the ultimate tribute to Bill Monroe by exploring his roots and branches in ways that he may not have imagined. 5 stars; 9.5/10; 93.7/100; Essential listening.

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2011 has been deemed by the greater bluegrass community as ‘the year of Bill Monroe.’ In commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of his birth, the Father of Bluegrass has been feted far and wide: tribute bands have performed and tribute albums and songs have been recorded and released, some very good and some simply bordering on exploitive. Even Garrison Keeler and his Prairie Home Companion friends are getting in on the act, taking the show on the road to Kentucky in November for an evening of Bill Monroe music and stories featuring several Blue Grass Boys.

The most impressive Bill Monroe tribute to arrive this autumn may also be the most understated. Nowhere on the cover of Skippin’ and Flyin’ is Mr. Monroe mentioned or illustrated. Rather, Laurie Lewis appears in full-blown Blue Grass Boy regalia, dressed with the same precision of style and substance that has been her hallmark for the past several decades as one of bluegrass and acoustiblue music’s beautiful flowers.

Also unlike most of the previously released projects- and again, some of them have been quality albums assembled for the ‘right’ reasons- Skippin’ and Flyin’ is not simply a collection of 10 or 15 Monroe tunes recorded by a contemporary band. Rather, Skippin’ and Flyin’ goes to the heart of Mr. Monroe’s music, exploring its soul and his motivations and influences. This is an album that embraces elements of those Mr. Monroe himself recorded.

While Mr. Monroe didn’t follow any rules other than his own, it wasn’t unusual for him to record songs from folk, country, and mountain traditions. One of his substantial talents was for making those songs seem entirely new in his hands. At the same time, he would sometimes go back to his own catalogue and breathe fresh life into songs he recorded many years previously. Mr. Monroe also had a talent for identifying and recording songs from contemporary writers. From all I’ve learned, he had affection for the blues and brought disparate rhythms into his music, making it all work through his intense vision of what was right for his music. Of course, he also wrote songs- great songs, ‘true songs,’ songs that will last.

The above also clearly describes Laurie Lewis’ beautiful project, Skippin’ and Flyin’. As she writes in her detailed, insightful, and very personal liner notes, “Bill Monroe was not a follower of styles but steadfastly played his singular music through the good times and the tough, inspiring me with his example to be free to explore my own musical path. Almost all of the songs here are performed with a ‘traditional’ bluegrass band: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass. All of the harmony singing stems directly from the school of Bill Monroe.”

Laurie Lewis is no newcomer to bluegrass music, having played almost every festival there is and having recorded excellent albums over the years, The Golden West and Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals being just two. However, she has never narrowed her field and has recorded some of the finest folk-inspired music of the past three decades, among them her incredible collaborations with Tom Rozum The Oak and the Laurel and the under-heralded Guest House.

She has always been versatile, performing as a duo with Rozum or leading a full-fledged bluegrass band with equal effectiveness and charisma. As a musician, she is frequently called on to provide session fiddle and vocal performances and to augment an established group. In a one week period two years back I saw her filling in with Kathy Kallick- a frequent singing partner- in a Red Deer bluegrass setting and the next weekend filling in with Dave Alvin’s hard-hitting Guilty Women at Hardly Strictly.

She has at least one signature song, “Who Will Watch the Home Place?” Kate Long’s exceptional song that was awarded the IBMA’s Song of the Year award in 1994. She has also been awarded the same organization’s Female Vocalist of the Year award twice and has been nominated frequently.

Skippin’ and Flyin’ takes its name from “Old Ten Broeck,” which opens this magnificent 55-minute album: “Old Ten Broeck is skippin’ and gone away, Old Ten Broeck is skippin’ and flyin’.”

Lewis has taken this instantly recognizable precursor to “Molly and Tenbrooks,” a song frequently performed by Bill Monroe, back to its roots in the music of The Carver Boys and Cousin Emmy while working in elements from Mike Seeger and Monroe. Thank goodness for artists, like Lewis, who believe in the value of song notes!

As she does throughout the album, Lewis doesn’t simply mimic what Bill Monroe did in 1947 and 1957; she goes deeper, exploring what he may have heard and been impacted by in earlier years. In doing so, she gets to the roots of Bill Monroe in ways that many other artists have not attempted in 2011.

She takes a very different tack with “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” It is almost as if Lewis is saying, ‘This is Monroe, and we’ll honour him by performing it as he did.” Lewis takes liberty with the chorus, switching up the ‘left me blue’ and ‘proved untrue’ lines, but otherwise maintains the spirit of the early, pre-Elvis Monroe recordings of the song, including an extended, mournful fiddle feature.

The final ‘Monroe’ song included on Skippin’ and Flyin’ is also the lonesome-est. As recorded here by Lewis and her usual touring band (Rozum, Scott Huffman, Craig Smith, and Todd Phillips) “A Lonesome Road,” recorded by Monroe in 1957, is blue and bluesy and works nicely in tempo with the album’s mid-set flavour. A similar mood with a very different execution is found on “Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues,” a flirty tune Lewis learned from Wanda Jackson.

Songs from Del McCoury (“Dreams”) and Flatt & Scruggs are also included, I imagine because- as Lewis writes in the notes- “If Bill Monroe hadn’t come along, there probably wouldn’t have been Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, or any of the modern bluegrass bands you hear today.” (And, before shorts get twisted too tightly, she continues: “But there would have been and would be someone playing some sort of tradition-based string band music. And it would hold appeal for many people today, just as it has for generations.”) So we have fresh interpretations of “What’s Good For You (Should Be Alright for Me),” as fine a justification for cheatin’ and hurtin’ as has been written, and “I Don’t Care Anymore.” Going back even further, “Carter’s Blues” (from the American tradition) and “Fair Beauty Bright” (from the British)- two ribbons well-mined by Monroe- are included. Tom Rozum’s mandola offerings on the latter tune are haunting and ideal.

On the contemporary front, Lewis offers stellar gems. Mark Erelli’s lyrically rich song of devastation “Hartfordtown 1944” is given a full-blown bluegrass setting (and check out his version on 2006’s exceptional Hope & Other Casualties, the album that convinced me that Erelli is every bit as ‘good’ as the singer-songwriters you have heard). While Monroe never heard the song, one can imagine that he might have given it more than a passing nod.

I’ve often stated that everything I know and appreciate about religion has been learned through bluegrass songs, and Lewis continues my education with “The Pharaoh’s Daughter.”

Expanding on the story of Moses, Lewis tells of what became of his rescuer. In an entirely different manner, Lewis shares her admiration for lost giants of Appalachia; “American Chestnuts” is Lewis’s take on an ecological “Rise Again,” a promise that that which is lost can return.

I believe that leaves only two tracks unmentioned, Wilma Lee Cooper’s “I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow” and “Going Away” which comes from Utah Phillips. With Cooper’s passing last month, “I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow” serves then as a tribute to one of the leading ladies of country and bluegrass music and it is entirely appropriate that today’s first lady of bluegrass, Dale Ann Bradley, joins in on harmony.

Similarly, and yet entirely differently, Lewis acknowledges Phillips by performing his “Going Away” in a style that would have been out-of-place on a Monroe album but which is entirely sensible within the context of Skippin’ and Flyin’.

Fifteen hundred-plus words to analyze an album of 14-songs? There is something to be said for brevity, but in the case of Skippin’ and Flyin’ fewer words wouldn’t do, at least for me. Better writers than I will be able to distil the essence of this artistic creation, but for me it took all these words to capture what I believe is a beautiful and landmark album.

Laurie Lewis has created many excellent albums, and may have recorded ‘better’ ones than this. But none have been more important or have impacted me more. By exploring Bill Monroe- his music, his tradition, his influences- in this manner she has paid him the ultimate tribute.

The bluegrass album of 2011? Perhaps not, but on my list with Dale Ann’s Somewhere South of Crazy, Blue Highway’s Sounds of Home, Junior Sisk’s The Heart of a Song, and Alison Krauss & Union Station’s Paper Airplane.

Skippin’ and Flyin’ is released October 18, 2011. Lewis appears at several events and festivals through to December, including a CD release show at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, CA November 26.