Roots music column, August 7

Thanks for dropping by Fervor Coulee. While I’ve been a bit neglegent in posting lately, I have been listening to a great deal of excellent music and plan on writing a few reviews and comments in the next week. I am fortunate to be able to hear so much music sometimes it is hard to sort ones thoughts and remain focused for the extended period of time I require for writing. So, excuses aside, I’ll get at it so please stop by again. This week in my roots music column, I reviewed two recently released discs. Gordie Tentrees is a songwriter based out of Whitehorse and he has just released the strongest of his three albums, Mercy or Sin. Rhonda Vincent has had a huge impact on the bluegrass world since returning to the music on which she was raised, and her live presentations have always been crowd-pleasing. With Destination Life Vincent has revitalized her music, and has released what I feel is her strongest, most complete album in years. So, head on over to the Red Deer Advocate newspaper site  http://tinyurl.com/l92274 and give them a read, please.

Because I sometimes write long, the editors had to chop a bit of the Tentrees review to make the column fit; I am well aware that I went a wee bit over on my alloted allowance. So, I’ll paste the last few sentences here:

Producer Bob Hamilton (Hungry Hill) keeps things flowing, and his steel guitars show up when Tentrees sets aside his Dobro.

Alfred, as are but two of the dozen songs, is a Tentrees’s original, and is mined from territory similar to that explored by Corb Lund and Ridley Bent. Bert Jansch’s Rambling’s Gonna Be the Death of Me is provided a dark, concentrated interpretation, while Same Old Blues comes from Indio Saravanja and provides the album with what could serve as its subtitle- “brand new song, same old blues.”

And I thank you for your continued interest. I’m off to the Edmonton Folk Festival, and will write some reflections upon my return. Donald

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver- Lonely Street

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Lonely Street

Rounder

Doyle Lawson has been operating a most successful school of bluegrass for thirty years; no matter who is in his band, Quicksilver remains precise and fresh, capturing the instrumental, emotional, and sacred intensities imperative to the bluegrass sound.

 With Lonely Street Lawson introduces yet another Quicksilver line-up, one that has already changed with the departure of vocalist Darren Beachley. And while such turnover must be frustrating to one of the music’s guiding minds, Lawson always presents stellar recordings featuring unbelievable three-part harmonies. Lonely Street is no exception.

Lawson is especially adept at providing country songs with a bit of bluegrass panache. He does that here with not only the title track, previously recorded by Patsy Cline, George Jones, and others, but also with a great little song from Marty Robbins, Call Me Up and I’ll Come Callin’ On You; this one features some nice mandolin from Lawson and fine fiddling from Brandon Godman.

 New songs including When the Last of Our Days Shall Come, Monroe’s Mandolin, and the instrumental Down Around Bear Cove provide listeners with additional reasons to seek out the latest from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

 Lonely Street may not go into the books as a DL&Q classic recording, but there is much to recommend it to those who appreciate the finest in bluegrass trio harmonies and smooth bluegrass instrumentation.

J J Cale Roll On

JJ Cale

Roll On

Rounder

 This one slipped by me a couple months back, and I’m glad to have rediscovered it.

 JJ Cale has made a career of riding breezy, bluesy grooves, and he doesn’t change things up too much on the fifteenth album in a recording career stretching back to the early 70s.

 His voice melds ideally with the roots rock, rhythm and blues, guitar-based music contained within Roll On. Cale’s vocal style is shockingly laid back and seemingly unaffected by the passage of years. This is no doubt because Cale never seems to be trying very hard.

 Not that the album sounds lazy or undeveloped. Everything works to perfection, from the jazz-influenced percussion- much of it by Cale himself- to the impeccably tasteful electric guitar serving as the disc’s skeleton.

 Roll On occupies the same shelf in my listening library as Mark Knopfler’s albums of recent years; it won’t appeal to everyone, but there are times when JJ Cale’s sounds perfectly complement the mood of a day.

Dry Branch Fire Squad- Echoes of the Mountain

Dry Branch Fire Squad

Echoes of the Mountains

Rounder Records

Many have been a-waiting fresh music from Ron Thomason’s Dry Branch Fire Squad since hearing their last album, Hand Hewn, more than seven years ago. With only a live set surfacing in the interim, doubters can be forgiven for fearing the venerable outfit had sang and picked their last.

And then comes Echoes of the Mountains, as strong a bluegrass album as has been released this year, and one that equals or surpasses many of the dozen or so albums previously released by DBFS.

Few combine the stories of the mountains with the sounds of bluegrass quite like Thomason, and his voice hasn’t lost anything with the passage of the years. With his languid vocal delivery, Thomason places emphasis on the stories of the past. And what stories they are!

Within songs both familiar and new- but mostly familiar- we have death from cattle stampede and conclusion jumping, a fruitless, pained search for a lost sibling, reminiscences of times and ways long past, faithful dogs, some brimstone, and even Sam Cooke brought down to the home place.

Fancy, furious picking has never been a hallmark of the DBFS’s, but there is no doubting they can more than hold there own; the manner in which they rework Bring It One Home to Me or fire-up Grayson’s Train reminds listeners of the group’s instrumental dexterity.

 A fine return from one of bluegrass music’s longest running institutions, and one that assures that age and experience are no hindrance to the creation of memorable music.

2009- First Quarter Report

Many fine albums have been released during January, February, and March of 2009, and I’m certain I’ve not heard even a fraction of them! New albums by Buddy & Julie Miller, Justin Townes Earle, Neko Case, Elvis Perkins, Brett Dennen and (I’m sure) many others haven’t yet made there way to my Bought list and have received glowing reviews elsewhere. But, here is my Top Ten so far for 2009:

David Baxter- Day & Age- An album of rare focus and intensity. Country and folk music is supposed to sound like this, the first album in a career stretching thirty years.

 

David Parmley & Continental Divide- Three Silver Dollars- a solid set of bluegrass from one of the best voices in the biz

 

Tom Rush- What I Know- a return to form, I’m assuming; never knew his music before, but this one made me interested enough to search through his catalogue and I’m liking what I hear.

 

Romi Mayes- Achin in Yer Bones- her best album so far

 

Dry Branch Fire Squad- Echoes of the Mountains- Thomason is back! If this is to serve as DBFS’s swan song- and I hope it isn’t- it is a fine way to go out. No one mixes grass and mountain quite like this. Superior song selection, too.

 

Guy Davis- Sweetheard Like You- never disappoints

 

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper- You Don’t Have to Like Them Both- knew nothing about them when I put it in the machine. Within seconds I was hooked.

 

Tom Russell Anthology- If he had only written one song as shockingly pure as Veteran’s Day, his place would be assured. That he has written dozens of brilliant songs, and there are still many unfamiliar with him is dang near musically criminal. I bought this one despite already owning most of the songs. Don’t care, dammit.

 

Kelly Joe Phelps- Western Bell- not my usual thing. Atmospheric instrumentals.

 

I’ve been digging a small selection of ‘old’ soul singers of late- especially Doris Duke and Bobby Patterson- What sounds!

 

Donald

 

My Postcard2 Top 20 for 2008

Postcard2 is a list serve that is focused around (mostly) roots music and its various off-shoots. Each year members submit their Top 20 releases of the year. The submissions can be interesting, and can lead to further exporation of artists and albums previously missed. www.postcard2.com for more information. Anyhow, here is what I submitted, with three comments. One, I missed Darrell Scott’s Modern Hymns. Not sure how, but I did. It would have most likely pushed the Hubbard disc out of the top 20. Second, I hadn’t heard either the Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson album nor the Hank Williams unreleased radio show recordings prior to compiling the list. Not sure if Rattlin’ Bones would have made it to the Twenty, but Hank would have made the reissues list. Additionally, Maria Dunn’s album arrived too late to be considered. Again, quite likely it would have made the list; it is an excellent example of the living Canadian folk tradition. Finally, as discussed elsewhere, Carlene Carter’s Stronger is a very fine album, but didn’t make my top 20. Instead, I mention it on the reissues as it was originally issued as a fan club disc a couple years ago. Anyhow…here it is:

Beyond Fred Eaglesmith’s Tinderbox, few of the albums I shortlisted and then finally listed stood-out ‘head and shoulders’ above the rest.

Actually, I had initially believed 2008 was a weak year for the kind of music I like, simply because little separated itself from the pack. Once I started working at it, I discovered there was a lot of music I liked and enjoyed, but the new releases were overshadowed by the volume of catalogue- and in some cases deep catalogue- music I’ve been listening to (Genesis’s Foxtrot, anyone?)

 

 

This is a result, I think, of purchasing a lot of music- some I still haven’t got to- from a chain going bankrupt this fall, finding a bunch of $1 CDs I could trade in for three and four times at the local shop for mega-discounted ‘my kind of music’- You’re Never Alone With A Schizophrenic for $4, Martin Sexton Wonder Bar for 6, and various Midnight Oil’s for $3…

In no particular order, beyond Fred being #1…

Fred Eaglesmith- Tinderbox

The Steeldrivers- The Steeldrivers

The Earl Brothers- Moonshine

Kathy Mattea- Coal

Mark Erelli- Delivered

Melonie Cannon- And the Wheels Turn

Blue Moon Rising- One Lonely Shadow

Chip Taylor- New Songs of Freedom

Crooked Still- Still Crooked

Charlie Haden- Rambling Boy

Lucinda Williams- Little Honey

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper- Leavin’ Town

Jay Clark- I’m Confused

Justin Townes Earle- The Good Life

Brad Paisley- Play

Eliza Gilkyson- Beautiful World

Ray Wylie Hubbard- Snake Farm

Kimmie Rhodes- Walls Fall Down

Kathleen Edwards- Asking for Flowers

Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein- 2:10 Train

 

 Subject to change within twenty minutes

 Reissues/compilations, etc

The Wire- …And All the Things Matter

Nick Lowe- Jesus of Cool

VA- Ten Years of European World of Bluegrass

Larry Sparks- Bound to Ride

Ralph Stanley- Old-Time Pickin

Katrina Leskanich- Walking on Sunshine

Carlene Carter- Stronger

Bruce Robison- His Greatest Hits

Jason Ringenberg- Best Tracks and Side Tracks

James King- Gardens in the Sky

And the whole damn Creedence reissue set- How did I ever miss CCR before? What a rhythm section! Much more than the FM singles band I always took them for.

And finally, Ali Thomson’s digital reissue of “Take A Little Rhythm”!

Alison Krauss- A Hundred Miles or More: Live from the Tracking Room

Alison Krauss

A Hundred Miles or More: Live from the Tracking Room

Rounder

 

On this DVD, the bluegrass chanteuse performs a number of tracks from her successful compilation of last year. Joining Krauss for these live, in-studio takes are James Taylor (How’s the World Treating You), Brad Paisley (Whiskey Lullaby), John Waite (Lay Down Beside Me) and Tony Rice (Shadows and Sawing on the Strings), reprising their roles in duet with or supporting the now legendary singer. The boys from Union Station are on hand, as are Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan.

 

Personally, I find the numbers with Taylor and Waite sleepy, but the balance more than makes up for them. The dreadfully impacting Jacob’s Dream is the showstopper.

 

Watching (and listening to) the members of Union Station play up close is awe inspiring. The sound quality is impressive, the camera work intimate, and the visuals beautifully framed. While the show doesn’t have a lot of jump, the quality of the performances is striking. Created for broadcast, the relaxed set runs under an hour, with interviews fleshing out an experience that transcends bluegrass.

Dan Tyminski- Wheels

Dan Tyminski

Wheels

Rounder

 

The majority of acoustic music fans may be entirely unaware of Dan Tyminski. Tyminski not only gave voice to George Cloony in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, he has been the guitarist and vocalist for Alison Krauss & Union Station for more than a decade. His second solo album, one that features a very strong complement of instrumentalists and harmony vocalists, doesn’t reach the heights one anticipated, but is still an enjoyable album; perhaps, this listener’s expectations were simply unrealistic.

 

Wheels succeeds as a modern bluegrass album, and listeners should find themselves attracted to the themes explored and the music Tyminski and his band have created. The problem with Wheels, if one wishes to view it as a problem, is that Tyminski is such a relaxed and confident vocalist that he never seems to be stretching himself. It almost sounds too easy, bringing to mind Blue Highway or Tony Rice’s mid-80’s albums.

 

The band is astonishing with Adam Steffey (mandolin) joining his former Union Station mate Barry Bales (bass) as the rhythm section; Ron Stewart handles the banjo, and Justin Moses fiddles. The songs are memorable, the performances precision-like in their execution, but not stiff. The only misstep is the ill-advised “Who Showed Who,” a frivolous song of domestic violence.

 

Wheels didn’t grab me the way Tyminski’s Carry Me Over the Mountain did some years back. It’s still well-worth a listen.

The Grascals- Keep on Walkin’

The Grascals

Keep on Walkin’

Rounder

 

Slick but not over-produced, this third album from The Grascals doesn’t knock over the listener the way their debut did a few years back, but that is largely a result of rising expectations not diminishing returns. The sextet are reigning International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainers of the Year for good reason, and their lively stage presentation transfers well to recordings.

 

Despite personnel changes, The Grascals remain as strong as ever. They possess the instrumental chops of Blue Highway, have voices and vocal arrangements that are more interesting than IIIrd Tyme Out, and display the ability to sniff out songs of a quality that is almost unsurpassed in bluegrass. Yes, a couple songs feature pianer from Pig Robbins; get over it.

 

The band relies primarily upon Terry Eldridge and Jamie Johnson as lead vocalists. In a previous version of this review, I mistakenly attributed two lead vocals handled by Eldridge to Johnson. While embarrassing, remedial listening opportunities have not significantly clarified the two voices to my ears; yes, they are different from each other, but in a blind listening test, I’m pretty sure I would continue to confuse the singers. I’m guessing that if the band cared who received credit for which song, they would include song-specific vocal credits within the album packaging. No matter who is singing, it sounds darn good.

 

Guitarist Terry Eldridge is the band’s secret weapon. This time out he pays tribute to George Jones by making his rendition of Choices as memorable as the Possum’s own. He takes Waylon’s Only Daddy That Will Walk the Line for a stroll and pays more than a passing nod to the founding fathers of bluegrass by rolling in his sweet baby’s arms.

 

Jamie Johnson is one of the music’s most unassuming lead vocalists. He kicks off the album with Feeling Blue, a feel-good song that disguises the hurt as only the best bluegrass songs do. His voice is perhaps a bit more playful than Eldgridge’s.

 

With bassist Terry Smith also taking a turn on lead vocals, Keep on Walkin’ provides a variety of sounds for listeners. Compounding this is the impact of new banjoist Aaron McDarris’s energetic contributions throughout the album.

 

Most members of the Grascals have long been Nashville studio favourites. Their talents are obvious, and if they play more toward the country middle rather than the bluegrass fringes, so be it; I’m not going to criticize this band for trying to expand their fan and sales base.

 

The fact is, Grascal fans will be impressed by Keep on Walkin’; it isn’t a departure for the band, but neither is it simply more of the same. It is a well-crafted, full-realized modern bluegrass album that could also find crossover appeal with the country market.

The Charlie Sizemore Band- Good News

The Charlie Sizemore Band

Good News

Rounder

 

Charlie Sizemore, long ago the lead singer for Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys and apparently still Stanley’s favourite, has released his first disc in five years. Good News is a solid bluegrass collection highlighted by several exceptional songs. “The Less That I Drink” contains the classic country sentiment of “the more I don’t want her around.” The album’s singalong standout is “Alison’s Band,” a whimsical but sincere tribute to Ms. Krauss and her compatriots in Union Station; this one has ‘Song of the Year’ all over it.

 

The band is more than solid, and is comprised of bluegrass veterans. Bassist John Pennell (writer of Alison’s “Too Late to Cry” and “Every Time You Say Goodbye,” and a former member of Union Station) and dobroist Matt DeSpain each contribute an original, and reveal themselves as expert on their instruments. Danny Barnes (formerly of Pine Mountain Railroad, not of the Bad Livers) is as fine a bluegrass mandolinist as one needs to hear, and Wayne Fields has played with The Boys from Indiana and the New South; he is an excellent banjo player, and his talents are all over this brilliant little disc.

 

This is a rich bluegrass album, one whose treasures not only glitters on first listen but increase in integrity and value the more time one spends with it. Sizemore’s voice needs to be heard. It is smooth and warm, note perfect throughout.