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Joe Ross' Home Page --
The Joe Ross Band
(with appearance schedule)
Joe Ross Review 9
Joe Ross Review 8
Joe Ross Review 7
Joe Ross Review 6
Joe Ross Review 5
Joe Ross Review 4
Joe Ross Review 3
Joe Ross Review 2
Upated: April 10, 2008
CD REVIEWS
23 NORTH - Liquid Mule
50 FAVORITE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN FIDDLE TUNES FOR THE MANDOLIN: Tunes N-S
RAHIM ALHAJ with Souhail Kaspar- When the Soul is Settled: Music of Iraq
DAROL ANGER & MIKE MARSHALL - Woodshop
RANI ARBO & DAISY MAYHEM - Big Old Life
KAREN ASHBROOK - Spring Will Come
BADLY BENT - Olive or Twist
BANSHEE IN THE KITCHEN - Invite the Light: World Music For Winter Speirbhean 04
CORINA BARTRA - SON ZUMBON
CORINA BARTRA & AZU - Bambu Sun
BUTCH BALDASSARI and JOHN MOCK - Music of O'Carolan: Ireland's Bard
THE BALL SISTERS BAND - Old Lonesome Sounds
RUSS BARENBERG - When At Last
VINCE BLACK- Standing Up For Love
RON BLOCK - DoorWay
CINDY BOEHLER - Set It Free
SUZY BOGGUSS - Sweet Danger
BOTTOMLINE - Live from Home
TIM CARTER- Bang Bang
CHASIN' STEEL- Fresh Runs and Tight Lines
GEORGE CHUDACOFF - Unfinished Business
CLASSIC BLUEGRASS SOLOS FOR MANDOLIN
PHIL CORNISH - Walkaway
COUNTRY GENTLEMEN - Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains
J.D. CROWE - Bluegrass Holiday
DAPPLED GRAYS - Doin' My Job
JAYNE DEMAKOS - Hush
DIXIE BEE-LINERS - Self-Titled
DRY BRANCH FIRE SQUAD - 30th Anniversary
ELIKEH - Nyade
JEFF ELLIS - Keeping The Tradition
ROBERT FEATHERS - Old Home Place
STEVE FISHER - River
PAT FLYNN - reVision
RICHARD FRANKZ - Point of View
BINYOMIN GINZBERG TRIO - Purim Sameach
GRASSTOWNE - The Road Headin' Home
GREENCARDS - Viridian
BEN GREENE - On Watson's Cove
STEVE GULLEY - Sounds Like Home
MERLE HAGGARD- The Bluegrass Sessions
TOM T. HALL - Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T.
MICKEY HARRIS - Kneel & Pray
CARLA HASSETT - Quero Saber
THOMAS HEFLIN - Symmetry
RED HENRY - Helton Creek
HILLBILLY WATER - Have A Drink
JON T. HOWARD - Time for Something New
I-CHELE & THE CIRCLE OF LIGHT - Salon d' Esoterica
LORRAINE JORDAN & CAROLINA ROAD- Carolina Road
PETER KATER - 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama
PETER KATER - Faces of the Sun
KING WILKIE - Low Country Suite
KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA - Blues Man From Memphis: More from the Musical Mind of Donald Brown
RANDY KOHRS - Old Photograph
LA DRIVERS UNION POR POR GROUP - Por Por: Honk Horn Music of Ghana
ROBIN LAING - One For The Road
JIM LAUDERDALE - The Bluegrass Diaries
DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER - More Behind The Picture Than The Wall
LENORE - Another Life
RESTLESS LESTER - Endless Skies
LITTLE ROY LEWIS, EARL SCRUGGS & LIZZY LONG - Lifetimes (CD & DVD)
THE FINLAY MacDONALD BAND - ReEcho
TERESA MCNEIL MACLEAN - West: Trails From There To Here
MANDOLIN BLUES: From Memphis to Maxwell Street
MIKE MARSHALL & DAROL ANGER with VASEN
THE MIKE MARSHALL COLLECTION: Music for Mandolin, Fiddle and Guitar
EUGENE MASLOV - Where The Light Comes From
DWIGHT McCALL - Never Say Never Again
RONNIE McCOURY - Little Mo'McCoury
ALISON MCMORLAND & GEORDIE MCINTYRE - White Wings
BUDDY MERRIAM and BACK ROADS - Live at the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall: 25th Anniversary Show
METROPOLITAN KLEZMER - Traveling Show
MISTY RIVER - Stories
SHELLEY MORNINGSONG - Out of the Ashes
THE MUELLERS - Branching Out
ALAN MUNDE SOLO BANJO
JOHN MUNRO - Plying My Trade
NEW YORK UKULELE ENSEMBLE- Ukelele St.
BOBBY OSBORNE - BLUEGRASS MELODIES
OXYMORA - Thundering Silence
PATCHWORK BAND - Barkin' Up The Right Tree
PALMER DIVIDE - The Bow River Sessions
DAVID PARMLEY & CONTINENTAL DIVIDE- Church House Hymns
MARTY RAYBON - When The Sand Runs Out
ROSEHILL - Bluegrass in Waltz Time
JAKE SCHEPPS - Ten Thousand Leaves
SCOTT COUNTY BOYS - Standing Room Only
SELDOM SCENE - Different Roads
JAMES ALAN SHELTON - Walking Down The Line
EMILY SINGLETON - Spirit on the Prowl
CHARLIE SIZEMORE - Good News
MARCIA SLOANE- Skyward
LARRY SPARKS - The Last Suit You Wear
NATHAN STANLEY - He Suffered For My Reward
RALPH STANLEY - Mountain Preacher's Child
THE STEELDRIVERS - Self-Titled
STEEP CANYON RANGERS - Lovin' Pretty Women
RON STEWART - Playing Fiddle in the Bluegrass Style
SWEET POTATO PIE - Patches of Blue
PAM TILLIS - Rhinestoned
TONY TRISCHKA - Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular
TRUE NORTH - Pluck
MOLLY AND JACK TUTTLE - The Old Apple Tree
DONNA ULISSE - When I Look Back
VARIOUS ARTISTS - An American Tradition
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Classic CD Sampler
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Classic Old-Time Fiddle From Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Down Home Saturday Night
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Home for Christmas: Voices from the Heartland
VARIOUS ARTISTS - If You Ain't Got the Do-Re-Mi: Songs of Rags and Riches
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Protest Songs From Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Singing For Life: Songs of Hope, Healing, and HIV/AIDS in Uganda
VARIOUS ARTISTS - True Bluegrass Gospel
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Warehouse Tracks: Ten Years 1996-2006
ZERA VAUGHAN - Back to the Roots
VEQUINOX - Planetary Harmony
VIOLIN PLAY-ALONG SERIES - Bluegrass Vol. 1
VIRGINIA CROSS TIES - Still Working
GAIL WADE - Journey
CLIFF WAGNER AND THE OLD # 7 - My Native Land
TOMMY WEBB - Eastern Kentucky
CHRIS WHITLEY & JEFF LANG - Dislocation Blues
WALT WILKINS & THE MYSTIQUEROS- Diamonds in the Sun
PAUL WILLIAMS & THE VICTORY TRIO - Where No One Stands Alone
WOLFE BROTHERS - Old Virginia Hills
MARY YOUNGBLOOD - Dance With The Wind
ZARATE POLLACE PROJECT - Soul Redemption
IDO ZIV- Assiya
CORINA BARTRA -
SON ZUMBON
self-released
Available at CDBaby
http://cdbaby.com/cd/corinabartra8
INFO: cbartra@aol.com
Born in Peru, jazz vocalist and percussionist Corina Bartra currently calls New York home.
Her sixth album, "Son Zumbon," continues her association with excellent musicians like
percussionist Perico Diaz with whom she has produced excellent products in the past.
Bartra is to also be commended for her ability to present modern music with tranditional
and organic sensibilities. Whether it's the instruments themselves or certain melodies,
rhythms and lyrics, I sense that she sincerely appreciates and deeply respects her
Afro-Peruvian music roots that orginated when African slaves brought song and dance to the
Spanish colony of Peru in the 16th century. As Peruvian slaves assimilated the culture and
language of their new country, Afro-Peruvian music became a unique blend of Spanish,
Andean and African traditions.
While its roots are hundreds of years old, Corina Bartra's own music is very current with
an immediatley appealing urban sound. Bartra and her friends are weaving a unique
contemporary thread of the Afro-Peruvian musical resurrgence that has been occurring in
the past 30-40 years. Bartra is equally comfortable with up-tempo offerings as she is with
the slower and more melancholy songs of sorrow and lament. The band also provides new and
creative arrangements of classic covers like "Green Dolphin Street." Throughout this CD,
her accompanists drive the cross-cultural music with such propulsion that one wants to
jump right up, dance and celebrate right along with them. Because tunes like No Valentin,
Latino Blues, Una Larga Noche, and Osiris are very liberating, this album is another very
successful mission accomplished for Corina Bartra. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.)
PATCHWORK BAND -
Barkin' Up The Right Tree
Self-Produced
www.patchworkband.com
info@patchworkband.comFeel free to phone them at 616-846-5163
Playing Time - 40:51
Based in western Michigan, the Patchwork Band is not out to try to impress us with flashy
licks and soaring vocals. Rather, their genial approach is one that many local and
regional bands pursue to enjoy and display the strong camaraderie that the music has to
offer. Patchwork fulfills their passion for bluegrass by bringing together a husband/wife
team (John and Ruth Lakatos) with two friends (Bryan Garlotte, Terry Carter). Picking
without pretense or artificiality, Patchwork has a warm musical heart that endears them to
friends and fans associated with the West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association. John
Lakatos served as that association' s vice president, and Ruth was its secretary for three
years. John and Ruth (high school sweethearts) have been married for thirty years.
Together, they' ve been playing bluegrass for about 15 years, and they formed Patchwork in
1998. Ruth wrote a love song, "Fields of Wildflowers," for this album, and her voice
emerges with clarity, emotion and control in the sad fictional story about becoming a
widow after only three years.
Born and raised in Indiana, Bryan Garlotte took up banjo as a teen because it was
"cool." Relocating to Michigan in 1993, it wasn' t long before he was playing in bands
like Backburner. A Patchwork member since 2003, his self-penned "Poor House Blues"
tells a tale of debts and regrets as a result of too much spending on diamonds, shoes, and
gambling. While born in Michigan, Terry Carter grew up in Dallas, Tx. before heading back
north. He didn' t take up mandolin, fiddle and guitar until in his thirties. His rendition
of "Black Mountain Rag" indicates that he' s got some basics down on fiddle, but that
he should probably practice some more before recording difficult fiddle tunes with that
instrument. Terry' s original "Congealed Nuvert" is a minor-keyed conversation between
the instruments. Other songs on this self-produced CD come from Herb Pedersen, Michael
Murphey, Peter Rowan, Dale Ann Bradley, Bob Amos and others.
Patchwork members like the simplicity of the bluegrass genre. They' re everyday folks who
emphasize the music' s sincerity. While "Barkin' Up The Right Tree" won' t win any
Grammies, it' s a relaxed and demonstrative presentation that captures this band' s
diverse repertoire. The creative process and diligent effort of putting this album
together has no doubt also helped them become a better, more cohesive unit. (Joe Ross)
BOTTOMLINE -
Live from Home
Self-Produced
Bottomlinebluegrass.com OR myspace.com/bottomlinebluegrass
EMAIL bottomlinebluegrass [at] hotmail [dot] com
Playing Time - 52:33
Bottomline' s home is Greenup County, Kentucky. Recorded live at the Raceland-Worthington
Cultural Arts Center in Raceland, Ky. in 2007, this set opens with an a cappella rendition
of our National Anthem. Bottomline then launches into a rousing "Freeborn Man" that
elicits audience applause during the song. Their treasure trove of bluegrass gold includes
many standards like Nine Pound Hammer, Think I' ll Stay Around, Cluck Old Hen, Pig in a
Pen, Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin', Salty Dog and Roustabout. The band has invested the time
and energy to find new engaging ways to tastefully render these classics, as well as
display their eclectic repertoire with gospel ("John the Revelator" and "My Rock")
and bluegrass interpretations of tunes like the Marshall Tucker Band' s "Fire on the
Mountain." These guys like to push their lively up-tempo numbers, in some cases reaching
propulsive levels that actually detract from the expressiveness and poignancy of the more
intensely evocative songs. "My Rock," for example, could have been presented with a
tempo and feeling to reveal the lyrics' deeper emotions.
Bottomline is Ned Crisp (banjo), John Manifold (guitar), Don Rambo (bass), Zack Rambo
(mandolin), Bryan Ross (Dobro). Earlier in their music careers, Ned, John and Don played
together in "The Blackbottom Review." Now reunited in Bottomline, Don' s son Zack is
also part of the new quintet and frequently gets positive audience feedback for his clean,
toneful mandolin breaks. Bryan Ross also is an integral member who coaxes expressive
musicality from his resophonic guitar. Ned Crisp is a DJ for the Bottomline Bluegrass
Show on WLGC out of Ashland, Ky. (Sundays from 3-5 p.m.)
Bottomline has released a previous album, "Pig in a Pen," and a few of the same songs
appear on both projects. While their "Live From Home" CD may not include all of their
fans' favorites, it includes a copious amount of infectious, high-octane bluegrass. The
bottomline is that this entertaining band plays and sings with considerable vigor, no
doubt fueled by a healthy dose of adrenaline on the night this album was recorded. Their
live show is solid albeit fairly standard. Bottomline' s authentically gritty chops and
showmanship establish a good relationship with an audience. I only wish the full-throttled
tunes had been imparted with a little more melodic splendor and memorable lyrical texture.
(Joe Ross)
CHASIN' STEEL-
Fresh Runs and Tight Lines
Self-Produced
www.chasinsteel.com
Playing Time- 47:50
With a name like Chasin' Steel inspired by their love for steelhead fishing, I was expecting more than just one song about fishing on this second album called “Fresh Runs and Tight Lines” from a band that formed in 2002 in the cold country of upper Michigan. In reality, their “bluegrass with a rock ‘n roll attitude” actually paints a pretty accurate picture of this quartet's interests that range from hunting (“Pete, the Best Coondog in the State of Tennessee”) to partying together (“Drink My Dinner”). Sometime I hope they'll write and sing a song about their black powder shootin' and backcountry wheelin' adventures too. Besides outdoor pursuits and an adventurous approach to the music, they proudly embrace a “Bluegrass State of Mind” acknowledging the inspiration received from traditionalists such as Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin.
Adam Carpenter, lead vocalist, mandolinist and primary songwriter for Chasin' Steel, moved from Ohio to Michigan after sixth grade. The rest of the quartet is comprised of three brothers who grew up playing bluegrass: Jason Kuhlman (acoustic bass guitar), Jonah Kuhlman (guitar, hammered dulcimer), and Jacob Kuhlman (banjo). Carpenter's sonorous vocalizing has a bit of gruff country sentimentality (e.g. “Light of Love”), and the Kuhlmans blend well as his trolling vocal compatriots. Carpenter met the Kuhlman brothers at Northern Michigan University (in Marquette on the shores of Lake Superior) where they studied aviation maintenance and environmental science.
Chasin' Steel's lure is their considerable energy and spirited sound. Jonah's hammered dulcimer provides an enchanting embellishment to numbers like “Red Wing” and “Goodnight Babydolls.” Special guests include Jerry Kippola (guitar on one track), Tracy Greer (cello on one track), and Sven Gonsted (resonator guitar on four tracks). Despite the absence of fiddle on the project, Chasin' Steel has plenty of rhythmic intensity and emotional electricity. They've opened regional concerts for some pretty big names, and this project will help them become known as more than just big fish in their regional bluegrass pond. A good representation of their soulful music, this album casts the bait and provides some hooks that will hopefully land Chasin' Steel some even bigger lunkers for gigs. (Joe Ross)
VARIOUS ARTISTS-
An American Tradition
Cool Mandolin Company, No Number www.coolmandolin.com
Playing Time- 57:28
Laura Leder,. founder of the Cool Mandolin Company in 2006, conceived the idea of an album to sample cuts from fifteen different mandolinists. Most are original compositions from the American, Canadian and British artists who donated their time to a project that will allocate 100 percent of its profits to funding scholarships for up-and-coming mandolin players. Many of the tunes have been pre-released on the artists' own album projects, but six tracks are previously unreleased. Besides Leder, the contributing mandolinists include Andrew Collins, Justin Moses, Dominick Leslie, Rich DelGrosso, Ryan Holladay, Butch Baldassari, Sierra Hull, Ben Winship, Simon Mayor, John McGann, Josh Pinkham, Scott Gates and Frank Solivan II. From their "Occupational Hazards" album, the vocals of John Lowell and Ben Winship appear in "Road Agent's Lament," and Rich DelGrosso also sings on the bluesy title cut from his album, "Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness!"
At nearly an hour, "An American Tradition" is an eclectic compilation of genres and picking styles. While we hear representations of old-time, bluegrass, new acoustic, blues and Celtic music, another volume will be necessary to cover the instrument's use in classical, jazz, Latin and other world genres. John McGann's use of triplets in a Celtic medley of "The Stage/The Western" is a fine study of that technique. The album also has a special appeal because the arrangements range from solo or twin mandolin to full ensembles. One particularly uniquely-arranged tune is Simon Mayor's leisurely "The Buttermere Waltz " with his self-played seven mandolins, four mandocellos, three guitars, and organ bass pedals. Hilary James joins him on double bass. The album also introduces us to some young players that we may not have heard before. As one minor suggestion, the liner notes could have identified the brand and model of each artist's mando. Overall, the superb CD is so cool that it'll remind you of a mother-in-law's kiss in winter. It will surely get mandolin fans shakin' in their boots and shiverin' with excitement. (Joe Ross)
VARIOUS ARTISTS -
Home for Christmas: Voices from the Heartland
Rounder 11661-3270-2
www.rounder.com EMAIL jsacca@rounder.com or sleach@rounder.com
Playing Time- 41:46
SONGS - I'll Be Home For Christmas (Riders in the Sky), Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (Sam Moore), Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Roomful Of Blues), The First Noel/It Came Upon A Midnight Clear/Joy to the World (Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver), Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown), The Christmas Song (Deana Carter), Jingle Bells (Wilson Pickett), Blue Christmas (Leon Redbone), You're All I Want for Christmas (The Persuasions), Let It Snow (Rhonda Vincent), Winter Wonderful (Shirley Alston), Oh, Holy Night (Irma Thomas)
Record labels take great joy in giving us holiday presents that also serve as highly playable samplers of their many great signed artists. A favorite label among acoustic music lovers, Rounder Records' "Home for Christmas" also illustrates just how eclectic the label's offerings have become over the years. The juxtaposition of popular Christmas carols sung a cappella by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and selections from Roomful of Blues and Charles Brown doesn't bother this listener who enjoys many varieties of music. Later in the set, a soulful presentation of The Persuasions' "You're All I Want for Christmas" demonstrates a different kind of a cappella arrangement. Some listeners might find the set to be so varied that they'll feel a little uneasy, but I found it to be a satisfying experience. Whether blues, bluegrass, western swing, R&B or light jazz, Rounder's seasonal sounds are perfect for family gatherings where some mostly easy listening entertainment is needed to create that yuletide mood. You might even be moved to dancing with your second cousin when Wilson Pickett's rocking rendition of "Jingle Bells" or Shirley Alston's funky "Winter Wonderland" cue up. How can you resist tapping your toes to Sam Moore's holiday soul? While the songs are standard covers for Christmas albums, the diverse offerings are very well-arranged and inspirational. As a sampler, it's wonderful. A notable rendering of "The Christmas Song" by Deanna Carter, for example, also gets one curious about her entire album of holiday music (Father Christmas- Rounder 11661-0496-2). And if one's never heard Leon Redbone's "Christmas Island" album, then "Blue Christmas" is a savory tasting from that. A better choice to sample from that project, however, might have been his "Frosty the Snowman" duet with Dr. John. All in all, I predict that Rounder's little gift to us will even cause the Grinch and Mr. Scrooge to smile. (Joe Ross)
VARIOUS ARTISTS-
Warehouse Tracks: Ten Years 1996-2006
Western Jubilee/Dualtone 80302-01276-2
PO Box 9187, Colorado Springs, Co. 80932-0187
www.westernjubilee.com EMAIL onthetrail@westernjubilee.com
Playing Time- 53:35
SONGS - There's A Rainbow Over the Range (Sons of the San Joaquin), The Old Spinning Wheel (Norman Blake & Rich O'Brien), Santa Rosa (Jim Ibbotson), Billy Gray (Katy Moffat), Warehouse Opus 36 (John Mc Euen) , Dog (Bryan Bowers), Whole Load (Waddie Mitchell), Jack of Diamonds/Black Mountain Blues (Skip Gorman), Cattle Call (Wylie & The Wild West), Don't Tell Me (R.W. Hampton), Little Jimmy in the Swamp (Norman & Nancy Blake), I Will Miss Ireland (Juni Fisher), Leaving Stoer (Cowboy Celtic), The Raven (Peter Rowan), Red River Valley (Don Edwards)
Where and what is Western Jubilee's world? It's a recording studio that sits in an old railroad freight house at the end of a dead-end street in Colorado Springs, Co. Operated by Scott O'Malley, it's also a rustic warehouse theater where the walls are covered with movie memorabilia and vintage instruments. By invitation only, the private concerts held there are special events featuring top musicians performing for friends. Norman and Nancy Blake call it their "home away from home." A compilation of fifteen tracks recorded from 1996-2006, the "Warehouse Tracks" feature Sons of the San Joaquin, Norman Blake & Rich O'Brien, Jim Ibbotson, Katy Moffat, John Mc Euen , Bryan Bowers, Waddie Mitchell, Skip Gorman, Wylie & The Wild West, R.W. Hampton, Norman & Nancy Blake, Juni Fisher, Cowboy Celtic, Peter Rowan, and Don Edwards. Don't be deceived by the tracks' simplicity. Many are quite memorable, largely due to their spontaneity and sensitivity
Whether your preference is western swing or cowboy poetry, western folk or old-time music, "Warehouse Tracks" offer a rare glimpse of musician's musicians capturing the purity and simplicity of their repertoire in a comfortable venue. Pure and basic guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, autoharp and bass make prominent appearances on the album. However, the rawboned arrangements are typically solo voice and one or two accompanying instruments. Cowboy Celtic's "Leaving Stoer" offer mandolin, guitar, harp, fiddle and whistle. Jeff Hogan's percussion is not distracting in Peter Rowan's "The Raven." And the audience applause following each track is not too annoying. After Wylie Gustafson and The Wild West's rendition of "Cattle Call" that also includes drums and steel guitar, Wylie proudly declares, "I love those old songs!" If you share the same sentiment, then pick up a copy of this pleasant collection that was done up the Western Jubilee way. (Joe Ross)
HILLBILLY WATER-
Have A Drink
No Label, No Number
EMAIL Tcad69@aol.com www.myspace.com/hillbillywater
Playing Time- 25:05
Hillbilly Water is H2O with a capital "H" that could easily stand for hayseedy or hickified. While hailing from eastern seaboard around New Jersey and New York, the spirited trio sings infectiously about the "Old Home Place," and they hunker down for a rousing rendition of Bill Monroe's instrumental "Come Hither to Go Yonder." Featuring only mandolin, guitar and bass, however, the trio's rustic instrumental sound just doesn't give us the totality of a full bluegrass aggregation. Ed Rainey's guitar work is supercharged with some strong flatpicking and rhythmic embellishments. He also plays some solid banjo on the album's opener, "Rose-A-Lee." Obviously inspired by Bill Monroe, Louie DeMayo took up the mandolin in the mid-1990s. When he and Eric are picking numbers like "Shenandoah Drive" or "Riffs on A," I could imagine Hillbilly Water being served up to enthusiastic audiences in their local speakeasies and hooch houses. On bass, George Kapitanelis has been playing that instrument for twenty years. While his low-pitched tones sound accurate, their equalization on this short CD leaves a little to be desired. They could've been made more clean and crisp with some high-end EQ and compression.
Most problematic for Hillbilly Water are their unpolished vocals that feature Louie's leads and Ed's harmonies. There are plenty of better recorded versions of Townes Van Zandt's "Waitin' Round to Die" and Peter Rowan's "I'm Gonna Love You (Like There's No Tomorrow." These criticisms aside, "Have A Drink" is a debut album that will serve as a good representative demo CD for the band to ply its trade and solicit offers to perform. After an appetizer of hillbilly water, I'm going to go grab a large shot of authentic West Virginia blackberry moonshine to wash down these hardboiled eggs. George and Eddie also play in a honky-tonk-blues band called The Cosmic American Derelicts, and I'd be curious to know if that band picks and sings with the same kind of eager abandonment. (Joe Ross)
23 NORTH-
Liquid Mule
No Label, No Number
Email Musicministry8@aol.com OR Diana.Boone@Sonopress.com
TEL. (828)626-2857
Playing Time- 30:38
Hailing from the western North Carolina towns of Barnardsville and Leicester, this bluegrass quartet takes its name from the highway that leads into the beautiful mountains where they live. The band is comprised of Diana Boone (guitar , lead vocals), Jonathan Barber (banjo), Scott Anders (mandolin), and Steve Fox (electric bass). They are joined by backup vocalist Sheila Fox. According to Barber, who is Boone's son-in-law, the band has a "a lust for fast bluegrass music, and it feels good." Their lively debut album opens with three hard-driving vocal numbers and a barn-burning instrumental from Barber (called "Liquid Mule") before settling into a more moderate-tempo'ed groove to cover Claire Lynch's "Some Morning Soon" and the traditional "Little Maggie."
23 North also covers classic tunes from Bill Monroe (Rawhide) and Earl Scruggs (Foggy Mountain Breakdown). While these standards are done with plenty of energy and velocity, the band's crowning showcase moments come with the presentation of original material (five songs from Boone, and two from Barber). "Jamie" opens the set with an instrumental to get them going at full-tilt. "NC Home" is about growing up in the country and the strong influence of Boone's grandparents. It's apparent that she loved them as much as she loves North Carolina. Outside a window on a beautiful October day, the sky's azure color inspired the evocative sentiment for "Blue Blue Heart." A band singing their own original material gives us a better feel for who these musicians really are. "Garden In My Heart" is a poignant self-description of Diana Boone- she has a garden in her heart no matter what life might throw at her. Written nearly two decades ago, ""Flight in the Night" is a gospel number inspired by the life of Moses. Written in 1980 for a middle school talent contest, the CD closes with "Can I Stay With You Tonight?," inspired by the love songs of Emmy Lou Harris and Dolly Parton.
23 North might want to consider hiring a guest fiddler to lay down some tracks for their future projects. Some shuffling bow work would embellish their vivacious, kicking mule sound. These North Carolinans are currently working on a full-length all-original bluegrass gospel album. As they build their fanbase in the Tarheel State, it will be interesting to see just where driving 23 North takes us. (Joe Ross)
DONNA ULISSE-
When I Look Back
Hadley Music Group HMG-1002
1029 17th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212
TEL. 615-321-2070
EMAIL kanderson@hadleymusicgroup.com
www.donnaulisse.com OR www.myspace.com/donnastanleyulisse
Playing Time- 49:56
Donna Ulisse moved to Nashville in 1980s and was signed to Atlantic Records. Her 1991 album "Trouble at the Door" launched the singer's career that led to national television and many other appearances. While no longer with Atlantic, Ulisse was encouraged to find her true voice through songwriting. Thus, "When I Look Back" is a visionary expedition of rediscovery for a talented singer who has chosen a bluegrass-based foundation for her original songs, five written independently and nine others penned collaboratively with Marc Rossi, Rick Stanley, Claire Davidson, Kerry Chater, and/or Lynn Gillespie Chater. Donna's inspiration stems from personal experiences or those of family and friends. "The Walls Cry" tells an emotional tale inspired by a friend's difficult divorce. "She Goes Sailing" relates the story of her Italian grandparents who spent five years apart during their immigration to America. Evocative personal reflections are related in songs like "I'm Calling Heaven Down," "I am a Child of God," and "If I Were."
A tribute to a hard-working, industrious Clinch Mountain relative, "She Needs Time" exclaims that "there just ain't enough hours to get it all done." Born in Virginia, Donna was playing in a western swing band when she met her husband Rick Stanley, a cousin to Dr. Ralph Stanley. I sense a bit of self-introspection when Donna sings about resting tired shoulders and easing a weary mind. Her liner notes admit that the music business has led her on a merry chase to find herself. Her maturity and energy now manifest themselves nicely in this engaging acoustic repertoire. Donna's strength is her ability to speak to today's emotions with songs like "Heartbreak River" and "I Want To Grow Old With You." The bluegrass drive is perhaps best captured in her distinctive and catchy "Doin' Time," while "If I Were" is flavored with Celtic instrumentation. More typically, her passionate vocals serve up memorable lines in impressionistic songs. Background vocals are delivered appealingly by Keith Sewell, Curtis Wright, Wendy Buckner Sewell, Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson, Rick Stanley and herself. "When I Look Back" is also tightly crafted with the stellar musicianship of noteworthy Nashville session players Keith Sewell, Byron House, Andy Leftwich, Randy Kohrs, Scott Vestal, Jesse Cobb, and John Mock. The total package is one that intrinsically communicates Donna Ulisse's artistic vision and ideal place for her voice. (Joe Ross)
MIKE MARSHALL & DAROL ANGER with VASEN
Adventure Music AMA 1039-2
www.adventure-music.com
EMAIL Cary Goldberg (gomediapr@earthlink.net) OR mike@mikemarshall.net
Playing Time- 50:07
SONGS - Loke's Troubles, Skridskolaten, Couscous, Timo's Jig, Penknife Killer, Egypt, Yew Piney Mountain, Forslund, Misch Masch, Os Pintinhos
Stouthearted musical visionaries are the types of people who are always pushing the envelope, their foresight characterized by an extraordinary ability to discern or perceive new avenues for musical expression. In this particular case, new acousticians Marshall and Anger (The Duo) combine forces with Väsen, three new-traditionalists from Sweden (Olov Johansson, Mikael Marin, Roger Tallroth). They met at the 2004 Lotus World Music Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. Each bringing their own personalities to the table, the sum is one that collaboratively takes instrumental folk and world music in new, innovative directions. Besides exhibiting technical mastery on their respective instruments (mandolin, violin, nyckelharpa, 5-string violino grande and 12-string guitar), the album's impressionistic boundary-stretching presentation is built around a foundation of interpretive melodic twists and enchanting, dynamic arrangements.
These musical colleagues chose a variety of material for their unique set. "Yew Piney Mountain" is a traditional American piece with a winsome old-time fervor. From the traditional Swedish canon, "Penknife Killer" has a quick-paced consciousness that encourages one to jump up and dance. Marshall contributes three original compositions, while the members of Väsen penned four. I'd previously heard Mike's creative cross-cultural tune "Egypt" on his "New Words Novas Palavras" release with Hamilton de Holanda (Adventure Music AM-1029-2), but this rendition of the tune is quite different. The album's closing number, "Os Pintinhos," is a melodic and joyful Brazilian choro that reinforces the concept of transcendent string music with few constraints. I sure hope to hear even more genre-bending collaborations from these string wizards in the future. In Sweden, a listener might be compelled to ask "Vad heter det dar?" (What do you call this music?) Over here in America, the simple answer ties back to the name of Marshall's record label that gives us this rewarding enterprise …. adventure music. While not so hazardous or risky in their approach, these five musicians are certainly daring and bold with their intrepid melodious statements. (Joe Ross)
JAKE SCHEPPS-
Ten Thousand Leaves
Fine Mighty Records 1002
www.jakeschepps.com
TEL. 303-579-4484
EMAIL jake@jakeschepps.com
Playing Time- 49:48
Banjo pioneer Jake Schepps finds inspiration in a multitude of places. This album comes a couple years after the notable "Expedition," and continues his erudite exploration of tonal discovery and textural artistic expression. Schepps has an interesting Zen-like approach to original new acoustic music. In fact, this project was named for the 7th Century Japanese poetry collection of the same name. Thus, I sense that Jake views music, not as something that builds to a grand and ultimate climaxing crescendo, but as an adventurous journey that presents evocative thrills in the moment of each musical measure.
In 2006, Schepps attended the Banff Centre's Jazz and Creative Music Workshop. His arrangement of Astor Piazzolla's tango, "Todo Buenos Aires," stems from that stimulating, educational experience. It was also there that Schepps was inspired to compose "In the American West," a piece (in three movements) that captures the same spirit as Richard Avedon's photographic images of working class westerners in an early-1980s exhibit of the same name. Composed for banjo, guitar, violin and bass, the movements (Somerset, Chimayo, Rocky Ford) represent specific towns where portraits were originally photographed. "Chimayo" also features guitarist Greg Schochet's mandolin-playing (as does Greg's own bluesy tune "Bluegrass Schlep"). The CD's other stellar mandolin tracks are played by award-winning Matt Flinner who penned "The Seagull" and produced the album. Ryan Drickey's violin and Eric Thorin's bass indicate that both of them are superior instrumentalists too. Thorin toured with the Tony Furtado Band for four years, played with Open Road for about the same time, and is now with The Drew Emmitt Band and The Expedition Quartet (the group featured on this album). Thorin's own songwriting abilities are portrayed in the mellifluous "Lodi."
Colorado-based Schepps demonstrates a clear affinity for new acoustic, bluegrass, jazz and Latin flavorings. Spending nine years as a trip leader and teacher with The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) near Lander, Wyoming, it was presumably in that locale that Jake was inspired by a local geologic feature to write "The Rise." That landmark is no doubt the source of much contemplation and reflection. Guitarist Adam Aijala joins in on the piece which ebbs, flows, meanders and reawakens like the Popo Agie River in that area. No stranger to wilderness, Jake Schepps confidently takes the paths that are less travelled. In some cases, he merely aligns his compass and sets out cross-country. Assuredly taming that unruly, wild beast that drives his music, Jake Schepps' challenge is to sustain this vision as his expedition travels even further into daring territory. (Joe Ross)
DAVID PARMLEY & CONTINENTAL DIVIDE-
Church House Hymns
DP & CD Records No Number
6095 Dry Hill Rd., Ferrum, Va. 24088
EMAIL tenorcat@duo-county.com
www.davidparmleyandcontinentaldivide.com
Playing Time- 38:22
SONGS - The Gloryland Way, Will You Meet Me Over Yonder, Honey in the Rock, Are You Washed in the Blood?, Farther Along, Just Over in the Gloryland, Won't It Be Wonderul There, A Soul Winner for Jesus, You Can Feel It In Your Soul, The Unclouded Day, I'm Standing on the Solid Rock, There is a Fountain
David Parmley & Continental Divide's members have been involved with many albums over the years. Parmley, for example, recorded 15 projects with the Bluegrass Cardinals during an 18-year timeframe. In that prolific band with his father, guitarist/singer Parmley went pro at age seventeen. These musicians also have plenty of experience with notable groups like Lost & Found, Easter Brothers, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Originally from Los Angeles, Parmley moved to Nashville in 1993 to pursue a solo country music career. A year later, "David Parmley, Scott Vestal & Continental Divide" formed to explore progressive bluegrass. Guys like Harley Allen, Aubrey Haynie, Mike Anglin and later Jimmy Bowen, Rickie Simpkins and Randy Kohrs were members too.
After winning the 1995 IBMA Emerging Artist Award, the band reorganized in 1998 into what we know them as today with the emphasis back on more traditional, gospel and original material. In 2005, they released "Long Time Coming" (CMH records) including some former Cardinals in the lineup (Randy Graham on mandolin, Dale Perry on banjo, Barry Berrier on bass) along with the hot fiddling of Kentucky state champion Steve Day or Mike Hartgrove. That was the first recording that David and Randy made together since the early 90s when they recorded "What Have You Done For Him." Now, this 2007 gospel project has Parmley, Graham and Perry working with Jimmy Cameron (vocals), Kyle Perkins (bass) and guest Ron Stewart (fiddle). I've heard that Perkins has since moved on to the Larry Stephenson Band, and I think that Cameron is this group's bass player at live appearances. Shortly after its release, this album became a strong contender for IBMA nomination as Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year.
I never tire of David Parmley's smooth, distinctive lead vocals and strong rhythm guitaring. It would've been nice if liner notes showed song-by-song vocal credits, but we know that all but Perkins and Stewart contribute in the vocal department. All but two songs on "Church House Hymns" were chosen by polling the band's fans. For that reason, and because these are songs that band members grew up singing, make this project a personally meaningful and heartfelt offering. They open with a strong statement about being in ‘The Gloryland Way." Classics like "Will You Meet Me Over Yonder," "Are You Washed in the Blood," and "Won't it be Wonderful There?" ask some straight-forward questions for Christians to ponder. At mid-set, a popular number from The Stanley Brothers, "Just Over in the Gloryland" paints a vivid picture of a home with mansions fair and where the saints abide. In "The Unclouded Day," Parmley reinforces the same recurring gospel theme about a land far beyond the skiies where no storm clouds rise. From the repertoire of Flatt & Scruggs, "You Can Feel it in Your Soul" has Dale Perry's fingerpicked guitar driving the band's quartet.
Despite questions you may have about the ways of sin and what you have to do for Christ, "Church House Hymns" will leave you feeling that old-time religion. The closer, William Cowper's "There is a Fountain," was recorded in 1975 by the Bluegrass Cardinals, and this new similarly a cappella rendition is a moving summation even though three of the entire song's six verses aren't sung. David Parmley and Continental Divide chose to leave us with the words "Then in a nobler, sweeter song / I'll sing Thy power to save / When this poor lisping, stammering tongue / Lies silent in the grave." A fine and righteous statement, indeed, just like their entire gospel album. (Joe Ross)
JON T. HOWARD-
Time for Something New
MettaFour Records KRM-CD-1135
101 Brookhill Drive, Hockessin, DE 19707
www.MettaFourRecords.com
EMAIL hermetta@aol.com OR www.CashEdwards@Austin.rr.com OR Jaybird22833@yahoo.com OR Tshirt214@aol.com OR Doug@KindredRhythm.com
Playing Time - 53:41
SONGS - A Walk in the Park, Potterville, In the Eyes of Love, Throw Another Penny, Corpus Christi, Time for Something New, Mama's Boy, Lada Dee Lada Do, Sometime's It's Love, Saint Charles, Busker John Joe May, What a Wonderful World
Singer/songwriter Jon T. Howard's life has taken him to Missouri, Illinois, Texas, London and California. Each stop along the way has had an impact on the musician's eclectic approach. His father went to prison when Jon was just three years old, and his mother used green stamps to purchase his first guitar. In the song "Corpus Christi," Jon writes, "Maybe he wasn't such a bad man / Maybe he did the best he knew / I guess I'll never know what he was thinking / Since I never walked in his shoes."
As a teenager, Jon's songwriting, harmonica playing and performing blossomed in Chicago. A song about being a man and gaining confidence, "Mama's Boy" creates a bluesy groove with its lyrical and musical conversation between harmonica and Duke Levine's National guitar. Before graduation, the family's move to Dallas led to Jon's exploration of funk and R&B music. A soul record was recorded in London. In Los Angeles, Howard joined the "angry and politically-charged" funk/rap/thrash group, Ku De Tah. His debut solo album in 1996, simply called "Americana," showed that he was hard to categorize. After writing for some films and the birth of his son, Jon released an album in 2000 of children's songs (Christopher's Daddy), as well as a couple self-produced CDs (Dreaming of America, Dance of Life).
While Jon T. Howard has plenty of insight about soul-searching and painful truths we all encounter, he admits that "life's no bed of roses." His songs don't always have happy endings, but that is part of his charm and appeal. He crafts them with lyrics to document heartbreak, conflict, trouble and turmoil. While there are plenty of songs on the radio about lost love, "Sometimes It's Love" makes a statement about the need to tap one's emotions to realize and commit to the ultimate step in a relationship. Successful songwriters must also be profound storytellers. "Saint Charles" is a nostalgic tale of a woman on life's long road, and "Busker John Joe May" tells the story of an English tenor singer whose wayward life included a broken heart and whisky. On a more upbeat note, Howard ends the set with his only cover, George David Weiss and David Thiele's "What a Wonderful World." While his rawboned guitar and harmonica arrangement is powerful, it might have also been nice if "Time For Something New" had also included some of his own colorful and optimistic takes on the trees of green, red roses, skiies of blue, and clouds of white. With his introspective songs and husky voice, Howard's a thoughtful troubadour who has many sad tales to tell. Yet, I sense that he's at a cautiously sanguine point with his music. (Joe Ross)
THE MUELLERS-
Branching Out
MasterShield Records 024
6683 Vista Heights Rd., Bridgewater, Va. 22812
877-688-7299 or 297-465-5269
EMAIL karen@muellerfamilymusic.com
mastershieldrecords.com OR Muellerfamilymusic.com
Playing Time- 41:54
SONGS - Joshua, M.O.M., Don't Leave Your Little Girl All Alone, Lichen Covered Stone, Washington County, Bringing In the Georgia Mail, I Am Weary, Weapon of Prayer, Burying Ground, Vision of a Golden Crown, Little Maggie Black-Eyed Susie, I've Just Seen The Rock of Ages, Before It's Too Late
When you hear a family band like The Muellers from Maine, you certainly are gratified that the next generation of bluegrass music is in very good hands. In fact, they brought home the first place trophy from the 2004 KSMU Youth In Bluegrass Contest at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Their third album in three years, "Branching Out" illustrates perfectly how an entire family can embrace music to make it a fully participatory activity for enjoyment and entertainment. On this album, The Muellers are bass-player mom (Karen), guitarist/banjo-player dad (Curt), and six children ranging in age from 19 to 5 (Annah, Bob, Laurah, Sarah, John, and George). Their oldest son, Tom, arranged Kenny Baker's instrumental "Washington County" for triple fiddles and Pete Kuykendall's "I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)." Recently graduating from Notre Dame with a Master's degree in Sacred Music, Tom joined the band in the summer of 2007 and will surely appear on their next recording project. The Muellers demonstrate some skillful chops on all the primary bluegrass instruments. Everyone except Bob contributes in the vocal department, and he is probably content laying in his hot lead guitar and mandolin licks. A couple special guests (Bill Smith and album producer Bill Thibodeau) complement a few songs with their mandolin, guitar, banjo or resonator guitar. Annah also plays a key role as the group's primary song arranger, webmaster and artist. Mom is the group's primary emcee, and dad also drives the bus and lugs around the public address system.
This talented group is very supportive of each other. Their encouragement is perhaps best illustrated in the traditional "Black-Eyed Susie" when little eight-year-old John sings lead and plays fiddle. I was also impressed by the fiddle and vocal contributions of 11-year-old Sarah. She is the band's primary fiddler, sings lead on five songs, vocalizes a few harmonies, and even wrote the album's one-minute closing gospel number, "Before It's Too Late," that she sings a cappella. The entertaining family's repertoire is equally secular and sacred, and it is drawn from such sources as Ralph Stanley, Kathy Kallick, and The Louvin Brothers. While their vocals will continue to develop even further with future growth and maturity, I was very impressed with this album from the Musical Muellers from Maine (by way of Missouri). I know how they spend the long, cold winters in New England. When not on the road, I suspect that they gather around the fireplace and share music together. (Joe Ross)
BINYOMIN GINZBERG TRIO-
Purim Sameach
Jewishmusician.com
EMAIL Binyomin@jewishmusician.com
TEL. (212)864-6859 OR (201) 894-1717
Playing Time- 50:41
Binyomin Ginzberg studied music at Mannes School of Music, New School in New York City, and privately with Harry Max, "Moogy" Klingman, Bill O'Connell, and Garry Dial. His resume includes performance at weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, youth programs, concerts, Jewish community events, conventions, Yiddish culture retreats, musicals, hospitals and TV broadcasts. Gigging professionally since 1990, Binyomin Ginzberg formed his trio in 1998. Featuring an interesting variety of Klezmer, Chassidic, jazz, and contemporary music, the core trio includes keyboard, drums, and either woodwinds or guitar. There are also four tracks on "Purim Sameach" that showcase an expanded quartet sound. The highly competent and gifted musicians include Binyomin Ginzberg (keyboards, vocals), Aaron Alexander (drums), Ken Hatfield (guitar), John Tendy (sax), and Michael Heitzler (clarinet). Eclectic fiddler Kenny Kosek provides excellent embellishment to their "Mordechai Medley" (Ish Yehudi/Sason Viykar/Kain Tihye Lanu).
Ginzberg puts a large responsibility on his shoulders as the only vocalist. He builds an aesthetic that emphasizes youthful exuberance and zeal. While a few stellar guest lead vocalists (as well as some harmony or backing vocals) could have provided some freshness of voice to enhance this album project, it's still a very good showcase of the band's ability to arrange, present and infuse this kind of music with spirit and excitement. Ken Hatfield's guitar stands out in "Layehudim," but his crowning moment is the bluesy "Mishenichnas Adar." Other memorable moments on "Purim Sameach" are when arrangements get jazzier with clarinet, tenor saxophone, or fiddle. Well known on the European concert stage, Michael Heitzler is a member of a Klezmer and jazz group called Kol Simcha (formerly The World Quintet). He lyrically imparts considerable emotional electricity to four tracks.
Preferring the fuller ensemble sound, I especially took to their quartet offerings with both clarinet and sax ("Debka/Hora Set" and "Al Hanisim Medley"), and I commend Ginzberg for his grooving chordal accompaniment and bass lines on the keys. Aaron Alexander's rhythm accompaniment on drums is first-rate, and he's a well-known composer and drummer on the world music/downtown NYC Radical Jewish culture scene whose band is called "Midrash Mish Mosh." On this album, It would have been interesting to perhaps arrange a number like the opening track, "Mishenichnas Medley," with an even expanded Klezmer-like quintet or sextet band including all the participating cast of impressive musicians.
Based in New York, the band draws its repertoire from a broad base of traditional and contemporary Jewish music. The CD's thematic concept explores the many kinds of music presented on the Purim holiday. Thus, we hear songs from many Hassidic sects, from folk melodies to more contemporary covers, and Klezmer classics to African-American inspirations. The ambitious approach results in a tastefully-rendered eclectic set that enlivens us with the spirit of Adar. The band clearly has a vision for its creative musical approach, and they also shine with talent, motivation and determination. (Joe Ross)
CHARLIE SIZEMORE-
Good News
Rounder 11661-0591-2A
One Rounder Way, Burlington, Ma. 01803
www.rounder.com OR www.charliesizemoreband.com
EMAIL bsanmartin@rounder.com OR info@rounder.com OR jsacca@rounder.com OR lcalista@rounder.com
Playing Time- 39:05
Charlie Sizemore has always been an overachieving Renaissance man. In 1977 (at only age 17), the Kentuckian's first big challenge was filling Keith Whitley's shoes as guitarist and lead singer with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. During his nine years with Stanley, he established a strong and credible reputation as one of the band's top lead singers. In 1986, Charlie formed his own group and returned to school "to learn" at the University of Kentucky where he subsequently graduated with honors. The hard worker is known as the only bluegrassers to both play the Grand Ole Opry and deliver a college commencement address all
in the same year. Sizemore today is a family man who also maintains a successful law practice and fronts his own band with a style that "straddles a line between mountain bluegrass and modern country." His debut on the prestigious Rounder label, "Good News" is just that- a set of stirring music that causes us to rejoice and cheer his re-emergence on record after a five year hiatus.
The first impression I gathered about "Good News" is about how all the chosen songs deal with a man's tender interactions and touching relationships with other people, objects, and personal thoughts. The album begins and ends with reflective personal statements. Songs like "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up" and "I Won't Be Far from Here" reveal the emotional honesty of someone opening up to bear one's soul. At the end of the set, "My Dying Day" and "Good News When I Die" provide two different dichotomous perspectives on life's passing. During the course of the set, Sizemore revisits the album's theme with Eddie Noack's "No Blues is Good News" about the happy feelings of a successful, loving relationship. That tune conveys a different kind of mood than feeling like a stone thrown to the "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart," a song which could've been arranged in a higher key to perhaps infuse it with more fervent energy. Sizemore also sings stories about a paternal relationship (Devil on a Plow) and a playful bluegrass musical association with the members of "Alison's Band."
His nostalgic song recalling the homeplace is Paul Craft's "Mama Turn Aloosa My Soul" that hastens back to a place in the country, just a single-board shack. Raised on Kentucky's Puncheon Creek, Charlie's own Civil War song (co-written with Tom T. and Dixie Hall) tells a poignant story of "The Silver Bugle" calling the boys back home. Another song from the Halls, "Whiskey Willie" is a bouncing ballad of a character who lived in that same time period and kept the soldiers half-drunk for a very poignant reason revealed at the end of the tale. In a more contemporary time, a rowdy drunk has an easy excuse for his wrongdoings, just "Blame it on Vern." Ron Workman's "Hey Moon" provides an opportunity for Matt DeSpain's lead vocals to have a conversation with that lunar body. It's a good snappy song that illuminates the set. "Hey moon, Won't you come on out tonite / Shine down with your halo so bright / Hey moon, while I hold my baby tight / Won't you light up her smile and come on out tonight?"
Sizemore collaborated with the album co-producer Buddy Cannon to pen a song about a dependence on the bottle, "The Less That I Drink." It would've been nice for the band to present a hard-driving uptempo instrumental showcase, and some of Charlie's material really seems to beg for some fiddle in the mix. Those are minor criticisms, however, and this band has powerful vocal and instrumental prowess. Besides Charlie, the group includes Danny Barnes (mandolin, clawhammer banjo, vocals), Matt DeSpain (Dobro, Hawaiian guitar, vocals), Wayne Fields (banjo) and John Pennell (bass). All in all, "Good News" is a very enjoyable and notable album that broadcasts the music of a very happening band that is making waves. (Joe Ross)
NATHAN STANLEY -
He Suffered For My Reward
Third Generation Records, No number
7455 Dr. Ralph Stanley Highway, Coeburn, Va. 24230
TEL. 276-393-5922
EMAIL publicity@morrispr.biz OR webmaster@bluegrassuniverse.com
www.nathanstanleysmusic.com/
Playing Time- 30:11
Many bluegrass singers have a special place in their hearts for hymns, spirituals and gospel music, not only because singing these songs is fun but because they also hold special meaning. Ralph Stanley's grandson, Nathan Stanley, loves to sing and praise the Lord. He thanks the Lord for the lyrics for three original songs that started coming to him while sitting up about 4 o'clock one morning. In "My God is Great," he sings "I go to church most every Sunday / I go to church to praise His name / I go to church to kneel before Him / And I sing His word most every day." When 14-year-old Nathan or his "Papaw" Ralph are singing lead (along with harmonies from Jack Cooke and siblings Dan & Judy Marshall), the vocalists assume a certain piety that's part country pastor, shepherd and guide. Ralph Stanley was once asked if he felt a little like a preacher with a message to deliver when performing gospel music. He replied, "Yeah, yeah, I do. You have a different feelin' in the gospel. I can put more in a sacred song than I can just an ordinary song. I can feel more, y'know. I feel like I'm doin' myself, and maybe other people too, more good." Just listen to the a cappella renditions of "Turn Back, Turn Back" and "Me and God" to understand their faith and devotion. "He's the one I lean on when life gets hard." Ralph Stanley has had a long association with the Marshall Family and once said over thirty years ago that he regularly listened to their gospel music at home or on the road.
On this rather short half-hour project, strong instrumental support is provided by Clinch Mountain Boys Jack Cooke (bass), James Alan Shelton (guitar), Steve Sparkman (banjo) and Dewey Brown (fiddle). Nathan is learning the mandolin, and his understated rhythm accompaniment indicates that he's a budding instrumentalist as well. It's very clear that this young Christian man, a third-generation Stanley, has made a commitment to the Lord to provide a ministry of music that also perpetuates the legendary mountainous "Stanley sound" of the Clinch Mountain region. In fact, Nathan first started performing with his grandfather's band when he was only four years old, standing at the elder statesman's knees playing spoons. While Nathan has already released a solo album in 2006 called "Sandy Ridge," this current gospel project has very special meaning because it's the first one that he and his grandfather made together.
Ralph Stanley has recorded several of these songs before. The opening cut of Johnnie Masters' "Cry From The Cross" was cut by The Stanley Brothers back in 1956 for Mercury Records. Ralph recorded it again in 1971 with his band, and it became the title cut for an album on Rebel (SLP-1499) that was named 1971 Bluegrass Album of the Year by Muleskinner News. That LP also had another that Nathan has chosen to sing here, J.D. Jarvis' "Take Your Shoes Off Moses." A.E. Brumley's "If We Never Meet Again" has always been a favorite of mine, and the Stanleys recorded that song in Cincinnati for King Records in 1962. The Stanley Brothers recorded "The Blood That Stained the Old Rugged Cross" in Arkansas in 1964. I believe that the set's closer, Ralph's own rousing "Traveling The High Way Home" dates back to the 1970s. I remember first hearing that number on the Rebel release "Clinch Mountain Gospel" (SLP-1571) about that time. Dan Marshall was playing mandolin with the Clinch Mountain Boys at that time.
The Stanley Family has always performed gospel music. Ralph Stanley once declared, "I always do religious music. I don't ever remember going on stage without doin' some hymns, at any appearance I was at. I always intend to do that. I like to sing ‘em, I believe in ‘em, and the people seem to like ‘em too. And I guess if you believe in something, you put more in it." That devout and reverent attitude is being passed on to the next generation of mountain musicians like Nathan Stanley, a young man who is demonstrating his sincerity and faith with important life messages that help people become better men and women. (Joe Ross)
JEFF ELLIS -
Keeping The Tradition
2355 Trillium Terrace, Duncan, B.C. V9L-3ZS
EMAIL jeffbc@shaw.ca OR akusfan09@hotmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/jeffellisbg OR http://www.myspace.com/rickyjeffellis
http://www.myspace.com/commongroundbluegrass
Playing Time- 36:42
When Jeff Ellis decided to make a solo all-bluegrass album, he took the word "solo" both literally and seriously. Except for two tracks that include some vocal support from family and friend, Jeff plays mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo. I wonder if the facetiously self-professed "jack of all trades, master of none" from the Cowichan Valley of British Columbia, Canada was possibly born with eight nimble-fingered hands instead of just two. "Keeping the Tradition" has a mix of 11 instrumental and 2 vocal numbers. With 85 percent of the album being straight-ahead instrumentals, Jeff displays plenty of solid chops on spirited traditional pieces like Cluck Old Hen, East Tennessee Blues, Goldrush, John Hardy, Shenandoah Breakdown, and Panhandle Rag. The latter even includes a flashy bass break that sits nicely with the mandolin's rhythmic bark. Throughout the set, I wish that the bass had been equalized and mixed with a little more high-end clarity. Jeff's original instrumentals also burst with plenty of pep. Tunes like "Pittsville" and "Rooster Tail" have the bluegrassy get-up, and "Coastal Town" has more new acoustic sensibilities. For a change-up in the mood, "Serenity" is an apropos title for a peaceful fingerpicked guitar tune with its mandolin counterpoint. "Forgiveness" includes various moods with the mandolin starting and ending the upbeat composition with more haunting and introspective phrasing. For his future projects, he might want to consider importng some tracks from a hot guest fiddler like Ronnie Stewart or Tim Crouch.
The album's two vocal numbers are Brandon Rickman's "Rounder's Spirit" and Jim & Maurene Greene's "East of the Blueridge." Jeff's rendition of the former, with Angus Mackenzie singing lead and tenor, doesn't quite have the same punch as versions from Lonesome River Band or Special Consensus, but it's a still hard-hitting statement about wanting to play the devil's game when overtaken by that burning desire to be a rounder. The latter song is sung by Jeff's father Ricky and sister Amy. You can tell that they're all keeping that bluegrass tradition strong in the Ellis family that relocated to from Virginia to British Columbia's Vancouver Island. A champion mandolin player in his own right, Ricky Ellis has been an excellent teacher and role model for his children.
Jeff has also won the State of Virginia guitar and bass championships, along with many other awards and ribbons. His band experience has includes Bluegrass Express, Appalachian Express, Bluegrass Cardinals, David Parmley & Continental Divide, and his father's group Common Ground. In line with "Keeping The Tradition," Jeff is much sought after for private music lessons. When it comes to Jeff Ellis' many instrumental talents, he's a little Crowe, Rice, Bush and Bales all packaged into one. Given the success of his solo album, I hope to track down a copy of Ricky and Jeff's 2006 instrumental duo project, "Shoot The Moon." That one's got to be every bit as good, and possibly even double the pleasure and double the fun. (Joe Ross)
TOM T. HALL-
Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T.
Blue Circle Records BCR-01
www.goodhomegrownmusic.com OR www.bluecirclerecords.com
EMAIL localfleur@comcast.net
TEL. (615) 790-1883
SONGS- 1 I'm a Coal Mining Man, 2 A Hero in Harlan, 3 One More Last Chance, 4 Somewhere in Kentucky Tonight, 5 A Tombstone for Harry, 6 Leaving Baker County, 7 One of Those Days (When I Miss Lester Flatt), 8 I'm Gonna Make Up a Song About You, 9 Pretty Green Hills, 10 Once Upon a Road, 11 Our Little World, 12 Jimmy Martin's Life Story
Tom. T. and Dixie Hall both tell tales, and they can find endearing stories in nearly anything. The first lyrics out of the speakers declare, "Hand me that guitar, give me a pick / well I think I've got something to say / I'm a coal mining man, and I am who I am / and I wouldn't have it any other way." They keep their lyrics straight-forward and conversational, and the melodies establish moods that reinforce the messages. The award-winning songwriting team has also endeared themselves to the bluegrass music community, with their songs frequently appearing on others' albums. "Pretty Green Hills," for example became the title cut for Dave Evans' 2006 release on Rebel Records (REB CD-1812), a candidate for nomination as IBMA's album of the year. Back in 2002, the fine Virginia-based band Nothin' Fancy used one of these same songs from the Halls for their album's title cut, "Once Upon a Road" (Pinecastle PRC-1120). It's a story about bygone days when one was innocent, free and fighting for a dream. "Once upon a road / we could live off of the land / watermelons on the vine / chicken cookin' in a pan." While many of the Halls' songs have been and will continue to be sung by others, it's always a treat to hear a songwriter interpret his own stories with one's personal vocal inflection, articulation, phrasing, and emotional dynamics.
This album's seed was planted when Tom gave a special Christmas gift to Dixie. The card laid out a vision and plan -- "This is good for a CD. We'll record in our studio. You choose the songs and the pickers. You produce and I'll do songs we have written together." At first, Miss Dixie was a little suspicious thinking it just a ploy to keep her from holiday shopping, but it wasn't long before a number of top bluegrass musicians were stopping by the Halls' studio at Fox Hollow in Franklin, Tn. to lay down tracks for "Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T." The studio used to be kennels for as many as fifty showdogs back when Tom T. was on the road doing mainstream country. The recording sessions took place primarily over a three-day period. Supplementing Tom T's lead vocals and guitar on this bluegrass album are instrumentalists Kristin Scott Benson (banjo), Wayne Benson (mandolin), Robert Bowlin (rhythm guitar, Dobro) , Mike Bub (bass), Glen Duncan (fiddle), Terry Eldrege (guitar), Ben Isaacs (bass), Randy Kohrs (resonator guitar), Jimmy Martin (guitar), Earl Scruggs (banjo), Tim White (banjo). Background vocals are sung by Rebecca Isaacs Bowman, Sonya Isaacs, Don Rigsby, and Josh Williams. King of Bluegrass Jimmy Martin passed away on May 14, 2005, but the closing number, "Jimmy Martin's Life Story" captures conversation, his famous guitar G-run, and spine-tingling yodel.
Born in Kentucky in 1936, Tom T. Hall's voice may have aged a bit, but he's still a fine bluegrass troubadour. "Somewhere in Kentucky Tonight" captures recollections of an Ohio millworker for his weather-beaten homeplace along that dusty road leading back into the hills. A tender ballad, "A Hero in Harlan" relates the story of a young Kentuckian who joins the Army after being unable to land a job in the coal mines. Interestingly, we know from the song's first line that he returns home in a gray silver casket draped in the stars and stripes, but the real sentiment is that "he'll be a hero in Harlan like all the young soldier's before / he's not the first and won't be the last to lay down his life in war." Not meant to be an anti-war plea, it's a heartrending factual statement. "One of Those Days (When I Miss Lester Flatt)" speaks to coming from a whole different school of music. The Halls call their BMI publishing company "Good Home Grown Music." That's a very fitting moniker for their heartfelt and matter-of-fact minstrelsy that uniquely captures stirring and honest observations about life. (Joe Ross)
PETER KATER-
Faces of the Sun
Silver Wave SD-947
PO Box 7943, Boulder, Co. 80306
EMAIL Info@silverwave.com
www.silverwave.com OR www.peterkater.com
Playing Time- 53:09
SONGS - 1. Raven 2. Faces of the Sun 3. Changeless and Eternal 4. Wind at Your Back 5. Feather on the Wind 6. Stone Teepees 7. Lone Hawk 8. Rite of Passage 9. Place of Peace
"Faces of the Sun" presents outstanding soundscapes written, arranged, engineered and mixed by creative and indefatigable Peter Kater. A savory Native American essence is captured in compositions spiced up with guest flutists, and "Changeless and Eternal" also evokes the same kind of stirring tang with violin and penny whistle. Born in Germany, Peter Kater has lived in New Jersey, Colorado and California since his move to the U.S. as a child. In 1983, Kater released his first album of piano solos ("Spirit"). That project and his subsequent forty albums with jazz, world and Native American flavorings have led to theater and film scoring projects such as his recent "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" (Silver Wave SD-945).
"Faces of the Sun" nicely blends Kater's piano, synthesizer and percussion with haunting Native American flute, violin, penny whistle, oboe, bass, and cello. Depending on the track, the flute is played by Mary Youngblood, Kevin Locke, Douglas Blue Feather, Bill Miller, Jeff Ball, or Joseph Fire Crow. Offering melodic phrases with bountiful rewards, the other instrumental collaborators are Paul McCandless (oboe, penny whistle), Bill Miller (guitar), Arvel Bird (violin), Tony Levin (bass), Hans Christian (cello) and Mike Hamilton (guitar). The oboe, cello and violin make some particularly vivid musical conversations with the flute and keyboards. Two tracks ("Face of the Sun" and "Stone Teepees") include Bill Miller's enchanting vocals, with the title track having so much solarized energy that segments of the piece seem almost too vocally busy at times. ‘Stone Teepees" has a sparer arrangement and a concise, straight-forward message: "I hear the Thunder in the sky / So walk with me my Son / Walk with me my Son / For we shall … never die."
Kater is a perceptive composer whose musical insight appears inspired by wildlife (e.g. raven, hawk) and elements of the natural world (e.g. wind, sun, thunder, stone). Listeners are sure to react favorably to his exhilarating contemporary Native American music with new age sensibiities. From start to finish, "Faces of the Sun" is a production that plays out like a stage show with the voices of many actors. The countenance of Kater's expressive music is smooth, sublime and soothing. The faces encountered provide for the various instruments to make their own individual statements while accompanied by Kater's very full piano, synthesized and rhythmic sounds. (Joe Ross)
JIM LAUDERDALE-
The Bluegrass Diaries
Yep Roc Records CD-YEP-2158
www.yeproc.com
Playing Time- 35:51
Choosing bluegrass as his genre of choice to document his written record of experiences and thoughts, Grammy award-winner Jim Lauderdale continues to shake things up. It's not the first time Jim's made strong bluegrass statements. While the diverse Nashville-based musician is equally comfortable with country and other kinds of singer/songwriter material, he's a guy who clearly has bluegrass in his blood. Arriving in Nashville in the late-1970s, Jim had hoped to pursue a bluegrass career but he was just "Looking for a Good Place to Land." He moved into mainstream country and has appeared on the Grand Ol' Opry. The prolific songwriter has penned hits for artists like Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Mark Chesnutt, Kathy Mattea, and George Strait. Jim's major nod to bluegrass came in 1997 when he featured Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys on his album, "Whisper." Lauderdale then was a guest on Stanley's "Clinch Mountain Country" project, and he is now an honorary Clinch Mountain Boy. Building on the chemistry between Jim and Ralph, they collaborated on an album of their own, the Grammy-nominated and highly recommended "I Feel Like Singing Today." In 2002, his Grammy-winning "Lost in the Lonesome Pines" release featured both himself and Ralph Stanley singing his own self-penned songs. Those projects had the backing of the Rebel and Dualtone record labels. In 2006, his "Bluegrass" debut on YepRoc Records showed us that his fresh, new bluegrass reflected the power, sentiments and emotions of traditional music. Produced by resophonic guitarist Randy Kohrs, "The Bluegrass Diaries" sticks with the winning recipe for beefy original material, forceful vocals, and lively instrumental accompaniment.
"The Bluegrass Diairies" features eleven originals, three of which were solely penned by Jim. His other eight songs include some heavy hitting songwriting collaborators (Melba Montgomery, Odie Blackmon, Shawn Camp, Paul Craft, J.D. Souther, Candace Randolph). Jim's songs have an affinity for love-related themes, but a driving song like "One Blue Mule" has the kind of humorous bluegrass hook that will give you a chuckle. Randy Kohrs' soaring harmony vocals are ever present. If you like recalling a time when the Louvin Brothers were in their prime, a new song like "Are You Having Second Thoughts" (sung with Ashley Brown) is a real treasure. Dave Evans, a rootsy lead vocalist in his own right, is an interesting, unique choice for harmony vocalist on two numbers "Can We Find Forgiveness" and "It's Such A Long Journey Home." Cia Cherryholmes makes a silky appearance in "I Wanted to Believe." The instrumental icing on the cake comes from Randy Kohrs (Dobro), Jesse Cobb (mandolin), Richard Bailey (banjo), Aaron Till (fiddle), Jay Weaver (bass), and Cody Kilby, Clay Hess or Shawn Camp (guitar).
The North Carolina native and son of a minister/choir director is very proud of his bluegrass roots, and his diaries have plenty of deliberations that convey the bluegrass propulsion and drive. He tips his hat to his bluegrass buds when the disc ends with an instrumental reprise to the closing number after Jim asks, "Y'all wanna run some more? Alright …." Thanks Jim for making public the great musical reflections of your bluegrass diaries. (Joe Ross)
MICKEY HARRIS-
Kneel & Pray
MJH Records 003
www.MickeyHarris.com
EMAIL mcharris3@netzero.net
Playing Time- 35:12
Mickey Harris may be best known as the bass player in Rhonda Vincent's band, The Rage. However, this solo project showcases another side of him as a strong bluegrass gospel lead and harmony vocalist who grew up in a Christian home in Tennessee that was always full of music. Before even entering first grade, Mickey became a guest on his uncle's TV show, "The Carl Tipton Show," that aired in middle Tennessee for over two decades and had a loyal following of viewers. In fact, on this album, both "Kneel and Pray" and "I'm Going Home" were written by Tipton. Harris hails from Leanna, Tn. and started playing when he was 10 years old. Harris practiced hard and learned to play most of the bluegrass instruments from family members and festival performers. Whether singing in church or performing with his family, Harris has developed a varied gospel repertoire that includes favorite old classics, new evocative messages we haven't heard before, and even some originals penned by family members. Much of his musical education also came from backing up others on stage, and during high school he had a band called High Lonesome. He toured with Tim Graves & Cherokee, Larry Stephenson, and Sally Jones & the Sidewinders before joining Rhonda Vincent's band in August, 2002.
While we hear some of his Dobro playing on ‘The Great Speckled Bird," he sticks to acoustic bass and lets his friends also share the instrumental spotlight. They include Kenny Ingram (banjo), Wayne Benson (mandolin), Hunter Berry (fiddle), and Josh Williams (guitar, mandolin, resonator guitar). Harmony vocalists incude Rhonda Vincent, Alecia Nugent, Jamie Dailey, Louise Tomberlain, and Sophie Tipton Haislip. Featured in an a cappella arrangement of "Just a Little Talk with Jesus," Louise and Sophie are Mickey's grandmother and aunt who also performed on Carl Tipton's show in the 1960s and 70s. Carl, Louise and Sophie are all past heritage Award winners at Uncle Dave Macon Days.
Mickey is the only vocalist on four of the songs (I Don't Want My Golden Slippers, Oh Mom, Master's Call, Great Speckled Bird). The former selection comes from award-winning songwriter Tom T. Hall who also penned "They Called It A Church" with his wife, Dixie. Mickey's own self-penned "Peace of God" is arranged as a strong duet with Jamie Dailey. The joyful quartet sound of "When I Wake Up To Sleep No More" has a strong declaration about the happiness encountered "on Heaven's bright shore (telling the story) / With the redeemed of all the ages / Praising the One whom I adore."
With family roots dating back to Tennessee's early traditional music, Harris' family is very proud of what he's accomplishing as a professional musician. Whether a sideman or featured lead vocalist, Harris is a solid and upstanding musician. His third self-produced recording, "Kneel and Pray" is also a very solid, upstanding project. (Joe Ross)
MERLE HAGGARD-
The Bluegrass Sessions
McCoury Music MCM-0008
EMAIL weinstein@bighassle.com or Tmumba@aol.com
TEL. 212-619-1360 or 818-702-6253
www.mccourymusic.com
Playing Time- 43:45
Country music stalwart Merle Haggard considers bluegrass people as "the sale of the earth …kind of a no-baloney audience." Of the many albums he's made, none has ever been bluegrass. I do know that he performs a kick-up-your-heels rendition of the old-time and bluegrassy "Get Along Home Cindy," and maybe that would've been a good choice for this session too. Merle's also said that "If you're going to play something and you're going to hook it, you'd better hook it good.- it either has to be real funny or it has to be real serious." After this assembled band attempted and failed to Merle magic in an old bluegrass standard, "I Wonder Where You Are Tonight," Marty Stuart, producer Ronnie Reno and recording engineer Lee Groitzch took a different approach to capture Hag's soul. They strategically gathered in a circle around a couple of mics and began recording in a more cozy, friendly style. Merle sang and strummed his Martin Blue Yodel guitar. The all-stars who wrapped their playing around his vocalizing were Marty Stuart (mandolin, guitar), Rob Ickes (Dobro, slide guitar), Charlie Cushman (banjo, guitar), Carl Jackson (guitar), Ben Isaacs (bass), Aubrey Haynie (fiddle), Scott Joss (fiddle) and J.D. Wilkes (harmonica).
After two days of working, a cherished record was born with classic country ala Jimmie Rodgers and Delmore Brothers, along with a heaping helping of Merle's own classics like Mama's Hungry Eyes, Big City, Holding Things Together, and Mama's Prayers. To also capture the septuagenarian's soul, five new songs written by Merle include Pray, America What Happened, Learning to Live With Myself, Motorcycle Mama and Wouldn't That Be Something. Tenor harmonies are sung by Carl Jackson, and Alison Krauss must have stopped by to track in a high baritone harmony for "Mama's Hungry Eyes." Acoustic versions of Hag's classics are a treat to hear, even though there are times (e.g. Big City) when the instrumentalists seem to step on each other's toes a bit, perhaps due to the lack of rehearsal or unclear roles. Some songs have Merle directing traffic by calling out the musician's name or instrument whose break is forthcoming. While the time was limited, the album's thrills are plentiful. Marty Stuart's mandolin makes a particularly dazzling impression in "Jimmie Rodgers Blues Medley."
Of course, there isn't an abundance of driving banjo-centric material, but we are given acoustic expressive Haggard who is anything but wasted and worn. A ten-time winner of CMA's Top Male Vocalist Award (1965-82), he still shakes the foundation in a house of lyrics. He still draws inspiration from the likes of Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams and Bob Wills. His life has given him a well of experiences from which to draw material. The new songs have some of that same ol' characteristic, archetypal, well-loved Haggard insight. He admits that a hard lesson in life is "Learning to Live with Myself." He's been very grateful that his "Mama's Prayers" continue to work. In classic Haggard style, some of his most profound advice might just come in his most straight-forward and simple offering at less than three minutes in length called "Pray." That song declares "Get your mind off yourself / think of somebody else / and pray, and pray."
Back in the old days, Muskogee was humorously "a place where even squares can have a ball." Today some of his perspectives are deeper and more profound as he sings that the "truth that stood for years is down the drain." In the song, ‘What Happened?" his social commentary about change in America illustrates a nostalgic longing for a bygone era. "How did we ever go so wrong? / Did we get too high? / Did we sleep too long?" With the magnitude of his stellar songwriting and singing, Hag's got the potential to create a magnificent bluegrass masterpiece with simple, timeless messages. He already won the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, and while "The Bluegrass Sessions" may not achieve landmark status, it certainly comes close and captures Merle's soulful sound. (Joe Ross)
TERESA MCNEIL MACLEAN-
West: Trails From There To Here
Self-released
PO Box 1091, Santa Ynez, Ca. 93460
TEL. 805-688-8781
EMAIL dougmac@sbceo.org
Playing Time- 60:16
A musician, artist, writer, poet and teacher, Teresa McNeil MacLean has pursued her creative endeavors for many years since graduation from University of California, Santa Cruz with an aesthetic studies degree. She approaches music in much the same way that she creates drawings, paintings and watercolors. Much like her landscapes in those media, "West: Trails From There To Here" is a soundscape of evocative balladry and sentiment that uses fingerpicked guitar and plaintive voice instead of pencils, pen and ink, and pastels. With a spare setting, MacLean's fourth album thematically emphasizes western expansion and settlement. "West" presents some splendid imagery of nature, solitude, adventure, thrills, hunger, necessity, and freedom of will. Some added instrumentation would have been an enhancement. For example, I imagined concertina and pennywhistle as MacLean sings "Westward the sunsets, westward the sea, hear from the wind, what it means to be free, westward the ocean, westward the breeze, hear the wind whisper, fly out to me."
Three pieces (Leaving Kintail, Mermaids Song, Farewell to the Creeks) featuring the Scottish small pipes of Joe Dickerson provide a prologue, reprise, and epilogue in the entire set of songs that address wanderlust, adventure, work, love and death. Some songs acknowledge Teresa's specific ancestors- McNeils, Pelots, Gleasons, Anansons, McCague, Riley, Holderness, Adamson, and Robinson. As a folklorist, she has found a unique way to musically connect the dots from generations past to her unpretentious self-effacement today. Being from Oregon, I found some selections that mention Lewis and Clark to be particularly relevant and interesting- "For Captain Lewis and Captain Clark" and "Mr. Jefferson's Dream." A reflective "Full Moon on the Water" tells the story of African-American fiddler Pierre Cruzatte who explored with the Corps of Discovery, and it would've been nice if the song (as well as a few others) had been embellished with some bow work of a guest artist. A lyrical and poetic album that is a tribute to nature as much as it is to her roots, MacLean's hour-long "West: Trails From There To Here" has an amiable and personable character. (Joe Ross)
ZARATE POLLACE PROJECT-
Soul Redemption
ZPP001
PO Box 110574, Campbell, Ca. 95011
www.zaratepollace.com
EMAIL info@zaratepollace.com
Playing Time- 53:46
With an all-original set of smooth jazz, Abel Zarate and Michelle Pollace's musical dreams have flown. The songs on "Soul Redemption" present refined jazz with powerful rhythmic intensity and evocative melodies that make emotional statements. Zarate's guitar and Pollace's keyboard take us on a magical sojourn. Recorded in the San Francisco area, the project also features John Santos (percussion), Paul van Wageningen (drums), Curtis Ohlson (bass), Anthony Blea (violin, viola) and co-producer Greg Landau (loops). A guitar master, Abel Zarate is particularly featured as he paints a brilliant aural palette from new age acoustic jazz to Latin and funk. For a slight change, it might have been nice to hear more acoustic settings or a few vocals incorporated for one or two tracks like "Chanson Afrique." However, the vision for this professional product was clearly to provide a exhilarating and stimulating breezy instrumental jaunt from start to finish.
Guitarist Abel Zarate has achieved international success with the Latin rock band Malo, and he has been featured in the book, "Voices of Latin Rock." Michelle Pollace's global musical interests resulted in her studying jazz, classical and Latin piano, as well as Indonesian gamelan. Her co-written music education book and CD called "Musicreation" has been well received. Leader of the Machete Ensemble, percussionist John Santos is a master of Afro Latin rhythms. Drummer Paul van Wageningen and Abel Zarate go back to the 1970s when they played together in an R&B band, The Force. Throughout this project, bassist Curtis Ohlson conveys great power and strength on the low end of the sound spectrum. Ohlson toured with Ray Charles' band for six years. String wizard Anthony Blea has played classical, salsa, rock, and he currently heads up his group, Anthony Blea y Su Charanga. A two-time Grammy nominee, Greg Landau has produced many CDs, film soundtracks, and videos.
On "Soul Redemption," Zarate and Pollace lead us through a inspiring musical journey of life itself, and the joy of their uplifting music is largely in its picturesque natural and earthy elements. Some song titles give an indication of how the musicians' instinct and intuition create gripping depictions of moonlight, autumn, ghosts, and other apparitions. "Apples, Kisses and Dreams," for example, is beaming with happiness, pleasure and bliss. The stellar accompanists also take nature's rhythms and allow us to connect with the music. Zarate and Pollace create circular patterns from within their soul, and they then use their compositions to illuminate the surroundings as they paint with their sonic palattes. "Soul Redemption" delivers some creative goods from ethereal textures to energetic cosmic wavefiles. So, in a sense, the album's redemption is a type of musical fulfillment or deliverance. Carlos Santana once said, "whether you are [playing] in the bar, the church, the strip joint, or the Himalayas, the first duty of music is to complement and enhance life." I'd say that Zarate, Pollace and their friends get it. They rise above sheer technical mastery to exhibit true compassion and beauty with every note they play. (Joe Ross)
ZERA VAUGHAN-
Back to the Roots
Gorgeous PR, 7551 Melrose Ave. Ste. 7, LosAngeles, Ca. 90046
www.zeravaughan.com
EMAIL zeravaughan@yahoo.com
Playing Time- 45:54
While technical proficiency and talent are vital to a musician's success, it is one's personal passion for artistic creation that elevates and transports messages to the hearts of others. Zera Vaughan has a passion for songwriting and singing, in both French and English. This engaging disc provides ample proof of her transcendent and sensuous emotional electricity. Instead of calling the album "Back to the Roots," it would've made more sense to me if an oxymoron had been used to call it "Forward to the Roots" to emphasize her contemporary world/pop/electro approach that also acknowledges her African and European influences.
Born to an English painter and French ballet dancer, Zera Vaughan was raised in Tunisia, North Africa and attended the Tunisian Music Conservatory. That country's traditional music includes malouf, imported from Andalusia after the Spanish conquest in the 15th century. While such musical roots from Spain and Portugal don't manifest themselves heavily in Zera's world music with its electronic, synthesized and rhythmic grooves, I'm certain that they played a part in the musical fusion that she's concocted. After high school, Zera studied at the Paris Music Conservatory, and she appeared regularly at lounges throughout the city. Her roots also can be traced to the influences of trip-hop music that she was exposed to in the U.K. That genre takes listeners on a hip-hop trip with synth'ed sounds, samples, loops, and sound effects. Now making her home between Los Angeles and Paris, Zera Vaughan is a globetrekker with a worldly, sophisticated vision for her music. The international appeal of her music is that it has positive energy for humankind.
The soundscapes are thoughtfully layered with smooth vocals (although occasionally a little too restrained, reverberated or distant), guitar, keys, bass and percussion. While some synthesized fill is overbearing, it can have the affect of comforting warmth that wraps Zera's mesmerizing voice like a quilt. Reworked versions of material from Randy Crawford ("Almaz"), Sting ("Fragile"), and Eddy Marney/Jean Michel-Braque ("Voir") juxtaposes nicely with her own original material. I particularly enjoyed "This Time," that is a bilingual rendition with vocalist Sirsa Shekim's assistance. ‘The Crying Moon" also features Kyle Pucci's backing vocals in a selection that is well-executed with Simone Sello's guitar and Ahu Cansenven's dumbek embellishing the arrangement. Much of the music was written by Zera in collaboration with Amir Efrat, a talented keyboardist/programmer/producer who has studied composition, arranging, piano performance and music synthesis in Israel, New York and Boston before his touring with "Ishtar"and relocating to Los Angeles about 2002. Amir certainly had a strong hand in helping to define and present Zera Vaughan's creatively personalized vocalizing that blends world electronic music with jazz, funk and pop sensibilities. While some of the lyrics stimulate one's curiosity, the underlying passion of "Back to the Roots" is revealed in varying degrees throughout the total set rather than in one blazing burst of energy. (Joe Ross)
KAREN ASHBROOK-
Spring Will Come
Foolscap Pub 104
820 Dennis Ave., Silver Spring, MD. 20901
TEL. (301)592-0101
http://karenashbrook.com
EMAIL mail@karenashbrook.com
Playing Time- 56:13
SONGS - 1 The Belle & the Butler, 2 De Winter is Vergangen/ La Bien Aimée, 3 My Lowlands Away, 4 Four Mile Stone/ Fox in the Glen, 5 Accordéon, 6 Taimse i m'Chodlach/ Carolan's Cup, 7 Jimmy Ward's/ Old Joe's Jig, 8 Orcha Bamidbar/ Frailach #7, 9 Iberian Jig Set, 10 Boys of Bedlam, 11 Durme, 12 Parting Glass, Candles in the Dark Suite: 13 Candles in the Dark, 14 Jerusalem of Gold/ Lo Yisa Goy
Celebrating thirty years of playing hammered dulcimer, Karen Ashbrook's ‘Spring Will Come" blossoms with a delightful set of material with Irish, Flemish, Breton, Jewish, Iberian and Appalachian flavors. As a teen, Karen built her first hammered dulcimer from scratch in 1976. Recorded live in early 2006 at a concert in Rockville, Md., this CD is a celebration of the proficient and significant musician's accomplishments as a player, teacher and advocate. Before ultimately settling in the D.C./Baltimore area, Karen's adventurous approach to music took her on world travels with her dulcimer, wooden flute and pennywhistle.
Meeting many fine musicians on her journeys, Karen first crossed paths with Paul Oorts (harp guitar, musette accordion, cittern, vocals) in West Virginia at a dulcimer festival, and they would eventually marry. In this set, "Accordeon" depicts a kind of familial relationship between busking street musician and his instrument. David Scheim (piano, Celtic harp on 3 tracks) introduced Karen to Jewish music when she performed with his group, King David's Harp. "Jerusalem of Gold" and "Lo Yisa Goy" close the show to a rousing audience reaction to the optimistic set calling for peace. Meeting at a music camp in 2005, Steve Bloom (percussion) is a relatively new friend who appears on the CD. The concert also involved the other members of Karen's trio called "Ceoltoiri" -- Sue Richards (Celtic harp on 6 tracks) and Connie McKenna (vocals, guitar on one track). On songs like "My Lowlands Away" and "Boys of Bedlam," McKenna delivers each lyric with convincing sentiments.
It was a pleasure to hear these musicians' sweet set of songs characterized by vigor, freshness and clarity. Tempos attach right to the grooves, and renditions never sound rushed. They allow the audience to connect and relish in the moment. The pleasant interminable tarrying of "De Winter is Vergangen" (The Winter is Past) allows the harp's melody and flute's harmony to dance like the first daffodils of spring swaying in the breeze. While some might initially think that the fiddle would be missed in music of this nature, the other instruments provide plenty of sparkle and warmth. Ashbrook also knows how to make the dulcimer particularly gleaming and sweet sounding with such techniques as plucking or dampening the strings when appropriate. Her flute and whistle-playing are buoyant and lyrical. The creative joy of Oorts' jazzy guitar break in "Sandy River Belle"elicits appreciative audience applause. Overall, "Spring Will Come" is a lumionous album full of both wanderlust and panache. (Joe Ross)
JAMES ALAN SHELTON-
Walking Down The Line
Sheltone Records SR-1961
129 Will Simpson Road, Church Hill, TN 37642
TEL. 423-357-1623
http://www.jamesalanshelton.com
EMAIL jamesashelton@earthlink.net OR norma@morrispr.biz
Playing Time- 34:53
James Alan Shelton's ninth solo album (and another on his own Sheltone Records label after release of his gospel compilation, "Gospel Guitar" SR-1960) is one that pays tribute to a variety of bluegrass, country and folk inspirations in his life. The experienced lead guitarist for Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys takes us on wild and thrilling rides with "Soldier's Joy" and "Salt Creek" as Steve Sparkman's banjo is played in Ralph's mountainous style. Some of Shelton's other key influences are an eclectic list that includes Bill Monroe, Carter Family, Osborne Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Country Gentlemen, Clarence White, Randy Scruggs, Roger Miller, Tony Ellis, Stephen Foster, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel. Shelton's my kind of musician because his individualism emphasizes variety. I found it surprising that "Walking Down The Line" is the first album to ever feature his singing. Besides the title cut, he chooses "Motherless Children" and "Hard Times Come No More" to showcase his pleasant, affable baritone vocal talents. He's not high and lonesome, an American Idol singer, and some bluegrass deejays will no doubt accuse him of sounding like a folkie trapped in a bluegrass shop when he sings. However, those same deejays should acknowledge that an eclectic set like Shelton's still has plenty to enthuse bluegrass fans. Those same fans also appreciate unpretentious, modest lead vocals in the lower range. Dewey Brown sings tenor on the three vocal numbers, and Judy Marshall provides harmony vocals on two of them.
The formidable picking on "Walking Down The Line" is the result of some fine melodic mettle from the likes of Adam Steffey (mandolin), Steve Sparkman (banjo), Dewey Brown (fiddle), Audey Ratliff (rhythm guitar), and Daniel Grindstaff (banjo), and Barry Bales (bass). Besides lead guitar on all the tracks, James Alan Shelton also dubbed in the banjo track on "Stephen," and down-to-earth and unassuming old-time flavored tune by Tony Ellis that never sounds anachronistic. James Alan Shelton presents his warm music without any pompous or showy airs. These are the kinds of songs that have made James what he is today as a well-rounded musician. While there's not much new here, his repertoire emphasizes much-loved pieces that we have fond places for in our hearts. (Joe Ross)
DIXIE BEE-LINERS-
Self-Titled
Self-released, BT-001
PO Box 1313, Abingdon, Va. 24212
TEL. 646-667-4163
www.dixiebeeliners.com
EMAIL dixiebee@mindspring.com OR info@dixiebeeliners.com
Playing Time- 28:59
The Dixie Bee-Liners are musical raconteurs skilled at telling stories with their all-original songs. Promoting themselves as "bluegrass … with a buzz," Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward functioned as a duo- both distinctive vocalists and multi-instrumentalists who have discovered their personalized stylistic footing by casting aside restraints imposed by dogmatic traditionalism. This self-released 2005 debut project for the Dixie Bee-Liners also features Danny Weiss (guitar), Alan Grubner (fiddle), Terry McGill (banjo), Mike Levine (Dobro, pedal steel), Andy Cotton (bass), Bob Mastro (fiddle), and Harley Fine (sound effects, tambourine).
Taking note of this hard-working and talented band's debut effort, Pinecastle Records label has now signed them to their impressive artist roster. What's all the fuss about? First, their songs have both spiritual and epic qualities. Second, their contemporary leanings exude great potential to attract younger listeners to the genre. Third, I liked the way they provide textures to their music. Pinecastle professional production assistance might not have left the mandolin, banjo or supporting vocals so far back in the mix at times on this debut. Well, guess what? The band's breakout debut album for Pinecastle will be produced and engineered by the legendary Bil VornDick. I can also imagine the band adding members so there's a third vocalist in the lineup. That might ease some of the instrumental duties for Woodward who provides mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, drums and percussion on this disc. Well, hey again! Personnel shifts have occurred as a result of their record deal and relocation. I'm told that the band is now a sextet with Brandi Hart (vocals, guitar), Buddy Woodward (vocals, mandolin, lead guitar), Claiborne Woodall (lead guitar), Rachel Renee Johnson (fiddle), Sam Morrow (banjo) and Jeremy Darrow (upright bass). Because this one's so short at under half hour, I can hardly wait to hear what comes next from this charming and fascinating group.
On this disc, songs like "Davy," "Lost in the Silence," Yellow-haired Girl," and "Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain" have the ability to balance pathos with joy. Thus, we listeners experience elation and delight from the harmonizing of contrasting emotions. Without getting into specifics, their repertoire moves a listener because it also draws upon the best elements from both contemporary folk and bluegrass. Musically comfortable together, they have the innate ability to project a consciousness that they are truly going somewhere with their tuneful and captivating approach. That, in a nutshell, is what all the promotion and subsequent commotion are about. (Joe Ross)
VEQUINOX-
Planetary Harmony
Venuscape 1
PO Box 7521, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213
http://www.mp3.com/vequinox OR http://www.vequinox.com
EMAIL venusians@yahoo.com
Playing Time- 36:23
When the eerie, chilling ethnic sounds of the bowed psaltrey and bells open this project on "Venus Waxing," we know that we are in for an aural treat of ethereal music. Venus is rising. The goddess of spring, bloom and beauty cleary influenced the musical direction of this duo that started together in 1998 when they called themselves "The Venusians." Now called Vequinox, that moniker seems fitting for the duo forging celestial music that emphasizes the fanciful flight of imagination. One of their goals is to create new and different sounds that are a synthesis of their influences.
The mystical vocals in "Mantra of Venus" are no doubt intended as a conduit for conveying a spiritual glow. The sounds encourage concentration and meditation. Blending inspirations from world and ambient music, Vequinox features instruments like hammered dulcimer, sitar, tanpura, guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, and pennywhistle. Programming drums or synthesizer embellishes the duo's musical vignettes that are simple melodic declarations with curiously fascinating lyrics on pieces like "White Boxes," "Edward," and "End of Time." Chad and Lisa are whimsical multi-instrumentalists who are on a journey to understand, harness and personalize terrestrial sonic forces. As a result, the seductive charm of "Planetary Harmony" is its quiet polyphony. They might want to further explore looping Chad's guitar for even more embellishment.
For a signature piece, "Eastern Dulcimer Song" could be their crowning instrumental moment with its rhythmically fun presentation that sounds both ancient and contemporary all at once. While Vequinox's songs are imagistic, they never become so fantastical that they become cryptic or too enigmatic. Closing with a reprise of thematic opening track, "Venus Waning" is intended to gradually deliver us to the album's conclusion when some Nepalese song is also introduced into the euphonious mix. Playing around Pittsburgh, Pa., I would think that Vequinox's live shows in clubs, theaters, galleries and coffeehouses would be quite compelling, engaging, pleasurable and inspirational. (Joe Ross)
IDO ZIV-
Assiya
Deep Tree Music, No Number
4145 Decatur Street, Denver, CO. 80211
TEL. 303-819-8814
EMAIL Idoziv@earthlink.net OR ido@deeptreemusic.com
www.deeptreemusic.com
Playing Time- 50:50
Within nature, certain ambient elements can be found in all corners of the world. These include soil, water, air, flora and fauna. Within musical soundscapes, the global elements of melody, tempo and rhythm characterize all genres to some extent. Drums and shakers provide a common language that translates to many genres. Percussionist Ido Ziv, originally from Israel, presents a tantalizing fusion of the African, Cuban, Latin, Caribbean and Celtic music. Besides the many instruments he plays, Ziv's highly cadenced and metrical original music includes guitars, bass, sax, uillean pipes, tinwhistle, low whistle, flute, kora, piano, vocals, and other global flavors to varying extent.
If there's one criticism with the many layers on "Assiya," it could be that more pieces could have been arranged with leaner arrangements and slightly sparer settings like "Mozambique Time," the shortest track (at 2 minutes) that is just a conga solo. Dynamics of the entire set still provide ebbs and flows with tempo changes and spicy nstrumental flavorings. Ziv is always front and center with his indefatigable energy and rhythmic presence. While conceptually sound, "Reelwind" and "Zinbau" are two examples where there almost seems to be too much beating, striking and thumping. Brian McCoy is an outstanding piper, but I'm just not used to hearing so much heavy percussion in a Celtic-inspired offering like "Reelwind." Incorporating of a second percussionist (Sula Da Silva) into the closing track, "Zingbau," eventually gets too busy with sound effects and whistles that downplay Ziv's tasty showcase conga rhythms previously heard. Midway through a more meandering "Alchemy's Cellar," the sound effects of people at a festive event just become distracting.
For me, the most enchanting selections are those where jazzy tints (It Don't Come Easy, Cheetah Surprise) are allowed to manifest themselves. Interestingly, key collaborator Ari Mendes (guitars, bass) appears in every other track, and he brings a certain pleasurable consciousness to those offerings. A mellower new agey "All My Beginnings" is the longest track and provides expressive musicality as the song evolves. Yacouba Sissoko's kora and M'mah Doumbouya's vocals also make "Positive Relations" a favorite experience that takes traditional African sounds into contemporary electro-pop territory laden with MIDI percussion and programming. Other friends assisting on the project include Robert Kirby (sax), Kim Rattan (guitar), Rich Barrett (piano), John Wubbenhorst (bansuri, flute, tambora), Steve Zerlin (bass), and Peter Fand (bass).
All in all, Ido Ziv knows how to lay down killer rhythms to get the groove on. There's a celebratory mood to his mostly uptempo material, but I only wish that Ziv had used his skill as a percussionist in a more articulated fashion with less overall multi-tracking. While highly arranged and synchronized, Assiya's polyrhythmic essence also provides periodic visions of a disordered, chaotic world desperately in need of peace and harmony. (Joe Ross)
TIM CARTER-
Bang Bang
Tree O Music, No Number
6214 Valley View Rd., Goodlettsville, TN. 37072
TEL. (615)851-6555 OR (615)525-5303
EMAIL timcarter57@yahoo.com OR shari@goodstuffpr.com
www.carterbrothersband.com OR www.goodstuffpr.com/
Playing Time- 38:29
New acoustic musician Tim Carter is neither a conformist nor nonconformist. With music that is very agreeable to bluegrass enthusiasts, it also offers distinctive variations and surprises. The multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer can cover many musical moods from playful ("I Can't Settle Down") to reflective ("Chronicle"). Carter's individuality is certainly enhanced by his collaboration with other talents known to have similar approaches to following their own muses -- Alison Brown (banjo), Tim O'Brien (mandolin, vocal), Casey Driessen (fiddle), Tim Stafford (guitar), Jim Hurst (guitar), Matt Flinner (mandolin), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Tim Lorsch (fiddle), and Ross Sermons (bass). Four cuts incorporate well-rendered percussion (Cracks in the Floor, Chronical, The Signs, Into Carrowkeel) courtesy of Mickey Grimm or Dann Sherrill.
While "Bang Bang" clearly has an instrumental emphasis and showcases Carter's banjo, guitar and mandolin work, five of the original songs have vocals and may garnish more airtime from those deejays who downplay instrumental selections even though the project offers some explosive tunes like "Dogpatch." There's also a beautifully contemplative banjo/Dobro farewell song, "Vassillie's Lullaby," named for deceased fiddler Vassar Clements and his wife, Millie. Written in cooperation with Roberta Gordon, "I Can't Settle Down" displays the up-tempo electric exuberance of a Carter/O'Brien vocal partnership. Another duet (written with Tim Stafford) was inspired by Carter's first trip to Ireland and called "Where I Belong."
Tim and his brother, Danny, sing about trading songs with locals at four in the morning, downing a few pints, and being recognized as the heart of an Irish band. Danny's guitar work appears in their co-written knocked-down-and-busted blues number, "I'm King of the Hill." Tim and Danny tour as part of The Carter Brothers Band. Tim's vocals don't seem to sit quite as comfortably in "The Signs," an edgy piece inspired by snakehandling by certain Pentecostal sects in Appalachian churches. Like other Christian fundamentalists, serpent handlers' beliefs are rooted in a literal interpretation of the Bible found in Mark 16:18. The signs refer to those that follow believers and lead to individual salvation. The advice given exclaims, "Listen people to the chosen ones / cast out demons and speak in tongues / cleansed by the fire when the Father comes / that's what the good book says." Closing the album with a tribute to his father, "Second Son" is given a sparer setting with only Carter's guitar, mandolin and vocalizing.
This is an impressive debut album from the young man who grew up in North Carolina enjoying both bluegrass banjo and British blues and rock. The CD participants' teamwork is commendable, and the innovative acoustic instrumentation is all bound to fresh and creative originals. The tie that really binds "Bang Bang" is Tim Carter's presence and confidence as someone who will definitely make a significant impact on the scene. (Joe Ross)
GEORGE CHUDACOFF-
Unfinished Business
Little Sade Music, No number
TEL. 503-642-9100 OR 360-256-1026 OR 503-351-3225
EMAIL bigbill@pacifier.com OR pinkfloydlover@prodigy.net
http://cdbaby.com/cd/chudacoff
Playing Time- 51:55
Twelve years in the making (1995-2007), Pacific Northwest guitarist and singer George Chudacoff shows not only patience but also an affinity for many styles of music built around Celtic, old-time, and folk foundations. After opening with a showy and difficult contest tune (Limerock), George and a friend or two or three give us unpretentious, lean arrangements of an eclectic tuneful variety. Songs are drawn from O'Carolan (O'Carolan's Draught, Planxty George Brabazon, Planty Irwin), as well as some learned from Pete Seeger (Livin' in the Country), Pentangle (The Trees They Do Grow High), Delmore Brothers (Put Me on the Trail to Carolina), Larry Hanks (That's Alright), and traditional sources (Cluck Old Hen, Temperance Reel, The Right of Man). I enjoyed hearing his own self-penned harmony line in O'Carolan‘s Draught, and George humbly shares guitar breaks or vocals with others to tip his hat to friends.
With an affable character that fits like an old shoe, Chudacoff's set also features a couple originals (Sailin', Quiet) that he wrote with Mauri Farrell decades ago (before Farrell's passing). Both songs, recorded as a duo with Jim Britton on harmony guitar, have an alluring quality that reminds me of coffeehouse gigs during the 1960s folk revival. While thirteen others assisted on the album, George's spare presentations always keep his proficient guitar and/or pleasant baritone front and center. Then there's also his spirited clawhammer banjo on "Cluck Old Hen." Recorded early in the process of making this album, two tracks (Limerock, Tom Dooley) include electric bassist Joe Gurr, another of George's friends who has passed on. Back in 1973-74, Chudacoff and Gurr were part of a trio (with Tempe McGlaughlin) called Octobre Wood. Besides friends and fellow teachers, George also invited some of his students (Mary Rondthaler, Kathy Buttrell) to record with him on numbers like O'Carolan's Draught, The Tree They Grow High, and Put Me on the Trail to Georgia. Wayne Henderson, who picks on a few of the tracks, built guitars, mandolins, and a fiddle that appear in the warm set of subtlety and skill. Another from Appalachia, Helen White fiddles "The Rights of Man." While George's liner notes offer a few comments about most of the assisting musicians, it was obviously an oversight to not acknowledge two participants -- autoharper/vocalist Meryle Korn and electric bassist Jon Lindahl.
George Chudacoff is clearly a musician with a lot of passion for music and commitment to his art. His many students and collaborators speak highly of him. Admitting that "life and music are not goals but never-ending processes of wonderment that are and will always be truly unfinished business," George has successfully managed to give us a taste of his music and friends throughout the decades. "Unfinished Business" is a natural sort of album that doesn't strive to make a musical statement for completeness or finality. Diagnosed with advanced esophogeal cancer, George refers to himself as a "future cancer survivor." He's got a tough battle ahead, and his business at hand is to put the cancer into remission so that he can allow his music to flourish. (Joe Ross)
STEVE FISHER -
River
SNR Music SNR-001
Steve Fisher, 2424 - 36 St. SW, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA T3E 2Z5
TEL. (403) 242-3386
EMAIL mail@stevefishermusic.ca OR fisheng@telusplanet.net
Playing Time 40:59
Alberta-based guitarist/vocalist Steve Fisher has been as busy as a beaver lately. Only a year and a half after his acoustic quartet, Restless Lester, thrilled us with their debut "Endless Skies" album, Steve's assembled some top-flight American and Canadian musicians for an interesting and memorable solo project. Bandmate Bruce Blair fiddles in his characteristically lyrical style, and more of his presence (such as on Guy Clark/Richard Leigh's "I'm All Through Throwin' Good Love After Bad" and John Hurt's "Stack O'Lee") would have been welcome. Other western Canadians joining Fisher include Jim McLennan (guitar), Cedric Blary (clarinet), Paul Bergman (acoustic bass) and Robin Tufts (percussion). Unpretentious harmony vocals are laid into the mix by Ron Spears, Chris Jones and Sally Jones. Vancouver-based bandleader John Reischman adds precise mandolin playing that is just as tricky as it needs to be without sacrificing tone.
Sally Van Meter, one of John's bandmates from the Good Ol' Persons, taps the slow, bittersweet notes of her resophonic guitar. Because Fisher covers many moods in his repertoire, he's done a splendid job lining up a supporting cast with similarly adventurous tastes. They share his eclectic folk, blues, country, bluegrass and traditional roots sensibilities whether covering material from Mel Tillis, Kate Wolf, W.C. Thompson, Dick Weissman, Fred Carter Jr., Jim McLennan or even recalling a day from yesteryear when southern string bands picked high-stepping tunes like "Florida Blues."
While the set begins with a snappy original fiddle tune opener, Steve's own "Riding the Reservoir," by the end of the enjoyable program it's clarinet, percussion and guitar leisurely propelling "Horizontal" to a new musical plane. Steve Fisher's own musical horizon indicates a broad range of musical knowledge, experience, interest and skill. As a solo project, "River" is a fitting presentation of his unique acoustic flair and personality. Of course, there's a whole other side of Fisher as a well-known bluegrasser who has built a reputation with the Sheep River Rounders, Hot House Bluegrass Band, and Restless Lester. That's a story for other albums to tell. And then there is Fisher's work with various charities including the Eco Village of Hope Society formed by his wife and a number of her friends with the goal of creating an environmentally sustainable orphanage in the village of Nam On, China. Social consiciousness is just one more of this consummate musician's goals and vision. (Joe Ross)
GRASSTOWNE-
The Road Headin' Home
Pinecastle PRC-1158
PO Box 753, Columbus, NC 28722
Info@pinecastle.com
www.pinecastle.com
Playing Time- 45:36
SONGS - 1. Dixie Flyer, 2. Here Comes That Feeling Again, 3. Devil's Road, 4. Home, 5. Grasstowne City Limits, 6. Black Lung Blues, 7. Lizzie Lou, 8. Your Right, I'm Wrong, 9. If I Knew Then, 10. Love You Don't Know, 11. That's Not What Ships Are For
12. Bluest Case of the Blues, 13. Patchin' It Up
Grasstowne is located near Knoxville, Tennessee. While Knoxville has long been known as the "Gateway to the Smokies," Grasstowne has inviting signs at its city limits that proclaim "Welcome to Smokin' Bluegrassville." Although the town is fictitious, this band is no joke with their urbane, refined contemporary bluegrass sound that is imaginative and far-sighted. Building a town takes creative, visionary thinkers like Phil Leadbetter, Steve Gulley, Alan Bibey, Jason Davis and Lee Sawyer. Grasstowne's development plans and grids were laid out in 2006, and the quintet has now broken ground with their debut album, "The Road Headin' Home." Grasstowne's formation has generated much excitement, and the band's futurists take much pride in their chosen path. While doing their own thing, I encourage them to continue discovering fine new material from up-and-coming songwriters, and resisting any temptations to over-commercialize their sound.
Each of the band members bring either years of top-notch experience or youthful talent and exuberance to the table. Leadbetter (resonator guitar), Gulley (guitar) and Bibey (mandolin) are the seasoned vets who have toured and recorded with high quality bluegrass acts Mountain Heart, Wildfire, and BlueRidge. Banjo-player Jason Davis may be a young Virginian, but he's already appeared on albums from Michelle Nixon & Drive, as well as Kenny & Amanda Smith Band. North Carolinian Lee Sawyer performed previously with Larry Stephenson Band, but he has since moved on from Grasstowne due to work and school commitments. While he doesn't appear on "The Road Headin' Home," bassist Jamey Booher joined Grasstowne in April, 2007.
Alan Bibey has a reputation of being an influential, distinctive stylist in the bluegrass idiom. At track five, his self-penned "Grasstowne City Limits" is the best example of the mandolinist's burnished, calibrated approach. He also shares some of the lead vocal duties (with Gulley) by singing "Devil's Road" and "Love You Don't Know." Leadbetter and Gulley have been friends since the mid-1970s when they played in Knoxville-based groups as teens. While nominated in many categories for years, Phil won the IBMA "Dobro Player of the Year" in 2005. Gulley has been nominated multiple times for SPBGMA's Male Vocalist of the Year award. These facts only reinforce why this album brims with singing and playing full of freshness, vigor and clarity. The songs are a sweet set with intensely evocative ones, tearjerkers, and carefree romps. Besides Gulley's four originals and Bibey's instrumental showcase, the band's repertoire draws from solid writers. Distinct airs of blues, country and gospel creep into Grasstowne's blend.
One guest is Chris Brown (percussio
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