Welcome to Issue 24 of MMReview!
You will find here a mix of well-known and new artists with music worth your undivided attention. New albums by the likes of Lucy Kaplansky, Jorma Kaukonen, Cliff Eberhardt, Claire Lynch and Eliza Gilkyson are surely events in places where music matters. It is always a pleasure to present reviews that may cause you to discover your next essential artist. Of this group, I’d like to direct your attention to The Pines…they are something special!
We will once again be tinkering with the format at Music Matters. Reviews will be posted as soon as they are ready, rather than waiting for enough to make an “issue.” This will get the reviews to you much quicker, so be sure to check back frequently to see what’s new!
If these reviews pique your interest in these albums, please click on the artists’ names to visit their web sites. You can find out more about the artists, listen to samples of their music and check their schedules. I hope you will find this to be a valuable way to discover music that will matter to you.
Reviews: (Click titles to jump to reviews)
Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem—Big Old Life
Vince Bell—Recado
Dale T. Brann—Walking Back
Mo Canada—Grassoline
Annie & Rod Capps—In This Town
Cliff Eberhardt—The High Above and the Down Below
Eliza Gilkyson—Your Town Tonight
Eilen Jewell—Letters From Sinners & Strangers
Lucy Kaplansky—Over the Hills
Jorma Kaukonen—Stars In My Crown
Jimmy Lafave—Cimarron Manifesto
John Lisi & Delta Funk—Dead Cat Bounce
Claire Lynch—New Day
TJ McFarland—Rosenbum’s Gin
Karen Mal—The Space Between
Kenneth Nash—Deep Inn It
The Pines—Sparrows in the Bell
A. J. Roach—Revelation
Zach Tate Band—Southern Rain
Ben Taylor—Deeper Than Gravity
Nibs Van Der Spuy—Beautiful Feet
Reviews:
Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem—Big Old Life
2007, Signature Sounds
Rani Arbo seems to always be involved with bands that evolve from album to album. Salamander Crossing became more diverse and interesting with each album, and Daisy Mayhem has progressed through influences from swing to Cajun. Although Arbo commands your attention with her strong clear voice and swinging style, the contributions of Andrew Kinsey on vocals bass and banjo (a constant since the founding of Salamander Crossing), her husband Scott Kessel on his unique hodge-podge drumship enterprise, and Anand Nayak on vocals, guitar and mandolin help define the sound. There is no major new direction in this album, yet there is a difference palpable from the first track, “Joy Comes Back,” a most interesting blend of modern gospel and Cajun. Those who have seen Daisy Mayhem live know that it is as much a band of friends as a band of musicians. Kessel and Arbo have been on an emotional rollercoaster of late, no sooner having their first child than finding out that Arbo would have to battle breast cancer. Although they have always had fun making music, their joy of singing and playing together sounds all the sweeter this time around. “Big Old Life” penned by Arbo explicitly states the life affirming theme of the album that continues through originals and covers in a wide variety of acoustic styles. The gospel harmonies show up again on “Oil In My Vessel” (as performed by Joe Thompson) a catchy rendition that morphs into “Amazing Grace.” This album is an essential listen for anyone who has weathered some storms. —Michael Devlin
Vince Bell—Recado
2007, SteadyBoy Records
Yeah, you’ve heard of him. Lyle Lovett covered him—so did Nanci Griffith and other folks. He’s been a Texas singer-songwriter since the ‘70s, crossing paths with Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clarke and Lucinda Williams. A serious car wreck in 1982 put him on a decade long path to recovery. This is only his fourth album, but it carries the force of a lifetime in a music scene that honors poetry and quality acoustic arrangements of well-crafted songs. Vocally Bell would not have to stretch much to sound like Dave Van Ronk, yet there is a smoothness in his singing style. The songs are thoughtfully spiritual and wise as they entertain with catchy melodies and easy-going rhythms. Brilliant and memorable lyrics are always just around the next line. “I stared into the face of God, and he blinked” and “I’ll live with what I can’t change ‘til I change what I can’t live with,” are but two of many great phrases that linger after you listen. Spin this CD a few times and you’ll see why Nanci Griffith refered to him as “the best of us” on the Texas scene. Spin it a few more times and this album will be on the top shelf of your essential music! —Michael Devlin
Dale T. Brann—Walking Back
2006, Obro Records
Dale T. Brann plays all of the instruments on this album, guitars, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and banjo—and he plays them well. The songs are traditionally influenced originals and each one is strongly melodic and musically more interesting than you might expect from a one-man band. The songs are often somewhat didactic but pleasantly contemplative and true. The whole album has the feel of a simpler life, when songs sprung from the quiet times walking between fields. —Michael Devlin
Mo Canada—Grassoline
2006, FGM Records
It seems as though an FGM disc is a guarantee that you are going to hear some superb music. Mo Canada is a wonderful young guitarist. Yes, he’s a dazzling picker surrounded by outstanding musicians such as Tony Rice, Randy Kohrs, Rickie Simpkins, Scott Vestal and others, but this is not just a flash-fest. The tunes are rhythmic and melodic, effortlessly shifting from player to player as your feet keep tapping. All but two of the songs are written by Canada. This is totally engaging acoustic instrumental bluegrass-influenced music for the 21st Century. —Michael Devlin
Annie & Rod Capps—In This Town
2007, Maynard Music
Here’s a duo who perform simple, well-written and played songs. Annie has a grown-up girl next-door voice as she sings with a slightly flat Midwestern accent. Rod plays various guitars and banjos. They are not trying to dazzle with flashy playing or show stopping vocals, but the songs are truly told with a beautiful eye for detail. Annie’s voice is disarming as she effortlessly captures your attention with her narrative stories. The music eases through various styles, every bit of it well played in straightforward arrangements that could easily be taken on the road. If this album is any indication, one could imagine being at one of their concerts begging them to play just one more song far into the night. —Michael Devlin
Cliff Eberhardt—The High Above and the Down Below
2007, Red House Records
Cliff Eberhardt has long been creating songs that are lyrically sophisticated, melodic and brilliantly played and sung. While his contemporaries have gone on to what passes for fame in this genre, Eberhardt has enjoyed the somewhat unheralded distinction of being a respected songwriter’s songwriter. His material often addresses unrequited parts of life, but the songs on this album often have the peaceful quality of accepting things that must be let go. The album is a mostly one-take recording with a jazz combo of bass, drums and keyboard backing Eberhardt, whose raspy tenor has never sounded better. Although his guitar playing takes a back seat in many of these arrangements, he really airs it out in the righteously peeved “Next Best Thing,” a song about the celebrity conferred upon the utterly talentless. Playing with a combo has brought out the “Great American Songbook” aspect of his music, with many of the tunes sounding like instant standards. The many ballads cry out for covers, but it is hard to imagine someone singing them better. Hopefully, this album will help Eberhardt be discovered as a listener’s singer and not relegated to the obscurity of a “singer’s singer!” —Michael Devlin
Eliza Gilkyson—Your Town Tonight
2007, Red House Records
Eliza Gilkyson has been making music since the late sixties and releasing albums regularly for the last ten years. Since her first album with Red House Records in 2000, she has been gaining deserved national recognition, appearing on compilations and earning a Grammy nomination. As the daughter of songwriter Terry Gilkyson, she has been around music for her whole life. Your Town Tonight is a live testament to this life of and in music. Her vocals have the rasp of lots of smoky clubs and the wisdom and defiance of a survivor. Gilkyson’s often narrative songs have strong melodies and are flavored with catchy acoustic guitar hooks. The band includes her son, Cisco Ryder, and other long-time collaborators and the performances are so well recorded that one often forgets that this is a live album. This is an essential milepost on a journey that just keeps getting better! —Michael Devlin
Eilen Jewell—Letters From Sinners & Strangers
2007, Signature Sounds Recordings
A sultry voice, a sleepy Midwestern drawl, a sound of her own. Even so, comparisons come to mind, Lucinda, Gillian, Margo Timmins? Eilen (Ee-lin) Jewell drapes her vocals around the melodies, capturing your attention with a dusky soprano that is comfortable dropping to the lower registers to make her point. Her band, consisting of drums, guitar, upright bass and fiddle, sounds gig tested and ready for the road. In particular, Jerry Miller is the alter-ego to Eilen’s syncopated singing with lead guitar work that makes you believe that he’s got a stack of Redd Volkart discs spinning in his head. The songs are often in that country vein that deals with what drives one to drink and the company you keep when you leave the bar. Eilen’s marching, chanting “How Long,” inspired by a Martin Luther King speech, stands out, while some of her other songs could have been proudly sung by the likes of Billie Holiday or Patsy Cline. It won’t be long before a lot more people know how to pronounce her name! —Michael Devlin
Lucy Kaplansky—Over the Hills
2007, Red House Records
Lucy Kaplansky is no stranger to her fans. Although she typically includes a few extraordinary covers on her albums, she and her co-writer, husband Rick Litvin, have written several songs that explore significant events in her life. There have been songs identified with her mother, songs about being a post 9/11 New Yorker, and her last album, The Red Thread, made specific reference to the adoption of their daughter, Molly.
Over the Hills finds our friend centered musically and emotionally, immersed in motherhood and making peace with the loss of her father as well as Red House Records founder, Bob Feldman. Parenthood brings a wealth of complex changes to your life, yet “Manhattan Moon” expresses volumes in a few carefully chosen details. “I used to travel in a straight line/ Now I’m walking on a road that winds/ You take my hand we take our time/ Oh, we take our time.” Even though “Today’s The Day” is a farewell to her father, you can sense the deeper perspective of her own parenthood as she sings, “Tomorrow I’ll sing the lullaby/ You used to sing to me.”
Kaplansky takes a chance recording “Ring of Fire,” a song whose definitive version is sung by Johnny Cash. The resulting track is easily the catchiest tune on the album. She covers Louden Wainwright’s “Swimming Song,” a song she has sung for her daughter’s entertainment. Julie Miller’s “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” is outstanding, featuring Buddy Miller on the background vocals. The generational long-view continues in the final track, “The Gift,” as she gives thanks for her singing voice and the songs that were passed down to her by her father from her grandfather.
Kaplansky has once again passed on her gifts to grateful strangers, sharing with impeccable musicianship, her attentive journey deeper into her changing life. Essential! —Michael Devlin
Jorma Kaukonen—Stars In My Crown
2007, Red House Records
The restless energy that you may remember from Kaukonen’s work with the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna has given way to a reflective ease as he turns his attention to retrospective and spiritual themes. It is somewhat surprising to hear him backed by a lush string section on the first track “Heart Temporary,” but his intricate guitar playing is at home in this setting. The jaunty ragtime of the second track “Fur Peace Rag” alerts us to the fact that there will be lots of variety on this album. “By the Rivers of Babylon’s” reggae beat continues the eclectic approach. No matter the style, Kaukonen is surrounded by the finest musicians, including Barry Mitterhoff, Byron House, Sally Van Meter, Tim Stafford, Rob Ickes and others. The album is recorded with care to bring out the unique sounds of instruments (each identified in the liner-notes by make and year). A satisfying musical revival. —Michael Devlin
Jimmy Lafave—Cimarron Manifesto
2007, Red House Records
Lafave’s plaintive raspy tenor is the perfect instrument for a Texas singer-songwriter influenced by the “red dirt music” of Woody Guthrie’s Oklahoma. On this, his second album on Red House Records, he has invited a stellar crew of studio musicians to set the various moods of the songs. He rocks out on “That’s the Way It Goes” and is thoughtfully political in “This Land.” His choice of covers, especially Donovan’s “Catch the Wind” and Joe South’s “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” invoke a time when music had a more prominent place in people’s lives. Harmony vocals by Carrie Rodriguez, Ruthie Foster and Kacy Crowley sound just right pitched against Lafave’s distinctive voice. —Michael Devlin
John Lisi & Delta Funk—Dead Cat Bounce
2007, 219 Records
John Lisi is a genuine guitar hero, playing funky rock and roll. It’s been a while since somebody had the nerve to stand front and center and wail on his ax for a whole album without running out of steam, but Lisi has the audacity to pull it off. He’s backed by Jimbo Mathus on bass and Cody Dickinson on drums—guys who can tear it up when they’re called on, and stay out of the way when they’re not. The songs were recorded in a couple of takes in the studio and crackle with energy. The lyrics with a few exceptions are far from memorable, but who cares—these guys are kickin’. —Michael Devlin
Claire Lynch—New Day
2006, Rounder
Claire Lynch’s career as a touring musician has been on hold since 2000 but she is back with a new CD and a new band featuring Jim Hurst on guitar, Missy Raines on bass and David Harvey on mandolin and fiddle. Guests include Alison Brown, Robert Ickes, Stuart Duncan and other fine musicians. Even with these stellar bluegrass players on hand, Claire Lynch is clearly the main attraction. She sings with artistry and feeling equal to the best ever to sing country and bluegrass music in the twangy voice of an angel. By rights “Claire” should suffice to identify her as do the first names of Emmylou and Dolly. Although most of the songs are penned by others, there is a spiritual theme of redemption that gives the album an uplifting narrative quality. Each song occupies a different mood and style in the acoustic spectrum, taking advantage of the exquisite talent of the players supporting the glorious vocals. You get the urge to sing along and learn many of these songs. Cowritten with Pat Alger, “Long After I’m Gone” is as moving a song as one could sing to one’s children. Great vocals, wonderful songs, great arrangements…it’s a perfect album! Essential! —Michael Devlin
TJ McFarland—Rosenbum’s Gin
2005, Explosive Records
TJ McFarland may be a decade or two too young to make it big in the music business. He plays the kind of acoustic guitar based country-rock that bands like the Eagles and CSNY made you believe would be on the charts forever. Like everyone else from that era, McFarland’s music tips its hat to Bob Dylan even while exploring a wider range of acoustic sounds. McFarland has a first-rate band with him on this debut independent release including legendary session guitarist Waddy Wachtel. —Michael Devlin
Karen Mal—The Space Between
2007, Waterbug
Karen Mal has a storyteller’s voice, sifting words like she is talking to you over coffee, effortlessly rising from dusky phrases to bell-pure highs. Mal’s songs tell their tale with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of sweetness, humor and craft. She particularly shines on the playfully seductive Rachel Reis song “For You Only” and her own sultry “Beneath My Quilt” cowritten with Steve Key. This New Englander is now based in Austin, but the arrangements are laid back and elegant with gentle touches of fiddle, accordion and her own mandolin and guitar. The bottom line is that you believe every word and note and you could listen to her sing all night long. —Michael Devlin
Kenneth Nash—Deep Inn It
2004, Taymusic.net
Jazz fusion in its heyday was an exciting blend of jazz and rock with loud electric instruments. Then commercial radio fell in love with smooth jazz, a blend (or should I say, “bland”) with laid back pop. Deep Inn It is a rare thing, a smooth set of jazz fusion that is a fresh and exiting listen. Nash, a veteran percussionist who has played with some of the most prominent jazz musicians, creates a gorgeous, deeply rhythmic sound that borrows from various American, African, Latin and funk styles. The second track, “Amazin’,” lives up to its title, taking its melody from “Amazing Grace,” its rhythms and vocalizations from Africa, and lead trumpet from a guy who sounds an awful lot like Miles! This brilliant album has become scarce since 2004, but it is well worth seeking out. Essential! —Michael Devlin
Naked Blue—Five By Five
2004, Naked Blue Music
Ever wonder what Alanis Morissette would sound like if she was not always upset? Have a listen to the singer-songwriter duo Jen Smith and Scott Smith who tour together (and sometimes with a few other band members as Naked Blue. It’s brightly arranged with Jen providing charismatic vocals that range from pop almost to country. Naked Blue is a rather risqué name for a duo who sound like the couple next door. —Michael Devlin
The Pines—Sparrows in the Bell
2007, Red House Records
What an interesting duo, a mix of traditional-folk and indie-rock. The young lead singer’s vocals have a whispery modern coolness, yet the lyrics have references to “a bird that whistles” and frequent old-fashioned turns of phrase. The sound is beautiful and mysterious at times, yet edgy when the songs call for it. The playing, singing and songwriting is extraordinarily confident for musicians who look and sound so young. Perhaps Benson Ramsey’s lifetime of exposure to Bo Ramsey and Greg Brown’s music accounts for the way The Pines are comfortable establishing their own unique sound. The talents of David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey blend seamlessly under the sure hand of Bo Ramsey’s production. This album is the state-of-the-art for whatever style this is that they are inventing. An essential discovery! —Michael Devlin
A. J. Roach—Revelation
2007, Waterbug
Although the album starts with muted electric rocker with processed vocals, A.J. Roach dials it back a bit for the rest of this fine offering. Roach’s vocal range may be at home in the light tenor range of Seventies pop-rockers but he packs a lot of twangful soul into everything he sings. His lyrics are dark with disappointment and spilled whiskey, but the mostly acoustic arrangements (with occasional Hammond B3) have a forthright energy that propels the songs along to a strong backbeat. The strong songwriting has a gritty spiritualism that manifests itself most clearly in the rousing title track that effectively closes that album. —Michael Devlin
Zach Tate Band—Southern Rain
2007, FOZTARK Records
From the Houston area of Texas, the Zach Tate Band plays good old-fashioned Southern rock. The sound is laid-back electric and the songs cover themes you might expect from this genre. Tate’s voice is perfect for the material and the band sounds like they would be comfortable in any roadhouse. —Michael Devlin
Ben Taylor—Deeper Than Gravity
2006, Iris Records
The first time I played this EP I thought that he sounded familiar, the voice, phrasing and finger picking…sounded like James Taylor. The good reason for that is that Ben is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon. You may ask, why not just listen to JT, and the answer is that the advantages of such a lineage are not wasted. Ben Taylor’s singing is natural and self-assured whether he is singing a pop ballad or his sultry “Lady Magic.” He has his own unique sound that is hip and irresistible. It’s a wonder that Ben didn’t start out on a major label considering his notoriety…it must be the fact that he is actually talented! —Michael Devlin
Nibs Van Der Spuy—Beautiful Feet
2007, 2 Feet
Nibs Van Der Spuy (pronounced “van der spwee”) is a popular musician in his native South Africa, acclaimed for his work with instrumental groups and duos and as a solo artist. The styles of music on Beautiful Feet tour the world, from the gentle reggae of the title track, to an instrumental number with tablas and sitar. Nibs’ vocals are soft and lilting as he sings songs that are frequently of a spiritual nature. His guitar work is profoundly rhythmic as he accompanies himself with elegant melodic figures. An additional disc in the package includes an interview and music video. The album title actually says a great deal about the enjoyment it gives. This is a lovely work that keeps your toes jumping to unusual beats, and yet as subtly exotic as the notion of considering the beautiful feet of a holy man. A unique pleasure! —Michael Devlin