Welcome to Issue 25 of MMReview!
Once again there is some fine music to call to your attention. Under-celebrated excellence may be the strongest theme in this group. Many of these artists have dedicated regional fans, but are relatively unknown outside of their areas. Music Matters is pleased to be able to help spread the word and get some more great music into your life!
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)
Lou & Peter Berryman—The Universe: 14 Examples
Chuck Brodsky—Two Sets
Tracy Grammer—Book of Sparrows
Joe Ely & Joel Guzman—Live Cactus!
Anne Feeney—Dump the Bosses Off Your Back
Walter Hyatt—Some Unfinished Business—Volume One
Carol Noonan—As Tears Go By
PossumHaw—Madtom
Danny Schmidt—Little Grey Sheep
Martin Simpson—Prodigal Son
Various—Our Side of Town: A Red House Records 25th Year Collection
Slipcrackers: (Quick reviews of albums that almost slipped through the cracks, but are way to good to let pass without comment.)
Martin Simpson—Righteousness & Humidity
Reviews:
Lou & Peter Berryman—The Universe: 14 Examples
2007, Cornbelt Records
Pete and Lou are famous (at least to anyone who has heard their music) for their wryly humorous lyrics and vocal hijinx. As usual, on this album they both sing as Pete plays guitar and Lou plays accordion. In fact, after seventeen albums of more or less the same schtick, it is always a pleasure to note that, yes, they’ve done it again. There are at least a few songs that must be considered classics including “Chantey From the British Isles,” in which Pete and Lou satire the genre’s intermittent intelligibility with gleeful dexterity. I don’t know how they sing even a line of this without crumbling into helpless laughter. The Berrymans frequently lampoon holiday foibles and “Thank You” will make you smile the next time you get a utilitarian or unwanted gift. (“Heaven help the fools who get the jewels/ not the cleaning tools that they need.”) The Universe: 14 Examples will make you smile, smirk, giggle, laugh and guffaw at, if not the entire big-bangness of reality, then at least the parts that tickle beings this side of the mid-life divide. Imagine if all of the artists from the ‘70s were still going this strong… or silly… or whatever they were good at! —Michael Devlin
Chuck Brodsky—Two Sets
2008, Waterbug
When Chuck Brodsky started making his mark, music fans and media had long-since stopped looking for the “next Bob Dylan.” That’s probably a good thing, because today’s pop culture would not know its troubadour if Woody came back from the dead. Brodsky is more a child of the “next Bob Dylan’s.” He’s the next, John Prine for his irony, Harry Chapin for the story songs and portraits, Tom Paxton for his accessible wit, Loudon Wainwright for the sharpness of his commentary and Steve Goodman for his love of baseball and the charm in his distinctive voice. He’s been around long enough to have a loyal following and a repertoire that goes back 1981. Two Sets refers to just that, one on each CD in this live collection. Each song is special in its own way, whether touching, funny or thoughtful. For every “Blow ‘em Away,” a first person account of a road raging warrior with a gun, there is a song like “The Man Who Blew Kisses” about a mentally challenged fan. His songwriting inspiration comes such various places as the evening news, his own family heritage and the stories gathered on the road. Brodsky’s political commentary is as sharp and on-target as the songs that awoke a generation forty years ago. Here are two sets of music you don’t want to miss, from an artist with enough memorable material to leave his fans wanting more! —Michael Devlin
Joe Ely & Joel Guzman—Live Cactus!
2008, Rack ‘Em Records
This is Joe Ely singing his songs and playing guitar with Joel Guzman backing him on accordion and vocals live at the Cactus Café in Austin, Texas. The whole thing is perfect, which should come as no surprise. Since playing with The Flatlanders in 1970, Joe Ely has been a legend among legends, playing his music in the company of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Lyle Lovett, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Earl Keen, Butch Hancock, Townes Van Zandt, The Clash, The Rolling Stones and many others. (He’s also been an artist, actor, novelist, playwright, circus worker—check out the FAQs on his homepage. There are enough stories for several lifetimes!) If you had to say he was from somewhere musically it would be somewhere between Buddy Holly’s Lubbock and Austin. His songs are cinematic with vivid melodies sung in a dusty voice to rock & roll acoustic guitar. Joe Ely is a powerful musical presence, but Joel Guzman’s accordion is a lot more than a second fiddle in these shows. Guzman is a virtuoso player, at times sounding like a whole orchestra that sold its soul to the devil at a Mexican crossroad. The arrangements give plenty of room for extended solos that are nothing short of astonishing. Put Joe and Joel in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd, get the sound right, and you have a live recording for the ages! Essential! —Michael Devlin
Anne Feeney—Dump the Bosses Off Your Back
2008
The top of her web page says, “Unionmaid, hellraiser and labor singer.” She’s shouting into a bullhorn on the awkwardly Photoshopped cover of this slogan-titled album. I have to admit, my expectations were pretty low. Sure enough, some of the material comes stridently from the headlines, and some even comes from what should be in the headlines. And yes, you can say that these protest songs are designed to be didactic, but here is the good news—Anne Feeney is also a musician! Not willing to rest on the rightness (or should I say “leftness”) of her lyrics, Feeney adds artistry to her fervor. She has a powerful voice that would probably carry just fine in a crowd without a bullhorn, but she really knows how to sing. The arrangements are fun and various and the songs are often laugh-out-loud funny. Close your eyes, put it in the player and enjoy. —Michael Devlin
Tracy Grammer—Book of Sparrows
2007, Tracy Grammer Music
It is hard to be objective when reviewing Tracy Grammer’s music because of the importance of the music she made with her late partner, Dave Carter. Yet with this EP one gets more of a sense of Grammer’s post-duo sound compared to her previous solo and duo work with Jim Henry. While the material still deals with loss, as in “Paul Simon’s April Come She Will,” Tracy seems to have moved from April to November in her cycle of grief and acceptance. Her voice is tranquil, and she trusts it to get the most out of the songs she has chosen. As usual, Henry plays various guitars and sings, while Tracy plays violin, mandola and banjo. It is worth listing the fine songs she covers—Tom Russell’s “Blue Wing,” Kate Power’s poignant “Travis John,” David Francey’s “The Waking Hour,” Jackson Brown’s “In the Shape of a Heart,” and Dave Carter’s “Lord of the Buffalo” and a slower more reflective version of “Gypsy Rose.” Each song has a lingering beauty that makes this a book of unique creations that all fly in a similar direction. Well-done in every way! —Michael Devlin
Walter Hyatt—Some Unfinished Business—Volume One
2008, King Tears Music LLC
Walter Hyatt must be one of those well-known artists that I never heard of. At least that's what I thought when I first listened, instant classic tunes, classy arrangements and confident vocals. The styles range from R&B to jazz to country to soft rock. Actually, Hyatt is well-know and loved by a relatively select group of musicians and fans, but never broke through to the mass market. Twelve years after his death in a plane crash, his wife, Heidi, has gathered the demo tapes he made for a planned album on Sugar Hill and enlisted the help of many quality musicians (Byron House, Jerry Douglas, Carrie Rodriguez, The Jordanaires and many others) to finish the tracks. Even in 1996, Hyatt was an artist without a commercial radio format. Shame on corporate radio for not having a place for this wonderfully accessible music. Put this CD on and people perk up their ears and say, “Who is this!” The tunes have staying power, as you'll find yourself tapping your feet and humming the melodies at odd moments. The last track “I'll Come Knocking,” hauntingly beautiful in its own right, takes on added meaning as the last track on a posthumous album. Lucky us, there were almost forty demos waiting to be finished, so we can be assured of a couple more volumes in addition to the reverse order discovery of his other albums and work with Uncle Walt's Band. An essential “new” favorite singer-songwriter. —Michael Devlin
Carol Noonan—As Tears Go By
2008
I have to start this review by mentioning one of the songs. I’ve always kind-of liked “Walk Away Renee” but I feel like this is the first time I’ve really heard it. Now I know that it is supposed to be sung slowly in a big old barn with the voice of an angel, and that angel is Carol Noonan and the barn is the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Maine. This album is a collection of songs from the Sixties, not the protest or flower-power songs (except for a lovely rendition of “Turn, Turn, Turn), but songs that played on the stations your parents may have listened to. Listening to the songs on this album one realizes how much pop music has changed. Absolutely everyone who was near a radio in the Sixties will instantly recognize these tunes. There really is nothing on pop radio now that compares with “To Sir With Love,” “As Tears Go By,” or “A Summer Place” in terms of melody and staying power in one’s consciousness. Noonan, along with Duke Levine and Kevin Barry do acoustic versions of songs by Burt Bacharach and others that were much more heavily orchestrated, yet they manage to interpret them with unique colors of their own. This album is a treasure! —Michael Devlin
PossumHaw—Madtom
2007
Think Salamander Crossing and you have a good idea of what PossumHaw sounds like. They are a bluegrass band from Vermont, coming to the music through a love of the melodies, harmonies and acoustic playing of the Southern Appalachians, rather than through their mother’s milk. The band focuses on Colby Crehan’s vocals, and the banjo playing and harmony vocals of her husband, Ryan Crehan. The band cooks along without bass or drums, filling out the acoustic mix with guitar and mandolin. Colby’s voice is front-porch real and otherworldly sweet, singing her mountain styled songs without a twang. The voices of the men in the band blend well with each other and Colby, giving PossumHaw depth and variety to the sonic palette. Sweet New England bluegrass! —Michael Devlin
Danny Schmidt—Little Grey Sheep
2008, Waterbug
His publicity materials refer to a “cult-like following” and call him a writer’s writer. Further, there is reference to critical acclaim “from industry professionals.” That’s folk-music industry, folks, so we’re talking about volunteer DJ’s, struggling magazines, hardworking independent labels and fellow troubadours who would be millionaires if they were paid by the mile. We’re also talking about the highest (and well deserved) praise a musician could garner. So here I am playing Danny Schmidt’s fifth album, hearing about him for the first time and getting blown away. His voice will remind you a bit of Neil Young, but pitched lower. The songwriting is on the very highest level, comparable to your favorites, be they Townes Van Zandt, Dave Carter or any of Schmidt’s comrade Austin singer-songwriters. He’s guitar-work dances lightly around the beat and melody in support of his expressively vocals. The songs peek into the soul, at times with humor, or simmering emotion or an air of late-night meditation. He seems to always to be dealing in the quarter tones of feeling, getting at the complexity with what seems like effortless simplicity. The songs are each crafted and arranged to quietly grab your attention, then stick around in your head all day. An essential album for all of you industrial-strength folk-cult types out there! —Michael Devlin
Martin Simpson—Prodigal Son
2007, Topic/Compass
Serious guitar and banjo players will be delighted that Martin Simpson has included notes about the guitar tuning for each song. But if you are not a musician, Simpson’s chops may not be the first thing that you notice listening to this album. The traditional and original songs are melodic and sung with grace and feeling, subtly supported by almost impossibly gorgeous playing. Even on the instrumental tunes, one notices the beauty of the tune and simple arrangement, before marveling at the talent of the player. There are traditional tunes here from the Appalachians and the British Isles, a Leadbelly song and a cover of Randy Newman's “Louisiana 1927.” His own songs include heartfelt instrumentals reflecting the passing of his mother and his love for his wife and newborn girl. When his songs have lyrics, they have a timeless quality that goes well with his strong sense of melody. A song for his father, “Never Any Good” with harmony vocals by Kate Rusby is as moving as any you will ever hear. The pleasures of this recording will reveal themselves to you over the many times you will want to play it. Essential! —Michael Devlin
Various—Our Side of Town: A Red House Records 25th Year Collection
2008, Red House Records
As a reviewer, when I see Red House Records on the envelope of a CD sent for review, I know that more likely than not I will soon be listening to music that will demand my attention and appreciation. The Red House “sound” is not a genre or style, but a level of musicianship, crafted lyric and integrity that is ususally ignored by the major record labels. Late president and founder, Bob Feldman, firmly established Red House with artists such as Greg Brown, Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, Bill Staines and many others. As best expressed in a tribute on the web site, “For nearly 25 years, Red House has been a major force in the national folk music scene. What began as a hobby for Bob became an American roots music institution. He will be missed, but his vision lives on.” This album is all about living on—the songs represent the recent work of the artists. Although there are many different styles of music, the songs flow well from track to track. Considering the artists, Red House could have made this a multi-disc set and still had more material. In addition to the above mentioned artists, there are tracks from The Wailin’ Jennys, Jimmy LaFave, Meg Hutchinson, Lynn Miles, Storyhill, The Pines, Jorma Kaukonen, Guy Davis, Peter Ostroushko and Robin and Linda Williams. Looking back at this list...I guess I've said all I have to say! —Michael Devlin
Slipcrackers:
Martin Simpson—Righteousness & Humidity
2003, Red House Records
A scintillating guitarist! This is mostly a “trad. Arr. Simpson” record of American folk, which means a mix of English melodies, blues, gospel and rural music. Sound varies from straight (but dazzling) acoustic guitar with soulfully evocative vocals to minmalist rockers. Simpson plays banjo on a high level on a few tracks, making for some interesting comparisons with his guitar work. There is lots of great music all the way through—track 15 is one of the best “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” renditions I’ve heard. —Michael Devlin