Doug Yeomans & Ben Doerfel - Generation Gap
2009, Roots Music Records
Doug Yeomans is a Western, New York singer/songwriter and guitarist who can play almost anything with six strings on it. A renowned guitarist in Jazz, Rock, Blues and Bluegrass, Yeomans has one international guitar competition win under his belt and nearly 40 years of performance experience. Ben Doerfel is still in his middle teens and already picks a six string better than a host of people who have been doing it all their lives. The two team up on the wonderful collection entitled Generation Gap.
Generation Gap opens with Gold Rush, a classic fiddle tune that's done here with great texture and nuance. Yeomans and Doerfel trade runs with aplomb in a gentle game of one-upmanship where the only winner is the listener. Big Sciota is of a slightly gentler nature. This tune has been recorded by everyone from Jerry Douglas to Old Crow Medicine Show and is an old Bluegrass favorite. Yeomans and Doerfel show off a bit here, pulling off some fast and fancy fretwork in what might be the best technical recording on the disc. Up next is Wildwood Flower, a song written in 1860 by Joseph Philbrick Webster and made famous by The Carter Family. The tune itself was also used by Woody Guthrie for the verses of The Sinking Of The Reuben James. Yeomans And Doerfel treat Wildwood Flower with much deference, offering a soft and meandering reading that is a pleasure to listen to.
Shady Grove is another American Folk Song with roots in both Celtic and Bluegrass traditions. It's been recorded by a score of notable artists including Jerry Garcia and Dave Grisman, Bill Monroe, Patty Loveless and Crooked Still. Doug Yeomans provides the vocal line very capable, but the picking is where the real action is at. Yeomans and Doerfel push each other to new heights in a bit of inspired play. Yeomans breaks out the banjo on Salt Creek, while Doerfel handles guitar duties. The interplay of the two instruments here is magical. Yeomans also kicks in through the wonders of technology with a second guitar part. Louise finds the duo taking a break from serious picking for a sweet and mellow country song. Yeomans is in wonderful voice.
After that brief interlude, Yeomans and Doerfel are right back at it on Clinch Mountain Backstep, a case of musical finger calisthenics with a serious Bluegrass feel. The guitar work here is so good it will make you weep. Bill Cheatham is another Bluegrass standard that's been recorded by folks such as Doc Watson, Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins. Yeomans and Doerfel both earn their CGPs on this gem. St. Anne's Reel explores the Celtic roots of bluegrass with a gentle touch that makes for a highly pleasant listen. Cherokee Shuffle is a traditional tune popularized by Fairport Convention. This is a technically difficult song to play and the duo make it sound easy. Generation Gap concludes with an instrumental take on Amazing Grace that grows from a meandering, pensive opening to a bluesy run to a verse played in the ethereal harmonic tones of the string-tops before ending on a vaguely jazzy reading.
Doug Yeomans and Ben Doerfel pull of an amazing performance on Generation Gap, made all the more impressive by the fact that Doerfel was only fourteen at the time it was recorded. The market for this sort of guitar instrumental album is somewhat limited, but if you are a guitar player, or particularly if you're learning, this is an album you must own. Fiddle tunes are often forgotten by players once they've used them in lessons to master fretwork and fast-picking techniques, but Yeomans and Doerfel remind us of what a pleasure they can be to hear when done right.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Doug Yeomans at www.dougyeomans.com. You can learn more about Ben Doerfel at www.myspace.com/bdoerfel. I could locate no online outlet for Generation Gap, although if you contact Doug Yeomans through his website I’m sure he’ll be happy to sell you one.
Showing posts with label Patty Loveless. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patty Loveless. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Review: Porter Block - The Gowanus Yacht Club
Porter Block - The Gowanus Yacht Club
2009, Engine Room Recordings
Porter Block set out write and record an album reflective of his surroundings. Living in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, Block was inspired to reach out to other New York City songwriters and invite them to write and record with him. The resulting album, The Gowanus Yacht Club, features a cross section of some of the best Indie talent New York City has to offer. Guests include Telepopmusik's Angela McCluskey, Casey Shea (The Undisputed Heavyweights), Terry Radigan Wes Hutchinson and Nate Campany, among others.
The Gowanus Yacht Club opens with Second Wind, a layered and highly melodic bit of Americana that is a pleasurable start to the disc. Block reminds me a bit of Alan Parsons on Times Between The Good Times, more in writing style than anything else. The vocal harmonies in the chorus are the perfect foil to the guitar-heavy arrangement. List Of Things To Do is a fun Pop-Americana tune about the art of procrastination. Vaguely tongue-in-cheek; the tune is a treat that will make you want to get up and dance. Sun Goes Down is a pleasant listen that's a bit sad in content; melancholy if you will. All Of Who I Am sounds like it should be a love song; but is more of a declaration of the person as performer. The song is very well written and quite lovely; starkly emotional and honest without going over the top in expressive display.
What The Future Holds is an upbeat and vibrant rock tune about youthful expectations and the reality that follows in time. It's a delightful listen that you'll feel compelled to dance along to. Happy Everything is a tongue-in-cheek treatise on the juxtaposition of decline and optimism that seems very apropos for the current age. Well Gone Dry is very catchy and has real potential for licensing. Cream Delicious closes out The Gowanus Yacht Club in a kitschy love song accented with great vocal harmonies.
Porter Block uses the power of collaboration for good on The Gowanus Yacht Club, perhaps the most accomplished and enjoyable concept album of the year thus far. Even where Block and his collaborates stray from the beaten path they seem to arrive at moments of magic that are worthy of recognition. I highly recommend The Gowanus Yacht Club; make sure you check it out.
2009, Engine Room Recordings
Porter Block set out write and record an album reflective of his surroundings. Living in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, Block was inspired to reach out to other New York City songwriters and invite them to write and record with him. The resulting album, The Gowanus Yacht Club, features a cross section of some of the best Indie talent New York City has to offer. Guests include Telepopmusik's Angela McCluskey, Casey Shea (The Undisputed Heavyweights), Terry Radigan Wes Hutchinson and Nate Campany, among others.
The Gowanus Yacht Club opens with Second Wind, a layered and highly melodic bit of Americana that is a pleasurable start to the disc. Block reminds me a bit of Alan Parsons on Times Between The Good Times, more in writing style than anything else. The vocal harmonies in the chorus are the perfect foil to the guitar-heavy arrangement. List Of Things To Do is a fun Pop-Americana tune about the art of procrastination. Vaguely tongue-in-cheek; the tune is a treat that will make you want to get up and dance. Sun Goes Down is a pleasant listen that's a bit sad in content; melancholy if you will. All Of Who I Am sounds like it should be a love song; but is more of a declaration of the person as performer. The song is very well written and quite lovely; starkly emotional and honest without going over the top in expressive display.
What The Future Holds is an upbeat and vibrant rock tune about youthful expectations and the reality that follows in time. It's a delightful listen that you'll feel compelled to dance along to. Happy Everything is a tongue-in-cheek treatise on the juxtaposition of decline and optimism that seems very apropos for the current age. Well Gone Dry is very catchy and has real potential for licensing. Cream Delicious closes out The Gowanus Yacht Club in a kitschy love song accented with great vocal harmonies.
Porter Block uses the power of collaboration for good on The Gowanus Yacht Club, perhaps the most accomplished and enjoyable concept album of the year thus far. Even where Block and his collaborates stray from the beaten path they seem to arrive at moments of magic that are worthy of recognition. I highly recommend The Gowanus Yacht Club; make sure you check it out.
Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Porter Block at www.myspace.com/porterblockmusic or http://www.porterblockmusic.com/. You can purchase The Gowanus Yacht Club as a CD or download through Amazon.com.
You can learn more about Porter Block at www.myspace.com/porterblockmusic or http://www.porterblockmusic.com/. You can purchase The Gowanus Yacht Club as a CD or download through Amazon.com.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Review: Davie Gayle - Amber In The Clay
Davie Gayle - Amber In The Clay
2009, Claydirt Music/Remba Records
Los Angeles-based Davie Gayle grew up on country music in New Jersey, where her father was a guitarist in a country band. Her entire family was musical, and Gayle eventually formed a duo with her brother (The Gayles). After moving to LA, Michael began his own label and went into production while Davie threw herself into songwriting and performing. Davie Gayle’s debut solo album, Amber In The Clay, is a distinct and poignant collection of songs drawn from her own life experiences. Comparisons to Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and Lucinda Williams are understandable, but Gayle’s point of view as a songwriter is practically unique.
Amber In The Clay opens with the title track, a story song paralleling a scientist who finds the building blocks of life stored in the earth and a person of significance who helps a broken or lost person rebuild their life. The song has a classic country tragic sound while moving toward a positive message. Get Me is a great roadhouse country tune that sounds like it should be a hit on the country charts. If Shania or someone of that ilk recorded this song you'd hear it everywhere, and Gayle is a much better vocalist. 3:09 finds Gayle giving a classic country performance in a voice that mixes her sweet tone and just the right dose of bittersweet sorrow. Channel To You takes more to the pop side of the scale with some R&B and Gospel influence in one of the more daring tracks on the disc.
Roundabout is one of the best story songs I've heard in some time, culminating in a positive message that parallels Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Gayle's sweet, honest voice is the perfect instrument to deliver this song, and she deserves real attention for this one. You Don't Say is a country flavored blues rocker ala Bonnie Raitt with an innate pop sensibility that will turn a lot of heads. Doghouse Flowers lets Gayle rip it up a little; this one will be a particular favorite of the ladies. Rockabilly Bug will have you reaching for your dancing shoes and cowboy hats.
Amber In The Clay is a pleasant surprise, hitting the high points of country music without succumbing to the Top-20 Country milieu that pervades commercial radio. Davie Gayle has a tremendous voice mixing sweetness with just a hint of mischief, and the arrangements here are out of sight. Amber In The Clay is music you need to hear; a potential breakout disc.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Davie Gayle at http://www.daviegayle.com/ or www.myspace.com/daviegayle. You can purchase a copy of Amber In The Clay at www.cdbaby.com/cd/daviegayle.
2009, Claydirt Music/Remba Records
Los Angeles-based Davie Gayle grew up on country music in New Jersey, where her father was a guitarist in a country band. Her entire family was musical, and Gayle eventually formed a duo with her brother (The Gayles). After moving to LA, Michael began his own label and went into production while Davie threw herself into songwriting and performing. Davie Gayle’s debut solo album, Amber In The Clay, is a distinct and poignant collection of songs drawn from her own life experiences. Comparisons to Emmylou Harris, Patty Loveless and Lucinda Williams are understandable, but Gayle’s point of view as a songwriter is practically unique.
Amber In The Clay opens with the title track, a story song paralleling a scientist who finds the building blocks of life stored in the earth and a person of significance who helps a broken or lost person rebuild their life. The song has a classic country tragic sound while moving toward a positive message. Get Me is a great roadhouse country tune that sounds like it should be a hit on the country charts. If Shania or someone of that ilk recorded this song you'd hear it everywhere, and Gayle is a much better vocalist. 3:09 finds Gayle giving a classic country performance in a voice that mixes her sweet tone and just the right dose of bittersweet sorrow. Channel To You takes more to the pop side of the scale with some R&B and Gospel influence in one of the more daring tracks on the disc.
Roundabout is one of the best story songs I've heard in some time, culminating in a positive message that parallels Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening. Gayle's sweet, honest voice is the perfect instrument to deliver this song, and she deserves real attention for this one. You Don't Say is a country flavored blues rocker ala Bonnie Raitt with an innate pop sensibility that will turn a lot of heads. Doghouse Flowers lets Gayle rip it up a little; this one will be a particular favorite of the ladies. Rockabilly Bug will have you reaching for your dancing shoes and cowboy hats.
Amber In The Clay is a pleasant surprise, hitting the high points of country music without succumbing to the Top-20 Country milieu that pervades commercial radio. Davie Gayle has a tremendous voice mixing sweetness with just a hint of mischief, and the arrangements here are out of sight. Amber In The Clay is music you need to hear; a potential breakout disc.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)
You can learn more about Davie Gayle at http://www.daviegayle.com/ or www.myspace.com/daviegayle. You can purchase a copy of Amber In The Clay at www.cdbaby.com/cd/daviegayle.
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