James Scott Fant - Pig Iron: The Blue Room Sessions I

James Scott Fant - Pig Iron: The Blue Room Sessions I
2012, James Scott Fant

James Scott Fant gave up dreams of rock n roll stardom long ago.  This working class son has been through the ringer of the music world; gone to Nashville and returned home to Northeast Texas.  He’s been through the wars both personally and professionally, but he’s always made it through, guitar in hand.  Back in his Northeast Texas home, Fant has won the respect of colleagues and fans alike.  James Scott Fant continues to work every day to be the best singer/songwriter he can be.  It must be working, as he is a regular guest at songwriting circles throughout Texas.  James Scott Fant recently embarked on a series of three five-song EPs under the moniker The Blue Room Sessions.  Recorded in his home with the help of wife, musician, producer and occasional co-writer Sandra Manseill, The Blue Room Sessions represent Fant’s most personal work to date.  The recently released first EP in the series, Pig Iron, will make a believer out of you.

Pig Iron opens with “Out Of Canaan”, a working class an anthem that underscores a carpe diem attitude.  It’s the anthem for a man who has run out of patience waiting for deliverance, and is headed out into the world to find it for himself.  The song is singularly moving in intent and melody.  You’d almost hesitate to use the word gorgeous here due to the stripped down nature of the arrangement, but there is a singular beauty to the song that’s hard to ignore.  Fant sounds more than a bit like a younger Willie Nelson on “Worse For The Wear”, a highly nuanced paean to perseverance.  Once again, there is sort of a primitive beauty here that’s impossible to miss.  The song isn’t a ballad, per se, but definitely pays tribute to the idea of surviving on one’s wits (and perhaps even a little bit of luck).  Fant makes a quiet orchestra of his guitar here, crafting an arrangement that perfectly fits the mood of the song; never doing too much or too little in the process.

“Restless Wind” explores the transitory nature of mankind; the need for change.  There is a darkness that overhangs this song, as Fant touches on issues of divorce and feeling stuck.  The regret here is not so much for the events, but for their base cause.  “8 Lb. Sledge” is a delicious bit of acoustic blues that will get inside your head and stay there.  It’s not often that a low key acoustic number will make you want to get up and dance, but you can just hear the R&B backbeat trying to break out of this with a screaming electric guitar.  Fant manages to do more with his guitar and voice than many artists could do with a full band.  Pig Iron winds down with the singer/songwriter panache of “Annie Sings The Blues”.  Once again, Fant may remind listeners of a younger Willie Nelson or perhaps even Townes Van Zandt, but these comparisons are incidental.  “Annie Sings The Blues” is a living still life to the connection between singer/songwriter and listener, and how an eternity of lifetimes can occur within the bounds of a single song.

James Scott Fant isn’t just a singer/songwriter, he’s an artist.  On Pig Iron, Fant paints masterpieces with nothing more than six strings and a road-worn voice full of primitive beauty.  Fant is ultimate confirmation that institutions such as Nashville have forgotten what making music is about.  Music is about real people like James Scott Fant putting themselves on the line night after night, telling real stories about real people and real life events, in wonderfully crafted and distinctive songs and voices.  If you find one new artist to follow in 2012, make it James Scott Fant.

Rating:                  5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about James Scott Fant at www.facebook.com/scottfant or www.reverbnation.com/jamesfant.  Pig Iron is available through the etailers below.  You may also purchase the download through the Wildy's World Amazon store.

          MP3                  iTunes


Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Whitney Mann - The Western Sky

Whitney Mann - The Western Sky
2011, Mud Dauber Records

There are a number of things you might know Wisconsin for: beer, cheese, sausage and the Green Bay Packers.  The brightest light in Wisconsin might not be on your radar yet, but it won't be long.  Meet Whitney Mann, a traditional country singer/songwriter from Madison with an impassioned and pure voice (both as a singer and songwriter) who has open for such elite artists as Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn.  Without varnish or any of the Nashville sheen, Whitney Mann writes honest, heartfelt songs born of farm and country life, and combines it with a rare ability to connect almost instantly with any crowd, large or small.  On May 10, 2011, Whitney Mann will release her second EP, The Western Sky, consisting of six original songs that might just blow your mind.

Mann opens with "Been Thinkin A Ways", a contemplative love song that's also something of a come on. Mann sings the song without artifice or design, speaking from her heart in song in a refreshingly unadulterated fashion.  "Home" is a traditional country-style number; stripped down with a bit of bluegrass influence.  Mann's voice is beautiful in its unadorned splendor, conveying thought and emotion through pure melody.  "Miss You On The Farm" and "Born To Love You" are both solid entries born of or inspired by love.  They serve as a running lead in to "I'm Like", a love ballad with a touch of vaudeville flair.  Mann falls a bit into cliché here, but the effort is so honest and heartfelt that cliché is reborn as simple truth.  "All I Want" is the piece de resistance on The Western Sky, a love song destined to be covered again and again.  If Mann were to re-record this number in a more pop/country arrangement she'd be storming the Billboard Country charts.  Mann revisits "Been Think A Ways" in a reprise that takes on gospel overtones on her way out the door.

Whitney Mann has an ability to connect with listeners.  Unfettered by pop conventions such as cynicism and what we call "polish", Mann simply writes great music, and performs it with the unaffected air of a best friend telling you about her life over a cup of coffee.  The Western Sky is the sort of EP you get comfortable with; listening to it again and again over time.  Whitney Mann doesn't blow you away, but speaks to listeners of life and love in the quite undertones of a confident.  The connection is forged, and you'll keep coming back for more.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Whitney Mann at www.whitneymannmusic.com.   The Western Sky drops on May 10, 2011.  You can pre-order downloads from Amazon.com.  Keep your eyes open for wider availability.

Gilli Moon - The Stillness

Gilli Moon - The Stillness
2010, Warrior Girl Music

Gilli Moon started down the Indie Path ten years ago, when few knew what that meant. The Italian Born, Australian-raised Los Angeles resident started her own label, Warrior Girl Music, and has made a career not only of her own music but by producing and releasing the music of other prominent young artists. Along the way, Moon has released a number of highly-lauded albums on her own. 2010 sees Moon return with her sixth, The Stillness, a highly personal and melodic set of tunes about learning to live with yourself and the world around you.

The Stillness opens with "A Conversation With Me", a son of self-assurance and perspective. The song reflects a realization that we have all the tools within ourselves to become what we want to be. Moon's voice is lovely, blending textures and colors with tremendous tone and a soulful feel. "Be" is an idealist pop love song about giving yourself completely. Moon's performance here is splendid, but the spoken word/rap added messes with the song's mojo and sounds horribly contrived. "Outside In" explores intertwining your life with another in trite terms and has an almost whiney feel that seems to run counter to its message.

Moon takes on an R&B vibe on "The Stillness", a song of distinctive melancholy that revolves around a highly repetitive chorus. "Moon" goes for an ethereal air, recalling artists such as Enya or Maryen Cairns. Things get a bit surreal on "Days In November", a song of remembrance built in layered electronic instrumentation. While expecting some emotional content, the listener is greeted with a flat, low-energy recitation that is hard to square with the lyrics. "Moon" gets it right on "Cling On", stripping the arrangement down to herself and her guitar in one of the best performances on the album. Moon's style here is unaffected; pure communication in song via a simple and pretty melody line.

"Secret Of My Heart" shows a balladeer's touch in a song seeking truth and love. This sounds like the sort of song Celine Dion likes to claim for her own. "Silent Prophet" seeks the counsel of that still quiet voice that dwells in each of us, whatever you may choose to call it. This quiet moment of introspection opens into the final tune "I Can Touch The Sun". Moon closes on the same positive plane she opened with, emphasizing the melody line and vocal harmonies amidst scant instrumentation.

Gilli Moon has a very enjoyable voice what works best in open arrangements. When she sticks to this approach The Stillness shines. Moon appears to have embraced the post-genre ethic however, and some of the musical sidebars she takes here are less than optimal for her voice. On the whole, The Stillness is worth spending some time on. There may be an occasional song to skip, but her voice alone is worth the trip.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gilli Moon at http://www.warriorgirlmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/gillimoon. The Stillness is available on CD from Warrior Girl Music.  Amazon.com has the album as both a CD and Download.  Digital copies are available through iTunes.

Review: Chip Taylor - Yonkers, NY

Chip Taylor - Yonkers, NY
2009, Train Wreck Records

Chip Taylor is the legendary songwriter responsible for such hits as Wild Thing (The Troggs), Angel Of The Morning (Juice Newton), Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) (Janis Joplin) and I Can't Let Go (The Hollies). His songs have been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra and Jimi Hendrix. The younger brother of vulcanologist Barry Voight and actor John Voight, Taylor has a wealth of childhood stories to tell. He's saved the best of them for his latest album, Yonkers, NY. Yonkers, NY is released as a two-disc set. The first disc is done "Worlds + Music" style, with spoken words stories injected between (and sometimes in the middle of) songs. The second disc is edited to supply just the songs.

Taylor grew up in Yonkers, and tells about his formative years as Jamie (his nickname as a child). The arrangements are lush Americana, and Taylor takes us back in time when trains, horses, girls and family were the most important things in the world. Yonkers, NY opens with Barry Go On (Put Yourself On The Mountain), a missive on being told to become what you want to be as a child. It's a wonderful tune full of both the excitement and angst of being a young child in a big world. Charcoal Sky recounts learning all about trains from his father and a friend who was a conductor on the Hudson River line. Taylor reminisces about laying nickels on the train tracks to get train-pressed souvenirs with his brothers in a sweet and loving tribute to times gone by. Hey Jonny (Did You Feel That Movie) has a shuffling rockabilly feel that is guaranteed to get your feet moving and incorporates Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock. Without Horses is a love song, of sorts, written perhaps from Taylor's father's perspective, about one man's love for betting on the ponies. Written in a gentle waltz, Without Horses has a real melancholy feel.

Taylor gets a gentle mix of R&B and Honky-Tonk on No Dice, an entertaining vamp that allows his band to show off their chops between verses. On Bastard Brothers, Taylor tells about his brothers complaints leading to Taylor's violin turning into a Ukulele one Christmas morning. The story that goes with it is funny and touching, and the song turns into a sort of back-handed thank you. Piece Of The Sky is a song about finding your dreams, whatever they might be. Here it's a win at the race track, but the universal nature of the song is appealing. Saw Mill River Road is about the local Country Music bar of Taylor's younger days. You can hear the Johnny Cash influence in this one, particularly in the "flashback" portion of the song. Yonkers Girls is a reminiscence of about the wiles and ways of the women of Taylor's youth grouped by their hometowns. Taylor closes out with Yonkers, NY, a musical portrait of his hometown that's both highly descriptive and deeply personal. Taylor describes a working class town with trials and tribulations like most similar sized towns in the US in the 1960's.

Chip Taylor has an easy, likable style as both a songwriter and story-teller. His voice isn't what you'd call pretty, but it's full of character, life and experience and is a very enjoyable voice to listen to. Yonkers, NY works so well because Taylor lived each song and each moment. Part confessional and part musical novella, Yonkers, NY uses intelligence, remembrance and humor to bring the people and places of his childhood alive. This might just be Taylor's masterpiece. Yonkers, NY is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Chip Taylor at www.trainwreckrecords.com/chip.html or www.myspace.com/chiptaylorsolo. You can order a copy of Yonkers, NY from Trainwreck Records on either CD or LP, or you can download the album from Amazon.com.

Review: Abby Parks - The Homeplace

Abby Parks - The Homeplace
2009, Abby Parks

Abby Parks is ready for the next level. The Durham, North Carolina born singer-songwriter is currently based in Alabama, but has traveled all over the world in pursuit of her dream. Fueled by an intense talent for songwriting and a voice full of earthy warmth and beauty, Parks crafts songs in the vein of Shawn Colvin or even Caroline Aiken. Parks' sophomore album, The Homeplace, was recorded at Huntsville, Alabama's Sound Cell Recordings with Doug Jansen Smith (Take 6, Willie Nelson, Phil Collins, Brian McNight), and features an expansion in both imagination and instrumentation over Parks' 2005 debut album, Moving On.

Parks opens with Homeplace; a song about children going to look for money at their old home that their dying father has said was left behind. In the process of searching, the adult children become lost in reverie and forget why they came in the first place. It's about the power of love and memories; a positive song with a positive message. Parks writes masterfully, and her voice puts you in a mindset to listen. End Of A Year talks about all of the personal highs and lows a relationship can go through in a year. The song also expresses Parks' profound faith in God, referring to a lifetime of bad decisions being cured in one moment of Salvation. Wild Dogs is a wonderful story song about the troubles facing those living on the western frontier in early America. This particular story has a sad ending, but is very well told. The melody and Parks' voice are perfect here. In The Observer, Parks discusses the difficulties of dating in a society that is so self-obsessed that personal details are broadcast on the net for people's own self-gratification. Well told, well written and well sung; listeners will find details here that are familiar either from their own lives or from those of someone they know.

Caves is a character piece of sorts, looking through the eyes of someone or something who has been preserved forever inside of a cave. Recollections of the past are mixed with hopelessness for the future based on the entrapment. It's an intriguing song written in the first person that requires some suspension of disbelief but hits on some similar themes to James Taylor's The Frozen Man. The Only One Who Knows is a country tune written from the perspective of a strong woman with a man who seems to fail at everything he tries. The song is well-paced with a quiet intensity. Parks is the consummate story teller here. Lambert Road is a tragic story-song that appears at first to be about the death of a husband and soldier but turns into the death of love and trust. Cowardice is contrasted with strength and dedication in a touching musical painting done in stark contrasts. Parks closes out with He's Risen, a musical celebration of the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead after Crucifixion. The song is well written, with an arrangement that includes subtle orchestration and a dramatic sense that calls to mind a Broadway diva rather than a Folk/Pop singer.

Abby Parks mixes secular and religious themes on The Homeplace, blending them with strong songwriting, an earthy voice that is intriguing and comforting and a story-telling style that is appealing and accessible. Where Faith is an issue on The Homeplace, it's simply an honest expression of Parks as she is rather than attempt to proselytize; the honesty and unassuming grace is refreshing. Musically, the album is highly crafted and perfectly presented. Abby Parks is a distinctive talent. If you like pure singer/songwriter and Folk material, then The Homeplace is definitely for you.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Abby Parks at www.myspace.com/abbyparks, or http://www.abbyparks.com/, where you can purchase a copy of The Homeplace.

Review: Chris Marshall - Starting Out [EP]

Chris Marshall - Starting Out [EP]
2009, Oh My Soul Music

Philosopher, teacher, singer/songwriter... the twine that separates these careers is thinner than you might imagine. To prove the point, Chris Marshall bridges all three and then some. The Portland, Oregon native was born on 8/8/1981 at 8:18 AM weighing 8 lbs., 8oz., and seems to have strode something of a serendipitous path ever since. Marshall discovered his mom's acoustic guitar as a teenager and never looked back, devouring genres like Punk, Hardcore and Emo as well the classic Country and Gospel of Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. Marshall further developed his skills playing in his father's church (and continues to serve as a church music director to this day). Marshall has two prior EPs under his belt, mixing originals with gospel tunes, but his latest release, Starting Out [EP], is five original tunes without overt spiritual ruminations. Marshall remains deeply philosophical nevertheless, searching for the meaning of life in song as influences such as Soren Kierkegaard, C.S. Lewis and Walt Whitman color and shade his lyrical style.

Starting Out opens with Atlanta, a song inspired by a road trip Marshall took with his brother from Nashville to see the Atlanta Braves play. It's a gorgeously layered country tune, full of mournful pedal steel and a hopeful exuberance about the possibilities that lay ahead. Starting Out is a song about finding out who you are and what your purpose is. It's highly introspective and yet has a universal quality that should ring true with many listeners. The country arrangement here is a perfect fit, and some of the turns of phrase ("it's my soul's morning now") are superb. By The Wayside, a song written about a friend's drug addiction, is full of compassion and sorrow and plays simultaneously like an expression of concern and hope as well as a memorial for the way things were. Wait There is fairly self-explanatory, and drags a bit compared to the rest of the material on Starting Out but is a decent song. I Found You, on the other hand, is a sublime entry on any mix-tape list. Written in the vein of classic country love songs of the 1960's, Starting Out has a universal quality that would play well even on the jaded venue of modern Country Radio.

Chris Marshall brings an intelligent and warm approach to writing Country Music that is a hallmark of its history but too little emphasized today. Starting Out isn't his debut recording, but it's a coming out of sorts for an artist with the potential to not only be popular but also lasting and significant. The philosophical bent of his writing may escape some, but the principles on which his writing is based are universal. Love, hope, struggle and learning (including pain and sorrow) are the currency in which Marshall trades, all with the purpose of understanding the world around him. His questions are ones we all ask, and his songs are gentle comfort to those who continue to seek and struggle from day-to-day. Starting Out should be the beginning of big things.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Chris Marshall at www.myspace.com/chrismarshallmusic. You can purchase Starting Out as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.