Lonesome Traveler - Looking For A Way

Lonesome Traveler - Looking For A Way
2010, Lonesome Traveler

Colorado seems to a hotbed for Americana and Country music, remembering all of the good down home feel that the bright lights of Nashville sometimes obscure. Today we take a look at another outstanding Colorado country band, Lonesome Traveler. Consisting of Jodi Boyce (vocals/mandolin); Evan Neal (bass); Chad Fisher (fiddle); Rick Scott (guitar); Dustin Scott (vocals/guitar) and Ansel Foxley (vocals/dobro), Lonesome Traveler has created quite the reputation for themselves, from traveling cross-country in a van that burns vegetable oil to blending folk and bluegrass with a modern flavor that seems to appeal to music fans young and old. Looking For A Way, the band's third album produced by GRAMMY winner Gene Libbea may be their most nuanced work to date.

"Chasin' A Dream" is a nice opener, an introduction to chasing dreams as a musician sung in the first person. A bit of high lonesome creeps in on the vocals but the arrangement is pure classic country. "If Wishes Were Horses" reinforces the traditional country mien of the album with Jodi Boyce on vocals; it's an amazing tune you'll be hitting replay on again and again. "Howlin' Harlan Wind" is a miner's chantey, of sorts. Using mild Celtic undertones, Lonesome Traveler sings a plea of a father who died in the mines to his son. Dustin Scott shows off some pretty impressive guitar work here.

"Right Where I'm Supposed To Be" finds Boyce on lead vocals once again, a please divergence before heading into the final stretch. "Camp Daddy Real" finds Lonesome Traveler at their instrumental best, teasing each other’s instruments and pushing one another to new heights. "Leave It Up To You" is a song of redemption and prayer from someone who's seen the highs and (particularly) the lows of life and now puts his faith in something greater than chance. It's a quiet moment that stands out. Lonesome Traveler closes with the amusing "Sandwich And Something To Do", a reminder of sorts that sometimes the basics are all we need. The point is underscored by the basic yet pleasing arrangement of the song.

Lonesome Traveler pull influences out of the air throughout Looking For A Way. Country, bluegrass, Americana, rock and folk all find their way into the mix. All three vocalists are superb, but Jodi Boyce is the cream of the crop whether on lead or harmony. Instrumentally there isn't a weak link in the bunch. Lonesome Traveler is very much the real deal.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Lonesome Traveler at http://www.lonesometravelerband.com/ or www.myspace.com/lonesometravelerbluegrassband.  Looking For A Way can be acquired on CD from Amazon.com or in both traditional and digital formats from CDBaby. 

Review: Doug Yeomans & Ben Doerfel - Generation Gap

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.

Review: Sometymes Why - Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine

Sometymes Why - Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine
2009, Signature Sounds

I have been familiar with one-third of Sometymes Why for some time. Aoife O'Donovan is the beatific voice at the front of Crooked Still, whose album Still Crooked we have reviewed previously. Ruth Ungar Merenda (The Mammals) and Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl) were both new to me. When I sat down to listen to their sophomore effort, Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine, I expected high quality from what I knew of O'Donovan, but I have to say that I was blown away by Sometymes Why. Each member wrote and sings lead on three songs, with a shared harmony version of Concrete Blonde's Joey added in. Merenda, O'Donovan and Andreassen alternate songs, but I'll take them by singer/songwriter.

Ruth Ungar Merenda opens with Aphrodisiaholic, an amazing song with incredibly soulful vocals. This is a song that is destined to be covered from here to eternity. It's a love song and a come on all rolled into one, and Merenda is transcendent. This is a musical "Wow" moment you won't soon forget. Merenda gets into a Bob Dylan groove on Shine It. Her wonderfully textured voice supports a strong lyrical acuity. Merenda is a romantic (classical) story teller in song. Merenda's third contribution is Cold Feet Blues, in a performance that could have happened in Chicago night club circa 1933. Merenda is an amazing talent and shines on her contributions to Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine.

Aoife O'Donovan's silky smooth voice is a perfect complement to Merenda's when singing together, and an absolute pleasure to listen to when she's out front. Slow Down is a dark and moody composition that fits O'Donovan's voice perfectly. The song is very reserved and maudlin but with this deeply buried promise of something better to come. Diamond is a song that will appeal more to female fans than to us Neanderthal males, as the questions posed aren't ones that tend to go through our minds. But O'Donovan has managed to take a raft of questions that often occur in rapid fire succession without distinct answers and turn them into a rich and cogent lyrical tapestry. The arrangement is bare bones with gorgeous vocal harmonies from Merenda and Andreasson. O'Donovan's third contribution lends the album its title. Glorious Machine is a diva songwriting moment. O’Donovan sticks with her preferred minimalist arrangement style, working with Merenda and Andreasson to craft a rich vocal tapestry around an amazing lyrical concept.

Kristin Andreasson is the wildcard of Sometymes Why. The presumption is that Merenda's going to blow you away with raw talent and a level of vocal showmanship with few peers. O'Donovan writes gorgeous story songs and presents them with an earthy warm voice and natural arrangements that are as organic as they come. Andreassen has a knack for finding moments and making them come alive in her songs. My Crazy is a starkly beautiful and compelling musical play starring a victim of unrequited love. The character and mood that Andreassen builds both through her writing and performance is absolutely alive to the listener. The Stupid Kiss is about the consequences of crossing the friendship line. The protagonist thinks it can't happen to her, but it does, and Andreassen once again brings her alive. The Sound Asleep might be the most compelling composition on Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine. A lullaby for adults, Andreassen will lull you to sleep and walk you through a dream or two along the way.

The three voices that comprise Sometymes Why are a heavenly concoction. Songwriting aside, the vocal mix on Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine is an aesthetic, from the Wilson Phillips-esque cover of Joey to the ethereal layering of The Sound Asleep; you'll be floored by the sounds they achieve together. Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine is a powerful, moving and ultimately lovely record. Stylistically it's not exactly what you'd expect from Merenda, O'Donovan or Andreassen when with their usual bands, but you won't regret a moment. Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine is a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc. Don't miss this one, folks. It's made me want to go out and find their first CD.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sometymes Why at http://www.sometymeswhy.com/ or www.myspace.com/sometymeswhy. You can purchase a copy of Your Heart Is A Glorious Machine in Sometymes Why’s online store. You can also get a copy through Amazon.com. If you’re into renting your music, you can pick up the MP3s through AmazonMP3 or iTunes.

The Wildy's World Top-40 of 2008: #6-12

We're working our way to #1, and today we get into rarefied territory - the Top 12. The competition at this point is pretty hot and heavy, and we've rearranged this list several times in the process of putting it together. Each of the top 3 could easily have been #1, and you can be confident that anyone who's made it this far down the list put out a top notch recording. Remember that there were 537 albums eligible for consideration for the Top-40, so we're in the top 2% of all submissions for the year here.

Each album gets a little more face time here, and as always, if you click on the Artist Name/Title you'll be taken to the original Wildy's World Review. The original reviews have a full synopsis of the album as well as links to artist web pages and outlets that sell the album. So what are we waiting for?!?!?!?

#12 Margot Blanche - Pages In My Diary

Pages In My Diary offers up a blending of Jazz with Hip-Hop the likes of which you've likely never heard. Part Madonna, part Billie Holliday and part Suicide Girl, Blanche grabs your attention with a striking voice and commanding presence. Her tendency toward a burlesque style stage show may be a mere distraction to music fans, but you'll forget all about it when she starts to sing. One of the most original attempts at musical fusion we've heard in some time.

#11 The Hollyfelds - Saratoga

Eryn Hoerig and Kate Grigsby could stand on a Denver street corner in a blizzard and sing the menu from a hot dog stand and people would line up to listen. Their intertwining voices create harmonies that are otherworldly. Add to this one of the tightest and most talented classic country/Appalachian Folk bands between two oceans and some amazing songwriting and you have one amazing album. The Hollyfelds toil in the very busy genre of traditional American music, but quickly rise to the upper echelon of that crowd with this gorgeous debut album.

#10 The Simple Things - The Simple Things

In putting together this list we considered a couple of different factors. First and foremost was (subjectively) how much we liked the CD, but we also considered to some degree issues such as commercial viability. The Simple Things makes this list on pure heart. This little artsy, minimalist jazz/pop other trio has made one of the most eclectic and starkly beautiful albums of 2008. Vocalist Kaitlin McGaw could sell CDs/downloads singing a Capella, and Raymond Ruiz and Michael Gallant are top-notch musicians in their own right. If you get out San Francisco this way put The Simple Things on your itinerary if you can find a show.

#9 Julie McKee - What A Woman Shouldn't Do

Julie McKee's debut album is one of the finest collections of Jazz-imbued pop music of the year. She's part Annie Lennon, part Fiona Apple and part Jane Siberry. 2008 saw McKee gain significant attention for What A Woman Shouldn't Do, and even broke down international barriers by performing her first shows in New York City and Chicago (both well reviewed, by the way). Intelligent and witty lyrics make this one of the smartest albums of the year. An absolute must have for music fans.

#8 Crooked Still - Still Crooked

Crooked Still is as about as old-school country as one can get. Still Crooked is steeped in the Celtic and Folk traditions from which country music originally grew. Aoife O'Donovan sings this music like its her life's blood, and the rest of Crooked Still don't so much back her up as organically weave themselves around her voice. Out and out the top Country/Americana album of the year.

#7 Mike Ford - Canada Needs You Volume Two

Some of you may remember Mike Ford as 1/4 of the Toronto quartet Moxy Fruvous. Rather than fading into obscurity, Ford has become of Canada's best songwriters, concentrating his efforts on songs with educational value. Canada Needs You Volume Two focuses on persons, places and events in 20th Century Canadian history. No subject or musical style is off-limits as Ford uses intelligent and nuanced story-telling, humor and divergent musical styles to paint a series of musical profiles. This disc isn't likely getting a lot of mention on end of year lists, in large part because Ford doesn't do the whole self-promotion thing on a level with many of the other artists here, but it should be. The CD is absolutely unforgettable. And hey, just for kicks, check out this interview we did with Ford. It's a worthwhile read.

#6 Woodward - ...But Your Kids Are Gonna Love It

Woodward's debut is the quintessential Rock N Roll album, mixing elements of modern rock and classic rock into a blend that is familiar yet new. As music fans, this was probably the most exciting Rock Album to cross our desk in 2008. Because of the mix of sounds the target audience for this CD is any rock fan from 10 to 60. Woodward may or may not make the long haul stardom, but don't be surprised if this album someday stands out as one of the finest and most enduring albums of the Indie Rock era.