Jeff Black - B-Sides and Confessions, Volume Two

Jeff Black – B-Sides and Confessions, Volume 2
2013, Lotos Nile Music

Jeff Black brings old school, road-warrior attitude into the digital age.  No stranger to the highways and byways, Black also uses his podcast, Black Tuesdays, to connect fans and try out new things.  The result is that Black has one of the most fervent followings in the alt-Americana genre.  Acknowledged as a top-notch songwriter, Black has had songs recorded by artists such as Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Dierks Bentley, Sam Bush and Blackhawk.  Jeff Black returns on January 15, 2013 with B-Sides and Confessions, Volume 2, and just like a train with cargo to deliver, Black shows no signs of slowing down.

The confessions begin with “All Right Now”, a musical monologue for a man who has gone through hell and come out the other side.  The folksy-blues arrangement is subtle and not overdone, allowing Black’s rough-hewn voice to hold sway.  It’s a compelling opening salvo. “Molly Rose” takes on the expected Celtic air in a tragic song of love and valor.  It’s a reminder that sometimes when you win you lose, and sometimes when you lose; you win.  Black’s deft handling of the vocal/story-telling is a master-class in the art of the singer-songwriter.  “Avalon” is about a man willing to forsake all for a magical world.  This quixotic quest plays out in spite of loved ones at home, and listeners can argue over whether the quest is noble or ill-gotten, the picture of a man obsessed to move heaven and earth to find a dream is crystal clear.

Black next settles into the plaintive tones of “Impala”, a quiet contemplation featuring Black’s voice intermingled with piano and guitar.  This ‘down’ moment has the air of quiet reflection, a moment not generally open to the air revealed here in song.  “Alice Carry” is a quiet reflection on love; marriage, family and a life full of memories.  Black brings the character of Alice alive here as a living, breathing person full of the spark of life.  Memories flow like laughter and tears, and the characters and places Black describes are palpably real.  “Days On End” has a listless feel – not the song but the character; a deep melancholy and fatalism descend over the song like a pall.  Artistically and musically this song is striking, though one of the quieter moments on the album.

“Miss Me” has a sort of trouble beauty to it.  It’s a song of apology from a man who went away and is finally finding his way home.  Reasons are hard to come by, but understanding of his needs descends all the same.  It’s a song full of human frailty and need from a man who is still trying to figure things out, but finally understands where he belongs.  Black gets down to an old-time country/folk feel that’s reminiscent of Bob Dylan in “A Evil Lesson Is Soon Learned”.  This entertaining number has a free-form feel that’s catchy, but Black doesn’t sacrifice an ounce of his story-teller’s pastiche in the process. 

“Good Old Days” is a song of wisdom, reminding listeners that these are the days we will one day look back on.  It’s a carpe diem message of sorts; a reminder to make the most of the moment so that when you look back to here one day it’s not with regret.  Black’s gritty vocal is the perfect match to a minimalist arrangement that nevertheless explodes with quiet energy.  “True Love Never Let Me Down” is a Springsteen-esque declaration of simple truths.  Black explores the song’s backwaters with a tumbling arrangement that seems to accentuate the thought behind the lyrics, but the declarative nature of the song and its repetitive theme lend power to the message.  “Remain” is another quiet reflection on simple truths.  Love and the ties that band are the powerful magic in this song, and Black navigates them as a man who never truly understands but appreciates the magic nonetheless.  B-Sides And Confessions, Vol. 2 closes with the contemplative strains of “Sunday Falling”, nicely wrapping the song cycle with memories of an idyllic Sunday afternoon.  Black paints pictures with words here that are hard to ignore.

Jeff Black brings gritty beauty and grace to a collection of memories, stories and observations on B-Sides And Confessions, Vol. 2.  If we’re never entirely clear on where the lines between memory, reverie and hope stand then nothing has been lost.  Black paints over the edges in seamless fashion, allowing the listener to suspend disbelief for an hour or so and simply be in the music.  This is, perhaps, a musicians’ greatest gift to his/her fellow man; the ability to transcend, suspend and simply be.  Black plies that gift, that talent, to perfect here.  B-Sides and Confessions, Volume 2 is nothing less than a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more at www.jeffblack.com. 

Aaron Lewis - The Road

Aaron Lewis - The Road
2012, Blaster Records

Aaron Lewis has made a lot of hay as the front man of Staind. The band's nine albums put them at the forefront of the hard rock/metal seen for a decade or more. Lewis has found a new direction the past few years however, falling for the melancholy and pick-a-ninny of traditional country music. Lewis' full length country debut album, The Road, drops this week, with a sound both radio ready and legitimate.

The melancholy pull of home while on the road is the theme of "75", in which Lewis laments a life where his bedroom travels as much as he does. The musicianship here is first class, and Lewis' voice is as classic country as they come. "The Road" is a road song with outlaw country pastiche. Lewis channels a mix of Paycheck and Cash in a highly catchy tune that will stick with you. "Endless Summer" is about making the most of time together with family. The scene is a summer camp with those you love best. It's hard not to identify with this tune at least a little bit, and Lewis manages to convey the sentiment without becoming enslaved by it.

In "Red, White & Blue", Lewis explores the enduring power of the American flag as a symbol of all of the sacrifice that has made America what she is. There is a melancholy feel here under the surface, but it supports a singular pride and hope for the future. "Lessons Learned" reflects on Lewis' own human frailties and how mistakes have led to wisdom and appreciation over times. The song is a call for self-examination and for talking stock in what matters. It's well written, cogent and wonderfully melodic. "Forever" laments the potential loss of love, and explores the chances of carrying on from the road. The sentiment here is authentic, and Lewis sings it as a confessional piece of country pop.

"Grandaddy's Gun" is a song of generational memory and affection, centered around the shared memories of a shotgun. This song won't resonate well with the ACLU or your local left leaning lawmaker, but it will hit home for anyone who grew up in a family where hunting was a way of life. The arrangement is masterful, and Lewis manages to humanize a subject too often demonized in the public sphere. "State Lines" looks back on a career full of successes in the terms of miles traveled. The seeming ambivalence about doing it all again that arose in "75" partially resurfaces here, but in more pragmatic lyrical and musical tones.

"Anywhere But Here" is a song of ultimate regret, sung from the perspective of a man trapped by his own decisions. This plays to the stereotypical hard luck life style song endemic to popular country, but is well written and had a certain commercial flair. Lewis closes out with a fitting paean to the bad boys of country music. "Party In Hell" finds Lewis claiming his place beside Waylon Jennings, Chris Whitley and Jamey Johnson, among others. The low key honky-tonk style is a nice touch.

Aaron Lewis makes the transition from rock to country with surprising grace.  Lewis and his band provide top-notch musicianship throughout The Road, but Lewis augments this with mature and nuanced country songwriting that runs the depths from Johnny and Waylon-style outlaw country to mature singer-songwriter pastiche.  This may be one of the finest country efforts of 2012.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.aaronlewismusic.com, where you can order a personally signed copy of The Road as a part of various packages.

Jennings - Collapse, Collide

Jennings - Collapse, Collide
2011, Mary Jennings

New York City-based singer/songwriter (Mary) Jennings returns on May 10, 2011 with her third album, Collapse, Collide.  Jennings has spent much of the past year touring and working with Billboard-charting songwriters to further develop her sense of song craft.  These efforts are apparent on Collapse, Collide, although, as always, with growth comes growing pains.

Collapse, Collide opens with "Surrender", an electro-ethereal pop number that falls somewhere between Sarah McLachlan and Sara Bareilles.  Jennings' distinctive voice is on display here, although it seems as if she never really opens it up.  It's a solid starter, but without the sort of dynamism you might expect.  "The Darkness" is in similar territory, but shows much better realization and execution of what Jennings might have foreseen when writing the song.  Centered on a solid groove, Jennings builds around an original progression that serves as a natural focus for her muse.  "Everlong" is a plus love ballad, although it sounds like Jennings may have chosen a key too low.  She appears to struggle with the bottom of the melody line at times, with pitch being the casualty. 

"Falling Higher" is a great tune with a lot of potential.   Jennings is spot-on in this love song, but the production is a bit messy and at times, distracting.  Jennings offers herself as support to loved one in "Cling To Me", a well-intended and well-written tune that just doesn't become itself in execution.  This isn't so much an artistic issue as a production one.  "U-Turns" is a vibrant pop number with real potential that once again falters on the boards.  The remainder of the album is solid yet uninspiring contemporary adult contemporary alternative rock music that is nicely slotted for radio consideration but fails to live up to what Jennings is capable of.

Collapse/Collide would be a solid effort from many artists, but Mary Jennings has made a point of cutting her own path through the emotional hinterlands that have defined her previous work.  Jennings' move to the commercial center is somewhat befuddling, as she seems to surrender her own voice for a quasi-corporate conception of what she should sound like.  Jennings is a distinctive enough talent to make it work as best she might, but hard core Jennings fans won't know what to do with Collapse, Collide.  Chalk it up to an artist going through the growing pains of how to commercialize their art in a meaningful way without giving up the spirit that got her this far.  The compromises here are too many, and the production is too messy to allow Jennings to emerge from Collapse/Collide. 

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jennings at www.jennings-music.com or www.facebook.com/jenningsfemtastic.  Collapse, Collide drops on May 10, 2011.  Pre-orders are available through Amazon.com on CD and as a Download.  Preorders are also available via iTunes.

Andy Budd – Ragtop Monterey

Andy Budd – Ragtop Monterey
2011, Red Bush Records

Folk/Americana singer/songwriter Andy Budd is relatively known, but perhaps not for long.  Budd’s third album, Ragtop Monterey, finds Budd blending a delicate songwriting touch and great musicianship, while raising the bar with his impressive previous work.  There are no prolonged solos or flashy sounds, just good old fashioned songwriting with a Nashville sound that hasn’t been heard on commercial radio in decades.

Ragtop Monterey opens with the old school train song "Old Freight", an escapist fantasy in traditional country fashion with bluegrass accents in the arrangement.  Budd has a workingman's voice; not pretty, per se, but with a comfortably gruff sound that lends authenticity to the performance.  "If You Did That Today" is a catchy tune highlighting the differences between the child rearing philosophies of today compared to those of a generation or two ago.  Many of today's taboos were thought perfectly normal thirty or forty years ago, like smoking during pregnancy to riding in the back of a car without a seatbelt; things that would result in a CPS referral nowadays.  Budd's song is tongue-in-cheek, but may also leave you wondering about the sanity of such bureaucratic efforts.

"Don't Bother Calling" is a humble kiss off from a jilted lover.  She cheated on him, and he's telling her to get lost in heartfelt, articulate terms.  The arrangement is solid, but it's Budd's lyrics that really grab your attention here, "With a bullet in every chamber you played lover's roulette.  It's hard to forgive and even harder to forget."  "Ragtop Monterey" is a love song to a car his grandmother once owned, captured in a catchy, country arrangement.  This is a fun one that will appeal to the car buffs out there.  "Time Won't Do It" is a woeful heartbreaker skeptical of healing powers of time, particularly when it comes to heartbreak.  The classic country arrangement is a treat, and the chorus is inescapable.  "Bread Upon The Waters" is a catchy number exhorting listeners to live the good life but not take more than their fare share.  It's a great tune with a powerful-yet-simple message that's worth being reminded of. 

"He's Still Missing Her" is a tongue-in-cheek tune about one man's dogged determination to get rid of his sweetheart, "He's still missing her but his aim is getting better..."  Budd throws these comical curveballs once in a while just to make sure you're awake, but even if the lyrics are occasionally full of whimsy the music is deadly serious and well constructed.  "Ol' Work Truck" is full of reminiscence over a friend who has seen him through thick and thin.  The truck in question becomes a symbol of American Pride and the connection between generations of working class men; a love song and a memory of what America once was.  Budd heads back to the honky-tonk for "Baa Baa Black Sheep", a catchy number about himself and his sister and their roles as the family black sheep.  Budd once again shows a gift for turns of phrase with lines like "The two of us lived up to daddy's fears and mama's tears."  Budd closes with "Godspeed", a sweet memorial to a friend who has finally given up the fight but who fought like few others.  If you've lost someone you love dearly recently, or if the loss is still fresh in your heart, this song will be a tear-jerker.  It's an honest and heartfelt piece of songwriting that leaves pieces of itself embedded in your psyche.

Andy Budd is a great story-teller with a healthy dose of wit thrown in.  Ragtop Monterey is the sort of album you'll find yourself hitting repeat on again and again.  Budd blossoms under the steady hand of producer Chip Hardy (Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntyre, George Strait), and delivers ten songs that will get stuck in your brain and stay around long enough to petition for rights.  You'll find yourself more and more engrossed with Ragtop Monterey, and Andy Budd, with each listen.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Andy Budd at www.andybudd-usa.com.  Ragtop Monterey is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally via iTunes.

Horse Opera - Sounds Of The Desert

Horse Opera - Sounds Of The Desert
2010, Telewreck Records

Horse Opera formed in Austin, Texas in 2005 behind front man Jimmy Deveny. Built of graduates of the schools of rock, punk and rockabilly, Horse Opera draw their influences from Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Elvis Costello and The Beatles. Sounds Of The Desert, Horse Opera's debut studio album reflects a band steeped in the traditions of 1950's and 1960's country music while exploring the dark underbelly of human behavior.

Sounds Of The Desert opens with "Save My Tears", a delicious bit of classic country with an early rock feel. It's an incredibly catchy tune with solid instrumental work in the background. Deveny has a highly pleasant voice and his delivery is nice and easy. "East Bound Train" is a mid-tempo instant classic about running away from heartbreak. "3 To Closing" is a catchy tune about liquid courage and good intentions mixed with a lack of motivation; the diatribe of a big talker that's done with cute touches of humor. "Devil You Love Best" is a catchy and danceable number that will stick with you.

Horse Opera takes on classic western theme song styles with "Spaghetti Mess", a fun tribute that lives up to its name in fine style. "Sorry" could have come off the AM Country airwaves of the 1950's; a reluctant love song that could be a small hit in most any generation. "2 AM" is a song about friends whose elbows rest on the same bar; a song of shared delusions, pain and efforts to get by. The song has a classic sound and feel. Horse Opera closes with "Best Day", bringing in a rock n roll feel to mix with classic country sound.

Sounds Of The Desert is one of those albums that sounds great and will not fail to please while you're listening to it. It's not a standout album; not the sort you seek out but which you're happy to listen to if it happens to be playing. Fans of 1950's and 1960's country music may be a bit more enthusiastic, but modern country fans will probably miss this one. It's a shame, because the instrumental work on Sounds Of The Desert is first class, and Deveny is an affable front man. Horse Opera is good; good enough to keep you listening, but this album isn't quite the wow it could have been.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Horse Opera at http://www.horseopramusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/horseoperatx.  Sounds Of The Desert is available as both a CD and Download through Horse Opera's webstore.

Review: Steve McCormick - Lowlights And Footnotes

Steve McCormick - Lowlights And Footnotes

2008, Steve McCormick

I have to admit that the United Kingdom isn't exactly the first locale to pop into my head as a place to find great Country or Americana music. Steve McCormick doesn't claim to be either of those things, although Waylon, Hank and Merle have had a fair amount of influence on his songwriting (as have Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, Tim Buckley, The Squeeze and even AC/DC). The Carlisle, Cumbria native released his debut album in late 2008 entitled Lowlights And Footnotes to critical accolades and a slow-growing but significant amount of worldwide airplay. Lowlights And Footnotes was mastered by Simon Heyworth (Tubular Bells, George Harrison, Nick Drake) and is played entirely by McCormick with the exception of Pedal Steel Guitar, provided courtesy of Dave Midgely.

Lowlights And Footnotes opens with Another English Cowboy, rocking right down to the roots of Country in a diatribe about not fitting the country mold. You'll be driven to dance and sing along to a song that could chart on American Country Radio if given the chance. McCormick gets a bit of Southern Rock flavor on the mid-tempo If Only She Were Lying. McCormick gets a bit trite in the chorus here, but the arrangement is a great listen. Making Light (Of Being Kept In The Dark) brings a touch of British humor to the honky-tonk on a mid-tempo number that walks the line between classic Country and the Eagles brand of California Country. On I'm Alright, Jack, McCormick celebrates his state of being at the expense of a friend who's down in the dumps, all set against a vibrant classic Rhythm & Blues fueled Honky Tonk sound. Back To The Booze hits the R&B fueled Country sound another try with a kicking guitar solo in the middle to really spice things up. McCormick lights the lamp with a song that might just be a party anthem in the States.

McCormick sounds a bit like Lyle Lovett on The Other Man, pointing out that no matter which point you are in a triangle, the other guy is always The Other Man. The song is well written, with a plaintive, Tex-Mex country ballad feel. My Woman Doesn't Give A Damn deals with stereotypical country heartbreak with uncharacteristic wit and panache. Like much of the rest of the album, McCormick is a classic story-teller. When he's funny it's not because he's trying to be funny, but because real life is sometimes dotted with humor and wit. Black And White Photographs is about family, memories and how gateways to the past often pave the way to understand who we are. It's moving and heartfelt without sounding sappy and may just be the best songwriting on the disc. McCormick closes out with Living In Loserville is a tongue-in-cheek song about being happy with yourself. It's a great closer for an album that plays the country game without giving over it's essential character to Nashvillian Zombification.

Steve McCormick is a story teller in the vein of Randy Newman (although perhaps no one has the chutzpah that Newman manages). McCormick's songs work because the characters and events he portrays are honest and real; even the fictional ones are written like a good character, and the choices they make are convicted ones. McCormick's stories come to life in songs based in Country Music but ranging from Rock to Tex-Mex and every possible blending of those styles. Lowlights And Footnotes should be the darling of Country Radio. Let's hope McCormick gets the right breaks.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Steve McCormick at www.myspace.com/stevemccormickuk or http://www.stevemccormick.co.uk/, where you can purchase a copy of Lowlights And Footnotes using PayPal. You can download the full album from iTunes, or a free four song sampler from McCormick’s website.