Review: Anne Trenning - Watching For Rain

Anne Trenning – Watching For Rain
2009, Shadetree Records

Anne Trenning is back with her third full-length album, Watching For Rain. The Chicago born resident of Charlotte, North Carolina had per previous album, All One World, ranked as one of the top 5 albums of the year by New Age Reporter. Watching For Rain features ten original songs plus five covers or re-interpretations. Trenning mines Classical, New Age, Pop, Jazz and Celtic influences across the fifteen tracks presented here for a sonically interesting but mellow listening experience.

Watching For Rain opens with a gorgeous arrangement of Welsh folk song The Ash Grove on piano and strings. This song has been adapted for everything from Chamber Pieces to hymns in the Anglican church. As much as Trenning is lauded as a pianist, the violin is the star of this arrangement, dancing and trading leads with the piano in a wonderful duet. Silent Night II is a magical composition full of energy and beauty. The piano is reserved enough to allow the strings to soar, but brings the song home in a moment of utter musical grace. Eden Hall, sometimes recast as Simple Gifts or The Shaker Song, is given a full Celtic workup here; you’ll wonder how you ever heard it otherwise once Trenning is done. Carolina Moon is a lively waltz with a bit of swing feel to it that will have you looking for a dance partner.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise on the album is the treatment of When You Say Nothing At All. Perhaps the best known version of this song is the Allison Krauss recording, but numerous artists have covered this tune. The piano/strings arrangement is wonderfully reverent without sounding like elevator music. There is real life to this recording and it is a very enjoyable listen. Other highlights include A Prayer For The World, You And Me, I Want To Be Ready and Benediction.

Solo piano albums choose two paths; reverence to their subjects/styles or cutting new ground. Those that choose the more common path walk a fine line reverence and cliché. It takes more than technical ability to walk this line confidently and without fear; it takes talent and heart, neither of which can be learned. Anne Trenning has both. Watching For Rain manages to inhabit the world of New Age/Classical recordings without falling into unwitting self-parody or “Available on TV” cliché. Trenning’s creations and arrangements come to life at her fingertips. Don’t try to use this CD as dinner music unless you want to end up talking about the music. Come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Anne Trenning at http://www.annetrenning.com/. There’s a link on Trenning’s web site allowing you to purchase Watching For Rain on CDBaby.com, but it does not appear to be working at this time. Keep checking back to her web site for updates.

Review: Smile Pretty Misery - Measured In Miles

Smile Pretty Misery – Measured In Miles
2008, Smile Pretty Misery

Baldwin, New York’s Smile Pretty Misery has been spreading their blend of Jazz, Pop and Rock all over Long Island for the last two-and-a-half years. With a wonderfully smooth mix of styles and sounds, stellar songwriting and smooth as silk vocalist Jaymes Welsh. In 2008, Smile Pretty Misery released Measured In Miles. Let’s check it out.

Measured In Miles opens with (You Know) You Gotta Love Her, a glorious pop/jazz hybrid that’s pure gold. Vocalist Jaymes Welsh is an old school crooner although there are a couple of notes here that are way out of his regular range. This is a doozy of a leadoff song, building significant expectations for the rest of the EP. For the most part, Smile Pretty Misery delivers. Will But No Way is a fairly typical alt-rock song recorded with minimalist instrumentation/effects. The melody is quite memorable and the lyrics show real thought and depth. Blood Red Ink is also highly memorable, building simultaneously in sound, intensity and emotion before deflating in self-realization at the end of each chorus.

June To September is based on an infectious melody, playing off Welsh’s lyric voice against jangly guitars and moderately aggressive percussion. This is the most sonically striking song on the album and the one most likely to have distinct commercial impact. Snake Oil Man is a pleasant listen, and Happy New Year closes out the set with a mellow benediction of personal change.

Smile Pretty Misery is a distinctive band with a unique sound. It’s not rock or pop, exactly, although they touch on those genres. Think more classic singer/songwriter style with a touch of old school vocalist (think Johnny Mercer crossed with Josh Groban.) In spite of the mellow, slightly repressed arrangements (ala Norah Jones), Smile Pretty Misery brings energy and vitality to every note. Measured In Miles gets high marks as a very enjoyable introduction to Smile Pretty Misery. Don’t miss this one.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Smile Pretty Misery at http://www.smileprettymisery.com/ or www.myspace.com/smileprettymisery. You can purchase a copy of Measured In Miles at www.cdbaby.com/smileprettymisery.

Review: Dave Halverson - Apothecary Charms

Dave Halverson – Apothecary Charms
2008, Lucid Moon Child Music

Dave Halverson’s third album, Apothecary Charms, delves deeper into the electronic/rock hybrid “genre” while simultaneously becoming more guitar oriented than his previous work. Avante Garde in presentation, Apothecary Charms attempts to walk the line between rock and an almost ambient organic electro sound scheme.

Halverson opens with the dark and stormy A Quick Dance On A Shallow Grace and moves quickly into Scary Night, which sounds like the theme to a low budget horror movie. My favorite track on the disc is Song For The Chickens. It’s wonderfully well constructed and original, dancing on the edges of Progressive Rock. Addition By Refraction is an enjoyable bit of noodling that serves as a respite at midway point of the album while leading into big Texas guitar rocker Postulus. Shells In The Clocktower sounds like it was heavily influenced by early Pink Floyd, mixing sparse guitar, rhythms, noises and peripheral voiceovers.

Dave Halverson vacillates between structured instrumentals and disjointed musical composites on Apothecary Charms. There are a couple of gems here (Song For The Chickens, Postulus), but in general the album is a pleasant listen without being remarkable.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Dave Halverson at www.myspace.com/davehalverson or http://www.davehalverson.com/. You can purchase a copy of Apothecary Charms at www.cdbaby.com/cd/halverson3.

Review: Paul Blissett - Fire And Soul

Paul Blissett – Fire And Soul
2007, Paul Blissett

Paul Blissett had a rich set of musical influences from a young age. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada guitarist grew up on a steady mix of Rock, Country, Blues, Pop, Jazz and Brit Rock from the first British Invasion. Blissett began playing out in Quebec and Ontario bars by the age of fifteen and has never stopped making music although other career paths have intervened at times. Over time, Blissett developed an appreciation for instrumental music and the supple role guitar can play in that specialized genre. In 2007, Blissett released Fire And Soul, a fireside exploration of instrumental guitar music.

Blissett displays two distinct tendencies on Fire And Soul. The first is a distinct love of swing-based Rock N Roll; the sort that was prevalent in the 1950’s and pre-Beatles 1960’s. Blissett himself is more than competent, though he lacks the distinctive style or presence that would raise him to the level of a Chet Atkins or Mark Knopfler-type guitar player. This is a man that most any band would be happy to have sitting in on lead guitar. Nevertheless, many of the choices on Fire And Soul seem to fall flat.

Blissett and band are at their best on some of the more rock oriented tunes such as Forty Miles Of Bad Road, Ramrod, Hard Times and Blueberry Hill. Even the blues-oriented songs (3:30 Blues, Honky Tonk) pack some punch, but much of the material comes off as low-key dinner or elevator music. One exception is the last track on the album, Piano Concerto #1. Blissett has a spring in his step throughout this song that is often lacking on Fire And Soul. That’s not to say this is a bad recording; Blissett is more than competent as a guitar player, and he has assembled a cast of first class musicians for this recordings, but the sound and approach here is too straight forward to set itself apart.

Paul Blissett is a talented and dedicated guitarist with a passion for instrumental music that comes through on Fire And Soul. It’s music for another generation, like the artists my Nana used to love on The Lawrence Welk Show. It features great technical guitar playing but displays little originality or pizzazz. Fire And Soul is not a strong commercial release, but it will definitely appeal to a niche demographic of music fans.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Paul Blissett at http://www.paulblissett.com/. You can purchase a copy of Fire And Soul at www.cdbaby.com/cd/paulblissett.

Review: The Bitter Tears - Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse

The Bitter Tears – Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse
2009, Carrot Top Records

Chicago’s The Bitter Tears are coming for your children. They shall berate the little tykes with oboes, cellos, violins and a dusty, meaty form of Americana that was almost forgotten. Known for a wild and sometimes vulgar like stage show, The Bitter Tears made an honest attempt to capture their live Mojo on their upcoming release, Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse. They have succeeded in capturing that raw energy and some wonderfully abstract musical combinations in song. Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse goes on sale on March 3, 2009.

Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse opens with the energy-filled rustic Americana of Slay The Heart Of The Earth. If Bob Dylan wrote songs for the Beatles it might have sounded a little bit like this. The Bachelor’s Say has a bit of Brit-Pop feel in an acoustic arrangement. This backward combination of Brit-Pop melodicism and American hobo-folk pervades Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse. The ethereal harmonies and stilted rhythm of the opening of Starling resolves into a blues-tinged Americana song that hides tremendous discord and dissonance at its heart. The Bitter Tears are, in turn, as musically disjointed as The Rheostatics at their art-rock best, often opting for musical choices that aren’t entirely disturbing but just off-kilter enough to fill you with a sense of unease. The most bizarre track of the album is The Companion, which brought back memories of The Police’s Mother. The highlight of the disc follows; the wonderful folk/pop number called The Love Letter. This is a great tune that could travel from genre to genre without losing its essential flavor. Even the effect of the back-alley orchestration seems to enhance the charm of this song. Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse closes with Worthless Sleaze, a not entirely chaotic composition of competing sounds and enabling musical passages. This is art rock, pure and simple; Harmonious enough to catch you, dissonant to almost lose you, and endearing enough that you’ll come back to hear it again. The Bitter Tears will disturb your senses, and you’ll like it.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Bitter Tears at www.thebittertears.com or www.myspace.com/thebittertears. You can purchase a copy of Jam Jarts In The Jakehouse at Amazon.com.

Review: Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings - Tin Can Town

Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings – Tin Can Town
2009, Andy Hawk

What would be the appropriate name for Americana Garage music? A melodically superior but definitely Lo-Fi mix of Rock, Country and Blues is the far of the day on Tin Can Town, the debut release from Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings. Hawk is an enigmatic front man with a voice halfway between Jim Cuddy and Bruce Springsteen and an easy-going nonchalance that’s full of soul.

Andy Hawk seems entirely in his element on the blues tunes Tombstone and Pitchy & Time-Erratic Blues, but its country/rock hybrids where he shines brightest. Symphony Of 2am is a classic tune, and Think Too Much and Tin Can Town are required listening. Break Free is a beautiful, mournful country tune, balanced off by the hopeful, mid-tempo Maybe Someday. Real Gone Girl is my personal favorite, with banjo and electric guitar framing Hawk’s voice perfectly. Other highlights include Music From Another Room, I Never Thought To Ask and The Last Two In The Bar.

Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings have a knack for surfing clichés without falling into them. Classic country sounds mix with rock and blues styles to create music like so much that’s come before yet distinct enough to be memorable and enjoyable. Tin Can Town is a refreshing return to the roots of the Americana genre. Not overly refined or produced, Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings let their rough edges charm you into listening again.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Andy Hawk & The Train Wreck Endings at http://www.andyhawk.com/. You can purchase a copy of Tin Can Town at www.cdbaby.com/cd/andyhawk5.

Review: Danielle Tersini - Shakedown Of The Heart

Danielle Tersini – Shakedown Of The Heart
2008, Danielle Tersini

New York City-based Danielle Tersini recently released a 2-track single on iTunes. The mid-tempo dance oriented lead track, Shakedown Of The Heart is a passable club tune with a smart and hum-able melody. Tersini has a distinctive, heavy alto sound that is unusual in pop music and makes her instantly recognizable. Player Man is a fairly generic pop song built on a piano riff and a dance beat. Tersini’s voice is distinctive enough to leave a lasting impression; the material itself is pleasant but innocuous.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Danielle Tersini at www.myspace.com/danielletersini. You can download these tracks on iTunes.