Big Tobacco & The Pickers - Big Tobacco & The Pickers

Big Tobacco & The Pickers - Big Tobacco & The Pickers

2010, Big Tobacco & The Pickers

Big Tobacco & The Pickers are a Southern Ontario-based sextet that blends the outlaw country of Johnny, Merle, Waylon and Willie with the folk/rock sensibilities of The Band and occasionally the offbeat feel of Luther Wright & The Wrongs.  Songs of hard living, hard drinking and occasional forays over the line of legality are the order of the day, delivered in a no-nonsense manner that is full of the charisma of lead vocalist Jamie Oliver.  Big Tobacco & The Pickers, the band's self-titled debut, delivers on the promise of the band's live shows, and announces Big Tobacco & The Pickers as one of the bright new stars on the alt-country horizon.

Big Tobacco & The Pickers open with “The Drunker You Get”, a musical take on the classic joke about the quality of the band’s music in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.  Vocalist Jamie Oliver shows tremendous charisma and showmanship, and the band matches him step for step.  “Whispering Palms” is a northern-dweller’s lament missing his home in the south.  The song has a nice, classic-country feel, like something you might have heard on country radio a generation or two ago.  “Time Ain’t On Your Side” laments the time spent as a young kid/adult ‘running from the mines’.  It’s a song about big dreams, the wasted pursuits of youth and never quite ending up where you intended.  This particular story/song includes a side bar in prison and a lot of regret, but also a thread of pride and fond remembrance deep beneath the surface.  The arrangement is a thing of beauty, and the vocal harmonies sublime. 

“Return To Sender (Say It Ain’t So)” is a monologue from a man who has been untrue and has been exiled from his marriage and children.  Now he has been served with divorce papers and is suffering the ultimate regret for his past actions.  The song is delivered in a straight-forward country arrangement with a fine melody.  “Lonesome, On’ry And Mean” is pure fun; a likely favorite in the live set.  This is the sort of deep album cut that can become a cult favorite.  “My Own Hell” is about two lost souls drinking to their misery together. He somehow shows enough judgment, however, to leave her sleeping on the bar rather than going home with her and making things worse.  It’s a sorrowful but pragmatic turn that’s a bit atypical for popular music in any genre.  “No Good Gal” is pure singer/songwriter/country about a lady who is nothing but trouble.  Three years in and he’s finally moving on, but the tongue-in-cheek story telling makes it clear she’s been nothing but trouble.

“I’m Fine” is all about getting over true love.  Set to a waltz, he acknowledges not being over her, but consoles himself with women, whiskey and the road.  “Livin’ By Rolling The Dice” is catchy, bluesy rock n roll; an outlaw country tune with a classic rock pedigree.  This one’s a lot of fun, a sure-fire hit in Big Tobacco & The Pickers’ live shows.  “Beans For Breakfast” sounds like something that might have grown out of a jam session between Johnny Cash and Luther Wright.  It’s a tongue-in-cheek song about a man living on the dregs of life.  “The Legend Of Ma Barker” is a great story song about the notorious maven and her criminal activities.  Edgy and entertaining, this is the sort of song that will inspire whoops and hollers in a southern bar on a Saturday night.  It’s flat out great songwriting and a sharp performance.    “Big Tobacco & The Pickers” closes with “Sing Me Back Home”, commemorating the power of music to take us back in space and time to home.  It’s a touching and heartfelt tune without a bit of schmaltz. 

Big Tobacco & The Pickers are the real deal.  Mixing elements of classic country, southern rock and down home, self-deprecating humor, Big Tobacco & The Pickers have created an album that stands on its own.  Vocalist Jamie Oliver is personality plus, selling every song as if his life depends on it, and the band is as tight and interconnected as you could hope for.  Big Tobacco & The Pickers has one or two slow moments, but overall is a great reminder of what country music was meant to be.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about Big Tobacco And The Pickers at www.myspace.com/bigtobaccoandthepickersband.  Big Tobacco & The Pickers is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Cowboy Junkies – Demons: The Nomad Series Volume 2

Cowboy Junkies – Demons: The Nomad Series Volume 2

2011, Razor & Tie/Latent Recordings

Cowboy Junkies was formed back in 1985 by siblings Margo Timmons (vocals), Michael Timmins (guitar, songwriting) and Peter Timmins (drums) along with bassist Alan Anton.  Twenty-six years on and the original foursome are still together, with occasional help from friends.  Cowboy Junkies broke into international prominence with their second album, The Trinity Sessions back in 1987, led by their smash hit cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane”.    While the Cowboy Junkies haven’t seen a lot of chart action outside of their native Canada since that time, they have developed an almost rabid following on three continents.  In 1998 the band went back to their Indie roots, releasing fourteen albums since that time on their own imprint, Latent Recordings.  Cowboy Junkies’ latest effort, Demons: The Nomad Series Volume 2 is a collection of the music of Vic Chestnutt.  Chestnutt had played with Cowboy Junkies over the years, and the album seems a sort of memoriam to him from the band.  Demons hits shelves virtual and real on February 15, 2011.

Demons opens with "Wrong Piano", a pretty and ethereal interpretation that finds Margo Timmins shedding the perfect blend of dark and light in her vocals.  The roiling arrangement is at one peaceful and disturbing, with the lead guitar setting out an arrhythmic musical heartbeat driven by sadness.  "Flirted With You All My Life" is a love song to death.  Chestnutt's songwriting is dark and compelling, casting his courtship with the afterlife as a romance.  "See You Around" is perhaps one of Chestnutt's most brilliant songwriting moments.  The melancholy melody drips with an insolent brilliance, and Margo Timmins takes the song as her own.  The gorgeous arrangement is crowned with synth as a haunting counter voice to Timmons.  This is a wow moment.

"Betty Lonely" is articulate but drawn out to interminable lengths.  The performance is solid and the vocals are entrancing, but the song itself is just too deep in pathos for all but the most sunless souls.  "Square Room" is a pretty, pragmatic folk tune with many layers.  Written from the depths of alcoholism and loneliness, Timmons explores Chestnutt's delineation of dreams that might have been.  "Supernatural" has a gorgeous melody buried deep in a sorrowful arrangement that will surprise you.  The Cowboy Junkies manage to bring out the tragic beauty in this tune more clearly than Chestnutt's recording, but lose none of his muted sense of awe.  "West Of Rome" is dark, mournful and moribund, but beautiful in its deficit of light.  This one moves slowly and may wear on some listeners, but the song has an esoteric beauty that's strongly enhanced by the string arrangement.  Demons closes with a trio of songs, "Strange Language", "We Hovered With Short Wings" and "When The Bottom Fell Out" that fail to live up to what's come before.  The performances are all solid, but you'll get the sense that these were chosen more to fill out the album than for any sense of inspiration.

Cowboy Junkies have never been known for taking things lightly.  Their musical history is one of minimalism and beauty.  Playing on the instrumental/writing genius of Michael Timmons and the soul-melting alto of Margo Timmons, Cowboy Junkies have inspired an entire generation of down-tempo and mellow artists to reach for new heights.  All of those qualities are present on Demons, blended with the disturbed and occasionally brilliant songwriting of Vic Chestnutt.  Sometimes this mix is pure genius, and sometimes it just doesn't work so well.  Even in the moments that don't quite mesh, Cowboy Junkies manage to bring out the best in the songs presented here, but folks who are diehard fans of either Chestnutt or Cowboy Junkies might get a little lost along the way.  In its best moments, Demons is haunting.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Cowboy Junkies at www.cowboyjunkies.com,  www.latentrecordings.com/cowboyjunkies or www.myspace.com/cowboyjunkies.  Demons drops on February 15, 2011.  You can pre-order the album on CD, on Vinyl or as a Download from Amazon.com.Check out Cowboy Junkies tonight (February 9th) on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

Groove For Thought – Groove For Thought

Groove For Thought – Groove For Thought
2006, Groove For Thought

If you happened to check out Ben Folds’ The Sing Off! this past December on NBC you would be acquainted with a number of top-notch a cappella groups.  One of the groups who particularly impressed as Seattle’s Groove For Thought.  With a sound that blends pop, R&B and jazz, Groove For Thought established themselves as a dynamic vocal force.  We recently received Groove For Thought’s self-titled debut album from 2006 and decided to give it a spin.

Groove For Thought opens with “Lay It Back”, a funky jazz/pop piece with Take 6-style harmonies.  Sung with instrumentation, the piece has a nice sound and moves with a flourish.  Groove For Thought’s take on Three Dog Night’s “Joy To The World” is inspired, highlighting tempo changes and stark harmonies over an irrepressible bass line.  “And So It Goes”, written by Billy Joel, is one of the tunes Groove For Thought performed on The Sing Off!  The version offered here is played with a bit too much; the version on the show was a bit more stripped down to allow the vocals to truly shine.  “Gotta Lotta Lemons” is performed in a jazz arrangement with instruments.  Groove For Thought offers this one up in a big sound, almost like a vocal jazz band.  This tune is entertaining, danceable and pretty.

“My Perfect Day” shows off gorgeous harmonies in a light R&B and pop arrangement.  It’s one of the prettiest vocal arrangements on the album.  Ben E. King’s “Lean On Me” is offered up in a modern electronic funk arrangement.  The version on the album is pretty but underwhelming vocally.  This is one on those iconic songs you really have to step up with when you perform it.  Groove For Thought offers a nice version, but not one that’s worthy of the quality of the song.  “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” is heartfelt and soulful; beautifully done.  The frenetic and complex voxtrumental “La Fiesta” is highly entertaining; a Latin jazz & swing extravaganza that brings light instrumentation into the mix but impresses for the vocal work nonetheless.  Groove For Thought closes with “Walk The Straighter Road”, a peaceful and pretty signoff that shows off Groove For Thought at their harmonious best.

Groove For Thought impressed on The Sing Off! In December.  Groove For Thought impresses in its own right, although it’s clear that in the three years since this album was released the group has refined their sound.  There is a tendency to want to do too much here at times, but the vocal sounds are sublime when Groove For Thought hits their stride.  This album marks a solid starting place for a group that’s only gotten better with time.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Groove For Thought at http://www.grooveforthought.com/ or www.myspace.com/grooveforthought.  Groove For Thought is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.

Stefania Passamonte – Beethoven’s Dramatic Sonatas

Stefania Passamonte – Beethoven’s Dramatic Sonatas

2010, Master Chord Records

Stefania Passamonte is an Italian-born pianist based in London.  She received her Postgraduate Diploma in Piano from the Royal Academy of Music in London and undertook advance studies at Ecole Nornale de Musique de Paris. Passamonte's teachers include Piero Rattalino, Ian Fountain, Christopher Elton and Jacques Lagarde.  Passamonte's recordings include works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Liszt, and she has performed recitals all over Europe, including such august venues as St. Martin In The Fields, Salle Gaveau, the Lysenk Theatre and Pomeriggi Musicali.  Passamonte's latest album, Beethoven’s Dramatic Sonatas, offers some of Beethoven's most dynamic work for solo piano.

Passamonte opens with “Sonata Op.13 in C minor ‘Pathetique’”, which was written when Beethoven was but twenty-seven years old.   Passamonte shows tremendous energy in the dichotomy of a dark and sometimes violent canvas painted over with a spritely brush in the first movement, “Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio”.  Passamonte shows early on that she’s technically brilliant, but also highly capable of bringing the emotions underlying the music to life.  The second movement, “Adagio Catabile” may be familiar to Billy Joel fans.  Joel borrowed the main theme for the song “This Night”.  Passamonte presents the piece as the lyric interlude between the first and third movements, working magic in the juxtaposition of a beautifully lyric theme and the nervous passionato of the spaces in between.  Passamonte picks up Beethoven’s sense of darkness on the third movement, “Rondo – Allegro”, in what becomes a somber meditation.

“Sonata Op. 57 in F-minor ‘Appassionata’” once again finds Beethoven struggling against darkness.  Movement I, “Allegro Assasi” runs the full gamut of human emotion, from light and airy to dark, disturbed outbursts chronicled in Passamonte’s explosively percussive left hand and the nervous rambling of her right.  Passamonte actually misses a single note just shy of the nine-minute mark here.  This is notable as Beethoven’s Dramatic Sonatas was recorded in one day in a studio in London, and many of these pieces were likely done in one take.  In spite of that, this is the only miscue noted in fifty-five minutes of music.  As in “Pathetique”, Beethoven uses the second movement of “Appassionata”, “Andante Con Moto” as a sort of emotional resolution or resting point.  The lyric nature of the theme here is peaceful, and Passamonte finds hints of beauty in its passive nature.  “Allegro Ma Non Troppo”, on the other hand, returns the violent struggle of man against nature to the fore.  Passamonte plays this struggle with powerfully emotive lines and an impresario air.  The performance offered here is powerful, moving and technically refined.

“32 Variations in C Minor” again finds Beethoven (and by extension Passamonte” investing a lot of energy in the left hand with a stubborn theme that repeats itself while descending the scale.  “32 Variations in C Minor” was wildly popular in the second half of the 19^th century, and has the dramatic flair of a silent film pianist.  Explosive runs lead into dainty passages, displaying a full range of emotion and technique blended into a living, breathing performance that is nothing less than stunning.

There are many pianists in classical music who are better known than Stefania Passamonte, but it would be difficult to argue that there are those who are more dedicated to their craft.  Passamonte displays a deep musical understanding of pieces she plays, the history behind them and the composers’ intent.  It is this set of skills blended with a distinctive technical expertise that mark Passamonte as a talent who star has yet to see its Zenith.  Beethoven’s Dramatic Sonatas is the sort of work that could put Stefania Passamonte on the classical “it” list to stay.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Stefania Passamonte at http://www.stefaniapassamonte.co.uk.  Beethoven's Dramatic Sonatas is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.

Mindy Hartman - Speak To Me Now: A Journey

Mindy Hartman - Speak To Me Now: A Journey
2010, Out Of Sight Ministries

You could spend an hour on Mindy Hartman's back story alone.  Blind from birth and bearing the death of a seventeen-year old brother and September 11th within months of each other, Hartman lives a life that might be considered inspirational to some.  Hartman is a blindness educator, orator, natural health advocate and music minister.  The native of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania fell in love with singing at a young age and has performed as a soloist and in ensembles ever since.  Hartman became involved in music ministry through her church and eventually spun off into her own imprint, Out Of Sight Ministries.  In November of 2010, Hartman released her debut album, Speak To Me Now: A Journey.  The album is a collection of inspirational songs ranging from traditional-style hymns to jazz/cabaret numbers full of spirit.

Hartman opens with “In My Mother’s Womb”, Praise music that sounds like a blend of Broadway and baroque.  The blending of piano, harpsichord and minor keys makes for an intriguing sound.  Hartman’s voice is unspectacular but solid in her lower range, but as she moves into the higher notes pitch issues begin to present themselves.  “Speak To Me Now” is a solid, prayerful tune.  The lead vocal is a bit clumsy at times, but the vocal harmonies mostly hide this.  Hartman’s pitch issues are readily apparent here.  “The Master Has Come” is offered in a traditional, mixolydian sound.  The solid, classic style of the hymn is watered down by the less-than-inspired performance.  “How Firm A Foundation” and “Be Thou My Vision” are solid but unremarkable, excepting Hartman’s ongoing struggle with pitch.

“Introspection” changes up the pace with a piano bar/cabaret feel.  Hartman handles the vocal with minimal problem, but the song itself has an awkward, ill-fitting feel.  Message has certainly taken precedence over the music, and the lyrics and arrangement simply don’t seem to work together all the time.  “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place” displays a two-part homophonic vocal harmony style not dissimilar to barbershop singing.  The simple arrangement of the song offers a distinctive hymn-like feel.  Each vocalist is a bit tough on the ears (for pitch) when singing on their own, but their voices blend nicely and minimize such effects.  “Trust And Obey” sticks to harmony vocals throughout and comes off solidly, if less than inspired. “Lord God Why Did You Choose Me” blends gospel, blues and show-tune sounds in a pleasing arrangement.  Unfortunately Hartman simply doesn’t have the voice to carry this tune off.  The song grossly exposes her vocal weaknesses and lack of breath/pitch control.  Hartman gets points for inspiration on this one, but the end product is hard to listen to. 

“He Keeps Me Singing” is the musical nadir of Speak To Me Now: A Journey.  Hartman’s pitch issues here are legion; anything else you could say about the song gets lost in the shuffle.  “Lord Of” is a swaying, sing-song musical prayer.  Mindy Hartman manages to stay solidly in her vocal comfort zone and consequently greatly minimizes issues of pitch and tone.  It’s not a perfect performance, but it’s the best one that appears on the album.  When Hartman stays compact and close to home she has a sweet voice.  The synth/strings over the piano bass are a nice touch.  “Beautiful Beckoning Hands” has a somewhat monotonous cadence but offers solid vocal harmonies as something of a condolence.  Hartman steps to the pulpit with “He’s My All In All”, a blend of sermon and testimony in song, and then closes with a classic refrain in “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”, a traditional style hymn that’s compact and perfectly fit for Hartman’s voice.

Mindy Hartman leads an exemplary life.  Hartman takes the dis out of disability every single day, using her talents to make the world around her a better place to live.  While Hartman’s performances may be inspiring, Speak To Me Now: A Journey just doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain.  The songs offered here are often solid, and Hartman’s voice can have a sweet tone at times, pitch issues run rampant through the songs.  Hartman is anything but tone deaf, but lacks the proper breath control and discipline to offer a performance that is gratifying.  These things can be learned, of course, and so there is distinct hope for the Mindy Hartman’s musical and ministerial future, but Speak To Me Now: A Journey is a difficult trip.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5) 

Learn more about Mindy Hartman at http://www.innernet.net/outofsight/.  Speak To Me Now: A Journey is available as a CD or Download from Amazon.com

Alan Rinehart - The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16th Century Italy

Alan Rinehart - The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16th Century Italy
2010, Alan Rinehart

Alan Rinehart is a performer, teacher and editor based in Nelson, British Columbia, who has earned international acclaim for his guitar and lute work since his London debut in 1980.  Rinehart studied lute at the Early Music Center in London, England with Anthony Rooley, Jakob Lindberg and Emma Kirby, and went on to found The Vancouver Guitar Quartet.  As a soloist Rinehart has released three albums, the most recent of which is The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16^th Century Italy.   On The Golden Century, Rinehart takes listeners through the music of three generations of Italian composers, tracing lute music through as it developed from dance, polyphonic and popular roots.

Alan Rinehart is a teacher even in performance.  Reading his press materials and listening to The Golden Century, it’s evident that Rinehart is ultimately knowledgeable of his art, and thoroughly in love with the music he plays.  Each note is carefully, lovingly crafted, with a clean and distinct style of play that speaks of impeccable technique.  Rinehart offers 31 lute pieces on traditional guitar in hopes of opening up the art form to greater interest.  Rinehart opens with four studies by Francesco Spinacino.  The fourth, “Recercar de tutti Il Toni” makes bold tonal explorations and shows Rinehart’s ultimately graceful technique.  Rinehart dances his way lightly through five short pieces from Joanambrosio Dalza.  One of the highlights of the album comes next.  Rinehart recreates Vincenzo Capirola’s “Et In Terra Paz Homnibus”, itself a recreation of Josquin de Pres’ vocal work of the same name.   Rinehart gives ‘voice’ to the pieces as well as many vocalists you might think of.

Rinehart next takes on six Fantasias from Francesco Canova (da Milano).  To varying degrees, Canova’s Fantasias have a highly pensive feel that breathes forth from Rinehart’s recordings.  Once again, the technique here is flawless, and Rinehart plays with not only technical perfection, but with an emotive style that is unmistakable.  Rinehart takes a side trip with “Fantasia” by Alberto da Ripa, showing off a contrapuntal harmony style that would be challenging to even the most practiced guitarist.  Somehow Rinehart makes it all sound easy. 

Vincenzo Gallilei’s “Chiari, fresche e dolci acque” takes a vocal composition from Jaques Arcadelt and turns it into a mellow, ambling piece full of beauty.  Rinehart offers up the piece in tones of reverence, eliciting each note and phrase with fervent solemnity.    Rinehart next works through four pieces from Giulio Cesare Barbetta that infuse a Spanish style.  Three “Moresca’s” (Moorish dances) and “Passamezzo Detto Il Commune (in 4 variations)” show off a more dance-oriented style that was ahead of its time when written.  Rinehart plays each with a light touch that is appropriate, allowing the pieces themselves to speak.   

Rinehart offers some of his best fret work on the anonymous “Ricercar (Siena lute MS 1585)”, a piece with a mischievous melody and complex structure.  This piece would have been progressive for its time, and Rinehart plays it with appropriate energy and zest.  Rinehart next communes with Giovanni Antonio Terzi, moving into a more traditional baroque sound with the use of madrigals and chansons.  “Alemano” in particular shows Rinehart at his best, working from resolution to resolution with a sense of embellishment that is keenly refined.  While Rinehart didn’t write the lines he plays, you’d nearly think he did.  Rinehart closes with “Fantasia Quinta” by Simone Molinaro.  A contemporary of Giovanni Palestrina”, Molinaro’s complex and textured piece is given loving air by Rinehart, building in intensity and energy and displaying consummate technique and grace.

Alan Rinehart plays music from the 16^th century as he might have once lived through that time, with a conviction and passion that comes only from close association.  You can almost close your eyes and picture yourself in 16^th century Florence with The Renaissance exploding around you.  Alan Rinehart’s The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16th Century Italy is transformative.  It’s the sort of performance that can change your musical perspective, opening your mind up to new sounds and styles you may never have otherwise considered.  Rinehart’s work is a thing of beauty.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Alan Rinehart at http://www.alanrinehart.com/.  The Golden Century: Lute Music From 16th Century Italy is available as a CD or Download from Amazon.com.  The digital version is also available via iTunes.

Mike McCarroll – Honky Tonk Dreams

Mike McCarroll – Honky Tonk Dreams
2010, Mike McCarroll Productions

Mike McCarroll was indoctrinated into music at an early age, dancing around the kitchen with his mom to Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up” as a toddler.  It wasn’t until enlisting in the army during the Vietnam War that McCarroll picked up a guitar and began to have a sense he could create music.  In the 1960’s and 1970’s it was rock n roll that lit McCarroll’s lamp.  By the late 1970’s McCarroll had made the jump to southern rock, and in the 1980’s was reborn of country music.  The birth of the alternative country movement awoke something in McCarroll that had been there all along.  He began to write country/rock tunes for his own enjoyment, and by 2008 he had released his debut album, the critically acclaimed At The Crossroads.  McCarroll returned in 2010 with Honky Tonk Dreams, refining his outlaw country sound and putting appealing distance between himself and the commercial country pack.

Honky Tonk Dreams opens with “Cash Crop”, a low key southern country-rock tune that explores the difficulties faced by small time farmers and the lengths they must at times go through to survive.  The farm’s new lifeblood grows in line between the rows of corn.  McCarroll sounds like a cross between Paul Gross (Due South, Men With Brooms) and Garth Brooks on “The Devil In The Mirror” while exploring the dark, unknown side of human nature.  “Honky Tonk Dream” finds McCarroll channeling the spirit of Jerry Reed in a good-time tune that looks forward to the weekend as a way to get through the week.  “I Had It All” is a song of heartbreak, lamenting a love lost and the fact that he let her slip away. 

“If The Devil Brought You Roses” is a stellar mix of country, rock and blues.  McCarroll, in character as a less-than-ideal man, asks for another chance, or at least one more roll in the hay.  This mid-tempo creation is as catchy as anything you’ll hear on country radio, but the level of personality and commitment in the performance offered here is striking.  This song will stick with you.  “It’s All About You” is a kiss off, country style.  The title takes on a double meaning in a tongue-in-cheek turns that’s highly entertaining and fun.  “Merle Haggard Jack Daniels & Me” is all about drinking, classic country music and the sort of brotherly commiseration that can only occur at your neighborhood bar.

McCarroll stands up for Indie artists everywhere on “Pop-Style Cookie-Cutter Formula”, informing pop/country music executives what they can do with the songs they want him to play.  The honky-tonk arrangement is laced with the rebellious feel of early rock n roll.  “Southern Pride” is an ode to southern rock and some of its greatest purveyors.  McCarroll takes another shot at the music industry here, lamenting labels’ determination to essentially ignore a market for which there is still significant interest.  Along the way McCarroll references some of his own influences, including The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Charlie Daniels Band, the Atlantic Rhythm Section and the Charlie Daniels Band.  “Waitin’” is a bit of light-heard, mid-tempo country fun.  “Waitin’ On The Whiskey To Work” takes a slightly darker turn about drowning your sorrows.  This isn’t a light drinking tune; it’s a serious, all hands on deck get drunk and forget song.  “What You Gonna Do” finds McCarroll back in the honky-tonk, leaning dangerously close to early rock n roll with a musical blend with elements of Garth Brooks, Hank Jr. and Jerry Lee Lewis.  This is a potential country hit, being the most commercial tune on the album without the air of trying to be.

Mike McCarroll takes a lifetime of musical influences and channels it through his own quintessence to create a sound that is simultaneously modern and classic.  Picking up the mantle from gentlemen such as Hank Williams Jr. and Garth Brooks, Mike McCarroll does his own thing, his way.  McCarroll has a way of blending intelligent lyrics, the irreverent spirit of rock and roll and first class musicianship into songs that are eminently listenable and call you back again and again.  McCarroll’s attitude toward the pop/country ways of Nashville virtually assures that Honky Tonk Dreams probably won’t get the airplay or national attention it deserves, but is a fine example of the sort of great music that happens on the fringes of Nashville once the bills have been paid.  Honky Tonk Dreams is one of the finest country albums to surface in 2010.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5) 

Learn more about Mike McCarroll at www.mikemccarroll.com.  Honky Tonk Dreams is available as a Honky Tonk Dreams or Honky Tonk Dreams from Amazon.com.  Digital versions are also available via iTunes.