Alvin and Gilmore have long careers in American roots music with notable separate catalogues compiled within the Blasters, Flatlanders et al before striking out solo. Along the way Alvin collected a Grammy and Gilmore was nominated. Both artists have toured continuously over the years and upon a recommendation decided to pair up and have since toured together off and on. This is their second joint release of covers and original material.
Alvin and Gilmore only duet on four songs: The Death Of The Last Stripper, Betty And Dupree, Down The 285 and We’re Still Here. The latter is a jaunty piece of rock n’ roll that acts as a homily to their longevity. With Gilmore in his eightieth year and Alvin having battled cancer there’s no doubt they’re survivors. The album’s an excellent mix of americana, blues and storytelling. Gilmore starts the album with Borderland, his composition with engaging lyrics about life on the Texas border. Gilmore has reedy vocals like Willie Nelson that seem deft at picking through a story. The excellence of the band (The Guilty Ones) immediately strikes you: fluid, discrete, sympathetic and able to switch between moods and sounds seamlessly.
The album title originated from the origins of the artists with Gilmore from Texas and Alvin from California, something both are proud to emphasise. Alvin’s sound is less americana with a blues tinge. Blind Owl sees him in Kansas in hot midnight rain after a gig contemplating the next town. With a chugging riff that develops into sleek rock whilst propelled by harmonica as Chris Miller on electric lead delights. Alvin delivers the vocal in his part talk and sing style. (‘Blind Owl’ refers to Alan Wilson, a member of Canned Heat until his early death, and a song Alvin wrote and has performed with Canned Heat.)
This is a beautiful listen by two accomplished troubadours with a fabulous band in support. It’s heartening to have a selection of songs with interesting lyrics that give up something new on every listen. Class will out, top drawer.
Johnny Blue Skies is Sturgill Simpson: a nickname given to him by a barman in Kentucky decades ago. He doesn’t now plan to release solo albums under his own name. Apparently he’s no longer that person. Given the twists and turns in his career then this decision is just another curved ball from this intriguing maverick.
He came to prominence with two Dave Cobb produced albums in 2013 and 2014 that were straight country with Outlaw vibes. What was clear was that his rich baritone could hold a tune and he could write one. Exhibiting an attitude and personality along with alluring musicianship the albums were rightly coveted. At this point a major record label seized him, promoted him heavily and his next release, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, bagged a Grammy. Frankly, I found this release to drift away from the good work he’d done on his earlier efforts but it did demonstrate his ability to purvey more than country.
At this juncture Simpson produced two fabulous albums for, debutant, Tyler Childers, fell out with the music industry, released an anodyne rock album (Sound & Fury), got to a position where he needed to take time out due to substance misuse and all along dabbled in acting. In 2020 he was back with some splendid bluegrass on Cuttin’ Grass Volumes 1 and 2 before2021’s excellent The Ballad of Dood & Juanita.
His latest release takes him back to the 1970s with americana, Southern Rock and blue eyed soul. There are also one and a half tracks of country here: Who I Am, and the Jimmy Buffett pastiche, Scooter Blues. The rest takes me back decades and the tunes could have come from The Allman Brothers Band, Cate Brothers or even the Average White Band.
During its incubation he’s been travelling collecting his thoughts and creating space from the USA and the music industry. France was one destination and we start with an accordion and violin on Swamp Of Sadness. It’s seton the streets of Paris and the song builds to go gently electric to “Spend my days in a haze, floating ’round in the Marais / Nights under the bright lights at Mignon on Beaumarchais.” The French capital is where he wrote most of the album and hence the exquisite sleeve photograph. (Scooter Blues originated in another location on his sojourns, Thailand.)
The blue eyed soul of If The Sun Never Rises Again could have graced the charts both sides of the Atlantic back in the day with this slow lilting dance tune and a lyric about restoring his intended – “All we need is starlight in our eyes”. Jupiter’s Faerie is haltingly about a suicide and the mournful delivery reminded me of its virtual namesake Drops of Jupiter by Train replete with 80s strings. Mint Tea is straight Southern Rock and Simpson’s sparse yet tasteful lead guitar is a complete treat, it grabs the song and hoists it high for all to marvel. The soft rock of One For The Road wades in at just under nine minutes and is a cathartic love song with words such as “I wanna taste all the grapes on your vine / I wanna leave all your bottles empty and broken / I wanna say that you’re all mine / But words are often better left unspoke.”
He’s a complicated chap who’s cerebral about his view of the world and his place in it. Simpson can turn to treasure the music he makes; this album is another chest full. It’s an easy, mellifluous and delightful listen. Despite my protestation about its tenuous sonic links to country music I fear it’ll appear on some end of year lists but, hey, I lost that battle a long time ago. Enjoy.
The lights went down and the full house at The Barbican roared as Rateliff energetically declared his arrival with Suffer Me. Not missing a beat, we were through three songs before he paused to acknowledge the crowd and give the first of his heartfelt thanks for everyone coming out; he was quick to point out it had been a long journey from his modest start in Missouri to sell out tours in Europe. Now fêted in americana circles it was clear that his appeal was to a crowd that liked to dance and wanted irresistible rabble rousing choruses. I can confirm that once exposed to his irrepressible charms then resistance is futile.
Like continual starbursts the eight piece band played a storm of rock n’ roll, old fashioned R&B with flourishes of Stax soul and gospel. The fact that Rateliff records on the latest incarnation of Stax brought to mind the Memphis Horns with saxes (baritone and tenor) working the audiences’ hips and feet like puppeteers and a trumpet for good measure creating some true highs. I’m On Your Side, also from his 2021’s The Future, confirmed, if you’d had any doubts, that here was a mesmerising master craftsman at work, often pacing the stage and switching between piano, acoustic, electric rhythm and lead guitar.
Songs from four albums made up the set list with a debut, for the British audiences, of tracks from his latest release South Of Here. If the audience were less sure about these new songs due to their lack of familiarity then on the remainder including Intro,Love Don’t, Hey Mama, You Worry Me and a cover of Springsteen’s Dancing in The Dark the joint jumped. Young and old alike leapt around with hands in the air, spilling beer and being transported whilst joining Rateliff on the choruses.
Returning for a couple of encores S.O.B. was the most animated I’ve ever seen the venue over my regular attendances; I’ve never seen such a consistently high energy set. It was one of those gigs where you just had to be there. If there was ever an artist who probably released great albums but was best experienced live then he’s the epitome. I implore you to make sure you get a ticket for his next UK visit. I will.
A walk along Nashville’s Lower Broadway on a Saturday night is an assault on the senses. Bar after bar, on up to three floors, is blasting out repertoires from George Strait to Guns N’ Roses with live bands. The noise is immense as are the crowds of ‘out of town revellers’ in T shirts, shorts or short skirts; many with cowboys hats and boots. It’s a sight to behold as this sea of flesh hunts hedonistic delights. At the bottom of the strip is Eric Church’s new venue Chief’s. It’s here on the third storey, where the hardwood floor has been filled with chairs, the crowd are awaiting the appearance of a South Carolina belle.
It’s twenty years since Robert’s released her eponymous debut and this is an anniversary party. From being the PA to a record label boss she found, in short order, that she had a Top 10 release and was well on her way to being a new important country chanteuse. That album undoubtedly remains an early millennium classic but for several reasons her career faltered after a few years and her output has been sporadic as well as her appearances since. Managing long term health challenges (MS) has been a necessity yet on stage this night she was perpetual motion in sparkling stage outfits that failed to eclipse her personality: excitable, warm, kind, often hilarious and slightly scatty.
Debut album in 2004
It may have been party time on the street below but she soon had the sell out audience up off their chairs and joining the choruses. The whole night was participative yet intimate. Break Down Here, a Top 20 hit off the album, is an earworm gem and it came up early as she played the song in the order of the album. An uber excited audience was singing word for word as Robert’s beamed from the stage enjoying the ‘love’. Her gift, the voice, is a joy to hear as its expressive plaintive tones can bring you heartbreak, despair or longing. With many anecdotal detours she delivered the eleven songs with a five piece band that notably had her husband, Matt Baugher, on keyboards and Mark Oakley on electric guitar.
After an intermission where many of the audience, mainly from the southern States but some further north had refuelled she returned to play songs mainly from her 2022 release Ain’t In No Hurry. This album took several years to compile with Shooter Jennings producing. It boasts contributions from Erin Enderlin and duets with Jamey Johnson and Randy Hauser. Whilst it had its moments such as a cover of K T Oslin’s Do Ya’ where Robert’s demonstrates her Southern Soul credentials the selection of songs brought into sharp relief how exceptional her debut was. After Men & Mascara we had another run through Break Down Here and then before the encore, where she could thank all the individual members of the band again or express her gratitude for us all coming out (again!) we found the exit and another bar where duelling grand pianists were running through Elton John’s catalogue, after all the night was young.
Campbell is a genuine legend. He was a stellar musician and multi-million recording artist. His catalogue is often peerless. Sadly, his later years were difficult due to battling Alzheimer’s before his death in 2017. There was much coverage during his decline showing the challenges. Throughout these latter years, during the onset, he continued to record; this album is mainly a rework of 2011’s Ghost On The Canvas. This reimagining involved re-recording the original album and inserting some duets. The arrangements are brighter than the original with a contemporary feel. You might be forgiven for wondering why they’ve bothered? I did but came to welcome the project.
The original release is a fine, probably neglected, album that can stop you in your tracks as Campbell poetically sings about his ‘confusion’ and gradual slipping into a state that makes him forget his loved ones. However, with bravery he sings about this journey with no rancour yet resilient reflection on a life well lived. Julian Raymond (producer, now and in 2011) wrote much of the album, with great sensitivity, with Campbell and the sound is hallmark/classic Campbell: string drenched, cinematic 60s pop/easy listening embellished by his never rushed tones and those guitar flourishes that he had the talent, in spades, to deliver.
This album retains the original vocals (obviously) and you can admire Campbell’s mastery; the poignancy of the backdrop of his condition is never far from your mind. The songs are duets with artists who don’t normally turnout such as Carole King, Daryl Hall, Brian Wilson and Eric Clapton. (Other contributors include Elton John, Sting and Dolly Parton.) Brian Wilson worked with Campbell in the Beach Boys and Raymond adds some nostalgic 60s Beach Boys harmonies. Like most of the songs on the album Campbell and Wilson don’t flinch on delivering the unvarnished truth: “I am a broken prize all neatly wrapped but cracked inside / All the king’s horses and all his men, they lied / As I look at you and at my life, what do I see? / The person that I wish that I could be.”
Another brutally honest lyric comes from a song Raymond wrote for the 2015 Glen Campbell documentary I’ll Be Me “ I know I’ll never be the same again / I hope I’ll still remember you / Above it all I know our love will transcend / On my long walk home”. This is a duet with Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), she’s a surprise choice to join him on this, yet a superb pick. Campbell seems to get little mention in country music circles nowadays and if to address the deficit Eric Church joins him on Hold On Hope and delivers one of the album highlights.
The original album with such excellent songs was always a great platform and this 2024 version is a fine and touching piece of work. Also, If you get to listen to the original you’ll be in for a treat.
Country music fantasises about rural America: church, family, John Deere, small towns and endless dirt roads. The irony is that many of those who proselytize are often winners of TV talent shows that took them away from graphic design or tele sales jobs. So up steps, Aussie, William Alexander and believe me he’s walked the talk and has the blisters on his hands as an itinerant stockman working in the wide-open spaces of New South Wales to sing about a rural life.
Here there are sun baked, self-sufficient folk, living in settlements maybe a hundred miles from the next, temperatures settling for months above 35°C and a no nonsense focus on feeding the world. If you visit the countryside in NSW you’ll find it hard to discern the difference between here and, say, Kansas as the lonely 18-wheel Macks and Kenworths rumble up and down the highway.
In between tending his cattle Alexander picks up his acoustic guitar and plays Western songs about these communities and their histories. On this magnificent album he wrote six of the ten songs; the remainder all originate from Australia. The unofficial shearer’s trade union song Castlereagh composed by “Banjo’ Paterson is a tour de force. Paterson is famous for writing the nation’s unofficial national anthem Waltzing Matilda. Here, our shearer and general station hand is sick of working for low pay and has disdain for the ‘scabs’ who do. The endless roaming for work and scenery painting in the lyrics is a cinematic history lesson in its own right.
All You Need To Do starts with a wonderful low yodel followed by some pedal steel and then Alexander’s very special, irresistible, tenor arrives with a lullaby ballad that reminded me of Elvis‘ Love Me Tender in its arrangement and poignancy. Away from the sonorous ballads and social history he can cut a rug and Blackwood Town is a lively two-step where Tommy Brooks’ pedal steel lights things up as he speculates about hitching a ride for a night out in town. Of a similar pace is the Happy Singing Bushman, a melodic highlight with its gentle paced playing. Again, it’s the voice that captures you.
When I could message Alexander, after all he’s a busy man and hardly sat at a desk, he cited his musical influences to be Slim Dusty, Tex Morton, Buddy Williams and Colter Wall. In fact, Wall, the most prominent and successful of recent Western players, comes to mind when the proverbial needle hits the groove on this release. If you think that Wall had the help of Dave Cobb and RCA Studio A to record and release his collections then here, without all that resource, the song curation and excellent production are similarly as sympathetic and true to the original genre. Truly fabulous.
Beyoncé’s latest release has made mainstream news headlines. The album has been promoted and accepted by many critics as her moving her tanks onto the lawns of the country music industry seeking acknowledgement of black artists’ contribution and the freeze out nature of Nashville. I think the narrative gains traction because critics see country music as a Southern pre-occupation and, frankly, the politics down there probably aren’t theirs. However, before we get to the music she was clear before its’ release: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a Beyoncé album.” True and in many ways I could finish the review here.
During Covid she decided to write a trilogy of albums of which Renaissance, in 2022, was the first, a dancefloor album. Here the lyrical themes were about black and gay tribulations. The second in the series, Cowboy Carter, moves on to replicate the format of a collage of songs, talk and samples with icons of the genre but this time addressing black artists, their marginalisation in the genre and how this and other heritage white music played a role in her own musical education.
American Requiem presents her credentials to be considered ‘country’ because of the activities of her forbears, her, maybe, modest upbringing and striving (more of this in 16 Carriages). It seems clear that Nashville’s hostile reaction to her 2016 CMA’s appearance with The (Dixie) Chicks still stings. On the record she’s worked with some lesser-known black country music artists and Dolly and Willie have walk on parts either introducing songs or pretending to be a country music DJ (how could they resist the royalties!)
However, apart from the smash hit line dancer Texas Fold ‘Em and the Jolene cover there’s no discernible country music over the 78 minutes. There are references in several lyrics to country tropes such as ‘Marlborough Man’ but the accompanying music could be hip-hop or some such. Throughout she has used a number of country music artists to play or sing and whilst most are not discernible there are some snatches such as Tyrant that recycles Cam’s Diane.
I’ve mentioned the country moments above but there’s a deep dive into Beyoncé’s white music influences with samples of the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and a faithful cover of Paul McCartney’s Blackbird, the latter having a lyric about a Civil Rights event that seems in keeping with themes raised here. Similarly, if you listen closely you’ll hear a fraction of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Chuck Berry and Son House making the point that they’re black but have influenced country. On most of the songs she uses traditional instruments, which nicely distances this from her R&B output, including acoustic. There are sumptuous harmonies throughout that give many melodies allure.
One critic on BBC Radio Four did concede that whilst most of it sounded nothing like country then the storylines were pure country! Tenuous would be a kind summary of their attempt to bolt it onto the genre. Like me you may have hoped that this was her Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (Ray Charles) or even a brilliant covers album like Almost Blue (Elvis Costello). Instead, there are a lot of genres briefly covered and discussed with several spoken interludes.
For all that, it’s an excellent pop/soulful album bursting with melodies, interesting arrangements, intriguing samples and complex yet fresh production. I liked it and it went a long way to explaining how she’s amassed $1.16 billion with her husband, Jay-Z, and scooped up 32 Grammys along the way. She’s had a hand in all the original song compositions, arrangements and production. She’s a formidable talent not least for the curation worthy of a musicologist.
She puts in the words of Linda Martell a lecture about genres, and more to the point that they shouldn’t exclude. This is a clumsy message directed at the industry. Genres are a retail tool to categorise certain sounds to enable their promotion and sale. When’s the last time you turned your back on a good song because it wasn’t country?
So, stand by for it being lauded in the Grammys. Texas Hold ‘Em has probably done enough to earn a gong but I shall be dismayed, and even more detached from the Big Label music corporates, if they dare put the album near a country music category.
Blackberry Smoke reconvened in Nashville’s RCA Studio A and continued where they left off from 2021’s I Hear Georgia. The ‘live’ sound continues and the songs could have come from the same sessions judging by their similarity. This is their eighth studio release and should follow their last record to Number 1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk chart.
Riff heavy rock n’ roll is always going to find an audience and Blackberry Smoke have a large following. In fact they may be an audience whose record collections place their tastes somewhere between 1971 and 1978 when the large beasts Lynyrd Skynrd, Little Feat and The Rolling Stones bestrode the planet brandishing a bottle neck slide on their fourth finger. Clearly some are still out there ‘playing the hits’ but Blackberry Smoke is releasing new songs yet the whiff of nostalgia hangs heavy in the air.
The opener, Dig A Hole, is the brightest track here with a funky introduction; Charlie Starr steps up to the microphone and the band quickly finds a deep groove as we move toward the earworm chorus. As a signpost of what’s to come this song contains all the vital ingredients: wailing Banshee girly backing singers, a dab of B3 organ or honky tonk piano, some blissful howling heavy guitar signatures and a drum beat that’s so deliberately brutal that the police must be still looking for the perpetrator.
There’s some shameless appropriation such as Little Bit Crazy. It starts with a Stones riff and groove that’s driven by some Nicky Hopkins-esque piano as an ersatz Keith Richards’ lead squalls over the pungent rhythm guitar. It’s terrific but change the vocals and you’d hope it’s from the latest Rolling Stones album. There are some dialled down moments such as Other Side Of The Light that’s written from the perspective of a young boy on an obstacle filled road trip. The acoustic guitar intro gives way to some slide and the best melody on the album that has a wonderful chorus. Whatcha Know Good is another understated song and a co-write with Brent Cobb. It’s an antidote to our doom laden media where this character is seeking some positivity. Amen to that.
The album is solid over its 10 songs and it’s a much loved sound. Blackberry Smoke don’t just blast you with rock band antics but also great tunes and choruses. It’s an enjoyable listen from when the needle hits the vinyl.
PS I have tickets, with the present Mrs Ives, to see the band in Manchester in September. Must dig out my loon pants and a bandana!
I spend a lot of time conflicted with my music. I receive so much of it and can never do it justice by listening it properly. Do you remember when you were younger and when you bought an LP or CD you nearly wore it out? Now with the availability of music through the radio, podcasts, streaming, downloads, CD’s and vinyl it’s hard not to become buried by it all.
I must have received around 80 albums of country music or americana to download from my editor at Country Music People (CMP), various monthly emails from PR agencies promoting their artists and then the occasional album I buy myself. The Mighty Jessney of Vixen 101 gifts me another 40 or 50 blues albums and then I see the odd CD in a charity shop and then there’s vinyl…
As part of a return to being a teenager I’m slowly acquiring a lot of vinyl released between 1970 and 1980. Happiness is a record store in a holiday destination. In Malaga I found a new release of 60s ‘golden era’ country music from a Swedish band, the awesome Country Sound Of Harmonica Sam! Such a discovery seems spooky in Spain but if you search you can find all sorts. In the bargain bin in Auckland I found the second album by Zephaniah Ohora, a fabulous New York based country artist in the bargain bin! There’s no way I’d ever find this in the UK. Providing your luggage has a large flat space you can bring quite a bit of this stuff back! Generally new vinyl is a deplorable price with most new releases well over £25 and then considerably more for the major artists. I’m more of a second hand vinyl guy and over £15 makes me start to feel faint. However, I’m childishly pleased to have snaffled lots of second hand Wishbone Ash, Santana, Steely Dan, Average White Band, Wilson Picket, Buck Owens and Be Bop Deluxe in the year.
So a top 10?
1. Stephen Wilson Junior – Søn Of Dad
his came via Country Music People and I’d never heard of the artist before. It’s a showstopper of a raw boned wham of an outing veering between country and americana with a lot of rock thrown in. Great lyrics, arrangements and thoughtful lyrics captivated me. His videos on YouTube were the final seal on my thinking I’d discovered a future star.
2. Jaimee Harris – Boomerang Town
At The Crescent in York she was supporting Mary Gauthier and her set was wonderful. Her singer songwriter album displays her siren of a voice. When coupled to some great melodies and often dark lyrics there’s a maturity and authenticity that make me think she’ll one day get a big break.
3. The Country Side Of Harmonica Sam – Back To The Blue Side
This unpromising band name is the country vehicle for Sweden’s Harmonica Sam (Samuel Andersson) who plays ‘golden era’ country. I found this album in a Malaga record shop (Sleazy Records), this shop also had a record label and this was one of their releases! The shop was fully of rockabilly, early 50s rock n’ roll, country, surf and other 60s sounds. After finding this place I’d thought I’d gone to heaven or was having an out of body experience! This album is early 60s country with original compositions and covers. We’re planning to get to Malmö now!
4. Jon Byrd – All Your Mistakes
This nearly escaped my attention amongst all the music I receive but on the first play this selection of originals and covers captivated me and became a ‘go to’. It’s traditional country oozing with pathos, sincerity and drenched in pedal steel. What’s not to love?
5. Ashley McBryde – The Devil I Know
Now riding high in Nashville and the charts she’s a big star. However her ascent has been a long climb and now at forty her talent has won through. This is her third release that has consecutively made my end of year lists. Straight country with tunes, humour, sentimentality and no little verve
6. Brennen Leigh – Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet
This long time female troubadour sings a batch of honky tonkers and ballads with the comforting themes of cheatin’, drinkin’ and lyin’! Slightly care worn but she’s still battling. Fabulous, the real thing.
7. Cody Johnson – Leather
It’s never too early to go back to the 90s and he’s leading the charge with this quality song packed album beautifully played and produced. There’s a variety of sounds and always an interesting lyric. He’s near the top of the Nashville pile at the moment. No wonder why.
8. Elle King – Come Get Your Wife
Take a voice with a lot of personality and experience of singing many genres then couple it to some fabulous contemporary country songs and the production of a top producer and you have a gem.
9. Steely Dan – Two Against Nature
Back to over 20 years! I discovered this lurking on my shelves and played it a lot. This was the last Steely Dan release and it’s passed over as it follows they’re golden period by 20 years when their classic albums were released. So it was great to hear some sophisticated rock, jazz, funk with arresting lyrics. A great band.
10. Wishbone Ash – Live Dates 2
Another retro pick from 1980. I came across the vinyl at a record shop in Beverley, East Yorkshire and loved it from start to finish. Live Dates One had the hits and no doubt spawned the idea to release a second volume. This a truly great rock album.
So 2024 will mean listening to lots of new music including a comforting dose (of hunted down) old rock and soul. Bring it on!
Byrd has been on the scene for a long time and his biography talks of various bands in the 80s and 90s in Atlanta. He then relocated to Nashville at the turn of the century where he performed as a sideman on his Telecaster. However, over the last few years he’s been performing and releasing his own songs; this is his 5th album where he co-wrote half the compositions whilst cherry picking some exceptional covers such as Johnny Paycheck’s (It Won’t Be Long) And I’ll Be Hating You.
I nearly missed this album as it arrived amongst the weekly downloads that populate my inbox claiming that the future of music on Planet Earth resides in the MP3’s in the attached folder. It’s a wonderful authentic ‘golden era’ country album of ten songs that exudes immense charm and craft. Golden Colorado starts the album and is a laidback shuffle with Paul Niehaus on pedal steel (Lambchop and Calexico) shadowing his vocal before some 60s strings fill the spaces. It’s a love song about a girl who’s lured him to this rugged and often wild State. A perfect start.
His co-write with Stephen Simmons of Miss Kitty’s Place is a piece of reminiscing at a favourite bar sadly now a vacant lot. When we leave the shuffle we find some sophistication with City People and Why Must You Think Of Leaving. They remind me of the country sound of Glen Campbell. All good things come to an end and he saves the best till last. It’s Bill Trader’s (Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such As I. It’s been covered by everyone, but no doubt the biggest royalty cheques came via Elvis Presley’s 50s rock n’ roll version (although I wonder if Colonel Parker negotiated away some of the writer’s royalties?) Byrd’s take is stripped back and sentimental, a pure country version with acoustic guitar and pedal steel.
It’s a tuneful collection that sounds like it’s been created with a lot of love amongst seasoned musicians. There’s not a misstep here and I love the way his pure yet lived in voice comfortably fits every song with a shrug of the shoulder sentimentality that makes you believe he’s lived every story he sings about. The album will make it into my end of year list at a canter. Wonderful.
My introduction to country music came, in earnest, at the beginning of the millennium thanks to regular trips to see Mickey Mouse, en famille, and my discovery of CMT (Country Music TV). I was quickly hooked due to the tunefulness, stories and positive energy. I used to clamber back onto the Jumbo with a suitcase full of CDs. These were of artists shifting big numbers – Toby Keith, Travis Tritt, Brad Paisley, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry etc. Johnson’s repertoire sits comfortably with these male artists. The strength of Johnson’s 2021 Human: The Double Album was a delight. He has a slightly retro sound and this is authentic country music. The tracks were lyrically engaging, varied in style and often with an acoustic foundation.
Johnson and producer, Trent Willmon now pick up where they left off with Leather, a mixture of heartfelt ballads, country pop and honky tonk. The lively earworm Work Boots starts the album replete with harmonies and a soothing fiddle. Jelly Roll (he’s frigging everywhere!) duets on the single ballad Whiskey Bent. Both voices work well and I have to say that wherever the tattooed one turns up (Jelly Roll is heavily inked!) he generally adds to the quality. George Strait could have sung Watching My Old Flame. The play on words is fabulous: as he’s watching his partner dress to go out he ponders “Yeah, she’s movin’ on from me, there ain’t no doubt / It’s the hardest thing watchin’ my old flame go out.” This ballad floats on a subtle pedal steel and is underpinned by acoustic guitar. Double Down is another play on the words of doubling down in either determination or sinking a couple of whiskies. Crafted stuff.
The Painter is a love song to his wife and was the lead single off the record. Strings and a shuffling snare help him sing her praises. In fact Johnson does ‘sentimental’ perfectly not least with Dirt Cheap. A family man rejects an offer to buy his house and cites a raft of memories buried in the soil of the property. Bravado comes to the fore with Jesus Loves You. It’s certainly nothing about a Sunday Service but an angry warning to a convicted house breaker – ‘Yeah, Jesus loves you / Lordy, all it takes is faith / And if you come near me and minе again / You’re gonna meet Him face to face’. This is red neck country with rock muscle and the offhand delivery that Tim McGraw used on Do You Want Fries With That.
Melodies, harmonies, light touch arrangements, wordsmithery and some expressive vocals make this an important release. Listening to an interview it appears he’s so top drawer that he has the pick of some great songs and around him he has a team who curate this quality of sound. It’s not by chance he’s got to this position as he has a laser sharp focus on his output. With releases as strong as this he deserves every success.
‘We freaking love this country’. The good news is that Sunny says she’s moving to England as she gushed about the kindness and courtesy of the people she’d met on her latest tour of UK venues. She think she’s sealed the deal by confirming it was logical as she already had a ‘Yarksheer” (Yorkshire) Terrier. The Texas born Nashville resident’s on her latest visit to these shores and it’s proved a blast playing small venues with Harley Husbands. Husbands played the melody and occasional bass lines on acoustic guitar as Sweeney played chords. In return the small, packed club were thrilled to have this country music troubadour grace us with her excellent repertoire. This included many laugh out loud moments as she filled in between the 17 songs. She touched on albums old and more recent; all guaranteed to deliver a favourite you’d know and love.
Not a great snap but the lighting didn’t help!
It was an awfully wet wintery night in Manchester but those who came out were happy to be there and were singing along word perfect on a number of her songs. Take a great set of country pop songs, a running commentary, tales from the road, fan worship and it was always going to be fun. I liked all the songs but Grow Old With Me was a 5 Star experience even though she said it was written to her dog! She played Still Here, one of the less obvious tracks off her 2022 Married Alone album as Bob Harris had recently played it on his radio show. From there we went back nearly 16 years to her debut album Heartbreaker’s Hall Of Fame for Please Be San Antone.
Loretta Lynn gave her some song writing advice and she told us about it in reverential tones, ‘write what you know baby!’ It wasn’t what Sweeney expected but after reflection she did and this explains her several marital break up songs. This was the introduction to another song off Married Alone, Leaving Is My Middle Name! I hoped she’d play Lavender Blue and she delivered along with the other crowd sing-a-long Poets Prayer – a wonderful heartfelt song about the life of an artist on the road with their insecurities, deprivations and yet the irresistible draw of taking their artistry far and wide.
During the song introductions Husbands sat quietly occasionally contributing to stories. The best was when Sweeney declared ‘she was here to tell you how to get free gas’. A hilarious story where they were two hours past the petrol station before they realised they’d driven off without paying. ‘You paid for the gas, right? Err… no I thought you did’. The story ended up with her calling the head office of the petrol station to try and pay. This probably explains why you can never get fuel in the USA unless you pay in advance or at least surrender your credit card.
All good things come to an end and soon she was signing off with From A Table Away and Can’t Let Go. She then disappeared to the ‘merch desk’ where fans were exhorted to buy four CD’s for the price of three as she was tired of lugging them around the country! Me? I pulled up my collar and disappeared into the Manchester rain having had a memorable evening and having ticked off another country favourite.
(Just a brief mention in despatches for Northern Ireland’s Gary Quinn and his earlier support spot. He’s an established, talented and very authentic country artist who’s making music that has a wide appeal. It was my first listen and I’ll be keeping an eye on how he’s doing.)
Girls Night Out (Reba McEntire, Carly Pearce, Jennifer Nettles & Gabby Barrett) / Mama He’s Crazy (Lainey Wilson & Dolly Parton) / Why Not Me (Megan Moroney) / Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days) (Cody Johnson & Sonya isaacs) /Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain (Ashley McBryde & Shelly Fairchild) / Young Love (Strong Love) (Ella Langley & Jamey Johnson) / Have Mercy (LeAnn Rimes) / Love Is Alive (Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton) / Had A Dream (For The Heart) (Wendy Moten & O.N.E. The Duo) / I Know Where I’m Going (Mandy Barnett, Shelby Lynne & Emily West) / Let Me Tell You About Love (Carl Perkins & Raul Malo) / John Deere Tractor (Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley & Molly Tuttle) / Cry Myself To Sleep (Wynonna Judd & Trisha Yearwood) / Love Can Build A Bridge (Jelly Roll, K Michelle & The Fisk Jubilee Singers)
Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna, had considerable success from the mid 1980s to 1991 before disbanding. Wynonna then pursued a solo career whilst Naomi dealt with hepatitis C, joining her daughter for occasional reunions. Success meant 14 number one singles and numerous awards including five Grammys. Such was their profile that their lives became a soap opera in the US tabloids, as personal strife seemed to define their relationship. Naomi had climbed a literal mountain in pushing the Judds to pre-eminence. Their story has the usual episodes of fortune but also a lot of tenacity, resilience and ambition. The tribute is overdue and, sadly, was kick started when Naomi died by her own hand in 2022. This release is a partnership with the US National Alliance of Mental Illness.
Wynonna and Naomi Judd
The Judds were coached, crafted and produced by Brent Maher and Don Potter, not least their signature harmonies. (Potter also played guitar and arranged the songs.) Their sound was ideal as radio friendly country pop. It’s easy to comprehend why the duo have a special place in the history of country music and the hearts of millions of older fans. Naomi strove for a decade to get the break and when it came it came quickly. It must have been a remarkable feeling to suddenly find yourself rich and top of the charts at the age of 38 after previous penury.
There is alchemy present in the Judds’ legacy: the commanding and expressive voice of Wynonna (who took all the lead vocals), Naomi’s harmonies and excellent songs split between uplifting movers and ballads and their acoustic foundation. Keeping it simple and country was a winning formula and their legend was assured. The selection here includes the major hits and most arrangements are broadly faithful to the originals, helped by having Maher back producing it show cases the Judds’ original sound. There’s nothing here that doesn’t do justice to the project except Meg Moroney’s version of the iconic hit Why Not Me. She doesn’t have the voice or phrasing.
The contributors are galactic but I particularly like, the roots/bluegrass with Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley and Molly Tuttle on John Deere Tractor and Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton on Love Is Alive, seeming to be completely in sync; Stefani has the perfect pitch for the tune. Young Love (Strong Love) finds the ideal voice with Ella Langley. Chet Perkins with Raul Malo really rock and pick the hell out of Let Me Tell You About Love. Perkins may seem a surprise contributor however he played guitar (along with Mark Knopfler on the track he also contributed!) on 1989’s River Of Time album. However, the radically different sounding Love Can Build A Bridge with Jelly Roll and K Michelle make it the best track of the collection and it would sit comfortably in 2023’s charts. Wynonna sings on her own album with Cry Myself To Sleep and it’s considerably more electric and bluesy than the relatively chaste original.
If you’re a Judds fan this is a very enjoyable record; even if you’re new to the duo, then this may help you understand their importance to 80s country music.
Chris Stapleton can do no wrong. Since the Kentucky born songwriter went solo and started to release Grammy nominated albums (alongside duets with Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran and Adele) he’s become sizzling hot property in the Nashville music machine.
You can therefore imagine my excitement when Country Music People was offered an exclusive pre-release streaming link for the new record. Words such as ‘confidential’ and ‘embargoed’ were writ large on the email with a link promised to only one person. Being the lucky recipient I radioed back to the mothership, advising that ‘the eagle has landed’. During my training I never imagined a mission so exciting.
The good news is that Stapleton doesn’t veer off his well trodden path and uses the same producer and key band members to back him. He composes or co-writes the songs himself, often with his wife, Morgane, who lends her voice here and there. His yearning and powerful rasping roar is a sound of enormous beauty, pathos and dismantling sincerity. He’s captured millions of followers with these pipes and their release isn’t anytime soon.
Despite the fawning of the country music industry this record is predominantly the poppier end of Southern rock with large doses of blue eyed soul, which explains the enormous commercial success as Stapleton, via cross over, reaches a much larger audience. Country wise then What Am I Gonna Do, Trust,The Day I Die, Crosswind and It Takes A Woman are true to the genre (often with cloying sentimentality.) However, Hall & Oates could perform Think I’m In Love With You and pure rock is evident on the thunderous outings South Dakota, White Horse and The Bottom.
Lyrically the 14 track selection are mainly love songs that take the perspective of a forlorn lover who’s eternally grateful for the affection of a woman he places on a pedestal and forgives his multiple failings. When he slips those tropes he can delight; with the Outlaw romp of Crosswind he’s an 18 wheel trucker “picking up speed on a mission to feed” and “trying to keep all the rubber on 65”. The bass lines, from J T Cure, are worth the price of entry alone.
With this voice he can soothe any heart, touch you with raw emotion and he’s been helping grown men to express their feelings since 2015. Resistance is futile; this will rightly soar up the US country charts and sit there, unassailable, well into 2024.
A constant news strap line is the ‘cost of living crisis’ and inflation, of course it’s true. However, I believe it’s also been a ‘fill your boots’ opportunity for savvy businesses. Many price increases seem excessive relative to the costs experienced. How many things once cost a £1 and now cost £1.50? As we know there is only one direction of travel on price movement and even if the components or ingredients are commodity price based and can fluctuate up or down then the products never seem to fall in price. It’s seldom talked about apart from the grabbing stance of banks that never offer savers the same upward escalation of interest rate changes on savings than they impose on loans or mortgages. The test is just to work out the percentage uplift of goods; does it bear a resemblance to quoted inflation levels? Whilst inflation calculations are an average (of small and large increases) the rises you’ll find on many products outstrip inflation times over. It’s scandalous and yet not covered in the news?
It’s been a while since I cycle toured and hopefully another opportunity isn’t far away next year. With Anna away and the end of Summer Time in sight I decided to pack up my touring bike with the usual touring weight and head up north for an overnight stop. The plan was to return the next day. If this went to plan the knee would cope and I could check out bits of kit that haven’t been used for a couple of years.
I chose a hilly route up to Helmsley and then to Great Ayton (toward Middlesbrough) to a hotel I’d booked. I’d rest up overnight and cycle back on the Sunday. In Helmsley I lost a phone signal for route guidance and passed through the town heading north uphill into bleak open moorland with a certainty I was on the right road. The upshot was that Google Maps failed me with poor reception and was telling me that there was a route ahead but not telling me it was over an often waterlogged and patchy forest track.
My Garmin satellite navigation device completely failed as the device had developed a memory problem. I was now passing no settlements only odd farmhouses some distance from the main road. This was a main road that was occasionally barred by metal gates! So with falling daylight I ended up pushing my bike along a track and if that was difficult it got worse when I came across a forest clearing where loggers were cutting trees and had turned the track into a muddy quagmire with their heavy equipment.
A nice view but not off a rough track with daylight falling!
The operatives, still working, looked up from their work as, late on a Saturday afternoon, I appeared asking if I was on the right track to Great Ayton? Bemused they proverbially scratched their heads and said I had only two options from here: return to Helmsley or go to Kirbymoorside. I not only had the challenge of finding my way with only their directions to help, unclogging my bike mudguards that were stopping the wheels rotating with thick mud and cycling in complete darkness!
A Happy Ending
A
I carry lights and in the darkness and falling temperatures I fell into Kirbymoorside and at 7pm bowled into a busy pub (and hotel), The King’s Head, asking if they had a spare room for the night? Fortunately they did and sanctuary was found. This experience was after 55 miles and climbing 3,632 feet with a heavy bike carrying over 20 kilos plus myself. They had one free room and so I was in luck. The room was £90 (plus the lost cost of the other one I had booked and paid for in Great Ayton!) but noting I was a single occupant they threw in my steak and chips for free. Whilst always dangerous the whole trip was exciting and the ride back to York the next day was uneventful. Oh yes and the knee survived.
In other news then the outings continue with a trip to the cinema to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, “Do I Love You” (The Frank Wilson classic 45) about the Northern Soul scene by John Godber at Pocklington Arts Centre and as for live music a visit to Selby to see Kiki Dee/ Carmelo Luggeri with Anna and then to Hull to see 70s jazz rockers Soft Machine with the Mighty Jessney.
Camelo Luggeri on multiple guitars and the ageless Kiki Dee at Selby Town HallSoft Machine at Wrecking Ball Music and Books, Hull
Lastly I’m enjoying the podcast ‘The History oF England’ by David Crowther. He goes through events slowly explaining in a very accessible way. At the moment I’m listening to the profound events that led up to the English Civil War in the mid 17th Century. This War led to the Parliamentary democracy we know today and a subsequent Constitutional Monarchy: in the UK’s case a ceremonial/figure head arrangement without, frankly, any power. In all this Charles I was executed! I wonder whether all this is taught in schools today? It wasn’t when I was in school (probably not long after the 17th Century!) This seems a set of events that are fundamental to the political system we enjoy (!) today.
Tony Ives’ Blog 