Stephen Wilson Jnr – Søn of Dad

He’s been around for some time albeit this appears to be his debut long player. Hailing from South Indiana, gaining a degree in Microbiology and Chemistry, he spent time as a scientist working for Mars before a damascene moment when he decided that songwriting was his destiny and not a corporate life. Joining writing rooms in Nashville he worked up songs for Trace Adkins, Old Dominion and Tim McGraw and never gave thought to be a solo performer. We should be glad he did as this is a stellar release and delivered with a voice that has sonorous tones, authority and when in full roar conveys compelling emotion.

The place to start is Father’s Son, a heartfelt tribute to his recently departed father. A brooding atmospheric ballad with his vocals accompanied by strings and an acoustic guitar high in the mix. It ends with some spoken word: presumably by his father. Grief Is Only Love made me think how observant this analysis is. I’ve never heard it articulated as this before. This is Wilson’s state of mind as he looks back on the loss of his father. Never mawkish he manages to imbue both songs with an exceptional sense of loss and pride.

The production values are exceptional and varied with different rhythms making this an interesting listen over the 22 tracks. It’s often layered and you notice, on repeat listens, strings, choruses and percussion in the background elevating the whole experience. He’s a fine guitarist as well and he experiments with extracting sounds that give the songs edge or bite.

There are many shades of rock throughout often giving it a thunderous sound. In interviews he talks of an eclectic taste from Randy Travis, The National, Willie Nelson, Johnny Mellencamp and Nirvana. With that cocktail it’s obvious it leans toward some rock moments and I would urge you to watch the video for Holler From The Holler that was used as part of a national domestic violence campaign. The story told there, when accompanied by this crashing and moody tour de force, is truly something that’ll stop you in your tracks, it did me.

Moving away from americana he goes country with All The Wars From Now On. A folky tale suggesting that old men should fight wars ‘because they’re old enough to know better’ and they’d show polaroids of their grandchildren to each other and play cards instead.  Henry is completely sentimental about a special relationship with a stepson and he mines all the Nashville tropes deliciously.

This is a wonderful hour and a half and one for me to ponder as the end of year lists grow closer.

Jason Eady Mississippi

All Eady’s albums are always excellent, crafted and well played, in addition I always find them lyrically interesting. On Mississippi he says the music came before the words and “Since the vibe was important for this one we knew that was the only way to do it and capture the energy. I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out.” This meant recording it live, including the harmonies. Gordon Quist (Band of Heathens) produced this tight yet loose-limbed blues funk of an album that hits a groove from the start and will have you sashaying around the room: be careful you don’t spill your drink.

He’s from Mississippi and so it’s a short step from his crafted americana output to some blues-lite, a step he’s occasionally made. Still to the forefront of the sound is his authoritative baritone and the familiar use of harmonies on the chorus. Way Down In Mississippi opens the album and the deft grumbling bass, a distorted guitar picking licks, a shuffling and liquid drum rhythm plus delicate electric piano is the platform he uses to talk of his youth and his early musical influences whether church gospel, bluegrass or blues. A sumptuous start.

Band of Heathens musicians back him throughout plus David Jimenez covering all guitar sounds. They all fit like a glove and Courtney Patton (his wife) and Kelley Mickwee, who often resides in the Shinyribs band, harmonise. A great illustration where this all works perfectly is Once Upon A Time In New Orleans. Here they also perform alongside a trumpet solo being blown by Branden Lewis, a regular in the New Orleans’ Preservation Hall band. It’s not all bright blues and bouncy but soulful is Mean Time and Getting Even where Eady takes time out to reflect on life. Trevor Nealon’s tasteful keyboard solos shimmer above an insistent snare or Jimenez picks some tasteful licks with the volume dialed down.

The whole 38 minutes is a tonic and evidence of a supreme craftsman at work.

The Rolling Stones

The BBC reports a small advertisement was placed in the Hackney and Islington Gazette newspapers for the services of a company called Hackney Diamonds (in London Hackney diamonds means broken glass.) In looking at the font, layout and mentions of Rolling Stones records you might deduce that it isn’t a glazing firm. Follow the links and you’ll establish that the Stones have a new album slated for September. This will be their 31st.

As if by some coincidence I came by a copy of the Rolling Stones’ eponymous Mono debut in 1964. This gem came via son-in-law Matt’s grandmother, Janet. She asked him if he wanted some old LPs she was getting rid of. Folding notes changed hands and I was the proud owner of this lively and early rock n’ roll and blues set. I’m relieved that this wasn’t a sound that Janet liked as the LP hadn’t been played much; it’s in terrific condition nearly sixty years after her purchase. She liked The Beatles and sadly all those LPs Matt received show all the hallmarks of wear and neglect.

The line up has, obviously, Jagger, Richards and Watts but on bass is Bill Wyman who left the band in 1993 and Brian Jones who died in 1969. When asked why he left the band Wyman commented that when Jagger and Richards went into a periodic hiatus, possibly due to Richards serious drug issues, he didn’t have any income and had to look elsewhere for money. When informed in the early nineties that he was required for band practice he advised them he’d left! Jagger and Richards always had a steady income from the royalties they made as songwriters.

Richards met Jagger when they bonded over LP ‘s Jagger was carrying under his arm on Dartford’s railway station platform. One was by Muddy Waters and the other was by Chuck Berry. In 1961 American black blues music was not popular or widely played in the UK or even the USA. It’s easy to imagine the bond they must have felt when they met this way. In fact in later years many US blues artists who were very much the architects of British blues or rock credit the interest and later promotion of their sound by British bands like The Rolling Stones. It’s only after the British interest American white artists picked up on the sound of these originals. It’s arguable that without British interest Muddy Waters, BB King, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker et al might never have reached a wider audience or even made it off the Mississippi plantations where, at least, Waters and King worked.

So it comes as no surprise that blues legends Willie Dixon and Jerry Reed are covered here along with Chuck Berry. Other soul songwriters, Holland, Dozier and Rufus Thomas are similarly covered. The latter’s Walking The Dog is so fabulous that it’s impossible to sit in your seat without gyrating. What the Stones achieved was to take an established song and to interpret it faithfully but often faster and with a greater excitement and incendiary vitality.

The sound is bright, vibrant and a complete toe tapper. Not only do the band sound tight with a dense sound but Jagger’s unique drawl stand out over and above the complementary sound of Jones’ harmonica. Keith Richards’ guitar playing is sophisticated and note perfect: by 21 years old he was the real deal. I’m A King Bee is epic as the two sit over an incessant beat. The danceable energy is palpable and you can imagine the excitement if you played the record loud, or even better saw them live. I’ve tried to imagine how revolutionary this sound must have been after the smoother and harmony laden fare of other chart toppers such as Billy Fury, Brenda Lee and The Ronettes or The Searchers in 1964. Chuck Berry’s sound is now well known with his signature riffs and rhythms but the band lay into Carol with the addition of hand claps throughout and Richards expertly replicates Berry’s picking.

You can hear the template for their later original compositions with similar bluesy arrangements but Tell Me sounds like 60s British chart music with acoustic rhythm guitar and a pop friendly tune. Over the five days it took to record these twelve songs there’s only one exclusive band composition. I could only wish that today I could come across such a remarkable album with not a wasted second of sound. The album sat proudly at Number 1 in the charts for 12 weeks. This was a clear statement of intent and the Stones had truly arrived.

New music from the Stones has been sparse of late and as they all approach their 80’s it’s easy to understand, not least with Watts passing, but their last album Blue & Lonesome, released in 2016, was a superb blues cover outing. Clearly they haven’t forgot or lost the love for their roots. It’ll be interesting to learn if Hackney Diamonds is more throw backs or a continuing paean to rock music. Either way I’ll be in the queue to find out.

Gabe Lee – Drink The River

His 2022 release The Hometown Kid was worthy of many ‘end of year’ lists. It didn’t make mine because I felt I hadn’t listened to it sufficiently but I knew it contained a selection of great tunes and interesting lyrics. In the intervening year Lee has continued to build a growing reputation and this is his eagerly anticipated fourth release. It’s very good.

Here Lee throws his lot in with an acoustic sound that’s less country and more roots in arrangement and instrumentation. It’s unfussy and allows Lee to delve deep into some heartfelt and reflective lyrics. Drink The River declaims his on going search and failure for a ‘pot of gold’ by concluding that he ‘can’t drink the river to dry the land / Or bury the ocean beneath the sand / But I can love you’. Musically there is considerable craft in the varied and alluring melodies that make each song something to return to.

Complementing the words many songs are wistful. However, Even Jesus Got The Blues is brighter where fiddle, banjo and mandolin dance away. Jason Roller on various stringed instruments with Eamon McLaughlin on fiddle provide a great foundation and it’s McLaughlin’s wistful violin that provides this strong lachrymose thread to the sound. The subject of cancer is touched here and Lee talks of its devastation in Merigold. Elephant on Jason Isbell’s 2013 Southeastern talks of the illness and it’s impact: this seems a very similar song.  Throughout there are parallels with Isbell, who he’s opened for, in the voice, arrangements, emotion and sentiment.

Lightening the severity briefly Lee ends the album with a song John Prine might have written, Property Line. He sings of a couple of situations, where boundaries should be respected, including the error of chatting up a tall lesbian’s ex-girlfriend with subsequent violent consequences!

There’s something that exudes quality and class here and he’s building up to be important. However, you come away feeling that this album is more of a commiseration than a celebration; for me a little less shoe gazing and a quick sweep of the horizon would have made it five stars.

Buddy & Julie Miller – In The Throes

Considering I write three record reviews a month for Country Music People I post very few ‘Records Of The Week’ on my site during the year. I simply don’t think many of the albums I write a review for the magazine are worth your time. They’re often not bad but I will never think to listen to them ever again.

One of the liberal things about my editor is that I can write what I want: I could never waste time on false platitudes or misleading the magazine readers. I’ve bought too many records, historically, that some erudite scribe has praised to the high heavens only to play it once as it’s so poor. Below is a review that I wrote; it’s highly uncomplimentary and is the most extreme illustration of my disdain but not necessarily an outlier of some of my negative write ups.

I did approach the editor before placing my quill on the parchment to suggest that this shouldn’t be reviewed. (Fwiw, I have some of their earlier and much better records.) He disagreed and knew what I might write. Enjoy!

The Millers have been pre-eminent in Americana for decades and it’d take a paragraph to list their awards and who’ve they’ve played with or produced. So approaching their fourth collaboration wasn’t maybe the worst writing project to turn up through my inbox? Wrong.

You can’t polish one or add glitter to it and the lasting impression is of an understated plodding low energy affair without a memorable tune. The songs with a Buddy lead vocal are the better ones (e.g. Tattooed Tear and I’ll Never Live It Down) but the majority of Julie’s vocals are something I wouldn’t care to listen to again. Her nadir is the execrable I Been Around where over a muffled guitar and plodding beat she releases her inner Yoko Ono (but maybe less in tune.)

Miller arranges the songs with occasional interesting instrumentation and it’s always well produced. Niccolo has a light acoustic arrangement that was worth half a star. Lyrically I Love You informs us that their love ‘is stronger than cement, too strong to ever get bent…’ It must have taken a couple of days to work this poetry up. And don’t get me started on the epic The Painkiller’s Ain’t Workin’. A more sparky electric affair that mines some deep mental states that may be personal but who wants to pay for this cathartic four minutes?

Their copious PR emits the sentence that this is ‘a deeply soulful collision of mournful gospel, dusty country, cosmic blues, ecstatic R&B and anything else that crosses their mind.’ Frankly, ‘collision’ tells you all you need to know. It gives me no pleasure to be so mean but life’s too short and money’s too tight to waste on this.

Lukas Nelson & The Power Of The Real – Sticks and Stones

Lukas Nelson may have been a recording artist for over a decade but it’s only recently that he’s become a commercial success after some excellent albums. His stature is also helped by his involvement in the box office smash film A Star Is Born, whether song writing or co-producing the music soundtrack. Recent releases have been lighter shades of rock with great musicianship; he can really cook up a storm on six strings. I can’t recollect him recording traditional country music up until now despite his gold-plated family heritage.

These 12 self penned tracks eschew the chart Nashville country sound and place the album in the 60s or 70s with instrumentation and lyrics.  The arrangements are crisp and short. Nelson now has the stature to make a call and Lainey Wilson joins him on More Than Friends. Given how Wilson’s own career is currently soaring she’s quite a catch. The song has the pair of them playing lovers over a chugging rock arrangement; their voices blend well.

The whole album engages from the Southern rock start of Sticks and Stones to the Hank William’s pastiche Icarus. The songveers in parts a little close to Hey, Good Lookin’, but I can forgive any song that manages to incorporate Greek mythology into a lyric. The latest single, Alcohallelujah, has a rousing chorus (and I note father Willie has been dragged out to knock back a shot for the Instagram promotion.) It’s a summer song with a feel good vibe and catchy chorus. Wrong House is beautifully left field as the protagonist, off his face, ends up repeatedly in the wrong house and needs to ring to get a lift back to where he belongs. The rhythm is rapid with a call and response chorus and some aching guitar signatures. Top drawer.

Not all of it races along and Lying is a slower regretful love song. Nelson’s voice is fabulous as he accompanies himself on acoustic guitar. All Four Winds has a Glen Campbell sound with a trailing harmonica providing a long lens cinematic sound before he starts picking some exquisite acoustic guitar. The View is another plain arrangement with Nelson and an acoustic guitar. The lyric refers to the gaze he places on his love.

It’s unimaginable that this won’t rightly receive a lot of critical acclaim. It’s a wonderful release and heartening for the genre that a major artist releases something as authentic and crafted as this.

Elle King – Come Get Your Wife

King comes from a rock background complete with tattoos and piercings. On this country offering she brings blues and rock tinctures; this inevitably gives the album considerable attraction and personality. She’s got a slightly raspy voice that can hold and belt out a tune: more Etta James than Carrie Underwood. This is her third release and she works with Ross Copperman (Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Brett Eldredge, Darius Rucker et al), as the co-producer. The affair has a Bro-Country vibe in terms of hooks, pace and arrangements but Copperman isn’t afraid to use a banjo or fiddle to actually make this a proper country music record. This use of traditional acoustic instruments adds to the tunefulness but there are also some terrific rock guitar riffs throughout.

Dierks Bentley turns up on Worth A Shot and their voices meld well over a vibrant rock arrangement that seems typical of much of the album. It’s not their first duet, it follows Different For Girls from 2016. Miranda Lambert, a pal, also lends a voice on Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home). It’s the lead single off the album and has a great video. Whilst never clumsily resorting to vacuous Bro-Country tropes I really liked Try Jesus, it selects the Good Shepherd as Plan B after disillusion with the opposite sex – “I’m gonna try Jesus / See what all the fuss is about / Thinkin’ I should try Jesus / ‘Cause every other man let me down”.

Refreshing by their acoustic nature are Crawlin’ Mood and Bonafide. The weaving of fiddle and banjo is a great sound and it’s interesting to hear her in this different setting. She signs off with Love Go By, it’s wonderful blue-eyed soul. She sings the song and ushers in an irresistible gospel chorus behind her. The backing is dialed down so any emotion in her voice is upfront and clear.

Eight of the tracks are co-writes with Nashville ‘A listers’, this calibre of collaborator has ensured that the album contains some excellent compositions. If King has a history in rock then taking that stage and studio experience and applying it to something like country pop works out to be a fine marriage. King’s been around for many years, paid her dues and had radio Number 1’s in a number of rock genres. Clearly country is now her career and I wish her success, this is a fine release.

Various – Stoned Cold Country

“It’s a love letter to the Rolling Stones from Nashville” says the curator, and the man behind the project, Robert Deaton. Apparently it ties in with it being 60 years (and nine months) since the Stones performed their first gig at The Marquee in London. Their catalogue is a wonderful tour of American roots music whether it’s pop, blues, soul or rock n’ roll but the country music connections are less convincing despite Gram Parsons being a one time buddy of Keef and a few tracks here and there. (Their tongue in cheek pastiche, Far Away Eyes, off Some Girls remains a favourite of mine.) If there’s a challenge in taking a selection of terrific vocalists and unleashing them on a few of the greatest rock songs ever written it’s that some of the charm is in Jagger’s idiosyncratic and unique delivery.

All the arrangements are beautifully constructed with formidable musicianship. The creations are broadly faithful to the originals if updated and I was impressed by the ‘no expense spared’ approach to strings, B3 organs, horns, girly backing vocals etc. In the blurb there’s no appearance of one of the English (US) language’s most pernicious words … ‘reimagining’. I’m pleased about the absence of desecration but this approach makes it karaoke with artists lending their voices.

The album starts very strongly but then starts to drift to still crafted but less memorable tracks. Few tracks have country flourishes although pedal steel can be prominent as on Maren Morris’ wonderful Dead Flowers or Little Big Town’s sterilised Wild Horses. The combination of The Brothers Osborne & The War and Treaty is inspired as this gospel infused version of It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It) is truly epic. Ashley McBryde really leans into (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and she should wave the fee for having had so much fun. Brook & Dunn, blues guitarist (Nashville?) Marcus King, Steve Earle do memorable versions of their covers and Lainey Wilson brings her sensational southern drawl to the funeral paced You Can’t Always Get What you Want and captures the essence of the song.

It’s a really nice album with few songs you’d skip. I’m sure many artists couldn’t believe their luck being invited and paid to sing songs they’ve probably played sometime in their career. If you like the Stones and country music fill your boots. I did!

Bruce Springsteen – Only The Strong Survive

The Boss’ catalogue stands up there with the best of popular music. However, I lost interest in him in the 80s and Bruce, in fairness, has ploughed on ever since with fairly crafted affairs that always have something to say. I’m unenthusiastic about older artists’ recorded output after their peak. I mean who wants the latest Neil Young, Elton John or Paul McCartney offering?

However my interest was piqued when, on social media, I saw a clip of Springsteen bashing out that hallowed Northern Soul classic Do I Love You (Indeed I Do). It’s a remarkable soul number that gets you from the first few bars. Ironically the composer and performer, Frank Wilson, decided with Tamla Motown, not to release the record in 1965 and destroyed all but 5 copies of the 250 initially pressed. As the record seeped out and became a Northern Soul staple it was re-released in 1979 and everyone could get a copy. Of the 5 original remaining 1965 copies one fetched near £26,000 in 2009.  That’s ridiculous for a 7 inch single but also testament to the magnificence of the record.

Springsteen has done the song justice and with his lion’s roar of a voice. Throughout the reproduction is faithful to the originals. The producer, Ron Aniello, has played most of the instruments – bass, drums, guitars, percussion, keyboards, vibraphone etc. and the only other players are the backing vocalists and the E Street Band horns. With such a construction it’s clear Aniello has listened closely to these 60 and 70s originals and, in effect, paid homage.

The curation speaks of Springsteen’s youth and what he heard of the radio. In fact I feel the same with versions of What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted (jimmy Ruffin), When She Was My Girl (The Four Tops), I Forgot To Be Your Lover (William Bell) and Someday We’ll Be Together (Diana Ross and the Supremes). All these played on my Triumph Herald car radio, crackling on AM. However it’s the former member of the Impressions, Jerry Butler, who provided the title track and also Hey, Western Union Man that are newer delights to my ears.

Springsteen has a majestic voice that’s maybe short on subtlety or sweetness but here he lives every song and has the range to sit above the arrangements and literally take your hand and lead you onto the dance floor. I’m not sure I’ll be listening out for the next Springsteen release but this, however, is a 5 star gem.

I have to start by telling you that I’ve written 30 album reviews for Country Music People (CMP) this year. I receive records/files to review from the magazine. In addition but not for review I ask for lots of major artists albums and recommendations from the editor. As a consequence my list is distilled from a lot of music. I add to this my own purchases or streamed favourites.

Not many of the albums make it to be my ‘Record Of The Week’, and amongst the discarded artists are some platinum acts, which is a measure of the disappointing quality that’s been coming my way this year. However, I’m happy to volunteer these as my best of the year.

1. Ashley McBryde presents Lindeville

With the world now at her feet McBryde convened a Nashville workshop with other artists and friends; this was the result. Anna and I saw her at Leeds University in the spring and the former refectory where I saw B B King, The New York Dolls and Sparks amongst many others was sold out and jumping. So Leeds does Country music, obvs. Here are a set of vignettes about small town America dripping humour, heartbreak, getting by and nostalgia. The production values and variety of country sounds are exceptional.

2. Molly Tuttle – Crooked Tree

As I mainly write about Americana for the magazine I regularly get the acoustic roots genre of bluegrass to write about. Frankly, it’s like lager, always consistent but never memorable. I have a theory that his other writers have vetoed receiving it! However, I’ve found complete joy with this release. This is a wonderful combination of melody, voice, musicianship and stories. Truly vibrant and refreshing. She’s a star, look out for her.

3. Jaimee Harris – Boomerang Town

This Texan bowled up to The Crescent in York last month and her brief set was wonderful with confessional and intimate songs about small town America. Her voice is a delight and she can write and play a tune. I think she’s destined for a lot of recognition and success with this album.

4. Amanda Anne Platt – The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea

Platt has been on the periphery of real stardom and recognition for years and despite a long time band behind her she’s the lead and writes and sings interesting Americana Country songs that come together like a series of short stories. Her tunes and lyrics on the 20 track album are excellent and a new release from her is like a much anticipated meet up with a dear old friend.

5. Kameron Marlowe – We Were Cowboys

Commercial Country Pop isn’t my bag generally. I have visions of no one listening to this easy sound on the radio as they flip burgers in South Carolina or take the kids to school. This may not be his time but if the next album is anywhere near as good as this he’ll be cluttering every US country radio playlist. He’s got a terrific voice, better lyrics than most bro-country and some great tunes.

6. Bruce Springsteen – Only The Strong Survive

The Boss has been granted an indulgence by his record label and this three sided LP is a selection of Soul music covers. His bellow of a roar, some well chosen classic songs and a faithful creation of that 60s sound make this a compelling listen. Maybe I’m a Soul boy at heart (where are my dancing shoes)?

7. Mary Gauthier – Dark Enough To See The Stars

This is a quote from Martin Luther King , which took Gauthier’s fancy to include. She’s a unique artist that draws you into stories with raw and disarming emotion about events and times that we all know so well. The lyrics border on poetry and the tunes fit like a glove.

8. Willie Nelson – A Beautiful Time

‘A legend’ doesn’t do his stature justice. This album of crafted tunes veers lyrically dangerously close to a valedictory with his reflection on a long and successful life. Sentimental, humorous and full of wisdom. I’d usually be suspicious of the creative merit of an album made by a chap 89 years old but class will out. Beautiful indeed.

9. Edgar Winter – Brother Johnny

Thanks to the Mighty Jessney of Vixen 101 fame I get to listen to a lot of blues. A lot of it is rollicking and heartfelt fun but not all of it sticks in the memory. Winter now a sprightly 75 released a tribute album to his blues legend brother, Johnny, who died in 2014 at the age of 70. (Frankly, judging by what Johnny ingested or drunk during his life it was a miracle he clocked up such an age!) This is a 17 track tribute with a list of guitar wielding guests that can’t be beaten: Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh etc. A complete joy.

10. Various Artists – Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute to John Anderson

If you haul out John Prine, Tyler Childers, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Eric Church and their like and pair them with this strong Country songwriter’s catalogue then you’ve nailed one of the albums of the year. Unlike a lot of tributes then Anderson is still alive and this compilation is a terrific introduction to his talents

Jaimee Harris – Boomerang Town

(I went to see Mary Gauthier play a club in York and supporting her, and also playing acoustic guitar for her, was her partner Jaimee Harris. (There’s a review of the gig on the website) Mary was good Jaimee was similarly memorable and coincidentally Harris was releasing a new album at the time. This is that album. A true find.)

Surprisingly this is only Harris’ second album. When you hear the depth and quality of her songwriting you’ll realise she has a lot to say with a wonderful engaging voice that trills. The aching melodies colour these vignettes perfectly. A berth on the prestigious Thirty Tigers label suggests her opportunity has come. Originating from Waco, Texas, she’s steeped in the great pantheon of singer songwriters from the state; this knowledge informs her songwriting and not least the lyrics that seem seldom to waste a word.

The ten songs here are adapted but autobiographical about her life and demons. There’s a deep dive into her personal troubled history of addiction (The Fair and Dark Haired Lad) and often coping with loss (Fall (Devin’s Song). A further song about death, How Could You Be Gone, is one of two co-writes with Mary Gauthier and this song has already appeared with Gauthier taking the lead on her own 2022 Dark Enough to See The Stars. It’s an unusual take on grief as the narrator wanders around the funeral of a close friend in a distraught state attempting to cope with their bewildering loss and the stultifying demands of the occasion.

The songs are acoustic based with sparse additions of strings or electric band accompaniment. It all creates an intimacy for her confessional story telling. Her title track, Boomerang Town,relates the story of an early life of two young lovers. With her plaintive tones she paints a bleak picture of a grinding and hopeless life in a small town and the overwhelming desire to escape. However, it appears futile to have such an aspiration. I immediately thought of Springsteen’s The River with its protagonists’ early demise and the inevitable life of drudgery preoccupied with existence rather than living. You’re left thinking ‘what might have been’.

Two songs seem to be lighter and let some sunlight into this often-intense listen. Good Morning, My Love has a beautiful tune and as she plays guitar Mark Hallman plays a selection of keys to sweeten the chorus. Love Is Gonna Come Again is an uplifting ballad giving reassurance to the listener that despite their low state then things will get better. Courtney Marie Andrews has recently arrived as an Americana songbird with a considerable gift as a songwriter; I’d now add Harris as a contemporary.

Mary Gauthier saunters on to the stage and puts her hand over her eyes, looks out to the couple of hundred fans packed into York’s bijou venue, The Crescent, and asks, “York, have I been here before?” the audience chuckles. She picks up her guitar and continues, “I can’t remember where I’ve been…. but it’s good to be back!” and then we’re into The Meadow from her last release Dark Enough To See The Stars, the first of 13 songs and brief readings from her book Saved By A Song. This was the ninth gig on a 10 date tour of England with one appearance in Edinburgh.

Her life story has been tumultuous starting with her adoption and leaving home as a teenager. At a young age the path took in substance misuse, halfway houses and gaining acceptance for her sexuality before study, opening a restaurant and eventually pursuing her music career. She was 36 before releasing her first album. Now a multi award winning sexagenarian her demons have been long cast off and, with the audience in the palm of her hand, she seems wise, compassionate, comfortable, a poet yet still an independent, offbeat observer of life. Dark Enough To See The Stars, covers love and contentment but she’s sensitive to the recent loss of dear friends and the dislocation and challenges of modern times; this pours out from her songs. This includes the profound anguish and mental scars faced by returning soldiers from war zones. For her 2019 Grammy nominated album, Rifles and Rosary Beads, she worked with veterans, active military and their families. They were paired with songwriters and the result was an intimate and cathartic collection of songs. She sang The War After The War and Bullet Holes in The Sky, back to back, with an explanation of the project and how privileged she was to be involved. Her abiding memory was of everyone’s desire for peace.

Gauthier plays acoustic guitar with her partner, Jaimee Harris, also on acoustic and vocals. Harris takes the guitar lead when required and her singing voice adds a little sweetness and melody to Gauthier’s gruffer tones. Throughout Gauthier provides the background to many songs and dips into her book to explain her views on the world or her history. Within Nashville there was a community of artists she came to admire and dearly love. The loss of John Prine ands Nanci Griffith were blows and touchingly she recounts her first group song writing session with artists she was in awe of. They all played a song and eventually it comes to her turn to sing one of her own compositions.  She borrows a guitar, plays and then after finishing she starts to hand this upmarket guitar back to Nanci Griffith. Griffith backs away and insists she keeps it. From here we’re into a lament for these friends with Till I See You Again;she sings “May you rest in gentle arms till I see you again.”

The performance is near seamless, sentimental, illuminating and populated with some wonderful songs. In such a small venue disappearing from the stage to regroup for the encore is silly and so as the delighted audience hoot, holler and clap she raises her finger to indicate there will be one more song, Mercy Now. From here it’s to the back of the room to sign the merchandise and greet the fans as we file out in to the chilly air.

(The very talented Jaimee Harris played for a too brief 30 minutes, with a handful of songs, mainly from her upcoming album Boomerang Town released in February. That is something to definitely look out for.)

Billy Strings – Me/And/Dad

Terry Barber, Strings’ stepfather, fulfilled everything a biological father could when he entered young Strings’ life; not least, got him interested in bluegrass music. Ever grateful, Strings has now ‘ticked off’ his bucket list making an album with him. With a stellar back up band they’ve recorded a selection of traditional and cover songs. Strings’ nimble fingers continue to make magic on his acoustic guitar and it’s a sound that fans will recognise and like.  This follows just over a year from Renewal, an album that cemented Strings reputation as one of the most interesting americana acts around. His emergence and promotion has helped bring bluegrass, as a genre, to a new audience.

His recent albums, whilst bluegrass, do dabble with other roots sounds and he’s not averse to a little folk or other worldly sounds. This variation with its unexpected twists, for me, is the hook with Strings. Me/And/Dad is a very traditional sound. Vocal duties can be shared and Barber’s rendition of Life To Go, originally by George Jones as straight country with pedal steel and a honky tonk piano, is a triumph as his care worn, strained vocals deliver the misery of an inmate reflecting on the wasted life and the fact that he’s not coming out ever again. However, family devotion can go a little too far; his mother Debra joins the duo on Heard My Mother Weeping and her vocal is badly out of tune.

All the tracks are hand picked and have been road tested over decades; it stood to reason the selection would delight. However, the album is truly elevated by the playing of Rob McCoury (banjo), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Grammy winner Michael Cleveland on fiddle. Throughout they all have their own space to solo but come together eventually to fit together like a glove. Your mind will wander to the young Strings sitting at Barber’s knee with a large acoustic guitar under his arm learning this catalogue of bluegrass. It was an important education and aside from the show of gratitude and affection it’s somehow appropriate that Terry now gets a short time in the spotlight.

Tyler Childers – Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?

(I publish reviews that I have mainly written for Country Music People. In the past it included The Americana Music Show. And then on occasion without a publisher I review albums I personally wanted to write up: I hope to get back to that. Anyway, within the following review I make mention, to the readers, that I like Progressive Rock. I suspect that if you’ve been reading my reviews you’ll know that in any case!)

Name me some memorable triple albums? I’ll give you a clue, Woodstock and the Last Waltz by The Band but after this we’re all struggling, aren’t we? In fact, personally, I’d have to dig into a dark past and a love of progressive rock but I worry that we don’t know each other well enough for me to go there. However, in a world where we stream then a triple album is a less expensive and bulky project to deliver but it’s a lot to listen to and care about. Is releasing eight tracks in three versions worth it?

The three sets of eight are split into the ‘Hallelujah’ then ‘Jubilee’ and then ‘Joyful Noise’ versions. The first is a sound akin to Childers’ first two album releases (and the albums that placed him on the pedestal.) The powerful yearning Kentucky siren of a voice takes centre stage and the songs sweep you away. He lets his band, The Food Stamps, slip their shackles and play some easy but powerful bluesy rock music as a foundation. In line with their new found freedom there are some long instrumental passages and the title track is the killer cut. The second album ‘Jubilee’ is similar and whilst strings are added throughout his vocal remains similar, and too distinctive to allow the songs to have a different identity. However the string arrangements are very old school and bring to mind Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music from 1962. They are delightful. Charles covered Hank Williams and the opening song on the three albums is another Williams song Old Country Church.

In fact Childers is very attached to the heritage of country music and the Christian values that formed him. He always speaks with sincerity and has importance as a curator of contemporary roots music. A lot of work went into the production with gospel singers providing support and occasional ‘modern’ touches with electronic sounds and some sampled spoken word. Both albums are interesting and whilst they’re not covering new ground for Childers it’s a welcome return to form after the inexplicable and scratchy Long Violent History that might have had a worthy ambition of speaking out on racism but for fans, who innocently shelled out their hard earned cash, it was a major disappointment.

If that was a poor investment then album three, ‘Joyous Noise’, is an indulgence and disposable. I like and have a lot of late 90s electronica and Childers knows the genre well judging by this. We get lots of rumbling bass dance beats with occasional interesting vocal samples but they drone on with you inevitably reaching for fast forward. His voice disappears on Disc 3 and frankly it would take a boxset of Miss Marple to try and identify and relate the versions of these songs to Discs 1 and 2.

He remains an interesting listen and there’s a lot to selectively like here. Be selective.

Kendall Marvel – Come on Sunshine

It struck me, as I listened to Marvel’s third release in five years, about the lot of most of Nashville’s songwriters for hire. They ply their trade around the town, mostly in collaborations and by chance, and practise, they eventually write something exceptional. I’m sure many of the songs, or most of the songs, that these talented tunesmiths develop are excellent but probably nothing that may pay the future rent.He’s now directing his best material to his own releases with Come on Sunshine the latest to drop. This and his two preceding albums are loaded with attractive songs that are delivered with his pleasing and expressive baritone and on each album there are some gems.

Marvel writes in collaboration on all ten compositions and especially with Chris Stapleton, an old buddy. Stapleton also joins him on Don’t Tell Me How To Drink. This belligerent ditty is full of swagger and the title tells you all you need to know. In fact Marvel luxuriates in being a man of maturity and independence of thought; he’s not for following trends or doing much other than ploughing his own furrow. Songs such as Keep Doing Your Thing lay this out pretty clearly and despite his equable stance between the Left and Right it’s probably clear the way he votes.

In addition he’s also not past being sentimental and Fool Like Me is an exceptional blue eyed soul love song that immediately attracted a lot of stars in my iTunes library. Throughout the music has a hard outlaw vibe and pithy lyrics that back up the edge. Put It in the Plate has a funky southern feel with a stomping back beat and some squally guitar; the message is that despite all our missteps and temptations then celestial investment is advised to ensure a positive after life. Wading through the deeper issues that pass through his head then Come on Sunshine has the profundity of a man seeking calm and some light to make it through the night. A wonderful bit of soft rock with pedal steel that captivates.

Up until his late forties Marvel exclusively wrote for the great and the good of country music and enjoyed hits with Gary Allan, George Strait, Jamey Johnson and Chris Stapleton, amongst others. In 2017 he decided to focus on his own recording career and release solo albums. I look forward to every release. This is a fine collection well worth your time.