So much good music out there and not nearly enough time to cover it all; check out rapidrivermagazine.com for more reviews, posted throughout the month. But for now, here are my latest offerings on music worth supporting.
Sarah Lou Richards
the woman behind the curtain
sarahlourichards.com
It’s hard to imagine an album like the woman behind the curtain having existed a decade ago. Funded largely by a Kickstarter initiative, streamed via iTunes and Spotify, it’s a grassroots project for the 2010s. The backing performers are all friends of the Nashville based artist – whose vocal style belies her mid-western roots – and you’re unlikely to find a physical copy in even the hippest of record shops. Yet for all its millennial trappings (which in this case are a good thing) the woman behind the curtain is a bit of a throwback.
Recorded at a trio of smallish studios in northern Alabama and Nashville it’s soaked in the visceral sounds of Memphis soul, Southern rock, and Dusty Springfield styled country pop. There’s plenty of heartbreak (the moving “Soul To Keep”) matched with unyielding declaration (“Don’t Break My Heart”) and road weary doubt (“Mile Marker”). But throughout the record Richards maintains a sense of balance between sadness and romantic optimism that makes the album a cut well above most DYI efforts.
The arrangements are crisp, varied, and surprisingly upbeat while her buoyant vocals make even the darkest corners seem like glimpses of appending sunrise. “Nod to Neil”, with its Sedaka like fifties bounce and Richard’s giddy delivery is my favorite track but there’s plenty herein to savor and celebrate. Not the least of which is the continued resilience of the independent music movement, and the many ways in which artists are now able to connect with their audiences. ***1/2
Robyn Hitchcock
The Man Upstairs
Yep Roc Records
“I’ve always wanted to make a folk record produced by Joe Boyd and now I have,” says the ever prolific Robyn Hitchcock in the liner notes for this, his twentieth studio solo album. In view of Boyd’s legendary status and the long friendship between the two it remains a mystery why it took so long. Unfortunately, given the lofty expectations such a pairing might elicit, The Man Upstairs is a bit of a letdown. Not to say it’s a bad record, far from it and after four decades of music making Hitchcock remains as restless and inventive as any artist of his age. But it’s a far more straightforward affair than you might welcome – gone (or at least kept to a minimum) are the usual odd references to strange flora, indigestible food, and sex as surrealism that populate Hitchcock’s best work.
Split between five originals and five covers (including a stupendous retake on The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You”) it’s a stripped down affair, utilizing the talents of Hitchcock on vocals and acoustic guitar, and the Norwegian pop duo I Was A King as backup ensemble. As such it sonically occupies a space halfway between such Hitchcock masterpieces as Eye or Spooked. But with the exception of the stunningly brilliant “Trouble in Blood” and “San Francisco Patrol” (which sounds like an outcast from the I Often Dream of Trains era) the originals feel a bit lightweight, especially for an artist so effortlessly capable of greatness. ***
Jack Kerowax
self-titled
St. Cait Records
What originally began as a new project from Dallas based singer/songwriter Johnny Beauford morphed into a full-fledged band when guitarist Beauford, joined by fellow Texans Garrett Padgett (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), drummer Nathan Adamson and bassist Nash Griggs decided the chemistry between them was too good to let go of. Thus was born Jack Kerowax.
Establishing a weekly residence at a Dallas area café they honed their craft and, when the time came to make an album they deliberately went old school. As in no digital tracking; everything was recorded direct to analog tape, the way it ought to be.
With its dual guitars, thundering drums, and wildly energetic approach the resultant album sounds like a contemporary incarnation of “frat rock” (that glorious but short lived movement of the mid 1960s), complete with road songs, hard luck love, and an insatiable desire to be anywhere but where you are.
Standout tunes include the lovelorn ballad “Stella”, the country rock swagger of “Moonshine Barber”, and the Tom Petty like “Fancy Cigarette.” There’s certainly a misstep or two but all in all Jack Kerowax is as much fun to hear as I suspect it was to make. Void of auto-tune, unnecessary over dubs, and digitized “correcting” it’s a fine example of addition by subtraction! ***1/2
Farmer Jason
Christmas on the Farm with Farmer Jason
Courageous Chicken Records
The alter ego of “cowpunk” pioneer Jason Ringenberg – he of Jason and the Scorchers – returns with his third album of kid friendly material. Formulated precisely like its predecessors (A Day in the Forest and A Day at the Farm) Christmas on the Farm is a relatively slight but oh so enjoyable homage to Christmas, nature’s bounty, family traditions, and the simple pleasures of life.
With its deference to healthy eating, the virtues of outdoor play, and the novel idea of treating our planet as something other than a toxic dumping ground, the entire Farmer Jason series is an ideal listen for those wishing to get their priorities reordered. ****
Ruthie Foster
Promise of a Brand New Day
Blue Corn Music
From the album title to the buoyant production values of Meshell Ndegeocello everything about Ruthie Foster’s Promise of a Brand New Day speaks of fresh beginnings and optimism for the future.
By employing Ndegeocello, an artist of no small stature, Foster is free to concentrate on what she does best; groove laden neo-soul that captures the heart and spirit of life via music. The inclusion of Memphis pioneer William Bell (“It Might Not Be Right”) gives the album a welcome throwback feel while Foster’s songwriting, particularly the opening “Singing the Blues” and the gritty “Let Me Know” has never been stronger.
I’ve been a fan of Foster’s for quite some time – she’s an artist willing to unmask her own hurts and hopes with brutal honesty – but with Promise of a Brand New Day she’s better learned to temper the pain with the pleasant. It’s among her best efforts, and an album I’ll be revisiting again and again. ****
The New Basement Tapes
Lost On The River
Harvest/ Island Records
The New Basement Tapes is the name tagged to the collective of musicians – gathered and guided by T Bone Burnett – to make sense of a handful of recently discovered “Big Pink” era Dylan lyrics. It’s a quite a trick to pull off: Bestow cohesion and substance to nearly 50 year old fragments (and cast off fragments at that) while maintaining the ragtag off-handedness that the writer gifted upon them. Of course if anyone is up to the task Burnett is the guy. His skill at reconstructing an image of Impressionistic America via music is unparalleled, as witnessed by his previous work with Dylan, Johnny Cash, and the Grammy-winning O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack.
Assembling a band of Dylan associates and adherents – Elvis Costello, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, and Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops – Burnett has not only chosen the right people, he had the good sense to get out of their way.
As such, each artist gets to play to their individual strengths. Since none of the lyrics had music set to them – not even a suggestion as to what key they should be played in – they’re as much a true collaboration as were many of the original Basement Tape tracks. Certainly, given the uneven nature of the source material, some tracks work better than others.
Beautifully arranged and sung by James, “Nothing To It” captures the spirit of irreverent fare do well that marked the time in which it was conceived, while Costello’s breezy “Married To My Hack” might have been lifted from any of his better albums. But the strongest efforts come from Goldsmith (whose band has toured as Dylan’s handpicked opener) and Giddens. Both strike a difficult balance between their own artistic sensibilities and those of 1967 Dylan in ways that are fresh and respectful.
And that’s the real attraction of Lost on the River. It bridges a gap between generations, connecting the past and present with an idiosyncrasy that never takes itself too seriously. In that regards it best honors and celebrates the genius of Bob Dylan. ****1/2
The Rolling Stones
From The Vault: Hamilton Coliseum (Live In 1981)
Eagle Vision DVD
As the 1980s rolled in The Stones were at a curious time in the band’s history. Ron Wood was now firmly ensconced as a full member; the shows were getting more extravagant, the band was never tighter, but somehow the spark had faded. Some Girls, their triumphant return to making great albums was now three years behind them and, depending on which leg of the tour you heard, Tattoo You had yet to be released.
It’s into this curious mix of the old and new that Hamilton Coliseum falls, a crossroads between the Stones as still vital band and tottering towards yet another oldies act. There’s no shortage of new material and while Ronnie Wood was still getting his feet wet as a permanent band member the inclusion of Stones stalwarts Ian McLagan and Bobby Keys (both of whom have passed away in the last few months) only adds to the fun.
The remote recording is first rate and for the most part the Stones never lose their swagger and swirl. The bonus DVD might be a toss in – shot with only three cameras and not a bit of artistic flair – but the behind the scenes glimpses of life as a Stone help compensate. ****