As fall beckons there’s been a surplus of new and worthwhile releases. I cannot cover them all here so be sure to go to Rapid River Magazine’s website for more reviews, posted intermittently between print issues.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Singers Grave – A Sea of Tongues
Drag City
The journey charted by Will Oldham — he of the unparalleled voice (equal parts heartbroken chirrup and defiant growl) — has never been a predictable one. Over the course of his extended and remarkably prolific career Oldham has consistently defied predictions and expectations; love his music or not (and I admit to being of two minds towards much of his output) you have to admire his spirit and ethos. There’s no one else quite like him. His songs contain bits of profound loss, absurdist humor, confounding wordplay and evocative imagery, often in the same line.
Since his last proper album, 2011’s Wolfroy Goes to Town, Oldham has released an EP in which he radically reworked songs from his past, a collection of Everly Brothers covers, and other assorted via the internet odds and end.
This flurry of activity seems to have set the stage for Singers Grave – A Sea of Tongues; most of the eleven tunes found herein are a dramatic and puzzling (in a good way) reworking of Wolfroy, along with other tunes released during that period. It expands upon elements found in his recent recordings while pushing his music ever further in a new direction.
“Night Noises,” “Quail and Dumplings,” and “We Are Unhappy” reemerge as full bore sing alongs — a fascinating compliment to the sparse and dimly confessional originals — while the previously released “No Match” is reborn as “Old Match,” exchanging the soft tempo of the former for a rollicking bass/drum with gorgeous gospel choir vocals courtesy of Angel Olsen. And while the differences seem at times forced — plied for no good reason other than to amuse the singer — they are no less fascinating than the artist himself. ***1/2
Jackson Browne
Standing in the Breach
Inside Recordings
By resurrecting a song written nearly 45 years ago (“The Birds of St. Marks”) and referencing one of his most beloved songs (“Leaving Winslow”) you might assume Browne to be stuck in nostalgic reverie, looking at his majestic past while resting on his laurels. Instead his first studio recording in six years is a giant step into the future, a lyrically dense and beautifully made effort that might just be his best since 1976’s The Pretender.
Surrounded by the twin guitars of Val McCallum and Greg Leisz, Browne expands musically in ways he hasn’t in decades. His own piano playing and oft underrated guitar work are thrust to the forefront while his voice — no longer the tender innocent of 22 — has only grown better with age. He even takes on a previously incomplete song from Woody Guthrie (the stunning “You Know the Night”) transforming it from dust bowl daydream to powerful assertion of love and commitment.
The result is a stellar collection of songs that only gets better with repeat listens, one that reminds us why we were so enamored of Browne in the first place; it’s a welcome return to form by one of the most influential and brilliant songwriters of our generation. ****1/2
Lloyd Cole
Standards
Omnivore Records
Even while Lloyd Cole spent much of the past decade making what he calls “folk music for adults” he’s always been a rocker at heart, albeit of the Brit pop variety that avoids head banging for its own sake.
Despite the title, which conjures up images of some God awful Rod Stewart-like excursion into maudlin disgrace, Standards is a calculated return to Cole’s early 1990s approach to record making. He’s even reassembled his studio band of drummer Fred Maher and bassist Matthew Sweet (with Will Cole taking the place of the late guitarist Robert Quine) to help things along.
While the end product is a somewhat mixed bag — the record never rocks as hard as it promises and Cole’s voice has lost a bit of its edge — it’s a blast to hear him again having such a good time making music. The Byrd’s styled “Period Piece” gives Cole a chance to playfully sing in an unfamiliar key while the sardonic “Diminished Ex” is a kiss off worthy of Blood On the Tracks era Dylan.
Like most of his best material, Standards overflows with Cole’s trademark wit and way with words; the songs rank among his most literate and clever and for the most part Cole sounds relaxed and revitalized. The result is vintage Cole, perhaps not quite up to the standard of his self titled debut or the majestic Don’t Get Weird On Me Babe but certainly his finest of the millennium. ****
Flow Tribe
Alligator White
This funk laden EP serves up a tasty plate of New Orleans gumbo pop at its best, a crackling five song set of high energy blues and rock. Alligator White brims with spirit and diversity, covering any number of genres while creating a sound that is both distinctive and familiar. Impeccably played and joyously arranged — and man oh man are the four part vocals a blast — Alligator White gives us just enough of a taste to leave wanting for more.
And if the Latin tinged “Ooh Yeah” or crackling soul of “Gimme A Line” doesn’t shake your money maker than you’ve probably no business reading these pages. Highly recommended for those wanting to open wide the windows, turn up the volume, and dance around the room as if no one’s watching. ****
Foxygen
…And Star Power
Jagjaguwar Records
Foxygen have never shied away from their influences — everything from classic rock ala the Stones to Hipster College underground-and while that confluence of styles is a big part of their charm, in the case of their much hyped and anticipated third album, that commitment to genre sampling works against them.
…And Star Power is an oddity of the first degree, an album that exposes the greatest strengths and glaring limitations of the band. At 80 plus minutes there is a lot here to love — “You and I” and “Flowers” rank among their strongest tunes yet-but in between such highlights, are long passages of ambient dross, sound collages that aspire to the experimental era solo Todd Rundgren and Utopia but lack the sheer exuberance or grand scheme of either. “How Can You Really” comes closest but while A Wizard, a True Star which this album clearly imitates in both title and sway-was beautifully hinged together by a series of tightly woven narratives and aural delights, … And Star Power is unglued by seemingly unrelated passages of noise.
It’s easy to give Foxygen points for trying, but as a listening experience, their third album feels listless and out of focus. What could have been homage, instead come across as a pale imitator. **1/2
Sallie Ford
Slap Back
Vanguard Music
Sallie Ford is blessed with a powerful, triumphant voice, as well as a seemingly fearless desire to put it front and center where it belongs. There are precious few singers whose voice has quite the bite and impact as hers.
While Ford’s first two releases were solid and at times audacious, their adherence to retro mannerisms made them sound oddly restrained. With Slap Back she’s finally made an album worthy of her tremendous vocal talents. It’s her first without her previous band and as bold a statement as we might have hoped for.
Her new backing trio — Cristina Cano on keyboards, Anita Lee Elliot on bass, and Amanda Spring on drums — punches with more force than The Sound Outside ever could while the songs are more spontaneous and ragged, giving Slap Back the sound of an enormously talented and seductively raw garage band. And while her voice is indeed a tremendous gift, it’s nice to hear Ford let the songs dictate their own directions; she sings between the rhythmic lines rather than over them, allowing the material to breath and the band to explore varying directions. The end result is an album that sounds fresh, bouncy, and snappy as heck. ****
Devon Allman
Ragged & Dirty
Ruff Records
While Derek Trucks is the Allman Brothers offspring who deservedly gets the most attention Devon Allman, son of Gregg, is a force in his own right. He’s released albums with the blues rock super group Royal Southern Brotherhood, his own jam band Honeytribe, and a trio of very solid solo records.
For a guy who’s stayed pretty much in his old man’s massive shadow, Devon has assembled quite the resume. While 2013’s Turquoise showcased his skills as a songwriter and guitarist–both of which are considerable–Ragged & Dirty takes a cue from his dad’s latest solo effort and heads north, straight to Chicago. It’s electric blues — none of that unplugged stuff thank you very much — throughout. Paired with producer/drummer/songwriter Tom Hambridge, this is no mere excursion into boogie land but rather a distinct exploration of the intersection where blues and rock and roll first collided. Much like his father, Devon is a brilliant but deliberate songwriter, often relying on others to provide material sympathetic to his style.
Hambridge contributed four outstanding tunes herein, Allman wrote five, and there is a trio of smartly chosen covers, including the title track (originally a 1972 hit by Luther Allison) and a stunning remake of Otis Taylor’s “Ten Million Slaves.” Hambridge’s “Can’t Lose ‘Em All” sounds like vintage Allman Brothers while Devon’s own “Traveling” provides him with the opportunity to let loose on the Wah Wah peddle. And as one might expect there’s enough instrumental extrapolation to satisfy even the most hardcore blues fan.
Some might argue that Devon Allman might be better off stepping entirely away from his roots, and the sound made famous by Gregg and his band mates, but I say thee nay. This is the music that is in his DNA and as long as he can make albums as good as this — even if it does sound like an Allman Brothers side project — he should go for it. ****