FolkWorld Issue 43 11/2010

FolkWorld CD Reviews

Krista Detor "Chocolate Paper Suites"
Label:
CoraZong Records; 2010
The suites here are five song cycles each comprised of three original songs. The music is an interesting combination of folk, rock, jazz, and blues with a variety of vocal styles. The keyboards seem to lead the way with some guitars, light drums and a bass that is jazz based. Vocals, double tracked and harmonized, bring a nice dreamy lounge feeling to the mix. In spite of the nice mix of sounds, the songs start blending together a bit too much for me. Some may enjoy the steady atmosphere, while others (like me) will want a bit more dynamics in the songs.
www.kristadetor.com
David Hintz


Larkin Poe "Spring"
Label: Edvins Records; 2010
They call this an ep, but the nine songs here are far more realized than most albums. The songs are rich and sparkling in their immediate accessibility. The band has a great balance of heartland sound with plenty of pop/rock moves. You can sense some country aspects here, but this far from the country music that usually leaves me wanting different arrangements. This swings and captivates. The vocals come mostly from the young Lovell sisters who have a light touch but are far from twee. There is plenty of heart and guts in their delivery and between the vocals and some of the music, you can almost feel a bit of jazz in the structure. This is a nice release and I will be following this band as they will be releasing a “Summer” ep and apparently two more seasonal eps after that. I have a feeling that this band will be going places as they continue their career. I advise catching them now.
www.larkinpoe.com
David Hintz


Keith Little "Take it Off and Get Loose with It"
Label:
Blue Skunk Music; 2010
This record features a good combination of blues, soul, and rhythm & blues. Supposedly, this is the “Cincinnati sound”, yet I think the more profound achievements in this genre were in Dayton, Ohio about 50 miles north of Cincinnati. But I am biased as I grew up in the Dayton area listening to the Ohio Players and Roger Troutman. That being said, this record achieves its goal of giving quality music in this arena. Little writes almost all of the songs and they have nice pace. He has a deep voice and uses it nicely to slice the melody lines in between the guitar and the rhythm. Good work by the band with some horns, a really cool Hammond organ sound, back-up vocals, and just a nice variety of sounds. My foot is tapping and I imagine there is a lot more movement than that during the live set. I will give Cincinnati some credit here.
www.klittle.com
David Hintz


The Don Darlings "The Shortest Straw"
Label: Alleycat Recordsa; 2010
Bang. There’s an immediate impact here with the first song, “Graveyard on the Hill”, as the twangy guitar and galloping rhythms usher in a spaghetti western feel. Good gutsy western rock with a punk attitude. In fact, the singer reminds me of a good friend and classic voice, Joe Keithley of DOA. As the rest of the songs come forth, the tempos shift a bit downward, but there is constantly a western feel. There are elements of Gun Club, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club and other interesting western-post punk offshoots. This is what alt-country should be, or rather alt-western. “The Midnight Ghost” had some nice guest female vocals, which gave a nice change from the prominent lead vocals. There is a cover of the garage classic “Shape of Things to Come” which the band I managed covered way back in the day. This almost seems like a trick being played on me, but no, this band is from Sweden where they understand American garage rock as well as any other country in the world. They have added in a western flair and there are even folk moves within. This is a very engaging record and was a pleasure to listen to.
www.thedondarlings.com
David Hintz


Cee Cee James "Low Down Where the Snakes Crawl"
Label:
Blue Skunk Music; 2010
It does not take long to hear the similarities between Ms. James and Janis Joplin. However I am happy to discover as I listen onward, that Cee Cee James has a much more restrained manner, which is far more to my liking than that of the occasional overwrought Joplin strains. The original songs here are not particularly catchy, but have a nice restrained manner, which the band captures well. This is a very steady blues album that is easy on the ears with nice gutsy vocals in front of the mix. Most blues fans will enjoy this one.
www.ceeceejames.com
David Hintz


Early Autumn Break "Swimming with Children"
Label:
One Sunny Day Recordings; 2010
There is some really nice variety of folk styles on this record. But for the most part, this really takes me back to the folk, folk-rock and psychedelic folk scene of the UK from 1967 to 1978. I would not have guessed this from the band name and cover shot for this album. I also would not have guessed they are from Germany based on the sound, although there was some awesome German folk from that same UK period. The band is a male and female duo who both sing, often harmonizing through whole songs in the manner of one of my favorites of old, Bread, Love & Dreams. They employ acoustic guitar, flutes, keyboards, glockenspiel and several guest musicians of various strings and keyboards. If there was any doubt that this duo enjoys the UK folk scene of old, their cover of Pentangle’s “Light Flight” should dispel that doubt. I am not sure I have heard anyone else tackle this complex song that so well captured the swinging London vibe of the late sixties. But this duo nailed it, with nicely double tracked female vocals and great bass and guitar work. “Yes I Do” and “Like an Open Book” are great original songs with great vocal work and a strong folk presence in the arrangements. This one goes high on my listening list and it should be on yours as well. Whether you love the old folk scene or newer music, there are great songs here.
www.myspace.com/earlyautumnbreak
David Hintz


Solomon King "Under the Sun"
Label:
Blue Skunk Music; 2009
Solomon King plays west-coast blues in Los Angeles via an upbringing in Detroit, the home of Motown. The music does have a slick, laid-back west coast feeling throughout, but the blues comes through, although I would call it more blues-rock. There is a mainstream feeling with covers of “Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Frankie & Johnnie”. But the band is solid and King plays well and sings well, even with a Tom Rapp-like lisp. There is plenty of soul in his voice, which gives this record even more crossover appeal. So if a professional and competent musical stew is what you crave, you may wish to give this disc a spin.
www.solomonkingmusic.com
David Hintz


Paul Thorn "Pimps and Preachers"
Label: Perpetual Obscurity; 2010
I suppose the Americana category for music can be defined as equal measures of blues, folk and country. Of course, the artists will always lean in different directions and not keep things equal. Also, you may hear lots of other influences as well. Thorn seems classic Americana to me, leaning a bit more to blues and rock with plenty of electric guitar on hand to lead the way. His singing is not overly gruff, but carries plenty of deep intensity within. He writes or co-writes all the songs and they are very accessible and also succeed as engaging stories. No surprise that he has some stories, as he has had an interesting life. I doubt I will find another songwriter that can tell of the time that Roberto Duran beat up on him in a boxing ring. And with song titles like “Tequila is Good for the Heart” and “I Don’t Like Half the Folks I Love”, his songs start hooking you in even before the first note. And after the final note, I am hooked.
www.paulthorn.com
David Hintz


Dave Delarre "Blue Beginnings"
Label: InFuse; 2009
I guessed by the title of the first song, “Qualeys Seven” that I would be in for a nice finger-style acoustic guitar album. And sure enough, the liner notes did indeed say that he wrote the first song in the style of master guitarist David Qualey. It is a nice instrumental, which has lots of fancy moves that set the tone for what is to come. And what comes is an entire instrumental album of varied guitar work. There are the usual bluesy and folk items, but there are some real original pieces. I was very much moved by “Four Years” which Delarre accurately describes a “depressingly bizarre piece”. You won’t hear many songs like this outside of something by the Sun City Girls or David Grubbs. I also liked his title cuts, which had inventive blues moves that shifted between emotions. It takes some effort to come up with original work in this field, but Dave Delarre has done just that with this lovely album.
www.myspace.com/daviddelarre
David Hintz


Jimmie Vaughan "Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites"
Label:
Proper Records; 2010
The older brother of the more famous Stevie Ray Vaughan is still quite legendary in his own right. His recordings for the Fabulous Thunderbirds are cult classics for many blues fans. While Stevie Ray passed on far too young, Jimmie continues to play regularly and record. He sings and plays guitar and has some help from Lou Ann Barton who has added vocals to his work many times over the years. This album contains mostly covers and frankly sounds a bit tired to me. Everything is a bit too laid back and lacks the bite of earlier work. I did like an instrumental original, titled “Comin’ & Goin’”, but there just were not enough highlights here to involve me as much as I had hoped. But if you are a Vaughan completist, you may want to give it a try.
www.jimmievaughan.com
David Hintz


Seth Lakeman "Hearts & Minds"
Label: Relentless/Virgin/India; 2010
Seth Lakeman is a veteran folk artist who has played with a couple of his brothers over the years and is joined by brother Sean on this record. The songs have an easy going manner as they shift from folk to light rock with Seth Lakeman’s viola and violin weaving in among the guitars. There is a bit of banjo and good steady rhythms. Like many records I listen to, this has both a modern feel to it with clear roots in the past. I hear a lot of the work of the Dransfields here. They were also two brothers, Barry and Robin (no, not the Gibbs!), who played guitar and violin and covered classic British folk songs while offering excellent original works. Even vocally, there is some resemblance here, although I do sense a quieter setting here while the Dransfields were generally edgier. Listening to these eleven songs, I find myself drifting between times and space and feeling pretty good about it.
www.sethlakeman.co.uk; Distribution in Germany: www.rough-trade.net
David Hintz


S. Carey "All We Grow"
Label: Jagjaguwar; 2010
This is tricky album to place in context. It has folky elements, but an almost new age meets shoegaze rock sound. It is light and expressive and even has some piano and saxophone moves that head toward jazz. Well, the myspace page calls it pop. Why not just put it in a nice general category like that and see what kind of people take to the actual music. I do not find this instantly gratifying, but there is something to the gentle pace and open space feeling in the arrangements. S. Carey is Sean Carey who is the drummer for the very successful Bon Iver. He presents nine songs here where drumming is about the least interesting part of the mix, oddly enough. I think the closing song, “Broken” is the most interesting with the quiet, yet lush vocals that are present on the other songs amidst many instrumental passages that vary from light keyboards to heavier full band sounds--Great dynamics and ever so subtle in the build. It leaves me with a good feeling to want to give this more spins and really see what stays with my mind. I was thinking maybe he was achieving what Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) has with his solo records, but I do not think he is quite there yet. But that is a pretty high place in my mind, and this is a nice step in that direction.
www.scarey.org
David Hintz


Fataka "Tomboarivo"
Label: Snail Records; 2010
There certainly has been a lot of interest in African guitarists lately. There was always an African presence in world music over the years as I have thoroughly enjoyed Zimbabwe’s Thomas Mapfumo and Ladysmith Black Mambazo blazed many trails west. But the guitarists with a unique African blues style have gained a lot of popularity, perhaps with the music of Ali Farka Toure leading the way. Fataka comes from Madagascar and plays some great African/blues guitar on this album released in the Netherlands. The songs have a nice variety in them from joyous dance music with lots of backing vocals to stripped-down voice and guitar in classic blues mode. There is good skillful playing for guitar aficionados as well as rich atmospheric songs. This is a nice release and will work equally well as an introduction to African music or for one adding to their collection.
www.myspace.com/fatakablues
David Hintz


Derek Warfield "The Bonnie Blue Flag"
Label: DWL; 2003
See also the German
review in this issue
This is subtitled, “The Musical Story of the Confederate Irish”. And it is quite a story. The 32-page booklet is very detailed with the history of the Irish immigrants on the losing southern side of the American Civil War. The music is good solid Irish music with some southern staples mixed in where there is an Irish tie-in, including “Dixieland” surprisingly. There is nothing spectacular here (in fact the booklet is more interesting than the music), but it is a fine historical achievement. If you are searching for Irish music or southern-US music, you should look elsewhere. But if you are interested in this topic, Warfield has put together an excellent package.
www.derekwarfield.com
David Hintz


Dr. John and the Lower 911 "Tribal"
Label: 429 Records; 2010
The legendary New Orleans based Zydeco/blues/jazz rock singer/pianist turns 70 years old later this year. He is as active as ever, releasing music on a pace that exceeds all but his opening decade or so beginning in 1968 with the classic, “Gris-Gris”. That record is one of my favorites in the way it creates its own mysterious world featuring New Orleans voodoo chants with blues, jazz, and psychedelic rock. Although I would not expect those sounds in this day and age, he still can create some unique sounds that fit right in, such as I hear on the title cut. I also like the barbed lyrics in “Big Gap” and “What’s Wit Dat”. Generally, the good Doctor has balanced his jazz, blues and rock with lots of local spice to continue his distinct brand of music. A few songs are ‘by the numbers’ but most are a pleasure to listen to and will easily warm the hearts of his many fans.
www.drjohn.org
David Hintz


Surfchixxx "Craic Addicts"
Label: Own label; 2010
The Surfchixxx are not from California as I first thought, but are a “two-girl duo from Co. Donegal, Ireland”. In just eight songs, the duo covers a few different styles. There are the classic Irish tunes like “Whiskey in the Jar” and “The Ballad of Sean O’Malley” along with some more modern folk originals. “Black Soul” is the prize of this set with its deep strings and slow, deep melody and lyrics. There is also a rocker to finish this set and an odd little ska number called “Flight of the Girls” which brings out their day-to-day trials and tribulations of being an up and coming act playing all the pubs in Ireland, from the tiny holes-in-the-wall to the larger city venues. They are paying their dues and have this nice eclectic little sampler to show you what they can do. Their future looks bright.
www.surfchixxx.com
David Hintz


Cyndi Lauper "Memphis Blues"
Label:
Naïve; 2010
This is the sort of album that is easy to pigeonhole before you hear the first note. Cyndi Lauper has done great things in pop music and is a gutsy credible performer. In recent years, she has stayed active musically while pursuing acting and other projects. As the title suggests, this is an album of blues standards. Lauper recorded it in Memphis with many veteran session men and some big-name guests like Allen Toussaint and B.B. King. So expecting a slickly produced vanity project, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty decent album by the last note. There are a few moments of overly-vampish moments, but Lauper mostly delivers a nice range of vocals from quiet depths to torch singing heights. I think Lauper’s fans expect eclectic, somewhat challenging moves from her and they should be quite happy with the results here. I believe intrigued listeners will also enjoy this album. As for blues purists, perhaps they may be headed elsewhere, but they would not recoil at this music as it is authentic and heart-felt. I still prefer the classics to these types of albums, but if people are still re-recording Beethoven, there are things to be gained by great singers re-recording blues classics as well.
www.cyndilauper.com
David Hintz


Jackson-Hewitt "Dugdale’s Flowers"
Label: Own label; 2010
This is a fine folk record from one of the most poorly named folk duos I have come across recently. There is both a Jackson and Hewitt here and there should not be a problem in Europe. However, there is a prominent firm in the USA that assists people in preparation of tax forms named Jackson Hewitt. Perhaps this duo should do what an Irish folk duo did forty years ago and call themselves something like Tir na Nog. That band is what immediately comes to mind when I listen to this excellent record. This duo is comprised of a drummer and a guitarist/vocalist. There are a few guest musicians and some really fine production on these songs. They are always folk driven, but the rock elements and sonic landscaping is excellent. “Religion” is a nice gutsy song that is the rockiest number on the album. The horn arrangements are used with care deep in the mix. I am not sure they hit a wrong note here.
www.jacksonhewitt.wordpress.com
David Hintz


Richard Thompson "Dream Attic"
Label:
Proper; 2010
Thirteen new songs delivered live rather than laid down in a studio. That is the unique premise behind Richard Thompson’s latest album. Well, one premise anyway. This recording is with his full band and a bonus CD is available to early purchasers with the entire album recorded acoustically. The rock songs are so well recorded, you have to concentrate to get the feeling of a live show. Instead, I just find myself listening to one of the best guitarists working today. This has all the usual elements I look for in a Thompson album: Great songs like “Among the Gorse, Among the Grey” and “Sidney Wells”; Searing guitar solos such as those in “Haul me Up”; and emotive singing in a folkish vein such as that in “Burning Man”. I am not sure this is significantly better than his recent work, but it fits in nicely and the highlights are ones that Thompson fans will not want to miss. Thompson is as major an artist as we have and this documents just how alive and important he is. His fanbase knows this, hopefully it continues to grow.
www.richardthompson-music.com
David Hintz


Rev Hammer "Down the Alley"
Label: Own label; 2010
This is straight up, bare bones, folk record with acoustic guitar and voice. His voice is a rich baritone like Richard Thompson (I think I would have picked up on that even if I had not listened to the new Thompson record just prior). The guitar work is straightforward chords and he gets a nice sting on the steel strings. All songs have a certain amount of emotional intensity in the delivery, but none go too far over the top. “Alabaster” and “Every Woman’s Pain” are the standout tracks with just a bit more bite and intrigue to them. This is the real folk for real folk fans.
www.revhammer.com
David Hintz


Feloche "La Vie Cajun"
Label: Ya Basta! Records; 2009
Direct from Paris is this fusion record that combines elements as diverse as electronic dance music, soca, Cajun jazz, lounge, African blues and folk. While I will certainly give Feloche points for originality, it all ends up in a stew with flavors battling for supremacy and none winning out. Ultimately, I could not find anything that really connected with me. There was also a bit too much whimsy and odd vocalist combinations that grated by this album’s end. There is a lot going on musically and I would think there is a good audience for this somewhere, unfortunately not in this household.
www.feloche.fr
David Hintz


Los Lobos "Tin Can Trust"
Label:
Proper; 2010
This three-time grammy winning “American Chicano group” has been working for over 30 years and has developed into an institution in California and throughout the world. Fans should not be surprised by the nice mix of folk, rock and ethnic stylizations on their latest album. The vocals deliver both Spanish and English language lyrics over the top of the nice rhythms and melodies the band creates. There are a couple of wonderful slow songs with some nice bluesy rock guitar work within such as “All My Bridges are Burning” and “Jupiter or the Moon”. “Yo Canto” was faster with more of the usual Latin rhythms propelling it forward. “The Lady and the Rose” creates a mystical plain with the song weaving through the haze of an open landscape. These highlights are well worth giving this entire album a listen. There are only a couple songs, either average blues or ethnic pop that are forgettable. The rest are easy to dig deeply into and are ultimately quite rewarding. I don’t know the extensive back catalogue well enough to know where this fits into their history, but it makes a fine listen in 2010.
www.loslobos.org
David Hintz


Kat Frankie "The Dance of a Stranger Heart"
Label: Zellephan; 2010
I have not heard a set of songs succeed so well in creating a sustained atmosphere in quite some time. The ten songs here are quite introspective with a moody, contemplative sense of quiet. Frankie has a very emotive voice and although I am reminded of the deeper works of Nico and Leonard Cohen, she sounds more like Karen Dalton with less of that exotic rasp. The music is light, steady rock with some lounge and even quiet psychedelic touches. There is not much straight folk here, but the music is so focused on vocals, it does have a folk feel at times, especially on “The Faint-Hearted Ones” which only has one voice and one acoustic guitar. There are some amazing moves on “The Wild One” with stuttering guitar lines and banshee wails sneaking into the background. This is a beguiling and excellent album that any music fan should at least sample if not fully embrace.
www.katfrankie.com
David Hintz


Mary Gauthier "The Foundling"
Label:
Proper; 2010
This album is a song cycle about adoption, a subject dear to the folksinger/guitarist and writer, Mary Gauthier. The music has a folk/country feel depending on the song. Gauthier has sort of a world-weary voice that almost has a blues like quality to it. The music never really hits the blues and stays restrained mostly. At times, the music has some nice dramatic build done with controlled pace and feel. This is a fairly slick production and has a certain appeal to it. I found it a little too predictable at the song level, but the arrangements interested me at times. “Another Day Borrowed” will be the song I replay as there was some nice brush work with the drums and a good fluid melody.
www.marygauthier.com
David Hintz


Old Crow Medicine Show "Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre"
Label:
Nettwerk Productions; 2009
This is a DVD which is pretty much limited to the live stage show of Nashville’s Old Crow Medicine Show. There are no real frills and extra features, just 21 songs recorded at two venues. The music is a bit on the country side and I was not sure that I would find it to my taste. But the band showed some strong lyrics and shifts the music around to include bluegrass and rock. In fact, it is rarely straight country. The five players are all on strings with stand-up bass, guitars, banjo and violin being the choices. There are multiple voices and they keep the set moving along well. They can play lightning bluegrass that I found quite enjoyable. They performed several traditional songs, some originals and an interesting song by Bob Dylan called “Wagon Wheel” which was played in part in the movie “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”. The band finished the song with some verses and voila--A co-written song with Bob Dylan. Ultimately this is entertaining, although it does not offer much more than the obvious compared to a live CD.
www.crowmedicine.com
David Hintz


The Bonesmen "Deuce"
Label: Angel Creek Records; 2009
The only thing worse than playing dull barroom rock music is to put a lead singer in front that uses all the lazy clichés. To paraphrase a police officer, “Nothing to hear here, folks, move along”.
www.thebonesmen.com
David Hintz


Bruce Brittain "Blue Sunday"
Label: Own label; 2007
This is a lightly likable second release from an Atlanta-based singer-songwriter. It successfully balances folk, jazz, country, lounge, rock and Americana. It lacks a little bit of creative sparkle for me, but I think there is an audience for this as the songs are decent enough and Brittain has a fine voice. The arrangements offer a nice variety to keep the CD listenable to the end. And I particularly like the folky “Silences” with its nice light bite from the guitar. But you can hear this for yourself at his website where I found what I like best about him. His notes are hilarious, especially as he describes this as his “…Nashville alternative country period (also known as “unsuccessful country”).” With lines like that, he wins my witty liner notes award for this year.
www.brucebrittain.com
David Hintz


The Kenn Morr Band "Higher Ground"
Label: Own label; 2010
Light steady folk rock is the order of the day for this four-piece from Connecticut. The band has a quietness to their sound and a very mannered playing style. It is not always to my liking, but it does grow on me with further listening. I found “Anna Lee” had a nice laid back Americana feel to it with some good violin work. The vocals have a breathy talking style that is too distracting, but the musical arrangements capture the intent of these songs nicely enough. This record will require a careful preview to see if it fits in with the listener’s specific tastes. It just does not have quite the pop to bring in a lot of fence sitting listeners, as there is just much more interesting material available.
www.kennmorr.com
David Hintz


Chris Ricketts & Mark Willshire "Simple Folk"
Label:
Hobgoblin Records; 2010
See also the live
report
in this issue
This folk album has fourteen cuts presented in a straightforward manner. Ricketts is the acoustic guitarist and singer with Willshire providing acoustic bass. There are three original songs with mostly traditional arrangements and a couple of covers making up the remaining songs. It is a mixture of folk and blues. There are some successful songs in each genre, with perhaps the best song being the bluesy take on “Which Side Are You On?” They managed great depths of emotion with a sparse arrangement that really heightened the drama of the song. There are other songs in this manner that work best. The lighter ones and happier ones just sound a bit too thin. Ultimately this is a nice record. There is nothing that stands out, but the subtle arrangements are skillful and make for a pleasant listen.
www.rickettsandwillshire.com
David Hintz


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