There are a lot of female folk trios out there and most of them are worth their salt (or at least a good long listen). Red Molly was/is one of those bands. I liked their self-titled EP, the live CD Never Been to Vegas, and especially their 2008 effort Love and Other Tragedies. The trio of Abbie Gardner, Laurie MacAllister, and Carolann Solebello has some diverse instrumentation, beautiful harmonies, and a nice organic sound. But, they were just one of those bands to me, good, but none of their records left an indelible imprint. That was until I heard James.
Credit: Brenda Wirth
Self released earlier this year, James has been causing me to hit the repeat on the stereo, itunes, and mp3 player alike. The album is self-produced, and superbly so as the band definitely goes in some new directions. Drums are used for the first time to great effect. Gardner’s father, stride pianist Herb Gardner, drops some lovely keys into the mix, most notably on the western swing number “The End of the Line,†which sounds to me like a classic Willie Nelson (perhaps cause it was written by Bob Willis).  But most importantly, the band has figured out when NOT to play. The genius in James is that the band allows the songs to breath, the whole record sounds wide open as if the band was painting in thoughtful brush strokes on a blank canvass. Nowhere is this more apparent than the shared lead vocal duties that highlight “Falling Inâ€. The story is in the vocals, but each of the instruments add drama to the song. The song was written by guest musician Jake Armerding, whose fiddle work in particular colors the album beautifully. Also dropping in is long time Red Molly cohort Fred Gillen Jr., who offers up a stirring duet with MacAllister on Nanci Griffith’s “Gulf Coast Highwayâ€.
The album features only two originals, both excellent and both supplied by Gardner. The record begins with a new tune from one of my favorite songwriters, young wunderkind Anthony da Costa (who performs frequently as a duo with Gardner). The song “The Last Call†begins with the lines
it’s the last call for the broken hearted
it’s the last call for to save your soul
it won’t take you no money, it won’t take no jesus
just a little faith and love and you’ll be made whole
The rest of the album is just as strong with songs by the likes of Gillian Welch, Darrell Scott, Steve Goodman, and Jonathan Byrd, and closing with the classic Lucinda William’s number “Can’t Let Go†(Randy Weeks). So in summation, James is good. Scratch that, it’s great. Definitely one of the best of the year thus far.
About the author: Specializes in Dead, Drunk, and Nakedness..... Former College Radio DJ and Current Craft Beer Nerd