Not Ready Yet, Jamie McDell (from the ABC Music release Jamie McDell)
I’ve been not so patiently awaiting the latest release from New Zealand’s Jamie McDell. Her 2019 EP was a tremendous introduction to her songwriting talent, especially the pull no punches “Botox” and the raw emotion of “Worst Crime”. Both songs are featured, alongside eleven other gems.
McDell writes with an enticing mix of strength and vulnerability. The songs here often speak from a very personal place, reflection on relationships and facing down adulthood with mixed feelings. She couples this with an alluring sweetness when she sings, instilling even more beauty into the ballads and a touch of warmth to the more upbeat songs.
Wrong Town, Steve Poltz (from the Red House Records release Stardust and Satellites)
Simply put, Steve Poltz is one of the most entertaining personalities in music. One minute he’ll tear at your heartstrings, the next he’ll have you rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter.
He kicks off his latest with one from the former category. “Wrong Town” is an amusing reflection on his experience as a touring musician in a self-deprecating manner. The singer with the silver mane opines:
My body ain’t what it quite used to be
My hair ain’t the color it once was
My style icon is Emmylou Harris
Mixed with a little Don Was
The noted baseball fan also honors the soon to return pastime with “It’s Baseball Season” and recalls the spiritual empowerment organization “Up With People”, contrasting the uplifting message with a more free-spirited lifestyle (“My sister taught me how to smoke weed before she joined Up with People”).
Poltz showcases his serious and reflective side on songs like “Conveyor Belt” and the closing title track, where he sings:
Stardust and satellites
We’re all made of moving parts
And broken hearts
And we’re all just floating
Whether humorous or philosophical, Poltz has a way with words. It’s a point well made with Stardust and Satellites.
Rules and Regulations, David Ramirez (from the self-released Rules and Regulations)
Rules and Regulations, the new EP from David Ramirez is a treat for fans bold old and new. It features songs written for earlier albums but which Ramirez felt didn’t fit with those earlier releases. The result is a collection that provides a survey of his musical stylings, from the quiet and often brooding acoustic early days to the intense rock and roll that has framed his more recent work. The common thread is the expressive beauty and emotion of his lyrics and vocals.
Leave It in the Dust, The Accidentals (from the self-released Time Out, Session 2)
The Accidentals apparently had so much fun with last year’s collaborative Time Out EP, Session 1 that they’re rushing back with Volume 2. The concept was born from quarantine times. Unable to tour, they co-wrote songs with some of the songwriters that inspired them. The group’s collaborators this time around include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Gretchen Peters, Peter Mulvey, Maia Sharp, and returning from the first collection, Tom Paxton.
The collection is filled with the lyrical depth and sublime musicianship that we’ve come to expect from the Accidentials, from the rich, string-laden beauty of “Leave It In the Dust” to folky charm of “Remain the Same”.
Fire, Fruition (from the self-released Live, Volume 1)
While their studio albums are always strong and engaging, , Fruition take it to another level with their live performances. Now we’ve got a live album that documents it. The group’s three singer-songwriters each get their moments to shine, from Mimi Naja”s “I Should Be (On Top of the World)” to Kellen Asebroek’s “There She Was” to Jay Cobb Anderson’s “Mountain Annie”. Equally impressive is the musical interplay among the band members (which – they play off one another and trade solos brilliantly. It all comes to a head with the extended jam of “Fire” as Cobb’s guitar, Asebroek’s keyboard, and Naja’s mandolin unleash a spectacular fury.
If you’ve never seen the band live, consider this album an excellent introduction. Then seek them out when they come to your town, you’ll enjoy one of the most electrifying live bands on the road today.
Time for the Wicked to Rest, Matt Andersen (from the Sonic Records release House to House)
Canadian singer-songwriter Matt Andersen built his reputation as a dynamic blues performer. On this, his first acoustic album, he demonstrates that he is equally adept with folk and gospel. Damn, if it doesn’t sound great. “Time for the Wicked To Rest” is something of a centerpiece, a soaring spiritual punctuated by a gospel choir. The group reappears on the wonderful closing cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready”.
On the folk end of the spectrum are “Burning Lights”, fueled by some tasty old school finger-picking guitar, and the genteel “See This Through”. Also in this category are beautiful ballads “Lookin’ Back at You” and “Let Me Hold You”, which offer tales of love gone wrong and right, respectively.
Andersen being Andersen there are, of course, a few acoustic blues songs, mostly notably “Burning Lights” and “Coal Mine Blues”. As enjoyable as these are, it’s the gospel and folk songs that shine the brightest.
Half of My Heart Is a Runaway Train, Clementine Was Right (from the self-release Can’t Get Right With the Darkness)
Denver-based poet and fiction writer Mike Young takes a musical turn with Clementine Was Right. Their latest album is filled with wanderlust, whether recalling time spent in New York and New England in “Next Bus Out” to travels on the West Coast in “Half of My Heart Is a Runaway Train”. The lyrics are brought to life with catchy melodies and ramshackle arrangements that add to their charm.
Two Fingers, Sea Power (from the self-released Everything Was Forever)
UK rock band British Sea Power, rebranded as Sea Power, return with their first album in five years. The group continues to carry the flag for 1990s UK indie rock, mixing explosive guitars in the form of both solos and power chords with a wash of synthesizers. While I gravitate to the hearty rockers, most notably “Transmitter” and “Two Fingers”, there are some captivating atmospheric pop songs like “Fear Eats the Soul” and “Lakeland Echo”.
The songs find the group reflecting on the toxic state of politics and society. On “Transmitter” , for example, they ask:
Another day, another age
I thought that we were in this all together
If you ever come back again
Will you be more than a witness to the weather?
Everything Was Forever ain’t twangy but it sure is darn good.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.