Clean Getaway, Caroline Spence (from the Rounder Records release True North)
Caroline Spence looks at relationships from a myriad of perspectives on her wonderous new True North. “Blue Sky Rain” and “Clean Getaway” focus on their failure with a thoughtful clarity. “You never see it coming, only see it pass,” she sings on “Blue Sky Rain” before adding, “some things just are not made to last.” “Clean Getaway” acknowledges that one can’t fully escape the past and the associated memories, eventually concluding that it is best to acknowledge them as a part of who you’ve become.
At the other end of the spectrum is “Scale These Walls”, a song about opening up to love with tentativeness and excitement. “Come on over here and scale these walls, I built them just for you,” she sings, “Come on over here and scale these walls, I feel your love breaking through.”
Spence brings the songs to life with a voice that is warm and inviting. The musical arrangements are equally warm with a subtlety that keeps the focus on Spence and her lyrics. The result is an album of tremendous emotion and depth.
Summer in the City, Nicky Egan (from the Transistor Sound/Colemine Records release This Life)
Soulstress Nicky Egan has spent the past several years, well pre-Covid, touring with Chicano Batman. All the while she was quietly working on what would become This Life, her new solo release. And what an album it is, chock full of soulful goodness.
The songs have a retro soulful vibe brought to life with a modern sheen. Most have a simmering lyrical and musical tension that makes them that much more captivating.
Egan’s magical voice and enticing keyboard playing underpins the album, which also features members of the Dap-Kings and the extended Daptone Records family. It all adds up to an album that bristles with soulful grooves.
New Year’s Day, Michael McDermott (from the Pauper Sky Records release St. Paul’s Boulevard)
It’s hard not to listen to most Michael McDermott songs and break into a smile. Sure, the characters that inhabit his songs are often grappling with pain and difficulties. He tells their tales, however, with a sense of hope and encouragement.
A prime example is “Where the Light Get’s In” – a song for the heartbroken that preaches perseverance:
Here’s to all the lonely
Your time will come again…
There’s a part of heartache that is holy
Just remember the wound is where the light gets in
“The Arsonist” is an emotional album centerpiece, a song that finds the singer lamenting the depths to which his life has fallen and expressing thanks for the companion helping him find a path to a better life. McDermott confesses, “I was an arsonist burning down palaces; self-pity and helplessness in my darkest hour” before exclaiming in the chorus, “You told me ‘“It’ll be alright.’ You said that ‘It’s gonna be alright… You’re not alone’”.
It is followed by the glorious anthem “New Year’s Day”, an ode to starting over – or at least making an attempt. McDermott sings, “I’m sorry for the things I’ve done and that which I have not, For the things I can’t forget and that which I forgot” and asks, “Can we start it all over… so let’s make a change, today is new year’s day.”
“With All That We Have Lost” takes stock of today’s political and social environment, looking back at leaders like Martin Luther King and Ghandi who pushed to make the world a better place. McDermott’s outlook is one of concern and frustration as he sings,
The times they are a changing…
Man they’re getting stranger day by day
You can feel the desperation
Watching everything just fade away
He takes a more hopeful view on the uplifting “Peace, Love and Brilliant Colors”. “Every now and then… we are bound to stumble, Every now and then…we are sure to fall,” he sings, “Come ye dreamers and lovers, sisters, and brothers, Peace, Love and Brilliant Colors to you all”.
McDermott navigates the darkness and the light, or rather journeys from darkness to light, like few other songwriters. St. Paul’s Boulevard is more proof to the point… and is another gem in the McDermott catalog.
Sundown, Patty Griffin (from the PGM Recordings Tape)
Patty Griffin spent part of her pandemic downtime digging into her home recordings and put together a collection of her favorites. And what a collection it is – while most of the recordings sound like the home demos that they are, the songs are tremendous.
“Strip of Light” is a brutal send-off of a former lover (and a welcome addition to our Kiss-Off playlists). “We can talk day and night about who is wrong or right but the problem is that baby you’re a bore,” she declares.
She offers a more somber view on the topic in the moving piano ballad “Sundown”. “I guess I’ve stopped searching for you in the dark,” she sings before continuing:
Oh my old friend
This is what they call the end
This is where the rainbow bends
Across the sky
“Little Yellow House” finds her flirting with the idea of escapism – simply walking away from her current life and obligations. She somewhat reluctantly decides, however, not to do so. “Then I remember all those promises I made,” she considers, “All the ones depending on me, and so here is where I stay.”
Album closer “Forever Shall Be” is stark and moving lament for a lost love. “Oh my heart’s a dry and empty sea for wanting that which will not be,” she declares, “Won’t you bring your loving arms to me?”
Griffin’s voice is an instrument unto itself, pristine and exuding such rich emotion. Set against the sparse accompaniment, it showcases the beauty of her songs.
Outlaws, Lee Bains and the Glory Fires (from the Don Giovanni Records release Old-Time Folks)
Old-Time Folks is Lee Bains and the Glory Fires most sonically expansive album yet. Sure, there are plenty of the incendiary punk-ish rockers (the furious “Caligula”, in particular) that we’ve come to expect from Bains and company. Elsewhere on the album, however, they expand the musical palette by gloriously introducing horns and keyboards into the mix and including some acoustic heavy gems. Bains with horns, in particular, is something to behold, as they add both depth and power to the songs.
Bains’ social conscience and reflections on the complexities of Southern culture remain a profound part of the music. “Lizard People” is a stinging indictment of racism and bigotry while “The Battle of Atlanta” bemoans, among other things, gentrification. That topic continues on the piano and strings ballad “Gentlemen”, which also laments the social degradation that infects the world these days.
The acoustic guitar-driven “Rednecks” incorporates country and folk into an indictment of the disrespect of one another that has unfortunately become a sad reality of society.
Don’t call them trash;
they’re my kinfolk.
You ain’t no better than them,
or anybody else.
When they struggle,
you struggle with them.
If you go against my kinfolk, hoss,
you go against yourself.
Old-Time Folks is a tour-de-force as only Bains can deliver – staying true to the punk rock ethos even as he incorporates a more expansive musical sound.
Southpaw, Andrew Duhon (from the Vere release Emerald Blue)
Emerald Blue finds Andrew Duhon is in a contemplative mode, taking stock of the world and his place in it.
“Promised Land” is a prime example. The song examines how people deal with adversity, set in the context of the troubling world that Duhon has seemingly encountered as a traveling musician. While he isn’t necessarily optimistic, the stories that he highlights in the songs verses make one think he does maintain some hope.
The more I love, the less I trust in money,
the more I get to know the soul of my fellow man,
the more I travel the more I feel like a man without a country,
Is there truth in the story of the promised land
He digs in a little deeper on “As Good As It Gets”, a song that includes an imagined conversation with the late John Prine. During their conversation Duhon proclaims to Prine, “with all due respect, I don’t believe this is as good as it gets”. The song builds in emotional intensity in a way that would not be out of place as the focal point of a Broadway musical.
“Southpaw” might be downtrodden but is a gem of a song. Duhon struggles to make sense of a relationship, unsure of his feelings – much to the dismay of his partner. “Left-handed love letters are all I seem to write and you, And you were reading between the lines of me dragging my feet,” he sings before adding, “There’s a difference between taking your time and dragging your feet.”
Duhon picks up the tempo on “Castle on Irish Bayou” and “Diggin’ Deep Down”. The former features Duhon’s slide guitar and some great Louisiana grooves while the latter has some Muscle Shoals R&B vibes.
Despite the overall melancholy mood of the songs, there’s a warmth that comes from Duhon’s voice and the tremendous musicianship of the songwriter and his band. It makes for an inviting musical collection.
Amsterdam, Mary Gauthier (from the Thirty Tigers release Dark Enough To See The Stars)
Mary Gauthier has a tremendous way with words. She uses them sparsely but, those that she does, paint vivid and colorful vignettes.
Album opener “Fall Apart World” is a sing-along love song that describes finding happiness through love amidst an anxious world. “Barefoot under blue skies, honeybee’s, butterflies,” she sings, “Your golden hair in the sunlight, and your heart so true.”
“Amsterdam” captures the charm of the renowned city. Gauthier describes:
Bicycle bells on Rembrandt Street,
Spanish shoes on a stranger’s feet
Newsboy caps, old Dutchmen,
An alley cat with a Cheshire grin
The album turns darker as it progresses, most notably on the somber “How Could You Be Gone”. The song finds the singer mourning a loss, describing the funeral with profound sadness and a note of denial.
“Truckers and Troubadours” compares the nomadic life of truckers and musicians. “On the stage, on the road, pack it up, pull the load,” she sings, “thousands of miles left to do, always just passing through.”
Dark Enough To See The Stars is a wonderful testament to the beauty of song.
Cocaine Eyes, Eric Ambel (from the Lakeside Lounge Records release You Asked For It: The Shut In Singles Series)
Renowned guitarist, songwriter, and producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel passed some of his pandemic time digging through his archives and unleashing period singles that spanned his musical career. The collection, now released as You Asked For It: The Shut In Singles Series, includes great covers (recordings both new and old) as well as several Ambel originals. Not surprisingly, it rocks.
Most notable is his incendiary take on Neil Young’s “Cocaine Eyes” but he also unleashes some fury on covers of Nick Lowe’s “12 Step Program (To Quit You Babe)” and John Fogerty’s “Run Through the Jungle”. Other gems include a pair of Rolling Stones classics: “All Down the Line” (featuring Warner Hodges, noted Jason & the Scorchers guitarist) and a recent honky-tonk version of “Honky Tonk Women”. Start to finish, this collection is as fun as it is musically furious. It also begs the question of what other gems Ambel has in his archive…
If You Ain’t Got Love, The Brother Brothers (from the Compass Records release Cover to Cover)
The best harmonies are sibling harmonies, a point reinforced by the latest album from twin brothers Adam and David Moss. The duo wrap their voices around some classic cover songs on the follow-up to last year’s originals collection Calla Lilly. Among the highlight’s are the opening 1-2 punch of Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis” and Jackson Browne’s “These Days”. With help from friends like Rachael Price and Sarah Jarosz, the brothers work their way through other gems that range from Hoagy Carmichael to Robert Earl Keen. In the end, I’m most partial to their take on Lafayette, Louisiana’s The Revelers’ “If You Ain’t Got Love”, giving the song a captivating Everly Brothers-style charm.
Failing Heart, Phil Hurley (from the self-released The Firebird Sessions)
Austin’s Phil Hurley has a pretty impressive musical resume. He began his career with the late, great Gigolo Aunts, co-founded Twangville faves Stonehoney, and most recently was a founding member of the South Austin Moonlighters. That’s one heck of a pedigree and a great lead-up to his recently released solo EP.
The Firebird Sessions brings together aspects of all those bands in one cohesive package. At the core, Hurley knows how to write a pop song. The opening “Failing Heart” and “I Don’t Miss You” pack an electrifying 1-2 punch. The former is an insistent power pop gem that recalls his Gigolo Aunts days while the latter, still packing its electric guitar power, brings in some Texas country vibes. (The latter is yet another great addition to our Kiss-Off playlists, to wit: “I don’t miss you now that you’re gone, I thought I would but I was wrong”.)
“Border Town Girl” and “Why Wyoming” slow down the tempo and lean into the Americana and country realm. Both have a sense of longing, both lyrically and musically.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.