Monthly Archives: June 2010

Shinyribs: Well After Awhile

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Gourds’ lead vocalist sings country-soul

Kevin “Shinyribs” Russell has taken a break from his front-line duties with the Gourds to record his second solo album. The voice and obtuse lyrics will be familiar to fans, but the sound isn’t as driving or rough as the Gourds’ records, sitting instead in a deep country-soul groove that sports unusual production touches around the edges. The second-line rhythms that pop-up with the Gourds are still here, but relaxed from a march to a stroll, and electric piano is dominant on many tracks. Russell sings with the sort of choked vocals made famous by Boz Scaggs, and though this music is lighter with its blues, the vibe may remind you (those few of you who are remindable) of ‘70s concert stalwarts the Climax Blues Band.

The album opens with a lunar creation myth that manages to evoke both ancient times and space-age travel, and “Country Cool” essays Russell’s easy-going, unpretentious tastes. There’s a fever to “(If You Need the) 442,” though it’s not exactly clear what the testimony is about, and the unusual selection of goods at the “Poor People’s Store” will be familiar to those who know their city’s thrift store treasures. The band turns funky for “East TX Rust,” bringing to mind Dr. John’s Gumbo and Swamp Dogg’s Cuffed, Collared and Tagged. It’s a shame Russell didn’t cover “Sam Stone,” though he does close with a wailing solo version Sam Cooke’s “Change is Gonna Come,” and it’s a treat to finally hear him sing a straightforward lyric. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Shores of Galilee
Shinyribs’ MySpace Page
The Gourds’ Home Page
The Gourds’ MySpace Page

Joe Whyte: When the Day Breaks

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Singer-songwriter folk, country and Americana

East Coast Americana singer-songwriter Joe Whyte returns with an EP that strips down the band production of 2007’s Devil in the Details to acoustic folk-country. Whyte’s joined on a few tracks by Catherine Popper (bass and harmony vocals) and Dan Marcus (guitar, dobro and mandolin), and takes several with just his guitar and harmonica. The quieter arrangements allow Whyte to sing with more texture and nuance than with an electric band, leaving him to focus on his contemplative lyrics of leaving, hard living and uncertain futures. His protagonists are truckers and night owls whose problems are self-made, and soldiers and flood victims whose troubles are visited upon them. Whyte’s been playing out solo, and now brings that act to the studio with this latest EP, available for free download here. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Please Believe Me
Download When the Day Breaks for Free!
Joe Whyte’s Home Page
Joe Whyte’s MySpace Page

Stone River Boys: Love on the Dial

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Dave Gonzalez and Mike Barfield cook up country, rock, soul and funk

Out of tragedy, new opportunities sometimes spring. With the passing of vocalist Chris Gaffney, the Hacienda Brothers were shuttered, and Gaffney’s partner, Dave Gonzalez, was left to seek a new musical outlet. As a founding member of the California-based Paladins, Gonzalez had explored rockabilly and blues, and crafted a reputation as an ace electric guitarist. His work with Gafney on three Hacienda Brothers studio albums refined his playing with quieter country and southern soul flavors. His new partner, the Texas-based Mike Barfield, cut his teeth leading the Houston-based Hollisters, folding together country-rock hillbilly twang, tic-tac train rhythms, and deadpan baritone vocals that brought to mind Johnny Cash and John Doe. After two group albums, Barfield turned solo, issuing the superb Living Stereo in 2002.

Barfield’s second solo album, The Tyrant, was heavier on the funk rhythms than his debut, and though elements of that remain in this new collaboration, its his background in southern soul, blues and swamp rock that makes him a natural fit with Gonzalez. This isn’t Hacienda Brothers Mark II, as Barfield and Gaffney are very different singers and songwriters, but the songs, including a few well-selected covers, draw on similar sources. Barfield reprises his cover of Tyrone Davis’ “Can I Change My Mind,” which appeared on Living Stereo in more raw form. Here the earlier twin guitar leads are replaced by Dave Biller’s pedal steel and James Sweeny’s Hammond organ, and the entire track finds a deeper, smoother soul groove atop Scott Esbeck’s bass line. Barfield also revisits his own “Lovers Prison,” slowing it down slightly and adding more bottom end. It ends up sounding like a winning cross between the Buckaroos and the Lovin’ Spoonful.

The album’s most unusual cover is a take on Goffin & King’s “Take a Giant Step” that melds the psychedelic inflections of the Monkees’ original (the B-side of their first single) with the slow tempo of Taj Mahal’s 1969 cover. Barfield and Gozalez’s originals, written both separately and together, include southern-funk dance numbers, country rock, and most winningly, country-soul tunes that include the Gonzalez-sung “Still Feel the Feeling” and the co-written “Love’s Gonna Make It.” Barfield’s Texas sensibilities fit well with the Memphis influences Gonzalez picked up working with Dan Penn [1 2 3], and both fold perfectly into the duo’s country roots. Backed by a band that’s equally at home with twang and deep bass, the Stone River Boys are all set to burn it up on the road. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Boomerang
Stone River Boys’ MySpace Page
Mike Barfield’s Home Page
The Hacienda Brothers’ Home Page

Jud Norman: Apples, Oranges

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Early power-pop from Research Turtles singer/songwriter

Jud Norman is the songwriter, singer and bass player for the should-be-famous Lake Charles, LA power-pop quartet, Research Turtles. Before forming his current band (from the remnants of his cover band the Flame Throwers and his brother’s band, Plaid Carpets), he recorded this solo album in the transition between high school and college. You can hear the seeds of the Research Turtles in these charming pop songs, and also a stronger dose of influences like Matthew Sweet, Big Star, Badfinger and Weezer. Especially Weezer. The album doesn’t have the studio polish of Justin Tocket’s production on Research Turtles, but Norman was already clear on the sound he wanted to achieve.

Playing everything but drums (which were manned by the record’s producer/engineer Bam Arceneaux), Norman might have ended up sounding like a charmingly insular one-man band; and while there’s a hint of that in the self-harmonizing, the end result sounds surprisingly like a group rather than multiple layers of an individual. The lyrics are full of classic power-pop professions of love and longing, made vital by Norman’s then-proximity to his teenage years and the urgency they inspire. It’s rare for a teenage artist, even one heading into college, to have the self-awareness to write these sorts of lyrics, and even rarer to have the musical ear to produce something so melodically fetching.

It’s not perfect, but even the few moments that strain or come a bit too close to Norman’s influences, are more endearing than off-putting. Originally released independently in 2002, the album got little push (one release party, apparently) and no critical notice. Norman moved on to form Research Turtles with his brother Joe (who’s now leaving the band, so they’re looking for a guitarist) and two friends, and this debut was left behind. But through the magic of the Internet, you can now find this little-known, unpolished gem for free on the Research Turtles’ website linked below. Snap it up before the band signs with a label that realizes there’s money to be made in Norman’s catalog! [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Take Me Away
Download Apples, Oranges for Free!
Research Turtles’ Home Page

Andrew Combs: Tennessee Time

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Fetching new singer-songwriter ala Clark, Van Zandt and Earle

Andrew Combs is a young Texan who’s developed a folksy, throwback singer-songwriter sound amid the crossover dreams and overproduction of Nashville. He cites Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt as influences, and the edges of his voice bring to mind Chris Knight and Gram Parsons; Combs’ girlfriend Heidi Feek adds harmony on a few tracks, lending a Gram/Emmylou vibe. There’s a strong feel for Steve Earle in the album’s title track, particularly in the way the verses peak in the middle and trail off to find the song’s title sung as a contented exhalation. All fives tracks are taken at mid-tempo, but two are turned out as honky-tonkers and two as introspective country-rockers. Combs’ longing on the opening “Hummingbird” is shaded blue by Dustin Ransom’s barroom piano, echoing the mood Jack Ingram laid down on Live at Adair’s. Combs’ satisfaction with the Volunteer State is expressed in the comforts of “Tennessee Time” as Luke Herbert keeps time on the rim of his drum and Jeremy Fetzer adds a soulful baritone guitar solo. You can hear Hank Williams’ yearning in the confessional love song, “Wanderin’ Heart,” and the closing “Won’t Catch me” is sung with acoustic guitar and harmonica. All five tracks are thoughtfully sung and played, and a bonus cover of “Dark End of the Street,” available with EP purchase at Bandcamp, further exemplifies Combs’ affinity for Southern soul. Here’s hoping a full album is coming soon! [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Andrew Combs’ Home Page

Roland White: I Wasn’t Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll

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Long-lost string-band music from 1976

By the time mandolinist and vocalist Roland White cut this album in 1976, he was a well-seasoned bluegrass performer. His family band, the Country Boys had morphed into the Kentucky Colonels, released several albums and toured the U.S. When the Colonels broke up in 1965, White’s brother Clarence became a sought-after session guitarist, a member of Nashville West and, in 1968, a member of the Byrds. During the same period Roland joined Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys, and later, Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass. The brothers had a short-lived reunion in a reformed Kentucky Colonels, but when a drunk driver struck and killed Clarence, Roland was once again on his own. White joined Country Gazette in 1974, staying for 13 years and recording this album with their instrumental and vocal backing. The progressive elements the band brought to their group albums are left behind as these songs are drawn from classics by Flatt & Scruggs, Jimmie Davis, and Bill Monroe, highlighted by the seven-minute, six-song medley, “Marathon.” White proves himself a compelling vocalist, adding bluesy slides to his solo phrases and fitting tightly into the backing harmonies. The set’s lone original is the White brothers’ “Powder Creek,” joining two other instrumentals on the original album. This first-ever CD reissue, with one bonus track (“She is Her Own Special Baby”), is remastered from the original tapes, and sparkles with the energy the players brought from the stage into the studio. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Roland White’s Home Page
See Roland, Eric and Clarence White’s childhood home movies

Dixie Chicks: Playlist – The Very Best of the Dixie Chicks

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Short overview of game-changing country trio’s career

Whether or not Natalie Maines’ opinions give you heartburn, there’s no denying her arrival in the Dixie Chicks launched the group to unparalleled commercial and artistic success. With her lead vocals and her bandmates’ harmonies and instrumental chops, the group cut a new template for commercial country radio, finding favor with both the mainstream and traditionalist crowds. All was peaches and cream until Maines’ outspoken criticism of the Bush administration placed them at odds with the Nashville establishment and many of the band’s fans. But in the face of a country radio backlash, the group stuck to their guns, found favor with the pop buying public, and netted their fourth consecutive country album Grammy – and their first Album of the Year – with the unapologetic Taking the Long Way.

This twelve song collection includes tracks from the four studio albums recorded with Maines’ as lead vocalist, and skips over the group’s three earlier releases. It follows the form of earlier Playlist releases by combining a selection of hits with album tracks that the artist has selected as representative of their career. That means most of the Dixie Chicks’ sixteen Top 10 hits are omitted in favor of album tracks (all twelve tracks have been previously issued and are readily available on the group’s regular releases), including the concert favorite “Sin Wagon” and a poignant cover of Patty Griffin’s “Let Him Fly.” The chronological set plays quite well, giving listeners a good helping of the Chicks’ vocal and instrumental talents, and shows how they straddled the line between rootsy twang and polished radio country with their cannily selected cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” The Dixie Chicks deftly bridged their country home base with their pop influences, magnifying, rather than losing, the potency of each.

These songs say as much about the group members’ lives as their careers, following the turbulence of divorces and marriages, professional daring, and settled family lives. The disc is delivered in an all-cardboard folder, with a digital booklet that includes six highly-styled photographs, liner notes, production/writing/chart credits, an interactive album discography (that conveniently links to Sony BMG’s online store), and a pair of desktop wallpapers. What’s here is compelling, but what’s missing is essential to really telling the group’s story; a recitation of the group’s hits can be put together from digital download services, but at a cost that’s likely to keep many waiting for a more definitive greatest hits collection or career anthology. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Dixie Chicks’ Home Page
Dixie Chicks’ MySpace Page