Author Archives: hyperbolium

Various Artist: Remembering Mountains – Unheard Songs by Karen Dalton

VariousArtists_RememberingMountainsReanimation of a 1960s folk hero

Though well known during the Greenwich Village folk revival of the 1960s, Karen Dalton’s slim catalog of studio albums (1969’s It’s Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You Best and 1970’s In My Own Time) failed to create wider, long-lasting renown, even in reissue. Her weary, lived-in vocals are often likened to Billie Holiday, but her talents as a folk-blues singer, guitarist and banjo player were in many ways eclipsed by her talent as a musical folklorist. Dalton was a rabid collector of songs, a hobby (or habit) that dated back to her childhood, and her albums mixed songs drawn from the public domain, the blues and a wide range of contemporaneous material from Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, Richard Manuel, Eddie Floyd, Booker T. Jones and Motown’s Dozier-Holland-Dozier.

What few knew at the time is that Dalton was also a songwriter; one who eschewed her own material at a time that singer-songwriters were ascendant. With her 1993 death, a collection of notebooks passed to her longtime friend and her estate’s administrator, guitarist Peter Walker. Contained within these journals were writings, poems, drawings (some of which are reproduced in this set’s booklet) and, most importantly, song lyrics. Walker first pieced together the legacy of Dalton’s writing in the book Karen Dalton: Songs, Poems, and Writings. He now expands her legacy as a songwriter with musical versions of eleven titles, given melody and voice by a few of Dalton’s many artist-fans. Though not sung in Dalton’s voice, her words cast a spell on the melodies and performances. Her immortal presence turns out to be as strong as was her mortal being.

Sharon Van Etten opens the set with a somber, piano-based composition of the title song. She adds a Dalton-like waver to a few held notes, but it’s the harmony singing with Hamilton Leithauser that creates the performance’s most indelible moments. Patty Griffin leans more fully into the sort of blues wail that Dalton herself employed, with David Boyle’s organ swells accentuating a lyrical meditation on truth and beauty. Dalton often wrote about emotional illusion, seeking to peel away obscuring surfaces, and though she was a collector of songs, she was also a collector of experiences that fed the autobiographical tone of her songs, such as the Lucinda Williams-sung “Met an Old Friend” and Larkin Grimm’s “For the Love I’m In.”

Dalton laced her songs with religious allusions and seemed to always be searching for a stable perch. Much has been written of her troubled life, but Walker’s highly personal liner notes paint a more sympathetic portrait than the common rundown. The artists in this collection are each touched by Dalton’s legacy in a unique way, and the arrangements – ranging from rustic folk to Julia Holter’s a cappella “My Love, My Love” to the modern studio production of Laurel Halo’s “Blue Nation” – reflect the many ways Dalton’s influence is still felt. Her two albums form the foundation of her legacy, but their interpretations of other people’s songs were in some sense collaborative statements. This animation of Dalton’s songs by those she influenced offers up the flip side. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Billy Shaddox: I Melt, I Howl

BillyShaddox_IMeltIHowl70s-pop tinged country, rock and folk

Billy Shaddox’s 2013 solo release, Golden Fate, threaded an Americana base with double-tracked vocals that echoed the country-inflected early ‘70s soft-rock of acts like Lobo, America and Gallery. His second album follows a similar path, mixing unabashed pop with rootsier fare that moves the banjo and guitar forward. Shaddox’s voice is a flexible instrument that sings dreamily on the opening title track, but adds a subtle husk for the shuffle “Feels Like Home.” The latter features stomping bass and a terrific electric piano solo before the accompaniment breaks down and reconstitutes itself.

There’s a taste of power pop in “My Hands Don’t Lie” and hints of Badfinger and Elliot Smith in the summery “Fireflies,” but the modern productions keep from turning these songs into nostalgia. He glances backward for a reference point, but keeps his view straight ahead as he sings “you can never look back, and the future is your friend” on “Golden Coast.” When Shaddox howls, it’s optimistic and upbeat, with rising melodies and lyrics that question limitations. He’s as comfortable with raucous electric guitar as he is with fingerpicked acoustic, and his arrangements are incredibly dynamic. This is a real sleeper! [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Billy Shaddox’s Home Page

Banditos: Banditos

Banditos_BanditosNashville-resident Alabamians surge with boogie, country and soul

No doubt Mary Beth Richardson’s heard enough Janis Joplin comparisons to last a lifetime. But her Joplin-like fervor is arresting, and only one of the ingredients that makes up this Alabama band’s insurgent stew. The flavors are Southern – boogie, country, rockabilly, blues, R&B and soul – but they’re blended loosely rather than mashed together, and each gets a turn in the spotlight with one of the group’s three lead vocalists. The band shows off their instrumental talents and stylistic diversity, but never wanders too far from the gritty, stage-ready drama that is their calling card. The vocals beseech, the guitars buzz, and the band barrels down the track with a load tightened up in a hundred second sets. This is a powerful debut that surely plays well on the road. Make sure to buy the singer a drink and request “Still Sober (After All These Beers).” [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Banditos’ Home Page

Michael Rank and Stag: Horsehair

MichaeRankAndStag_HorsehairPowerful, tightly-crafted down-tempo Americana

Punk rockers make great roots music. Well, ex-punk rockers, at least. Having blazed through their 20s and 30s, they have a special appreciation for music that’s slower, quieter and more internal. Michael Rank is one such ex, having released a half-dozen indie albums with Snatches of Pink, and a pair as Clarissa, Rank’s rock years finally ended with 2007’s Love is Dead. It was a fitting title to segue into Rank’s solo career, which would be preoccupied with the end of a long-term relationship. Rank works with a shifting group of North Carolina musical compatriots known as Stag, and self–releases his albums.

His solo work quickly gained fiddle, mandolin and steel, slowly turned down the volume, moved the electric guitars from center stage, and dropped the drums on some tracks. As the arrangements got more sparse, Rank adjusted to the extra room, singing more to himself than trying to muscle his way past the instruments. The results have been increasingly confessional, and by this fifth solo release, almost lost in thought. Rank sings of romantic wounds that haven’t healed, and his downtrodden mood is amplified beautifully by the harmony vocals of Mount Moriah’s Heather McEntire.

Rank sounds beaten, like one of Chris Knight’s protagonists with the fight drained from him. But his glass can also be half full, as he finds the assets of a former relationship living in the son born of that union. Rank and McEntire’s vocals frame a moment of mutual realization on “Trails,” with James Wallace’s droning organ providing the suggestion of a flatlining heart monitor. The duo’s vocals blend seamlessly on “Horseman,” there’s a Stones influence on the rustic “Mexico,” and the closer suggests Neil Young’s “Helpless.” This is a beautifully balanced album with natural vocals and downbeat tempos that let the anguish bloom. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Michael Rank’s Home Page

Marshall Crenshaw: #392 – The EP Collection

MarshallCrenshaw_392TheEPCollectionSix originals, six covers and two bonus tracks

This fourteen-song collection pulls together material Crenshaw originally recorded and released across three years of 10” vinyl EPs [1 2 3 4 5 6] and a Kickstarter campaign. Each EP included an original A-side and a B-side that featured a cover song and a reworking of an earlier Crenshaw tune. Developed as an antidote to the grinding cycle of album-tour-album-tour, Crenshaw used the project as an opportunity to record with a variety of musical friends, as well as alone in his studio, and to revisit favorite songs from his and other writers’ catalogs. This set omits the reworkings of his own material, but adds a bonus live cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Man With Money,” recorded with the Bottle Rockets, and a previously unreleased demo of the original “Front Page News.”

The originals are surprisingly similar in mood, given the span of time over which they were recorded. All are mid-tempo, introspective and slightly downcast, though the earlier sides, “Stranger and Stranger” and particularly the recriminations of “I Don’t See You Laughing Now,” spark with a bit more energy. The covers are an eclectic lot, both in the artists covered and the specific songs selected, spanning titles from The Move, Carpenters, Lovin’ Spoonful, Bobby Fuller Four, Easybeats and James McMurtry. Programming the originals 1-6 (in reverse chronological order) and covers 7-12 undoes the original release structure and makes the disc’s second half more interesting than the first, but a playlist (6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 3, 10, 2, 11, 1, 12) restores the original order and pairings. A nice collection for turntable-less fans, but newbies still need to start with Marshall Crenshaw. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Marshall Crenshaw’s Home Page

Conway Twitty: The Complete Warner Bros. and Elektra Chart Singles

ConwayTwitty_CompeteWarnerBrosTwitty’s early ‘80s hits for Elektra and Warner

After successful tenures at MGM, Decca and MCA, Conway Twitty moved to Elektra in 1981, and subsequently the label’s parent, Warner Brothers. Though he returned to MCA in 1987, the Warner years saw continued success on the country singles and album charts. Varese’s collection pulls together all sixteen of Twitty’s A-sides for Elektra and Warner Brothers, half of which topped the country chart, and all but two (“The Legend and the Man” and “You’ll Never Know How Much I Needed You Today,” which reached #19 and #26, respctively) made the top ten.

The 1980s found Twitty singing ballads (“The Clown” “We Did But Now You Don’t”), waltzes (“Lost in the Feeling”) and lots of covers (“Slow Hand” “The Rose” “Heartache Tonight” “Three Times a Lady” “Ain’t She Somethin’ Else”). The productions have the gloss of 1980s Nashville, but Twitty’s voice retains its soulful edge. “Don’t Call Him a Cowboy” strikes up some Waylon-styled orneriness, and “Between Blue Eyes and Jeans” rustles up some two-stepping fiddle and twang. These aren’t the iconic hits Twitty recorded for MGM and MCA, but they’re an interesting later chapter in his career. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Holly Golightly: Slowtown Now!

HollyGolightly_FastTrackToSlowtownHolly Golightly returns to her retro UK roots

Though it’s been more than a decade since she waxed an album with a rock ‘n’ roll band, Holly Golightly has been active with her clanking, ramshackle country blues duo Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs. Her new LP reunites her with her UK mates – Ed Deegan, Bradley Burgess, Matt Radford and Bruce Brand – and picks up where they left off, with kittenish jazz (“Frozen in Time” and “Empty Space”), sultry rock ‘n’ roll (“Seven Wonders” and “As You Go Down”) and a terrific cover of Barbara Acklin’s “Fool Fool Fool (Look in the Mirror).” Throughout the album, the guitars buzz and snake, the double bass adds deep tone, and Golightly multiples herself into a one-woman girl group.

The band finds its deepest grooves on mid-tempo struts like “What You See,” with Golightly exhibiting a simmering indifference that’s mesmerizing. You’ll catch a hint of the Shangri-Las’ on “As You Go Down,” with Golightly’s monotone providing a cool contrast to the band’s “Sophisticated Boom Boom” groove. Everyone is so fully locked in, that it’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since 2005’s My First Holly Golightly Album. The guitar leads are broken in, yet fresh (with a nice nod to the Shadows’ “Apache” on “Forevermore”) , and the rhythm section is casually tight. Fans will love this return to previous influences, and those who arrived via the Brokeoffs will enjoy Golightly’s other roots. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Holly Golightly’s Home Page

Kinky Friedman: The Loneliest Man I Ever Met

KinkyFriedman_TheLonliestManKinky Friedman returns to the studio, but not to songwriting

For rock music fans of the 1970s, Kinky Friedman was the oddest of guilty pleasures. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen had drawn many to roots music with “Hot Rod Lincoln,” and then burrowed into the stonersphere with “Seeds and Stems (Again).” This led many listeners to country and folk, and with Friedman’s 1973 debut, Sold American, humor, satire and pathos, often at the same time. Even the names – “Kinky” and “Texas Jewboys” – implied a level of irreverence that didn’t prepare listeners for Friedman’s perceptiveness. His broad, comic approach often obscured the deeper layers on first pass, but his resolutions always turned out to be parable rather than punch line.

Following a trio of 1970s albums, Friedman released a 1983 solo effort, Under the Double Ego, and then turned to novel writing (with sides of politics and distilling) as his main occupation. He still performed, released a few live sets, and dropped in on his own tribute album, but it’s been 32 years since his last full studio collection. Other than the previously unrecorded title track (co-written with Tim Hoover, and dedicated to Tompall Glaser), the song list is all covers, selecting songs with special resonance from the catalogs of Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Warren Zevon, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Lerner & Loewe. The latter, “Wand’rin Star,” was originally written for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon, and turned into a surprise UK hit single by film actor Lee Marvin!

At 70, Friedman’s voice sounds more aged than the decade-older Nelson’s as they duet on the opening “Bloody Mary Morning.” But that same weathering conveys a lifetime of wisdom gathered between Friedman’s 1970s originals of “Lady Yesterday” and “Wild Man From Borneo” and today’s covers. Friedman cannily interprets “A Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis” more as a hushed confession than Tom Waits’ Satchmo-inflected original, and he returns Zevon’s “My Shit’s Fucked Up” from its mortal ending to the lyrics’ original lamentation of aging. Mickey Raphael’s harmonica adds a mournful sound to several tracks, including a properly haggard rendition of “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.”

These quieter, low-key performances offer an uninterrupted helping of Friedman’s introspective and empathetic sides, and the song selections – particularly the closing pairing of a show tune and a popular standard – reveal a streak of nostalgic sentimentalism. An album of covers provides insight into a songwriter’s tastes and influences, but it’s not a substitute for fresh reflections on today – and today’s society could really use a helping of Friedman’s audacious wit. Hopefully, this studio project will have been sufficiently enjoyable to spark a new round of songwriting. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Kinky Friedman’s Home Page

Tommy Keene: Laugh in the Dark

TommyKeene_LaughInTheDarkTommy Keene has never sounded better

When last we met Mr. Keene, on 2013’s Excitement at Your Feet, he displayed unerring taste in cover songs, and a knack for applying his own sound without obscuring the sources. Two years later he’s back with a new set of original songs, and while the covers album left Keene to write this album from scratch – no leftover material and no jump-starting a return to the studio with a resurrection of an earlier work – the album builds on both his trademark sound, and his sojourn through other people’s songbooks. Keene’s guitars and vocals have never sounded better, and the overall mood of the album retains the irrepressible excitement of early works like Places That Are Gone.

Keene has never shied away from his primary influences – the Beatles, Byrds, Big Star and Who – but even his earliest records sounded distinctly like Tommy Keene, rather than his forerunners. The title track may make you nostalgic for Big Star’s “Feel,” but the reference creates a new, shared experience rather than a retreat to the origin. The same is true for the echoes of “Dear Prudence” in the six-and-a-half minute closer, “All Gone Away,” with Keene’s guitars and John Richardson’s drums stretching out as if they’re jamming side one of Abbey Road to a close. Thirty years of record making has sustained, but not really changed Keene’s approach, making this a must-have for longtime fans and a great starting point for newbies. [©2015 Hyperbolium]

Tommy Keene’s Home Page