Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts

Sep 25, 2015

Not Here: The Pollies, Jay Burgess Defy Convention, Raise Bar

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The Pollies. Jay Burgess, second from left, in ugly hat.
By Kevin Broughton

During its print heyday, No Depression magazine made playful fun of the genre of music it had helped define. Each issue would contain a mini-mission statement, the first half of which varied. It might be “shining the light on alt-country,” or “examining alt-country,” but it always concluded the same way: “whatever that is.”

Alt-country, roots rock, Americana…all have been used to attempt to classify or categorize a sub-genre of music that continually evades the pigeon-holing.  Hard to define, but not unlike a Supreme Court Justice’s self-definition of “pornography,” most of us know it when we hear it. But what happens when the edgy becomes mainstream?

“It seems like here lately, Americana is being taken over by folks popping up trying to sound too Americana,” says Pollies front man Jay Burgess. “Maybe it’s subconscious.  And don’t get me wrong, we don’t have a problem being classified as ‘Americana.’ It’s just…” he trails off.

Fitting, as the Pollies’ second album, Not Here eludes any neat classification. Steady, poignant songwriting, tight arrangements and artful production are the constants that make it a compelling record, regardless of classification.

The album, a joint distribution between Single Lock Records and Thirty Tigers (Jason Isbell, Avett Brothers, Jonathan Tyler) opens in a big way. “’Jackson’ is a song we’d been working on and playing for about a year,” Burgess says. “When we got to the studio, we wanted to go back and make it bigger and symphonic. I knew we wanted some strings and a Mellotron in it.” And symphonic it is, along with much of the album, owing to the production’s vision.

Pollies keyboardist Ben Tanner – who splits time with Alabama Shakes – is, like Burgess, a recording engineer. “Ben and I have been friends a long time. I couldn’t make a record without him,” Burgess says.  It’s hard to imagine Not Here without him, especially hearing “Paperback Books,” a longing, ethereal tune that manages to evoke a big, sweeping Pink Floyd sound with just enough pedal-steel lonesome twang.

It’s obvious Burgess and Tanner had definite ideas of the sound they wanted to capture when they went in the studio. There’s a purposeful, deliberate feel to the whole record, reminiscent of what Chris Bell and Alex Chilton accomplished on the tragically under-heard Number One Record from Big Star.

The varied arrangements give Burgess ample opportunity to showcase a wide vocal range. Other critics’ comparisons to Gram Parsons aren’t overstated, particularly on the coincidentally named “She.” His voice can be edgy or melodic, but it’s always poignant.

Burgess, like mentor and friend Isbell, hails from tiny Greenhill, Alabama and is part of the latest generation of Muscle Shoals-area musicians eager to make their marks. (Note: Birmingham music journalist Blake Ells has written a fine book, The Muscle Shoals Legacy of Fame, that chronicles the continual, multi-generational torch-passing of musical legacies; find it.) The common link between Burgess and Isbell was Mr. McCombs, the school music teacher. He left the two with a musical bond that lasted.

“Jason’s always inspired me,” Burgess told Ells. “To me, he’s always been that popular. When he blew up, it was almost like it wasn’t anything new to me. He was a big deal already.” On Isbell’s first couple of solo tours, he made room for the Pollies (or Burgess’s former outfit, the Sons of Roswell) to open shows when possible. It was instructive. “I saw that someone like Jason could have a bad night. I was lucky to see first-hand that not everybody sells out every show.”

The Pollies will have their chance to sell out their own shows on the forthcoming tour. The album’s been finished almost a year, recorded, ironically, outside the friendly confines of Muscle Shoals. “Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Mississippi offered us a little bit of a deal,” Burgess says. “We wanted to make sure everybody playing on the record was in the same room. We slept at the studio.” It made for an old-school recording experience.

“It’s crazy, but we didn’t have a computer in the studio,” he says. “It makes you use your ears. You can look at the knob all you want to, but you’ve got to turn it yourself.”

The finished product is worthy of the studio that’s cranked out some great work by Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Blue Mountain and Jimbo Mathus, and has taken on the moniker “Muscle Shoals West.”

But regardless of the place, another page has been turned in the rich history of the Muscle Shoals Sound. The Pollies have skin in the game, and a record that leaves no doubt they’ve arrived. 


Not Here is available on Amazon, iTunes, and from the Single Lock site.

May 14, 2015

3 Up 3 Down: May '15

 
3 Up


Tim McGraw - Diamond Rings and Old Barstools
McGraw continues his hot streak of great country songs that are actually country with "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools." Whether it was the failure of his attempts at bro-relevancy a couple years back or an honest journey back to rootsy authentic (for this day) country that led him to this point, I don't care - the results are what matter, and this is a killer tune. A smoky atmosphere, throwback imagery, twang, great harmonies from Catherine Dunn, and a classic honky-tonk ballad sound blend this into a modern-day gem. Sure, Tim will have to throw some party songs or "I'm southern" anthems back into the mix at some point to keep his slot on radio, but for now, I'm enjoying the hell out of this era.
A-


Mickey Guyton - Better Than You Left Me
A bright new light on the scene, Guyton has been compared to Carrie Underwood's  big-voiced pop-country stylings. It's a fair reference, but Mickey may be more appealing to those like me who prefer traditional leanings, because she's got a bit more grit in her throat. She must also have some strong gumption, leading off with a bittersweet single that never mentions going out at night nor loving dude-bros nor wishing to judge her worth on the whims of a man. It's a strong, uplifting song that though pop-country, doles out just as much of the latter part of that genre name as the former. I'm excited to see where she goes from here.
B+


Little Big Town - Girl Crush
Even if I didn't like this song, I'd probably force myself to like it just for the effect it has/had on people who: 1)don't listen to lyrics 2)don't understand lyrics 3)just want an excuse to type the word "lezbo" on Twitter or Facebook. "Girl Crush" is just the sort of smartly-written, organic-sounding song radio needs in an era of slackjaws singing the virtues of mud on $50k trucks and banging country girls by a bonfire. The vocal performance is stunning, even more so live. It's a bit too safe-sounding for me to give it a higher grade, but it's a solid tune, that caught on by hook and crook and goaded controversy. Not that it doesn't deserve to be a hit - it just sucks that there has to be viral chicanery involved to get an intelligent song noticed these days.
B

3 Down


Michael Ray - Kiss You in the Morning
Man-meat with permanent five o'clock shadow and a good voice sings female-friendly song about night and kissing and love and partying. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ray actually has a better voice than many of his cohorts, and if applied to better… okay, if applied to way better material, he might be someone to keep an eye on. For now, the only eyes (and ears) on him are from lustful ladies (and a few guys) and people who don't care what's on the radio as long as it's not challenging or twangy. This isn't.
D+



Florida-Georgia Line - Sippin' On Fire
The fact that this song is far better than their previous single is misleading. "Sun Daze" was one of the most excremental country singles ever from one of the worst radio artists to ever exist, so 'far better' is no compliment. "Sippin' on Fire" is a down-tuned, hookless mess that exists only to give Brian and Tyler a reason to sip their beloved Fireball on stage during a song. It features auto-tune, lyrics borrowed from their own repertoire, convincing a girl to cheat on her boyfriend, and not a shred of anything you might call "art."
F


Cole Swindell - Let Me See Ya Girl
Cole took a step toward adequacy with his previous single, "Ain't Worth the Whiskey," earning at least 'guilty pleasure' status from many who'd shunned his earlier radio tunes. While I didn't care for it, it was at least a hint that there might be a little more to Swindell than trucks and being dopey. Alas. Bro country is dead; long live bro country. "Let Me See Ya Girl" is so filled with cliche and signifiers from the "sup dawg?" crowd that it could pass as one of FTM's satire lyrics. It will have all the 16-22 year old females who frequently exclaim "I'm sooo drunk"  rocking them cutoffs with their feet on the dash for their boyfriends all summer with the windows down and Hank cranked and blah blah tailgate, shake it, drink, taste of her lips, blah blah. Crap.
D-

Jul 24, 2012

EP Review - Proud Cut Ponies


by Kelcy Salisbury

So back about two months ago I was asked to give a listen to a new band, and consider reviewing their material.  The band called themselves Proud Cut Ponies, and my initial thoughts were, #1 "Oh great, another Texas/Red Dirt/Outlaw country band that thinks they're doing something cool and original" and #2 "At least they appear to have a sense of humor, based on the name".  It took a little while before I even bothered to listen to the Lubbock, TX based bands EP, and even longer to finally get around to reviewing it (sorry but my real world job takes up a little bit of time).  I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised by Proud Cut Ponies...and I wonder how many people outside their current fan base will get all the levels of the joke in their name (the Angel Dust reference is the easy part, for you city folks at least).
 
My overall impression was that the band immediately reminded me of the John D Hale Band (a criminally underrated country band out of Southeast Missouri if you're not familiar).  The story-telling brand of songwriting is quite similar, and that's a good thing in my book.
 
I didn't hear a single song about floating the river, or how awesome it is to be from Texas...another positive on the first listen.  Cigarette seems kind of familiar, perhaps a bit too much so, but Corby Owens sells it with all his might in the vocals, the guitar work is more than adequate, the drumming is solid and the song works.  My only complaint with it was that the bass was hard to find in the mix, although it could have been due to the relatively low quality speakers I heard it on.  Jesse James opens with a buzzing riff that sounds like it borrows heavily from Heart's "Barracuda", which seems a bit off-putting at first given the subject matter of the song.  But again the band means what they're doing and the sincerity with which they sell the song makes it work.  This tune is the one that most calls John D Hale's songwriting to mind.  It's simple, straightforward, even blunt, but it's also very effective at painting the picture of the story it tells.  The EP closes with Guitar Hero, which is easily the strongest song of the set.  The songwriting is very good, Corby Owens' voice is better suited to this song than the previous two and the music is perfectly suited to the song.  It's extremely well done & it sold me on the EP & on the future possibilities for Proud Cut Ponies. 
 
Proud Cut Ponies are Corby Owens on lead vocals, Drake Hayes on Bass, Jamie Berryhill on lead guitar, and Roy Stout on drums.  You can check them out and hear their songs at www.facebook.com/proudcutponies . I've heard a rumor that tee-shirts and other merchandise are available as well, so if you've ever wanted an "I Love PCP" shirt (and who doesn't need one of those for the family reunion? I know I do) they can help you out with that.  Seriously, these guys are a cut above the vast majority of new music I've heard coming out of the TX/OK scene in the last few years so give it a listen.


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Not sure of a release date for the EP, but we'll let you know. For the time being, check them out here: http://www.reverbnation.com/proudcutponies for tour dates and other information.

Jul 5, 2012

Single Review: Tim McGraw - Truck Yeah


When Lil' Wayne is mentioned in the first line of a "country" song, you know it's a trucked up situation. Sure, country music has been using the "almost cursing, but not" gimmick for a few years now: Sugarland's "It Happens" and Blake Shelton's "Some Beach" spring to mind. I suppose this is the trucking logical furthest step in that progression. Still, it's pretty Ram® disconcerting that it's come to this. 

The guitars on "Truck Yeah" are jacked up as a son of a trailer hitch. The lyrics are smother ducking full of hip-hop slang. Subject matter-wise (trucks, clubs, partying), if any new ground is broken here, I'll kiss your brass. The musical hook would be better described as dam.. I mean, darned (whoops, almost said a naughty word!) annoying, rather than catchy.

So basically, all we've got here is a pop country rocker (leaning towards the latter, obviously) whose ONLY brother plucking selling point is that it's built around almost saying a curse word. Boy, it takes a big ol' pair of vest nickels to write something like that, huh? No, not really. Pop music has had songs about trucking around and getting spit-faced for years, country's just catching up, in "edge" if not subject matter. Unless you're a Clearchannel chum muzzler, you can't be happy with where this genre is headed.

"Truck Yeah" is a piece of grit, and if you don't agree with this review, you better duck my kick!

F

Jun 18, 2012

Snap Judgment Track-by-Track Review: Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl


Already reviewed this. Still dull. I've noticed quite a few recent country singles sounding a lot like this - tuneless, that is. It reminds me of the days when I was still an aspiring lyricist. I'd get my "song" just perfect (to the eyes of a wordsmith) and then send them to a musical collaborator. Working from pre-written lyrics didn't give them a lot of room for melody and the finished product often came off sounding bland and skeletal. I'm sure "Come Over" wasn't written by this method, but still, it's clear that the music part of this song wasn't nearly as important as the words, and it should usually be 50/50. On the other hand, maybe it's prime time for me to get back in the lyric writing game!
C-

Big, dumb and full of star-power. And it's a country song about being a rock star. Not really anything else to say.
C-

Sing 'Em Good My Friend
Lots of "whooo ooh's" and "doo doo doo doo's" in this slow story song. They're trying to create a mood. If the mood is "moderately uncomfortable," job well done. In the positive column, this isn't a song about bars, beaches or reminiscing. It's about buying a guitar from a man whose wife is near death. As tiresome as "country dying songs" are, this isn't really one of those. It's about "passing the torch" so to speak. So, kudos for a pretty well done idea. It's kind of a downer though and not particularly memorable musically.
B-

Welcome to the Fishbowl
It's about reality TV and the Twitter generation. About how there is no privacy anymore. Funny enough, Chesney himself remains a deeply private individual who rarely reveals anything much about himself, so this comes off a bit inauthentic. This is a catchier tune than what's come before on the album, but it doesn't have enough meat to stick with you.
C

I'm a Small Town
Well, here's a new way to write about the same old thing - this small town anthem is actually from the perspective of the town. While this might seem like splitting hairs, Kenny actually pulls this one off with aplomb. It's a well written tune as well. Thoughtful, insightful and heartbreaking. Let's just hope nobody writes a song from a truck's point-of-view next.
B+

El Cerrito Place
This is the song I was most anticipating (or dreading?) from this album. It's a cover of one of my favorite Charlie Robison tunes. Here we go… It certainly fits the gray mood of the album. This is a pretty flat reading. Chesney doesn't have enough grit to pull this off. When the song picked up, I thought it had a chance here… but the chorus just killed the cover dead. No variation whatsoever. That's the thing about a refrain. The singer is supposed to reveal a different emotional facet of the words with each repetition, not just recite the words. I'm not one of those folks who summarily hates commercial covers of more "indie" country songs, but I hate this.
D-

Makes Me Wonder
Ah, some real melody. Finally. Another song with a refrain. He gives this one some oomph though. This is a good tune. Nice harmonies. If Chesney can do one emotion right, it's wistfulness. Ugh, "what's up with that?" is a line in the bridge. That'll count off half a letter grade.
B

While He Still Knows Who I Am
Alzheimer's. Big time downer. It's fairly believable and free of cheese though. I don't even like to think about this subject matter. Not sure it's a song I will want to revisit. Not too badly done though.
B

Time Flies
This sounds more like a trademark Kenny song. Bouncy island rhythm and kicking off responsibilities. "Time flies when you're having rum" - I wrote that line once back when I was an aspiring lyricist. "Talking to a cutie, heading for the booty," however, is not a line I would ever consider writing. WTF?? This has an earworm of a chorus, but there's too much familiarity and too many clunker lines to give this a good grade.
C

To Get to You (55th and 3rd)
Another depressing ballad framed by a particular place. Didn't we already have one of those four songs ago? This piano-driven weeper features a far better performance than "El Cerrito Place," but the song isn't as interesting. And while Chesney delivers an emotional vocal, the music doesn't pull its weight. It's a power ballad minus power.
C-

Always Gonna Be You
Sigh. Kenny needs some Celexa, Red Bull or maybe some meth. Cheer up, bald buddy! I'm going to hit up the Mio now, myself. Another dull, depressing tune. Kinda sums up the album.
C-

Great song. Better than anything else on the current album. That's not a good thing when this is a rehash of a single from the previous album.
A

Jun 5, 2012

Zac Brown Band - The Wind (single review)

The ".99 Review" format is a bit restrictive, especially for songs I actually enjoy, so I'm going to drop in some short single reviews from time to time now. I'll still do the .99 Reviews sometimes too, but I've gotten to the point that I'm unwilling to spend even ninety-nine cents (or 1.29) on a song I don't like.


Yep, that's the album cover.
Zac Brown Band - The Wind
(click to see an admittedly low-quality live recording or hear a high quality version at The Boot)

I had lowered expectations for the first single for the forthcoming ZBB album, Uncaged, due to some weak single choices from the previous release and the news of the band's expansion. Happily, "The Wind" is homerun of a first single.

It's an organic-sounding, lively, mostly-acoustic country jam that blows their last few charting songs out of the water. My worries about more band members causing an overly convoluted sound were unfounded. Somehow, all 42 members of the ZBB are perfectly integrated into the number with nary a shade of overkill. In fact, it's a surprisingly simple tune about a man whose love follows the object of his affections wherever she may travel.

"The Wind" is catchy, warm and charming. Perhaps the influx of new players has had an enlivening effect on the band's creativity and spark. Let's hope this winning single is a harbinger of good things to come on Uncaged, which drops July 10.

A

May 21, 2012

Lost Classics: Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels - Live 1973


Lost Classics: Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels - Live 1973

by Kelcy Salisbury
 
Retro is cool these days.  Punks are wearing "Cash" tee shirts, as a shout out to the man who's frequently considered the ultimate symbol of rock-n-roll cool.  Hipsters are wearing them for irony.  The comic books of my childhood are blockbuster movies.  They even re-made Dukes of Hazzard (shudder).
 
In the rush to embrace "retro-cool" the true pioneers, the ones who influenced the folks who get the credit, very rarely are recognized.  I don't see anybody (punks, hipsters or otherwise) wearing "Rodgers" or "Cooke" tee shirts.  I'm pretty sure if I started a business making these shirts, I'd be even broker than I am in record time.  Personally, I've always embraced retro, always been interested in digging deeper and finding the roots of the music I loved.  When I heard Mama Tried on vinyl as a kid, it led me to Buck Owens.  When I heard Waylon Jennings sing that Bob Wills was still the king, I dug into Wills, Ernest Tubb, and so on.  I'm ashamed to say I didn't discover one of the most interesting, influential and tragic figures in American music until about 1998 or so.  Dwight Yoakam had released Under The Covers, an album of songs that had influenced him, and I heard an incredible duet titled Sin City.  I had to know who originally recorded it, which of course led me straight to The Flying Burrito Brothers and their seminal album, The Gilded Palace of Sin.  The album might have been around 30 years old at the time but the music jumped out of the speakers and grabbed ahold of me.  I had to find out more about the band and the man behind the songs, Gram Parsons, who up to that point I knew of only as the writer of the Rolling Stones hit Dead Flowers and a tragically (if not surprising) deceased friend of Keith Richards. 
 
What I found was fascinating.  Here was a true country music "outlaw", the father of a movement that gave America The Eagles, a breathtakingly talented songwriter, a man whose (albeit brief) commercial success of the early 1970s helped pave the way for the outlaw movement that was soon to follow, and a tragically flawed human being who left behind one of the all time great stories of a young rock-n-roller's death.  A man who did all this, didn't even live to 30, and was largely responsible for Emmylou Harris' career.
 
Of course even a casual Parsons fan is familiar with his work with The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and his two solo albums, GP & Grievous Angel.  Eventually I discovered a recording of an in-studio concert, recorded as part of a 1974 radio tour on Hempstead, Long Island, NY. 
 
The recording is a slice of Americana of the time, as banter between Parsons, Emmylou Harris and the disc jockey is all captured on the recording, right down to Parsons' tongue in cheek takes at live reads of a bread commercial, a brief discussion of the band's new tour bus, a stop in Blytheville,AR is mentioned, and Parsons personality and sense of humor shine through as he seems quite lucid and healthy in spite of his prodigous drug and alcohol abuse at the time.  Looking back it's a bittersweet thing to hear a man who would soon be dead, his ashes scattered in the California desert (look up the story, it's well worth the read), sounding so alive, and happy to be so.
 
The songs are superb.  Emmylou Harris never sounded better in her illustrious career than when she was backing Parsons as a member of the Fallen Angels.  Parsons himself sounds like the living embodiment of a fallen angel as the songs run the gamut from the regretful "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning", the straight ahead gospel of "Country Baptizing", an extremely strong cover of Merle Haggard's "California Cotton Fields", Tompball Glaser's "Streets Of Baltimore", and on a version of "Love Hurts" that puts all others to shame.  These songs are primarily covers, but the versions of "Six Days On The Road" & "Cry One More Time" stand up favorably with the originals.  Parsons puts his own stamp on the album by playing "Big Mouth Blues" (a song Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones has long covered in concert), "The New Soft Shoe" and my personal favorite, the slightly subversive, definitely wierd, "Drug Store Truck Driving Man". 
 
In summary this is not an album to cherry pick songs from, or to skip songs while listening to.  It's meant to be heard as it is, because it was never really supposed to be an album anyway.  It's just a group of musicians who loved true country music playing it and having a good time at it, all while having no idea what they were doing that day on Long Island would still be heard and appreciated nearly 40 years later.  This might not be the best introduction to Gram Parsons music, although as brief as his catalog is almost any album is as good a place to start as another, but it's a solid addition to the collection of any fan of country, rock-n-roll, or just radio the way it ought to be.  Who knows, maybe soon Hot Topic will start carrying "Parsons" tee shirts (oh how I hope not!)
 
Until next time, enjoy some timeless music and throw on a Gram Parsons record.

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Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels Live 1973
Available here.

May 17, 2012

The Pastures of Madison County

I was able to make it back to this year's incarnation of Pickin' in the Pasture, a family and friends event in Madison County, MS starring Fireman John's BBQ, Drew Kennedy's beard and usually Josh Grider and/or Matt Skinner, after I missed 2011. I won't do a big write-up like I did in 2010, but it was another great show. Our three heroes, along with Josh Grider's lovely wife, a lovely bassist named Chris and a lovely drummer named (___?) played a full band/four singer concert for the family, friends, dogs and a blogger. They took turns trading solo tunes (Drew Kennedy did "Vapor Trails" among others), cover songs (Josh Grider and his wife did a great version of Johnny and June's "Jackson") and co-writes (Matt Skinner did both an electric and an acoustic version of the haunting Corb Lund co-write "One Left in the Chamber"). It was a fun time and here are the pictures to prove it!

Matt Skinner, Josh Grider and Drew Kennedy tuning up pre-show.

Josh Grider accompanies his wife on guitar.

Drew Kennedy has a wallet chain. Remind you of anybody??

The band in reverse.

Matt Skinner tearing it up on guitar. 

The tall and handsome Josh Grider is now a Nashville songwriter. Please don't write about trucks, Josh!


Josh Grider with two future bluegrass or country superstars. Seriously, they were great!
Sidenote: Josh has gotten really good on the guitar.


Electric show-closing barn-burner "Ain't Livin' Long Like This"

The beginning of the late-night acoustic jam.

Annnnd, this isn't from Pickin' in the Pasture, but here's a video of Matt Skinner performing the awesome tune "One Left in the Chamber."

May 16, 2012

Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires - There is a Bomb in Gilead


For having such an indie, obtuse sounding title, There is a Bomb in Gilead is far more straight-forward a rock and soul album than anything so difficult to grasp as the latest Pitchfork darling. The forthright Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires emerges onto the scene already a full-fledged force to be reckoned with on this fantastic debut.

Mixing garage rock, country soul and southern swagger into an effortlessly authentic blend, Lee and the boys give a spirited go at every style across 11 spotless tracks. From the driving exploration of faith on album opener "Ain't No Stranger," through the sin, searching and nostalgia of the middle to the hymn-inspired closing title track, there isn't a weak point on the album. In fact, I've listened nearly 30 times and have yet to tire of it.

Lee Bains sings like Jason Isbell with a snarl, high and soulful at times, cranky and quick at others. He's a perfect outlet for these tales of desperation and longing. 

And though the band claims not to be a southern rock band, there's really no question about it to those of us who aren't wearing their boots. Bains drawls every line and the riffs are right there in the pocket of some of the legends who came before. And the settings - Magic City (Birmingham), Opelika, the Roebuck Parkway, Centreville - if it's not southern rock, it's at least rock music set squarely in the heart of Dixie.

While every song is a strong showcase of the band's skills, I do have some favorites, mostly right in the heart of the album. "Everything You Took," is a hooky take on the days just following a break-up where the material items kept by the girlfriend don't matter nearly as much to him as the memories she left him. 

"Righteous, Ragged Songs" is a motto for the band, if anything is. "I ain't figured out how to pack out a room just yet" speaks to the group's small beginnings, while the chorus proves them mature beyond their years. The song also mentions the profitable opportunities Bain's passed on to go with his heart. Let's be thankful he did.

"The Red, Red Dirt of Home" isn't about Texas - Alabama has red dirt too- it's about the foundations built by where they grew up and the tribulations they've been through. "Got my mama and daddy on speed dial in my phone"… that's some country cred right there that doesn't need a line about "I'm so country in my truck" to drive it home.

Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires have skipped right over the formative section of their career and stepped with both feet right into their potential. There is a Bomb in Gilead is an ass-kicking, heart-pumping, soul-reflecting chunk of rock n' roll goodness that another ten years on the road couldn't make any more honest or cohesive. This album is a statement of purpose.

If you're a Drive-by Truckers fan who isn't happy with the lifeless melancholy of their recent output, this is where to get back in the groove. If you want to like Lucero, but can't get past Ben Nichols' gruffness, Lee Bains is a smooth alternative. If you're a southern rock fan looking for new blood, look no further. 

To put a finer point on it, There is a Bomb in Gilead is my frontrunner for best album of 2012. It's that damn good.

Here's a free track  from the album: "Opelika"

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You can purchase There is a Bomb in Gilead on Amazon and iTunes.

May 14, 2012

Kelcy Reviews: Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street


This is one joyful goodbye

by Kelcy Salisbury

I've been a Turnpike Troubadours fan since Jason Boland introduced me to their music back about the time their debut album, Bossier City came out. The album was raw in places, sometimes loose, a little sloppy, but there was an honesty and a joy in the playing and a gripping, photographic quality to the lyrics that made me sit up and pay attention. I remember thinking to myself that this was a young band with incredible promise that could really blow up if they could only make it through the trials and pitfalls of being a young band on the road. 

Time went by and the Troubadours released one of the great sophomore albums of the past decade (at least), with Diamonds and Gasoline. It was a Mike McClure produced gem of an album. Everything was an improvement, the playing was stronger, the songwriting began to stand out from the crowd with its evocative pictures of everything from vivid dreams of MLK (1968, I challenge you to find a more uniquely themed song anywhere in country music in the past 5 years), and the haunting title song. 

So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to May 8th when I learned that was the release date for Goodbye Normal Street, the Troubadours third album. Back in late September last year I finally saw the Troubadours life at a small festival in Morrilton,AR with Matt Stell & Jason Boland & The Stragglers. I heard about 5 of the new songs that night and learned at least three things about the band: they are a prodigiously talented bunch of players with every instrument on the stage, even better live than recorded. Second, Evan Felker lacks the motor skills to open a non twist off beer bottle without an opener. Finally, Felker bears a pretty strong resemblance to a non sexually ambiguous Daniel Tosh (although he did not show any videos of puking while on stage). Anyway, the experience certainly whet my appetite for the new album and it absolutely does not disappoint. 

The lead single, Gin, Smoke, Lies kicks off the album with fiery fiddle and a poundingly addictive drum track. The subject matter may be dark and sad, but as with the majority of the album, its presented with such infectiously upbeat musicianship and a lyrical delivery that veers toward tongue in cheek at times, the whole album sounds to me like a wonderful slice of Celtic influenced country that leans on a certain cynical, dark humor to set it apart from anything else I've heard in a while. 

This feeling comes across strongest in Before The Devil Knows We're Dead, a story song that draws directly on Irish traditions for both the catchy chorus and the fiery fiddle playing (Felker credits The Pogues as a major influence on this song.)

Southeastern Son & Blue Star tell stories of a young man joining the National Guard and a slightly older family member adjusting to life after a career in the military. 

Call A Spade A Spade features Jamie Wilson sharing vocal duties with Felker on a song that feels like a sequel to Down On Washington from Diamonds and Gasoline. 

Morgan Street is the classic tale of a group of misfits and past-their-prime party animals that could have easily come off as a retread of a number of other songs in the Texas/Red Dirt catalog, but the heartfelt treatment it gets from the entire band saves it from being the only possible weak link in the album. Truth be told I like the song a lot, even if one line always reminds me of Small Town Saturday night (give it a listen, you'll hear it too I'm sure). Perhaps the "Liquor on his breath, trouble on his mind" is an intentional homage to Hal Ketchum's mid 90s hit, perhaps not, but either way it's still an endearing number. 

It doesn't hurt that Morgan Street segues into two of the finest tracks on the album, Gone Gone Gone, a classic theme and story that sounds amazingly fresh thanks to incredibly strong and unique lyrics and Good God Lorrie, a song that I particularly love because of its spot-on references to the people and places of my native Arkansas. 

Things continue to stay on the right track with Empty As A Drum, probably the best take on the same basic story as Vern Gosdin's (RIP) Alone. Any time you can make a song that evokes positive comparisons to one of Gosdin's greatest songs, that's a huge compliment in my book. 

From there we move right into Wrecked, another dark song with the tiniest sliver of a certain dark humor in it. The clever lyrics may make this my favorite tune on the album, but anytime an album is this strong I could easily say the same of 7 or so other songs. 

Goodbye Normal Street closes with another song packed full of wry dark humor, Quit While I'm Ahead. It's obvious the frustrations and trials of the road on a young musician heavily influenced the song, and yet once again the Turnpike Troubadours bring just enough levity to the performance to give the song, like the entire album a vibe that can't help but put a smile on your face. 

It was a difficult feat to equal the quality of Diamonds and Gasoline, but with Goodbye Normal Street the Troubadours have not only made their strongest album to date but may have actually made an album that will transcend their current circles and push them past the barriers faced by independent musicians and into mainstream consciousness. The Turnpike Troubadours may soon be saying goodbye to their current state of normal and hello to a huge splash into the mainstream. I hope to see it happen, but even if it never does they will always be able to know that they have made about as perfect an album as anyone is likely to hear in this or any other year. 

Finally, if you want to catch the best country music show on the road keep an eye out for one of the frequent Turnpike Troubadours/Jason Boland & The Stragglers concerts. I've personally never seen a better one-two punch than these two since Willie & Waylon live, and I am completely serious about that. 

5 stars for sure.

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Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street is available at Amazon, Lone Star Music, iTunes and all the other usual outlets.

May 10, 2012

Beale Street Music Festival 2012: A Wrap-Up

Living in the deep south and not having pockets quite deep enough to go to Jazzfest in New Orleans or Hangout on the coast, Beale Street Music Festival is the only festival I can frequently attend, so I make a point of going as much as possible. This year, I missed Friday due to needing to work, but was still able to make it to Memphis for 2 hot, fun days of music. The crowd was down a little this year probably because the headliners weren't quite as big as usual, but you still can't get this much entertainment for $75 anywhere else. And as hot as it was, the weather was wonderful, considering it didn't rain for the first time in like, ever. Here's a rundown of who I saw at the festival.


Saturday
John Hiatt - We caught a few songs from Hiatt before heading over to Drew Holcomb. Sounded good. Other than his biggest "hits," I've never been a huge Hiatt fan, so I didn't feel guilty for cutting out.

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors - Probably would be megastars if they changed their genre from pop-rock to "country"…way more interesting guy/girl duo at the lead than Sugarland possesses. Warm, melodious set full of great hooks and killer vocals.

Son Volt
Son Volt - What you'd expect from Jay Farrar, as far as stage presence, but the band sounded GREAT. Jay's vocals were excellent too. You know what you're getting with a Son Volt show, but there's nothing wrong with being all about the music. Finally got to hear my favorite song, "Windfall" in concert.

Childish Gambino - Culture and genre shock going from Son Volt to Donald Glover's rap alter-ego. Despite counting myself at least a moderate hip-hop fan, this was my first rap concert. The bass felt and sounded amazing. Childish Gambino was out to prove his rap cred and he did so. It got a bit tiresome midway, with no conversation breaks (guess I was hoping he'd do a little comedy routine in the middle or something), but he's a strong performer who never got winded and proved himself a true hip-hop artist, not just an actor doing a side gig for fun. Huge crowd for this set.

The Cult - I'd heard bad things about Ian Astbury and the boys live beforehand, but they were solid. They rocked pretty hard - some of their newer songs were very punk sounding, much less arena rock than the songs that made them (semi) famous. Ian was pretty engaging and though he didn't try particularly hard, they put on a good show.

Sundown on the Mississippi
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Hell of a show. Grace is a thoroughly engaging performer and her vocals were top notch. She also played nearly every instrument on the stage over the course of the show. Her band is tight as a drum too. Go see 'em if you get a chance. Not an ounce of disappointment from this one. Another big crowd for this set.

Jane's Addiction - Tired old man syndrome kicked in just before this set, so we only made it halfway through. Hey, gimme a break… I'm over 35, it was 90+ degrees most of the day and I'm a desk jockey. Jane's Addiction's set was much more lavish than earlier performers. They had digital screens, crazy lights and people hanging from circus swings. Perry Farrell was a great showman and the band seemed very much a well-oiled machine, despite the sound not being that great. I heard my favorite tune  ("Mountain Song") and their biggest hit ("Been Caught Stealing") so I didn't feel too bad calling it a night.

Sunday
Old 97s - Awesome show. Best sounding band of the weekend, for my money (of course Union Station is surely "better" but I'm more roots rock than bluegrass oriented). Rhett Miller was friendly and his voice was great as the band played all their better known songs ("Big Brown Eyes," "Question," "Barrier Reef" etc) along with some from recent albums ("I'm a Trainwreck" "Every Night is Friday Night"). Perfect set.

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood - I prefer Robinson's harder rocking Black Crowes work, but his folksier side is also worth seeing live. Tight band, strong performance from Chris. A little jammier than I prefer, but I'd rather see them than say, Phish, any day.

Black Stone Cherry - We got our hard rock fix in at this show. Hottest freaking show of the weekend…. it was 93 and we couldn't squeeze up into the shade of the overhang, but we toughed it out with some adult beverages. Black Stone Cherry rocks hard; the guitarist seems straight out of some 80s hair metal band and he was the 2nd most energetic performer I saw this weekend, running around the stage nearly the entire set. BSC's vocalist is a treat to behold live - soulful and unique. These southern hard rockers played their biggest hits like "Blind Man," "White Trash Milllionaire" and "Like I Roll" along with a few cool covers like Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way." Very talented band. The drummer was nuts, all afro'd out and a blaze of arms and fingers - he once threw a stick at a stagehand mid-song… and never missed a beat.

Michael Franti
Michael Franti and Spearhead - Far and away the best show of the weekend. While the focus was more on love and fun than music, the band didn't slack at all, and Franti is surely one of the greatest live performers working the circuit right now. He spent a good third of the show out in the crowd, all 6'6' of him, singing, playing guitar, slapping hands and spreading love. I've read in previous concert reviews that this is their usual show protocol, but it didn't come off anywhere near "going through the motions." The atmosphere was sincere, warm and vibrant. They opened the show with "Everyone Deserves Music" and went on to make me think everyone deserves to see Spearhead live. Much like the Beastie Boys, Spearhead just has this vibe and broad appeal that's so contagious, I can't imagine anyone hating them. Other songs they played included "The Sound of Sunshine," "Say Hey (I Love You)" and "I Know I'm Not Alone." Despite the overwhelmingly positive bent of the performance, it never felt cheesy or awkward. This is a band with "it," whatever "it" is. Beach balls, cute kids on stage and other cute kids leading chants from the audience… the gruffest and most cynical individuals among us couldn't help but smile the whole show. Franti's a liberal, but I'm pretty sure you could get Congress in a Spearhead show and they'd agree on nearly everything by the last song. I don't care if you're not into reggae-influenced dancehall pop rock, if Michael Franti and Spearhead do a show close to you, be there.

The Civil Wars - As talented as you've heard. As boring as you may suspect. They were cute and cuddly and sounded great, but unless they pump up the volume a little in the future, I don't see them maintaining their level of popularity.  "Poison and Wine" was the highlight for me.  Huge crowd for them.

Alison Krauss and Union Station - Call it heresy, but we only stuck around for about 5 songs before moving on to Robert Randolph. I do want to hear a full show from AK at some point, but we were more in the mood for some bluesy slide guitar on this night. Alison sounds as good, no better, than you've heard. I swooned. The band was of course, untouchable.

Robert Randolph & the FB
Robert Randolph and the Family Band - Excellent, loud, supremely talented. Great show in the blues tent. How did this guy not get a full stage? Anyway, awesome set. Cool lights. I was tired so I don't remember a great deal more, but it was a nice end to a hot, fun weekend.

May 3, 2012

Luke Bryan - Tailgates and Tanlines: Track by Track















I know this album's been out a while, but after 3 putrid singles, I wanted to go back and give a listen and see how the rest of this album stacks up to the feces Luke Bryan has been pooping out to the radio waves.



1. Country Girl (Shake It For Me)
One of the most awesomely terrible songs released to country radio in the last… no, ever. It doesn't deserve any more words.
0/10

2. Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye
A song about goodbye sex. "Take off your leaving dress"… is a leaving dress something you can buy at Penney's? I'm just asking. As a country power ballad goes, I guess this isn't horrible, but I'd still go with a paper cut over listening to it again.
5/10

3. Drunk on You
The much maligned "boom-boom" song. So, is it as bad as generally thought? Well, the melody is pretty nice and the opening line is killer. But beyond that, yes, it's that bad - it's an embarrassing pile of rancid, maggot-infested garbage. Now that country singers have found a way to get all their laundry list of country touchstones into love songs, shouldn't pop country eat itself? This kind of song makes a man go "mmm mmm" (with his head shaking side to side and a frown upon his visage).
2/10

4. Too Damn Young
Oh, is this a Garth Brooks cover? No? Damn. It's just yet another song about teenagers doing it in the water. Tanlines mentioned? Check. Heartstring-pulling b.s. to make soccer moms look back wistfully on their senior summers? Check. I guess this sounds okay, but it brings nothing new and says nothing old in a new way.
4/10

5. I Don't Want This Night To End
Just another perfectly proportioned hit vehicle carefully created in a clandestine Nashville laboratory. My 5-year-old daughter likes this song. She also likes Caillou, Barbie mermaid movies and Glee songs, so maybe we shouldn't use her as a standard for good taste (though I love her dearly). "You got your hands up/you're rockin' in my truck"…has this scenario ever played out for any guys out there? How can you put your hands up? I mean, the roof isn't very high. Is she rocking to Aldean or Gilbert? Actually, who gives a damn?
3/10

7. You Don't Know Jack
One of the weakest drinking songs I've heard in some time, and that's saying something because "Red Solo Cup" was on the charts just a month or two ago. It sounds like somebody was trying to be deep here, but the silly title line trivializes any good intentions they had. Also, there's way too much weight put on kindergarten-ish lines like "double shot/80 proof on the rocks." If this dissuades a man from doing his wife wrong and ending up as one of Jack's best buddies, I'm Jim Beam.
2/10

8. Harvest Time
This sounds pretty good. It's a simplistic exploration of farming, but there's nothing too egregious here. It's reminiscent of one of Jason Aldean's better tunes "Amarillo Sky," but that's neither here nor there. Nothing I've heard on this album so far has lived up to any of the potential for interpretation I think Bryan showed earlier in his career, and this is no exception. His reading comes off a big generic. Still, not a bad song at all.
7/10

8. I Know You're Gonna Be There
I'm forgetting this song as I'm listening to it. It's such a fluff piece, it's fading as it plays. Nothing memorable whatsoever. I'm not even interested enough to pay attention, honestly. Probably shouldn't have made the album, and it's a terrible album.
2/10

9. Muckalee Creek Water
Um, okay I guess. There's some imagery here that's pretty nice. It has a fairly decent swamp groove. Still, there are a few negatives. What's with his preoccupation with onomatopoeia? Boom boom on other songs, bump bump on this one. It's childish and very irritating. I have to hear repetitious, annoying stuff like that from my kids all the time; I don't want to hear it in a song. And what's with all the singers claiming they drink moonshine? Right, I'm sure you hit the white lightening all the time Luke. Also, the bridge sucks and takes the air out of this one big time. This song had some promise, but I'd be lying if I said I'd listen to it again.
5/10

10. Tailgate Blues
This is actually kinda cool. If the production weren't so perfect, this could be a great song. As it stands, it's still surprisingly good. Great melody, nice harmonies from Ashton Shepherd, not too many cliches, lonesome atmosphere. I like it.
8.5/10

11. Been There, Done That
The title tells you all you need to know. See review of track 8.
2/10

12. Faded Away
Reminiscing song about trucks, balconies and spring break. Making love as waves roll in. Tans and names in the sand. It wants to be an update of Kenny Chesney's "Anything But Mine" (which is a guilty pleasure of mine), but it falls far short because Chesney's Spring Break song was far stronger on imagery and longing. This will speak to 15-19 year old girls and maybe a few moms with less discerning tastes, but that's about it.
3/10

13. I Knew You That Way
Probably Bryan's best vocal performance on the album. A pretty understated song without too many things that rub me wrong. Still, not particularly noteworthy. 
5/10


Album Average:
3.73/10 

That rates as an F on any scale. Luke, you used to not suck (too bad). What happened???

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