Album Reviews

Barnaby Saints: EP Review

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Published on Sunday, August 12 2012 22:58

Written by Bluebird

Barnaby Saints don't give up and neither do I. They wanted me to hear their music, and I don't let a song fall through the gaps of any inter-net pavement. This folk and bluegrass band is a breath of fresh everything.

From Their Biography:

Barnaby Saints are a Los Angeles based group that fuses a mix of bluegrass, gospel, indie rock and layered harmonies.  Described in one review as " the lovechild of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and The Devil Makes Three," the band fuses old folk story telling with lush vocals, banjo, dobro, and swelling B3 organ to create a unique soundscape.  With a debut EP recorded in June 2011, the band has garnered positive reviews, played great shows, toured on the west coast, and enjoyed performing music together. With a new album and fall tour in the works, Barnaby Saints is looking forward to a full year and more good times.

This EP was self-produced by Barnaby Saints, along with Scott Coslett and Todd Berman, mixed by Scott Coslett and Todd Bergman and mastered by Peter Barker.

Track by Track

Over and Over- The fast running sound is upbeat, while the fiddle follows its own path. The voices are blended with drums that don't overwhelm the song. The lyrics are wise and easy to relate to, making sense of the pace of time and repetition, which often we can not avoid.

Bones- The strong rhythms and harmonies reminded me of Ha Ha Tonka, my favorite folk band from the Ozarks. Facing life and death with courage, there is hope in circular things. Picking guitar and tambourine offer a very different sound from their first song, with poignant categories of phrasing, this track has some power behind it. I'd love to see and hear this played live. It will be a clapping foot stomper for sure!

Half The Time-  The acoustic and clear vocal lead is a great opener to this song. This tune reminded me of "Coming Home' by Langhorne Slim, but the Saints have more production and instruments behind this tune. The sound is clean, romantic, breezy and youthful.

Tennessee-  Dreamy, expansive, reaching, yearning, hopeful.

Washing Me Down- Whistling effects, banjos with harmonies, add a country vibe, to what could be a raw version of a Fleetwood Mac sound, who happened to incorporate a lot of folk and blues into their music. I just saw Lindsey Buckingham , and his entire take on music after all of this time, is that the 'the little machine vs. the big machine' comparison needs to be made constantly, to keep life in the recording industry balanced.

Waiting For Day- We get a little organ leading the group to a sing along with a gospel elevation. The high notes shine with inclusiveness, the fiddle floats.

Blue Winter- This could be a popular radio song. It has a modern singer-songwriter acoustic feel to it, but then moves into the bluegrass form. Barnaby Saints know what they play best and they stand up for it.

This record just fits into exactly what you'd expect from a contemporary folk band and is recommended to any collector of this genre, but it would also be an easy addition to those of us who are new to this song form. It is harmonic, warm, accessible and demonstrates understated talent. The production and arrangements bring out the best in these musicians, when blending their accomplishments as a group.  My only critique is that they get their names out to the public, to get more credit for their work!

    Meet Barnaby Saints:

Drums ~ Anthony Lopez

Bass ~ Frank DiVanna

Organ ~ J.T. Thomas

Upright Bass ~Tom Freund

Fiddle ~ Aubrey Richmond

Support your favorite artist through buying their music:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/barnaby-saints/id512253119

Chris Ross: The Steady Stumble

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Published on Wednesday, August 01 2012 09:16

Written by East Chapman

Review by East Chapman

I met Chris Ross briefly after a benefit concert in Bangor, Maine, on the Fourth of July 2012.  It was well worth the wait in a hard seat and enduring the other acts to see him play.  Suffice it to say, that my first listen made me want to hear more. 

Ross is a singer-songwriter from Coastal Maine with a voice made for acoustic guitar, more dirt road than gravel,  never sliding off to twang, and sharply honest .  The studio arrangements on The Steady Stumble are often sparse, showcasing his writing talent.  In a very informal email exchange, I asked Ross how he writes.  He shared, “I've done almost all of my writing in the winter months, after dark, by the woodstove.  I wrote The Steady Stumble in a 3 month period in the winter of 09/10 after an extra shitty breakup.”  I had to smile – all that heartache was over one breakup? 

When asked about musical influences, he listed several, including Springsteen, The Band, James Taylor, Gregg Allman, as well as contemporaries Jason Isbell and Dawes.   Often compared to Ray LaMontange, Ross shared “Ray LaMontagne changed my life the first time I heard him. I was already a lifetime fan before I ever knew he had Maine connections. He's my John Lennon.”

I saved the CDs Ross gave me for a few days until I could sit down and really listen and let them seep in.   I knew I’d want to squeeze the ache out of them. If you like an artist capable of singing to your memories, your sensibilities, and taking you along a journey of vignettes, listen up.  

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Kevin Bowe and the Okemah Prophets: Natchez Trace

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Published on Wednesday, August 08 2012 08:13

Written by Bluebird

Natchez Trace

This album was arranged, recorded, engineered, produced, and mixed by Kevin Bowe.

Release Date: 2012.

My discovery of Kevin Bowe's work came directly from Randy Abramson 's website, Rock Torch.The site interviews rock musicians and asks them who they would recommend the readers listen to, in terms of new music or unearthed gems. They follow a wide range of musicians from many genres, and I stumbled across an article on Alex Chilton after he died. I am a huge fan of the Replacements, Paul Westerberg, Grandpa Boy, and anything else that Westerberg wants to call his music.

Corresponding with Kevin Bowe to set up this review has been a privilege. Picking up a guitar at 13 years old, he is in this business for the love of the music and the good life. And what is the good life? Not necessarily being famous, but having the joy of writing for, and playing music with, his 'heroes'. He toured and recorded with Paul Westerberg, and they co-wrote the song, "Everybody Lies." He also recorded with Etta James, Johnny Lang, The Meat Puppets, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Leo Kottke, Three Dog Night and dozens of other artists. With this expanse of recording and touring history from Bowe, I had instant respect for his experience. After just a slight amount of research, I learned that this Minneapolis writer, producer and guitarist, has scored 3 Platinum records, and written songs on two Grammy award winning albums, while working with Paul Westerberg.

This current record, "Natchez Trace" is all his own, with contributions from Paul Westerberg, Freedy Johnston, Chuck Prophet, Tim O'Reagan (Jayhawks), Nels Kline (Wilco) and Scarlet Rivera (Dylan/Desire).

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Paul Simon: The 25th Anniversary of Graceland, Collector's Edition.

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Published on Friday, July 27 2012 09:19

Written by Bluebird

Co-written by Carolyn Bryant.

Paul Simon: The Graceland 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set

The long history of Paul Simon's music career continues. From Queens, NY, there is no other singer-songwriter like him. His warm smooth voice has been unique and recognizable since the 1950's. With his friend Art Garfunkel, they took on the music world at age 16. From note one in "Hey Schoolgirl," (1957), to the lyrical hymn, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," (1970), and the street anthem, "Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard," Simon and Garfunkel became icons of folk-rock music world.

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Read more: Paul Simon: The 25th Anniversary of Graceland, Collector's Edition.