FolkWorld Issue 43 11/2010

FolkWorld CD Reviews

Micah P. Hinson "All Dressed Up and Smelling of Strangers"
Label: Full Time Hobby; FTH080CDA; 2009
The Texan Micah P. Hinson’s 2009 album has a name which evokes other eras, and the album cover is similar, seeming to purposefully send itself back to a time in which formality was weighted with importance and small details had great impact on the world. And the opening of the album confirms this impression; it is a rising melody composed of Hinson’s quivering voice and a simple matching guitar line. Yet the simplicity of the first song speaks volumes about Hinson’s dedication to bringing out the meaning in smallness. The course of the album goes from small to large, beginning with downtempo acoustic ballads and ending with rock anthems and distorted guitars. While it’s a pleasure to chart Hinson’s journey through folk singers like Dylan and Cohen to rock and pop classics like Elvis Presley and the Beatles, it’s a shame when his voice is progressively more and more obscured by the power of backing drums and droning distortion. My favorite track comes around the middle of the album during the transition from mournful to rocking: “We Almost Had a Baby” by Emmy the Great features guitar arpeggios and a distant crushing drumbeat. The track seems to effortlessly blend thoughtful lyrics with an insistent beat, for my ears at least the best of both worlds. Other highlights to the album are Hinson’s feeling, courageous rendition of Sinatra’s “My Way” and the wonderfully lazy yet powerful “Sleepwalk”. Leadbelly’s “In the Pines” is heavily deconstructed but is a treat to hear in a new style.
Hinson succeeds in bringing the full power of his personality to bear on a wide range of American songcraft with this album. The strength of his attention to detail will only lead him to more recognition.
www.micahphinson.com
Gabe McCaslin

Micah P. Hinson "And the Pioneer Saboteurs"
Label: Full Time Hobby; 2010
I had a sense that this was going to be one eclectic record when the first song was a classical strings song on an album with a woman pointing a gun outward on the cover (and even dicier inside photos). Sure enough, the second song was a nice acoustic guitar and voice folk song. The third song had a touch of that among noisier electronics, strings and rock moves. The lyrics are evocative, adult and quite interesting. The music continues to mix the elements in the first three songs into strange combinations that are significantly compelling. Hinson is from Texas but may be getting a little more of a following in Europe from what I gather. There clearly are some interesting variations on Americana folk here, which warrant a listen for anyone who hears tons of music and is always awaiting that elusive new sound. As for his politics and lyrical content, I think punk rockers make more lucid arguments. But I will keep listening just the same.
www.micahphinson.com
David Hintz

All Over Everywhere "Inner Firmaments Decay"
Label: Emkog Records; 2010
This lovely record floats between the various categories of folk, psychedelic folk, and dream pop. Megan Wheatley’s vocals carry forward shining melodies with no less than nine supporting players offering all sorts of evocative sounds, including the usual pop rock instruments with additional strings and winds. There is strength in the songs delivered with great care not to overpower. I see they list Kate Bush as an influence and I hear a bit of that with the creative way they construct their songs and bring the listener into a very real experience, beyond twee and short of oversaturation. I also see their music as being a broad part of the modern scene of folk offshoots like Joanna Newsome. I hear classic psyche-folk elements, but the arrangements seem a bit more modern. There is even a classic progressive-metal atmosphere in the ten and a half minute closer, “Gratitude”. This is what excellent bands do--draw from the past, keep moving forward, and make simple categories meaningless.
www.myspace.com/allovereverywherecp
David Hintz

Dennis Kolen "Northeim|Goldmine"
Label: Stockfisch; 2010
You will not make too many mistakes by listening to any release by Stockfisch if you are a lover of folk music. They have a nice variety of artists and an ear for quality. This singer/songwriter from Rotterdam has a fine voice and writes decent songs recorded with slick production. There is a good variety of subjects and the music has a light lounge jazz feel more prominent than the folk and rock tones also present. Although this singer-songwriter style is common enough (Vocal/Guitarist with talented studio band), the one thing that stood out to me was Kolen’s subtle ability to interject the theme of the song into the accompanying musical choices. The key is the subtlety that “Seaside Rendezvous” sounds like it is being sung at the seaside, as opposed to someone who would merely put wave sounds into the mix.
www.denniskolen.nl
David Hintz

Praying for the Rain "Civilized World"
Label: Twin Arrows Music; 2010
This band is from the UK, but whose musical ethnicity is almost impossible to determine. That could be strength or weakness depending on the quality of band and their ability to create a dynamic song that combines diverse elements and creates something both new and familiar. I think this band has some success, but does not quite put it all together. They create a nice worldly atmosphere and are gentle on the ear while still employing both rock and different world beats. Melody is the main focus with good vocal arrangements and a variety of accompanying instruments. I hear more Celtic influence than African, but both are present. Try out the songs “Away on the Wind” or “Undecided” if you are, well… undecided. And give this a few listens, because as I keep listening, I find this music to be more enjoyable after a couple of spins.
www.myspace.com/prayingfortherain
David Hintz

Paul Garry "Love & Sin"
Label: Own label; 2009
Paul Garry has the classic singer-songwriter approach that moves from the stripped down numbers like “Monday Blues” to the full band songs like “She Don’t Look Bad”. He will even cede the lead vocal duties to a female vocalist. The music is catchy and the playing is good. But there are plenty of intense and raw themes in the ironically named “Good Times” as well as the more whimsically dark “Cocaine Girl”. Although this music sounds like hundreds of other albums I have heard, there is a nice gutsy spirit within the songs and the band can swing them into life. So it gets a little closer to the top of that big pile of albums for my future listening.
www.myspace.com/paulgarry
David Hintz

Gar Francis "Love & Protest"
Label: Bongo Boy Records; 2010
We have a very direct and spare record here. It is just a songwriter with guitar and voice. Clean, direct bluesy light rock with country and Americana touches at times. This album is decent but does not quite have enough dynamics or variety for me. There are some good songs and the quality is there. The highlight for me was the topical and moving “Above the Restless Crowd”. I also liked the bluesy song “Shakin My Body to the Bone” as it had a nice little pop hook buried in the song that does highlight Francis’s songwriting skills. Francis is a very hard working guitarist with other projects such as Plainfield Slim & the Groundhawgs as well as spot in the sixties garage rock band, the Doughboys. The Doughboys are a great listen. This is a nice alternative if you want it simpler.
www.garfrancis.com
David Hintz

Sheila Mac Donald "This Way"
Label: Own label; 2010
Fourteen original folk songs comprise the debut album by this Massachusetts singer/guitarist. The sound is spare with just a bit of assistance from one or two other musicians. It is a very straight forward approach and it works since the songs are nice and the singing creates a thoughtful atmosphere allowing the listener in without effort. I would not say this goes as far into the deep space of Vashti Bunyan. That would be a very high achievement, but this does share the same quiet intensity with roots in more of an American soil. A nice debut and this is someone worth keeping an eye on.
www.myspace.com/wwwmyspacesheila
David Hintz

Josh Ritter "So Runs the World Away"
Label: Pytheas Recordings; 2010
See also the German
review in this issue
From the big sky country of Idaho, across America, through Scotland, Josh Ritter has certainly seen a lot of different styles of ethnic music. I am not sure how directly important that has been to Ritter the songwriter, but in eleven short years, his releases have given him a reputation as very fine composer. I see nothing to dispel this reputation. This release is filled with excellent songs that are folk based, but will rock out at times (“The Remnant” is a hard hitter). The arrangements are excellent with plenty of guitars and piano weaving around these fine melodies. Ritter has a great voice, but his poetry also impresses immediately. “The Curse” is one of the more powerful songs you will hear. “Lantern’s” strong message slowly becomes evident after a brisk pop melody and punchy arrangement opens the song. There is a great building tension that brings the song home in memorable fashion. I have seen him compared to many songwriters, but the one I think of when I listen to these songs is Paul Simon. Based on the quality evident on this record, I am going to do some serious Josh Ritter back catalogue listening. I have a feeling I will not be disappointed with any of his releases.
www.joshritter.com
David Hintz

Windsor for the Derby "Against Love"
Label: Secretly Canadian; 2010
We have a shoegaze record here that is drenched in layers upon layers of sound. It is not heavy like Ride, but like the more subtle psychedelic folk direction of Spiritualized. It certainly succeeds in creating a pleasant sonic landscape of smooth and fuzzy electric guitars with strumming acoustic guitars and steady bass and drums providing unwavering rhythms. There are vocals present on every other track and here is where this band comes closet to Jason Pierce of Spiritualized. There is more balance of pop music with electronica and folk. This is a nice record. It lacks the exciting power that the previously mentioned bands have, but if you are looking for a smoother, consistent sound, then this record may be for you.
www.windsorforthederby.com
David Hintz

Florian Horwath "Speak to me Now"
Label: Stereo Deluxe; 2010
This is more of a modern rock record than a folk record. I call it modern as it has that independent rock feel with quirky pop melodies. Specifically, there is a casio type keyboard pounding out melodies almost like a muted glockenspiel. There are some interesting guitar moves in “Broke my Guitars” which indeed may have been broken with the nice wailing distorted solos that bring this song home. I like Horwath’s voice, which has a childlike innocence to it. That is matched with the lyrics which are all very simple boy dealing with girls themes. I can see this album being a bit debatable among a group of friends. I could easily dismiss many bands like this, but for some reason Horwath succeeds in sounding authentic and having just enough touch to deliver nice pop rock songs. If you are uncertain, know that he covers “Spirit in the Sky” which is a perfect match for his style. The style gets a bit tiresome on the calypso-like “Crocodile Smile”, but this is certainly an album to generate varied opinions.
www.florianhorwath.com
David Hintz

Jane Fallon "Gemini Rising in a Patchwork Sky"
Label: Own label; 2010
Jane Fallon is a New Hampshire folk singer/guitarist. She recorded this album in several places around Boston with a number of solid musicians. Her first track “Give Me Grace” is a powerful folk song with gorgeous vocal melodies sung by Fallon and Mally Smith. From there, the album contains a mix of styles from blues to pop-folk to spiritual-folk to light country-rock. There is even some African beats on one song. It is a nice sampler of styles, but between the opener and the title track near the finish, there is not a lot that leaps out at me. Still, I found it quite listenable and the strong cuts warrant further listening as well as a trip to the folk club to see the live show.
www.janefallon.com
David Hintz

The Calling Sirens "The Calling Sirens"
Label: Own label; 2009
From Switzerland, comes this rock and blues based quartet. It is a lean band with keyboards, a guitarist/vocalist and a rhythm section. The sound is solid with excellent playing and vocals. The songs begin in a standard blues rock format that we have all hear a thousand times, but begin evolving as the album continues down the tracks. “The Driver” has a great slow and steady wall of noise in the background of the singer’s lyrical story. There are great musical moves veering in and out of the song and it really builds into something special. “Dark Soul Angel” is another incredibly moving song with an echo-laden vocal apart from a maelstrom of guitars, bass and drums with piano madly punctuating the noise. The slower numbers work well bringing in some bluesy folk to give some variety to the record. So, do we have merely another blues-rock band? Not exactly, these guys bring something special to this classic sound.
www.myspace.com/callingsirens
David Hintz

Tony McLoughlin "Ride the Wind"
Label: Own label; 2010
Many times do I find myself putting on yet another blues-rock offering almost dreading that it will sound like a hundred other similar records. It only took a few bars into the first song, where this notion was dispelled. There is clearly a confidence in the song writing and playing present here. The songs rock with just a little extra effort. The vocals have assurance of a veteran who is in his prime. As the songs keep coming, they show great variety between the faster rockier ones and slow bluesy outings. McLoughlin is an Irishman who has travelled and recorded in America, so he does carry a good balance of musical experiences. If there is a fault anywhere, it may be in the lyrics, which are fairly ordinary. But the music and the passion are more than enough to keep this one on the short list of albums I want to replay often.
www.tonymcloughlin.com
David Hintz

The Neighborhood Bullys "What?"
Label: Rankoutsider Records; 2009
This is about as straight a rock’n’roll record as you will hear. It does not a fit a specific style with any real innovation. Instead, it just chugs along with odd lyrics and chunky guitar. They are from LA and could almost be part of the glam metal scene, but they lack the pancache. On the seventh song, they sing “…our time is coming to an end”. Unfortunately, they were premature. There were four more songs.
www.theneighborhoodbullys.com
David Hintz

Tokyo Rosenthal "Ghosts"
Label: Rock & Sock; 2009
Good singer-songwriter material is present on this record. Rosenthal sings and plays guitar and piano. He has s bevy of studio musicians to help out with the most famous name belonging to Chris Stamey on bass. Stamey was a member of the DBs and does a lot of recording and production and assists Rosenthal on the production of this record as well. So it certainly is a slick sounding record with a nice variety of material. The slower material heads toward the country direction, but the somewhat faster material rocks out nicely. Melodies are catchy and the singing is good. It is just a matter of picking out your favorites. I preferred the more up-tempo tunes like “Mister, Tell me ‘bout the Great Depression” or “There is no Perfect Love”. “I Can’t Read Ya” and “Feelings Don’t Know any Age” have a sound reminding me of Don Partridge lead band from England called Accolade. The flute and rhythms give a nice swinging London feeling, which is a nice contrast to the more typical Americana sort of albums. There are certainly enough high quality songs here to make this a recommended album.
www.tokyorosenthal.com
David Hintz

Steven L. Smith "Outside of Tupelo"
Label: Vinyl Record Company; 2010
I guess the first thing I was interested in was whether this record was available on vinyl through its label, Vinyl Record Company. First, it appears this is a self release from what I can gather. Second, it is available through his website on MP3 or CD. But aside from that wee bit of irony, the music itself is quite decent. It is classic Americana from an upstate New Yorker recording in Nashville, so the expected quality accompanying musicians is present. Smith has a solid voice and writes pretty decent songs. I rather liked the catchy title track and there are a few more rocking songs that are nice. I did find myself numbed a bit by typical Nashville sounds in predictable patterns. But there is enough quality here to warrant a listen to determine your own favorites. Or maybe check out his custom made acoustic guitars, which look quite lovely.
www.slsmith.info
David Hintz

Tim Woods "The Blues Sessions"
Label: Earwig Music; 2010
Tim Woods has been singing the blues and playing guitar for decades, but has not had an album until now. Rather than just mine the same old territory with a studio rhythm section, he took on a more ambitious project of having guest musicians from up and down the Mississippi Delta play on this record. 16 musicians later, he has succeeded with these twelve tracks, ranging from some traditionals, some of his guest’s songs, and lots of Willie Dixon. Guests include David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Big Jack Johnson and John Primer. It all comes off quite well, with a nice variety of vocalists including a few where you can hear a half-century of the blues emanating deep from within. There is fiery guitar and nice interplay between guitars and keyboards at times. This is certainly a decent effort for blues fans.
www.timwoodsmusic.com
David Hintz

John Jackson "Rappahannock Blues"
Label: Smithsonian Folkway Recordings; 2010
This is one of the many Smithsonian releases chronicling the history of American folk music with blues, gospel, Appalachian and other mostly rural forms of music. John Jackson’s blues come from Appalachia and he lived in nearby Fairfax, Virginia. There certainly is a blend of Appalachian folk in some of these songs, which makes them sound quite different than that of the harder Mississippi delta blues. He can certainly perform the harder material when he covered Mississippi John Hurt’s “Candy Man” or other songs by Blind Blake. But he also covers Tom T. Hall and more local writers which gives this record a nice variety. That the guitar playing is very good is amazing in that he had given up playing until his “rediscovery” in his 50s. These recordings began in 1975 (when he was 51) and continue through to 1997 when he played the venerable Wolf Trap stage in Virginia. This is certainly a treat for me living in this area and the quality is there to enjoy for everyone else who likes the blues.
www.folkways.si.edu
David Hintz

Rowland Salley "Killing the Blues"
Label: Telechrome Records; 2003
I am not sure why someone sent us a seven-year old album (It was not the label as their website is defunct), but I will offer a few notes for consideration. Rowland Salley is primarily a bass player and worked for a time with Chris Isaak. He also plays guitar and sings here and performs all original songs here. Most famous and the one star of the bunch is the title cut that has been recorded by John Prine (as if he needs to do covers!), Shawn Colvin and is on the classic album by Robert Plant and Allison Krauss. The rest of the material is decent, but a little on the slick studio side of things. Also, I found some of the phrasing awkward on a couple of the songs. There is talent here, but it is a little scattered amongst the songs. But if you want one great song by the guy that wrote it, then give this a listen.
www.rowlandsalley.com
David Hintz

Tim Bragg "Stranger through the Window"
Label: Own label; 2010
Fourteen original songs are presented on this album which is truly a solo effort as Tim Bragg plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums along with his singing. He does get some additional guitar help along with a couple other instrumental touches, but the result is primarily a steady moderate rock sound. It has folky elements, but it would not be in that category in your local record store. The songs are nice with a good sense of style and rhythm. At times, the overall sound is a little too much middle of the road for me, although the songs do grow on me as I continue to listen. And there is a nice rocker or two such as the fuzzed out “No Confidence”. His voice communicates his lyrics well and the guitars do sometimes add some needed pop. There are even some jazzy moves and the style shifts do keep my attention. It would be interesting to see how the material works live. Although he was from the UK, he is now based in France. I shall watch where his travels take him while giving this a few more listens in the mean time.
www.myspace.com/timbragg
David Hintz

Fantastic People "Fantastic Music"
Label: Own label; 2010
You can’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case a CD booklet. This Swedish band has a quaint photo of them having a brew at their local pub. Ergo, I was expecting mid-tempo folk rock, especially with a glance to see that it is basic guitars, bass, drums and keyboards. As you have guessed by now, I was in for a bit of a surprise. The first song had some really nice fuzzy guitars as the band drew upon sixties psychedelic rock. As the CD progressed, they brought in other variations in a modern indie rock sort of style. Sweden certainly has great psychedelic bands, and although this band is not as heavy as the Nomads for instance, they clearly understand the genre. In addition to the nice opener, “Bad Boogie” has a good moody rock feel with a great fuzzed out lead guitar in the latter half of the song. “Secret in You” brings back the tremolo sound and then it’s on to one long final cut. This was a fun album that has great atmosphere and should appeal to both the heavy psychedelic fans and people that like a bit more of an atmospheric rock sound. And for the record, all the songs are sung in English.
www.fantasticpeople.se
David Hintz

Jerad Finck "Jerad Finck"
Label: Hit Street Records; 2008
The first cut is a nicely paced power-pop song. Finck plays guitar and sings with a voice like a more restrained Feargal Sharkey (Undertones). The songs next head toward more of a light folk-rock/singer-songwriter style. There are still some nice pop hooks in the better songs, with the others still decent, but lacking something strong for the listener to grab hold of. The production is very slick with the album mastered at the famous Abbey Road studios, although recording was done in New Jersey in the USA. The overall album ends with the feeling of a nice variety of songs, including a hard rocking cover of “Paperback Writer”. I believe there is just enough thought and art in these songs to warrant further listenings for me. They should resonate for a lot of different listeners as well.
www.jeradfinckmusic.com
David Hintz

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