THE STEELDRIVERS
RECKLESS
2010 – ROUNDER
Produced By LUKE WOOTEN & THE STEELDRIVERS
1. The Reckless Side Of Me
2. Good Corn Liquor
3. Where Rainbows Never Die
4. The Price
5. Can You Run
6. Peacemaker
7. You Put The Hurt On Me
8. Midnight On The Mountain
9. Guitars, Whiskey, Guns And Knives
10. Angel Of The Night
11. Higher Than The Wall
12. Ghosts Of Mississippi
In case you thought that Chris Stapleton and his excellent debut album, Traveler, came from nowhere, a look back at The SteelDrivers will surely set you right. Stapleton sounds exactly like what he is: the son of a Kentucky coalminer. This man was born to sing real country music, and he does not disappoint on this, the second of two albums he recorded with this group. But this isn’t just about Stapleton. The rest of the band can flat out play. There’s no drummer, but bassist Mike Fleming is as steady as they come. The rest of the group is fleshed out with bluegrass instruments: Richard Bailey (banjo), Mike Henderson (mandolin), and the excellent Tammy Rogers (fiddle). This is one fine band, to be sure. Stapleton handles most of the guitars, and his lead vocals are, again, the stuff of Americana greatness. There are more than enough highlights here to keep you happy about this band.
The album opens with the powerful “The Reckless Side Of Me”, and if you’re not already hooked on Stapleton’s voice, then this isn’t for you. “Good Corn Liquor”, “The Price” and “Peacemaker” are all highlights, but they save the best for last. “Ghosts Of Mississippi” is pure gold, and showcases every one of the weapons that The SteelDrivers possess. By the time Reckless was released, Stapleton had already left the band, so this lineup was never able to tour behind it…thus, you may have not heard it. And, of course, Stapleton went on to release Traveler, while the rest of the Drivers have soldiered on with a new frontman. But for two albums, you can hear this version of the band in all its glory. If you like alt country, this is pretty much a must have. It’s worth it for the moments where Stapleton cuts loose alone…but there’s a lot more that Reckless has to offer as well.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
EDIE BRICKELL & NEW BOHEMIANS
SHOOTING RUBBERBANDS AT THE STARS
1988 – GEFFEN
Produced By PAT MORAN
1. What I Am
2. Little Miss S.
3. Air Of December
4. The Wheel
5. Love Like We Do
6. Circle
7. Beat The Time
8. She
9. Nothing
10. Now
11. Keep Coming Back
12. I Do
If Edie Brickell had never allowed herself to be talked onto that stage with the band New Bohemians in 1985, there would have been no “What I Am”, no Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, and Paul Simon would have had to marry someone else. But Edie did get on that stage, and the rest is history. This one hit wonder of a band and an album may be the loopiest of the bunch, with its most curious of lyrics (“what I am is what I am you what you are or what?”) and Brickell’s dizzy spinning hippie chick persona. In 1988, this song was all over the radio, all over MTV, and the band was forgotten as quickly as it fell off the charts. This is actually a pretty good debut album, and although there was nothing as quaint and catchy as “What I Am” on the album (or the rest of their short career), there is a nice and quite listenable record that is in no way unpleasant. They were good…they were unfortunately never great.
But, yeah…for a moment, there was hope for this band. There were some fine tracks here. “Circle” could have been a hit, and “Little Miss S.” is an odd ode to Edie Sedgwick. There are also a whole lot of pretty good to average tracks, nothing terrible, just nothing outside of a small few that will actually jump out at you. So, for a one hit wonder, it’s better than average, better than respectable, and actually very good. They did make another album. Ghost Of A Dog was just as good, except it had no hits, thus no sales. Brickell then ran off with Simon, ending the band (except for a 2006 reunion album that absolutely no one ever listened to) and cementing their status forever. They were probably better than you remembered them, and Brickell’s wispy character is always enchanting. “I’m not afraid of too many things / I know what I know if you know what I mean”….
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION
LONELY RUNS BOTH WAYS
2004 – ROUNDER
Produced By ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION
1. Gravity
2. Restless
3. Rain Please Go Away
4. Goodbye Is All We Have
5. Unionhouse Branch
6. Wouldn’t Be So Bad
7. Pastures Of Plenty
8. Crazy As Me
9. Borderline
10. My Poor Old Heart
11. This Sad Song
12. Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
13. I Don’t Have To Live This Way
14. If I Didn’t Know Any Better
15. A Living Prayer
It’s true. If Alison Krauss knew I existed, and if she would have me, I’d marry her in a heartbeat. The voice of an angel, the best musical taste of any woman on the planet, and the ability to play the fiddle like a beast…what’s not to love? Her band, Union Station, makes album after album that is simply fine and beautiful. Lonely Runs Both Ways is their sixth album, and like everything else in the Krauss discography, it’s very worth listening to. It’s not above and beyond the band’s other work…although if her vocal on the finale, “A Living Prayer” doesn’t just about move you to tears, then I don’t know what to say to you. It’s an album loaded with fine performances, with vocals sometimes by Dan Tyminski (the voice of the Soggy Bottom Boys), and showing enough flashes of bluegrass wizardry to gain mad respect. It’s the lack of ego from Krauss that makes this, like other Union Station albums, so very good.
Krauss, the most decorated female in Grammy history, isn’t much on writing songs (her name is on only the fine “This Sad Song” here). But her taste in covers is impeccable. Here she pulls from Robert Lee Castleman, Woody Guthrie, Gillian Welch and Del McCoury…and her bandmates Jerry Douglas and Ron Block also prove to be fine writers. Lonely Runs Both Ways is a fine effort…it just doesn’t do a lot to stand out against the rest of the band’s discography, outside of “A Living Prayer”, “Restless”, and the fine instrumental “Unionhouse Branch”. But this band is always worth hearing, and that angelic voice that Krauss possesses…worth every dime paid for this, and every other one of her albums. Am I a bit lenient towards Ms. Krauss because of my infatuation with her? Sure am, you bet. But she’s always a joy to listen to…and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
HOLE
CELEBRITY SKIN
1998 – DGC
Produced By MICHAEL BEINHORN & ERIC ERLANDSON
1. Celebrity Skin
2. Awful
3. Hit So Hard
4. Malibu
5. Reasons Toi Be Beautiful
6. Dying
7. Use Once & Destroy
8. Northern Star
9. Boys On The Radio
10. Heaven Tonight
11. Playing Your Song
12. Petals
Sometimes, it can be really easy to let an artist’s persona cloud what we think of their music. Which brings us to Hole. Courtney Love is best known for two things: being a train wreck and being the widow of Kurt Cobain. And between the Hole albums Live Through This (which sounds like Cobain helped…a lot) and Celebrity Skin (which sounds like Billy Corgan helped…a lot…and he did), the conclusion to be drawn is that, musically, Love needs a lot of…help. I don’t mean this as a negative. If Courtney Love has proven anything, it’s that she is a quick study, and is willing to learn. Celebrity Skin is an album that was put on hold by Love’s turn as Althea Flynt in the film The People Vs. Larry Flynt, and by being stuck in the writing and recording process. Corgan was brought in, and his help is very evident. There are times when it almost sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins album…almost.
But, to Love’s credit, there’s enough of her to make it still her own. The title track is Love at her decadent best, and might just be the best Hole song ever. “Malibu” is a gem, written about her late husband’s unsuccessful stint in rehab. And “Awful” gives props to Neil Diamond’s “Cherry Cherry”. Elsewhere, Love shows surprising maturity in quoting T.S. Eliot, Rossetti, and Shakespeare. It’s a much more subdued effort than Live Through This…there’s nothing close to the inference that all the girls from Olympia fuck the same, and the Nirvana like dynamics are kept to a minimum. The truth is…Love, at least musically, did some growing up between albums. And while she effectively ended the band after this album (and never reached the high points here ever again), the Hole legacy is a lot stronger than they get credit for…mainly because Love’s life outside of Hole tends to be…messy. But this is actually pretty damn good.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
DIGABLE PLANETS
REACHIN’ (A NEW REFUTATION OF TIME AND SPACE)
1993 – PENDULUM / ELEKTRA
Produced By BUTTERFLY, SHANE FABER & MIKE MANGINI
1. It’s Good To Be Here
2. Pacifics
3. Where I’m From
4. What Cool Breezes Do
5. Time & Space (A New Refutation Of)
6. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
7. Last Of The Spiddyocks
8. Jimmi Diggin’ Cats
9. La Femme Fatale
10. Escapism (Getting’ Free)
11. Appointment At The Fat Clinic
12. Nickel Bags
13. Swoon Units
14. Examination Of What
What I do really like about hip hop: it has the potential to cross over and mix with any type of music. Any type. Because it’s basically a simple drum and bass format, it’s like a blank slate, and you can paint any kind of picture you want to. Many hip hop acts stay with a simple R&B base, which can become stale. So, Digable Planets, and their debut album Reachin’, was an attractive looking package. The hit, “Rebirth Of The Slick (Cool Like Dat)” had all of the elements of something bigger and better, but the album only hints at the potential. They were also not the first to go down the jazz road…A Tribe Called Quest did it first and did it better…but while jazz was a major influence on the group, it’s clear that much of what they had heard growing up was over their heads a bit.
It’s also clear that the Digables didn’t understand the possibilities that the layers of sound found in jazz could have on what they were after.
And while the Digables bypassed the world of gangsta rap, what they replaced it with didn’t always work. It’s hard to make positivity work in dangerous sounding music. They tried the political…and it sounds forced and out of place. But they do get enough right here to make Reachin’ worthwhile…and “Rebirth” alone is a must have track. The jazz samples are well chosen, particularly the basslines, lifting the otherwise ordinary basic tracks to another level. Digable Planets were clearly on to something…they just never quite got there. They made one more album, and were done by 1995. It would have been interesting to hear what this group could have evolved into, but we’ll never know. Still, kudos for taking on music that was much bigger than they were, and for doing it their way. Something that more groups, regardless of genre, should have the courage to do. Always a nice and refreshing listen.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CAT STEVENS
TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN
1970 – A&M
Produced By PAUL SAMWELL-SMITH
1. Where Do The Children Play?
2. Hard-Headed Woman
3. Wild World
4. Sad Lisa
5. Miles From Nowhere
6. But I Might Die Tonight
7. Longer Boats
8. Into White
9. On The Road To Findout
10. Father And Son
11. Tea For The Tillerman
After he was known as Steven Georgiou, and before he was known as Yusef Islam, he was Cat Stevens. He’d had a hit in the UK with “Matthew And Son” in 1967, but his second album flopped and he became ill with tuberculosis. In 1970, he returned with the album Mona Bone Jakon, but it wasn’t until later in 1970 with Tea For The Tillerman that Cat Stevens was all the way back…and then some. Fitting the blossoming singer/songwriter mold perfectly (a British answer to James Taylor, if you will), Tillerman is loaded with hits and nice surprises. He was all over the radio in 1971 with the likes of “Wild World”, “Hard Headed Woman”, “Where Do The Children Play?”, “Father And Son”…it seemed he could do no wrong. Interestingly, many of the tracks were used for soundtracks. Four were used in the film Harold And Maude, one (“But I Might Die Tonight”) was in Deep End, and “Father And Son” had been planned for a film called Revolussia, which was never made.
The hits are fine, and are good examples of why Stevens was so popular in the first half of the 70’s. His voice is a bit dry, but it gives his songs a unique quality that makes his songs immediately recognizable. There’s a bit of filler here, but this is, overall, his finest effort and the height of his career. Stevens was always a man who seemed to be changing, and thus his hold on his audience was short…by 1977, he was dabbling in more electronic music and losing people left and right. And then he converted to Islam and gave up music altogether until 2006, when he began recording as simply Yusef. The best of Cat’s albums are this and Teaser & The Firecat from 1971…the hits began to slowly dry after that. But he remains an important part of that early 70’s soundtrack, and the songs from this album can still grab your attention. Not perfect, but this is the best from a guy who had all the tools. He got it as right here as he ever would.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
CAT STEVENS
TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN
1970 – A&M
Produced By PAUL SAMWELL-SMITH
1. Where Do The Children Play?
2. Hard-Headed Woman
3. Wild World
4. Sad Lisa
5. Miles From Nowhere
6. But I Might Die Tonight
7. Longer Boats
8. Into White
9. On The Road To Findout
10. Father And Son
11. Tea For The Tillerman
After he was known as Steven Georgiou, and before he was known as Yusef Islam, he was Cat Stevens. He’d had a hit in the UK with “Matthew And Son” in 1967, but his second album flopped and he became ill with tuberculosis. In 1970, he returned with the album Mona Bone Jakon, but it wasn’t until later in 1970 with Tea For The Tillerman that Cat Stevens was all the way back…and then some. Fitting the blossoming singer/songwriter mold perfectly (a British answer to James Taylor, if you will), Tillerman is loaded with hits and nice surprises. He was all over the radio in 1971 with the likes of “Wild World”, “Hard Headed Woman”, “Where Do The Children Play?”, “Father And Son”…it seemed he could do no wrong. Interestingly, many of the tracks were used for soundtracks. Four were used in the film Harold And Maude, one (“But I Might Die Tonight”) was in Deep End, and “Father And Son” had been planned for a film called Revolussia, which was never made.
The hits are fine, and are good examples of why Stevens was so popular in the first half of the 70’s. His voice is a bit dry, but it gives his songs a unique quality that makes his songs immediately recognizable. There’s a bit of filler here, but this is, overall, his finest effort and the height of his career. Stevens was always a man who seemed to be changing, and thus his hold on his audience was short…by 1977, he was dabbling in more electronic music and losing people left and right. And then he converted to Islam and gave up music altogether until 2006, when he began recording as simply Yusef. The best of Cat’s albums are this and Teaser & The Firecat from 1971…the hits began to slowly dry after that. But he remains an important part of that early 70’s soundtrack, and the songs from this album can still grab your attention. Not perfect, but this is the best from a guy who had all the tools. He got it as right here as he ever would.
I recall hearing this album for the first time at age 12. I was instantly taken, which even then I thought a little odd as this is not music for a 12 year old. I knew I didn't have the life experience to fully grasp these songs, but I loved them anyway. My mother certainly thought it odd I was listening to this, although I'm sure she was afraid their might be some subversive influence at play. As you say though, the hits stand out, and I would occasionally lift the needle on some of the filler.
I do depart as this being his best effort. While not as popular, I think Catch Bull at Four is far and away his best (and more consistent) album.
ALISON KRAUSS
FORGET ABOUT IT
1999 – ROUNDER
Produced By ALISON KRAUSS
1. Stay
2. Forget About It
3. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference
4. Maybe
5. Empty Hearts
6. Never Got Off The Ground
7. Ghost In This House
8. It Don’t Matter Now
9. That Kind Of Love
10. Could You Lie
11. Dreaming My Dreams With You
When hearing Forget About It, the eighth solo album by Alison Krauss, it dawned on me that what I was listening to was actually an album by the modern day Linda Ronstadt. This is meant as a huge compliment to Ms. Krauss. Like Ronstadt, Krauss relies mostly on her choice of cover material (she rarely records her own material), so her taste in music is very important. This Ronstadt comparison can be made on any of her albums, with or without her band Union Station. Over the course of her long and highly successful career (27 Grammy awards), she’s made few missteps. Forget About It, while an amazing sounding album, may be considered one of those. It is, by no means, a bad album. But it’s as far from the edge as she’s ever been, leaning more towards an adult contemporary sound, which makes it possibly her most bland effort. Still, there are some great and breathtaking moments here that make the album worthwhile.
The biggest highlight here may be her take on Todd Rundgren’s “It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference” (from Something/Anything?), a most Ronstadt like choice. And her perfect vocal on “Ghost In This House” will bring you guaranteed chills, it’s that beautiful. Also, “Maybe” is a song that you feel you should know from years past. The rest is good, but maybe a little bit too safe for someone with the voice Krauss possesses. There are three tracks written by Michael McDonald, which should tell you all you need to know about how far this album strays from Krauss’ strengths. There are guest appearances from almost all of the members of Union Station, as well as Lyle Lovett and Dolly Parton. Krauss didn’t stray from what really works well for her for long…her next album, New Favorite, is a powerful return to form. Forget About it is not bad, and it has enough plus material to recommend it…it’s just not one of her best albums.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CHRIS KNIGHT
HEART OF STONE
2008 – DRIFTER’S CHURCH
Produced By DAN BAIRD
1. Homesick Gypsy
2. Hell Ain’t Half Full
3. Something To Keep Me Going
4. Heart Of Stone
5. Danville
6. Another Dollar
7. Almost There
8. Crooked Road
9. Maria
10. Miles To Memphis
11. My Old Cars
12. Go On Home
Better late than never, right? Chris Knight was 26 years old when he started writing songs, and got his first record deal at the age of 37. Not bad for a country singer from St. Louis whose biggest musical hero is John Prine. Knight is a fascinating storyteller, and he has a voice that sounds like he just walked in out of the woods. Heart Of Stone is his sixth album, and it’s a great sounding slice of alt country heaven. Produced by and helped out on guitar by Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites), it lacks songs with the bare immediacy of “Down The River” or “House And 90 Acres”, but there are some great tracks here. Curiously, after the strong opener “Home Sick Gypsy”, the album falls immediately to sleep…the next three songs, usually a strong area on a disc, are almost dull and lifeless. But that doesn’t last long. Once you get to “Danville”, it just keeps getting better from there.
Suddenly, Knight’s storytelling catches fire, and the music follows suit. Knight has a knack for his use of country instruments as a darker landscape, and he picks up that habit at this point on the album. “Almost There” is a perfect sounding track, “Crooked Road” is Knight spinning a tale at his best, and “Miles To Memphis” turns out to be the high point of the disc with a bit of everything that makes Knight such a joy to listen to. The way this album picks up steam, it’s easy to forgive the slow manner in which it starts. Strange to say that you just have to get past the first third, and if you do, you’ll be rewarded. Chris Knight has a way of putting you out there on his road with him…and that road is lonely, desolate and cold. But it’s okay. You don’t have to live that part of it…he does it for you, and lives to tell the tale. And that’s what makes him an artist to pay attention to.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
CHRIS STAPLETON
TRAVELLER
2015 – MERCURY NASHVILLE
Produced By DAVE COBB & CHRIS STAPLETON
1. Traveller
2. Fire Away
3. Tennessee Whiskey
4. Parachute
5. Whiskey And You
6. Nobody To Blame
7. More Of You
8. When The Stars Come Out
9. Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore
10. Might As Well Get Stoned
11. Was It 26
12. The Devil Named Music
13. Outlaw State Of Mind
14. Sometimes I Cry
I’m a fan of Chris Stapleton’s. The man has a demon of a voice, and he’s a songwriting beast. I loved his work as the frontman of The Steeldrivers. When his solo debut, Traveller, caught fire and began getting huge rave reviews, I began to really look forward to it. So, don’t get me wrong. I really do enjoy Traveller. But, I’m also a bit disappointed in it. I really do wish that more of what passes for country music these days sounded more like this. But I wasn’t expecting this to be quite so…calm and lacking in edginess. Maybe this is a tentative first step, like Jason Isbell’s Sirens Of The Ditch was. But the hype over this album has been so huge. I was expecting, I guess, something less pop and more gritty, dirty, and dusty. Instead of the punch of albums like The Steeldrivers and Reckless, which had the benefit of fiddle player and vocalist Tammy Rogers, this seems more ballad oriented. It bothers me, I guess, because Stapleton is capable of more than this.
Stapleton and Traveller started gaining steam on the power of a duet with Justin Timberlake at the Country Music Awards in 2015. The song was “Tennessee Whiskey”, which was originally recorded by David Alan Coe, which on the album features Stapleton doing a bit more vocal gymnastics than needed. Traveller does feature the excellent backup vocals of his wife, but lacks the bluegrass feel of the Steeldrivers music that gave his voice more of a strong and Southern effect. Even the more upbeat songs (such as “Might As Well Get Stoned”) find him more subdued and sounding out of place. Again… I do not think that Traveller is a bad album. But it’s not what I think Stapleton is capable of as a singer, as a writer, and I think it’s a lesser album than he could have made. Good for him that it’s been such a huge hit, and God knows country music needs more music like this. But for me, it’s just not the Chris Stapleton I was hoping to get with this album.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Romanelli
Fischman
