Month: July 2007

In music and pop culture today, subtlety and taste are in very short supply. But this has both, in spades. Walter’s a Louisiana guy, and it shows on the opener, “Hot Louisiana Rock,” with its soulful, gritty vocal, driving rhythm guitar, and a solo with a great bite. And Walter’s solos are something to behold. His is a style few people have anymore; he’s not in a hurry. The solos get to where they’re going without any excess exertion. He’s not concerned about playing a thousand notes per bar, but he is interested in making it soulful and good. And he succeeds on pretty much every cut here, from the aforementioned opener, to the spooky feel of “Gator Bait,” to the incredibly crisp funk of “Done Did Dat,” to the lovely soul music of cuts like “Surrender to Love” and “A Woman Like You.”

There are fine contributions from other musicians, including wonderful production from the legendary Johnny Sandlin. Bonnie Bramlett shows she’s still got the vocal chops on several cuts where she helps out Walter. The other folks are names you might recognize, too. David Hood and Oteil Burbridge throw in bass, Paul Hornsby plays piano, and the Mighty Muscle Shoals Horns add terrific charts.

If you like tasty musical mixes from Louisiana, pick this up.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’06 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Firecracker – The Wailin’ Jennys

The second release from the tri-girl musical aggregate from Canada proves that even with a new contributor (songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Annabelle Chvostek), the Jennys’ music is still very tasty.

The Jennys perform mostly original material, and here each member has contributed four songs, and one traditional tune, “Long Time Traveler,” completes the roster. The Jennys’ brand of modern folk combines equal parts Celtic with Appalachian, blues, and old-time country, and wraps it all up with pitch-perfect multi-lead vocals. The band makes the most of its three voices, with harmonies and clever double leads in every song. Though each Jenny has a different songwriting style, they share a love and respect for beautiful melodic lines and a willingness to involve other members in every song.

Although the Jennys play quite a few instruments themselves, with Chvostek on guitar, mandolin, and violin, Nicky Mehta on guitar and harmonica, and Ruth Moody on guitar, accordion, and banjo, they also have a good-sized band, with Joe Phillips (acoustic bass), Mike Hardwick (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro), Kevin Breit, Justin Abedin, and Brian McMillan (electric guitars, dobro, and mandolin), and others. Amplified and acoustic instruments coexist, with the electrics residing back in the mix.

But the Jennys’ voices are the true lead instruments, and the album’s sonics never obscure or dilute the emotional impact of the Jennys’ music.

Firecracker presents a first-rate opportunity to enjoy the Jennys’ powerful yet distinctly feminine musical style. As the French (and French-Canadians) say, “Vive La Difference!” – Steven Stone

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Oct. ’06 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Swamp Cabbage – Honk

Swamp Cabbage is a trio led by guitarist/vocalist Walter Parks. Walter has been around, and is best known as the guitarist for Richie Havens. If that fact would have you expecting folk music on this album, forget it. This is swamp blues and rock that fits the title of the record perfectly.

Parks’s playing and singing gets to the heart of the matter. His vocals sound like a cross between Billy Gibbons and Tom Waits. And the guitar is dirty and funky enough to match. Solos come one of two ways; the funkiness comes from a fingerpicked electric that cuts like a knife. Check out “If a Thing Feels Right;” smack dab in the middle is a part where arpeggios bounce off the wall. The same thing happens on cuts like “The Dipstick Rag” and “Silver Meteor.” While the sound stays the same, Parks switches gears on cuts like “Southern Hospitality.” His middle-eastern-tinged solo dominates the funky rocker. “More Booty With Buddha” has a very funny lyric and fine playing – very melodic and loud.

Parks, along with Matt Lindsey on bass, and Jagoda on drums, wrap things up with “Kilowatt,” a great song about radio set to a funky beat.

There’s a “consistency” to the 10 songs here, but overall it’s so fresh you don’t really notice. – JH

This article originally appeared in VG‘s May. ’05 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

In his liner notes to this extremely rare 1965 album, Harry Taussig lists Woody Guthrie, Jesse Fuller, Mance Lipscomb, Scrapper Blackwell, Libba Cotton, Mississippi John Hurt, John Fahey, Ravi Shankar, and koto master Kimio Eto as influences or inspirations. But, he writes, “The one who speaks with voice and music separately and in a magnificently inseparable blend is Rev. Gary Davis.” The Reverend’s influence is evident on most of the pieces here, with Fahey’s “American Primitive” approach also underscoring everything.

The only other work by Taussig was a track on Takoma’s influential Contemporary Guitar Spring ’67 album, which also featured Fahey, Robbie Basho, Max Ochs, and bluesman Bukka White. “Dorian Sonata,” from Fate Is Only Once, was featured on Tompkins Square’s wonderful compilation of steel-string instrumentalists old and new, Imaginational Anthem Vol. 1. Now the label had excavated the ’65 solo LP.

It sounds like several different acoustics were used, including, no doubt, Harry’s 1923 Martin and also a nice, floppy-sounding 12-string. He’s not the most facile Gary Davis devotee, but as a result he sometimes sounds closer to the Reverend’s often hard-picked style than other, cleaner players. Sometimes Taussig sounds so crude it’s almost child-like; other times he rolls along, solid as a rock. It doesn’t seem to be a matter of technique, or lack of it; it has to do with whatever mood he’s creating – which ranges from fanciful to haunting – which, of course, is similar to Fahey and Basho.

The CD features the cover art from the original Talisman release and Taussig’s original liner notes, in which he explains, “I find that what I feel can be best expressed not by words or voice, but by sheer tones, simply or in various combinations, drawn from the flow of time and punctuating invisible sentences like dark birds sitting on a farmer’s fence. The notes not played are those that often mean the most.” I’m sure Fahey understood just what he meant. – DF

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’06 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

I love this band. Their ’02 record Stories Often Told was one of my favorites that year. Their latest will probably make the list for ’04.

It’s hard to describe the band. See if this works for you. Mix Sweethearts of the Rodeo-era Byrds, some Buffalo Springfield, psychedelic touchstones, and themes to imagined westerns, and you’ve got the sound. Brothers, and guitarists and singers, Dallas and Travis Good drive the band, and their vision is odd, but beautiful.

Things kick off with flying Teles on “Northcumberland West.” There’s soaring vocals, chickin’-pickin’, chordal hammer-ons, and lower notes that twang with a Don Rich-like glee. “Translucent Sparrow” is a plain-old-country tune. Well, that is until we get to the late-’60s-style jam in the middle. If you listen closely, you’ll even hear bassist Sean Dean sneak in the “Hey Joe” bass lick while all that is going on.

“1000 Cities Falling (Part 1)” is a nice country ballad with perfect finger-picked acoustic and gorgeous steel guitar from guest Paul Brainard. To really feel what this band is about though, check out the instrumental “The Curdled Journey.” It’s a majestic, soaring tune with singing guitars and pounding drums. “Why Would Anybody Live Here” is a twangy ballad with soft vocals that’s a perfect way to wrap up the record.

In case you’re wondering, the band hails from Canada. That’s not surprising when you think of some of the folks that have created rock and roll who come from that area. The Band, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell are all the same kind of “odd” artists (meant only in the best way) that created great music, with a very different feel from their American contemporaries. If you think the rock/pop thing has gotten a bit stale, check out the Sadies. Their records feel like a bit of an adventure, and leave you with that feeling.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan. ’05 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

On his latest solo release, Darrell Scott delivers 12 reasons why he’s one of the most outstanding and underrated songwriters/performers in the U.S. today.

Compared with his past efforts, The Invisible Man has a more rock edge, with fuller orchestration and multiple layers of textured sound. Given the nature of the tunes, these more assertive arrangements work beautifully. Like a well-structured play or novel, it begins with the pensive “Hank Williams’ Ghost” before slowly gearing up to a crescendo on “Do it Or Die Trying” and then on to the ironic anthem, “Goodle, USA.” All but one song, “Shattered Cross,” by the late Stuart Adamson, are originals, and even that one fits in so well that without credits, you’d never know it wasn’t his. Like the great concept albums of the 1970s and ’80s, The Invisible Man has an epic quality and pervasive feel that unites its songs. By the time you get to the final track, “My Final Hour,” you’ve taken a musical journey that touches all your emotions.

The Invisible Man is one of the best albums to come down the pike in a long time… am I being too subtle with my praise?

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sep. ’06 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Ian McLagan & The Bump Band – Spiritual Boy: An Appreciation Of Ronnie Lane

Bassist/vocalist/songwriter Ronnie Lane was one-fourth of the Small Faces, and stayed onboard as they morphed into the Faces, fronted by Rod Stewart. Ian McLagan, keyboardist for both bands (and the Stones, Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, David Lindley, etc.), has assembled a loving tribute to his former band and soulmate, who died in 1997, after a long battle with MS.

The Small Faces were one of England’s most popular and influential rock (and “mod”) bands of the ’60s, although their only American hit was “Itchycoo Park,” best known for its catchy chorus and trippy production – one of the first records to feature phasing, accentuating its overt drug references.

McLagan says he never liked the song and hadn’t planned on including it on the CD. “I suddenly started to hear the words and the flavor of the song,” he explains. “And I was picturing it without [co-writer] Steve Marriott’s input. I was kind of imagining Ronnie playing it for Steve; he would have played it kind of slower. ‘Over Bridge Of Sighs’ – that’s the Bridge Of Sighs in Cambridge, one of the two seats of learning in England. ‘Under dreaming spires’ is Oxford – ‘to Itchycoo Park, that’s where I’ve been.’ That’s a nettle patch in the East End of London – just a patch of grass, invariably with lots of nettles, so you get stung; you’d be itchy. Any park in the East End would be called Itchycoo Park, because there were always nettles.

“Then he says, ‘You can miss out school; why go to learn the words of fools?’ It’s a real diatribe against education. It wasn’t just, ‘Let’s get high.’ It’s, ‘What did you do there?/I got high./What did you feel there?/Well, I cried.’ Why? Because, ‘It’s all too beautiful.’

“He saw beauty in a nettle patch! It didn’t hit me until I looked at the lyrics; it’s a completely different song.”

Stripped of production gimmicks, Mac’s arrangement indeed brings out the beauty of the song’s lyrics and melody, elevating it to another plane. “I guarantee if I’d got hold of it and had my way with it back in ’67, it wouldn’t have been a hit. But I would’ve been happy with it,” he laughs. “I learned the song again. I never thought of it in that way.”

Other songs from throughout Lane’s career are included: “Nowhere To Run,” “April Fool, and “Annie,” from Rough Mix (the latter co-written with Eric Clapton), and the moody “Spiritual Babe,” which provides the CD’s title. Closing the album is “Hello Old Friend,” which Mac wrote for Ronnie and was able to play for him in ’94, when he moved to Austin, just a few months before Lane left his adopted Texas home for Colorado.

The Bump Band rose to the special occasion here. Drummer Don Harvey (the Motels’ Martha Davis, Joe Ely), bassist Mark Andes (Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Heart), and the versatile Scrappy Jud Newcomb on guitar (equal measures sympathy and grit) are one of Austin’s best bands – led by one of the greatest keyboardists in rock history. Recording the album was “very inspirational,” says Mac, and judging by the result, that’s an understatement. Not only is he in fine form, his old friend’s presence is palatable in every track.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Dec. ’03 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

M. Taylor, M. Simpson, M. Carthy, J. Martin – The Valley & Martins 4

The London Times called Martin Taylor “the finest British guitarist of his generation” – which is, if anything, an understatement. If you’re talking strictly about jazz, he’s the finest Great Britain has ever produced. If you’re encompassing all genres, apples-and-oranges comparisons aside, at 11 years younger than, say, Eric Clapton (approximately a generation, musically speaking), I can’t think of a Brit who approaches his musicality and utter mastery of the instrument.

Still criminally overlooked stateside except among the cognoscenti, he has picked up the pace of his releases since launching his own label – with the The Valley featuring a few cameos but primarily solo guitar, while Martins 4 is a live summit of guitarists who, by any name, would create sparks together.

The most amazing thing about Taylor is that, considering he turned pro at 12 and joined violin master Stephane Grappelli in his mid 20s, he’s still growing and improving. Having mastered jazz improvisation in a group setting, he dispensed with the ensemble and has been playing mostly solo of late. When jazz gets too confining (although it never seems to), he delves beyond its perceived boundaries and applies his sensibilities to a Norah Jones pop hit, a Celtic melody, or African polyrhythms.

The latter is featured on his show-stopping “Kwame,” in which his five fingers each assume the role of a different drummer, each playing a simple pattern on a different guitar string – which combine to uncannily resemble five African drummers (Most guitarists would do well to handle two of the patterns at once, let alone five.). The Valley modestly doesn’t even point out that what you’re hearing is not the product of hours of overdubbing, but is played live. The only device employed is a strip of paper threaded through the strings, next to the bridge, to achieve a kalimba-like, staccato tone.

He recreates the tour de force on Martins 4, and, yes, there is also a DVD of the concert, so you can see what’s going on for yourself. Elsewhere in the show, recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Taylor trades solos with his namesakes – flamenco guitarist Juan Martin, British folk icon Martin Carthy and slide and cross-cultural envelope pusher Martin Simpson. The Martins each take solo turns, but things really heat up when they join forces, nudging each other to greater heights, as on Juan Martin’s “La Pasion Del Lamento.”

If you’re skeptical of the Times quote and what I’ve said here, don’t take our word for it; on your way to the record store, consider Pat Metheny’s statement – “Martin Taylor is one of the most awesome solo guitar players in the history of the instrument. He’s unbelievable.”

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Sept. ’05 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.