Remember this name: Shelly
Waters. Her new self-titled recording showcases a voice that demands
adjectives such as huge and wide ranging. Best of all, she really knows how to
sing. These twelve tracks capture her in many moods. “Drink the Water” is a
gritty and grungy song in which the soulfulness of an old Motown record meets
the muscularity of a Stax recording with Waters wailing above the Hammond B-3
about the man who done her wrong. She gets saucy on “Red Hot Red,” a retro road
song with surf guitar, gets bluesy in old-style country way on “Jackpot,”
covers Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine” like it’s a six-tissue weepy, makes the
miles melt away in the (ahem!) “MyFirst Car,” and goes all Emmy Lou-like on
“Evangeline.” Waters milks emotions from her material,
sometimes in a commanding way, as she leads a bold electric song like “Blood,
Sweat, and Tears,” and sometimes by making herself vulnerable, as in the lovely
“Louisiana Rain.” ★★★★
Add E.J. Ouellette to
the list of local artists whose music ought to get out more. He’s a Virginian
by birth, but he and his band Crazy Maggie have long been a fixture in the
Boston rock scene, though he’s more of a hybrid than a true rocker. Think Steve
Earle with a fiddle. A Noisetrade sampler highlights his mix of roadhouse rock,
blues, folk, and Celtic. He can swamp out on songs like “Conjure Man,” but hecan also put on the Irish and get reel; “Jenny’s Jam” is an exciting
exploration of the Celtic standard “Jenny’s Chickens,” which is known in
Scotland and Cape Breton as “Sleepy Maggie.” ★★★
½
The National Parks” bills
itself as an “alternative,” a (perhaps too expansive) label thrown onto music
that takes advantage of electronics and strays a bit too far from the pop
mainstream. The first adjective that pops into my mind upon listening to Until
I Live is “shimmery.” Songs such as “Caracao,” “Anywhere,” “Meridians,”
and “Take You Away” are indicative of the band’s preference for upbeat love
songs and a surround sound presentation style that generally opens small,
becomes big, and swells. Vocalist Brady Parks has a pleasant voice, though it
is sometimes subsumed by all the production. At times, “alternative” means too
many musical ingredients, which is what I felt about the string bridge of
“Monsters of the North.” But I liked the use of strings on “You Are Gold” where
things come together in a dramatic manner that feels like it ought to be
playing behind a film. I also liked the simpler, sincere, yet mildly goofy “BaBa Ra.” Guess I’m suggesting that this band could use my stylistic
variation—not just more things added to the mix. ★★★
The husband-wife team of Swearingen and Kelli (A.J. and Jayne) offer up a delightful new
album heavy on love songs. Swearingen grew up in Pennsylvania with a love of
outlaw country, Jim Croce, and the guitar playing of David Lindley. Kelli was
weaned on artists such as John Denver, Glen Campbell, and Fleetwood Mac. It
probably won’t surprise you to learn that their music draws from country, folk,
pop, and soul—the stuff we tend to call Americana. It’s honest stuff and they
have great voices. Listen hard to the launch notes from Swearingen; he’s a
baritone, but you’ll hear bass at the bottom. Kelli is skillful in adding hints
of defiance to her prettier tones. The title track of Marrying Kind is tender, but forceful—as befits a
song about a woman who thinks she might not be cut out for matrimony, but might
go there—on her own terms! Freedom and risk-taking also get workouts on “Trying
to Try” and “Survival.” For his part, Swearingen adds husk through both voice
and a variety of guitars, including a lap steel and an old Rickenbacker. The
only video currently available from the new record is “Annalise,” a bittersweet
remembrance of true love. This one is a tad lighter than some of the rest, so
check out older stuff on their Website as one of the things I like about these
folks is the way they mix things up. ★★★★
Feel like you're out of touch with what the college crowd is
into? Since 2003, Louisville's Forecastle
Festival has showcased hot bands. I heard a mix tape previewing the 2017
festival that also included some past performances. Check out reggae-influenced
"Feels Like Summer" from Weezer;
the emo "Barbary Coast" from Conor
Oberst; the ambient "Horizon" from Tycho; cacophonous rock from Big
Thief ("Shark Smile"); power pop from Farro ("Walkways"); punk from Beach Slang ("Spin the Dial"); and soulful sounds from Chicano Batman ("Friendship")and Jeffrey James. There's also some
badass rap that disses Kanye West from Jack
Harlow. Others to check out include: Rayland Baxter, Jay Jayle, Oyster
Kids, Whitney, and a host of others. You won't like it all, but at least you'll
set your personal refresh button. ★★★
Joshua Radin and
Rachel Yamagata have teamed up for a EP appropriately named The
Coffee House Tour. Radin has been around for a while and you may have
caught him on TV with Ellen DeGeneres. He offers sweet-voiced acoustic music
that's like being wrapped in a blanket made of musical fleece. "Falling"
is a fragile, pretty song about cutting to the no-BS part of a relationship: When you're falling/Do you think of me?/Are
you the road or the end? "High and Low" is the logical follow-up:
an I-in-for-the-long run song of commitment. These, like "My My Love"
are bright songs sung in high tenor voice. I wish he'd do more at places where
he aspirates, but that's me. Rachel Yamagata is the one who adds oomph. Her
"Let Me Be Your Girl" won't knock you over with its pop lyrics, but
she gives it some blue-eyed soul grit and meshes well with the song's strong
bass structure. She's jazzy soulful on "Stick Around," and evokes
late-night country blues on "Black Sheep." ★★★ ½
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