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It happens a few times a
year: so much music pours into my review bin that a few things slide, not
because they’re unworthy, but because I got sidetracked. Here’s my 2018
midwinter cleanout of artists you should check out.
Thea Gilmore, Run
Thea Gilmore is a treasure.
Last year she dropped a new LP titled The
Counterweight and NoiseTrade heralded it by offering Run, a five-track Gilmore sampler. Gilmore, though well known in
the UK, where she has recorded 17 albums and a passel of singles, isn't as
familiar to North Americans. She's the real deal, folks. (Among other things,
the Sandy Denny estate contracted her to write melodies for ten unfinished
Denny originals.) Gilmore mixes dark and light, but mostly favors the shadows
and the tones of her voice are colored with faintly Gothic hues. Check out
"I've Got to Run," with its syncopated strum and edgy vocals. In
Britain, Gilmore is known as both a rocker and a folk artist; the five tracks
on Run highlight the second persona.
Try "Think of Me," as well. Don't be fooled by its quiet ambience;
the theme of this one is "I will be moving on." Gilmore has a fantastic
voice—sultriness mixed with hints of danger. That mix is palpable on
"Something to Sing About," so much so I'm not sure I believe her when
she goes sweet on "Several Angels."
This Way to the Egress, Onward Up a Frightening Creek
And now for something
completely different. Listen to the song "Voodoo" from This Way to
the Egress. The accordion, blarting tuba, Dr. John-like growling vocals, the
edginess, the mysteriousness…
You'll assume that these folks are either from New Orleans or are
missing from the set of Sweeney Todd.
Now try "Ode to Bukowki's Women," which sounds as if it might be the theme
song for a cable TV after-midnight horror series. Then watch them live as they
perform "Mark of the Beast" and maybe you'll think of some really
offbeat kids channeling a little Gogol Bardello. Except Bardello doesn't flirt
with social commentary like this band does on "See No Evil." Now here's the real shocker: the
rooftop concert footage is from Allentown, Pennsylvania—not exactly a hotbed of
voodoo culture or New Orleans boogie music (or anything else, really). These
folks are from the town next door, Bethlehem, PA. If you want to take a walk on
the wild, weird, and oddly seductive side, This Way to the Egress is certainly
not your play-to-formula group. I love this band!
The Riverside, Appalachia
in the Morning
Don't be deceived by the
title of The Riverside's latest; it's just the name of song and the band is
actually from California, a state they honor is a pastoral mando-led song that
evokes unhurried meanders through the countryside. The Riverside is the flip
side to bluegrass bands that come at us with lacerating energy. Instead, this
six-piece unit (four women, two men) takes a velvet glove approach and
deliberately keeps things quiet and simple—as in "Dakota"—with an aim of making studio
efforts parallel what you hear live. Listen to the above tracks and then the
stage performance of "Starry Night," and I think you'll agree they
achieve that admirable goal. Lead vocalist Jake Jeanson has a calming voice
that melds beautifully into background harmonies. This is what a fresh,
sun-dappled morning should sound like.
Ranky Tanky, Ranky
Tanky
Fresh Air
fans might have heard of this band; Terry Gross did an interview. This
Charleston, South Carolina ensemble mines Gullah traditions; that is, the hybridized
West African/Christian/communal culture that emerged along the ante and
postbellum Southern seaboard. Musically it has a Stax-meets-gospel flair—the
pedigree of folk, splashes of jazz, the muscularity of rock, and a lot of
blues. Listen to the get-right-with-God "That's Alright," a song
infused with trumpet, a thick bass groove, and big vocals from Qiana Parler. If
that impresses you, listen to her go BIG on "Been in the Storm,"
where she trades chops with Kam Franklin. It's just the two of them, some
backing percussion, and brace-those-walls power. Then try the quieter
"Sink 'em Low," with mellow horn, and dialed back guitar, bass,
percussion, and voice. Say amen!
Michelle LeBlanc, A Man Like You
Born in South Carolina into
a family in which her dad is a musician, LeBlanc moved to New York and got
involved in a bad relationship. A tarot card reading told her she should move
to Nashville and follows her father’s path. Okay, I can hear your eyes
collectively rolling from that last phrase. For all I know, she may be a tad
flaky, but her new EP indicates promise. I really liked “Loving a Hurricane,” a
solid piece of Americana wrapped in country pop wax paper. She has a nice voice
and has lots of energy. The downside is that its easy to confuse her with a cover singer of the same name. I did so because this LeBlanc has songs with titles that suggest covers from the other, including one of John Hiatt's "Lovin’ a Hurricane.” Similarly, our LeBlanc’s “Highway” is an original, but
it’s also the title of an Ingrid Michaelson composition that the other LeBlanc covered in
a video! How does one compensate for such confusion? My recommendation is more originality in titles, more bottom to the voice, and the development of a signature sound that leaves no doubt. It's a crowded scene out there and LeBlanc
needs to make waves distinctively her own.
Rob Williams, An
Hour Before Daylight
If you gave a Virginia-born
songwriter a Ph.D. (educational leadership), a rough-to-smooth voice, and a
band, he’d probably sound a bit like Rob Williams (not to be confused with the
English pop singer). He is sometimes compared to Jason Isbell or Josh Ritter,
which is to say his is an Americana blend of roots rock and (slightly) twangy
folk. He came by the first from listening to older sibs play 60s rock (Beatles,
Rolling Stones) and later discovering REM and John Prine, to give him a down
home folk twist on his rock and roll. “Icarus Dreamt” is a reminder that high
hopes are important, even when they have consequences. For something with alittle pain, there’s the barstool confessional/warning of “Broken.” Williams
also likes history and gives a little surf rock echo to “Lucy, You’re Lovely,”
homage to an ancestor. And speaking of Lucy, he does a nice cover of the
Lucinda Williams (no relation) “Blue.” Tonally, I’d prefer a bit fewer
mid-range vocals, but this is Williams’ third album and I suspect he knows what
he's after.
Peace Worshipers, Peace Worshipers
This three sarod
collaboration with violinist Elmira Darvarova, a Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
mainstay, is the brainchild of 74-year-old Amjad Ali Khan, one of the world's
masters of the sarod, a non-fretted, lute-like instrument of 17-25 strings
that's a staple in Hindustani music. You'll often see it played in conjunction
with the better-known sitar because the sarod usually has just 4-5 melody strings
and the rest vibrate sympathetically to give it more reverb than the sitar.
This is contemplative music suitable for yoga or quiet reflection, not zumba or pillar-to-post tasking. Try a shorter composition such as
"Romantic Ecstasy" and work your way up to longer pieces like
"Gentle Sunset."
Rob Weir
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