Afro-Canadian/Mohawk Julian Taylor has put out so much good music of late that I consider him to be my artist of the year for 2023. If you’ve not yet heard him or want to get up to speed, he has released Anthology Volume 1,18 tracks from his back catalogue that capture him in his various guises: folk singer, rocker, solo artist, band rat, and Canada’s answer to Motown blues and soul. It’s no exaggeration to say that he’s masterful in each genre. “City Song” is a bittersweet reminder that a musician’s life on the road is pitted with perils. His journey takes us from Regina to Quebec City and New York. He tells us he “fell down,” but not out for the count. He keeps things simpler but in the same vein on “Ballad of a Young Troubadour,” goes full soul man on “Be Good to Your Woman” (complete with some retro keys), splashes us with drops of Carib vibe on “Just a Little Bit More,” and offers some roadhouse funk in “Zero to Eleven.” No matter how it’s sliced or diced, Julian Taylor is a master musical chef.
Dogo du Togo is a singer, a band, and an homage to Dogo’s homeland. For those whose geography skills are rusty, Togo is a West African nation tucked between Ghana and Benin. Dogo is the smooth lead vocalist of a movable feast band that includes guitarists, a bass player, various backup singers, and all manner of drums and clicking percussion. Dogo now resides in the Washington, DC area but the band is pure West Africa. Think hypnotic rhythms, bright guitar riffs, call-and response vocals, and music that makes you sway. The album, simply titled Dogo du Togo, mostly spotlights festive songs. Try “Obligation” and “Soké Wo,” which features a women’s backing chorus. If you these–and I like them a lot–seek out Dogo du Togo on Bandcamp and other musical platforms. They will bring sunshine into your gray winter.
Emilie Clepper lives in Quebec City, where she spent much of her youth, and she identifies as Canadian. That said, The Family Record probably isn’t what you think. It includes her father Russell (Porch Brothers), who is as Texan as the Brazos is wide. This album crosses three borders. “Pablo’s Mandolin” gallops across the southern line into Mexico and takes a Texan twang with it. “Texas Sunshine” also has giddyap, this time through the blue bonnets. So Emilie is a PQ cowgirl, yes? Well… what do you want to do with “La Valse à Gaètan,” which sounds like Texas is a ‘burb of Quebec City? Speaking of which, Emilie also sings a vibrato-heavy “Streets ofQuebec.” I guess it goes to show you shouldn’t judge an album by its cover. This one grew on me more every time I listened.
Staying in the unexpected vein, don’t be surprised if When the Morning Comes, the latest release from indie Nashville-based Lori Triplett, is her breakthrough. It officially releases in March but can be pre-ordered now and is an excellent blend of folk-based singer/songwriter tracks and Nashville production. Check out “Hollow White Oak” with its ghostly nostalgia feel and you’ll know right away that Triplett has chops. On the sweeter side of things, try the piano-led “Things I’m Letting Go Of.” A few of the songs are drenched in too much production and would benefit from dialing back the atmospherics, but Triplett can definitely air things out. It’s not on the new album, but if you want to get more of a sense of her talent, listen to her cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” There’s only one Joni, but I didn’t turn off Triplett’s version of one of my favorite songs of all time.
Shadwick Wilde has squeezed a lot of experience out of his life, not all of it good. He grew up with an activist mother and has lived in San Francisco, Havana, and Amsterdam. He came out of his punk rock phase and went into addiction rehab. Forever Home is a 360º turn from the punk ethos, a mellow album (with powerful vocal transitions) that signal a man who has found some peace but understands that love and life are fragile. In the album’s namesake track” Wilde sings, You are my forever home/I think I’ve always known. But such is his love that were she to decide upon a ”better home,” I would burn it all down so you court start anew. The high piano keys, ringing tones, and gentle melody are emblematic of most of the record. His “Easy Rider” is an easy glide, not a wild ride. He promises, Your precious cargo is safe with me. On another track we understand that cargo to be “Two Girls with Hazel Eyes.” Lest you think Wilde consumed by sentimentality, “Floating Away” contains both a metaphor of floating like water and hoping we end up in the same sea, but also acknowledges that it’s not up to me.
Viv & Riley (Vivian Leva and Riley Colcagno) are a 20s-something bluegrass duo based in Durham, North Carolina. Their Imaginary People album builds off the title song to probe the various ways in which we idealize ourselves. Needless to say, there’s sometimes a gap between perception and reality, as Viv informs us in Imaginary People, which is disguised as a self-confessional. She has a sweet voice and carries most of the leads; Riley takes a few, but mostly he harmonizes and adds really fine fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar. (Some might recall his days with the band The Onlies.) Riley does take the lead on “Is It All Over,” which is not a breakup song; it’s an ethereal little piece that probes climate change and consequences of denial. “Kygers Hill” is a pop-infused slice of nostalgia inspired by Viv’s Blue Ridge Virginia childhood home frontloaded–a pun if you listen to the lyrics–with all the stuff you miss and all that sent you running away. If that’s too Top 40ish for you, check out their cover of the old timey standard “The Blackest Crow.”
Rob Weir
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