2/18/19

Steve Winston, Steven Kellogg, RAM7, Timo Brandt, Sunset Avenue Sessions


Steve Winston, Unresolved


I wondered what happened to Steve Winston. I really liked his 2014 album Grayling, but then he dropped out of sight. Unresolved is a perfect title for his comeback project. It turns out he had some serious family issues to deal with and some­–like the loss of one’s parents–are not the kind that are easily fixed. He almost lost his grandson as well, so when he sings of him, the sun lights up like the Fourth of July, it’s easy to embrace his relief and joy. Flutes and strings that supplement his sensitive piano adorn this song, and it’s ultimately a very emotional song that’s honest and moving. There are lighthearted moments as well, such as his purposeful take on Neil Young on “Maidens.” It's at once a tribute–it seriously could have come from Young’s Everybody Knows This is Nowhere–but it’s also tongue in cheek. On the country rock “Talk of the Town,” Winston uses a catchy little melody, but the song is really about rumors and how it leads to sniping at each other. It too is very Neil Young-like. Welcome back, Steve. ★★★★

Steven Kellogg, Objects on the Mirror

Another Steve I wondered about is Steven Kellogg, who got his musical start in a rock band–Steven Kellogg and the Sixers–right here in Northampton, MA where I live. Kellogg is mainly a solo folk artist on the country end of the scale these days. (He has also done a TED talk!) On “High Highs, Low Lows,” we hear some spit and husk in his throat in a song that takes down fairy tales. In its place we explore life’s peaks and pits. I can easily imagine this one being picked up by a CMT star with a whiskey-soaked voice. But Kellogg is actually a pretty happy guy these days. “Love of My Life” is about his wife, his high school squeeze. “Symphony of Joy” celebrates her and their four daughters. Here’s another thing about Kellogg. He enjoys performing before military troops. He’s a poster child for progressives who don’t concede family values and Americanism to the right. ★★★★

RAM7, August 1791

If August 1791 rings no bells, you’re not Haitian. That was the year thathe George Washington of Haiti, Toussaint L’Overture, launched a rebellion against France that was ultimately the world’s first successful nationalist slave rebellion. RAM7 is a band that honors the multiple threads that are woven into modern-day Haiti: West African, French, Creole, Christian, and vodou. It’s a post-punk-meets-funk outfit in part, but also one that combines history, ceremonies, and the creative energies of an eight-member ensemble. Richard and Chenel Morse are the paternal and maternal center of RAM7. Drums and clicking percussion frame big band style brass on “Dawomen Dakò," which is a ceremonial song but one with the pulse of rock n’ roll and the vocal treatments of African music. “St Jak” is also ceremonial, but its slow build makes it feel like a gentle pop-rock ballad.  Toussaint is honored on “Badji Feray O,” which is something between funk, reggae, and folk. Not much of this album would qualify as traditional music, but it’s a really fine introduction to Haiti’s multi-hued creative talents. You’ll even hear a few blasts from the rara, a strident one-note horn often used to announce street parades. ★★★★

Timo Brandt, Grounded

Let’s stay abroad for a moment. Timo Brandt is a German folk singer who sings in English. In his case, “grounded” means the music of the 1990s that shaped him: David Gray, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and a hot of other Anglophones. Like most folk singers, he tries to strike universal chords whenever he can. On “Solid Ground” he asks a poignant question: They say you as young as you feel/And they say you have to find yourself/But what if are getting older/And still not the one you try to be? I always like people willing to be self-deprecating. Brandt puts a sunny indie pop slant to “Thanks, I’m Fine” and sings of how people tell him his songs are too slow and melancholy. I suppose one could say that, but I really like the way he compliments his light tenor with bright acoustic tuning that manages to communicate emotion without banging us over the head with them. Besides, I’m not sure what’s melancholic about a sweet song like the title track, which says that love is the thing that truly grounds us. Beats the hell out of angst and anger, yeah? If you’re wondering, I doubt you’d ever know this guy was German if I hadn’t told you. ★★★★

Jesse Terry, Lizanne Knott, and Michael Logen, Sunset Avenue Sessions

 Jesse Terry is a fine songwriter in his own right, but he’s also a chameleon who covers songs written by friends and strangers he admires. You’ll find treatments  of Johnny Cash (“Ring of Fire”) and Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth”) on   Sunset Avenue Sessions, plus some Terry originals that will immediately put you in mind of others. “Dance in Our Old Shoes” has Paul Simon’s pawmarks all over it, and John Lennon’s ghost haunts “Kaleidoscope (The latter is on a promo sampler, but not the CD.) Lizanne Knott was once a rocker, but she’s now Nashville. “Why You Wanna Break My Heart” is smoky and evocative of something a small jazz combo might bust out around midnight. She goes mountain chanteuse on “Wildflowers.” Michael Logen is also a Nashville staple from the Americana stable. His “Already Home” unfolds to a steady foot tap that’s the pad from which he launches the falsetto built into the swelling refrain. “Ocean Floor” is quiet and introspective. These three artists harmonize with each other nicely (as does Dar Williams on Terry’s “Stargazer”). When you add up the covers and the previously recorded material, this album won’t win originality awards, but its gentle spirit might help you get through the winter more easily. ★★★

Rob Weir
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