Gillian Welch announces new album

The long wait is over for Gillian Welch fans. On June 28, she will release her new album, The Harrow & The Harvest, which will be her first in eight years. Recorded at her studio in Nashville and produced by longtime musical partner, David Rawlings, the album will feature ten new songs.

In support of the new album, the duo will begin a North American tour on May 30 that will last into the fall.

The Harrow & The Harvest will be previewed at selected independent record stores across the country the week before it is released.  For details concerning the album and listening party visit Welch's website.

Track Listing:
1. Scarlet Town
2. Dark Turn Of Mind
3. The Way It Will Be
4. The Way It Goes
5. Tennessee
6. Down Along The Dixie Line
7. Six White Horses
8. Hard Times
9. Silver Dagger
10. The Way The Whole Thing Ends

City & Colour premiers video for "Fragile Bird"

Today on Much Music, City & Colour premiered the first video from his upcoming release Little Hell. Directed by Michael Maxxis, who also directed the video for Alexisonfire's "The Northern," shot "Fragile Bird" in an abandoned hotel in Hamilton, Ontario using the same dark and twisted style to tell the story of an emotionally tormented woman who is reliving her past through flashbacks while working in a brothel.

You can watch the behind the scenes preview below and the official video by visiting Much Music.

Little Hell is due out June 7. You can pre-order the album via City & Colour's website.

Recession Sessions

Recession Sessions is an interesting project created in 2008 by two college friends, Ryan Stotland and Kyle Thompson-Westra, to document the Great Recession through irreverent folk songs. The first song to come out of the sessions is “Central Banker's Dilemma." It's a little ditty expressing the concerns of stagflation which is the combination of stagnating growth and inflation causing a dilemma for the central bankers: Lower rates to stimulate growth and cause inflation or raise rates and decrease growth but lower inflation? But, what really increased during this financial crisis was the Recession Sessions, growing into a 16-song album in which Ryan and Kyle will use to raise money and awareness for the Somerville Homeless Coalition. Check it out, buy it and help out a person in need.

King Harobed - King Harobed EP (Free)

King Harobed is a folk group from Coalinga, CA. The band consists of childhood friends Brian Boomer, Dustin Herron and Kris Phillips, and as most childhood friends do they moved away and grew apart. Separated for year, the band members work and travelled but always thought about playing music. Then, in the summer of 2009, they reunited and created King Harobed and released their debut self-titled EP.  

King Harobed is an EP chock-full of earthy alt-country songs about hard times, farming, and simple living. The opening “Gardener's Delight” is a fun and catchy song with a mandolin embellishment while the foot-stomping “Backroad Blues”enhanced by an electric guitar. On “Hard Patch Earth” the earnest vocals deliver a sad song about bad luck, bad soil, and no crops and the slide guitar colors “Our Debts We'll Repay” with a wistful tone.

It's a tasty homegrown album straight off the farm and the band is giving it away, so go to their bandcamp site for a free download of the EP King Harobed.

Hard Patch Earth by king harobed

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes' new album, Helplessness Blues, is a prime example of hard work paying off. In 2009, the band had an album's worth of songs, but the tracks were discarded before mixing. During that time, Robin Pecknold told Pitchfork, “The last year has been a really trying creative process where I've not been knowing what to write or how to write.” But, despite all of their difficulties, Fleet Foxes released a tremendous album.

Working with Phil Ek again, Fleet Foxes minimize their lush harmonies and heavy Appalachian influences for a more cavernous sound and a more defined leading role for Pecknold. Helplessness Blues is an album marked with a sense of departure from their previous sound and personal relationships. “The Plains/Bitter Dancer” is unlike anything the band has done. It begins as lean psychedelic folk piece with reverberating harmonies, then, after a brief pause, the band breaks out in their trademark lush harmonies for a rousing end. The steady start in the jangling “Sim Sala Bin” quickly unfolds turning into a heavily strummed frenzy creating both peace and tension. It's definitely a departure from their flowing harmonies of their previous works. And, leaving his past behind, Pecknold sweetly sings the bitter lyrics of “Lorelai” revealing his pain caused by the dissolution of his relationship. Then, on “Someone You'd Admire,” Pecknold sings in a yearning voice about being unable to change for someone he loved.

Not only has the musical style and tone of Fleet Foxes changed on Helplessness Blues, but the lyrical style has too, reflecting an overall theme of transformaton. Pecknold's writing has now become more ambitious, writing about things larger than himself, humbly analyzing and questioning life and his success. Opening with the vague question, “So now I am older/ than my mother and father/ when they had their daughter/ Now what does that say about me?” on the album's first song, “Montezuma.” Pecknold is questioning something larger and trying to measure his own success. Later Pecknold desires a simpler life – life before his success – in the title track. He looks outside of himself wanting to serve a larger purpose, “And now after some thinking/ I'd say I'd rather be a functioning cog is some great machinery/ Serving something beyond me,” and does it in a humble, non-self-indulgent manner. Then, finally coming to the end of his struggling and questioning in “Gown Ocean,” the album closes with release and urgency.

With this theme of change and departure on Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes shows that their change isn't any better nor is it worse than their prior records; instead, it shows expansion, growth, and risk-taking. And, though the change is prevalent throghout Helplessness Blues, there are still a few familiar glimpses of Fleet Foxes making this a triumphant album.

Purchase Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes' Website
Sub Pop Records' Website


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes - Montezuma

Imelda May - "Mayhem"

Irish rockabilly siren, Imelda May, will realease her new album, Mayhem, on July 19 via Universal's Decca Records. This will be her second album in the states and first on Decca. On this release, May wrote 13 of the 14 tracks as well as a cover of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." Her band contains her husband Darrel Higham on guitars, Al Gare on double-bass, Dave Priseman on trumpet and Steve Rushton on drums.

With the release of Mayhem, Imelda will be on tour this summer beginning with an album release party on July 21 at New York City's Mercury Lounge and includes a performance with Wanda Jackson at Central Park Summer Stage and Lollapoolaza.

Imelda May's Website



IMELDA MAY TOUR DATES

July 21 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
July 26 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
July 27 - New York, NY@ Central Park Summerstage
July 28 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
July 30 - Brighton, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
August 7 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
August 9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
August 11 - Portland, OR @ Oregon Zoo Amphitheater
August 12 - Seattle, WA @ The Neptune

Dawes - "Coming Back to a Man"

Dawes' song, "Coming Back to a Man" has been named Esquire's new song of the summer.

Whether with Dawes or his side project, Middle Brother, Taylor Goldsmith has been writing some of the best roots songs of recent years. "Coming Back to a Man" falls right in step with its predecessors, making Dawes' upcoming album, Nothing Is Wrong, one of my most anticipated albums this summer and year.

If you're just as excited as I am about Nothing Is Wrong, you can pre-order the album through Dawes' website.

To hear a live performance of Goldsmith singing "Coming Back to a Man" visit Esquire by clicking on this link.

Ton-Taun - Exporter (Free)

Ton-Taun is a band based in Lancaster, PA that consists of four full-time college students living in Philadelphia, Pittsburg, and Boston and attending different colleges one of which is the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Over the past two years, Ton-Taun's recognition has grown playing shows in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York City as well as being feaured in various local online and physical magazines. The band has also independently released their second album, Exporter, in August 2010.

Recorded and produced in a home studio built by the band, Exporter contains twelve original songs that have an unique roots rock sound. Complex and intricate arrangements, the band has created some interesting guitar hooks, complicated drum beats, and bass lines.

Exporter is available to stream and download for free on Ton-Taun's bandcamp site.

Ton-Taun's Myspace

Ton-Taun's Reverbnation page

Dean Fields - Under a Searchlight Moon EP

Dean Fields, a singer-songwriter from Richmond, Virginia, has recently released his latest EP Under a Searchlight Moon in March. An album of five well-written, thoughtful folk songs with a great pop sensibility, Fields spellbinds his listeners with his soft and sweet melodies.

From the opening “Tongue Like a Hammer,” Fields' develops an airy ambiance and light melody that floats throughout the album. “Forever Never Knowing” is a catchy and memorable piece of folk-pop and the heartfelt piano ballad “Something's Gotta Give” is flows and dances through the speakers. Fields' vocals take on a pleasingly pensive tone while the steel guitar gently sighs in “Could've Been.”

Under a Searchlight Moon is a short album with a dulcet impact. Fields' charming vocals and the album's easy melodies create a refreshing refuge for the ears.

Stream and Download Under a Searchlight Moon on bandcamp
Dean Fields' Website

Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers - Starlight Hotel

Barstool bard, Zoe Muth and her band The Lost High Rollers have returned with their sophomore album, Starlight Hotel. An album rife with the timeless sound of classic country music. Muth's earthy vocals are backed by the lot of gifted musicians that make up The Lost High Rollers, who take their name from Townes Van Zandt's “No Lonesome Tune.” Dave Harmonson's steel pedal is expressive and pristine while Ethan Lawton's mandolin tiptoes and dances around each note. Mike McDermott lends his expertise on the guitar as Greg Nies keeps beat on the drums.

Starlight Hotel is dry, witty and engaging with Muth taking writing credit for all of the album's tracks. Every song just as good as the last, Muth connects with her listeners through relatable lyrics about bad boys, bad love and bad jobs.

The album begins with the vibrant marichi horns in “I've Been Gone,” which tells of a travelling woman who misses the company of her love back home. “Whatever's Left” is a catchy little ditty asking for reassurance while in the honky-tonk ballads “Before the Night Is Gone” and “New Mexico” we find the relationship at its end. But, Muth's character begins to slowly move on in "Let's Just Be Friends for Tonight,"finding solace in the company of a man she met at the bar, but makes it clear she isn't looking for “a new love unless it's a true love/ So let's just be friends for tonight.”

Muth's plain-spoken and relatable lyrics are familiar in this time of hardships, hard work, and hard luck. In “Harvest Moon Blues” it's lines like, “I was born to lose/ Nothing has really ever changed … I've never had a job worth keeping/ No I never had a dime to spare/ You know that old trouble's been creeping up on my back stair/ I always feel lonely/ Even in the best of company” that can be heard in almost every bar across the nation. The dim “Tired Worker's Song” has the hopeless and tired feeling that comes from working and struggling everyday to make life and love work.

But, the album's highlight, “If I Can't Trust You With a Quarter (How Can I Trust You With My Heart?)," is clever and sound advice – never start a relationship with someone who has poor taste in music. If everyone would take Muth's sage advice, life would be less complicated. I only wish someone would have given me this common sensical advice sooner, it would have saved me a lot of time and effort, but then again, livin' in the land of Bon Jovi and Kenny Chesney the pickin's are slim.

Starlight Hotel is a solid album brimming with fine musicianship, excellent songwriting, and dusty country music, and with first listen you'll find yourself moving into the Starlight Hotel with Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers.

Purchase Starlight Hotel
Zoe Muth's Website

07 Zoe Muth And The Lost High Rollers - If I Can't Trust You With A Quarter by commonfolkmusic

Bon Iver - "Calgary"

Bon Iver's long-awaited self-titled album arrives June 21 via Jagjaguwar. The first single, “Calgary” was released today and you can hear it or enter an email address in the widget below to download the track for free.

Kill County - The Year of Getting By

Kill County's second album, The Year of Getting By, is as sparse and expansive as the Western plains from which it came. Recorded in two weeks time at a friend's house in Nebraska, The Year of Getting By is a selection of austere alt-country songs.

An intimate collection of modest, melancholic tracks that are sung either in a brooding baritone or a sorrowful tenor and features straightforward stringwork on the mandolin, dobro, upright bass, acoustic guitar, banjo and sometimes piano. Mostly slow-tempo sad songs, themes of nomadic rambling, struggle and isolation prevail throughout the record starting with opener “Time Passing” which incorporates all the themes and sets the tone. And, again in “The Train, The Drink, and The Dawn,” the themes are present in its dismal and tragic tale unraveling the narrator's heartbreaking circumstances. The stark arrangement and sorrowful vocals in “Western Town” is beautifully dreary while the up-tempo banjo and soaring vocals on “Left My Home” is hopeful.

Nothing I could say could do The Year of Getting By justice or adequately describe my admiration for the album and Kill County. All I can say is, there's no bones about it, the bare-bone arrangements and desolate stories make an amazing alt-country album.

Purchase The Year of Getting By on bandcamp

Kill County's Myspace

02. The Train, the Drink, and the Dawn - Kill County by commonfolkmusic

06. Western Town - Kill County by commonfolkmusic

The Kindness Killers - The Kindness Killers EP

Hailing from Peterborough, Ontario, The Kindness Killers is one of the finest folk and country bands in Canada. Fronted by Benj Rowland, who plays the acoustic guitar and accordion, and featuring Julia Fenn on ukulele and vocals, Charity Justrabo on cello and Nick Ferrio on lap steel and back-up vocals, the band strives to produce a modern version of early folk and country music on their self-title EP.

Creating old-fashioned folk and country out of modern issues and contemporary headlines, “Never Will Marry” borrowed the story of a Newfoundland woman who killed her husband last year because she thought he was a bear. And, their choice of cover songs range from The Kinks' 1970 ballad, “Strangers,” to the antiquated yet timeless “Hard Times” which was penned in 1854 and has been recorded and performed by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle.

Although none of the members were born nor raised in the South, the Southern influence can still be heard and appreciated. Because of this influence and the influence of the  blue-collar town of Peterborough, The Kindness Killers make music for the common folk and have recorded an EP with universal appeal.

The Kindness Killers' self-title EP is available to hear and download on bandcamp.

Hard Times by nicholas.ferrio

Larcenist - We Become the Hunted EP (Free)

Lately, Boston has been a breeding ground for first-rate folk and Americana musicians and Larcenist is no exception. This group has a sound all of their own. Generally known for their heavier, punk-influenced music, Larcenist is stripping down to the rustic basics on their new acoustic EP, We Become the Hunted, released in March.

It's a fantastic album with great lyrics and unique arrangements. Larcenist's intriguing ability to give a sense of hope while setting a dark tone makes We Become the Hunted that much more compelling and distinct. But, it's their interesting juxtaposition of the distorted guitar and drums against the classic violin that creates a primitively refined style which makes Larcenist a creative standout in Boston and folk music in general.

We Become the Hunted is available to download for free on Larcenist's bandcamp site.

Also the group will be recording a full-length album this August. They will be funding this effort through Kickstarter, so if you like the EP make a donation and help a band out.

Leon by Larcenist

A Great Disaster - Revive LP

A Great Disaster is an Americana/roots band stationed out of East Tennessee. Founded by Zach Ross, the band blends folk, rock, bluegrass and soul to create their rootsy sound. In April, they self-released their debut, Revive, and are currently unsigned.

Highlighting their distinct sound, the album opens with a fiddle-heavy honky-tonk-influenced rock number, “Masochist,” while the subdued “Head Start” follows the lively kick-off highlighting Evie Andrus' pensive fiddle. “Easy to Hide” has Zach Ross showcasing his abilities on an electric guitar solo and more of Evie Andrus' fiddle. Then, the album takes a surprising turn using horns in the mid-tempo shuffle of “All the Kids Left.” And I really love the soulful performance and arrangement on “Ballad of Bruce the Bird” and the country-folk vibe and great fiddle playing on “Mountaintop Church.”

A Great Disaster's debut, Revive, is a raw yet respectable effort showcasing Andrus' excellent fiddle work and the band's promise. Youth is on their side and with a little more work on the female vocals and refining of harmonies this band could produce an even better album.

Purchase Revive LP
A Great Disaster on Reverbnation

Meatyard - Sweet Old Green Life

L.A.-based band, Meatyard, released their sophomore album, Sweet Old Green Life, late last year. An album that combines country-folk songs with great hooks to create some radio-friendly listening. Produced by Brian Reeves (Billy Idol, Selena Gomez, Giorgio Moroder), the album showcases thirteen songs – eleven originals along with covers of the Everly Brothers' “Let It Be Me” and Stephen Foster's “Hard Times Come Again No More.” Whether an original or a cover, the band always delivers on the melodies and warm harmonies from Molly Hansen and lead vocalist, Josh Welsh.

After Meatyard's 2008 album, Toot Toot, Boom Boom, Molly Hansen moved away from L.A. and Josh Welsh started working on new songs. He had envisioned a completely acoustic approach until Molly moved back. Suddenly Molly and Josh found themselves back in the studio working on songs that Josh had previously recorded by himself. This reworking of Josh's material led to a fuller sound with Kevin Jarvis (Lucinda Williams, Steve Wynn) on drums, Martin Garner (Claudine 3, The Asbestos Sisters) on bass, Rupert Sandes playing slide guitar, and Molly on both vocals and cello. And, without the slide guitar in “Hard Times,” the song would have lost its downhearted and weary tone, while the foreboding and sense of paranoia would be lost without the opening cello in “Hats on the Five” and “Sweet Miss McGillicuddy” wouldn't be as charming without the light percussion and electric guitar. So, in other words, Sweet Old Green Life would have been dull and not as successful if it wasn't for the additional instrumental components and Molly Hansen.

Purchase Sweet Old Green Life
Meatyard's Website

Yael Naim - She Was a Boy

French – Israeli singer-songwriter, Yael Naim, is getting ready to release her sophomore album, She Was a Boy, on May 10. A collaboration with percussionist David Donatien, this album follows Naim's self-titled debut and successful, chart-topping single “New Soul,” which was also used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. Recorded with Donatien in a Parisian flat turned studio, the two worked slowly to create a delightfully charming album.

Everything about She Was a Boy is mesmerizing and interesting from the lyrics to the vocals and music. It's refreshing mixture of jazz, folk and pop is infused with a vintage vibe perfect for Naim's unique vocal style. In the opening track, “Come Home” the bubbly retro feel is a quirky and fun introduction to the album. This same eccentric effervescence can be found on the album's first single, “Go to the River.” In “Never Change” Naim nods to the bluesy jazz of the South and its easy quality is slow, flowing and breezy.

On this release Naim shows great range. Not always airy and whimsical, She Was a Boy displays different influences and moods. “My Dreams” takes a hypnotic and haunting turn to the darker side with pianos played with the sostenuto pedal, organ, and ghostly backing vocals and lyrics like, “If somehow I should die/will you ever wonder why I am real but you can't feel all that you erase and kill/ I will fly away from here all you took will disappear/ Was it my Dream?” Though not as moody as “My Dreams,” “Mystical Love” is an intriguing, trippy tale of a girl caught in a love she cannot understand or falling in love with a man she doesn't know but only in her mystical, psychic dreams. Who know, it's Yael Naim. Her peculiar style is quite fitting for the song.

In Naim's unorthodox fashion, she unexpectedly changes direction with the mysterious and meandering Indian-inspired, “Man of Another Woman.” And, in Naim's vast emotional and atmospheric range of She Was a Boy, her mood changes to melancholic with the emotionally ethereal “Today” and the depressingly delicate “If I Lost the Best Thing.”

She Was a Boy is a unique album with a varied range and a list of strong songs that showcase Yael Naim's quirkiness with the right amount of restraint needed to deliver a well-crafted yet unique album that can be fun to listen without taking away from Naim's artistry. If you like Yael Naim's previous album, you'll love She Was a Boy.

Also, check her out at two very rare US shows Monday, May 9, at Poisson Rouge in New York and Monday, May 16, at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles.

Purchase She Was a Boy

Yael Naim's Website

Adam Levy - The Heart Collector

Adam Levy, an accomplished jazz guitarist, has recorded and toured with Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, Amos lee and others. In February, after a successful Kickstart donation campaign, Levy released his new album, The Heart Collector.

An all-acoustic album, producer Mark Orton perfectly captured Levy's skilled guitar playing. Mostly Levy and his guitar, there are a few tracks with very little accompaniments. In his Kickstart proposal, Levy wrote, “I want the songs to shine on their own, without much window-dressing, and I want to push myself as a singer and solo performer.” Pushing himself, Levy wrote one song a week for 20 weeks, resulting in a collection so varied and so wonderful it's hard to name a standout. The opening track, “I Wish I Could Change Your Mind,” is a wistfully romantic ballad with beautiful jazz guitar lines. Then, Levy changes it up a little bit with the singer-songwriter vibe in “A Promise to California” and the bluesy “This is the Sound.” You will also here a sultry tango on the title track, a folksy country tune, “There's A Light” and a Parisian accordion on “No Dancing.”

Levy stated that The Heart Collector would be his proving ground, but there really isn't anything to prove when you're this good and have always been this good. The Heart Collector has only confirmed, reaffirmed and validated that Levy is one of the best songwriters and musicians in the business. It is a great album overflowing with warm and soulful songs that enchant the ears and captivate the heart.

Stream and Buy The Heart Collector on bandcamp.com
Adam Levy's Website

Bonnie Whitmore - Embers To Ashes

Bonnie Whitmore is a product of a pretty interesting childhood. Raised in Texas by a classically trained opera-singer mother and singer-songwriter father, along with a talented violin- and fiddle-playing older sister, Whitmore naturally became influenced by and drew inspiration from her family. At age 8, she started to play bass, joined the family band and toured Texas. Later, she learned to play acoustic guitar and cello, then, at 16, Whitmore began writing her own material and performing with local musicians.

Her sophomore album, Embers to Ashes has all the trappings of great country music – the stories, emotion, and reality. It takes the listener on a turbulent journey from the beginning to the end of a relationship, chronicling the anger, heartbreak, pain, and loss. Although, mainly a country album, Whitmore does expand the sound with a rockabilly, Western swing influenced title track, rock-infused “You're Gonna Miss Me,” and the Roy Orbison-like “Please Take the Words Back,” but it's her ballads like “Cowboy Lullaby” and “Love Too Sweet” with their melancholic melodies and Whitmore's tender yet aching vocals that standout the most.

Bonnie Whitmore may not ever make it to mainstream radio, but she has broadened her audience touring with Dierks Bently as well as opening for and playing with Hayes Carll on his most recent tour. She plans to continue to tour throughout 2011 and is currently preparing to record her third album. And, though her career is an ember right now, it's certainly not going to turn to ashes anytime soon.

Purchase Embers to Ashes

Bonnie Whitmore's Website

02 - Embers To Ashes - Bonnie Whitmore by aibrean

03 - Cowboy Lullaby - Bonnie Whitmore by aibrean

The Head and the Heart - Self-titled Debut & Sub Pop Re-Release

The Head and the Heart are the masters of the self-release album. They're one of the year's biggest success stories, selling 10,000 copies of their self-released debut album and touring tirelessly supporting acts like Vampire Weekend, Dave Matthews and Dr. Dog, resulting in a Sub Pop deal and the re-release of their debut album.

The Head and the Heart have a knack for layering folk instrumentation with a pop sensibility to create toe-tapping, sing-a-long anthems. Although semi-melancholic, the sextet always manages to warm your heart rather than dampen your mood. Nothing exemplifies this more than “Down in the Valley” which begins at a whisper with an unobtrusive guitar melody building to a gentle yet energetic climax with strings, percussion and harmonies, then ending just as quietly as it began. “Lost in My Mind” has a similar effect. With harmonies pitch-perfect, the band builds in strength with persistent piano chords and rattling tambourine creating an incredible and impeccably fashioned folk-pop song.

“Cats and Dogs” is a brief and terribly catchy track that acknowledges their lack of identity in the line, “My roots are grown, but I don't know where they are.” However, it moves seamlessly into the second song, “Coeur d'Alene,” an awkward, piano-driven foot-stomper while “Ghost” is a bit cheesy and my least favorite on the album. Then, the band completely makes up for their heavy-handed opening trio with the enchanting ballad “Rivers and Roads.” A song that is many things – soft, sweeping, moving, and pensive – but, only one word can describe it, extraordinary. And, the flawless and seamless tempo-changes on “Sounds Like Hallelujah” is phenomenal.

The Head and the Heart's ability to produce an album with this kind of chemistry and emotion is very surprising given the fact that they met two years ago at a random open-mic night in Seattle. But, it's also this relatively new musical relationship that shows in the album's intermittent moments of awkwardness and folk-pop familiarity. And, despite the negative criticisms The Head and the Heart has received, I think it's an admirable collection of songs made even more admirable knowing that just last year this band was unsigned and their record self-released.

I love The Head and the Heart. I love them for their bursts of brillance and their tenacity. And, on the group's debut album, they show that they have the potential to become something special.

Purchase The Head and the Heart

The Head and the Heart's Website

Sub Pop Record's Webiste

The Head and The Heart - Lost in My Mind by MMMusic

Down in the Valley by theheadandtheheart  

Sounds Like Hallelujah by theheadandtheheart

ReviewShine Monday: Robyn Ludwick - Out of These Blues

You may have noticed that my weekly ReviewShine segment is without its "Rise." Well, like most of America, I was completely enthralled with the assassination of Bin Laden and did not get to sleep until the wee hours of the morning, therefore my rising and shining was late as well as my post. So, without any more delays, here is my weekly ReviewShine pick...

Music is in Robyn Ludwick's blood. Her older brothers, Bruce and Charlie Robison, are both well-known and respected songwriters. As a teenager, Ludwick would dream of becoming like her siblings, teaching herself guitar and sneaking out to Austin, where she eventually settled. But, whereas her brothers began a career in music, Ludwick chose to earn a degree in engineering from The University of Texas. She also started a family and began a career in engineering until her layoff which changed her life and her path. Continuing on this path, Ludwick has released her third album, Out of These Blues.

Produced and recorded by the legendary Gurf Morlix, Out of These Blues, is a fantastic album teeming with life and emotion. A polished record without the excessive shine to reflect the nature of Ludwick's rootsy and bluesy sound which is similar to Lucinda Williams and her sister-in-law, Kelly Willis.

No longer overshadowed by her brothers, every song on this album are original songs from Ludwick's pen. With every song just as good as the last, there is no need to skip through the album. From the beginning bluesy ballad “Hollywood” to the smokey “For You Baby,” laidback organ on “Steady,” the honky-tonk fiddle in “Can't Go Back” and heartfelt emotion in “Hillbilly,” Out of These Blues is essential listening.

Purchase Out of These Blues

Robyn Ludwick's Website

 

01 Hollywood - Robyn Ludwick by aibrean

Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane

When it comes to Alison Krauss & Union Station, I say if it's not broke, don't fix it. Keeping with same aesthetic that has brought them more than 20 years of success their new album, Paper Airplane, is yet another beautifully polished mix of rustic bluegrass and sophisticated pop. And, though it has been seven years since Alison Krauss & Union Station's acclaimed Lonely Runs Both Ways, the group's indelible chemistry is ever present throughout the record.

Krauss' vocals are in heavenly form on Paper Airplane, reminding everyone why she has won 26 Grammys. Singing expressively and effortlessly, her mezzo soprano soars on the airy title track written by longtime songwriting collaborator, Robert Castleman. Then, Dan Tyminski grounds the album with his earthy, well-worn vocals and Ron Block's fast and skillful banjo work on Peter Rowan's “Dust Bowl Children.” While a mysterious air surrounds Jerry Douglas' haunting Dobro and Krauss' lonesome vocals effectively set the mood on “Lie Awake.” The sweetly somber gospel hymn, “Lay My Burden Down” has a slightly traditional vibe whereas the banjo-driven composition on “My Love Follows You Where You Go” compliments the dramatic quality of Krauss' resolute power. And, on the cover of Richard and Linda Thompson's “Dimming of the Day,” Krauss exquisitely holds each note unstrained with a lingering heavyheartedness that keeps the song from becoming too heavy. The album is yet again brought down to earth with Tyminski singing Tim O'Brien's “On the Outside Looking In” and the outstanding narrative ballad, “Bonita and Bill Butler.” Finally, Paper Airplane closes with an amazing version of Jackson Browne's “My Opening Farewell.”

It has been reported that while recording Paper Airplane, Krauss suffered from migraine headaches, but whatever pressures and sicknesses plagued Krauss didn't seem to hinder the album. Instead, the record flows fluently and cohesively with superb songs and faultless vocals creating another outstanding record in the band's reputable and highly regarded cache.

Purchase Paper Airplane

Alison Krauss & Union Station's Website

Rounder Records

Alison Krauss and Union Station: Paper Airplane by Rounder Records

Sierra Hull - Daybreak

With a voice this angelic and lonesome, 19-year-old Sierra Hull, was born to sing bluegrass. At the tender age of 13, Hull was signed to Rounder Records. Then at 16, she released and co-produced her Rounder debut, Secrets, with Union Station's, Ron Block. Following in line with her debut, Hull called upon Block's Union Station colleague, Barry Bales, to co-produce her sophomore effort, Daybreak, which was released in March.

From the beginning, you're almost certain you're listening to Alison Krauss which should come as no surprise with Bales producing and singing on some of the songs. In addition to Bales, Block add his guitar to a couple of tracks while Dan Tyminski contributes his vocals to others. For example, “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “All Because of You,” and “Wouldn't Matter To Me” sound like Krauss' most recent work while “Tell Me Tomorrow” could easily be mistaken for early Krauss. Although, heavily influenced by Krauss, Hull does give us hints of Rhonda Vincent in “Don't Pick Me Up” and “I'll Always Be Waiting for You.”

So, with the combination of these iconic styles and sounds Hull has developed her own style on Daybreak. Growing as a songwriter, she wrote or co-wrote seven of the album's twelve songs all of which equal those of her predecessors. She even wrote "The Land of Living," a beautiful gospel song which seems like a requirement for all bluegrass records. Hull has also carved out a niche by distinguishing herself as one of the best and fastest mandolin players in the genre which she shows in her intricate and precise playing throughout the album and especially on the instrumental tracks.

The songs on Daybreak range from the traditional bluegrass of “Don't Pick Me Up” to the newgrass instrumental “Bombshell” while “Best Buy” swings and the title track soothes with a modern pop essence of smoothgrass, but all equally charming and memorable.

Daybreak is a wonderful record with the comfortable familiarity of tradition and the brilliance of something new. With this album, Sierra Hull's rising star could very well be as bright as the rising sun at daybreak.

Purchase Daybreak

Sierra Hull's Website

Rounder Records

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