2022 - Page 31 of 32 - STAGING Maverick

Review: ‘Lighten Up’ – Erin Rae

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Erin Rae is one of the most promising artists on the Americana scene right now. Three years ago she released her critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Putting On Airs’ which earned her a nomination for Emerging Act Of The Year at the Americana Awards in 2019. Now, she returns with the intimate and honest sophomore album, ‘Lighten Up’. The record opens with ‘Candy + Curry’, her whimsical and whispy vocals taking centre stage. As Rae says herself, it is sonically surprising. My favourite track on the record is ‘Drift Away’, lyrically much of the record has a focus on being present, enjoying the here and now and this track epitomizes that and reassures ones anxieties. Her vocals are at their very finest on this track. Production wise, the record is solid too, each arrangement carefully crafted to suit the lyrical themes and Rae’s vocals. Another highlight is the lead single from the album, ‘Modern Woman’. It’s a song celebrating womanhood, the upbeat, toe-tappingly good track is backed by swirling pedal steel guitars in the chorus as she sings “Round up the old perceptions”. It’s a catchy and empowering tune. To summarise, Erin Rae’s sophomore album capitalises on the inroads she made with her debut and solidifies her status as one of the most captivating Americana artists out there today.

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Review: ‘Shining in the Half Light’ – Elles Bailey

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Elles Bailey is nominated for UK Americana Artist of the Year at this years award ceremony and with her latest offering you can understand why. Straddling both the Blues and Americana worlds, Bailey is an innovative artist and true entertainer who crafts songs that are bound to capture your heart. The cohesive, sparkling light of the new album is the addition of gospel style backing vocals that allow her songs to explore new heights. From the opening track, ‘Cheats And Liars’ to the closing, title track, it is full of stellar songwriting. ‘Cheats And Liars’ introduces us to the sonic feel of the record, and it’s a powerful opening. There is an eeriness to the track, particularly in the chorus, the production is well thought out – purposeful – every note designed to complement the overall feel of the track. You can imagine this being a crowd pleaser at a festival, keeping the audience rooted to the spot. The standout track for me is ‘Sunshine City’ the slide guitar and Bailey’s vocal lines working well together, what sounds like a Hammond B3 a constant throughout keeps it rooted. The blues meets rock n roll on this track, Bailey’s strong vocals the cherry on top of the musical cake. Bailey’s previous work has been award winning and put her firmly on the map but despite this, this record lets her continue on the trajectory of her career and it may be her strongest to date.

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Review: ‘All The Birds Sing’ – Adam Shoenfeld

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Adam Shoenfeld has been one of Nashville’s most in-demand guitarists for some time now having played on 45 No. 1 songs and earning seven nominations at the Academy of Country Music awards for Guitar Player of the Year. He’s been band leader on every single Jason Aldean record and toured with Tim McGraw as well as writing songs for the likes of Faith Hill. So it comes as no surprise that his solo record, ‘All the Birds Sing’ is full of great songs, performed and produced excellently by Shoenfeld and his wife Katie Cook. It draws influence from the rock n roll music Shoenfeld grew up on and draws heavily upon personal experience. The title track is a real highlight, full of passion, it’s an empowering track with a rousing chorus whilst ‘Son’ begins as a simple piano ballad, with a beautiful lyric – a message to his son, reassuring him he can do anything he wants and that he’s proud of him. ‘Say A Word’ also shows that there is real weight to his words, it’s meaningful, poetic songwriting. Of course, the guitar work throughout is exemplary, but his vocals should also be applauded. He has found his voice and though he may be a busy man in the music industry, I hope he finds time to capitalise on this with a second record!

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Review: ‘Cosmic Banjo’ – Michael Johnathon

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What Johnathon does with the banjo is quite unique and entrancing; Cosmic Banjo is a celebration of that. His own take on the Pete Seeger’s picking style transcends the limits of the long neck banjo. The record is his 18th album and might well be his best to date. His vocals have often been likened to John Denver on past releases and you can see why with his melodic tones but the standout feature of this record is Johnathon’s arrangements. The production of the title track is haunting and inventive in equal measure, a sense of mystery and theatricality about it. The Baghdad Breakdown fuses Jonathan’s western style with the sound of the middle east in what may seem like a musical juxtaposition, the effect is that of tension and suspense throughout the track, a sense of adventure permeates. The live version of ‘How Can I Keep From Singing’ accompanied by a string quartet is full of sincerity and delicacy and is the highlight for me on this record. To conclude, this is a strong collection of songs from Johnathon, a brilliant yet surprising follow up to ‘The Painter’.

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Review: ‘Things To Come’ – Jeremy Parsons

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Jeremy Parsons draws influence from the sounds of his home-state, the Lone Star State. After spending several years in Nashville, he has returned to Texas and released a brilliant record that is gaining traction across the pond. Upon first listen it’s his vocals that jumps out at me, he has a beautiful tone to his voice. An acceptance coupled with a slight hint of positivity permeates the title track though wisdom prevails as he learns from the past, “Time is a healer and life must go on.” Honesty and refined lyricism is at the heart of this record. He’s a hardworking and talented musician whose career has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride and that shows in his songwriting as he draws from the experience. Melodically, too, the album is strong, from the haunting, tear-jerker chorus of ‘Tragedy’ to the catchy, simplicity of ‘Good Ole Days’. Using traditional country instrumentation to great effect, with soaring slide guitar and brushes on the drums, the arrangement beautifully frames Parsons stories. It’s a record about growth and learning from past experiences, taking the useful memories with you as you push forward into the future. Very well written and beautifully delivered.

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Review: ‘Overground’ – Police Dog Hogan

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This is a band that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live a couple of times, born entertainers that do well on the festival circuit however their studio recordings capture that energy that they bring to the stage and showcases their musicianship as a unit. Overground features some lyrical gems in the form of ‘Here Comes Crow’ and ‘Funfair On Shepherd’s Bush Green’, the latter of which is a wonderful storytelling song which paints a clear picture in the listeners mind with it’s beautiful imagery. Meanwhile, ‘Here Comes crow’ is a slightly haunting number, the use of the instruments here, to compliment the lyrical themes, is innovative, particularly that fiddle part that starts the song off. ‘I Need Your Love’ is powerful yet simple whereas ‘Kathleen O’Hare’, again, showcases the ability of the band to tell a good story. To conclude, after a long, enforced hiatus off the road due to the pandemic, the band have been busy plugging away, crafting what is arguably their best collection of songs to date and I can’t wait to see them bring these stories to life in a live setting once more.

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Review: ‘Be a Better Me’ – George Ensle

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This is a fantastic Texas folk record and a good one to add to any music fan’s collection. Ensle’s storytelling lyrics coupled with his fingerpicking guitar style set the scene for an intimate and authentic foundation. A laid-back, raw vocal style delivers the 11-song collection, which takes you on a journey. The title track opens the album, it’s a positive introduction with an inspiring message. His writing draws on everyday experiences as is shown on ‘$1.65’ where he humanises the plight of a homeless man, and gives him the titular sum without judgement or questioning. It’s a beautiful song with another lesson to be learnt from it’s lyrics. There’s a live feel about the whole record which is stripped back with an authentic instrumentation. It’s well produced to capture the realness and down to earth nature of Ensle and his songs. The closing track is the bouncy, ‘Down by the Riverside’ a toe-tappingly good ending to a strong record from Ensle.

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Review: ‘Good To Be’ – Keb Mo

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After celebrating fifty years in the industry, country blues icon, Keb Mo, returns with the Compton-meets-Nashville, genre defying ‘Good To Be’. The record is a celebration of his roots and of his growth as an artist over the years. From the laid-back title track, the whole record oozes with a sense of optimism and the five time GRAMMY award winning singer’s soulful vocals have never sounded better. Keb Mo is joined by some special guests on a couple of tracks, he teams up with Darius Rucker on stand out song ‘Good Strong Woman’, the pedal steel soars as the pair celebrate the influence of true love. Meanwhile, he is joined by Kristin Chenoweth on the intimate closing track, ‘Quiet Moments’ a vulnerability creeping into his voice, the strings beautifully complementing the feeling and emotions that the song portrays. It’s a brilliant record from Keb Mo where, even when he tackles more difficult topics, such as social justice on the track ‘Louder’, he finds a way to appreciate what he has, celebrating the present and that’s exactly what a lot of us need to listen and learn from.

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