ROUTES & BRANCHES

featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music

October 5, 2013

Scott Foley

After a rocky start precipitated by the faulty notion that I could race from Lafayette to Fort Collins in an hour, I believe we had ourselves a show, albeit an abbreviated one.  

It was back a couple months ago that a digital file landed in my lap featuring three tunes from a forthcoming album by Shonna Tucker.  After eight years as bassist for the Drive-by Truckers, Shonna had departed and, with fellow DbT alum guitarist John Neff in tow, formed Eye Candy.  One of the things I've always loved about the 'Truckers is that they are a band composed of talented writers, each with a distinct stamp.  During her stint with the band, Tucker considered herself neither much of a singer nor a writer.  My favorite Shonna moment with the band was her single verse contribution to their take on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" on the bonus EP attached to Blessing and a Curse.  While she would try her hand at both prior to her departure, it wasn't until the official break that she began writing in earnest, resulting in her new A Tell All.  The voice once heard on "Rolling Stone" has morphed significantly, though Tucker still carries with her a bit of the band's hard Southern rock stamp.  Her solo work allows her room for more influence from country and soul, largely conveyed in her singing, which is notably softer and at a higher register than her previous work.  With the songwriting duties solely on her shoulders, it's evident that she was paying attention while rubbing shoulders with Hood, Isbell and Cooley.  On A Tell All, Shonna Tucker is hardly ripping off her previous collaborators, but her picture of the hard south dovetails nicely with their own mythology.  Most importantly, she has definitely earned her time in the spotlight. 

Let's face it.  There's nothing better than kicking back on a lazy Saturday afternoon with a big foamy glass of Routes & Branches.  These things don't happen in a vacuum, though, folks. In order for me to do this, friends and listeners of R&B have to do their part.  KRFC's Fall 2013 Membership Drive begins on Friday, and runs thru next Saturday.  That gives you two (2) opportunities to shovel some hearty radio love our way.  Please call (970)221-5075, or pledge online. 

*  Songs Ohia, "I've Been Riding With the Ghost"  Magnolia Electric Co  (Secretly Canadian, 03)
*  American Aquarium, "Cape Fear River"  Burn Flicker Die  (Last Chance, 12)
^  Shonna Tucker & Eye Candy, "Since Jimmy Came"  A Tell All  (Sweet Nectar, 13)
*  Left Lane Cruiser, "Jukebox"  Rock Them Back To Hell  (Alive Naturalsound, 13)
*  Casey James Prestwood & Burning Angels, "Honky Tonk Bastard World"  Honky Tonk Bastard World  (Self,  13)  C,D
*  Those Darlins, "Too Slow"  Blur the Line  (Oh Wow Dang, 13)
*  Bottle Rockets, "Indianapolis (1991 demo)"  Bottle Rockets  (Bloodshot, 13)  D
*  Whiskey Gentry, "I Ain't Nothing"  Holly Grove  (Self, 13)
*  Reckless Kelly, "Long Night Moon"  Long Night Moon  (No Big Deal, 13)
*  Possessed By Paul James, "Hurricane"  There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely  (Hillgrass Bluebilly, 13)  D
*  Southern Culture on the Skids, "Lordy Lordy"  Dig This: Ditch Diggin' Vol 2  (Kudzu, 13)  D
*  Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas, "Heading Down"  Bristle Ridge  (Ten Four, 08)
*  Lindi  Ortega, "Hard As This"  Tin Star  (Last Gang, 13)
*  Britton Deuel, "White Fences"  Sky Between the Pines  (Self, 13)  C
*  Fratellis, "Halloween Blues"  We Need Medicine  (BMG, 13)  D
*  Shelby Lynne, "Willie & Laura Mae Jones"  Just a Little Lovin'  (Lost Hwy, 08)
*  Tony Joe White, "Gift"  Hoodoo  (Yep Roc, 13)
*  Eric Brace & Peter Cooper, "Mad"  Comeback Album  (Red Beet, 13)
*  Joe Johnson, "Ain't Nothing Wrong"  New West Sound  (Blank Tape, 13)  C
*  Will Hoge, "Bad Old Days"  Never Give In  (Cumberland, 13)  D
*  Lincoln Durham, "Beautifully Sewn Violently Torn"  Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous  (Droog, 13)  D
*  Devil Makes Three, "Worse or Better"  I'm a Stranger Here  (New West, 13)