ROUTES & BRANCHES 
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 28, 2018
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Heading into Grammy time, we're very conscious that these days there's very little crossover between what the folks at Recording Arts recognize and what we do here at R&B hq.  If you want a glimpse at the height of our kind of music, you'll want to track down (Grammy winner) Chris Stapleton's fiery performance of "Midnight Train to Memphis" on this week's SNL, where he was joined onstage by (Grammy winner) Sturgill Simpson. Grammy has never done roots music especially well, even when they accidentally manage to celebrate a worthy artist like Isbell or Emmylou.  This year, they featured Stapleton and Emmy performing a practically anemic take on Petty's "Wildflowers" during their "people who died" segment.  Nevertheless, I'll always watch (sometimes whilst holding my nose), primarily for the cultural literacy points, but also because there are often very good live performance moments.  It either says volumes about me or about the Grammys that Patti Lupone's revisit of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" might've provided the evening's most stellar moment (though Bono's "blessed are the shithole countries" certainly merits merit).  And tell me why the puzzling partnership of Sting and Shaggy received more screentime than any other artist this year?

From where I sit, 2018 has been ushered in by a really promising batch of records, dozens of which seem to have landed in full copy form on my doorstep this week.  Pressured to select five favorites for January releases, I'd likely tag Calexico, Ronnie Eaton, First Aid Kit, Marie/Lepanto and HC McEntire.  But the year's still very young.

And February promises an even greater wealth of stuff, including Caleb Caudle's new Crushed Coins collection.  2016's Carolina Ghost was a near perfect record, liberally peppered from start to finish with songs and lyrics that stuck like velcro to the soul.  In early interviews for his new work, Caudle talks about finding inspiration in new places, and building this project around new sounds.  "We made a good, straightforward country record.  But I've done the straight-ahead things as good as I possibly could.  Now I want to do something that represents more of what I listen to and am inspired by ..."

Though Caudle intends Crushed Coins to be a departure, songs like "Empty Arms"' and "Love That's Wild" strike me as more of a progression or a stylistic evolution.  From the former:  I drove across 3 states and bought a postcard for a quarter / From an antique store beside a bar I was playing in Ft Wayne, Indiana / I scribbled down some words that you already know / As if I wrote them down and put a stamp on it / It would make it more true.  Megan McCormick's guitar effects and Greg Herndon's keys contribute an extra dimension to Caudle's soulful Southern americana, coaxing the sound closer to Hiss Golden Messenger than Jason Isbell.  "Love That's Wild" relies on Brett Resnick's sticky pedal steel line and a sweet backing vocal from Erin Rae for one of the CD's most recognizably country moments.

There is more of a confidence and a cohesiveness to Caleb Caudle's musical vision on Crushed Coins.  Beyond writing good songs, he strives for overarching messages and thematic gestures, elements that can be followed like a ribbon from song to song.  Sometimes this is accomplished by juxtaposing diverse bits.  The newfound hope of "Love That's Blind" vs the abandonment and finality of "Six Feet From the Flowers":  The tools have gone to rust / With no one left to impress / I haven't built a thing / I reach into my pocket / And hold your wedding ring.  Caudle himself has drawn the lines to define the theme as "trying to find hope in a dark place ... relying on the people and the things that you love".

To our benefit, the songwriter hasn't abandoned his generous gift for melody.  With Joshua Hedley's lovely fiddle, "Madelyn" is one of the album's strongest cuts.  Even the acoustic title track, a sad picture of domestic dis-ease, catches the ear as much as it reaches the heart:  There's no laughter in this house / Only sadness dripping from the spout / A lightbulb needs changing / Shutters that stay closed ...

Like fellow writers Andrew Combs or Robert Ellis, Caudle is challenging expectations for the trad-dependent americana genre.  Instead of drawing inspiration from more common sources, he has tagged jazz music and Miles Davis' In a Silent Way as guiding documents.  Sure, listeners will never mistake the striking "Headlights" for Miles' "Shhh", but the path an inspiration takes between the ears and the heart can be pretty personal.  As someone who thrives on purposeful novelty, these subtle differences can be nourishing.  As terrific as Carolina Ghost was, Crushed Coins is a welcome addition to Caleb Caudle's catalog.

- Sam Baker, "Broken Fingers" Pretty World  (BlueLimeStone, 07)
- Mary Gauthier, "Soldiering On" Rifles & Rosary Beads  (In the Black, 18)
- Great Peacock, "Hideaway" Gran Pavo Real  (Ropeadope, 18)
- Wood Brothers, "Sparkling Wine" One Drop of Truth  (Honey Jar, 18)
- Calexico, "Dead in the Water" Thread That Keeps Us  (Anti, 18)
- Marie/Lepanto, "Simple Scenes" Tenkiller  (Big Legal Mess, 18)
- Samantha Fish, "Need You More" Belle of the West  (Ruf, 17)
- Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, "Let's Go to Mars" Soul Flowers of Titan  (Bloodshot, 18)  D
- Sadies, "Postcards" Darker Circles  (YepRoc, 10)
- Buffalo Tom, "All Be Gone" Quiet & Peace  (Schoolkid, 18)  D
- HC McEntire, "Yellow Roses" Lionheart  (Merge, 18)
- Ron Pope, "Texas Wildflower Honey" Worktapes  (Brooklyn Basement, 18)
^ Caleb Caudle, "Madelyn"  Crushed Coins  (Cornelius Chapel, 18)
- Bonnevilles, "Dirty Photographs" Dirty Photographs  (Alive Naturalsound, 18)  D
- JD Wilkes, "Starlings, KY" Fire Dream  (Big Legal Mess, 18)
- First Aid Kit, "Hem of Her Dress" Runes  (Columbia, 18)
- 6 String Drag, "Cold Steel Brace" High Hat  (Schoolkid, 98/18)
- Albert Lee, "Country in Harlem" Black Claw & Country Fever  (Greyscale, 91)
- Bettye LaVette, "Things Have Changed" Things Have Changed  (Verve, 18)  D
- Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite, "No Mercy in This Land" No Mercy in This Land  (Anti, 18)  D
- Craig Gerdes, "Dead in a Box in Kentucky" Smokin' Drinkin' & Gamblin'  (Sol, 18)
- Jeffrey Martin, "Soul & Bones" Dogs in the Daylight (Expanded)  (Fluff & Gravy, 14/17)
- Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee, "The Dark Don't Hide It" single  (Dead Oceans, 18)  D
- Flesh Eaters, "Fistful of Vodka" Hard Road to Follow  (Atavistic, 83)
- Ben Miller Band, "Trapeze" Choke Cherry Tree  (New West, 18)  D
- Tillers, "Revolution Row" Tillers  (Sofaburn, 18)  D
- Will Stewart, "Sipsey" County Seat  (Cornelius Chapel, 18)  D
- I'm With Her, "Overland" See You Around  (Rounder, 18)
- Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone" Middle Cyclone  (Anti, 09)
- Allen Toussaint, "Bright Mississippi" Bright Mississippi  (Nonesuch, 09)

ROUTES & BRANCHES
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 23, 2018
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

To these ears, there's little that's more satisfying than the sound of early alt.country.  Bands that were insurgent country or cowpunk or no depression before it was really a thing.  Thinking Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown and Slobberbone and Blue Mountain and Freakwater.  But even before some of those, there was 6 String Drag.  In the true spirit of insurgency, they even had a part-time trombonist.  Fronted by Kenny Roby and Rob Keller, the outfit released just a couple records before dissolving in the late 90s.  The second of those albums, 1997's High Hat, has been given the 20th Anniversary treatment and reissued by North Carolina's revered Schoolkids Records.

That sweet hybrid country sound pervades every corner of High Hat, which was co-produced by Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy.  The iconic "Bottle of Blues" would merit a spot on any playlist of alt.country essentials, and it sounds as fresh as ever in its remastered format.  Hell, this entire record is an essential, with cut after cut triggering those memories.  The horns and boozy vocals of blues buster "Gasoline Maybelline" contrast with the more literate heartland rock of "Cold Steel Brace".  File "Top of the Mountain" alongside Jason Ringenberg's scorching punk-fueled country, pushed to its limits on the perfectly brief guitar tear "85 on 85".  "Ghost", "Keep on Pushin'" - it's the sound of a musical movement being born.  Then it was over as quickly as it sparked to life.

Kenny Roby reconvened 6 String Drag in 2015, releasing Roots Rock 'n' Roll, a perfectly fine project with a handful of songs that rekindled those old sentiments - "Kingdom of Getting It Wrong", "Hard Times, High Times" and "I Miss the Drive-in" come to mind.  What many fans missed was that Roby had recorded a couple solo collections in the interim years, records that witnessed an impressive evolution and a maturation of his songwriting palette.  Completists will especially want to track down the unfortunately overlooked Memories & Birds from 2013.

This is an important chapter to the 6 String Drag story, since it helps explain what we're hearing on the group's brand new Top of the World.  While the band's early stuff is tremendous and feeds a certain part of the soul, these new songs might mark the first time we've heard Roby fully incorporating the sonic possibilities of his solo journey into his band material.

Of course, for those eager to be set up with another shot of early alt.country, there are fierce moments like "Small Town Punks".  There are few vocalists more capable of pumping it up than Kenny Roby, sounding as much like Craig Finn as Elvis Costello as he spits the song's lyrics like that young man who began 6 String Drag half a lifetime ago.  And much of the underappreciated pop spirit that ripped through those early cuts drives short sharp shots like "Never Turn My Back On You Again" or the effortless barroom romp of "Robert & Lucy".  See also the spirited "I Wish You Would", a good-natured bounce held aloft by a healthy dose of skronky horns.

It's great stuff, and such a perfect way to welcome in the new year in music.  But for me the revelation of Top of the World lies in the songs that aren't immediately familiar, pieces that owe more to Kenny Roby as a solo artist than anything either insurgent or country.  "Top of the World" is a simple, simply gorgeous ballad, showcasing the singer's restrained vocals over a fingerpicked acoustic.  An instrumental break is built around a wave of strings and a toy piano, sounding more like Brian Wilson's lovingly constructed pop symphonies than Jason & the Scorchers' barstool burners.  "Jennifer Wren & the Crow I Know" is another inescapably melodic moment, with a chorus featuring bluesy horns and a guitar solo that reconnects it all to 6 String Drag: The Early Days.

The bottom line here is that Top of the World is more than a simple blast from the genre's past.  Much more than their 2015 rebirth, their new record announces that 6 String Drag are a contemporary band, creating relevant music and evolving in interesting ways.

Also on this Episode, please join us in recognizing that Courtney Marie Andrews' forthcoming CD might be the very best thing on the horizon besides Spring: The Season.  Also, we'll celebrate the promise of Great Peacock's eagerly awaited (by me) new project, and we get to play Mountain Goats.  I'll mention here a well the Episode's best moment:  About halfway through Shovels & Rope's collaboration with Matthew Logan Vasquez, there is the crackle of a guitar coming to life, like a treefall disrupting a quiet forest.

- Daniel Bachman, "Little Lady Blues" Orange Co. Serenade  (Bathetic, 14)
- Margo Price, "Learning to Lose (w/Willie Nelson)" All American Made  (Third Man, 17)
- Anderson East, "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" Encore  (Elektra, 18)
- Hiss Golden Messenger, "I Am the Song" Hallelujah Anyhow  (Merge, 17)
- Sue Foley, "Ice Queen" Ice Queen  (Stony Plain, 18)
- Courtney Marie Andrews, "May Your Kindness Remain" May Your Kindness Remain  (Mama Bird, 18)
- Mike & the Moonpies, "Beaches of Biloxi" Steak Night at the Prairie Rose  (Moonpies, 18)
- Old Crow Medicine Show, "Flicker & Shine" Volunteer  (Columbia, 18)  D
- Kevin Gordon, "Cadillac Jack's #1 Son" Cadillac Jack's #1 Son  (Shanachie, 98)
- Ronnie Eaton, "South Hampton Rain" Hand That Mocked Them  (Eaton, 18)
- Richmond Fontaine, "Horace Hopper" Don't Skip Out On Me  (Fluff & Gravy, 18)
- Haley Heynderickx, "Untitled God Song" I Need to Start a Garden  (Mama Bird, 18)  D
- Sonny Smith, "Burnin' Up (w/Angel Olsen)" Rod For Your Love  (Easy Eye, 18)
- Courtney Patton, "Shove" What It's Like to Fly Alone  (Patton, 18)  D
- Gourds, "Shreveport" Haymaker!  (Yep Roc, 09)
- Blackberry Smoke, "Flesh & Bone" Find a Light  (3 Legged, 18)  D
- Shovels & Rope, "Untitled 1 (w/Matthew Logan Vasquez)" Busted Jukebox Vol. 2  (New West, 17)
- Blue Mountain, "Spring of 65" Roots  (Fundamental, 01)
- Calexico, "Under the Wheels" Thread That Keeps Us  (Anti, 18)
- Eleven Hundred Springs, "Nobody Falls In Love In a Place Like This" Finer Things In Life  (EHS, 18)  D
- Lindi Ortega, "Comeback Kid" Liberty  (Shadowbox, 18)  D
- Parker McCollum, "South of the City Lights" Probably Wrong  (McCollum, 17)
- Tommy Emmanuel, "Deep River Blues (w/Jason Isbell)" Accomplice One  (CGP, 18)
- Drew Kennedy, "Jackson" At Home in the Big Lonesome  (Atlas Aurora, 17)
- Caitlin Canty, "Take Me For a Ride" Motel Bouquet  (Tone Tree, 18)  D
- Tim Easton, "Black Hearted Ways" Break Your Mother's Heart  (New West, 03)
- Great Peacock, "One Way Ticket" Gran Pavo Real  (Peacock, 18)  D
- Fruition, "Turn to Dust" Watching It All Fall Apart  (LoHi, 18)
- Mountain Goats, "Jeff Davis County Blues" All Hail West Texas  (Merge, 02)
- Micah P Hinson, "Beneath the Rose" At the British Broadcasting Corp  (BBC, 18)  D

ROUTES & BRANCHES  
featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 14, 2018
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

If you've spent some time with our ROUTES-cast below (*), you know I'm fond of A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster.  That's our release calendar to which you can connect via the link to the right.  I'll always say that it'll assure you'll never miss another obscure roots music release.  Heh.  Anyway, Routes & Branches is driven by novelty, focused on the frontiers of our kind of music.  And this time of year we begin to get a good sense of what our Spring might sound like.  So for this week's posting I thought we'd focus on what's forthcoming, some of the stuff I'm looking forward to most.  There's a real good chance I'll devote a full review to most if not all of these, once I have access to the complete CD.  Until then, some thoughts on what we've heard to date.

HC McEntire, Lionheart  (Merge, Jan 26)  I loved both Miracle Temple and How to Dance, Mount Moriah's last couple records.  File them alongside fellow North Carolinian Hiss Golden Messenger for smart, tuneful roots with a shot of true soul.  McEntire's debut solo record reportedly amplifies that soul, while speaking more boldly as a lesbian in the Southern US.  She might be our next Alynda Lee Segarra.  Extra heft is contributed by studio guests Tift Merritt, Angel Olsen, Phil Cook and others.

What we've heard: "A Lamb A Dove", "Quartz in the Valley"

Mike & the Moonpies, Steak Night at the Prairie Rose  (Moonpies, Feb 2)  The last couple years have seen Austin's Mike Harmeier and co. increasingly praised for their steady strength as a live act.  Their fifth studio set seeks to package that honky tonk spirit, favoring spark and drive over studio perfection.  "Beaches of Biloxi" and "Road Crew" (and their recent single, "Country Music is Dead") find the Moonpies staking their claim more confidently than ever before.

What we've heard: "Beaches of Biloxi", "Road Crew"

Richmond Fontaine, Don't Skip Out on Me  (Fluff & Gravy, Feb 2)  With the release of 2016's You Can't Go Back ... Willy Vlautin and his band packed up the plantation.  In light of the pending publication of the frontman's new novel, the band came back together to record an instrumental soundtrack to the book of the same name.  I've had the privilege of hearing the whole CD, but haven't gotten my hands on the novel.  That said, Richmond Fontaine have become expert at generating a mood or painting a picture using nothing more than a pedal steel and guitars.

What we've heard:  "Horace Hopper", "Dream of the City and the City Itself"

Caleb Caudle, Crushed Coins  (Cornelius Chapel, Feb 23)  Probably looking forward to this collection more than any other during these early days of the year.  On the heels of Paint Another Layer and Carolina Ghost, this could be his moment to shine.  To my ear, Caudle plays at the intersection of Justin Townes Earle and Jason Isbell, demonstrated a masterful way with a simple song.  He's recently commented that Ghost is about as country as he'll get, and early singles hint at some new musical directions (plus, producer Jon Ashley's resume features work with Hiss Golden Messenger and War on Drugs).

What we've heard:  "Empty Arms", "Love That's Wild"

Sue Foley, Ice Queen  (Stony Plain, Mar 2)  This one's a surprise even for me.  The Canadian Foley (yeah, no relation) has been a student of fellow blues guitarists since her teen years.  I've been trying to avoid the blues since I was a teenager.  So ...  But Foley's a fine writer whose talent overflows the genre buckets, and a singer whose roadworn and weary voice can move mountains.  Guests include folks she's admired and with whom she's collaborated during her years in Austin, such as Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan and Charlie Sexton.

What we've heard: "Come to Me"

6 String Drag, Top of the World  (Schoolkids, Mar 9)  This Episode features a song from a remastered 1997 record originally produced by Steve Earle.  Way back then, Kenny Roby and Rob Keller helped birth what we know today as alt.country. After many years on the shelf, the stuff still sounds sweet and slightly dangerous.  This will be their second project to hit shelves following the band's hiatus of nearly 2 decades.

What we've heard:  nada



... and so very many more!  Calexico, Fruition, Ruby Boots, JD Wilkes, Erika Wennerstrom, American Aquarium, Austin Lucas (2 albums!) ...

- Ron Pope, "Southern Cross" Ron Pope & the Nighthawks  (Brooklyn Basement, 16)
- Ron Pope, "Figure it Out" Worktapes  (Brooklyn Basement, 18)  D
^- Caleb Caudle, "Love That's Wild" Crushed Coins  (Cornelius Chapel, 18)
- Anderson East, "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" Encore  (Elektra, 18)
^ Sue Foley w/Charlie Sexton, "Come to Me" Ice Queen  (Stony Plain, 18)
- Danny & the Champions of the World, "Gotta Get Things Right in My Life" Brilliant Light  (Loose, 17)
- Fruition, "Northern Town" Watching it All Fall Apart  (LoHi, 18)
- Wood Brothers, "Happiness Jones" One Drop of Truth  (Honey Jar, 18)
- Townes Van Zandt, "St John the Gambler" Our Mother the Mountain  (Fat Possum, 69)
- Nathaninel Rateliff & Night Sweats, "You Worry Me" Tearing at the Seams  (Concord, 18)  D
- Samantha Fish, "American Dream" Belle of the West  (RufRecords, 17)  D
- Marie/Lepanto, "Famished Raven" Tenkiller  (Big Legal Mess, 18)
- Low Anthem, "Ghost Woman Blues" Smart Flesh  (Nonesuch, 10)
-^ 6 String Drag, "Bottle of Blues" High Hat  (Schoolkids, 97/18)  D
- Erika Wennerstrom, "Extraordinary Love" Sweet Unknown  (Partisan, 18)  D
- Jason Boland & the Stragglers, "Proud Souls" Pearl Snaps  (Proud Souls, 99)
^ Richmond Fontaine, "Dream of the City and the City Itself" Don't Skip Out On Me  (Fluff & Gravy, 18)
- Kim Richey w/Chuck Prophet, "Whistle on Occasion" Edgeland  (Yep Roc, 18)  D
^ Mike & the Moonpies, "Road Crew" Steak Night at the Prairie Rose  (Moonpies, 18)
- Jeff Hyde, "Henry Ford" Norman Rockwell World  (Hyde, 18)  D
- Drag the River, "Waste of Time Valentine" Drag the River  (Xtra Mile, 13)
- Ryan Bingham, "How Shall a Sparrow Fly" Hostiles (Sndtk)  (Axster Bingham, 18)  D
- First Aid Kit, "Ruins" Ruins  (Columbia, 18)
- Angel Olsen, "Tougher Than the Rest" Phases  (Jagjaguwar, 18)
^ HC McEntire, "Quartz in the Valley" Lionheart  (Merge, 18)
- Richard Buckner, "Born Into Giving It Up" Impasse  (Merge, 02)
- Courtney Marie Andrews, "May Your Kindness Remain" May Your Kindness Remain  (Mama Bird, 18)  D
- Alela Diane, "Ether & Wood" Cusp  (Alela, 18)
- Chris Knight, "Hard Edges" Trailer Tapes  (Drifter's Church, 07)
- Porter & the Bluebonnet Rattlesnakes, "November Down" Don't Go Baby  (Cornelius Chapel, 17)

ROUTES & BRANCHES  

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

January 8, 2018

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

It's been some time since I've so enthusiastically received the news of a new record.  Two artists who have largely defined the vibe of Routes & Branches over the past couple years, collaborating on a project with such an evocative sound.  Will Johnson has paired to date with Jason Molina, Vic Chesnutt, M Ward, Jay Farrar and many more, not to mention his catalog with South San Gabriel and Centro-Matic.  Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster has produced three CDs with Water Liars, as well as last year's superb Constant Stranger solo set.  Together they perform as Marie/Lepanto, and are on the verge of releasing a remarkable project called Tenkiller (Big Legal Mess, January 26).

The duo discovered their common musical ground when Water Liars opened for Centro-Matic during the band's farewell tour.  Marie/Lepanto reportedly earned its moniker in tribute to a roadsign between SE Missouri and W Arkansas where Johnson and Kinkel-Schuster came of age, respectively.  The primary sessions were set to tape at Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis.

Tenkiller succeeds in advancing the respective sonic palette of both artists, reigning in Johnson's tendency for sprawl 'n squall (not complaining), while simultaneously pushing the limits of Kinkel-Schuster's quieter acoustic work (still not complaining).   Aside from producer Jeff Powell, the duo are responsible for every bit of Tenkiller's thick, rich sound, from writing and playing to sharing the vocals. The songs respect the unique spirit of both, without sounding fractured or schizophrenic.

"Inverness" is Tenkiller's crunchy and discordant beast, Crazy Horse guitars and garage worthy drumming propelling the track.  A reckless electric solo and coda push the piece towards "12", in all the most lovely and satisfying ways.  The dual guitars of "High Desert" both chime and grind, riding a blues riff and puzzling over a riddle: Your love is a problem / A knot I can't untie / A map I can't follow / A sum that won't divide.

The term "high lonesome sound" has already been trademarked by bluegrass, but it's an apt descriptor for what's going on throughout Tenkiller.  The harmonies shared between Johnson and Kinkel-Schuster will never be mistaken for the Louvins, but the tension created can be haunting on songs like "Simple Scenes".  "Patient Patient Man" patiently unfolds from an initially understated black key reflection into guitars ringing into an empty sky.

Instrumentally, moments of noise are balanced by relative hush.  And even when the guitars, piano and percussion are allowed more quiet space in which to drift, the songs err towards the melodic and purposeful.  The intimate "Famished Raven" evokes the dark night blues of Jason Molina, emerging as another watermark in Will Johnson's vast catalog.  When the night it comes devouring / Like some tired famished raven seething / Quick to the punch, and then just maybe / You will start to see / Just what you need.

Also on our generous plate this Episode is Ain't It Like the Cosmos (Last Chance, Mar 9), a new solo project by Kinkel-Schuster's foil in Water Liars, Andrew Bryant.  Bryant's is the louder and more direct of these projects, working wonders with more traditional song structures.

He lays out his mission on "Practical Man": I used to be the type to hide my mistakes / Bury them in a mix of guitars and bass / But the older I get the more I want them in my face / I'm a practical man at the end of the day.

But let's backtrack a couple cuts to the record's opener, "Robert Downey Jr's Scars".  With charcoal black guitars that sputter in and out of the picture, it's a remarkable piece that is alternately vulnerable and hammer-heavy.  It also rivals the recent work of Mark Kozelek for quotidian detail:  Iron Man was on the tv / Poured myself another beer / Thinking 'bout all the pain that's in my heart / Thinking 'bout Robert Downey Jr's scars / And man I know just what it takes / Yeah man I know just what it takes / To start again.

Cosmos is bold in its soul mining and revelation.  Bryant sidesteps the troubled shadow of his forebear on "I Am Not My Father's Son", ticking off his conscious efforts to avoid the sins of the father.  The refrain "I am not my father's son" can be heard as both a declaration and a mantra, a reminder-to-self that things will be different.  As with Tenkiller, Cosmos features moments of great instrumental drama, though Bryant is more likely to add subtle studio touches and synth textures to achieve his sonic goals.

That said, there are moments of more straightforward Southern rock 'n soul.  "Practical Man" mines an Isbell-esque vein, heavy and tuneful guitars sharing the scene with thoughtful lyrics and a gradual build that will catch most in its path.  "I Take Pride" offers a similar return:  I take pride in my work / I take pride in my hurt / I take pride in my word / And I'll say what I mean for what that's worth.

 Where Marie/Lepanto's lyrics tend towards a more poetic expression, on tunes like "Pay Your Rent" Bryant shows himself to be a much more direct communicator, even to the point of harsh self-deprecation.  Above lazy pedal steel and a strummed acoustic:  No one needs your story, it's so contrived / No there's nothing really special in there / There's nothing really special in your mind / So just go to work and pay your rent / Try to love yourself and live with it.

"Bittersweet" is a lovely ode to Bryant's beloved Mississippi:  Lord ain't it bittersweet / This place we call our home / Ain't it like the cosmos / To light up the magnolias at dawn.  It's a fleeting but passionate statement, heartbreaking in its simplicity.

Tenkiller and Ain't It Like the Cosmos  - records that do justice to the legacy of artists like Jason Molina and Mark Kozelek and Richard Buckner, folks who believe in and practice the rhythm and sound of words.  Writers who map the shadows of day-to-day life, while creating pure poetry from its familiar bits and pieces. While the release date for Andrew Bryant's record was actually bumped back to March 9, these are tremendous albums with which to launch our 2018 year in posts.

- Black Keys, "Never Gonna Give You Up" Brothers  (Nonesuch, 10)
- Dan Auerbach, "Cellophane Girl" single  (Easy Eye, 18)  D
- Ruby Boots, "It's So Cruel" Don't Talk About It  (Bloodshot, 18)
- JD Wilkes, "Walk Between the Raindrops" Fire Dream  (Big Legal Mess, 18)
- Anderson East, "Girlfriend" Encore  (Elektra, 18)
- Marah, "Walt Whitman Bridge" If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry  (Yep Roc, 05)
- Rodney Crowell, "Shake Your Money Maker" Strange Angels: In Flight With Elmore James  (Sylvan Songs, 18)  D
- Sue Foley w/Charlie Sexton, "Come To Me" Ice Queen  (Stony Plain, 18)  D
- Gasoline Lollipops, "Child of God" Soul Mine  (Ellenburg, 17)
- Pearl Charles, "Sleepless Dreamer" Sleepless Dreamer  (Kanine, 18)  D
- Railbenders, "Bourbon County Line" Medicine Show  (Railbenders, 17)  D
^ Marie/Lepanto, "Inverness" Tenkiller  (Big Legal Mess, 18)
- Crooked Fingers, "New Drink for the Old Drunk" Crooked Fingers  (Merge, 00)
- Caleb Caudle, "Love That's Wild" Crushed Coins  (Cornelius Chapel, 18)
- John K Samson, "Prayer for Ruby Elm" Winter Wheat  (Anti, 16)
- James McMurtry, "State of the Union" single  (McMurtry, 18)  D
- Mike & the Moonpies, "Beaches of Biloxi" Steak Night at the Prairie Rose  (Moonpies, 18)  D
- Craig Gerdes, "Slide Off Your Satin Sheets" Smokin' Drinkin' & Gamblin'  (Sol, 18)  D
- Dallas Moore, "Mr Honky Tonk" Mr Honky Tonk  (Sol, 18)  D
- Fruition, "I'll Never Sing Your Name" Watching it All Fall Apart  (LoHi, 18)  D
- Sonny Smith w/Angel Olsen, "Burnin' Up" Rod For Your Love  (Easy Eye, 18)
- Richmond Fontaine, "Horace Hopper" Don't Skip Out On Me  (Fluff & Gravy, 18)  D
- Lilly Hiatt, "Everything I Had" Trinity Lane  (New West, 17)
^ Andrew Bryant, "Robert Downey Jr's Scars" Ain't It Like the Cosmos  (Last Chance, 17)  D
- Shovels & Rope w/Hayes Carll, "Death or Glory" Busted Jukebox Vol. 2  (New West, 17)
- Ronnie Eaton, "Devil in My Suitcase" Hand That Mocked Them & the Heart That Fed  (Eaton, 18)  D
- Jim White, "Wash Away a World" Waffles Triangles & Jesus  (Loose, 17)
- Lambchop, "King of Nothing Never" What Another Man Spills  (Merge, 98)
- Mary Gauthier, "Brothers" Rifles & Rosary Beads  (In the Black, 18)
- Glossary, "Little Caney" Better Angels of Our Nature  (Young Buffalo, 08)

ROUTES & BRANCHES  

it's our kind of music

January 1, 2018

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Don't know why it's more challenging for me to assemble my favorite songs list than a list of my favorite records.  More than usual this year, many of my very favorite songs happened to be on my top albums, and I played those songs during my year-end records list (see below, a few weeks ago).  Rather than repeat myself, for this Episode I've chosen to only feature stuff from artists who weren't part of that albums list.  In other words, we're not counting anything down here, just spending some quality time with music that's mattered the most to us over the past twelve months.

Last week we featured some of our favorite artists' own favorites for 2017.  Got just another to share with you. From Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster, whose Constant Stranger landed in the upper reaches of my 2016 favorites list (and whose collaboration with Will Johnson we'll review next week!), we're advised to check out the following:

Acetone, 1992-2001
Ry Cooder, Paris TX  (1989)
Replacements, For Sale Live in 1986 at Maxwell's Hoboken
Link Wray, s/t (1971) and Be What You Want To (1973)
Dion, Kickin' Child: the Lost Album

For my part, if a white hot iron were held to my forehead by way of threat, I'd probably list the following as my ten favorite songs for 2017 (in alpha-order):

Ryan Adams, "Do You Still Love Me"
Craig Finn, "God in Chicago"
Jason Isbell, "Hope the High Road"
Parker McCollum, "Misuderstood"
Travis Meadows, "Pray For Jungleland"
John Moreland, "It Don't Suit Me (Like Before)"
Ron Pope, "Stick Around"
Texas Gentlemen, "Habbie Doobie"
Becky Warren, "Full of Bourbon"
Lee Ann Womack, "All the Trouble"

Writing this on the first day of the new year, I have spent the last couple weeks following so many links and staring at so many lists from other bloggers.  I've listened to more than my average share of music that doesn't fit here, just in search of patterns and outliers and anything I might've missed.  It matters deeply to me that I understand popular music, even if I don't represent it on my blog. Whereas Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers landed on just about every roots-leaning list, Lee Bains III and Ron Pope were radically under-represented.  Which is all good, because music works best when it strikes at the heart, when we can't tear our ears away from a sound and the emotions solicited are genuine.


(some) FAVORiTE SONGs for 2017

- Chuck Prophet, "Jesus Was a Social Drinker" Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins  (YepRoc, Feb 10)
- Angaleena Presley, "Motel Bible" Wrangled  (Mining Light, Apr 21)
- Whiskey Shivers, "Southern Sisyphus" Part of Something  (Clean Bill, Jul 21)
- Rod Melancon, "Lights of Carencro" Southern Gothic  (Blue Elan, Jun 16)
- Tift Merritt, "Proclamation Bones" Stitch of the World  (YepRoc, Jan 27)
- Hiss Golden Messenger, "Gulfport You've Been On My Mind" Hallelujah Anyhow  (Merge, Sep 22)
- Charlie Worsham, "Call You Up" Beginning of Things  (Warner, Apr 21)
- Caroline Spence, "Southern Accident" Spades & Roses  (Tone Tree, Mar 3)
- Iron & Wine, "Thomas County Law" Beast Epic  (Sub Pop, Aug 25)
- K Phillips, "Coalburner" Dirty Wonder  (Rock Ridge, Mar 10)
- Mark Porkchop Holder, "My Black Name" Let it Slide  (Alive Naturalsound, Feb 17)
- Mic Harrison & High Score, "Salt Stained Road" Vanishing South  (Harrison, Mar 10)
- Shovels & Rope w/John Moreland, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" Busted Jukebox Vol. 2  (New West, Dec 8)
- Juanita Stein, "Someone Else's Dime" America  (Hand Written, Jul 28)
- William Matheny, "Blood Moon Singer" Strange Constellations  (Misra, Feb 24)
- Craig Finn, "God in Chicago" We All Want the Same Things  (Partisan, Mar 24)
- Leif Vollebekk, "All Night Sedans" Twin Solitude  (Secret City, Feb 24)
- Harmed Brothers, "Adopt a Highway" Harmed Brothers  (Fluff & Gravy, Apr 21)
- Romantica, "Lonely Star" Shadowlands  (Last Chance, Feb 10)
- Nicole Atkins, "Brokedown Luck" Goodnight Rhonda Lee  (Single Lock, Jul 21)
- Sam Outlaw, "Bottomless Mimosas" Tenderheart  (Six Shooter, Apr 14)
- Matthew Logan Vasquez, "Red Fish" Does What He Wants  (Dine Alone, Apr 21)
- John Murry, "Under a Darker Moon" Short History of Decay  (Latent, Jul 14)
- Ian Felice, "Will I Ever Reach Laredo" In the Kingdom of Dreams  (New York Pro, Aug 25)
- Blank Range, "Seemed Like Word Got Around" Marooned With the Treasure  (Sturdy Girls, Aug 25)
- Langhorne Slim, "Life is Confusing" Lost at Last Vol. 1  (Dualtone, Nov 10)
- Tim Barry, "Running Never Tamed Me" High on 95  (Chunksaah, Sep 8)
- Hellbound Glory, "Empty Bottles" Pinball  (Black Country Rock, Oct 13)
- Becky Warren, "Full of Bourbon" War Surplus (Deluxe Edition)  (Warren, Sep 1)
- Travis Meadows, "Pray for Jungleland" First Cigarette  (Blaster, Oct 13)


So here's to a 2018 rich with musical discovery.  Here's to a year bearing plenty of surprises - new artists and new directions.  For my part here at R&B HQ, I firmly resolve to buck expectations, to blur boundaries and to dig for musical treasure at every opportunity.