ROUTES & BRANCHES 

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

February 17, 2019

Scott Foley, purveyor of dust

Amy McCarley, by Alysse Gafkjen

Here at R&B, our favorite new releases arrive with the air of un-expectation.  I'd wager that nobody who lands at this site on purpose will be coming across the fine new records from Hayes Carll or Ryan Bingham without previous knowledge of those artists.  That's why I'm increasingly committed to dedicating our review space to stuff that may be new to us.  Instead of reminding you why you might want to invest in some of these better known performers, we'll instead shine some light on Amy McCarley's MECO f'rinstance.

MECO marks the Alabama songwriter's third project, and her first since stepping aside from what had been her day job as a NASA contractor.  The CD's title means "Main Engine Cut Off", a reference that celebrates Amy McCarley's independence as she enters into a new stage of her music career (though I promise to be the only reviewer to abstain from peppering my comments with jet propulsion references, such as McCarley launches her career into the stratosphere).

Fact is, McCarley's new collection is not a literal solo effort.  MECO celebrates the collaboration of a small but immensely capable team, led by co-producers Kenny Vaughan and George Bradfute, augmented by multi-instrumentalists like Chris Scruggs, Marty Stuart and Harry Stinson.  Every song bears McCarley's own stamp as a writer, or as a co-writer with Nashville treasure Pat Alger.

Amy McCarley's rich and throaty delivery recalls Amy Rigby or Amelia White, an instrument as comfortable in the roots as the rock arena.  Those moments are equally divided, with a touch of country clinging to MECO's blues and rock numbers, and a rock edge abiding throughout.  McCarley's remarkably capable band assures that it all holds together seamlessly.

Kenny Vaughan's electric guitars can blaze, purr or twang depending on the mood.  "Everything Changed" begins with just McCarley and her acoustic, swelling into a roar.  Vaughan's guitars range from a growl to a chime as the song soars to a climax, never losing the grit and the garage spirit that propel it into such a fury.  "A Clue" rambles along with the album's most melodic vibe:  I got a day job / I got a night one too ... I got everything a girl can want on my list of things to do.  Like Chrissie Hynde, there's a raw appeal to McCarley's voice, never perfect but always human.

"Clarksdale Blues" spins a bluesy tale atop a lazy slide guitar line.  That same lowdown groove also carries the aching, gospel flavored "High Wire":  I'm up on the high wire / Steady and tight / Black velvet night sky / White twinkling lights.  McCarley is a persistently genuine narrator, her voice lending the eclectic sessions a consistent believability.

The CD's country moments showcase McCarley and her band deep in their element, balancing grace and gravel.  There is a 'grassy abandon to "Never Can Tell", featuring Marty Stuart's mandolin.  "Happy" digs deeper in service of a more personal tale:  Did you every find happy / Can you tell me what it was ... For a while I thought you'd found it with us.  For her country numbers, McCarley comes across with the gravity of Mary Gauthier.  MECO closes with a honky-tonk offering in "Farewell Paradise".  Pedal steel couples with Vaughan's electric guitars for a classic country dialog.

My digital desk plays host to such a wide range of music every week, most of which will never land on an R&B playlist.  Artists who aren't yet on my radar need to make a case for themselves, or risk being relegated to the "alright" or the "pretty good" bucket.  MECO dwelt on the edge of my attention for a couple weeks before I committed to a full listen, lured primarily by the famous names that graced the record's liner notes.  I was won over by the interplay between Kenny Vaughan's strings and Amy McCarley's original voice.  As a writer and singer, McCarley's new collection lifts her above the fray.  Every reasonably competent roots programmer is giving airtime to those other artists.  Amy McCarley is what gives Routes & Branches our edge.

- Leo Bud Welch, "Don't Let the Devil Ride" Angels in Heaven Done Sign My Name  (Easy Eye, Mar 8)
- Jimbo Mathus, "Skateland Baby" Knockdown South  (Knockdown South, 05)
- Leyla McCalla, "Ain't No Use" Capitalist Blues  (McCalla, 19)
^ Amy McCarley, "A Clue" MECO  (MECO, 19)  D
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings"  single  (Acony, 19)  D
- Ryan Bingham, "Got Damn Blues" American Love Song  (Axster Bingham, 19)
- Will Kimbrough, "Hey Trouble" I Like It Down Here  (Daphne, Apr 19)  D
- Lonesome Shack, "Too Bad" Desert Dreams  (Alive Naturalsound, Mar 1)
- Emily Scott Robinson, "Borrowed Rooms and Old Wood Floors" Traveling Mercies  (Tone Tree, Feb 22)  D
- JS Ondara, "Days of Insanity" Tales of America  (Verve, 19)
- Jason Ringenberg, "John Muir Stood Here" Stand Tall  (Ringenberg, 19)
- Caroline Spence, "Sit Here and Love Me" Mint Condition  (Rounder, May 3)
- Damien Jurado, "South" In the Shape of a Storm  (Mama Bird, Apr 12)  D
- I Can Lick Any SOB in the House, "Walk Across Texas" Creepy Little Noises  (In Music We Trust, 02)
- Steve Gunn, "New Familiar" Unseen in Between  (Matador, 19)
- Yawpers, "Child of Mercy" Human Question  (Bloodshot, Apr 19)  D
- Bohannons, "Girl in Chicago" Bloodroot  (Cornelius Chapel, Apr 5)  D
- T Model Ford, "Morning Gown" Root Damage  (Sympathy for the Record Industry, 11)
- Son Volt, "The 99" Union  (Transmit Sound, Mar 29)
- Charles Wesley Godwin, "(Windmill) Keep on Turning" Seneca  (CWG, 19)
- Lucy Rose, "Solo(w)" No Words Left  (Arts & Crafts, Mar 22)  D
- AA Bondy, "Images of Love" Enderness  (Fat Possum, May 10)  D
- Tyler Ramsey, "Dream of Home" For the Morning  (Fantasy, Apr 5)  D
- Jenny Lewis, "Heads Gonna Roll" On the Line  (Warner, Mar 22)  D
- Cactus Blossoms, "Got a Lotta Love" Easy Way  (Walkie Talkie, Mar 1)
- Pokey LaFarge, "Cairo, Illinois" Something in the Water  (Concord, 15)
- Long Ryders, "California State Line" Psychedelic Country Soul  (Prima, 19)
- Hayes Carll, "Beautiful Thing" What it Is  (Dualtone, 19)
- Over the Rhine, "Los Lunas" Love & Revelation  (Great Speckled Dog, Mar 15)
- William Elliott Whitmore, "Lord Only Knows" Hymns for the Hopeless  (Southern, 03)

New stuff hit those imaginary record store shelves this week from Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll.  We reviewed Charles Wesley Godwin here a couple weeks ago, and we celebrate the long awaited return of Long Ryders.  JS Ondara has appeared on our playlists several times since late last year, and his debut project is finally here.  Also available in full are Robert Ellis, Boo Ray, Rosie Flores and more (you'll find them all to your right at A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster).

Lots of stuff added to our Release Calendar this week, including promising projects from the Yawpers on Bloodshot and the Bohannons on Cornelius Chapel.  After an absence that seemed to stretch for decades, AA Bondy is back with a May Enderness.  Other notable additions include Tyler Ramsey, Jimbo Mathus and Will Kimbrough.  Plus, it looks like Damien Jurado's next collection will be presented on Mama Bird.

Among next week's generous outpouring of records, we'll have full records from Matthew Logan Vasquez and Vandoliers.  Keep an eye open for the Easy Eye debut from Yola, and don't miss the re-release of Ray Charles seminal Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.  We'll have new Susto next week, along with Our Native Daughters, featuring the banjo wizardry of Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla and Allison Russell.

Here's this week's ROUTES-cast:



remember that you can always enjoy our five most recent ROUTES-casts on our Spotify page