Our latest Short Cuts, a monthly feature where AUK casts a brief eye and ear on several albums we’ve received recently, which just didn’t make the cut for a full review. Like most major music websites, we can’t mention every album we get sent, but we reckon the picks below deserve a nod. Click on the links to hear a song.
We’ve got some tasty shortcuts for you this month, starting with Tim Turophile, the son of a cattle rancher’s daughter and a Baptist preacher, with his album “One More Last Chance“, a collection of songs from rural Central Texas that tell the stories that shaped Turophile’s life. With influences including James McMurtry, The Band and Jason Isbell, there’s plenty here to keep fans of americana interested. Check out Turophile’s tribute to one of his musical heroes here with lyrics that start with “I don’t wanna be rich, I wanna be Levon Helm“. It’s good stuff, well worth a listen.
Next up on the old radiogram is Reid Andrés, who describes himself as a storyteller in song. He is an independent artist based in New Jersey, but originally hailing from Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Starting his musical journey as a percussionist, Andrés (also known as RC Andrés) was a sought-after musician. However, when he transitioned to playing guitar, writing his own songs, and singing them, his career took off. Andrés’ songs mix earthy folk, soulful world rhythms, and country noir. The record, entitled “In Good Company“, his second album (his debut was 2019’s “Distilled“), is a varied slice of americana and a really good listen. There’s a debate to be had as to whether a cover version which sticks faithfully to the original is really worthwhile, well, Andrés does a very different and rather excellent cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 classic ‘Bad Moon Rising‘ on the LP. Listen to it here.
Murray Attaway is the former lead singer and rhythm guitarist in the 1980s Georgia-based rock band Guadalcanal Diary, members of the Athens, Georgia music scene at the time, alongside luminaries such as R.E.M. and the B-52s. “Tense Music Plays” is Attaway’s first solo release since 1993’s “In Thrall“, an album which boasted a list of big-name musicians in its credits, such as Benmont Tench, Pat Mastelotto, Steve Nieve, Jim Keltner, Aimee Mann and Jackson Browne. So, why the long wait for the sophomore album? As Attaway himself puts it, “I kept meaning to do another record, but I’m easily distracted. It took me a while to focus“. The LP features newly written songs alongside older, previously unreleased songs, which have been reworked for this release. Have a listen to ‘Breath’, the opening track from “Tense Music Plays“.
Then we have Grundhoefer & Brimer with “All Hat and No Cattle”. Described as a genre-blurring guitar duo, Atlanta, Georgia-based Mark Grundhoefer and Tampa, Florida-based David Brimer are known for their intricate jazz fusion, blending technical precision with expressive storytelling; they are seriously good guitar players. Either together, or in various other projects, the pair appear to have busy professional lives; for example Grundhoefer also plays guitar in 1989: The Songs of Taylor Swift, a Swift tribute band based in Woodstock, Georgia; Dog Mullet, a guitar driven classic rock tribute band and rock band Greg Drews and The Truth. “All Hat and No Cattle” (an idiom describing someone who is all talk or, as in the UK colloquialism, ‘all mouth and no trousers‘) sees the duo swing into the country music space with an instrumental honky-tonk record. See what you think of the track ‘Strawberry Peach‘.
Multi-talented Tawny Ellis is singer, songwriter, musician, sculptor, actress and producer. Presenting her sixth full-length release, “Edge of the World“, Ellis returns after a break of five years since her previous album, 2020’s “Love Life“. Outside of music, her work as a sculptor, working in bronze, wire, and cement, has seen her art displayed in galleries around the world. “Edge of the World” features a guest appearance by famed musician and producer (and Ellis’ neighbour in Los Angeles) Daniel Lanois, playing steel and piano on the title track. The album has an americana pop feel to it. Here is ‘Sweet Georgia‘, one of the singles released prior to the album.
Comprising Sol Chase (mandolin, bouzouki, vocals), Everett Wren (vocals, fiddle, dobro, lap steel, guitar, percussion), David Rabinowicz (vocals, guitar, piano) and Taylor Turner (upright and electric bass), bluegrass foursome, Big Love Car Wash is named after a comment once made by late Yonder Mountain String Band frontman Jeff Austin, who stated that the vibe he received from an audience felt like moving through “a big love car wash”. “Daydream” is Big Love Car Wash’s debut long-player; the band produced the record themselves and describe the album as a set of bluegrass, folk, jazz, Celtic, and rock-influenced, bluegrass-steeped americana, rooted in tradition, yet boldly exploratory. Listen to ‘If Everything Were Free‘.
Nathalie Archangel has had a long and varied career as a songwriter, singer and band member with Nineteen Hand Horse. Archangel has now recorded an album of covers of Patsy Cline songs, and she’s then given the record a great title, “Patsy on the Porch“. Cline songs featured include ‘Crazy‘, ‘Walking After Midnight‘, ‘She’s Got You‘, ‘I Fall to Pieces‘ and ‘Sweet Dreams‘. The earlier statement about cover versions is applicable here too; these ‘reimagined’ versions are very different to Cline’s. Check out ‘I Fall to Pieces‘.
A really interesting release is “Half an Hour From Wherever“, the debut LP from purveyors of Gulf Coast country-adjacent music, the Slash Pine Drifters. This self-released album features seven original tracks and two covers (Texan singer-songwriter Richard Dobson’s ‘Forever, For Always, For Certain‘, and Uncle Tupelo’s ‘Sauget Wind‘). The band is made up of long-time collaborators, Dusty James and Tim Duffie; on the record, the duo are accompanied by some outstanding session musicians, including Texas pedal steel legend Lloyd Maines (father of The Chicks’ Natalie Maines). Check out the excellent ‘Low in a Room of Laughter‘.
Storytelling singer-songwriter and guitarist Alison Tucker was recently awarded a grant from Wavemakers: Women in Music, an organisation in Austin, Texas, that aims to create opportunities for females aged 40+ in the music industry; the award was in recognition of Tucker’s songwriting ability as well as the authenticity of her character. The grant helped Tucker to launch her debut LP, “Where You Used To Be“, which features an eclectic collection of songs that are rooted in lived-in experiences and layered emotion. Tucker has a rich, soulful voice, oozing with power. Here’s standout cut, ‘When You Close Your Eyes’.
