Mike Elliott

Bruce Springsteen “Western Stars” (Columbia, 2019)

The lone traveler sticks out his thumb and his journey begins. Across the country he hitch-hikes, catching rides from family men, truck drivers, muscle car owners and the like, listening to their stories and situations as he moves from town to town. So begins ‘Western Stars,’ the most densely cinematic Bruce Springsteen album since ‘The Rising.’ Continue reading “Bruce Springsteen “Western Stars” (Columbia, 2019)”

Owen-Glass “The Rope & The Rabbit” (August Eckler Media, 2019)

One of the best albums of the first half of 2019, Owen-Glass’s ‘The Rope & The Rabbit’ keeps on giving; each song is better than the last. Delicious, hushed harmonies hover above folk-pop arrangements that stay consistent in mood throughout. The result is a mesmerizing, hazy mix of lazy, jazzy-funk dreamscapes filtered through an East Texas awareness of gospel, blues, country, and soul. Imagine members of the War on Drugs jamming with Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd on some 13^th Floor Elevators deep tracks. Continue reading “Owen-Glass “The Rope & The Rabbit” (August Eckler Media, 2019)”

True Strays “Homeward Bound” EP (Fieldview Records, 2019)

There’s no doubt True Strays can rock out. The drums pound. The cymbals crash. The guitars crunch and slide and the bass bellows below it all. Their latest EP, ‘Homeward Bound’ kicks off with the hard rock stomp of ‘Homesick Blues,’ characterized in the press materials as a song for “the wandering, zero hours contract, minimum wage wayfarer with no home to call their own.” Continue reading “True Strays “Homeward Bound” EP (Fieldview Records, 2019)”

Roswell “Remedy” (Independent, 2019)

Jasmine Watkiss and Zoe Wren are Roswell, a folk duo whose voices combine to create a seamless flow of rich, harmonic beauty. Their debut EP, ‘Remedy,’ highlights those harmonies, sounding as telepathic as siblings who actually get along. As intricate and seamless as their voices are together, it’s even more astonishing to realize they’ve only been at this since early 2018, when Wren, a self-described “London Underground Busker” teamed up with Watkiss and started getting booked at various festivals, eventually winning the 2018 Purbeck Rising Award from the Purbeck Valley Folk Fest. Continue reading “Roswell “Remedy” (Independent, 2019)”

AmericanA to Z – New Grass Revival

If Americana is an umbrella term for all roots-based American music – bluegrass, blues, country, folk, jazz, rock, and soul (which is how I define it, anyway) – then you’d be hard-pressed to find another group more worthy of the Americana label than New Grass Revival. Continue reading “AmericanA to Z – New Grass Revival”

The Maureens “Something in the Air” (Meritorio Records, 2019)

The Maureens’ third album, ‘Something in the Air,’ sharpens this four-piece from Utrecht, the Netherlands’ obsession with jangle-pop to a fine sepia-toned point. Guitars ring, vocals tightly meld, choruses stick to the ears like aural confections. The vocal harmonies of guitarist Hendrik-Jan de Wolff and bassist Wouter Zijlstra evoke both the seamless sibling connection of the Everly Brothers as well as the more playful stylings of the Turtles’ Howard Kaylan-Mark Volman variety. Continue reading “The Maureens “Something in the Air” (Meritorio Records, 2019)”

Boo Ray “Tennessee Alabama Fireworks” (Soundly Music, 2019)

There’s a wide billboard on the side of interstate 24 headed westbound pointing the way to Tennessee Alabama Fireworks in Marion County, TN. That’s a thing in the southeastern United States: big fireworks’ stands, truck stops, motor inns, convenience stores, gift shops – practically little towns – resting on or near the borders between states. (The one on I-95 at the North and South Carolina border is famously known as “South of the Border” and displays a giant sombrero-wearing mascot named “Pedro,” with billboards along the way that read “Pedro says ‘chili today, hot tamale!’” But I digress…) Continue reading “Boo Ray “Tennessee Alabama Fireworks” (Soundly Music, 2019)”

Katie O’Malley “Never Be The Same” (Independent, 2019)

With a steady clock-like tempo provided by a snare rim and shaker, we enter the world of Katie O’Malley. The song is ‘Heart of Gold,’ and it’s fueled by subtle acoustic strumming, dirty slide guitar, bass, understated keys, and O’Malley’s tender yet pained delivery. She’s had enough of men using her to their advantage. She may have been born with a heart of gold, but it seems to have now lost its luster. The track slowly, quietly builds to a boiling point only to simmer down again before quietly retreating back into the shadows. It’s quite an opener. Continue reading “Katie O’Malley “Never Be The Same” (Independent, 2019)”

Joe Blanton “Good, Bad, Right or Wrong” (Underground Treehouse, 2018)

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds these days as we find new ways to compartmentalize and format music. Rock and country seem to be endlessly hyphenated. Sometimes we need to stop the chin scratching, step out of the woods, and crank up the amps. Thankfully, Joe Blanton seems to do just that with his first solo effort, ‘Good, Bad, Right or Wrong.’ Continue reading “Joe Blanton “Good, Bad, Right or Wrong” (Underground Treehouse, 2018)”

Danny Burns “Low Country” (Bonfire, 2019)

The first sound your ears catch upon hearing ‘Low Country,’ the debut from Irish folk singer Danny Burns, is the unmistakable dobro of Jerry Douglas. Soon after, the legendary Sam Bush’s fiddle and mandolin envelop the opening track, ‘Let it Go’ (not the Disney ditty). Lyrically, you’re transported to New Orleans in a sort of newgrass version of ‘Life in the Fast Lane’ – the same amount of cocaine, but without the Joe Walsh. Continue reading “Danny Burns “Low Country” (Bonfire, 2019)”