Esther Rose (from the album Safe to Run available on New West Records) (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Armed with the solid support of acoustic guitar chords, Esther Rose enters her recent release, Safe to Run. The opening cut, “Stay”, shares travel experiences via lyrical visuals of The West, encouraging ‘stay if you want to’ over an instrumental build as beautiful of the land in its story. Esther Rose, a Michigan native, relocated to New Orleans where she got a musical start in the city’s sonic diversity. Fellow NOLA transplant Alynda Segarra (Hurray for the Riff Raff) joins Esther Rose on the Safe to Run title track. Following three years honing her sound in New Orleans, infatuation with traditional Country music began to find its way into her own sound. Esther Rose left New Orleans, relocating to the desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico where the two-year writing process of Safe to Run became real.
 
Her songs traveled alongside life decisions. Ss the inkwell the scripted stories following the same trajectory: from the comfortable to the unknown. Early years song subjects told of self-discovery, the topics fading as she began to dive deeper, Esther Rose feeling the new creations as she was ‘writing from depths never explored, and feeling sometimes like I was losing my mind. A softness unfurled. I’ve moved out of a chaotic transitional place. I’m not running anymore’. Safe to Run showcases her description when a slow shuffle is the foundation for “Arm’s Length” as a trance-inducing dreamscape floats underneath the sharp-strum of a lone guitar, dancing with a fiddle for the “St. Francis Waltz”. Esther Rose is ‘searching for three chords and the truth’ as she shouts ‘let me go’ watching “Spider” spins a web. A confession becomes “Insecure” as Safe to Run takes a west coast trip to offer lyrical judgment for “Dream Girl” and sings a sweet song of disaster for “Chet Baker”. The words of Esther Rose flesh out snapshots of daily life, speaking from the life around her as much as Safe to Run becomes a personal diary when a heartbeat thump grounds the tale in “Levee Song” as Esther Rose weaves an ethereal melody to suit the historical tone in a New Mexico travelogue for “New Magic II”. (by Danny McCloskey)
 
Listen and buy the music of Esther Rose from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Esther Rose website
 

The Bootstrap Boys (from the album Hungry and Sober available on Letter S Records) (by Bryant Liggett)
 
The Bootstrap Boys make Country music ripe for scoring a late 70’s car chase and Saturday nights at the bar movies. Films like Smokey and the Bandit or Every Which Way but Loose had Country Rock heavy soundtracks, music reminiscent of what Michigan band The Bootstrap Boys are doing on Hungry and Sober. It is a record driven like a Rock band, dangerous with an Outlaw Country swagger while also being lyrically frank/funny, and all the way around melodically catchy. This is killer contemporary Country Rock music.
“As a Rule” opens Hungry and Sober in the Cow Punk mood, a cut loaded with Country chug and thick scratchin’, chickin’ pickin guitar. There’s groove underneath “City Livin’” while “You Got That Right” is a two-stepping, head-bobbing Psychedelic romp with raging guitar solos. “Carhartt Cowboy” has fun as Outlaw noir and “Tire Tracks” has a Country bounce while speaking as a country boy conservationist with Jake Stilson singing ‘leave only tire tracks, take only memories’.
“Even Though” is a moves with heart and dancing feet, nodding to a father who was also a bandmate, a cut with that late 70’s Country dance groove. This 2023 release is begging you to set the wayback machine to 1978 to hear where Country was trying out disco rhythms. From the instrumentation, that is top notch in every which way, to the quips like ‘line dancing in a zigzag’ or ‘sometimes an old song can feel too real when it hits you just right’, everything about Hungry and Sober is Country music killer. What Country music once was, what Country music is, what Country music SHOULD be. (by Bryant Liggett)
Listen and buy the music of The Bootstrap Boys from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit The Bootstrap Boys website
 

The Hackles (from the album what a beautiful thing I have made available on Jealous Butcher Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
An Indie supergroup of sorts, The Hackles feature Kati Claborn (vocals/guitar/banjo/clarinet) and Luke Ydstie (vocals/guitar/bass/keys), musicians who claim a prime pedigree courtesy of their work in the band Blind Pilot, and Halli Anderson (vocals/violin), known for her role in both Horse Feathers and River Whyless. As one might expect given those particular credentials, The Hackles draw their sound from the echoes of Folk music circa the early ‘70s, doing so credibly and convincingly

That’s immediately apparent with the opening strains of what a beautiful thing I have made‘s initial entry, “Damn the Word”, a melody that drifts along on the pluck and hum of the fiddle/banjo combo as gentle support for Claborn’s heart-worn vocals. The songs mostly tend to be rather wistful, with delicacy taking precedence over determination as far as the delivery is concerned. “Hum With the Worms” is as elusive as its title might imply, while “James’ Drink” more or less drifts along at an eerily unobtrusive pace.
 
That’s not to say The Hackles aren’t capable of making a more emphatic impression. With their three-part harmonies and ethereal arrangements front and center, several songs radiate with pure hallucinatory cinematic suggestion.  “Birdcage” allows for its own delirious delivery, while “Pictures of Elvis”, its title notwithstanding, is softly seductive and flush with a kind of lofty aural imagery:
 
‘Now I got my hands in my pockets walking back from town
And the rain only jacket is the only sound
And it keeps on coming while the boys pretend
That it’s going to get batter before the end’
 
This, then, is a sound that’s both intimate and assuring, one vested with a quiet mystique that resonates throughout the album as a whole. It’s a sentiment that’s well expressed in the delicate designs of the title track itself and a lyric that suggests, ‘where there’s a need or a will there’s a door open still…’.

Calming yet compelling, what a beautiful thing I have made lives up to its signature statement. Songs such as “Steve” and “First Time for Everything” prove the point, but there’s not a single song here that doesn’t find that bond between fragility and finesse. Credit The Hackles for making an album that’s both moving and majestic. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of The Hackles from AMAZON
For more information, please visit The Hackles website
 

Raveis Kole (from the album In the Moment available on Bop Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Beginning with the whistled refrain of their new album’s opening track, “Sticky and Sweet,” Raveis Kole — specifically, Laurie Raveis and Dennis Kole — show they’re eager to share a delightfully pervasive sound flush with upbeat intents. The couple bask in down-home designs and a playful posture, their carefree serendipity and easy, breezy sentiments taking full focus.
 
‘So nice to see a smile, so nice to hear the birds sing along’ they declare on “So Nice”, an astute example of Pollyanna-like innocence far removed from the divide and dysfunction that are so predominant and pervasive in today’s troubled world. Raveis Kole are out to persuade listeners that there’s no need to be dragged down by problems or pessimism, and that if we can only find the will to reject the negativity, all will be well as a result.
 
Indeed, most of the songs suggest the need to do exactly that. On “Sun Eclipsed by the Moon” they declare ‘I’ve got to hold on by letting go’. Granted, some may find that an overly idealistic endeavor, but given the duo’s genial delivery, that pervasive appeal manages to win out regardless. Likewise, given the giddy vocals and tipsy ukulele accompaniment that inform the songs — the wistful and whimsical “Kismet” in particular — it’s certainly hard to resist their charms.

Then again, who would want to? As its title suggests, In the Moment is not only a timely effort for today, but one that actually encourages all who hear it to enjoy the brief respite. It offers opportunity to put aside everyday cares and concerns and simply relish some innocent indulgence. Cutesy yet compelling, it invites the repressed child in all of us to find new focus and fulfillment. A fanciful fling, In the Moment is all about time that’s well spent.  (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Raveis Kole from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Ravies Kole website
 

Van Morrison (from the album Moving On Skiffle on Virgin Records (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
It's a forgone conclusion that Van Morrison is a bit of a curmudgeon, but that doesn't preclude the fact that he shares a certain sentiment when it comes to his reverence for the roots. His new album offers an obvious indication, courtesy of 23 songs that are all accrued from archival sources. An authentic homage to skiffle, the music he became fascinated with as a youngster and later absorbed courtesy of his earliest endeavors, Moving On Skiffle finds Morrison retracing those early influences with songs that are well representative of that seminal sound.
 
Van Morrison’s forthright fascination with the material is such that he doesn’t necessarily deviate from the original arrangements. Consequently, there’s a certain familiarity factor that transcends any cultural divide. Several songs, in fact, will likely be known even to the most casual enthusiast. “Freight Train”, “Greenback Dollar”, “Mama Don’t allow”, “Gypsy Davy”, “Worried Man Blues”, and “This Loving Light of Mine” all played a prominent role in a seminal songbook common to both Folk and popular traditions, making Morrison’s decision to include them here all but certain to find favor with both archivists and anyone else prone to nostalgia. His band — Dave Keary (guitars), Pete Hurley (bass), Colin Griffin (drums), and Sticky Wicket (washboard) with occasional contributions from Seth Lakeman(fiddle) — serve the songs well, further ensuring a credible connection even as far as contemporary credence is concerned.
 
As far as Morrison himself, suffice it to say he’s never sounded better. There’s a certain sentiment suggested here that overshadows his normal gruff demeanor. He leaves no doubt as to his fondness for the source material without finding any real need to update the originals. The arrangements stay strictly within preset parameters, allowing for instant acceptance, from both all those that will likely favor the song selection and from Van fans themselves.
 
In that regard, Moving On Skiffle is a perfect primer of sorts, one that offers a lesson on the origins of early British rock and the music that would eventually help reshape the course of rock ’n’ roll overall. A comforting collection by any measure, it’s an admirable move on Van Morrison’s part as well.
(By Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Van Morrison from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Van Morrison website
 
 

Robbie Fulks (from the album Bluegrass Vacation available on Compass Records) (by Bryant Liggett)
Robbie Fulks name isn’t a staple of the Bluegrass industry. His music is, however, a fixture in the Folk music business, and he has kicked around enough the genre circles, which included a time in string band Special Consensus, to have those in the tight-knit Bluegrass scene know his name. That’s enough street-cred to have Bluegrass pickers, and fans, turn an ear towards Bluegrass Vacation, Robbie Fulks’s latest release that is festival circuit ripe and ready.
It's a solid Bluegrass release with every expectation and requirement of the gatekeepers intact, from harmonies to hot and heavy instrumentation on full display. Bluegrass Vacation begins on a solid hard drive in the album opener,  “One Glass of Whiskey”. There are ballads in “Molly and the Old Man” and “Nashville Blues”, along with some bouncy, parlor-Blues fun in “Backwater Blues”.
Robbie Fulks has always thrown around some humor in his cuts, and that includes his nod to the hippies digging on the music of Bill Monroe, arguably thanks to Old and In The Way, in “Longhair Bluegrass”, while the “Silverlake Reel” is an instrumental ripper, and that roar continues on “Let the Old Dog In”.
Gritty, fast, fearless, and fun, Bluegrass Vacation is loaded with sick chops while nodding to the Bluegrass old-school traditions built by Bill Monroe, Lester Flatts, and Earl Scruggs alongside Carter and Ralph Stanley. And, like most contemporary Bluegrass records, its stacked with players like Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Jerry Douglas, and Alison Brown, players who never say no when asked to pick.  (by Bryant Liggett)
Listen and buy the music of Robbie Fulks from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Robbie Fulks website
 

Mary Lee Kortes (from the album Will Anybody Know That I Was Here - The Songs of Beulah Rowley available on ) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Mary Lee Kortes may not have a household name — possibly because she double bills herself as Mary Lee’s Corvette — but regardless, those who are familiar with her work can attest to her dedication and devotion to pursuing her muse, where it might lead.
 
Her new album, released under her own name, reflects Mary Lee’s keen interest in the artists that established the template for much of the modern music we know today. Her third album, an exceptional song by song replay of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, was an early example, but more than a decade later Kortes digs even deeper into the archival underbelly of genuine Americana music, sharing the songs of a supposed Dustbowl-era singer named Beulah Rowley. The concept is largely fictional, but the tale is still stirring, given both the music and the storyline that accompanies it. According to the information supplied with the set list, Beulah Rowley died in a house fire with her husband and infant daughter at the age of 21, but her songs survived and would be passed down through the generations until Mary Lee Kortes discovered them at an early age. How much is made up is uncertain, and yet it really doesn’t matter. Kortes faithfully reproduces the sound of early twentieth century Jazz and traditional music with faithfulness and finesse, the telling lyrics complemented by melodies that resonate and reflect its subject through a decided care and compassion.
 
There’s added significance underscoring this effort as well. It was produced by the late and legendary Hal Willner — the producer/composer who sat behind the boards for classic albums by Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams and Allen Ginsberg, among the many — for what would be his final collaboration with an individual artist.
 
The results are, quite simply, spectacular — a series of songs that effectively convey Beulah Rowley’s particular persona with an occasional dialogue interspersed throughout for added insight. And while the melodies are reverent to a degree, the music is also perky and playful as well, with songs such as “Born a Happy Girl”, “Fingernail Moon”, “Greater Good”, and “The Old Pains Bench” ensuring a certain solitary charm and decided distinction with each of these entries. The loping melodies that enliven songs such as “A Rain’s Gonna Come”, “The Young Float Freely By”, and “Well By the Water” mute any sense of foreboding, although there’s clear conviction, even in the delicate drive and delivery. On the other hand, the deep desire, sultry vocals and supple sway imbued in equally illuminating offerings like “The Music Got Me Here” and “Someplace We Can’t See” create their own indelible impression.
 
Needless to say, Mary Lee Kortes answers the question posed by the title quite handily. The personification of her assumed alter-ego is wholly assured and emphatic. (By Lee Zimmerman)
Listen and buy the music of Mary Lee Kortes from BANDCAMP
 
For more information, please visit the Mary Lee Kortes website
 

Cinder Well (from the album Cadence on Cinder Well/Free Dirt Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Much of today’s so-called ‘Nu-Folk’ revolves around the effective application of atmosphere and ambience to equal degrees. Cinder Well makes good use of those essential additives by effectively instilling them in a sound that’s celestial, suggestive, and seductive in every regard. Cadence, her second album, was largely inspired by the separate, yet very distinctive environs she calls home — those being the California coast where she grew up, and the wind-swept vistas of Western Ireland, a place where she relocated and subsequently found an instant attachment. The dreamy desire that permeates each of these nine offerings makes a marked impression, reminding the listener that uncertainty seems to a natural element in life, and that even in isolation, there’s a common bond that binds us all together.
 
The arrangements complement that elusive aura, courtesy of trance-like tones, sobering sentiment, and delicate strings that come courtesy of Cormac MacDiarmada, a member of the celebrated Irish ensemble Lankum. His influence is obvious, and the results are manifest in the billowy and yet expansive approach that illuminates each track, particularly the delicate designs found in “Crow”, “Gone the Holding”, “Overgrown”, and the title track itself. It’s a lovely, if somewhat distant sound, all hushed and haunting circumspect that drifts ever so sensuously with delicacy and desire.

In some ways, Cinder Well reminds one of the late, great Sandy Denny, whose wistful reflections operated on a similar emotional plane. Well’s melodies aren’t quite as emphatic as Denny’s once were, primarily because she opts for a hazier approach that relies more on aural suggestion rather than any real specific stance. Closing track “I Will Close in the Moonlight” is an ideal example; supported by sparse piano, she sings the following:


‘When the gaping wound,
Closes to mend,
And the planes touch down,
I wonder when,
When the haze of mourning is but a memory
And the fields before us, they are evergreen’.

It’s quite poetic, of course, but the ambiguity leaves much to the imagination. Then again, that surreal suggestion is the very essence of the intrigue Cinder Well is apparently so eager to offer.  And it is that desire which makes Cadence so completely captivating.  (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
 
Listen and buy the music of Cinder Well from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Cinder Well website
 

Alice Howe (from the album Circumstance available on Know Howe Music) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
While some may be tempted to label Alice Howe simply another love-torn balladeer, the fact is nothing could be further from the truth. She’s part of a musical continuum that could be traced to other women with similar insight, instincts, and intelligence — Carole King, Bonnie Raitt, Annie Lennox, and so many others that wrote and sang songs that expressed a knowing opinion on life, love and all things that are intertwined and in-between.
 
Consequently, there’s nothing timid or tepid about the music she makes. She’s a sturdy, assured artist that operates from a firm foundation, one that’s informed by credence and conviction. Her new album, Circumstance, makes that clear, living up to its title with songs that cover a vast emotional spectrum. She refuses to allow herself to get caught up in self-pity, remorse or resignation, choosing instead to confront any given situation with clarity and wisdom, which, in turn, results in a set of songs that reflect reason and measured emotion. Howe possesses a clear-eyed perspective, and together with her ringing melodies and insightful observations, she reinforces her reputation as an artist who is consistently knowing and yet nuanced.  She conveys both stoicism and sensibility in equal measure, and as a result, certain truths become clear.
 
Ultimately then, the gentle rapture of “You’ve Been Gone So Long”, the rollicking break-up narrative “Somebody’s New Lover Now”, and the assured, assertive “Let Go”, offer a realistic assessment of relationship woes and the changes in status that occur in their wake. On certain other songs — the reassuring ballad It’s How You Hold Me” and the brassy yet benign “With You by My Side”, Alice Howe regales in comfort and contentment, bringing the good feelings front and center.
 
With an instrumental assist from studio stalwarts Freebo (who doubles on bass and production), guitarists Jeff Fielder and Will McFarlane, drummer Justin Holder, and renowned keyboard players Clayton Ivey and Mark Jordan, Circumstance literally seems to soar. A solid set of songs, it establishes Alice Howe as a multi-faceted performer who freely expresses her instincts and intelligence through both passion and persuasion.  (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Alice Howe from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit the Alice Howe website
 

Stephen Fearing (from the album Vejpoesi, an independent release) (by Lee Zimmerman)
One of Canada’s most erstwhile troubadours, as well as the co-founder of that nation’s supergroup of sorts, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Stephen Fearing takes a slightly different turn with his new album Vejpoesi. A hybrid live album featuring songs recorded live in a remote studio in Denmark and in a concert setting during a solo show in Hamilton Ontario, it nevertheless shows him in fine form.
The former finds him in the company of a Danish trio known as The Sentimentals (MC Hansen on guitar, bassist Nikolaj Wolf, drummer Jason Chano), while the latter has him performing in a venue owned by a friend and collaborator Glen Marshall. The album title itself is the Danish word for ‘road poetry’, a reference to the live nature of the album.

As always, Fearing proves to be a compelling performer in either regard. His solo material finds him in full old mode, sharing introductions that allow him to elaborate on the songs, which in turn, he effectively conveys on the strength of his expressive vocals and the strum of his acoustic guitar. The tracks with The Sentimentals are nuanced and noteworthy as well, and, as evidenced by the gentle, yet compelling nature of a song like “Gold on the River”, conveyed with Fearing’s usual earnest intents.
As a result, Fearing fans will likely find several songs particularly affecting. “Red Lights in the Rain” and “Sunny” are pretty and pervasive, while Fearing’s rendition of “Early Morning Rain”, an obvious nod to fellow Canadian folkie Gordon Lightfoot, hits on all the expected emotional touchstones. The jaunty “The Things We Did” stands out as one of the album’s more upbeat entries.
Overall, the material maintains the essential purity and purpose Stephen Fearing’s purveyed throughout the whole of his career. One can only hope that those who reside on the other side of the border separating the States from their northern compatriots will finally come to offer similar appreciation as well. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Stephen Fearing from his website
 
For more information, please visit the Stephen Fearing website