FolkWorld #44 03/2011

CD & DVD Reviews

DVA "HU"
Indies Scope, 2010

www.2dva.cz

This Czech Republic duo centers the sound on this album on electronica with various folk melodies and worldly beats mingling in and out of the songs. They are more experimental and electronic than Tunng, and almost have modern Incredible String Band type of whimsy present. There are some moodier passages like “tralala” and each song offers something quirky. “Uhuh” had the most straightforward psychedelic folk sound with banjo and melodic vocals. There are more and more practitioners of folk-electronica and Dva seems to do well with this, but in all honestly, this is not an area I can separate the wheat from the chaff. But if I were to guess, I will file this with the wheat.
© David Hintz


Tim Laycock "Sea Strands"
Wildgoose, 2010

www.timlaycock.co.uk

Tim Laycock’s singing, concertina, and melodeon are front and center in this collection of traditional tunes. The album is subtitled “Folk Songs and Tunes from Dorset”. Laycock does write some of the tunes to traditional lyrics and adds various interpretations to a mix of classics and more recent vintage folk tunes. There is some guitar, mandolin and fiddle to help with the songs. The overall sound is balanced and the songs are delivered with conviction, leaving a happy feeling more often than melancholy. There are still some deeper moments as you can’t escape the melancholy with traditional folk songs, can you?
© David Hintz


Rosie Nimmo "Home"
Kick My Heels; 2010

www.rosienimmo.com

Edinburgh’s Rosie Nimmo has a rich, deep voice maybe in the range of Annie Lennox, although the style is bit subtler on this record. The music is sensitive jazz-blues-rock-lounge in style. A few songs are simply nice arrangements to showcase her voice, but a majority of the album has creative songs that don’t easily fit into simple categories. And of course that is a positive thing. The producer, Marc Pilley, deserves some credit for this as he also plays on this record. Between Pilley and Nimmo, they have created a nice album that is simple enough to play in the background, but complex enough to study under the headphones. “Low blue way” is the most interesting song here and the clearest folk song on the album.
© David Hintz


Adam Donen "Immortality"
Songs & Whispers; 2010

www.adamdonen.com

In my world, we can all use more Roy Harpers and Tim Buckleys. Few ever reach these heights, but Adam Donen comes as close to Roy Harper as anyone I have heard in some time. He shares a sense of poetry, and while not as confrontational, he has a strong ringing guitar style that is similar. There is string quartet present throughout, which does remind me of some of the “Stormcock” arrangements. Vocally, Donen has a more longing tone reminiscent of Perry Leopald and Bob Theil, two great lesser-known artists. Aside from brief moments where the poetry gets in the way of lyrical flow, there are not too many wrong moments. The music is deep, reflective and extremely moving. This is one of the finer singer-songwriter albums I have heard recently.
© David Hintz


Slowman & Friends "Hey Jimi"
Own label; 2010

www.slowman.se

There is certainly truth in advertising on this release. This three-piece plays 12 songs from the late Jimi Hendrix songbook or guitarbook perhaps. I came to this with the usual low expectations of this sort of thing and was even less impressed as this album wore on. The vocals sound more like Ronnie Van Zant or J.D. Blackfoot. The guitar is fair, but not biting or exciting. The rhythm section is fair, but the production is clean and lifeless. Stick to Mahogany Rush, Robin Trower and Randy Hansen if you need that Jimi Hendrix fix. Or of course, Jimi playing his own music is easy enough to find.
© David Hintz


Wooldridge Brothers "Days Went Around"
Mediacreature; 2010

www.wooldridgebrothers.com

This one starts a little slowly on first listen with overly earnest vocals atop the usual singer songwriter arrangements. The brothers are two and are assisted by a drummer and some backup vocals. There are some studio musicians and veteran popster Chris Stamey records the proceedings and helps with the production. I was hopeful for more, but after a mediocre start, a little bit of patience with re-listening ultimately offered me some reward. “Does She Love Me Loud” does jump out with strength and conviction and has a winning hook. I also liked the REM style guitar on “Desiree”. Ultimately, I appreciate the songwriting and the pop hooks a little more, although there is just a little bit too much emphasis on the vocals in the mix. I could do with a little less country twang, but that is something that others may enjoy. Tough call, but there is talent enough here to warrant a listen.
© David Hintz


Ivor Game "Then"
Own label; 2010

www.ivorgame.com

Ivor Game keeps it simple on this release. The sound is voice and acoustic guitar for eight original songs. The sound is delicate both in voice and guitar tone, reminding me some of Alasdair Roberts. There is a mix of fine instrumental playing and songs focused on the vocals. The quiet sincere approach is successful here. It is simple, yet refreshing. He has played live in the United States and Europe, but mostly plays in the UK since he lives near London. Clearly, this CD shows he is capable of holding a folk club audience captive to his songs.
© David Hintz


Bruce Brittain "More to Love"
Wisdom River Records; 2010

www.brucebrittain.com

The album is appropriately subtitled Americana, although the loose beginning is clearly the blues. From there it does move into Americana folk songs, but also covers stomping barroom rock’n’roll as well. This is a mature slick album that has positive moments and negative ones. It is just that the positive ones do not stand out much more than the many other songs you can hear in this vein. Still, bonus points for variety and worth a listen if you want to dig deep into Americana.
© David Hintz


Muchachito Bombo Infierno "Idas y Vueltas"
Mambo 13; 2010

www.muchachitobomboinfierno.com

Muchachito began like so many as a busker. Finding success and with determination, he went on to form a few bands, Bombo Infierno being one of them. They return with this latest album of up-tempo Spanish folk-rock-R&B songs. Spanish ska perhaps? If you like energy and rhythm with a Spanish flavor, this album delivers. Spirited vocals, nice brass work and lots of drums and percussion will come pouring out at you in these songs. It has a nice swing to it, as opposed to manic punk energy, so it rates high for anyone looking for dance music. It is pretty hard not to enjoy this one, at least for a quick blast of fun.
© David Hintz


Depot "Diamond Joe"
Own label; 2010

www.myspace.com/depotblues

Article: Irish Folk Festival 2010

This short little blast of an EP features seven blues tunes. I particularly like the varied arrangements of classic sounding blues songs to interesting new modern arrangements such as on the classic Mississippi John Hurt song “Candy Man”. The harmonica playing, from British Blues Harp champion Mat Walklate, is both gutsy and creative. There is a strength to the playing and singing that would work on even simple arrangements. But this is a creative departure from the usual array of blues music I hear. It is clear enough to remain in the blues category, but offers enough twists to attract some marginal fans from the rock or folk world who want to hear more than the usual 12-bar patterns.
© David Hintz


Ivan Drever "Notes from an Island"
Attic Records; 2010

Ivan Drever Band "Every Beat of the Drum"
Nutshell Music; 2010

www.ivandreverband.co.uk

It is not at all surprising that this album strikes a powerful and immediate chord with me. Ivan Drever was with Knowe O’Deil and more famously in Wolfstone. His solo album is classic voice, guitar and accompanying instruments. The first cut, “Remember”, is a great original song with great storytelling throughout. “The Legend of Boray Isle” has a old world folk quality about it, as do most of the songs here. A few drift into nice mainstream pop, which may not work for everyone, but does offer something a little different. The other item of interest is that Drever now lives in Norway which has a fine folk tradition all its own. This record may be contemporary, but it should fit comfortably into a folk collection of Ralph McTell, Nic Jones and Bert Jansch.
If you want a bit more electric guitar than that on Ivan Drever’s solo album, perhaps the Ivan Drever Band is for you. Further, Wolfstone fans will want to pick this up as the electric guitar is played by fellow former Wolfstone member, Andy Murray. This is only a five-song ep, but it is worth a listen. The electric guitar and rock rhythm section give a nice punch to Drever’s songs. Drever still has his signature baritone voice and his acoustic guitar still has a crystalline presence in these songs. “Harbour Lights” is the song where everything comes together in perfect proportions. Hopefully, this band will continue to work together if the results are this good.
© David Hintz


Caedmon "A Chicken to Hug"
Own label; 2011

www.caedmonsreturn.com

It has been over 3 decades, but like Vashti Bunyan a few years back, a classic seventies UK psyche-folk-rock band has come out with a second studio release. I had the pleasure earlier this year of visiting Edinburgh and seeing the band's two reunion shows (their first shows since 1978!). They did a marvelous job with the brilliant songs off of their one record and were also successful mixing in many new songs which they were recording at the time. And now, the results are here. A new Caedmon album with all five original members. The sound is different, but not radically so. In fact, the band have been a bit amused with the various attempts to categorize their music into folk, rock, psychedelic, acid folk, progressive and Christian labels (and the exponential combinations thereof). So now, there is a more mature sound that still contains exquisite and delicate folk starting with the vocals and acoustic instruments mixed with the rock elements of electric guitar and bass. There are some real drums this time as well. But you can also add a few more genres: African folk and light jazz-rock. But no matter how you want to categorize it, the major point is that the songs are eclectic, varied and effectively creative. This album has less jarring moments than the debut and is not quite as mystical, but each song has its own personality and strength. And when I compare it to the post reunion newer songs from some of my other favorites like Vashti Bunyan, the Incredible String Band, Roky Erickson and the Stooges, I find this one is the most successful (along with the Bunyan release perhaps, but much better than the rest). There is enough quality here, that even if you are not already a fan, you would find a lot of great music to enjoy. Try out “Peace in the Fire” for a reminder of their old sound or Childless for a newer approach.
© David Hintz


Rebecca Barclay "Cinnabar"
Raven’s Wing Records; 2010

www.rebeccabarclay.com

With such classics as Twa Corbies, Let No Man Steal your Time, Raggle Taggle Gypsies, The Blacksmith, Lagan Love and many more, you get an immediate picture of what to expect. I will happily listen to these songs in stripped down versions or full arrangements, but it is nice to hear a bit of individual interpretation each time. Rebecca Barley indeed succeeds with nice interpretations that sound a bit different than the many, many versions of these songs already in my collection. The most original elements are in the basic rhythms featuring a slightly pulsating, somewhat African rhythm in many of these songs. Fiddle is prominent along with the usual guitars and bass. Barclay’s voice is strong, clear, but playful as she bends it around the traditional melodies. There are also some nice spacey arrangements such as on “The Grey Cockerel”. They are not quite as cosmic as Fit & Limo or Current 93, but closer to the folkier moments of Pumajaw perhaps. At the end of the day, this is a record I will want to hear again due to the individual skill and vision present.
© David Hintz


Dominic Mancuso "Comfortably Mine"
Dot; 2009

www.dominicmancuso.com

This intriguing record comes from Sicily, an island that I not only have not visited, but a place that has not generated any music for my collection prior to this. Mancuso plays a variety of guitars and sings with extraordinary gusto throughout. There certainly is a traditional feeling throughout, but there many shifts between jazz and folk within the songs. The production is top notch with the guitar notes stinging nicely (no small feat with his oft used nylon strings) and the voice on top of it all. Not hard to achieve there, as Mancuso has the pipes to get his voice above most any kind of noise. Still, the variety of the sounds behind him is nice and more songs work than not.
© David Hintz


Jon Harvison "Still Water"
Unlabelled; 2010

www.jonharvison.com

If you want a dose of contemporary folk with a nod to the traditional UK style, you may want to try this record on for size. There is solid playing and decent enough songs. I found the more personal songs like “One Sky” and “According to Paul” more impressive than his protest songs such as ”North Face of Everest”. There are some familiar songs like “Scarborough Fair” and “Poverty Knock” which come off well. Maggie Boyle plays flute on the lovely title cut, which may be the finest cut on this album. I would not place this in my “must have” category, but in the “worth a listen” category.
© David Hintz


Lennie Gallant "If We had a Fire"
Fontana; 2009

www.lenniegallant.com

This is slick singer-songwriter material from a veteran Canadian singer that goes far too much in the country realm for my taste. There is something self-conscious about the songwriting that failed to crack my veneer. I find myself thinking about the songwriting and the stereotypical performance and not focusing on the song. There is nothing terribly wrong here, just nothing enough to move me aside from the folkier touches in “Tell Me a Ghost Story”.
© David Hintz


Jimmy MacCarthy "Hey-Ho Believe"
Ride on Records; 2010

www.jimmymaccarthy.net

This Irish songwriter was someone I had not heard of prior to this listen. However, his songs have been covered by Mary Black, the Corrs and Christy Moore among others, so I probably have heard his material more than once. I thought this album started rather slowly and settled into a lounge singer songwriter style that sounded good, but did not have a lot of personality. But as I listened, his songwriting skills began to shine through and the style slowly pulled me in. There is a bit of folk, some rock and just solid playing of thoughtful songs. “Switzerland in Snow” had a nice rock bite, while “The Pyramids at Sneem” was far more intricate than the average folk or pop song. A few of the songs were forgettable but more often than not, there were strong lyrics and quality songs that were worth a listen. If there was a bit more bounce in the arrangements, I may have liked this a lot. As it is, I like parts of it a lot.
© David Hintz


Rik Barron "Never so Far"
Odd Sock; 2010

www.rikbarron.com

Rik Barron quite simply plays banjo (and guitar) in the manner of Derroll Adams. And that is not a bad thing at all. He is a rich voice, not quite world weary, but steady and contemplative. The playing is evenly placed and handles many traditional songs and some covers. The best of which is John Hartford’s “Old Time River Man” which is a good theme for this record. If you miss Derroll Adams, you may want to give this a spin, along with your old Adams records of course.
© David Hintz


Bobtown "Bobtown"
Own label; 2010

www.bobtownmusic.com

Three female voices, one male voice, and one male instrumentalist comprise the population of Bobtown. It is a new sprouting village and is on the map somewhere between Blues Valley and the Bluegrass plains of middle America. Although the vocalists add some instrumental help, it is primarily the harmonies that lead these songs. Of the three songs the band recommends to begin with, I wholeheartedly agree with “Take Me Down” and “We Will Bury You” as they show the most interesting vocal work. The rest of the album is decent enough but more common in arrangement terms. But the band is capable of doing some nice original work, so it is worth a visit if your travels take you anywhere near Bobtown’s part of the world.
© David Hintz


Francis D’Octobre "ma bête fragile"
Tacca; 2010

www.francisdoctobre.com

This album comes from the very hot Montreal music scene (take note of Arcade Fire’s “upset” win at the Grammys). However, there does not appear to be much contemporary sounds within, nor any real folk music for that matter. The songs are all in French and they are all lush well-produced pop rock songs. In fact, they are a bit overproduced to my ears. Production is fine, but everything has to align right for me to really connect and did not through much of this album. A couple of songs had a nice earnest striving to reach emotional highs and were easy on the ears. There is some quality here, but I am not sure it will transcend much beyond the artist’s immediate audience. Then again, this could be mainstream enough to succeed at high levels. We shall see.
© David Hintz


Dragon Rose "Revolution, Man"
Own label; 2010

www.dragonrose.net

This shoddy homemade release is “dedicated to our clueless leaders in Washington D.C. and all the career politicians and bureaucrats in locals and state governments….” Well, thank you for the dedication. As a retired Federal worker (bureaucrat) I am moved by your powerful clichés. Thanks also for including your claim that you are not musically talented. Because as a bureaucrat, I could not figure that out by myself by merely listening to this and learning that you were just a dull talentless hack. This one is headed straight for the trash and will be thought of and discussed no more.
© David Hintz


Jesse Brewster "Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall"
Crooked Prairie Records; 2010

www.jessbrew.com

Mr. Brewster describes his style as “Tom Petty and Lynyrd Skynyrd get into a bar room brawl with Neil Young and John Mayer.” There is truth in that but I found it a bit more like Langhorne Slim playing with the Jayhawks rhythm section, covering Drive By Truckers’ songs. These names do take you straight down the Americana Highway, which is exactly where this album is driving. The first song is a fine rocker, but then Brewster slows it down a bit. Not for long, as the scorching “God Fearin’ Man” does pack quite a punch when it hit my ears. It has more ballads and American/folk songs than it does, rockers, but it is ultimately a nice collection of songs. And I always appreciate the spirit when I hear it, and it is present on this record.
© David Hintz


The Delta Flyers "Sixteen Bars"
Soulbilly Records; 2011

www.thedeltaflyers.com

We have more blues, this time from Houston, Texas. The good news is that these ten songs were entirely written by the singer and guitarist of the band. The bad news is that there are so many of the typical blues moves here, they may as well be cover songs. I had to laugh when at least two songs had the same clichéd descending blues pattern that I have heard over and over and over for decades. In fact, after hearing too much of this a few months back, I made a guitarist friend of mine promise he would never write a song with that pattern in it. But aside from all that, the band here is good and I hear enough to know I would enjoy the live set. I just don’t see a whole lot more in this record that anyone hasn’t heard elsewhere as many times as I have.
© David Hintz


Lynwood Slim & the Igor Prado Band "Brazilian Kicks"
Delta Groove, 2010

www.myspace.com/lynwoodslimband
www.myspace.com/igorprado

Blues, blues, and more blues… The twist here is that there is a pairing of Lynwood Slim from California with the Igor Prado Band from Brazil. Slim sings, plays harmonica and some welcome flute. Igor Prado does one turn on vocals and plays guitar throughout, as well as contributing a couple of original songs to this collection of mostly cover songs. There is stand-up bass, drums, sax and piano. So there is a nice combination of blues style here. It swings enough to stand out from the pack, which is key for me. However, the latter songs on the CD fall into expected and timeworn patterns and my mind began wandering considerably. When they turn on the international flavor, the band can cook up a storm and do something a little unique with the blues. “Bill’s Change” is a good example of that.
© David Hintz


6 Day Riot "On this Island"
Tantrum; 2010

www.6dayriot.co.uk

This is an interesting record right from the first notes. It has a Scandinavian pop style, yet the band is from England. The female vocals are delicate and distinct. They do not lapse into overly precocious or cute like I would say of Cocorosie or even Joanna Newsome, and have plenty of character even while singing in a quiet, even naïve manner. They do pull in the listener. The music varies from pop, rock, with some psychedelic folk in the arrangements that vary from steady to sparse. “Out to Sea” has a fine mystical quality to it. “A Woman’s Mind” has a nice driving folk rock arrangement with throbbing rhythms and quietly intense vocal work. This is a fine album that should have great appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Sometimes that means it is difficult in finding an audience, but the quality should be enough to bring people in. Give this one a listen.
© David Hintz


David Myles "Turn Time Off"
Own label; 2010

www.davidmyles.com

This is very straightforward music. It is original pop-rock music that has hints of jazz and blues perhaps, but is quite mainstream. It is all too slick for me, but it certainly presents a clean listening experience. He has opened for Jools Holland in Europe and performs often in his native Canada. “Peace of Mind” had a lovely laconic feeling in the vocals with the music slowly sneaking into the song as it builds in strength. Pair of Shoes is a nice folk song, but again, a bit too clean and pretty for my liking. In olden days, I would be inclined to say this is more AM than FM, for those of us that grew up with radio in the USA. I would guess you would substitute BBC1 for AM in the UK, with one of the lower BBC channels (or Radio Luxembourg?) for FM. But when something like this has a quality mainstream sound, I am sure there is a sizable audience for it somewhere.
© David Hintz


Delaney Gibson “Hurricanes and forget me nots"
Own label; 2009

www.delaneygibson.com

This is one of those records that I call eminently likable. It does not overpower me in any one way, but it does leave me feeling better after listening to it. Gibson writes nice songs, naïve at times, touching at other times and all with real sincerity. The songs are folk-pop with nice arrangements including strings at times. Her vocals are cute with going into cutesy, which can really raise the irritation levels with some listeners (me included). She has enough toughness in her vocals when needed in the manner of some country singers. But there is no country here, just good catchy pop-rock music with some folk and enough hooks to keep it together.
© David Hintz


Mama Rosin "Black Robert"
Gutfeeling, 2009

www.myspace.com/mamarosin

Article: A Quick Dose  of ... Celtic Connections

This rather innocuous looking record began with a fascinating African-styled chant before kicking into some mid-to-up tempo folk rock songs. Drums kept the beat, while guitars, banjo and a nice sounding melodeon drove the melodies forward. The vocals were simple and effective. They have a nice undercurrent of rock music with a loose Americana-blues feeling on top. They remind of the excellent Canadian band, Elliott Brood, at times. I often complain of lack of originality in blues and some folk music I review. This three-piece band from Switzerland shows what you can do with some basic forms of music if you approach it with the idea of trying to stamp some of your own personality and thoughts on to it.
© David Hintz


Mama Rosin "Black Robert"
Gutfeeling, 2009

www.myspace.com/mamarosin

Article: A Quick Dose  of ... Celtic Connections

I saw these guys live in Glasgow, and I was very impressed. Black Robert is their third album - the first was a garage project, the second a homage to traditional Louisianna French music, and this one is mainly Mama Rosin originals and arrangements spanning blues to buckwheat zydeco. Mama Rosin are a Swiss trio: two multi-talented front-men plus a drummer. Robin Girod sings and plays strings: banjo, guitars of various kinds. Cyril Yeterian pumps a big red Cajun melodeon, turns his hand to triangle and guitar, sings too. You can find these guys online at Myspace - I think you'll like them.
Aptly named percussionist Power Van Fischer opens with a thumping African drumbeat behind archive tape of Quinze Jours Passés. Authentic Lousianna voices are also heard on Possessed by Pie, as Queen Ida or some other zydeco diva joins the boys. Creole spice piles up with rousing tracks such as J'Arrive pas à Dormir and Move Your Popo, accordion and tin vest stirring the blood. Elsewhere, the steamy heat of the bayou is expressed in more languid fashion: Valse à Katrina, Tu as Perdu ton Chemin, and the almost comic Par Rapport à tes Parents. The bluesy Cuisines de l'Enfer and a couple of toe-tapping two-steps bring us to a very individual version of Bons Temps Rouler - arguably the longest number on this album - followed by possibly the strangest final track since Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.
Good as Black Robert is, I prefer the live performance to the CD. There are a couple of reasons for this. The live sets are longer - some tracks here seem to end too soon. The Glasgow gig was charged and crackling, a great tribute to Mama Rosin because most of the audience were there to hear Romanian Gypsy music. Also, judging by their recordings so far, Mama Rosin have probably grown in confidence and ability in the two years since Black Robert was released: if I'm right, album number four should be something really special.
© Alex Monaghan


Lucky Bones "Together, We are All Alone"
Own label; 2011

www.luckybonesmusic.com

Right from the beginning, it is easy to sense that we may have an album of high quality. Singer/Guitarist/Songwriter Eamon O’Connor immediately shows an ability to turn a phrase and match a lyric to a melody in a fluid manner. O’Connor varies his songs from rockers to ballads. He shares a similar past to Ed Harcourt, who I interviewed recently, in that they had bad experiences at major labels and are now reenergized as independent artists. It is nice to hear the energy here with quality songwriting. If you can imagine an Irish Bob Dylan/Tom Petty type singer/songwriter, then you have a good idea how this sounds like. Listening to “Summer Nights Eruption”, I can even hear some wonderful Nick Cave style arrangements. This and a few other songs show that this is a full band that works together well. I cannot imagine anyone disliking this record, as it should be more a question of how much they like it. For me, it is one of the better records I have heard in the past month or two.
© David Hintz



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