Tommy Shaw - The Great Divide

Tommy Shaw – The Great Divide
2011, Pazzo Music/Fontana

Tommy Shaw is something of a rock n roll icon.   As one of the principal songwriters and vocalists for rock group Styx since 1976, Shaw (and the band) has cut a career path worthy of inclusion in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame.  Shaw has spent his share of time on other projects over the years, cutting four solo albums, two albums with Damn Yankees (Ted Nugent, Jack Blades) and three as part of Shaw/Blades.  Shaw has also appeared on a number of tributes and collections over time.  With a tenor voice that’s instantly recognizable, it’s no surprise that some Shaw’s songs (“Fooling Yourself”, “Renegade”, “Too Much Time On My Hands”, and “High Enough”) continue to be staples on classic rock radio.  Shaw’s latest album takes him down a new road.  Working with some of the finest bluegrass session players around, and with guest appearances by Dwight Yoakam, Alison Krauss and Brad Davis, Shaw’s The Great Divide is an absolute delight.

The Great Divide opens with “The Next Right Thing”, a wonderful blend of pop/rock songwriting and bluegrass style.  You could easily hear this tune appearing on a Shaw/Blades album or even as a rock number by Styx, but the bluegrass sound seems to fit perfectly.  The picking here is incredible; the backing band the real deal.  Yoakam sits in on backing vocals, adding his sound to a complex arrangement full of movement and zest.  Shaw is in fine voice here.  “Back In Your Kitchen” explores love as expressed through the culinary art.  Shaw’s songwriting is sharp and full of good humor, with a light feel that’s sweet and enjoyable.  The instrumentation here is deliriously good, and the vocal line is flawless.  “Sawmill” almost sounds like it could be Shaw playing with Union Station, matching the latter stylistically in a catchy, old-school country sound.

“The Great Divide” is sweet and melancholy; full of great hope and love.  Shaw manages to capture a bit of the high lonesome sound here at times in a ballad with a modern feel.  Alison Krauss adds her sweet voice on backing vocals.  “Shadows In The Moonlight” is a hauntingly tragic love story told in song.  Shaw manages an exquisite arrangement full of dark beauty.  “Get On The One” is a high energy turn about grabbing onto your dream and following it to fruition.  This is a theme that Shaw has revisited throughout the years in his songwriting, but remains fresh in an allegory of trains and contemporary bluegrass styling.  “Umpteen Miles” finds Shaw trying to sound like an Appalachian back-porch singer on the first verse.  It works to a degree, but the sound is much better when he graduates to his higher range for the chorus.  The story-song is brilliantly written and told; however, exploring the life of someone irrevocably tied to the land he grew up on. 

“Cavalry” is a sweet little love song built around traditional instrumentation and a wonderfully fresh pop sensibility.  “Afraid To Love” is pure Tommy Shaw; a pure pop ballad with bluegrass instrumentation.  “Give ‘Em Hell Harry” is a talk/sing number about Harry Truman’s musical career and how he stumbled into the presidency, suddenly communing with the likes of Stalin and Churchill.  It’s an entertaining turn; a nice change of pace.  Shaw closes out with “I’ll Be Comin’ Home”, an Americana/rock number done up in bluegrass instrumentation.  This is great songwriting, pure and simple, and Shaw’s iconic voice has never been better.  It’s the perfect close to a near-perfect album.

Tommy Shaw takes a surprising and pleasing turn with The Great Divide.  While it’s not at all surprising for a rock artist to suddenly turn to more traditional musical styles as their career progresses, it’s unusual to make the transition so well.  The Great Divide deftly blends traditional bluegrass sound and modern songwriting to create what should turn out to be one of the best bluegrass albums of 2011.  Don’t be entirely surprised if Shaw gets serious consideration for at least a GRAMMY nomination this time around.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Tommy Shaw and The Great Divide at www.thegreatdividemusic.com.  The Great Divide is available from Amazon.com on CD, Vinyl and as a Download.  The album is also available from iTunes.

Sierra Hull - Daybreak

Sierra Hull – Daybreak
2011, Rounder Records

To say that 19-year old singer/songwriter/mandolin player Sierra Hull is a phenom might be an underestimation.  Today she releases her third full-length album, Daybreak, to the sort of breathless anticipation that marks the release of a superstar.  Hull’s star has certainly risen quickly in the world of traditional country and bluegrass music, where she has already made fans of Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss.  Hull has been nominated for five IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) awards in the past three years, and is also a recipient of Berklee College of Music’s Presidential Scholarship.

The first time you hear Sierra Hull sing you’re going to do a double take.  At first blush you’ll be certain you’re hearing a new Alison Krauss song you didn’t know existed.  Sonically and stylistically there are distinct similarities, but Hull distinguishes herself as a songwriter and by her instrument of choice, the mandolin.  The songs on Daybreak vary from pop/country to traditional bluegrass, but all shine with an effervescence that emanates from inside Hull herself.  “Easy Come, Easy Go” is a declaration of sorts; of arrival in adulthood and of a setting aside the pain of the past.  Hull’s voice is breathtaking, and her work on the mandolin is intricate, clean and full of heart.  This is an amazing tune with real commercial legs; a great way to start off an album.  “Don’t Pick Me Up” is built on a classic bluegrass sound.  Hull will remind listeners a bit of a young Dolly Parton here.  Hull’s band stands out here as well, building a tapestry around her that’s both a perfect fit and a perfect foil to Hull’s sweet voice. 

“All Because Of You” is full of a quiet heartbreak.  Hull’s voice is exquisite as always, and the mandolin and violin trade sparks, but the vocal harmonies are off the charts good and steal the show.  “Bombshell” is a thrilling number that shows Hull and her violinist, Christian Ward, at their instrumental best.   You could take Sierra Hull and her song “Best Buy” and drop her on the Grand Ol’ Opry Stage at any point in its history and she’d be right at home.  Hull’s voice is quite simply perfect in this setting; easy, light and beautiful.  “Best Buy” is a kiss off song, but is sung with such genuine sweetness that it’s a pleasant musical surprise. 

“I’ll Always Be Waiting For You” is an old time country ballad where Hull’s voice, the vocal harmonies and the instrumentation all work together to achieve new heights of sonic beauty.  Hull gets a bit of gospel in her soul on “The Land Of The Living”, a pretty and sweet number with a bit of Memphis in its roots that fits in nicely here.  “What Do You Say?” is an energetic love song; an invitation to take or leave love how you find it.  This is one of the seven originals on Daybreak, and shows that Hull has some real chops as a songwriter as well.  Hull’s voice is as sweet as ever, and the mixture of banjo, mandolin and violin here is explosive.  “Tell Me Tomorrow” is a song of hope and impending heartbreak; of putting off the pain until another day in the hope that something will change.  The song is a dichotomy of sweet naiveté and sad knowledge that is compelling, sweet and sorrowful all at once. 

“Daybreak” has future hit written all over it.  Delivered here in an all-acoustic arrangement, it is a classic country/pop ballad that could easily take over the airwaves as it is.  Sorrowful and full of heart, Hull has a winner on her hands here.  “Chasin’ Skies” is another brilliant instrumental turn that’s high energy and fun.  You won’t be able to keep your feet from tapping.  Hull closes with the wistful and sweet “Wouldn’t Matter To Me”.  The character Hull embodies here doesn’t mean a word of what she’s saying; it’s quite obvious that it matters to her a lot, but Hull is a breath of fresh air.  Rather than trade on the sort of vitriol and anger that seem to drive a lot of today’s pop/country kiss-off songs, Hull works with real emotion in her songs.  “Wouldn’t Matter To Me” is no exception.  The end result is another tune that could take Hull to the top of the country and bluegrass charts, with the distinct possibility of crossover success to follow.

Sierra Hull combines the poetic grace of a seasoned songwriter with the emotional depth and vigor of youth on Daybreak, creating a dynamic in her songs that’s compellingly honest and real.  Hull has a backup band that could sit in on any stage anywhere and be welcome, but its Hull’s sweetness and light; and that voice, that make Daybreak an album you’ll want to revisit again and again.  Her voice is angelic, and her mandolin playing is full of a fire and technical brilliance that calls to mind Rhonda Vincent.  Hull shows that she can play equally well on the fields of bluegrass, country and pop, and leads the vanguard of young artists who can play the pop game but show a deeper understanding of the roots of American music than has been seen in some time.  Don’t be surprised if Hull is still a force in the music world 40 or 50 years from now.  Daybreak is exquisite, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.  Don’t be surprised when Daybreak shows up on a host of year-end best-of lists.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Sierra Hull at http://www.sierrahull.com/ or www.myspace.com/sierrahullmusic.  Daybreak is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally through iTunes.

Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez - The New Bye & Bye

Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez - The New Bye & Bye

2010, Train Wreck Records

It was a fated meeting at SXSW in 2002 that brought Carrie Rodriguez and Chip Taylor together.  From 2003 through 2005 the duo put out three critically acclaimed albums on Taylor's Train Wreck Records and toured the world together.  In that time Rodriguez blossomed as a singer and solo performer, and Chip Taylor found his passion for songwriting and recording reborn.  In 2006 the duo parted ways to pursue their own interests, with Rodriguez going on to become a successful recording artist in her own right and Taylor reclaiming his mantle as a legend-in-waiting of Americana music.  On October 12, 2010, Train Wreck Records will release The New Bye & Bye - The Best of The Train Wreck Records 2002 - 2007, featuring 13 tracks from past releases and four new songs.

The New Bye & Bye really isn't an album you analyze but one you let wash over you.  Taylor & Rodriguez don't so much tell stories as create moments for the listener to experience, the sort that usually might only be found on a back porch on a Texas summer night (with gracious nods to Appalachian folk).  Highlights include "Your Name Is On My Lips", a mournful love song with a sense that the narrator has been here many times before.  The song is full of sorrow without a sense of being overdone.  Rodriguez chips in on vocals but it's here violin in the break that highlights the sorrow as if interpreting the heart of it all.  "The New Bye & Bye" is a fight in song, with Rodriguez spitting fire while Taylor plays the placating miscreant in an old-school country musical play.  "Don't Speak In English" is the utter highlight of the disc; a tune about breaking out of the ordinary where such is made unimaginable by life circumstance.  The mix of toughness and vulnerability here is stunning, and Taylor and Rodriguez both run with it.  "All The Rain" is a rambunctious turn, the best instrumental work on the album and a highly danceable number you won't soon get out of your noggin.

The New Bye & Bye features two live versions of Taylor classics.  "Angel Of The Morning" is done in the same vocal split employed throughout the album, with Taylor slightly in the lead.  While this may be appropriate considering Taylor wrote the song, Carrie Rodriguez lights up the stage in the moments when she's alone at the mic.  This would have been one time to allow here to have the whole stage.  "Wild Thing" is offered up here in a low-key version that paints the song in a very brush than the version made famous by The Troggs.  Taylor sings it like a love song sung by someone whose been beaten around by life.  The context illuminates aspects of the song you might not have before considered.  The two live tracks are performed by an all-star band that includes Taylor, Rodriguez, pedal steel master Greg Leisz (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Joni Mitchell), Bill Frisell and Buddy Miller.  The album closes with a reprise of "The New Bye & Bye", an apt closer.

If your taste in music runs to the roots of country, rock and folk as played on back porches across post-frontier frontier then you need to be listening to Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez.  The New Bye & Bye is a great place to start, offering the best work of their years together and some nice new surprises.  Taylor and Rodriguez are very capable of making magic on their own.  Together they combine those collective talents with the sort of chemistry you can't buy or force.  The New Bye & Bye is essential listening.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez at http://www.chiptaylor.com/,  http://www.carrierodriguez.com/ or  Train Wreck Records.  The New Bye & Bye drops on October 12, 2010.  Pre-orders of the CD are available from Train Wreck Records and Amazon.com.  A digital version is available via iTunes.