Buffalo Springfield - Special Care

 #Buffalo Springfield #Stephen Stills #Neil Young #Richie Furay #Jim Messina #folk rock #psychedelic rock #country rock #West coast sound #1960s #pre-CSNY #pre-Poco #pre-Loggins & Messina

After just over two turbulent, creative, and brilliant years, the members of Buffalo Springfield decided to call it quits. Neil Young would release a solo album four months after the group’s demise. Stephen Stills would move on to the successful and enduring Crosby, Stills & Nash. Richie Furay and Jim Messina, who had replaced original bass player Bruce Palmer, would form the country-rock band Poco. Drummer Dewey Martin would form Medicine Ball, retire to become a mechanic, and then form Buffalo Springfield Revisited with bass player Bruce Palmer. Last Time Around was the third and last studio album by the group and was released after they had disbanded. It is unique, creative, diverse, and excellent which is probably an accurate description of their career. It seems as if Neil Young could hardly wait to leave the band. He only contributed two full songs but his talent was such that both are superb. “On The Way Home” contains vocal harmonies with Richie Furay and guitar work by Stephen Stills which are top notch. There is an excellent version of this song on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s live album Four Way Street. “I Am A Child” did not include any other member of the band but is a classic Neil Young composition. He would recycle it for his Live Rust album. Stephen Stills would contribute five tracks which can be considered the album’s foundation. “Four Days Gone” remains one of his strongest compositions. It has a country-rock feel and is another political statement by him. A bluesy rendition appears on Stephen Stills Live. “Pretty Girl Why” contains some nice guitar interplay with Young but it is the co-lead vocal with Furay that pushes it over the top. “Questions” is another country-rock composition with strong lyrics and stellar guitar riffs. “Uno Mundo” features some almost psychedelic guitar playing by Stills. “Special Care” is another track which would appear live throughout his career in various forms but here in it’s original incarnation it is precise and very laid back” Richie Furay’s “Kind Woman” can really be considered the first Poco song. Rusty Young was brought in to play the pedal steel guitar part and meshed so well with Young and Messina that they decided to start their own band. This is a gentle, romantic song that remains among his best. “Merry-Go-Round” would travel in a different direction as a light pop tune. “It’s So Hard To Wait” was co-authored by Neil Young who then abandoned the song and does not appear on it. Furay finished it as a slow ode of lost love. Jim Messina managed to contribute one song before everything fell apart. “Carefree Country Day” is light and competent, and further solidified his relationship with Richie Furay. Last Time Around remains one of the better albums of the late sixties despite the group members being pulled in different directions during the recording process. It has stood the test of time well as a lasting testament to one of the masterful groups in American rock history.  From: https://blogcritics.org/music-review-buffalo-springfield-last-time/

Ian Matthews - Seven Bridges Road

 #Ian Matthews #country rock #folk rock #British folk rock #Americana #singer-songwriter #1970s

A vital figure in the history of British folk, Ian Matthews was a founding member of the pioneering U.K. folk-rock band Fairport Convention before he went on to found his own group, Matthews' Southern Comfort, and later moved on to a solo career. Matthews possesses a warm and expressive tenor voice and a talent for songwriting. While he drew from British folk traditions in his work, his greatest inspiration came from American country, folk, and roots music, and he blended their timeless themes with a hippie-fied pastoral feel that was warm and sweet or sorrowful, depending on the song. Though he would dabble in soft rock, power pop, and synth pop in the late '70s and early '80s, he always returned to the sun-dappled sound of the country-folk hybrid that was his trademark.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ian-matthews-mn0000768231/biography

"Seven Bridges Road" is a song written by American musician Steve Young, recorded in 1969 for his Rock Salt & Nails album. It has since been covered by many artists, the best-known version being a five-part harmony arrangement by English musician Ian Matthews in 1973, later recorded by the American rock band the Eagles in 1980. "Seven Bridges Road" is an ode to Woodley Road (County Road 39, Montgomery County, Alabama), a rural two-lane road which runs south off East Fairview Avenue - the southern boundary of the Cloverdale neighborhood of Montgomery, Alabama - at Cloverdale Road, and which features seven bridges: three pairs of bridges, and the seventh approximately 1 mile south by itself. The song's composer Steve Young, stated that and his friends "used to go out to Woodley Road carousing around.” “I wound up writing this song that I never dreamed anybody would even relate to, or understand, or get. And I still don't understand why it was so successful, actually.” "I don't know exactly what the song means. Consciously, I just wrote a song about a girl and a road in south Alabama. But I think on another level the song has something kind of cosmic that registers in the subconscious: the number seven has all of these religious and mystical connotations”.  From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Bridges_Road

Lone Justice - Sweet, Sweet Baby

 #Lone Justice #Maria McKee #cowpunk #country rock #roots rock #Americana #rockabilly #alt-country #1980s

If there ever was a band that broke up way way way too soon, it would be Lone Justice. The band’s blend of rock meets country, that was often referred to as cowpunk, defined one of the most original sounds of the 1980s. At the heart of the band lay a golden voiced singer that performed with the spirit of Bruce Springsteen meets Janis Joplin meets Dolly Parton. But beyond her thrilling vocals bled the heart of a substantial songwriter who would eventually leave the band for a very successful and critically renowned solo career. It was sad that the band broke up, yet in retrospect, the band actually broke up twice. After the band’s initial record release entitled Lone Justice in 1985, all members of the band left the group with the exception of Maria McKee. Their sophomore debut in 1986 entitled Shelter consisted of an entirely new band and was produced by Steven Van Zandt. Yet the spirit of Lone Justice could still be heard throughout the recording.  The reason is simple; Maria Mckee. After the release of the Shelter album, the band was disbanded once again. The legend of Lone Justice came to a quick end. Geffen records would release a Live at the BBC Radio Concert in 1993, and a greatest hits package with unreleased bonus tracks in 1998. In 2014, Lone Justice fans were presented with a CD of demos entitled This Is Lone Justice: The Vaught Tapes 1983. There are bands in rock history that make their mark based on just one song or album. Lone Justice was one of those great bands that turned heads the second they hit the concert stage. And like we said before, that power resonated from the heart, soul, and spirit of their phenomenal lead singer Maria Mckee.  From: https://www.classicrockhistory.com/11-best-lone-justice-songs/

Robin & Linda Williams (1975) - Side 1 (vinyl rip)

 #Robin & Linda Williams #folk #Americana #traditional #country #contemporary folk #alt-country #acoustic #bluegrass

In a musical career spanning more than four decades, iconic American musicians Robin and Linda Williams have made it their mission to perform the music that they love—a robust blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time, and acoustic country that combines wryly observant lyrics with a wide-ranging melodicism.Robin and Linda met and fell for each other in 1971 on a visit to Myrtle Beach, SC, while Linda was teaching school and Robin was a full-time musician on a national coffeehouse circuit. It wasn’t long before they discovered additional magic when they combined their voices in harmony. Their career took off initially in the Minneapolis folk scene, where Robin had made many friends and connections as a solo artist. They recorded their first album there in 1975 and the following year made their first appearance on a new public radio show—A Prairie Home Companion. They have continued their rich relationship with the program for 40 years.
Over the decades they have issued 23 albums and crisscrossed the country many times, thrilling audiences with their songs and harmonies. In the late 1980s they began touring with a backup band, Their Fine Group, and their big sound grew even bigger. That association lasted for 25 years, but now Robin and Linda are most often heard as a duo, going back to the roots that brought them together 40 years ago. They marked 40 years on stage in 2013 with their CD “Back 40,” a studio album featuring fresh treatments of their early classics, many from albums long out of print, and favorites by other writers. While as live performers they are second to none, it is as gifted songwriters that they have earned a rarer honor, the devotion and deep respect of their musical peers. The list of artists who have covered their original songs includes some of the greats of country music such as Emmylou Harris, Tom T. Hall, George Hamilton IV, Tim & Mollie O;Brien, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, and The Seldom Scene.  From: https://folkmama.wordpress.com/category/robin-and-linda-williams/

The sounds of rural America are explored through the warm vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar-driven arrangements of Virginia-based husband-and-wife duo Robin & Linda Williams. Accompanied by the appropriately named Their Fine Group, featuring Dobro ace Kevin Maul and ex-Red Clay Ramblers bassist Jim Watson, the Williams blend a mixture of bluegrass, folk, and acoustic country music. As semi-regular performers on Garrison Keillor's nationally broadcast radio show A Prairie Home Companion, the duo and their band developed a solid international following. In addition to being featured on the duo's 12 albums, the Williams' songs have been covered by many artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Emmylou Harris, the Seldom Scene, Boiled in Lead, and Holly Near.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robin-linda-williams-mn0000296010/biography

Maria McKee - Absolutely Barking Stars

 #Maria McKee #alternative rock #alt-country #folk rock #roots rock #singer-songwriter #1990s #ex-Lone Justice

I am mystified by my obsession with Maria McKee’s Life Is Sweet. I tried several years ago to explain what it is about the album that touches me so, but I don’t think I did a good job. This album went almost unnoticed; McKee, best known as the lead singer for the alt-country band Lone Justice, took a total 180-degree turn from her previous albums and released a raw, powerful collection of songs that hit at the core of my being. Or as McKee says in “Absolutely Barking Stars,” “She plays Pandora with my soul.” It’s as if she is trying to purge some demons from her mind while welcoming angels at the same time, not knowing who was coming or going. But in the process she releases every emotion imaginable. Aside from a few phrases such as the one above, I have no idea what the third cut, “Absolutely Barking Stars,” is about. The lyrics are pretty abstruse (e.g., “Her apron strings are trailing out like sparks / Her comet tail is whipping, slicing up the dark”). But the song is a microcosm of the entire album: sometimes soothing, sometimes angry, but mostly glorious. The song begins with an electric guitar, and Maria McKee’s voice is almost whispering. But the chords change from major to minor in the second measure – something you don’t hear too often that early in a song. She doesn’t stop there, though: In the pre-chorus, the chord progression hits three minor chords in a row, building in tension as her voice, which was earlier almost whispering, is now sounding more anxious and louder. Then the chorus, the majestic chorus, resolves back to the main key, and McKee’s voice, now double-tracked, cracks in jubilation as strings join in the angelic chorus. Her voice splits into melody and harmony later as she sings with herself, like she’s battling her alter ego. Soon the chorus gives way to a powerful, feedback-laden guitar sequence, and then it’s back to McKee to ramp it up again. “Absolutely Barking Stars” leaves me breathless each time I hear it. You may get it, you may not. But listen for the changes in chords, the change in tension and volume, the different textures involved in each part of the song. And appreciate how Maria McKee can go from a whisper to a glorious diva in a matter of measures.  From: https://hooksandharmony.com/absolutely-barking-stars-maria-mckee/

After making her name as the gritty, soulful lead singer of roots rockers Lone Justice, Maria McKee embarked on a solo career that often reflected the country and blues accents of that band's work while also taking on a more eclectic and personal outlook, both in lyrics and music. After the sophisticated pop of her self-titled 1989 solo debut, McKee dove deep into expressive Americana on 1993's critically celebrated You Gotta Sin to Get Saved, next picking up an electric guitar and exploring more experimental paths on 1996's Life Is Sweet. After breaking ties with the major labels, McKee was able to follow her muse without compromise with the sophisticated and impassioned pop/rock of 2003's High Dive and 2007's Late December. After a long layoff from recording, McKee returned in 2020 with the deeply introspective and poetic La Vita Nuova.  From: https://www.shazam.com/artist/maria-mckee/114205

Patty Griffin - Every Little Bit

 #Patty Griffin #folk #folk rock #Americana #country folk #alt-country #contemporary folk #alternative folk #singer-songwriter

1996 was one heck of a year for American roots music. You had Johnny Cash recording Unchained, possibly the greatest album of his long, long career, with Rick Rubin and Tom Petty. Outlaw country legend Steve Earle telling the world I Feel Alright after a long bout of drug addiction. Wilco announcing their arrival as a major player on the scene with sophomore album Being There. Jon Spencer and the Blues Explosion’s punk, techno, and blues-tinged rock album Now I Got Worry and their collaboration with the great R.L. Burnside on his punk, techno, and rock-tinged blues album A Ass Pocket of Whiskey. The Australian Nick Cave filling traditional American songs with overwhelming dread in his masterpiece Murder Ballads, and 16 Horsepower taking folk tradition to even darker places in the apocalyptic Sackcloth ’n’ Ashes. You’d think it’d be hard to stand out in the midst of all that, but the most powerful of them all was a debut album by a slight, unassuming New England divorcee.
Patty Griffin’s story plays out like a real-life version of Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, with Griffin taking the end of her marriage as a catalyst to pursue her dream of musical stardom. She sent a demo tape of just her and a guitar to A&M Records. Superproducer/Chic frontman Nile Rodgers loved it, but he was unsatisfied with all the attempts to clean it up for mass consumption. So in the end, he just went ahead and released Griffin’s demo tape unedited. Nile Rodgers is not exactly a man who’s known for minimalism, so when he makes a decision like that, you know it means something. And he was exactly right. You can’t improve on a record that lands in your office already perfect. Living with Ghosts gets at what draws people to folk music. That age-old power of sitting in the same room with a musician around a hearth or campfire, nothing standing between you and the music.
For reasons known only to my parents, I came to Living with Ghosts years after discovering their collection of Griffin’s later, more polished albums — the oldest Griffin record they owned is 2002’s 1000 Kisses, so apparently they didn’t know about her before then and took years to cycle back to the beginning. Either way, Living with Ghosts was a revelation. Griffin evolved into a refined, motherly figure on her later albums. Living with Ghosts is the farthest thing from that. This is a pure, unadulterated howl of youthful rage and despair. Griffin’s proven she can belt like a soul diva, but there’s nothing in her catalog like the banshee wail she unleashes here. Maybe she never could unleash it again. She screams with so much power on this album it may have scraped her vocal cords raw. But Griffin’s incredible range is already present here. Living with Ghosts opens with a scream, and it ends with a whisper.
Living with Ghosts draws from the experience that led to its creation, most explicitly on “Let Him Fly.” That song, like “Time Will Do the Talking” regards Griffin’s dying relationship from a distance, from the perspective of someone with the wisdom to regard the inevitable with serene acceptance. But that’s not the mood at all on the raw, assaultive breakup songs “You Never Get What You Want” and “Every Little Bit.” “You Never Get What You Want” opens with Griffin sneering “You first found me in my holding pen/Stopped to take a look and stuck your finger in/I bit one off and you came back again and again.” It’s the kind of thing that could sound try-hard coming from a lesser artist, especially one doing such a total 180 from the persona Griffin projects for most of the album, but she hisses it out with such venom you have no choice to believe it. “Every Little Bit” gets at the same effect from the opposite angle, letting Griffin’s rage simmer through a husky, almost whispered vocal in the chorus, making the moment Griffin repeats the title, building in frenzy until words become insufficient and she starts screaming wordlessly land like an atom bomb. Both tracks make the most of Griffin’s limited resources as she plays the guitar subtly off key to create a dark, maddening mood. Near the end of “You Never Get What You Want,” her rage seems to boil over and the steady backing descends into frantic strumming like the acoustic-guitar equivalent of banging on the keys.
From: https://scottsm589.medium.com/a-shout-from-the-heart-patty-griffins-living-with-ghosts-304dcde3ee07

A singer and songwriter whose literate, impressionistic storytelling and richly evocative melodies have made her one of the most respected artists in the contemporary folk community, Patty Griffin is also a superb vocalist who sings of the human heart and soul with a passion that's palpable but never histrionic. Most comfortable working outside the major-label system, Griffin went from performing in Boston coffee houses to national acclaim with 1996's Living with Ghosts, a debut album drawn from her solo acoustic demo recordings. While she would explore more full-bodied arrangements on 1998's Flaming Red and 2002's 1000 Kisses, her work always expresses a powerful emotional intimacy.  From: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/patty-griffin-mn0000022348/biography

Michelle Shocked - Prodigal Daughter

#Michelle Shocked #contemporary folk #folk rock #alternative folk #alternative rock #folk punk #bluegrass #folk blues #Americana #country rock #singer-songwriter 

Arkansas Traveler, the third and last album Michelle Shocked released for Mercury/Polygram records ‘received little commercial notice’ according to Shocked’s Wikipedia entry. Which shows you exactly how underrated this album is. Not only to ‘the public’ (which proves once again how poor taste it has, generally speaking), but also in the music critics and opinions – at leat that is the impression you get looking for information about the album in places such as her own website, not to mention other places you would expect to find one of the classic and most amazing Roots music records ever. It’s not really mentioned all too often and when it is it’s mostly the album that didn’t do well – a greatly undeserved accolade. It was, fortunately, however re-released together with her other early work on her own Mighty Sound label, made possible thanks to the fact that she retained the rights to her work when she signed to Mercury (wise move, that). Which means that if you don’t know the album you should still be able to get it should my review entice you to do that. The album I am writing about here however is the original 1992 version. She is undoubtedly best known and most revered for her 1988 album Shot Sharped Shocked with its iconic cover image – and the standout track Anchorage, her ‘greatest’ (and pretty much only) chart hit. However good that album is (haven’t heard that in ages I have to confess, as I don’t currently own a copy – it’s been on my to-buy list for a very long time). Of course I love Anchorage a lot too (how can you not?), but Arkansas Traveler is most definitely my favorite album of hers by a long shot.
Even just reading a list of the artists involved on here is jaw-dropping, really. And that’s a long list indeed, but I just have to give you that here,although I am not too keen on name-dropping generally: The Band. Don Was/Mitchell Froom/Jerry Scheff/Kenny Aronoff. The Red Clay Ramblers (w/Bernie Leadon). The Hothouse Flowers (Anybody rembering them?). Uncle Tupelo. Taj Mahal. Doc Watson (R.I.P) & Jerry Douglas. Alison Krauss & Union Station.Rising Fawn String Ensemble (feat. Norman and Nancy Blake). (Paul Kelly) & The Messengers. Jimmy Driftwood (R.I.P.) Her father ‘Dollar Bill’ and brother Max Johnston (later of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco and The Gourds). So far, so good. Just names. But what this list doesn’t tell you is what each and every single artist mentioned here (and the ones not mentioned by name in their respective bands) contributes to making this album, well, one of the best albums of all-time, especially as far as Roots music is concerned. I kid you not. Of course this is an entirely personal and subjective matter. But the sheer quality you get on each track is utterly amazing. I would assume she had the time of her life recording this album – although getting all the artists together must have been a hell of a lot of work. Pleasant in nature of course, but doubtless there must have been a lot of hurdles to get them all to commit to this project. But given they must have all been artists for which the joy of playing comes first it most probably didn’t take them too much convincing to join the fun.  In any case all of the tracks on the album are brimful with energy, enthusiasm and the fun I assume was had by all is palpable anywhere, but especially in her vocals.  From: https://backroadbound.com/2014/05/13/michelle-shocked-arkansas-traveler/

Michelle Shocked is the chosen name of singer-songwriter Karen Michelle Johnson, known for her iconoclastic bent, both musically and politically. Throughout her career Shocked has used her music to deliver stinging social commentary. She has also explored a wide range of musical interests in folk, western swing, gospel, and blues with Texas roots.  From: https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004750/Michelle-Shocked.html

Michelle Shocked - Blackberry Blossom

#Michelle Shocked #contemporary folk #folk rock #alternative folk #alternative rock #folk punk #bluegrass #folk blues #Americana #country rock #singer-songwriter 

This isn't so much an exploration of traditional American musical styles as it is an attempt to add a modern touch to those styles. For the most part, thanks to some excellent guests, it works. My favorite cut is a lovely pop tune “Come A Long Way” which offers a nice breezy tour of L.A. by bike. The special guests offer nice touches, especially Allison Krause on the pro-choice themed "Prodigal Daughter" and Uncle Toopelo on "Soldiers Joy", which kicks some pretty solid ass. Doc Watson and fiddle man Mark O'Connor assist on "Strawberry Jam", and "Blackberry Blossom" is a lovely piece. Unfortunately, tribute is paid to the "Coon Song" genre, on "Jump Jim Crow/Zip A Dee Doo Dah" and even the great Taj Mahal can't save this one. I think Shocked's intentions are good, but when white people sing songs like this, it comes off as kind of insulting. Still in all, this one ranks with her best, falling just behind "Short Sharp Shocked".

Michelle Shocked really branched out style-wise in the three years between Captain Swing and 1992’s Arkansas Traveler. In the liner notes, Shocked says this album was inspired by blackface minstrelsy. I know next to nothing about blackface minstrelsy, but I hear rockabilly, blues, folk, bluegrass, and more on this album. It’s not just her style that got diversified either - the quality has as well. The instrumentation on here is fantastic. There’s a tin whistle in “Over The Waterfall” that winds up to a ripping line that will change the way you think about tin whistles. (You do think about tin whistles, don’t you?) “Jump Jim Crow/Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” has a background hum throughout that is an interesting mix of disconcerting and warmly amusing. More traditionally, “Blackberry Blossom” and other tunes make a fabulous use of rich, string-heavy orchestration. The only thing more striking than the wild instrumentation are the guests. You’ve got Alison Kraus and Union Station on “Prodigal Daughter,” Hothouse Flowers helping out on “Over The Waterfall,” and Uncle Tupelo recording “Shaking Hands (Solider’s Joy)” aboard the Spirit of St. Charles in St. Charles, MO. When Farrar (or maybe it’s Tweedy) sings “Pierce McGee from the great state of Missouri/To the Show-Me-State militia I belong/And to judge by the pride on the Confederate side/I’d say 500,000 rebels can’t be wrong,” it’s spoken with such a passion and border-state authenticity that it makes me want to take up arms for the Confederacy.

From: https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/michelle-shocked/arkansas-traveler/

Michelle Shocked is the chosen name of singer-songwriter Karen Michelle Johnson, known for her iconoclastic bent, both musically and politically. Throughout her career Shocked has used her music to deliver stinging social commentary. She has also explored a wide range of musical interests in folk, western swing, gospel, and blues with Texas roots.  From: https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004750/Michelle-Shocked.html