QUARTERNOTES
MORE CD’s OF NOTE Reviews by Michael Buffalo Smith
Randall Bramblett doesn’t know how to record a bad album. Seriously folks, this gen- tleman is one of the most talented souls in rock and roll, and his latest release, Devil Music (New West), simply puts an exclama- tion point on that fact. His songwriting is top drawer, his keyboard and sax musicianship is he same, and his vocals are as smooth as Ten- nessee whiskey. The first song on the record, “Dead in the Water,” grabs you by the short hairs and you are sucked in for the ride. Please keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. The song features another monster talent adding some of his absolutely unmistakable guitar tone, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits.) So good. And speaking of gui- tar, our friend Derek Trucks (another gui- tarist I could easily spot in an aural line up) adds ambiance to “Angel Child.” You can never have enough Derek. Randall’s former Sea Level bandmate Chuck Leavell even sits in on “Reptile Pilot” to great effect. But even if his super talented pals weren’t on the record it would still be amazing. Great songs like “Whiskey Headed Woman” and the excel- lent “Ride” make this one of the best records of
2015...The long-awaited new release from Galloway & Kelliher, Wild Dogs, (Lake- house Records) is a serious study in the blues. Vocalist and harp man Mike Galloway came out of the Bob Greenlee/King Snake school, and the big man can belt the blues. Timmy Kelliher is a guitar monster, as evident on the Galloway & Kelliher releases as well as the Buster Cousins albums. The ten songs were mostly written by Tim and Mike, but just for kicks, the guys comer a Robert Johnson tune,
“Love in Vain.” Some nasty-good harp blow- ing, gritty vocals, and dynamic guitar artistry make this one another
winner...Galloway & Kelliher are back... Angela Easterling hails from my neck of the woods here in Up- state South Carolina, where she lives with her common law husband Brandon Turner, one of the Upstate’s finest guitarists, and one child. Angela has been hitting the road for quite a few years both solo, as a duet with Brandon and with her mighty-fine band, The Beguilers. Her new album, Common Law Wife,” is her best yet, with every track sound- ing as good (or better) than folks like Miranda Lambert or Kasey Musgraves. She’s that good. My personal favorite tracks are “Throw- ing Strikes,” about baseball and cotton mills, and “Hammer,” both of which have profes- sional videos on “You Tube.” I cannot recom- mend this one any stronger. This girl is on the way to the very top with a bullet...I have to thank my friend Mars Blomgren for turning me onto the music of The Legendary Shack Shakers. I am now a huge fan. I love these guys’ sound a lot. Their newest album, The Southern Surreal (Alternative Tentacle), comes out of the chute kickin’ harder tha a bucking bull with a 29 second ditty called “Cow Tools,” leading into the guitar and banjo driven “Mud,” and I am dancing in my chair while typing. (Not easy!) “MisAmerica” takes me back to the sounds I loved of the late ‘70’s and ‘80’s, a mind of new wave/cosmic country mashup. But don’t think you know what’s coming next, cuz the Shack Shakers will blow your head off one minute and then pull back, then trip you up with sime Zappa- esque stylings before whipping out some zy- deco-punk (“ Young Heart, Old Soul”) or country-rock (“The One That Got Away”).
68
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86