piano/organ, Kenny Soule on drums/percussion, Eric Amble on electric guitar, and background vo- calists Mary Lee Kortes, Syd Straw, and Tricia Scotti.
On title track “Born on the Ground,” Duff
sings ‘When you’re born on the ground, you’re dead inside.’ Her powerful and poignant lyrics go head to head with masterful writers such as Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams, as she sings them with a voice made for western music. I instantly fall for “Easy Go”. From the beginning of this up- tempo song, I’m pulled right in, lured by its strong pulse and infectious riffs. There’s a deli- ciously dark Tom Waits energy in the playfully sublime “No Escape”. It’s bluesy and cool as hell. Duff is not one to be reckoned with as she belts out “Knuckle Sandwich”. She tackles the song with a fearless, punk attitude, and tops it with driving guitar, crashing drums, and barrelhouse piano. I can’t get enough of this one. It’s defi- nitely my favorite. Born on the Ground is a superb album of
all original songs which have certainly grabbed my attention. This is a record I highly recom- mend.
-Phillip Smith
Bill Kirchen The Proper Years (Last Music Company)
One of the hottest shows I have been fortunate enough to see live was Bill Kirchen’s trio at Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Ne- braska. It was a smokin’ show start to finish.
That was the first time I heard Bill’s extended version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” where he plays that Telecaster of his in the styles of everyone from Link Wray to Stevie Ray. At the time I saw him, he had a great new record out called Seeds and Stems. Now, that album, along with two other previous releases, is available in a 2- CD package called The Proper Years. The co-founder of Commander Cody and
His Lost Planet Airmen is heard on his 2006 album, Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods; it’s
follow up in 2010, Word to the Wise; and the 2013 Seeds and Stems. The set was released by the U.K. label The Last Music Company. A vinyl “best of” version called Waxworks is also avail- able.
From his first band in Ann Arbor, a jug
band in high school called the Who Knows Pick- ers (alongside the future Iggy Pop) to Com- mander Cody to his brilliant solo work, Kirchen has consistently delivered the rockabilly goods. He brings in a nice variety of guest artists along this journey, from Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, Norton Buffalo, Jorma Kaukonen and even his old band mate Commander Cody. From the opening cut, “Hammer of the
Honky-Tonk Gods” to the final track, the 19th, Bill’s upbeat cover of Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin,” The Proper Years is a joyful rock- abilly romp.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Too Slim & The Taildraggers The Remedy ( Vizztone)
Tim Langford (aka Too Slim) has hit the studio once again with fellow Taildraggers Zach Kasik
(bass, banjo, guitar, vocals) and Jeff “Shakey” Fowlkes (drums, percussion, vocals), returning with yet another outstanding album. The Rem- edy is comprised of eleven songs. Ten of those are originals with the writing evenly split between Langford and Kasik. Recorded, engineered, and mixed by Kasik at his Wild Feather Recording studio in Nashville, the album features special guests Sheldon “Bent Reed” Ziro, Jason Ricci, and Richard “Rosy” Rosenblatt. Too Slim tells the story of a volatile rela-
tionship in “Last Last Chance”, lacing the song with country-fried boogie and irresistible guitar licks. Kasik takes the mic and steps into the spot- light on “She’s Got the Remedy”. This killer song washes ashore with a steady hypnotic riff and a Pearl Jam vibe. “Keep the Party Rolling” is
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