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Reviews 56 Doc Watson, Clarence Ashley and Gaither Carlton Sarah Jane Ímar Brìghde 57 Scouten 55 53 Chaimbeul 48 penguin eggs: winter 2019 between Landreth-style slide (the title track) and fast or slow, rock-based moments. Of special note is the qual- ity of these 10 self-penned compositions. Aside from the impressive opener, Brother fea- tures animated slide against a rich backdrop of B3 and backup vocals; a lovely track. Likewise, If Tears Were Pennies offers a guitar-driven, near-boogie that breaks into a full-band breakdown, hinting at their live potential. Elements of both country (I’d Rather Be Lucky Than Rich) and rockabilly-come-gospel (The Time Is Now) are present, yet it’s head-turners such as Clarbeston Resonation (a Coo- deresque solo that never quite 100 Mile House breaks into song—but sounds great) the rollicking, honky- 100 Mile House tonkin’ Shanghai, with its funky Love and Leave You (Fallen Tree Records) Grateful is a simultaneously No matter what you want to piano breaks and full chorus, Edmonton’s uplifting and melancholy taking call it, Harley has rejuvenated and the jaw-droppingly beauti- 100 Mile House stock of what we have to be his sound with the help of Harry ful Margeurite suggest Harley’s have created a thankful for in life, while Worth Harding (drums, bass, backing no one-trick pony. There’s lots warm, intimate the Wait chronicles the struggles vocals, additional guitars), Jon- to love here. folk album that and joys of becoming parents. ny Henderson (Hammond B3, – By Eric Thom illuminates a new stage in the A truly honest and intimate Wurlitzer, piano), Rex Horan lives of duo Peter Stone and snapshot in song. (bass), and Jodie Marie (back- Jack Rutter Denise MacKay. – By Tanya Corbin ing vocals) as Harley concen- Gold of Scar and Shale (Independent) As the two have matured and trates on electric bottleneck. Jack Rutter is gone from two individuals to Martin Harley Recorded—analogue—in a better known as a family, so has their music Roll With The Punches (Del Mundo Records) Welsh country chapel, the result part of the U.K. gone through a transition. Admittedly, it is a sweet sound that makes the folk trio Moore, Observances both personal and takes something most of Harley’s strong voice, mMoss, Rutter. universal are peppered through special to inject bolstering each track with Here on his second solo outing these songs: how relationships new life into backup vocals (Harding/Marie). he sings songs set in the coun- change, losing loved ones along an overworked His guitar sound is key to each tryside of his native Yorkshire the way, and how things evolve genre. composition and he fluctuates and other parts of Northern as the years pass. Britain’s Martin Harley has it, Produced by Peter Stone, the lifting the acoustic blues roots instrumentation on Love and category by taking it to church. Leave You is stripped down but With five solo records under rich in all the right places to his belt, the Surrey-based, accompany the laying bare of Welsh-born Harley began with themselves within the lyrics. the contemporary blues band Beautiful harmonies highlight approach back in ’03. He’s these story songs that lay bare since been heavily influenced some intimate and emotional by life in Nashville, plying moments in the making of a his slide, lap guitar skills into family, and the ebbs and flows something more akin to Amer- Martin Harley that we all face in life. icana. penguin eggs: spring 2020 49 Britain. the highest notes with strength thought that, “Just pray love Tinsley Ellis The material is mainly tradi- and accuracy. Highly recom- will see us through, it’s all I can Ice Cream In Hell (Alligator Records) tional, which he has arranged mended. do when I can’t pretty it up.” If this is Hell, in fresh and imaginative ways. – By Tim Readman In this wonderfully melodic please take me The rarely heard Child ballad album, Harrison acknowledges there. Eighteen Fair Janet And Young James Lynn Harrison there are more questions than albums later, incorporates a melody borrowed Something More (Independent) answers to the mysteries of life Tinsley Ellis is from June Tabor, and is sung In Lynn Harri- and all of its contradictions. best-known amongst too small with suitable passion against son’s world, life She writes: “I don’t know how a circle of blues-rock guitar afi- sparse guitar and fiddle accom- has its struggles it works, will someone please cionados—you know the kind. paniment. and suffering, explain, how there can be so Yet his skills have multiplied The Brundeanlaws is a but dig deep much beauty in the midst of so exponentially—his songwrit- bothy ballad of illicit love in ■and you’ll find hope. Harrison’s much pain?” Good question. ing, guitar playing, and singing the farmlands of Scotland’s songwriting comes from a place There’s even a protest song, voice proving a triple threat— border country, which is carried of non-denominational spiritu- which a wild guess would say no less so than on his latest wonderfully by Sam Sweeney’s ality. A Unitarian minister in her was inspired by Donald Trump: 11-song opus. And, if you do jaunty fiddle and Rutter’s witty day job in Toronto, she doesn’t “Until I found what you did sir, nothing else today, just order singing. The Sledmere Poachers claim to provide easy answers I was not a protester.” this disc for the sheer joy of tells of the dangers of that line in her songwriting, but as the Kudos have to go to the pro- listening in awe to the sev- of trade—especially for the title song says, she has an idea duction team of Noah Zacharin en-plus-minute Your Love’s Like poacher’s dog. that there is “something more.” and Douglas September, who Heroin. As flawless as it is satis- Rutter’s clear and rich tenor Hearing this kind of non- have brought out the beauty of fying on so many levels—even voice is the perfect instrument preachy spirituality is refresh- the songs, especially Zacharin’s though it ends far too soon. for expressing these folk songs, ing, uplifting even for the most tasty electric guitar, which pro- Co-producer and keyboard most notably on When Jones’s hard-nosed atheist. I think John vides an abundance of texture. whiz Kevin McKendree is proof Ale Was New where he hits even Lennon would approve of her – By Mike Sadava they are twin sons of different 50 penguin eggs: spring 2020 mothers—an integral compo- nent of Ellis’s impeccable sound and a brilliant organist/pianist in his own right. Together, with Steve Mackey (bass) and Lynn Williams (drums), no fire mar- shall will ever sleep again. Despite the temptation, you can turn a game of Spot Ellis’s Influences into an all-night con- test. From the Buchanan-esque taste on Your Love’s Like Heroin to the hint o’ Albert King on Last One To Know (complete with horns), you’ll quick- ly come to realize that Ellis streams them all—telepathical- ly—into an arsenal of his own making, straining them each through his Georgian filter. B.A.R.K: Colin Linden, Tom Wilson, & Stephen Fearing From the quirky Don’t Know Beans, with its oddly addictive key changes and ultra-clean Blackie & The Rodeo 11 new songs sporting a versa- dark to light. guitar lines, to the grand slam Kings tile group identity even when In the end, Hawksley Work- of Hole In My Heart, there’s King Of This Town (Warner Music) tracks lean towards one singer/ man, The McCrary Sisters, and nothing here that wouldn’t lead Funny how lyricist or another. Wilson’s son Tom are worked off any playlist. time breezes After the spacey economy of into the mix, but it’s the Kings’ Of special note on Ice Cream along. Hard Road, these roots-rock town again and you’ll want to is the improvement of Ellis’s IIH 111111111! One day a trio explorers start heading down visit. vocals throughout. He used of troubadours the highway with Cold 100 – By Roger Levesque to shine brightest on slower gets together for a one-off and Trust Yourself slides in to numbers; you can sense the pain tribute to their mutual friend, solidify the momentum. Wil- Jessica Heine and feel the sting in his voice on the much-admired late Willie son’s quietly slinky Baby I’m Goodbye Party (Fallen Tree Records) Hole In My Heart. Yet on faster P. Bennett. Stephen Fearing, Your Devil is irresistible before Those songs. numbers like Sit Tight Mama, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson the exuberant licks of Kick My That voice. his vocals are right where find that the group effort brings Heart Around hit a celebratory Where did she they’re supposed to be. something unexpected out of peak. Two moving ballads, come from? Who From the hardline, blues-rock them, and people want to hear Walking On Our Own Graves is she? Why isn’t burn of No Stroll In The Park, that. And suddenly Blackie & and Grace, allow Fearing to she famous? set against more lush B3 and the The Rodeo Kings are heading balance the essential contrast of She comes from Edmonton. pinpoint precision of his rhythm into their 25th year, with the Goodbye Party is her first section to the ringing tone Ellis first-ever backing of a major record in 10 years and it’s a squeezes from his guitar on Evil label behind them.

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