Patterson Barrett - I Just Can't Call It Quits (click on image to watch video)

23 June 2023 

Patterson Barrett built his career of playing Americana music long before the term became in vogue. His resume reads like a who’s who of roots legends, past and present, from Jerry Jeff Walker to Nanci Griffith, to Al Kooper to Jim Lauderdale, among many others. In one sense, he was pivotal in building the careers of Buddy and Julie Miller who met him when they lived in Austin, and were members of his band, Partners in Crime. Barrett is a multi-instrumentalist who shows up as sideman on many albums by Austin artists but aside from several solo albums, he generally shuns the limelight. He’s back with a solo album, I Just Can’t Call It Quits, ostensibly contemplating retirement, as stated in the opening twangy track, a string of modest statements mixed with the will to keep moving forward.

He proves he can uniquely interpret covers as he takes Sam and Dave’s mega hit “Soul Man” into a sparse back porch guitar and harmonica (played by Doc Simons) boogie, reveling in the choruses and not sounding at all like one pondering hanging it up. Barrett doesn’t have an especially distinctive vocal style but offsets that with a weathered, lived-in style characteristic of many of his fellow Texas singer- songwriters. The warm, undulating “Where Do We Go” exemplifies such. Here as well on most tracks, Barrett plays all the instruments, featuring the mandolin on the idealistic “Dream Geography,” which imagines a world without borders where children of all nationalities can gather in a proverbial backyard and play universal games such as kick the can and circle game. “Who’s Left to Keep the World Turning” similarly pleads for unity as Patterson plays a wide array of stringed instruments as well as keyboards.

The album takes a turn with the standout track “Longing for the Sun” where the protagonist is reaching for hope - “I’m as blue as you say, made darker by you, I can’t be saved by the things you do.” Yet, he escapes this morass of despair immediately with the jaunty, Cajun infused “Another Beautiful Day,” imbued by accordion, fiddle and piano. The two longtime pals, Barrett and Buddy Miller, evoke the classic country Louvin Brothers sound on Buddy’s “I’m Pretending,” clearly a top track with Barrett’s weeping pedal steel and lush instrumental accompaniment of electric piano, fiddle, and snappy drums.

These two sound as if they’ve been singing together for years, despite a 30-ish year hiatus. The third cover song is Juliann Banks’ “Somewhere in South Austin,” delving slightly into a Doug Sahm vibe with a nostalgic look at South Austin in its heyday of a couple of decades ago, boosted by fine vocal harmonies.

The acoustic ballad, “Just a Moment” expresses one of the salient themes of the album, being grateful and marching forward optimistically. With the passing of his heroes and contemporaries such as Billy Joe Shaver and Jerry Jeff Walker, it would seem that Barrett is only casually flirting with the idea of retirement, instead feeling an obligation to carry on the Texas songwriting tradition. Hopefully, that’s his course.

Jim Hynes is an independent contributor on music for several magazines, including Elmore and Country Standard Time. He has also written for Variety. He was a listener-supported public station(s) radio host for 25 years in CT, MI, NJ and PA. He is also a Live music host/Emcee at several national and regional venues.

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 Dan Imhoff- Gratitude (click on image to watch video)

03 October 2022 

Gratitude is the fifth solo album for California singer-songwriter Dan Imhoff. Wait, that doesn’t do this creative artist justice. Imhoff is also an activist, a podcaster, and the author of ten nonfiction books about farming, conservation, and eco-design., the latter of which play in just slightly to the uplifting music found here. Most of these songs were written during the pandemic lockdown and even though there’s a distinct roots-rock thread running through them, the album was recorded in Spain with a host of Spanish musicians. As it turns out, Imhoff lives in Spain part-time and often records there. The album was recorded in two separate studios, outside of Valencia and Girona, with two different teams.

Imhoff calls his songwriting “cosmic gospel.” Cosmic references the roots of northern California tradition of folk rock, blues, and jazz but performed by Spanish musicians. Gospel indicates that most of the songs have strong background choruses and rich harmonies. Imhoff confesses to the fact that most of these songs took a long time to write as it took a while to get to that place mentally and emotionally when optimism would flow naturally. We could have used these hopeful tunes during those weary pandemic months, but joyous music never arrives too late. The hook in the titular opener is infectious from the outset. “There There” is a snappy mid-tempo tune that alludes perhaps to the struggle in the writing process (“Gotta find a way to keep believing”).

“When a Great Tree Falls” employs a great use of echo effects and likely points to his environmental activism, coupling sequoias in his native Northern California with this teeming chorus “Will we be strong enough to fight for what we believe?”)  The lightly strummed, banjo infused “Coming Into View” rings with the insistent chorus “Love is the only game.” The perky, jug band-like “So Good To Be a Dog” hits at a thought most of us have likely had as we admire the oft-relaxed state of our favorite pet. There’s a similar tongue-in-cheek vibe to the piano ballad “Why I Drink The Wine” suggesting it’s “to get closer to Jesus.” Although there are some common threads to Imhoff’s lyrics, no two songs sound alike as he adeptly shifts tempos and instrumentation.

Case in point is “Dark Side,” another mostly acoustic tune, but one where the lyrical tone shifts too. He’s being honest. Even the most upbeat people have moments of sadness and frustration. This kind of balancing act, which he turns to again later on “Crazy Town” of course, gives the uplifting tunes even more impact, such as the inspiring, celebratory nature song, “Lie Down With the Wild Things.” He follows with an ode to the comfort of his part-time home in “Accidentally Valencia.” Bassist Jaume Guerra Menue, the co-writer of “Factory of Tangled Dream,” adds a jazzy touch to the carefree tune. Following the bleak “Crazy Town” it’s only fitting that Imhoff end on a high note, and though he points to ultimate satisfaction in “Angel Touching Down” he does so pensively, not with the rollicking hooks heard on some of the tunes, but it is the most vocally expressive tune of the strong dozen he penned.

Imhoff paints hope as a goal one must attain. It’s not readily available to those who don’t struggle and aren’t stoic when called for. When earned however, it’s rewarding. As the title suggests, he’s thankful and we should all share in that glee at least for a few moments. We’ve made it through the difficult pandemic months but just the same, we’re living in troubling times and should remain on guard. 

Jim Hynes is an independent contributor on music for several magazines, including Elmore and Country Standard Time. He has also written for Variety. He was a listener-supported public station(s) radio host for 25 years in CT, MI, NJ and PA. He is also a Live music host/Emcee at several national and regional venues.

To Read All of Jim's Reviews, Click Here

Grant Peeples  Murder of Crows (click on image to watch video)

26 February 2023 

If you feel, like this writer has in recent years, that the outspoken folk singer has disappeared, then you’d best listen to the latest, A Murder of Songs, from Grant Peeples. His is a brutal commentary on our country’s divisive, troubled state. If only Peeples had recorded this album after learning that the Fox News hosts knew they were lying about the 2020 election, and that Speaker McCarthy turned over 40,000 hours of Jan 6 footage to Tucker Carlson, of all people, it would be even a stronger gut punch. Nonetheless, Peeples shines a light on the absurdity of our current situation. Welcome back to protest music that we’ve dearly missed. But Peeples is the exception. He’s been writing substantive songs for over two decades now through eleven albums, three books of poetry, live albums, and multi-media videos made during the pandemic called Clay Tablets.

He opens in soft, acoustic style with the only non-original song, a spare rendering of Mark Knopfler’s classic anti-war anthem, informed by the Falklands War “Brothers in Arms” likely with Jan 6 and possibly Ukraine in mind- “That we’re fools to make war on our brothers in arms.” He continues in a pensive state with the co-write with co-producer Danny Goddard, “This Is the Good News,” explaining that we must stay vigilant and on-guard because – “Anything is possible, nothing is for sure, anyone can do these things, things never done before. This is the good news, this is the bad news.” 

With the Pete Seeger-like banjo (Scott Anderson) and fiddle (Christian Ward) driven “Revolutionary Reel” the style and tempo go upbeat. These various changes trace to the album being recorded in ten different studios and a couple of dozen musicians and engineers over a two-year span (yes, the pandemic). “Revolutionary Reel!” was written shortly after the death of George Floyd and calls us to action with these words – “Though I’m not here to say I know what a dead man feels/ Might be time to abandon caution, a little action instead of talking/Play a little revolutionary reel. Peeples sound as if he’s fronting the rebel Irish band The Wolfe Tones or the Pogues on his tongue in cheek but still searing “Insurrection Song (January 6).” He cleverly repurposes one of Kristofferson’s indelible lines - It was an insurrection, so patriots must stand/And heed the call for justice and let leniency be damned/Cause freedom’s just another word for all we have to lose/Let the sonsabitches rot in jail for what they tried to do.”

Some of these, however, are not flat-out protest songs. “Dear Sadie” is a lullaby of sorts written for his grandniece, reflecting on ancestry, and the choices one must make for a better future. Peeples considers it one of the best he has ever written. ”Elisabeth” speaks to comforting a close friend. Another standout is the autobiographical and identifiable “The Restless Ones,” where Peeples expresses his solidarity with like-minded rebellious types. The first verse is read by Scottish poet Lorna Simes, which complements the feel and raw emotion of the song. Landon Gay’s pedal steel gives the requisite gravitas to these lyrics - Artists; rebels who will pick a fight/I keep’ um close, don’t let ‘um slip away/Cause they got ‘it’ and it’s the only thing/The only thing I ever count on, cause…/I’ve always run with the restless ones.

Peeples angst comes to the fore on his 2007 reworked “Liberal With a Gun” where he makes it clear it’s not just the liberals who hold the guns. We are living in a frightful culture of gun violence that has only worsened 15 years later. He closes, using his humor, wit, and sarcasm with jaunty, vaudeville-like music to share the ominous message “Let’s Start Killing Each Other” – “Got your leftwing, rightwing, your black and white/Conservatives and Liberals just itching for a fight/When you know they’re wrong and they swear they’re right/You can bet there’s gonna be trouble/So, just whip out a switchblade, pull out a gun/Pistol whip some sumbitch just for fun/And don’t stop dealing till the dealing’s done./Till we start killing each other.”

Peeples is not shy about speaking his mind and has commendably put his thoughts across with an enjoyable, varied musical palette. His rather plain singing voice is emblematic of who he is – an honest, no-holds barred, rebel folk singer. He’s here to remind us that his kind is still offering vital messages.

Jim Hynes is an independent contributor on music for several magazines, including Elmore and Country Standard Time. He has also written for Variety. He was a listener-supported public station(s) radio host for 25 years in CT, MI, NJ and PA. He is also a Live music host/Emcee at several national and regional venues.

To Read All of Jim's Reviews, Click Here

Nick Justice and Peter Martin Homer -The Sidemen (click on image to watch video)

7 July 2022 

You’ve seen reviews of a couple of Nick Justice solo albums on these pages but now Justice is collaborating with blues guitarist and fellow singer-songwriter Peter Martin Homer to form The Sidemen. This is their eponymous debut – drawn together as Justice says, by their shared love of folk music. They operate mostly as individual writers but increasingly in the vein of Lennon-McCartney with Justice writing the lyrics and Homer penning the music although each takes credit – Homer for four songs and Justice for six and just two co-writes. This is an informal session, basically recorded live with assistance from ace fiddler Gabe Witcher, long-time Justice producer Richard Bredice on organ for one track, and upright bassist Alan  Deremo.  Justice plays guitars, mandolin and harmonica.  Homer plays the lead guitar parts and banjo. Both deliver lead and background vocals. 

Witcher’s fiddle introduces the opening “Come Dance With Me,” with Justice quickly joining on mandolin before Justice and Homer deliver the singalong, feel-good lyrics, perfectly suited to an informal back porch gathering. Homer’s “This Storm Shall Pass Away” presents his deep voice to the steady guitar strums to the lyrics of a conversation with an older man.  With these two openers, we have already settled in comfortably to these two storytellers. Homer gently plucks the banjo to Justice’s “Meet the Train” while “Lady of the Roses” is a true duet, the first song they wrote together, adding a western touch at the end. The song was written in Tucson and Justice relates that he had an idea of a mysterious lady who died but whose spirt lived in the forest and would appear every so often surrounded by blooming roses. – “She floats in the night like a spirit in a dream.” The other co-write, one that came together quickly is “Light as an Angel,” about those in your life that don’t have a care nor take responsibility. Some of the thoughts here are wrapped in the kind of guilt we associate with childhood - Do we need to forgive ourselves and others and do repentance in order to get into heaven.

Homer’s “Arise” has some sparkling acoustic guitar playing, the addition of Bredice’s organ, and some of best harmonies, faintly echoing British Isles kind of folk. Justice’s “Let’s Get Out of Here” rolls along smoothly, with Witcher’s fiddle perfectly complementing the acoustic picking of the duo, before delivering his own fine solo. Homer’s “Early Sunday” has more strong harmonies, along with mandolin while Justice’s “Secret Soul” keeps the vibe intact, as the two singers alternate selections and Witcher provides the melodic fills. The closer, “Virginia,” penned by Homer, moves toward the mournful side but stays in synch with casual, unhurried nature of the project, another providing strong picking and affecting harmonies.

This is real folk music, the kind that’s rarely heard any more. 

Jim Hynes is an independent contributor on music for several magazines, including Elmore and Country Standard Time. He has also written for Variety. He was a listener-supported public station(s) radio host for 25 years in CT, MI, NJ and PA. He is also a Live music host/Emcee at several national and regional venues.

To Read All of Jim's Reviews, Click Here