Nick Justice—Stranger in My Town (click on image to watch )

 18 August 2023

Nick Justice is one of those artists whose name may not be widely known but whose music seems like its been in the ether forever. Best typecast as Americana, he doesn’t opt for a carbon copy sound. Instead, he puts the emphasis on affecting melodies and simple, unassuming songs that still manage to create a formidable impression if based only on instinct and emotion.

Then again, Justice has been around long enough to know what constitutes an affecting approach. Born in the Bronx, he moved to Southern California where he had a hand in fronting several early bands. He rubbed shoulders with various influential icons — the Blasters, X, the Go Gos, The Plimsouls, the Bangles and any number of other artists who were part of L.A’s burgeoning post-punk scene throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. He relocated to Seattle in the 90’s, making his name as a traveling troubadour who was equally at home playing coffee houses, house concerts, juke joints, and any other locale that offered an opportunity to show off his skills. Nevertheless, he failed to get the big break he hoped for and returned to L.A., quit the music biz but kept on writing.

He made his return to active involvement in 2015 courtesy of an EP titled The Cry of the Street Prophet. That put him back on the road to making records, and, in the process, scoring critical kudos for recent releases The Road Not Taken and Rope the Wind, both of which also scored significant gains on the folk music charts.

Justice’s latest effort, Stranger in My Town, consolidates those gains while keeping to a generally mellow mood and an easy, affable approach. The quietly contemplative feel of the title track finds an ideal fit with Greg Leisz’s shimmering steel guitar on “Let the Wind Blow” and the tender touch of reflection and remorse found in “The Night My Heart Caught Fire.” The music maintains its gentle caress throughout, with songs such as “Don’t You Know,” “America Walking By” and “Hard Times” combining low-lit  arrangements with a generally solitary sound.  

Producer Joel Rafael, a well-tempered troubadour himself, keeps the instrumentation generally simple and supple, with the jaunty “Thanks for the Smiles,” the winsome and whimsical “Dream #9” and the gospel groove of “Save Somebody” accounting for the slightest uptick in energy.

Overall, Stranger In My Town is the kind of album that shares its charms in subtle ways. And yet despite it’s low-key illumination, it’s undeniably affecting and appealing. With a little luck this particular stranger will find the appreciation and affection he so decidedly deserves.

Lee Zimmerman

To Read All of Lee's Reviews, Click Here

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

May 5 2023

One would be hard-pressed to find a more affable or good-natured artist and entertainer than Patterson Barrett. Always a reliable support player — his credits include work with Jerry Jeff Walker, Buddy and Julie Miller, Chuck Berry, Nancy Griffith, Deborah Holland — he can also claim a captivating string of albums recorded under his aegis.

It’s little wonder he titled his new album I Just Can’t Call It Quits. There’s simply no need to consider retirement at this juncture. Yet, if he has any doubts about that decision, he certainly doesn’t show it. His jaunty rhythms, folksy vocals and good-natured attitude reflect the fact that he genuinely enjoys what he does. A quirky take on the Sam and Dave standard “Soul Man” attests to that disposition, but so does practically every song in the set, whether it’s the easy, breezy sway of “Where Do We Go” and “Another Beautiful Day,” the calming caress of the upbeat and optimistic “Dream Geography” or the sweep of pedal steel and mandolin bolstering “Who’s Left to Keep the World Turning.”  

Barrett garners any number of indelible influences — the latter day Byrds, the Burrito Brothers, Doug Sahm, and Poco among them — but it’s his reassuring embrace that binds it all so emphatically. He comes across like a companion and confidant who makes you feel instantly at ease, without the need to put up any artificial posture or pretense. Even when he expresses a sense of yearning and desperation on a song such as “Longing For Sun,” he never abandons that sincere sense of dreamy desire. The down home designs of “I’m Pretending,” a tune credited to Buddy and Julie Miller and featuring harmonies from Buddy Miller as well, attest to his sweeter sentiments

Lee Zimmerman

To Read All of Lee's Reviews, Click Here

Bruce Smith — 1000 Horses (click on image to watch )

 8 May 2023

 Bruce Smith can claim a credible career, courtesy of several albums, a pair of EPs, a series of successful singles and live appearances that have endeared him to audiences in his native Texas and well beyond. Nevertheless, his latest album, 1000 Horses, is a generally unassuming effort, one that puts the focus on an upbeat and effusive approach, one that results in a sweeping sound that fully permeates the majority of its offerings.

Not surprisingly then, the majority of the album maintains that combination of energy and exhilaration. The rockabilly-like revelry shared through the sass and sizzle of "Campbellton" sets the tone, followed by the somewhat breezy sweep of Satan, the robust rock and roll fueled by "See You in the Movies" and "Don't Forget to Look Up" and the cheeriness and charm of "Everything I Need" in particular. It’s a cheery combination, giving the album a good time feel that’s both effusive and enthused.

That said, the song that sums the sentiment up most succinctly is the one that comes at the album’s conclusion, a track that’s tellingly titled "Late Night DJ"  It name-checks any number of classic tunes from decades past, and in so doing, shares an optimism and exuberance that’s flush with both passion and purpose. 

Granted, Smith doesn't necessarily pierce any parameters, but clearly that wasn't his intent. 1000 Horses comes across as an exercise in full upbeat indulgence, and in that regard, it's one heck of a celebratory stampede.

Lee Zimmerman

To Read All of Lee's Reviews, Click Here

Grant Peeples — Murder of Songs (click on image to watch )

 30 March 2023

Florida based singer/songwriter Grant Peeples is, in many ways, a traditional troubadour, one who sings about the troubles and travails of the modern era. Admittedly, there’s a lot of ground to cover these days, but happily, Peeples takes on the task with due diligence and enthusiasm. His new album, A Murder of Songs, was recorded over the expanses of two difficult years — 2020 and 2021 — and over the expanse of the album’s nine songs, he dives in deeply to some of the tenacious topics that were fermented along the way.

Consequently, most of the songs bear pointed perspectives — the rousing pseudo-revolutionary anthem “Insurrection Song (January 6),” the robust and rollicking “Revolutionary Reel!,” an abundance of quiet contemplation accompanying his cover of Mark Knopfler’s “Brothers In Arms,” and praise for persistence throughout the perils of the pandemic as related in “The Restless Ones” in particular. Peeples’ shares each of these nuanced narrative with soulful sensitivity, appearing to downplay any real anger or angst.

The sole exception comes in the form of “Liberal With a Gun,” a song that expresses umbrage and outrage in the face of the division and discontent that have spread like a plague in recent years. To that point, “Lets Start Killing Each Other,” a remarkably compelling composition inspired by the friend of Woody Guthrie who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1950s, creates a sense of ominous uncertainty, not only through a decidedly demonstrative title, but also by detailing the darker designs so indicative of today’s cultural chasm. Granted, there’s a hint of humor in Peeples’ jaunty Guthrie-influenced delivery, but being the serious story-teller he is, the messaging is unmistakable 

While there’s no singular subject binding these songs together, there is a general theme running through the album overall. Like most artists that lean on folk finesse, Peeples is an astute observer, and his songs draw on a keen sense of both wit and wisdom. It’s a creative combination that’s clearly needed more than ever. 

Lee Zimmerman

To Read All of Lee's Reviews, Click Here