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

27 February 2023 

Anyone who has even casually listened to Grant Peeples over the years should not be surprised that the Trump era and the xenophobia it brought with it would make an appearance on his latest record. From the overt racism and division that Trump trafficked in, to the insane January 6 insurrection by his acolytes, all serve as muse to Peeples’ latest, A Murder Of Songs.

From the opening Dire Straights song, a somber cover of “Brothers in Arms,” and the somber “This is the Good News,” Peeples packs a lot of disgust and suppressed anger in the first couple of tracks, but by the third song, “Revolutionary Steel,” he leans into a more relaxed bluegrass vibe, but still keeps current events top of mind with lyrics about the global pandemic and a shared frustration. It’s this knack for writing witty, and precise lyrics about society’s ills that have made Peeples relevant across a dozen albums. And there’s been a lot of societal ills to cover since his last record.

Whether singing to a relative about traitors in their bloodlines in the pensive “Dear Sadie,” or the brilliant Celtic tinged folk song “Insurrection Song (January 6),” Peeples is delivering his most inspired album in years. Still steeped in folk and Americana, there’s enough here to appeal to anyone (well maybe not “QAnon, Proud Boys and Bugaloos/fascists thugs and racists” to quote Peeples, but just about everyone else). On an album brimming with great songs, “Liberal with a Gun,” is the lyrical highlight here.

Like Hamell on Trial and Billy Bragg, Peeples is carrying the flag of pissed off liberals changing the world, one song at a time.

John B. Moore has been covering the seemingly disparate, but surprisingly complimentary genres of Americana and punk rock for the past 20 years.

Blurt/New Noise Magazine/InSite Atlanta/NeuFutur Magazine

twitter @jbmoore00

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

 27 September 2022

On his fifth and latest solo effort, Dan Imhoff once again weaves in elements of folk, jazz, pop, roots and Americana for a satisfying record that is tied together perfectly with charming, literate lyrics.

Recorded last fall in Valencia and Gerona, Spain – working with Spanish musicians – the California native wrote a bulk of the 12 songs here during the global pandemic. As Imhoff writes in the liner notes, “I left Spain in March of 2020 with plans to quickly return. Things Didn’t exactly work out that way. Most of these songs were written in Northern California over the intervening 18 months, which included isolation of the Covid pandemic and the evacuation of the Walbridge wildfire.” 

But don’t expect another Covid album filled with songs about loneliness and fear. Surprisingly, Gratitude is aptly titled with hits of promise throughout. The title song which opens the record, is a beautiful, soul-drenched track that perfectly sets up what’s to follow. Imhoff’s voice evokes a warmness that carries throughout the album. Songs like “There There” and “Factory Of Tangled Dreams,” are among some of his strongest solo offerings yet. The album closes on the wistful “Angel Touching Down,” a slow tempo track that unravels like a dream.     

Coming together after more than a year of worldwide societal isolation, Gratitude is the definition of a global effort - written in California, recorded in Spain and mastered in Berlin.      

John B. Moore has been covering the seemingly disparate, but surprisingly complimentary genres of Americana and punk rock for the past 20 years.

Blurt/New Noise Magazine/InSite Atlanta/NeuFutur Magazine

twitter @jbmoore00

To Read All of John's Reviews, Click Here

Tornado Sky - Heart On Fire  (click on image to watch video)

 27 October 2022

Husband and wife Jerry Careaga and Stephanie Gladhart have been writing songs together for two decades now, but Deluge of Hurt marks their debut as Tornado Sky, a project that came to be in part thanks to the Covid pandemic that shut down the world.

Careaga’s songwriting credits go back to the early 1980s having written for a slew of artists across different genres over time, while Gladhart focused more on longform writing, while still collaborating with her husband from time to time. But the global pandemic forced just about everyone into a two- year isolation that led to the duo combining efforts and finally collaborating on their own project, christened Tornado Sky. The result of their efforts is a deeply personal album that dips in and out of genres, like Americana, folk and snatches of light pop here and there. Aptly titled, there are some dark sentiments throughout, with “Walking Next to Me” being a prime example with Gladhart singing about losing her brother to cancer and her father dealing with dementia. But it’s not all loss and heartache. Careaga sings about that feeling of pure love for someone on “Damn You.” Regardless of the subject, deep, relatable emotions are at the core of every song the duo writes.

Their band is fleshed out by a collection of stellar musicians for hire including drummer Aaron Sterling (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Harry Styles), guitarist Dave Levita (Alanis Morissette, Katy Perry, Tim McGraw) Death cab For Cutie’s keyboardist Zac Rae, among others.

John B. Moore has been covering the seemingly disparate, but surprisingly complimentary genres of Americana and punk rock for the past 20 years.

Blurt/New Noise Magazine/InSite Atlanta/NeuFutur Magazine

twitter @jbmoore00

To Read All of John's Reviews, Click Here

Shoebox Letters- FLIGHT RISK  (click on image to watch video)

 04 May 2022

As many of us are still trying to crawl back to a post-pandemic normal, the Pacific Northwest-based Americana/folk band Shoebox Letters have entered a Willie Nelson-level period of prolific songwriting.  Flight Risk, their latest 6-track EP, marks their third release since 2020’s inaugural album Treasure Map. It’s filled with the same satisfying, recognizable jangle of acoustic guitar folk and steel Americana as their previous efforts.

Lyrically there is a theme of desperation and angst to several of the songs here that bely the catchiness of the music itself, like on the infectious “I Drink Too Much,” (with some classic rock electric guitar added in for extra measure). “I Drink Too Much” is the only song here not written by frontman Dennis Winslow. 

Elsewhere on the slow burn “Up And Down,” Winslow sings about looking back on his life and hoping he was good enough. “Red Handed Lover” is a blues-tinged steady roots rocker that would make Delbert McClinton proud. The record ends on the sweet, somber “A World Out There,” a decent track but one that feels a bit removed from the rest of the songs here; but one that grows on you after repeated listens.  

Recorded in Portland, OR and Nashville, Winslow is joined by Dave Stricker, Stephanie Cox, Greg Paul and Brian David Willis on this one. And if history is any indicator, they’ll be out with a new record as soon as you learn all the words to this one.

John B. Moore has been covering the seemingly disparate, but surprisingly complimentary genres of Americana and punk rock for the past 20 years.

Blurt/New Noise Magazine/InSite Atlanta/NeuFutur Magazine

twitter @jbmoore00

To Read All of John's Reviews, Click Here