The proof is in the pickin’. And the pickin’ on Walkin’ Shoes is blissful. Very heavily blues influenced outlaw country that rivals anything or anyone doing the same right now. This definitely takes me back to the late 50’s and early 60s, in some spots, when rockabilly was the king. And Elvis was king also. Rockabilly and Elvis shared the kingdom. There are other moments where I transport into the late 70s.
What happens when you mix late 60s and early 70s soul with some traditional country? You get The Imperial by The Delines. The Imperial is this Portland, Oregon outfit’s second album and it as a good one. The music grooves and has a very understated vibe that is more comfortable than 1,000 thread count sheets. This is an album to be listened to around 6:00 PM to officially ring in the weekend.
It’s funny what happened to punk rock. What started out as songs of rebellion and revolution morphed into bubble gum pop. What was once scary and forbidden became mainstream, accepted, and for commercial gain. Everything against the original punk ethos of music over profits and do it yourself. Well, the glass is half full, I tell ya. Here come the Flesh Eaters with I Used To Be Pretty. No only a new album, but a new lineup that is actually their 1980 lineup. It is a who’s who of LA punk and Americana: John Doe, Dave Alvin, Chris Desjardin, Bill Bateman, Steve Berlin, and DJ Bonebrake.
I know I ask a lot of rhetorical questions in my reviews but indulge me for one more. Why is Amelia White not a household name? After you listen to Rhythm Of The Rain in its entirety, I am certain you will draw the same conclusion I do. The writing and music are among the tops. And production and mixing is a 10 out of 10. I never realized how important those things are until I started listening with a critical ear.
My Love/Hate relationship with Spotify oscillated back toward Love as the end of the year came along. The Love part is grounded in my ability to find and sample an extraordinary amount of new music that satisfies my “fresh water through a shark’s gills” need to find new artists. The Hate part is derived from my view of Spotify as a platform that enables a modern day “musician’s sharecropper” business model given the paltry and unequal royalty payout schemes they employ.
Another very strong release from this husband & wife duo that hails from Florida. The reason that geographic location is noteworthy because of the mood the music evokes. Swampy, heated, and channels the heart and soul of the blues. Their timing is impeccable, as they maintain the symmetry by releasing an album every two to three years. Drive Till U Die was their 2016 release which seemed to really pave the way for Pop-N-Downers. I was trying to listen to both releases to see if there were any noteworthy departures from one release to the next. What I discovered is that Drive Till U Die is the bridge that allowed Hymn For Her to be in the creative position to release Pop-N-Downers.
Jesse Daniel’s 2018 eponymous release on his Die True Records label is a rollicking, thoughtful, melody-and-hook laden gem of a record that mostly belies an explicit accounting of thepersonal challenges that Jesse has overcome. But maybe the name of his record label gives a hint. Jeff Tweedy famously highlighted in his lyrics to Wilco’s War on War release in 2002, “You have to learn how to die, if you want to want to be alive.” This album feels more like a rebirth, a fresh start filled with acceptance and optimism coupled with matter-of-fact lyrical expression of life’s basic travails that portends a bright songwriting future for the Santa Cruz, California-based artist.
