Nat Meyers: Yellow Peril (Easy Eye Sound Distributed by Concord) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Take a trip back to the Mississippi Delta circa 1900 with Nat Meyers. He is able to assimilate the essence of all those great country and delta blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, et. al. I mean he nails it like a carpenter fastening two pieces of wood. The music is so complete and so authentic you cannot discern which period of time you are in. The only clue is the recording quality, which is definitely modern. There are no pops, crackles, or warbles, which some may argue detracts from the authenticity, but I say nay. The impeccable recording quality of Yellow Peril only adds to the wonderful listening experience. Those extraneous noises in the old recordings make listening a challenge. Yellow Fever takes those obstacles away and you are left with pure 24 karat gold. No fillers or impurities.

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Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives: Altitude (Superlatone Creative Group under exclusive license to Snakefarm Records) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Get ready to embark on a cosmic journey with Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives as they unleash their new album, “Altitude“. This electrifying album takes the essence of outlaw country and injects it with an undeniable psychedelic flair, transporting listeners to new heights of musical euphoria. With its mesmerizing blend of classic country charm and innovative sonic wizardry, “Altitude” is a sonic experience that will leave you craving for more. So fasten your seatbelts and prepare to soar through the cosmic cowboy realm with Marty and the boys!

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Son Volt: Day Of The Doug (Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers) – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

I don’t usually pay close attention to collections where an artist or group covers an entire album of another artist’s music. I have in the past and I am usually disappointed. I have a certain expectation about the sound based on the work of the previous artist. Frankly, the tribute album very rarely lives up to the original recordings. Of course there are exceptions to all rules. “Dwight Sings Buck” from 2007 is the first one that comes to mind. That is a collection of Buck Owens tunes that were interpreted by Dwight. That is one of the few tribute albums where it matched the quality of the original recordings. The other one that comes to mind is “Songs Of Sahm” by The Bottle Rockets from 2001. That is another collection of Doug Sahm’s music. The third example is of course “Day Of The Doug“.

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Alex Blum And The Roadside Quartet: If You’re Even Listening – Album Review

Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Alex Blum And The Roadside Quartet have challenged us to see “If You’re Even Listening” to their newest full length album. In the last three years, Alex Blum and company have been busy. This outfit from southwest Washington has put out some great music. Yes, it was COVID time and there wasn’t anything else happening but the band was hard at work releasing singles, EPs, and full length albums. This is their follow up to the February, 2021 EP, “Talk Amongst Yourselves”. The band’s primary songwriter, Patrick Storedahl, has written 13 great songs on “If You’re Even Listening” that I would categorize as a cross between 70s rock and roll and 80s and 90s style jangle/dream pop. The bands that come to mind when listening, as a benchmark, are Fleetwood Mac, Mazzy Star, and Aimee Mann. Very solid songs that are pure ear candy.

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Reviewed by Mae Hunt

Elijah Ocean’s latest album, Born Blue, is about as classic country as it gets. The catchy album is loaded with pedal steel, fiddle, electric guitars, and – of course – Ocean’s notable, twangy vocals. The outcome is a straight up country album inundated with (as Ocean acknowledges in his interview with us)Bakersfield influence. The Bakersfield sound, a subgenre of country developed in the 1950s, takes each song back to the roots of traditional country.

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Reviewed by Harry Kaplan

Jenny Don’t And The Spurs have been hitting the trail since 2012. Nine years to get warmed up, but they are just getting started. They recently embarked on a tour opening for Charley Crockett. This is a perfect example of seasoned punk rockers who inevitably venture into the world of country music. This is the natural progression. The honesty and rawness is still there, it’s just some of the untamed aggression has been quelled. That is the case for Jenny Don’t And The Spurs, who were created out of the Portland, Oregon punk community. Just to review, this is pure country music, folks. From the slow crooners to the upbeat, fast paced numbers, Jenny and company are on the case. Playin’ country music the way it was meant to be played, with 100% conviction and honesty.

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