Deprecated: htmlspecialchars(): Passing null to parameter #1 ($string) of type string is deprecated in /home/altern29/public_html/thedailyripple2.com/libraries/src/Document/Renderer/Feed/AtomRenderer.php on line 89 Reviews - Eleni P. Austinhttps://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/reviews-eleni-p-austin2025-03-31T20:12:02+00:00The Daily RippleJoomla! - Open Source Content ManagementMusic Review - "Deluge of Hurt" by Tornado Sky (ea)2023-04-21T13:41:20+00:002023-04-21T13:41:20+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/74-music-review-deluge-of-hurt-by-tornado-sky-eaTerry Ryan18 October 2022
“If it were possible for Bob Seger and Stevie Nicks to have a musical love child, it might sound a bit like Tornado Sky. The L.A. two-piece features renowned songwriter Jerry Careaga and his wife, Stephanie Gladhart’ whose background has primarily been in the creative writing field. Although they have been collaborating informally for more than 20 years, “Deluge Of Hurt” is their first official album together.
The title track kicks the album into gear. Bluesy bottleneck guitar, wily bass. supple electric piano and a kinetic backbeat anchor this mid-tempo groover. Stephanie and Jerry’s vocals wraparound like honey and woodsmoke as they attempt to pick up the pieces of a failed romance; “How can I think of starting over when my heart’s still reeling from a deluge of hurt?”
Stephanie takes the lead on three tracks. Despite the breezy arrangement, the song is a bittersweet encomium to lost loved ones, as she wryly notes; “One window opens, one window closes, born to this life of tears and roses.” Meanwhile, “Am I Mighty” is a restless, twangy two-step that limns the dissatisfaction that bubbles over from an orderly and predictable life. Pondering the road not taken, she wonders “Am I the sapling, or a mighty tree?” Finally, the “Two Beat Up Hearts” traces a chance encounter at a bar between a pair of romance-weary strangers just looking for some emotional rescue.
Most of the songs here wrap indelible melodies around rich narratives that navigate the rocky shoals between love and loss. “The Well,” which is powered by panoramic pedal steel and fleet acoustic fretwork is just seeking comfort in a turbulent world. The Blues-inflected “Red Cloud Road” finds a former couple tentatively reconnecting, hoping for some common ground. “Somebody’s Looking Out For Me,” chronicles a bit of divine intervention. The album closes with the tender benediction of “Blow Me Away.”
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
18 October 2022
“If it were possible for Bob Seger and Stevie Nicks to have a musical love child, it might sound a bit like Tornado Sky. The L.A. two-piece features renowned songwriter Jerry Careaga and his wife, Stephanie Gladhart’ whose background has primarily been in the creative writing field. Although they have been collaborating informally for more than 20 years, “Deluge Of Hurt” is their first official album together.
The title track kicks the album into gear. Bluesy bottleneck guitar, wily bass. supple electric piano and a kinetic backbeat anchor this mid-tempo groover. Stephanie and Jerry’s vocals wraparound like honey and woodsmoke as they attempt to pick up the pieces of a failed romance; “How can I think of starting over when my heart’s still reeling from a deluge of hurt?”
Stephanie takes the lead on three tracks. Despite the breezy arrangement, the song is a bittersweet encomium to lost loved ones, as she wryly notes; “One window opens, one window closes, born to this life of tears and roses.” Meanwhile, “Am I Mighty” is a restless, twangy two-step that limns the dissatisfaction that bubbles over from an orderly and predictable life. Pondering the road not taken, she wonders “Am I the sapling, or a mighty tree?” Finally, the “Two Beat Up Hearts” traces a chance encounter at a bar between a pair of romance-weary strangers just looking for some emotional rescue.
Most of the songs here wrap indelible melodies around rich narratives that navigate the rocky shoals between love and loss. “The Well,” which is powered by panoramic pedal steel and fleet acoustic fretwork is just seeking comfort in a turbulent world. The Blues-inflected “Red Cloud Road” finds a former couple tentatively reconnecting, hoping for some common ground. “Somebody’s Looking Out For Me,” chronicles a bit of divine intervention. The album closes with the tender benediction of “Blow Me Away.”
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
Music Review - "Flight Risk" by Shoebox Letters (ea)2023-04-21T13:42:44+00:002023-04-21T13:42:44+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/75-music-review-flight-risk-by-shoebox-letters-eaTerry Ryan24 June 2022
“She looks good on paper, she dots all the I’s, you can’t decipher the truth from a lie/She makes an impression, she’s hard to forget, she has all the answers, she’s always correct, don’t fool yourself, she’s a flight risk.” That’s the Shoebox Letters sounding the alarm about a too-good-to-be-true temptress on the title track that opens their latest EP, Flight Risk.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, this four-piece includes Dennis Winslow (acoustic/electric guitars, keys and vocals) Dave Strickler (bass), Stephanie Cox (vocals) and Greg Paul (backing vocals, steel guitar and bass). The aforementioned opener cuts a wide swath, the melody and arrangement echo ‘70s Power Pop antecedents like The Raspberries and Badfinger, while a wash of steel guitar adds a bit of high lonesome ache. The six-song set is uniformly excellent, front to back, but stand-outs include the raucous “I Drink To Much” which is powered by angular guitars, wily bass lines and a hi-hat kick. Introspective lyrics reference Phil and Don Everly and kinda contemplate sobriety.
Then there’s the low-key charm of “Bed Of Roses.” “Red Handed In Love” Slashing power chords strafe across a rock steady rhythm. The lyrics offer up a tender encomium to a long-term romance. The record closes with “A World Out There.” Something of a restless farewell, it features sparkly guitars and burnished keys. It’s a moodily elegant finish to the EP.
On Flight Risk, Shoebox Letters serve up a deft combo-platter of infectious Power Pop and good ol’ Country Comfort.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
24 June 2022
“She looks good on paper, she dots all the I’s, you can’t decipher the truth from a lie/She makes an impression, she’s hard to forget, she has all the answers, she’s always correct, don’t fool yourself, she’s a flight risk.” That’s the Shoebox Letters sounding the alarm about a too-good-to-be-true temptress on the title track that opens their latest EP, Flight Risk.
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, this four-piece includes Dennis Winslow (acoustic/electric guitars, keys and vocals) Dave Strickler (bass), Stephanie Cox (vocals) and Greg Paul (backing vocals, steel guitar and bass). The aforementioned opener cuts a wide swath, the melody and arrangement echo ‘70s Power Pop antecedents like The Raspberries and Badfinger, while a wash of steel guitar adds a bit of high lonesome ache. The six-song set is uniformly excellent, front to back, but stand-outs include the raucous “I Drink To Much” which is powered by angular guitars, wily bass lines and a hi-hat kick. Introspective lyrics reference Phil and Don Everly and kinda contemplate sobriety.
Then there’s the low-key charm of “Bed Of Roses.” “Red Handed In Love” Slashing power chords strafe across a rock steady rhythm. The lyrics offer up a tender encomium to a long-term romance. The record closes with “A World Out There.” Something of a restless farewell, it features sparkly guitars and burnished keys. It’s a moodily elegant finish to the EP.
On Flight Risk, Shoebox Letters serve up a deft combo-platter of infectious Power Pop and good ol’ Country Comfort.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
Music Review - "I Just Can't Call It Quits" by Patterson Barrett (ea)2023-06-18T21:19:04+00:002023-06-18T21:19:04+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/107-music-revew-i-just-cant-call-it-quits-by-patterson-barrett-eaTerry Ryan23 May 2023
Patterson Barrett is a legendary musician who has called Austin, Texas home for nearly five decades. He arrived fresh from playing on Jerry Jeff Walker’s self-titled debut and quickly connected with (soon-to-be legends) Buddy and Julie Miller. Together, they formed the band Partners In Crime. In the ensuing years he has worked with artists like Hank Ketchum, Chuck Berry, Nanci Griffith and Jim Lauderdale, just to name a few.
In between high profile gigs, he has made several solo albums, his latest is “I Just Can’t Call It Quits.” The record crackles to life with the title-track. Part self-deprecating Texas Two-Step, part Honky-Tonk lament, meandering pedal steel, wily bass lines and chunky guitar riffs are tethered to a galloping gait. The best tracks here include the shadowy “Longing For The Sun.” See-sawing guitars, warm keys and tensile bass lines can’t sugarcoat reality; “I’m as blue as you say, made darker by you, I can’t be saved by the things you do.”
Then there’s the painterly heft of “Who’s Left To Keep The World Turning.” Rippling mandolin, whistly keys andmlonesome pedal steel coalesce around lyrics that search for common ground in a divisive climate; “Six feet under, six feet apart, will we stand together, when can we start? Start to realize that we all share the same heart, and we’re all breathing the same air.”
Meanwhile, Patterson is joined by Buddy Miller on Buddy’s tender original, “I’m Pretending.” A winsome Country weeper, it features high lonesome pedal steel, lachrymose fiddle, liquid electric arpeggios and a snap-back beat. Patterson and Buddy’s fraternal harmonies dovetail with Louvin-esque synchronicity on this tale of love gone wrong. A couple other covers dot the record. A rambling rendition of Juliann Banks’ “Somewhere In South Austin,” and a Countrified take on Sam & Dave’s classic, “Soul Man” that leans closer to the laid-back charms of Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally.”
Other interesting tracks include the honey and wood smoke of “Where Do We Go,” and the spicy Cajun flavor of “Another Beautiful Day.” The record closes with the intimate carpe diem, “Just A Moment.”
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
23 May 2023
Patterson Barrett is a legendary musician who has called Austin, Texas home for nearly five decades. He arrived fresh from playing on Jerry Jeff Walker’s self-titled debut and quickly connected with (soon-to-be legends) Buddy and Julie Miller. Together, they formed the band Partners In Crime. In the ensuing years he has worked with artists like Hank Ketchum, Chuck Berry, Nanci Griffith and Jim Lauderdale, just to name a few.
In between high profile gigs, he has made several solo albums, his latest is “I Just Can’t Call It Quits.” The record crackles to life with the title-track. Part self-deprecating Texas Two-Step, part Honky-Tonk lament, meandering pedal steel, wily bass lines and chunky guitar riffs are tethered to a galloping gait. The best tracks here include the shadowy “Longing For The Sun.” See-sawing guitars, warm keys and tensile bass lines can’t sugarcoat reality; “I’m as blue as you say, made darker by you, I can’t be saved by the things you do.”
Then there’s the painterly heft of “Who’s Left To Keep The World Turning.” Rippling mandolin, whistly keys andmlonesome pedal steel coalesce around lyrics that search for common ground in a divisive climate; “Six feet under, six feet apart, will we stand together, when can we start? Start to realize that we all share the same heart, and we’re all breathing the same air.”
Meanwhile, Patterson is joined by Buddy Miller on Buddy’s tender original, “I’m Pretending.” A winsome Country weeper, it features high lonesome pedal steel, lachrymose fiddle, liquid electric arpeggios and a snap-back beat. Patterson and Buddy’s fraternal harmonies dovetail with Louvin-esque synchronicity on this tale of love gone wrong. A couple other covers dot the record. A rambling rendition of Juliann Banks’ “Somewhere In South Austin,” and a Countrified take on Sam & Dave’s classic, “Soul Man” that leans closer to the laid-back charms of Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally.”
Other interesting tracks include the honey and wood smoke of “Where Do We Go,” and the spicy Cajun flavor of “Another Beautiful Day.” The record closes with the intimate carpe diem, “Just A Moment.”
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
Music Review - "Car Crash Life" by Shoebox Letters (ea)2023-06-18T21:25:22+00:002023-06-18T21:25:22+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/108-music-review-car-crash-life-by-shoebox-letters-eaTerry Ryan19 May 2023
Somewhere at the intersection of Power Pop, Country Rock and New Wave stand Shoebox Letters. The Oregon four-piece, Stephanie Cox (vocals) and Greg Paul (guitars, keys, steel guitar and backing vocals) has been a going concern since 2009.
Their latest EP, “Car Crash Life” continues their rich tradition of coloring outside the lines. The opener, “Running For Daylight” weds rumbling bass lines, phased guitars and feathery keys to a rock-ribbed beat. Lyrics like “Running for daylight, running to forget, how did I get here, the sooner I’m gone and moving on the picture will be so clear” take a page from the late Mac Davis’ “Baby, Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me” playbook.
Stand-out tracks include “If I Can’t Have You.” Dennis Stephanie’s playful he said-she said repartee wraps around razor-sharp guitar riffs, sinewy bass, Day-Glo keys, snappy handclaps and a rattletrap beat.
Meanwhile, “Under The Same Roof” is a cheerful encomium to marital um, bliss that matches jangly acoustic licks and riffs to a tick-tock chorus that echo ‘80s bands like the dB’s or Let’s Active. That is until it unfurls a good ol’ Country comfort chorus; “Under the same roof we laugh and we cry, the adventure goes by, under the same roof.”
Then there’s “Drinking Till I Can’t Walk Straight.” Here, Stephanie commands the spotlight. This Texas Two-Step is powered by growly guitars, agile bass lines and a loping beat. A self-proclaimed “heartbroken wreck,” she drowns her sorrows until her swagger is reduced to a stagger.
Other interesting tracks include the chunky delight of “Another Kiss,” the contemplative “Something I Don’t Know” and “Takeoff,” a mid-tempo groover anchored by roughneck bass lines shuddery steel guitar, a wash of keys and a stuttery backbeat.
The album closes with the expansive title-track.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
19 May 2023
Somewhere at the intersection of Power Pop, Country Rock and New Wave stand Shoebox Letters. The Oregon four-piece, Stephanie Cox (vocals) and Greg Paul (guitars, keys, steel guitar and backing vocals) has been a going concern since 2009.
Their latest EP, “Car Crash Life” continues their rich tradition of coloring outside the lines. The opener, “Running For Daylight” weds rumbling bass lines, phased guitars and feathery keys to a rock-ribbed beat. Lyrics like “Running for daylight, running to forget, how did I get here, the sooner I’m gone and moving on the picture will be so clear” take a page from the late Mac Davis’ “Baby, Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me” playbook.
Stand-out tracks include “If I Can’t Have You.” Dennis Stephanie’s playful he said-she said repartee wraps around razor-sharp guitar riffs, sinewy bass, Day-Glo keys, snappy handclaps and a rattletrap beat.
Meanwhile, “Under The Same Roof” is a cheerful encomium to marital um, bliss that matches jangly acoustic licks and riffs to a tick-tock chorus that echo ‘80s bands like the dB’s or Let’s Active. That is until it unfurls a good ol’ Country comfort chorus; “Under the same roof we laugh and we cry, the adventure goes by, under the same roof.”
Then there’s “Drinking Till I Can’t Walk Straight.” Here, Stephanie commands the spotlight. This Texas Two-Step is powered by growly guitars, agile bass lines and a loping beat. A self-proclaimed “heartbroken wreck,” she drowns her sorrows until her swagger is reduced to a stagger.
Other interesting tracks include the chunky delight of “Another Kiss,” the contemplative “Something I Don’t Know” and “Takeoff,” a mid-tempo groover anchored by roughneck bass lines shuddery steel guitar, a wash of keys and a stuttery backbeat.
The album closes with the expansive title-track.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
Music Review - Oh, That Wonderful Love- Tom MacLear (ea)2024-08-26T11:19:04+00:002024-08-26T11:19:04+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/126-music-review-oh-that-wonderful-love-tom-maclearTerry RyanAugust 08 2024
Tom MacLear may not be a household name, but he should be. Something of a polymath, a musician, singer-songwriter and painter, he has been quietly cutting a wide swath in the Country Rock and Roots musical communities for nearly half a century. In his earliest days he played and toured with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Vince Gill, The Hot Band, Poco and The Dirt Band. He also produced albums for Dallas Hodge, guitarist/vocalist for Canned Heat and worked with Alto Reed, longtime member of Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Performing his own music and writing for other artists has kept Tom’s songs on the Country charts, in one form or another for decades.
Now he has returned with the Gospel-Flavored anthem, “Oh, That Wonderful Love.” Part spiritual call-and-response part secular Soul-shouter, the song is powered by blowsy horns churchy keys, sinewy bass, soaring guitars and an infectious hand-clapbeat. Tom receives some superstar assistance from Broadway sensation Rhett George.Perspicacious lyrics cut to the chase and cut to the quick: “Ya can’t blame God for religion and Ya can’t blame God forwar, so what Ya gonna do when the truth comes down, was it ‘love’ that ‘we’ ignored?” The answer, is right in front of us: “Ain’t no freedom if you got no love, ain’t no freedom if you got no peace, maybe if we read the good book again, the whole world could be free.” The chorus offers the ultimate panacea: “Oh, that wonderful love, oh that wonderful love.” It’s an aural antidote that is much needed in these divisive days.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
August 08 2024
Tom MacLear may not be a household name, but he should be. Something of a polymath, a musician, singer-songwriter and painter, he has been quietly cutting a wide swath in the Country Rock and Roots musical communities for nearly half a century. In his earliest days he played and toured with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Vince Gill, The Hot Band, Poco and The Dirt Band. He also produced albums for Dallas Hodge, guitarist/vocalist for Canned Heat and worked with Alto Reed, longtime member of Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Performing his own music and writing for other artists has kept Tom’s songs on the Country charts, in one form or another for decades.
Now he has returned with the Gospel-Flavored anthem, “Oh, That Wonderful Love.” Part spiritual call-and-response part secular Soul-shouter, the song is powered by blowsy horns churchy keys, sinewy bass, soaring guitars and an infectious hand-clapbeat. Tom receives some superstar assistance from Broadway sensation Rhett George.Perspicacious lyrics cut to the chase and cut to the quick: “Ya can’t blame God for religion and Ya can’t blame God forwar, so what Ya gonna do when the truth comes down, was it ‘love’ that ‘we’ ignored?” The answer, is right in front of us: “Ain’t no freedom if you got no love, ain’t no freedom if you got no peace, maybe if we read the good book again, the whole world could be free.” The chorus offers the ultimate panacea: “Oh, that wonderful love, oh that wonderful love.” It’s an aural antidote that is much needed in these divisive days.
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
Music Review - Sparrow-Jeff Talmadge (ea) 2024-08-26T11:19:04+00:002024-08-26T11:19:04+00:00https://thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-eleni-p-austin/135-music-review-sparrow-jeff-talmadgeTerry RyanAugust 08 2024
Critically acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter Jeff Talmadge has just released his new album, “Sparrow.” The Uvalde native began making music at the turn of the 20th century, recording seven albums at a quick clip. But it’s been a decade since his last effort.
Songs like the weather-worn “Hurricane” or the tender “Forgiveness” echo Lone Star antecedents like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle and James McMurtry. The winsome “Katie’s Got a Locket” wraps honeyed dobro notes around a story of missed opportunities and dashed hopes.The best tracks wed nuanced narratives to wily arrangements and infectious melodies. Take “Devil’ Highway, lyrics chronicle a downward slide “built on thrills and spills, cocaine alcohol and pills.” Meanwhile, on “The Sound Of Falling Snow” shimmering guitars brush up against mournful slide guitar and sparkling piano. Lyrics are rife with poignant epiphanies like “a heart won’t break if you let it bend.”
Finally, “Maybe Next Year” is a willowy roundelay powered by cascading guitars, thready bass,sylvan keys, chunky djembe and tambourine. Hopeful lyrics yearn for “one more dance in the moonlight, one more kissplease.”
Other interesting tracks include the lofty “If I Was A Sparrow,” the ephemeral “Little Speck Of Dust” and the evocative “Night Train From Milan.” Thealbum closes with the wistful instrumental, “Top Of The Hour.”
Anyone who appreciates the honey and wood smoke of Iowa troubadour Greg Brown, the Folky reveries of Steve Forbert, and the Country comfort of Rodney Crowell will find a kindred spirit in Jeff Talmadge
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here
August 08 2024
Critically acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter Jeff Talmadge has just released his new album, “Sparrow.” The Uvalde native began making music at the turn of the 20th century, recording seven albums at a quick clip. But it’s been a decade since his last effort.
Songs like the weather-worn “Hurricane” or the tender “Forgiveness” echo Lone Star antecedents like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Steve Earle and James McMurtry. The winsome “Katie’s Got a Locket” wraps honeyed dobro notes around a story of missed opportunities and dashed hopes.The best tracks wed nuanced narratives to wily arrangements and infectious melodies. Take “Devil’ Highway, lyrics chronicle a downward slide “built on thrills and spills, cocaine alcohol and pills.” Meanwhile, on “The Sound Of Falling Snow” shimmering guitars brush up against mournful slide guitar and sparkling piano. Lyrics are rife with poignant epiphanies like “a heart won’t break if you let it bend.”
Finally, “Maybe Next Year” is a willowy roundelay powered by cascading guitars, thready bass,sylvan keys, chunky djembe and tambourine. Hopeful lyrics yearn for “one more dance in the moonlight, one more kissplease.”
Other interesting tracks include the lofty “If I Was A Sparrow,” the ephemeral “Little Speck Of Dust” and the evocative “Night Train From Milan.” Thealbum closes with the wistful instrumental, “Top Of The Hour.”
Anyone who appreciates the honey and wood smoke of Iowa troubadour Greg Brown, the Folky reveries of Steve Forbert, and the Country comfort of Rodney Crowell will find a kindred spirit in Jeff Talmadge
Eleni P. Austin - I was born into a large, loud Greek family and spent my formative years in the Los Angeles enclaves of Laurel Canyon and Los Feliz. My mother moved us to the Palm Springs area just in time for puberty and Disco. I have spent over 40 years working in record stores, starting back in High School.
I wrote music reviews for the Desert Sun from 1983 to 1988. I began doing the same for the Coachella Valley Weekly in 2012.
I live in Palm Springs with my wife and our amazing dog, Denver.
To Read All of Eleni P.'s Reviews, Click Here