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

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Shoebox Letters — Car Crash Life (click on image to watch )

 13 March 2023

Having made slow but steady progress towards gaining wider recognition, the Portland Oregon-based band known as Shoebox Letters has arrived at a place where appreciation is definitely due.

The band — guitarist, keyboard player, vocalist, songwriter, and erstwhile front man Dennis Winslow, singer Stephanie Cox, guitarist, steel guitar player, keyboardist, and backing vocalist  Greg Paul, and bassist Dave Stricker, augmented here by drummer and utility player Brian David Willis — have always proven themselves to be an able ensemble, and given the right break, they clearly have what it takes to find a prominent place within the Americana elite.

Every album thus far has proven that point, and indeed, their latest, Car Crash Life, is no exception. Happily, the band makes no concession to any sort of commercial consideration. Rather, the songs find them adhering to their rustic roots, whether it’s through the hard bitten ballad, “Under the Same Roof,” rousing, robust roots rockers like “Under the Same Roof,” the straight-ahead stride taken with “If I Can’t Have You,” or the folksy, candid and confessional approach of “Drinking Till I Can’t Walk Straight.” These are songs designed to muster down home appeal, the kind of sound that would work equally well in a neighborhood bar, some rowdy roadhouse environs or under the auspices of a featured showcase. In that sense, Shoebox Letters are the kind of band capable of garnering true populist appeal, sans any posturing or pretense.

In that regard, “Another Kiss,” “Something I Don’t Know” and “Takeoff” come across with an unblemished attitude that’s rife with honest emotion, a clear reflection of the Everyman approach that’s tempered Shoebox Letters’ every effort. Those are, in fact, the band’s best assets, a sound that’s nurtured with both flourish and finesse. In the title track, they sing of a “Car Crash Life,” but one gets the impression their efforts are no accident. Shoebox Letters are nothing if not deliberate and decisive.

Lee Zimmerman

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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

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Tornado Sky — Deluge of Hurt   (click on image to watch )

 10 October 2022

Jerry Careaga and Stephanie Gladhart can each claim to possess plenty of experience and expertise as far as their songwriting is concerned. They’ve been collaborating for the past twenty years, each having developed a proficiency for performing original material at a remarkably early age.

Nevertheless, while Careaga has had a successful career as a recording artist and award-winning songwriter, Deluge of Hurt represents Gladhart’s first attempt at asserting herself as a writer and recording artist. Consequently, the pair’s debut disc, Deluge of Hurt, represents a dynamic new beginning, affirming the fact that this effort was ultimately long overdue. It’s a surprisingly strong set of songs for an introductory offering, one which reflects a keen combination of insight and emotion. The songs resonate from a personal perspective, and it’s that intellect and awareness that instill these offerings with an impactful presence throughout. Aided by an expert backing band, Careaga and Gladhart successfully establish themselves as a formidable duo, one capable of creating nuanced narratives from striking scenarios that are as affecting as they are expressive. 

Examples of those qualities can be found throughout, beginning with the earnest and engaging title track.  There are numerous other examples as well — the tender and touching “Red Cloud Road,” the sentiment and sincerity given in “Go,” the decidedly down-home demeanor underscoring “Am I Mighty,” the quiet croon wafting through “Blow Me Away,” and, ultimately, the wistful and reflective narrative “Maybe It’ll All Come Back To Me.” Through it all, Careaga and Gladhart literally inhabit these songs. The resilient refrain that echoed in “Somebody’s Looking Out For Me” offers a measure of both reassurance and resignation that affected each after a series of troubles and travails.

It’s certainly unusual to find such an astute offering in a first-time outing, but in this particular case, Tornado Sky has exceeded expectations. Deluge of Hurt is an auspicious introduction, and one that bodes well for all that may be yet to come.

Lee Zimmerman

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