Bruce Piephoff - Slaughterhouse 2002

Another good link from B., give it a listen and enjoy! It is no secret that North America is full of great folk songwriters, with the well-established big names greatly outnumbered by so-called local artists whose performances within particular regions have garnered them loyal followings of one sort or another. Bruce Piephoff has been recording and performing, mostly out of Greensboro, NC, for several decades. While there was always a standard of quality to his work, his songwriting as well as production expertise just seems to be getting better and better. This may just be his best, a generous and indeed walloping serving of his material. There are 20 songs here, only a few of them less than full-length ditties. The disc's title is just as much North Carolina as many of the other references; after all, this is the state with the pork industry that pollutes river, lake, and ocean alike and the chicken processing plant whose workers were burned alive because the fire exit door was chained shut. "They've Turned out the Light at the End of the Tunnel" would be the song one might reach for when faced with such calamities, and it's one of this songwriter's best, laced with a droll point of view that is a pretty good defense against depression.Piephoff's musicianship, including guitar strumming and harmonica, works perfectly for these songs. He gets excellent backup from players such as Scott Manring on a variety of strings, including National Steel guitar and fiddler Kirk Sutphin. While the first moments of the record evoke Bob Dylan, Piephoffsoon goes his own way, effortlessly bringing to mind many roots influences from country and blues manifestations. The light vocal harmonies with singer and keyboardist Claire Holley give some of the songs an unusual appeal. While he sings about many subjects, he reserves the folk artist's right to get downright regional and pretty specific: "When Terry Barry Ran for Mayor" is a real slice of Greensboro life based on the exploits of a local eccentric. While some listeners may assume this means the material is aimed at a limited audience, in reality it means this a songwriter who is really doing his job. Of particular note is the relationship between his voice and his lyrics. He manages a sense of relaxation with the former which is of constant benefit in a genre where some performers simply try too hard. With his lyrics he shifts from the obscure to the clear, from telling to hinting, all with an admirably natural grace. AMG. 

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Missy Burgess - Lemon Pie 2008

"Ottawa’s Missy Burgess is as credible a blues interpreter as she is a singer/songwriter. Here Burgess covers Robert Johnson’s suggestive “Come On In My Kitchen”, catches the moodiness of Jann Arden’s “It Looks Like Rain”, and delivers a rich, bittersweet take on her own lovelorn “Blue Sweater”. Front and centre, right where they belong, are Burgess’ direct, smoky vocals, sometimes reminiscent of her old pal Penny Lang’s. Exquisite playing. Good tunes and monstrous production from James Stephens. Willie P. Bennett can be found playing harmonica on this gem of a CD. Pick it up now!" - Pat Langston (Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 12/08)

Growing up in a large family had its benefits. You could train yourself to live in a different land even though chaos was all around you. As a young teen, Missy would climb into her brother's tree house and imagine herself singing late at night in some obscure small room in New York City and walking the streets alone as she thought all musicians did. By the time she was 15 years old she had heard all her father's jazz and big band albums over and over and had attended numerous concerts where her brother, Michael sang beautiful Gregorian chant with St. Michael's Choir School in downtown Toronto. She loved music, and belonged to many church choirs, but it took on new meaning when her father brought home a record of Fats Waller because it introduced a sound for her that made her want to sing. She bought a guitar and liked spending hours learning how to play it. But it took many years of living before Missy finally realized the need to take music seriously. Since 1996 Missy has performed on main stages from The National Arts Centre in Ottawa to Boston's Regent Theatre to The Angola Prison for Women in Louisiana.She has recorded 2 albums. Pour Me a Song features veteran folk singer Penny Lang as a guest singer. Her latest album Lemon Pie features the late Willie P. Bennett as a guest back up singer and harmonica player. As well Lemon Pie features the virtuoso guitar playing of Vince Half hide along with the wonderful sax of Petr Cancura. Website: Missyburgess.com! Thanks to B.

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The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - Magnolia 1996

The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies' second album, Magnolia, isn't markedly different from their first -- it is still unapologetic classic rock, complete with hoarse, bluesy vocals and driving guitar riffs. While the songs aren't as consistent as those on its predecessor, the band sounds tighter than before, due to their endless touring. So it's a draw as to which record is better -- if you want tunes, go to the first, but the more accomplished musicianship on Magnolia suggests that Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies' best days are still ahead of them. AMG.

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Barclay James Harvest - Victims Of Circumstance 1984

A competent collection of lightweight '80s rock. The simple arrangement of opening track "Sideshow" is helped by the use of guest backing vocalists, and the title track is one of BJH's better efforts from this period. The weakest link is in the keyboards, which unfortunately are also front and center in the recording. Bias Boshell creates some pleasant atmospherics, but Wolstenholme's shoes are just too big to fill. AMG.

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Bakithi Kumalo - Change 2008

Bakithi Kumalo is a South African bassist, composer and vocalist who has worked with a wide variety of diverse artists including Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper and Paul Simon. Kumalo is most known for his fretless bass playing on Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland, in particular the bass run on "You Can Call Me Al". Kumalo has toured regularly with Simon since then. He was born in the Soweto township of Johannesburg surrounded by relatives who loved music and actively performed, and got his first job at the age of 7 filling in for his uncle's bass player.

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Ian Tyson - Eighteen Inches of rain 1994

Another B.Link, enjoy! He had been absent from the States for a while following the dissolution of Ian & Sylvia, but he certainly hadn't been idle -- Ian Tyson was quite a success in Canada, and Vanguard, a label he had been associated with previously, took a chance on repeating that success here. Eighteen Inches of Rain was part of Tyson's "Cowboy Culture" series (Vanguard also reissued Cowboyography), and it's a damn fine collection of songs about contemporary cowboys, ranchers, and just plain folks, beautifully performed and sung, elegantly designed, and equipped with excellent lyrics. Many cuts are above the run of country music -- songs like "Horsethief Moon" and "Rodeo Road" are songs that transcend boundaries. AMG.

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Kimberly M'Carver - Breathe the moonlight 1990

M'Carver uses Stuart Duncan, Jeff White, Jerry Douglas, Roy Huskey Jr, and Dennis M'Carver as backup. "Whistle Down the Wind" and "My Way Back Home to You" are exceptional. Highly recommended. Thanks B. AMG.

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Acoustic Ladyland - Living With A Tiger 2009

The London-based Acoustic Ladyland formed in 2001 and released Camouflage in 2004, a primarily acoustic collection of jazz reworkings of Jimi Hendrix covers. Led by vocalist/saxophonist/arranger Pete Wareham (Polar Bear), the band eventually strayed from the classic rock trappings of its moniker with the following year's Last Chance Disco, a collection of originals that found the group breaking free from the more traditional aspects of the genre, resulting in a BBC Jazz Award for Best Band of 2005. Skinny Grin arrived on V2 Records in late 2006, followed by Living with a Tiger in 2009. AMG. 

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Barão Vermelho - Álbum 1996

The first Brazilian rock band, Barão Vermelho deserves the title because while Blitz was the first to make success in the style concocted in the '80s in Brazil, Blitz was a pop band with pinches of rock, while Barão Vermelho had a visceral rock approach from the beginning. Barão Vermelho began as a school friends' experiment. Maurício Augusto Carvalho de Barros (keyboard) and Flávio Augusto Goffi Marquezini (drummer) used to play Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones covers at Barros' father's garage around 1980. Guitarist Roberto Frejat joined the duo soon before bassist André Palmeira Cunha (Dé). As they needed a vocalist, they tried the novice Leo Jayme, who was after a lighter pop band, nominating Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto for the position. As Cazuza, the new singer/composer would propel Barão Vermelho's performances and depart for a successful solo career. His being son of the artistic director for a major label (Som Livre) helped a lot in that. Joining forces with Frejat, the duo wrote almost all of their material, which was presented in a show at the Morro da Urca, opening for the funk artist Sandra Sá (now Sandra de Sá). The show was a fiasco, but the demo tape used to show the repertory was heard by the rock critic Ezequiel Neves, who loved the sound. Neves persuaded Som Livre producer Guto Graça Mello, and they recorded the first LP by Barão Vermelho(the name taken from a Peanuts comic), Barão Vermelho. Released in September, 1982, the album didn't gain the public's interest. Barão Vermelho 2 (1983) also didn't sell, but then the group drew the attention of two important MPB artists: Caetano Veloso, who sang "Todo Amor Que Houver Nessa Vida" (Cazuza/Frejat, from the first album), and Ney Matogrosso, who recorded "Pro Dia Nascer Feliz" (Cazuza/Frejat, from the second album), scoring a hit with it. Immediately the label recorded a single with the band performing the song, which had an even bigger success. In the following year, the film Bete Balanço (Lael Rodrigues) included the theme song written by Cazuza/Frejat and performed by the band, which also appeared in that film. A typical youth movie, it hit the target, attracting 1.4 million spectators. It prepared the setting for the mainstream appropriation of Brazilian rock in its first visceral edition. Maior Abandonado was the biggest success of the band, including the title track and "Bete Balanço." The popularity of the film and the band could be seen during the Festival Bete Balanço de Rock, where Lobão & Os Ronaldos, Celso Blues Boy, Titãs, Brylho, and Metralhatxeca, along with the Barão, performed the film's soundtrack live. In January, 1985, the Barão performed twice in the historic first edition of the Rock in Rio festival. In late July, Cazuza departed for his solo career, tired of sharing. With the forthcoming fourth album cancelled by the defection, Frejat took the vocalist position, recording "Torre de Babel" for a TV Globo special. The song, scoring a hit, opened the way for the Declare Guerra (Som Livre, 1986) album which had a collaboration with Cazuza in "Um Dia Na Vida," "Maioridade," and "Que o Deus Venha." With bad distribution, the album didn't take off and precipitated the departure of the band to a new label, WEA, where they recorded the lighter Rock'n Geral (1987). In February 1988, Maurício Barros left the band, and guitarist Fernando Magalhães and percussionist Peninha (Paulo Pizziali) joined the group, recording Carnaval, a return to hard rock. The hit of the album was "Pense e Dance." On the album tour, in June 1989, the live album Barão ao Vivo was recorded in the DamaXoc nightclub amidst massive publicity. In 1990, the group performed in the II Rock in Rio festival, when the inevitable departure of the bassist Dé was felt by the audience due to his ironic attitude. The bass in the new album Na Calada da Noite was recorded by Dadi (formerly of A Cor do Som), but the fact was only made public in May, when the album was already done -- which, maybe inadvertently did justice to the album's title. The release of the new album coincided with the death by AIDS of Cazuza, on July 7th. One of its songs, "O Poeta Está Vivo," referred to a poet being alive still. In 1996, the group scored another hit with "Malandragem, Dá Um Tempo," by the sambista Moreira da Silva. The other CDs by the band include Supermercados da Vida (1992, WEA), Carne Crua (1994, WEA), and Álbum, (1996, WEA). AMG.

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Kevin Brown - Tin Church 2005

Growing up in Preston, England, Kevin Brown was influenced by American R&B and British blues guitarists. He was working as a teacher in 1979 when he decided to pursue a career playing slide and blues guitar. It was five years before he caught a break through Hannibal Records. The label issued his demos as Road Dreams; that album and the follow-up, Rust, were also released on Rykodisc. Thanks B. AMG.

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Ronny Jordan - Light To Dark 1996

Ronny Jordan's Light to Dark demonstrates less of an acid-jazz and dance feel than his previous albums, preferring to stay closer to his funky soul-jazz roots. Though Jordan continues to grow as a guitarist -- his leads are fluid and seductive, his chord vamps tasty -- it's nevertheless a disappointment to hear him retreat from his pursuing his previous innovations even further. AMG.

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Malcolm Holcombe - A far cry from here 1994

Malcolm Holcombe is an acclaimed singer/songwriter in the insurgent country/folk vein who grew up in Weaverville, N.C. The release of his debut album, 1996's A Hundred Lies -- which featured his moody poetry, country blues guitar, and rumbling baritone -- was met with acclaim from USA Today and Rolling Stone's David Fricke, among others, and garnered comparisons to folks such as John Prine and Tom Waits. (The album was originally recorded for Geffen and then re-released on Hip-O). He has also earned raves in print from such Nashville notables as Lucinda Williams.Holcombe has also played as a duo with Durham, NC, native Valorie Miller. The two have toured nationally with Shelby Lynne and opened for artists such as Merle Haggard and Wilco. AMG. Thanks to B.

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Carmen Souza - Verdade 2008

It's tempting to compare any female Cape Verdean singer to the godmother of the island's indigenous morna music, Cesaria Evora, but that would be unfair to a vocalist as gifted, and as singular, asCarmen Souza. For starters, although she is of Cape Verdean heritage, Souza was born in Lisbon and now resides in London. Her music, while incorporating traditional Cape Verdean elements, nods equally, if not more, to American jazz, Afro-Latin rhythms, European and Arabic melodic influences, and more. Singing in a Portuguese-based Creole. AMG.

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