CD Odyssey Disc 1266: Jenny Lewis

I have a lot of errands to run today, and I’m behind schedule getting them done but before I head out, I want to get this review written. This will allow me to spend that errand time grokking some new album. What will that album be? I have no idea – I don’t allow myself to roll a new one until I’ve reviewed the current one. That way I stay focused.

Disc 1266 is… On the Line

Artist: Jenny Lewis

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Ostensibly this is just Lewis giving the same torso shot she uses on her previous record, 2014’s “The Voyager” (reviewed back at Disc 675). However, I’m sure you’ll note there is something else going on as well. I’ll give you a clue. 58008. On a calculator. Upside down.

How I Came to Know It: I am a long-time Jenny Lewis fan and bought this as soon as it came out.

How It Stacks Up:  I have four of Jenny Lewis solo albums and one album called Jenny + Johnny that for some inexplicable reason I decided to include in the stacking up section years ago. That gives us five records, of which I put “On the Line” in at second place, bumping “The Voyager”, “Jenny + Johnny” and “Acid Tongue” all down a spot each in the process.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

“On the Line” proves that Jenny Lewis is still on top of her game as a singer and songwriter. As with 2014’s “Voyager” she once again demonstrates her inimitable talent to write top notch innovative pop hooks which anchor songs that are cutesy on the surface, but powerfully insightful underneath.

“On the Line” is reminiscent of AM radio songs, with an easy sway and a sing-along quality that had me thinking of Fleetwood Mac or Linda Ronstadt combined with a mastery of emotional pacing and narrative flair on par with St. Vincent’s latest work. The production is just the way I like it; crisp and distinct with a little empty space to help you appreciate the songs’ progression, rounded on the edges like a pill from Miracle Max to make it go down easier.

For all that chocolate coating, these songs have a lot of sadness and regret in them. “Wasted Youth” and “Party Clown” are both earworms. On one level they present as celebrations of youthful enthusiasm; a summer garden party that goes on a little too long. But with lyrics like “Everybody knows it’s a tightrope/The cookie crumbles into dust” you know that while much fun was had, there was also a lot of self-destructive behavior.

While Lewis explores the mistakes of youth, “On the Line” is principally a break-up record, and a great entry in that canon. Lewis channels an unfaithful lover and a lost relationship into some quality music. “Taffy” is a poignant exploration of the moment of discovery of that broken faith on a phone left unlocked. When I hear her sing:

“If you’re not willing then I’m not giving

You my heart of gold”

You get the full force of someone who has both a broken heart, but a whole lot of resolve to move on nonetheless. I just wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be OK, but of course she already knows this. Phone imagery returns on the title track, with Lewis singing:

“He left me for a super fan

Called Caroline, uh

Before you let her

Under your sweater tonight

Listen to my heart beating

On the line.”

By the time the album wraps up with “Rabbit Hole” you have a full appreciation for Lewis’ journey. She sings “I’m not gonna go down the rabbit hole” leaving you a minute to wonder what just happened throughout the record, before she clarifies in the next line… “with you”. It goes to show that if you break up with a great singer-songwriter you are going to be immortalized, but you’re not likely to enjoy the experience.

“Rabbit Hole” is also the most up-beat pop ditty on the record, which – coming as it does after the raw and sensitive admissions of “On the Line” – is a nice reminder that Lewis is going to be alright. The album features moments of nastiness and regret, but also a good sense of self and self-worth. Lewis has been through a lot lately but this record shows she’s taking it in stride. No hugs from random fans required.

All the songs on “On the Line” are earworms, that are then further enriched with emotionally evocative lyrics. I listened to the album three times over the last couple of days and I never got tired of it. The songs have that quality that is the hallmark of every great pop song work - the anticipation of the melody so that the more you hear it, the more you enjoy it. I’ll be putting that to the test in the years ahead, as I expect this record will get lots of play outside of the confines of the CD Odyssey.

Best tracks: Heads Gonna Roll, Wasted Youth, Hollywood Lawn, Party Clown, Little White Dove, Taffy

CD Odyssey Disc 1265: City and Colour

While watching Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals I saw Dallas Green (aka City and Colour) in the audience. As the Canadian announcers fawned over what a big hockey fan he was, I noted he was wearing a Toronto Raptors hat. Not hockey related at all! It took considerable internet searching to reveal he is a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, but it was pretty clear that was his third favourite sport after basketball and baseball.

For all these reasons I wanted to get angry at him, but if your NBA team is in its first final, it is forgivable for you to wear their hat to a hockey game. It is kind of special circumstances. Far worse is wearing a hockey team’s hat that wasn’t playing (aka “third jerseying”), as is falsely wearing a hat of either of the playing teams if it wasn’t your team. Dallas did none of these things.

So on balance, Dallas did the right thing. I mean, apart from being a Leafs fan in the first place. We’ve all got our issues I suppose.

Disc 1265 is… The Hurry and the Harm

Artist: City and Colour

Year of Release: 2013

What’s up with the Cover? It’s a Giant Head cover! This giant head cover is weakened by two things. 1) the rows of dots on the left-hand side in what I assume to be a failed attempt at being artsy and 2) Dallas Green’s blank death mask expression in what I assume to be a failed attempt at looking dangerous.

How I Came to Know It: I think I read a review of this record and decided to give him a chance.

How It Stacks Up:  I have only one City and Colour album and I think it will likely stay that way. An old coworker urged me to listen to the rest of his catalogue which I did, but nothing stood out like “The Hurry and the Harm”.

Ratings: 4 stars

“The Hurry and the Harm” is not the kind of album I should like. It has wall-of-sound production, and every other album I’ve heard by City and Colour vaguely annoyed me for being too maudlin.

Perhaps all those other albums (I listened to three of them) just suffered from a hangover of all the emo/screamo of Green’s original band, Alexisonfire. That band annoyed me for the bad punctuation in the band name alone, never mind the music itself. I was going to go and listen to a bunch of it again to better explain what I don’t like about Alexisonfire but I decided to go with the sour milk principle: one smell is plenty to know something is off.

OK, back to City and Colour’s “The Hurry and the Harm” which is not only correctly punctuated (resistance of the ampersand scores a lot of points with me) but is a thoroughly lovely example of indie pop.

The record has plenty of sad and maudlin topics, but Green delivers them with an emotional honesty that sold me on their authenticity. Also, these songs feature some haunting and ethereal melodies that perfectly match some existential dread of the angels that Green seems to be tapping into.

That angelic quality comes easily with Green’s vocals, which are way up high in his head voice, fluttering in and out of falsetto with a grace that Adam Levine would be proud of, except Green’s songs are better. He writes these songs for this style and while they would be hard for the rest of us mere mortals to sing, they are a perfect match to his talents.

The songs have lovely bones, and if you stripped out all that production and reverb they would be pretty little folk songs. A fragment of me longed to hear them this way, but most of me liked them just the way they were.

I was prepared to be unimpressed with this record, which I haven’t played in a while. Instead, I found myself regretting neglecting it for so long. It even has a haunting song about vampires (“Thirst”) which is a sure way to win my affection.

On “The Golden State” Green sings:

“Why's everyone still singing about California?
Haven't we heard enough about the Golden State?
I guess if you like sandy beaches and blue ocean water
There's something about it, to which I cannot relate
I need to see the leaves change and the snowflakes falling
I need to hear the call, the wind whistling through the winter pines”

It feels like the perfect song for the NBA finals, which features the Toronto Raptors against the Golden State Warriors. I hope the song has a resurgence as a result, and although I don’t care a whit about basketball I hope the Raptors. Not just to drown out all the God damned Leafs fans, although that will be nice for as long as it lasts. Also, to fill Dallas Green with a little joy, which is exactly what his record did for me.

Best tracks: The Hurry and the Harm, Harder Than Stone, Paradise, Commentators, Thirst, Take Care, Death’s Song

CD Odyssey Disc 1264: Patty Griffin

My game of Ulti was cancelled at the last minute today, which was a bummer. Sure it ended up raining buckets, but playing Ulti in the rain is fun too!

Instead, Sheila and I went for brunch at the local pub. We then walked home, getting soaked as we sang various songs about the rain including Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” and ELO’s “Rain is Falling”. It was a lot of fun even if neither of us has a voice that would let us quit our day jobs.

This next artist has just such a voice.

Disc 1264 is… Patty Griffin (Self-Titled)

Artist: Patty Griffin

Year of Release: 2019

What’s up with the Cover? Patty Griffin as Disney princess, with all manner of whimsical scenery around her. This picture would have benefited from less dogs and more cats, but given that the liner notes show Griffin giving these dogs lots of love in real life, I expect she would disagree. O, Patty, I thought we were kindred spirits and now I learn…you’re a dog person.

How I Came to Know It: It is rare these days for me to buy an album without listening to it first, but for some artists I make an exception. Patty Griffin is one of those, so when I saw she had released a new record I snapped it up.

How It Stacks Up:  I have eight Patty Griffin albums. This latest effort comes in at #8. Sorry, Patty – something had to be last, and this is it.

Ratings: 3 stars

Griffin is one of folk and country music’s great singer-songwriters, and for over twenty years she has been making amazing records. These records are hidden gems to her fans, with most of us wondering in what world this talented lady is not more famous.

This record had all the things I love about Patty Griffin – soulful songwriting and big powerful, emotive vocals – surrounded by some stylistic choices that made me appreciate those things less than usual.

Griffin’s voice continues to amaze. She has massive power and wraps it in sweetness and vulnerability. This has the effect of snapping your attention to her narratives, but letting you sink gently into the characters that occupy them. She is one of those rare talents who in four or five minutes can make you feel what it would be like to live someone else’s entire life.

Standouts in this category include the story of someone abandoned as a girl by her mother on “Had a Good Reason” and the rusty resignation of a town that has seen better days on “Where I Come From”.

Griffin incorporates Delta blues and early jazz into some of the songs, and while I like the blues well enough, I’m not so bothered about jazz. In any event, where she uses one or both on this record they tended to be the songs I liked less. “The Wheel” in particular dragged on for more than six minutes. I’m pretty sure Griffin was using the repetitive style to evoke a mood, but despite the exemplary playing it didn’t work for me. “What I Remember” it felt like a smooth Harry Connick Jr. number, but while it was supposed to be wan and wistful it gave me a bad combination of tired and fidgety.

The guitar work is brilliant as always. Griffin is an accomplished player and is joined on this record by David Pulkingham who is one of the instrument’s underrated masters. I’m not sure who is responsible for the flourishes of Flamenco guitar on many of the songs, but it is gorgeous regardless. Thanks to that person.

There are a couple of times that Griffin’s vocals tend toward creating soundscapes over clarity of lyric. There’s no denying the emotional power of it, but on songs like “Bluebeard” I had to strive to hear the lyrics. I already knew the story, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to hear another telling of it. This lack of vocal clarity was much worse when listening on headphones on the bus or street, as opposed to at home in a more controlled environment.

This was generally true for the record, which has a lot of nuance that is lost if you allow any background noise. After two listens out in the world, I came into this review prepared to part with the record, but hearing it in the quiet of my home changed my mind. I realized that for all my minor frustrations, this was a solid collection of music and worth a little shelf space after all.

Best tracks: Where I Come From, Had a Good Reason, Just the Same

CD Odyssey Disc 1263: Alejandro Escovedo

This week I’ve been delving into some old school Linda Ronstadt. I don’t like all of it, but there are some gems out there. So far I only have 1977’s “Simple Dreams” but I could see myself adding 2-3 more records before I’m done.

I’ve also been listening to whatever the Odyssey tells me to, as per Rule #2. For the last five days, that had me delving into this record.

Disc 1263 is… Gravity

Artist: Alejandro Escovedo

Year of Release: 1992

What’s up with the Cover? Is gravity pulling Alejandro’s face down in this picture, or is he just feeling wistful?

How I Came to Know It: I checked out his music after some friends suggested I come out and see him live. I didn’t go to the show – which I regret – but I did dig through his back catalogue and found a few good records.

How It Stacks Up:  I have five of Escovedo’s records and “Gravity” is the best of them - #1!

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

If you’re only going to own one Alejandro Escovedo album, “Gravity” is a good place to start. If you can get the non-special edition version, all the better.

While “Gravity” is Escovedo’s first solo album he was 41 when he made it, and it features veteran songwriting and an easy confidence borne out of many years honing his craft. The record is a mix of blues, rock and country, with a wide mix of instrumentation. This includes a bit of strings when the occasion warrants, but the main stars are guitar and piano.

I found the boogie woogie of the piano a bit noisy from time to time and would have preferred more guitar-centered tracks, but that is more of my personal preference than anything wrong with the playing.

Escovedo’s singing style has more than a touch of the blues in it, but without the requisite hurt. He doesn’t blow the doors off with power, but he has a knack for phrasing and sits his delivery down in the pocket with an easy confidence.

The songs are mostly about love, and the hurt it can cause. This isn’t exactly new material, but as I’ve said before, you can’t go wrong with a love song, even a sad one. The record’s standout in the category is “Broken Bottle.” Here’s a song that captures what it feels like to carry a flame to the point that it burns you and then refuse to put it down. Escovedo’s imagery ably captures this mix of stubborn and self-destructive:

“My love is a scar that I wear for you

Like a crown of thorns

Like a bad tattoo”

The song has a barroom sway that evokes nights on the town when you should go home or at the very least order a water. Escovedo has a talent for making the music and the lyrics complement one another.

That said, I can’t say everything on this record grabbed me. There are songs that are perfectly well crafted, but just have a blues bar-band kind of feel to them which isn’t my favourite style of music. It created an unevenness that held what is otherwise beautifully crafted music just south of four stars

My particular copy of the album is a 2-CD special edition, where the second CD is a live performance. There is nothing great about the live tracks, which mostly sound like the studio versions, but with the strings higher in the mix. Also, the original album is 52 minutes long and when you add in the bonus album the experience became a bit of a slog. Also, the clapping on the last track goes on for so long that even though I was tired I still felt cheated when he didn’t play one more for an encore.

Escovedo has a solid reputation among musicians and critics alike and listening to “Gravity” it is easy to understand. Most of my criticisms of this record just come down to personal taste, and if you like barroom blues rock, then this record will show you how to take that music to the next level.

Best tracks: Paradise, Broken Bottle, Five Hearts Breaking, Last to Know

CD Odyssey Disc 1262: Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo

I’m on the first day of a four day weekend and I can’t think of a better way to start it off than with a music review.

Disc 1262 is… Despite the Snow

Artist: Emily Barker & the Red Clay Halo

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? The band gathers for a hug in the forest. The album suggests they are hugging despite the snow, but I feel like someone should let them know that if the snow is an issue this is possibly the worst spot for a hug. Get under the canopy!

How I Came to Know It: I discovered Emily Barker through her “Applewood Road” project (a different band, also featuring Barker). This led me to her back catalogue, both as a solo artist and backed by the Red Clay Halo. I liked what I heard, but it was devilishly hard to find these records. Finally, I ordered five – yes five – of my favourites through her Bandcamp site. Bandcamp is a great way to get albums from less well known bands, and you usually get to deal directly with the artist, which is a lot of fun.

In this case, Barker sent me a package with a personalized thank you written on the envelope, and even signed one of the records. Don’t thank me, Emily. Thank you, for making such great music.

How It Stacks Up:  I have five Emily Barker albums plus her one record recording as the group Applewood Road. Of  those (some solo, some with the Red Clay Halo), I rank “Despite the Snow” right in the middle at #3. I don’t know the other albums that well yet so I may adjust that ranking based on future experience. Only a fool doesn’t allow their opinion to change based on new experience.

Ratings: 3 stars

Emily Barker is an Australian born, English based singer-songwriter who records in an Americana folk style that had me certain she was from the United States until experience taught me otherwise. See how that works?

Regardless of where she’s from, Barker is a gifted artist who reminded me stylistically of Dar Williams and Alela Diane. She sings with an easy power, eschewing long majestic notes for a more conversational phrasing. Her voice lilts and jumps, with a bit of whimsy and otherworldliness that had me thinking of faeries and deep, mysterious forests.

Her guitar work sounds very western and while she’s no Molly Tuttle, she plays with a nice mosey that had me thinking of Johnny Cash at times. The Red Clay Halo are more than able, particularly violinist Anna Jenkins who switches between country fiddle and formal violin as the songs demand.

There is a heavy echo in the production which could be the result of the recording location, which was a 16^th century brick barn. It suits the album for the most part, although on a couple of tracks I longed for a warmer sound. I guess that’s asking a bit much from an album called “Despite the Snow”.

Barker’s compositions range from traditional folk through contemporary. The traditional songs sound timeless, and I checked twice to see if she wrote all of them. She did.

 “All Love Knows” is the record’s standout track, showcasing Barker’s vocals and guitar beautifully. Her voice climbs with an easy grace, dropping as she sings the refrain “Now I’m learning all love knows” in a way that feels like you are settling into a comfortable chair. It is a song about the thankfulness and confidence when love is new.

I also loved “The Greenway” a song with stripped down production, featuring only voice and guitar and the brick reverb of the old barn. It is about a small slice of nature in the city, and the restorative powers it holds, even surrounded as it is by concrete and graffiti. Barker sings:

“When the city’s back is turned it looks a lot like this

When a mind begins to burn it needs a place like this.”

As a small town boy livin’ in the city I get this experience well, and have a few of my own little green spaces that can restore me when I need it. This song reminds me I need to go visit them more often.

The album is a little long, featuring alternate versions of two songs that push it up to 15 songs and almost 50 minutes. I could have lived without both of those, and I’d also cut “Bright Phoebus” which has brilliant musicianship but didn’t grab me melodically or lyrically.

However, these are minor quibbles on what is an overall solid record. It makes me excited for the next time the CD Odyssey throws another Emily Barker my way.

Best tracks: All Love Knows, Disappear, Storm in a Teacup, The Greenway, Oh Journey

CD Odyssey Disc 1261: Drive-By Truckers

I’m excited about the Stanley Cup playoffs right now, but apparently there are also NBA playoffs happening. I was reminded of this today when I saw a guy wearing a Chicago Bulls shirt and a Toronto Raptors hat. It was…confusing. I assume the etiquette for basketball is different than hockey.

Disc 1261 is… Brighter Than Creation is Dark

Artist: Drive-By Truckers

Year of Release: 2008

What’s up with the Cover? Another cover by artist Wes Freed. Here we get the troubling notion that the blackness between clouds isn’t the night sky, but rather a demonic goose on the prowl.

Freed loves these demonic geese, and they also feature prominently on the cover the DBT’s 2003 album, “Decoration Day” (reviewed back at Disc 934). On that cover they are walking around the daytime and are a lot smaller. In the five years since they’ve grown to huge size and become nocturnal.

How I Came to Know It: This was just me digging through the DBT’s back catalogue once I had fallen in love with their sound.

How It Stacks Up:  I have six of the Drive-By Truckers’ eleven albums. Of the six, “Brighter Than Creation is Dark” comes in at #1. Since this is my last album in the collection unreviewed to this point, here’s a full recap:

1. Brighter Than Creation is Dark: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
2. Decoration Day: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 934)
3. American Band: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 932)
4. Go Go Boots: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 967)
5. The Dirty South: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 1119)
6. English Oceans: 3 stars (reviewed at Disc 936)

Ratings: 4 stars

Maybe it’s those demonic geese on the cover, because whenever they make an appearance in the CD Odyssey the Drive-By Truckers deliver their best work. So it is with “Brighter Than Creation is Dark” a record that combines the gritty energy of southern fried rock with the haunting tales of Americana folk.

The first thing I noticed about this album, however, was how damned long it was. 19 songs and 75 minutes is a lot, and most artists who attempt such double album shenanigans end up with a bloated mess. The length of “Brighter…” seems unnecessary and I think I could cut five songs and tighten this thing up to a relatively trim 50 minutes. However, even with all that extra fat included, there is still enough steak and seasoning this is still a quality meal.

 As usual centre-stage is shared by Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, both of whom play guitar, sing and share writing duties. Hood’s vocals have a rocker’s high rasp with Cooley sounds more like a gravelly Waylon Jennings type of singer. Having two distinctive sounds on one record help give a longer record the variety it needs to hold your attention. It helps that both men write such great songs with melodies that sometimes burn with intensity and other times come at you slow and mournful, as the song demands.

But what’s that? Is that a woman’s voice I hear? Indeed you do, my friend. Whereas the DBTs previous three records had Jason Isbell playing George Harrison to their Lennon/McCartney act, Isbell had quit the band and embarked on his solo career at this point. He is replaced by Shonna Tucker who had been playing bass with them since 2004 and now adds in some writing and lead vocals. Tucker makes the most of the opportunity, delivering three solid tracks. Tucker’s vocals have a bit of Hood’s rasp and a lot of Cooley’s country and she adds a middle sound between them that gives the record another dimension.

Nobody sings grit like the Drive-By Truckers, and regardless of who is taking the lead vocal the song is liable to feature a rough-edged person on the edge of their luck. On “Lisa’s Birthday” Cooley sings:

“It’s always Lisa’s birthday when I get that call

She’s got no money for a cab, she’s way too drunk to walk”

And on “Daddy Needs a Drink” Hood notes that:

“Daddy needs a drink to deal with all the beauty

To deal with all the madness to keep from blowing up.”

Later Daddy asks Momma to “pour it nice and strong with your cleaning outfit on” and I’m not sure what’s going on there, but it sounds like it’s straddling the centre line of sad and sexy.

The record is filled with big men feeling weak, and strong women feeling vulnerable but mostly all three singer-songwriters find the human spirit burning away at the centre of all that frailty.  Or as Hood sings on “Monument Valley”:

“And when the dust all settles and the story is told

History is made by the side of the road

By the men and women that can persevere

And rage through the storm, no matter how severe.”

It’s a fitting song to end the record which along the way they manage to give a voice to all those people left on the side of the road. If the journey was a little too long getting there, there’s no denying it was worth it. Damn it all, you trucker poets, I guess you can keep that double album after all. You earned it.

Best tracks: Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife, The Righteous Path, Perfect Timing, Daddy Needs a Drink, Self-Destructive Zones, Bob, Lisa’s Birthday, The Purgatory Line, Checkout Time in Vegas, The Monument Valley

CD Odyssey Disc 1260: Molly Tuttle

Even when you think you know an album like the back of your hand, it can surprise you. Earlier this week I was watching American Idol (don’t ask) and a contestant sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story. It sounded eerily familiar to me, even though I didn’t recall ever hearing it before.

Then I realized that Queen’s “Want To Live Forever” (which the same contestant had sung the week earlier) was paying direct homage to “Somewhere” both lyrically and melodically. I’ve heard “Who Wants to Live Forever” countless times, but never knew the extra level of clever writer Brian May infused it with. Well played, Brian, well played.

But enough of past glory – here’s some glory happening right in the hear and now.

Disc 1260 is… Rise

Artist: Molly Tuttle

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? Tuttle looking angelic in a white shirt against a white background. Skip the harps – I’d rather have angels like Molly Tuttle around to play some killer bluegrass licks as I expire.

How I Came to Know It: I discovered Tuttle through an article on Paste Magazine called “10 Folk Artists You Need to Know in 2019”. I also discovered Emily Fairlight, Lula Wiles and the Honey Dewdrops through that article but I have a feeling Tuttle will be the best of all. “Rise” is an early Tuttle EP as I dug through her back catalogue.

Fun fact – I am currently on the lookout for two albums by a band called the Goodbye Girls who I only just found out…include Molly Tuttle! Small world. I now know one of the reasons I liked those albums so much and want them even more.

How It Stacks Up:  I have two Molly Tuttle albums, this one and her 2019 release “When You’re Ready”. I love them both but I will reluctantly put “Rise” in second place.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

I’ve heard a lot of folk music in my life. I like a lot of it, but the more I hear the harder it is to wow me. Molly Tuttle wowed me. This is a record that makes me stupid, as I sit with like a slack-jawed idiot, a half-open smile on my face and my head cocked to the side as though it could somehow make me hear it better, or absorb it deeper into my bones.

Frightening as it sounds, when she recorded “Rise” Molly Tuttle was the tender age of 23. She has continued to grow and evolve her sound. Here the record is sparse and powerful. Tuttle wrote all the songs, many of which sound like traditional or contemporary folk classics. She has a natural talent for melodies that are timeless and effortless in their intricacy. Like the Music of the Spheres, only where the universe is condensed to six guitar strings.

To be fair, it isn’t all Tuttle. She has some impressive musicians on this record. In particular, Wesley Corbett’s work on the banjo is sublime. In bluegrass tradition Tuttle gives him plenty of opportunities to shine and he rises to the challenge every time.

But seriously, let’s talk about Molly Tuttle’s guitar work. You’ll often hear that jazz musicians are the greatest of all musicians. Certainly, the best can go places few can. What you won’t hear enough is how great a folk musician has to be to stand out. Folk music is a lot simpler in structure than jazz, but that just means you need to be a master of your instrument to stand out. Tuttle is the International Bluegrass Music Awards guitar player of the year two years running.

Just citing an award doesn’t do this playing justice, however. Tuttle can flat pick better than anyone, and she can clawhammer better than anyone as well. On “Good Enough” her fingers flick with a precision that feels impossible at the speed she plays. And it isn’t just fast; every note is laden with emotional resonance, and no note is wasted. Even if the song didn’t have a single word, the music would tell you this song is a young woman moving on from heartbreak.

On “Lightning in a Jar” she slows it down and adds a little Spanish flair into her playing, creating a combination of passion and smoke. “Save This Heart” features heavy bass notes that create a beating heart, even as her fingers trill over the high notes and give that heart beat the flutter of love and passion.

While her most powerful voice is expressed through her guitar, as a vocalist she is no slouch either. Tuttle vocals are youthful and clear with just a hint of extra breath such that she always sounds a little exhilarated. She reminded me favourably of Sarah Jarosz in both her singing style and for her inspired musicianship (Jarosz’ weapon of choice being the mandolin). Please, please do an album together, ladies.

Lyrically, these songs cover topics that are by the book with lots of variations on youthful love and empowerment.  That’s OK by me, though; you can’t have enough love in the world, nor enough songs to express it. I won’t quote any here, though, because without that guitar work I feel like I’m doing the song a disservice. It would be like looking at a picture of the David, rather than seeing it live in three dimensions.

My biggest beef with this record is that as an EP it has only seven songs. That is not enough songs! More songs! Fortunately, Tuttle is young and has many more years to share her brilliance. I have a feeling I’ll be champing at the bit in anticipation of every release.

Best tracks: Good Enough, Save This Heart, Lightning in a Jar, Friend and a Friend, Super Moon

CD Odyssey Disc 1259: The Rolling Stones

Welcome back to the CD Odyssey. Let’s get to some music, shall we?

Disc 1259 is… Some Girls

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Year of Release: 1978

What’s up with the Cover? This cover loses something in the conversion from vinyl to CD. The vinyl version has the faces of the band on a sheet behind a bunch of cutouts of women’s wigs. You can slide the faces back and forth to line them up in different ways. On the CD, you only get the one setting.

Not owning it on vinyl, I’ve never really looked at this cover that carefully but some of these wig names are downright disturbing, notably the “Capless Skin-Top Beau Catcher” and the “Skin Crown” both of which sound like some kind of Lovecraftian horror.

How I Came to Know It: The record is pretty famous and I’ve known it all my life. This particular version was from a dive I did into the Rolling Stones collection many years ago.

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Rolling Stones albums. Of those, I put “Some Girls” at #2, behind only “Sticky Fingers”. Here’s a full recap:

1. Sticky Fingers: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 73)
2. Some Girls: 4 stars (reviewed right here)
3. Exile on Main Street: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 559)
4. Let It Bleed: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 820)
5. Beggar’s Banquet: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 381)
6. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll: 4 stars (reviewed at Disc 822)
7. Their Satanic Majesties Request: 2 stars (reviewed at Disc 340)

Ratings: 4 stars

When I was a kid it seemed like everyone’s older brother owned this record and listening to it for the last couple of days it was easy to see why. “Some Girls” is equally good for a house party or a drive down main street. It is a record where you can get up and dance, or just sink into a leather couch and have a beer. It feels like a parade of hits.

It was a top five record in multiple countries and went multi-platinum, but I was surprised to learn that it actually only spawned a single #1 hit (“Miss You”) and two top tens. This is a testament to the importance of records over singles back in 1978, but more to the point, it points to the consistent quality of “Some Girls.” The songs don’t just hold up, they hold up against one another.

This cohesive brilliance is counter-intuitive for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the record sees the Stones trying on a lot of new styles. “Miss You” throws in a Motown bassline that strays well into the land of disco. “Far Away Eyes” is pure country (to the point you might have called it satire if it wasn’t so damned good). And with its leading beat and frenetic bounce, “Shattered” sounds like New Wave. The Stones artfully make each of these styles their own, meeting all these sounds halfway, infecting the style with their own swagger in the process.

Much of the credit for this goes to Mick Jagger’s vocals. Jagger’s showmanship and lascivious sneer shows through on every track. He is bad boy, made superstar, and clearly well aware of his status. The title track has Jagger, vocally gyrating his way through a list of conquests with neither regret or shame. Jagger is so full of visceral power that every listen feels like a new live performance.

Secondly, the album doesn’t have the help of the one person who I always think of as the soul of the Rolling Stones: Mick Taylor. Taylor is now out of the band, and with him the artful guitar licks and solos that for me help define the Rolling Stones in their glory days.

Despite the loss, the rest of the band elevates their own work, with Keith Richards and newcomer Ronnie Woods elevating their playing. I don’t know who is responsible for what parts (a quick internet search suggests Woods played slide) but it works. It still isn’t the artistry of Taylor, which paired so perfectly with Richards’ dependable groove, but it works. The new duo maintains a strong thread of rock and blues through songs that could have otherwise strayed too far from home.

It all comes together on “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)”. Jagger takes a step back in time to early vocal performances, and the guitar is rich and full. The song is a romantic salve amid all the rebellion and cynical sex. Later, Jagger will strain against the chains of commitment on “Beast of Burden” but the romantic in him remains. On both songs he’s still a bad boy, but the one you dream you can one day tame.

Whether summoning romance, rakishness or just plain raunch, “Some Girls” is a bombastic, self-aggrandizing collection of songs from a band completely comfortable with their own greatness, but that doesn’t make it any less great.

Best tracks: Miss You, Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me), Some Girls, Far Away Eyes, Beast of Burden

CD Odyssey Disc 1258: Suzanne Santo

I’ve had a relaxed long weekend with a lot of walking. So much, I was able to get a couple of listens in on my next album. I wanted a couple more, but if the Bruins lose tomorrow night I may not be in the mood for a blog entry, so better to write it now.

Disc 1258 is… Ruby Red

Artist: Suzanne Santo

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? Suzanne reclines on what looks like a very comfortable couch. This looks like a good spot for watching a bit of TV, but Suzanne has apparently decided to instead strike a world-weary, woe-is-me pose. We’ve all had hard days, Suzanne but seriously, just put on some HBO and decompress. Tomorrow is another day.

How I Came to Know It: I read a review of this record and it sounded interesting. After that it was devilishly hard to find, and I eventually succumbed to the lure of Amazon and ordered it online. Sorry about that, local record stores.

How It Stacks Up:  This is my only Suzanne Santo album so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 4 stars

On her first solo album, Suzanne Santo is determined to not adhere to any genre expectations. This record is a little bit country, a little bit folk and a little bit rock and roll, and the amount of each of those elements varies considerably from song to song. You might think this would make the record lack cohesiveness, but it never happens, thanks to the overall quality of the songs and the thread of seductive darkness that wrap themselves around every song.

Many of the songs have a smooth, slightly ominous swell to them, like an ocean current that threatens to pull you out to sea if you swim too close or dive too deep. Of course, the characters in Santo’s songs do just that.

It helps to have songs with such great melodic structures. This is particularly noticeable on “Regrets,” which is recorded for the album twice. The first version is a blues-country song mid-tempo filled with reverberating guitar, where Santo’s vocals echo big and powerful over top of all the twang. The second version is a simple acoustic folk version, with just a single guitar and Santo’s vocals. Here she converts to a delicate warble that makes you think of drafty barns and rustic back roads. Which is better? Thankfully, Santo has made it so you don’t have to pick.

“Ruby Red” is an exploration of need, desire and the feverish embrace of temptation in its many forms. The album starts with “Handshake” where Santo explores the depths of sexual yearning with lyrics that are unabashed and direct:

“I wanna smoke and I wanna drink and screw every time I think about you

Which is all the time and I’m gonna lose my mind sitting on the side lines

Oh Cause I ain’t your friend babe, I don’t wanna a handshake

I need a piece, I need a taste

Set it up and pout it straight, don’t water down my whiskey babe.”

And immediately follows this invitation to sin are the less than romantic results on “Ghost In My Bed”:

“There’s a ghost in my bed, screwing with my head

Stomping round my room, drinking all my booze.”

Santo’s characters aren’t afraid to express what they want and then accept their complicity in the complications that result when they get it. There is plenty of regret, but you won’t find denial. As she sings on “Best Out of Me”:

“Baby I know I was jealous and mean

I got lost in the anger that roars over me like a tidal wave rotten

Bewitched and begotten from broken things inside of me.”

Santo also plays the violin, which has the same yearning warble present in her vocals. On “Best Out of Me” it provides the emotional undercurrent that lets you know that no matter how hurt and sad it all sounds, there is yet more sadness underneath.

“Blood on Your Knees” starts out folksy but by the end is converted to seventies anthem rock, with the electric guitar of Butch Walker channeling his inner Clapton.

Two songs later, the acoustic and introspective “Better Than That” is every bit as powerful, as Santo acknowledges an addiction to love, vowing to sober up before she sucks it dry from desire.

Santo has a sneaky-powerful voice that works in multiple styles. She’s got a bit of the blues in there as well and she reminded me favourably of fellow genre-busting chanteuses Lindi Ortega, Brandi Carlile and Nikki Lane. It’s a voice that I’d like to hear more of and one that has me looking forward to what she does next.

“Ruby Red” is a powerful journey. Santo dives deep and explores the darker corners of the human condition with a bravery and clarity that sits with you well after the last notes fade into silence.

Best tracks: Handshake, Ghost in My Bed, Best Out of Me, Regrets (x2), Blood on Your Knees, Better Than That

CD Odyssey Disc 1257: The Tragically Hip

I had planned to review this tomorrow morning, but I have a lot of chores tomorrow and with Sheila watching some Project Runway the time is now.

Disc 1257 is… Trouble at the Henhouse

Artist: The Tragically Hip

Year of Release: 1996

What’s up with the Cover? A dog with a murderous look on its face, looks to make some trouble…at the henhouse. We don’t know what the chickens might have done to bring the nasty out in this dog. However, I have raised chickens and can attest that they can be pretty dumb and even downright insensitive.

Dogs aren’t the sharpest minds either, and we can only hope that a sensible cat will come around and sort this situation out before things get any more out of hand.

How I Came to Know It: I think Sheila bought this in a bargain bin years ago. I could be wrong, since she doesn’t buy a lot of CDs. Then again, she does love a bargain…

How It Stacks Up:  We have five of the Tragically Hip’s 13 studio albums. Of the five, I must reluctantly place “Trouble at the Henhouse” in last place.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

It’s not often I enjoy wall-of-sound production, but “Trouble at the Henhouse” made me a believer. This record is rock and roll, with reverb and sustain painted all over it. Unexpectedly, I liked it.

The Hip are a Canadian icon, but despite this record climbing to #1 and spawning five top 40 singles, I mostly remember it for its biggest song, “Ahead by a Century.” That song is a gorgeous and wistful rock journey with a slow steady build and a lighter touch on the production than you might expect from my lede above. I liked this song when I first heard it over twenty years ago and it still stands the test of time.

However, I also appreciated when the music gets lush and dense. “Gift Shop” opens the record with layer upon layer of brilliance from guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois. I’m not a big enough Hip fan to know who plays which parts, but I love the way the guitar on this song cuts through the thick production like a shark cruising deep water.

Even “Flamenco” which is a quieter song, still has an ambience to it that makes you feel like you’re floating. “Flamenco” also shows off the genius of lead singer and chief lyricist Gord Downie. Downie sings with a light otherworldly vibrato that makes you feel like he’s tapping into some other wavelength that you can’t hear. This effect is magnified by his propensity to write lyrics that are non-linear yet somehow metaphorically compelling. There are many great lines on the record, but these ones from “Flamenco” called out to me on this listen:

“Walk like a matador,

Don’t be a chicken-shit

And turn breezes into rivulets

“Flamenco-sweep the air

And weave the sun

And stamp your feet for everyone.”

The song doesn’t follow a narrative so much as it paints a picture, makes you see its subject matter as a series of images, each one speaking to a complicated character.

For all this cleverness, “Trouble at the Henhouse” never forgets that at its core it is just good old-fashioned Canadian rock and roll. The songs are complex but at their core are guitar by relatively few chords and some electric guitar. While Downie is not a traditional rock crooner, he sits in the pocket while he does his thing, which the songs require. The Hip’s earlier albums have a much stronger blues-rock groove, and while “Trouble…” dresses that up in a lot of complexity, that core groove continues to provide a base upon which the band builds.

Near the end the record gets a bit droney and experimental, but while I liked these songs less I still liked them, and they provided a nice mellow finish to what was an enjoyable overall experience.

When I rolled this album I had a feeling I was going to part with it when I was done. I rarely put it on, and when I do play Hip albums I tend to pick different ones. Instead on every listen (there were several) I liked this record more and more. Even now, with three consecutive play-throughs under my belt I feel like I owe it a lot more time. It is music that demands an immersive experience and some patience, but it is worth the time invested.  

Best tracks: Gift Shop, Springtime in Vienna, Ahead by a Century, Flamenco, Butts Wigglin, Apartment Song