CD Odyssey Disc 1828: Orville Peck

Hoping to hear about the new Ghost album? Well, outside of this teaser, you won’t be. I barely made it through one listen earlier this week. A terrible record from a band I otherwise love. At a recent visit to the record store I exclaimed that with their latest effort it felt like Ghost was deliberately making fun of its audience. To which a fellow Ghost fan behind me noted, “haven’t they always been doing that?”

“Yes”, I replied, “and I’ve generally enjoyed it, but this time they crossed the line.”

On to review an album I liked considerably more…

Disc 1828 is…Stampede

Artist: Orville Peck

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? Our titular masked cowboy, chillin’ with cool kids of various persuasions. I love Peck’s outfit, which gives me ideas for how I can repurpose my suits upon my retirement.

How I Came To Know It: Orville Peck doesn’t always work for me, but I’m sufficiently intrigued to give each of his releases a chance. Often, I move on. This time, I lingered.

How It Stacks Up: This is my only Orville Peck album (although I have been on the hunt for 2022’s “Bronco” for some time now). Until I find it, there’ll be no stacking up.

Ratings: 4 stars

Duet records tend to be a mixed bag. Some of the pairings can sound like two songs stitched together awkwardly and some just feel forced or – worse – a competition. On “Stampede” Orville Peck avoids all the common pitfalls and delivers one of the finer collaborations I’ve heard in a while.

Peck accomplishes this by making each duet a true partnership. He lets himself be immersed in the style of each collaborator, while bringing his unique sound into the mix. The result is like the design a talented barista puts on top of your latte; distinct and intricate, even as it blends into itself before your eyes.

The album’s opener is a great example. “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other.” The song’s a duet with Willie Nelson, and despite his propensity for a more Vegas style urban cowboy delivery, Peck allows Nelson’s moseying style to take the lead. The song has a timeless sway, and a lot of heartfelt fun. Fun fact about this song for those who don’t have the benefit of liner notes – this is a cover of a 1981 single by singer/songwriter Ned Sublette. Kudos to Sublette for being so far ahead of his time to write a song about gay cowboys, but if you’ve heard the original it suffers from Sublette’s vocals which are just…OK.

Not so with Willie Nelson and Orville Peck in charge. I’m not a huge fan of Willie Nelson, but that quaver is unmistakable and as welcome here as a tall glass of lemonade on a hot day in the south. It pairs well with Peck’s rich baritone and natural showmanship. Both men command a stage with their vocals, but they do it with very different approaches. The blend is quite lovely.

A few songs later, Peck is up to similar (but different) tricks with Beck on “Death Valley High,” a song that would have been at home on Midnite Vultures except for all that Las Vegas back-country sound. This is western music yes, but it’s the kind encrusted in rhinestones. The Beck/Peck combo is also great. The two singers are again distinct, and the tradeoff between them is a delight. It is also a thoroughly groovy song that will have your head bobbing and (if driving) encourage lead in the foot.

If “Death Valley High” isn’t sufficiently groovy, fear not, because later on the record you’ll get the absolute treat of Peck pairing up with latter-day disco diva Kylie Minogue on “Midnight Ride”. This song has that Minogue-specific back beat that commands you to dance, and to do it right now. Peck channels his best Vegas Elvis vibe (which, FYI, is really good) and matches her energy groove for groove, hip shake for hip shake. Listen to this song at your peril, because it is a serious earworm.

That’s a sampling of the funkier side of the record, but there is also plenty to offer on the country side of the ledger. Peck’s collaboration with Margo Price on “You’re an Asshole, I Can’t Stand You, and I Want a Divorce” that channels “Fairytale of New York”, minus the holiday spirit.

On “Papa Was a Rodeo” Peck cuts up some serious old timey fun with Molly Tuttle. It is a bit weird where Peck says, “pick it, Molly” before her solo. Like Molly needed anyone’s permission or encouragement to be the world’s greatest living guitar player. Yeah, you heard me.

There are even songs on this record I normally dislike (Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”, Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy”) that in the hands of Peck are lifted up to brilliance (“Rhinestone Cowboy”) or in the case of “Saturday Night…” at least made tolerable. For the latter, I think I noticed the lyrics for the first time ever, and it helped considerably. Thanks, Bernie Taupin.

This willingness to meet multiple styles halfway could easily make for a disjointed record, but through it all Peck is the stylistic centrepiece. He has a natural charisma that oozes out of every note he sings, and he stands tall as an equal partner with some of music’s greatest legends (also, with Midland, but even that works).

While not every track is as bangin’ as “Midnight Ride” there is a balance of excellence overall. Also, it is a lot of fun, so if you don’t like fun, maybe avoid it. But seriously, that thing you have where you don’t like fun? You should get that checked out.

Best tracks: Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other, The Hurtin’ Kind, Other, Death Valley High, Papa Was a Rodeo, Midnight Ride, You’re an Asshole I Can’t Stand You (And I Want a Divorce), Rhinestone Cowboy

CD Odyssey Disc 1756 Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway

I’m just back from a whirlwind overnight trip to Vancouver exclusively to see Molly Tuttle live. I’ve reviewed the concert immediately following the album it was supporting so scroll down past the studio album review if you can’t wait to hear how it went.

Disc 1756 is…. City of Gold

Artist: Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway

Year of Release: 2023

What’s up with the Cover? Gee…that’s nice.

That’s a guitar player joke for those in the know.

For those not in the know, Molly is looking halfway between dangerous and fabulous with a dark sunglasses stare-down and silver sparkly suit. Approach at your own peril, because this woman will play over you like a white freightliner.

That’s a Molly Tuttle joke, for those in the know.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve been a fan of Molly Tuttle since discovering her through a Paste Magazine list of folk musicians I should know back in 2019. I’ve learned early on that just buying her record when it is released is a good idea, which is what I did for “City of Gold”.

How It Stacks Up: I have five Molly Tuttle albums (three solo, and two with her backing band, Golden Highway). Of those five, “City of Gold” comes in at #3. There is zero shame in this, because even at #3 “City of Gold” was still one of the best records of 2023. That’s how good Molly Tuttle records are.

Ratings: 4 stars but almost 5

Molly Tuttle was a revelation when she was a solo artist, but since she added the Golden Highway backing band she’s taken things to whole new levels of musical accomplishment. She and these four stalwarts are dripping in talent, and the songs are played in a way that squeezes every bit of excellence out of them.

"City of Gold” is the second album with Golden Highway, and while it is a slight step down in terms of song quality, it is the kind of step down that you’d need the camera they use at the end of a horse race to notice. By which I mean, this record is a f***-ton of awesome.

Things start on a high point with “El Dorado” a song about the California gold rush and a host of characters that leap off the page. This tune is cowritten with Old Crow Medicine Show’s frontman Ketch Secor, who also co-wrote many of the songs on Tuttle’s previous record. Whatever alchemy is at work, Tuttle and Secor excel when writing together. Her earlier stuff is a bit more introspective, but with Secor’s influence you get a lot more “cut loose” kind of vibe. Not necessarily better, but definitely more energetic.

Much like the musicianship, the characters on El Dorado come at you fast and furious, with each stanza telling the tale of how this rogue’s gallery of characters each meat their (mostly bad) fates. My favourite is Snake Oil Jake:

“Stay away from Snake Oil Jake, he'll fool you with a fountain pen
One look in his eyes, you'll be hypnotized, he's got that sleight-of-hand
He's sleek and fat like an old tom cat, they say he has nine lives
But Snake Oil Jake sure met his fate when they shot him down ten times”

Another favourite is “Alice in the Bluegrass” a song that cleverly converts Alice in Wonderland into a metaphor for the love of all things bluegrass. Tuttle also digs into the drug-references in the original story, and salts chemically altered states throughout the song. The record has plenty of drug references, including a direct plea for full marijuana legalization on “Down Home Dispensary.” Not something you see on your average bluegrass record, but Tuttle is not your average bluegrass player.

As noted earlier, in Golden Highway Tuttle has curated some of the finest bluegrass musicians in the land, and she puts them to good use on every single tune. Every song is different, but one thing they share are unapologetic solos that showcase that talent. You wouldn’t need this – just them playing things tight as hell through the melody would be enough to impress – but rarely will you encounter this many solos and tire of none of them.

And fear not early lovers of her solo work, you will get plenty of Tuttle guitar work to thrill and amaze you. Tuttle is tied with Mark Knopfler for my all-time favourite guitar player. Yes, all time. Even more than Buck Dharma. None better. You could enjoy “City of Gold” simply to witness her mastery of the instrument, but you won’t have to. You’ll get all of that, plus four other musical masters, all playing some of the finest songs you’ll hear in this or any other genre.

Best tracks:  El Dorado, Where Did All the Wild Things Go, Next Rodeo, Alice in the Bluegrass, Down Home Dispensary

The Concert – August 1, 2024 at the Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver

Not many artists will have me shell out hundreds of dollars and a bunch of vacation time to fly to Vancouver mid-week to see them, but as you could likely predict from the review above, Molly Tuttle is on that list. I was still smarting from missing her by a single day in Seattle, and I was determined to not miss her again.

The show was at a venue I’d never been to before – a converted movie theatre in Kitsilano called the Hollywood Theatre”. Coming in you are greeted by the old-school popcorn concession, but once you come around the corner you see they’ve hollowed out the room, leaving about 1/3 of the seating intact along the sides, and a big empty space for dancin’ and drinkin’, but most for listenin’.

I had expected the crowd to be about 50% bearded oldsters who love bluegrass and 50% young hipsters discovering the music for the first time. The actual split was more like 75/25 but otherwise it was as anticipated. Everyone was well-behaved, although as a seated person I did not love the tall young ‘uns standing in my field of vision. I guess it’s not their fault they’re tall. With the exception of one or two overly enthusiastic original hippies, the crowd had a great vibe. OK, even the hippies had a good vibe, although I would not have minded to slightly less interpretive dancing on their part.

Before I get to the music, a shout-out to the merch table, which had not one, not two, but three different t-shirts, all in my size. I would have loved to have the tour dates on the back of one of them, but I won’t quibble. Merch success!

The Lonesome Town Painters

The opening act was a local band from East Van called the Lonesome Town Painters. These gents were VERY traditional bluegrass. Before the show I spotted one in the audience, and assumed it was a fan dressed up like Bill Monroe. Turns out, they all dressed that way.

They played old standards, and while they weren’t vocal legends, they worked hard at delivering good harmonies and their joy for the music was evident. They also did a number of original compositions that were just as good as the traditional numbers, particularly a funny song called “I’m Sorry” which made it clear the narrator was not at all sorry. The banjo player joked he wrote it for his wife.

The banjo player was the class of the band, and his solos were a cut above the rest, although everyone played well. I wasn’t sufficiently inspired to be their records or merch (best banter line “we don’t have someone watch our merch table, so if you took anything, please come around and meet us after the set to pay for it”) but they were fun and set a good tone.

Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway

• Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – fiddle
• Kyle Tuttle (no relation) – banjo
• Molly Tuttle – guitar and vocals
• Shelby Means – bass
• Dominick Leslie – mandolin

I’m starting with that lineup shout out, because this band is a true band in every sense of the word. Tuttle could just be famous in her own right as one of the greatest guitar players in history, but she’s subverted that call to ego to create something infinitely greater – a super band.

The way they set up shows what to expect from the get-go, lined up equally across the stage in a phalanx of sound. They hit the stage giving each other knowing smiles of “we got this” and immediately launched without a word into a three song mini-set starting with “El Dorado”.

I had seen them play live on many a Youtube clip and so was expecting be blown away by how good they were, but even that couldn’t prepare me for how fucking good they were.

Every song had some form of bluegrass noodle (for those unfamiliar, bluegrass doesn’t just do a single solo – everyone gets a turn except the bass player, and even they get a turn about every fourth song). Sound like it would annoy you? Wrong! I sat enraptured the whole time, my ears having a hard time comprehending how good it was as it washed through me.

Yes, I was there to see Tuttle wail, and wail she did. Watching the finger dexterity required to drop the furious guitar work she delivers is a visual thrill, but to hear it3D in all its live glory was transcendent. She also sang incredibly well, and I was reminded that her guitar work can make it easy to forget what a talented vocalist she is as well.

A highlight was a call-and-answer bit between Tuttle’s guitar and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes fiddle, as they took turns playing off one another, entering some level of creativity I don’t have the musical education to describe other than I loved it.

The setlist was brilliant as well, featuring a good mix of mostly music from their last two records, plus some well-placed covers. Standouts included a “bluegrassed” cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” and a rendition of Neil Young’s “Helpless” that had the fans singing along in full throat on the chorus.

My favourite was “Crooked Tree” a song about being unabashedly unique that always puts a lump in my throat, but even more so live.

Also, if you are wondering if bass player Shelby Means is as cool as she looks in that sparkly top and dark sunglasses, the answer is yes. She exudes cool, and after each solo flashed a subtle smile that delivered a “nailed it!” vibe that was entirely justifiable.

My only regret was Tuttle did one solo song that was taken as a request from shout outs from the crowd. In these moments I am often paralyzed with wanting to shout out the perfect choice and by the time I had rallied myself and as set to bellow my request for “Good Enough” she’d already selected a much-less creative choice for a request for “She’s a Rainbow”. Of course Molly nailed it, but my choice was better. Woulda, coulda, shoulda…

Tuttle and the band played for well over 90 minutes and the energy just grew and grew the whole time. When the lights came on, I felt a bit sad that it was over, but mostly I felt flush with the knowledge that I’d witnessed greatness. 5 stars, and one of the top 5 concerts I’ve ever seen.

The Best Albums of 2022

I often load my best of albums list into the introduction to a regular review, but I’m going to break with tradition this year and give it an entry all its own. This year will also have the excitement of links to songs so you can have an immediate sampling of just what I’m so damned excited about.

If you like it, please check out the artist’s entire record, and if you like that, please buy it. That’s how artists get paid. Or stream it a whole bunch of times. That also works.

I listened to an untold number of records released in 2022 and found 80 of them worth buying. Of those I have successfully bought 66 (still searching for the rest) and gotten rid of 4 (errors). Still on the hunt for 14 more, some of which made the list regardless.

After considerable soul searching, here is the best of the best. I reserve the right to change my mind as I dig into each of these (and others) deeper, but for now, this is it. For those records I’ve already reviewed, I’ve embedded a link:

10 Ghost – Impera (reviewed at Disc 1592)

• Hard rock/metal from Sweden, Ghost has long enjoyed pretending they really love Satan, but don’t be concerned. It is just pretend.Here’s a track about their favourite subject called “Call Me Little Sunshine”. 

9 Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure

• Jacklin just keeps getting better. 2019’s Crushing was good, but I think this is even better. For the sake of balance with the previous record, let’s go with “Lydia Wears a Cross”.  

8 The Beths – Expert in a Dying Field

• More great music from the Beths. Here’s the title track as a sampler: 

7 Danger Mouse and Black Thoughts – Cheat Codes

• I find Danger Mouse hit and miss but combining him with hip hop mastery of Black Thoughts and the many guest stars on this record is inspiring. Here’s one called "Strangers" with some Run the Jewels guest starring.

6 Craig Finn – A Legacy of Rentals

• If you like the band The Hold Steady you’ll already know its lead singer Craig Finn. If you like that, I think you’ll like this just as much. I liked it even more, but you have to be OK with listening to the lyrics, because Finn tells a hell of a story, but you gotta pay attention. Here’s "The Amarillo Kid". 

5 Dropkick Murphys – This Machine Still Kills Fascists

• Woody Guthrie lyrics have been set to music by Wilco and Billy Bragg previously, and the latest collaboration is with the Dropkick Murphys. I think it may be the best yet. Here’s “The Last One”. 

4 Kevin Morby – This is a Photograph

• Just an all-around great record that is half chill, half-anxiety, all awesome. All the tracks are good, but I’m picking this one because I like the tone of the banjo and it features Erin Rae, who I also discovered this year. Her 2022 album is Lighten Up and it is good, even though it didn’t make this list. Here’s “Bittersweet”.

3 Mattiel – Georgia Gothic

• Mattiel’s 2019 album Satis Factory is one of my favourite records of all time. Georgia Gothic is good enough for #3 in 2022. Here’s “On the Run”.

2 Ezra Furman – All of Us Flames

• Brilliant, anthemic, and emotionally overwhelming, Furman is a wave you want to both catch and have crash over you. Here’s “Forever in Sunset".

1 Grace Cummings – Storm Queen (reviewed at Disc 1573)

• Listening to Grace Cummings is like being transfixed by the keening of a ghost as she warbles her fell and beautiful secrets to you from the underworld. Here’s “Up in Flames”:  I also strongly recommend “Heaven” if for no other reason than the arresting quality of Cummings eyes as she stares right at you in the video.

Honourable Mention – all great, but I could only pick 10. Here are 5 more in no particular order in the event you want even more great music to choose from 2022:

• Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – Crooked Tree; CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead; Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter; Wet Leg – Self-Titled; Angel Olsen – Big Time

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