Sam Russell & The Harborrats - "Born To Hurt" / "Make Me Lose Control"

Sam Russell & The Harborrats are back, and that makes us very happy.  Call this gang garage doo wop, Americana soul or whatever, but they deliver stirring performances highlighted by Russell's superb vocals.  The Wisconsin Polka, the band's first studio album in four years, is due soon.  Your first taste is the single "Born To Hurt" / "Make Me Lose Control", consisting of the high energy "Born To Hurt", and a cover of the 1988 ballad by Eric Carmen.  The single is a digital download at the Bandcamp link below.  We will share more details regarding The Wisconsin Polka as they are available.







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REVIEW: The Delines - Colfax

We've known for a long time that Willy Vlautin is a talented songwriter and novelist with a strong writer's voice. His band Richmond Fontaine has made a series of some of the best Americana records of the past two decades (especially Post To Wire, The Fitzgerald, and The High Country), while his books, including the recently published one, The Free, have garnered rave reviews, awards and attracted a legion of fans. In both mediums, Vlautin likes to examine people struggling on the fringes of American life, usually in desolate Western locations - with debts they can't pay, stuck in bad jobs and destructive relationships, while hanging out at cheap hotels, 3rd tier race tracks and seedy bars. But the hallmark of his work is how it exudes heart and a keen eye for the human spirit.

And for his new band The Delines, Vlautin wrote a batch of songs centered around sympathetic female protagonists, as has been a feature of his novels (one character from The Free, Pauline Hawkins, even took on a life of her own outside the book and became the subject of a song on English Oceans, the outstanding new CD by The Drive-By Truckers reviewed here). To give the women in these songs maximum first person resonance, Vlautin enlisted Amy Boone from Damnations TX. Her voice conveys a mix of beauty and pathos that truly brings these songs and characters to life. Her delivery of these songs, taut short stories really, makes your spirit soar and break at the same time.

One of my favorites here is "I Won't Slip Up", where a troubled young woman pleads with her friend to drive her to a bar: "Hey Ray, could you gimme a ride into town...Hey Ray, I won't tell anyone... I'll be better this time around." Vlautin economical writing style defines the young woman so well -- "45 hours a week my boss double checks me / He counts the till in front of everyone before I leave." And Boone absolutely nails the vocal, hits you smack dab in the heart. The song, especially the chorus, has been lodged in my head for a week, to where I'm pulling for her, hoping she "won't slip up", but knowing deep down that she will, and perhaps as soon as tonight if Ray does in fact drop her off at Little Sam's so she can "just have a couple of drinks".  Give "I Won't Slip Up" a listen:



"I Won't Slip Up" is one of my favorite songs of 2014, but all 10 songs here are equally good, including the one cover, Randy Newman's "Sandman's Coming", perhaps the saddest lullaby ever written ("It's a great big dirty world, if they say it ain't, they're lying"), delivered here very starkly, just Boone's voice and the piano of Jenny Conlee-Drizos (The Decemberists).

The band here is just right for this wonderful blend of Memphis soul and Bakersfield country. In addition to the always tasteful Conlee-Drizos, there's terrific steel guitar throughout by Tucker Jackson (The Minus 5), while the rhythm section of drummer Sean Oldham (a holdover from Richmond Fontaine) and bass player Freddy Trujillo (artist in his own right and member of Fernando) play sparingly but with muscle putting definition on the tough reality of the songs.

"The Oil Rigs at Night" is another standout, so good Jimmy Webb could have written it, writing with great sympathy about a woman preparing to leave her husband:

And the sort of title track "Colfax Avenue" may be the biggest heartbreaker of them all.  The woman is awoken in the middle of the night with a phone call that sends her searching up and down a Denver street for a former solider home from the war and in a real bad place. This version was filmed last week at a live show in Ireland -- listen to Boone's delivery of the line :"My husband's worn out, my kids are scared. But he's my little brother and he's out there somewhere": Boone's beautiful voice and impeccable phrasing just elevates these songs. You believe her. You lean in to hear her. You let her take you away into the story and its people and places. This kind of seemingly effortless singing is so hard to accomplish. She makes it looks easy, but Dusty Springfield and Pasty Cline certainly would have told you it's not. And Vlautin gives Boone such rich characters that she can dive into. The relationships in these songs may be at dead end, but this musical marriage soars. Colfax is easily one of 2014's best CDs. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Do yourself a favor and pick it up today. See them live in England during the next 2 weeks, or in Vlautin's hometown of Portland soon, other dates to follow I assume. June 9 ::   Rough Trade East, London June 10 :: The Lexington, London June 11 :: Railway, Winchester June 12 :: St. Bonaventures, Bristol June 13 :: The Maze, Nottingham June 14 :: Art Bar (Bullingdon), Oxford June 15 :: The Greystones, Sheffield June 17 :: Hare and Hounds, Birmingham June 18 :: Night and Day Cafe, Manchester June 19 :: Brudnell Social Club, Leeds June 20 :: Oran Mor, Glasgow June 21 :: Jumpin Hot Jamboree, Easington Colliery, Newcastle June 22 :: Palmeria, Brighton June 25::  Portland, Oregon. Mississippi Studios Release Party Stream the full record and purchase here: http://thedelines.bandcamp.com/ The Delines web page Facebook /The Delines

REVIEW: Jason Isbell - Southeastern

The strong statement made by Jason Isbell on Southeastern starts even before you open the CD. The black and white cover photo is a close-up of Isbell's face looking straight into the camera.  He appears  serious, clear eyed and present, as if to say: "Here I am, fully prepared to give you my best and be held accountable for my past, present and future."

And the title Southeastern - after going through alcohol rehab, traveling the globe performing and surviving quite a difficult life journey - reflects the homestead and foundation of the 34 year old singer-songwriter. Southeastern is self-released, recorded in Nashville where Isbell resides, produced extremely well by Nashvillian Dave Cobb and in all regards remaining honest to Isbell's Alabama roots. Southeastern reflects a man both humble and supremely confident is his ability to make music. And this renewed focus makes Southeastern by far the best of Isbell's career.      

The CD begins with "Cover Me Up" that has a sound as stark and direct as the gaze of the cover photo.  Isbell has never sung better and the bittersweet acoustic music is striking and right on.

Next up is "Stockholm", a plea to go home and find love and redemption:



That's Kim Richey on background vocals.

The highlight of highlights here is "Traveling Alone":

"Traveling Alone" has been haunting for me for weeks since I first heard it. So much pain, beauty and truth here. Hitting bottom and getting up and crawling back. I love the overall sound, especially the fiddle (by Amanda Shires whom Isbell married earlier this year). It's a truly perfect country rock song that's got it all - great chorus, terrific bridge, and memorable lines like "So high, the street girls wouldn't take my pay. She said come see me on a better day, and she just danced away." 

I am similarly stuck on "Flying Over Water", a rock song which hooks you with the opening line: "From the sky we look so organized and brave." More redemption and searching for connection and love. 

It's harder Southern rock you want? You'll love "Super 8" featuring WYMA favorite Will Johnson (Centro-matic, etc.):

"Super 8" has the strong but unadorned, direct rock'n'roll sound I kept hoping to hear from Jason & the Scorchers, the prototype Southern alternative rock band whose producers and record companies kept taking them down suburban metal rabbit holes in the mid to late 1980's, it seeming like somehow none of them had the good sense that Isbell and Cobb show to just follow the The Band's blueprint. Isbell wears his Southern literature and Southern alternative rock roots on his sleeve, but he takes the genre to heights it has rarely seen. 

And on it goes - all 12 songs here are remarkably good. Isbell's 3 prior records all had some fine songs that realized on the promise shown when Isbell burst on the scene contributing "Outfit" and the title track to the Drive-By Truckers' Decoration Day in 2003. But Southeastern is a big step up for him - Isbell puts it all out there and makes a bold, career defining record that places him firmly within the company of his most talented peers like Steve Earle, Patterson Hood and Ryan Adams.  Isbell is a careful writer with a great eye for detail and a Springsteen-esque knack for finding the way to deliver the right line at the right time to say a lot in few words.  

And while this record certainly deals with Isbell previous alcohol demons, it is not some self-absorbed 12 step exercise. To the contrary, the themes of the difficulties of life, mistakes we make, redemption and love are told so well that they become universal and far more than any one man's journey. 

Southeastern will easily make my top 10 list for 2013. 

Here's an excellent feature story from the New York Times on Isbell and the background to Southeastern: Jason Isbell Unloaded

Jason Isbell web page

REVIEW: Water Liars - Wyoming

Water Valley, MS folk rock band Water Liars is singer-guitarist Justin Kinkel-Schuster and drummer-vocalist Andrew Bryant. Having had fairly limited exposure to them prior to this, their new album Wyoming came as a bit of a surprise to me. We shared the early release songs "Linens" and "Fake Heat", and I pegged them as closer on the spectrum toward country-tinged quiet folk-rock. Here's "Fake Heat", a sad ballad full of wasted, somewhat depressing images of something like a love affair gone bad, or perhaps never really started:

And here's "Linens" - another sad tale of a love gone bad, which contains some really pretty guitar tones accompanying sad, sad lyrics:



Here's the thing, though: when you put the record on, the first song, "Sucker", features some blazing guitar - not only that, it's got some feedback. Really, this record veers along the spectrum from acoustic country, dominated by close vocal harmonies, with electric guitars sprinkled in, to some rock sounds featuring some very strong guitar with feedback. Given the emotions expressed in many of the songs - sadness and anger - the increased volume and cacophony embodied by the raging guitar ought not be a surprise.

These two can really write a sad song, and they can really play some country rock. If I just came across this record, I would never guess it was their second full album, and that they had just started making music less than two years ago - apparently they just jammed together and started writing songs in the summer of 2011. Their first album Phantom Limb was released in early 2012, and they've been touring and recording this record since then. If you're looking for the next big thing in Americana or alt/country, they are definitely two guys to keep an eye on. The record is out this week (Mar. 5) on Fat Possum/Big Legal Mess Records.

Water Liars at Fat Possum

As I mentioned, they're a hard touring duo... and here are some tour dates:

Mar. 7              Little Rock, AR                        White Water Tavern
Mar. 8              Fayetteville, AR                     Nightbird Books
Mar. 9              Oklahoma City, OK                  Kamp's Lounge
Mar. 11            Denton, TX                                 Dan's Silverleaf
Mar. 12            Fort Worth, TX                        The Where House
Mar. 13            Austin, TX                                  SXSW
Mar. 16            Hot Springs, AR                       Low Key Arts
Mar. 17            Memphis, TN                              1372 Overton Park
Apr. 6              Omaha, NE                                  O'Leaver's
Apr. 8              Des Moines, IA                          Gas Lamp
Apr. 10            Rock Island, IL                         Rozz-Tox
Apr. 12            Indianapolis, IN                        DO317 Lounge
Apr. 13            Fort Wayne, IN                         Brass Rail
Apr. 15            Philadelphia, PA                      Johnny Brenda's
Apr. 16            New York, NY                            Cake Shop
Apr. 17            Brooklyn, NY                           Shea Stadium
Apr. 18            Baltimore, MD                          Windup Space
Apr. 20            Boone, NC                                  Espresso News
Apr. 21            Columbia, SC                             New Brookland Tavern
Apr. 22            Charleston, SC                        Royal American
Apr. 23            Athens, GA                                 Caledonia Lounge
Apr. 25            Chattanooga, TN                     JJ's Bohemia
Apr. 26            Opelika, AL                               The Overall Company

* with Angel Olsen

UPDATE: Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray on tour, live tracks available

One of my favorite records of 2012 was Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray's We're From Here (WYMA review here, Top 50 here). I love the guitars and her voice... and their modesty (Yuma was tickled that I called them "guitar heros"). They are one of the hardest-working acts in rock, having recently finished up their extensive 2012 tour, and preparing to embark on their 2013 tour in support of the album (dates below).

They have made available a free download of a live cut from their Live at DC9 album, "Baby Blue":



And, in fact, you can download the entire live disc for "name your price" here... so consider it a virtual tip jar, or download it for free and then buy We're From Here. They're a hardworking band and they make killer music - we could always use more of that. Those tour dates:

3/22 - Caldera Tap, Ashland, OR

3/23 - Pine Cone Tavern, Brookings, OR

3/25 - Trillium, Hood River, OR

3/28 - John's Alley, Moscow, ID

3/30 - Crux Coffee, Boise, ID

4/5 - Steaming Bean, Telluride, CO

4/7 - Cowgirl BBQ, Santa FE, NM

4/9 - Adobe Bar, Taos, NM

4/11 - Pioneer Inn, Nederland, CO

4/13 - Ritual Café, Des Moines, IA

4/14 - Quencher's Saloon, Chicago, IL

4/18 - Zazoo's, Louisville, KY

4/19 - Southgate House, Cincinnati, OH

4/20 – Howlers, Pittsburgh, PA

4/23 - The Radio Bean, Burlington, VT

4/27 - Red Hook Bait 'n Tackle, Brooklyn, NY

4/28 - The Galaxy Hut, Arlington, VA

4/29 - The Black Cat , Washington DC

5/1 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC

5/3 - The Cavern, Russellville, AR

5/5 The Parish Underground, Austin, TX

5/10 - Taos Alehouse, Taos, NM

5/11 - Cowgirl BBQ, Santa Fe, NM

5/12 The Yucca Tap Room in Tempe, AZ

Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray Website

REVIEW: Sam Russell - The Year of the Cow

The Americana soul and doo-wop folk of Sam Russell and his collaborators, The Harborrats, have featured on this pages several times, but this appearance represents a little change of pace.  In The Year of the Cow, Sam has pared down the contributing musicians and recorded an album of folk music.  In essence, this is the first solo album in Sam's Blue Moon Bible project, in which he intends to record eight albums consisting of eight songs each with recurring characters.  The Year of The Cow is the sixth in the series, by my count (although, as a former history major, I disclaim any responsibility for counting accurately).

This approach emphasizes Sam's warm,  comfortably worn vocal delivery and the sincerity of the compositions.  And both the delivery and the quality of the songs are capable of the burden of carrying the album.  As the rainy season reaches the Pacific Northwest, and I look for musical accompaniment for my late night reflection, my choice these days is The Year of the Cow.  The overall effect is that Sam is singing his stories just for you.  And that is a very good way to spend some time.

Here are two of my favorites, "Monkey Trap" and "Mirage" --





If you would like to evaluate the entire album, you can stream it in its entirety at the Bandcamp site linked below.

The Year of the Cow was recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered in Seattle.  All songs are written by Sam except for the closing track, "Whatever's Left", which was composed by Zoe Muth.  The credits are Sam Russell (vocals and guitar), Ken Nottingham (upright bass and harmonica), Michael Spaly (fiddle, mandolin, banjo and percussion), and Daniel Walker (piano on "Whatever's Left").

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Premiere of Sam Russell's video for "Too Far In The South"

On October 30, Seattle's Sam Russell will release The Year of the Cow, the sixth edition of his Blue Moon Bible collection of eight-song albums with interconnected themes and characters.  A less raucous set of songs than the previous five in the series, we will post a full review of the new album when nearer to the release date.

After completing the album, Sam filmed his performance of each of the songs from the album at Studio V in Seattle.  Sam intends to release these performances in the weeks leading up to and through the release of the The Year of the Cow.  Today, When You Motor Away is honored to premiere the video -for Sam's performance of  "Too Far in the South".  While the song appears on  The Year of the Cow, on the album the lead vocals for the song are provided by Kate Noson.  The performance here simply is Sam and his acoustic guitar, with Michael Spaly playing the fiddle off-screen.  The video simply is a great showcase for a stellar song and a wonderful delivery.  Enjoy!


The video was filmed at Studio V, directed and edited by Lulu Gargiulo, and recorded by Charles Bork, Michael Spaly and Conrad Uno.

If you would like to check out our previous posts regarding the Americana soul of the talented Mr. Russell and his collaborators, see here and here.

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REVIEW: Patterson Hood - Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance

Patterson Hood's new album features a title that couldn't be more apt. Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance summons thoughts or memories of hot, languid nights spent reflecting on things far away... and that's kind of what the record is about.

A little background: According to Hood, the album started as a book, based on his turbulent experiences after moving to Memphis in 1992. “I was 27, my band broke up, I got divorced… my car got stolen, our band’s truck got stripped and I fell in love. I fell out with my family (who I was very, very close to) and had my heart broken.”

So it's been in the works for a while - in essence, most of Hood's adult life. And the consistently high quality of this record shows that. Hood, again: “The songs begin in the period that the book was set in, but don’t end there, as they really just were the impetus for writing about the life I am living now and contrasting it with the troubled times of two decades ago."

Living a good life - while reflecting on a distant past when life wasn't so good but we lacked the perspective to know better - what better material for an artist as talented and reflective as Hood to make into his best record? The record is rich, deep and beautiful. I could write paragraphs about how many wonderful little touches embellish this record - the :45 intro to the title track is as good as R&B-flavored Southern rock music gets, for example, and then it gets better. And I believe the bass lines merit special attention. I'm not sure I could tell you which lines are played by his dad, and which by Hood himself, or which by Cooley, and I'm not sure it matters. They are all wonderful, yet somehow understated, and create a very comfortable atmosphere for every song on the record. But I really don't know how much you need me to tell you about this record. If you like storytellers, if you like Southern rock -- or any kind of rock, or country, or R&B, this record is well worth your time.

Here's a video of Hood singing and talking about "Depression Era", which was actually written and recorded for a film in 2010:



When we first got word of this record, we put up a post featuring a free download of "Come Back Little Star", Hood's ode to dear departed friend Vic Chesnutt. You can find that post here.

In fact, you can stream the record right now at Rolling Stone.

Hood is not holding anything back on this record. As good as his previous work has been, consider that he's held back some of this work for 20 years while he polished and honed it - and it shows. And he's assembled a cast of bandmates, friends and family to help him realize his vision for the record: Drive-by Truckers Mike Cooley, Jay Gonzalez, Brad Morgan and John Neff, as well as Scott Danbom and Will Johnson from Centro-matic and Kelly Hogan (who co-wrote "Come Back Little Star" and whose vocals on that song are a highlight). Hood’s father, famed Muscle Shoals bassist, David Hood also plays on the record. [As do David Barbe and Jacob Morris - thank you to commenter "Anonymous" for pointing out my oversight!] In short, Heat Lightning Rumbles In The Distance is a masterpiece - as much as I've grown to like the Truckers and Hood's other work, this is simply the best record he's ever made.

The record will be out next Tuesday (Sept 11). Hood and his band The Downtown Rumblers are going on tour to support this record:

Sep 14 Jomeoke Music and Arts Festival – Pinnacle, NC
Sep 15 The Southern Cafe and Music Hall – Charlottesville, VA
Sep 16 World Cafe Live Downstairs – Philadelphia, PA
Sep 17 Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Sep 18 Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
Sep 20 Club Helsinki – Hudson, NY
Sep 22 City Winery – Chicago, IL
Sep 23 City Winery – Chicago, IL
Sep 24 Fine Line Music Café – Minneapolis, MN
Sep 27 Star Theater – Portland, OR
Sep 28 Star Theater – Portland, OR
Sep 29 Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
Oct 1 Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
Oct 2 Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA
Oct 5 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – San Francisco, CA
Oct 6 Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Los Angeles, CA
Oct 7 Anthology – San Diego, CA
Oct 10 Cactus Café – Austin, TX
Oct 11 Cactus Café – Austin, TX
Oct 12 Austin City Limits Festival – Austin, TX

REVIEW: Sam Russell With The Harborrats - The Water Balloon

Seattle singer/songwriter Sam Russell, with his frequent collaborators, The Harborrats, has just released The Water Balloon, the fifth edition of his Blue Moon Bible series.  What does this writer do when he discovers there is a new release from Sam Russell With the Harborrats?  I assure you, it was an entirely objective and professional response - I set aside my other work, ignored other deadlines, procured the album and resolved to push it towards the head of the line and get a post out as soon as I could.  After all, we aren't just highly-paid and internationally acclaimed tastemakers at When You Motor Away, we are fans of music we like.  And I like what Sam and his friends are serving.

And what comes from the tap is Americana soul.  The music has high energy, emotional depth and a lead vocalist in Russell that, as another critic once wrote, no other artist ever wants to follow on stage.  The music reflect Memphis soul, old fashioned pop, garage, folk and country, but specializes in songs that start slowly, pulling the listener into the story, and then explode into rollicking climax.  Moreover, the work is impressive not just because it sounds good.  The songs are authentic stories about life, with humor, sorrow and optimism.

Memphis soul from a white boy who grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin?  Here is the lead track:


A slower tempo offering is the title track, a sublime tale of addiction and potential redemption:


You can stream the entire eight-track album at the Bandcamp link.  But you also can purchase it for six dollars.

Sam wrote all the songs on the album.  The player credits are as follows:
Sam Russell-vocals, guitar 
Michael Spaly-violin, vocals mandolin, guitar 
James Apollo-vocals, keyboards, guitar, harmonica 
Carey Rayburn-trumpet 
Allison Tulloss-vocals, flute, keyboards 
Kjell Anderson-violin 
Schuyler Jones-electric bass 
Ken Nottingham-upright & electric bass 
Dave Forrester-drums, percussion 
Isaac Chirino-percussion 
Toby Hanson-accordion 
John Tomlinson-Hammond B3 
Carlos Tulloss-bass on 3 
Nathan Wade-vocal on 6 
Daniel Jay Shontz-trombone on 5 
Justin Roeser-guitar on 4 

"Support Your Local Waitress" is a fun pop track --


The Blue Moon Bible series is intended to be eight albums with eight tracks each, and they feature recurring lyrical themes.  The crack When You Motor Away accounting department assures me that Water Balloon is number five.  The sixth, The Year of the Cow, is scheduled for an August release.  You can find past releases in the series at the links below.  In reflecting on the list, I was impressed with the number of songs from past releases that have spots on my favorite playlists.  And to entice you to spend a bit of time exploring the prior volumes, here is the wonderful title track to Volume C, "Salted Caramel Shake" --



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Blue Moon Bible series homepage
Sam Russell's Facebook

REVIEW: Wess Floyd - Foxhole Confessions

Wess Floyd had an album he wanted to get off his chest.  In fact, he told me that he'd been living with the album for several years.  And now, titled Foxhole Confessions, it is out for the world to judge and he asked me to represent his work to you, the When You Motor Away readers and music jurors.  May it please the court, I will present my client's case to the jury.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what do we have before us?  We have authentic, gritty rock and roll, plus Americana soul, and delivered with a southern accent. It is an honest album that reflects real life, real loves, real tears and real triumphs.  But even with the bad times, Foxhole Confessions does not endeavor to drag down your spirits.  Not in the least.  The stories here burst with the passion to keep going, and the energy to keep going well.

I often eschew live clips when arguing my client's music to the jury, but this is music born to be live (or at least on a car stereo at night with the windows down).  So allow me to introduce as evidence the album track "Hot Headed Rebels", played with the Daisycutters live at The Basement in Nashville (this was recorded at the album release party in December 2011)  --



Here is the album's opening track, "Record Player", live from The Basement in Nashville.  Even when singing about a failed relationship, the song amuses and rocks us.



Wess is a southern Alabama boy, but he's bounced all around the south, and a bit of the west, trying to make it.  There has been a lot of work, and a good share of near misses.  But now the story is on the streets and in our stereos

"Williamsburg Nights" live at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville --



So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is why rock and roll is made, this is why you listen--to hear the raw stories of life spun in a way that entertains us, leads us to bob our heads and move our feet.  To share the moment with friends.  And Foxhole Confessions is a worthy part of that rock and roll fabric. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the only possible life-affirming verdict is "yes".

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REVIEW: The Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls

The sudden rise of the Alabama Shakes is quite a story. A year ago the band was working day jobs in Athens, Alabama, playing to crowds of 20-30 people, and self-financing their first recording with no record label or other support.

Fast forward to this week - Boys and Girls was released yesterday by ATO Records following a good old fashioned major label bidding war, the band got an excellent feature story in the Sunday New York Times, has two sold out shows in New York City, an appearance on David Letterman, and then embarks on an almost completely sold out tour that will take them to Canada, Europe, the UK and various US cities.

So why all the buzz? It's not complicated. Brittany Howard has got it. This 23 year old is blessed with a killer voice that naturally combines soul, blues and rock'n'roll. She plays guitar like her life's on the line. Somehow a young woman who was delivering mail a few months ago is now earning comparisons to Janis Joplin and Bettye LaVette. Yes, that is sort of ridiculous, but she's damn good!

In an age of Auto-Tune, ProTools, American Idol, and a maximum of 150 characters, people are starving for something genuine and lasting, and Brittany Howard and The Alabama Shakes are, as a Southern friend of mine likes to say, as real as a heart attack.

And sometimes a new band takes off because of a great song, and for the Alabama Shakes that song is "Hold On", which sounds like nothing else except just what you've been waiting for. It literally leaps out of your iPod or car radio, a young band busting out and just grabbing it, like the White Stripes on "Seven Nation Army" or Pearl Jam's "Jeremy".

Howard sounds like such an old soul, right at the onset of "Hold On" (lead track on the CD) -

Bless my heart

bless my soul

didn't think I'd make it

to 22 years old

There is something completely timeless about Howard's voice, her writing, and the band's playing. It has no self-conscious retro feel, instead coming across completely instinctual and deeply passionate. What I like best about Boys and Girls is its greasy sound and rough edges. This vibe of 'let's just play and not over think this' comes through especially well on "Hold On" but also the album's 3rd song, "Hang Loose", a terrific rock'n'roll song that wouldn't seem out of place in a Bruce Springsteen live set.

The band has far more in common with say the Drive-By Truckers and old Rolling Stones records than any slick neo-soul of today. Boys and Girls hisses, crackles and rocks, while wearing its Southern working class hero heart on its sleeve, as here on "Rise to the Sun" with its garage rock feel:

Brittany Howard and Heath Fogg both play guitar with real feeling without ever overdoing it, while the rhythm section of bassist Zac Cockrell and drummer Steve Jackson play like old pros with a groove that would make them proud just west of Athens Alabama down Hwy 72 in Muscle Shoals. Add the tasty piano and keyboards and all it's all there - the rock and the roll.

They can slow it down too. One of the highlights here is the title track "Boys & Girls" a ballad that recalls the Memphis soul sound and even Bob Dylan's "Every Grain of Sand". Howard's fine writing skills avoid the typical cliches, as demonstrated on this title track, where she laments the loss of a super tight childhood friendship, their platonic relationship sacrificed to the complications and outside pressures of adolescence. A good song topic, real stuff, Howard not looking over anyone's shoulder or dressing up in someone else's clothes.

The band has the confidence and the right instinct to keep things economical, the 11 songs here clocking in at 39 minutes, though still finding room to kick things into a higher gear at the end of cuts like "Be Mine" that have a Southern rock jam band spirit without the guitar cliches. Here's a live video of "Be Mine" from our friends here in Portland at KINK radio:

The entire CD is being streamed here free (for awhile anyway): http://www.npr.org/2012/04/01/148918546/first-listen-alabama-shakes-boys-and-girls

You need to be as true to the feel and the real as the Alabama Shakes themselves and go buy this one at your local independent record store.

And let's not forget that our fearless leader here at WYMA, John Hyland, tipped our readers off to the Alabama Shakes on October 18, 2011, which probably seems like a lifetime ago to the young folks in this band given the deserved but truly crazy turns turns in their world during the past few months.

My advice? Get on this bandwagon now while there is still a little room.

Artist web page: http://www.alabamashakes.com/

Sam Russell and the Harborrats

Before I began blogging about music, I had a collection of discs that I would take in my car. One of them was a mix of various songs by a Seattle group called The Harborrats. I didn't know much about them except that they were led by a fellow Wisconsonite, Sam Russell, and their live shows often featured waffles, toasted on the spot and tossed into the crowd. I ran across my Harborrats collection this weekend, so I resolved to see what, if anything, Sam and the gang have going on. Go ahead, click on the play button for "Dive Bar Blues (Crossing Russell Road)" by Sam Russell and the Harborrats, and keep reading:

Good stuff, right? But a good song released last December is just a small part of the story. Kenosha, Wisconsin native Sam Russell, frequently with The Harborrats and other worthy contributors, has been engaged in the Blue Moon Bible project, an intended eight albums with eight songs each. Four EPs are finished to date. The style of the music is somewhat eclectic, but can best be described as garage soul or Americana soul. But each song highlights Sam's range. As a vocalist he can deliver folk songs, soul songs and rockers, and he can do it from baritone to mid tenor. As a songwriter, he seems to have no genre boundaries, and has the ability to write songs that sound like classics from the first listen.

Sam also has a solo album, The Year of the Cow (well, I told you he is from Wisconsin), coming out on June 5, 2012. The two-track single "I Am the Ghost" has been released, and you can stream it here:


Despite the upcoming solo album, however, I can't avoid giving a bit of press to the Harborrats' material here as well, because I think it is really good and criminally underexposed. You can get to all of it from the links below, but I'll highlight a favorite song (or more) from each of the Blue Moon Bible series.
Volume A was also called The Katie Sermon. Here is the rousing eighth track, "Mt. Prospect":


Volume B, also called The Youngest Sister, featured these four songs that I have on my car mix:






Volume C, Salted Caramel Shake features this great track:


Volume D, The Sugar Nile, includes these Rocksteady74 favorites:



By the way, The Harborrats and other contributing musicians on the recent releases are as follows:

For the "I Am The Ghost" single:
Sam Russell-vocals, guitar
Kate Noson-vocals
Michael Spaly-fiddle
Ken Nottingham-upright bass

For the "Dive Bar Blues" single:
Sam Russell-lead vocals, electric guitar
James Apollo-2nd vocal, harmonica, Nord keyboard
Michael Spaly-electric violin, backing vocal
Allison Tulloss-ooo's and ahh's
Kjell Anderson-fiddle, backing vocal
Toby Hanson-accordion
Carey Rayburn-trumpet
Ken Nottingham-upright bass, backing vocal
Schuyler Jones-electric bass, backing vocal
Dave Forrester-drums, backing vocal
Isaac Chirino-percussion

For The Sugar Nile EP:
Sam Russell—vocals, guitars
Michael Spaly—vocals, guitar, violin, mandolin
Allison Tulloss—vocals
James Apollo—vocals, keyboards
Schuyler Jones—electric bass
Ken Nottingham—upright bass
Dave Forrester—drums and percussion
Isaac Chirino—drums and percussion
Kjell Anderson—violin
Toby Hanson—accordion
Carey Rayburn—trumpet
Justin Roeser—guitar on 3
Scott Andrew—vocal on 6
Johnny Sangster—Hammond B3 on 2
Kate Noson—backwards vocals on 2

Website
Bandcamp
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The Harborrats website