#441 : Emily Duff - Born on the Ground

2020 – Emily Duff / Mr Mudshow Music
By Phillip Smith; April 18, 2020

I’m loving this new disc, Born on the Ground from New York City troubadour Emily Duff.  Her introspective lyrics on this nine-track break-up album are wonderfully delivered with a heaping helping of soulful country twang.  With Duff on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, her band consists of Scott Aldrich on electric guitar, Skip Ward on bass, Charlie Giordano on piano/organ, Kenny Soule on drums/percussion, Eric Amble on electric guitar, and background vocalists Mary Lee Kortes, Syd Straw, and Tricia Scotti.

In title track “Born on the Ground”, Duff sings ‘When you’re born on the ground, you’re dead inside.’.  Her powerful and poignant lyrics go head to head with masterful writers such as Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams, as she sings them with a voice made for western music.  I instantly fall for “Easy Go”.  From the beginning of this up-tempo song, I’m pulled right in, lured by its strong pulse and infectious riffs.  There’s a deliciously dark Tom Waits energy in the playfully sublime “No Escape”.  It’s bluesy and cool as hell.  Duff is not one to be reckoned with as she belts out “Knuckle Sandwich”.  She tackles the song with a fearless, punk attitude, and tops it with driving guitar, crashing drums, and barrelhouse piano.  I can’t get enough of this one.  It’s definitely my favorite.      

Born on the Ground is a superb album of all original songs which have certainly grabbed my attention.  This is a record I highly recommend. 

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For more information about the artist, visit this website – emilyduff.bandcamp.com  

Mark Harrison - Turpentine

2016 –  Mark Harrison

By Phillip Smith; Sep. 17, 2016

UK musician Mark Harrison is one hell of a story-teller and songwriter.  He delivers his roots-rich music acoustically using National and twelve string guitars. His latest album, Turpentine, is a delightful listen to say the least.  Playing alongside Harrison on this thirteen track album of all original material is Charles Benfield on double bass, Ed Hopwood on drums, percussion and harmonica, and Paul Tkachenko on mandolin, piano, organ, and accordion.

Make the best with what you have, is the message shared in “Black Dog Moan”. The light and carefree melody captures my full attention.  I can totally relate to the frustration Harrison sings about in “Hardware Store”, as he sings ‘”All those things they sell down in that hardware store.  I don’t know what they do and I don’t know what they’re for”.  The fabulous instrumental, “Dog Rib” is a haunting bluesy treat with a tribal beat.  This is acoustic blue at its best.  Tkachenko straps on the accordion and sprinkles some New Orleans-style Cajun seasoning into “Dirty Business”, a song about greed and thievery.      

I absolutely adore the “The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek”. This amazing song tells the story of the deal made in 1830 between the US government and Chief Greenwood LeFlore of the Choctaw Nation, in what is now known as Mississippi.     

One listen to Turpentine, and it is quite apparent why Harrison received two nominations in the British Blues Awards, for Songwriter and Acoustic.  The album is an instant treasure in my books.

Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip - After the Flood

2013 – Hokahey! Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 23, 2014

Whether tackling the blues Texas style, in a Mississippi swamp, or with a taste of funk, Finnish band, Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip plays with excellence.  Singer/rhythm guitarist/harmonicist Bjorklof is backed by lead guitarist Lefty Leppänen, bassist Seppo Nuolikoski, drummer Teemu Vuorela, and organist/pianist Brian Coogan.  After the Flood is a splendid recording of twelve original songs which are immersed in blues and roots music.

“House For the Blues” energetically gets things started.  Bjorklof sings about tearing down a shaky old barn and building in its place, a house for playing music.  Leppänen tears it up with great guitar licks reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s. Then, Bjorkloff tops it off with some howling harmonica.  The ‘wow-factor’ on this track is high.

I love the swampy tones created on “Jack the Black Hat” and “Ramblified”.  Killer slide guitar and superbly haunting backing vocals give the song about Mojo-man Jack the Black Hat an aura of coolness.  Then there’s “Ramblified”: a timeless and outstandingly written treasure.  This one screams traditional country blues.

There’s a funky side to the album too.  “Water From Your Shoe”, breaks out the funk midway through, following a borderline gospel beginning fitting for the church scene from the film, The Blues Brothers.  “Gumbo Mama” is a fun track as well.  Lefty lays down a funky groove while Bjorklof rolls out vocals a la Anthony Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers on the chorus. 

Industrial percussion and the dark boozy lyrics of “King Alcohol” bring to mind one my favorites, Tom Waits. This one is an unexpected treat.  “Woogie or Die”, takes a walk on the dark-side as well.  A cool revved up intro and ominous unsettling chords set the mood for this heart-racing song about being forced ‘Sopranos style’ to play music for a private after-hours party.  

Micke Bjorklof & Blue Strip is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill blues band.  The songs these guys have to offer are forged from top-notch and original writing, and performed with an excellence in musicianship.  Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.    

Sam Morrow - Ephemeral

2014 – Forty Below Records

By Phillip Smith; Aug. 9, 2014

Ephemeral, the debut album from singer/songwriter Sam Morrow is anything but ephemeral.  Before I had finished listening to the first of ten songs, “War”, I knew this album was something special.  Singing country-flavored roots songs with a sharp edge of truth, Morrow’s voice reminds me a bit of Eddie Vedder’s.  Morrow delves deep into his own experiences, revisiting the often unpleasant obstacles life blindly tosses around like little grenades.              

Setting the tone for the rest of the album, “War”, invites the listener into Morrow’s melancholy world with despairing lyrics about a husband and father who looks to the bottle for happiness.  Morrow shows great range as a vocalist and writer in the heart wrenchingly beautiful song, “Old Soul”, about the hurt of lost love, and the self-destructive thoughts which go along with it.  “Run” seems to pick up where “Old Soul” leaves off, leaving thoughts of self-destruction behind and replacing them with feelings of anger and declarations of love.  I’m really drawn to its haunting melody, fortified with a cool drum cadence and symphonic strings.  In a Tom Waits fashion, Morrow reexamines the broken relationship with booze, after two years of sobriety, in “December”, a song of reconstruction, remembering and longing.  This softly played guitar and violin tune tugs on my heart strings.

Ephemeral is such a beautifully constructed album of brutal honesty, I can’t get enough of it.  Morrow shines as a writer and performer, and I highly recommend this album.

John Butler Trio - Flesh & Blood

2014 -  Vanguard

By Phillip Smith; May 17, 2014

Flesh & Blood, the sixth studio album by Australian roots band, John Butler Trio is a sheer delight.  Filled with rich melodies and poignant lyrics, this eleven track album goes down smooth and refreshing like iced lemonade in the summertime.  Backing Butler this time around is bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Grant Gerathy.   

Butler creates a trippy environment for “Blame It On Me”, riding a wave of trance-inducing beats laced with spacy effects.  It’ s so fascinating, I find myself melting into the song, while imagining how enjoyable it would be to hear an extended version of it played live.   The use of steel pans gives the super-poppy “Only One” an infusion of Caribbean flavor.  This is one of those songs that can easily get stuck in one’s head. 

“Spring to Come”, the opening track, catches my attention with a rhythm reminiscent of Rusted Root, and a message of hope and encouragement reminding us that ‘out of the darkness, only the light can come’.  

Gerathy uses a very industrial sounding percussion to begin “Livin’ in the City” with. After a few measures, the song melts into a really funky rhythm accented with bluesy and psychedelic guitar riffs.  Like Anthony Keidis, Butler rolls his vocals out quickly and very pronounced.  I really like this one.  “Devil Woman” is another track I am infatuated with. Tribal beats set a foundation for a wild old-time spiritual romp intended to exorcise a different kind of demon.

A splendid album to listen to, Flesh and Blood invokes an assortment of emotions and feelings.  Some songs put me in my quiet space, as others make me want to dance.  I just can’t seem to stop listening.