Halfway Through 2012...

We're over half way through the year... I figured I'd rank all the new albums I've heard so far.

1. Lost In The Trees - A Church That Fits Our Needs

Emotional.  Rich.  Textured.  Atmospheric.  It's hard to find enough words to describe how beautiful this album is.  It's a perfect tribute to Ari Picker's late mother.  It's simultaneously sad and uplifting.  Rarely do you find an album with such a coherent bond between the lyrics and the music.  Here, Picker proves he's an expert in tone.

2. Punch Brothers - Who's Feeling Young Now?

I initially met this album with trepidation, since their previous album is one of my favorites, and I wasn't too keen on the first track, which was released online a few weeks before the full album.  But here they've proven that they can make music that is more accessible, but just as interesting... While staying true to their acoustic instruments.  

3. Anathema - Weather Systems

This is excellent prog rock.  It takes you through a range of emotions, it is intricately constructed (listen to the layered vocals on "The Gathering of the Clouds" in surround sound, and prepare to be blown away), and it just gets better with each listen.

4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Here

I'm probably in the minority, but I like this better than their previous record.  It doesn't have a hit song, but it does a great job capturing a traditional revival feel.

5. Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere

Nice sincere folk rock.  All of the songs are pretty good, and there are some nice, catchy melodies here.

6. Of Monsters And Men - My Head Is An Animal

This is a fun listen.  Lots of bombast; probably closer to the first Edward Sharpe album than the new Edward Sharpe album is.  

7. Darrell Scott - Long Ride Home

Darrell is one of my favorite songwriters, and here we see him making back porch country music.  Simple, honest, and genuine.

8. The Tallest Man On Earth - There's No Leaving Here

I was never the biggest fan of this guy, but he does have an interesting Dylan-esque quality, and I like the acoustic guitar.

9. Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio - Across The Imaginary Divide

Saw these guys at Telluride Bluegrass, and was impressed.  It's like a very tight jazz ensemble with a banjo.

10. Leftover Salmon - Aquatic Hitchhiker

I haven't been able to fully digest this one yet, but there are some quality cuts here.

Other albums I like that didn't make my top 10 yet:
Old Crow Medicine Show - Carry Me Back
Farrar, Johnson, Parker, Yames - New Multitudes
Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden
Trampled By Turtles - Stars And Satellites
Rhett Miller - The Dreamer
Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself

2012 Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Every June, I attend the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride, Colorado.  This was my third year, and I have to say, it was the best yet.  This year I flew solo, rented a place in town, and enjoyed the dry weather and fluffy clouds wafting through the sky.

It started with a three day trip to Moab, UT, after which I made a Wednesday afternoon arrival in Telluride, just in time to enjoy the free FirstGrass show in Mountain Village.  This year, Della Mae opened it up with Peter Rowan as a guest, and delighted the audience with some first-rate upbeat all-girl tradgrass.  They were followed by the first of many (by my count, four) official Greensky Bluegrass appearances.  They played a good set, although, admittedly, my head was not really in it.

Later on in the evening, Yonder Mountain String Band played their annual kickoff party at the conference center.  I made it to my first one last year, but found this one to be far more entertaining.  They were just on this year... And they had Bela Fleck sit in during the first set, and Sam Bush during the second.  Someone later told me that Jeff Austin had "cleaned up" in the past year--either that is unfair speculation, or a reasonable explanation for a more exciting Yonder.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Things officially got started with an hour-long gapless improv by Chris Thile and Bela Fleck, under the name of "Thelma and Louise."  This performance was not for everybody, as it was abstract and improvisational in nature, and most improvisations tend to have sections that miss the mark.  I, personally, was impressed by the performance, even though I was a little drowsy during stretches (which, perhaps, could've added to the enjoyment).

I skipped Della Mae in order to catch up on sleep, and returned prior to Dan Mangan's set.  Mangan was a hit for me; I enjoyed his use of feedback and noise, and his philosophical ramblings, although the general consensus seems to be that he was too loud for a bluegrass festival.  Too each his own.

Mangan was followed by Greensky Bluegrass's 2nd official performance, which I skipped in order to see Punch Brothers at the free Elks Park stage.  This is a show that kicked off one of the most pervasive storylines of this year's festival, not just because of their Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Levon Helm tributes, but because, while explaining the seafaring nature of Josh Ritter's "Another New World," they proposed "Ahoy!" as the official Punch Brothers Telluride salutation.  Thus, "Ahoy!" became the most commonly heard word this year, typically shouted in unison by large groups of inebriated men.  This set was mostly covers; besides the Ritter song, they played The Car's "Just What I Needed," The Strokes' "Heart In A Cage," The White Stripes' "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," and, most memorably, The Band's "Ophelia." Ophelia was the first of four Helm tributes of which I am aware.

After Punch Brothers' Happy Hour, I returned in order to see Laura Marling take the stage 15 minutes late, and perform a slightly unenthusiastic set that was, nonetheless, enjoyable.  I guess I just had really high expectations for this set, after seeing her impress while opening for Andrew Bird a few months ago.

I didn't stay long into John Prine's set (which sounded good from the first few songs) in order to return my chair to the hotel in preparation for a long night, which began with Alison Krauss and Union Station.  As expected, I was highly impressed by their talent, but a little bored with their pop structures.  I like the songs sung by Dan Tyminski, who introduced himself as "the singing voice of George Clooney," because they tend to be closer to bluegrass than pop.

I finished the evening with the Elephant Revival show at the Sheridan Opera House.  I saw them play in Phoenix in January, and they were just as impressive, if not more so, in Telluride.

This was a very strong opening day, and the highlight was Punch Brothers at Elks Park.  

Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday started off with a laid back set from Edgar Meyer and Mike Marshall.  I appreciate their skill, but it's difficult to watch them on the main stage.  It would be easier to appreciate their technical abilities in a more intimate Elks Park workshop.  Needless to say, I fell asleep.

Seryn fortunately got things moving on Friday around lunch time.  This band, from Denton, TX, is almost completely unknown, they don't play bluegrass, but they use banjos sometimes, so I guess it "counts."  Bluegrass or not, they were impressive, and despite the lead singer's voice sounding a little too much like Eddie Vedder's, I like this band.

The always-entertaining Head For The Hills were next, but I skipped them in order to see Joy Kills Sorrow at Elks Park.  I figured I would see Head For The Hills later that night anyways, and JKS was one of the bands I was most looking forward to... So I couldn't wait for their Sunday morning set.  I was not disappointed with my decision.

I went back to the main stage for O'Brien Party of Seven and Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio.  The first was enjoyable, at least during the part during which I managed to stay awake.  Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio was one of the more unique shows of the weekend, as Bela projects are wont to be.  This was straight up jazz music, and it was tight.  I really enjoyed this show; it was one of my favorites of the weekend.

I skipped Del McCoury in order to rest up for John Fogerty, and return my stuff to the hotel.  There was some speculation as to how much of Fogerty's set would be CCR, and how much would be his solo/country set; if you were hoping for mostly CCR, you would not have been disappointed.  This was the set that was talked about for the rest of the weekend.

Rather than see Leftover Salmon, I saw Head For The Hills at the Fly Me To The Moon Saloon.  The first half was totally enjoyable, on account of everybody still being at Leftover Salmon, but once the Salmon crowd started showing up, it started becoming overcrowded.  The band was spectacular, however.

Friday, again, was solid, and the highlight of the day was, far and away, John Fogerty.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Saturday was all about Elks Park.  While at the main stage the band contest was going on, and Run Boy Run was following up as last year's winners, there was an instrument building Q&A with the makers of Shanti Guitars and San Juan Mandolins, featuring some "instrument demonstrations" (i.e., playing) by two of the guys in Head For The Hills.  If nothing else, I learned how difficult and interesting the art of luthiery can be.

This was followed up by a "workshop" entitled Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer: How To Play Badly Without Anybody Noticing.  This was, of course, tongue-in-cheek, and they did not play badly at all, but joked about some techniques to hide mistakes (their favorite was pretending to tune the instrument, so the audience thinks they just went out of tune).  They noticed Chris Thile on the side, and invited him to join... He ran and grabbed his mandolin, and half the show was Fleck/Meyer/Thile.  The Bela Fleck Elks Park performance seems to always be a highlight of the festival: it wasn't as memorable this year as it was last year, but it was still very impressive.

Following Fleck/Meyer, I went to the main stage for The Devil Makes Three, and witnessed some upbeat, energetic bluegrass/folk/whatever-they-call-what-they-do.  These guys are fun, and they have an old time style all their own.

Rather than hang out for Jerry Douglas' set, I opted for some lunch, followed by a trip to Elks Park for the Woody Guthrie tribute.  This involved Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Tim O'Brien (Tim O'Brien), Emma Beaton (Joy Kills Sorrow), Peter Rowan (Peter Rowan), and some other lady whose identity I'm unsure of.  By now, the air was rather smoky due to the fire burning down by Mancos, which was so pervasive that Vince Herman even referred to it in an impromptu verse of Woody's "This Land Is Your Land" (although he argued that the smoke was related to the fact that it was about 4:20 on the clock).  The Guthrie tribute was entertaining, enlightening, and probably more political than what we're used to at the festival.

Seryn was next at Elks Park.  Rather than witness the Yonder Mountain String Band marshmallow war, I decided to watch the little-known band play an intimate set and chat about polyrhythms, unusual use of bows, etc.

Next, it was dinner/sleep time (I skipped k.d. lang), and back over to the main stage for the annual Sam Bush Band set.  I've always enjoyed Sam's set, but this one was even better.  Midway through, he started a song with Jerry Douglas, during which the rest of the band came out armed with electric guitars, and proceeded to rock the crowd's socks off for about ten minutes.  A guy standing near me remarked that they should've ended with this, as there was no way to possibly top this.  One thing I've learned is you never assume Sam Bush can't top himself; he did when he brought out Douglas, Bela Fleck, John Cowan, Jeff Austin, and Dave Johnston for a rousing, 16-minute rendition of The Band's "Up On Cripple Creek" (the second Helm tribute for those who are counting).  He then brought out all the bass players backstage for an encore performance of Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom."  Only in Sam Bush's Telluride set can you see six bass players playing Spinal Tap at a bluegrass festival.

The final main stage set of the night was Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, who delighted me with their piano-based jambandery.  Bruce was joined by Thile and Fleck, but I left too early too see Sam Bush's appearance.

The reason I left Bruce early was to catch The Devil Makes Three play Fly Me To The Moon Saloon.  This was my biggest mistake of the festival; the show was more crowded than Head For The Hills the previous night, it was hot in there, I couldn't see the band, and they apparently just played basically the same set they played on the main stage.  I left by 1AM.

The highlight of the day was easily Sam Bush Band.  His performance included some of my all-time favorite Telluride Bluegrass moments (though my TBF career only spans three years).

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sunday was a main stage day for me.  It started with John Cowan Band Gospel Hour, which was entertaining, though I didn't really know any of his songs.  I do know his voice from New Grass Revival, so it wasn't completely unfamiliar.

Joy Kills Sorrow was next.  It was similar to their Friday Elks Park set, just with less intimate chat and more music.  The audience seemed to like them.

I watched the beginning of Peter Rowan's Big Twang Theory, but didn't stick around long, as I wanted to grab some lunch and catch Paul Hoffman and Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass at Elks Park (their fourth official performance of the festival).  Their music and banter was enjoyable.

Next was Brett Dennen at the main stage; I was unsure of how I'd like his folk-pop stylings, but I actually found it enjoyable and refreshing.  Perhaps unfortunately, the most memorable part of his set occurred when Marshmallow War Part II broke out near the end.  It was so out-of-control that after the set, a stern warning was issue to the audience to refrain from throwing projectiles on stage.

Punch Brothers were next, and played their most typical show of the festival, with more songs from their new album than at any of their other performances.  This, of course, came with plentiful greetings of "Ahoy!" from the crowd, and Thile even changed the lyrics in "Rye Whiskey" to "A-hoy!" instead of "Oh Boy!" as promised.  The most interesting part of the set came when Rob Moose joined them onstage for a performance of the third movement of Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto."

Glen Hansard took the headlining spot Sunday, and floored me with his emotive voice and more-energetic-than-expected band.  He played a couple of Once/Swell Season tracks ("Leave" and "When Your Mind's Made Up"), several songs from his solo work, and, memorably, The Band's "The Weight" (the third Helm tribute of the weekend).  Hansard impressed.

The Telluride House Band closed the night, but I skipped their set in order to guarantee a balcony seat at the Punch Brothers nightgrass show at the Sheridan Opera House.  Unfortunately, I missed the house band play "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down:"

The Punch Brothers nightgrass show was excellent: they played Weezer, The Strokes, Radiohead, some traditional bluegrass, some of their own music, some wicked solos, and even some R&B (with Noam Pickelny sporting some cool shades).  They were just having fun all night, and they were joined onstage by Bryan Sutton, Mike Witcher (brother of Gabe Witcher), some girl they found to sing the female vocal part in "Here Or Heaven," and even Ed Helms and one of his Lonesome Trio bandmates.

The highlight of the day was, as expected, Punch Brothers.

Overall, this was my favorite Telluride Bluegrass Festival.  The music was solid all around, I met a lot of interesting people, and just had an all around good, carefree time.  I already can't wait for the 40th anniversary next year.

#7: Josh Ritter - The Animal Years

Release Year: 2006

Josh Ritter has always been a great lyricist, and a great folk storyteller.  Here, though, the lyrics are more pessimistic than anything else he has written, and it gives his music a whole new touch.  The tone is set right away with "Girl In The War," a song that is about the feeling of helplessness one must feel when he has a girl who has been deployed to Iraq, but can also be about the helplessness you feel when you are simply unable to heft the object of your devotion, whatever that may be.

The great thing about this album is that the lyrics work on multiple levels.

Contained herein is Ritter's best lyrical work to date, the sprawling "Thin Blue Flame."  Over the course of its nine plus minutes, this song evolves from cynicism to anger, and finally to resign and reconciliation.  And the tone and intensity of the music matches that of the lyrics throughout.  This is one of my favorite songs.

There is a reason none other than Stephen King gave this album the honor of being his favorite album of 2006.

#16: Lost In The Trees - All Alone in an Empty House

Release Year: 2010

Here's one you may not have heard of.  In 2006, Ari Picker was in an indie folk/rock band in North Carolina called The Never.  He left the band to attend Berklee School of Music, and learned orchestra/film scoring.  Using that knowledge, he started the band Lost In The Trees, which I usually describe as a heavily-orchestrated folk band (actually, I wouldn't call it a band... they're really more a throng).

Their 2007 record Time Taunts Me is brilliant, but All Alone in an Empty House takes his fine mashup of folk and classical and adds an extra dash of focus.  The result is phenomenal.

There is something really interesting about the juxtaposition of detailed, highly organized orchestra scores, and his somewhat frail, and sometimes almost chaotic, vocal style.  It can safely be stated that there is nothing else that is anything like this.  Picker has a truly novel idea here, a talented group of musicians surrounding him, and the talent to put it all together; this is one of the most exciting new musical projects I've heard in some time.  Let's hope they can garner enough support to keep it going for some time.

Standout tracks:

• Song for the Painter
• Fireplace
• A Room where your Paintings Hang 

#19: Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away

Release Year: 2010

After a slight misstep in The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (though by no means a bad album), Josh Ritter returned with his most musically mature and diverse album yet, So Runs The World Away.  This record is upbeat, ethereal, and atmospheric.

Here we see Josh at his most poetic.  Songs like "The Curse," "Orbital," and "Rattling Locks" exemplify what makes Josh Ritter my favorite lyricist ever.

The highlight of this record is the dreary, seven minute track "Another New World."  It would be difficult to find a better showcase of tone than this.  It's rare enough that an author effectively employs a dark, chilling tone in words alone; Ritter does not only that, but projects that same tone into the music itself.  Indeed, two of my favorite moments this year were Punch Brothers covering this song.

Standout tracks:

• Another New World
• Southern Pacifica
• Lark
• Orbital 

#20: Abigail Washburn - City of Refuge

Release Year: 2011

I don't know what it is about this album that makes it so great.  The first few times I heard it, I thought it nothing special, but said I'd buy it if I saw it on vinyl.  At Telluride Bluegrass, I saw a vinyl copy at the merch tent, and I'm a man of my word.

It helped that I saw her perform several times at the festival.  It was during her live set that her music really clicked with me, and I found myself enjoying her set more than almost any other.  I listened to the album a few more times in the ensuing weeks, and I was hooked.

Washburn plays the banjo, but this isn't bluegrass.  It's more folk than anything else.  The music is rich and textured, and her warm voice perfectly complements her lush songs.  There's really nothing else out there that combines the same influences she pulls from, making this one of the more unique records in my collection.

Standout tracks:

• Divine Bell
• Burn Thru
• Chains
• Last Train 

#24: Josh Ritter - Hello Starling

Release Year: 2003

The first of Josh Ritter's trifecta of great albums, Hello Starling contains some of my favorite modern folk tunes.  Here, the acoustic guitar shines, and Ritter's poetic aptitude is on display.

This is Josh at his most sincere.  Most of the songs are nice, pleasant, acoustic guitar-based ballads, with a few upbeat folk rock songs mixed in ("Kathleen," "Snow Is Gone," and "Man Burning" being the ones that stick out).

Ritter is one of my favorite artists, and a huge part of that is his lyrics.  I don't know what to say about this album other than, this man is a poet.

Standout tracks:

• Kathleen
• Snow Is Gone
• Wings
• Man Burning 

#42: The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

Release Year: 2006

There is a lot about I like about The Decemberists... The folk-influenced sound, the melodies, the witty lyrics, and especially their extremely fun live show.  They have the best stage presence of maybe any band I've seen live, much of which could be attributed to Colin Meloy's refusal to take himself too seriously (at both of the shows I've been to, he introduced the song "Dracula's Daughter" as "the very worst song [he] ever wrote").

To really experience this band, you have to see them live, but The Crane Wife best exemplifies what I like about them.  It has several examples of catchy folk-pop songs, as well as two lengthy (by folk-rock standards) epics that give you hints of the more ambitious attempt at a rock opera that would come with The Hazard of Love.

It's really hard to pick a favorite Decemberists album, since none of them seem quite serious enough to be a magnum opus, but this is the one I'd consider the most well-balanced.  It is ambitious enough to make you feel like a lot of thought was put into it, but not serious enough for it to be pretentious.  And it is just well-written, catchy, and diverse.

Standout tracks:

• O Valencia!
• Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
• Sons and Daughters 
• The Crane Wife 3 

Abigail Washburn - City of Refuge

Release Date: January 11, 2011
Label: New Rounder

Earlier this year (or maybe late last year), Abigail Washburn was announced as part of the lineup of the 2011 Telluride Bluegrass Festival.  I hadn't heard of her, so this didn't really mean much to me.  Later, Hoodlums announced she would be doing an in-store performance in March (which I was unable to attend), so I figured I'd further investigate this Abigail Washburn situation.  Over the course of my research, I found that (a) she is married to banjo master Béla Fleck, and (b) she released a new album in January called City of Refuge.


I decided to give this a listen.  My first impression was that it was that it was a nice, textured, well-written, and well-sung album, but not one that I could listen to often.  I found it slightly boring, but, nevertheless, said if I ever saw a copy of it on vinyl, I'd pick it up.

At the TBF merch tent, I saw a copy of City of Refuge on vinyl, and I'm a man of my word.

It turns out I saw, in addition to her riveting main stage performance on Sunday, her sit-ins in Fleck's Saturday Elks Park performance, and I became a fan of hers that weekend.  Not only is she excellent on the clawhammer banjo, but she has the warmest voice in all of female vocaldom, and no matter how many people are in attendance, all of her performances feel like they're taking place around the fire place in your living room.

Needless to say, I've listened to City of Refuge several more times since June, and this is now my favorite album of the year, almost eight months in.

What I like about this album (much of which is co-written with Kai Welch) are Abigail's warm voice, the brilliantly textured music, and the catchy melodies.  From the soaring chorus in "City of Refuge," to the backing chorale in "Burn Thru," and especially the gospel-influenced "Divine Bell," once some of these songs get stuck in your head, the only way you can get it out is to listen to a different song on this album.

Musically, it is hard to categorize this.  It has elements of bluegrass and folk.  It can probably be fairly safely categorized as traditional, but unlike most bluegrass and folk, she strays from the typical American traditions which those genres typically carry on.  Her view is more global; she learned Mandarin while living in China in 1996, and at times this record sounds almost like world music.

Where some songs are soaring, others are slow and soothing ("Bring Me My Queen," "Corner Girl," "Dreams Of Nectar," etc.).  The instruments are sometimes sparse, and sometimes unite to form an auric river of music.  Sometimes banjo pulls all the weight, as is the case with the delicate reverse arpeggios in "Corner Girl;" and sometimes it sits on the sidelines and lets the other instruments do the work.  Whichever is the case, the atmosphere is always rich.  Aside from the texture, the pacing of this record is excellent, with an excellent and well-timed mix of slow, atmospheric tunes, and the more upbeat toe-tappers.

This record is not for everybody, but if you like to mellow out every now and then, I'd highly recommend it.

Tracklist:

1	Prelude	0:52
2	City of Refuge	3:42
3	Bring Me My Queen	4:14
4	Chains	3:51
5	Ballad of Treason	3:07
6	Last Train	3:55
7	Burn Thru	4:26
8	Corner Girl	3:24
9	Dreams of Nectar	5:51
10	Divine Bell	2:38
11	Bright Morning Stars	4:40

★★★★

Telluride Bluegrass Festival 2011

Well, it's over.  Got back an hour and a half ago from my new favorite yearly event, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.  In case you haven't been to this particular festival, or heard much about it, it is hardly bluegrass music at all, in the traditional Bill Monroe way.  For the most part, it is more bluegrass-y music, in various styles and genres.  To my knowledge, none of the following 2011 TBF artists have ever played anything resembling bluegrass:

• The Head and The Heart (indie folk)
• Sarah McLachlan (folk/rock)
• Joe Pug (folk)
• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (jazz)
• The Decemberists (indie folk/rock)
• Darrell Scott (country-folk)
• Abigail Washburn (folk?)
• Mumford & Sons (folk rock)
• Robert Plant (folk rock)

That's probably like half the lineup.  And most of the remaining artists either have only played limited amounts of bluegrass but are known for other things (Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Edgar Meyer) or play progressive bluegrass.  So there you have it... A bluegrass festival that would offend bluegrass traditionalists.

Wednesday
I drove up early Wednesday, played a round of golf, and got settled into my condo, after which I turned my attention to the festival.

The festival officially started with a free show in Mountain Village on Wednesday, opened by Sarah Jarosz, and Cornmeal following.  I didn't watch Sarah (I have respect for her talent, especially at such a young age, but don't care for her music), but Cornmeal didn't disappoint.  After Cornmeal was the 10th annual kickoff party with Yonder Mountain String Band, which I attended.  In typical Yonder fashion, it featured a few bluegrass songs, a few of their bluegrassy-but-not-bluegrass tunes, some very extended jams (which is why we watch this band)... and an audience hot boxing an indoor conference center where I highly doubt smoking of any kind is allowed.

Thursday 
Thursday started off slow.  Tim O'Brien and Kevin Burke opened.  I listened, but one can only take so much of two fiddles playing Irish music.  The Head and The Heart followed... I like their record, but their show was basically just hearing their record played on stage.  I know they're young, so they have time to work on building more of a stage presence.

Cornmeal, again, did not disappoint.  This band is somewhat mysterious; it's hard to even find someone who could name a single Cornmeal studio album.  There has to be one, right?

I skipped Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper to take a short hike up Bear Creek behind the stage.  Very scenic, though a little exhausting at that elevation.

Bear Creek Falls

 I returned for Steve Earle's set, which I enjoyed.  We skipped Sarah McLachlan in favor of dinner in Telluride, and returned for the House Band.

The highlight of the day turned out to be the following event: the Trampled by Turtles nightgrass show at the high school auditorium (aka "Palm Theater").  I knew this band would be intense, but I still left amazed at the raw energy this band has (interestingly, the program blurb about TbT alleges that they used to play all their shows sitting down).

Friday
I was expecting Friday to be superb.  The lineup was solid on paper, and there was at least one new band I was interested in checking out (Stringdusters).  It started with Joe Pug, who is very talented to be sure, but gets a little dull after a few songs.  Chris Thile and Michael Daves then took the stage, and amazed everybody with their technical chops.  I have no clue who Michael Daves is, but that man is an amazing guitar player.

By the time The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage, it had begun drizzling.  Their music was OK (the only things I remember are the only songs I recognized: Danny Barnes' "Get It While You Can" and U2's "In God's Country."  Because of the rain, I ditched out to have lunch with the gang.

We all returned to watch Jerry Douglas' trio perform, which was pretty good.  I left early to hit up Elks Park, where the Punch Brothers were supposed to perform.  Unfortunately, the Troubadour contest ran late, so I was only able to hear two Punch Brothers songs before I had to make my way back for Trampled.

And again, Trampled by Turtles won the day: 

Emmylou Harris followed, and then Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  A few of us left Flecktones early to return the condo.  I took care of some business, and then returned for Railroad Earth.  Unfortunately, my back wasn't feeling it, so I left Railroad Earth halfway through.

Saturday
On Saturday morning, there was the second ever public screening of a new documentary about Punch Brothers entitled "How To Grow A Band."  Since it was free, and because I love Punch Brothers, I decided to attend (even though it meant missing out on Nora Jane Struthers or Sara Watkins with Chris Thile (who schedules a movie that is basically about Chris Thile at the same time as a Watkins/Thile performance? seriously?)).  I watched the movie with my buddies Myke and Futureman (just kidding, I didn't watch the movie with Futureman, although he was in the 186-seat theater).  The movie began with Thile's history (notably with Nickel Creek), and then focused on the creation and evolution of his current band, Punch Brothers.  It used his 40-minute, four movement suite about his divorce as the backdrop; the movie itself was divided up into four "movements," each of which features music from the corresponding movement of the song; and significant attention is given to how the piece is presented, and how that all fits into what the band is trying to accomplish.

After the movie, I visited Elks Park (it being a block away from the theater), and noticed that "Bela & Friends" were next.  In what is very likely the most unfortunate decision in his life so far, Myke decided to head back to the main stage, whereas I decided to check out the set.  The set went like this: a banjo duet with Noam Pickelny (of Punch Brothers fame); a duet with Casey Driesson (fiddlist); a banjo duet with his wife Abigail Washburn; an improvised quintet with Victor Wooten, Futureman, Chris Thile, and Driesson (more on this); a bluegrassy sextet with the former group plus Pickelny; a sextet with the former group, sans Pickelny and with Washburn; and a song with everybody.  The highlight was the quintet, which was basically an improvised jazz number (Bela gave the other musicians directions before the song), which had an incredible duel between Victor and Bela.  I really hope this shows up on Youtube.

I then headed back to the main stage, and caught Tim O'Brien's set.  After that, Yonder put on a very solid show.

And then...The Decemberists.  This show had what was easily the most memorable moment of the festival.  Throughout the show, Colin Meloy frequently referenced a pick-off challenge he made in 2005 to Bela Fleck and Jerry Douglass, and claimed victory by forfeit.  During the last song of the main set, The Decemberists went into a jam, and Meloy once again referenced the pick-off.  Bela appeared on stage, and...well, I'll let you watch the rest:


Afterwards, Sam Bush took the stage, and was excellent as usual.

Needless to say, The Decemberists win the day.

Sunday
Sunday began with the Darrell Scott & Friends Father's Day Gospel Hour.  I like Darrell Scott, and this set was actually quite inspirational.  I think I was actually more inspired by it than I would have been at church.  Edgar Meyer followed...he was very respectable, but it was a little bit like listening to classical music.  Which isn't a good idea when you tired.  Chris Thile did join him at the end, which was quite enjoyable.

Next up was Abigail Washburn.  I have to say, I was very impressed with her set.  She gets the "Surprise Performance of the Weekend" award.

It had been a few years since I had seen Bridal Veil Falls, so I took a short jaunt up the road after Abigail's set.  I returned about halfway through Pete Rowan's set, which was hard to focus on due to the very ominous-looking clouds to the west.  And ominous was probably an appropriate way for them to come across, as they started leaking on us a little before Punch Brothers took the stage.

I like to think there are few things better than when one of your favorite artists covers another one of your favorite artists.  That's what Punch Brothers did when they played Josh Ritter's "Another New World."  Also, they did Beck's "Sexx Laws," which was also cool, in its own little way.  They say Punch Brothers are unpredictable...

Mumford & Sons followed Punch Brothers.  They put on a good show, and played several new tunes, but alas, I still left a little underwhelmed... but that's only because it's really hard to top what they did last year. After M&S, the rain finally stopped, and a clearing sky and setting sun revealed fresh snow only about 1,000 feet above Telluride.  I have to say, the only reason I was able to endure that freezing cold rain, and even effectively ignore it, was because Punch Brothers and Mumford & Sons were the two bands playing right then.

The rest of the gang left after M&S, leaving me to enjoy Robert Plant by myself.  And that I did.  He played several of the tracks from his album Band of Joy, gave the spotlight to band members Darrell Scott, Patty Griffin, and Buddy Miller to sing a song each (Darrell did "Satisfied Mind," one of the highlights of the set), and played several Led Zeppelin songs (Ramble On, What Is And What Should Never Be, Gallows Pole, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Black Country Woman (whose lyrics he admitted are "not exactly Shakespeare"), Houses of the Holy).  I left around eleven, so he could've even done more after I left (as long as he didn't do Stairway, I'm OK missing it).  

Robert Plant wins Sunday.

Monday
Woke up Monday to... snow?  Yes, it was white all over, and snow was still falling from the sky.  Unbelievable.  After loading up my car, I headed down to Telluride for one last walk through town (and two last Baked In Telluride doughnuts).  The streets were dead, and most of the people out and about appeared to be locals.  This scene captured the "festival is over" feeling of the morning: 

Disassembling the Elks Park stage

 It was a great trip.  The music was superior to last year, and I think I'll have more memories come out of it.  Plus, I got to share it with some friends this time.

T minus 366 days till Telluride 2012! 

Addendum:
I had a couple of philosophical thoughts about the festival since posting this:

• If you want to know how steeped in tradition this crowd is... Or, in other words, whether this is really a "bluegrass" crowd... Consider that a lot of people in the crowd knew the lyrics to "Sexx Laws."
• I think the thing that sets TBF apart from other popular festivals, in my mind, is the location.  I love the San Juan Mountains.  I don't love Indio, CA.  TBF is in a village of a couple thousand people, which gets completely overwhelmed by the 10,000+ people who are there for the festival.  You can walk across town in 15 minutes.  You can leave your festival chair, go on a scenic four hour hike, and sit down again, without having to get in your car and drive somewhere.  It's not about the music; it's about how the music interacts with the surrounding environs. 

New Release: Dharohar Project, Laura Marling, and Mumford & Sons

Release Date (US): December 7, 2010
Release Date (UK): July 5, 2010
Label: Glassnote

Here is an interesting little collection I just stumbled across on Amazon while looking at the <$5 mp3 downloads. Unless you've been living in a cave, you've probably at least of heard of Mumford & Sons by now.  If not, they're an arena folk band from London, and it's really hard not to like them.  Laura Marling is a folk singer from that same London scene, and in fact, Mumford & Sons were her backing band at some of her live performances.  I am totally unfamiliar with Dharohar Project, but they're from India.

Apparently this EP was recorded in India, which is well reflected in the music.  I would call this a mix between the type of folk music you would expect from Laura Marling, with a heavy dose of traditional Indian music thrown in... Then replace the sitar with a banjo, and this is what you get.  It's definitely mellow, so don't expect the intensity of Mumford & Sons.

The vocal duties are more or less split.  I believe two of the songs feature Marcus Mumford, and two feature Laura Marling; and all four feature traditional Indian singing from Dharohar Project.

I'd recommend picking this up for a few bucks if you're interested in something different.  If Indian music annoys you, however, this might not be your cup of tea.

Tracklist:

1	Devil's Spoke/Sneh Ko Marg	6:30
2	To Darkness/Kripa	4:23
3	Anmol Rishtey	3:55
4	Mehendi Rachi	4:57

★★☆☆

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - Been Listening

Release Date (UK): June 7, 2010
Release Date (US): October 25, 2010
Label: Transgressive Records

This is one I've been wanting to review for awhile. I've had it since it was released in the US, about five weeks ago. The reason I hadn't gotten to it yet is that I wanted to give it a few listens before forming an opinion on it.

Since I already reviewed their previous album, I'll spare the background information and get right to this album.

Obviously, since I liked A Larum so much, I had been looking forward to this for awhile.  I listened to it right when I got it, and as it turns out...it didn't really grab me.  I couldn't say then and there that this is a solid album, and that you should go out and buy it.

 The album starts off well.  The first track, Kentucky Pill, is a thoughtful, mature folk tune, with a great sound.  Lost and Found is another thoughtful, mature folk tune, with a great tune.  Churlish May, like the first two tunes, has a moderate tempo, but some horns are added to the mix.

Right away, I noticed that this album features a more mature, well-developed sound than its predecessor (which I just pronounced "PREE de sess or" in my head, due to Johnny's English accent).  The songs are very tight, flow very well, and seem to reflect a more poetic and mellowed out Flynn.

The title track is a slow, peaceful folk ballad featuring a very slightly overdriven lead guitar, and vocals that seem to want to be reduced to only a whisper.  It is slow and plodding, but does not drag the way the only plodding song on their previous album, Brown Trout Blues, does.  Flynn has figured out how to write a good slow song.

Barnacled Warship, one of the highlights of the album for me, starts out with what sounds to my untrained ears like a cello (or maybe it's the bottom of a violin's range...who knows), and teases us with some of the awesome harmonies which made A Larum so great, and had more or less eluded us up to this point.  This is a good medium-paced song, but by now it feels someone lively.

Sweet William (Part 2) is another good track.  Livelier yet than the previous track, The Sussex Wit treat us to a cool banjo part, with some strings and horns in the mix.

At this point, they slow it down again, and we get a slow duet with Flynn and fellow London folk musician Laura Marling, called The Water.  Musically, this one is a little drab, albeit beautiful.  It's definitely new territory for Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit.

Howl is a slightly bluesy piece with a bit of angst in the chorus.  I'm torn on this one; in some ways, this is to this album what Brown Trout Blues was on the last, although this is a significantly better song, and a more dynamic one than we're used to from this band.  I think it may have worked better had it followed a more lively song.

The next track, Agnes, is lively, but unlike the lively tracks from the previous album, this actually sounds like a happy song.  While there is nothing wrong with optimistic lyrics, I do kind of miss the juxtaposition of dark lyrics with upbeat music.  Happy lyrics with upbeat music just isn't as cool.

Amazon Love is the slowest song on the whole album, with just a piano carrying most of the instrumental load.  It's an incredibly mellow track; possibly the most mellow on either album.  The Prizefighter And The Heiress also starts out relatively slow, but picks up halfway through, finishing the album on a strong note.

Tracklist:

1	Kentucky Pill	3:52
2	Lost and Found	3:41
3	Churlish May	4:02
4	Been Listening	5:16
5	Barnacled Warship	5:12
6	Sweet William, Pt. 2	5:00
7	The Water	4:12
8	Howl	4:44
9	Agnes	3:40
10	Amazon Love	5:39
11	The Prizefighter and the Heiress	5:06

It should be said that every track here is good.  This album's flaw is not in what it contains, but rather, what it is missing.  Gone is the lighthearted attitude that A Larum seemed to carry.  This is a serious album, rather than a fun one.  The strength of their first album lay in its being a toe-tappingly fun folk record, and this is (with the possible exception of the first track) almost entirely devoid of that element.  This at once leaves me a little disappointed, as I didn't get what I expected to get out of it, but also fairly confident that Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit are more than capable of growing musically, rather than releasing album after album of the same material.

Addendum: The US version comes with the Sweet William EP appended to the end of the album, consisting of these tracks:

1. The Mountain Is Burning
2. Trains
3. Sweet William
4. Drum

I'm not going to review them here; suffice it to say, they lean toward the mellow side.



★★★☆

The Black Crowes - Before The Frost...Until The Freeze

Release Date: August 31, 2009
Label: Silver Arrow

Lately, I've been on a huge Black Crowes kick.   I have been a casual Crowes fan since about when Lions (2001) came out, and that, Shake Your Money Maker, and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion have been hanging out in my collection for years.  If you don't know the Crowes, they're known for their fairly straightforward blues rock, with a bit of a southern flavor.  Early in their career, they had considerable success, and even toured with Jimmy Page in the late 90s.

The Crowes seem to have always been interested in some degree of experimentation, but it seemed their record company (American) didn't enjoy it quite so much.  When Amorica and Three Snakes And A Charm started to stray a bit, they were reigned in, and we got By Your Side.  They then reversed course, and Lions was a little weird, followed by a hiatus.  When they reunited and recorded Warpaint, they used very few takes, little to no overdubs, and even recorded one song outdoors.  This brings us to their latest non-compilation "studio" album, 2009's Before The Frost...Until The Freeze.

BTF...UTF was recorded live, in front of an audience of a couple hundred fans, in a converted barn in Woodstock, NY.  I'm not familiar with the details of the recording process (e.g., whether they used any overdubs to correct mistakes), but this certainly does give it a bit of a live atmosphere, although you might not know it if they hadn't left in the applause between tracks.

Levon Helm's studio, where the recording took place

This recording is technically two albums.  When you pick up the physical product at the store, you get Before The Frost... in the cardboard sleeve, which comes with a card that allows you to download ...Until The Freeze from The Black Crowes' website.  Before The Frost... gives us a fairly typical Black Crowes, with their signature style of blues rock.  It is a bit more experimental than we're used to: I Ain't Hiding has a disco feel to it, and there is some folk influence in there as well.

...Until The Freeze, in contrast, has almost no rock, and is essentially a folk album, with a slight bluegrass influence.  Contrary to what some perhaps less adventurous Crowes fans might say, it is my opinion that this disc is what makes Before The Frost...Until The Freeze the penultimate album of the Crowes' career.  This is what truly demonstrates their creative ability, and their aptitude for writing timeless tunes that don't adhere to a worn out formula.  Repetition is something they may have been guilty of in the past, but there is none of that here.

The Crowes' have supplemented this newfound folk sound with a complete acoustic reworking of all their hits in 2010's Croweology, but that's a subject for another review.

Track List:
Before The Frost...

1	Good Morning Captain	3:24
2	Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love)	7:47
3	Appaloosa	3:35
4	A Train Still Makes a Lonely Sound	4:23
5	I Aint Hiding	5:57
6	Kept My Soul	5:23
7	What Is Home?	5:13
8	Houston Don't Dream About Me	5:05
9	Make Glad	4:18
10	And the Band Played on...	4:12
11	The Last Place That Love Lives	4:57

...Until The Freeze

1	Aimless Peacock	6:40
2	The Shady Grove	4:42
3	The Garden Gate	4:21
4	Greenhorn	7:12
5	Shine Along	4:47
6	Roll Old Jeremiah	4:40
7	Lady of Ave. A	5:20
8	So Many Times	4:53
9	Fork in the River	4:11

The vinyl edition came with the tracks in an alternate order; this is said to be the real intended order of the tracks.  I recommend listening to the album in this order.  In this presentation, there are not two separate albums:
1. Aimless Peacock
2. Good Morning Captain
3. Been A Long Time (Waiting on Love)
4. Greenhorn
5. Appaloosa
6. The Shady Grove
7. The Garden Gate
8. Shine Along
9. Roll Old Jeremiah
10. Houston Don't Dream About Me
11. I Ain't Hiding
12. Kept My Soul
13. Lady of Ave. A
14. Make Glad
15. And The Band Played On...
16. What Is Home?
17. So Many Times
18. A Train Still Makes a Lonely Sound
19. Fork in the River
20. The Last Place That Love Lives

These videos are from the "Cabin Fever" DVD, which I believe is official material, so don't be surprised if they disappear from Youtube:






Here are a couple that didn't make it on the album:




★★★★

Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away

Release Date: May 4, 2010
Label: Pytheas Recordings

I figure it's about time to review a Josh Ritter album... Why not start with his latest?  I've been listening to Ritter for about a year, and by this point, I think I'd say he's my favorite folk musician, and my favorite lyricist.

Ritter, raised in Moscow, Idaho, got his start in the late nineties, when he recorded his self-titled debut while attending school.  He's never had a huge mainstream following, but he has received plenty of critical acclaim.  The reissued versions of his earlier albums have celebrity forewords, and Stephen King called his fourth album, The Animal Years, his favorite album of 2006.  His fifth album, The Historical Conquest of Josh Ritter, sees the addition of electric guitars (and a rougher sound in general), which was quite a departure from his earlier work.

I purchased So Runs The World Away shortly after its release, making it the first Josh Ritter album I purchased at the time of its original release.

So Runs The World Away is a little more textured than his previous album.  It starts out with a short musical intro, which leads to a mildly bombastic folk anthem, Change of Time.  Following that is a dreamy acoustic guitar-heavy folk tune called The Curse.  This beautifully written tune, about a mummy coming to life in NYC, perfectly highlights Josh's lyrical ability, with its elaborate imagery:

She carries him home in a beautiful boat
He watches the sea from a porthole in stowage
He can hear all she says as she sits by his bed
And one day his lips answer her in her own language
The days quickly pass he loves making her laugh
The first time he moves it’s her hair that he touches
She asks, “Are you cursed?” he says, “I think that I’m cured”
Then he talks of the Nile and the girls in bulrushes

The next track, Southern Pacifica, is one of my favorites, and probably the most immediately grabbing.  With a nice smooth feel and a catchy chorus, this one could become a hit if given the right exposure.  This is followed up by Rattling Locks, a rougher tune with semi-spoken vocals and lyrics about giving up on a love interest:

I had a dream that I was dying
But it wasn’t a nightmare I was real peaceful as I fell
And if I was falling into heaven
Heaven must be hotter than the Bible tells
I woke up sorry I was living
Rather than rattling your locks I rather spend another night in Hell

 Folk Bloodbath is a great example of Ritter's storytelling ability.  Borrowing the refrain from Mississippi John Hurt, it is a slow, sad ballad in which several characters die.  The next track, Lark, another one of my favorites, is an up-tempo, acoustic guitar-based folk song with beautifully textured instrumental depth during the chorus, and perfectly placed vocal harmonies.  This one is a happy song:

What is it drives the driven snow?
Upon whose temples will I rest my weary hopes now?
The rain distills down steeples fills the ears of lonely church mice with the
Heartbeat of a lark or the lark in my heartbeat

I am assured yes I am assured yes
I am assured peace will come to me
A peace that can yes surpass the speed yes
Of my understanding and my need

This is followed by another anthem, Lantern, with a guitar part only slightly reminiscent of U2, and an infectious melody.  This one is sure to be a crowd favorite.

Tell me what’s the point of light
That you have to strike a match to find?

The next track, The Remnant, is dominated by a staccato piano and drum beat.  Not a terrible track, but for me, it's easily one of the weaker cuts on this album.  This is followed by See How Man Was Made, a soft, peaceful interlude leading into what may be considered the album's centerpiece, Another New World.  This lengthy, brooding track is a fantastical account of an attempted exploration of the North Pole, and the soft texture of his voice and the music perfectly captures the dreariness of the lyrics.  Musically, it's not particularly interesting, but this song is a veritable study in tone.

Following this is another anthemic piece, Orbital.  This is another easy to listen to track, and lyrically it's one of my favorites:

The hawk around the field mouse
The love around a lover’s mouth
I find my mind is settling down
In circuits round you
The angels round their crowded pins
The amber-waved electrons spin
In planetary transits
Round the ones they’re bound to

 The final track, Long Shadows, finally brings it back to more traditional folk, and excellent way to wrap up the album.

This album's greatest accomplishment is it's coherence.  Everything flows well, and you get the sense that it's arranged how it needs to be arranged.  It's one of Ritter's best.  Only his third album, Hello Starling surpasses it.   At this point, I'd rate it as my third favorite of the year.  This album has staying power, and I enjoy it as much now, seven months after its release, as I did when I bought it.

1	Curtains	0:56
2	Change of Time	4:07
3	The Curse	5:00
4	Southern Pacifica	4:22
5	Rattling Locks	4:28
6	Folk Bloodbath	5:19
7	Lark	3:05
8	Lantern	5:18
9	The Remnant	4:02
10	See How Man Was Made	3:27
11	Another New World	7:39
12	Orbital	3:32
13	Long Shadows	2:24

★★★★

Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum

Release Date: July 29, 2008
Label: Lost Highway

 There's nothing like a thick British accent.  And nobody has a thicker British accent than Johnny Flynn.

Johnny Flynn (who is credited in acting roles as "Joe Flynn"... I don't know which, if either, is his real name) is relatively new on the scene, arising from the same English folk scene as Noah and the Whale and Mumford & Sons. His first album, A Larum, is title after the Middle English word for "Alarm."  I'm not sure if there is any significance to using a Middle English word for the title, but this album does have a sound that seems to hearken back to times past.  Certain passages have a bit of a Renaissance feel to them.

The album says "Johnny Flynn" on it, but the band is actually "Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit."  I don't know why they don't put the full band name; perhaps the label thought it would sell better if it's a "solo" record?  Personally, I think The Sussex Wit sounds cool.

Here is the track list:

1	The Box	3:36
2	The Wrote & The Writ	4:07
3	Tickle Me Pink	3:11
4	Brown Trout Blues	5:02
5	Eyeless in Holloway	4:05
6	Shore to Shore	4:23
7	Cold Bread	3:29
8	Wayne Rooney	4:18
9	Leftovers	4:16
10	Sally	3:35
11	Hong Kong Cemetery	4:51
12	Tunnels	3:08
13	All the Dogs are Lying Down	4:13
14	Shore to Shore (Reprise)	1:27

This is catchy, straightforward English folk rock with catchy tunes and excellent harmonies.  I especially like the use of the banjo in songs like "Eyeless in Holloway."  The lyrics do have a bit of a dark tone, which contrasts nicely with the upbeat melodies:

There's a man at hand, there's a way between
The sinking sand and a crooked dream
And collared off at the modern age of nine
Summoned off for walking down the line.

They lost eyes in old city streets
Where the funeral pyres burned the last of the meek. 

Or:

Monsters in the valley, and shootings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn.
There is no straight and narrow, offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn. 

I can honestly say the only dud here is "Brown Trout Blues."  It drags a little bit.  But the rest of the songs are great.  Definitely check out this one if you like English folk rock.



★★★☆

New Release: Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues

Release Date: September 14, 2010
Label: Bloodshot

  

This is one I hadn't heard of until it was on sale at Amazon as a $2.99 MP3 download.  I previewed a few tracks, and thought it sounded promising.

Justin Townes Earle is the son of country/rock singer Steve Earle, and like his father, who was often on the road, he became addicted to drugs at an early age.  He spent most of the 90s letting drugs wreck his life, but eventually sobered up, after what was evidently his fifth major drug overdose.  After sobering up, he began his music career. [1]

Harlem River Blues is Justin's fourth album in as many years, and can best be described as country folk.  I would place this more on the mellow end of the spectrum, with only one or two upbeat tracks to be found.

Track list:

1	Harlem River Blues	2:48
2	One More Night in Brooklyn	3:04
3	Move Over Mama	2:00
4	Workin' for the MTA	3:48
5	Wanderin'	2:38
6	Slippin' and Slidin'	2:58
7	Christchurch Woman	4:11
8	Learning to Cry	2:41
9	Ain't Waitin'	2:16
10	Rogers Park	4:27
11	Harlem River Blues Reprise	:31

This album starts out very promising.  Earle doesn't have a bad style; it's not country pop, it's country folk.  Earle has a relatively twang-free baritone voice, and really, his singing is not too bad, although his range seems limited.

The lyrics give this album an interesting touch, with several of the songs alluding to New York City.  My favorite is Workin' For The MTA:

I run the six line train,
Clear from Brooklyn Bridge to Pelham Bay

About half way through the album, he starts to slip.  It's not that the quality goes down, per se.  It's more that he seems to run out of ideas, and the music starts getting repetitive.  Most of the punches are pulled during the first half of the album, and it just kind of coasts to the end.

Which brings up my final complaint: the end comes just 31 minutes from the start.  Half the tracks are under three minutes, leaving you with the feeling that he really left lots of territory unexplored.  I felt like some of the tracks (Move Over Mama, for one) were great ideas that were cut short; there was more they could have offered had Earle taken them to their logical conclusions.

The whole album gives me the feeling that Earle could be a much better artist if, instead of cranking out a new album every year, he would spend more time developing the material he comes up with.  Harlem River Blues is perhaps the foundation of a great album, but falls way short.







Addendum: Looks like J.T.E. may still have some sobering up to do.

★★☆☆