And Yet More of the Best Music You May Have Missed

by Vance Hiner | July 30, 2018

o far, 2018 has been a good year for engaging, well-recorded music. Well-known performers like Father John Misty, Courtney Barnett, Kasey Musgraves, and David Byrne are getting spots on "best of" lists for music that rewards repeated listening on even the very best audio systems. Regular readers will know that the raison d'être of this series of blogs is to spotlight artists who deserve wider recognition for work that’s both musically satisfying and sonically engaging. For instance, the 2016 edition featured indie rocker Lucy Dacus for her under-the-radar debut record and now her phenomenally recorded 2018 album, Historian [Matador OLE 11392], is on a number of critic's lists. Here’s hoping this year’s crop of musicians are rewarded in equal measure for their dedication to producing great music that sounds considerably better than the industry’s standard fare. I've focused on CDs here, but all, except for Fatoumata Diawara’s album, are available on vinyl too.

Paul Thorn • Don’t Let the Devil Ride
Perpetual Obscurity POR 2018

It’ll only take a few cuts of Paul Thorn’s Don't Let the Devil Ride for you to know you’re listening to a serious student of the Delta. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, to a Pentecostal preacher, Thorn comes by his roots honestly. His rough edges and lived-in voice may also have something to do with his circuitous professional path. Thorn worked as a professional prizefighter throughout the 1980s (ultimately facing off with Roberto Duran) before hanging up his gloves and taking day-labor jobs and to the juke-joint stages of his hometown. That might have been the end of Thorn’s notoriety had A&M label chief Miles Copeland not discovered him playing in a local pizza parlor in the mid-1990s. Since then, Thorn has honed his craft with the stubborn precision of a pugilist, each album’s sonics getting richer, deeper and more seasoned, each one moving just a step closer to the cradle of the blues. With Don't Let the Devil Ride, Thorn has gathered together a collection of gospel-flavored blues and R&B classics that he delivers with the perspiring passion of a tambourine-shaking minister. Thorn’s voice is a combination of grit and growl that fits him like a comfortable pair of alligator shoes. His searing rendition of Josh White’s "Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin’ Bed" is guaranteed to raise goose bumps. The icing on this sonic tent revival are heartfelt contributions by The Blind Boys of Alabama, the legendary McCrary Sisters and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Don't Let the Devil Ride is a roots record that moves both body and soul.

Darlingside • Extralife
More Doug Records 51222

With their third studio album, Extralife, Massachusetts-based Darlingside continues to hone their self-described "string rock" sound to ever more ethereal heights. While the band’s four-part-harmony-filled confections are reminiscent of Brian Wilson’s meticulous Pet Sounds arrangements, the group manages to throw in folkier flavors that give this set a refreshingly unique texture. On tracks like "Singularity" Auyon Mukharji’s intricate violin and mandolin fills weave in and out of the band’s soaring vocals, while bassist and kick drummer Brian Senf’s driving rhythms provide just the weight needed to keep the light and airy melody from evaporating too quickly. The pacing kicks into high gear on the galloping "Futures," revealing an ensemble that has the instrumental chops necessary to sustain a substantial composition. The band’s name was inspired by a famous instruction given by British author Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch that his students should be prepared to "kill their darlings," those precious phrases every writer fights to defend. The rich, yet uncluttered production on Extralife would indicate that the members are faithfully following their muse. It’s hard to find a note or phrase that’s out of place in any of the luscious musical dishes on this organic and balanced recording.

The Milk Carton Kids • All the Things I Did and All the Things I Didn’t Do
Anti- 87516

Singer/songwriters Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan’s work under the stage moniker The Milk Carton Kids is well known to hardcore folk fans, but they’re less known beyond the boundaries of that particular niche. That may be partly explained by their insistence on producing albums featuring nothing more than guitars and voices. While dedication to that vision of simplicity produced stunning songs like "Michigan" on their 2011 debut, I’ve always felt their albums were a bit one-dimensional. That’s why it’s such a pleasure to hear the duo’s latest effort, produced by the legendary Joe Henry, whose award-winning studio skills have benefited a number of artists like Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello. Henry has guided Milk Carton Kids to explore wider sonic pastures without leading them away from their trademark introspection and brutally honest commentary. In addition to his regular wrecking crew of drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Dennis Crouch and Levon Henry on saxophone and B-flat clarinet, Henry directs a host of guest musicians like Wilco keyboardist Pat Sansone. Pattengale and Ryan’s tight harmonies, which evoke a combination of Simon & Garfunkel moodiness and Everly Brothers sweetness, are boosted by the surrounding ensemble on standout cuts like "Younger Years." The song sounds like a sequel to "The Boxer" without falling through the trapdoor of pastiche. The sonics on this album can be summarized with one word: transparent.

Fatoumata Diawara • Fenfo
Wagram Records 3355752

Readers of this blog series will know that I’m an avid follower of the Mali music scene in West Africa. Bamako, the nation’s capitol, is one of the most intriguing centers of polyglot musical culture in the world; its artists have attracted the likes of Robert Plant, Ry Cooder, Eric Bibb and Damon Albarn. I’ve written about the Saharan Desert rock of Tuareg, bands like Tinarawen and Imarhan, but that’s just scratching the surface of the musical treasures Mali has to offer.

Singer Fatoumata Diawara hails from Mali’s Ivory Coast and sings in Wassoulou, the native language of that region. While still retaining the polyrhythmic pulse and guitar acrobatics of most Malian music, Diawara delivers the passionate call-and-response pattern of Wassoulou as well as the club sounds of Paris. Diawara’s lyrics focus on the struggles of women around the world, very much following in the footsteps of her mentor, Wassoulou star Oumou Sangaré. The combination of melody and passion is sweet and intense. Diawara’s voice matches her visual presentation; even while swooping over huge swaths of the musical scale and whipping notes until they seem to quiver and shake, she manages to sound regal, elegant and highly disciplined.

If Diawara’s voice wasn’t enough to recommend this disc, the sound production is gripping and multi-layered. Played on the right system, bass notes and drum beats will rattle your walls and delicate acoustic string fills will float in space. This album is proof that Mali’s Wassoulou music deserves to be heard by a much wider audience than just musicologists and curious musicians.

Joshua Redman • Still Dreaming
Nonesuch 7559793308

It has been 25 years since saxophonist Joshua Redman took the jazz world by storm, garnering impossible-to-live-up-to critical hype that labeled him the new John Coltrane. Redman, the son of saxophonist Dewey Redman, responded by keeping his head down and shoulder to the wheel, working on dozens of records and involving himself in scores of noteworthy side projects. Still Dreaming, Redman’s 17th album as a leader, is proof that hard work pays off. This record is an homage to his father’s collaboration with Ornette Coleman on the 1976 Old and New Dreams, which also featured bassist Charlie Haden, trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell. While not the innovator Coleman was, Redman uses his finely honed technical skills and hard-earned musical insights on Still Dreaming to recapture that wonderful pot of free jazz, hard bop and avant-garde instincts that Coleman stirred up back in the day. And now Redman returns the favor by pushing the envelope a bit with the help of trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. Some tracks like "It’s Not the Same" call to mind Henry Threadgill’s slightly off-kilter melodies and rhythms that teeter close to the edge but then return to the warm comfort of familiar ground. "Blues for Charlie" was written in honor of the late Charlie Haden, but it also manages to pay tribute to some of the pulpit-pounding blues compositions of Charles Mingus. "Haze and Aspirations" takes a more brooding, introspective approach and could be part of a movie scene of a man wandering a city in search of answers. The sound of this release is very live, and proper mic placement yields a realistic sense of studio space and player location. It’s a what-they-played-is-what-you-get approach. With Still Dreaming, Redman has produced an album that matches and in some ways surpasses his father’s work with Coleman.

Lera Lynn • Plays Well With Others
Single Rock Records SL 026CD

From the spooky, resonant cello lines and luscious string arrangements of the opening track on Lera Lynn’s third studio album, you know this is not going to be a paint-by-the-numbers Americana record. Produced by Civil Wars co-founder John Paul White, Plays Well With Others is a tightly arranged set of duets featuring a wide variety of performers whose songwriting matches their considerable vocal talents. Performers like Rodney Crowell, Peter Bradley Adams and Andrew Combs certainly know their way around a memorable melody and lyric. Lynn’s voice is more than up to the adaptive demands, going from the laconic depths reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval on "In Another Life" all the way up to the yearning Sheryl Crowe-style high notes of "Nothing to Do With Your Love." John Paul White’s production wisely avoids the moody murkiness of Lynn’s appearances on the second-season soundtrack of HBO’s True Detective, giving the sessions just the right amount of refreshing verve and snap. White and Lynn’s final duet "Almost Persuaded" is a wonderful combination of George and Tammy lamentation and gospel bluegrass simplicity. This is the kind of collaboration that makes you wish for a volume two.

Kelly Willis • Back Being Blue
Premium Records 34245CD

Country singer/songwriter Kelly Willis is one of those rare artists who stubbornly insists that being a fully committed parent and creating great art don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Back Being Blue is Willis’s first studio album in more than ten years, after she took time to raise her four children with husband and musical partner Bruce Robison. If this album is any indication, Willis has managed to carve out a fertile space for her craft. From the countrypolitan soul of the opening title track to the Fender twang and Hammond B-3 drive of "Don’t Step Away," Back Being Blue is set of tunes that begs to be put on repeat. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the album was produced by Robison in his meticulously curated personal studio. With the help of a solid roster of session musicians like pedal-steel player Geoff Queen and keyboardist Trevor Nealon, this is a recording whose sonics are among the among the most palpably present I’ve heard in any genre this year. The soundstage is immersive without being unnaturally big. Instruments are closely miked but never come across as unrealistically prominent. The spotlight is on the entire composition, not a particular sound. These are characteristics all audiophile recordings should exemplify but seldom do. After Willis's more than 25 years in the business, her vocal delivery is delightfully effortless, whether she’s pulling off a bluegrass-tinged trill or bending a soulful note of longing. Back Being Blue is a set of solid, stand-the-test-of-time American songcraft.