Jorma Kaukonen- Beth Bombara- The Scooches- Daryl Mosley
Jorma Kaukonen - Live at the Bottom Line
Kaukonen is famed for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna but he has also had a long and storied career as a solo performer. At this show recorded in 2003 in New York City Kaukonen delves into traditional songs, classics by the likes of Jimmie Rodgers, Reverend Gary Davis and a couple of his own songs, all of which provide excellent showcases for his Piedmont-style acoustic guitar playing. He's backed throughout the 16-song set by Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, guitar and banjo and Cindy Cashdollar on steel guitar. A couple of train songs begin the set; Kaukonen wastes no time getting to flashy guitar playing as he rocks through the Delmore Brothers chestnut "Blue Railroad Train" and slowing things down for Rodgers' weepy "Waiting for a Train." Introducing Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy" Kaukonen jokes that the dire song "just makes people so happy." Self-penned cut "Do Not Go Gentle" is a highlight as are the bluegrass cut "I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now" and an especially bucolic reading of "Blues Stay Away from Me." Late in the set Kaukonen performs the traditional "Good Shepherd" which first appeared on the Jefferson Airplane album Volunteers, along with other favorites "Uncle Sam Blues," "I am the Light of This World" and the oft-covered "Hesitation Blues." The concert took place during Kaukonen's tour behind his
Blue Country Heart album.
Beth Bombara - If All Goes Up
On this album's opening track "Moment" Bombara's lyrics track how life's daily hustle and bustle is sometimes all in vain and she suggests "Can we slow down?/Long enough to take a Polaroid picture and wave it around/Until the moment is material." Some younger fans might not get the Polaroid reference but Bombara is saying just give it a minute and life will be much more memorable and productive. Bombara creates plenty of moments here; like everyone else she had lots of time on her hands during the pandemic and lockdown and she spent that time writing or co-writing songs for this album. With that in mind the inspiration for the subdued "Lonely Walls" is obvious, so is the joy of the realization in the sunny "Everything I Wanted." Along with her vocals, which put her in the upper echelon of the hottest Americana singers, Bombara plays electric, classical and acoustic guitar along with mellotron throughout while pedal steel from Eric Henry gives "Get On" an especially rootsy bent. "Give Me a Reason" with fuzzed guitar parts is one of the most intriguing songs on the effort; in a totally different vein is closing number "Fade," a quiet and delicate cut that allows Bombara's voice and lyrics to shine.
The Scooches - Lift You Up
This wonderful band was formerly known as Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches. They may have shortened their name but multi-instrumentalist Nick Russo (Banjo Nickaru), drummer Harvey Wirht, singers Betina Hershey and Miles Griffith and 13 additional guest Scooches haven't shortened up their sound here; it is in fact incredibly diverse. While generally thought of as a folk band, The Scooches take a trip to the Caribbean with reggae rhythms on the title track, play a barn dance with Russo's banjo up front on "Let's Grow Our Roots Deep and True," channel '60s protest songs on the poppy "Stop This Climate Change" and mix elements of samba into "Open a Door." Fans will have a blast singing along with Hershey on the silly and sassy "I Broke the Egg;" "Run" is dreamlike but it has the serious topic of getting away from gun violence and violence in general. Hershey and Griffith both handle vocals on the rhythmic "Spread Your Wings and Fly," a cut that like several others here is flavored with Gullah Geechee vocalizations from Dr. David Pleasant. Two versions of the traditional cut "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" are included, the second of which is a raucous, percussion-heavy Gullah Geechee version.
Daryl Mosley - A Life Well Lived
If you think you don't know Mosley, maybe you should think on it a little harder. A 30-year veteran of the Americana scene, Mosley has written 10 #1 songs and favorites like "Transistor Radio" and "A Few Years Ago." Here he sings and plays bass on a set of bluegrass-leaning roots songs while his three piece band perform on banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle; the latter leads the way on the encouraging title track. Positivity is a Mosley hallmark. "Big God" moves to a western swing groove that'll pack the dance floor while Tony Wray's banjo picking is highlighted on "Mayberry State of Mind," a cut about skipping out on work to take it easy, and yes go fishing. Mosley's Christianity shines through on quite a few songs here, not just on "Big God" but also "Working Man's Prayer" and "The Bible in the Drawer," a story amusingly told from a hotel bible's perspective. "Hillbilly Graham" is clever too with its wordplay as it chronicles the development of a hill country preacher with a nickname playing off of the famed Billy Graham. The set ends with another fiddle-driven cut, the "I've got everything I need right here" "Thankful."
