Silver Bullet Bluegrass- 3 Pairs of Boots- more
We listen to new roots music from 3 Pairs of Boots, Teni Rane, Mystic Twangers and an awesome various artists tribute to Bob Seger, "Silver Bullet Bluegrass."
Silver Bullet Bluegrass - (Various Artists)
Here's a really impressive tribute to the music of Bob Seger as 13 artists reimagine his biggest hits as bluegrass songs. Singer and fiddle player (and "The Voice" alumnus) Carson Peters gets things rolling with his take on "Long Twin Silver Line" where his fast fiddle work and frantic banjo picking mimic the urgency of keeping the train on schedule. Former Drive-By Trucker singer and bassist Shonna Tucker turns in a speedy hill country version of Seger's smash "Hollywood Nights" while Gary Nichols handles "Turn the Page" which here retains its eerie feeling. Tim Shelton conjures a lonesome-on-the-trail vibe with his take on "Against the Wind" and Keith Garrett kicks up some hay with a barn-burning version of "You'll Accompany Me." "American Idol" vet Bo Bice tackles a Seger favorite from way back with "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" and the bucolic biggies continue with Josh Shilling's version of "Main Street," a delightfully swinging "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight" by Ward Hayden, Tim Stafford's banjo-driven interpretation of "Even Now" with smooth vocal harmonies and the emotional closing number "Night Moves" by Larry Cordle. Also contributing are Jeff Parker, Robert Hale and Bill Taylor.
3 Pairs of Boots - Boot Scootin'
Americana duo 3 Pairs of Boots (Andrew Stern and Laura Arias) have been on the scene for about five years now and
Boot Scootin' is their fourth album overall. Arias handles the vocals and on the effort's title cut she perfectly conveys the feeling of being on the dance floor and thinking about nothing but the dance, with life's daily downers temporarily consigned to insignificance. Happy Sanchez guests to do a little whistling at the beginning of "Please Tell Me," a fun and slightly twangy (and yes, danceable) plea to a romantic interest that has to do with sticking around, at least for the night. Arias has a good dose of country in her voice but she also has pop leanings which she demonstrates on cuts like "Upon a High Horse," the dreamy "Reno" and the Kate Bush-recalling "My American Boy." It all speaks to how the Americana genre is extremely diverse and Stern and Arias, who each write about half of the songs here, are shining examples of how the genre is moving forward and not always aboard a horse.
Teni Rane - Goldenrod
When Rane addresses the mercurial life of a lightning bug on album opener "Firefly" it is not clear if she's actually talking about an insect; more likely she is talking about a person and how difficult it may be to hold a relationship with that person. This is typical of Rane's material here; she has a delicate voice and often sings in hushed tones for her folk/pop offerings, belying the fact that her lyrics (she wrote or co-wrote all but one song here) can hold deep thoughts and heavy emotions. With that in mind, Rane acknowledges in the CD's liner notes that these cuts were written during a spell when her life was upended. She deals with loneliness on "Goldenrod," reflects on a past relationship on the cello-enhanced "Passerine" and marvels at the unpredictability of a new love on "Caramel," a dreamy number that's slightly Latin-tinged, mostly thanks to Classical guitar from Phil Faconti. Faconti also adds a few electric guitar riffs to the melody of "So Beautiful;" the album is mostly acoustic but the song hints that Rane would sound good rocking out if she chose to. Notably there are no drums or percussion on these arrangements. A brief reprise of "Firefly" closes this impressive debut from Rane.
Mystic Twangers - Time Slips Away
Mystic Twangers is the stage name of Andy Glanzman and here on his fifth release he sings and plays acoustic guitar and bass while Rob Friedman contributes guitar, drums, keys and pedal and lap steel. The pair have a very full sound as they perform 13 cuts all penned by Glanzman who takes his Americana sound down lots of side roads here beginning with the breezy title cut where he sings about mellowing out and not worrying too much about how time is slipping away, instead choosing to live with a "time is on my side" attitude. It's great advice that's given in a memorable way and with a catchy hook. Friedman's steel guitar flavors the understated barroom weeper "Last Call" which examines a failing relationship. "Never Will" is an upbeat country rocker but Mystic Twangers get uncharacteristically angry on "Time Out," an ominous commentary on America's social ills that name checks George Floyd and what happened to him. Elsewhere "Baby Don't Tell Me" tunes into a classic country sound that'll be familiar to fans of artists like George Jones, "The Water's Rising" flows to a reggae beat and "Two Ragged Drifters" puts the Western in Country & Western. The album finishes with "Do You Know How it Feels," a tender declaration of love featuring just guitar and vocals from Glanzman and harmony vocalist Dana Brooke.
