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https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/reviews-dan-macintosh 2025-05-07T08:29:20+00:00 The Daily Ripple Joomla! - Open Source Content Management 2023-04-21T13:45:36+00:00 2023-04-21T13:45:36+00:00 https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-dan-macintosh/76-music-review-deluge-of-hurt-by-tornado-sky-dmac Terry Ryan

31 October 2022   Disaster, as a metaphor, plays a big part in this act’s overall presentation. Its group name, for instance, describes a sky view just before a tornado. Next, the album’s title track references hurricanes, as the word ‘deluge’ refers to an overflowing of the land by water, a drenching rain or an overwhelming amount or number. In other words, it’s an event that is just too much for an overcome human to handle. We all hurt, but we all – eventually – heal. However, it’s difficult to know what to do whenever the pain bowls us over and doesn’t seem to give us any way out. This, one surmises, is what Tornado Sky is singing about with this particular title track. The album’s standout inclusion is one called “Two Beat Up Hearts,” which Gladhart sings lead on. It finds its narrator sitting at a bar, drinking her way through brokenhearted-ness. This hurt one, however, luckily found an empathetic soul on the barstool next to her at this watering hole. Both are applying alcohol therapy to their wounds. The recording includes plenty of Rusty Danmyer’s steel guitar, which gives it the lonesome, lowdown sound of a country weeper. A couple of the other songs where Gladhart sings lead, are also quite personal. Opener, “Am I Mighty,” finds Gladhart struggling to find her identity. Over a gentle, quiet arrangement, Gladhart describes a little of her life history, wondering what it will all add up to in the end. It incorporates some especially lovely backing vocals. “Walking Next To Me” is a really sad one. “I lost my brother out of the blue,” she begins, “Cancer can do that to you.” She wastes no time in setting the scene, that’s for sure. She goes on to explain how she feels like he’s still with her, somehow. The realm of the afterlife is filled with mystery, even for those that have strong religious beliefs. Losing a sibling is one of the toughest experiences for all family members left behind. Songs where Careaga sings lead, tend to be the most folk-ish. One called “Go,” for instance, finds Careaga trying desperately to understand the right direction to travel using the map of a relationship. What may seem like a ‘go,’ may actually be a ‘stop,’ and sometimes we don’t know the right answer until long after we’ve passed that fork in the road.   For an act with such an ominous approach, Tornado Sky sure makes impending doom sound sonically lovely. Maybe that’s the best way to face one’s fears – by creating something beau tiful through music. Storms will come and go, and there’s no getting away from that or around it. Someone once said that life will always be hard. The key to growth is learning to do hard things better. Music may not heal our wounds, but it is certainly a comforting distraction, if nothing else. Tornado Sky counters the deluge of hurt with an equally powerful deluge of beautiful sounds.        Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here  

31 October 2022   Disaster, as a metaphor, plays a big part in this act’s overall presentation. Its group name, for instance, describes a sky view just before a tornado. Next, the album’s title track references hurricanes, as the word ‘deluge’ refers to an overflowing of the land by water, a drenching rain or an overwhelming amount or number. In other words, it’s an event that is just too much for an overcome human to handle. We all hurt, but we all – eventually – heal. However, it’s difficult to know what to do whenever the pain bowls us over and doesn’t seem to give us any way out. This, one surmises, is what Tornado Sky is singing about with this particular title track. The album’s standout inclusion is one called “Two Beat Up Hearts,” which Gladhart sings lead on. It finds its narrator sitting at a bar, drinking her way through brokenhearted-ness. This hurt one, however, luckily found an empathetic soul on the barstool next to her at this watering hole. Both are applying alcohol therapy to their wounds. The recording includes plenty of Rusty Danmyer’s steel guitar, which gives it the lonesome, lowdown sound of a country weeper. A couple of the other songs where Gladhart sings lead, are also quite personal. Opener, “Am I Mighty,” finds Gladhart struggling to find her identity. Over a gentle, quiet arrangement, Gladhart describes a little of her life history, wondering what it will all add up to in the end. It incorporates some especially lovely backing vocals. “Walking Next To Me” is a really sad one. “I lost my brother out of the blue,” she begins, “Cancer can do that to you.” She wastes no time in setting the scene, that’s for sure. She goes on to explain how she feels like he’s still with her, somehow. The realm of the afterlife is filled with mystery, even for those that have strong religious beliefs. Losing a sibling is one of the toughest experiences for all family members left behind. Songs where Careaga sings lead, tend to be the most folk-ish. One called “Go,” for instance, finds Careaga trying desperately to understand the right direction to travel using the map of a relationship. What may seem like a ‘go,’ may actually be a ‘stop,’ and sometimes we don’t know the right answer until long after we’ve passed that fork in the road.   For an act with such an ominous approach, Tornado Sky sure makes impending doom sound sonically lovely. Maybe that’s the best way to face one’s fears – by creating something beau tiful through music. Storms will come and go, and there’s no getting away from that or around it. Someone once said that life will always be hard. The key to growth is learning to do hard things better. Music may not heal our wounds, but it is certainly a comforting distraction, if nothing else. Tornado Sky counters the deluge of hurt with an equally powerful deluge of beautiful sounds.        Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here   2023-04-21T13:47:09+00:00 2023-04-21T13:47:09+00:00 https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-dan-macintosh/77-music-review-1000-horses-by-bruce-smith-dmac Terry Ryan

05 October 2022   Bruce Smith’s 1000 Horses album opens with “Campbellton,” which rocks and rolls to a rockabilly rhythm. What follows, though, is not some sort of Stray Cats offshoot, however, but a collection of mainly country-leaning roots rock. For example, the memory-jarring “Take a Picture” combines a chunky electric guitar groove along with empathetic fiddle. The album’s title track, “1000 Horses,” has a folk-ish tint to it, as it begins with mournful harmonica. Smith sings its words with a desperately sad vocal tone. It’s a twangy number that merges folk sounds with more distinctly country ones. One titled “Venus Fell,” however, is the album’s most intriguing inclusion. It sounds, both vocally and melodically, like that old Frankie Avalon 1959 hit, “Venus.” It’s driven by gypsy fiddling and a lightly loping groove. Unlike Avalon’s plea to the Greek goddess of love to help him with his romantic troubles, however, Smith’s song is more about the mythological character’s personal issues. Smith returns to the upbeat sounds initially explored with “Campbellton” for “See You in the Movies,” about a girl with big screen dreams. Smith sings it over an instrumental bed that includes both piano and organ, as well as an electric guitar solo. Although Smith rocks a bit on the song, he nevertheless rocks rather gently. His vocals have a bit of a working-class character weaved into his performance, which may remind you of early Bruce Springsteen. Its retro approach, however, comes off more like an old school description of an acting jones. It doesn’t really address the more cutthroat nature of the contemporary film world. The project’s best shot at a hit single is “Everything I Need.” On it, Smith comes off wide open and optimistic. It’s infused with the joys of love and romance. The guitar fills mirror his happy vocals. It sounds a little like some of those great old soul songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The future just seemed wide open whenever these songs came over the radio. One suspects the same good vibes would be produced by this song being played on radio today. And in a perfect world, it would be all over the radio, all over the world. Speaking of happy songs, “Don’t Forget to Look Up” is a little like a positive thinking pamphlet put to music. Just as hopeful people encourage the stopping and smelling of roses, Smith doesn’t let the listener forget about the need to look up and away from sad sights. These words of encouragement are accompanied by an upbeat groove similar to a church gospel song – only a white country church, rather than an African American one. Smith closes the album with “Late Night DJ,” which is about hoping the DJ will play the right song to lift his spirits. By the language he uses, these are oldies he’s hearing that are making him feel “not so all alone.” There are times when that radio DJ can feel like your only friend. Of course, this was back when DJs had more recognizable personalities and radio stations had more playlist flexibility. Bruce Smith sometimes sounds like he’s stuck in a time warp, back when we all lived in more innocent times. If this music is a journey back in time, though, it’s sure one pleasurable blast from the past.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here  

05 October 2022   Bruce Smith’s 1000 Horses album opens with “Campbellton,” which rocks and rolls to a rockabilly rhythm. What follows, though, is not some sort of Stray Cats offshoot, however, but a collection of mainly country-leaning roots rock. For example, the memory-jarring “Take a Picture” combines a chunky electric guitar groove along with empathetic fiddle. The album’s title track, “1000 Horses,” has a folk-ish tint to it, as it begins with mournful harmonica. Smith sings its words with a desperately sad vocal tone. It’s a twangy number that merges folk sounds with more distinctly country ones. One titled “Venus Fell,” however, is the album’s most intriguing inclusion. It sounds, both vocally and melodically, like that old Frankie Avalon 1959 hit, “Venus.” It’s driven by gypsy fiddling and a lightly loping groove. Unlike Avalon’s plea to the Greek goddess of love to help him with his romantic troubles, however, Smith’s song is more about the mythological character’s personal issues. Smith returns to the upbeat sounds initially explored with “Campbellton” for “See You in the Movies,” about a girl with big screen dreams. Smith sings it over an instrumental bed that includes both piano and organ, as well as an electric guitar solo. Although Smith rocks a bit on the song, he nevertheless rocks rather gently. His vocals have a bit of a working-class character weaved into his performance, which may remind you of early Bruce Springsteen. Its retro approach, however, comes off more like an old school description of an acting jones. It doesn’t really address the more cutthroat nature of the contemporary film world. The project’s best shot at a hit single is “Everything I Need.” On it, Smith comes off wide open and optimistic. It’s infused with the joys of love and romance. The guitar fills mirror his happy vocals. It sounds a little like some of those great old soul songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The future just seemed wide open whenever these songs came over the radio. One suspects the same good vibes would be produced by this song being played on radio today. And in a perfect world, it would be all over the radio, all over the world. Speaking of happy songs, “Don’t Forget to Look Up” is a little like a positive thinking pamphlet put to music. Just as hopeful people encourage the stopping and smelling of roses, Smith doesn’t let the listener forget about the need to look up and away from sad sights. These words of encouragement are accompanied by an upbeat groove similar to a church gospel song – only a white country church, rather than an African American one. Smith closes the album with “Late Night DJ,” which is about hoping the DJ will play the right song to lift his spirits. By the language he uses, these are oldies he’s hearing that are making him feel “not so all alone.” There are times when that radio DJ can feel like your only friend. Of course, this was back when DJs had more recognizable personalities and radio stations had more playlist flexibility. Bruce Smith sometimes sounds like he’s stuck in a time warp, back when we all lived in more innocent times. If this music is a journey back in time, though, it’s sure one pleasurable blast from the past.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here   2024-01-23T20:34:16+00:00 2024-01-23T20:34:16+00:00 https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-dan-macintosh/114-music-review-sparrow-by-jeff-talmadge Terry Ryan

January 26 2024   Sparrow is Jeff Talmadge’s eighth studio album, and it’s already been a full decade since number seven, so it’s about darn time it arrived! Its ten songs are mostly gentle acoustic guitar-accompanied folk-ish songs. Talmadge sings each one with a quiet spirit and the focus of a storyteller. One called “If I Was a Sparrow” acts as the project’s title track and is one where Talmadge longs to fly back in time, just like a bird in flight. With its soft sonics, it’s representative of the album’s overall feel. While many of these songs focus attention on characters finding themselves in various circumstances, one titled “Forgiveness” is far more conceptual. Forgiveness is a human necessity, but sometimes it is just oh so hard to give. “It’s worth a fortune, but it’s free,” Talmadge reminds us. When people say, ‘the best things in life are free,’ forgiveness is at the top of that list.  Speaking of song characters, Katie (in “Katie’s Got a Locket”) is one of the saddest peoples explored in this song set. The locket referred to in the title refers to a piece of jewelry “on a dime store chain.” Inside this locket is “a picture of a boy.” This boy was her true love once, but that was a long time ago. Tragically, this young man is “the one that got away.” The song’s most poignant moment arrives when Talmage notes: “Sometimes it makes her smile/And sometimes it helps her cry.” When she first put his picture inside this locket, it was a huge romantic blessing, but now every time she looks at it, it appears like nothing other than a curse. In addition to the emotional disaster explored through “Katie’s Got a Locket,” Talmadge also delves into troubles of the more tangible, physical variety. He opens the album with “Hurricane,” which speaks from the perspective of one brave soul that is determined to stay put and wait it out during a bad storm. Confident he’ll survive. Then with “Little Speck of Dust,” he reminds us that, although we may think ourselves to be a pretty big deal, in the face of a mighty windstorm we are just a “little speck of dust going ‘round the sun.’ It’s all relative, after all.  On a much brighter note, “Maybe Next Year” looks forward to “one more dance in the moonlight.” Performed over a waltzing rhythm over layered acoustic guitars, it’s a spirited celebration that fills the heart with hope for the future.  Talmadge closes the album with the instrumental “Top Of The Hour.” Despite being an ironic title for an album-closer, it nevertheless shows off Talmadge’s acoustic guitar talents. It’s a pretty, upbeat, yet short, reflection and is a sweet way to cap off a fine album.  Much like a quiet man that doesn’t need to raise his voice to grab your attention, Jeff Talmadge has created a strong album of songs that draws you in gently, rather  than grabbing you tightly and pulling you over. With plenty of truly lovely acoustic guitar work, matched to smart and sincere lyrics, it’s the sort of album you may want to put on while meditating upon the bigger issues of life. It’ll soar in and out of your thoughts, much like a sparrow in flight.       Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here  

January 26 2024   Sparrow is Jeff Talmadge’s eighth studio album, and it’s already been a full decade since number seven, so it’s about darn time it arrived! Its ten songs are mostly gentle acoustic guitar-accompanied folk-ish songs. Talmadge sings each one with a quiet spirit and the focus of a storyteller. One called “If I Was a Sparrow” acts as the project’s title track and is one where Talmadge longs to fly back in time, just like a bird in flight. With its soft sonics, it’s representative of the album’s overall feel. While many of these songs focus attention on characters finding themselves in various circumstances, one titled “Forgiveness” is far more conceptual. Forgiveness is a human necessity, but sometimes it is just oh so hard to give. “It’s worth a fortune, but it’s free,” Talmadge reminds us. When people say, ‘the best things in life are free,’ forgiveness is at the top of that list.  Speaking of song characters, Katie (in “Katie’s Got a Locket”) is one of the saddest peoples explored in this song set. The locket referred to in the title refers to a piece of jewelry “on a dime store chain.” Inside this locket is “a picture of a boy.” This boy was her true love once, but that was a long time ago. Tragically, this young man is “the one that got away.” The song’s most poignant moment arrives when Talmage notes: “Sometimes it makes her smile/And sometimes it helps her cry.” When she first put his picture inside this locket, it was a huge romantic blessing, but now every time she looks at it, it appears like nothing other than a curse. In addition to the emotional disaster explored through “Katie’s Got a Locket,” Talmadge also delves into troubles of the more tangible, physical variety. He opens the album with “Hurricane,” which speaks from the perspective of one brave soul that is determined to stay put and wait it out during a bad storm. Confident he’ll survive. Then with “Little Speck of Dust,” he reminds us that, although we may think ourselves to be a pretty big deal, in the face of a mighty windstorm we are just a “little speck of dust going ‘round the sun.’ It’s all relative, after all.  On a much brighter note, “Maybe Next Year” looks forward to “one more dance in the moonlight.” Performed over a waltzing rhythm over layered acoustic guitars, it’s a spirited celebration that fills the heart with hope for the future.  Talmadge closes the album with the instrumental “Top Of The Hour.” Despite being an ironic title for an album-closer, it nevertheless shows off Talmadge’s acoustic guitar talents. It’s a pretty, upbeat, yet short, reflection and is a sweet way to cap off a fine album.  Much like a quiet man that doesn’t need to raise his voice to grab your attention, Jeff Talmadge has created a strong album of songs that draws you in gently, rather  than grabbing you tightly and pulling you over. With plenty of truly lovely acoustic guitar work, matched to smart and sincere lyrics, it’s the sort of album you may want to put on while meditating upon the bigger issues of life. It’ll soar in and out of your thoughts, much like a sparrow in flight.       Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here   2023-09-15T17:24:47+00:00 2023-09-15T17:24:47+00:00 https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-dan-macintosh/118-music-review-i-just-cant-call-it-quits-by-patterson-barrett-dmac Terry Ryan

 5 May 2023   Patterson Barrett is someone you’ve heard without realizing you’ve heard him. He played multiple instruments on Jerry Jeff Walker’s debut album, for example, including for the hit “L.A. Freeway.” He was also in Al Kooper’s band and has accompanied many artists in and around the Austin music scene. With I Just Can’t Call It Quits, though, Barrett steps out on his own for a 10-song set. It’s a sweet and heartfelt set of songs. As a singer, Barrett comes off as an old soul, even though he’s not as old as he sounds. He just has one of those singing voices that sounds as though he’s lived a whole lot of life. Back at the beginning of his career, Barrett started a group called Partners In Crime, which included Buddy and Julie Miller as members. Buddy Miller returns the favor by dueting with Barrett on a sad country song called “I’m Pretending,” which includes tasty guitar and fiddle coloring it. One of the album’s standout tracks is a cover of “Soul Man.” Originally a classic soul song by Sam & Dave, Barrett gives it a sparse, guitar-y version that sounds a little like a Dire Straits workout. It incorporates plenty of electric guitar and a kind of boogie rhythm spiced up with harmonica fills. Another notable inclusion is titled “Dream Geography.” With it, Barrett imagines a world without borders. A world where children play freely together not caring about the nationality of each other. On it, like with most of the album, Barrett played most all the instruments. He also wrote most of these songs. As a multi-instrumentalist, this DIY approach makes a lot of sense. If you want something done correctly, as they say, you should do it yourself. One exception is the fine harmonica work Doc Simons provides for “Soul Man.” With its Cajun squeezebox accompaniment, Barrett also sings a kind of love song to Southern Louisiana. Called “Another Beautiful Day,” it bounces along nicely. The track also includes some sharp acoustic piano and a fiddle part. “Somewhere in South Austin” is an acoustic guitar driven folkish song, which is filled with lyrical memories of Austin, Texas. Barrett sings about life in South Austin, but you get the feeling he’s singing about this lifestyle from a distance but not while they’re living that kind of life. For instance, he sings about how people stay up all night, just to see the sun, but he – we’re led to believe --no longer pulls all-nighters. Barrett closes the album with another acoustic-based song, titled “Just a Moment.” It finds a guy hoping for a few minutes just to get a grip on things. Perhaps one great moment will put a broken relationship back together. Life moves so fast, with scenes changing before we can even fully experience them, and this is a song about hoping to slow down the rush – just for a moment. The best moments in life “last a lifetime,” Barrett reminds us. He’s hoping for one of these magic moments, but not quite sure he’ll have one.   Songs are also like these special moments. They’re slices of life, sometimes far more beautiful than real life. Let’s hope Patterson Barrett is right when he says, “I Just Can’t Call it Quits,” because he has so many more moments of pure goodness left to offer the world.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here    

 5 May 2023   Patterson Barrett is someone you’ve heard without realizing you’ve heard him. He played multiple instruments on Jerry Jeff Walker’s debut album, for example, including for the hit “L.A. Freeway.” He was also in Al Kooper’s band and has accompanied many artists in and around the Austin music scene. With I Just Can’t Call It Quits, though, Barrett steps out on his own for a 10-song set. It’s a sweet and heartfelt set of songs. As a singer, Barrett comes off as an old soul, even though he’s not as old as he sounds. He just has one of those singing voices that sounds as though he’s lived a whole lot of life. Back at the beginning of his career, Barrett started a group called Partners In Crime, which included Buddy and Julie Miller as members. Buddy Miller returns the favor by dueting with Barrett on a sad country song called “I’m Pretending,” which includes tasty guitar and fiddle coloring it. One of the album’s standout tracks is a cover of “Soul Man.” Originally a classic soul song by Sam & Dave, Barrett gives it a sparse, guitar-y version that sounds a little like a Dire Straits workout. It incorporates plenty of electric guitar and a kind of boogie rhythm spiced up with harmonica fills. Another notable inclusion is titled “Dream Geography.” With it, Barrett imagines a world without borders. A world where children play freely together not caring about the nationality of each other. On it, like with most of the album, Barrett played most all the instruments. He also wrote most of these songs. As a multi-instrumentalist, this DIY approach makes a lot of sense. If you want something done correctly, as they say, you should do it yourself. One exception is the fine harmonica work Doc Simons provides for “Soul Man.” With its Cajun squeezebox accompaniment, Barrett also sings a kind of love song to Southern Louisiana. Called “Another Beautiful Day,” it bounces along nicely. The track also includes some sharp acoustic piano and a fiddle part. “Somewhere in South Austin” is an acoustic guitar driven folkish song, which is filled with lyrical memories of Austin, Texas. Barrett sings about life in South Austin, but you get the feeling he’s singing about this lifestyle from a distance but not while they’re living that kind of life. For instance, he sings about how people stay up all night, just to see the sun, but he – we’re led to believe --no longer pulls all-nighters. Barrett closes the album with another acoustic-based song, titled “Just a Moment.” It finds a guy hoping for a few minutes just to get a grip on things. Perhaps one great moment will put a broken relationship back together. Life moves so fast, with scenes changing before we can even fully experience them, and this is a song about hoping to slow down the rush – just for a moment. The best moments in life “last a lifetime,” Barrett reminds us. He’s hoping for one of these magic moments, but not quite sure he’ll have one.   Songs are also like these special moments. They’re slices of life, sometimes far more beautiful than real life. Let’s hope Patterson Barrett is right when he says, “I Just Can’t Call it Quits,” because he has so many more moments of pure goodness left to offer the world.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here     2024-03-21T01:47:09+00:00 2024-03-21T01:47:09+00:00 https://www.thedailyripple.org/index.php/art-music/cat-blog-reviews-dan-macintosh/132-music-review-tales-and-tellings-by-marques-morel-dmac Terry Ryan

21 March 2024   Marques Morel has been described as a singer/songwriter, as well as wandering troubadour (along with a few other descriptive adjectives). His voice will remind you fondly of country outlaws, like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. It’s a low voice, with lots of vibrato. If you miss hearing country singers that sound like they are actually from the country, Morel oughta scratch that itch for ya. His album Tales and Tellings is filled with travel stories and everyman philosophy. For instance, “Gas Station Girls” sounds a bit like an old Hank Williams song. (I don’t honestly know what a ‘gas station girl’ is, but I don’t suspect these are the same as church choir women). More than likely, they’re a whole lot like truck stop girls. Many of these songs are sung with colorful flair, such as “Lone Rooster Blues,” which includes plenty of twang combined with organ fills. It finds Morel cock-a-doodling his way through the chorus, too, much like a yard rooster does. This music is traditional American music, from beginning to end. The album’s final song, “Back at the Cabin,” for instance, is driven by acoustic guitar and is spiced up with some nice fiddling. Just the fact that he’s celebrating being back at the old cabin, says a lot about Morel’s perspective on life. The city life can’t do what time spent in and old cabin can do. It’s a place where he can get away from the loud urban life, and back to a place where he feels more at home. The album begins with one we all can relate to, titled “Crazy Out There.” Morel sings/speaks his way through it. It offers honest commentary on our contemporary world. Sure, the planet has always had its craziness, but after surviving a pandemic and a political climate that doesn’t make a lot of sense – to either those on the right or the left – it just feels crazier now than it’s ever been. If you’re from the country where the living is simple, today’s culture might just make you think the inmates have taken over the asylum. One called “Drive All Night,” might just throw you for a loop. Morel may lean mostly toward folk and country grooves, but this one sports a bit of a reggae groove to it. It also finds Morel singing in a register that is slightly higher than the rest of the tunes. Yes, it’s crazy out there. There’s little we all can do to stop all the crazy. We can, though, fill our hearts and minds with solid and enjoyable music. With Tales and Tellings, Marques Morel gives us all a set of powerful traditional sounds in which to put our roots. That voice of his just sounds like a voice of experience. He’s seen a lot in his lifetime, yet he still has a good attitude. He creates musical comfort food for many of us. Especially those of us that greatly miss icons like Cash and Jennings. Let’s hope Morel keeps telling his tales for a long, long time to come.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here  

21 March 2024   Marques Morel has been described as a singer/songwriter, as well as wandering troubadour (along with a few other descriptive adjectives). His voice will remind you fondly of country outlaws, like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. It’s a low voice, with lots of vibrato. If you miss hearing country singers that sound like they are actually from the country, Morel oughta scratch that itch for ya. His album Tales and Tellings is filled with travel stories and everyman philosophy. For instance, “Gas Station Girls” sounds a bit like an old Hank Williams song. (I don’t honestly know what a ‘gas station girl’ is, but I don’t suspect these are the same as church choir women). More than likely, they’re a whole lot like truck stop girls. Many of these songs are sung with colorful flair, such as “Lone Rooster Blues,” which includes plenty of twang combined with organ fills. It finds Morel cock-a-doodling his way through the chorus, too, much like a yard rooster does. This music is traditional American music, from beginning to end. The album’s final song, “Back at the Cabin,” for instance, is driven by acoustic guitar and is spiced up with some nice fiddling. Just the fact that he’s celebrating being back at the old cabin, says a lot about Morel’s perspective on life. The city life can’t do what time spent in and old cabin can do. It’s a place where he can get away from the loud urban life, and back to a place where he feels more at home. The album begins with one we all can relate to, titled “Crazy Out There.” Morel sings/speaks his way through it. It offers honest commentary on our contemporary world. Sure, the planet has always had its craziness, but after surviving a pandemic and a political climate that doesn’t make a lot of sense – to either those on the right or the left – it just feels crazier now than it’s ever been. If you’re from the country where the living is simple, today’s culture might just make you think the inmates have taken over the asylum. One called “Drive All Night,” might just throw you for a loop. Morel may lean mostly toward folk and country grooves, but this one sports a bit of a reggae groove to it. It also finds Morel singing in a register that is slightly higher than the rest of the tunes. Yes, it’s crazy out there. There’s little we all can do to stop all the crazy. We can, though, fill our hearts and minds with solid and enjoyable music. With Tales and Tellings, Marques Morel gives us all a set of powerful traditional sounds in which to put our roots. That voice of his just sounds like a voice of experience. He’s seen a lot in his lifetime, yet he still has a good attitude. He creates musical comfort food for many of us. Especially those of us that greatly miss icons like Cash and Jennings. Let’s hope Morel keeps telling his tales for a long, long time to come.     Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.  To Read All of Dan's Reviews, Click Here