The Moorer Sisters - a positive comparison of tragedy in song
Crows - Allsison Moorer
Tears, Lies, and Alibis - Shelby LynneThe Moorer sisters' story is out there and available for anyone to read. Too often it precedes any press about either one of them. Certainly, all artists are a culmination of their past experiences, and Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer express it differently in their music and the perceived ways they move through the world.
Moorer's music is more transparent about the tragic murder suicide she and sister Shelby suffered through as teenagers. In Moorer's music, there is a deep attachment to her mother, who was shot by her estranged father before he turned the gun on himself. Moorer is the younger of the two sisters. She was fourteen at the time. Lynne is the eternal tough girl, hard-ass and mythical party animal. She was 17 when the tragedy happened. Make your conclusions and theories from there. However the past shapes their music, it is ours to cherish because both are at the top of the singer/songwriter game. Similar in some voice quality, both able to rip our emotions open wide and raw, and both strong, capable instrumentalists, as well. We also have to remember that life happens after the teenage years, and those experiences also shape the music of the sisters. The public just isn't as interested in the last twenty years; even though Lynne has had quite a public run with her famous maverick spirit. It's a spirit that consistently produces some of the most listenable and inspiring albums out there. For me, Moorer's a little more mainstream at times, but only in hints. If the music sounds produced to compete with the Nashville machine, then the lyrics flip that city on it's ass. Both Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer released albums in 2010.
Allison Moorer
Moorer's “Crows” is a swelling, emotional trip through grief and loss. The effect the death of her mother has had on her psyche is a strong subject matter. But let's pretend we don't know about her childhood and simply take the recording as a body of work released by a top game singer/songwriter. In that context, the total sense of depression that is usually indescribable is perfectly expressed; especially with the track, “Should I Be Concerned.” It's a song that represents the broken record plea that we all experience in our lives – Those things we say over and over and over because we don't believe anyone is listening. In song, no one can avoid the pain. Moorer really nails the sense of sadness and lack of hope here. She cushions the center of her recording with dreamy reminiscence of her mother, then the record turns and becomes a little more hopeful. I have to say that I love the way Moorer makes me feel bad. I have an attachment to the dark side in art, so she is always a pleaser for me. I don't know why Allison Moorer is more emotionally open in her music than her sister, but she is. Maybe it's her soft, feminine persona. Maybe it's the theatrical tones that are present in this production. I feel like these songs might show up in a Sondheim musical.
To be fair, Shelby Lynne can crack me wide open - tears and misery in spades. But she seems to rely on that steely, wary appearance and what it implies as she makes her music. She also presents as a musical perfectionist. There's no question that she's all business when it comes to her recordings. She's been through more than her fair share of labels, and finally, she's done what she probably should have done twenty years ago, started her own label and gone totally independent. From that perspective, she's the better fit for an article in Stave. So when I listen to “Tears, Lies, and Alibis,” I'm especially pleased by the stripped, open, and quintessentially independent feel of the record. There's a subtly playful energy about this release. “The dark side of me seems to like how I feel when it's pouring,” she sings chirpily in the opening cut, “Rains Came.” Lynne is certainly someone who appears old beyond her years. Not in her looks, but her eyes. They're wise in a wary kind of way, so she is perfectly qualified to laugh at misery. If you ever watch video or see her live, you won't see her eyes playing along with the subject of song. She'll be looking around in an almost calculating manner. This sad song stuff is old hat, and maybe the performance is a search for more material. How do people respond? An artist at work; creating while performing. Take it back to the workbench and produce one more amazing album. Chuckle a little, then strip it down bare - no lovely long notes - and make a song feel like an empty room right after the final goodbye from a love affair. That's “Like a Fool.” So Lynne takes on relationships from a more mature, worn out place. “Make up can't conceal my eyes” she tells us. So just like anybody else, she'll give little cracks into who she is under the bad girl image. And that's why the press stays so fascinated with her. Ultimately, you might think she's the more broken of the sisters.
Shelby LynneBut who knows?
They are just biological wonders who spring from a gene pool of great songwriting ability wrapped in two of the most listenable voices in contemporary music.
I hope Moorer soon follows her big sister into the total independent arm of music so that she, too, becomes an open powerhouse that has no use for the machine.
Stave Magazine: CD Reviews
Steve Brooks
Chasing Grace
www.stevebrooks.net
Austin songwriter, Steve Brooks, gave some seriously good advice in the June feature of Stave by instructing songwriters, “don’t be afraid to murder your little darlings.” When you say something like that, you have to be really sure of your own song craft. To be concise, Brooks is a master lyricist. He wraps words around tunes that feel familiar and are, therefore, accessible. He also gives his production over to a solid producer, Chris Gage. That means high talent in the supporting roles of Brooks’ latest release, “Chasing Grace.”
Brooks’ vocal style falls into that category of great artists who present lasting word craft with a plaintive voice, much like a Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, or Willie Nelson or Bob Dylan. And much like Nelson and Dylan, Brooks voice has seasoned and gotten better over time. It’s kind of like the perfect songwriters’ voice; which is the voice born to sing songs about real people.
Brooks writes and sings about love, spirituality, and ordinary people who experience profound lives. Track 3, “Iowa Wind” is a great example of Brooks’ sly ability to demonstrate how the things we perceive as ordinary are really extraordinary. An educated man is humbled by the force of nature in the story of the song. However, “Paradise” is a prime example of Brooks’ mastery of lyrics. Whenever a reviewer repeats lines of a song to impart on the reader what she means, I think it flops, so I’m going to tell you that you need to buy this CD and listen to this song. You will cry. The fulcrum of the song is the line, “Paradise will never be the same,” but I cannot write it in prose as it is written in song by Brooks. A theme is established, and something close to a short story emerges. (I will not put this song on the Stave Player because I want to make you support excellence. Buy the CD). The song stays with the listener for a long, long time.
And so this compilation of songs goes. Ordinary themes, settings and ideas take on monumental themes via perfectly placed words riding on catchy tunes. I can’t really say this body of work is dark because it’s not. It’s just so intimate that it brings up that burning in the throat that begs one to cry because it’s something mindful, compassionate people do. So maybe that’s the short version. “Chasing Grace” is a record of compassion.
Charlie Hager and the Captain Legendary Band
Smoking Barrel
http://www.thecaptainlegendaryband.com
It’s summertime. Put the top down if you’re so well healed, but Texans! Roll down the windows on the F150, open up all eight, and turn up the tunes. The tunes should be Charlie Hager and the Captain Legendary Band’s latest disc, “Smoking Barrel.” It is powerhouse, Southern rockin’ guitars screaming over that country/rocking rhythm that makes Texas rock really ROCK.
Because everybody’s screaming “Freebird!” and “Sweet Home Alabama!” there’s a perception that Southern Rock is pretty easy to play. Maybe so. If you want it to be. But this outfit can play the hell out of the music. I’ve seen them shake up a club, and now I’ve got a copy of “Smoking Barrel” and they prove they can do it in the studio, too. What makes this different for me is that there’s a tinge of morality floating under the music. Typically a Texas rock outfit is all about the party. And this is definitely a party to listen to, but there’s simply a maturity in the songwriting that suits an older and wiser fan base. I think veterans would really dig this, as would enlisted men who’ve seen the ugly stuff that grew them up quick. And demanding intellectuals like me won’t feel traitorous for throwing over our Americana and folk for a fast ride through the Texas countryside while blasting Hager’s well honed craft across the cow pastures.
The disc kicks off with “Brothers,” which is the story of brothers who willingly go off to fight for the Confederacy only to discover what a terrible mistake it is to freely go off to war. However, before things get too heavy, they follow up with the chewy, rockin’ frolick, “Northeast Texas Women.” This song pays homage to every corner of the state of Texas and the legendary beauty of Texas women. This is definitely a disc for stoking up Texas pride, but the songs pay homage to the South, and that’s what’s getting these guys across the border, and I think it will help build them a regional (if not national) following beyond the Lone Star State. “Smoking Barrel” is definitely a great calling card if Captain Legendary is looking to conquer the country.
Amber Digby
Another Way To Live
www.amberdigby.com
These days, Country music is a tough sell on me. Living in Texas where Texas Country is ubiquitous in every bar in every town in the state, I’ve become jaded about the genre. First of all, I have rarely heard Texas Country that I thought was any good. I often feel that it’s a young group of artists who are desperately trying to forge new and different paths in music only to wind up in a ditch full of tepid craftsmanship. Anyway, it all pretty much sounds alike to me.
As the Texas Dancehall revival swirls around my home county, I can assure you that there is no shortage of Texas Country. So I stay home a lot on the weekends. However, I’ve never made it a secret that I am deeply influenced and still love to hear Traditional Country music. Sometimes it’s termed Classic Country, but Traditional really goes to the root of the music. It’s that classic style that makes you want to jump up and spin around the dance floor until last call. It was crafted by the greats: Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Hank Williams, and on and on and on. It fell prey to some soft poppy junk in the early 1980’s with fluffy crooners like Kenny Rogers leading the pack and taking some major legends along for the soft landing. The Bellamy Brothers held true, Reba came to be, and that great Texas white knight, who is the salvation of real Country music, came along and redeemed the genre: George Strait. Then it just went Hollywood, and every mouse-haired twentysomething record exec from L.A. moved to Nashville and gave us what I best heard described as pop music with a fiddle track. I guess this Texas Music brigade has been trying to save heart of the music without sounding like old fogies, but here’s the deal. Those old fogies I previously mentioned are the Obi Wans of Nashville. They are the force.
So while reading the weekly e-blast from the local chamber of commerce I saw that a singer named Amber Digby would be playing Swiss Alp. She is the entertainment for the Texas Dancehall Preservation Project. I figured that must mean she’d be somewhat appropriate for a Texas traditional dancehall.
Man.
The Queen of Country smiles down from Heaven.
I just know it. Amber Digby has redeemed Country music with the legendary warmth of Tammy Wynette herself. Her latest release, “Another Way to Live” is a mixture of covers and originals. The covers are traditional and she definitely does them justice. The originals are traditional, and that makes her a serious contender where the real Country music is concerned. She has that bell clear voice and twang that is just meant for Traditional Country music. She’s got the drawl, the diphthong, the desperation and the strength that makes the Tammy Wynettes, Reba McEntires, Patsy Clines, Kitty Wells, and all the others legends. I can’t wait to catch her live show in a few weeks.
If this CD is any representation of Digby and her band, it will be a solid treat for this country girl. I’m adding a Mel Tillis tune to the player, and if it doesn’t make you want to get up and try a little Texas two-step, well, then. I’ll buy you a Lone Star Beer.
Tom Tranchilla and Buddy Allen
Acoustic Audio-Dacity
www.tomtranchilla.com
Here’s a great instrumental disc that two top shelf Houston guitar players pumped out in about two weeks. It’s clean, listenable, and an excellent example of first rate guitar playing. Serious fans and players will really enjoy Tranchilla and Allen in tandem. Where most of the cuts are original, there are a few covers that they’ve arranged to suit their synergy.
Mostly this disc is an example of crisp finger-style form, but it’s not frantic and jumbled the way some finger-style presentations can be. Instead of wowing us with how fast they can play, they work together to create a disc that is extremely listenable. In fact, it’s good for a long drive on a sunny day.
As I write more and more about the old guard finding a way to sustain itself within a fast changing music world, I think it’s important to encourage the new guard to study guys like Tranchilla and Allen. Even though they cranked this disc out in two weeks, it is apparent that this is years of practice, study and discipline. If you’re in Houston, it’s worth it to catch one or the other’s show. The musicians in this city seem to get overlooked by the group down the road in Austin, but let me tell you, when you hear guys like Tom and Buddy play, you kind of wonder if Austin isn’t operating on a bit of an overstatement. The scenes are definitely different but the quality is just as good in Houston. Pick up this disc, and you’ll see what I mean.
