WORLD OF SIN Lypswitch (Eonian Records) *** ½
I can’t say this is a name I’m familiar with but if you’re into the Sunset strip scene of the 80’s, you’re really going to like these guys. Originally from Orlando and having called Hollywood home since 1988, Lypswitch make what I affectionately call ‘dirt bag rock & roll’. World Of Sin is simple, riff-driven stuff, GNR lite. All things considered it’s pretty enjoyable.
Lypswitch played the usual haunts; The Whiskey, Gazzari’s, The Roxy and The Troubadour as they rubbed shoulders with bands like Bang Tango, Love/ Hate and Blackboard Jungle. There’s something to be said for hanging on to your rock & roll dreams and it seems that the time for this kind of attitude-fueled propulsive rock & roll has come around again. World Of Sin is not an overly complicated record… like early Crue it depends on lyrical defiance and the kind of music that anybody in a jean jacket can readily absorb, and that crassness is a huge part of its charm.
Lypswitch is Danny Whaley on vocals, Mick O’Brien on guitars, David Love on bass and Kevin Agosta on drums. As a singer Whaley is quite like vintage Vince Neil with a touch of Axl Rose and the rest of the guys are solid yet not dazzling players but to be fair, this kind of stuff doesn’t call for Super Chops.. At 17 tracks I would guess World Of Sin is an historical re-release, though I can’t be sure from the skimpy info on the provided press info or label website. Some cool tracks here to be sure but a shorter album might be more successful.
World Of Sin is well produced with an appropriate dirty, back alley vibe that suits this particular variety of rock & roll, and how that thought strikes you will directly inform your opinion of the record. 40 years ago, in my mid-20’s, this would’ve played loud and often in my Camaro.
https://www.eonianrecords.com/index#/lypswitch/
HOT TRACKS: Sexx On The Sun, Rattlesnake Skin, Fever
BEGGAR EP Caitlin Cannon (independent) ****
This 4 song EP is a precursor to Cannon’s forthcoming full length album Love Addict. Somewhere between Cowboy Junkies and Annie Lennox, Beggar is gentle, nostalgic and easy to get lost in even at just 4 songs.
According to Saving Country Music, Caitlin Cannon is “not a songwriter for the winners; she’s a songwriter for the broken, the downtrodden, the losers, the motherfuckers. She sings about real shit that most other songwriters don’t have the guts to broach. (She) is one of those country artists that slides so criminally under the radar; it angers the blood.”
Beggar is dreamy and atmospheric, both musically and lyrically. Her band is exquisite and a perfect backdrop for her expressive vocals and unusual (for country) lyrical observations. In the opening track, The Alchemist, Caitlin compares herself to a maestro of life’s alchemy as she manages to convince herself of a love that isn’t there. In the title cut she realizes she’s been selling herself short and decides to risk humiliation to try and rise above her station. This is pretty deep stuff for country music, don’t you think?
Beggar is as warm as it is emotional. I can hardly wait for the Love Addict full length album so I can dive in for a good, long swim.
HOT TRACKS: The Alchemist, Beggar
BALLAD OF THE BROTHERS The Bacon Brothers (40 Below Records) *****
Welcome to The Bacon Brothers’ 12th album. Ballad Of The Brothers is an entertaining mix of autobiographical and richly detailed fiction as Michael and Kevin continue to explore their mutual love of American roots music, classic rock, folk and Motown. They’re different songwriters from each other, and that’s just one of the things that makes BOTB so engaging.
“We’re two musicians who write songs very differently” says Michael, an Emmy-winning composer. “Whenever I go see a band play live, I’d much rather see them do a thousand things than just one thing. We take a similar approach to our albums.” They’ve spent most of the last 30 years creating their unique mix of folk, rock, soul and country, and the results show as each record impresses more than the last, particularly between here and Erato. While writing material for the record, they made several trips to Tennessee and teamed up with some Nashville songwriters and it shows in the quality of the tunes.
Ballad Of Brothers has a rich, full sound, whether they’re rocking out on Take Off That Tattoo or slowing down for a future belly-rubbin’ classic like Dreams Of The San Joaquin. As sonically satisfying as the disc is, I enjoy the storytelling as much if not more. Old Bronco, written by Kevin, turns his 1969 Bronco truck into a metaphor for aging. Airport Bar compares a doomed relationship to a sports bar at an airport terminal, and the title track is a Wild West romp about a pair of East Coast city slickers who take a road trip to Texas- easily the most fun song on the album. “I wanted to write a Faustian tale set in one of my favorite states ever” says Michael. “It’s sort of like Texas’ own version of Charlie Daniels’ The Devil Went Down To Georgia.”
Ballad Of The Brothers has serious mojo, taking Kevin & Michael’s formative influences of singer/songwriters, Philly soul bands and classic rock acts to a place all their own. Kevin and Michael have seriously raised their game here. Time to stop typing and listen to this again.
HOT TRACKS: Ballad Of The Brothers, Take Off This Tattoo, Dream Of The San Joaquin
COUNTRY-FRIED BLUES Al Lerman (independent) *****
The good time vibes come wafting off of this beauty in wave after wave. Country-Fried Blues is the latest from veteran Canadian bluesman Al Lerman, a guy with deep knowledge of the genre and the musical ability on harp and guitar to match. Recorded over two days with an amiable group of A-list musicians, this album is as wonderful as the title leads you to hope.
Country-Fried Blues was recorded in an 1830’s farmhouse that had been converted into a recording studio. The guys laughed, played and carried on into the wee hours, recording live off-the-floor with minimal overdubs, and that joyful atmosphere is very much felt when you give this a spin. The instruments are mainly acoustic, a nod to early rural blues styles. It might surprise you upon listening that Lerman’s fluid harp work comes from a rack harmonica, used simultaneously while he played guitar.
It’s an impressive list of people that pulled Country-Fried Blues together; Al Lerman on lead vocals, acoustic, electric and resonator guitars and rack harmonica. Alec Fraser on upright bass, acoustic guitar and backing vocals as well as being producer. Jimmy Bowskill on mandolin, acoustic & electric guitars, fiddle, backing vocals. Chuck Keeping on drums and percussion, and Steve O’Connor on piano, organ and accordion. The album has a warm, easygoing vibe that almost feels accidental, as if the guys were jamming on some tunes they dug and the mics just happened to be on. That’s something you can’t force or manufacture; it’s either there or it isn’t… it feels like we’re eavesdropping on the sessions.
Country-Fried Blues is 13 tracks in all, 9 ‘greasy-good’ original songs informed by Lerman’s own life and times as well as a handful of well-chosen covers that blend in seamlessly. Devoid of fancy-shmancy technical tricks, the sparse and natural production makes it feels like we’re right in the room with them. This disc is a very definition of casual excellence.
HOT TRACKS: Can’t Pin A Colour, How Much Longer Can A Broken Heart Last, Lowdown Just the Same
