HIRED HAND Geoff Arsenault (independent) *****
This is the first album from drummer, percussionist singer-songwriter Geoff Arsenault in 19 years, his 3rd overall. Hired Hand is cool and relaxed in a JJ Cale sort of way… just the sort of company I need on a rainy Monday evening on the west coast. Something to melt into.
Arsenault’s music is described as having “a real swampy, roots music style, tinged with Tex-Mex and a dash of New Orleans blues”, and who wouldn’t want a piece of that? “This new recording was a long time coming” Geoff says. “I’ve been sitting on and honing these songs for a while, waiting for the right time and opportunity to come my way. I write from the experiences I’ve had living and traveling, along with my beliefs.”
The recording of Hired Hand started in the fall of 2023, and the sessions include contributions from Kevin Breit, Amy Helm, Matt Andersen, Colin Linden and more. Not sure who produced this but sounds like Colin Linden’s style; relaxed and spacious, there are some overdubs but the songs aren’t crammed to the nuts with extra bells and whistles. Not sure if this is in the cd booklet too as I’m working with a download, but Arsenault offers up the inspiration behind each song. Of Bangkok Dogs and Long-tail Boats he says it’s about “hanging out in Bangkok while getting tattoos, linen suits made and taking long-tail taxi boats through the waters of this chaotic city.” Rio is about a dog. Geoff says the song “came out of southwest Texas while camping in our truck on the Rio Grande. A desperate, hungry wet dog came across the river from Mexico with 2 rancheros and ended up with us for 3 days. The song is about him but it’s also a metaphor about the desperation and troubles of the migrants and the border.” It’s even more poignant today, given the moves being made by the ‘Fanta Fuhrer’.
Hired Hand plays like one of the best road albums ever, it takes you on a real trip through parts of Geoff’s life. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on a road trip through the mountains of BC or the plains of Alberta, but should that happen this album will be at the top of my playlist. In the meantime a quiet spring afternoon at home will do quite nicely, thank you.
HOT TRACKS: Bangkok Dogs and Long-tail Boats, Angel’s Share or the Devil’s Take, Hired Hand
MAKE THEM DANCE Johnny Rawls (Cat Food Records) ****
This is a smooth, soulful batch of blues. Make Them Dance was named that deliberately as Johnny says “that’s what it’s going to make you do.” Some tight arrangements, fine playing and oh That voice make this album one of the ‘must-haves’ of the year.
Make Them Dance was produced by legendary Grammy winner Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan)- the last recording he worked on before passing last year. The disc includes a number of originals either written by Johnny, label president Bob Trenchard (who also plays bass here) or co-written by the pair. An upbeat number like So Cold that open the record is bound to get everyone out on the floor while ballads like the supple and beguiling Move In My Direction is more suited for naked bouncy yum-yum time. Loads of inspiration here for all kind of dancing.
Johnny Rawls’ career spans more than fifty years as a recording artist (since 1985), producer and songwriter, and he’s garnered multiple blues awards too; dude really knows what he’s doing. Make Them Dance has an old school spirit, both musically and lyrically, and he’s sure got the right cats swingin’ behind him. Bright horn lines, some sweet guitar and an in the pocket rhythm section make this an easy record to feel right off the bat. Johnny and his band play 200 dates a year on the road, so it’s no surprised that the record is this tight, this together. I wouldn’t call it Philly soul, not exactly… it’s more southern, swampy yet with sophistication. Will McFarlane’s understated guitar solos are economical and to the point, serving each track perfectly.
One of the things that attracted me to music in the 60’s as a young lad was the way it made me feel, and Make Them Dance is stirring up some of those feelings and memories. It will wrap its velvet arms around you as you sway gently and before you know it, it will be making you dance.
HOT TRACKS: Move In My Direction, So Cold, Say That You Love Me
TOLD YA Ginger St. James (Busted Flat Records) *** ½
There is beacoup de twang in Ginger St. James’ new record. Told Ya is an interesting blend of rockabilly, country and blues, a disc with attitude to spare as it harkens back to a time when music wasn’t so keenly split into genres. It has attitude to spare, raw honkytonk with the spirit of the blues.
Told Ya is one of those albums that really take you somewhere… a smoky bar you’d find on a dirt road just past the outskirts of town, sawdust on the floor and plenty of cheap beer, a low level threat of violence in the air. Ginger St. James would be on stage and working that audience hard with songs like I Think I Kinda Like It and Railway Rider as the they holler for more. She’s been known for spinning humorous yarns on stage, bringing an infectious energy to her performances. This is not a finely crafted album by any stretch, and that’s not a knock; these songs are musically elemental with a rough roll-up-my-sleeves-and-gimme-another-beer attitude- not lo-fi exactly but not far from it. They wouldn’t sound right any other way.
From honkytonk stompers to ballads with the capacity to rip your heart out, Told Ya has a little something for everyone. St. James has a powerful and compelling voice and yet is equally convincing when she pulls it down a for swingin’ ballad like Pink Bikini. As a songwriter she has a different way of seeing things, not unlike Webb Wilder, which makes her stuff doubly entertaining. Good old-fashioned storytelling is at the heart of these songs; you gotta like a gal that’s not afraid to sing about a guy that drives a ’67 El Camino. You’ll feel some blues here for sure, but the overriding vibe is rockabilly with a big, fat streak of country running through it. MY favorite record of late? I wouldn’t go that far but DAMN, this is big fun!
HOT TRACKS: Lowdown Lonesome Blues, Pink Bikini, Honky Tonk Hangover
WRITE AT HOME Benjamin Cartel (Mother West) ****+
Dream popster Benjamin Cartel will release his 4th solo album on April 25th. Write At Home is, of course, dreamy pop music- not much in the way of sharp edges here. You’ll be treated to classic rolling pop hooks and feel his 60’s influences. BC’s stuff has been called ‘dream pop’ and ‘Americana’, but why quibble over labels? “One producer even called me ‘futro’” Cartel remembers… “a combination of retro and new influences.”
As Write At Home spins I’m feeling heavy influences to stuff I heard around our house in the sixties, some of it from my parents’ record collection, some from AM radio of the day. The record is about departures and arrivals as Ben wrote the songs during a period of leaving New York (his family had lived there for 4 generations) to move to eastern Kansas with his wife and kids. I can certainly related to that vibe… my dad was in the navy when I was little so we moved every couple of years and later, as a radio DJ, I moved around a lot on my own.
That these songs grab you right off is no accident. “I enjoy creating songs that are short, simple, catchy and memorable” he, a Beatles fan, says. “Maybe it comes from my family background (which includes a number of accomplished folk musicians), but I tend to write music that you can sing after just one listen.” That is certainly an esthetic of 60’s pop music, as any fan of that period can tell you. Even the production has a retro AM radio sound and feel to it.
Cartel wrote the songs over a period of months, and the record includes contributions from across the country, collaborators often recording their overdubs on their own then mailing them in. You don’t get the same vibe as recording live together and there’s a certain efficiency to the sound but hey, this is pop music and that works too. His skill at writing memorable hooks is evident as many of these melodies stay with you after the first pass. Write At Home was never intended to be a record to save the world, but it sure as heck will show you a good time.
HOT TRACKS: Bad Ole Days, Shut Inside, Upstairs Downstairs
I’M JUST ONE MAN Lucas Haneman (independent) ****+
There are one man bands, and then there’s Lucas Haneman. For the swampy, bluesy instrumental gem that is I’m Just One Man he did everything himself, and I mean everything… played every instrument, tracked and engineered the album himself, and took the opportunity to teach himself how to mix. Out since early December, I’m really grooving on this 7 track gem.
Nearly blind since birth, Lucas has developed exceptionally sharp ears and has an extraordinary ability to learn and arrange music quickly. Success with his band The LH Express, who have shared stages with The Dave Matthews Band, Robert Cray, Jeff Healey, James Cotton and more, has led to the solo adventure that is this disc. Many times I’ve found instrumental guitar records challenging and occasionally monotonous, but this is different. With I’m Just One Man the thing to do is to just catch the groove and then ride it right along with Haneman; it’s like you’re riding shotgun on a cool journey with some funky, excellent company. One of these 7 cuts is just under 5 minutes with a pair clocking in over 7, so there’s plenty of time to catch that wave.
I’m Just One Man is inspired by some of Lucas’s favorite things; southern cuisine, New Orleans funk, swampy blues, and all things spicy, and the slow burning heat is exquisite. This album isn’t about 6 string acrobatics or dazzling technique on the other instruments, it’s all about feel… and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying instrumental adventure than this one.
HOT TRACKS: New Orleans New Orleans, Texas BBQ Takeout, Sunrise Over Lafayette
DREAMCATCHER EP Micki Free (Bungalo Records) *****+
Some spine-tingling blues from Micki Free. His last album, 2022’s Turquoise Blue made my best of the year list, and I can envision a similar fate for Dreamcatcher. These five songs (plus a live version of the title cut) are rock- solid and when Micki lights up a solo, you can feel it in your bones- this is serious talent.
Born mixed blood- Cherokee, Comanche and Irish- he’s graced stage and studio with a wide array of artists including Carlos Santana, Janet Jackson, Kiss and Neil Young to name but a few. He was with Shalamar until the early 90’s and has carved quite a career for himself since. All songs were written, arranged and produced by Micki. His ancestry can be felt in the spirit of this EP, thanks in part to his mastery of the Native American flute placed in a modern blues/ rock setting- it’s rather intoxicating in the title cut. Maybe it’s a good thing this is only 5 cuts deep as this is an intense experience, with a balance of soulful ballads and raunchy rockers.
Dreamcatcher starts at one end with the rip-it-up blues of When The Devil’s At Your Door and wraps up with the soulful We Are One at the other end, as good a ‘peace and understanding’ number as you’ll find. Not much else to say… the musicianship and production are inspiring, the songs are deep, and there’s no way you can walk away from this without being affected. If you’re not familiar with Micki Free yet I suggest you get to know him.
HOT TRACKS: When The Devil’s At Your Door, Dreamcatcher, We Are One
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