music reviews
Ten brilliant music acts out of Tennessee are currently kicking up a storm across the United States. Billed as the "Ten Out Of Tenn" tour, and backing the second volume of the American Songwriters Compilation CD, these artists are taking their varied sounds up and down the country…and they're doing it in style; in Willie Nelson's old tour bus! With them, these friends haul a treasure chest of seductive beats and harmonies, invigorating songwriting, and an overwhelmingly refreshing energy.
It was clear that their event at New York's Canal Room (on July 29th) was going to be a slightly different experience than most from the second I entered the venue. New York often has a time and culture that nods towards late arrivals, for no explainable reason I might add!! So when the room was filled near to capacity an hour before Showtime, my first thoughts were 'these people must be Out-of-Towner's?!' But no!!! in fact, it was a tribute to the music about to be played. From the first note of the first act, to the last note of the whole tour singing all together, I did not want to be anywhere else in the world. Griffin House, Butterfly Boucher, Andy Davis, Tyler James, Erin McCarley, Matthew Perry Jones, K.S. Rhoads, Trent Dabbs, Katie Herzig, and Jeremy Lister are ten wonders in an ever growing Nashville Music Revolution. They transformed the indoor club into an authentic music festival and pure celebration of brilliant songwriting. With a warm & friendly ambience, they awed us all from start to finish. At times they evoked the feeling of The Last Waltz by sharing the stage and band members for tune after tune. And then, at the very end of the night, I looked down from the balcony to see the "Ten"- some with instruments, some with harmonicas or tambourines, and some just clapping their hands to keep time- all gathered in the center of the room, with the audience circled around them singing an amazing rendition of Dylan and The Bands They Shall Be Released as if it were a country campfire sing-a-long. This uplifting vision and the overall inspirational night of "Ten out of Tenn" music was extraordinary, and I'd bet everyone there on the night would love to be a stowaway on Mr. Nelson's tour bus just to see it again and again!
www.myspace.com/tenoutoftenn
Remarkably captivating and laden with songs that’ll leave you feeling punch-drunk, Dick Prall’s 2007 release ‘Weightless’ sets a restless tempo that flows throughout the spine of this enthralling album. Having recently adopted an entirely different way of writing and recording, Prall avoided the inevitable slide in to self-exploration and has produced a record of vitality and strength.
Each track boasts impeccable arrangements with some intricate violin work seamlessly thrown in to compliment his stand-out guitar ability. Songs like ‘I Took a Life’ and ‘Devils’ offer a dark insight in to some of life’s more unattractive characters and their guilt-free existence (Devils / Make the happiest couples / No one’s innocent / Nobody’s clean…except me) but at the risk of plunging the record in to a familiar place of gloom and anxiety, Prall brings it back with his own fervent writing style, both warm and eager to highlight life’s beauty and promise. His textured vocal floats, almost effortlessly, above each track on the record emphasising the album’s title.
On the delightfully titled ‘The Cornflake Song’, Prall explores the rapid demise of a love affair that once promised so much but, in truth, shut down some time ago. With lyrics such as (You say you don’t belong here / But I can’t keep waiting for the next day to come / So I can shout out to everyone / How you never disappeared / You’ve always been living here) you could be forgiven for believing that Prall is writing from his own experiences. As ever, he seems reluctant to give anything away but ‘Weightless’, in its entirety, could go a long way to answering those questions.
www.myspace.com/dickprall
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Having gained considerable acclaim following her debut release ‘Driving North’, Chris Pureka returns with her follow up album entitled ‘Dryland’ and seems set to garner further praise for her efforts. Quintessentially folk inspired, Pureka’s second album sees a notable progression in her writing - with the premise of love and relationships remaining a constant but her songs have taken a mature, wiser turn for the better.
Past comparisons have seen Pureka likened to a host of male counterparts including Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Adams but ‘Dryland’ sees the realisation of her own talents, creating a sound all her own. Previously, as with ‘Driving North’, Pureka’s ability to write with an enviable honesty and originality stands out and in spite of its obvious nod towards longing, despair and failure the album is able to hold its head above water with the constant, significant assurance of hope, strength and promise.
Lyrically, Pureka is capable of conveying images of warmth and tradition no less evident than ‘Swann Song’ - penned with the inspiration of her Grandmother (I grew up on the bay / I used to race my sisters up the fence-side to Mr. Medley’s place / Papa ran the general store and Mama did everything and the waves and the waves and the sea). ‘Momentary Thief’ tells the tale of a relationship existing on borrowed time and the impending finale to what was a cherished moment in time (Well, I’ll tell you what / I’ll save you the trouble of running away / I’m already gone out the door and I stole this moment for me / Indelible and bright).
In ‘Dryland’ Chris Pureka has made light of that ‘difficult second album’ issue by producing a stunning follow-up album - a truly intoxicating, emotional experience from beginning to end.
www.chrispureka.com
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Max Turk of Rebel Spirit Music Reviews the Recent Ten out of Tenn Show at Canal Room: 7/29/08
