Various Artists
Get Quiet About It: A Tribute to Jesse Winchester
(Mailboat)

Looking at Jesse Winchester’s career in retrospect, it’s actually surprising that there’s been no sort of tribute before. After all, Winchester is something of a national treasure, given he’s spent more than four decades writing songs that have become cornerstones in the realm of Americana. Despite having fled the country to Canada to escape the draft in the late ‘60s, his music continued to reflect the soul of the south, through songs such as “Biloxi, “Brand New Tennessee Waltz” and “Mississippi You’re On My Mind,” among dozens of others. A true journeyman, he’s earned the praise of contemporaries as diverse as James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett and Elvis Costello, one reason Buffett’s Mailboat Records took on the task of assembling a great cast of musicians to pay this long overdue homage. Taylor, Buffett, Costello, Little Feat, Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams and others do the honors, tackling the standout tracks for the great man’s repertoire, and while each allow an individual imprint, it’s these indelible melodies that still come to the fore. With that in mind, it’s clearly all the recommendation needed. (www.mailboatrecords.com)

Alex Vans
DJ Booth
(self-released)

It’s an apt title indeed, given that DJ Booth seems to navigate a broad swath of retro influences.  Opening track “Good Enough” is especially striking, a backwards glimpse at early ‘60s designs, similar to the way Chris Isaak pays his own tribute to a time and place far removed. “Black or White” and “Chase the Night” sweep up the listener with stirring refrains, adding imensely to the album’s momentum. Likewise, the Led Zeppelin-like underpinnings of “Rockstar Treatment” not only do justice to the song’s name, but bolster the impression that Vans is more than capable of varying the template, even as his voice maintains its generally harmonious tones. Vans may be a man in search of a niche, but for the time being, it’s fascinating to watch how his journey unfolds. (www.alexvansmusic.com)

Greta Gertler
The Universal Thump
(self-released)

Aussie-born singer/songwriter Greta Gertler has enjoyed a prolific career for the past ten years, although to the world at large, her efforts have largely percolated just below the surface. Still, it remains to be seen if the ambitious The Universal Thump will make any dent in terms of advancing her towards widespread recognition. For one thing, it may be too ambitious and experimental to achieve even a more modest goal, given that these selections qualify more as sprawling soundscapes than as songs in the strictest sense. And the fact that these 18 tracks are spread over two discs doesn’t help consolidate this effort either. Nevertheless, even with the cosmic effects and unusual instrumentation, Gertler’s vocals manage to stay centered in the spotlight, and those cuts that give her a chance to sing and serenade become memorable indeed. Comparisons to Kate Bush will likely be tossed around quite liberally, but all in all, Gertler’s much too gifted an artist simply to be judged based on any similarities. The Universal Thump may be one of the most intriguing albums released all year, and at any rate, one that ought to be explored. It may not signal her big breakthrough, but with any luck, it will, at very least, encourage people to start taking notice. (www.theuniversalthump.com)

Hayley Reardon
Where the Artists Go
(Kingswood Records)

Child stars aren’t necessarily unusual in popular music realms -- Michael Jackson, Tanya Tucker and Steve Winwood all proved their prowess at an unusually early age -- but even so, when a performer comes along and demonstrates talent beyond his or her years, it’s almost certain to take the public by surprise. Sixteen year old Hayley Reardon is the latest example of an artist unusually young and yet artistically mature, it’s bound to win her second takes and gasps of pure astonishment. On her first album, which goes by the unlikely title of Where the Artists Go, Reardon sounds so remarkably seasoned, you almost believe it’s an older artist masquerading as a child in everything but her skill set. Both the title track and “Addicted to Conviction” betray a tension and turbulence residing just below the surface, emotions that contradict the innocence her sweet tones suggest in the otherwise carefree caress of songs like “Seattle” and “Goodbye Song.” When she counts down the opening verse of “Scribbles,” the voice of a little girl is obviously in evidence, but once she starts singing, her deft way with a lyric and melody finds a substantive technique and air of quiet confidence. That makes Where the Artists Go nothing less than a remarkable debut and one that bodes incredibly promising possibilities for future achievement. (www.hayleyreardon.com)

Arbouretum
Coming Out of the Fog
(Thrill Jockey)

Five albums on, Arbouretum continue to demonstrate their penchant for cinematic expression, a style that finds fascinating soundscapes as vivid as they are intriguing. Ominous and intimidating, these songs seem to hang like a shroud, sounding like Neil Young and Crazy Horse in a nightmarish haze. It’s a fascinating manipulation of style and technique, and when they offer that rare respite -- on “Oceans Don’t Sing” and the title track -- the drive and drama become all the better defined. Arbouretum might not be everyone’s cup of tea; indeed, they bring to mind a storm swirling in a teacup, and yet even so, few other outfits can claim as definitive a presence, and in turn, such a compelling reason to hear what they have to offer. It’s a riveting outing, to say the very least. (www,thrilljockey.com)

Ari Hest
The Fire Plays
(Project 4 Records)

A gifted singer/songwriter, Ari Hest has chalked up quite a track record over the course of his career, one marked a steady stream of well-received album and more buzz than that relayed by a whole hive of bees. The Fire Plays offers every indication that Hest is continuing on his successful trajectory, one that will hopefully move him much closer to broader public awareness. He’s particularly fond of conveying a darker motif, with an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty that gives such songs as “Winter of Yes” and “For a Little While” more agitated inducement. Even so, Hest is far from your typical troubled troubadour; “Concrete Sky” and “All Because” are elegiac examples of melody and melancholia shared in equal measure. Trumpets, strings and cello and violin are adroitly added to the mix, transforming these songs from mere rumination into something grand and demonstrative. The Fire Plays doesn’t just simmer, but rather, it explodes with both warmth and fury. (www.ariheist.com)

Pancho-San
Americans
(independent)

Some bands literally defy description. Others create a description that’s solely their own. San Francisco’s Pancho-San belongs in the latter league. Essentially a two man operation consisting of vocalist/guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Patrick Abernathy and drummer/percussionist Pat Spurgeon (with help from bassist Eli Crews), the band creates a quirky and occasionally cosmic sound that’s best identified as a kind of offbeat pop. Despite the limited manpower, they’re capable of tossing all kinds of weird effects into the mix, enough to catch the listener off-guard and guessing as to their next move. Abernathy’s vocals are often dry and dead pan -- bringing to mind such Brit-rock auteurs as David Bowie and bands like the Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen -- but they’re also capable of sheer giddiness, as expressed in the otherwise affable “Americans Can’t Be Romantic” and the oh-so descriptive “Busy Busy.” Title aside, Americans may seem somewhat alien to those unaware, but repeated listens will make its charms all the more obvious.(www.pancho-san.tumblr.com)

Andrew Combs
Worried Man
(Coin)

It’s immediately apparent with even a cursory listen to “Devil’s Got My Woman” that newcomer Andrew Combs has absorbed his share of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Guy Clark and all those other Nashville outlaws who follow the formula while etching it with irreverence. Paying heed to ample doses of pedal steel and tears in the beers balladry (Notably, “Please, Please, Please” takes its cue from cowpoke heartache, not the James Brown plea of the same name), Combs already sounds seasoned despite his relatively tender years. Indeed, as its title suggests, Worried Man sounds like the work of a tattered troubadour tempered by heartache and despair. Still, he’s not so beaten that he can’t kick up a good kick ass thumping; “Big Bad Love” wouldn’t sound out of place on a vintage Zeppelin album if Robert Plant’s sassy croon was substituted for Comb’s cool reserve. If nothing else, Combs displays attitude aplenty, a prime requisite for an artist intent on stirring up the sentiment and showing barroom aptitude at the same time. Combs may claim he’s a Worried Man, but in truth, he displays the confidence of a performer who’s chalked up far more miles and acquired a much dustier demeanor. (www.andrewcombs.net)

Randy Sharp. Jack Wesley Routh, Sharon Bays, Maia Sharp
Dreams of the San Joaquin
(Blix Street)

In large part a family affair -- Randy Sharp, Sharon Bays and Maia Sharp are husband, wife and daughter, respectively -- this sprawling tribute to California’s San Joaquin Valley and the migrants that farmed its land, is both heartfelt and affecting. Anytime an album takes inspiration from real life circumstance, there’s bound to be an extra emotional additive, but with Dreams of the San Joaquin, it’s also evident by the fact that the principals are natives of that storied region themselves. That connection gives songs such as “A Home” (previously the lynchpin of the Dixie Chick’s 2005 album Home), “Shores of White Sand” and the title track added resonance while driving home the sentimental bonds. Of course, the accumulation of talent ensures all are up to the task, but the varying styles -- the determined drive of “Ridin’ On the Night Train,” the Vaudevillian serenade “Or So the Heart Remembers,” the maudlin ballad “For Old Time’s Sake” -- provide an air of authenticity befitting the historical context. Indeed, this is original music with the same point and purpose as the tales espoused by Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard in decades before. Consequently Dreams of the San Joaquin soars on multiple levels and can’t be recommended highly enough. (www.blixstreet.com)

Terrence Martin
Field Recordings
(Morning Bread Records)

A seasoned heartland troubadour, Terrence Martin recorded at least half a dozen remarkable albums over the course of his all too brief lifetime. Although it’s merely six songs long, Field Recordings is a brilliant, seemingly spontaneous epitaph to a career that’s among the richest in the annals of Americana music. Recorded while Martin was in the final throes of his battle with pancreatic cancer, it found him gathering a few close friends in his living room to offer up an especially poignant selection of songs that reflect the earnest, yet rugged emotions that have always marked Martin’s efforts. The resilience and resolve is all too apparent in songs such as “Grand Junction,” “Three Hours Ahead” and “Down Here,” where his dusty vocals and the sparse but supple arrangements create a warm, welcoming embrace. The sadness of knowing this was Martin’s final recordings is overshadowed by both the tenacity and tenderness conveyed throughout. There could be no finer postscript for a life shared so generously in song. The man will be missed. (www.martinsongs.com)

Show of Hands
Wake the Union
(Virgin)

Ostensively a concept album that binds both American and British folk traditions, Wake the Union could well be the finest effort yet from Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, the U.K. duo that call themselves Show of Hands. Traditional in treatment, the pair add enough modern flourishes to make their music more than simply a scholarly affair, whether pining away on remorseful laments “Thanks” and “Cruel River,” or delving into jaunty ramble like “Now You Know” and “King of the World.” Enlisting a broader array of instrumental backing than usual, Wake the Union is, by turns, rousing, poignant, moving, and embracing... in short, all the emotions that a modern folk rock record should encompass. Suffice it to say, Show of Hands has made many fine albums over the years, but here they up the ante, whether it’s the lovely lilting vocals of new recruit Miranda Sykes on “Coming Home,” or the wise choice of a rare cover in Richard Shindell’s supremely affecting “Reunion Hill.” Both a superb introduction for those unaware and genuine reaffirmation for their faithful fans, Wake the Union is a deserving choice for inclusion among the great albums of the year.(www.showofhands.co.uk)

Missing Cats
Larry Brown Amen
(independent)

Their name may seem something of a nonsequiter, but it’s just as well, given the unaffected, unhurried approach this Seattle duo conspires to deliver on their equally strangely-named debut. Indeed, despite all the odd references and unlikely influences -- think Thunderclap Newman fronting the Ozark Mountain Daredevils -- college chums Sherman Ewing and John Hermann, (whose day job finds him pounding the keys for Widespread Panic) manage to come up with an agreeable mix that holds attention throughout. Not quite roots, not quite pop, but somewhere in-between, the music they make is affable and engaging enough, especially when it comes to songs like “Rose Parade,” “Larry Brown Amen”  and “Cleanse the Lepers,” and given the musical support they elicit from such notables as Sam Bush, Luther and Cody Dickenson, Chad Cromwell,  Mike Mills, and Jesse Alexander, there’s ample reason to believe they’ve got the goods. Alternately mellow, rocking or just plain jaunty, Missing Cats satisfies on a number of levels, An unassuming an effort overall, it’s an impressive beginning, and one that bodes well for successive outings. (www.facebook.com/MissingCats)

Kelley Ryan
Cocktails
(Manatee Records)

For her sophomore set, singer/songwriter Kelley Ryan once again enlists some familiar all-star assistance in the persons of friends Don Dixon and Marti Jones, and creates an eight-song effort that finds middle ground between ebullient and engaging. Ryan excels in crafting lush sonic environs that welcome listeners straight away and keep them enchanted throughout. Some songs -- "Liquified" and "Some Angel" in particular -- bring a hint of Fleetwood Mac in more their  more expressive mode. (Think the Stevie Nicks songs especially), although the deft touch is all her own. Alternately soothing and seductive, Ryan's songs reflect emotions that resonate just below the surface, and, given Ryan's expressive prowess, the material flows and glows accordingly. Cocktails is a wonderful respite, and, if you'll pardon the pun, further proof that Ryan's work is absolutely intoxicating. Excellent! (www.kelleyryan.com)

David Olney
Robbery & Murder
(Deadbeat Records)

Coming on the heels of his EP released earlier this year, The Stone -- a set of songs which addressed the religious awakenings of 2,000 years ago -- David Olney offers another song cycle with an old-fashioned bent, one having to do with the tempestuous romantic relationship between two adrift lovers Betty and Dupree. Seizing on archival styles -- the Buddy Holly-like whoop of “Go Down Dupree,” the fierce blues of “Betty and Dupree,” the old time balladry of “Another Place, Another Time,” etc. -- this eight-song EP comes across as a vintage undertaking, full of old-time style and sentiment. Curiously, Olney has reinvented himself as a vintage journeyman, capable of churning dusty stories in the manner of a timeless troubadour. He takes the listener back to another time and place, adding just the right ambience to allow songs and styes to coalesce. Olney is indeed exceptional. (www,davidolney.com)

Drivin’ n’ Cryin’
Songs From the Laundromat
(New! Records)

Continuing their theme-oriented series of EPs -- and as a follow-up to the striking Songs About Cars, Space and the Ramones -- Kevn Kinney and company offer up a rousing five song set that leaves no doubt as to their veracity and verbosity, Ironically, the most engaging song in the set turns out to be their tribute to fellow Georgia native sons REM, but it’s the one-two punch of the punch of the rocking “Dirty” and “Ain’t Waitin’ on Tomorrow” that grabs attention at the outset. And while “Baloney” follows suit, ultimately it’s the last track “Clean Up” that’s left to, well, clean up in good fashion. With Songs About Cars, Space and the Ramones Drivin’ n’ Cryin’  showed they were back for keeps. With this new truly fine collection, they prove their worthy of their handle once again. (www.drivinncryin.net)