The second album from Locust Honey String Band is an interesting proposition; singer and fiddler Chloe Edmondstone has paired up with guitarist and singer Meredith Watson to form the core of the band and they’re supported on the album by Andy Deaver Edmondstone (bass) and Hilary Hawke (banjo) and Ariel Dixon (banjo and vocal) to produce “Never Let Me Cross Your Mind”, an album that’s a three-way split between Chloe Edmondstone originals, traditional instrumentals and covers of country and roots classics. Without the original material this would have been a good album, but the three Chloe Edmondstone songs add a slightly modern twist to the mix of wonderful playing and superb harmonies.

Original songs apart, this is an album that’s firmly rooted in the Appalachian String Band tradition; this is very much music for dancing as well as listening, perfectly demonstrated by the relentless energy and flawless execution of the three traditional instrumentals, “Boogerman”, “Logan County Blues” and “McMichen’s Breakdown” which are neatly spaced throughout the album. The three originals, “When the Whiskey’s Gone”(featured in the new Richard Gere film “Time out of Mind”), “Horse Drawn Buggy” and “How You Must’ve Felt” are all taken at different tempos but share the common country/roots theme of the unreliable man, and are spaced out across the album, breaking up the covers into small clusters including a couple of Carter Family songs to show off the harmonies, a very dark take on “Henry Lee” and a George Jones song about drinking (no kidding).

It’s unfortunate that the very sound of Locust Honey String Band will alienate some of the unenlightened, because the swirling interplay of fiddle and banjo (and sometimes guitar) and the achingly perfect keening harmonies are things of great beauty which should have a place in anyone’s musical palette. Recording engineer Joel Savoy has managed to capture the intimacy and the balance of the instruments and voices perfectly, creating a sound that’s somewhere between studio precision and a raw live feel.

My only reservation is that however good the recording, this is music for live performance; it’s supposed to make everyone in the room sing along, tap their feet and get up and dance. The only way to really get the full effect is to see Locust Honey String Band play live and you can do exactly that on their upcoming UK tour (details on the band’s website).

“Never Let Me Cross Your Mind” is out now on iTunes.

 

Sofia Talvik’s sixth album, “Big Sky Country” is partly inspired by a sixteen-month US tour she did around four years ago. It’s very much Americana but with an outsider’s perspective; Sofia grew up in Sweden and there’s a Nordic accent to add to the Celtic, traditional and Native American influences that run through the album. Using European and American musicians helps to create the rootless, almost lost, other-worldliness that permeates the album from the ethereal opener “Aha-Aha” to the closing song, “So”, a ballad of love and acceptance. It’s an album that’s very easy to listen to and be pulled in to; the playing is understated throughout and even the brass used on “Bonfire” and “So” is gentle and a long way away.

There have been comparisons in the past to various seventies singer-songwriters and it’s not difficult see how those came about (even without the giveaway of the Buffy Sainte-Marie cover, “Starwalker”). Sofia sings in a pure, clear voice and her songs are a mixture of personal events and reactions and awe at her surroundings. The title song demonstrates this perfectly as it moves from the grandeur to the prosaic: ’ I’ve seen the Blue Ridge Mountains rise tall, I’ve heard the San Francisco sea lions call, I left my heart in a dirty old bar, in Laramie, Wyoming, I slept in my car’.

There’s a streak of melancholy running through the album (which is never a problem for me), highlighted in the failed relationship tale of “Dusty Heart, Empty Hand” and “Lullaby”, describing the world from the point of view of someone suffering from depression. It’s not pretty but it hits the mark perfectly. “Big Sky Country” is an interesting mixture of influences and impressions which ranges from the inward-looking and introverted to the widescreen love letter to Sofia Talvik’s second country. The gentle, haunting musical arrangements are seductive and powerful, pulling you into a world of magnificent vistas and broken spirits.

 

“Big Sky Country” is out now on Makaki Music (MMSCD17).

Now I’ve seen the Billy Walton Band in a variety of venues including village halls, rugby clubs and even the occasional music venue, but this was a first; BWB playing in a golf club in north London. First impressions were that, well, it was a golf club lounge with a temporary stage at one end and a bit of dance floor in front of it. None of that was going to put me off, because the venue’s almost irrelevant; these guys create their own live music bubble in any room they play.

I think the band needs a name change as well; maybe the Ever-Expanding Billy Walton Band would work. The first time I saw the band (almost six years ago) they were a power trio – Billy, William Paris and drummer John Hummel. Since then, the brilliant John D’Angelo has taken over as the pulse behind the band and, after a brief spell with Richie Taz playing tenor sax, a horn section evolved adding tenor sax and trombone to the mix. The current BWB horn players are Tom Petracarro (sax) and Matt (Fish) Fisher (trombone); they add a huge soulful punch to the mix and they’re a whole bunch of fun as well. As of last year, Stateside keyboard collaborator Sam Sherman completed the six-piece line-up that is the current touring Billy Walton Band.

So, back to Barnet. From the moment the band hit the stage, the audience was with them, waiting for the magic to begin. The impact of the augmented line-up is obvious from the start; as a three-piece, every fill and solo was Billy’s responsibility but now it’s spread out over another three players. There was a perfect demonstration of the power this adds to the band during their cover of the Creedence song “Green River” (and where did that come from?), where the horns reinforced the guitar riff to create a punch that John Fogerty would be proud of.

There’s another way that the band have moved on since 2010; the songs from the last two albums are much more commercial and the part of the audience that isn’t worshipping the phenomenal guitar playing can appreciate the quality of the newer songs, particularly “Till Tomorrow”, with its insanely catchy hook. You expect great guitar solos, but the horns and keys are featured as well, creating a bit of breathing space and a perfect setting for Billy’s phenomenal playing. The song “Hot Blues” normally features Billy’s guitar mash-up of various recognisable riffs (and maybe a quick burst of vocals) from various classic rock tunes, but it was extended even further in Barnet because of the Grim Reaper’s hyperactive January. The solo featured quick tributes to Bowie (“Ziggy Stardust”), Glenn Frey (“Life in the Fast Lane”) and Buffin (“All the Young Dudes”) as well as “Kashmir” and the usual suspects.

I’m crossing my fingers here, but Billy seems to have hit on the line-up and the format to display his talents and appeal to a wider audience. There’s a perfect balance between strong songs, guitar virtuosity and the good time bar band playing soul, blues and rock that should push them up to the next level; I really hope it does.