Positive Liberty

The recent release of Bruce Springsteen’s The Seeger Sessions spurred my interest in “roots music” as it’s being called nowadays. Three new albums in particular pleased me.

First, Ollabelle has released their second album, Riverside Battle Songs. I mentioned them when their first album came out, and although the first album is still better, the second is quite lovely. Ollabelle’s best work is their covers of old spirituals, and their version of “Down By The River Side” is particularly nice here. Very soothing and beautifully produced. But the new album also has some original compositions, of which my favorite is “Northern Star.” Amy Helm and Fiona McBain, the two lady singers in this band, have such beautiful voices, and the lead singer on “Northern Star” (Helm, I think; the liner notes don’t say) has a particularly rich and soulful voice that’s a real pleasure. Still, their first album was better—check out particularly “Elijah Rock.”

Second is The Wailin’ Jennys, a Canadian band whose new album is Firecracker. They blend beautiful, folksy harmonies with an updated instrumentalism (electric guitars and whatnot) in a way that’s not unlike The Dixie Chicks, but with a somewhat gentler sound to them. I especially enjoyed “Avlia” and “Prairie Town.” You can listen to the whole album on their website.

Finally, and best of all, in my opinion, is Red Molly, a new group from the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, whose new album is Never Been to Vegas. Their harmonies are astonishingly lovely, particularly on “So Are You To Me” and “When The Roll is Called Up Yonder” (the best on the album, I think). You can listen to some clips on this site. I just love the blend of their voices with the banjo and Dobro sounds. I don’t normally like twangy music like Hank Williams, but even their almost yodeling version of “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” is lovely, with perfectly harmonized curlicues of music. Their sound is everything you look for in modern folk music: perfectly in synch, soulful, cheerful, fast or slow. An excellent album and very highly recommended.

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