Of Note: CD Reviews

In 2008 Bill Dempsey released Shanty Man, a collection of reels, shanties, and songs from the age of great sailing ships and a disk that was one of the best recordings to be released locally in that year. Dempsey follows up that success with a CD titled Originals, filled mostly with songs that he has written, along with a couple of interpretations of traditional tunes.

If you listened Shanty Man or have been lucky enough to hear Dempsey perform, you know what a great gift he has when he sings. Full bodied and resonant, Dempsey has a voice you want to hear singing while the marshmallows are roasting and the campfire is crackling, a voice meant for generations old folksongs and boozy broken-hearted ballads. At night dreadnought guitars dream of being strummed while a voice like Dempsey's sings. If you took all the great country singers from the fifties - men such as Jim Reeves Johnny Cash, Hank Williams - and mixed them together, you'd wind up with Bill Dempsey.

For instrumentals, Dempsey relies on the traditional tunes "Spanish Fandango," "Waterbound," and "Hangman's Reel." He doesn't try to update them with anything jazzy or pop but rather stays true to the way that these chestnuts have been played for generations. He sings convincingly about love in "It's Only Love" and "Something That's Real." Accompanied with only with his guitar, as is the case with most of the other tunes on Originals, both songs are heartfelt and sweet, the way love songs should be.

"Life at the End of the Rainbow" is lighthearted and offers some advice that is hard to argue with: Enjoy life. It's pretty much that simple. "My Dad's Car" recalls the time when car ownership was not commonplace, when having a car meant a lot more than having a commuter device. The song is a bit reflective and a bit funny. And it's LOL time when Dempsey sings in the voice of his

mother.

Two of my personal favorites are songs that go beyond whimsy and into the realm of downright silliness. "Rainbow Socks" is a wonderfully fun song that is perfectly suited for a sing-along with children. Yes, it's about wearing rainbow socks; that's about it, but that's all it needs. Using the same chord progression as "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" and possibly inspired by a mishearing of the lyrics to the old Yiddish show tune, Dempsey treats us to "The Bear Missed the Train." The convincing gusto with which Dempsey sings about the bear, the train, and pink underwear, without a wink or nod to let you in on the joke, only adds to the comic nature of the tune

A Christmas song, "One Cold and Wintry Night," ends the disk. The song is somber and creates a great sense of quietude. Dempsey sings of the birth of Jesus with great feeling and great faith.

To call Gary Walker's Green Tree World a music group isn't really the whole story, and the new CD Nurture Your Nature isn't really just an album. Walker is an accomplished arborist and naturalist who has a radio talk show and an award-winning garden. The San Diegan is also an experienced drummer who has played in a number of bands during the classic rock age, backing the Who, Hot Tuna, and others. Nurture Your Nature gives the nature-loving tree expert a chance to rock out while spreading his message in a sort of musical montage about going back to our roots and appreciating nature. 

Green Tree World is also the name of Walker's talk show - already featured on a double CD - and he painted the cover art, too. The feel on this studio project is a trip back to the late '70s, and it doesn't stop with the "concept" album idea. The 11 Walker originals mostly feature Walker on drums (he's an ace), guitars and vocals, with Andrew (Andy) Machin on guitars, bass, keyboards, and vocals. Neither is a strong singer, especially Walker, but for the most part that doesn't interfere with the old-school sound, which recalls '70s radio, early REM, and arena rock.

"Bonjour" is a warm-up that serves notice that this isn't a really a mellow record, power-chording into "Wake Up," which has message lyrics and jangle guitars. "Try a Different Dance" comes back with the same basic riff as "Wake"; Machin sings this with a slow, blues-echo bridge section that in turn gives way to a highly charged closing guitar solo, elevating the track. The straight rocker "Take a Ride" is a good song, but maybe not on this disc. Machin again sings, and his growl is effective, but the vocal, music, and lyrics sound too much like an early '80s Billy Idol album track. It doesn't seem to fit here.

The instrumental, "Distant Forest," follows, a soft acoustic guitar/cello/keyboard mood song that is clearly part of Walker's naturalist concept. This track and others, like "Cathedrals," a poem about trees, read to church organ and chirping birds, and "Chopin's Nocturne 1" in B flat minor, a popular solo piano piece, fit the spiritual message of the disc but make for bumpy listening continuity in spots. Walker's lyrics at times are clumsy and simplistic, but they stay on target about his social cause.

A lengthy suite, "Right by My Side," is a drum showcase that starts with a simple, catchy radio-friendly rock melody. Like the music of yesteryear, it then shifts gears to a shuffle rhythm for a while with a keyboard solo, followed by Walker hitting the skins for a three-minute, turn-back-the-clock drum solo. "Secret's of the Heart" takes the same lick as "Side," reworks the words, adds harmonies and good keyboards, and still clicks. Closing the disc, "The Other Side" is about an old oak tree and transcendence, back to hard rock and optimism.

Nurture Your Nature is a statement, in various forms, of Gary Walker's musical and life philosophy. It's hard to disagree with it, and hard not to rock to his music with its old school charm.

Jeff Diamond has an interesting story. The San Diego singer/songwriter’s bio shows that he first became interested in becoming a musician a mere eight years ago, while in his early twenties. Since then, he taught himself to play guitar, played in bands with friends, and in fairly short order managed to become a pop-folk singer, specializing in acoustic ballads. 30 Trips Around the Sun is his debut album, and offers 12 studio tracks as well as four bonus live tracks, all written or co-written by Diamond.

            This is a stripped-down acoustic affair, with most instruments played by Diamond and producer Damon Cisneros, mixed with plenty of confidence in Diamond’s vocals. Good move, since this is his strength, especially on the studio tracks – his voice is clear and commanding, with an identity of its own. It is also worth a mention that for a guy who started on guitar just eight years ago, he plays very well.

            “Dance” pushes the beat on the opener, drums behind acoustic guitar as Diamond comes close to rocking out. This one opts for catchiness rather than lyrical depth and is a winner. Next up, “Don’t Talk About My Girlfriend” has clever, funny lyrics about a zombie gal pal, absent of irony and wrapped around a walking folk-blues pattern. One of the best pop-folk ballads is “Today.” Starting with a nice finger-picked acoustic backing, the song builds with full chords and chorus background vocals halfway through, recalling the better songs Donovan recorded back in the day, like “Jennifer Juniper” and “Colors.” Another highlight is “In the Shadows Beyond the Light,” which changes the otherwise mellow pace for a few minutes as it uses congas and other percussion to push a trop groove. “Welcome Home” is an interesting ballad that targets returning service men and women with a lyrical thanks. The words seem to express the relief of family members who have been waiting for distant warriors, to “hold you like I’ll never let you go.”

            There are stretches of music on this disc where soft, quiet ballads stack up and the tunes tend to come off a bit much as interchangeable “singer-songwriter” songs. These are pleasant and well-performed but lack any real edge and fade quickly; “Netherworld” and “Keep on the Light (for Sean)” feature different lyrical messages but are similar musically. At 16 tunes and 57 minutes, the overall project is too long by a third. 

            The bonus live tracks offer Diamond playing solo with just acoustic guitar. The first song, “Cold and Numb,” is at least as good as many of the slow studio tracks, with a memorable chorus and Diamond’s voice soaring.

            There are some good tunes on 30 Trips Around the Sun. Jeff Diamond has a knack for the folk form, several of the tracks get the listener involved, and he has a good set of pipes to go with his writing skill. And he sure has learned fast.  

Ken McCabe seems like a guy who knows how to have a good time. His latest endeavor, Austin 54 (Songs from the road that connects two points of paradise), takes listeners out for some well-earned fun, kicking up a little dust along the highway, while easing them into whatever waves wash ashore in life - one salt-water breeze at a time.

Comfortable in his own voice and talents, Austin 54 Vocalist and acoustic/rhythm guitarist McCabe sings with inspired wit and playful lyrical animation, which draws obvious, complementary comparisons as the Southern California Jimmy Buffett counterpoint.

He and featured players Andy Machin on guitar and Dan Byrnes on harmonica come across as comfortably as simply a few good friends who took over the Friday night cabana stage (much to the pleasure of their audience) at the local canteen.

The album as a whole is a spirited collection of dressed-down, harmonica fiesta tunes that hang out in the back seat of one's mind well after the ride (and party) has ended.

On "About Yesterday," McCabe exhibits his obvious skills as a wordsmith, invoking a quiet ability in his storytelling to command even a bar patron's ear, without ever demanding more than a raised note.

On "Right Hand," McCabe asks all the well-worn, rhetorical relationship questions in a careful swoon that romanticizes words into a hopeful symbiotic union.

A light-hearted, quirky departure from the other tracks, McCabe even throws in a rap about popular West Coast Rapper Snoop Dogg, which, surprisingly, seems to fit in with the album's lighthearted air of fun.

All in all, Austin 54 takes listeners out for a good time, gives them as much fun as they can handle and drops them off a little better on down the line.