It’s a shame the “Chron” doesn’t allow swearing, because this is a chuffing marvellous album.
Some years ago I went to Whitesburg, Kentucky, one of those areas in the Appalachians that was once rich in coal mining. We went to a cultural centre and I bought an album of local folk music – a mix of bluegrass, country and blues. I like it but it was only as I played this that I realised why I don’t love it – it has the air of excluding outsiders; you feel you’re listening in.
This new album from Cohen, Ellis and Ellis (who sound like a law firm) – which has had scandalously few reviews that I could find, what is wrong with the world? – is not like that at all, and, despite being as traditional US on-the-front-porch music as you could want, it welcomes you in as a listener.
There are 21 tracks on here, all acoustic guitars and vocals so I’m not going through them all.
“Columbus Stockade” opens, a near-danceable tune about a man in prison who wants to be home in Kentucky, while the next (some fine finger-picking guitar) has Eleanor Ellis on vocals as she sings about “Riley and Spencer”, who want a drink; parts of Kentucky are Bible belt and dry – we went for tea in a “tavern” that was in a dry county and sold no beer despite its name.
The title track has fearsome guitar playing and is followed by “Mr Furry’s Blues”, which also features a graveyard: “Gonna buy me a graveyard of my own / Kill anybody ever done me harm.”
There’s everything from blues to gospel (“I am born to preach the gospel / And I sure do love my job”) with plenty of humour (“Well, I stole me a chicken 29 days ago … Now me and the warden certainly couldn’t agree / He got the bird, I got the jailhouse key / ‘Cause he ate up the proof and the jury had to set me free”).
The Press release says: “A 21-track tour-de-force of old-time blues, gospel, ballads, ragtime, and country song that surpasses their previous high bar” and I can’t disagree.
If you like anything along the lines of folk, country, bluegrass, blues or Americana, this is must-listen.
See williamleeellis.bandcamp.com.
