Album of the Month: Cale Tyson – Cheater’s Wine EP
I haven’t selected album of the month since July I think, but I think it’s time because I seriously fell in love with Cale Tyson’s Cheater’s Wine. Actually Cheater’s Wine is an EP, but this is my blog and I can make up the rules as I go along. This is such a damn perfect slice of classic country music. Things are actually looking pretty good for the good kind of country music. Sturgill Simpson seems to be doing really well right now, Daniel Romano is doing some fantastic stuff in Canada.. well the list could go on and on. Cale Tyson is just as good as those other guys and has just released one incredible EP full of fabulous old-fashioned country tunes. I posted the opening track Fool Of The Year the other day, so let’s go with the second track Borrowed Love (To Go) this time around. Actually it’s my favourite song at the moment, but they are all fabulous.
Caleb Stine – Maybe God Is Lonely Too
I became a fan of singer-songwriter Caleb Stine when I heard his fifth album I Wasn’t Built For A Life Like This a couple of years ago. His sixth album Maybe God Is Lonely Too saw the light of the day in April, 2014. It was pretty difficult to find a copy of this peaceful and beautiful folk album. Actually I didn’t find one until I asked him and he was kind enough to send me a copy. I’m happy that I asked, because Maybe God Is Lonely Too is a wonderful record. This combination of serene atmosphere and thoughtful lyrics is a perfect antidote against all that pointless every day stress and anxiety that I’m so good at creating. This is extremely highly recommended. I hope one day it will be little easier to find, but in this modern age where pretty much everything is instantly available for streaming, I kind of liked the idea that there was record that I loved to hear, but had to patiently wait until the little folk treasure had arrived in the mail from USA.
This is the only song that I found from the album online in the summer. The magnificent album opener called The Mountain.
The Mountain by Caleb Stine from Allen Moore Films on Vimeo.
The Taste – Sea Legs EP & Sloan – Commonwealth
Some fabulous pop music this time around. Lately I’ve been really enjoying the new The Taste EP called Sea Legs. They are a Toronto-based pop group and the new EP came out last summer on Reel Cod Records (cassette or digital). I just got a digital copy last week and this has been my a big part of my soundtrack for the day job at the factory ever since. Sea Legs is a truly entertaining slice of pop music. You can hear a couple of great samples below. There Will Come A Day and a music video for the last song on the EP, Happening Now.
The Taste – Happening Now from Ali Weinstein on Vimeo.
The Taste at Facebook
Reel Cod Records Website
Staying in Canada for the time being. Not a surprise there, because these days this blog seems to cover as much or maybe even more Canadian music than Finnish. Canadian rock heroes Sloan released a new album earlier this fall. It’s called Commonwealth and I’m loving it. Not a surprise there either. I suppose it’s fairly obvious that Sloan is very dear to me. This band consists of four excellent songwriters and this time they’ve given each member one side of the double album. Don’t ask me to pick the best side though, because I think they are all great. Even (or especially) Andrew Scott’s 18-minute long Forty-Eight Portraits works beautifully after the first couple of minutes. And that’s a lot said, because my impatient pop mind often argues that anything over three minutes is useless and only makes the song worse. I don’t think Commonwealth is the best Sloan album ever, but it sure is another damn great one. Commonwealth is out now on Yep Roc. This is Three Sisters from the new album.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44hAOVvIyBc]
Justin Townes Earle – Single Mothers & Cale Tyson – Cheater’s Wine EP
I suppose American singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle doesn’t really need an introduction anymore. I don’t even really know why I’m writing this, because I try to focus on the smaller artists. Not that Justin Townes is that universally famous or anything like that. But in the very small niche that I’m covering, he is quite well-known at this point. But why shouldn’t I write, because I’ve always liked him a lot and I buy all the full-length albums he releases. Maybe that timeless classic that will stay on people’s heart for decades is still missing, but he is consistently great and have never released a bad album. The new one called Single Mothers recently came out on Loose Music in Europe and it’s another great one for sure. This is White Gardenias from Single Mothers.
Cale Tyson isn’t as household name as Justin, but this weekend I’ve been listening to him a lot. His new EP Cheater’s Wine is coming out in a few days, but American Songwriter magazine already has a premiere going on on their website and I’ve been listening to this classic country heartbreaker over there. Robert Ellis plays lead guitar and sings harmonies on it, if you need further convincing to check it out. I’m enjoying it a lot and I probably need to travel to his Bandcamp to buy a copy next week. This is the magnificent opening track Fool Of The Year.