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TOP 5 NEW MUSIC PICKS OF WEEK INCLUDE RELEASES FROM THE WAR AND TREATY, MIKE MCCLURE AND IVAN & ALYOSHA
A busy fall album release season has continued to produce its share of worthy albums, and this column features reviews of four excellent titles that will stand among the best of this fall’s releases.
‘Hearts Town’ The War And Treaty
In 2017, Michael Trotter Jr., suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after a stint in the Iraq war, very nearly committed suicide. “Five More Minutes,” a key song from “Hearts Town,” revisits that moment, sharing the story of how Trotter’s wife and War And Treaty musical partner Tanya Blount Trotter pleaded for him to give her five minutes to convince her husband his life was still worth living. Since then, the War And Treaty have become a sensation in their home town of Nashville and even performed at the 2020 Grammys. And with their second album, “Hearts Town,” the duo shows what the buzz is about. The stellar album is anchored in rock and soul, but with plenty of variety. “Yearning” is a bold multi-faceted epic rocker that soars to new heights, then brings things back down with an elegant guitar solo before delivering one last crescendo. “Five More Minutes” uses its sweet classic soul sound to tell the Trotters’ story of despair and renewal.
“Jealousy” is a perky tune with a vocal melody and string parts that are equally striking. Jason Isbell guests on the potent ballad “Beautiful,” which smacks the
listener in the face with its big beat and powerful melody. I could mention other songs, but suffice it to say there isn’t a weak track on this rich and mostly uplifting album. Expect to see “Hearts Town” on many yearend best album lists.
Ivan & Alyosha
This quintet returns after a five-year break sounding as good as ever with a self-titled effort that covers plenty of ground within their folktinged pop sound and with lyrics that express their share of emotional highs and lows. “Everybody Breaks” is one of the album’s fairly brisk tracks. Its catchy vocal melody is accented by layered gang vocals and a brief guitar solo. “Coming Alive” rides a steady beat into a full-bodied chorus and a finish that has a lush touch. “You Made Me New” pairs a perky beat with a pensive melody that belies the lyrics of redemption and hope. As for the ballads and mid-tempo material, “Labor On” and “You That Carries
Me” start out spare and grow dramatic behind arching melodies and orchestration that tastefully swells to a full sound. The closing track, “Whiskey & Wine,” is a country-ish ballad about moving through heartbreak and toward better days ahead. It’s a fitting way to end an album that runs the gamut of emotions, while consistently delivering pleasing melodies that make it all easy on the ears.
‘Looking Up’ Mike McClure
McClure has made no secret that he is a changed man, having over the previous five years gotten sober, dealt with his insecurity and emerged with a new sense of purpose. As he sings on “A Little Bit of Love,” “Dying was the one thing I never used to fear/Now that terrifies me, I’m running
out of years/I want to see ’em through.” That’s just one of the songs that reflect growth and renewal for McClure, who’s been on the music scene since the early 1990s and has clearly lived a good bit of life. That wisdom is apparent in the lyrics on “Looking Up.” McClure’s experience also shows on a musical level, as his music is sharply drawn as well. With this group of songs, he displays a hard-bitten country-accented rock sound that brings to mind Steve Earle. Whether he’s playing hardscrabble rockers like “I’m Not Broken” and “Holi
day Blown” or a sturdy ballad like “Dying To Try,” McClure sounds comfortable in all of the song settings on the album, and in gaining control over his life and vices, things do appear to be “Looking Up” for this veteran artist.
‘Found! One Soul Singer’ Sonny Green
Green’s bio asks the question that will be on the minds of many people who hear “Found! One Soul Singer.” Where the
hell did this guy come from? Or perhaps the more pertinent question is why haven’t I heard of him before now? It turns out Green has been performing in the Los Angeles area for some 40 years, but has never released an album until now. With a classic soul sound that evokes comparisons to the likes of Little Milton, Johnny Taylor or a funkier Al Green, it’s a mystery how Sonny Green could have been overlooked for so long. Working with strong songs and a talented group of musicians on “Found! One Soul Singer,” Green struts his way through “If Walls Could Talk,” unfurls some slinky funk on “Cupid Must Be Stupid,” swings on “I Got There” and gets good and greasy on “I’m So Tired.” And yes, Green knows his way around a ballad, shining on “Are You Sure.” In a word, “Found! One Soul Singer” is nothing short of a first-rate old-school soul album. If ever the phrase best-kept secret applied to someone, it’s Green. Hopefully, this 77-year-old singer will now get the chance to make up for lost time.