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CD Reviews
Edited by Jeff Waful - jwaful@smash.com

Strangefolk- Weightless in Water
Percy Hill- Color In Bloom
Miracle Orchestra- Coalesce
The Recipe-Night of the Porch People

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Strangefolk
"Weightless In Water" By Jeff Waful - jwaful@smash.com

Strangefolk recently signed their first record deal with Mammoth Records. After the signing, they re-released their most recent studio effort, Weightless in Water, through the label and added a CD-ROM including pictures, video and lyrics. Strangefolk is a unique band in that they write catchy songs with great vocal harmonies, yet in the live setting they have the ability to stretch out with open-ended jams. On their latest album, there is a blend of both, although it is more song-oriented. "Roads" is the first track on the CD, and has a combination of upbeat rock and folk. The chorus stuck in my mind as a metaphor for Strangefolk's growth as a band, "I don't know where I'm going, but I'll get there. Sometimes I'm wonderin', where will it be?" Next, is "Whatever", which lead guitarist Jon Trafton sings. I particularly enjoy the featured guitar riff in this tune coupled with fellow Burlington, Vermont resident Gordon Stone on Pedal Steel. The culmination of "Whatever" becomes a layered bed of over-dubbed vocals and guitar licks that serve as an exclamation point to the song. This is evidence of Strangefolk's willingness to utilize the advantages of studio recording, something that many young, jam-oriented bands seem to neglect. For some reason, out of all the songs on the album, this one has stuck in my head all day.

"All the Same" is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is bass player, Eric Glockler's song. It has a very uplifting pulse to it, due to the pedal-point created by Glockler's driving bass. While the bass line stays "all the same" throughout the song, Trafton plays a riff that gives the song a circular feel to it, leading up to the heavy guitar of the chorus. I found myself bobbing my head as I drank my morning coffee during this tune. It put an early morning smile on my face. "Valhalla" is another feel good, well-crafted ditty. Lead singer, Reid Genaur's voice is powerful, yet soothing. Trafton adds a guitar riff that is also cleverly looped on the "pictures" section of the CD-ROM. "Furnace" feartures the first extended jam of the album and does not disappoint. It also has some very interesting lyrics. Trafton gets a unique "ruff around the edges" sound out of his acoustcic-electric. The vocal harmonies on this track are beautiful. Strangefolk successfully capture their live sound in this song. "Who I Am" is another Glockler song. The vocals are processed to sound like they're being sung through a mega-phone (think Beasties Boys' "Sabatoge"). The lyrics are very insightful and I particularly like the line, "You know damn well who I am, you just don't know yourself". The track also features guest, Brian Bull on the B-3 Hammond organ.

"Westerly" is a live epic. It is an example of a simple chord progression that can be turned into the foundation for a soaring jam. The album version is obviously shorter than most live renditions. Once again, the harmonies are very impressive and give way to another one of Trafton's surging solos that Glockler locks up with nicely. Genaur also shows off his vocal range by belting out a few high notes.

"Elixir" offers the album's namesake, "Weightless in Water", in the opening line. Appropriately, there are some sound effects "sunk" in the mix as well as some slinky percussion. I enjoy hearing songs that I've heard many times live, with studio enhanced parts. Listening to the album also gave me an opportunity to pay attention to the lyrics, which I usually miss in the live setting. A line in "Elixir" that I could relate to is "You learn more from whispers than you do from spoken word".

"Sad" could be a radio single. It's a beautiful Glockler song with more perfect three-part harmonies. Out of all the songs on the album, this one jumped out as a mainstream-sounding song. Don't get me wrong, I like the song. It just has a certain "poppy" feel to it. Gordon Stone again adds pedal steel.

"Otis" has been one of my favorite Strangefolk songs since I first heard it. It's your traditional upbeat bluegrass romp. It was the first song I put on when I got the album. Right away, I was disappointed. Unfortunately, they tried to do too much with it in the studio. It sounds too cluttered. There are too many parts in the mix. Stone overdubbed at least two banjo parts, both finger-picking and strumming. There are also several guitar tracks. The song needs room to breath. There' s not enough space. I really dig this tune, but this version doesn't work. I look forward to seeing this song live again soon.

"Oxbow" rounds out the album with a live-sounding feel to it. I really wish Strangefolk would write more songs like this. It is the only song on the album that I really noticed drummer, Luke Smith stepping into the spotlight. Smith has a lot of talent and I've always wished that he would be featured more in the context of Strangefolk's all around sound ("Let Luke Play!"). "Oxbow" showcases the band's ability to interact with each other and really stretch out. Both Smith and Glockler compliment Trafton's soloing more in this jam than elsewhere on the album. The jam has peaks and valleys. It is a great way to close the album. The CD-ROM features live concert videos of "Roads", "Westerly" and "Whatever". It's a single camera shoot from the front of house. While it would have been nice to see some close ups of the band, the sound quality is excellent. The CD-ROM also includes lyrics to all of the songs on the album and links to both the Strangefolk web site and the Mammoth Records home page. There are also several high-resolution photos of the band.

I highly recommend this album. It successfully showcases the aspects of Strangefolk's live sound that have made them a national touring success. Look for an interview with Strangefolk lead singer Reid Genauer in next month's issue of Jambands.com

For more updated Strangefolk info, visit their web site at www.strangefolk.com. The band plays the Avalon Ballroom in Boston, MA on December 5th.

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Percy Hill
"Color In Bloom"

Color in Bloom is an important release for Percy Hill. In part this is due to the roster transition which occurred late in 1997. At present Percy Hill is a quartet, anchored by stalwarts Nathan Wilson on keyboards and Joe Farrell on guitars and vocals along with newcomers John Leccese on bass and Aaron Katz (formerly of Vitamin C) on drums and vocals. Moreover, to potentially compound any possible issues pertaining to the new li ne-up, Color in Bloom is also a follow-up to the group's Double Feature, a live release which highlighted the band's penchant for extended improvisation ("Been So Long" which opens the first of the two discs clocks in at seventeen minutes). Indeed, it is possible that some casual Percy fans might experience some trepidation while anticipating the current studio release . However, fortunately any fears that are unfounded. Indeed, Color in Bloom is a vib rant offering which effectively captures the organic evolution of the band's sound.

The disc opens with Katz's composition, "Slave (Self-Promoted)," a smooth, entrancing number with vocal harmonies and keyboard phrasings that occasionally evoke Steely Dan circa Aja. Indeed Katz leaps into the fray on this release, singing lead on the five songs he penned, while adding acoustic guitar to the lilting "Chrissy Reid," which appears second. Of course the band's two founder members, make their presence known as well. Farrell, steps to the plate on Wilson's "Beneath The Cover," providing strong vocals and complmentary guitar flourishes. Meanwhile, Wilson remains the band's heart, consistently enlivening songs with his inventive keyboard expressions (and an occasinal melodica or flute solo). Long-time Percy fans will be happy to see that founding member Zack Wilson appears to layer percussion on a range of tracks, including the soulful "313," which is also strengthened by the guest vocals of Billy Lee. "Fallen," the shortest song on the release at four minutes, has a disco flair, transformed via a flute solo. Color in Bloom concludes with the exuberant "Sun Machine," a soulful concoction which builds to an appropriately bright conclusion with some funky riffs from Farrell and vocal bursts from Lee and Moon Boot Lover's Peter Prince.

All in all, with Color of Bloom Percy Hill successfully references some classic sounds of the 70's, with a 90's flair and sensibility. Still, this is not to say that the disc is beyond criticism. One minor quibble is that Katz is consistently placed rather high in the mix- in this context the release might have benefited from a bit more variance from song to song. Similarly, some fans might have welcomed an additional opportunity for Farrell to step up for a clear ringing lead. However, these comments aside, Color of Bloom that affirms Percy Hill's status within the pantheon of jam bands. The group has long demonstrated that it can tear up a live setting, but with this disc Percy Hill reveals that it can play to the studio as well.

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The Miracle Orchestra: Coalesce
By Max Delaney

The Miracle Orchestra is a fine-tuned six piece ensemble hailing from Boston, Massachusetts and their latest album entitled Coalescence offers a variety of grooves for the discerning ear. There are a plethora of influences on this album and for me to bother to draw comparisons to all of these influences would not only be time consuming but more importantly it would diminish the honesty of the band's music.

Listening to this album, one can hear a very unique and different approach to jazz, funk, Latin, and free form improvisation. Simply stated, they are a difficult band to assign to a particular genre and they like it this way. The Miracle Orchestra seems to be the kind of band that is more interested in creating a beautiful blend of tones and textures than worrying about what style of music they're playing and this comes through on the album. If you're wondering more specifically what to expect on this album then I'll offer a few of my favorite highlights. The guitar comping on "Boob" and "Youthful Agenda" is funkier than the two month old milk sitting in the back of your refrigerator. Geoff Scott (guitar) plays nice little bass lines underneath his chords on these tunes and it really fills out the whole sound of the groove. The horn parts and bass lines lock in very well and are inventive and refreshing. And the head from "Call It Nine" is downright groovy as each player is doing something different but all the parts are locking together to make a whole greater (and funkier) than the sum of it's parts.

Other highlights on the album are the wandering free form compositions of "He" and "She" which flow through different feels and tempo changes in a very fluid, dreamy way. The interaction between drummer, Bill Carbone, and bass player, Garrett Sayers on "She" is incredibly tight and they both demonstrate what it means to achieve freedom in the groove by throwing in polyrhythmic phrases all over the place and then taking turns passing these phrases back and forth from drums to bass. And of course one Life of JuanValdez" (we've all wondered whether this mystery man and his mule are really just coffee vendors or whether the have some other shady business going on).

In closing, this album is definitely worth checking out. The musicianship on the album is great and the overall sound production of this album is beautiful. The band plays tasteful, original grooves, which soothe the ears and broaden the mind. My only complaint is that at times on the album, I wish they would turn up the power a bit on some of the jams and not be afraid to swell even more in their dynamics. But then again, we all know that an album is rarely an accurate representation of a band's live sound. After listening the band's ability on this album, I'm awfully curious to go see what their live show is all about. Aren't you?

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The Recipe-Night of the Porch People
By Paul RProS Pearson

Morgantown, WV's contribution to the 'hempabilly' genre of jambands is The Recipe. Their resume is impressive and includes headlining the 1998 420 Festival and appearances with a host of bands including Bela Fleck, Zero, Gov't Mule, Merl Saunders, .moe and many others. The Recipe groove features Kristen Wolverton on lead vocals, Joe Prichard on acoustic guitar, mandolin and lead vocals, Mark Rapson on fiddle and mandolin, Tom Whelan on congas and percussion, Tim Page on bass, Tom Batchelor on electric guitar and vocals, and Gregg Lowley on drums and vocals. Their sound is true to their regional roots- encompassing bluegrass, a splash of blues, and plain old down-home hillbilly throwdown jamming with a hippie flavor.

Their second offering, 'Night of the Porch People' is appropriately named. The first track, 'Affected Specimen'(a track included on Home Grown Music Network's 'Home Grown 3: Organic Grooves) with a pervasive fiddle and lyrics about alien abductions and X-Files, put me on a porch in the hills with these cats blazing out, tipping the jug, and square dancing until the aliens arrived. Right away I knew I wasn't going to be listening to something I was used to. 'Playground Bellyflop' is along the same lines, toned down from the insanity of track 1, with more percussion and less focus on the fiddle. 'A Little Yellow Pepper' caught my ear-slower, darker, a mandolin and congas keeping time, the violin whining in the background, and some nice flute work by guest Stacy Yoak. The percussion (Tom Whelan) and big cymbals add a lot to this one. Kristen Wolverton's voice evokes images of the Woodstock era of female singers (ala Joni Mitchell), shades of Janis and especially Candy Givens of the late 60's band Zephyr (without all the screeching). Her vocals on this track are softer and sweeter than the others, and in my opinion, more enjoyable than the harder- edged singing on the faster tracks.

Track 4, 'Luna Parade', urges the listener to 'bring your booty 'round' and is more similar to tracks 1 and 2. 'Wrecking Ball' is a pleasant groove. 'Bonemeal' features some nice Spanish riffs, a couple of percussion breaks and I figure any song that has the line 'Captain Crunch is telling me to take that shit less seriously' has to be worthy of another listen. 'Sibling Rivalry' is an average track on this disc. 'Amoonda' is a story of a girl who has lost her marbles out in the pumpkin patch, singing to the crickets and smoking a blunt. There's a speed-up break mid-song that is probably a riot live. (I can definitely see where this band could get really crazy on stage in a psychedelic moonshine hoedown kind of way.) 'Clothesline' is reminiscent of Alannis Morrisette in vocal style. 'Marigold' is more subdued, has some nice harmony vocals with Wolverton pulling back and pouring more into the flavor than the volume-cool song. 'World Swirl' didn't catch me. 'Duke of Stealey' is solid. 'Whiskey Pickle' gets the insanity level closer to where it started and ends the CD on a definite upswing.

On first listen, I didn't think I was going to like this CD much, mainly because I wasn't ready for the regional flavor. The Recipe definitely stays true to their roots in their musical travels. If you're into the mandolin, fiddle, congas and female vocals in the forefront, or if you have more bluegrass/folk roots, you will probably really enjoy this groove. The instrumental work is solid, but not necessarily groundbreaking-as typical, the band doesn't get a chance to stretch out from the vocals on the shortened tracks which. I know I'm used to more guitar-driven music and I'd really like to hear what these boys (and girl) sound like on stage. The harmony vocals between Wolverton and Prichard are solid throughout but don't necessarily blend seamlessly in character. I felt that Wolverton really shined on the slower, more restrained tracks when she wasn't pushing tempo or volume and allowed her vocal flavor to emerge. The songs were well-crafted-a pervasive theme of brown jugs, puffing and fun throughout-with some clever lines. The lyrics definitely work with the feel of the music, there's nothing overly complex or intrusive. If you're looking for a CD to pull out on a feel-good Friday evening out in the stars, you could give this one a listen. But, be ready. This is not brain surgery and it's not your typical guitar-driven jam, but it's honest.