Tag Archives: Broken Jukebox Media

Album Review – Helene Cronin – Maybe New Mexico

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A woman, dressed in a black jacket, jeans and tall boots, sits against a red brick wall. She is smiling and looking slightly off to the viewers left.

Yes indeed…I am late in getting around to this album (and I mean really late….more than 9 months!).  I was fortunate to have Adam Dawson from Broken Jukebox Media send out an end-of-year “in case you missed it” email with this and other releases included.  There are some others that were also detailed within that comm which I hope to get to soon but I started with this one as I recognized her name from an interview I read several years ago.  

The album leads off with “Copperhill” and a great opening guitar riff that sets a little bit of an edgy vibe for the song.   There is a punchy drum that drives the music and it is joined by the nice interplay of several guitars.  The lyrics really set the scene for the story here and are delivered by Cronin in a voice that has strength and feeling behind it.  

Another favorite of mine on this is the title track which has a wistful tone to it which evokes New Mexico in a way that is hard to explain if you have not found yourself wandering around that slightly mystical state.  The guitar on this song is subdued with a slow bass line that complements the reflective mood set by the vocal delivery.  

There are ten other tracks on Maybe New Mexico which range from the uplifting power of “Maker’s Mark” to the therapeutic “Dear Life” and the immersive storytelling of “Rifleman.”  All of the songs on this album as well-arranged and highlight the skills of the musicians involved  (who I unfortunately could not find a definitive list of anywhere).  Cronin’s voice is also a major feature of course and she delivers these songs with clarity, emotion and an openness that is sometimes startling in its depth.  

You can find this on all of your streaming channels of course (and if you do please think about purchasing when you can :).  You can also check out her website here:

https://www.helenecronin.com/home

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Album Review —Terry Klein – Hill Country Folk Music

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A man in a flannel shirt looks toward the camera.

I have to admit that prior to the press release from Broken Jukebox Media hitting my inbox I was not familiar with Terry Klein.  Based on that lack of knowledge I was not sure what to expect from an album titled Hill Country Folk Music.  It is set to drop November 7th but I had the good fortune to get a sneak peek.  There are many avenues down the folk highway so I hit play to find out which one this album was traveling along. 

The lead-off track here is “Try” which comes in nice and easy with country music slow-dance vibes and a catchy mandolin accompaniment.  Klein’s vocals are earnest and direct, telling a simple but poignant story of keeping on through adversity.  It almost has a defiant tone about overcoming challenges.  There is also an alternate version of this song (“Try Again”) as the final selection on the album which changes the energy from hopeful to weary and worn out.  It is an interesting study in the ways a tune can be molded by an artist though musical composition and vocal delivery.  

That song is followed by “I Used to Be Cool” which is the first single and already available to stream.  It has a different style than “Try” with guitars right away and a subtle drum – kind of an alt-county feel.  The topic here is what you might expect (getting older and associated things) but told with some heartfelt nostalgia.  

Nine more tracks follow and one of the most interesting things about all of them collectively is that these range in style, tone and pace.  You get a good mix of the two styles already mentioned above along with some Americana, bluegrass and one that could easily fit in a pop song rotation.  I think it is mission accomplished for Klein who is quoted as saying this about how he thinks is regard to song mix on his albums: 

“I scrupulously avoid making my records all one thing, all one sound.  Dynamics are important.”

This is an engaging album that keeps you on your toes throughout and delivers good songs while telling stories about real people, their lives and experiences.  

Check that single out on your favorite streaming channel – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

You can keep an eye out for any pre-order / pre-save info that might come out via Klein’s website terrykleinmusic.com

Remember all of the cool things about your own local community!

Album Review- Meghan Clarisse-  Shadows of a Ghost Town 

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A dark haired woman in a white cowboy hat smiles as she looks toward the camera.

Adam Dawson at Broken Jukebox Media was kind enough to loop me in on the release info for this album (thank you!) and I spent the last few days playing it as I drove around the Eastern US.   My combined knowledge about Clarisse prior to this amounted to a single I caught on Apple Music (“Ain’t Going Back” feat. Sienna Shalhoub) and a YouTube video of an interview her and Todd Clayton gave to KUSA-TV.   After getting this press release I did some more research and was impressed with her album Kindred Spirits from 2024. This also features some other musicians from Colorado including Dan Kamis, Jordan Yewey, Joe Oeser, Stephen Jourdan, Michelle Castillo and Chelsey Webb.  

Shadows of a Ghost Town leads off with “Bright Lights” which is a slow-tempo classic with a subtle melody line playing under a melancholy tone.  The lyrics on this track highlight Clarisse’s songwriting chops and that continues to shine throughout the album.   The third selection “Copper and Quartz” lends a very nostalgic old west vibe to a love song that works well.  Another notable song for me is “The Ghost of California” which gives a bit of a lullaby quality to lost loves and good-byes.  Throughout this album the clarity of Clarisse’s voice is extraordinary and really adds to the emotion of her storytelling.   A very worthy collection of eleven songs that I suspect are going to increase her visibility in the country and bluegrass genre. 

This will be released in full on September 26th via Howlin’ Dog Records and you can pick up a CD copy here:

Also available to check on your favorite streaming channel – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation 🙂 

And if you have the inclination after listening to that streaming service  …please think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Album Review- Jubal Lee Young- Squirrels

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A man in a cowboy hat, turning to look back at the camera. He is wearing sunglasses and a collared shirt. photo by Chuck Shanlever

This album just came out about a week ago and when I saw the press release from Broken Jukebox Media I was brought back to a song by Young off his self-titled album from 2007.  That song, “Deep South Blues,” has this great horn opening, kind of a haunting blues piece played like a funeral march.  It is fantastic and has stuck with me all these years.  There are no horns to open any of the songs on this new album but it all works out just fine anyway.

After listening through several times I picked “It’s Gonna Be All Right” as my favorite, mostly because it is such a slow-paced  number.  Those always intrigue me as I know how hard it can be to pull off that kind of down tempo successfully (for me at least).  This track comes in on a mournful fiddle sound which continues to set the background tone throughout the song.  The other instruments are not subdued as much as they are gracefully and quietly present, just rising up briefly for short moments.   Vocal quality is on-point, strong and clear with lyrics more hopeful than the mood of the song.  

The rest of the tracks on Squirrels are good listens also with other noteworthy songs for me being “Dumb Luck,” “Lost in Hollywood” and “Parts.”  These, along with the rest of the selections, span across several genres although they are all grounded somewhere in the classic country / Americana & folk space.  There are up-tempo dancers, honky-tonk thumpers and more to enjoy here and it all works together very well. 

Check it out on your favorite streaming channel – and let me know your thoughts about it – music makes for good conversation! 

You can also check out more info about Jubal Lee Young at his website here:

https://juballeeyoung.com/

And if you have the inclination …think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

As always, please remember to support your local community and artists 🙂 

Album Review- Megan Bee- Fiction

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A woman in a brown tank top and print skirt, sitting down with a guitar on her lap. She appears to be deep in thought.

Courtesy of Adam Dawson and Broken Jukebox Media I had the good fortune to be able to preview this album which is set for an official release on October 10th (radio date October 1st).  The information that came along with the details on Fiction included references back to her prior albums which have received much positive recognition.  As I was unaware of all of that I decided to jump backward first and started with 2017’s A Sense of Place.  That is a solid set of songs that range from the bluegrass sing-along styled “Carry Me Away” to the slightly sassy alt-county feel of “Cincinnati.” Like a Canyon also is listed as an earlier 2017 release that has more good songs on it although I found it lacked a little of the stylistic range that was present on A Sense of Place.  Of course, I also found “Little Birdie” (which is the notable change-of-pace song on Canyon) to be just too darn happy of a song for me so who I am to complain about  stylistic range?  Bee’s 2020 album Waiting was the last one I made it all the way through before writing this post and you can hear the development of her talent and voice on every track.  The songs are stark in composition but the instruments are right on-point, adding harmony and background that let you into every story.  “Back Home Again” and “Dreams I Don’t Remember” are the stand-outs tracks for me on that album. 

After two times listening through Fiction I was struck by the strength of the lyrics which are so poignant and sung with real feeling.  They tell stories with a clarity and simplicity that make the message in each song all the more powerful.   That songwriting ability was present on the other albums I mentioned above but it is really in full force here.  The songs remain generally simple in form with mostly acoustic instruments that are handled masterfully and add to the intimate, in-person feeling of this album.  “Now I Know” and the title track struck me as especially noteworthy.  Fiction is definitely worth waiting for so keep an eye out for this one to drop.  

I am not sure if this is a complete list of musicians on the album but the info available listed (in addition to Bee on guitar, piano and Wurlitzer); Kate Wakefield (cello), John Borchard (pedal steel), Ammed Solomon (drums) and Chris Justice (bass).  

You can keep up-to-date and also purchase her music here:

https://meganbeemusic.com/home

Remember to  support your locals – community is powerful

Song Review- C. Daniel Boling “What Could Possibly Go Wrong” (featuring Tom Paxton) from the album IT MATTERS

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Smiling, bearded man playing an acoustic guitar

It is good to swing back to some good old folk music sometimes and this release (on Berkalin Records) is an instant classic.  If you take the time to listen through the entire album you will find it full of straight-forward heartfelt lyrics, some well-aimed humor, a nice collection of instruments (most of them from the string family) and an overall tone of classic American folk.  It was quite an enjoyable listen.  

Although the most recent press release from Broken Jukebox Media was about a different song from the album (“We’re Not happy” – video link below) I found “What Could Possibly Go Wrong” to be my own favorite.  It is a clean guitar song with Boling and Paxton deftly trading lines and coming together for the chorus.   Plus, any message about the creeping nonsense of AI is going to get applause from me every time.  

Musicians on this are: C. Daniel Boling (guitar, vocals) and Tom Paxton (vocals)

If you want to check this album out out I found it at Tom Paxton’s Bandcamp page here:

https://tompaxton.bandcamp.com/album/it-matters

That video for “We’re Not Happy” – link below: : 

And support your locals – community is powerful!

Album Review- From The Dirt – Colored Edge of Memory

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The press release from Broken Jukebox Media about this new album hit my inbox near the end of June and I was unfortunately a little too busy to jump on it right away.  What a revelation the songs on this album turned out to be as I listened to them over the past week.  This is definitely not a one-trick pony bluegrass band as they cover a range from folk & county to Americana & yes, bluegrass…and there is even a song that is distinctly Celtic in style and tone.  Let’s start with that gem.

“Silver Maple Spinners” begins on rippling tribal strings and a dark rhythm that weaves along throughout the song, set off by a slightly breathless vocal.  It left me with a sense of tension, or maybe anticipation of something…unknown.  Another stand-out for me is “Angeline” which has all the great interplay of stringed instruments you expect from country-tinged bluegrass.  The mandolin and fiddle on this track are really exceptional.  You can get a nice change of pace on “Afterwards, on the Greyhound” which has a smooth melody and atmospheric vibe as the lyrics bring you along with a motley cast of lonely characters.  The chorus line, “Did you even know that I was leaving you,” is more thought provoking than you think at first listen…quite haunting actually.   

Overall this is a great set of ten songs that keep you interested and engaged, set a range of moods and vibes, have great musicianship and definitely deserves your time.   You can check it out on your usual streaming places of course (one link below) and I believe that hard copies may soon be available.  

You can stay up-to-date with the band (and maybe those hard copies) at 

http://www.fromthedirtband.com

If you go out and give this album or any of the tracks a listen…think about purchasing some or all if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful!