Sunday, December 31, 2017

Jayke Orvis "Bless This Mess"

(Broken Neck Records 2017)

Murder Of Crows
Kaw-Liga
Bound To Ride
West Wind
Pick Up The Steam
Clankertown
Crooked Smile
Slow Down
Lead Me Astray
Long Way Home
Blackship

Jayke's second solo album is out now on vinyl courtesy of Broken Neck Records. If you don't know by now, Broken Neck Records is a subsidiary of Crazy Love Records and has been bringing us the best in new roots and alt. country goodness for a while now.  I say new roots and alt. country. But the basic fact is that it's neither new nor alternative. It's just that the current state of the country music industry is so far removed from what it sounded like when it actually was what it claimed to be that artists like Jayke Orvis are now considered alternative! Well to my ears he plays proper Americana and roots music so I suppose he's an "alternative" to the absolute bollocks that claims to be what it's not! Anyway, since his first solo outing it would appear that our Jayke has healed that broken heart and is now bopping along in a much more upbeat and uptempo way. It immediately reminded me of UK outfit the Skiff Skats and what they called skiffabilly back in the mid 80s. But with that said, this 100% made in the USA stuff. Fiddle, banjo, mandolin, twangin' guitar, slap bass etc. and a Southern drawl coming from a mouth you'd expect to see slugging fuck knows what from a jug with XXX engraved on the ceramic. What I particularly like about Jayke's authenticity in the music he creates is that he deosn't give two fucks about Nashville. He has steeped himself in Americana in its purist form and injected some rockabilly backbeat energy into it. If you like your music comprised of instruments made of wood with f-holes carved into them with musicians who can actually play those instruments and knee-slapping stories put to verse then this is the album for you. She's out now on limited orange vinyl (99 copies) and good auld black vinyl. Links to purchase below...
The O'Prez


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