Shout Monah
HJM003MRR
1. Knoxville Rag; 2. Lowe Bonnie; 3. Devil's Dream / Last Chance; 4. Milwaukee Blues; 5. Eadle Alley; 6. Old Christmas Morning; 7. Charming Betsy; 8. Jake's Got a Bellyache; 9. Riley the Furniture Man; 10. Tupelo Blues; 11. Chattanooga / Sheeps & Hogs Walking through the Pasture; 12. When the Good Lord Sets You Free; 13. Baptist Shout; 14. Bob McKinney; 15. Life's Fortune.
But she’s not the only fine instrumentalist here - banjo player Jason Romero has evidently learnt well from the tradition (although perhaps more secondhand, and via records, but that’s hardly a problem in this day and age). His solo playing on Devil’s Dream, his accompaniment to Charming Betsy and his close duetting on the Chattanooga set show him a very fine player indeed, and his lead vocals on Lowe Bonnie and Riley The Furniture Man are pretty good too. Guitarist Pharis Romero (Jason’s wife) doesn’t take any solos, but as well as being a highly sympathetic and responsive accompanist, she can pick most effectively, as for example, on the aforementioned Eadle Alley. She can sing, too, handling Land Norris’s odd version of Charming Betsy skilfully and to great effect. Most of the material here derives from white musicians, but Pharis also sings lead on a version of Henry Thomas’s Bob McKinney, a treatment that for this reviewer is the least successful on the album. It would be going too far to suggest that they sound suddenly like any old folk group, but a lot of the qualities that I admire so much in other tracks seem to be missing on this one.
The album ends with Life’s Fortune, a waltz composed by Erynn Marshall, and it’s a pretty good tune, too, enhanced by a second fiddle, played by Daniel Lapp, a very pleasant way to end the proceedings. The disc is packaged attractively, with a well-designed booklet giving the background to the songs and tunes, as well as the tunings of the instruments used. Altogether, the Haints are well worth investigating - well-tended roots to give them substance and real quality, but with enough freshness and character to make them distinctive and give an authentic appeal.
Ray Templeton - 1.2.10
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