Blending genres of music has become much more common today, with mixed results. Why should we even attempt to categorize all music? Breaking free of these unnecessary habits and allowing the music to speak for itself is what everyone should strive to achieve. The true artists already do it, and unfortunately some pay the price for not fitting well under a particular genre umbrella.

Allow me to introduce you to Rose’s Pawn Shop. This L.A. based band is blessed with amazing talent, but yet few have heard of them. If you read prior reviews, many have attempted to categorize them as progressive bluegrass, only because you can hear a banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and upright bass many associate with bluegrass. Some have even tried to compare them with Nickle Creek. None of this is even close, or fair, to Rose’s Pawn Shop. They have a sound and energy much their own, and hallelujah amen for that!

From the very opening chords to their new CD titled “Dancing On The Gallows,” the instruments build to a astounding crescendo of music. Supported by classically trained fiddle/mandolin player Tim Weed, Stephen Andrews on upright/electric bass, John Kraus on banjo/electric guitar, and Ulf Geist on drums, lead vocalist and writer Paul Givant present a unique musical experience that you must hear to truly appreciate. By blending bluegrass/country/southern rock/Celtic sounds, Rose’s Pawn Shop energetic passion shines throughout this CD.

This is the second CD for this eclectic group. In 2006 they were handpicked by Jack White to open for him and The Raconteurs, ultimately playing for a huge sold out crowd in Henry Fonda Theatre.  After a little shuffling here and there, some time off in 2008, the band began preparing for the new 12 song all originals CD.

Speaking with lead vocalist Paul Givant over the phone, he seemed quite pleased with the final results. “We wanted to have more diversification on this one, and highlight our instrumental talents in the group. Tim is a classical trained musician, Ulf is a great drummer, Steve and John each do exceptional jobs as well. We definitely wanted to accentuate the positives.”

There is much her to enjoy for every musical taste. “Ball of Flames” is a rockabilly song that would fit comfortably on any original Stray Cats record. Stephen Andrews opening bass piece sets the table here.

Traditional country fans will love “The Bed In Which You Lie.” This one sounds like a great Dwight Yoakam piece, back when Dwight was concentrating on his music and not acting. In fact, listen closely to Givant’s vocals here and it will remind some of Yoakam’s heartfelt passion.

“Strangers” is a song which captivates you with the opening sounds of a lone cello, creating the picture of anguish and despair in this haunting number. This timeless classic by Givant is simply amazing. The combination of instrumental pieces and lyrics here leave you wanting more. Close your eyes, sit back, and enjoy this one.

The last two songs on the CD are an interesting contrast in themselves. “The Garden” opens much like an old Irish tune, then Givant enters with the vocal phrasing reminiscent of 1960’s Bob Dylan. The harmonies here by the full band add a special touch not seen on many other songs. “Debt Collector” is the final epic song, epic in the sense it is over 7 minutes in length. When asked about this, Givant said “Sure, we thought about cutting it down. The producer wanted to, but I just couldn’t do it. I am pretty strong willed, and when I hear something in my head, that is the way I want it. I just didn’t feel we could cut it without losing an essential part”. This song has a certain Spanish feel, with the introduction of horns in the song. Picture the Arizona/New Mexico landscape as the background to this story, and you have hit home.

Givant states the band is looking forward to its cross country tour this summer to promote the CD. Besides the songs on the CD, look forward to a few songs from an eclectic mix including The Misfits, Johnny Cash, and even the Phil Collins tune “In The Air”. “We certainly do them our own way, so some may not recognize them right away, but we enjoy adding our own twist into them and see the reactions,” says Givant.

This record must truly be heard to appreciate, because words themselves can not do it justice. If you go into it with a closed mind, looking for bluegrass for example, then this may not be for you. For those with a love of music in all it’s passion and purity, then pick this one up and enjoy.

Just so you can get a better idea for yourself, here is the title cut from the record.

01 Dancing On The Gallows

Keep up with the tour schedule, and all other news from the band here:

http://www.rosespawnshop.com/

Here is someone I somehow missed.  I’m continually amazed by the number of talented Americana artists out there and still have the thrill of discovering some I should probably already been aware of.  Such is the case with Jill King, whose new cd Rain on Fire has an early April release date.

Her bio  is so apt for a singer songwriter working their way up that I must include it.  Jill was born and raised in Alabama and played guitar and sang in a bluegrass band in high school.  She moved to Nashville in 1992 to attend Vanderbilt University and began writing songs.  While working on a tune at an IHOP a customer (songwriter Mark Gray) asked her what she was doing.  When he found out she was a songwriter he invited her to join a new publishing company he was forming, which she did after graduation.  She eventually contributed over 200 songs for Gate to Gate Publishing.  At night she would often play open mic nights at a place called Jack’s Guitar Bar, a haunt for musicians including Patti Griffin, Kim Ritchey, Jim Lauderdale and Keith Urban.  Later she became a fixture at a place called Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge which helped launch the careers of Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall, Terri Clark and Kris Kristofferson.  She’d played an afternoon audition and was asked to come back that night because the headliner hadn’t showed up. She ended up with a regular gig after that.  She released her first album Jillbilly in 2003.

The new cd is a rich diverse gem of Americana.  Each of the many times I’ve listened to it I find something new in the lyrics or the music.  She is joined on the disc by too many guests to mention and a varied list of instruments, including “Tibetan Bowl” and Tenor Uke.  Producer Michael Flanders adds guitars, steel, slide, mandolin and “Big African Balls”, which I hope for his sake is not what he is playing on the tune 16 Elephants….    She adds subtle elements of many styles of music,  even a bit of rap, into the 13 tunes on the disc.  She is an o9bviously talented artist who I’m going to dig deeper into for sure!

Here is a video of her playing an acoustic version of 16 Elephants

One of the better singer songwriters out there has just relased a fine new disc.  Wings by Will Kimbrough was released in February on Daphne Records.  While one of likely thousands of songwriters calling Nashville home, Kimbrough is one of the most respected.  The dude can do it all; play (multiple instruments), sing, write, produce- hell, he can probably get a new cd open without slicing his finger…

For his guitar work Will was recognized as the 2004 Americana Music Association instrumentalist of the year! Need more to convince you?  He spent time on the road and recording with Todd Snider (producing both East Nashville Skyline and The Devil You Know discs) and has recorded with Rodney Crowell.  Kimbrough caught the ear of Lead Parrothead Jimmy Buffett recently. He recorded Kimbrough’s tune Nobody From Nowhere for release on his latest disc, Buffett Hotel.  They also co-wrote three of the other tunes on that disc, including Wings, which Kimbrough also recorded and released on this disc

On to the music.  The opening track Three Angels is a beautiful tune ode to his family.

“Three angels wake me up each morning tuggin at my sleeve and three        angels  see me off to bed each night…
From the tallest to the smallest to the one thats in between, they’re beautiful and funny in their way.  Ones a woman ones a little girl and ones almost a teen and they get smarter than me each day….
…Everyone has angels lookin over them. There was a time that I just could not see. Now I know the truth is I’m a lucky man indeed, everybody has an angel I’ve got three….”

Julie Lee adds her soft voice to really make this a great tune!

Kimbrough doesn’t write simple three chord tunes, they are much more.  He has multiple genre influences, key changes within tunes and multiple instruments throughout the disc.  The music, however, never sounds “overproduced”, a complaint I’ve had about some Nashville released discs. Subtle is the use of backing vocals and backing instruments. This is especially true on the closing track A Couple Hundred Miles which is nicely accented by David Henry’s soft cello. Kimbrough’s version of the title track Wings starts of with a wailing harmonica, reminiscent of some of Steve Earle’s late 90’s tunes.  Besides Wings, written with Buffett, the disc also includes a writing collaboration with Todd Snider, It Ain’t Cool, and several other tunes Kimbrough had help writing.

Most of the tunes could be categorized as folk, or at least leaning to the folk side of Americana. I think it is a great new disc by one of the better ones out there.  If you are not familiar with Will Kimbrough’s work, this would be a great place to start!!