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CD Review "Northern Rain"
By Doug Floyd, CD Reviewer for AltCountryTab.Com
Artist(s): Duncan Walters
Album: Northern Rain
Label: Self Released
Available: Available Now
Rating: 5 Stars
Review by: Doug Floyd
I like to listen to country music. I like it because out of all the forms of music there is always something essentially honest, good and sincerely pertaining to the human situation to be found within the idiom. It has history, it has a family tree that can be traced way back into the centuries through the meandering well travelled paths that brought it home to where it is today. Some country music has been swallowed by the big corporations and the publicity and media machinations have wound their wheels and spat out something that is unrecognisable from what it was when the great Hank Williams walked the earth. Just occasionally however, there is an album and an artist who re-establishes and re-enacts that innocence, integrity, and simple joy that sometimes seems so lost. Duncan Walters is one of those artists.
The twelve tracks that form this notable debut include the four songs that were included on the demo that Walters distributed previously. That initial foray was an impressive start and the full length debut carries on in that style wholeheartedly. There is plenty of variety up for grabs here, from lounge jazz inflected country to full tilt bluegrass hoe-downs and every stop along the way. In each song Walters and his fine band of players rip it up or cut it lean bowing only to the demands of the song, each note placed perfectly and nothing wasted.
The title track opens the album with a flourish of fiddle and dobro, setting out the stall for a genuine roller coaster honky tonk ride. Walters' baritone vocals exude warmth and confidence, smooth as molasses and as welcoming as sunshine after a rain storm. "Dancers on the Heart" features some impressive slide guitar courtesy of Randy Kohrs and Larry Paxton's stylish Dobro adds to the true country feel of this brooding, moody shuffle. Here Walters' incredibly poetic lyrical finesse is exemplified with some stunning writing:
"Just sand, heat and desert sun
Surround a woman whose heart was one
To the man that held her waist deep in the waves
As rare as water on the cactus flowers
Her lips would soothe his mind for hours"
A melancholy "Come Back Baby" follows, a melodious tale rich in world-weary heartache and loss. Here the band intertwines tastefully with guitar, fiddle, mandolin and piano all weaving their magic leaving the words to resonate against the richness of the playing. "Tethered Charms" has some of the most richly appealing vocals and the Walters charisma again conjures some wonderful images: She hits you like a 50's Coke bottle in denim
One of the many highlights is the gentle shuffling "Asunder" which evokes the long lost innocence of the great country love song as once performed by artists like the great "No Show" Jones. "Palm Trees" has a lazy jazz feel with some thoughtful piano lines and the dobro/fiddle filling against a tasteful Spanish guitar, providing perfect backing for Walters most tender and sublime vocal of the set. The album reaches a powerful crescendo with an infectious legs a' kicking and toes a tappin' "Moral Fiber"; a song invoking thirties western swing - up to and including some Bob Wills "yee-ha's!" A brief respite for the spellbindingly beautiful "Blind Lullaby" before 'Northern Rain' wraps up with a jaunty bluegrass hoedown - "I've Got Dreams", where the band lets rip in fine style, demonstrating their remarkable ability to carry pretty much any style or pace with measured abandon.
This is a very fine album, the sort of record that can re affirm the simple pleasure of listening to wonderful music. There is nothing flash or overbearing on any of the cuts on 'Northern rain' it just presents great songs with finesse born of talent, dedication and love of the music. The production is neat and unfussy and the artist has striven to keep the process as authentic as possible, declining the use of any studio trickery that may interfere with the simple genius of good music well played. Simply irresistible stuff, which I heartily recommend to anyone with a soul.
Northern Rain
Americana
Dancers on the Heart
Come Back baby
Tethered Charms
Asunder
Palm Tree
Deep River Blues
Bar Room Rodeo
Moral Fiber
Blind Lullaby
I've Got Dreams
REPRINTED FROM ALTCOUNTRY.TAB WEBSITE
Doug Floyd
Album reviewer
Altcountrytab.com
Americana UK
Duncan Walters Northern Rain (Spent Round 2003) Duncan Walters is so trad country that he could well serve as the dictionary definition of the term.
CD Review "Northern Rain"
By Ian Hughes, CD Reviewer for "The Rock" Music Magazine
Duncan Walters
"Country Rain"
"Walters brings a drawl to the studio and a darn good talent for playing a wide variety of musical instruments. His songwriting skills are right up there on top too, and he has a knack for writing what could be called the Perenial Country Song.
When you say 'real country songs', I think twangy, drawly tunes that aren't overproduced and have an earthy feel. That is a fitting description for Walters' latest release 'Northern Rain'. With just four songs, it is EP-sized to tempt you into wanting more, and more, and more. I can't say that I am a huge fan of country music, but I know good music when it is sent to me. This is good music, and I look forward to hearing what Duncan Walters has to offer for the second course."
Ctrl Alt Country
5 Stars
Muzikale avonturier Duncan Walters levert met Northern Rain een echte droom van een countryalbum af. Het soort plaat dat met één vlotte armbeweging alles wat dezer dagen in Nashville bon ton is van de tafel veegt. Walters is gezegend met een uitnodigende warme baritonstem (een soort van Tony Joe White light, zeg maar heel mooi), een bijzonder fijne pen en tonnen goede smaak. En in het bekwame gezelschap van topmuzikanten als Randy Kohrs (dobro), Larry Paxton (bas), Eddie Bayer (drums) en Larry Franklin (mandoline), om er maar een paar te noemen, groeien zijn liedjes dan ook stuk voor stuk uit tot blijvertjes.
De hoogtepunten volgen elkaar op Northern Rain werkelijk aan een razend snel tempo op. Om te beginnen is er het licht cajuneske titelnummer (tevens de opener van de plaat), een stukje heerlijke Americana waarin slide, dobro, fiddle en akoestische gitaar er werkelijk alles aan doen om onze aandacht vast te houden. En wat te denken van het rustige Americana ? Das een nummer dat zijn titel zowel qua vorm als qua inhoud echt alle eer aandoet. Of van het ongelooflijk mooie Asunder ? Een liedje dat bij de liefhebbers van huisfavorieten als Slaid Cleaves en Rod Picott gegarandeerd in goede aarde zal vallen. En dan zijn er nog droomsongs als het relaxte, wat jazzy ogende Palm Tree , een werkelijk verbluffend mooie, bijzonder sfeervolle cover van de Delmore Brothers-hit Deep River Blues (met een hoofdrol voor Randy Kohrs op de dobro), het al even betoverende folkliedje over verslaafd zijn Blind Lullaby en het stevig swingende Moral Fiber , een verre verwante van Asleep At The Wheel.
Kortom Northern Rain is rootsy country op zn allerbest. En een plaat die het mits de nodige media-aandacht ver zou moeten kunnen schoppen ook. Wij kijken in elk geval nu al met hangende pootjes uit naar meer!
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