"We're all bad actors here" resonate inside the walls of a dusty, smoky room..
Strong, rich bass undertones, dynamics that bring the songs to
the stage. Mosey West carries the flag of troopers like Neil Young and Tom Petty.
The album begins tenderly with slide guitar, mellow bass and vocals that rise to
the wake of the day where good old rock beats break free the shackles of
the soul. Bold, clear drums parade the trail giving resonance and salute to the
guitar.
Pleasantly, the album feeds a lonesome hunger ''those days have come and gone' and ease the listener to come in a little closer, sit back and enjoy.
Good tunes, good words, the album ends too soon leaving the weary wanderer wanting more.. Country west of whiskey and horses and carefree cowboys come to dusky, husky eastern towns, hit the bars and tell their tales.
- RJ
Listen to Wrecking Ball Radio and hear Mosey West in rotation - especially the songs "In Tune", "Gone" and "Childhood Eyes".
A serenade of broken hearted love songs filled with melancholy
embraces reaching to freedom's door. James' voice breathes clarity,
and soothes the soul with folk ridden melodies and comfortable bridges
that keep the tunes safe, giving focus to the color of her words. Simplicity
and honesty keeps the range of a certain mood of listening. Enjoyable.
-RJ
Listen for Susan James' "Driving Toward the Sun" - especially the title track - on Wrecking Ball Radio.
 This is a funky little album by Dangermuffin. It defies a genre. Yes it is Americana. It is also a little bit of everything else.
You can hear a little Bob Marley in Battle. You can hear a little Bluegrass in Rising Souls. Like most people, I would have never heard of this group if someone didn’t “turn me on” to it. In this case, Jayson Tanner, here at Wrecking Ball Radio. This has quickly become one of my favorite albums.
I have been listening to it all morning....
That was the initial review. My son, Nathaniel Wells of the Indie band Completely Off Balance, walked in during the song “Healing Arizona” and thought it was so cool, he wanted to hear the whole album. That is the appeal of Olly Oxen Free by Dangermuffin. If you appreciate good music, there is a lot to like about Dangermuffin.
The guitar work on Olly Oxen Free is some of the best I have had the pleasure to listen to in recent years. Taken as a whole this is a solid album with something for everyone. Battle, Circle Bird and Sea Funk give you the fun side of a Jam Band and make you want to move your feet. Songs like Rattle The Cage, Jaula and Slumber are in that easy listening mellow type of mood.
Dangermuffin really hits its stride on Healing Arizona, Loneliest Highway, Back in the Pines and Rising Souls. Where the other songs on Olly Oxen Free speak to you and make you want to move, these songs bring together all of the diverse elements of Dangermuffin’s sound together to make music that speaks to the heart.
Olly Oxen Free is an album that puts a good concert into a single album. There is something for everyone and every song appeals to different people on different levels. Whether you like country, bluegrass, blues or reggae you will like something about this album. If you are like me and want to take a musical journey.
You will like it all.
by Steve Wells
 A Random Quiet by Hall of Ghosts is a very pleasant album that belies the depth of the lyrics by Shropshire (UK) based, Jim Williams.
Taken as a whole Hall of Ghosts is a story about the difficulty of finding purpose, love and laughter in life. Once it is found, it is lost. It is a move in a new direction for Jim Williams and one that I hope he continues to explore in future works.
A Random Quiet makes no secret of its roots in the Folk tradition of of Simon and Garfunkel and Neil Young. This album is poetry set to music.
Bye Bye, Big Blue and Giant Water seem to go together. Giant Water feels like a Beatles tune. The poetry is straightforward. Overall, these are listenable tunes that fit anywhere. There are times when I would like to see him break out a little and give us something unexpected. Being easy on the ears is not a bad thing and these songs are well executed.
We Are Finally Happy For Standing Still is one of my favorite songs. It is less Americana and more Country, Twangy and Bluesy with a very simple beat. Not sure if Hall of Ghosts plans to release on a Country station, but this is the song for that. Again, it is an excellent song that just is happy to be itself.
Volunteers is another anthemic song that would be at home on Easy Listening or in one of those 1970s road movies when they show the scene where everyone smiles right before something tragic happens. The peppy tune belies the lyrics. I would be very interested in hearing this song arranged a different way that was truer to the sadness in the poetry.
Tonight, It’s Over brings us back to a more rootsy, country feel. The changes and the Steel Guitar and nice little guitar riffs throughout make this one of those songs that you definitely want to put on repeat after your break-up. Just you, this song and bottle of your favorite Whiskey and you can write your own country tune... It won’t be as good as this one though.
Track 6 - Hall of Ghosts is just awesome. Everything clicks. While all of the songs on this are very strong instrumentally, this one feels complete. The drums are tightly tied to the music and subtleties in the singing, lyrics and guitar riffs all create an atmospheric effect that enhance the song and build to something bigger and meaningful. Hall of Ghosts manages to be rocking and mellow in just the right proportions. If you are someone who only buys one song off an album, buy this one.
The Wandering includes harmonies and sentiment of a Simon and Garfunkel tune. It is pleasant. A Random Quiet is a dirge. Musically and lyrically it is a sad song. It reminds us that whatever do is fleeting and bound to be washed away by time.
The characters may be searching for meaning and place, but A Random Quiet puts Hall of Ghosts well on its way to establishing a place in Cosmic Americana.
written by Steve Wells
 I feel slightly dirty after listening to Like A Man by Adam Cohen.
The characters Adam portrays in song are lost, lonely and frankly, a little creepy. The songwriting is rich and detailed. The music is simple and as minimalist and beautiful. These exceptional character portrayals make every track worth listening to.
This an album about deep devotion and love. Out Of Bed starts us at the end with our hero too depressed to go on. It is hard to tell whether he can’t get out of bed, because he is lazy or more likely, because he is depressed.
In an era of buying the song you like and forgetting about the rest of the album, Like A Man has a theme - lost love and longing. Matchbox starts that theme by building the fantasy of a chance meeting. It is carried forward by Like A Man, where there seems to be the hope of a relationship.
Sweet Dominique is borderline stalkerish. What Other Guy is the kind of song that if your ex-boyfriend starts playing in the background when he calls, you might want to consider calling the police or filing a restraining order. It is kind of sweet. But even if you are in a committed relationship with the protagonist in What Other Guy, the song screams “blackhole of emotional need.”
Girls These Days - popular on Wrecking Ball Radio - sounds like the kind of conversation you have at a bar after striking out. It laments the guy’s plight. Lie Alone is obviously his return from the bar. Clearly, our hero is having some serious relationship issues. It is a sad tune of loss. The final stage of a relationship before the inevitable break-up. Now we know why he was drinking in Girls These Days.
Overrated shows us the break-up and the inevitable bargaining of man who lost his love. Beautiful strikes of begging. “Maybe if I say I love you enough, you will love me too.” And Stranger puts the sentiment of the album in a neat little package... in case you didn’t get it. Frankly, this is a simple song that I expect to hear in a soundtrack of a TV movie, which is not a bad thing.
Like A Man by Adam Cohen is one of those rare albums “these days” that if you listen to it from Track 1 to Track 10, it makes sense, which is like the songs: simply awesome.written by Steve Wells
 The only way to appreciate The Milagro Saints Chance and Circumstance is to put the album on repeat. Grab a favorite beverage and sit outside for a couple of hours.
Chance and Circumstance is definitely a showcase of their talented musicianship and songwriting. The songs are very personal and weave a sense of both hope and loss found in the best Roots Music.
Free is reminiscent of the type of songs that used to be called Rock in the 1970s. It is well-written and well-produced. S.D. Ineson’s vocals bring this song to life and make it one of my favorite songs. When I first started writing this review, I qualified that with “on this album.” Not anymore. It is one of my favorite songs.
This is one of those rare albums that can be taken as a whole. Whether listening to Morning Song, Evangelyne, Ghost or any of the other tracks on this album, there is a theme: “loving what you have while missing what you had.”
This is a very adult album. The characters live and have lived. I could go through each song and tell you why I love it, but this is one of those cases where the music speaks for itself. Other Side of the River is a 7 minute song in a time when most songs are less than 4 and instead of skipping it, I just listen to it again and again.
I cannot write a review to do this album justice. Nothing I can write about it can capture its richness, warmth and beauty.
Just go buy it. Then listen to it again and again and again.
First off, Happy 2012. It's the end of the 2012 end of the year cliches and I feel fine. Or is it just the beginning? Either way, I'm ok with it.
Secondly, I had been trying to maintain a page updating our Wrecking Ball Radio playlist but it's turned out to be difficult to manage, so I thought I'd try it in Blog form. Maybe this will, at least, make it more fun. We shall see...?
What's hot right now on Wrecking Ball Radio? If you're not listening to the station, this will either help you decide to listen, or to not listen. It's your call. But I think you should give it a chance. Of course, I would say that, wouldn't I?
Here's the hottest stuff on the station right now, not in any particular order:
Wilco - The Whole Love
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur
Pieta Brown - Mercury
Blitzen Trapper - American Goldwing
Enjoy Every Sandwich: a Tribute to Warren Zevon
Lizzy Ross Band - Read Me Out Loud
Black Lillies - One Hundred Miles of Wreckage
Bearfoot - An American Story
Eilen Jewell - Queen of the Minor Key
Indigo Girls - Beauty Queen Sister
Eric Bibb - Blues, Ballads & Work Songs
Decemberists - Long Live the King
Heavy Pets - Swim Out Past the Sun
Shelby Lynne - Revelation Road
The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams (Various Artists)
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
Gourds - Old Mad Joy
Frazey Ford - Obadiah
Danny Barnes - Rocket
Dawes - Nothing is Wrong
Red Molly - Light in the Sky
Thea Gilmore - John Wesley Harding
Crooked Still - Friends of the Fall
You can tell by this list of just our hottest rotation albums that we have a very eclectic playlist which includes elements of Blues, Bluegrass, Americana, alt.country, Jam and Contemporary Folk Rock. Give us a try.
People who listen to internet stations like Folk Alley and Radio Paradise are liking what we're doing as well. It's also a good station for regular viewers of Austin City Limits and Elvis Costello's show on Sundance.
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