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The Alternate Root

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The Alternate Root reviews the new record from David G Smith, Witness Trees, noting his “series of mellow, melodic tunes that give consistency to the album.”

David G Smith shares his sentiments through a series of mellow, melodic tunes that give consistency to the album overall. That said, opening track “River Gonna Talk” is underscored by a jagged rhythm while “Weight You Carry”, “I Wanna Go Out”, and “Let’s Take Our Time and Do It Right” opt for perkier pacing that gives the album its occasional upbeat energy.

Regardless, the points are well made without overt preachiness or pontification. So too, the music bears a kind of folk finesse that maintains the messaging without forfeiting any obvious accessibility. In short, Witness Trees allows both concept and creativity to bloom through equal emphasis. (by Lee Zimmerman)

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The Alternate Root Magazine weighs in on Martin Ruby’s debut LP, Heaven Get Behind Me, calling it “sparkling, circling Americana with twanging guitar hovering like a vulture”

Harmonica and cloud chamber bowls lend delicate, flashing adornment. The wonder, with this album, is that everything feels intensely ‘real’.  There is no artifice here, only art, and North’s art is immediately connecting and approachable, harking back to the ages-old tradition of Folk music: music for ‘folk’, music for us all. ‘They say it’ a good day to die’ sings North and there is no melodrama here, merely humanity.  (by Chris Wheatley)

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David Quinn is #2 on The Alternate Root’s TOP TEN SONGS OF THE WEEK

Singing in an attempt to understand a chaotic world, the snarling vocals of Suzanne Santo duet with the spit and fire guitar work of Gary Clark Jr on the single “Fall for That” in the #1 spot on the weekly Top Ten for Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Using Margo Price’s backing band, David Quinn offers “Born to Lose”, an advance listen to his upcoming (10-23-20) Letting Go, featuring Brett Resnick (Kacey Musgraves) on pedal steel and Laur Joamets (Sturgill Simpson, Drivin N Cryin) on guitar.

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Sarah Peacock Included In Alternate Root’s “Top 2020 Albums So Far” List With Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, And Jason Isbell

sarah peacock the alternate root americana roots rock singer songwriter

Time has been moving quickly, then slowly in a loop for much of 2020. The cycle of record releases has been affected, though it would take more than a plague to get artists to cease speaking their truths. Throughout 2020, music has kept flowing. We have gathered a list of (our version) the top albums for 2020. In order to grow, new blood needs to be pumping and many of the artists on the list have had either debut or breakthrough albums in 2020. The constant barrage of drama has brought a more Rock’n’Roll sense to both words and music. Messages in song has been a lot clearer, musicians like Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers penning beliefs directly into the storyline. As in every year, we could have gone higher with the artists included, and we may have missed someone. Please feel free to give a shout and let us know, and we hope you enjoy the Top Albums So Far for 2020.

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The Alternate Root Magazine Features Rev. Greg Spradlin’s “Stainless Steel” on Weekly Top Ten Playlist

reverend greg spradlin and the band of imperials americana country folk
An incredible guitar player, songwriter, singer and bandleader, the Reverend has been flying under the radar for years—despite recording and performing with everyone from Lucinda Williams to Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker.

After spending his teenage years playing all over Arkansas, Spradlin flirted with stardom in L.A. back in the ’90s with a major-label-assembled roots-rock project that was derailed by the grunge explosion. He almost hit it again with No Depression-approved alt-country band The Skeeterhawks in the early 2000s before their label vanished into thin air with their masters and was never heard from again.

Spradlin lost heart for a while, gave up rock & roll, got a straight job at a nonprofit and soon found himself wandering the middle of nowhere in Ghana, Africa. He had an epiphany there one day when he heard a Muscle Shoals soul track coming from a random hut in the bush, was inspired to create again, came home, befriended and was mentored by legendary rock & roll producer Jim Dickinson (The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Big Star, The Replacements), and ended up delivering the eulogy at Dickinson’s funeral.

Along the way, Spradlin managed to assemble a supergroup with Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo, Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas, and now-deceased gospel-organ legend Rudy Copeland (Solomon Burke, Johnny Guitar Watson)—he was just so good they wanted to make a record with him, and Rev. Greg Spradlin and the Band of Imperials was born. Back in 2010, they made an amazing Hurricane Katrina-inspired record called Hi-Watter, mixed by Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Los Lobos, The Black Keys).

But then, as if an act of God, an unexpected series of tragedies and major life events derailed the Reverend’s musical plans—his wife got pregnant, a close member of Greg’s family passed away, his old drummer and close friend of 15 years died, followed by his dog, and his cat. You get the picture. So Hi-Watter was shelved for a decade.
 
Now—pandemic, and other acts of god be damned—this album will finally see the light of day come mid-July. A new Americana/gospel/soul track from Hi-Watter called “Stainless Steel”—ft. David Hidalgo on bass & accordion—is available digitally now.
 

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The Alternate Root Names Drivin N Cryin’s “Live The Love Beautiful” as the Top Album of 2019 So Far

Carving out a spot with Rock’n’Roll, Drivin N Cryin take the number one spot on the Top 50 So Far for 2019, joined on the list by Memphis Rock’n’Soul from Southern Avenue and cosmos cruising Bluegrass from The Infamous Stringdusters while Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real strum good feelings and sound advice with their album Turn Off the News (Build a Garden). 

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