By Art Edelstein
Arts Correspondent
We’ve been through our first tough winter of COVID-19 in 2020-21, and a considerable amount of music was produced by Vermonters who had lots of time on their hands and decided to use that time to record their music. In this, the 16th edition of the The Times Argus-Rutland Herald Tammie Awards, we applaud their efforts.
Best Traditional AlbumWe found two albums worthy of the Tammie Award for Best Traditional Album, “The Bird’s Flight” and “Cabot Old Time Jam Session Repertoire Vol. 1.”
“The Bird’s Flight” with Tim Cummings, Pete Sutherland and Brad Kolodner makes the connection between Scottish music and old time music by marrying the Scottish pipes with clawhammer banjo and fiddle. You can’t get much better musicianship than Cummings on the pipes, Sutherland fiddling and Marylander Kolodner on the banjo.
With this new CD we have an album of music from Appalachia that is authentic, interesting and good listening. Kolodner’s playing is the tie that binds the two bodies of music together.
Dana and Susan Robinson have led the Cabot old time jam at Harry’s Hardware store since the beginning. They also run Cabot Arts. The “Cabot Old Time Jam Session Repertoire Vol. 1” CD, with 20 tracks, was recorded at home as a way to keep jammers and friends playing along and as a fundraiser.
Dana Robinson plays just about all the instruments with Susan Robinson on banjo. They both sing. What started out as a COVID-19 stay at home project is so well done that it deserves an award. This is music created in the studio through much overdubbing, yet it sounds very live, like the jam sessions it is trying to promote.
Best Female VocalistKaren McFeeters takes the Best Female Vocalist award. We’ve waited a dozen years for another McFeeters album and “Bonfire” finds her voice as good as ever. She has a honey-flavored no-nonsense delivery helped along by producer Colin McCaffrey’s direction. The clarity of her voice and the near perfect diction along with a warm pleasantness are strong points. It doesn’t hurt that in her day job she’s a medical speech and language pathologist specializing in voice therapy.
Best Country Album
Mark LeGrand, from Montpelier, has been performing in Vermont for over 50 years as a bass player and later a singer-songwriter. He’s built a solid fan base with his country-flavored music that often tackles the gritty core of life and the many social ills we face.
LeGrand’s “Retrospective,” winner of Best Country Album, draws from recordings that go back to 1997’s “Mischievous Angel.” There are also tracks from 2002’s “All Dressed Up,” 2006’s “Cold New England Town” and 2016’s “Tigers Above, Tigers Below.” Three tracks from 2017’s EP “Wrong Turn” complete the program. This album is not LeGrand’s swan song but one that reminds us of just how talented he is. We’re expecting a lot more new music from him in the future.
Best Male VocalistJed Hughes gets the nod for Best Male Vocalist for Saints & Liars’ “These Times.” He has an easily recognizable voice with elements of Kenny Rogers and Waylon Jennings setting his tone and delivery. He can sound gruff or smooth depending on the song.
Hughes’ voice and songwriting ability propel the band’s second album “These Times.” Saints & Liars has been a bar band performing regularly in the Killington and Ludlow areas. With the excellent material on their album and Hughes’ voice giving the band some gravitas. This foursome deserves to be heard by a larger audience.
Best Singer-Songwriter AlbumFrom Windsor, Dave Richardson’ “Palms to Pines” is winner of Best Singer-Songwriter Album. We found the words and music to be generally positive with little of the negativity that has gripped the country in recent years. His songs touch on his relationship, his home and even his garden. He seems comfortable with his place in life.
Richardson counts among his musical influences Neko Case and Caitlin Canty. Also influencing him are song collectors and re-interpreters like Jean Ritchie and Martin Carthy, and Archie Fisher. He writes catchy melodies reminiscent of Paul Simon and James Taylor.
Richardson may not write the deepest lyrics or dazzle with a fancy guitar-picking style but there’s something important in heartfelt songs that express basic human feelings in ways we can all relate to.
Special AcknowledgementWe received two albums this year that are difficult to categorize but deserve recognition.
“Garden Dreams,” by Aaron Marcus and Sam Sanders, combines poetry reading with piano. Sanders reads work by seven Vermont poets and Marcus plays a variety of musical styles from traditional to classical.
Marcus’ playing is familiar to Vermont and New England audiences. He plays banjo, concertina and piano with a variety of groups at dances with New England and Celtic-inspired material. Sanders is a smooth operator. As a former VPR sound engineer and reader, the spoken word is delivered with ease, grace, and subtle humor. The pitch of voice never seems forced the words are spaced as if written into a script of word and music containing a goodly amount of reflective time between sentences.
The album “Hashkiveinu,” produced by the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe and performed by its rabbi, David Fainsilber, and two of his friends, garnered our attention. We’ve not previously reviewed an album of religious material but this album, Jewish in its material, caught our attention. We’re not aware of any other albums of this type produced in Vermont.
The album highlights the growing trend to recast traditional Jewish liturgical music into a more modern, accessible form. We see both those of the Jewish faith and others interested in similar musical forms finding this CD refreshingly different and very listenable. Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg’s lead vocal on the album’s the title track was inspiring. It is one of the best vocal performances of 2021.
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