Reviews
Artist:Afton Wolfe Album: The Harvest
Label: Grandiflora
Tracks: 7
Website: https://www.antonwolfe.com/
Based out of Nashville with a career that's run the gamut from bartender to neuroscientist, these days Wolfe trades as a singer-songwriter steeped in the blues, folk and soul of Mississippi and influences that include Presley, Cohen and Waits, the latter's rusty croak evident in his own vocals.
The album exclusively comprised of songs by his father-in-law, veteran Nashville songwriter L.H. Halliburton, featuring flute, piano and mandolin with harmonies from Robin Wolfe, the folksy bounce of 'Harvest' kicks things off with a song about perseverance and patience in life using farming metaphors ("Some say that springtime is when life will begin/But I think it's in the fall with the harvest coming in/Plant your seeds down in Mother Earth/With tender love and care for all your worth… Cause putting in the work is worth the pain"), the musical mood shifting for the bluesier, harmonica wailing 'New Orleans Going Down' and lyrics about the city's floods ("High wind and thunder/Lightning in the sky and rising on Bourbon Street/Watch your step or you may drown").
With Courtney Santana on vocals and Anna Eyink on violin, 'Lost Prayers' gives a gospel edge to its faith-questioning old school country waltz about "A search for redemption I haven't found yet…give me a sign/Show me the way I've read your book/Is that all you got to say… Kind of makes me wonder/Is there really any help up there/Is anybody listening to my prayers/Cos it's often been said/That the answers will come/But I've yet to find proof From anyone".
The longest track at just over five minutes with what sounds like a siren at the start and with producer Doc Sarlo on percussion, piano, keys and bass, 'Hello Mr Wolf' is a spoken blues with a philosophical mien that notes that the "Wolf on top of the hill/Is not as hungry as the one climbing up the hill … He sees the wisdom in guarding the sheep/And hunting their predators" that concludes "We fear the beast cos we don't understand the same/Hidden deep within ourselves/We're all cursed by morals and rules/And wish that we were raised by wolves/The dog of the gods".
Another sonic swerve, 'Til the River No Longer Flows' ventures into blues rock with a number about perseverance and features Will Hammond, guitarist with metal outfit Karma Vulture shredding behind Wolfe who declares "I am weary now/Searching for the answers/Highs and lows/I ain't giving up/ I'll take all the chance/ til the river no longer flows". And, speaking of rivers, Seth Fox on baritone sax, 'Mississippi' is a tribute to both it and the state, a swayalong slice of countrified R&B and the siren call of home that borrows from Paul Simon in the line "The Delta's gonna shine like a National guitar" as he sings "Your grandfather's graves are calling you home/The flowers you saved/Are left all alone/The Blues are growing slow under a Magnolia tree/So stop all your running/Come home to see Mississippi".
Sounding a similar note and at his most Waits, accompanying himself on piano, the final track 'Here To Stay is about loneliness and wanting to be "on a one-way train/Somewhere where it never rains/Where the sun is always in the sky/And no one ever says goodbye", waiting patiently for someone to come and keep company ("You can come see me any chance you get/But I haven't seen you yet/But don't worry when the sun goes down I'll still be here when it comes back around"). Covering a lot of musical ground in a short space, this might not push the envelope but the letter within comes very much from the heart.
Mike Davies
| Previous | Next |
|---|---|
| Blazin' Fiddles: XXV | Realta: Thing Of The Earth |
Recent Reviews
- The Riot Squad:I Take It That We're Through: Anthology 1965-1967
- The Poozies:Off The Hook
- Rusty Shackle:Mayfield
- Rita Bliss:One More Winter
- Nicole Mish:Hope Is Restless
- Jake Blount & Friends:Single-Footing Horse
- Cina & The Fireflites:Good Ol' Music
- Blue Twisted Steel:Turnstile Of Romance
- The Jayhawks:Sanctuary Park
- Sunjay:Split The Sheets
Lost Prayers
Fatea Showcase Sessions
The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.