The Road And The Stars
Teahouse, 2023
8/10
Listen to The Road And The Stars
A New York native who now calls California home, the multi-instrumentalist Chris Murphy surrounds himself with some excellent company for this compilation listen that showcases songs written years ago that are still so relevant.
“Sailing The World Alone” begins the listen with Murphy’s violin, mandolin, guitar and percussion being complemented by his expressive voice and Ted Russell Kamp’s swift bass for the upbeat, roots rock climate, and “Connemara Ponies” follows with a charming Celtic influence that welcomes Zac Leger’s bouzouki, guitar, flute and penny whistle to the festivities.
Further along, “Small Wonder” benefits from DJ Bonebrake’s fluid drums and Marcus Blake’s glowing harmony vocals via the cautious Americana, while “Hard Bargain” is a live selection that utilizes just Murphy’s animated violin and powerful pipes that emits some bluegrass nods.
“High Country” arrives near the end and places Nate LaPointe on guitar and Dennis Caplinger on banjo for the lush, mountain-esque landscape, and “The Hunter & The Fox” exits with Michael Jerome Moore’s agile drums giving the setting a bit of mystery.
Murphy is a road warrior who plays hundreds of shows a year, and it certainly shows in the excellent live sound, as well as the dynamic, organic studio tracks that populate this folk, roots, country, bluegrass and unique Americana listen.
Travels well with: The International Treasures- Together, We Are The International Treasures; The Jorgensens- Americana Soul