From Bare Bones
Pork Belly, 2019
8/10
A Pennsylvania folk musician who returns with his 3rd album, Jeremiah Tall takes a very hands on approach here, playing many of the instruments on the very live sounding and raw record.
“Cocaine Money” starts the album with a rhythmic and gospel fueled opening that’s vocally heavily and musically sparse, and “Lucy” follows with quick acoustic banjo strumming in the brisk, seemingly autobiographical Americana tinted track.
Further along, “This Is All I Know” finds the troubadour entering folk-like territory with rugged vocals and glowing mandolin, while the instrumental “Celestial Lights” recruits a more atmospheric approach to Tall’s organic formula where a Farfisa makes an appearance. “Idle Hands”, one of the album’s best tracks, then shifts to a darker quality where Tall’s vocals soar under a forthright delivery of timeless song craft.
Near the end, “The Ballad Of Big John And Those Smoky Mountains” is a swift display of rural, mountain-esque beauty, and “From Each Of You” exits the listen both cautiously and playfully, with strategic hand clapping and organs.
Not exactly roots rock, country, folk or Americana but certainly containing bits from all those genres, Tall’s formula is a unique one that’s as unclassifiable as it is enjoyable, and could soundtrack your lively campfire, just as it could late night contemplation.
Travels well with: The Drunken Hearts- Wheels Of The City ; Ryan Culwell- Flatlands