HANNAH ALDRIDGE – RAZOR WIRE
2014 – Trodden
Black Entertainment
Whilst the roots of this classy album are in country music there is a large helping of blues and soul in the mix of these beautifully written songs as befits someone from Muscle Shoals, particularly as her father is musician, producer and songwriter Walt Aldridge. The country roots come from the fact that Hannah grew up not only in Muscle Shoals but also in Nashville, where this beauty of an album was actually recorded. These ten tremendous songs are blessed by a vocalist who is second to none when it comes to character laden femininity, with plenty of country twang and an appealing soulful bluesiness giving every song a powerful impact. Talking of the songs, this recording is laden with often haunting tales, most of which have a full almost epic sound, thanks to the spectacular but never overdone instrumentation and Hannah’s extraordinarily punchy, committed vocal style. They are gritty tales of, often raw, real life situations, with no holding back from Hannah in the opening up of her soul.
Nine of the ten songs were written by Hannah, added to which is a tremendous version of Jason Isbell’s Try, on which she is backed by Isbell’s backing band ‘The 400 Unit.’ The album was recorded at the ‘Welcome to 1979’ studio in Nashville and produced by Chris Mara, with the other musicians on the recording consisting of Andrew Sovine on electric and acoustic guitars as well as lap steel, Brad Pemberton, drums and percussion, Lane Baker on bass and background vocals, Andrew Higley plays keyboards and saw, James LeBlanc, background vocals and Dylan LeBlanc on background vocals as well as lead guitar on Lie Like You Love Me. The confidence of all concerned in these songs is obvious from the start because nothing is forced or overdone and there is a powerful realism to everything on the album, ensuring the listener knows that this is the music that Hannah feels and there is to be no sanitization or holding back.
Her aggressive (or at least forceful side) goes into over drive on many songs but when she exhibits a little tenderness, which she does on several of the ballads, it becomes obvious that this lady has a huge talent that enables her to roam at will through just about any emotion she chooses and on this terrific album she gives an exhibition on just how multi faceted she and her music are, bringing great depth to every song. Far more than that of a one dimensional singer songwriter this album has a raw realism that may not appeal to the mainstream but that is their loss. Whilst there is naturalness to her vocals on the raw harder rocking songs her performances on ballads are equally impressive and committed.
The album is not of the ‘concept’ variety and yet all of the songs are sung from the point of view of someone who has been smashed down by life’s experiences but always got up again, sometimes taking a wrong turn but always imbued with a sense of what is right and wrong. In many ways they are tales told by a strong character who knows when to fight and when to exhibit a little tenderness. She has the ability to totally abandon herself to the sentiments or actions expressed in the song, often giving the impression there is more than one lead vocalist on the album simply because the fire and passion of some songs are completely at odds with the exquisite tenderness on others. Whilst her vocals on occasions have a lovely soft feel, for example on her ballads, those songs are never merely smooth and mellow, there is always a dynamic realism to her lyrics that tells you that on occasions, whilst there may be a little contentment there is always an underlying sense that this is life, and life is something that can often let you down with little or no warning.
The album kicks off with You Ain’t Worth The Fight, an excellent mid tempo country rocker, with solid drums and bass allowing steel guitar, electric guitar, keyboards and Hannah’s raunchy vocal plenty of space to explain her bile laden feelings to her soon to be ex lover! Old Ghost is a lovely easy going song but with Hannah’s haunting vocal propelled by keyboard and melodic twangy guitar an often spooky swampy atmosphere is created. On Strand Of Pearls a haunting musical saw creates another spooky atmosphere on a slow moodily eerie ballad that blends country, blues and even a little soul with an uplifting swampy guitar solo and to cement that diversity Parchman is a gorgeous epic country ballad with its subject a blues mainstay. Lie Like You Love Me is propelled by a lovely melodic guitar sound on a quite stunning if sad, raw country ballad of someone clinging on to a love that no longer exists.
Many albums that can arguably be placed in a similar area of the roots genre are let down in one way or another. Perhaps the writing is not quite what it might be, or the vocals or emotions a little too stretched or one dimensional, or even the instrumentation over done or poorly chosen. This album is none of those things, ensuring the listener can enjoy some beautifully balanced story songs and playing, but above all a vocalist whose raw power is matched by her tenderness and all points in between. Ultimately this is a performer who oozes genuine class, as evidenced by the quality of this album, putting her a cut above all but the very best singer songwriters, although if she continues making music of this quality she will leave the few peers she currently has, in her wake!
http://hannah-aldridge.com/
Whilst the roots of this classy album are in country music there is a large helping of blues and soul in the mix of these beautifully written songs as befits someone from Muscle Shoals, particularly as her father is musician, producer and songwriter Walt Aldridge. The country roots come from the fact that Hannah grew up not only in Muscle Shoals but also in Nashville, where this beauty of an album was actually recorded. These ten tremendous songs are blessed by a vocalist who is second to none when it comes to character laden femininity, with plenty of country twang and an appealing soulful bluesiness giving every song a powerful impact. Talking of the songs, this recording is laden with often haunting tales, most of which have a full almost epic sound, thanks to the spectacular but never overdone instrumentation and Hannah’s extraordinarily punchy, committed vocal style. They are gritty tales of, often raw, real life situations, with no holding back from Hannah in the opening up of her soul.
Nine of the ten songs were written by Hannah, added to which is a tremendous version of Jason Isbell’s Try, on which she is backed by Isbell’s backing band ‘The 400 Unit.’ The album was recorded at the ‘Welcome to 1979’ studio in Nashville and produced by Chris Mara, with the other musicians on the recording consisting of Andrew Sovine on electric and acoustic guitars as well as lap steel, Brad Pemberton, drums and percussion, Lane Baker on bass and background vocals, Andrew Higley plays keyboards and saw, James LeBlanc, background vocals and Dylan LeBlanc on background vocals as well as lead guitar on Lie Like You Love Me. The confidence of all concerned in these songs is obvious from the start because nothing is forced or overdone and there is a powerful realism to everything on the album, ensuring the listener knows that this is the music that Hannah feels and there is to be no sanitization or holding back.
Her aggressive (or at least forceful side) goes into over drive on many songs but when she exhibits a little tenderness, which she does on several of the ballads, it becomes obvious that this lady has a huge talent that enables her to roam at will through just about any emotion she chooses and on this terrific album she gives an exhibition on just how multi faceted she and her music are, bringing great depth to every song. Far more than that of a one dimensional singer songwriter this album has a raw realism that may not appeal to the mainstream but that is their loss. Whilst there is naturalness to her vocals on the raw harder rocking songs her performances on ballads are equally impressive and committed.
The album is not of the ‘concept’ variety and yet all of the songs are sung from the point of view of someone who has been smashed down by life’s experiences but always got up again, sometimes taking a wrong turn but always imbued with a sense of what is right and wrong. In many ways they are tales told by a strong character who knows when to fight and when to exhibit a little tenderness. She has the ability to totally abandon herself to the sentiments or actions expressed in the song, often giving the impression there is more than one lead vocalist on the album simply because the fire and passion of some songs are completely at odds with the exquisite tenderness on others. Whilst her vocals on occasions have a lovely soft feel, for example on her ballads, those songs are never merely smooth and mellow, there is always a dynamic realism to her lyrics that tells you that on occasions, whilst there may be a little contentment there is always an underlying sense that this is life, and life is something that can often let you down with little or no warning.
The album kicks off with You Ain’t Worth The Fight, an excellent mid tempo country rocker, with solid drums and bass allowing steel guitar, electric guitar, keyboards and Hannah’s raunchy vocal plenty of space to explain her bile laden feelings to her soon to be ex lover! Old Ghost is a lovely easy going song but with Hannah’s haunting vocal propelled by keyboard and melodic twangy guitar an often spooky swampy atmosphere is created. On Strand Of Pearls a haunting musical saw creates another spooky atmosphere on a slow moodily eerie ballad that blends country, blues and even a little soul with an uplifting swampy guitar solo and to cement that diversity Parchman is a gorgeous epic country ballad with its subject a blues mainstay. Lie Like You Love Me is propelled by a lovely melodic guitar sound on a quite stunning if sad, raw country ballad of someone clinging on to a love that no longer exists.
Many albums that can arguably be placed in a similar area of the roots genre are let down in one way or another. Perhaps the writing is not quite what it might be, or the vocals or emotions a little too stretched or one dimensional, or even the instrumentation over done or poorly chosen. This album is none of those things, ensuring the listener can enjoy some beautifully balanced story songs and playing, but above all a vocalist whose raw power is matched by her tenderness and all points in between. Ultimately this is a performer who oozes genuine class, as evidenced by the quality of this album, putting her a cut above all but the very best singer songwriters, although if she continues making music of this quality she will leave the few peers she currently has, in her wake!
http://hannah-aldridge.com/