Session Americana with Jefferson Hamer - Great Shakes

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 17 / 10 / 2016

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Session Americana began its life as a live residency, a bunch of musicians throwing off the shackles and jamming in a small bar in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over the following decade, the collective has worked with a wide range of singers and guest musicians and – having initially moved its residency to a bigger bar - has now evolved into a touring act in its own right. But it is only now, with their tenth record, that they have become something you could recognisably describe as a band, with a fixed membership. For this record, they are ‘Session Americana with Jefferson Hamer’. Don’t let this confuse you. This is still a ‘collective’, with writing and singing duties shared around. Hamer gets special credit for his role corralling the collective into action, acting as producer and arranger. You’d be forgiven for thinking this record had come straight out of the 1970s, with Crosby, Stills and Nash an obvious influence, along with echoes of James Taylor. Although, for most involved, this is very much not their main employment, all bring their best work to the table. The songs are consistently engaging, but the main selling point is the flair of the individual performances, within a group working in harmony. Records where a large number of people bring songs and solos to the table can fall victim to two pitfalls. Either they are too diverse, and sound like a compilation rather than an album. Or, they go too far in the other direction, with the band’s live sound being repeated over and over. ‘Great Shakes’ skirts round both, and you suspect it is here that Hamer earned his additional credits. It’s a perfectly balanced record, with pristine folk ballads rubbing shoulders with rootsy rockers. You are left with an album that showcases the very best of what the Americana scene has to offer. It’s an album of warm, engaging music, with brilliant solos and sublime harmonies. And, if it doesn’t necessarily break any new ground, it certainly treads over that old ground with confidence, skill and love. An absolute must for any lovers of folk, blues or country.

Track Listing:-

1 One Skinner
2 Helena
3 Bumbershoot
4 Big Mill in Bogalusa
5 What Are Those Things
6 Tired Blue Shirt
7 Great Western Rail
8 Mississippi Mud
9 One Good Rain
10 Barefoot Sailors

Band Links:-

http://www.sessionamericana.com/
https://twitter.com/SessionAmerican
https://www.facebook.com/session.americana
https://www.instagram.com/sessionamericana/

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