The quiet days of winter, with the sun low in the sky, leaving most plants and some people dormant, can sometimes yield tasty fruit. Three local guys have new albums just released, full of that tasty stuff we all enjoy. Richard Sumberg, Bobby Edmondson and Frankie Bourne are all excited about their new material and are eager to get out there to show it off.
Sumberg is known to folks in the valley of the tunes as the frontman of the band Tangled Up in Blue. Tangled focuses its performances on the music of Bob Dylan and his varied styles of song. Culling its name of a song from Dylan’s fantastic album from 1975 “Blood on the Tracks,” the band has developed quite a following.
Sumberg’s new release is not a Tangled album, but the songs are very reminiscent of Dylan. Sumberg’s vocal style is also Dylan-esque, with just a touch of Steve Forbert’s breathy influence. He complements his vocals with harmonies sung by Jackie Holzhauer and Leela Hutchinson. Bobby Edmonson and Cliff Zyskowski complete the list of local musicians who assisted Sumberg in creating such a fine album.
The songs are nicely acoustic at the root, with tasteful accompaniment from the others. The 14 songs on the album were all written by Sumberg, who shares the producer credit with Edmondson. Love found is a consistent theme of the songs, and they carry that optimism with major chords and upbeat rhythms. Sumberg’s harmonica playing is a sweet surprise.
Edmondson’s new album is called “Fun in the Swallyboat.” Recorded entirely in his home studio with all instruments played and vocals done by Edmondson himself, it is a quirky, lighthearted and fun album, full of his wry and clever humor. In fact, Edmondson said, “It’s sort of a silly album, really.”
Why would somebody attempt to record a truly solo album? “I play all the instruments, and I know what I want vocally, and I’ve got all the technology … It’s kind of a fun challenge, I would say,” Edmondson said in a recent phone call.
“I Used to Have a Memory” is the first song on the album. It is a very funny slice-of-life kind of song, a tongue-in-cheek peak at the aging process. We’ve all been there. Like a John Prine or Todd Snider song, it provides the listener with a good laugh.
“Oh, Goody” is a politely sarcastic dive inside the mind of a reluctant partygoer. We’ve all been there, too.
A section of the album is called “Short Attention Span Theater” and features snippets of musical ideas, as fully developed as snippets can be.
One pitfall a solo artist might suffer is common to writers, too: When you are too close to the product, you might not see it as it is really written. The phrase that sounds so good in your head might fall flat on the page.
A similar trap befell Edmondson. When he received the finished CD and gave it a listen, he didn’t like it! He was not pleased with the way he mixed the instruments and actually remixed the entire album. As he said, “The devil’s in the details.”
The album is absolutely to his satisfaction now. “I’m just happy if people listen to it and tell me they like this song or that song,” he said. “Fun In The Swallyboat” will soon be available on Spotify. In the meantime, hit Edmondson up when you see him out and about.
“Pay to Play” is the title of Bourne’s new album, released on Robotic Records. He is a Sonoma guy who was riding high when COVID-19 slowed things down, but is now poised to crest the wave again with this very good new album.
He recorded the songs at a private studio here in the Valley, with Peter Wiltz acting as co-producer and recording engineer. Bourne plays the rhythm guitars and occasional harmonica, and handles all the lead vocals.
The albums opens with “Leaving Hollywood,” a rocker with acoustic guitars and a full band. No doubt autobiographical in nature, it is a strong tune and a solid opener.
“The Little Things” is another solid number. It’s accompanying music video, available on YouTube, highlights local scenery as well as an inside view of the studio where the nine original songs were recorded. Visible on the video is Wiltz, who in addition to producing and recording the tracks, is an important musician on the album.
“Valentine” features outstanding vocals by Petaluma resident Julia Cramer in addition to tasty lead guitar work by Sunil Sharma. It feels a bit like a Jackie Greene song, and that is a good thing.
Bourne’s album, his fourth full-length studio album, is very good and worth a listen. He and his band will be playing at HopMonk Sonoma Friday at 8 p.m.
All told, these three releases are fine examples of the bounty of the good music we have here in our little valley. Get out and support all the superb local live music!
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