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It may well be early days in 2010, but you’re unlikely to hear a better country album all year.
Californian Rita Hosking now releases her third album, which is set to raise the bar on the genre now exploding across the states.
A descendent of Cornish miners, Hosking knows how to deliver an earthy and tender collection that blends folk, country (and shades of bluegrass) into superbly crafted original sounds and stories about loggers, trailers, waterfalls, culture clash, forest fires, loss, and inevitably miners.
In effect, all things Californian, well, maybe not LA as such, but certainly if you come from the sticks – Davis city Shasta County - which occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley to the southern reaches of the Cascade Range, so on paper at least, it sounds incredibly beautiful with enough landscape and fauna to be considered inspirational. And that’s where, in most part, Hosking has set her controls.
We can only imagine the wealth of her indigenous environment, simply because it ain’t jam-packed with people, with a population density of 43 folks per square mile.
As soon as you hear her voice, you can tell this gal was born to be a country singer – the twang is country through-and-through, and luckily she’s got the musical goods – songs- to support that fabulous voice.
Many of the songs themselves have a relaxed ambiance which features her gentle acoustic approach, but the key to their appeal is her great band of 11 contributors, who throw down lashings of violin (Come Sunrise) pedal steel (Let ‘Em Run/ Montgomery Creek Blues) and banjo (Come Sunrise).
After Promised Land, she ups the tempo a tad, with Precious Little rolling out as a smooth shuffle, while follower-on Hiding Place being the laziest track on the entire album. Effortless balladeering accompanied by the simplest of instrumentation and it works wonders. The subliminal guitar solo is the icing on the cake.
Little Joe is a plucky hoedown blast featuring some dazzling banjo skills from Danny Barnes and just enough fiddle to keep the indigenous sound intact.
The one song that truly stands out from this excellent collection is Holier Than Thou. It’s a soft and gentle sway that allows Hosking’s voice to feature more than any other. There’s some dazzlingly understated banjo work, possibly the best on the CD.
Breaking the mould comes crunching lightweight rocker Upside Down, bringing back shades of Neil Young’s country rock exploits, whereas closer I’m Going Home has a simple and genuine porch mood.
Rita Hosking will be touring the UK in July 2010 with accompanist Sean Feder on Dobro and banjo.
1. Let ‘Em Run
2. Come Sunrise
3. Montgomery Creek Blues
4. Promise Land
5. Precious Little
6. Hiding Place
7. Little Joe
8. Holier Than Thou
9. She’s Waiting
10. Upside Down
11. I’m Going Home
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.