Album Review: You, Me, Everybody – Southern Sky   (Second Hand Records)

A debut album that has its heart in Americana and sounds like it has been fed from the same well that Dylan and especially The Band tapped into in the late Sixties in Woodstock, New York. Traditional Irish and Scottish music adding in ingredients of Jazz, Swing and Blues to make it sound simultaneously contemporary and timeless. 

The five players come from all around the country. The album was recorded in a small country studio near Hamilton. Largely self-produced by the band, the music has a warm analogue sound which perfectly complements the all-acoustic instruments.

Brothers Laurence Frangos-Rhodes, guitar and vocals and Sam Frangos-Rhodes, mandolin and violin are from the Waikato. They started in a family Bluegrass band, Rhode Works.

Nat Torkington is an ace banjo-picker who plays in a highly regarded Bluegrass outfit called the Pipi Pickers from Leigh in the Far North. Kim Bonnington is from Wellington and is an excellent   Country music voice both solo and singing behind many other artists. James Geluk plays acoustic bass in a very fluid manner and has mostly been seen in the Frank Burkitt Band.

All original songs from Laurence and Kim.

Without a Fight has Laurence singing with soft Folk tones. The banjo and mandolin intertwine and mesh to sound like water running down a mountain stream.

Don’t Hide Away has the banjo upfront to start and has the rhythmic drive of classic fast Bluegrass. The mandolin matches this with even faster picking. Kim excels with clear ringing lead vocals, a classic Country sound.

Watch ‘em Go does sound like back porch music. An older-style Folk voice from Laurence. All the instruments combine to produce a melodic swing reminiscent of the softer Bluegrass style of The Blue Sky Boys or The Bailey Brothers.

You Do starts with a fiddle and is a waltz with swing. It’s an outstanding performance from Kim who gives it some slightly jazzy accents matched with high ranging vocals. In the same manner of a Patsy Cline who was also not a strictly country singer. Guitar and banjo trade licks and riffs. The big bass has a spotlight and comes on like Mingus. The singer comes back to tie it all up neatly. A Country Klezmer-Jazz style number.

How Many Squirrels is an instrumental where mandolin and banjo lead. Banjo especially lays out nice jazzy licks and all players chase each other around in a masterclass of ensemble playing. The tune reveals its complexities on repeated listens. Fans of Ry Cooder and especially the music of the American Civil War which featured on the Long Riders will recognise this.

Walk With Me is a standout. This sounds like old Country Gospel with a great vocal from Kim. You don’t have to walk that lonesome valley on your own. Deep and mysterious like the Original Carter Family. The music lifts it up and gives it some rhythmic drive.

Devil in a Bottle of Whiskey could well be a traditional Irish drinking song. But there are lots of Jazz flourishes. The banjo gives a fast propulsive step. Traditional moving into klezmer. You could definitely hear Levon Helm in spirit here.

Southern Sky is a fast Bluegrass style workout.

On the Road has the bass sounding like a tuba. Mostly Gypsy Jazz matched with a nice Country vocal from Kim.

Bluegrass, Country, Folk and Jazz. But stitched together seamlessly. Can easily stand alongside those practitioners of Heartland Americana like Ry Cooder and The Band. Great that it can resonate in a similar fashion in New Zealand.

Rev Orange Peel

Click here to watch You, Me, Everybody perform live at The 13th Floor