Charlene & the Bluegrass Charlatans T-Shirt For Sale!
Our crew neck T-shirt features design details for style and comfort. Available in all sizes.
Reach out to John at 336-416-4479 to order.
Originally posted at Kool Kat Muzik here
Read the great review.
Great songs are great songs, regardless of genre or label. It’s why I 
find the new album from Charlene & The Bluegrass Charlatans, She Don’t Never Fret, so appealing. Jamie Hoover (Spongetones), John Tatum (Southport Johnny & The Bizzness) and the rest of the “Charlatans” deliver on several levels; the songs are undeniably catchy, the musicianship extraordinary and the choice of covers diverse and interesting.
“Fret” draws from traditional and contemporary sources, making it both fresh and at the same time familiar. That being the case, I’m not sure bluegrass is a sufficient genre label. If I had to assign one, it might be Grassicana. This relatively new term was coined by radio programmers to describe “…music that lies between the progressive sounds of bluegrass and the vast genre of Americana”. Then again, it’s all pop to me – just add banjo and stir.
For those with only a passing knowledge of bluegrass and Americana, collections like this are a real goldmine. For example, “Live And Die” is my introduction to The Avett Brothers. It’s a first rate pop song hiding behind a bluegrass façade. And It’s irresistible, dammit.
“If You Can’t Be Good Be Gone” showcases John’s voice – which happens to be ideal for this song – and Ken Tatum’s masterful work on banjo. Jamie Hoover takes over lead vocals on “Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey”, an expressive and lyrically timeless song made even better by Spence Hayden’s particularly pleasing piano parts. And those are just a few of thirteen tracks, every one a keeper.
The Charlatans are: Spence Hayden (keyboards, vocals), Jamie Hoover (doghouse bass and vocals), John Tatum (guitar and vocals) and Ken Tatum (banjo and vocals). By now you’re wondering who Charlene is. Arguably the star of the show, Charlene is the name given to Hoover’s upright bass.
If you’re a fan of Dave Alvin & Sonny Burgess, Peter Case’s Americana/folk work or John Hiatt’s collaboration with Jerry Douglas (his “Pearlie Mae” is also covered here), then Charlene and the Bluegrass Charlatans’ She Don’t Never Fret is for you. Get your copy from Kool Kat Musik.
Originally posted at Bluegrass Today here
Read the great review.
Jamie Hoover isn’t usually a name associated with bluegrass. For most of his career, he’s been somewhat akin to a power pop provocateur, having worked with Don Dixon, Marti Jones, the Spongetones, the Smithereens, Graham Parker, and other artists committed to a rock and roll regimen. Here, however, he leaps headfirst into grassicana realms, aided and abetted by Charlene and the Bluegrass Charlatans, a band that includes Johnny Tatum on guitar and vocals, Spence Hayden contributing keyboards and vocals, Ken Tatum sharing banjo and vocals, and Hoover himself singing and playing doghouse bass and mandolin.
For the record, there’s no one named Charlene to speak of, though the reference to Charlene Darling of Andy Griffith Show fame is made obvious by the album cover.
What inspired Hoover to cross-connect may be a matter of speculation, but given that he calls North Carolina home, this musical infusion ought to come as no surprise. While some might suspect that he’s planting tongue firmly in cheek in an effort to spark some satire, that assumption is instantly defused even after a cursory listen to She Don’t Never Fret, an adroit demonstration of the band’s form and finesse. The honky-tonk piano playing on Love Please Come Home, the ragtime revelry spun from an instrumental cover of Sweet Georgia Brown and the Avett Brothers-like emotionalism of Live and Die demonstrate the fact that they can occasionally venture a bit beyond the boundaries, but otherwise, it’s all about the picking and singing. That’s evident early on courtesy of such entries as Blackberry Blossom, If You Can’t Be Good, Be Gone, Freeborn Man, My Little Georgia Rose, and an earnest take on Peter Rowan’s Midnight Moonlight. Each offers indisputable evidence that these gentlemen are clearly committed to the cause.
Granted, bluegrass has become a genre of choice for many musicians, given its populist appeal and the obvious enthusiasm with which it’s rendered. Whether or not Hoover is ready to commit himself to a long-term engagement isn’t completely clear, but given this impressive debut, it’s obvious Charlene and the Bluegrass Charlatans are more than capable of living up to their handle. Suffice it to say, they’ve established themselves as powerhouse players straight from the start.
