CD Review: Phoebe Hunt Live at the Cactus Cafe

For the past couple weeks, I've been listening relentlessly to Phoebe Hunt's Live at the Cactus Cafe. I've been following Ms. Hunt since her days with The Belleville Outfit so I leaped at the chance to hear a preview version of her live CD.  Why, first - I love her voice - sultry and sweet. And her fiddle. And the range of her musical influences. There's blues, gypsy jazz, old time jazz, western swing, country. You name it, it seems like she can sing it - authentically. This release is a little pop-ish then what I'm normally accustomed to, but paired with her pal, Reed Turner, hits home - as in Take Me Home. Hunt also covers former band mate Connor Forsyth in Before I'm Done - with Forsyth on the keyboards - that shows the range of her vocals. Very nice.  As is Walk Away - my favorite track.  This CD is also economical - 16 songs in total - with Turner leading with guitar plus his I Got Love. Still listen to Turner's Ghosts in the Attic on a regular basis and I think Live at the Cactus Cafe will join it in the rotation. Cheers.

Album Review: Reed Turner: Ghosts in the Attic

Last we heard from Reed Turner we had just listened to his 2011 EP Side One: See How Far I Get. Now he's returned to our radar with the soon to be released Ghosts in the Attic - scheduled for early February.  Plus we hear that he's been hanging out with Phoebe Hunt, which makes us even more intrigued. I plugged the CD in and had it running in the background, but not for long. After switching back to see the song title for the first three tracks, I gave up on work and just listened. I thought the title track would be my favorite, then I listened to Killed That Girl, then Room for Doubt,  then Long Gone - you get the idea. This CD gets better the longer you listen. I really thought that his EP was a fine release, but there is no comparison to Ghosts. The song writing is more mature, the guitar work more sophisticated (Lone Gone), and the songs more powerful (Locking Doors & The Fire).  The only disappointment is I can't make it to Stubbs to see Turner and Ms. Hunt for the CD release party on February 8th.  The future of Texas alt-country is in good hands.