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Malcolm Holcombe - Tricks of the Trade

William, August 27, 2021

Nashville veteran Malcolm Holcombe is back with new record Tricks of the Trade. It's his sixth in seven years, and it doesn't seem to stop. If you think creativity dries up after so many plates, you're wrong. On the contrary, Tricks of the Trade sounds raw, pure and authentic. The fact that Nashville delivers quality singer/songwriters is proven by Malcolm Holcombe.

Holcombe has been producing and playing music for quite a while. His first album, A Far Cry From Here, dates back to 1994, and he has since made numerous records that have been received fairly well. Though for a small audience. They're records I'm not familiar with, and Tricks of the Trade is my first. Malcolm Holcombe himself has not noticed me before. This is going to change in the near future, because this record pulls me over the line.

The first thing that comes to mind is, and you can't ignore, is Holcombe's voice. It is raw and has a lot of wear. Comparisons with the old still-alive legend Bob Dylan make you fast. It has a lot of interfaces. In my opinion, this makes Tricks of the Trade less suitable for the younger generation. Of course, there are always exceptions, but it has to lie down. For the younger generation, this sounds rather old-fashioned.

The musical coloring covers many different genres. Blues is one that clearly shows up on Tricks of the Trade. But you can also add folk and country. It makes this record a varying whole that you bring with you through different musical styles. And I honestly do not mind that at all and can only appreciate that. Malcolm has clearly been able to make the most of his years of experience on this record.

Although I'm not a great lyricist when it comes to music, I'd like to pause for a moment. Malcolm Holcombe is often abstract and sometimes difficult to follow. But like Bob Dylan, he is not afraid to tackle the political aspect. You hear Holcombe pick that up on different numbers. But the "normal" struggles of life are also given a place in his lyrics.

Malcolm Holcombe is not very well known as Bob Dylan. And he's not gonna be either. But it's obvious that he produces sound Americana music. Tricks of the Trade is unlikely to be particularly high-eyed, in my opinion completely unjustified, as he proves here that Malcolm Holcombe can write good music. Although I know little of his albums, this new record does invite to his oeuvre. An authentic artist who creates music in a quirky way from passion, that's Malcolm Holcombe summarized.

Released on Gypsy Eyes Music

https://takeeffectreviews.com/september-2021/2021/9/1/malcolm-holcombe

MALCOLM HOLCOMBE

September 1, 2021

Tricks Of The Trade

Need To Know, 2021

9/10

A veteran musician who’s been quite prolific in recent years, Malcolm Holcombe possesses a wise, weathered voice that has plenty of stories to tell, and along with longtime band members Dave Roe and Jared Tyler, among other guests, he delivers 13 tunes very much indebted to his mountainous heritage.

“Money Train” gets the album off to a gritty start as Holcombe’s gravelly vocals flow alongside bluesy guitars and light drumming, and “Misery Loves Company” follows with warm acoustic guitar and a more folk oriented approach that’s still rugged, but also quite melodic in a rural sort of way.

Further into the listen, “Your Kin” balances fluid strumming and vivid storytelling that’s got some bite to its breezy climate, while “Damn Rainy Day” recruits a soulful quality amid the firm southern spirit. “On Tennessee Land”, the album’s best, then displays intricate guitar picking amid proficient drumming as a charming energy unfolds with much beauty.

The title track lands near the end and pairs pretty music with Holcombe’s ragged yet tuneful rasp, and “Shaky Ground” exits the listen with a poetic and genuine illustration of Holcombe’s timeless formula.

Holcombe is no stranger to blues, country, folk, bluegrass, gospel and rock’n’roll, and all those ideas together with backing vocals from Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris make for a listen that’s all substance, comes straight from the heart and leaves an indelible impression.

http://www.keysandchords.com/album-review-blog/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade-limited-deluxe-version

MALCOLM HOLCOMBE TRICKS OF THE TRADE (LIMITED-DELUXE VERSION)

30/8/2021

With its raw baritone, troubadour Malcolm Holcombe pushes us to the facts. The elite's supremacy against the vast majority, the tricks of the fortune that are applied, with all the consequences that entails, are being exposed by Malcolm on the grid.

‘Money Train’ and ‘Misery Loves Company’ leave nothing to the imagination...it is about money in our society. The 2018 album ‘Come Hell or High Water’ has already been praised on this site, and its recent ‘Tricks’ (written in 2019 anyway, but only now available on CD in Europe) should not be underestimated. Malcolm is accompanied on Tricks Of The Trade by bassist/producer Dave Roe, his son Jerry on drums and "longtime partner in crime" Jared Tyler on dobro/mandolin/electric guitar. Already grumpy, he denounces injustice, poverty and abuse of power...without being instructive. Yet also a spark of positivity with "Into the sunlight we belong".

Malcolm Holcombe grew up in the Appalachians of North Carolina, not immediately the most luxurious region, and he drew the man both literally and figuratively. And see what beautiful comes out of it! Not only to be discovered by the folkies, also for fans of Tom Waits and even Captain Beefheart.

https://fervorcoulee.wordpress.com/2021/08/23/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade-review/

Fervor Coulee- roots music opinion

Music reviews and thoughts @FervorCoulee

Malcolm Holcombe- Tricks of the Trade review

2021 August 23

1 Vote

Malcolm Holcombe Tricks of the Trade  Need To Know Proper Music

If Ray Wylie Hubbard is too mainstream, Malcolm Holcombe will most likely appeal.

Holcombe is a veritable outlier to the mainstream Americana industry. Despite little attention from the powers-that-be, including labels and radio, Holcombe has released a couple handfuls of albums over the years, working with stalwarts including Darrell Scott, Ray Kennedy, Iris DeMent (including an album of duets entitled Come Hell or High Water, released in 2018,) and Greg Brown. Consistently, Holcombe’s music has interested those seeking forbidding, primitive legitimacy in roots music.

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Holcombe sings honestly of all matters of subject, but tends to favour examination of those most frequently forgotten and cast aside. When he sings of being “Stuck inside my head waitin’ on my payday” one accepts that no matter what comes his way, Holcombe isn’t going to find comfort riding the “Money Train.” Reflecting on loving relationships (as on “Lenora Cynthia”) Holcombe does so without fabrication of pretty ideals, his head a prison with a hardened floor and ramshackle steps. The poetic ambiguity of his chosen words is attractive, his narratives winding and challenging.

Shades of John Prine (“Misery Loves Company”) are revealed when Holcombe sings, “The bartender serves me one more broken heart.” The song’s refrain—“’Cause misery loves company when the neon’s burnin’ bright”—is both universally relevant and undeniably Holcombe. Insights pillorying politicians including “a dictator for a president” are revealed in “On Tennessee Land,” “Good Intentions,” and “Your Kin,” while hypocrisy of all forms is challenged within the title track, “Higher Ground,” and “Crazy Man Blues.”

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If only the populace listened to prophecies of poets.

He has been working with veteran musicians Dave Roe (bass and co-producer with Brian Brinkerhoff) and Jared Tyler (Dobro, mandolin, electric guitar, as well as co-producer) for years, and their continued presence affords Holcombe’s albums, as here, a familiarity that listeners embrace. This time out, Holcombe’s vocals appear to be placed more assertively in the mix, and while the accompanying instrumentation is powerful Holcombe’s voice is given prominence. Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris provide backing vocals in a number of places, offering textures of depth and vitality.

As the songs of troubadours and folk singers have done for centuries, Malcolm Holcombe’s Tricks of the Trade sagely identifies the challenges we have created through collective actions (and inaction!) The solutions are obvious; are we willing to accept these and make the changes necessary to allow a society of honest fairness to develop? I doubt it, and I suspect Holcombe does, too. Many of us are too comfortable to take to the streets to facilitate and inflame change.

An intense and at times overpowering listen, Tricks of the Trade is as strong of an album as Holcombe’s I’ve encountered.

tp://threechordsandthetruthuk.blogspot.com/2021/08/album-review-malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of.html?m=1

Three Chords and the Truth UK

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Sunday, 22 August 2021

Album Review: Malcolm Holcombe - Tricks of the Trade

www.malcolmholcombe.com
The inimitable and enigmatic Malcolm Holcombe surfaces out of lockdown in the only true way he knows, namely recording another album to maintain a rapid flow of releases that has seemed to accelerate in recent years. TRICKS OF THE TRADE in its basic format comprises of a dozen new tracks. For those wanting a little extra, there is the deluxe edition with an additional track, and who could wish for anything more than an extra dose of this North Carolinian famed for putting an almost unique stamp on his interpretation of American roots music.
If you have been fortunate to catch him on one of his many live shows including several European excursions, there is an indelible mark on your memory. For me there was the initial awe of over a decade ago witnessing him rocking in a dining chair while letting his music counter the theory of balance. More recently it was an appearance in front of a Friday night social club crowd who if they were a little perplexed, did not exit in any noticeable numbers until the encore. Maybe the last statement is doing the audience a disservice, but he isn't your usual weekend prelude.
Regardless of whether you are a seasoned Malcolm Holcombe gig observer, there is much merit in sinking into any of his albums, and starting with this new one is as good as any. Across the plastered template, he uses a production framework on the full side with plenty of multi instrumental input from his team to funnel the fruits of his inner thinking space into songs shaped nicely for an anticipated listener. Of course the grizzly growling vocals play their part, and a little fine tuning to your antenna may be required, dependent on where you are on the Malcolm Holcombe listening scale.
The themes of his songwriting bounce around from the micro world of the deeply personal to a macro view of what is happening out there for all to see and experience. As you would expect from a songwriter with a poetic streak, the lyrics are there to chew if you desire and make the recipient tender as much interpretation and pleasure as they wish. On the other hand, there is an aura in the style of which Holcombe delivers his songs that embed wisdom, passion and a will to wring out every drip of creative juice fermenting in his mind.
Outside of the bonus track 'Windows of Amsterdam', which itself is a strongly appealing song awash with a memorable chorus, other ones to catch the ear in the first few spins include the country feeling 'Misery Loves Company' illuminating the second spot in the track order and the politically charged 'Your Kin' in the album's midriff. Elsewhere 'Higher Ground' dips into a bluesy well with a more domineering soundtrack and a catchy chorus repeating the mantra "freedom to lose/choose". A song if you listen carefully contains vocal contributions from Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris. Bringing up the rear is 'Shaky Ground' alongside an accompanying video and an emblematic gateway into the inner psyche of this album as well as ultimately hailing as the premium moment.
If the world is still turning and Malcolm Holcombe still has his guitar in hand then you know new music will continually flow. TRICKS OF THE TRADE is more of the same, but if you're hooked in you won't grumble.

https://paulkerr.wordpress.com/

Malcolm Holcombe. Tricks Of The Trade. Need To Know Music.

Posted on August 25, 2021

Praise be the world when, in the midst of a pandemic and other shit storms, a new Malcolm Holcombe album arrives. It’s like a rock to hold onto as mayhem rushes by, with Holcombe’s gruff voice, his command of visceral country blues, and lyrical acuity, sure to hold you fast.

Tricks Of The Trade is classic Holcombe – raw, sinewy and vibrant. He growls magnificently over a set of songs, which, on this occasion, are amped up somewhat while never letting go of his North Carolina roots. He’s aided by long time companions, Jared Tyler and Dave Roe with Roe’s son, Jerry, taking on the drum role, and together they rustle up a mighty rumble. While it’s Holcombe’s voice and words that are first and foremost, it’s the hustle and bustle of the stringed instruments – guitar, slide, Dobro – snaking throughout the album which capture attention. At times the interplay is quite hypnotic as on the Townes Van Zandt like Damn Rainy Day which, for this reviewer, could have lasted for twice as long and still tempt one to press the replay button.

It’s timeless music, as old as the hills but bang up to date also as Holcombe addresses some issues of the day. Crazy Man Blues doesn’t go so far as to name the man but it’s evident who Holcombe is weighing into here. The opening Money Train is suffused with blues and gospel as it satirises the worship of Mammon and Your Kin is surely a condemnation of US border forces as they straddle Mexico and separate families.

Elsewhere, Holcombe just waxes wonderfully on eternal themes. On Tennessee Land is akin to Woody Guthrie’s dustbowl ballads while Misery Loves Company is a rare upbeat number belying its title, as Holcombe and crew (including backing singer Mary Gauthier) turn in a joyous country number. There’s more joy to be had in the title song which uses a circus theme to suggest that we are still in thrall to the bread and circuses the Romans used to placate their citizens. If Holcombe is suggesting that his songs are just a similar trick of the trade, the discerning listener would surely refute that. You need to dig deep to find artists of the calibre of Holcombe, even within these days of music on demand, and, once found, he is surely more than mere entertainment. Dig deep and dig him so that this breed of tried and true truth tellers and musicians can survive.

https://loff.it/the-music/malcolm-holcombe-publica-su-esperado-nuevo-album-producido-por-brian-brinkerhoff-dave-roe-y-jared-tyler-369769/

Home / The Music /

Malcolm Holcombe publishes his long-awaited new album produced by Brian Brinkerhoff, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler. Video, lyrics and information.

ON MALCOLM HOLCOMBE'S NEW ALBUM, GUEST VOCALISTS ARE MARY GAUTHIER AND JAIMEE HARRIS.

Just by mentioning his name, Malcolm Holcombe, you are immediately relived the first time you hear him. Musician, songwriter and poet RB Morris perfectly remembers coming to see him live on the recommendation of a friend: “Malcolm and his little band were in the middle of the performance when I arrived and stopped short just outside the door. In a city full of singer-songwriters, I hadn't heard anything like this guy, not there or anywhere else. Malcolm was a study, head to toe and heart to mind. He was definitely possessed by what he was up to, what you would call in a zone. He had a powerful and unusual voice and an urgent and honest expression. What he said can be felt on a personal level if all the words are not fully discerned. I listened intently as the songs poured out of him, One song turning into the next, Malcolm barely breathed between them, not expecting applause. The musicians rolled with him. I didn't know bass, but Kenny Malone was on drums and Jelly Roll Johnson was on mouth harp.Malcolm sat in a chair in their midst, swaying and swaying, and seemed to levitate at times . He played an acoustic guitar, sometimes tapping or banging like he was knocking on the door of the song. His right hand, like no other I have ever seen, flapped on a flat surface. The guitar was alive at the mercy of the man who held it and when his voice sounded over it, telling his story, well, it was a wonder to behold. " A really brilliant description of the meeting and more if it comes from a musician of his category.

Listening to his music you know immediately that knowing Malcolm is knowing stories, the stories he tells in his songs and the stories that people love to tell about Malcolm. Malcolm is an incredible artist in the recording studio and that means he is capable of lighting the fire of his live performances in the studio . He has released 16 or more albums since the mid-1990s, but since 2015 he has released six full albums and a separate series of singles. It's had a huge flow that is hardly hampered by near-death health crises, or pandemics, or the truths and vicissitudes of whatever the business is, just a steady stream of brilliant original work.

" Tricks Of The Trade ", which is the title of his new album arrives on the crest of this wave, Malcolm at full throttle and surrounded by his main accomplices, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler . Malcolm has been recording with Dave Roe since 2007 and Jared Tyler goes back even further, at least to Malcolm's 1999 masterpiece " A Hundred Lies ." They understand Malcolm and understand his music and serve as producers and co-producers of “ Tricks Of The Trade, ” along with Brian Brinkerhoff, who has been the label / producer of this latest Malcolm record startup. The record was made at Dave Roe's Seven Deadly Sins Studios in Nashville.

In late 2020, Malcolm released a limited preview edition of the album on vinyl. The August 20 release on Need To Know Music goes on sale on CD and on all digital platforms and with a limited edition deluxe first-run (1500) CD including a bonus track, " Windows Of Amsterdam " and exclusive illustrations.

Let yourself be carried away by the musical force of Malcolm Holcombe .

Lyrics for Money Train from the album Tricks Of The Trade , Malcolm Holcombe

Ridin 'the money train ev'rybody's ridin' the ol money train ridin 'the money train ev'rybody's ridin' the ol money train ride on broken hearts scratches on my car young and old lemme tell ya 'bout my scars whatever sells the most i wanna be a part of the money train i dont care 'bout the starvin' naked world somebody else'll fix it i'm busy in a whirl on the money train chorus i'd rather be alone stuck inside my head waitin 'on my payday makin 'plans to get ahead on the money train i lay awake at night countin' cards in my head shootin 'pool in my dreams clean the table and scream on the money train chorus pt barnum said a sucker's born ev'ry minute i 'm standin'in line cause i got my ticket for the money train i gotta hot tub a bathtub a solar powered guitar i clean up pretty good and i turn it up louder for the money train.

https://www.heavenmagazine.nl/actueel/_week2134

Roots/Folk
Malcolm Holcombe – Tricks Of The Trade
With his sandpaper voice and vagabond appearance, Malcolm Holcombe would probably have long since been forgotten if he weren't such a great songsmith. With the collaboration of Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, among others, Holcombe on Tricks Of The Trade treats you to thirteen excellent songs, which may not break new ground, but again fully confirm his enormous talent.

https://tinnitist.com/2021/08/23/now-hear-this-malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

Now Hear This: Malcolm Holcombe | Tricks of the Trade

Stoll a mile or three in the gritty southern singer-songwriter's worn-down shoes.

By

Darryl Sterdan -

2021-08-23128

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To know Malcolm is to know stories — the stories he tells in his songs and the stories people love to tell about Malcolm Holcombe. And Lord knows some are legendary. You’ll hear plenty of stories on his latest album Tricks of the Trade. Malcolm’s an amazing recording artist in that he’s able to catch the fire of his live performances in the studio. He’s put out 16 or more records since the mid-90’s, but since 2015 he’s put out six albums and a separate series of singles. He’s had a big flow going, hardly hampered by near-death health crises, or pandemics, or the verities and vicissitudes of whatever the biz is, just a steady stream of brilliant original work.

Tricks of the Trade comes at the crest of this wave, with Malcolm at full throttle, surrounded by his main accomplices, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler. Malcolm’s been recording with Roe since 2007, and Tyler goes back even further, at least to Malcolm’s 1999 masterpiece, A Hundred Lies. These guys understand Malcolm and his music, and serve as producer and co-producer of Tricks of the Trade along with Brian Brinkerhoff, who’s been the label/producer of this late flow of Malcolm records. And the record was made at Roe’s Seven Deadly Sins Studios in Nashville. You can feel them owning that atmosphere on this one.

Malcolm comes from many musical traditions: Folk, country, rock, bluegrass, blues, gospel, it’s all there somewhere, rolled into a mix of his own declaration. And much has been made of Malcolm’s western N.C. mountain and hill country roots that seem to orient and flavor his rendering. It’s all of that, but more as well. There’s mystery in Malcolm’s songs like there’s mystery in life. Everything’s not spelled out; the songs take their own shape as much as being worked to a form. Malcolm’s lyrics are often like reading Rimbaud in translation. A certain light shines through his words even when you don’t follow all of his meaning, a kind of endowment of meaning that’s given to the expression.

Like any songwriter, Malcolm sings universal themes. And when he sings of love it comes from a deep place as in Lenora Cynthia, and through his own personal visions: reach over to the mornin’ / speak softly passin’ by the prison in my head / must live and never die / the floor is hard as nails / ramshackled broken steps / I stumble in your arms. Or sometimes, like in the country song, Misery Loves Company, he has a hard but humorous take on love: I’ve tasted and I’ve wasted the good life that I had / my poor selfish drinking made a rich ol man go mad … I passed out and I cried out / my God what have I done / she’s gone … I oughtta be on tv with a guitar strummin’ / smile cause misery loves company / when the neon’s burnin’/bright.

The album is infused with takes on national crises and situations, but always filtered through Malcolm’s personal language and perspective. Everybody’s deal is with the money train, and good intentions and crazy man blues lets you know what’s going down on a national level. The hierarchy of the rich and powerful are never far from Malcolm’s configuring. And he lets you know he comes from a different place.Malcolm rolls deep and wide and lets you know how it is with him and the world, but he always paints a picture of determination.”

https://www.soundguardian.com/index.php/blues-corner-kolumne-53/56523-malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade

BLUES CORNER

Malcolm Holcombe - "Tricks of the Trade"

Malcolm Holcombe - "Tricks of the Trade"

The album "Tricks of the Trade" by Malcolm Holcombe was released yesterday by the publishing company NEED TO KNOW MUSIC with the global radio promotion of G Promo PR.

This musician has so far released 16 or more albums since the mid-90s, but since 2015. he published six complete albums and a special series of singles. In addition, he did perform often until the onset of this disease, but no matter what, Malcolm Holcombe simply did not give up and the story despite everything got his clear and constant flow in which great things were born.

A strange fusion of Tom Waits, J. Call, White, Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurray, Bruce Springsteen and other "troublesome" performers gave a hint of excellent music content and that's exactly what happened on this album. And as things are sold, I admit that Malcolm's "drinking" a hundred an hour surrounded by his friends, great musicians like Dave Roe and Jared Tyler. And, as it says, the team knows their job, they get figured out and actually just exchange that positive venue, and that's why the album sounds so wicked good! Malcolm, Dave and Jared are doing the band with Miles McPherson. Ron de la Vega appears in particular on the cello of Lenora Cynthia. Malcolm received excellent vocal support from Iris DeMent and Grega Brown on recent plates, and here Mary Gauthier and Jaime Harris add their voice to a number of songs, including the Higher Ground.

Malcolm Holcombe comes from a variety of musical traditions: folka, countrys, rock, blues, blues and gospel, and all that is turned into their original musical expression and I can only write "hat down"! In his songs he has mysticism, not everything is precise, and the songs get their atmosphere and shape just as much as it needs and it is really great!

RECOMMENDATION

This album has everything and it has to be respected, because it is hard that this music story could be missed and omitted anyway. Everything around this album took place spontaneously and after studying sessions everyone was satisfied and at the end of the "Tricks of the Trade" Malcolm Holcombe sounds so "cool".

This is how others hear and describe: “The Fans of Waits, White, Ray Wylie Hubbard, James McMurtry and other tribadours of the troubled should naturally gravity at Holcombe’s distinctive wordsmithing and Tough, Blue Storage are easy on par with the timing of his peers.” - American Songwriter.

“There is no sense of the article. Every note counts, every line is worn, and his rumbling, crumbling baritone tosses and judgments, squeezing every last spark from their smouldering fire.”

Find out more about this:

www.malcolmholcombe.com

www.facebook.com/malcolmholcombe

www.twitter.com/malcolmholcombe

www.gpromopr.com

List of songs:

1. Money Train (4:38)

2. Misery Loves Company (3:27)

3. Into the Sunlight (2:38)

4. Crazy Man Blues (3:57)

5. Your China (3:44)

6. Damn Rainy Day (3:52)

7. Higher Ground (4:20)

8. Good Intentions (4:16)

9. He Tennessee Land (2:19)

10. Lenora Cynthia (2:36)

11. Tricks of the Trade (3:59)

12. Windows of Amsterdam (3:36) CD-ONLY BONUS TRACK

13. Shaky Ground (3:35)

(NEED TO KNOW MUSIC / G Promo PR)

Your bluesy,

Mladen Loncar - Mike

https://www.realrootscafe.com/2021/08/20/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

MALCOLM HOLCOMBE, TRICKS OF THE TRADE

ALBUM REVIEW

20 AUGUST 2021

BY JAKS SCHUIT

To call Malcolm Holcombe's voice gruff is an understatement. The vocal cords of the American singer-songwriter are blown, perhaps they should be replaced. But hear Holcombe sing after visiting the capital ‘Windows In Amsterdam’. The dim world of prostitution is revealed in a song by the Bard born on 2 September 1955. And his voice in such a song can't be deep, not bronsty enough.

In 1990, Holcombe moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In his new home, Holcombe climbed the stage after other performances to make his own songs heard. He made his daily living washing dishes in clubs. A Far Cry From Here was a nearly silent debut in 1994. After some hesitation, Geffen Records drew Holcombe but left its successor A Hundred Lies years on the table. After moving to North Carolina, several records were released independently.

Tricks of the Trade is the eighteenth studio album by Holcombe. The release features 46 minutes and 23 minutes of recognizable music. The composer Holcombe is still searching for stories he finds on the selvages of life. Titles like ‘Misery Loves Companion’, ‘Crazy Man Blues’, ‘Damn Rainy Day’ and ‘Windows Of Amsterdam’ are telling. There are no lyrics about a love, about a lost relationship, Holcombe tells stories about people who often lose the battle with life.

Holcombe is always accompanied by friends. Bassist Dave Roe and son Jerry Roe are a more than solid rhythm section, guitarist Jared Tyler also occasionally took place behind the buttons to give the production the right sound. Brian Brinkerhoff has been Holcombe's producer for several years. Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris sing along on a few songs. Nowhere is excess, everywhere essential.

Tricks Of The Trade is Malcolm Holcombe's next album. It again shows a mix of blues, folk, country and here and there a lick of gospel. Holcombe tells stories that attract attention. Whether he's looking at the lady behind the glass in front of a window in Amsterdam or telling stories about relatives losing each other on the border of Mexico and America. There is always recognition with the passionate musician Malcolm Holcombe. And that gritty, surviving voice remains recognizable from thousands. (Need To Know)

https://johnnysgarden.nl/tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe

Tricks of the Trade

There is no convincing evidence that the saying ‘There’s a sucker born every minute’ was actually used by circus operator PT Barnum, but he is well associated with it. Tom Waits has quoted the same phrase before, and Malcolm Holcombe applies it now in Money Train, the opening track of his new CD. There's a Sucker Born Every Minute. I'm standing in Line. Cause I got a ticket. For the Money Train." An exceptionally convincing start to this new record. Even if you don't like money, we can't do it in this world without it. Too bad we're in the pliers, or who knows, let us get in the pliers.

It was a time of quiet around Malcolm Holcombe. Obviously, we had a global pandemic, but I also read about health issues that were troubling Malcolm. Meanwhile, I hope he's getting better. On the basis of this album you could take that, because Tricks of the Trade is his most inspired album. (Whatever that may say, because I found one of his recent records (Pretty Little Troubles with and by Darrell Scott) also masterful. Every music lover will be so preferred within Holcombe's oeuvre, mine is now Tricks of the Trade. Malcolm Holcombe has a good time. In his rhetoric, he does not say anything. Tricks of the Trade is Holcombe's feet, but with an extra tooth on it.

Thirteen songs in total, mostly uptempo and combative, but there is also room for resting moments such as the sensitive Lenora Cynthia (with Ron de la Vega exceptionally pleasing with his cello), or the following song, the title song of this album. I'll find a little less brother, Misery Loves Company. Too much drama to my taste. I believe that this undermines credibility. I would much rather listen to Windows or Amsterdam, where the title is almost in the rehearsal, while the music of gew

https://folking.com/63251-2/

MALCOLM HOLCOMBE – Tricks Of The Trade (Need To Know Music)

Twenty-five years on from his debut album, Holcombe remains one of the most distinctive voices, both literally and figuratively, in what we now call Americana. Tricks Of The Trade is his 15 solo outing and, accompanied by long time accomplices Dave Roe and Jared Tyler, the latter here taking up the electric guitar, with Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris contributing backing vocals, finds him in fine grizzled form on songs that mine matters of the heart alongside political commentary.

Double bass throbbing and guitar resonating it opens in a slinky bluesy Tom Waits style with the gravelly sung ‘Money Train’ which takes on the persona of someone who doesn’t give a damn about anyone else as makes plans to get ahead (“I dont care ’bout the starvin’ naked world, somebody else’ll fix it”) before a more Prine-like country sound takes over for ‘Misery Loves Company’ as the narrator drowns his sorrows brought out about by drowning his sorrows (“I’ve tasted and I wasted/the good life that I had/My poor selfish drinkin’/made a rich ol man go mad”),

It’s back to a bluesier groove for ‘Into The Sunlight’, a number about the redemptive power of love, before returning to his opening theme of self-serving greed with the swampy, fingerpicked ‘Crazy Man Blues’ where Waits meets Dire Straits with its image  of “towers of money from LA to London” and how “ain’t it nice being white in a president suit… while the drunkards applaud and conspire” that seems to have  a fairly obvious target, as indeed, conjuring Dylan circa ‘Hurricane’, does the following ‘Your Kin’ as she sings “the cops take away your children/the cops take away your kin” and “not a chance in a man-made hell for a mother at the border wails”, looking in vain for mercy from “a dictator for a president”.

There’s further  angry fire fuelling the similarly Dylanesque urgent folk blues ‘On Tennessee Land’ which addresses the hardships  of the poor  and ignored (“no democrat ‘lected since the Civil War in a Tennessee county where the dead died poor”) but also the pride they carry (“I’d rather be poor honest to God than a rich lyin’ son of a bitch for a boss”), while   the rolling rhythm ‘Damn Rainy Day’ captures the hard scrabble life in the Appalachians (“slapped around hard as a kid/I learned to take it like we all did”) where you soon learn “pretty people they better than you/bossy people get ahead in the news/wheels turnin’ runnin’ over the truth”, but  at least, banged up in an institution, “heat bill’s paid and the tv works”.

He paints an equally grim picture in the steady stomping train time rhythm and insistent guitar line of ‘Higher Ground’ which, addressing social and racial inequality with its ironic “I got freedom to choose” chorus, references the Lake Okeechobee hurricane of 1928 in the Florida everglades , the third deadliest hurricane in America’s history (“twenty-five hundred drowned in the fury/white people got caskets/black people mass graves/migrant farmers burned bodies no names”) before switching the lens to Baltimore and slum landlords, observing “it ain’t about your money,it aint about your gold/it’s all about takin’ and losin’ control”.

It’s a darkness that permeates the album, on ‘Lenora Cynthia’ (interestingly sharing the names of two characters in Donald Ray Pollock’s Southern Gothic novel The Devil All the Time) he talk of “the prison in my head” and how “they feed you to the wolves to crush your bones to sand” while “we sing so help me God my country tis of thee”. Then riding a rolling resonator guitar pattern ‘Good Intentions’ takes a cynical look at the illusion of the American Dream, referencing 60s staid and wholesome bandleader and television impresario Lawrence Welk, the war in Libya, draft dodging preachers,  good ole Southern white boys, dirty politicians and the Bible Belt while, in a similar vein, echoing the PT Barnum reference  in the opening song,  the Prine-like fingerpicked  semi-spoken title track draws on the imagery of the deceptions and illusions under the carny big top  as “the sucker crowd will cheer for ev’ry slight of hand” but still keep coming back for more, You don’t have to be a genius to spot the political metaphors.

It ends with its most musically immediate track, ‘Shaky Ground’, another echo of Prine, about living the life of privilege (“it must be nice not to face your troubles ev’ry day/with a cocktail in your face to wash away the pain”) but, picking up the theme of illusion, turns it into a more personal comment about hiding your hurt (“it must be cool not to fool all your friends close to you/with some pathetic point o’ view to wash away the blues”) as, with an image of the rain washing away the walls,  he ends with the simple “I miss you by my side”.

If you get in early for a first run limited edition copy, you also get a bonus track, the gravel throated Waitsian ‘Windows Of Amsterdam’ which draws on images of the city’s sex trade and  those parading their wares (“damn angel eyes and rattlesnake skin”) to entice the sexually hungry, the song perhaps somewhat sourly extending the notion of manipulative exploitation and illusion  in a line about how “women color their hair, buy new clothes,designer fingernails for another rich man hard on dollar”.

As the opening track has it, the album finds Holcombe turning it up a little louder, and not just in terms of decibels, often dark and pessimistic about human nature, but underpinned with a compassion for those confined to a frigid winter and longing for sunlight.

Mike Davies

http://www.rambles.net/holcombe_tricks21.html

Malcolm Holcombe,
Tricks of the Trade
(Need to Know/Proper Music, 2021)

I read that Malcolm Holcombe has issued more than 20 records since the mid-1990s. That's remarkable. Just as remarkable, at least to me, is the circumstance that this, his latest, is the first I've heard. I'd certainly encountered his name, however, and knew of his reputation as a distinctive singer-songwriter whose work and outlook reflect his native North Carolina hill-country roots. In my occasional reading on the subject, I don't recall that anybody ever claimed that Holcombe is a barrel of laughs.

It turns out, at least if Tricks of the Trade is any indication, that his moods range from bummed-out to pissed-off. Some of us are naturally skeptical of happy songs that lack the virtue of being also funny or sexy, so that's not a criticism, maybe just a warning that you should know what you're getting into when you give this one (and presumably the others) a spin on the playing machine.

As "Money Train" opens the disc, you'll be afforded some hint. Holcombe sounds sufficiently furious to be choking out the words. Then again, the subject -- greed and exploitation -- is likely to set off any non-rich person who dares to devote focused attention to it. It is also the theme of a whole lot of hard-hitting songs over decades and centuries, and Holcombe's stands honorably among them.

On the other hand, not to be pedantic about it but in fact to be pedantic about it, Holcombe and countless others notwithstanding, P.T. Barnum never said (and certainly would not have said, according to biographers who insist Barnum held a less coarsely cynical view of his customers), "There's a sucker born every minute." Over time the phrase, known to gamblers and confidence artists of the American 19th century, was placed in Mark Twain's mouth, then Barnum's.

Stylistically, Holcombe most resembles an Appalachian answer to a 1960s political folk-revival singer. While his melodies are influenced by traditional models only in the broadest sense, something of the stern plainspokenness of his vocals calls up the hardscrabble lives of mountain people so indelibly that nearly everyone who writes about Holcombe mentions as much. That voice gives his stories a chilling authenticity, perhaps nowhere more keenly than in "Your Kin," about the fate of poor families beaten down by heartless power, toxic water and stolen dreams. The chorus repeats this disturbing couplet: And the cops take away your children/ The cops take away your kin.

Fittingly, the cheeriest song is the one excursion into pure country, "Misery Loves Company," its title a nod to Porter Wagoner's 1961 honkytonk hit (from the pen of Jerry Reed). When drinking away your heartaches comprises the most uplifting moment you can aspire to, you're living in Holcombe's town. He takes on a larger target in "Crazy Man Blues," concerning ... well, here's the chorus:

Ain't it nice being white
In a president suit
You never think twice
With the crazy man blues.

Technically speaking, the skin is orange, I believe. I'm surprised at how few songs seem to address the entity in question. All that comes to mind is Lucinda Williams' "Man Without a Soul," though surely there are more. Maybe the issue is too depressing even for protest songs.

Holcombe performs with a small, usually unplugged band, occasionally augmented by bluesy electric guitar as well as some oddly Bert Jansch-like acoustic. The singing and the arrangements powerfully underscore the downbeat mood the lyrics convey, in which rain features prominently as if to turn a bleak situation darker than it is already. No question about it, this is superior song-making and story-telling, but you'll want to keep in mind that it is not music for every occasion.

[ visit Malcolm Holcombe's website ]

http://musicriot.co.uk/category/album/

“Tricks of the Trade” – Malcolm Holcombe

0

Malcolm Holcombe is one of those songwriters who is quiet rightly revered by music fans and fellow-songwriters alike. He’s been releasing solo material for twenty-seven years now, and the quality of his work never dips; he just goes on writing, playing, beautifully crafted songs in his own country/blues/rock style, singing them in his own distinctive cracked drawl. It’s powerful stuff, even before you get to the lyrical themes of the of the twelve songs on this album (with a bonus thirteenth on the CD version).

Malcolm has been prolific recently with six albums in the last six years despite serious health problems and that small matter of a pandemic. “Tricks of the Trade” marks a progression from his recent work. The addition of electric guitar to Jared Tyler’s string armoury adds a harder cutting edge to the arrangements while Malcolm’s lyric have more of a political edge this time around, which shouldn’t surprise anyone after the events of the last eighteen months.

Musically the stylings move across the roots spectrum from the lap steel-led old country of “Misery Loves Company” through the uptempo acoustic “Crazy Man Blues” to the country rock of “Damn Rainy Day” (with a similar theme to Paolo Nutini’s “Pencil Full of Lead”). Jared Tyler’s electric adds some punch to the album’s closer “Shaky Ground”, while a cello line adds pathos to the love ballad “Lenora Cynthia” and “Higher Ground” has a pumping bassline that evokes the Talking Heads classic, “Psycho Killer”. It’s a strikingly broad musical palette.

The lyrical edge of the album comes, typically for Malcolm Holcombe, with the allusive and indirect political references, leaving the listener to wonder what they actually heard. Just two words in “Higher Ground”, ‘slumlord whitehouse’ convey the Trump genealogy. Donald Trump’s father Fred Trump built up the property empire that the former President inherited and was attacked in song by Woody Guthrie over racial discrimination. That’s a lot of meaning packed in to two words. And while we’re talking about presidents, “On Tennessee Land” highlights the short-sightedness of voters in the Southern states, recalling Lyndon B Johnson’s comment: ‘If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket.’ The title song can be interpreted as a commentary on political trickery or, like the opener “Money Train”, the machinations of the music business; there are always layers within layers in Malcolm Holcombe’s songs.

“Tricks of the Trade” is the real thing. Malcolm Holcombe has taken his very personal songwriting style in a more political direction while still retaining the subtlety of lyrical expression that typifies his work. Take the time to peel way the layers and you’ll find a very satisfying album that will stay with you.

“Tricks of the Trade” is released in the UK on Friday August 20th.

https://www.americanaboogie.com/

Malcolm Holcombe
Tricks of the Trade  (Gypsy Eyes Records)

Look at yourself in the mirror and admonish yourself for not knowing Malcom Holcombe; then immediately forgive, then praise the fact that you have a huge swathe of music to investigate, starting with the latest of his releases, Tricks of the Trade.  A singer/songwriter that can engage in the local issues as well as the national problems is worth their weight in gold, to tackle on a global scale all that binds us, the scourge of Government inflicted despair, hunger, poverty, the local issues of toxic officials ruining the working class lives with even greater demands of subservience; these are the artists in which to hold close, for they are they ones that inspire the confidence to fight back, these are the musicians that know how to strike at the heart of the machine. A collection of songs that come from the heart, there is no fluff, no double talking; all that Malcome Holcombe has in his courage and spirit is on the album, all that the artist encompasses is there for all to take inspiration from.  (edited from Liverpool Sound and Vision review)

https://glidemagazine.com/260968/malcolm-holcombe-gets-political-louder-on-tricks-of-the-trade-album-review/?fbclid=IwAR2wsH4_QCk9S2OCpUagRWp7DSTyr9uQ_7pNEQ6AKJT3blz3j1NqejIBrCk

AUGUST 20, 2021

• NEWS

Malcolm Holcombe Gets Political & Louder On ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

• By Jim Hynes

• The brilliant singer-songwriter Malcolm Holcombe has issued 16 or more albums since the ‘90s and yet for many he remains undiscovered.  His gruff, resonant, cigarette-burned voice is not made for commercial radio, nor are his literate, keenly observant songs, many of which have deceptively catchy hooks. Described by this writer as “a troubadour seemingly from another age” and by others as a “force of nature,” Holcombe is a singular voice and a national treasure.  In fact, in the past year or two there have been rumblings of major health issues with Holcombe but this effort, Tricks of the Trade, is clearly one of the strongest in his revered catalog.  Maybe there is something to that “force of nature” description. His vivid imagery can evoke characters right out of a Dickens novel or, closer to home, southern writers like Faulkner or Eudora Welty. Straight out of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Holcombe captures the downtrodden, mostly impoverished people of the region, their struggles, their hard-earned victories, and somehow many of his observations and short vignettes are widely applicable to all of us. 

Holcombe has his own unique guitar style, a hybrid of fingerpicking and strumming, taking the listener from blues-based riffs to Celtic balladry. As an aside, if you get a chance to see Holcombe live, do so. He is absolutely riveting as he gets into a focused, almost hypnotic zone while rocking back and forth in his chair. That experience is a bit different from his recordings which involve his stellar longtime collaborators such as bassist Dave Roe and Jared Tyler on dobro, mandolin, guitars, and vocals, plugging in his electric guitar for some of these tunes. Produced by the team of Brian Brinkerhoff, Dave Roe, and Jared Tyler, the album also features Dave Roe’s son, Jerry Roe, on drums for most of the songs with Miles McPherson on the balance. Ron de la Vega adds cello to “Lenora Cynthia.” Last time out Holcombe had wonderful vocal support from Iris Dement and Greg Brown, and here Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris add to a number of songs, including “Higher Ground.”

From the outset Holcombe has money and the proverbial one percent on his mind and a not-so-subtle jab at POTUS 45 in the opening single and video made with Emma Swift, “Money Train,” to the strains of Tyler’s electric guitar – (all lower case in the lyrics) “pt barnum said/a sucker’s born ev’ry/minute/I’m standin’ in line/cause I got a ticket/for the money train… I gotta hot tub, a bathtub/a solar powered guitar/I clean up pretty good/and I turn it up louder/for the money train.” From the opening rocker, he turns to a country vibe in “Misery Loves Company” that rides along with Tyler’s dobro, in offering a bit of humor as if to take the edge off the angst of the opener. The theme of dealing with the money train returns in “Crazy Man Blues” while “Good Intentions” and “On Tennessee Land” offer pointed commentary on the plight of the lower classes as he sings to Tyler’s banjo in the latter – “ain’t nuthin’ good to say/’bout a politician’s plan/when a family goes hungry/ on Tennessee land.”  The title track mixes these themes with some clever political banter.

The album is consistently strong throughout but arguably the three-song sequence of “Your Kin,” “Damn Rainy Day,” and “Higher Ground” is the apex. “Your Kin” has its indelible chorus – “cops take away your children, cops take away your kin,” railing against the border crisis. The perspective of the less privileged is best stated in “Damn Rainy Day” while “Higher Ground” has an indelible chorus sung with Mary Gauthier and Jaime Harris. Even in a tender love song such as “Leonora Cynthia,” Holcombe comes across as a poet of yesteryear. Just the insertion of the word “ramshackled” heightens the imagery in these lines –“reach over to the mornin’/speak softly passin’ by/the prison in my head/must live and never die/the floor is hard as nails/ramshackled broken steps/I stumble in your arms/lenora cynthia.” 

“Windows of Amsterdam” is a song he has been singing live for the past few years and it too is highly memorable as he deplores the baseless rich taking advantage, emphatically echoing “dam, dam, dam” in the close. In his concluding statement “Shaky Ground” he balances the notion that although we are powerless, we should remain hopeful just the same. Here, and throughout, Holcombe’s determination cuts through the bitter commentary in his most strongly connected thematic work that stands as one of his best.

https://www.nodepression.com/album-reviews/malcolm-holcombe-in-full-command-of-tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe in Full Command of ‘Tricks of the Trade’

Artist: Malcolm Holcombe

Album: Tricks of the Trade

Steven OvadiaPOSTED ON AUGUST 19, 2021

The funny thing about singer-songwriter Malcolm Holcombe calling an album Tricks of the Trade is that there’s an implication that songwriting, Holcombe’s trade, lends itself to subterfuge, that one can fool a good song into existence the same way a sketchy butcher might use their thumb on the scale to squeeze a few extra dollars out of customers. But on Tricks of the Trade, there’s no musical sleight of hand. These are incredible, impactful songs that feel organic, like they grew on a tree and fell to the ground, ready to be enjoyed. There are no tricks here.

Part of the natural feeling is due to the grit in Holcombe’s voice. The tunes are beautiful but his vocals aren’t. At least not in the traditional sense. But there’s a sincerity and commitment to his singing that is stunningly lovely because you’re hearing an artist bring his songs to life — often with spartan instrumentation that lets the songs breathe and find their own legs.

The title track, perhaps an allegory for the music industry told through a circus-based tale, has a hopelessness that’s also comforting in its acceptance, closing with “The grand finale’s all the same / Every night it always rains / The big top cheats your eyes / But you’re always back again.” The tune starts with Holcombe and guitar, sounding like a more whimsical Townes Van Zandt. Dobro and light drums eventually flesh things out, but the song doesn’t need much beyond its melody.

“Crazy Man Blues” begins with a fast acoustic riff, Holcombe chanting over it, almost throat singing, while guitar works in the background, fitting into the song, but also feeling like when you call someone with their TV blasting in the background. The effect works well with the song, which is a condemnation of politicians.

But even Holcombe’s more produced moments are special. “Shaky Ground” is a straightforward country song, with familiar instrumentation and a soaring chorus. “Windows of Amsterdam” has a big rock refrain, complete with guitar that, while not distorted, is muddy. Even with the tonal variety, Holcombe never loses the heart of the song.

 It’s unfair to say an album sounds natural because as listeners, with rare exceptions, we’re not a part of the creation process. Just because something sounds effortless doesn’t mean a songwriter didn’t agonize over every verse and bridge. Having said that, Tricks of the Trade feels full of songs that connect with a weight like they’ve always existed. It’s impressive given how Holcombe takes on modern subjects like immigration and the Flint water crisis. He has a knack for tapping into the universal, timeless angst of so many of our contemporary problems. His trick, if you accept the premise of the album title, is showing that while these issues are, unfortunately, long-time challenges, they make for powerful, wonderful songs.

https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

Review · Roots · August 17, 2021

Malcolm Holcombe

Tricks Of The Trade

4 Stars

Written By: Cis van Looy Released by: Need To Know Music

Immediately recognizable by the illustrations, the more recent work of Malcolm Holcombe is always wrapped in hand-made drawings, primitive pencil sketches that radiate a wry gloom and an identical atmosphere can be found in his music. Holcombe is now familiar with the tricks of the musical profession and has since had his share of the misery. This theme has been covered extensively in the sequel to Come Hell or High Water.

Tricks of The Trade drives on a rudimentary blend of country and folk blues that Holcombe captures in Nashville with the help of some musicians. In addition to the trusted, versatile snarman Jared Tyler, another old friend is present at the sessions. Dave Roe provides rhythmic support in his Deadley Sins Studio with son Jerry, alternating with Miles McPherson.

With rochling timbre, somewhere between the registers of Waits and Prine, Holcombe debites observations of a gray, heartless world that he undoubtedly experienced himself. "I've tasted and I wasted the good life that I had, my poor selfish drinkin' made a rich ol man go mad", Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris are the background chorus. Holcombe's habitat is only sporadic for some scarce light, usually a dark cloud cover he curses as in the dobro-wavy Damn Rainy Day.

Even stronger is his aversion to the merciless, money-controlled, society he contests in songs such as the feverish picking-up of Crazy Man Blues and the explicit Money Train that wells up with floating bass and grim electric guitar. "The cops take away your children," he says in Kin, the result of a president's ruthless policy with dictatorial tendencies, the songwork dates back to 2019.

"Ain't nothin" good to say ‘bout a politician's plan when a family goes hungry on Tennessee land, denounces the indifference to the misery. Ruraal bluegrass tint work, Holcombe is from North Carolina and cherishes his pride and independence in difficult circumstances."I'd rather be poor honest to God than a rich lyin' son of a bitch for a boss". When the universal path is abandoned for a while, as in the love song Lenora Cynthia, brought to beautiful cello tones by Ron de la Vega, the feeling of anger prevails. Happy songs aren't exactly what the gifted troubadour brings, but they stay from the first listen.

Malcolm Holcombe's Tricks Of The Trade album was released by Need To Know Music on August 20, 2021.

https://rootstime.be/index.html?https://rootstime.be/CD%20REVIEUW/2021/AUG1/CD61.html

And in the wonderful world that I get to live in, there are a few people close or far away, who always seem to have been there. When we talk about musicians, the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina are certainly one of them and, purely out of curiosity, as a result of the release of this new record, I went to see my record box to know how many records I have of the man in my house. Well, that was scary, because there aren't too many artists, I have more than a dozen things in my house. So Malcolm is and there are good reasons for this: I have had several opportunities to attend his concerts over the years, and these were all quite dramatic experiences. Malcolm Holcombe is such a person who grabs you by the neck skin and whose voice and gaze literally forces you to listen. It's impossible to get under Holcombe's songs when he comes to sing them near you. John Prine did, so did Tom Waits, and the recently deceased Nanci Griffith did, though there was more than a bit of a difference between her voice and Malcolm's rasy, barn-paper voice.

Now, that voice in itself is one of the reasons why I've been following Holcombe's career for over a quarter of a century, but it's mainly what he tells and the way he does it that do it for me. No one sounds as "live" as he does on record. This reflects a profound sense of fairness: When Malcolm sings, he doesn't play a role, no, he's the character that's lived the song. He appeals to you personally and formulates at such an appalling level that I have no doubt that I dare to place him in the Waits/Newman/Olney/McMurtry category and anyone who knows me a little knows me knows that this ranking is not easily achieved, although I forget some names now, but that it is always people who have experienced this in their lives.

Malcolm has had his share, parents lost young, liquor and related addictions, relationships that abandon him...and in fact, matter enough to write many songs about. With his dream team, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler, with whom he has been playing for more than 20 years, he plays a baker's dozen vintage Holcombe songs, which seemingly effortlessly combine sharp wording with the sense of melody that makes many of the songs almost instant classics. Unlike some of his previous albums, Tyler does not confine himself to his classical dobro and mandolin, but also turns the guitars around and makes the songs sound a little more powerful, a little more muscular than they used to be. Dave Roe is his own loyal self on bass: unperturbed and by literally nothing or no one to take their lead. Son Jerry Roe plays drums, alternating with Miles McPherson. Guest contributions include cellist Ron de la Vega and singers Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris. These are people you can get out of. Provided the songs are good and they are absolute top.

Malcolm's lyrics describe life and its mysteries. Of course, that includes Love, witness "Lenora Cynthia" or the wonderfully ironic "Misery Loves Company", but it also sings inequality in the States: "On Tennessee Land", "Your Kin", and "Damn Rainy Day" all deal with aspects the U.S. government should not boast about. Walls at the borders, bitter poverty for whole populations, blind faith in consumption and the scale of values associated with it (see "Money Train" or the title song): Malcolm observes and reports, but from his own system of values. And that creates, again, a pearl of a plate that may not make you happy, but that the person who is able to put the appropriate finger on each wound. Not that I'd forgotten, but I do remember why I'm so crazy about man's songs: I'd have a few fingers off to write one such song!

(Dani Heyvaert)