Malcolm Holcombe - 'Bits & Pieces' - news story - Ruta 66 (Spain) - 18.5.23

Malcolm Holcombe performs.

 

Much loved in this house, Malcolm Holcombe announces that he has a new album ready, Bits & Pieces. It is a work recorded by the North American together with his eternal companion Jared Tyler just after he was diagnosed with cancer. So Holcombe faced the recording of these thirteen songs without knowing if they could be the last. Fortunately, the artist has overcome the disease, and although still weakened by the treatment, he brings to light a shocking recording, as always. The album will be available on June 23 through Proper Music/ Need To Know. We hope that Malcolm continues to recover and that he can continue the tradition, every time he releases a new album, of going through our stages to present it.

Malcolm Holcombe : Bits & Pieces

“One of the best damn songwriters in the world!” is how Jared Tyler calls his friend and colleague Malcolm Holcombe. And he should know because he has already shared the stage and/or studio with top musicians such as Emmylou Harris, John Moreland, John Fulbright and Jimmy Lafave. And next year it will be 25 years since Malcolm and Jared started working together.

The new album Bits & Pieces was recorded last year, shortly after Malcolm was diagnosed with cancer. Not knowing what the future would bring, the duo decided to record the new album just the two of them. These two musicians feel each other perfectly after such a long collaboration. Jared is an exceptionally good musician, who excels on the necessary string instruments, among other things. Moreover, he intuitively feels exactly what the songs need.

It is now Malcolm's eighteenth album, but he still growls just as passionately and committed. Over the years, Malcolm has perfected his own unique style that is second to none. Fans of his music will undoubtedly once again lovingly embrace Bit & Pieces.

Theo Volk

Releasedatum : 23 juni 2023 Need to Know/Proper Music

Website : https://www.malcolmholcombe.com/

https://www.vintageguitar.com/38073/fingerpicked-country-folk-malcolm-holcombe-style/amp/

http://www.ilpopolodelblues.com/wp/2022/01/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe – Tricks of the Trade

8 JANUARY 2022 BY STEFANO TOGNONI IN DISKS, REVIEWS

(Need To Know / Ird)

www.malcolmholcombe.com

www.facebook.com/malcolmholcombe

Originally from North Carolina, despite approaching music as a child, with a gift guitar from his mother, Malcolm Holcombe released his first album, A far cry from here (1994), at 39, in Nashville, where he had moved after the death of his parents. In his life he has gone through a thousand sleepers, he has fallen several times, and as many have risen, and finally must have achieved a good stability, since in the last six years he has produced one album a year, on the sixteen totals of his career. The recent Tricks of the Trade contains twelve unpublished tracks, signed by him, which confirm him as one of the most valuable songwriters in business. Key elements in Tricks of the Trade's musical economy are Jared Tyler (guitars, dobro, mandolin and choruses) and Dave Roe (bass and double bass) musicians who boast major collaborations, the first with Emmylou Harris, Wilco, The Tractors, John Hammond and Brandon Jenkins, the second with Tony Joe White, Johnny Cash, Marcus King, John Anderson, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, just to name the best-known. In addition to Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris special guest vocals, the band that took part in the recordings is complemented by the excellent Jerry Roe and Miles McPherson (drums) and Ron De La Vega (cello). Tricks of the Trade is a magical fusion of folk, blues and country music, where the fingerpicking acoustic guitar acts as the backbone of most of the songs, embellished by dobro interventions. Malcolm Holcombe, also effective with acoustic guitar, has matured a roots songwriting, where his roca voice, rich in sentiment, and the valence of the lyrics, which can touch important and dramatic issues in the social field, make each song a gem to listen to carefully. Tricks of the Trade is an excellent album, confirming the valence of an artist who deserves more fame and recognition.

Stefano Tognoni

https://maximumvolumemusic.com/review-malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade-2021/

REVIEW: MALCOLM HOLCOMBE – TRICKS OF THE TRADE (2021)

BY ANDY THORLEY - DECEMBER 30, 2021

 The last Malcolm Holcombe record I reviewed, 2017’s “Pretty Little Troubles” (there’s been at least one in-between) moved me to say this: “A record that might not immediately reveal its charms to you, is nonetheless one that – if you invest the time in it – is one to cherish.”

Pretty much, the same is true of this one.

Part of that is his voice – a growl of a troubadour, about halfway between Dylan and Tom Waits – but equally it’s the words. Holcombe is basically a dream for those of us who love lyrics, love words, and their use.

There’s a spoken word bit in the opener “Money Train” (there’s often a lot of speaking or near speaking in these songs) where he says “PT Barnum said ‘there’s a sucker born every minute’” and given that the rest of the song seems to leave you in no doubt as to what he thinks about the rat race and the grubby pursuit of money over people, the only conclusion is that in a world of fakers, here’s the real deal.

The old style country strum of “Misery Loves Company” hides a greater truth. There’s a pain in these words, but it’s a pain as RB Morris in the excellent biography he wrote on Holcombe, that is rather oblique. “There’s mystery in Malcolm’s songs like there’s mystery in life.” he said. And in that, is he not then something of a modern Dylan, given that you could give 10 people the lyrics to “Tangled Up In Blue” say, and get ten different ideas as to what it means.

That’s the skill of the best: they write songs that are both personal and universal. That’s Malcolm Holcombe too.

His guitar playing on the likes of “Into The Sunlight” gives it a sparse acoustic, but is perfect. While the more blues stuff he mines on “Crazy Man Blues” (he’s joined on the album by  Dave Roe and Jared Tyler) is a real highlight.

On that one he sings “ain’t it nice being white, in the president’s suit” and Holcombe is not afraid to show his contempt for modern day politics (the same was true of “…..”Troubles” too) but I’d wager that the systematic takedown of Trumpism – also see neo-liberalism in general – that is “Your Kin” has not been done more eruditely anywhere else. There’s such power in the thought “dirty water ain’t no act of god, but the cops take away your kin”.

The sparseness of the music (although the backing vocals from Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris are brilliant) mix so well with the harshness of the voice and the stories. “Damn Rainy Day” reflects incredibly on….what? well whatever you’re thinking of.

There’s a metronomic quality to “Higher Ground”, a more poetic warmness to “Good Intentions”, while “Tennessee Land” is nothing short of stunning. “Ain’t nothing good to say about a politicians plan, when a family go hungry on a Tennessee Land”, and is he talking about the Steinbeck era, or is it 2021? You choose.

Whilst I’d never second guess him or what he means, then what I will say is when he sings about love as on “Lenora Cynthia” its as deep as it gets, and the title track acts as a bit of counterbalance. The magician in its words is a metaphor for life in general, and “Shaky Ground” fleshes the sound out just a touch to something that Springsteen circa “Devils And Dust” might have enjoyed.

That said, you can’t compare Malcolm Holcombe to anyone else, not really. He stands alone, and just as much as I’ve said that these songs belong to all of us, they are glimpse into a truly incredible Troubadour’s world. Just be glad we can share it.

Rating 9/10

https://rambles.net/jc36of2021.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 ]

https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2021/08/09/malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe TRICKS OF THE TRADE

AUGUST 9, 20211 COMMENT

Malcolm Holcombe
Tricks of The Trade
Need To Know Music

Warm, World Weary, Thoughtful and ….. as Dangerously Honest as Ever.

Q) When is a new release, not a new release?
A) If it’s been released before.

But, if; as in this case something was released as a Limited Edition LP; just before the artist took seriously ill, therefore delaying the CD/Downloads coming out; and an unrelated pandemic stopped any promotion and an accompanying tour can take place; would that mean we can count TRICKS OF THE TRADE as a new release?
YES is my answer.
Mercifully Malcolm has come through his operation uncommonly well and I can now breathe a sigh of relief and treat this as ‘just another’ of his releases.
Money Train which opens the album finds our hero in his trademarked ‘piss n vinegar’ angry at the moneymen who rule the world mode; and boy can he write and perform something like this without sounding ‘worthy’ or ‘earnest’ ….. he just ‘speaks for the common man and woman.’
God Bless Him.
I forget how many albums Malcolm Holcombe has previously released; but in recent years he’s had something of an epiphany; writing better than ever; and this album has some belters on it.
Crazy Man Blues and the title track Tricks of the Trade are as good and eminently as ‘listenable’ as anything I’ve heard from the singer in the last 15+ years; and when you finally get to hear Your Kin and Good Intentions you will think you are listening to someone who is evoking the ghost of Townes Van Zandt; and to some great extent he is.
Malcolm has been around long enough not to really need comparisons; but I can’t hear him now without thinking he’s carrying that very torch better and longer than anyone else.
Traditionally a Folk Singer at heart; the arrangements are very sympathetic to Malcolm’s voice of course; but on many songs he transcends Americana and goes seamlessly into Alt. Country with the greatest of ease; especially noticeable on Damn Rainy Day and the magnificent On Tennessee Land; which is the type of song Johnny Cash would have given his eye-teeth for during the American Album series.
The ‘Bonus Track’ here Windows of Amsterdam is one of ‘those songs’ along with Lenora Cynthia that I can only imagine Malcolm Holcombe writing and singing.
For a million reasons this is a very special album indeed; and there are two very special songs here too; and I can’t seperate them so my selection of Favourite Song is a tie between the punchy Higher Ground, which features the joint talents of Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris on the exceptional ‘Higher Ground’, bringing home its reckoning on the final chorus:
“I got freedom to choose
I got freedom to lose
I got freedom to choose
higher ground.“
T’other caught me unawares the first time I played the album; as Misery Loves Company was the perfect soundtrack to how I was feeling that day; but as the days have gone by it’s become a beautiful heartbreaker of a good old fashioned Country drinkin’ song worthy of Hank or more recently Kris Kristofferson …..
“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.
It’s far from a criticism; but the arrangement and backing band; as usual are quite exceptional here and throughout the album too; but I’ve only ever seen Malcolm perform solo; and these songs ain’t gonna sound anything like this when he goes off on one, attacking his acoustic guitar as if it has personally offended him and bringing it on home unlike just about anyone else I can think of these days .
That said; as an album that you will listen to in the comfort of your home …. and you will; the Production team of Brian Brinkerhoff, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler have managed to make Malcolm’s wheezy growl sound the way the Grand Old Man of Americana should; warm, world weary, thoughtful and above all else ……. dangerously honest.

Released August 20th 2021
https://www.malcolmholcombe.com/

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https://bluesdoodles.com/cd-reviews/malcolm-holcombe-gets-up-to-tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe gets up to Tricks Of The Trade

Malcolm Holcombe gets up to Tricks Of The Trade a great listen for the country music lover but still carrying exceptional insight into the realities of life for many in the US. An impeccable band and grizzled vocals communicate the sentiments with genuine passion

• TOM DIXON

• 7TH DECEMBER 2021

• BLUESDOODLES, CD REVIEWS

With over sixteen releases, in the US at least, I am ashamed that the name Malcolm Holcombe is new to me…a little research reveals a man who’s been plying his gravelled trade for over twenty-five years garnering much praise and a significant fan base with his unique mix of blues, gospel, folk and bluegrass. This new album, Tricks Of The Trade, however, takes a more electrified (as in guitar) look at matters of the heart, history and political commentary all with his sharpness and lucidity transferred to the listener via his gravelled baritone and knowing tone. It is a re-release of a vinyl-only album of the same name from last year and, with the CD, a bonus track is included.

The quality sketches that adorn the cover and liner notes (sorry…CD booklet) also carry an effective message: OK, I’m no art critic and they may seem to be simplistic but they are pertinent and, from someone who can’t compete in the art stakes with a 3-year-old and a box of crayons, they fit hand in glove with the songs on offer.

Opening with Money Train, MH’s vocals are…well imagine if Tom Waits gargled with gravel and bourbon (the whiskey, not the biscuit), and you’re getting close. But, after a few tracks, it makes sense and his intonation and enunciation is a revelation! Anyway, the backing is very good and the song pulls together the story of this money-driven world and the mix of acoustic and electric makes a lovely country blues pattern.

They say Misery Loves Company, and MH’s turns it into a countrified and nearly bouncy song with acoustic and slide to accompany such lines as “I passed out and I cried out my God what have I done she’s gone from my mem’ry (she’s only a mem’ry) she was the only one” against a background of a wasted life and booze.

Into The Sunlight shows all is not miserable as a complex acoustic picking tells us that’s where we belong. More country tinges and a nest slide working the backing in empathy. Crazy Man Blues is more blues with a Knopfler tinge as he rails against the actions of a certain person in the US…’ain’t it nice being white in a president suit, you never think twice with the crazy man blues.” It is country blues with a bite as sharp as the lyrics with more very neat slide.

The same person seems to be the target on Your Kin as the famous wall of said person causes families apart: backed by more layered acoustic and slide that keeps the country blue-ish. Damn Rainy Day reflects as an old man stays stuck in the past: the country-style stays but with a slower pace and weary voice to match and, to me, makes it more effective.

The following tracks have similar patterns if not subject matter which brings us to Windows of Amsterdam…more upbeat, tongue in cheek references to the famous district in that city but set against a light rock backing that has depth, variation and some fine acoustic work. In the closing song, Shaky Ground, we move back to the country for an (almost) positive view.

This is a difficult one for me, as it is essentially a country album but, having listened to it a few times it leaves an impression of an impeccable band, great vocal support and the overriding appreciation of his marvellous lyrics and that vocal interpreting them.

Bluesdoodles rating: 3 Doodle Paws – a great listen for the country music lover but still carrying exceptional insight into the realities of life for many in the US. An impeccable band and grizzled vocals communicate the sentiments with genuine passion.

Track listing:
Money Train
Misery Loves Company
Into The Sunlight
Crazy man Blues
Your Kin
Damn Rainy Day
Higher Ground
Good Intentions
On Tennessee Land
Lenora Cynthia
Tricks Of The Trade
Windows Of Amsterdam
Shaky Ground

Musicians:
Malcolm Holcombe: vocals, guitars
Dave Roe: bass
Jerry Roe, Mile McPherson: drums
Jared Tyler: guitars
Iris DeMent, Greg Brown, Mary Gauthier, Jaimee Harris: backing vocals
Ron de la Vega: cello on Lenora Cynthia

Connect with Malcolm Holcombe across SOCIAL MEDIA
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

http://www.shirefolk.org.uk/

https://www.mojo4music.com/

https://www.mojo4music.com/

https://americanamusicshow.com/tricks-of-the-trade-by-malcolm-holcombe/

Tricks Of The Trade by Malcolm Holcombe

Contributors: Bill Rutsch, Calvin Powers, Lyndon Bolton
October 13, 2021Leave a Comment

“chock-full of his trademark angry-old-man folk and suffer-no-fools blues.”

— Calvin Powers

“There is a distinctly rock foundation to Tricks of the Trade. But ultimately it’s Holcombe’s lyrics with their vivid, no holds barred view on life that hit hardest.”

— Lyndon Bolton

“I like the variety of song styles, from weary, bluesy protestations, to country style bar sing-alongs, to pretty melodies…”

–Bill Rutsch

Carolina Child by Ric Robertson

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Reviews

Calvin Powers

Tricks Of The Trade by Malcolm Holcombe is easily his most “accessible” album yet. It’s chock-full of his trademark angry old man folk and suffer-no-fools blues. But there are also some tracks that are a little more like rock and there’s even one track that can best be described as a honkytonk tearjerker. So yeah it’s a good gateway drug to some of the more intense hardline albums in his back catalog. Which is not to say he’s pulling his punches on this one. The social criticism is just as biting as ever and the seething rage is as intense as ever. What sets Hocombe apart from so many other angry songwriters is that he knows how to make songs sound timeless, universal, old as the mountains he comes from, and most of all, his songs sound true. Highlights for me are “Money Train,” “Misery Loves Company,” “Crazy Man Blues,” “Your Kin,” “Good Intentions,” “Tricks Of The Trade,” and “Shaky Ground.”

Lyndon Bolton

Maintaining his frenetic pace of the past six years Holcombe releases another cracking album. With his long-standing buddies Dave Roe and Jared Tyler he stretches his already extensive sweep of styles. Through country, folk, bluegrass, gospel, blues and rock they go but with Tyler adding more electric guitars to his dobro, there is a distinctly rock foundation to Tricks of the Trade. But ultimately it’s Holcombe’s lyrics with their vivid, no holds barred view on life that hit hardest. Listening to him is like hearing an alternative state of the nation address, just from another perspective and a lot less comfortable.

Immediately he’s off on the ‘Money Train’ rasping through what sounds like whisky and sandpaper, “evrybody’s ridin’ the ol money train”. To an agitated strumming ‘On Tennessee Land’ Holcombe spits out the futility of politicians’ promises to those who depend on that land. He drops into talking on ‘Damn Rainy Days’, pouring a relentless weariness but he never gives up. ‘Tricks of the Trade’ demonstrates perfectly how Holcombe matches output with quality.

Bill Rutsch

Another great one from Malcomb Holcombe! Nice tight band (with excellent electric guitar and dobro provided by Jared Tyler) frames his gruff, spot on, poetic prose. I like the variety of song styles, from weary, bluesy protestations, to country style bar sing alongs, to pretty melodies (“Into the Sunlight”) that contrast with Holcombe’s growl and line ending sighs. I can picture Leo Kottke or perhaps Peter Lang covering “Your Kin” with it’s circular guitar arrangement. Timeless! Holcombe wraps things up with a very satisfying “Shaky Ground”. If you have a spare minute, check out the videos that accompany some of the selections from this album.

http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=15695

Review:'HOLCOMBE, MALCOLM'
'Tricks of the Trade'

- Label: 'Need To Know Music'
- Genre: 'Alt/Country' - Release Date: '20th August 2021'

Our Rating: Malcolm Holcombe is a prolific force of nature. Although he is now well into his 60s, he shows no sign of slowing down or mellowing out. He has released over 16 records since the mid-90’s. Since 2015 alone he’s completed six full length albums and a separate series of singles.

Major health crises, pandemics, rampant injustice and blinkered governments all serve to feed his rage rather than diminish his strength. He pours righteous anger into these twelve new songs while retaining the instinctive ability to address universal themes.

This is not just a big ego spouting off about the evils in the world since Holcombe never sets himself above the common herd. In the bluesy opener , he’s resigned to taking his place on board the Money Train just like everyone else : ”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.”

His social conscience is as finely-tuned as ever. The plight of the poor and hungry feature prominently in On Tennessee Land, he rails against border cops separating migrant families in Your Kin and Appalachian poverty is the subject of Damn Rainy Day .

His voice may be grizzled but the romantic refrain of Lenora Cynthia shows he has a heart of gold. Ron de la Vega makes an elegant cello contribution to this track.

Otherwise. Holcombe relies on tried and tested accomplices, including Dave Roe and Jared Tyler. The record was made at Roe’s Seven Deadly Sins Studios in Nashville. Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris add their voices to a number of songs, including Higher Ground which combines shuffling guitar riffs with a Gospel chant; ”I got freedom to choose/I got freedom to lose.”

He rounds things off with Shaky Ground, dreaming that a rain may come to wash away the injustice in the world yet knowing full well this is never going to come to pass.

Malcolm Holcombe’s website
author: Martin Raybould

http://www.thealternateroot.com/reviewarchives/malcolm-holcombe-from-the-album-tricks-of-the-trade

​Malcolm Holcombe (from the album Tricks of the Trade

10/8/2021

​Malcolm Holcombe (from the album Tricks of the Trade available on Need To Know Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Malcolm Holcombe offers the impression he’s the real deal, a down-home tattered troubadour who shares his songs with a decidedly jaded perspective. His gruff and gritty vocals are as pungent as aged malt whiskey, not necessarily as intoxicating although they do leave a lingering impression. With his latest album, Tricks of the Trade, he shares the same combination of cynicism and sentiment that’s marked the dozen or so albums that have come before, tempering his delivery with cynicism, sarcasm and a brooding, unyielding attitude.

Not surprisingly then, there’s no hint of sunshine breaking through the clouds of despair. “Misery Loves Company” more or less sets the tone, a hard-luck tale of a ne’er-do-well trying to find some measure of hope and salvation in spite of sadder circumstance that perpetually doom him to despair. “Damn Rainy Day” follows suit, given a sordid scenario that ultimately finds ‘just another old man stuck in the past’.Things really turn tragic with the dire narrative “Your Kin”, a heart-breaking tale of a family, who like so many others, have been torn apart at the southern border. Sad circumstance also impacts “On Tennessee Land”, a diatribe directed at politicians who turn their back on those they were sworn to represent. So too, “Shaky Ground” addresses that disparity, this time in racial terms that illuminate the divide between people of privilege and those that seek their own salvation while stuck in a mire of desperation and despair.

Holcombe conveys these parables by way of rough-hewn arrangements that are overseen by veteran producer and longtime associate Dave Roe, creating a sound that’s etched in the muddy firmament that’s described throughout in vivid detail. It’s not pretty, but it is authentic, and there’s no denying the tumultuous trappings that define these songs. Yet at the same time, it’s those dire designs that make Tricks of the Trade such a vivid encounter, however precarious it appears.

Taken in tandem, it makes for a harrowing proposition, but Malcolm Holcombe’s well equipped to deliver these tales with the craft and conviction they deserve. Tricks of the Trade bows to that ability. (by Lee Zimmerman)

Listen and buy the music of Malcolm Holcombe from AMAZON
Please visit the Malcolm Holcombe website for more information

http://www.bluesmatters.com/

https://www.terrascope.co.uk/Reviews/Rumbles_October_21.htm

Singer songwriter Malcolm Holcombe shows no sign of slowing down and has just released his umpteenth album called Tricks Of The Trade. He is the real deal, with a grizzled, rough as a cob voice, which suits his tight funky, country kind of songs. Opener ‘Money Train’, has some great cooing female backing vocals, cool rhythms and concise, stinging little guitar solos, one of which almost sounds like prog at one point. Imagine Tom waits singing ‘Street Fighting Man’ by the Stones which might give you an indication of what sort of territory we are in. ‘Misery Loves Company’ is a well observed song about barfly’s and would suit Terry Allen down to a tee.

Of particular note throughout the album is Jared Tyler’s handling of the various stringed instruments on the songs, he never fails to serve the song. Other songs of note are ‘Your Kin’ a song about inequality. ‘Higher Ground’ about hurricanes and migrants, ‘On Tennessee Land’ about self serving politicians and the knowing title track ‘Tricks Of The Trade’.  Available on the Need To Know Music record label. www.malcolmholcombe.com

http://www.rootshighway.it/recensioni/2021/holcombe.htm

Malcolm Holcombe

Tricks of the Trade

[Need To Know Music 2021]

On the network: malcolmholcombe.com

Under Files: folksingers & hobos

by Matteo Fratti (13/09/2021)

He returns to the stage with these thirteen tracks (twelve plus one bonus) a nocturnal animal as Malcolm Holcombe, an artist who was stolen from the street and came to prominence not so young, despite production already started in the late 1990s. A North Carolina and Nashville native to make ends meet, a life on the fringes will be able to put into practice what would otherwise be just dark, finding himself in that hobo figure of folk, saved by music and what we can find in it. A sincere formula and not just the cliché of the cursed poet, borrowed in the song. And in one of the musical epicenters baptized as the capital of the country, he will be able to be noticed, learning the "tricks of the trade" in the field: those Tricks of the Trade named his last record.

So here he is in this last season of 2021 of silence and musical strangulation, which does not yet fully recover from the pandemic, where music as other sectors, especially the weakest, must reinvent destiny. With his acoustic guitar and tar vocals, Malcolm Holcombe combines more than a dozen pieces into his signature style, a blend of country and bluesy coarseness, for a roots album that seems to be taking straight away, where he is not alone, but enjoys the best songs to accompany him. Dave Roe on bass and Jared Tyler on guitars are with him and Jerry Roe, Dave's son, is on drums; Other instrumental interventions were added, with choruses by Mary Gauthier or Jaimee Harris embellishing the ballads: There are intense cavalcades in which there seems to be always a vision of hope behind the melancholy, which is the most common trait.

The listening, however, seems to be increasingly inflated by this formula, which makes us appreciate every single track in itself, but makes the album sometimes repetitive in its expressive mode, which we then select just a few songs. And we point out how Money Train in the opening, for example, departs from the lot, a very appreciable invitation to travel and in its own right almost a piece of the best Tom Waits; Misery Loves Company follows instead is sunny and roadway, towards a horizon we imagine at dawn instead of, from the third, towards sunset. Because "Into the Sunlight" (to the detriment of the title) and "Your Kin" (which seems to be played with the mold), as well as "Good Intentions" or "On Tennessee Land" belong to those "cavalcades" that were said, enjoyable in themselves but repetitive in the whole. Add to our personal choice the subdued sound in odor of the boundaries of the title track; and jewelry apart from the lone arpeggio of Lenora Cynthia that precedes her: All you need to do is win over the rest. It is, however, a good return, so spontaneous and humane that it cannot be perfect.

http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/

https://www.bluestownmusic.nl/recensie-malcolm-holcombe-tricks-of-the-trade/

Malcolm Holcombe - Tricks Of The Trade

Format: CD - Vinyl LP - Digital / Label: Need To Know Music

Release: 2021

Text: Bert van Kessel

An unparalleled performer who excels in commitment and intensity

Imagine the smoky pub. On stage is the artist, Tom Waits, who sings the selvages of society with his raspy voice. You use the break to get some extra intensity. But just when you think that the maximum of urgency has been achieved, Malcolm Holcombe is going onstage and adding a few more teeth and going a little deeper into the pool of evil.

Unprecedented passion and drive characteristics are speech. He is deeply involved in his subjects and, as an ex-homeless ex-addict, he knows only too well what he is singing about. It is very clever that he can maintain this distinctive passion on his studio albums, and so on this new album, it will be his sixteenth.

His loyal companions, Dave Roe and Jared Tyler, who have been working with him for years, fill in their contributions in such a way that Malcolm's voice and style come to their full advantage. Dave Roe's son Jerry is drumming and there are beautiful contributions by Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris on background vocals.

Ron de la Vega's cello is particularly beautiful in the moving award song Lenora Cynthia, in which Malcolm Holcombe sings love in his own way, at least that is what I think! It is nice, given his raspy voice, that the texts are attached. Even then, his poetic stream of consciousness is difficult to follow.

Malcolm Holcombe is steeped in social engagement, and as a contemporary Woody Guthrie, he denounces the world's abuses in woke's superb staircase. In most of the songs, he sings of the often tragic fate of the less fortunate, such as the refugee families, separated at the border, but especially poverty keeps coming to the fore, as in the bitter On Tennessee Land, where he sighs:

i'd rather be poor

honest to God

than a rich lyin’ son of a bitch

for a boss

Often, the deer drips off. For example, in his tirade against Trump in Crazy Man Blues:

aint it nice being white

in a president suit

you never think twice

with the crazy man blues

Malcolm Holcombe is the caricature of growling homeless far away and once again profiles himself as a hugely animated singer/songwriter and unparalleled performer who excels in commitment and intensity.

Tracks:

01. Money Train

02. Misery Loves Company

03. Into the Sunlight

04. Crazy Man Blues

05. Your Kin

06. Damn Rainy Day

07. Higher Ground

08. Good Intentions

09. On Tennessee Land

10. Lenora Cynthia

11. Tricks of the Trade

12. Windows of Amsterdam CD-ONLY BONUS TRACK

13. Shaky Ground

All songs by Malcolm Holcombe

Website: https://www.malcolmholcombe.com/

https://folkandtumble.com/audio/tricks-of-the-trade-malcolm-holcombe/

Tricks Of The Trade – Malcolm Holcombe

««««

 ‘Tricks Of The Trade' is the new album from songwriter Malcolm Holcombe, proving he is an artist at the top of his game, and most definitely the real deal.

 Anyone who has seen Malcolm Holcombe play live will know what a force of nature he is. A quiet, unassuming figure in the crowd that immediately sets the stage on fire with his presence, playing, and ability to balance a chair at 90 degrees plus without falling off... most of the time. Capturing that on record would be akin to capturing lightning in a bottle, but ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ comes close.

Holcombe is an exceptional songwriter. The thirteen originals on ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ find him at the top of his game. Recorded with a full band, the music is given a powerful punch that lifts Holcombe’s playing and ragged vocals to new levels.

Impossible to pigeon-hole, the music ranges from the classic country sound of ‘Misery Loves Company’ to the brooding folk-tinged rocker ‘Windows Of Amsterdam’. Holcombe’s ability to transport the listener to vivid landscapes is comparable to the works of Steinbeck.

Be it exploring the plight of the immigrant on ‘Your Kin’ or the hardship of poverty in ‘On Tennessee Land’, the songwriting is incredibly detailed and empathetic of the characters and situations.  Situations that, while set in fictional mid-west landscapes, are every bit as relevant in the world today.

Never afraid to challenge the hypocrisy of the rich, on songs such as ‘Money Train’, ‘Crazy Man Blues’ and ‘Good Intentions’, Holcombe lets rip at the unfair social divide created within society, unjustly favouring the rich while keeping the blue-collar worker down.

A musical colleague once said to me that he couldn’t understand why Seasick Steve’s career had taken off when Malcolm Holcombe was clearly the real deal. Years later, Steve came clean about the made-up, romanticised persona that made him successful. Holcombe, on the other hand, has no need to make up a showbiz persona. His strength lies in his authenticity and that is why his appeal will endure long over others.

Malcolm Holcombe’s music is grounded in realism that’s hewn out of the dirt on the land he sings about, and with ‘Tricks Of The Trade’ his reputation as a first-class singer-songwriter and player keeps on growing. 

By Gerry McNally

Gerry is a sub-editor at Folk and Tumble and well-known photographer of live music events in Northern Ireland.