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Wolf Loescher, Sheep's Clothing (Off Hand, 2020) |
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Wolf Loescher, Sheep's Clothing (Off Hand, 2020) |
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This wolf in sheep's clothing is a friendly one -- guiding the listener not into danger, but on a beautiful and diverse musical journey. Scented with Scottish heather and the smoke of American forest fires, woven with sea shanties and wheels singing on endless highways, and inspired by rallying cries for love and justice, Wolf Loescher's new solo album, Sheep's Clothing, gracefully blends traditional Scottish folk and contemporary American country into a tasty "Americelticana" brew that goes down smooth.
With a voice similar to John Denver's -- and indeed the resemblance is especially strong in his take on Denver's uplifting song, "Summer" -- Loescher sets a sure and comfortable tone, and is often backed on various tunes not only by a variety of instruments ranging from accordion to cello, but also with sweet feminine harmonies from musicians such as Frances Cunningham and Jil Chambless. "I figured it was time to prove to myself not only what I've learned and how I've grown in that time, but also the many amazing musical friends I've made over the years," says Loescher, whose first album debuted in 1999, after exiting Celtic rock band SixMileBridge. One of those longtime friends was the late Deanna Smith Scotland, fellow member of the band Jiggernaut, which has performed at some of the biggest traditional music festivals in the country, including the North Texas Irish Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival and Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. It was her suggestion to record traditional Scottish tune "Lads Among Heather," where country lads encourage well-bred city lassies to "Awa' wi' yer satins, yer silks and yer shawls" for more bucolic pleasures. After finding his song list "heavy," she also steered him toward more light-hearted fare; Loescher obligingly recorded his version of Lyle Lovett's "If I Had a Boat," which features fantastical lyrics such as, "And if I had a boat I'd go out on the ocean/ And if I had a pony I'd ride him on my boat/ And we could all together/ Go out on the ocean/ I said me upon my pony on my boat." Scotland, slated to sing backing vocals, died unexpectedly in late November 2019; Loescher got the terrible news as he was recording sea shanty "Inside Every Sailor." "Legacy," first song on the CD, was co-written by the two, and with lyrics such as, "No longer will we stand for hatred, bigotry and fear/ The call of peace and justice is what has brought us here.../ United we are more than we could ever be apart," it's a powerful modern anthem that feels particularly relevant today. Loescher's voice was affected while producing the album last year; diagnosed with melanoma at the end of September, he required scalp and lymph node surgery. Fortunately, his vocal cords weren't damaged, but he recorded several vocal tracks with neck scars still tender, forcing him to adjust his singing style. "So those takes have a certain intimacy that I like," he says. by Rachael Rodgers |
Looking over my music collections, I can't help but be surprised at how often Wolf Loescher pops up: The Piper Jones Band, The Rogues, Brizeus, SixMileBridge, Richard Keane, Jiggernaut ... which makes it all the more astonishing that Sheep's Clothing is only Loescher's second solo album since Holy Grail in (wait for it) 1999! Can more than 20 years have passed since this singer/drummer/piper/bouzouki player put out music under his own name? Can I possibly feel any older than I'm feeling right this moment? The album opens with "Legacy," which Loescher co-wrote with Deanna Smith Scotland. It opens with an appropriately breezy Celtic lilt before diving into the somber subject matters of injustice, oppression, inequity, bigotry and the existential inheritance one generation leaves for those following. Right away, it sets the tone for the album -- world-weary and wise to the cruelties life has in store, yet optimistic and hopeful for the future. That's a neat trick, and not one easily pulled off. Loescher follows that track with an emotional gut-punch with "Cold Missouri Waters," a haunting cover of James Keelaghan's song about the 1949 Mann Gulch wildfire that killed 13 smoke jumpers in Montana. The rhythmic, almost monotonous guitar underscores a growing sense of doom as the lyrics hew remarkably close to historical fact. Loescher's blunt, matter-of-fact delivery of the lyrics lends authenticity to a dying man who has neither time nor patience left for niceties -- the unvarnished truth is all that remains of interest to him. A striking song, its impact lingers long after the final notes fade.
"Bill Hosie" wins for oddest subject matter, focusing on seaplane racing in the 1920s and the Supermarine S.5, ancestor of the famed Supermarine Spitfire made famous during the Battle of Britain. Other tracks, such as "Lads Among the Heather" and "Tramps and Hawkers" are exactly what you'd expect to find on an album like this -- perfectly good songs on their own, but overshadowed by the stronger songs on the album. The closing track, "Take Some Fire," seeks to close the album with a rousing admonition to boldly face whatever adversity may lie in the future. It nearly accomplishes this, but is somewhat undermined by the fact that the instrumentation makes it sounds like it came from an entirely different album. Comfortable, but not complacent, familiar but not cliche, Sheep's Clothing feels less like an album and more like a campfire jam session with longtime friends who just happen to be skilled musicians. Which, considering how long Loescher's been making music on the neo-Celt/folk circuit, makes a great deal of sense. One just hopes it's not another 20 years before he gets the gang back together for another go. by Jayme Lynn Blaschke |
