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The man behind the band Town Rill is singer-songwriter Birger Olsen. His CDs bring together a mix of musicians from Portland. The latest album "Old Ways" includes Clifford Koufman (drums), Jim Prescott and Jake Pegg (tuba). Birger Olsen's voice calls to mind Tony Joe White, although with Olsen it comes from even deeper. From the opening notes of Chocolate On My Cheeks to Mister Jayhawk, with its lyrics borrowed from a 1953 travel journal, what you hear is dark, raw, folky blues - music that speaks to your soul. Birger makes no attempt to sugarcoat it and you'll never catch him playing anything unoriginal. He doesn't just sing the songs; he lives them.

The prominent use of the tuba is a pleasant surprise, not only in the afore-mentioned Chocolate On My Cheeks but also in Chocolate Tubas, Heavy Load, Aunt Faye's and Bucket For My Troubles. The earthy sound of the banjo in the final number Mister Jayhawk provides for some welcome variety on an otherwise unpolished track. All the songs are on the sulky side, but wonderfully accentuated by intermittent playful fingerpicking on the acoustic guitar. The real classy part about the album is the intense, almost sinister atmosphere that is created in some of the more sober arrangements. Nothing gratuitously pretty about this album by Town Rill: "Old Ways" contains pure, no-frills music. A finger-licking good CD for the connoisseur.

my latest album

Town Rill - Old Ways











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