4/5 Stars – The Libras new album Faded, out today on Out Of The Past Music, is an exceptional addition to the Americana Rock canon. Recorded entirely during the Covid- 19 lockdown, Faded is an exquisite and efficient collection of driving Americana and bright chamber pop.
Jason Weinheimer spends most of his time making other musicians sound great. As an engineer and producer at his Fellowship Hall Sound Studios in Little Rock, AR, he’s attracted some of the region’s most lauded songwriters and performers: John Moreland, Hayes Carll, Shinyribs, John Fullbright, Jesse Aycock, Pony Bradshaw, and Jim Mize, among many others.
But Weinheimer has never fully given up writing and performing his own music, sporadically releasing records under the moniker The Libras, hand-picking collaborators from the hundreds of musicians he’s befriended over the years both on the road and in the studio.
The Libras release Faded features many of Weinheimer’s frequent session collaborators.
Around April 1st, 2020, I effectively mothballed the studio and brought home a scaled back set up to demo songs in my dining room while quarantining with my family. Almost immediately, I began swapping demos with my long time friend and collaborator Arnold Kim. Meanwhile, Paul Griffith (drums) found himself home in Osos, CA after his tour with Amanda Shires was cancelled. I mailed a box of microphones to Paul and he set up a studio in his garage.
As the studio slowly opened back up to album projects, I booked one more session to complete the record ~ this time with long time collaborators Paddy Ryan (John Fullbright, Parker Millsap), Jesse Aycock (Hard Working Americans, Elizabeth Cook) and Chris Michaels (Jim Mize, Boondogs).
Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Marc Franklin (Greg Allman, Cyndi Lauper, Booker T and the MGs) and Kirk Smothers (Bo Keys, Buddy Guy) added horn arrangements to 3 of the songs. — Jason Weinheimer
Meticulously crafted and sonically rich, Faded rewards with repeated listens.
Head to http://thelibras.com for LP and CD’s purchases.