Rita Bliss – Peaches and Apple Pies
You know – it helps to be a banjo player who can sing well – just like a fiddle player who can sing excellently – Rita Bliss is to her banjo what Alison Krauss is to her fiddle. They’re both distinctive, melodic, attractive vocally in their showcases & have the tunes to prove it.
Rita has an eloquent articulate manner that even this NYC boy can appreciate her bluegrass country enthusiasm. And what’s ironic is that originally Bliss was from Rochester, NY. Now based appropriately in Austin, Texas, Rita spreads some spruced-up vintage music framed by her vocals, banjo & harmonica, but never does it with a retro feel. It’s fresh & endearing with a load of entertaining value in each song.
There are 10 generous helpings on Peaches and Apple Pies (Drops July 19/Independent/30:30) produced by Dom Fisher (bass/mandolin) & recorded in Austin. I expected a ho-hum Hee-Haw silly banjo endeavor, but I was wrong. This is quite a walk down a nostalgic summer road honeysuckle rich that almost makes one want to run into the next cool running stream & jump off a tire hung on the branch of a tree.
There are so many memory-tugging melodies in this bushel – from the opener “Drive You To Kentucky,” the title track into “The Best Bar In Texas,” & the lovely “Darlin,’ Darlin,’” – no bruised apples in this barrel. (2 song sample links are below).
“Two Dollar Bill” sounds like a song the country-inspired Neil Young should’ve written & it could also be a barroom ballad Tom Waits could’ve written on the piano. But neither did. But this is where Rita Bliss resides comfortably. Her vocals are spatial, smooth & confidently casual throughout. She could easily sing standards in a nightclub & drop a few tears into drinker’s beers. She’s a jewel of a performer & my ears don’t lie.
“Side By Side,” is an Alison Krauss-type vocal, with a touch of Mary Chapin Carpenter & Beth Nielsen Chapman. It’s performed with a mainstream nod but never so much as a grain of commercial sugar. This is a gifted singer-songwriter. She treats each of her songs like her children. They’re all well-arranged, nourished & though they have their sensitivities they are strong. Dolly Parton would love this.
Rita has her humor in some tunes & the love for her songs comes through in her tidy melodies & blissful vocals (play on words intended & deserved). There’s no filler. It’s nothing but a purity that supersedes the tag country & bluegrass. It’s just great American music.
Highlights – “Drive You To Kentucky,” “Peaches and Apple Pies,” “The Best Bar In Texas,” “Darlin,’ Darlin,’” “Two Dollar Bill,” “Side By Side” & “Goodbye.”
Musicians – Noah Jeffries (guitar/fiddle), Jimmie Scott Calhoun (bgv) & Patrick Herzfeld (drums).
Color image courtesy of Rita’s website. CD @ Apple + https://ritabliss.com/home
Full song samples with lyrics @ Bandcamp: https://ritabliss.bandcamp.com/track/two-dollar-bill & https://ritabliss.bandcamp.com/track/drive-you-to-kentucky
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