Shovels & Rope | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Charleston, South Carolina-based indie folk duo Shovels & Rope consist of married singer/songwriters Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. Like Trent, who also played with the indie rock band the Films, Hearst had spent the years prior pursuing a solo career, utilizing her raw yet melodious and expressive voice to deliver a handful of albums, one of which landed a single, "Hells Bells," in the 2010 season of True Blood. Inspired by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, the Cramps, and the soulful harmonies of Johnny Cash and June Carter, the pair provided tour support for like-minded artists such as Justin Townes Earle, Hayes Carll, and the Felice Brothers before heading into the studio to lay down the tracks for their debut. The resulting O Be Joyful, which channeled country, bluegrass, and blues through a nervy indie rock prism, was released in 2012. The album fared well with critics and roots music fans, and at the 2013 Americana Music Honors & Awards, Shovels & Rope were named Best Emerging Artist. The duos second album, Swimmin Time, was released in August 2014. That year also saw the debut of a documentary about the duo, The Ballad of Shovels & Rope, which won the Tennessee Spirit Award at the Nashville Film Festival. In November 2015, Shovels & Rope released Busted Jukebox, Vol. 1, in which the duo covered songs by their favorite artists in collaboration with like-minded musicians including Shakey Graves, the Milk Carton Kids, JD McPherson, Butch Walker, and others. Shovels & Rope signed with noted indie label New West Records for the release of their fifth album, 2016s Little Seeds. Busted Jukebox, Vol. 2, featuring Brandi Carlile and Rhett Miller, among others, appeared in December 2017. Shovels & Rope returned with By Blood, their fourth album of original material, in April 2019. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Shovels & Rope Released: 2008-12-02 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gasoline (02:16) 2 Boxcar (04:42) 3 Magdelina (03:33) 4 Cant Hardly Stand It (04:17) 5 1200 Miles (03:23) 6 Hollowpoint Blues (03:43) 7 Build Around Your Heart A Wall (04:16) 8 Mothers Scorn (03:38) 9 Swing Low (05:36) 10 Mexico (06:02) |
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: O Be Joyful Released: 2012-01-01 Tracks: 11 Duration: 43:17 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Birmingham (04:00) 2 Keeper (03:42) 3 O Be Joyful (02:28) 4 Hail Hail (03:46) 5 Lay Low (04:04) 6 Kembas Got the Cabbage Moth Blues (02:24) 7 Tickin Bomb (03:44) 8 Carnival (04:24) 9 Shank Hill St. (05:18) 10 Cavalier (04:03) 11 This Means War (05:19) |
| O' Be Joyful : Allmusic album Review : The architects of O Be Joyful, singer/songwriters Michael Trent (the Films) and Cary Ann Hearst, the latter of whom landed a single, "Hells Bells," in the 2010 season of True Blood, offer up a cacophony of Southern gothic, Alan Lomax and Lux Interior-inspired garage folk that is as fun as it is visceral. Raw, rowdy, and often surprisingly intimate, the debut album from Charleston, South Carolina-based duo Shovels and Rope shoves early country, bluegrass, and blues through an indie rock prism, resulting in a set of fiery, beer bottle-littered back-porch jams that blend the wily harmonies of Johnny and June with the lo-fi clang of Jack White. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: Swimmin Time Primer Released: 2014-07 Tracks: 6 Duration: 24:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Devil Is All Around (04:02) 2 Mothers Scorn (03:28) 3 O’ Be Joyful (02:28) 4 Shank Hill St. (05:18) 5 Boys Can Never Tell (with J Roddy Walston) (04:34) 6 Lay Low (KEXP Live from Pickathon) (04:29) |
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: Swimmin’ Time Released: 2014-08-26 Tracks: 6 Duration: 25:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Swimmin’ Time (03:59) 2 Stono River Blues (03:14) 3 Ohio (05:02) 4 Mary Ann & One Eyed Dan (03:15) 5 Save the World (02:49) 6 Thresher (06:57) |
| Swimmin’ Time : Allmusic album Review : Not unlike their 2012 breakthrough album O Be Joyful, Shovels & Ropes second album for Dualtone, 2014s Swimmin Time, suggests Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst bought some privately published guidebook on "How To Write and Record Americana Music Like The Professionals" and have carefully followed the template to the letter. The arrangements have the correct balance of rootsy acoustic flavors and messed-up electric noise, the melodies are steeped in tradition but have a self-consciously clever indie rock edge, and the lyrics deal with the usual themes of natural disasters, human failings, small town eccentricities, and our lands checkered past. But if there arent a lot of surprises in terms of theme and approach, Swimmin Time confirms that skill of execution is Shovels & Ropes saving grace -- Trent and Hearst are both fine vocalists, and sound truly splendid when they lay out some rough, sweet harmonies. The duo also took on most of the instrumental work on these sessions, and they generate a commendably swampy groove, even when they lay on a fistful of overdubs to fill out the melodies. And just because these songs follow paths that have been traveled many times before by many other acts doesnt change the fact Trent and Hearst can come up with a really good one every once in a while, such as the ragged but romantic "Pinned" and "Mary Ann and One Eyed Dan." Youve almost certainly heard other acts do what Shovels & Rope do on Swimmin Time plenty of times; the difference is, this duo can do it better than most, and thats enough to keep them going until theyre capable of developing a more unique personality to call their own. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: Busted Jukebox: Volume 1 Released: 2015-11-20 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Unknown Legend (04:31) 2 Bullet Belt (04:10) 3 (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding (03:54) 4 Patience (05:28) 5 Boys Can Never Tell (04:50) 6 Nothing Takes the Place of You (04:00) 7 Last (03:35) 8 Strangers (03:41) 9 Perfect Day (03:52) 10 Leaving Louisiana In the Broad Daylight (03:34) |
| Busted Jukebox: Volume 1 : Allmusic album Review : Most artists are deeper into their career than Shovels & Rope when they decide to devote an entire album to covers; Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent had only released three LPs worth of their own stuff before deciding it was time to start digging into other folks songbooks with 2015s Busted Jukebox, Vol. 1. The album also finds S&R collaborating with a handful of other artists, with each tune featuring different guest vocalists or musicians who help the duo bring it home. Busted Jukebox, Vol. 1 gives Shovels & Rope a chance to show what they can do as interpreters and collaborators, and this concept plays to their strengths. Hearst and Trents deep and greasy blend of Americana and indie rock works well with this eclectic batch of material, which ranges from vintage R&B (Toussaint McCalls "Nothing Takes the Place of You") and classic rock (Neil Youngs "Unknown Legend") to Hearst and Trents not-so-guilty teenage pleasures ("Patience" by Guns N Roses and "Last" by Nine Inch Nails). They also work with artists who mesh well with their musical sense, in which they respect tradition while messing with it a little at the same time, and the songs are by and large stronger than their own work (which is no insult given the pedigree of the writers theyre interpreting here). The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a fine fit for the mingled warmth and regret of Lou Reeds "Perfect Day," the Milk Carton Kids provide the right "3 A.M. in a cheap motel room vibe" on "Patience," Lucius add a welcome gospel undertow to Nick Lowes "(Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," and JD McPherson wins Best in Show honors for his passionate and heartfelt reading of "Nothing Takes the Place of You." Busted Jukebox, Vol. 1 seems less like a stopgap than it might be coming from many artists, and it not only captures Shovels & Rope sounding strong and imaginative, it shows they have good taste in songwriters and performing partners, two qualities that never hurt. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: Little Seeds Released: 2016-10-07 Tracks: 13 Duration: 46:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Know (03:38) 2 Botched Execution (03:23) 3 St. Anne’s Parade (04:21) 4 The Last Hawk (04:14) 5 Buffalo Nickel (04:02) 6 Mourning Song (04:13) 7 Invisible Man (03:42) 8 Johnny Come Outside (03:49) 9 Missionary Ridge (03:30) 10 San Andreas Fault Line Blues (03:15) 11 BYWR (03:14) 12 Eric’s Birthday (01:20) 13 This Ride (03:31) |
| Little Seeds : Allmusic album Review : On their fifth album (and first for New West Records), Shovels & Rope show that they keep getting better as performers and recording artists. Released in 2016, Little Seeds is the strongest piece of record-making Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst have delivered to date. Their sweet and sour harmonies balance off one another beautifully, Trents rumbling guitar work finds a graceful middle ground between twang and crunch, and theyve learned how to make their music fit the dynamics of the songs, expanding from an intimate fireside guitar pull to a grand-scale blowout at their command. Trent also produced Little Seeds, and hes given it a dry but rich sound thats natural while playing to the strengths of the performances. However, despite the good news, Little Seeds is still weighed down by Shovels & Ropes two Achilles heels -- theyre better performers than songwriters, and even though theyre very good at what they do, theyre doing something that isnt terribly different than what plenty of other Americana acts do (and often do better). Trent and Hearst are certainly capable of writing good songs, but there are just not enough of them on Little Seeds, and while the indictment of racism in "BWYR" and the murderous shaggy-dog tale of "Botched Execution" stand out, most of the tracks here fail to stick in the memory after the album is done. And for all the strength of the groups lean and wiry sound, too often this album makes them sound like they have only a few moves in their repertoire that they keep rearranging to shrinking effect. Little Seeds has enough going for it that one hopes Shovels & Rope will start coming up with ideas that match their skill set, but this is not the album that delivers that breakthrough. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: Busted Jukebox, Volume 2 Released: 2017-12-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:10 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Cleanup Hitter (03:53) 2 Joey (04:49) 3 Do You Love Me Now (02:56) 4 Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (04:29) 5 Untitled 1 (04:08) 6 The Air That I Breathe (04:35) 7 Im Your Man (04:26) 8 Death Or Glory (03:40) 9 Epic (05:50) 10 You Never Can Tell (02:19) |
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: Predecessors Released: 2018-08-10 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:29:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Hardest Thing (03:51) 2 Hells Bells (03:36) 3 Cant Say Goodbye (03:04) 4 Eastern Continental Divide (05:08) 5 Are You Ready to Die? (04:38) 6 The Last Time (03:33) 7 American Made Machine (02:39) 8 The Thread (03:40) 9 Forsaken Blues (04:05) 10 Whos Gonna Raise These Babies? (03:17) 1 The Winner (04:31) 2 Complicated Type (05:12) 3 Kitchen - Hallway (04:02) 4 Daily Routine (03:54) 5 Splintered Fence (04:47) 6 Tell the Truth (02:51) 7 Bad Luck (03:31) 8 All Or Nuthin (03:08) 9 All Those Words (05:52) 10 L Bird (03:54) 11 When I... (04:36) 1 Handsome Mollie (?) 2 Judy Is a Punk (?) 3 Mexico (06:02) 4 Mississippi Heavy Water Blues (?) 5 So Lonesome I Could Cry (?) 6 Sunny Side of the Street (?) 7 Tonight You Belong to Me (?) |
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: By Blood Released: 2019-04-12 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 I’m Comin’ Out (03:43) 2 Mississippi Nuthin’ (03:52) 3 The Wire (02:56) 4 C’mon Utah! (03:46) 5 Carry Me Home (04:40) 6 Twisted Sisters (03:43) 7 Good Old Days (04:21) 8 Pretty Polly (03:15) 9 Hammer (04:15) 10 By Blood (03:39) |