CD Review

Aug. 3, 2008

Lucky Dogs:
Songs of Earth and Air


CD Review by Gary Worden

A good song can plant itself in your brain and change the way you experience the world. Such was Benny Bowmaster’s “Water” from his previous album, revealing the peculiar truth that water is more expensive than gasoline. I think of that every time I see coolers full of bottled water in a gas station.
In his new album “Lucky Dogs: Songs of Earth and Air,” the Leelanau County songwriter continues his tradition of clarity and directness in describing a lifestyle grounded in nature and harmony. He accomplishes this through a synergy of lyric, musicality and form.
The track “In Beauty May I Walk” uses an instrumental arrangement that departs from the usual in supporting a poetic tribute to nature. The foundation energy is Andy Rockwood’s bowed bass, supporting an understated mingling of acoustic guitar and mandolin which is so subtle it’s hard to tell there are two instruments. In the distance there’s a tasty fuzzy guitar which spreads the soundscape and creates a dreamy effervescence. The guitarist, Nick Talantis, was the recording engineer for the project. It would have been easy to put that guitar up front but he shows sensitivity and restraint in allowing the acoustic instruments to prevail.
Benny Bowmaster has always been shy of the spotlight. Although these are Benny’s songs and his music, his humility extends to the very title of the album. The Lucky Dogs are his friends, the aforementioned Andy and Nick, as well as Joe Spaulding on the mandolin and Doug Moser on the drums. Moser is one of the tastiest drummers around; he uses color and a light touch to support the music without overpowering it. This album is not too slick; it sounds like a jam you might run across at a folk festival. Talantis succeeds in capturing a warm and natural sound and if there are any rough edges, they are just part of the fabric.
The real strength is in the writing. The songs are well-grounded in Michigan and in Benny’s life off the grid. Although not overtly political, they express a plaintive and artful reverence towards the environment and harmonious co-existence.
Songs such as “All Connected” state the case succinctly. Perched in a giant pine, which is rooted in the earth, looking out over the forest to the dunes and Lake Michigan, we contemplate how “every drop of water, every grain of sand, every person, every critter, every thing and every land” are connected. The question is in the air: if this is the case, why are we always at war with nature and with each other? In this sense, these are not anti-war songs; they are pro-peace songs.
Even the romance is natural, rustic and true to life: no soaring declarations of smarmy undying love. “Past the Setting Sun” describes a pastoral back porch romantic interlude, a break from a job at the dump, as “feeling all dreamy like I’m living in one of them poems,” but acknowledges the quirky asymmetry of the situation: “I said I was crazy about her. She said she likes me some. Said I was a curiosity.”
This album needs only one thing: more cowbell on “New Paradigm Time.”

Gary Worden is a local multi-instrumentalist.


Road to Wonderland

By Dwain Martin

Torch Lake singer-songwriter Dwain Martin debuts his second CD this week, performing on Saturday, Aug. 9 at Short’s Brewery in Bellaire.
Martin will play songs from the new CD at the release party, along with several songs from his first disc, “Water So Blue.”
“I’ve been a lyricist/songwriter for over 20 years,” he notes. “These songs are the most recent additions to a long list of folk and folk rock melodies.”
Joining him on the CD are Amy Cook (bass/vocals), Matt Mansfield (guitar), Mike Carey (guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, and vocals), Alexis Dawdy (violin), Phyllis Jansma (cello), Chandra LaPointe (vocals), Dave Schwartz (drums), Jim Clark (drums), Cheryl Carey (percussion) and Dave Runyan (guitar, piano, leads, organ and CD producer).
Martin keeps the jams upbeat and offers thoughtful, topical lyrics. He’s got a rock edge on tunes such as “Hard Road” that keep the music propulsive and moving forward. With his supporting players onboard, you can hear echoes of artists such as The Band and Steve Earle in his music.
In addition to the Short’s CD party, you can catch his act at Boyne Street Music on Aug. 15, Horizon Books, TC, on Aug. 16, and at the Norwood Festival and Auction on Aug. 31.

-- R. Downes