Salt of the Earth by Harlem Parlour Music Club (2009-07-22)

Don't let the name of this group fool you. Its not a bunch of old Harlem musicians playing jazz charts (though there's absolutely nothing wrong with that; its just not what this band is about). The name comes from the fact that session drummer Sammy Merendino gathers a group of talented musicians - the most well known name is singer/songwriter Darden Smith - in an old 1890s mansion in Harlem on a regular basis and they share their songs in an "in the round" format. This CD is like sitting in on one of those evenings with 11 songs covering the breadth of "Americana" and most of the lead vocals are performed by the composer of that song. There is one "cover" - the Sly Stone classic "Thank You (forlettinmebemyselfagain)". Only here is played "bluegrass style" and it works. There are plenty of guitars in the group along with bass, banjo and, of course, Merendino on drums.If you want to see a sample of their work you can head to Youtube and search for "Runaway Train",The disc is on the band's own label so it may not get the promotion it deserves do to small budgets. I, for one, am glad I found it. It's not just only jazz going on up in Harlem. Inside an old mansion there is some "Americana" going on!Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"

The fifteen-strong membership of the Harlem Parlour Music Club seems to be more a collective than a group. Their eleven-track debut album includes songs from half the members as songwriters, and half the members contribute vocals. The group's rootsy music would have once been quite at home downtown in Greenwich Village, but they're an uptown aggregation who recorded these tracks in a Harlem townhouse. The combination of top-notch talent and informal studio sessions gives this debut a nice balance of heart and polish. There's a professional air to the playing, but also the ease of a living room jam. The group's New York roots and Appalachian aspirations provide a similar balance between big city sophistication and rural roots. Elaine Caswell's "Snakeskin," for example, sounds like something a post-Brill Building Carole King might have recorded outside the city, and the group's cover of Sly & The Family Stone's "Thank You (Fallettin Me Be Mice Elf Again)" is both soulful and rustic as the vocal chorus sings against twangy strings. There are tight harmonies, British-tinged folk melodies, lonesome fiddles, gospel glories and train rhythms, but with so many participants this is more of a songwriter's round than a cohesive band session. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]