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 Reviews Of Joel Mabus CDs

   Click on title to read reviews:

Time & Truth

Ukulele Crimes

Different Hymnals

Pepper's Ghost

A Parlor Guitar Christmas

American Anonymous

No Worries Now

Omnibus

Retold

The Banjo Monologues

Parlor Guitar

Golden Willow Tree

Thumb Thump

Six of One

How Like The Holly

 

 

TIME & TRUTH Reviews

RICH WARREN 
Midnight Special favorites of 2019

Joel Mabus: Time & Truth (Fossil 2719)

Mabus probably has made the "favorites" list as much as or more than any other artist. Perhaps that's because his catholic musical tastes run the spectrum of acoustic music accompanied by solid picking on guitar and banjo and a voice as comfortable as your favorite old shoes. Mabus alternates albums between vocals and instrumentals, as well as originals and covers (or traditional). Time & Truth consists of original songs, yet after scores of years of writing, they don't sound derivative of earlier work. He addressed politics head-on, but more tongue-in-cheek, or with convincing earnestness rather than reckless rant. Thus, "Yes Truth" goes straight to the heart. His deep reflection on mortality (and morality) "When All Famous People Are Forgot" blends personal and universal. Mabus is one of those under-appreciated folk artists who continue growing better with age. RW

 

 

UKULELE CRIMES Reviews

Ukulele (the magazine) Spring 2019

Joel Mabus - Ukulele Crimes (Fossil Records)

This is the first ukulele release from prolific veteran folk singer, songwriter, and string-instrument wizard Joel Mabus, and it is a thoroughly delightful outing all the way. If you have heard of him at all (and despite making 20-some albums, he is hardly a household name), you know that he is a serious picker (guitar and banjo), a veritable encyclopedia of traditional folk and blues tunes, as well as both popular and obscure early-20th century songs, and also an idiosyncratic songwriter who delivers his tunes - some wryly humorous, others not - in an appealingly gruff, personal style. All those elements are in place here.

The six originals on the album are a hoot - and all about the ukulele (though "Ukulele Scrabble" and "The Reentrant Waltz" are instrumentals). The title track asks the burning question "Is it a crime to play my ukulele when all the world is blue? / Is it a crime to strum a little sump'n' when troubles keep a comin' at ya two by two?" Many will recognize the song title "Goats Can Eat Anything" as the product of the uke-tuning acronym; Mabus uses it as a jumping off point for other uke-centric musing on "my dog has fleas." "How Do You Spell Ukulele" and "Ukulele Schmukulele" offer more smiles. It is easy to picture any of these fun numbers becoming popular with uke enthusiasts. The seven very cool cover tunes span the years 1912 to 1922, and most were new to me: I particularly like the leering and lascivious "Georgia Grind" and a breezy Prohibition-era Irving Berlin number called "I'll See You In C-U-B-A" (in which Mabus sings the country name as "koo-baa).

Between the repertoire and ultra-relaxed down-home vocal delivery, this reminds me of Leon Redbone (though Mabus is decidedly less slick; more growl, less croon). The playing is spirited and imaginative throughout, brightly capturing the sound of bygone eras, though if I was going to level one criticism of this album it its that it is perhaps a little too casual. There are quite a few notes that, while not "wrong," are not well-struck. I'm not looking for perfection (though if you've heard Mabus' exquisite albums Parlor Guitar and A Parlor Guitar Christmas, you know what he is capable of), but I think this could have been an even stronger album with a little more polish and a little less first-take spontaneity, Still, I solidly recommend it!

Blair Jackson, Ukulele, Spring 2019

 

DIFFERENT HYMNALS  Reviews                 

RICH WARREN 
Midnight Special favorites of 2017

Joel Mabus: Different Hymnals (Fossil 2517)
Mabus selects a different framework and motif for each album he records. His knowledge of music runs exceptionally broad and deep. Different Hymnals covers shades of faith from near agnostic to devout. The album is highly spiritual, but not particularly religious. Although it includes a few Christian hymns, it is not a Christian album. The spiritual songs suit nearly any faith. He includes originals, rewrites of traditional hymns and even a lengthy Child ballad imbued with spiritual/moral overtones. An outstanding guitarist, Mabus also mixes instrumentals with songs. Mabus connects all of these fourteen songs with the message that shared faith of whatever religion can bring us closer together and that peace is the ultimate goal. RW

Singout Magazine
Ron's favorites for 2017
by Ron Olesko
JOEL MABUS
DIFFERENT HYMNALS Fossil Records 

For those of you who have seen Joel Mabus in concert, you know that he gives an eclectic performance mixing in traditional folk, blues, original songs and more utilizing his virtuoso skills on guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo. His extensive recording career dates back to 1977 with a discography as varied as the man himself.

The title of his latest collection, Different Hymnals, might sound like an invitation to a church gathering, but this is more than a pure musical religious treatise, it is a look a variety of different traditions, beliefs and inspirations. As Joel declares in the liner notes "I didn't come to preach or proselytize. I bring songs. Like most everybody, I have my firm beliefs and my many doubts. But I'll just keep them to myself, if that's okay. The songs abide." They certainly do.

The tracks were laid down in two days in March 2017, just Joel's guitar work and voice to capture the spirit of these songs and tunes. This collection features songs and tunes from African-American spirituals, Methodist hymns, English carols and more.

The CD starts off with "Four Early Shape Note Hymns," traditional melodies that Joel arranged for guitar. All of the cuts on this CD feature adaptations and arrangements by Joel. Originally, the CD was going to be an instrumental collection, but Joel wrote a few verses to old hymns that fit the thematic direction of the recording and Joel began incorporating other songs into the project.

One of my favorite cuts is a spirited rendition of "God Don't Like It - I Don't Either," a song about drinking moonshine liquor in church that was recorded by Sister Rosetta Thorpe. Joel wrote new lyrics that deal with money and God. Another perfect song for our times.

"Stand By Me," a song written by Rev. Charles Albert Tindley, has been recorded by many artists including Elvis Presley and is reportedly the gospel song that inspired Leiber & Stoller to write the song with the same name that Ben E. King recorded. Joel adds a touch of country to the traditional song for his performance. RO

PEPPER'S GHOST & other banjo visitations  Reviews

Bluegrass Unlimited

JOEL MABUS
PEPPER'S GHOST & OTHER BANJO VISITATIONS
Fossil Records #2313

Joel Mabus has always been sort of a musical freak of nature, one who is not easily pigeonholed or categorized. A brilliant songwriter and singer, he is also a gifted storyteller and a very adept instrumentalist on old-time banjo and bluegrass guitar. Check out his Banjo Monologues for the former and his great old song "Doc'sology," a tribute to a classic Doc Watson guitar lick, for the latter.

So it should come as no surprise that Pepper's Ghost & Other Banjo Visitations seems like a medley of his many and varied talents and interests. Nine of the thirteen tracks are solo banjo instrumentals. Some, such as "Dogs On The Davenport" and the title track, are original compositions that show how thoroughly he has synthesized the beautifully quirky stylistic elements that make clawhammer banjo music so mesmerizing. To these he's added some great obscure discoveries, such as the nineteenth century medley "American Patrol" and a neoclassical piece with native American influences, "By the Waters Of Minnetonka." Mabus also doesn't hesitate to take on classics such as "Billy In The Low Ground," although he's at his best when he takes "Fire On The Mountain" and puts it through his own personal musical transmogrifier (for all us Calvin & Hobbes fans).

The effortless melding of traditional and modern that Mabus achieves on the banjo is something that he carries over skillfully to his songcraft. "Two Little Sisters" is a haunting extension of the vintage ballad often known as "Wind And Rain," and he rewrites the folk song "Leather Wing Bat" and makes it a charming and moving fable that takes the listener through both his subtle turns of phrase and lovely re-harmonizing. "Panhandle Prairie" is a spooky tale of dissolution and regret that evokes the dusty grit that pervades the ballad's setting. His sole vocal cover tune is the 1887 hymn "When They Ring The Golden Bells." Never content to let a good story go untold, Mabus frames the song with the fascinating story of its creator, one that thus far has not grown tiresome on repeated listenings.

If you've somehow managed to avoid experiencing the many talents of Joel Mabus, Pepper's Ghost & Other Banjo Visitations is an excellent entry point for appreciating how he's managed to plant himself and thrive creatively at the crossroads of traditional American folk music.

(Fossil Records, P.O. Box 306, Portage, MI 49081, www.joelmabus.com.)HK

AMAZON Review
4 stars 
Mabus is as adept on banjo as he is on the parlor guitar.
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013

For past Christmases singer/songwriter/musician Joel Mabus has released a Christmas-related CD of music played on the small parlor guitar. (You can find my review of many of Mabus' albums by searching under the artist's name here on Amazon.) This year Mabus changed directions and issued this secular album in October. Putting the parlor guitar aside this time for the banjo (played claw hammer style) Mabus has mixed traditional as well as self-penned songs - and even included a spoken narrative track ("When They Ring the Golden Bells") with solo banjo accompaniment. This is the third of Mabus' banjo CDs and, if you liked the others, I'm sure you'll like this one. As I pointed out in my review of "The Banjo Monologues" album, his parents performed professionally on WLS Radio in the 1930s and Mabus has that same performing spirit. He's also a prolific writer and, the 44-minute physical CD digipak contains only a short introduction by the artist - and a photo - he refers you to his website where you'll find two- or three- paragraphs of notes about each song, as well as the lyrics to the four songs with vocals.

The album is available both as a physical album and as MP3 download.

While Mabus does not have the most melodious-sounding voice, it sound authentic in the same way the Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk do (or in DVRs case, did). There is no denying that, instrumentally, Mabus knows his stuff. While I found the parlor guitar albums more entertaining, I do like this new one.

I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

 

A PARLOR GUITAR CHRISTMAS Reviews 

A Parlor Guitar Christmas
Amazon Review

FIVE STARS Perfect music for a peaceful and relaxing Christmas holiday season
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2012

I first discovered guitarist Joel Mabus a few years ago when I heard his 2005 album, simply titled "Parlor Guitar". On that CD the Michigan-based Mabus arranged classic jazz and blues tunes from the 1920s for the "parlor guitar". I learned then that the parlor guitar is smaller in size than a standard acoustic guitar (but bigger than a ukelele) and was popular in the 19th century (to play in the parlor at home, I guess). I've enjoyed his subsequent releases as well.

Just in time for the 2012 holiday season, Mabus has released this 38-minute album with 14 songs, both religious-based ("Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"," Silent Night" and "Gesu Bambino" - the latter is the most recent, from 1917) and secular ("Up On The Housetop" and Victor Herbert's "Toyland", which - we learn from the notes for each song included in the fold out package - was written for the Christmas-themed show "Babes in Toyland").

It's just Mabus and his guitar with no overdubs or trickery. And the sound is clean and crisp. I've been playing this over breakfast or when I've had a busy day. It puts you in the holiday spirit without hitting you over the head. Sometimes, simple is the best course and this newest CD from Mabus (also available as an MP3 download) proves the point.

I hope you found this review both informative and helpful.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

AMERICAN ANONYMOUS Reviews

JOEL MABUS
American Anonymous
Fossil 2111

As I've noted before, Joel Mabus has a most impressive body of work spanning both traditional and contemporary folk music. He's a fine singer, plays any number of stringed instruments - some at virtuoso level -- has a deep repertoire of traditional ballads, old-time music and blues, and is a songwriter whose work consistently equals the venerable traditional music in his repertoire.

Joel devotes American Anonymous to 14 authentic folksongs, all of which were written by that venerable songwriting team of Trad and Anon. Joel's impeccable solo performances - his voice and either guitar, banjo or autoharp - are riveting.

Among the highlights are a version of "In the Pines," played on the autoharp, which brilliantly captures the inherent loneliness of the lyric, and a unique ragtime guitar arrangement of "Rising Sun Blues (House of the Rising Sun)" which turns the song into more of fun thing than the tragic ballad we're used to.

Other favourites include Joel's hot-picking takes on "Grieve My Lord No More" and "The Fox" on the guitar, and "Sally Gal" and "Ebenezer," the album's only instrumental, on banjo.

Joel ends the set with a great version of "A Closer Walk with Thee" that reminds me a lot of how Merle Travis reinterpreted some great old African American spirituals.

American Anonymous, like virtually every other album Joel Mabus has ever made, gets my strongest recommendation.

--Mike Regenstreif

 

NO WORRIES NOW Reviews

 

Art Thieme reviewed NO WORRIES NOW in an online post:
[Art was the godfather of Midwest folk music. I miss him like hell. Lovely man, and one of the great Chicago folksingers, up there with Steve Goodman & John Prine. jm]

Subject: Review: Joel Mabus' new CD is a great one!!!
From: Art Thieme
Date: 22 Sep 09 - 04:31 PM

The name of it is Joel Mabus--NO WORRIES NOW....

Any of you who have heard Joel over the years know unequivocally what a purely note-perfect and thoroughly accomplished guitarist the man is. The same goes for his banjo; just superb musicality, and harmonic/chordal taste combined with melodic perfection. These are mostly Joel's own compositions here with some new and some trad melodies utilized beautifully. His writing, once again, combines deep intelligent insights with humor that makes the term comic relief profound.

For me, the highlight of this album is a song Joel wrote called, simply, "Charlie Birger" -- which is absolutely the best tribute to, and also the best expose of, this southern Illinois murderer and gang leader that has ever been composed. On my second LP I recorded the song Vernan Dalhart had recorded in 1928. That song was written by either Carson Robison or Blind Andrew Jenkins. (A 78-revolutions-per-minute record) But this eight minute gem hits the nail on the head. You get to know the man that Charlie Birger was from hearing this one. You are lucky if a 400 page biography does that for someone, but Mr. Mabus has done it this guy who fought it out with the Shelton Brothers Gang and the Ku Klux Klan all at the same time during the sad prohibition era. Capone was more famous because he had the big city papers to build him up. Charlie Birger died in 1928---and it has taken until now for a good song to be written about him. Mr. Mabus has done it for this guy who fought it out with the Shelton Brothers Gang.

And all the songs here are simply wonderful. I won't say any more because I've gone on too long already. Listen yourself, and you'll know what I'm going on about!

This CD shows how modern singer/songwriting and the vividness of trad story-song clarity and imagery can, dynamically, work together
beautifully.

Art Thieme

 

 

Bluegrass Unlimited
("on the edge" review) Dec. '09

I'm embarrassed and grateful. I'm red-faced because, until now, I had never heard of Joel Mabus, and this is his twentieth album, but it's also with gratitude that I've finally crossed paths with his marvelous talent. It took no more than twenty seconds after hitting the CD's first track, "Am I Right," that I turned to my wife and said, "I like this guy." Judging by this CD alone, Mabus understands the intricate details of the "keep-it-simple" formula. He proves less is more throughout this 14-track disc. Backed only by Frank Youngman on upright bass, Mabus adds his acoustic guitar, mandolin, and vocals in a simple, yet powerful, arrangement of many cleverly written tunes. Except for a couple of numbers, he wrote the lyrics and music to the rest of the record. Listeners will enjoy the light verse of "Alligator Ate Her Poodle," the ditty, "Come Along Again," and the jump tune, "Am I Right." Mabus explores the life of colorful small-town crime boss, "Charlie Birger," reflects on the hymns he sang in church as a child through the instrumental, "The Lost Shall Be Redeemed" and dreams of days gone by in "Halfway Home." He even includes the bonus track, "Extra Poison" to complement "Poison In The Glass" about the fates of some of history's intriguing characters. (Fossil Records, P.O. Box 306, Portage, MI 49081, www.joelmabus.com.) BC

 

Folk Alley (Jim Blum) Nov '09

Joel Mabus is folk legend in Michigan and very worthy of that moniker. He has been crafting songs and preserving overlooked traditional melodies for years, and he does all of this on every stringed instrument you can think of. From the amusing "Duct Tape Blues," to the calming "The Only Way Out is Through," Joel's observational eye has gifted the Folk Alley library with dozens of heartwarming gems over the years.

There is no let up in No Worries Now. He covers lots of subjects. He pokes at political parties in "You Voted Red" (and I voted blue...). Mabus offers a practical solution for those who no longer drink in "Two Cents Plain." The song's title is an old term for ordering a non alcoholic drink, but his clever rhyme and reasoning might open a few eyes among those trying to quit. Perhaps the most alluring number is "Give It Up." This song addresses our ambitions, which if we're not careful, can drift away from the meaningful toward the materialistic.

I don't mean to paint Joel as a lecturer, because he's not. This album is very entertaining, and often comical. Very few songwriters can poke you in the ribs and stick to your ribs at the same time. Mr. Mabus has this double ability and he always has. No Worries Now is another collection defining why fans will remember his songs.

Victory Review Acoustic Music Magazine
November 2009

It’s hard to imagine anyone playing acoustic guitar better than Joel Mabus. This is the Compleat Guitar (as in The Compleat Angler) for those who might have previously thought they played rather well. The best methods of good guitar recording bring you inside that wooden box. On this CD, Ragtime, Blues and Folk methods are played with ease. Perhaps those are the rewards of a long career. Joel adds to the mystery with mandolin and additional leads. He barely needs but certainly benefits from the well rounded acoustic bass of Frank Youngman. 

The real surprise to me isn’t the guitar but the great voice with almost a Burl Ives inflection and higher register. When Joel sings ‘coyote’ I see coyote. But wait, he also wrote this stuff including arrangements built on two public domain tunes. You’ll get great lyrics, clever Shakespearean references like ‘Poison in the Glass’, an understatement of divergent politics in ‘You Voted Red’, a somewhat historical lesson on the legendary Illinois crime boss who ran the KKK off his turf in ‘Charlie Birger’, a wonderful restatement of an old (1860) Baptist hymn, ‘How Can I Keep From Singing’, and a wonderful instrumental as haunting as a Ken Burns theme, ‘The Lost Shall Be Redeemed’. 

For the most part, this is light hearted stuff, and poems that are subtle. ‘Alligator Ate Her Poodle’ deftly points out that people who move into condos erected over the previous wildlife habitat can’t seem to figure out why that environment doesn’t cooperate. ‘Two Cents Plain’ could easily be a Depression Era tune, describing a purchaser of plain ol’ soda water, simply wanting to fit in at the bar when real whisky is financially out of the question. ‘Halfway Home’ and ‘Shine’ are very personal, tell how to revisit the home of your youth and ‘Turn it around-love can be found, but you got to let your little light shine.’ 

Folkradio.org reports that Joel is the fourth most played performer and was the nominee for Traditional Folk Artist of the Year 2008 by the Folk Alliance International. Even in 2009 you’ve still got plenty of opportunity to hear this wonderful guitar and song stylist. [J.W. McClure]

Lansing State Journal
Chris Rietz, reviewer Oct. 8, 2009

Not since "Rhyme Schemes" back in 1997 has Michigan's own folk Renaissance man Joel Mabus issued an album of all-new, all-original songs - although since then he's produced a Christmas album, a CD of traditional songs, an album of narratives and banjo tunes, an all-instrumental fingerpicking guitar album and lots more.

That spell is now over with the September release of "No Worries Now," the 20th album in this unique artist's three-decades-long career, 13 songs so fresh, variegated and unpredictable it sounds as though he's just warming up.

In a folk universe thickly populated with confessional, quasi-countrified songwriters, Mabus stands apart, for three reasons: one is that he's a top-flight picker with a lifetime passport to the land of instrumental hotshots, whereas most folkie songwriters can't go there. Listen to the gorgeous, hymn-inspired guitar solo "The Lost Shall Be Redeemed" or the thrilling, 'grassy solos on "Charlie Birger."

Another reason is Mabus's refusal to gaze at his own navel - "I invent most of my characters," he insists, "especially the ones named 'I.' " The result is a songwriting style with more breadth, from the bewildered, comical love song "You Voted Red" to the nostalgic "Halfway Home."

A third reason is Mabus combines his depth of feeling for traditional song with a long-standing respect for Tin Pan Alley songwriters, and while he'll always be called a folk artist, many of his songs owe as much a debt to, say, Hoagy Carmichael as to Woody Guthrie.

"Alligator Ate Her Poodle" is everything anyone needs to know about Florida, stuffed into six tight, hilarious quatrains and set to the tune of "Clementine." "Shine," on the other hand, is a convincing exercise in swing, with a righteously breezy feel and some sharp guitar breaks.

"Charlie Birger" is about a historical figure from southern Illinois where Mabus grew up, reminiscent of Woody Guthrie's song about Pretty Boy Floyd. "Poison in the Glass" is a virtuosic turn on skullduggery throughout history, with an appropriately creepy minor-sixth tonality - which in turn engenders the album's bonus track, a funny and self-referential piece of business that tells us (as if we don't already suspect it) that Mabus always seems to have more in the tank.

 

Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange 
by Mark S. Tucker
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p05778.htm   

Unbelievably, almost every song on this CD was written by Joel Mabus but sounds as though unearthed from the Golden Age of old blues, folk, Tin Pan Alley, and Bob Wills. Moreover, there are just two guys here, Mabus and Frank Youngman, who plays bass. Joel's been around for a while (the cover photo kinda gives that away) and I, as a critic, have run across his name more than once on others' releases but personally discovered the guy with his Flying Fish release Settin' the Woods on Fire (1980 and out of print, dammit!), which remains in my permanent collection. His website, however, lists about 20 releases, with only 2 unavailable, so it's no longer difficult, as it tended to be in The Vinyl Era, to lay hold of his stuff.

Mabus is esteemed not just for wry lyrics, superb playing, and catchy compositions but also his banjo technique, which the bewhiskered gent teaches and issues instructional books about. No Worries Now… is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that though we're presently in the wave crest of The Next Republican Depression and things are about as bad as they could get, you've still got art and music, and that tends to ease all the stress a tetch, no? After listening to this waltzing, jitterbugging, swinging, folks-ing disc, you'll be forced to agree at least to that much.

In the press, not enough is made of Mabus' skills as a writer, but the guy sparkles in his lyrics (a sheet's included with the CD). A college course could be taught behind his poetry, and I, as a tutor, will now be suggesting some of this disc's work for analysis by my high school students. A good deal more clever than much of Shel Silverstein, whom I also convey to kids, many of his words are jam-packed with multiple levels of meaning despite the rurality and sidewalk nature of much of them. Toss rootsy music on top, and you have a very formidable result.

Want music that not only makes yer toes tap and hips sway? Give a listen to any cut here and sit amused as you ponder just what he's saying. For an added bonus, the composer's liner notes are often both hilarious and ironic. How many people do you know who can allude to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Judas Iscariot, and Jean-Paul Marat and make it all eminently sensible?

THE JOEL MABUS OMNIBUS Reviews

Joel Mabus Re-delivers Rich Songs on New 'Omnibus' Review

Chris Rietz | For the Lansing State Journal January 15, 2009

Released just in November, "Omnibus" is the 19th album from Michigan's prolific Joel Mabus. With the exception of three tracks, all regrooved and available on other of his albums, "Omnibus" is essentially a reissue of his out-of-print albums "Firelake," released in 1990, and "Short Stories'' from '92 - making it a bookend with last year's regroove project, "Retold."

The result is a rich 70-plus minutes, remastered by Kalamazoo's deft John Stites and programmed in a new order, giving "Omnibus" the freshness of a new album.

Mabus has a long-standing rep as an instrumental wiz, and the hot licks flash in "Doc'sology," the sweet-toned mandolin in the "Grey Mare" medley, or the evocative "Midsummer Night's Waltz," a gorgeous guitar solo. He's also one of the best examples we have of the traditional-song ethic, in which people with ordinary voices can become effective - even great - singers.

But Mabus has long since put those things in service to his real interest: songwriting. For matching sharp, witty, intelligent lyrics with well-crafted, singable melodies whose seeming simplicity can conceal the craft involved, there are few in the folk-songwriter world to match him. And, as he himself points out in the notes, 1990-92 was a particularly fertile period.

The CD opens with "Firelake," a hypnotic banjo tune familiar to many as the theme from Mike Flynn's "Folk Sampler" on NPR. "The Fiddle and the Bow" is a masterful piece of songwriting in which a scene with prefab elements - the desperate young woman, the old store owner - quickly gets turned on its head: both are less than forthcoming in their dealings, and both get what they want.

"Omnibus" often plays like a showcase for several different songwriters, not just one. "The Book I Gave Up Reading" is a hilarious run-on invective about a match gone sour; the languid "Honeysuckle Moon" sounds like a Tin Pan Alley song Jimmie Rodgers would have tracked in the '20s.

"Oscar and Minnie," a song about his own grandparents, the hopeful "Let It Be Me & You" and the anthemic "A Better Voice" are still requested at Mabus's live shows. His take on the climate crisis, "Warmer Every Day," was written in the '80s and is an even hotter topic today, in both senses - and you'll love the line about gondoliers in Brooklyn.

 

RETOLD  Reviews

Michigan Songwriter Joel Mabus Retells It Like It Is 
Written by Joe Torok for City Pulse 
Wednesday, 09 January 2008

It's that time of year again for Joel Mabus. The folk singer, who used to live in Lansing but now resides in southwestern Michigan, performs what he calls "my homecoming concert" each year for the Ten Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse. This year's concert - "the 15th or so," Mabus notes - will feature songs from his new album, "Retold," as well as the usual audience requests.

Mabus fans should recognize the lineup on his new album, which hits stores Jan. 15 and is available now through his Web site. The songs are a collection of oft-requested original pieces he penned during the first 10 years of his production company, Fossil Records.

He says the songs on the album are dear to his heart and continue to grow and change through time. "I hate to say 'greatest hits,' because in folk music we don't have hits," Mabus says.

He says the songs also closely resemble what he does when he performs, an experience he has grown to love. "It used to be I just enjoyed making music in front of people," he says. "Now I like interacting with people. I like engaging them."

And that's a big part of what it means to be a folk musician, Mabus explains. While audiences of Bluegrass or traditional Irish music might hone in on a performer's technical prowess, folk audiences are generally more concerned with an artist's stage presence.

"Folk music is tied into the entertainer's personality," Mabus says.

On "Retold," Mabus' personality shines in songs like "Hopelessly Midwestern" and "Duct Tape Blues," both of which deliver elements of storytelling and monologue.

Mabus says the lyrics to the "funny self-deprecating song" "Hopelessly Midwestern," which include the line "Now if you're favorite stretch of highway is flat and straight/You're hopelessly Midwestern/And if you still think sushi looks a lot like bait/ You're hopelessly Midwestern," have been changed over the years to keep the song fresh.

"Duct Tape Blues" was first debuted in 1988 at the Ten Pound Fiddle, Mabus says. One of his most popular tunes, Mabus has mixed feelings about the song. "I got sick of it because it was so requested," he says. "People would come to a concert to see just that song."

The cut on his new album is an extended version over 10 minutes long, combining many of the retellings that have been performed over the years, with lines like "I say this world has gone to pieces/What's a poor boy s'posed to do?/I'm just holdin' things together, now/Singing the duct tape blues."

"It's about life, death, duct tape and all the important things," Mabus says.

Mabus became a great songwriter over the course of many years, evolving from an overeager novice to an accomplished artist. "When I was a young person, I wrote lots of lousy songs," he says. "I thought that's what musicians were supposed to do."

He decided to put away pencil and paper through his 20s and concentrated on learning different musical styles and techniques. A decade later, Mabus was ready to resume writing with more confidence, because he knew what a good song sounded like.

In addition to guitar, Mabus plucks the banjo and plays the fiddle. He has recorded 18 albums since 1978, including 2007's "The Banjo Monologues."

Today Mabus says his repertoire on stage is usually confined to either original or traditional songs, the kind of melodies copyrighted to the public domain. You won't hear any cute re-imaginings of recent chart-toppers in his sets.

"I don't cover the latest hits," he says. "If you're coming to see me, you'll hear my songs or my take on very old songs."

--------------------------------------------

'Retold,' Joel Mabus
Latest Joel Mabus CD, 'Retold,' should please his devoted fans

Chris Rietz | For the Lansing State Journal

"Retold," set for release on Jan. 15, is the 18th album from songwriter/multi-instrumental hotshot Joel Mabus on his own Fossil Records, launched in 1987 to produce his own recordings.

It's a program of 12 Mabus originals, featuring only Joel's voice and acoustic guitar, from the label's first decade, songs in varying degrees lost, under-represented on CD or - most importantly - songs that continue to thrive and evolve in his countless live shows.

"Retold," then, is not at all a rehash of old faves - the unmistakable sign of an artist in winding-down mode - but no less than first-time definitive recordings of some of the most popular songs in Mabus's two-decades-and-counting career.

1988's "Naked Truth" LP, a live album, was the source for four of the songs, including the mythic, spooky title cut, the powerful anti-war ballad "Touch a Name on the Wall," and the sharp, playful "Swing That Thing," interspersed with Joel's blazing guitar breaks - and a couple of musical quotes from Duke Ellington and Bach, too.

Likely his most-requested song of them all, "Duct Tape Blues" is here, complete with the "badoo-badoo" story (don't ask, just listen), a broad palette of blues licks, some rumination on modern excess and more. At a full 10 minutes and 54 seconds, Mabus may be hoping to give his fans all the "Duct Tape" they want, once and for all.

An even better candidate for deathlessness-by-acclaim is the dead-on hilarious "Hopelessly Midwestern," a Heartlander's National Anthem if ever there were. It comes packaged with the tale of his encounter with a tie-dyed California type, an opportunity for Mabus to trot out his best folksy, Will-Rogers-meets-Garrison-Keillor oratorical style and crank it up to 10.

"I don't call it a 'best of' album," Mabus remarked wistfully, "but I'm sure there will be some who call it that." In the notes he acknowledges the old bromide that a songwriter's works are his children, and indeed, the 12 songs on "Retold" have grown up tall and strong, and done well for themselves. For those seeking an introduction to this acclaimed, multi-talented artist, or longtime fans who want THE Joel album, this is it - "best of" or not.

Chris Rietz works at Elderly Instruments in Lansing . His reviews appear every other week in Lansing State Journal's What's On. 

 

 

The Banjo Monologues Reviews

PENGUIN EGGS MAGAZINE Autumn 2007 Issue 35

Joel Mabus   The Banjo Monologues  

Fossil  Records

Joel Mabus introduces this CD with an accompanied monologue about the banjo  “I don’t know if the world needs another banjo record” he says “but I do” and then he goes on to say  “There are a dozen different ways to tune a banjo and all of them are wrong”. What follows is an amazing mixture of songs, tunes and stories about the banjo and Joel Mabus’s experience as teacher, banjo player and appreciator of the instrument and the music. Mabus reaches with superb taste into old time music to pick the tunes for this recording. He is such a fine interpreter of this music that some of the old hillbilly standards, which I first heard and learned during the ’60’s folk scare, and which over the years I’d come to regard as passé, achieve new life in the hands of this man. The playing and singing are magnificent and the story telling informative and fun. If you love banjo music this is a disc for you.

– By Mitch Podolak

---------------------------------------------

CD review: 'The Banjo Monologues,' by Joel Mabus Mabus delivers yet another original album with 'Banjo Monologues'

By Chris Rietz | For the Lansing State Journal 3/29/2007

The banjo has "flirted with showbiz now and then, but mostly it's played in kitchens and back porches. Now to me that makes the five-string a noble thing."

So begins "The Banjo Monologues," fully the 17th album from Joel Mabus, and the 14th on his own Fossil Records label, slated for release on May 1 - perhaps his most direct and intimate project yet.

Mabus's banjo-playing is a unique hybrid of the old-time, percussive, "clawhammer" style and its modern melodic grandson, the so-called "chromatic" style. His easy mix of both is, while not at all showy, entirely original - a bridging of both worlds that's almost unheard of.

As a result, the tunes and songs are a surprisingly varied smorgasbord of tastes: the rustic comedy of "Three Nights Drunk," 19th-century ragtime with "Whistling Rufus," even an original, the darting "Dragonfly" ("my wife's favorite"). And for anyone who thinks the banjo is only for happy stuff, Joel finds the heart of darkness in the murder ballad "Willow Garden," a particularly chilling example of an already gory genre.

Note too that Mabus doesn't shy from what could be called standard material: "John Henry," "Roll Down the Line," "Cripple Creek." Mabus is that rare artist who can bring old chestnuts to life not by making them exotic, but by doing the opposite: finding the pulse in the old songs, by understanding them in a way that few others do.

But the best moments, the stuff that makes his 17th album fresh, are the "monologues," seven of them.

Here Joel talks about the banjo, its mysteries, about an 80-year-old student he once had, but most of all about his own southern Illinois parents, their siblings and in-laws who made a living as "hillbilly" musicians during the Depression.

All of this is told in a slow-paced, rhythmic, folksy style that's more than just affectation or schtick; it's simply the way these tales should want to be told. Think of Garrison Keillor; or better yet, "Alice's Restaurant," in which Arlo Guthrie sounds more Okie than his own father. It's connecting the music - and himself - to a rich and cherished past, and "The Banjo Monologues" is accordingly less about showbiz, and more like the porch or the kitchen, than any banjo album you're ever likely to hear.

[Chris Rietz is the CD buyer for Elderly Instruments, and writes reviews for LSJ on a biweekly basis]

Early reviews from the Internet:

Also don't  miss Joel Mabus' cd. Another great one. 
Joel gets it right every time. 
Every cd is different and never a dull moment any of his cds.

Roz Larman Folkscene Radio
posting to FOLKDJ-L

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The CD is a grand tribute to the banjo and to old-time music. Modern audiences may not understand why "hillbilly" music was so popular in its day. Early record producers gave the style the "hillbilly" moniker, which unfortunately created an image that has detracted from the music. In "The Banjo Monologues", Joel celebrates the true beauty and significance of the music, enabling modern audiences to understand the connection the music had with its audiences. Listening to the CD from beginning to end is a unique experience. I imagine this what Mark Twain or Garrison Keillor would sound like if they played the banjo. "The Banjo Monologues" helps cement Joel Mabus reputation as an artist.

Joel Mabus is the Joe Dimaggio of the folk music world - a virtuoso who can make the toughest plays appear effortless. His performances are memorable and he leaves the audience with the feeling that they have spent an evening with a good friend or long-lost relative. His charm, intelligence and skill are evident in his inviting style.

[Portion of blog posted by RON OLESKO Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Co-host of "Traditions" at WFDU, Fordham University Radio]

---------------------------------------------------------

I have an embarrasingly high stack of CDs that need to be reviewed for our radio show- so many appealing CDs that choosing which to ignore for a while and which to listen to is almost painful.

But when the new Mabus CD hit the "In" Box yesterday, it went straight into the CD player.

It's nearly impossible to praise Joel's contributions to folk music too highly. A master of a number of instruments who communicates the nuances of each, an artful, profound and often funny songwriter whose songs will far outlive him, a masterly performer, and overall one of the true champions of traditonal folk music.

This new CD is going to win over people who have up to this point failed to enjoy the banjo, and is going to thrill people who enjoy Joel's stories. I'm particularly glad that those stories are accompanied by tasteful banjo backup, allowing me to program it on-air more than I would if they were straight spoken pieces.

I could go on, but need to get back to reviewing CDs!

Mel DeYoung 
PS I have no affiliation with Joel, just an admiration for his talent and the use to which he has devoted it.

Mel DeYoung, folk music programmer at WPSU, Penn State U.
posting to FOLKDJ-L

--------------------------------------------------

No doubt you have heard of "The Vagina Monologues". If that introduction has grabbed your attention then your attention should be grabbed by a most brilliant CD that has come down the old pike. A CD by a true virtuoso of many instruments. Happily we have something that could now also be on the stage---"The Banjo Monologues".

Joel Mabus has come up with a most brilliant piece of work. This CD consists of 18 tracks of traditional music and some truly colorful and insightful intros to many of the tracks. Tales of family, of music, and just some great philosophical thoughts. One insight has to do with how a teacher can also be a student. One of the most moving tracks on the CD. It is about as close as you are going to get to seeing Joel Mabus in concert.

If you have ever wondered what was the precursor to Grand Ole Opry you will find out here. If you ever wondered what instrument is his favorite---and why--you will find out. Also which one he would want on a desert island---hint: forget bad banjo jokes.

If you ever wanted to hear some great family tales with traditional songs as background it is on this CD. In addition there are great traditional pieces, including, Wondrous Love, John Henry's Hammer, and so many more.

You really have to travel far and wide to find a more intriguing artist who can play the many instruments he does. Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo and never forget one of his greatest instruments of all----his voice. Deep, resonant, and his persona engulfs the audience. Be it a live one or one on a CD that will make you think you are at a Joel Mabus concert.

Bill Hahn - Program Notes (Traditions, WFDU)
from Bill Hahn's blog

Parlor Guitar Reviews           

Lansing State Journal November 24, 2005

Joel Mabus delivers a light, 
lyrical disc with 'Parlor Guitar'

Review By Chris Rietz | For the Lansing State Journal

As Joel Mabus himself points out, the title of his new CD, "Parlor Guitar" - the 16th on his own Fossil label - has two meanings. The first refers to the small- bodied steel-string guitars used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose intimate voice and balanced tone made them ideal for fingerstyle playing.

The other is that the album itself was recorded in a Victorian-era parlor - the one that houses Arcadia Recording in Kalamazoo . This is no re-creation, though; it's more that these tunes, with their simplicity, durability and emotional heft, presented in this unaffected way, are a perfect match for the eminently musical Mabus.  

As a result, "Parlor Guitar" is lyrical, light on its feet, captivating and in the end thoroughly listenable, in a way that precious few fingerstyle guitar albums ever are. As listeners will quickly note, Mabus's rep as a top-flight picker is well-deserved, but his depth of understanding, his willingness to let great songs sing in their own voice, is much more rare.  

With one surprise exception, the CD is all instrumental, but it is very much an album of songs. A serious songwriter himself, Mabus is drawn to the Tin Pan Alley craftsmen of a century or so ago, whose target audience was vaudeville, the Broadway stage - or the living room.  

Dixieland-ed to death for decades, "After You've Gone" seems rejuvenated in Mabus's wistful treatment. A medley of four early hymns is an album highlight, while ragtime - in full roar in those days - tips in with "Tiger Rag."  

Joel's playing is informed by a traditional singer's sensibility - meaning that he has a nose for where these familiar melodies came from and how they've come to belong to everyone. It's more than just having done his homework, although the sleeve notes are a delight to read - as much as anything, "Parlor Guitar" is a showcase for how that adds depth to one's grasp of the tunes, what they mean and how they should be played.

 

Sing Out!Vol 50 #1 Spring 2006 p 120

Joel Mabus is an extraordinary musician. He is a fine flat-picking guitarist, clawhammer banjoist and songwriter. With Parlor Guitar he demonstrates his abilities as an arranger for finger-style solo guitar.

The title is twofold. Parlor music was in its heyday in the early 20th Century when vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley ruled popular music. More specifically, the parlor guitar is a small bodied instrument most suited for intimate performances in the home. Joel uses just such an instrument on this CD, which gives it an authentic warmth and immediacy not achievable by a modern dreadnaught or jumbo sized instrument.

As you listen to Parlor Guitar casually you are treated to a great collection of tunes, many of which are rather well known from parents' or grandparents' piano benches. Most of the selections are standards, including "You Made Me Love You" from James V. Monaco, "I'm Just Wild About Harry" by Eubie Blake and "Avalon" by Vincent Rose with AI Jolson and Giacomo Puccini (yes, that Puccini!). Only with closer inspection does Joel's immense talent become apparent. He has taken and rearranged tunes that were never intended for the guitar and made them each a tour de force of guitar virtuosity. A lesser player would be justly proud to have any of these arrangements in his repertoire but Joel has over 20!  

A good example of this level of virtuosity is Nick La Roca's "Tiger Rag”  from 1917.Originally recorded by Nick and his Original New Orleans Jass Band in 1918, it has about six different parts until the listener is treated to the "Hold That Tiger" motif. The entire recording is like that, just amazing. Do yourself a favor (and maybe your parents as well) and enjoy the amazing guitaristics of Joel Mabus's Parlor Guitar. -TD

 

Golden Willow Tree Reviews

SING OUT Vol. 48 #3 Fall 2004 p 142.

Joel Mabus Golden Willow Tree Fossil 1504

Very quietly and under way too many people's radar, Joel Mabus has spent the past 25 years building one of the most impressive bodies of work spanning both traditional and contemporary folk music. He's a fine singer, has a virtuoso's command of the guitar and banjo (and fiddle, which he doesn't play on this particular album), has a deep repertoire of traditional ballads, old-time music and blues, and is a superb songwriter whose compositions are well-informed by the traditions and traditional songs he's mastered. 

Like many of his past recordings, Golden Willow Tree seamlessly mixes traditional songs with Joel's original material. The title song, a variant of the more familiar "Golden Vanity," is a long a cappella ballad that Joel performs magnificently, letting the story unfold almost cinematically as the verses go by. His version of "Study War No More," which incorporates the familiar "Down By The Riverside" with "Walk In Jerusalem" seems particularly relevant at this point in contemporary history, as does his rewrite of the traditional "Ruben" into a contemporary allegory about politics and class struggle in the Bush era. 

Not all of Joel's songs deal with weighty subjects. "Spoon River and You" is a very pretty, summertime love song, while in "The Bird's Alphabet," he cleverly finds a bird for each of the 26 letters. Other great songs include "Ride Away Easy," which captures the scene of a cowboy ready to ride into the sunset and "Noe's Dove," whose subtext reflects a search for inner peace and spiritual fulfillment. 

Joel's three instrumentals, on both guitar and banjo, are also a delight. This is a solo recording with no sidemen and no overdubs. None are at all necessary. 

Mike Regenstreif

 

Bluegrass Unlimited [September 2004 Issue]

JOEL MABUS - GOLDEN WILLOW TREE Fossil Records 1504

Joel Mabus is a talented singer, guitarist, songwriter, clawhammer banjoist, and also fiddler, though he does not fiddle on this recording. He mixes traditional tunes, such as the medley "Sally Goodin In The Alley With Sugar In The Gourd," "Speed The Plow," the title cut, and "Study War No More," with his fine original songs and tunes, "The Last Of June," "Papa Caught A Catfish," "Spoon River And You," "Banjo Ala Turk," "The Bird's Alphabet," "Noe's Dove," "Ride Away Easy," and "Crossing The Ohio." But the high point for this reviewer is Joel's banjo treatment of the traditional "Ruben," for which he writes new and very apt lyrics, which turn Ruben into a ruthless corporate manipulator.

The CD opens with a clawhammer instrumental, "The Last Of June." Mabus's playing is clear, crisp, and precise with a warm round tone. "Papa Caught A Catfish" is fingerpicked blues. The "Sally..." medley is more tasteful clawhammer with vocals. "Spoon River" is a nostalgic ballad. "Speed The Plow" is fingerpicked. "Golden Willow Tree" is sung a capella in Mabus's gravelly but wistful voice. Bird lovers and children will love "The Bird's Alphabet," another a capella song with a bird and a line for each letter. "Ride Away Easy" is a modern cowboy song. "Crossing The Ohio" is an exquisite guitar tribute to Stephen Foster with appropriate melodic references.

Joel Mabus is one of the most creative musicians rooted in traditional music. You never know what kind of arrangement he will use, and he continues to both surprise and delight on this recording. If you are not already a fan of his music, this CD will make you one. 

SAG

 

Lansing State Journal  Published May 13, 2004 

"Golden Willow Tree," Joel Mabus

By Chris Rietz For the Lansing State Journal

Joel Mabus' new CD, "Golden Willow Tree," has such a classic, timeless feel that one is surprised to discover all but a few tracks are originals. But this CD, perhaps more than any of his many recordings, exemplifies Mabus' grasp of traditional music as a living thing - it's always been impossible to distinguish the proverbial roots from the new fruit.

It's only the man's voice, his finger-picked guitar and clawhammer banjo, and while Mabus is a world-class instrumentalist - and his depth and mastery of style have made him a fine, effective singer - "Tree" has higher ambitions than to overwhelm.

His treatment of traditional songs here is revealing. Both the title track and "Ruben" are widely known but often obscure in meaning; Mabus instinctively finds the heart in both songs, sharply focusing each tale with the directness of the best storytellers. Nor does he shy from underscoring the old stories' relevance to today's headlines.

But the original stuff rules the album. "Ride Away Easy" is a poignant rewrite of "Old Paint," with an original verse left intact. The gorgeous "Noe's Dove," with its hymn-book phrasing and pentatonic banjo melody, could easily pass for 200 years old. Conversely, the wildly original "Banjo Ala Turk," which sounds like an Egyptian version of "Old Joe Clark," should suffice to confound the traditionalists while delighting everyone else.

Of special note is the sound quality of this self-produced project, which is nothing less than luscious. The intimacy of Joel's voice, and the richness and subtlety of the instruments - and the hands playing them - have much to do with the deceptively low-key power of "Golden Willow Tree."

Mabus will launch the CD locally at a benefit concert for Habitat for Humanity Lansing. It's at 8 p.m. Saturday in Lansing Community College's Dart Auditorium, 500 N. Capitol Ave., downtown.

Chris Rietz works at Elderly Instruments in Lansing. His reviews appear every other week in What's On. Contact him at crietz@lansing.gannett.com

 

Thumb Thump Reviews

BLUES REVUE April/May 2003 p.99

Soloist Joel Mabus works an acoustic beat far from any highway. His new collection of standards (“Frankie and Albert,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain”) and originals (“Shake Them Hard Luck Blues,” “Struttin’ to Tootsie’s”) hits the mark –Instrumentals “Red Dog Rag” and “The Creeper” are packed with mind-blowing runs and rythms; even the vocal tracks have there share of incredible instrumental flourishes. And Mabus’ weathered voice is a great folk-blues instrument. Just the move from free time to a steady meter leading into “East St. Louis” is a thing of beauty.  Named for its fingerpicking style, the exquisitely recorded Thumb Thump (Fossil 1402) is irresistible in a Mississippi John Hurt way – unless your blues have to be all low-down, all the time, you should love it.

 

Bluegrass Unlimited  January 2003, pp88, 89

There is nothing like the sound of a guitar. Not only is it extremely versatile, but it’s the perfect instrument to accompany the human voice.  Then again sometimes all you want to hear is ten elegant fingers bouncing melodically and rhythmically over six steel strings.

“Thumb Thump” is just what the doctor ordered. Joel Mabus has put together a solo album that takes listeners on a tour of mostly familiar blues and ragtime standards, plus four originals that sound as beautifully aged and timeworn as the standards, so well does he know his genres.  There are no studio musicians, no harmony singers, just Mabus’s rich, deep, classy, fingerpicked guitar as it lays down a syncopated, winding path for his vibrant, earthy voice, perfect for delivering the wrong-side-of-town stories that have made the blues and ragtime such solid cornerstones of American Music.

Four of the thirteen tracks are Mabus originals, blending seamlessly with the likes of “Frankie And Albert,” “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It,” and “What Kind Of Pants Does A Gambler Wear.”  Instrumentals are delightful – “The Creeper” slinks in and tiptoes around, while “Stuttin’ To Tootsie’s” is a peacock-proud parade down the boulevard.  Liner notes are a wealth of information about the songs, Mabus, and the river country of his youth.

Warning: Listening to “Thumb Thump” may transcendentally transport you into a speak-easy, or maybe a dark corner of your neighborhood bar. There’s a guy and his guitar, playing for his own enjoyment in the dim light, but you get caught up in the melodies, the tough lyrics, and somehow it makes you feel a bit better. You watch as his fingers pick out intricate melodies, his thumb thumping out the rhythm. You listen to his roughened voice as it floats above the din … and you smile. 

JK

 

Dirty Linen Feb/March ’03 #104 p61

Making the most of his right thumb, as well as his other nine fingers, the always-affable singer/guitarist Joel Mabus has recorded a delightful kick-off-your-shoes-and-sit-back collection of rhythmic old-time country blues and ragtime. 

With his easy going, slightly gruff voice and smooth fingerpicking, Mabus blends his recollections of the St. Louis street singers he heard as a child with a stylistic nod to old bluesmen like Mississippi John Hurt and country pickers like Doc Watson. He mixes his honest arrangements of standards like "Frankie and Albert" and "East St Louis" with some breezy original ragtime instrumentals like "Red Dog Rag" and "Struttin' to Tootsie's" along with the traditional blues spiritual "Paul and Silas" and the hobo's yarn "Big Rock Candy Mountain." 

All are played with affection and skill. The live-in-studio production adds to the friendly, informal feel. (TN)

Sing Out! Vol. 46 #3 Fall 2002 pp132-133
Click here to go to the SINGOUT website.

How does he do it? Recording after recording, Joel Mabus manages to produce fresh and delightful material combining traditional songs and his own firm grasp of song craftsmanship. He does it with little or no musical support outside of his own mastery of guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo.

On Thumb Thump, Joel turns his talents to ragtime and blues and sticks with acoustic guitar and voice. The title refers to the steady rhythm and right hand guitar technique required to create these styles and Joel's obvious delight and control of these genres comes through on every track.

There are four original compositions on Thumb Thump, but the bulk of the recording draws from folk and blues traditions. Prepare yourself, however, for some well-researched and creative interpretations of songs you thought you knew. Joel's healthy philosophy of respecting and adding to the tradition is what makes Thumb Thump so unique. His versions of "Brady," "Frankie and Albert," " Paul and Silas," and especially "What Kind of Pants Does a Gambler Wear" are great examples of this.

No fancy production here; just a superb musician and connoisseur of old time music sharing his joy with anyone lucky enough to listen.

Matt Watroba 

Six Of One Reviews

From ALL MUSIC GUIDE:

Six of One, the old saying goes, a half-dozen of the other. In this instance, that means six originals by multi-instrumentalist Joel Mabus and six traditional pieces. Switching between contemporary pieces and timeworn ones, like "Old Smokey" and "Careless Love," provides a fun mix that keeps the listener listening. 

There's a deeply moving version of "Old Baggum," a mysterious piece filled with elliptical lyrics carried along by a string of minor-key banjo notes. Old Baggum, with his sword and pistol by his side, hunts for a wild boar that kills men and drinks their blood. Mabus controls the drama like a master storyteller, and when he follows his tale with the instrumental "Toss the Feathers," he provides a breathing space that allows the story time to settle deep into the listener's consciousness. Perhaps the oddest though most enjoyable song on the album is "Little Baby Lindberg." This darkly humorous piece begins with, "Little baby Lindberg, never saw it coming," then chronicles a number of historical disasters: John Jacob Astor boards the Titanic, Lincoln goes to the theater, and Elvis spends his last few minutes in the bathroom. Mabus suggests, in this most creative of putdown songs, that the person he's singing to, like these historical figures, will get theirs one day. 

Despite such dark moments, the album ends on a happy note with the upbeat "Back Porch of Glory" and a jaunty version of "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down." Six of One serves as a fine intro to Mabus and will be welcomed by his fans. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide

 

Bluegrass Unlimited Click here to go to the "BU" website
June 2001
Bob Allen, reviewer

Joel Mabus
Six Of One

The latest release from Joel Mabus, a popular figure on the national folk and grass roots music circuits who has often shared the bill with musical soul mates like John Prine and Greg Brown, is a real gem. "Six Of One" is full of masterful songwriting, homespun wit and wisdom, fine picking, and some amazingly fresh interpretations of old standards.

Above all else, Mabus, with his warm, contemplative baritone (which often seems to convey an underlying wink and grin) and his inventive songwriting, manages to probe the recesses of the human condition using familiar, down-home images in vivid originals like "School For Love" and "Virus On The Town."

These same musical gifts enable Mabus (who is accomplished on both guitar and banjo and is joined here by Peter Ruth on harmonica and Don Stiernberg on mandolin) to take timeworn, familiar classics like "Old Smokey," "The Cowboys' Barb'ry Allen," "Balm In Gilead," and the shuffly-bluesy "Careless Love" and subtlety recast them so you feel like you're hearing them for the very first time.

By the same token, Mabus's original compositions like "Little Baby Lindberg" and "Back Porch Of Glory" so perfectly meld contemporary wit and insight with traditional song stylings that it's easy to imagine they were written 50 or 100 years ago.

All these ingredients make it amply clear why Mabus's star continues to rise on the international touring circuit. (Fossil Records, P.O. Box 306, Portage, MI 49081, E-mail: <fossil@pobox.com>.) BA

 

SING OUT! Click here to go to the Singout website.
Summer 2001
Rich Warren, reviewer

JOEL MABUS
Six Of One
Fossil 1301

The unsaid half of the title, "half dozen of another" refers to the even split of this CD between original and traditional songs. Mabus follows each original song with a related or inspirational traditional song. Thus, he follows his "School For Love" with the traditional "Careless Love." The former laments the contemporary state of relationships, while the latter sings of the same problem in the past. 

Mabus' original songs all provoke thought. They're some of the darkest songs he's written, exploring the ugly underbelly of society. "Little Baby Lindberg" uses historical situations to illustrate that we cannot control our destinies, while "Virus On The Town" continues the theme, focusing on the plague of guns. Mabus follows "Virus" with the soothing traditional "Balm In Gilead," which appropriately contains the line "to make the wounded whole." He also includes "The Cowboy's Barb'ry Allen," the transposition of the Child ballad to the American Wild West. Art Thieme originally turned up this gem, but Thieme's version has been out-of-pressing for many years. 

More singer-songwriters should learn and perform from Mabus' perspective of mixing originals with traditional songs. Each compliments the other making for a more interesting and engaging recording. Mabus sings with a pleasing voice delightfully accompanied by Peter "Madcat" Ruth on harmonica and Don Stiernberg on mandolin. This simple but tasty accompaniment serves the songs well. Six Of One combines the best of both worlds, good songwriting with songs that have stood the test of time, performed with intelligence and honesty. 

I'd like to hear dozens more recordings like this one from other contemporary singer-songwriters.

- RWarr

Dirty Linen Click here to go to the Dirty Linen website
August/September '01 #95 page 86

Joel Mabus Six of One 
[Fossil 1301 (2001)] 
The title of Joel Mabus' latest collection refers to six self-penned originals and six classic folk songs. This all blends nicely together for two reasons: Originals like "Back Porch of Glory" sound like classic folk songs, and traditionals like "Old Baggum/ Toss the Feathers" are given fresh interpretations. One also shouldn't miss the more modern "Little Baby Lindberg," filled with biting black humor. Six of One has a great acoustic sound and should satisfy the soul of the traditional folk lover. 
(RDL)

Quarter Notes
Newsletter of the California Coast Music Camp
May 2001

Six of One Flies the Folk Flag High
By Jayme Kelly Curtis

Minimal instrumentation gives Joel Mabus's husky, fluid voice ample room to stretch out and luxuriate on his new CD, "Six of One" (Fossil Records).  "Six of One" features six Mabus originals interlaced with six traditional tunes like "Careless Love," "Balm In Gilead," and "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down."  It's a concept that is well thought out and well executed, all the way from song selection through the clean and professional package design.

In a nod to Mabus's well-known wry humor, all of the odd numbered tunes are originals.  Fans of Mabus's darkly comic songs will appreciate tunes like "Little Baby Lindberg," with quirky lyrics like "You're screwed. You're so screwed." This collection is a little more weighted toward serious topics, such as those expressed in "School for Love," and "Back Porch of Glory," which I initially mistook for one of the classic cuts. The idyllic  "Storybook Romance" grew out of a songwriting class taught by Mabus at CCMC 2000. According to Mabus, "The assignment was to use something that scared us as children as a starting point."  Mabus's juvenile terror of the flying monkeys and green-skinned witch of "The Wizard of Oz" is remarkably transformed here into a song that sounds like it could be as easily at home on a disc of Nat 'King' Cole classics.  My personal favorite of the Mabus originals is the Django-esque "My Ramona," with its snakey mandolin accompaniment and percussive guitar parts.

All of the tracks feature Mabus on one or two guitars or clawhammer banjo.  Six tracks feature Don Stiernberg on mandolin, known for his association with the late Jethro Burns. Five tracks feature Peter "Madcat" Ruth on harmonica.  I had the privilege of seeing Madcat play harmonica in the late 70s with Dave Brubeck and was amazed at his ability to hold several harps in his hand and flip them around to accommodate the key changes in Brubeck's music.  His contribution to "Six of One" is tasteful, spare and precisely what's needed to support Mabus's richly textured voice without competing with it. 

On the 'even' side of the disc, Mabus breathes new life into well-known traditional classics and gives airtime to less familiar works.  His selection of lesser-known versions of songs like "Barbary Allen," and the use of DADGAD tuning on "Old Smokey," are brilliant innovations that surprise and delight.  Mabus waits until the last couple of tracks to throw on some sweet vocal harmonies. More of this kind of harmony would have leant a little more texture at the opening tracks of the CD, a tiny criticism of a delightful album that flies the folk banner high.  You can buy this or any of Joel's other CDs by visiting his web site at www.joelmabus.com; or by writing PO Box 306, Portage, MI 49081.

How Like The Holly  reviews

How Like the Holly
Eric Freedman, Michigan Folk Notes Nov. 99

Versatile singer-songwriter Joel Mabus of Portage is back, just in time for the holidays with his first seasonal collection, the solo CD "How Like The Holly." It's quintessential Mabus, sometimes passionate, sometimes quietly moving, sometimes insightful, with a bit of humor and plenty of masterful banjo and acoustic guitar playing. The CD is a mix of 12 (one for each night of Christmas) original and traditional vocals and instrumentals, some with his own arrangements or new lyrics.

"When the nights are longest and days are coldest comes the time for telling stories," Mabus writes. "The time for fire against the chill, light against the dark, bread against the hunger - we huddle close and swab our fears with our finest and oldest comforts."

That's what we find here, comforts, stories and music against the chill. For example he wrote new words for the old English folk song "The Friendly Beasts," a simple tale about the sacrifices made by animals in the manger on Christmas Eve when, by legend, animals can speak. "Let's Do Christmas Right" is a heart-felt defense of simple Christmas traditions coupled with characteristic Mabus satire on the less seemly aspects of the season. "Now all the mistletoe is plastic/ Just as phony as Santa's beard/ And this lowfat eggnog substitute/ Is tasting just a little bit weird… So shut off the TV - unplug the phone/ Hey leave that internet connection alone! / For once let's have a silent night/ Let's do Christmas right."

The title cut, "How Like The Holly," centers on the symbols of winter long before there was a holiday called Christmas: "How like the frost on the evergreen tree,/ How like the deer running wild, running free,/ How like Orion, arising so bold,/ How like the story bound to be told,/ How like the winter that promises spring,/ How like the carol we sing."

Put this CD under the tree or in your stocking.

 

Dirty Linen
Dec. 99 (Susan Hartman)

On this warm and charming CD, a worthy addition to any Christmas collection, Mabus presents the listener with 12 melodies. Two were specially written for this collection: The flowing and poetic "How Like The Holly" is a celebration of the winter solstice, and the scathing & irreverent - or is it the height of reverence from which he writes? - "Let's Do Christmas Right" could easily be adopted as the theme song for the "Alternative Christmas" movement. His adaptations of three traditional carols ("Children Go Where I Send Thee," "The Cherry Tree Carol" and "The Friendly Beasts") make these mildly familiar pieces even more fresh. Add some fine pickin' and a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem and you've found the perfect blend of the old and the new, the relaxing and the stimulating. A delightful gift from a gifted performer.

 

Lansing State Journal
By Chris Rietz

"So shut off the TV; unplug the phone / hey - leave that internet connection alone! / For once let's have a silent night / Let's do Christmas right," sings Joel Mabus on his unique and beguiling holiday CD "How Like the Holly."

It's something of a quiet album, more powerful for its understatement. But more importantly, Mabus brings a clear-eyed sense of tradition, of connectedness to the past that rings just the right bell for the season in a way that few other Christmas recordings do.

As a singer, he has a deeply rooted grasp of traditional style and the ability to deliver a song directly and with conviction. His world-class skills on guitar and banjo are harnessed, as always, in service to the song.

Among the album highlights are the black hymn "Children Go Where I Send Thee," a ragtime guitar version of the 1857 song "One Horse Open Sleigh" (aka "Jingle Bells"), and an Appalachian-style rendering of "The Cherry Tree Carol," an apocryphal tale of Mary, Joseph and the unborn Jesus.

Particularly memorable is the musical setting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Civil War-era "Christmas Bells," a poem of yearning for peace in dark times that's so powerful (and eerily timely), one wonders why it's not reprised more often.