Tim Grimm
Album: The Turning Point
Label: Cavalier
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.timgrimm.com

When my esteemed Managing Editor asked me to review this, the new album by Tim Grimm he assured me that "this will be up your street". How right he was !

I have to confess that Tim Grimm was a new name to me. Somehow I had managed to miss his previous five albums [but I am now trying to remedy this situation with the help of an internet seller named after a large river in Brazil].

Tim's music falls somewhere between folk and country. Americana is as good a description as any. He has been compared to Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie and Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen. Personally, I would add to that list other great storytelling songwriters such as John Stewart, Townes van Zandt and Guy Clark. That's how good he is, really.

As well as being a musician, Tim has also pursued an acting career, appearing on television, in films and on stage but he has now returned home, to rural Indiana, where he lives on a farm. Several of the songs on this album reflect his rural roots, there's even one called "Indiana".

The opening song "The Lake" tells of the time when he first moved to the farm and how he had always dreamed of having a lake and how there was a price to pay in realising that dream.

"Family History" is a gorgeously evocative song, written by Beth Lodge-Rigal who shares the vocals with Tim on this track. With the aid of some wonderfully melodic violin from Diederik van Wassenaer and subtle piano by Connor Grimm, the lyrics conjure up sepia images of past generations, as in an old family photograph album.

One of my favourite tracks is "King of the Folksingers", which tells the fascinating tale of Tim's friend Ramblin' Jack Elliott.The song manages to roll-call those who have featured in Jack's life including Johnny Cash,Pete Seeger,Bob Dylan[especially Bob Dylan], Jack Kerouac, Mick Jagger, Woody Guthrie, Jerry Jeff Walker and Tom Waits. The song has a similar feel to Bob Dylan's "Desire" album, mainly because of the splendidly fluent violin of Jordana Greenberg, which is strongly reminiscent of Scarlet Rivera's playing on Bob's classic album.

The only traditional song on the album is "Rovin' Gambler",which features a simple but effective combination of Tim's vocals and guitar and Jan Lucas on harmonium.

Next up are a pair of songs set in Holland. The first is the title track "The Turning Point"which tells the story of a 17th Century murder of a preacher in the village of Spijkerboor. The man of God befriended a soldier who had deserted and the "turning point "is the moment in time when the soldier decided to kill him.

The second "Dutch" song is a very moving account of Tim's visit to Anne Frank's House. Anyone who been there will know what a profoundly poignant experience this is and Tim describes these feelings sensitively ["Anne you made me cry, remembering the words you wrote and how you lived and died"].

"The Canyon" is another great song and will certainly appeal to those who appreciate Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" and "Ghost of Tom Joad" albums.

"I Don't Mind" is a lovely duet with Jan Lucas, who also co-wrote the song, which features long-time sideman to John Prine, Jason Wilber, on tasteful electric guitar, which gives the track a kind of Prine-ish feel to it. "The Tree" is another Grimm-Lucas composition, which tells of Tim's admiration for the fighting spirit a sycamore tree which survives despite his best efforts to do away with it.

The final track "Blame It On The Dog" is the most "country "number on the album. It features "Newgrass" band The Underhills and is a lively bluegrass hoedown. Although not typical of the rest of the album, it brings proceedings to a close in a humorous and upbeat manner.

In closing, all I can say is that the Managing Editor was "spot-on" when he said that this would appeal to me. It most certainly does and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys songwriters who are also great storytellers as Tim Grimm definitely falls within that category.

Peter Cowley