Singer/songwriters Yvonne Perea and Moody Little Sister (Naomi Sparrow and Rob Stroup) take widely divergent approaches to production on their new albums, but they deliver much the same balm: however bad your situation may appear, you most likely have the means to make it better.

Yvonne Perea
Lucky Me (indie)
A review
One of the three founding members of the stellar group hONEyhoUSe, guitarist/vocalist Yvonne Perea has contributed a number of songs to its repertoire, but she has needs that hONEyhoUSe just can’t satisfy on a day-to-day basis, rock and roll needs. On Lucky Me, rocking away on her acoustic guitar—she may be one of the best rhythm guitarists in rock and roll America (heads up, Keith)—she gets to satisfy that need in spades. Of course, it helps that her friend Matt Bissonette, who’s been Elton John’s bassist since 2012, not only plays killer bass and keyboards and sings backup on the album but also produced it—big time, with touches of anthemic stadium rock. It’s Texas rock and roll with LA flash. As big as the sound is, the impact of Perea’s lyrics and voice never gets lost. Perea, with her big heart, could be the poster child for compassion, a quality comes through loud and clear on every track, and there’s always a thread of joy and optimism in her vocals. Encouragement (“Catalyst” and “So Alive”), gratitude (“Promise Land”—“falling like the rain in love”), love (“Old Green Eyes,” “Lucky Me,” “Printing Press,” and “I Can’t Move”), educational advice (“Stumbling Steps”), redemption (“Frames”—“someone get a hold of the savior in charge”), and compassion (“Way Down”) are the subjects of Perea’s touching and well-crafted songs. She wrote them all, with help from her hONEyhoUSe bandmates and others on 2 of the 10 tunes. Fans of hONEyhoUSe will recognize four of the songs, which have appeared on the group’s albums. Guest artists John Thomas (electric guitar) and Cary Park (electric, steel, high-string acoustic, 12-string, slide, and baritone guitars; mandolin) tear it up, and drummers Bruce Becker and Jorgen Ingmar share the honors laying down solid grooves. Lucky Me is a tightly produced, spirit-lifting collection of songs that nourish your compassionate faculty while inviting you to get a little crazy.

Update:
Lucky Me CD Release Party
Sunday, July 28, 3:00 p.m.
Barelas Event Center
907 4th Street, Albuquerque
Tickets: $25 (advance); $30 (door)
Available here

Moody Little Sister
Great Big Mama Sunshine (indie)
A review
I met Naomi Sparrow (lead and backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, organ, whistling) and Rob Stroup (backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, drums, percussion, organ), who together form the Americana singer/songwriter team Moody Little Sister, at the New Mexico Music Awards last month, where their song “Evelina” had been nominated in the singer/songwriter category. They call T or C, New Mexico, home these days, except that the road appears to be their real home. They kindly handed me their new album, which made my day when I dropped the CD into the player. Sparrow’s voice tells you that she is a street-wise and independent woman whose hard knocks have left her with no illusions, but who nevertheless harbors a bottomless store of hope and a spark of innocence preserved. The 13 original songs declare personal freedom (“The Rooster”), confirm self-worth (“711 Lucky Street”), claim a heathen peace (“Child of the Wild”—“I got a heart that’s growing old / I got a jaded lover’s soul / But my eyes, they see the light divine / I am a child of the wild”), offer a solution for trouble and worry (“Tell Somebody”—“Tell somebody that you love them with all your heart”), etch a desperate determination (“Nothing but No Good”—“I got a lot of love but I got a lot of grit and sand”), embrace the restless road (“Northern Highway”), and find hope in the rising sun (“Great Big Mama Sunshine”). The tight production puts the vocals out in front of the excellent arrangements, featuring Sparrow, Stroup, and guest instrumentalists on bass, drums, and banjo. Great Big Mama Sunshine offers food for some foot-tapping thought, and it will leave you a little wiser—and more grateful—than you were before.

© 2019 Mel Minter