Almeda Bradshaw
“Between A Horse And Me”
A nice variety of styles and music/lyric influences are just part of what keeps this newest release from Montana’s Almeda Bradshaw interesting. She is also manifesting a confident comfort that she generally shows onstage but that didn’t always come across on some earlier recordings. This one may rank as her most artistically successful yet.
Plenty of the songs swing including picks “If I Had A Horse,” “Will He Or Won’t He” and the novelty “My Palomino Pony and Me.” Another swinging song from earlier in her performing career “Riding Along The River” is a clever adaptation of the Gene Autry/Smiley Burnette classic “Riding Down The Canyon” and is a pick here, along with one she describes as a “stream of consciousness” called “Trusting” that was inspired by poet Henry Real Bird’s style, her own musical treatment of Badger Clark’s “Riding” and an Ed Nusselhof poem she also set to music called “Dances With Bulls.” The only cover in the collection is a very nice one of Dave Stamey’s “Buckskin Horse.”
The liner notes give plenty of insight into the degree to which this album’s contents were part of her personal experience. Produced by Aarom Meador & Kristyn Harris, strong session folks support her and the presence of Notable Exceptions’ harmonies on some of the tracks is always a plus as well. Eleven tracks total, highly recommended.
– by Rick Huff
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