Singer-songwriters spotlighted in this week’s reviews of new releases

This week’s column features reviews of new albums by Scott Ramminger and John McCutcheon, along with a best-of collection from the late Dan Hicks.

‘Do What Your Heart Says,’ Scott Ramminger (Arbor Lane Music, ☆☆☆☆)

This Feb. 17 release is likely available in different formats. Scott Ramminger is a singer/songwriter/saxophone player, and the album includes lots of guest vocalists, including the McCrary Sisters, the Subdudes’ Tommy Malone, Bekka Bramlett and others. Instrumentalists include guitarist Shane Theriot, drummer Doug Belote and bassist George Porter Jr.

Scott’s regular-guy voice is ably boosted by his guests; and the tight band sound makes this a fun, Big Easy-flavored recording. “Get Back Up” (with guest drummer Johnny Vidacovich), David Torkanowsky’s tasty Hammond organ and other keyboards, the Stax-seasoned “My Girl For Life” the nifty title song and the rousing opener with Malone, “Living Too Fast.”

Fans of New Orleans music will dig this release.

‘Trolling For Dreams,’ John McCutcheon (Appalseed Productions, ☆☆☆☆)

This early February release is John McCutcheon’s 38th recording, and he is an excellent songwriter, instrumentalist (six-string, resonator and baritone guitars plus hammer dulcimer and octave mandolin) with a talented supporting cast, including Jon Carroll (vocals, piano, organ), JT Brown (vocals, bass), Pete Kennedy (electric guitar), Robert Jospe (drums/percussion), and Stuart Duncan (fiddle, mandolin) along with others.

The touching tale of an old-timer in the modern world called “Gone” is one favorite. Others include the reminiscent “Waltz ‘Round The Kitchen,” the different perspective of “Sharecropper’s Son,” a meaningful look at “The Bible” and the cancer-related “This Ain’t Me.”

Folk-music fans of all kinds will dig this recording.

‘Greatest Licks-I Feel Like Singin’,’ Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks (Surfdog Records, ☆☆☆☆☆)

This CD/vinyl/digital release pops up on Feb. 24, slightly more than one year after Dan Hicks’ passing. All of the tracks were re-mastered from the original analog tapes.

The Hot Licks band membership varied greatly, but there are some superstars on some tunes: drummers Greg Bissonette and Jim Keltner, violinists Brian Godchaux and Sid Page, vocalists Rickie Lee Jones and Karla DeVito and many others. Hicks’ expert blend of folk, jazz and other musical genres with witty lyrics was a winning, but not very commercial formula. Many songs here are live versions.

My favorites include “Strike It While It’s Hot!,” the live “Where’s The Money?” “I Scare Myself,” the scat-terrific “Tangled Tales,” and the snarky “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?”

This guy is a real American original, so fans of those will want to snag this release in some format.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Singer-songwriters spotlighted in this week’s reviews of new releases."