Thunder's Mouth
"Pure brilliance...one of the best CDs you will hear
this year and any year."
–Barry McCloud, www.countrymusicfactsandnews.com
Nashville TN
The emotional pull of Ainslie's music is always strong,
perhaps most so on the slave lament, "Thunder's Mouth," and
on the slow, serious folk blues "Another Man Done Gone."
-Downbeat full
Downbeat review
Thunder’s Mouth, Scott’s fifth album, is a magnificent
collection (that) combines classic blues and gospel...four
originals, note-perfect African Rhythms, and a well-chosen
Tom Waits cover...The cornerstones of this album are
Scott’s original songs. Of these, “It’s Gonna Rain” is
the show-stopper.
SingOut!
full SingOut! review
From the first chord -- struck like a call to worship
-- Scott Ainslie's new CD, Thunder's Mouth, pulls you
forward in your seat and commands your attention.
Jon Potter, Brattleboro Reformer,
Brattleboro VT
Combining a soulful, robust voice with expressive guitar
work, Ainslie covers a lot of ground on this crisply
produced session.
Mike Joyce, The Washington Post,
Washington DC
One of the most wonderful efforts at building a bridge
between the traditional and the contemporary that I have
ever encountered.
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange,
Peterborough NH
Robert Johnson has always been a hip reference when
guitarists are asked about influences, often, it's nothing
more than lip-service. With Thunder's Mouth, Ainslie
has continued a career that one can imagine Johnson being
proud of.
Ray Hogan, The Stamford Advocate,
Stamford CT
Produced by Grammy award-winning engineer and producer
Corin Nelsen, the album does an amazing job of building
a bridge between traditional and contemporary blues.
Wildman Steve For The Corner
News full Corner
News review
A sturdy record, powerful both as homage and history.
But most of all, it reveals a talented tunesmith shaping
his unique vision to deep musical roots.
Michael Witthaus, The Eagle Times,
Claremont NH full Witthaus
review
A powerful, roots slice of traditional blues...for
listeners who can appreciate the finer points of American
traditional blues.
Americana-UK
An excellent album of acoustic blues. This fifth CD
by Ainslie shows a mature, blues-steeped musician, who
is a confident guitarist, strong vocalist and sensitive
songwriter.
Art Edelstein, Times-Argus, Montpelier
VT
A brilliant exploration of American, African and traditional
roots music.
Rod Harrington, El Dorado News-Times
AR
Jealous of the Moon
"An outstanding National Steel player, Ainslie's a Robert Johnson scholar and his ability to recreate Johnson's guitar technique is uncanny."
"From Blind Boy Fuller to the Reverend Gary Davis to Buddy Moss, Durham boasts a rich blues history. Now you can add one more name to the Bull City List: guitarist Scott Ainslie and his new release, "Jealous of the Moon" (Cattail Music). An outstanding National Steel player, Ainslie's a Robert Johnson scholar and his ability to recreate Johnson's guitar technique is uncanny. Ainslie has a straight forward voice, which he shades with a subtle vibrato. On 'Come On In My Kitchen', his coolly detached vocal delivery makes his version much more than a technical exercise. Ainslie is a well-rounded performer whose diverse musical interests make for an entertaining album. Notable is his cover of Van Morrison (a slow, soulful 'Crazy Love'), and Stephen Foster's starkly beautiful 'Hard Times Come Again No More' closes an excellent debut album." John Knight, The Music Monitor
"This album is a prize."
"These tracks are not just astute: some are simply gorgeous. Ainslie's cover of Van Morrison's 'Crazy Love', for instance, or Robert Johnson's 'Come On In My Kitchen'. And 'Jealous Of The Moon' is a heartfelt love song. Ainslie's voice has never sounded more earthy and emotionally wealthy. Ending with Stephen Foster's 'Hard Times Come Again No More' was a stroke of genius. This album is a prize." Arden Kelsey, The Spectator
"Ainslie is an excellent guitarist...and an amazing torch singer." Karen Mann, The Independent
"His interpretation of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" is simple and beautiful, while the blues tunes in the vein of Robert Johnson and the haunting "Wayfaring Stranger" show a grittier side of Ainslie. His forte is the ballad as evidenced by covers of "Date for Church" and "Hard Times," as well as the original title track, "Jealous of the Moon". Linda Dailey Paulson, Dirty Linen
Terraplane
"North Carolina's blues scene has blossomed in recent years. Our still impressive roster of master musicians has been joined by talented younger folk like Lightnin' Wells, Skeeter Brandon and Durham's Scott Ainslie. In his latest, Terraplane, Ainslie offers a moving and mature body of songs, new and old. Although Ainslie is a leading expert on Robert Johnson and the most Delta influenced of our bluesmen, Terraplane also provides strong examples of Piedmont and Chicago styles, gospel and several original pieces, including the hilarious "Change My Name." Most memorably, he reinterprets Johnson's "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day" on the primitive, one-string diddley bow." Art Menius, The Independent
"You can name your album after a car, no problem. Name it after Robert Johnson's best-selling song, and you'd best be prepared to back it up with some singing and playing. North Carolinian Scott Ainslie proves he's up to the task---and then some---on this fine recording.
Ainslie's Terraplane is superior to most traditional or revival recordings. His guitar playing is well-rounded---it's as strong rhythmically as it is melodically, and it's always inventive. Ainslie's a clean picker, so a minimum of finger-squeaks and palm-knocks intrude on the music. Even better, Ainslie can really sing. His powerful, emotional voice must have red-lined the studio meters more than once, yet he never sounds mannered, never sounds jive, never sounds forced. He's a natural.
By category, it's country blues mostly played solo on acoustic guitar (although Ainslie does plug in for three songs). A quarter of the 16 songs here are original compositions; the rest come from the pens or recordings of Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, the Rev. Gary Davis, John Hurt, Bukka White, John Jackson and Pete Franklin. Ainslie manages the best of East Coast and Delta styles with ease. His own "My Baby Walks On Fire" skirts modernity with its chunky rhythm and Scott Sawyer's tasteful lead electric guitar, but it's hardly blues-rock.
Ainslie's Terraplane is superior to most traditional or revival recordings. His guitar playing is well-rounded---it's as strong rhythmically as it is melodically, and it's always inventive. Ainslie's a clean picker, so a minimum of finger-squeaks and palm-knocks intrude on the music. Even better, Ainslie can really sing. His powerful, emotional voice must have red-lined the studio meters more than once, yet he never sounds mannered, never sounds jive, never sounds forced. He's a natural.
"Terraplane's sound nicely balances warmth and detail, with the character of Ainslie's acoustic, electric and National guitars coming through very clearly. The electric guitar is played like an acoustic, without any bad habits inspired by amplification. Rev. Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy" is among the album's best rendered songs, its busy runs translating surprisingly well to electric in Ainslie's hands.
"Other high points are the original spiritual "You Gotta Get Up," one of a trio of songs played on the diddley bow, the makeshift single-stringed instrument that was the first "guitar" of so many Delta-born originals. Ainslie makes it sound like six strings and more, impressively highlighting complex rhythms and precise melodic figures with his slide. And his "Change My Name," which dryly plays on blues nicknames, is a future classic. Terraplane is convincing and satisfying. Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue
"What distinguishes Ainslie's work is his fiery picking and slide work and his deep, passionate bluesman's growl."
"Scott Ainslie is yet another of the talented new generation acoustic blues playuers. His fine new CD, Terraplane, treads a lot of familiar territory, covering tunes by Robert Johnson ("Walking Blues," "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day," ), Blind Blake ("Chumpman Blues"), Rev. Gary Davis, and Mississippi Jonn Hurt. "What distinguishes Ainslie's work is his fiery picking and slide work and his deep, passionate bluesman's growl. He also has a strong musical sense of humor that comes through in his animated version of Blake's "Police Dog Blues" and his own "Change My Name," which ponders the challenges of being a blues musician with a name that no one can pronounce.
"This is an immensely entertaining and confident recording that is recomended to anyone who likes (or thinks they don't like) acoustic blues." Dirty Linen , August/September 1999
You Better Lie Down
"North Carolinian Scott Ainslie began exploring traditional music as an old-time fiddler. His most recent travels find him playing blues guitar and mining the deep vein in the Piedmont and Delta styles. Much of the music on You Better Lie Down was learned first hand from players of the region.
"I don't understand why Scott Ainslie is not one of the best-known interpreters. His style is both authentic to the source as well as highly entertaining to the blues neophyte and truly deserves wider recognition."
His sound is big and robust with a strong voice and aggressive playing style. Standards such as Mississippi John Hurt's "Pay Day" get reworked with slide guitar punctuating the sweet John Hurt syncopation. Another standout track is Robert Johnson's "Phonograph Blues." Scott has written an instructional manual and produced a teaching video on the playing style of Johnson and his rendition is true to the source. There's power in those steel strings and voice!
Most of the selections included on You Better Lie Down are much more obscure. "Losing Faith in You" is from a 1968 B. B. King album and Ainslie's strong vocals make it a standout. "Big Fat Mama" comes from the playing of David "Honeyboy" Edwards and includes mandolin, guitar and fretless bass in a loose and funky rendition ala Martin, Bogan and Armstrong. Lonnie Johnson's "Broken Levee Blues" is one of many tunes written about the catastrophic 1927 flood on the Mississippi. Once again Scott's strong guitar style makes this rendition work so well.
Two more selections may surprise the listener: Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" and the traditional "Wade In The Water." Each spotlights Scott's wonderful voice and must be very effective in performance.
I don't understand why Scott Ainslie is not one of the best-known interpreters. His style is both authentic to the source as well as highly entertaining to the blues neophyte and truly deserves wider recognition." Sing Out! Winter 2003
The Feral Crow
"...In the meantime, I slip The Feral Crow into the stereo and listen. It's quite a solid production: chunky guitar chords, edgy drums, restless riffs, urgent vocals-smart and gritty folk-rock. Ainslie plays acoustic guitar, clawhammer banjo, and diddley bow, and he is joined by a tight crew of musicians, including Jerry Marotta, Scott Petito, Leslie Ritter, Marc Shulman, and Peter Vitalone. He examines a number of topics, ranging from the current political climate, to personal stories and yearnings, to the hard work of love. In the last category, one of the most heart-wrenching songs is Over Again, with the line, "If I could swallow the dreams I had like a mouthful of broken glass … We could take a chance and try this over again." What a perfect metaphor: Haven't you ever had a relationship that felt like you had to swallow glass to make it work?”
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by Lindsay Cobb, 2006. Read the whole review.
"The Feral Crow" is ... a creative achievement that aspires to the highest ideals. It's the work of a mature artist whose life experience and musical experience are brought to bear with impressive integrity.
Fans of Scott Ainslie's blues work might be put off at first by the songs on his new CD, "The Feral Crow," just released on Ainslie's own Cattail Music label.
The mud of the Mississippi delta and the hot dry grit at the crossroads seem far removed from this collection, which has rock, folk and country sensibilities at its musical core.
The best advice I have is to get over it quickly and listen with hungry, appreciative ears to a CD which can best be summed by the chorus of the title track -- "It's a clean cut, when the knife is sharp/It's the dull knife (that) leaves a scar."
Ainslie is razor sharp, indeed, on a CD which manages to be topical and tender, dark yet uplifting, rich in polished poetry and raw emotion, a love call and a call to action.
"The Feral Crow" is, most of all, a creative achievement that aspires to the highest ideals. It's the work of a mature artist whose life experience and musical experience are brought to bear with impressive integrity.
Review by Jon Potter for the Brattleboro Reformer, December 02, 2004. Read the whole review
"Irrespective of Scott Ainslie's reputation in the blues, his new CD The Feral Crow shows that he can also be counted upon as another worthy example of how the current period has become the golden age of singer-songwriters, with new music rivalling anything from the Sixties or Seventies."
In the music business, it pays to be versatile, to be able to play different kinds of music, since the opportunities for performing in any single genre tend to be limited. But at the same time, this can be confusing to audiences, who tend to like their performers to play one kind of music and maintain the sound that was won those fans in the first place.
This week, we have a CD by a performer who shows his versatility by jumping from one style to quite another. Scott Ainslie's new release is called The Feral Crow.
Scott Ainslie, who was formerly based in North Carolina but relocated to Vermont recently, has developed a reputation as a blues historian, being the author of a book on Robert Johnson and having produced an instructional video on Johnson's guitar technique. His previous releases also tended toward traditional blues. But his new CD is very much in the singer-songwriter vein, imbued with some lyrics in the folk protest song tradition. It's also a particularly fine example of an intelligent, literate singer-songwriter with very tasteful instrumental backing.
Audio review by George Graham. Read the whole review with link to audio version