Album review: RITA BLISS – One More Winter

Website [Release date 02.10.26]

Feeling lonely as a pea, what an exquisitely innocent line. And this kinda describes the album by Rita Bliss in two words.

For those of you who don’t know Rita, as I didn’t, as well as an engaging lyric writer, and sweet singer, she is a clawhammer banjo player, and a pretty mean harmonica player who lives in Austin Texas, after relocating from upstate New York, and this is her second album.

It is old American music and steeped in tradition, with her friends Billy Bright on mandolin, Dom Fisher on guitar and upright bass, Noah Jeffries on fiddle, Jimmy Scott Calhoun on vocal harmonies and Patrick Herzfekd on drums, although we hear far more of the aforementioned players than we do drums.

There is an innocence which I love, running right through this album, from Rita’s voice and delivery, to the lyrics to even the playing. But don’t get me wrong the playing is first class and perfect for these songs. The players feel and sound all at one with each other, the songs could have been written any time during the last eighty years, sounding both new and traditional at the same time.

The songs are mostly pithy observations on relationships, but include some social commentary too like, I don’t like the news these days, everybody lies, on The Highway, with Come Along, Silver City both containing lines to make you think the songs all contain some very original lyrics, like show me some grace when I leave the coffee on far too long, and some say there is a heaven if you act real good, I say it isn’t so but you still should, from All My Days and Some Say respectively.

Ten tracks in all and it finishes far too soon. Its all lean with no fat, and if you love great Appalachian type picking and playing, you’ll love this. Robert Plant should take a listen for sure. ****

Review by Andy Sharrocks

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