Willie Sugarcapps Returns with “Paradise Right Here”
The much anticipated album “Paradise Right Here” by Willie Sugarcapps had its official release in April of this year. The follow-up to the successful self-titled 2013 debut album lives up to everything fans of Willie Sugarcapps have grown to expect.
“Paradise Right Here” by Willie Sugarcapps (released April 2016; Baldwin County Public Records); The Southland Music Line has named it May 2016’s Spotlight Music of the Month.
Along the Gulf Coast region of the United States, Willie Sugarcapps can easily be considered as the “People’s Band” – consisting of Will Kimbrough, the duo of Sugarcane Jane (Anthony and Savana Lee Crawford), Corky Hughes, and Grayson Capps. Willie Sugarcapps is a brilliant coming together of gifted musicians that was formed at the beloved Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm, the picturesque outdoor music venue located in Silverhill, AL. Each member has their own accomplished resume thus, the ensemble can be labeled a supergroup. Having recorded and performed with artists such as Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Neil Young, Steve Winwood and a host of others, Willie Sugarcapps is embedded in some of the best in American music as songwriters and performers.
The Southland Music Line has featured the band and its members in several articles and photo collections. We named them Music Artist of the Year in 2014, Will Kimbrough’s album “Sideshow Love” topped our 2014 list of 300 albums, and Sugarcane Jane was named Reader’s Choice “Artist of the Year” in 2015.
Personally, what I love about their latest album (recorded at the legendary Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, AL; produced and mixed by Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker; and released on the label Baldwin County Public Records) was that it didn’t try to outdo the well balanced blend of spectacular styles of their debut, which was named Top Americana Album by The Independent Music Awards in 2014.
Achieving a balance between members who contribute their individuality to an album isn’t always an easy thing to do. Often the changing of vocals can seem at times choppy and out of sync but, as with the self-titled debut, “Paradise Right Here” can be applauded for avoiding that pitfall. Once again, Willie Sugarcapps has done what comes natural to them.
It doesn’t matter which song or order one listens to, the feeling is right – Kimbrough on lead with “Dreamers Sky” or the title track, Capps’ artful storytelling in “Mancil Travis” or the beautiful “May We Love” or Anthony Crawford providing a trace of old time gospel with “Find the Good”. As with the 2013 debut which featured Savana Lee singing a fan favorite “Oh Colorado”, she delivers on “Paradise” with “Faded Neighborhood” (co-written by Anthony Crawford with Eugenia Winwood, the wife of Steve Winwood).
Through the years, I’ve reviewed a long list of albums and was never one to use a rating system. I’ve always felt words, if expressed correctly, are more appropriate. I believe Willie Sugarcapps continues to prove themselves as one of America’s best bands and they deserve a much wider audience – “Paradise Right Here” provides further reason. The good people of the Deep South already know this and it’s time the rest of the world does too.
Band Members:
Grayson Capps (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, percussion)
Corky Hughes (electric guitar, lap steel, bass)
Will Kimbrough (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukelele bass )
Anthony Crawford (vocals, ukelele bass, acoustic guitar, fiddle, kick drum, harmonica)
Savana Lee ( vocals, acoustic guitar, snare)
“Paradise Right Here” – The songs:
1 Dreamer’s Sky
2 Faded Neighborhood
3 Mancil Travis
4 Intentions of My Heart
5 The Highway Breaks My Heart
6 Love Be Good To Me
7 May We Love
8 Find The Good
9 Magnolia Springs
10 Rosemary and Time
11 Paradise Right Here
Willie Sugarcapps Links:
Click Here for Willie Sugarcapps Official Website
Click Here to Purchase “Paradise Right Here” or other music by Wille Sugarcapps
More Links:
Click Here for Grayson Capps Official Website
Click Here for Will Kimbrough’s Official Website
Click Here for Sugarcane Jane’s Official Website
Click Here for Anthony Crawford’s Official Website
Click Here for Baldwin County Public Records Offcial Website
Related Articles:
Baldwin County Public Records: An Indie Label With A Mission For Excellence
The Road Leads To Birmingham: Sugarcane Jane Opens Show For Steve Winwood
Why We Love Sugarcane Jane as Told by the Friends & Fans of Sugarcane Jane
Willie Sugarcapps: 2014’s Artist of the Year
Wash Hole Jam: Brewton, AL – Starring Willie Sugarcapps
Will Kimbrough: From “Sideshow Love” to Willie Sugarcapps – It’s Abundantly Clear, He Loves What He’s Doing
From Muscle Shoals to Magnolia Springs, AL: Willie Sugarcapps Gives Us A Sample of Whats to Come
Thank you to Willie Sugarcapps!
© The Southland Music Line. 2016. All rights reserved