Press

Reviews for Rhyme & Season
"James Reams' bluegrass may not be everyone's, but there is little chance of it being labeled generic: rough around the edges, solid to the soul! Bluegrass concept albums remain rare, and on this wide-ranging collection of singular songs, Reams and his Barnstormers have crafted an intense and sympathetic portrait of turbulent times. Reflecting the forgotten, disenfranchised, discarded, and troubled, "Rhyme & Season" is a mighty powerful return to the recording studio for one of bluegrass music's most independent and evocative visionaries." - Donald Teplyske, reviewer for Country Standard Time

"James Reams has walked the walk of those who have been cast aside. Now, in Rhyme & Season, he talks the talk. Actually, he sings it…with conviction. There is an authentic, gritty feel to the music that can’t be faked. This fine record will become an important part of the dialog about those who are down and out, left behind and marginalized." - David Morris, award winning songwriter and journalist, Bluegrass Today

"Listening to James Reams' Rhyme & Season is as comfortable as returning home after being away. But that sentiment belies the more serious and sincere undercurrent running throughout the album. The album definitely has the James Reams 'stamp' and is a credit to his existence." - Brian McNeal, Prescription Bluegrass

"We can all be thankful that James Reams' life storms converged to give birth, and rebirth, to the collection of songs called Rhyme & Season. The journey has been his but we are the lucky recipients." - Gary Reid, noted author and record producer, IBMA Media Person of the Year 2015; from the liner notes

"Rhyme & Season’s ‘first song sucked me right in…I love the rockabilly sound of ‘Born to Roll.’ [James'] albums always tell a great story – that’s one of the things I’ve always liked about his music.” - Barb Heller, NCPR Radio Host

"Loved the mix of tempos and the thread of commonality that runs through the entire CD. The studio work is great and the mandolin work is impressive." - Sal Sauco, Radio Program Host for Bluegrass Throedown

"Rhyme & Season had me mesmerized the entire time it was playing. It amazes me how James can continually raise the bar with each project. The lyrics of each song fit him like a glove and the instrumental [portion] of the project was superb." - Al Shusterman, KCBL Radio

"Oh boy, this is one of the best bluegrass albums I’ve heard in a month of Sundays! It’s loaded with some of the best contemporary/ traditional bluegrass music you’re likely to hear this year or any year." - Mitch Finley - INBMA

"James Reams has seen his share of tough times and they've clearly shaped who he is both musically and spiritually. This collection of tunes not only tells a beautiful story, but is beautiful to listen to. James' unique voice and killer band carries you blissfully throughout the journey, a journey that James has chosen to use as a way to bring awareness to, and benefit the less fortunate. Good on you, James!" - Tony Kamel, Wood & Wire

"I think [Rhyme & Season] is a winner! James' vocals are straight from the heart, the band sounds super good, and the fiddle work is really hot!” - Drew Smith, world-class Autoharpist


Bluegrass Today Article - 5/18/15
Rhyme & Season – James Reams Upcoming Album
by Richard Thompson for Bluegrass Today | May 18, 2015

Anticipated Release Date: Spring, 2016

James Reams “My intention is to embrace a wide range of human emotion from happiness and love to loss and sorrow, and over it all to express the hope I feel about the future. As I listened to some old gems, I was once again amazed at the depth that bluegrass music brings to understanding the human character. These songs inspired me to add my own contribution to the album in the form of original material that touches on similar issues affecting our world today.” So speaks seasoned bandleader James Reams about the album, to be titled Rhyme & Season, which he is working on at the moment.

With his last album, One Foot in the Honky Tonk, released way back in 2011, a new album from Reams is clearly overdue. Originally from southeast Kentucky, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, from Brooklyn, New York, about that time. In February 2011 Reams lost his long-time partner and strong advocate Tina Aridas. Naturally, Reams has taken his time before considering a new album. It is good to know that he actively working on a successor to One Foot in the Honky Tonk.

We spoke to James Reams to learn more …..

I understand that there is a theme to the collection of songs that you have selected for Rhyme & Season. Please tell me about that.

“The theme of Rhyme & Season is the different journeys that we take in life. While I’ve written songs in the past about places and even tragic events that resonated with me, I haven’t really shared anything extremely personal. After much soul searching, I felt compelled to gather material that described some of different roads we travel, especially those detours that seem so senseless (the title for the album is a play on the phrase “rhyme and reason”). I also wanted to include songs that reflected the different seasons of my own life including the carefree spirit of youth and a period of being homeless myself as well as the grief experienced from the loss of a loved one. In fact, this will be my first album after the death of my partner, Tina Aridas.”

From where have those songs come (who are the song-writers) and what prompted you to pick them?

“Rhyme & Season will include reprisals of songs by such well-known artists Blaze Foley, Norma Jean and a little-known Lester Flatt piece. Collected together, these lesser-known gems and new songs that I wrote specifically for this album, present the seasons of a wanderers’ life with a bluegrass twist. Bluegrassers just have a knack for making the best of a bad situation, that’s one of the things I love about this music. So Rhyme & Season will feature a nice mix of upbeat, toe-tapping songs as well as ballads that pluck at our heartstrings.”

Reams also tells us that he has chosen the Arizona branch of Circle the City, a Phoenix-based charity founded in 2012 that provides medical relief centers for homeless persons who are too ill or frail to recover from illness or injury on the streets or in a shelter, but are not quite sick enough to remain in a hospital. This is a very apt choice considering Reams’ desire to help the homeless.