Red Molly
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Country/Americana (traditional and contemporary)
Status:
Most recent release, The Red Album (2014)
See also:
The Red Molly's siteWikipedia's entry on Red Molly
The Ectophiles' Guide's entry for group member Abbie Gardner
Comparisons:
The group sounds like other Americana/country harmonic groups but with their own flair and energy. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Covers/own material:
Covers, traditional, and own
General comments:
Energetic Americana with impressive three-part harmonies from strong voices. Unpretentious, heartfelt, and refreshingly tart (rather than overly sweet as so many other harmonic groups are). (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Recommended first album:
Any
Recordings:
- Red Molly ep (2005)
- Never Been to Vegas (live, 2006)
- Love and Other Tragedies (2008)
- James (2010)
- Light in the Sky (2011)
- The Red Album (2014)
Red Molly ep
Release info:
2005
Availability:
See the Red Molly's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for Americana fans
Group members:
Laurie MacAllister—lead vocals, harmony vocals, guitar, banjo
Abbie Gardner—lead vocals, harmony vocals, mandolin, dobro
Carolann Solebello—harmony vocals, bass, guitar, mandolin
Produced by:
Red Molly
Comments:
This four-track ep includes a Susan Werner cover, an original track, a traditional song "Darlin' Corey", and a cover of the country classic "Are You Lonesome Tonight." All four are done with careful attention to crisp presentation of the simple but effective acoustic backing and their gorgeous harmonies. There is plenty of energy and talent here and it shows. Especially impressive is that the original track holds its own even in the august company here. This disc is sure to leave Americana/country music fans wanting more, more, more. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Never Been to Vegas
Release info:
2006
Availability:
See the Red Molly's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Abbie Gardner—lead vocal (1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12), harmony vocal, guitar, dobro
Laurie MacAllister—lead vocal (2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13), melody vocal (14), harmony vocal, banjo, guitar
Carolann Solebello—lead vocal (6, 7), harmony vocal, bass, mandolin, guitar
Produced by:
Red Molly
Comments:
Never Been to Vegas is such an easy album to love. Great energy, great harmonies, great songs. Mostly covers, but they're well chosen and well done. In particular, I absolutely love their rendition of Patty Griffin's "Long Ride Home." (In fact, I think I like it as much as Patty's version, which is one of my favorites from her 1000 Kisses album.) Abbie Gardner's original "Ohio" is terrific too, a really fun sing-along song. There's just enough in-between song banter to give you a sense of what their shows are like without getting old on repeated listening. And this album gets a lot of repeated listening. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Love and Other Tragedies
Release info:
2008
Availability:
See the Red Molly's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended for Americana fans
Group members:
Laurie MacAllister—lead vocal (2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13), harmony vocal, banjo, guitar
Abbie Gardner—lead vocal (1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12), harmony vocal, guitar, dobro
Carolann Solebello—lead vocal (4, 11), harmony vocal, bass, guitar, mandolin
Guest artists:
Jake Aemerding—fiddle (1, 4, 7, 9, 10)
Duke Levine—mandola (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10), electric guitar (3, 9), lap steel (9)
Mike Weatherly—bass (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Produced by:
Ben Wisch
Comments:
Anyone who loves harmony vocals, fine musicianship, and Americana is sure to love this album. Their mix of original songs, traditional Americana, and carefully chosen covers (including songs by Gillian Welch and Susan Werner) are really charming. This is a strong album and recommended for any Americana fan. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
James
Release info:
2010
Availability:
See the Red Molly's site
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laurie MacAllister—banjo, guitar
Abbie Gardner—dobro, lap steel, guitar, National
Carolann Solebelloo-guitar
Guest artists:
Mike Weatherly—bass
Ben Wittman—percussion
Jake Amerding—fiddle, mandolin
Herb Gardner—piano
Fred Gillen, Jr.—lead male vocal (11)
Produced by:
Red Molly
Comments:
Red Molly continues to make quality music in the Americana fold. Their harmonies and their playing are top-notch and their covers are well chosen. Their own songs are equally deft, especially Gardner's "Troubled Mind" and "Jezebel" though it's all great stuff. I can't think of a better album in the genre that I've heard in a long while. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
Light in the Sky
Release info:
2011
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Comments:
I like this album much better than their last two, which were themselves solid releases. Maybe it's because this one is more pop- and folk-oriented, maybe because it's overall more upbeat ("joyous" they call it on their website). (JoAnn Whetsell)
Thanks to Sophia Gurley, Anna Maria Stjärnell, and JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
