The Twangtown Paramours - The Wind Will Change Again (2025)

With the New Year, we have 13 Twangtown Paramours melodies that blow in gently on their new 4th outing The Wind Will Change Again. Produced by Mike T. Lewis (guitars/bass/mandolin/vocals).

This effort is their first LP in 12 years. Songs explore varied topics. Resilience in the face of loss, time is finite, acquiring a renewed appreciation of those we love — those still with us & those gone & delighting in the seasons of life & the true nature of human motivation. Heavy-duty songs that aren’t dipped into la, la, la by mainstream commercial-based styles.

So, the music is acutely original while not compromising any upbeat nature. It’s primarily acoustically based instrumentation. The skillful musicians provide an enjoyable 39 minutes. The songs are well-recorded and arranged. The vocals feature Mike and his wonderful partner Marybeth Zamer. They follow much the same road as Clive Gregson and Christine Collister.

The opener “Sincerely Yours No More,” features Marybeth a little more heavily & she carries the tune with energy. Her vocals are warm enough to sustain a career as a nightclub vocalist & with a Euro-touch like “A Room In Bordeaux,” with its light accordion touch is cabaret sentimental & smoky. Nicely done.

Marybeth’s vocals lift the songs into interesting musical pieces. “The Garden” is another Euro-flavored number appropriate for a piano bar as much as folky storytelling. Zamer’s tone is honey-smooth. At times, she sounds as rich as Canadian singer Horse McDonald (“Sweet Thing,” “You Could Be Forgiven”), a totally ignored masterful vocalist in America.

The duo adds humor to their showcase to keep the songs from weighing down the repertoire. But the well-composed arrangements & finesse (“Showin’ Off For Their Girlfriends”) are sweetened by Mike’s voice while the more serious stuff is found mostly in Marybeth’s performances.

“Before She Found A Way,” & “Stars Without a Heaven” are both poignant reinforced beauties. “That Thing You Do,” drops into a ‘60s oriented rock manner. There is on occasion a John Prine flavor that breezes by deliciously (“Old Friends”) & worth the price of admission with gentle Rave Tesar piano notes. Mike has a turn at a deeper tune on “Part of Me,” a good, simple penetrating performance.