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D. B. Rielly has released two full length studio albums and two live EPs under his own name and all of them have been favorably reviewed here . Currently, Rielly is back with his new duo, The Lore Dogs. He said the name comes from "a penchant for songs that tell stories: tales of love and the human condition; contrasting darkness with light. And, well, we happen to be dog people." The New Yorker sings and plays guitar, banjo and accordion. His partner, producer/percussionist/violinist, Rohin Khemani, has played in Rielly's band for a long time. Rielly explained how The Lore Dogs began. "Rohin is my friend and my favorite drummer. He's on both my studio records and plays with me any gig I have unless he's out touring. Last fall, he approached me saying he wanted to get off the road and start his own project and then thought of a duo with me. He pitched me by saying he's always loved my songs and style and wanted to pair it with ethnic instruments...

While not quite as compelling as last year's Live From Long Island City D. B. Rielly's Live From Chester is a very good followup and companion piece to its predecessor. Rielly is one of the few musicians who is more effective with just his voice and a guitar or banjo than with a full band. For someone like me who often finds solo, acoustc performances on the dull side that is saying a great deal. He allows no distractions in this sparse setting so you get to know the very personable artist as he makes his songs the stars of the show. "Your Stupid Face," "I'm Your Man," "Your Doggin' Fool," and Don't Think So Much," show off Rielly's pleasingly warped sense of humor but his serious side quickly indicates he is not a novelty act. He proves it with "The Sea" and an encore of "I'll Remind You Everyday," his Alzheimer's love song. "My Ma" is almost a word for word retelling of his spoke...

One of the benefits of running a music blog is that I've been exposed to artists that I would not normally get to hear otherwise and New York City's D. B. Rielly is one of them. The praise given here previously to Rielly's first two studio CDs was genuine which is why I was more than pleased at his invitation to listen to D. B. Rielly Live From Long Island City . All three of the singer-songwriter's discs are uniquely packaged. They come in unusual shapes, sizes, and construction materials. The earlier ones were tin and wood and Long Island City comes in the shape of a large, cardboard postcard. Unfortunately, none of them are able to be filed with the rest of my CDs. Perhaps Rielly wanted to make sure his work had its own special place in my collection. Well D. B., if you're reading this, it worked. I've got your stuff stored in my stereo cabinet where I see it more often than my other discs so, guess what, they actually get played. Both of Rielly...

After hearing Love Potions and Snake Oil in 2009, an album full of very eccentric and very dark humor interspersed with more traditional country songs and ballads, I couldn't have been more impressed with D. B. Rielly. His combination of upbeat zydeco, blues, soul, and country, had most people who heard him wondering why he is virtually unknown. His anonymity proves once again that there is no justice in the music business. Not much has changed on Rielly's new album, Cross My Heart + Hope To Die , except that his humor is far less vicious. This means the ten song set is a bit more accessible than it's predecessor but not enough to lose the edginess that is always required of any artistically successful Americana record. "Roadrunner" is a less than happy saga about an unreliably restless young woman who takes to the road, leaving the protagonist behind, yet its relentlessly danceable arrangement propels the song out of the doldrums. The humorous "Wrap...

Where has D. B. Rielly been all of our musical lives? It isn't fair that he has been holding out on us all of these years because I can say without a doubt that Love Potions and Snake Oil is one of the best debut CDs I've heard in quite awhile. Rielly is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, various percussion instruments, and even accordion on five tracks. His music can be heard on more than forty independent recordings and films and his work has been praised by the likes of B. B. King, Phil Ramone, and many others. He has played The Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, and The Montreaux Jazz Festival. While Rielly is a resident of New York City his taste in music makes him a fish out of water. All ten self-penned tunes are pure Americana and are heavily influenced by zydeco, blues, and any other American roots music that seeps into his brain. Rielly is a modern man making new music from our past. It's alt-country for rock ...