Best of What’s New

This week, my foray into recently released music includes a beautiful tribute to Bill Withers, a thoughtful reminder of the power of gratitude and two furious rockers. Let’s get to it.

Sheryl Crow featuring Citizen Cope/Lonely Town, Lonely Street

Lonely Town, Lonely Street is a Bill Withers tune included on his sophomore album Still Bill from May 1972. As a tribute to Withers, who passed away recently, Sheryl Crow on April 5 released a cover of what is one of her favorite songs by him. She had recorded it a while back with American singer-songwriter Clarence Greenwood, who is known as Citizen Cope, and producer Steve Jordan. “Times like these remind us about what’s really important in life – love, family, living life in harmony with each other and our planet,” Crow wrote on her website. “Bill’s music was about that, and so much more.” Jordan said, “I’d been working on getting Bill to record for over a decade. He would send me a tune and say “I need a certain kind of person to record this.” The truth is, he was the only person that could record it first! He would visit me in the studio and we would have a blast, he loved hanging with the studio cats… everyone would get such a thrill with Bill just being there, he was a GURU! There was only one Bill Withers.” Cope added, “Bill Withers is such a huge influence on me as a songwriter and a transmitter of energy and emotion. His music will move and touch people forever.”

Jewel/Grateful

While I’m well familiar with the name Jewel, I don’t know anything about the singer-songwriter’s music. Her new single Grateful, which came out on April 7, makes me want to hear more. Here is what she wrote about the tune on her website: “Anxiety has been a teacher to me. It has caused me to learn there are only two basic states of being: dilated and contracted- and that every thought feeling and action led to one of those two states. Fear, anxiety, jealousy, anger, greed all led to contraction. Joy, curiosity, observation, love, gratitude all led to dilation. I learned that if I was headed into a panic attack, I could hack my way into a dilated state by focusing very hard on a different feeling. I chose gratitude. It’s amazing how profound such a single thing can be if you feel it deeply enough. It’s a practice I still use today. I’m pleased to release this new song inspired by the transformative capability of a simple feeling.” This song is coming at a time when it’s good to be grateful for many small things most of us used to take for granted.

Brother Man/Price I Pay

There is little public information about this rock band from Nashville, which apparently was founded in 2015 and consists of Chris Winfree (guitar) and Dalton Smith (drums). According to their website, Chris Winfree and Dalton Smith are a two piston engine firing on all cylinders – fine tuned and raring to go at a moment’s notice, they’re a rock n roll band well worth the envy of all comers in Nashville. Ask anyone that’s seen a Brother Man show, and they’ll tell you they’re simply the best. A perfect combination of frenzied fills and unparalleled pocket from Smith on skins, and Winfree as the king of cavorting, with a scream that would make Screamin Jay Hawkins blush, Brother Man have gone from cutting their teeth to securing a corner in the Nashville rock n roll scene. There’s no scuzz, no garage, just fully fledged rock n roll with just enough soul. It’s always been back to the basics with a modern edge. Okey dokey. Co-written by Winfree and Will Boley, Price I Pay is from Brother Man’s EP Run It Back, which was released on April 3rd. While these guys may sound a bit full of themselves, that tune is a nice rocker.

Mondo Silicone/Hammer Hit Home

This rock band is even more obscure than Brother Man, with apparently no public information on their members or other background – how this is possible when based on their Facebook page they have been around at least since May 2016 beats me! Other than that they are a four-piece group (two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer) with two singles and a live EP on Apple Music/iTunes and Spotify, I’ve not been able to find anything on these guys. Hammer Hit Home is their most recent single that came out on April 7. It’s on the heavy side and not something I could listen to every day, but when you’re in the mood for heavy, it ain’t bad – check it out!

Sources: Sheryl Crow website; Jewel website; Brother Man website; Mondo Silicone Facebook page; YouTube