New Music Musings

It’s Saturday and once again I’d like to welcome you to my latest weekly look at developments on the new music front. All picks are on albums that dropped yesterday (May 3).

The Lemon Twigs/How Can I Love Her More?

I’m pleased to kick off this review with The Lemon Twigs, a power pop band with a retro sound from Long Island, N.Y. I’ve previously featured, most recently here. They were formed in 2014 by brothers and multi-instrumentalists Brian D’Addario and Michael D’Addario when they were still in high school. The brothers who rely on additional musicians for touring also incorporate elements of rock, glam and baroque in their music. How Can I Love Her More? is a track and one of four upfront singles from their fifth studio album A Dream Is All We Know – catchy stuff with a Beach Boys vibe!

Matt Page/Waiting For a Return

Matt Page is the vocalist, guitarist and co-songwriter of Dream the Electric Sleep, a progressive rock trio formed in 2009 in Lexington, Ky. After an April 2022 live solo album with songs by the trio and covers to raise money for humanitarian relief in Ukraine, Page has now released Apocalypse Garden, the first studio album under his name. “It’s a very eclectic album and I would say it’s in the progressive pop category with some alternative rock and Americana/folk mixed in,” Page said, according to a preview by Louder. Here’s Waiting For a Return.

Adeem the Artist/Socialite Blues

Adeem the Artist, who I also previously featured here, is a roots-oriented singer-songwriter from Tennessee. In 2021, following several independent albums put out via Bandcamp, Adeem, aka Adeem Maria, released Cast-Iron Pansexual, an album largely funded through Patreon. Off the new album Anniversary, which coincides with Maria’s 10th wedding anniversary, here’s Socialite Blues. I love the New Orleans jazz vibe!

Snarls/Baby Bangs

Snarls are an indie rock band from Columbus, Ohio. Formed in 2018, the female trio includes Chlo White (vocals, guitar), Riley Hall (bass, vocals) and Mick Martinez (guitar). A self-titled debut EP released in May 2018 was followed by their first full-length album Burst, which came out in March 2020. Baby Bangs, credited to Snarls, is a song from their new and second full-length album With Love,. The neat guitar sound and the vocals drew me in.

Beams/It’s All Around You

Beams are a six-piece from Canada, who their Bandcamp page notes blend “psych-tinged indie-pop with Appalachia-sourced folk music”. They were formed in Toronto in 2012 and have released four studio albums to date, including their latest, Requiem for a Planet. The album is “about grieving the loss of the ‘planet’ we were promised as kids,” notes lead vocalist and songwriter Anna Mērnieks-Duffield on their website. Here’s It’s All Around You.

Return to Dust/Strangers

My final pick this week are Return to Dust, an alternative/grunge rock band from Los Angeles. Their Spotify profiles notes Deftones, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, The Cure, Metallica and Cage The Elephant as influences. The group’s debut EP The Black Road appeared in July 2023. Off their new self-titled first full-length album, here’s Strangers – cool song with nice changes in dynamic.

Sources: Wikipedia; Louder; Snarls website; Beams Bandcamp page; Beams website; YouTube; Spotify

Chris & Max Pick …songs from 1997

Happy Friday and welcome to the second installment of Chris & Max pick. Essentially, this is picking up a song series fellow blogger Max from PowerPop initially started in June 2023 with the year 1955 and ended last month with 1995. The idea of this continuation is to close the gap between 1995 and 2024.

Last week, we looked at 1996. This time, the year is 1997. I realize this post is coming earlier than anticipated. Given my other recurring features, I’m a bit reluctant to commit to yet another weekly post. That’s why I still believe an every-other-week schedule is more sustainable, but I guess we’ll see how it goes!

Big Head Todd and the Monsters/Resignation Superman

Kicking off the picks for 1997 are Big Head Todd and the Monsters, a Colorado rock band formed in 1986, who I only “discovered” earlier this year. Resignation Superman, penned by the group’s co-founder, main lyricist, singer and guitarist Todd Park Mohr, is from their fifth studio album Beautiful World, which appeared in February 1997.

Radiohead/Paranoid Android

In May 1997, British alternative rock band Radiohead released their third studio album OK Computer. I still find it hard to believe I essentially missed it at the time it came out. Paranoid Android, which like all other tracks on the album was credited to the entire group, became the lead single and one of their biggest hits. Founded in 1985, Radiohead still have their original line-up: Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, ondes Martenot, orchestral arrangements), Ed O’Brien (guitar, effects, backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass) and Philip Selway (drums, percussion).

Sarah McLachlan/Angel

Next up is one of the most stunning pop ballads I know: Angel by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. The inspiration for the song came from press accounts McLachlan had read about musicians getting into heroin to escape the pressures of the cutthroat music business. The intense ballad was the fourth single off her fourth studio album Surfacing, which came out in July 1997.

Oasis/All Around the World

Moving on to another British group who were pretty popular at the time: Manchester Brit pop rockers Oasis became an instant sensation in the UK when their August 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe topped the charts there. By the time their third album Be Here Now dropped in August 1997, their enormous popularity had spread to many other countries. Here’s the catchy All Around the World, which also became the third single. Like all other tracks on the album, it was written by Noel Gallagher.

The Verve/Bittersweet Symphony

Here’s yet another British group who hit it really big in 1997: The Verve and Bittersweet Symphony, Max’s pick. Their biggest international hit single, written by frontman and lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, also helped propel September 1997’s Urban Hymns to become their best-selling album. But all that success was bittersweet. After a lawsuit found The Verve illegally had taken a sample from a 1965 version of The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time by The Andrew Oldham Orchestra, all royalties were relinquished, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits. In 2019, following the death of Allen Klein, the Stones’ manager at the time of the litigation, Jagger and Richards ceded the rights to Ashcroft.

Bob Dylan/Not Dark Yet

Wrapping up this post is a great song by Bob Dylan from Time Out of Mind. Many fans and critics regard the maestro’s 30th studio album, released in September 1997, as an artistic comeback. It also marked Dylan’s first with original material in seven years since September 1990’s Under the Red Sky. Here’s Not Dark Yet, a gem as far as I’m concerned!

Sources: Wikipedia; Acclaimed Music; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Once again it’s Sunday and time for another installment of my weekly imaginary music time travel feature, which visits six different tracks from six different decades and in different flavors. Before getting underway, I’d like to announce a short hiatus of the blog. In a couple of hours, my family is leaving for a mini-vacation to experience the solar eclipse. I’ll resume posting and commenting on Wednesday.

Wayne Shorter/Blues A La Carte

Today, our zig-zag excursion starts in August 1960, which saw the release of Introducing Wayne Shorter, the debut album by the jazz saxophone great as band leader. It was the first of more than 20 additional albums Wayne Shorter recorded in that role. He also played as a sideman with the likes of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet. In 1970, Shorter became a co-founder of jazz fusion band Weather Report. He passed away in March 2023 at age 89. Let’s listen to the neat Shorter composition Blues A La Carte, the opener of his aforementioned debut as band leader.

Gianna Nannini/Latin Lover

On to Italian pop and rock singer-songwriter Gianna Nannini who enjoyed a good deal of popularity in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland from the late ’70s until the mid-’80s. Including her 1976 eponymous debut, Nannini has released close to 30 albums. In 1979, she scored her first hit with America, a song off her sophomore album California. Nannini entered my radar screen in 1982 with the title track of her fifth album Latin Lover, a catchy pop rocker featuring her characteristic raspy vocals.

Dirty Honey/Won’t Take Me Alive

Let’s jump back to the present with some sweet classic style rock by Los Angeles band Dirty Honey. Founded in 2017, they are reminiscent of groups like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes. Dirty Honey consist of co-founders Marc Labelle (vocals), John Notto (guitar) and Justin Smolian (bass), along with Jaydon Bean who last year replaced original drummer Corey Coverstone. Off their second and most recent studio album Can’t Find the Brakes, released in November 2023, here’s Won’t Take Me Alive, credited to Notto, Smolian and Labelle. This r.o.c.k.s.!!!

Big Joe Turner/Shake, Rattle and Roll

Time for a dose of ’50s rock & roll! To get it we shall go back 70 years to April 1954. That’s when American blues shouter Big Joe Turner released his single Shake, Rattle and Roll, which became his second to top Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart. The song was written by R&B musician and songwriter Jess Stone under the pseudonym Charles Calhoun. In June of the same year, Bill Haley & His Comets released a cover of the song, scoring their second hit after Rock Around the Clock. Feel free to snip along!

Janis Joplin/Cry Baby

Our next stop takes us to January 1971 and the second solo album by the incredible Janis Joplin. Best known for her cover of Kris Kristofferson’s Me and Bobby McGee, the album Pearl appeared three months after her death in October 1970 at age 27. Here’s Cry Baby, another gem from that album. Co-written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy, the song was first recorded in 1963 by Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters. Joplin’s kicked up the intensity level a few notches – damn!

Crash Test Dummies/Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

And this brings us to our sixth and final stop. For this let’s head to April 1993 and God Shuffled His Feet, the sophomore album by Canadian alternative rock band Crash Test Dummies. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm became the album’s first single and the group’s biggest hit to date. It was written by lead vocalist Brad Roberts, who with his distinctive bass-baritone voice largely defines the band’s sound. The group exists to this day as a touring act.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist. Hope there’s something here that tickles your fancy. See you when I’m back on Wednesday!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

The Wizards of Vision and Sound

Welcome to another installment of my recurring monthly feature about record producers and sound engineers. This time, I decided to highlight a producer whose name I had seen repeatedly over the years since I started paying closer attention to album credits: Rick Rubin. Once I began to take a closer look at his work, I quickly realized how prolific he has been.

Rick Rubin (born Frederick Jay Rubin on March 10, 1963) got into music in high school after he befriended the school’s audiovisual department head who gave him a few lessons in guitar and songwriting. Rubin subsequently played in a couple of local bands, including punk group The Pricks. Their eponymous 1981 album marked the beginning of his work as a producer. While attending college at New York University, Rubin started Def Jam Recordings and was soon joined by hip-hop icon Russell Simmons. Aka. Def Jam, the label took on artists like LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and Run-DMC.

Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons

After a falling out with Def Jam president Lyor Cohen in 1988, Rubin and Simmons parted ways, and Rubin started Def American Recordings in Los Angeles. In 1993, it became American Recordings, the label he heads to this day. While Rubin continued his association with hip-hop, he branched out into other genres, including metal, alternative rock and country, among others.

In 2007, Rubin became co-head of Columbia Records. Four years later, he established his own home studio, Shangri-La Recording Studios. In 2012, Rubin left Columbia and revived American Recordings by striking a deal with Republic Records.

Rick Rubin with Tom Petty

Over his 40-year-plus career, Rubin has won nine Grammy awards, including Album of the Year for The Chicks (2007) and Adele (2012). He has also won numerous Producer of the Year awards. In 2007, Rubin was called “the most important producer of the last 20 years” by MTV and made Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

As you would imagine, apart from accolades, Rubin has also received some criticism. In addition to select artists who complained about his work style, he has also been criticized to contribute to what is known as the “loudness war”, a trend of increasing audio levels in recorded music, which reduces audio fidelity and—according to many critics—listener enjoyment.

Now to the fun part, i.e., select highlights of Rubin’s production work. Let’s start with Raising Hell, the third studio album by Run-DMC released in May 1986, which Rubin co-produced with Simmons. Even if you’re like me and not much into hip-hop, it’s safe to assume you heard Walk This Way, the hip-hop group’s great collaboration with Aerosmith. The idea to have Run-DMC and Aerosmith collaborate on the rock band’s song came from Spin editor and Rubin’s friend Sue Cummings. Not only has this production often been credited for introducing rap hard rock to mainstream audiences but also for re-booting Aerosmith’s career.

Following the production of thrash metal band Slayer’s third studio album Reign In Blood (October 1986), Rubin worked with them again on their follow-on South of Heaven, which appeared in July 1982 and was the final album he produced for Def Jam. Since the group felt they couldn’t top the frenetic pace of the predecessor, they deliberately decided to slow things down on South of Heaven – jeez, the tracks I sampled all sound pretty intense to me, so I wonder what Reign in Blood is like – clearly, thrash metal isn’t my cup of tea, but it’s part of Rubin’s legacy, so I didn’t want to ignore it. The only track on South of Heaven, which starts out more subdued, is the closer Spill the Blood before heavy distorted guitar kicks in at about 30 seconds into the song.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers and the first Rubin produced for them. Released in September 1991, it marked a notable stylistic change from predecessor Mother’s Milk. There were fewer heavy metal guitar riffs and more melodic songwriting. Let’s just say, the changes didn’t hurt the Peppers, giving them one of their highest-charting and best-selling albums to date. Here’s Under the Bridge, which became the band’s first hugely successful single. I’ve always liked that song!

For his second solo studio album Wildflowers, Tom Petty turned to Rubin, who also co-produced Petty’s next two studio projects with the Heartbreakers, Songs and Music from “She’s the One” (August 1996) and Echo (April 1999). “Rick loves music, and that’s really why I decided to work with him,” Petty explained. “It’s not because of his technical skill; he has no musical skill, he plays no instrument really, not even a guitar. He just loves music.” Here’s the beautiful title track.

In 2002, Rubin produced American IV: The Man Comes Around, the final album by Johnny Cash released during his lifetime. The fourth in Cash’s “American” series of albums, which were all produced by Rubin, has widely been acclaimed as one of Cash’s best works. I think it’s safe to say it also marks a highlight of Rubin’s career. The first in the series, American Recordings, released in May 1993, also was the first album to appear on Rubin’s renamed label. Here’s Cash’s incredible rendition of Beatles song In My Life, which was mainly written by John Lennon. This is a tear-jerker!

The final production work by Rubin I’d like to call out is Magpie and the Dandelion, the eighth studio album by The Avett Brothers, released in October 2013. Rubin had also produced the folk rock group’s two previous full-length albums The Carpenter (2012) I and Love and You (2009). Magpie and the Dandelion debuted at no. 5 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 and at no. 1 on Billboard’s Folk Albums chart, becoming one of the band’s performing to date. Their upcoming eponymous album, scheduled for May 17, was produced by Rubin as well. Here’s Open Ended Life, the great-sounding opener of Magpie and the Dandelion.

Obviously, the above clips at best provide a snapshot of Rubin’s work over the past four decades. The following Spotify playlist include the above and some additional tracks he produced.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Happy Sunday and, to those celebrating, Happy Easter! Once again, I’d like to invite you to join me on another imaginary travel through time and space to visit some great music of the past and the present. Let’s all have some fun together!

Sonny Rollins Quartet/When Your Lover Has Gone

As has become customary, we’ll kick off our journey with some beautiful jazz by the Sonny Rollins Quartet. After tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins had worked with Miles Davis and been part of the trumpeter’s band, he asked the members of Davis’ “First Great Quintet” – John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums) – to back him on an album titled Tenor Madness and released in October 1956. Here’s When Your Lover Has Gone, a 1931 composition by Einar Aaron Swan. The tune became a jazz standard after it had been featured in Blonde Crazy, a picture released the same year, starring James Cagney.

The Damned/Stranger On the Town

Let’s pick up the speed and next head to October 1982, which saw the release of Strawberries, the fifth studio album by The Damned. AllMusic notes they were the first UK band to release a punk single (New Rose) in 1976, followed by the first UK punk album (Damned Damned Damned) the following year. Subsequently, they also began incorporating psychedelic and garage rock into their music. And other genres. Stranger On the Town, a track from Strawberries and another great tip from my dear longtime German music friend Gerd, has a cool soul vibe. The song is credited to band members Rat Scabies (drums, synthesizer), Captain Sensible (guitar, backing vocals, Paul Gray (bass) and Dave Vanian (lead vocals).

Southern Avenue/Be The Love You Want

Time to jump back to the present and pay a visit to one of my favorite contemporary bands: Southern Avenue. The group from Memphis, Tenn., which has been around since 2015, blends blues and soul with flavors of contemporary R&B. Southern Avenue are Israeli blues guitarist Ori Naftaly; lead vocalist Tierinii Jackson and her sisters Tikyra Jackson (drums, backing vocals) and Ava Jackson (backing vocals); bassist Evan Sarver; and keyboarder Jeremy Powell. Be The Love You Want, co-written by the group’s co-founders Naftaly and Tierinii Jackson, is the title track of their third and most recent studio album. Released in August 2021, I reviewed it here at the time.

The Doors/The End

This next stop takes us back to January 1967 and the eponymous debut album by The Doors. My proposition is the epic closer The End. The bone-chilling lyrics, which as usual were written by lead vocalist Jim Morrison, initially revolved around the break-up with an ex-girlfriend but grew more complex over time with Oedipal themes of loving the mother and killing the father. Songfacts notes Morrison always remained vague about the meaning. The hypnotizing music was credited to the entire group who in addition to Morrison included Ray Manzarek (organ, piano, bass), Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums).

Matthew Sweet/Girlfriend

The most recent occasion we stopped by Matthew Sweet on The Sunday Six dates back to late January 2023. I’d say it’s time for another visit. In October 1991, the alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter put out his third studio album Girlfriend. It was the first that made the charts in the U.S., reaching no. 100 on the Billboard 200. While Sweet subsequently had higher-charting albums, Girlfriend was certified Gold (500,000 certified sold units) by RIAA in April 1995, becoming the first of two to date. Here’s the title track.

Pink Floyd/Time

Once again, we’re reaching our sixth and final stop. Let’s make it count with what I feel is an amazing track from one of the sonically most compelling albums I know: The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd’s gem from March 1973. I could go on gushing about it but trust you know what I’m talking about. It’s hard to believe this music is 51 years old. Here’s the mighty Time, credited to all four band members Roger Waters (vocals, bass, VCS 3 synthesizer), David Gilmour (guitars, vocals), Richard Wright (organ, piano, synthesizers, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums, percussion).

What’s missing? Of course, the Spotify playlist featuring all of the above goodies. Here you go and hope to see you again!

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Songfacts; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

It’s Saturday, which means time to take a fresh look at newly released music. All six picks are from albums that came out yesterday (March 8).

Tomato Flower/Harlequin

Tomato Flower are a Baltimore-based group, including Austyn Wohlers (guitar, vocals, synthesizer), Jamison Murphy (guitar, vocals), Ruby Mars (bass) and Mike Alfieri (drums). Their website notes a transition from psych pop on their early (2022) EPs to a “more urgent, raw, emotionally immediate” sound on their debut album No, “the band’s first effort made entirely in person, the first thing tracked in a studio instead of in a bedroom.” Here’s Harlequin credited to all members of the group. The song’s laid back feel drew me in.

The End Machine/Killer of the Night

The End Machine are a hard rock and heavy metal band formed in 2018. Their current lineup features co-founders and ex-Dokken members George Lynch (guitar) and Jeff Pilsen (bass, backing vocals), along with Girish Pradhan (vocals) and Steve Brown (drums). In March 2019, The End Machine released their eponymous debut album. Off their third and latest, The Quantum Phase, here’s Killer of the Night. Heavy but melodic rock and decent vocals sold me!

Ghost Work/Erase the Morning

Ghost Work, according to their Spotify profile, are a new group of current and ex-members of four other bands: Vocalist and guitarist Aaron Stauffer (ex-Seaweed), guitarist Sean Husick (ex-Milemarker), bassist Dustin Perry (Snapcase) and drummer Erin Tate (ex-Minus The Bear). Following their June 2020 debut You’ll Be Buried With, they are now out with their second album Light a Candle for the Lonely. Here’s Erase the Morning. Good driving rock song!

Slow Hollows/Soap

Slow Hollows is a solo recording project of Los Angeles singer-songwriter Austin Feinstein. Initially, Feinstein founded Slow Hollows as an indie rock band in 2013 when he was a teenager. After three albums released between 2015 and 2019, the group disbanded amicably in early 2020. Feinstein, now 26 years old, continued to write songs. The result is a reinvented Slow Hollows and a new album, Bullhead. Here’s Soap.

Norah Jones/Running

It’s hard to believe more than 20 years have passed since Norah Jones launched her recording career. Her highly successful 2002 debut album Come Away With Me won five Grammy awards. Most of the subsequent albums by the singer-songwriter and pianist were also well received. To date, Jones has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Since her lounge jazz-flavored first album, Jones has evolved, infusing elements of blues, country, folk and pop in her music, demonstrating she’s not a one-trick pony. Off her nineth and latest album Visions, here’s the lead single Running, which first appeared on January 18. Neat pop song with great vocals!

Dion/I Aim to Please (feat. Danielle Nicole)

I’m thrilled to close this post with new music by Dion DiMucci, better known as Dion. At 84 years, the wanderer is marching on and sounds amazing! With Girl Friends, the versatile singer-songwriter continues a streak of tasty blues-flavored collaboration albums, following Stomping Ground (November 2021) and Blues With Friends (June 2020), which I reviewed here and here at the time. Girl Friends showcases female artists, such as Shemekia Copeland, Susan Tedeschi, Sue Foley and Danielle Nicole. Here’s the neat I Aim to Please, featuring Nicole.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Tomato Flower website; Slow Hollows website; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

I hope you’ve had a good week and would like to welcome you to another installment of The Sunday Six. Once again, I’ve put together an itinerary that will take us to music from different genres released in six different decades.

Kenny Burrell/Weaver of Dreams

Today, we start in September 1956 when American jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell released the first album under his name, appropriately titled Introducing Kenny Burrell. Burrell’s recording debut occurred five years earlier, as a 20-year-old in Dizzy Gillespie’s sextet while studying at Wayne State University. Apart from releasing a large volume of albums as a leader, Burrell recorded and performed as a sideman with Jimmy Smith, Stanley Turrentine, Johnny Hodges and many others. Weaver of Dreams, co-written by Jack Elliott and Victor Young, is a beautiful track to ease us into the trip. Burrell was backed by Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums).

Atlanta Rhythm Section/Spooky

Next, let’s jump to June 1979 and a really cool song I was reminded of just the other day: Spooky, from the eighth studio album Underdog by southern rockers Atlanta Rhythm Section. Spooky’s origin is a 1967 instrumental composed by saxophonist Mike Shapiro and Harry Middlebrooks Jr. Later that year, Florida soft rock band Classics IV released a version with lyrics. Classics IV keyboarder Dean Daughtry and and the group’s guitarist J. R. Cobb subsequently co-founded Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1970. Not only did they include what became the song’s best-known version on the above album, but also released it separately as the second single in August 1979.

Oasis/Some Might Say

Time to pay a visit to the ’90s and one of the biggest alternative rock bands of that decade: Britain’s Oasis who were formed in Manchester in 1991. Their critically acclaimed and commercially successful August 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe was followed by (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? in October 1995. While critics initially were lukewarm, it became one of the best-selling albums of all time with more than 22 million copies sold worldwide. Some Might Say, who cares about the critics!

Buddy Guy/Born to Play Guitar

If there’s one blues guitarist who seemingly was born to do what he does, it’s Buddy Guy. And he put it all in words and sound on the title tack of his 17th studio album Born to Play Guitar, which came out in July 2015. When you see Guy perform live, which I’ve been fortunate to have experienced three times over the past eight years, most recently in April 2022, you get the sense it’s about more than just playing the geetar; it’s about a mission to keep the blues alive. Now 87, Guy is currently on his Damn Right Farewell Tour.

Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger and The Trinity/This Wheel’s On Fire

As frequent travelers on the Sunday Six music time machine know, there can be no such excursion without a stop in the ’60s. This next destination was another great suggestion by my longtime German music friend Gerd. In April 1968, English singer and actress Julie Driscoll and British group Brian Auger and The Trinity released psychedelic gem This Wheel’s On Fire as a single. Co-written by Bob Dylan and Rick Danko, the song was originally recorded by Dylan and The Band in 1967. Dylan eventually released it in June 1975 on his album The Basement Tapes.

Steeleye Span/Jack Hall

This leaves us with the sixth and final stop. To wrap up, we shall travel to September 1989, which saw the release of Tempted and Tried, the 13th studio album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span. After releasing 10 albums in rapid succession between 1970 and 1977, the group significantly slowed down the pace. Tempted and Tried only was their third album that appeared since 1977. Jack Hall, a traditional English folk song from the early 18th century, was arranged by the band’s vocalist and guitarist Bob Johnson. Steeleye Span remain active to this day with one original member (Maddy Prior) in their current line-up.

This post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify playlist of the above tracks. As always, I hope there’s something that tickles your fancy and you’ll be back for more.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

It’s Sunday morning, at least in my neck of the woods in New Jersey, U.S.A., and I’d like to welcome you to another imaginary music time travel experience. In my book, escaping into the beautiful world of music works any time of the day or night, so I hope you’ll join me!

Jimmy Smith/Back At the Chicken Shack

Our journey today starts in February 1963 with groovy Hammond-driven jazz by Jimmy Smith who helped popularize the mighty B3 by blending jazz and ’60s soul music. As a young child, Smith began teaching himself to play the piano and at the age of 9 won a boogie-woogie piano talent context conducted by a Philadelphia radio station. After attending Royal Hamilton College of Music in Canada and Philly’s Leo Ornstein School of Music in the late ’40s, he played piano and organ in local R&B bands before permanently switching to organ in 1954. Soon thereafter, Smith purchased his first Hammond and was signed by Blue Note. His March 1956 sophomore album The Champ made him a jazz star. The amazing title track of Back At the Chicken Shack was written by Smith. He was joined by Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone), Kenny Burrell (guitar) and Donald Bailey (drums). Feel free to groove along!

AC/DC/Back in Black

This next pick was inspired by fun AC/DC tribute band Stiff Upper Lip who I saw last Saturday. The title track of the Back in Black album takes us to July 1980. It was the hard-charging Aussie rock & rollers’ first to feature Brian Johnson following the death of original lead vocalist Bon Scott in February 1980 at the age of 33. Fast forward 36 years to April 2016 when AC/DC announced Johnson’s departure during the Rock or Bust World Tour due to hearing loss. He was replaced by Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose to finish the dates. But AC/DC hang on and returned in November 2020 with their 17th studio album Power Up, which featured Johnson, along with Angus Young (lead guitar), Stevie Young (rhythm guitar), Cliff Williams (bass) and Phil Rudd (drums). Against long odds, AC/DC recently announced The Power Up Tour Europe 2024, which will feature Johnson. No word yet whether the tour will have an American leg! Meanwhile, here’s Back in Black, a rock song with one of the coolest guitar riffs I can think of.

Alejandro Escovedo/Sister Lost Soul

Let’s dial it down a bit with some great melodic roots rock by Alejandro Escovedo. The son of a Mexican immigrant to Texas and a Texas native and, according to his website, one of 12 children, is an eclectic rock musician and singer-songwriter who has been recording and touring since the late ’70s. He played in various bands, such as punk groups The Nuns and Judy Nylon’s band, as well as country rock formation Rank and File, before releasing his 1992 solo debut Gravity, an alternative country and heartland rock-oriented outing. Sister Lost Soul, written by Escovedo, is a great-sounding song from his June 2008 studio album Real Animal.

Bobby Womack/Across 110th Street

Time to pay a visit to the ’70s with some cool and groovy music by the versatile Bobby Womack, another great suggestion from my longtime German music buddy Gerd. Across 11oth Street (credited to Bobby Womack and Peace) was the title cut from the soundtrack for the 1972 action crime picture of the same name. Starring Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Franciosa and Paul Benjamin, the film was inspired by ’70s blaxploitation pictures and the film noir genre. Over a more than 60-year career from 1952 until his death in 2014, Womack recorded and performed music in multiple genres, including R&B, jazz, soul, rock & roll, doo-wop and gospel. Across 11oth Street is one of Womack’s best-known songs, and it’s easy to see why!

Big Joe Turner/Shake, Rattle and Roll

For our next stop, let’s set the time controls to April 1954 to visit a rock & roll classic by Big Joe Turner. Shake, Rattle and Roll was penned by R&B and blues musician and songwriter Jesse Stone. By the time Turner recorded what became his best-known song that topped the U.S. R&B charts, he already was some 30 years into his career. Four months later, Bill Haley & His Comets released a cover of Shake, Rattle and Roll, which took the song to mainstream success, reaching no. 7 on the U.S. pop chart – the version I first knew. Turner performed until the ’80s and passed away from heart failure in November 1985 at the age of 74.

The Mavericks/Here Comes the Rain

Once again we’re reaching our final destination, which takes us to September 1995 and The Mavericks – shoutout to Randy from Mostly Music Covers, who with a recent post brought the Florida group on my radar screen. Founded in Miami in 1989, The Mavericks blend country with rock, pop and Latin flavors. Here Comes the Rain is from their fourth studio album Music For All Occasions and also became the album’s lead single in August of the same year. Co-written by the group’s Raúl Malo (vocals, guitar) and Greek-born American country songwriter Kostas Lazarides, Here Comes the Rain peaked at no. 22 on the U.S. country charts. It also climbed to no. 4 on the Canadian country charts, becoming The Mavericks’ highest-charting single there. It’s got a bit of a Roy Orbison vibe.

Last but not least, here’s a Spotify playlist of all the above goodies. Hope there’s something you dig. So long for now!

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

It’s Saturday and time to take a fresh look at newly released music. This week, my first four picks are included on albums that dropped yesterday (February 9), while the last two songs came out before then, as indicated.

Tyler Ramsey/These Ghosts

North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Tyler Ramsey first gained prominence during his stint as lead guitarist in Band of Horses from 2007-2017. Three years earlier, with the release of his self-titled album, Ramsey had launched his solo recording career, which he continued in parallel while playing with the Seattle indie rock group. These Ghosts, penned by Ramsey, is from his latest studio album New Lost Ages. It was produced by Phil Ek who has worked with the likes of Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes and Father John Misty. The great sound of These Ghosts immediately grabbed me!

Itasca/Milk

Behind Itasca is Los Angeles-based guitarist and singer-songwriter Kayla Cohen who has released music under that moniker since 2012. According to a web bio, Cohen who grew up in New York and moved to L.A. in 2011 makes music that isn’t specific to any genre, featuring “both baroque, acid folk-inflected songcraft and deconstructive, textural sonics.” On Imitation of War, her eighth and latest album as Itasca, Cohen advances into rockier terrain. Here’s the opener Milk, written by her – another song that captured my attention because of its neat sound.

David Hedderman/Pokerface

David Hedderman is a visual artist who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and has been based in Berlin, Germany since 2008. From an announcement posted on the website of IMRO, a music licensing and royalty collection nonprofit organization: Over the last twenty years,…Hedderman has cultivated an impressive career as a visual artist with his vibrant style of portraits which often feature beautifully textured and captivating backdrops for his figures to exist within. Hedderman’s striking idiosyncratic style seamlessly translates in his songwriting, as demonstrated in his dynamic and deft debut album, Pulling At The Briars. From that album, which he wrote over 15 years, here’s Pokerface. Based on that great song, you really wouldn’t know music isn’t Hedderman’s original artistic endeavor!

Ducks Ltd./Heavy Bag

Ducks Ltd. are a Canadian indie rock duo from Toronto, formed by Tom McGreevy (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Evan Lewis (lead guitar). They first emerged as Ducks Unlimited in 2019 when they released their debut EP Get Bleak, which was reissued in 2021 after they had signed to U.S. and Canadian independent labels Carpark Records and Royal Mountain Records, respectively. That same year also saw the release of their first full-length studio album Modern Fiction. Ducks Ltd. now return with their sophomore album Harm’s Way. Let’s listen to the pleasant laid back closer Heavy Bag, co-written by Lewis and McGreevy.

Terry Gomes/Eeza Gomes

Terry Gomes is a Canadian composer and guitarist from Ottawa, who mostly writes instrumental music. He taught rock and classical guitar for many years, played in several rock bands, performed regularly in a flute/classical guitar duo, and was an elementary school teacher for 26 years. Since 2006, Gomes has released his own music spanning the singer-songwriter, pop, folk rock and instrumental genres. His latest single, Eeza Gomes, appeared on Wednesday (February 7). Gomes (guitar), who is joined by Ed Lister (trumpet), Alex Mastronardi (bass) and Jeff Asselin (drums), wrote the groovy and upbeat mambo-rock track in memory of his late, beloved Guyanese aunt. When I heard the first few notes by the trumpet, followed by “Gomes”, I immediately knew I love this happy tune!

J Mascis/You Don’t Understand Me

Wrapping up this review is new music by J Mascis, vocalist, guitarist, main songwriter and 1984 co-founder of alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. who I previously featured in April 2021. Mascis has also played drums and guitar in various side projects and issued albums under his own name starting with the 1996 live release Martin + Me. Off his fourth and latest studio solo album What Do We Do Now, which came out on February 2, here’s You Don’t Understand Me. Like all other tracks, it was solely penned by Mascis – love this!

Sources: Wikipedia; Itasca Bandcamp page; Paradise of Bachelors website; David Hedderman website; IMRO website; Terry Gomes website; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Happy Saturday and I’d like to welcome you to part 2 of my 2023 in review series. This second post highlights some of my favorite new songs that were released during the second half of the year. In case you missed it and are curious, part 1 is here.

The Arcadian Wild/Shoulders

Led by songwriters Isaac Horn (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Lincoln Mick (mandolin, vocals), with Bailey Warren on fiddle, The Arcadian Wild from Nashville, Tenn. have their roots in formal vocal music and influences from progressive bluegrass and folk. They have been around for about a decade and released their eponymous debut in 2015. From their third and new full-length album Welcome, here’s Shoulders – love that warm and beautiful sound!

Cordovas/Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll

If you’ve followed my blog or know my music taste otherwise, you won’t be surprised to see Cordovas in this post. I’m a fan of this East Nashville, Tenn.-based Americana and country rock band. They were formed in 2011 by singer-songwriter, bassist and vocalist Joe Firstman after a six-year stint as bandleader for former NBC late-night show Last Call with Carson Daly. Cordovas who have named The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band as influences released their fourth and latest studio album The Rose of Aces in August. Here’s the fantastic opener Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll co-written by Firstman and Cory Hanson, frontman of Los Angeles rock band Wand. If I would be asked to pick my favorite song of 2023, this would be it!

The Natvral/A Glass of Laughter

The Natvral is a music project of Kip Berman, who previously founded American indie rock band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and was their main songwriter during their active period between 2007 and 2019. In April 2021, Berman released his debut solo album Tethers, and I included one of the tracks in a previous installment of this weekly feature. His sophomore project is titled Summer of No Light. Here’s A Glass of Laughter, a great folk rock tune penned by Berman. Just as I felt when listening to the above song from his debut album, I can hear a Bob Dylan vibe. Gosh, I love it, we need more artists like him!

Tré Burt/Traffic Fiction

Tré Burt is a Sacramento-based singer-songwriter I first included in an October 2020 installment of this series. During his childhood, he was exposed to music by The Delfonics, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and The Temptations. As he became a musician himself, he tapped into American folk and blues. Bits of those and other roots were reflected on the August 2021 studio album You, Yeah, You, the result of what Burt’s website calls his “first proper studio sessions.” His latest, titled Traffic Fiction, is an “alchemy of soul, dub, and more than a little punk.” Here’s the great-sounding title track penned by Burt – so good!

Jake Thistle/The Dreamer

Among young music artists I’ve come across, Jake Thistle is the one I feel most excited about. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey first entered my radar screen on Facebook in 2021. Last summer, I saw him perform a Jackson Browne tribute show at a free summer outdoor concert. Browne is one of the artists who’s not only an influence but who Thistle actually has met, along with the likes of Tom Petty, John Hiatt, Stevie Nicks and Foo Fighters – in fact, he played or shared bills with most of them! Following his June 2021 home-produced debut CD Down the Line, Thistle is now out with his first studio EP The Half Left Out (see my reviews here and here, respectively. My favorite track off the latter is The Dreamer, which reminds me of a young Jackson Browne.

Harp/Country Cathedral Drive

This brings me to my final pick in this 2003 songs in review mini-series. Harp is a music project created by musician and songwriter Tim Smith, which also includes his wife Kathi Zung. According to their AllMusic profile, Harp combines British folk rock, vintage alternative rock and prog rock. Smith initially gained prominence as the primary songwriter of Texas indie rock band Midlake who he co-founded in 1999. After his departure in 2012, he met and married Zung, an artist and puppet fabricator with a career in stop-motion animation, who also is a musician. Off Albion, Harp’s first album, here’s the gorgeous Country Cathedral Drive.

Following is a Spotify playlist of the above songs and 16 additional picks from the second half of the year. I hope you’re going to check out the playlist, which includes many other great songs I didn’t get to feature in this post.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify