Yearend Musings Part 2

For the last time this year, I’d like to wish everybody a happy Saturday. I’m back from my short Christmas hiatus with the second installment of my two-part year-end review of new music released in 2022. Part 1 focused on new songs. In this post, I’m taking a look back at my six favorite albums of the year.

Altogether, I reviewed approximately 20 albums that were released over the course of the past 12 months. This count doesn’t include reissues like Neil Young’s nice Harvest 50th Anniversary Edition or other new releases of old music, such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Live at the Fillmore (1997), an excellent box set I can highly recommend checking out. Mirroring the approach I took for 2022 new songs, I’m doing this in chronological order.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio/Cold As Weiss

Kicking off this year-end revue with an all-instrumental album may seem to come a bit out of left field, given I’m a huge fan of vocals, but Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and their groovy Hammond-driven jazz was love at first sight. Plus, if you’re a more frequent visitor of my blog, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that instrumental music no longer is a rarity on these pages. Cold As Weiss, released on February 11, is the third studio album by this great trio, who apart from Delvon Lamarr (Hammond organ) features Jimmy Jones (guitar) and Dan Weiss (drums). Aka. DLO3, the trio has been around since May 2015 and describes their music as a “soul-jazz concoction”, blending 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters; and sprinkling Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. Let’s listen to Get Da Steppin’. My full review of this fun album is here.

Here’s a Spotify link to the entire album:

Goodbye June/See Where the Night Goes

Classic rock may no longer be in the mainstream, but it sure ain’t dead. Just ask Goodbye June from Memphis, Tenn., who have been helping carry the torch since 2005. The band is a family affair, comprised of cousins Landon Milbourn (lead vocals), Brandon Qualkenbush (rhythm guitar, bass, backing vocals) and Tyler Baker (lead guitar). On February 18, their fourth studio album See Where the Night Goes came out. The group’s sound, which is reminiscent of AC/DC, is a great listening experience. Check out the neat opener Step Aside below and my full review of the album here. Goodbye June truly rock!

Spotify album link:

Bonnie Raitt/Just Like That…

Frequent visitors of the blog and folks who know my music taste otherwise probably won’t be surprised to see Bonnie Raitt in this year-end post. I think her 21st studio album Just Like That…, which appeared on April 21, may well be her best to date in a now 51-year-and-counting recording career. If I would have to name my 2022 album of the year, Raitt’s first new release in more than six years would be it! Since this amazing lady first entered my radar screen with the outstanding Nick of Time in 1989, I’ve really come to dig her smooth slide-guitar playing, her voice and, of course, the songs most of which are renditions of tunes written by other artists. Here’s the Stonesy Livin’ For the Ones, a tune for which Raitt wrote the lyrics to music from longtime guitarist George Marinelli. Here is my full review of the album, a true gem that is a must-listen-to for Bonnie Raitt fans.

Spotify album link:

Jane Lee Hooker/Rollin’

Shortly on the heels of Bonnie Raitt, Jane Lee Hooker released their third studio album Rollin’ on April 29. I first experienced the great New York-based blues rock-oriented band during a free summer-in-the-park concert on the Jersey shore in August 2017 when they still were an all-female group and was immediately impressed by their infectious energy. All members remain, except for original drummer Melissa “Cool Whip” Houston who departed in 2020 and has been replaced by ‘Lightnin’ Ron Salvo. Earlier this year, I saw Jane Lee Hooker during a release party in New York City for the new album and can confirm the band’s only gent is a great fit. Rollin’ offers their familiar hard-charging electric guitar-driven blues rock, as well as some new elements, including acoustic blues and vibes of soul. A great illustration of the band’s more refined sound is the beautiful soul-oriented rock ballad Drive. My review of the full album is here.

Spotify album link:

Tedeschi Trucks Band/I’m the Moon

I’m the Moon, a four-album series, is the most ambitious studio project to date by Tedeschi Trucks Band and probably of 2022 overall. Each of the four installments, released individually between June and August, had a 30-minute-plus companion film. The entire project, which features 24 songs, became available as one collection on September 9. I’m the Moon was inspired by a 12th-century Persian poem – intriguingly the very same poem that also inspired one of the greatest blues rock albums of all time: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, by Derek and the Dominos. You can read my two-part review of this impressive project here and here. Following I’d like to highlight Hear My Dear, the lead track of the first album. This gem was written by the group’s co-leaders and wife and husband Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, along with the band’s keyboarder Gabe Dixon who is also one of their vocalists.

Spotify album link:

Buddy Guy/The Blues Don’t Lie

I’d like to wrap up this post with one of my absolute blues guitar heroes, Buddy Guy, who at 86 years young can still rock with the ferocity of Jimi Hendrix. On September 30, Guy released his 19th studio album The Blues Don’t Lie. The date coincided with the 65th anniversary of the legendary guitarist’s arrival in Chicago from Louisiana. Once again produced by longtime collaborator Tom Hambridge who also plays drums, the album features guest appearances by Mavis Staples, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Jason Isbell and Bobby Rush. Most importantly, The Blues Don’t Lie truly fires on all cylinders. You can find my full review here. Perhaps the song that best sums up Buddy Guy is the opener I Let My Guitar Do the Talking, a cowrite by Guy and Hambridge. Damn, check this out!

Spotify album link:

Last but not least, I’d like to thank my fellow bloggers and other visitors for reading my blog and taking the time to comment, and would like to wish all of you a Happy, Safe and Healthy New Year! And let’s keep on bloggin’ in the free world in 2023!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio Deliver Seductive Grooves on New Album

While I’ve started to feature more instrumental music on the blog – a big step for a guy who can keep raving about vocals and harmony singing for hours – the picture is very different when it comes to album reviews. In fact, Cold As Weiss by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio is my first review of a new all-instrumental album, and I couldn’t be happier with my pick!

If you’re a frequent visitor of the blog, you may have seen a few previous posts that included this cool trio from Seattle, most recently here earlier this month. In fact, that Sunday Six installment included Don’t Worry ‘Bout What I Do, a track from the new album, which had been released as an upfront single. Cold As Weiss appeared in its entirety on Friday, February 11, and it’s a true beauty!

In case you didn’t catch any of the previous posts, let me start with some background on the group. Once again, I’m borrowing from their website, which has a great bio: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio—or as it is sometimes referred to, DLO3—specialize in the lost art of “feel good music.” The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.’s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. It’s a soul-jazz concoction that goes straight to your heart and head makes your body break out in a sweat…

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (from left): Delvon Lamarr, Dan Weiss & Jimmy James

The band features organist Delvon Lamarr, a self-taught virtuosic musician, with perfect pitch who taught himself jazz and has effortlessly been able to play a multitude of instruments. On guitar is the dynamo Jimmy James who eases through Steve Cropper-style chanking guitar, volcanic acid-rock freak-out lead playing, and slinky Grant Green-style jazz. From Reno, Nevada is drummer Dan Weiss (also of the powerhouse soul and funk collective The Sextones). Dan’s smoldering pocket-groove drumming locks in the trio’s explosive chemistry.

DLO3 have been around since May 2015. Their initial line-up included Lamarr, Colin Higgins (guitar) and David McGraw (drums). By the time the trio’s debut album Close but No Cigar came out in March 2018, Higgins had been replaced by James on guitar. DLO3 had a few drummers over the years. The current one, Dan Weiss, joined last year after their sophomore studio album I Told You So had been recorded. Apparently, his arrival is reflected in the record’s title, as I’ve read in a few reviews. Let’s play some music!

Here’s the opener Pull Your Pants Up. The track pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album. For the most part, Lamarr and James take turns in leading the melody and providing fill-ins, while Weiss is keeping the beat. Since DLO3 don’t have a bassist, Lamarr is covering that part as well, using his Hammond B-3’s bass pedals.

Since I previously covered Don’t Worry ‘Bout What I Do, I’m skipping it here and going right to Big TT’s Blues. Clocking in at 6:31 minutes, it’s the longest track on the album. It also trades some funkiness for more of a straight blues feel. While all of the music on the album is jam-based, fortunately, DLO3 never go overboard with egomaniacal solos.

With Get Da Steppin’ it’s back to a more funky groove. I love the Hammond bass pedals and the drum part in this one. Sure, there’s not a huge variety in these funky grooves. But given the awesome sound and feel, this doesn’t really bother me.

And check out this beauty titled Uncertainty! A little softer than some of the other tracks with some cool breaks. And, boy, that Hammond just sounds mighty sweet, especially when the tone starts vibrating. I just don’t get tired of it – jeez, I guess I’m starting to sound like I’m raving about multipart harmony singing!

Let’s do one more: This Is Who I Is, the excellent closer. I love the guitar wah-wah action on this track, which gives it a bit of a Hendrix flavor – very cool!

Like its predecessor I Told You So, Cold As Weiss was recorded at Blue Mallard Studio in Seattle and produced by Jason Gray.

Based on reviews I’ve seen, Cold As Weiss has been well received. “As good as last year’s I Told You So was, this is an even stronger response to their already highly raised bar,” wrote Glide Magazine. “It’s another home run for Lamarr’s trio who hasn’t made a misstep yet,” opined American Songwriter. And here’s some of what AllMusic had to say: “The choruses are delivered in joyously emphatic unison. If there is a complaint about Cold as Weiss, it’s that at 40 minutes, it’s a tad short, because no one wants this dance party to end. (If you do, please check your pulse, you may have expired.)”

Sources: Wikipedia; Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio website; Discogs; Glide Magazine; American Songwriter; AllMusic, YouTube; Spotify