The Sunday Six

I can’t believe it’s Sunday again – boy, this first week of 2022 flew by really quickly! Well, this means it’s time for another installment of my favorite weekly feature where I time-travel to celebrate music of the past and sometimes the present, six tunes at a time. Off we go!

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble/Chitlins con Carne

Let’s kick it off with a great jazzy instrumental by Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of my favorite electric blues guitarists. Chitlins con Carne is from the fifth and final album of Vaughan and his backing band Double Trouble, appropriately titled The Sky Is Crying. This record appeared in November 1991, 14 months after Vaughan’s tragic and untimely death in a helicopter crash. He was only 35 years old – what a huge loss! Chitlins con Carne, composed by jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell, was first released on his 1963 album Midnight Blue. In case you’re curious you can check out the original here. Following is Vaughan’s excellent rendition!

Christine McVie/Got a Hold on Me

Christine McVie is best known as keyboarder, vocalist and songwriter of Fleetwood Mac, which she joined in 1970, coming from British blues band Chicken Shack. At the time she became a member of the Mac, she was the wife of bassist John McVie whom she had married in 1968. Their union fell apart after Christine had an affair with the band’s lighting engineer Curry Grant during the production of the Rumours album in 1976. Let’s just say there were many on and off relationships within Fleetwood Mac! Christine McVie wrote some of the band’s best-known songs, such as Don’t Stop, You Make Loving Fun (about her affair with Grant, though at the time she claimed it was about a dog!) and Say You Love Me. To date, she has also recorded three solo albums. Got a Hold on Me, co-written by her and Todd Sharp, is from her second solo effort Christine McVie, which came out in January 1984. I’ve always loved this pop-rock tune – simple and a bit repetitive, but quite catchy!

James Taylor/Fire and Rain

Last Sunday, I caught a great CNN documentary, Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name, focused on their 2010 Troubadour Reunion Tour – I could still kill myself that I completely missed that tour! Anyway, one of the tunes they played was Fire and Rain, my favorite James Taylor original song. I also love his rendition of King’s You’ve Got a Friend. Fire and Rain is off Taylor’s sophomore album Sweet Baby James from February 1970. The tune also appeared separately as a single in August that year. It became his first hit, reaching no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, no. 2 in Canada and no. 6 in Australia. It also charted in the UK (no. 48) and The Netherlands (no. 18). Here’s a beautiful live performance captured from the BBC’s In Concert series in November 1970. James Taylor, his smooth voice and his great guitar-playing – that’s really all you need!

Them/Gloria

Next, let’s jump back further to December 1964 and some dynamite British garage rock: Gloria by Them, a band formed in April 1964 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Fronted by Van Morrison (lead vocals, saxophone, harmonica), the group’s original line-up also included Billy Harrison (guitar, vocals), Eric Wrixon (keyboards), Alan Henderson (bass) and Ronnie Milling (drums). Gloria, penned by Morrison, was first released in November 1964 as the B-side to Baby, Please Don’t Go, Them’s second single. The tune was also included on the group’s debut album The Angry Young Them from June 1965, which in the U.S. was simply titled Them. This song’s just a classic. I wish I could say the same about Van Morrison these days!

Elvis Presley/Heartbreak Hotel

As frequent visitors of the blog may recall, my childhood idol was Elvis Presley who, btw, would have turned 87 yesterday (January 8). While I no longer idolize him or anyone else for that matter, I still dig Elvis, especially his early period. One of the coolest songs I can think of in this context is Heartbreak Hotel. Credited to Tommy Durden, Mae Boren Axton and Presley, the slow jazzy blues tune first appeared as a single in January 1956 and became Elvis’ first big hit. Among others, it topped the charts in the U.S., Canada and The Netherlands, and reached no. 2 in the UK. Heartbreak Hotel was also included on the compilation Elvis’ Golden Records from March 1958. In addition to Presley’s regular backing musicians Scotty Moore (electric guitar) and Bill Black (double bass), the recording featured Chet Atkins (acoustic guitar), Floyd Cramer (piano) and D.J. Fontana (drums). Feel free to snip along!

Mark Knopfler/Prairie Wedding

And once again, this brings me to the sixth and final track in this installment. It’s yet another tune my streaming music provider recently served up as a listening suggestion: Prairie Wedding by Mark Knopfler. The song is from the former Dire Straits frontman’s second solo album Sailing to Philadelphia that came out in September 2000. Written by Knopfler like all other tunes on the album, the track features Gillian Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings on backing vocals, as well as Guy Fletcher on keyboards. Fletcher also served in that role in Dire Straits from 1984 until the band’s final dissolution in 1995. Great tune with a nice cinematic feel!

Here’s a playlist of the above tunes:

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

The Blues Comes Alive…Live – Part II

For people who have frequently visited this blog or know me otherwise, this won’t come as a big surprise: I love the blues and blues rock. I also feel it’s a type of music that’s perfect to be experienced live. This is the second part of a two-part post celebrating great live performances of blues and blues rock gems. In case you missed part I, you can check it out here. Now, come on, let’s have some more fun!

Buddy Guy/Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues

Having mentioned Buddy Guy more than once in part I, it’s about damn time that I feature the man. Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues, written by Guy, is the title track of his seventh studio album from July 1991. The video footage documents his performance of the tune in September 2018 at the Americana 17th Annual Honors, held at the storied Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. Guy was 82 at the time – an unbelievable force of nature! I saw him in April that year in New York City at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, where he was on fire was well. Sadly, his gig marked one of the last shows at that venue before they closed it down!

Jimi Experience Experience/Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

This post wouldn’t be complete without this killer performance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Voodoo Child (Slight Return), written by Hendrix, first appeared on the band’s third and final studio album Electric Ladyland that came out in October 1968. The clip is from a documentary titled Music, Money, Madness … Jimi Hendrix in Maui, which chronicles the Experience’s visit to the Hawaiian island in July 1970 including their two performances there. The film and a companion album were released in November 2020.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble/Pride and Joy

Don’t get me started on Stevie Ray Vaughan. In my book, he was the most talented non-black electric blues guitarist I can think of. Buddy Guy during the previously noted documentary said Vaughan was to the blues what Michael Jordan was to basketball – great observation! Pride and Joy, written by the guitar virtuoso, was included on his debut studio album Texas Flood released in June 1983. The clip captures a performance of Vaughan and his backing band at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 – not exactly a match in heaven, since the audience clearly was less than enthusiastic about the band’s performance – I guess it was simply too much for their jazz ears! The band took it with pride, perhaps less with joy, though they still put on a killer performance!

Walter Trout/Bullfrog Blues

Walter Trout perhaps is the ultimate blues survivor. At about 2:30 minutes into his 2019 rendition of Bullfrog Blues at a jazz festival in Bavaria, Germany, Trout hints at what I mean, saying, “My life was saved by an organ donor. So sign up, be an organ donor and do something good for humanity.” In 2013, Trout’s past use of drugs and alcohol had caught up with him, and he found himself with end-stage liver disease, requiring a transplant to live or die. Luckily, a donor liver was found in time, and after a lengthy recovery during which Trout needed to relearn how to speak, walk and play the guitar, he was able to resume his career. Bullfrog Blues, a traditional, became the B-side of Canned Heat’s debut single Rollin’ and Tumblin’ from 1967. At the time, Trout was a 16-year-old growing up in New Jersey. Little did he know that he would join the band’s version that existed in 1981 and become their lead guitarist until 1985.

Ana Popović/Ana’s Shuffle

Time to feature another contemporary female blues rock artist: Ana Popović who was born in Serbia and has lived in the U.S. since 2016. It was her father Milton Popović, who introduced her to the blues, and she started playing guitar in Serbia at the age of 15. Four years later in 1995, she founded R&B band Hush there. The group disband in 1998 when Popović went to The Netherlands to study jazz guitar. The following year, she launched the Ana Popović Band in the Netherlands. In 2001, her solo debut Hush! appeared. Here’s a great live version of Ana’s Shuffle, an instrumental Popović first recorded for her sixth studio album Can You Stand the Heat from March 2013. It was co-written by her and co-producer Tony Coleman who was B.B. King’s drummer for 25 years. The following clip is from a March 2017 performance at a blues festival in Bethlehem, Pa.

Tedeschi Trucks Band/Midnight in Harlem

Since this two-part post was inspired by Tedeschi Trucks Band, it feels right to end it with a tune by what I would consider to be the best contemporary blues rock band. Here’s an August 2011 performance of Midnight in Harlem recorded in Atlanta. Co-written by the band’s harmony vocalist Mike Mattison and slide guitarist extraordinaire Derek Trucks, the track first appeared on their debut album Revelator released in June of the same year. Trucks absolutely shines on slide guitar, while Susan Tedeschi demonstrates her solid vocal skills. She’s also a great guitarist. The entire army of a band is just killer – this is what perfect musicianship looks like!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

Best of What’s New

This doesn’t happen very often. As I was browsing and sampling newly released songs, I quickly realized there were a good amount of new tunes I could have featured in this Best of What’s New installment. During most weeks, it’s relatively easy to select four tracks that rise to the top based on my taste. This time, I could have included nine or 10, so I decided to broaden the set from the usual four to six tunes.

The result is an eclectic selection, including indie rock, post-hardcore rock, alternative rock, pop-oriented country, searing rock and even some bossa nova. All tracks appear on albums that were released yesterday (May 21). Hope you find some music in here you like!

Storefront Church/Smile-Shaped Scar

According to an artist page on the website of their record label Sargent House, Storefront Church is a Los Angeles-based project around singer-songwriter Lukas Frank. Smile-Shaped Scar, co-written by Frank and guitarist Waylon Dean Reactor, is a tune from the outfit’s debut album As We Pass. The project included more than 20 collaborators. Sargent House describes the outcome as “a sweeping artistic statement that paints dark, weathered landscapes paired with Frank’s mournful croon and howls summoned via poignant songwriting that recalls the likes of Roy Orbison, Scott Walker, and Jeff Buckley.” While the lyrics aren’t exactly cheerful, I really dig the sound of this tune, which is quite catchy as well. Check it out!

Fiddlehead/Million Times

Fiddlehead, which has been active since 2014, are a rock band from Boston, featuring Patrick Flynn (vocals), Alex Henery (guitar), Alex Dow (guitar), Casey Nealon (bass) and Shawn Costa (drums). Wikipedia characterizes them as a post-hardcore supergroup bringing together former members from various other bands, including Have Heart, Basement, Big Contest, Intent, Youth Funeral, Death Injection and Glory – frankly, all groups I don’t know! Fiddlehead released their debut EP Out of the Bloom in 2014. Their first full-length album Springtime and Blind followed in 2018. Million Times, credited to the entire band, is a fairly melodic rocker from Fiddlehead’s new sophomore album Between the Richness. Here’s the official video that was released in March.

Counting Crows/Elevator Boots

There’s a name I hadn’t heard for quite some time. Alternative rock band Counting Crows entered my radar screen in late 1993 with Mr. Jones, the catchy lead single from their excellent debut album August and Everything After. The band was formed by lead vocalist Adam Duritz and producer and guitarist David Bryson in San Francisco in 1991. Together with Charlie Gillingham (keyboards, accordion, clarinet, backing vocals), Duritz and Bryson remain as original members in the group’s current line-up, which also features David Immerglück (guitars, bass, pedal steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, backing vocals), Millard Powers (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dan Vickrey (lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals) and Jim Bogios (drums). To date, Counting Crows have released seven studio and various compilation and live albums. Elevator Roots, written by Duritz, is a song from the band’s new EP Butter Miracle Suite One, their first studio release since 2014. I like it!

Jordan Davis/I Still Smoked

Jordan Davis is a Nashville-based pop-oriented country singer-songwriter who originally hails from Shreveport, La. According to his artist profile on Apple Music, Davis had music in his bloodline. His uncle Stan Paul Davis wrote country hits for Tracy Lawrence and others in the ’90s, and in 2012, Jordan made his way to Music City to give his own songs a push. Five years later, his debut single, “Singles You Up,” stampeded up the country charts and went double platinum. His next couple of singles, “Take It From Me” and “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot,” became country smashes too, as did the album they appeared on, 2018’s Home State (his studio debut album). I Still Smoked, co-written by Davis, Jonathan Singleton and Randy Montana, is a melodic tune from Davis’ new sophomore album Buy Dirt.

Ayron Jones/Mercy

Ayron Jones is a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Seattle. Jones has been active since the age of 19 when he started performing at local bars. In 2010, he formed Ayron Jones and the Way, a trio influenced by the likes of Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, and Prince and the Revolution. A gig at a Seattle bar in 2012 led to their discovery by local rapper, songwriter and record producer Anthony Ray, aka Sir Mix-a-Lot. The band’s debut album Dream appeared in October 2013. Jones has since released two additional albums including his new one Child of the State. Here’s Mercy co-written by Jones, Marti Fredericksen and Scott Stevens. Jones’ guitar-playing style has been compared to Gary Clark Jr. and Vaughan. This rocks quite furiously. Check out the official video.

Marinero/Through the Fog

Let’s wrap up this post on a softer note: Through the Fog, a track from Hella Love, the debut album by Marinero. According to his Bandcamp profile, Marinero is the moniker for Jess Sylvester. Sylvester who grew up in San Francisco and is now based in Los Angeles, is of Mexican heritage. It’s difficult to classify or generalize about Marinero’s music or identity, notes his profile. To him, it’s important to let his music do the talking. “I’m Chicanx, a bay native, biracial, and I’ve luckily gotten to travel and spend time in Mexico and I feel like my personality and specific musical tastes come through on this album… Pulling sonic influences from classic Latin American groups and international composers from the 60’s & 70’s: Los Terricolas, Ennio Morricone, Esquivel, Carole King and, Serge Gainsbourg Hella Love finds Sylvester fusing classical arrangements with a variety of different genres, evoking a sonic nostalgia blended with other contemporary artists like Chicano Batman, Connan Mockasin, and Chris Cohen. I dig this tune’s jazzy bossa nova groove.

Sources: Wikipedia; Storefront Church Sargent House artist page; Apple Music; Marinero Bandcamp profile; YouTube