Song Musings

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another installment of my midweek feature, in which I take a closer look at songs I’ve only mentioned in passing or not covered at all to date. Today’s pick resulted from an online chat in early March with fellow blogger Matthew, aka as The Observation Blogger in the wake of his post about Leonard Cohen’s I Can’t Forget. Check out his blog when you have a chance!

The aforementioned interaction prompted me to write about a song I loved from the very first moment I heard it: First We Take Manhattan, as covered by Jennifer Warnes.

Of course, Leonard Cohen connoisseurs know the Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist penned this gem. But it was Jennifer Warnes who first recorded it for her stunning sixth studio album Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen. The versatile American singer-songwriter is best known for collaborations with the likes of Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan and Cohen. She first worked with the Canadian artist in 1972 when she sang with Cohen on his Bird On the Wire European tour.

Sadly, Warnes’ fantastic rendition of First We Take Manhattan fell far short of the chart success of Up Where We Belong and (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, her hugely popular 1982 and 1987 duets with Joe Cocker and Bill Medley, respectively. The single did best on the Canadian Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks where it peaked at no. 6. On the equivalent Billboard chart in the U.S. it climbed to no. 29. Cohen subsequently recorded the song for his February 1988 studio album I’m Your Man and also released it as a single. It missed the charts altogether!

In addition to Warnes’ compelling vocals, which stand in stark contrast to the bone-chilling lyrics that at least in part are about terrorism, I’ve always dug the amazing lead guitar work on this song. It was provided by none other than Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of my all-time favorite blues rock guitarists.

Roscoe Beck who together with Warnes co-produced Famous Blue Raincoat and also played bass was friends with Vaughan and asked the Texan to play guitar on the recording. Apparently, Vaughan showed up with no equipment and ended up using one of Beck’s old Fender Stratocasters. After working out some technical challenges, the guitar virtuoso finished recording his takes at 4:00 a.m.!

The song’s official video, directed by Paula Walker, was filmed in New York City. It features SVR playing his beat up “Number One” Stratocaster on the Brooklyn Bridge. Cohen appears in the video as well, together with Warnes.

First We Take Manhattan has also been covered by a number of other artists, most notably R.E.M. and Joe Cocker. SecondHandSongs counted 50 versions. Here’s Cocker’s rendition, which he included on his 17th studio album No Ordinary World, released in October 1999 in Europe, followed by the U.S. in August 2000.

Following are some additional insights from Songfacts:

If you’re a bit puzzled by this song, that might be the point. Cohen took a shot at explaining it in the April 1993 issue of Song Talk. The Canadian singer/ songwriter said: “I felt for sometime that the motivating energy, or the captivating energy, or the engrossing energy available to us today is the energy coming from the extremes. That’s why we have Malcolm X. And somehow it’s only these extremist positions that can compel our attention. And I find in my own mind that I have to resist these extremist positions when I find myself drifting into a mystical fascism in regards to myself. [Laughs]”

“So this song, ‘First We Take Manhattan,’ what is it? Is he serious? And who is we? And what is this constituency that he’s addressing? Well, it’s that constituency that shares this sense of titillation with extremist positions. I’d rather do that with an appetite for extremism than blow up a bus full of schoolchildren.”

Bassist and longtime Cohen associate Roscoe Beck produced the cut. He recalled to Uncut: “I was working on Jennifer Warnes’ record of Leonard’s songs, Famous Blue Raincoat, so I called him in Montreal to ask if he had any new material for it, and he played me, ‘First We Take Manhattan.’ I was stunned. Leonard had written on keyboards since the early ’80s, but this was a much more heavily synthesized, Eurodisco approach.”

“I was also taken aback by the lyrics,” he added. “They scared me. The singer’s character seemed mentally unstable, and I wondered what the song was about. Leonard says it’s someone who’s an outsider, demented and menacing. I had an eerie feeling about it.”

Leonard arranged his version in Montreal, and he and I finished it in LA,” Beck concluded. “He’d stacked female backing vocals that were quite a surprise. The song was such a departure from the folkiness of his past. It was a fresh start.”

The Jennifer Warnes version starts out with some spoken German radio about a Berlin disco in which some US servicemen were killed only a few months after they recorded the song. Beck commented: “It seemed prophetic of that, and 9/11 too.”

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts; Jennifer Warnes website; YouTube

The Sunday Six

It’s Sunday and I’d like to welcome you to the first music time travel trip of 2024! I hope everybody had a good start into the new year. As always, our itinerary includes six stops in different decades, featuring music in different flavors. Let’s do it!

Red Garland Trio/Blue Red

Our first stop takes us to June 1957 and Red Garland’s debut album as a leader, A Garland of Red. The modern jazz pianist helped popularize the so-called block chord style of playing piano in jazz. He first gained prominence when joining the Miles Davis Quintet in 1954. In addition to Davis (trumpet), it featured John Coltrane (saxophone), Paul Chambers (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums). By the time Garland recorded A Garland of Red, he still was a member of Davis’ quintet, though their relationship had started to become strained. Davis eventually fired him. On A Garland of Red, Garland was backed by Quintet mate Chambers (bass), as well as Art Taylor (drums). Let’s listen to the album’s closer and sole Garland composition Blue Red. One could be forgiven to think it was written by Chambers, but trust me, eventually you’ll hear more than just upright bass! Plus, did I ever mention bassists are cool? 🙂

The Subdudes/(You’ll Be) Satisfied

New Orleans band The Subdudes blend folk, swamp pop, R&B, Louisiana blues, country, cajun, zydeco, funk, soul and gospel into a tasty musical gumbo. They have been around since 1987 with breaks from 1996-2002 and 2011-2014. Since their eponymous debut from June 1989, The Subdudes have released nine additional studio and two live albums. (You’ll Be) Satisfied, a tip from my dear German music buddy Gerd, is from the third studio album Annunciation that came out in March 1994. The song was written by the band’s bass player at the time, Johnny Ray Allen. This is great stuff!

Quinn Sullivan/Salvation (Make Me Wanna Pray)

For our next stop, we shall travel back to the present and the most recent single by Quinn Sullivan, a dynamite 24-year-old blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was discovered in 2007 at the age of 7 by Buddy Guy who became his mentor. Sullivan also was a guest on Guy’s 2008 album Skin Deep and has toured various times with him and also performed with B.B. King. Since 2011, Sullivan has released four albums. His most recent single Salvation (Make Me Wanna Pray), released in November 2023, blends contemporary elements with a neat retro sound that reminds me a bit of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. Damn, this is so good!

Coney Hatch/Don’t Say Make Me

Our next destination was inspired by fellow blogger Deke from DeKe’s Vinyl Reviews & More and The Distortion Den, so you can all blame him! It was on his YouTube channel that I was reminded of Coney Hatch, a Canadian hard rock band I had known by name only. They were formed in 1981 and are still rockin’. In August last year, they released a live album, Postcard from Germany. Of course, any music artist who performs in my country of birth gets my attention! Don’t Say Make Me takes us back to 1983 and the band’s sophomore album Outa Hand – a great opener that reminds me a bit of early Foreigner.

Steve Miller Band/My Dark Hour

We’re reaching our second-to-final stop, so it’s about time to pay a visit to the ’60s. My Dark Hour by Steve Miller Band is the closer of their third studio album Brave New World, which appeared in June 1969. Written by Steve Miller, it was also released separately as a single but only reached a measly no. 126 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100. Even if you don’t know the song, you probably recognize the distinct guitar riff that starts at around 13 seconds into the track. Miller would recycle that riff for his major August 1976 hit single Fly Like an Eagle. My Dark Hour also had a special guest: Paul McCartney (credited as Paul Ramon) who contributed backing vocals, drums, guitar and bass!

Outlaws/Stick Around For Rock & Roll

Time to wrap up our first music excursion of 2024 with a great proposition by southern rockers Outlaws. Stick Around For Rock & Roll is the final track of their third studio album Lady In Waiting, released in May 1976. It was written by Outlaws co-founder, guitarist and vocalist Hughie Thomasson. Later on, from 1996 to 2005, Thomasson who passed away in 2007 would also play with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Outlaws are still around, though no original member remains in their current line-up. That said, Henry Paul, who was part of the band when they recorded Lady In Waiting, remains a member to this day. This definitely rocks and reminds me a bit of The Doobie Brothers.

Last but not least, here’s a Spotify playlist featuring all of the above tracks. Hope you enjoyed the trip and will be back for more!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

New Music Musings

Just in time before seeing off the year, I’d like to take a final look at new music. This post highlights my six favorite albums of 2023 I reviewed.

Highway 61 – Driving South

After 30 Years and an incredible background story including the global pandemic, a near-fatal cancer episode and the death of a music mentor, Los Angeles blues rock four-piece Highway 61 released their debut album Driving South on March 24. While after their formation in the early ’90s the band managed to establish themselves on the Southern California club circuit, the record deal they sought remained elusive, and they broke up in 1993. Fast forward to the summer of 2022 when they reconvened for the first time in decades at an L.A. studio to finally record their first album. Highway 61 blend flavors of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For a little taste, here’s the kickass opener Walk On Water (full album review). Thanks again to Gregg Bell of Wanted Management, who brought Highway 61 on my radar screen!

Ian Hunter – Defiance Part 1

Ian Hunter may be an octogenarian, but he sure as heck can show all the young dudes how to rock. After his departure as lead vocalist from British glam rockers Mott the Hoople in 1974, Hunter launched a solo career and has released his own albums at a fairly steady pace. He frequently collaborated with Mick Ronson until the untimely death of David Bowie’s former sideman in 1993 at the age of 46. His 15th and latest album Defiance Part 1, recorded during COVID lockdown and released on April 21, features the late Jeff Beck, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Todd Rundgren and Ringo Starr, among others, who all added contributions at their home studios. The album also includes Hunter’s longtime collaborator Andy York, one of John Mellencamp’s guitarist, who also served as co-producer. Here’s This Is What I’m Here For, written by Hunter and featuring the late Taylor Hawkins (formerly of Foo Fighters) on drums, Waddy Wachtel (guitar) and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott (backing vocals) (full album review).

Lucinda Williams – Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart

Lucinda Williams may be among the ultimate rock & roll survivors. Only two and a half years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the singer-songwriter, who turned 70 in January. After her East Nashville home had been damaged by a tornado in March 2020, she suffered a debilitating stroke in November of the same year. Not only did the stroke limit Williams’ physical mobility, but it also took away her ability to play guitar, the instrument she had relied on to write her songs. None of this stopped Williams. After intense rehab, she returned to the stage. Still unable to play guitar, she adjusted her way to write music, collaborated with her husband and co-producer Tom Overby and others, and recorded the incredible album Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, which dropped on June 30. I don’t mean to romanticize hardship, but I find Williams’ strength truly inspiring. Here’s the de facto title track Rock n Roll Heart, co-written by Williams, Overby and Travis Stephens, guitarist and Williams’ road manager. The song features Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa on backing vocals (full album review). Only select songs of the album are available on streaming services.

Cordovas – The Rose of Aces

East Nashville, Tenn.-based Americana and country rock band Cordovas have become one of my favorite contemporary groups since the summer of 2018 when I coincidentally caught them at a free open air summer concert in New Jersey. Their three-part harmony vocals and warm sound remind me of other groups like The Band, Grateful Dead, Eagles and Little Feat. Cordovas were formed in 2011 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Firstman  after he had put out a series of solo projects and served as bandleader on NBC’s former late-night TV show Last Call with Carson Daly from 2005 to 2009. On August 11, they released their fourth studio album The Rose of Aces, another gem. Here’s Love Is All It Takes, a song written by Firstman with a neat Allman Brothers Band vibe (full album review).

The Rolling Stones/Hackney Diamonds

Hackney Diamonds is no Sticky Fingers or Exile On Main St., but the first new Rolling Stones album with original music in 18 years still marks a late-stage career highlight. Released on October 20, Hackney Diamonds sounds remarkably fresh and dynamic for a band that has existed for 61 years! The first Stones album since the 2021 death of longtime drummer Charlie Watts features Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney and even Watts, among others. One of the most effective contributions are Lady Gaga’s backing vocals on Sweet Sounds of Heaven, a great soulful ballad credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. It also includes Wonder on keyboards and piano, but you don’t notice unless you carefully listen to Jagger telling Wonder, ‘Play me something, Steve’, at around the 5:30-minute mark or check the credits – a relatively small wrinkle on what I think is the Stones’ best studio album since 1989’s Steel Wheels (full album review).

Raze Regal & White Denim Inc. – Raze Regal & White Denim Inc.

The collaboration between Raze Regal, who AllMusic calls an eclectic, psych, jazz, and rock-influenced guitarist, and James Petralli, vocalist of Austin, Texas indie rock band White Denim who he co-founded in 2006, is one of my most intriguing new music discoveries this year. The album’s sophisticated sound blending jazz, rock, soul and pop at times reminds me of Steely Dan and some of Gino Vannelli’s work I’ve heard. Here’s the cool opener Ashley Goudeau, named after a local Austin morning news anchor, a song about a parasocial relationship with a TV personality (full album review).

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; YouTube; Spotify

My Playlist: Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan first entered my radar screen in 1986 shortly after I had joined a blues group as a bassist, marking the beginning of my short but intense three-year period as an active band musician. To get up to speed with our setlist, I was given a music cassette, which among others included Vaughan’s amazing rendition of Tin Pan Alley, off his second studio album Couldn’t Stand the Weather. The moment I heard his guitar sound, I fell in love with it. In this post, which is part of an irregular feature called My Playlist, I’d like to celebrate the music by who I think is one of the best blues guitarists of all time.

Vaughan’s web bio characterizes his guitar-playing as follows: With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the ’80s. Vaughan drew equally from bluesmen like Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Albert Collins and rock & roll players like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, as well as jazz guitarists like Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery, developing a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre. I feel they hit the nail right on the head!

Before getting to some music, I’d like to provide a bit of additional background on this extraordinary artist who was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Vaughan picked up the guitar as a seven-year-old, initially inspired by his three-and-a-half-year-older brother Jimmie Vaughan. Five years later, he started playing in garage bands, followed by semi-professional groups. By the age of 17, Vaughan dropped out of high school to focus on music. In 1971, he formed his first own blues band, Blackbird.

Stevie Ray Vaughan with his older brother Jimmie Vaughan

Fast-forward to 1979 when Vaughan played in Triple Threat Revue, a band he had formed two years earlier. After the group’s vocalist Lou Ann Barton left, they became Double Trouble, named after an Otis Rush song. In addition to Vaughan, the initial line-up featured Jack Newhouse (bass) and Chris Layton (drums). In 1981, Newton was replaced by Tommy Shannon, putting in place the core line-up of the group that would back Vaughan for the rest of his short life.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble became regulars and gained popularity on the Texas club circuit in the early ’80s. In 1982, they played the Montreux Jazz Festival and came to the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. Impressed with Vaughan’s guitar chops, Bowie offered him to play on his upcoming album Let’s Dance. Vaughan ended up contributing lead guitar for six of the tracks on what became Bowie’s commercially most successful album.

Stevie Ray Vaughan with Chris Layton (l) and Tommy Shannon (r) of Double Trouble in 1983

Meanwhile, Browne offered the fierce trio three free days at his Los Angeles studio, which they used to record a demo over the Thanksgiving weekend in November 1982. That tape found its way to record producer John Hammond who had worked with the likes of Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few. He secured a contract for the band with Epic Records. The demo recordings were subsequently remixed and mastered in New York City and released in June 1983 as their debut Texas Flood.

Texas Flood was the first of five albums that were recorded and appeared during Vaughan’s lifetime. A sixth, The Sky Is Crying, was released in November 1991, three months after Vaughan and four others had been killed in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wis. following a gig. He was only 35 years old, a loss I think was comparable to Hendrix. Time for some music!

Let’s kick it off with Pride and Joy from the aforementioned Texas Flood, which Chris Layton noted Vaughan wrote for a new girlfriend he had at the time. Apparently, the same woman also inspired another song on the same album titled I’m Cryin’. As you can guess, the inspiration for that song was less cheerful, namely a fight between Vaughan and her. Pride and Joy has an infectious shuffle that makes you want to move!

Obviously, I can’t skip Tin Pan Alley, a great slow blues composed by Bob Geddins, a San Francisco Bay area blues and R&B artist and record producer. This song, off Couldn’t Stand the Weather, is a great illustration of Vaughan’s incredible sound. Check out his amazing tone, which still gives me chills!

Vaughan also composed some great instrumentals, including this one called Say What! The tune appeared on Soul to Soul, his third album with Double Trouble, which came out in September 1985. By the time of the recording, the band had grown into a four-piece and now also included Reese Wynans on keyboards.

The House Is Rockin’ – the title says it all! This is pure rock & roll that reminds me a bit of Chuck Berry. Stevie Ray Vaughan wrote this gem together with Austin blues musician Doyle Bramhall who as a high school student had played in a band with Jimmie Vaughan. It was included on June 1989’s In Step, the fourth and final studio album with Double Trouble, which appeared during Vaughan’s lifetime. Wikipedia notes that the album title can be viewed as an acknowledgment of Vaughan’s successful rehab from years of drug an alcohol addiction.

In 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughan made an album with Jimmie Vaughan titled Family Affair. Released as The Vaughan Brothers in September of the same year, it was the only album Stevie recorded with his brother. It also was his last studio release prior to his fatal helicopter crash. Here’s the closer Brothers, which the two guitarists penned together.

The last track I’d like to call out is another great instrumental, which is on The Sky Is Crying, the above-mention post-mortem album. This compilation of songs Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble recorded throughout their career was released in November 1991. Here’s their cool rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing, which originally appeared in December 1967 on the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s sophomore album Axis: Bold as Love. I think Jimi would have been proud of it!

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s impact on reviving blues and blues rock among mainstream audiences cannot be underestimated and perhaps is his biggest legacy. He also influenced many other guitarists like John Mayer, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Albert Cummings and Chris Duarte.

Vaughan, who has sold over 15 million albums in the U.S. alone, is ranked at no. 20 in Rolling Stone’s just released eclectic 2023 list of The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time – probably too low, but these lists are highly subjective. Vaughan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, along with Double Trouble bandmates Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon and Reese Wynans. The Blues Hall of Fame was a bit faster in getting their act together, inducting him in 2000.

I’d like to leave you with a career-spanning Spotify playlist, which includes the above and 14 other tracks. Hope you dig Stevie Ray Vaughan as much as I do!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4EuqsRstm1AthevVWwXkj8?si=5e191c6d6d3b43dd

Sources: Wikipedia; Stevie Rau Vaughan website; Rolling Stone; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Hope everyone’s spending a nice weekend. I’d like to welcome you to another imaginary time travel excursion to visit six tracks in different flavors from six different decades. Let’s do it!

Sonny Rollins Quartet/Tenor Madness

Our journey today starts in October 1956 and some neat 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. The album is best known for the title cut, a Rollins composition. It’s the only track on which Coltrane played and, apparently, the sole recording featuring both Rollins and Coltrane.

Marc Benno/Lost in Austin

Our next stop takes us to 1979 and Texas singer-songwriter Marc Benno. I decided to earmark Lost in Austin right away after I had listened to the song at the suggestion of my longtime German music buddy – my not-so-secret weapon any longer! If you’re fan of Leon Russell, you may have heard of The Asylum Choir, a short-lived duo he formed with Benno around 1967. After The Asylum Choir had run its course, Benno launched a solo career in the early ’70s and also worked with the likes of The Doors, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Rita Coolidge. Lost in Austin is the title track of Benno’s fourth solo album – my kind of music!

Great Lake Swimmers/Uncertain Country

Ever since I started paying attention again to newly released music, time and again I realized great songs aren’t limited to the past. They’re just harder to find! Case in point: Uncertain Country by Canadian folk rock band Great Lake Swimmers. Granted, as a group founded in 2003, they aren’t exactly new, but my pick Uncertain Country is. It’s the title track of their eighth and latest studio album released in April this year.

Them/(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66

After a stop-over in the present, let’s jump back close to 60 years to June 1965. That’s when Northern Irish garage rockers Them came out with their first album The “Angry” Young Them. While best known for the garage anthem Gloria, it also featured a great cover of (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, a popular R&B song composed in 1946 by Bobby Troup. Nat King Cole recorded it first that same year with the King Cole Trio. Initially, I heard and came to love the cover by The Rolling Stones. Then I came across this great rendition by Them, a tight sounding band with great musical chops and Van Morrison as a compelling frontman.

Pearl Jam/Even Flow

Time to pay a visit to the ninnnnnnnnnneties. In August 1991, American rock band Pearl Jam released their debut album Ten. While it wasn’t an immediate success, by late 1992, it had reached no. 2 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200. Even Flow was one of three hit singles Ten spawned , which ultimately made it the group’s most commercially successful album with over 13 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Admittedly, every time I listen to Even Flow, I think of Adam Sandler’s silly spoof, but it’s a pretty good song with lyrics by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music by Stone Gossard, one of the group’s guitarists.

Crowded House/Something So Strong

This leaves us with one more stop. To wrap up today’s trip we shall travel down under to August 1986, which saw the release of Crowded House’s eponymous debut album. The New Zealand-Australian pop rock band had formed in Melbourne the year before. Best known for the beautiful Don’t Dream It’s Over, which became the band’s biggest hit, the album topped the Australian charts and reached no. 3 in New Zealand. Another single that enjoyed decent chart success, especially in these two markets, was Something So Strong. It was co-written by the band’s Neil Finn and producer Mitchell Froom who officially became their keyboarder in 2020 after Crowded House had reemerged from a multi-year hiatus.

Last but not least, following is a Spotify playlist of the above songs. Hope there’s something that speaks to you.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

Lucinda Williams Defies Adversity, Shining on New Album

Lucinda Williams may be among the ultimate rock & roll survivors. Only two and a half years ago, things looked pretty bleak for the singer-songwriter, who turned 70 in January. After her East Nashville home had been damaged by a tornado in March 2020, she suffered a debilitating stroke in November of the same year. Now she’s out with Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, an incredible album that looks like a highlight of her nearly 45-year recording career.

Not only did the stroke limit Williams’ physical mobility, but it also took away her ability to play guitar, the instrument she had relied on to write her songs. While her ability to walk has been restored and she has returned to the stage, she is still unable to play guitar. This forced her to adjust the way she creates music.

As noted in a review by American Songwriter, Williams collaborated with her husband and co-producer Tom Overby. In addition, she relied on singer-songwriter Jesse Malin and guitarist Travis Stephens who also is her road manager. Last but not least, veteran guitarist Doug Pettibone, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan keyboarder Reese Wynans and Steve Ferrone, former drummer of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, are also part of the backing band.

Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart, Williams’ 15th studio album, comes three years after the predecessor Good Souls Better Angels. Williams is a co-writer on each of the 10 tracks. Half of the tunes are co-credited to Overby and Stephens. Let’s take a closer look at some of the songs. As of the writing of this post, the album was not available (yet) on my streaming services, so this review is based on tunes that are on YouTube.

Let’s kick it off with the nice blues rock-flavored opener Let’s Get the Band Back Together. Malin and Overby were co-writers. The studio recording features Margo Price, Jeremy Ivey, Siobhan Maher Kennedy, Buddy Miller and Sophie Gault. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a clip of the album version, but here’s a nice recent live take.

On April 4, New York Comeback featuring Bruce Springsteen and his wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa became the first of three singles that appeared leading up to the album. Also co-written by Malin, Overby and Williams, it’s one of the album’s highlights.

Another standout track to me is Stolen Moments, a tribute to Tom Petty, co-written by Overby and Williams. When the tune was first released as the album’s second upfront single on April 21, Williams said, “Tom was a down-to-earth, sweet, loving person, and I miss his music but I miss him more,” according to a JamBase review. “I wrote this song after he passed away. I was just heartbroken, and I’m still reeling.”

Next up is the album’s de facto title track. It’s credited to Williams, Overby and Stephens. Once again, Springsteen and Scialfa joined on backing vocals. Great song!

Hum’s Liquor is another song to honor an artist, Bob Stinson, co-founder and lead guitarist of The Replacements, who passed away in February 1995 from organ failure brought on by frequent drug use. Once again, I need to rely on a recent live clip.

The last track I’d like to call out is the reflective Where the Song Will Find Me. Another Overby, Stephens and Williams co-write, the tune became the third upfront single released on May 26.

As previously noted, Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart currently isn’t available on streaming services. As such, I cannot include a link to Spotify. If and when it becomes available, I will add the link. Meanwhile, I can offer this YouTube clip of the entire album.

Asked by DJ Bill DeVille during a recent interview on Minneapolis public radio station The Current (89.3 FM), Williams confirmed it felt good to make the new album. She added, “I mean, I just kept going after my stroke. It didn’t occur to me to slow down or stop, because I was still able to sing. And I felt like I’ve made enough progress, physically, to be able to get in the, go to the studio.” That’s truly a rock & roll attitude by an amazing lady.

Last but not least, to those celebrating America’s Independence Day, Happy Fourth of July!

Sources: Wikipedia; American Songwriter; JamBase; The Current; YouTube

Best of What’s New

Happy Saturday and welcome to my latest new music revue. Lately, I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record. Once again, I found more releases than I can possibly cover – not sure whether this reflects an increased volume of new music, my evolving taste, or a combination of both. All featured tunes are on releases that came out yesterday (June 23).

Ayron Jones/Blood in the Water

My first pick is Ayron Jones, a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Seattle I first featured in a May 2021 Best of What’s New installment. 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. Their debut album Dream appeared in October 2013. Later Jones was signed as a solo artist and has since released two albums under his name, including his latest, Chronicles of the Kid. Here’s the cool-sounding Blood in the Water, credited to Jones, Blair Daly, Marti Frederiksen, Scott Stevens and Zac Maloy.

Corvair/Shady Town

Portland, Ore.-based Corvair are an indie rock duo and married couple of Brian Naubert and Heather Larimer. According to their website, between the two, they have played in various bands and can be heard on more than 20 albums. They started Corvair in 2019 and have released two albums to date. The new one is titled Bound to Be, which their website characterizes as veering “from muscular rock songs to languid pop confessionals, from stunning atmospherics to raw intimacy, held together by sharp lyrics and potent imagery.” Based on what I’ve heard thus far, I like their music. Here’s the opener Shady Town, which first appeared as the second single on May 19.

Emily James/New Name to Heartbreak

Emily James is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter. From her website: Singer-songwriter Emily James began writing her own music when she was 10 years old, inspired by such musical influences as Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, and Adele. At 16, James moved from New York to Nashville and, a year later, released her self-written EP, Emily James, produced by Grammy award winners Ian Fitchuk (Kacey Musgraves) and Jacquire King (Kings of Leon). She relocated to Los Angeles in 2017 and, soon after, put out her project, Til the Morning, written by James and produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Lumineers, Vance Joy). Off her new release, her third EP called Grey, here’s New Name to Heartbreak, a lovely-sounding ballad about a less-than-cheerful topic.

Pecos & The Rooftops/Bricks

While Pecos & the Rooftops have a website, unfortunately, it doesn’t include any background. According to a recent review by The Music Universe, this Lubbock, Texas-based country rock band was formed in 2019 by college friends and includes frontman Pecos Hurley, Zack Foster (lead guitar), Brandon Jones (rhythm guitar), Hunter Cassell (guitars & keyboards), Kalen Davis (bass) and Garrett Peltier (drums). Their self-released debut single This Damn Song appeared in April 2019. The group’s first EP, Red Eye, came out in January 2020. The latest release is their self-titled full-length debut album. Here’s Bricks, co-written by Hurley, M. Wallace, producer Andrew Baylis and frequent collaborator Michael Whitworth.

Nat Myers/Pray For Rain

Nat Myers is a Korean-American blues poet, according to his website. When he was a child, his mother gave him a guitar, trying to keep him away from his rowdy friends. While Myers developed “a deft picking style,” he didn’t intend to become a musician and was much more interested in poets like Shakespeare and Homer. He ended up studying poetry in New York City while playing music on the side in the subway and on street corners. After COVID had put an end to his public performances, Myers began uploading videos to social media. Eventually, these clips caught the attention of Black Keys frontman and record producer Dan Auerbach who produced Myers’ new debut album Yellow Peril. Let’s listen to Pray For Rain. I love everything about this story and the tune!

Trophy Eyes/Life in Slow Motion

Wrapping up this post are Australian pop punk rock band Trophy Eyes. Formed in 2013, they currently consist of co-founders John Floreani (lead vocals) and Jeremy Winchester (bass, saxophone backing vocals), along with Josh Campiao (lead guitar) and Blake Caruso (drums). Since their November 2014 full-length debut Mend, Move On, Trophy Eyes have released three additional albums including their latest, Suicide and Sunshine. Off the latter, here’s Life in Slow Motion. The song is credited to the group’s former and recently departed lead guitarist Andrew Hallett, Caruso, Winchester and Floreani, as well as producers Fletcher Matthews and Shane Edwards. It’s an edgy, yet quite catchy song!

Last but not least here’s a Spotify playlist of the above and a few additional tunes.

Sources: Wikipedia; Corvair website; Emily James website; The Music Universe; Nat Myers website; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Happy Sunday, and I hope you’re in the mood to accompany me on another zig-zag trip with the magical music time machine. As always, the journey shall include six stops in different decades, featuring music in different flavors. But this time, I’d like to shake things up a tiny bit. Let’s go!

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble/Lenny

Today, our first stop is June 1983, which saw the release of electric blues guitar virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan’s debut album Texas Flood. But don’t worry, I’m not gonna hit you over the head (yet) with some hard-charging Jimi Hendrix-style blues rock. Instead, we’re gonna do it nice and easy with a relaxing jazzy instrumental, Lenny, the album’s closer. Just listen to that brilliant guitar tone and you know why I love Vaughan as much as I do. He was backed by Tommy Shannon (bass) and Chris Layton (drums), who were known as Double Trouble. Initially, they were a five-piece (including SVR) Vaughan had formed in 1978, and after some line-up changes evolved into a power trio. Sadly, the career of Vaughan, one of the most talented guitarists I can think of, was tragically cut short in August 1990 when he died in a helicopter crash, along with the pilot and three other passengers on board.

Buzzcocks/Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)

Okay, time to wake up in case you nodded off during the previous track – now we’re gonna kick some butt! This next tune takes us to September 1978. That’s when English punk rockers Buzzcocks came out with their sophomore album Love Bites. And I’m not talking about some fast and loud music and screaming vocals by some guys who can barely play their instruments. This is punk with catchy pop hooks and decent vocals – in other words, my kind of punk! The Buzzcocks were formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriters Pete Shelley (vocals, guitar) and Howard Devoto (lead vocals). Devoto already departed after the release of the group’s debut EP Spiral Scratch (Jan 1977) to form Magazine, an early post-punk band. By the time Love Bites appeared, the remaining line-up of Buzzcocks included original members Steve Diggle (guitar, vocals), Steve Garvey (bass) and John Maher (drums). Buzzcocks who are still around have since seen multiple changes. Shelley remained until his death of a suspected heart attack in December 2018. Diggle is still around. To date, Buzzcocks have released 10 studio albums, most recently Sonics in the Soul, which came out in September 2022.

The Platters/The Great Pretender

If you’re a frequent reader of my blog or know my music taste otherwise, you’ve probably noticed I dig great singing. A lot! As such, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that I like certain vocal groups. One of the first such formations I heard are The Platters. I can’t quite remember whether it was Only You (And You Alone), their first hit single from July 1955, or the follow-on, which I decided to feature here. Released in November 1955, The Great Pretender became an even bigger chart success, their first single to top the U.S. pop charts. Written by Samuel “Buck” Ram, who also was a prominent music producer and arranger, The Great Pretender was a no. 1 in The Netherlands as well and reached no. 5 in each the UK and Belgium. Amazingly, a touring version of The Platters exists to this day, though none of their founders are still around. The one constant member from the group’s inception in 1952 until his death in 2012 was Herb Reed. And, sure enough, The Platters are on the road and have a pretty busy schedule throughout the year. So, let’s hear it for The Great Pretender – what a marvelous classic!

Nirvana/Smells Like Teen Spirit

Our next stop is the ’90s, the decade where I began to largely tune out from contemporary music unless it was by a band or artist I had started to follow in the late ’70s or ’80s. I realize this time and again when fellow bloggers post about ’90s music. There were a few notable exceptions – thank goodness! One I initially wasn’t crazy about were Nirvana. It took me a few times until I fully appreciated the brilliance of Smells Like Teen Spirit, the opener and lead single of their sophomore album Nevermind, released September 10 and September 24, 1991, respectively. The tune was primarily penned by frontman and main songwriter Kurt Cobain with inputs from the band’s bassist and drummer Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, respectively. The title was derived from the phrase “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit,” which his friend Kathleen Hanna, lead vocalist of punk band Bikini Kill, had written on his wall. Cobain thought it was some revolutionary slogan. However, Hanna referred to the deodorant Teen Spirit, which she and Cobain’s then-girlfriend Tobi Vail had discovered during a trip to the grocery store. The dynamic changes in this haunting tune are just incredible!

The Rolling Stones/Child of the Moon

We’re four stops into this trip and haven’t visited the ’60s yet. This must be corrected immediately by setting our music time machine to May 1968. On the 24th of that month, The Rolling Stones released Jumpin’ Jack Flash as a non-album single in the UK. It also came out in the U.S. one week later. Since it appeared, the Stones have played Jumpin’ Jack Flash during each of their tours – I mean, it’s a dynamite tune, so who can blame them! By comparison, I think it’s fair to say the single’s B-side, Child of the Moon, has largely remained obscure, even though it’s a great tune as well. It got my attention the other day when I came across the cool official video. As noted by ABKCO Music & Record when posting the clip on YouTube, Filmed in 1968, this surrealist promotional film features all five original band members and Emmy Award-winning actress Dame Eileen June Atkins. Shot on a farm near Enfield, outside north London, the eerie music video for “Child of the Moon” is an early example of the narrative approach, when the format was in its infancy, over a decade before the advent of MTV.

Artemis/Lights Away From Home

And once again, this brings us to the sixth and final stop. You may wonder what happened to the “usual jazz track”. I told you things would be a bit different this time, though my first pick by blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was jazzy. Here comes a second instrumental with a more traditional jazz sound, except it’s by a contemporary New York all-female sextet, Artemis, and it’s brand new. From their website: The brainchild of pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, Artemis is a powerful ensemble of modern masters. Named for the Greek goddess of the hunt, the multinational, multigenerational band was founded in 2017 under the banner of International Women’s Day. Artemis’ performance at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival was so dynamic, Blue Note Records President Don Was signed the group to the label. Tour dates across Europe and North America followed, including performances at such iconic stages as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, SFJAZZ, Chicago Orchestra Hall, as well as at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival among others. Off their sophomore and new album In Real Time, which was released on May 5, here’s Lights Away From Home, a composition by the ensemble’s bassist Noriko Ueda. According to this review by Glide Magazine, this groovy track was inspired by watching a meteor shower. BTW, in addition to their involvement with Artemis, each of these six amazing ladies is leading their own band!

Of course, I won’t leave you without a link to a Spotify playlist featuring each of the above goodies. Hope you enjoyed our trip and will be back for more. And, who knows what may be in store next. Perhaps, I’ll throw in some yodel music! 🙂

Sources: Wikipedia; Artemis website; Glide Magazine; YouTube; Spotify

Highway 61 Have Arrived After 30 Years With Phenomenal Debut Album

A band named Highway 61 was bound to get my attention. It also didn’t hurt the four-piece from Los Angeles deliver music they rightfully describe as mixing doses of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Last but not least, there’s a truly inspiring background story behind their excellent debut album Driving South, which officially will be released on April 7 and is already available digitally on streaming platforms as of last Friday (March 24).

Before getting to some great music, I like to touch on the group’s history, especially for readers who didn’t catch my most recent Best of What’s New installment. Highway 61 originally were founded in the early ’90s. While they managed to establish themselves on the Southern California club circuit, they didn’t secure a record deal. “We were young and committed to constantly rehearsing, writing, promoting, and playing stellar shows,” recalls drummer Mike Knutson in the band’s official bio, which was kindly provided to me by their manager Gregg Bell of Wanted Management. “…but eventually we got burnt out, the scene changed, and we split up.”

That split happened in 1993. But while they went their separate ways (most notably, guitarist and vocalist Frank Meyer formed award-winning punk band The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs), they remained friends and occasionally worked with each other. Fast-forward to 2020 when the world found itself in the throes of the global COVID pandemic and guitarist Andy Medway was confronted with a life-changing experience – a diagnosis with leukemia. After a year of chemotherapy, Medway ended up undergoing a bone marrow transplant. This required more than a year of recovery and resulted in a series of complications and setbacks.

“Frank was great about staying in touch with me during my recovery and encouraging me to play music even when I didn’t know if I would ever be able to play again,” says Medway in the band’s bio. “Music truly is the great healer.” Not only that it turned out. Here’s more from Highway 61’s bio: Inspired by the challenge, Medway started firing off ideas. Soon he and Meyer had written several songs, including the Driving South track “Black Magic,” which led to the reunion with Knutson and [bassist and vocalist Russell] Loeffler.

In summer 2022, the foursome reconvened for the first time in decades at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles with producer Paul Roessler (The Screamers, 45 Grave, Nina Hagen) to make Driving South, which mixes doses of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The band ripped through the entire album over a few weeks, finally tracking fan favorites like “Baby, Where’s You Stay Last Night” and “Supernatural Monkey Child,” alongside brand new song “Black Magic.”

Driving South also salutes Highway 61 mentor Alan Mirikitani, a.k.a. blues guitar master BB Chung King, who sadly passed away in 2015. “Walk on Water” and “Breath Away” feature unreleased solos Mirikitani recorded with the band in 1992. In an incredibly emotional reunion, “Walk on Water” also features Mirikitani’s daughter Alana Mirikitani on backing vocals joining the two artists on an album for the first time.

Time to get some music! Let’s start at the very beginning with the aforementioned Walk on Water, the great opener that nicely sets the mood for the album and is a perfect illustration of what Highway 61 is all about – kickass rock & roll that makes me smile. Frank Meyer explains the song is “about evangelists, dirty politicians, and police brutality written around the time of the Rodney King verdict and the L.A. Riots. It’s nuts to me that we were writing about heady topics at such a young age.”

On Baby Where You’d Stay Last Night Highway 61 slightly slow down the tempo, but this tune still rocks as nicely as the previous opener.

Next is Black Magic. Unlike the other nine tunes the band wrote when they were still in their teens and early 20s, Black Magic is the only new song on the album.

Midnight Train has a cool funky sound. Check it out!

Let’s do one more: Supernatural Monkey Child, another neat funky rocker. It’s got a bit of a Jimi Hendrix vibe! I can also hear a dose of Stevie Ray Vaughan in here – damn!

“The crazy thing about this album is that with the exception of “Black Magic,” all of this material was written when we were still teenagers and in our early 20s,” observes Meyer. “Yet somehow these songs sound incredibly mature to me now.”

Adds Loeffler: “Thirty years is a long time, and during that time the music we created still resonated in me. While continuing to write and play music, I always wondered what the others were doing. We spent an enormous amount of time together, rehearsing, writing, traveling for shows, and becoming a family. When Frank called me about finishing what we started, I didn’t hesitate.”

Well, as they say, sometimes good things take time. Highway 61 have delivered what in my book is a fabulous debut. I also think I’m not alone in hoping that we won’t have to wait another 30 years for their next album. I’ll leave you with a Spotify link to Driving South, so you can check out the remaining tracks.

Sources: Highway 61 press materials; YouTube; Spotify

Best of What’s New

Welcome to another installment of my new music revue. Unless noted otherwise, the picks are from albums that appeared yesterday (March 24). As oftentimes is the case in this series, I’m completely new to all featured artists.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples/Life in the Void

The Reds, Pinks and Purples are an indie pop project launched in 2015 by San Francisco-based musician, singer-songwriter and producer Glenn Donaldson. According to an AllMusic bio, he is dedicated to the pristine melodies and unvarnished emotions of mid-period Sarah Records [a British independent record label that existed from 1987 to 1995 – CMM] and indie pop outsiders like East River Pipe. Working mostly alone, he released a string of singles and albums, like 2021’s exquisite Uncommon Weather, that showcase his laser-focused vision, intimate vocals, and unerring way with a hook. 2022’s Summer at Land’s End showed him expanding his musical reach to include the influence of the ethereal sounds of late-’80s 4AD bands like This Mortal Coil, while the next year’s The Town That Cursed Your Name [his fifth and latest album – CMM] drew from fuzzier, more earthbound college rock influences while the lyrics examined the turbulent lifestyle of trying to survive as a working musician. Before launching this project, Donaldson notably played in lo-fi psychedelic pop duo the Skygreen Leopards, the Television Personalities-loving Art Museums, and a host of other projects, like the heavy shoegaze duo Vacant Gardens and his lo-fi psych-folk project the Ivytree. Here’s Life in the Void, a melodic tune written by Donaldson, which instantly spoke to me!

Lankum/Newcastle

Lankum are an Irish contemporary folk group from Dublin. Founded in 2000 by brothers Ian Lynch (vocals, uilleann pipes, concertina, tin whistle, percussion) and Daragh Lynch (vocals, guitar, percussion, piano), along with Cormac Mac Diarmada (vocals, fiddle, viola, banjo, double bass, vibraphone, piano, percussion) and Radie Peat (vocals, bayan, concertina, harmonium, organ, piano, electric organ, harp, mellotron), the band was initially known as Lynched. After changing their name in October 2016 to avoid associations with the practice of lynching, the group signed with Rough Trade Records in 2017 and released Between the Earth and Sky the same year, their first album as Lankum. That name comes from the folk ballad False Lankum by Irish traveler and folk singer John Reilly. False Lankum is also the title of the band’s new album, their third as Lankum. Here’s the beautiful Newcastle.

The New Death Cult/High + Low

Unlike their cheerful name may suggest, The New Death Cult aren’t some death metal outfit. Instead, the Norwegian group, according to their website, has been referred to as a brilliant mix between Queens of the Stone Age, Biffy Clyro and Muse, with their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album earning praise in The Guardian’s “50 New Artists for 2020” and single airplay on BBC1 Rock Show. The band has been touring with the likes of Wheel and Djerv while making several festival appearances, before heading to the studio to record their second album in Ocean Sound Recordings in May 2020. That new album, Super Natural, was released on March 17. High + Low is a nice melodic hard rock tune penned by vocalist and guitarist Jon Vegard Naess. Eirik Naess (lead guitar), Vegard Liverod (bass) and Anders Langset (drums) complete the band’s line-up. High + Low is a fantastic illustration that heavy-charging rock and great melodies can go in perfect harmony.

Highway 61/Stranger

Sometimes good things take time. In the case of Los Angeles-based blues-rock & roll band Highway 61, it was 30 years between the group’s breakup in 1993 and the release of their debut album Driving South. From their bio, which was kindly provided by manager Gregg Bell of Wanted Management: Highway 61 began in the early ‘90s and tore it up on the Southern California club circuit alongside bands like B.B. Chung King & the Screaming Buddaheads, Marc Ford’s Burning Tree, and The Havalinas, yet they never managed to get that elusive major label record deal...After the band’s breakup, singer/guitarist Frank Meyer went on to form award-winning punk outfit The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs…Despite Highway 61 calling it quits in 1993, the guys stayed friends and occasionally collaborated, but it took an unfortunate event to reunite the band. In 2020, as the pandemic hit, guitar player [Andy] Medway was diagnosed with Leukemia. After a year of chemotherapy, Medway had a bone marrow transplant, which required more than a year of recovery and isolation that was followed by a series of complications and setbacks... Inspired by the challenge, Medway started firing off ideas. Soon he and Meyer had written several songs, including the Driving South track “Black Magic,” which led to the reunion with [drummer and percussionist Mike] Knutson and [bassist and vocalist Russell] Loeffler. In summer 2022, the foursome reconvened for the first time in decades at Kitten Robot Studios in Los Angeles with producer Paul Roessler (The Screamers, 45 Grave, Nina Hagen) to make Driving South, which mixes doses of The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty with dashes of The Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Here’s the great-sounding lead single Stranger, which appeared on March 14. The album’s official release date is April 7, but it’s already available on streaming platforms as of yesterday.

Last but not least, following is a Spotify playlist of the above and some additional tunes by the featured artists.

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; The New Death Cult website; YouTube; Spotify