What Are You Listening To?

[Polkersince85]

Tommy Castro "Triple Trouble" excellent pelvic thumping blues. So much talent on this cd it oozes from your speakers, Tommy Castro, Jimmy Hall, Lloyd Jones,Reese Wynans,Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton.and Double Trouble as the rhythm section. First two tracks just warm your speakers up for "Be Careful with a Fool" Warning, if you're using SDA's, Take the pictures down from the walls and put the cat out.

[heiney9]

Jewel-Live in Milwaukee 7-10-04 (acoustic tour)
Instant Live Series

One of my favorite artists. I got to see her live during this tour and she is a fantastic performer. She tells lots of stories, cracks jokes and has audience members come up on stage and sing with her. A total class act who really enjoys interacting with her fans. It doesn't hurt that she's hot!

The true story of a stalker fan sending in a video of himself naked, covered in oil lip syncing to her songs had me cracking up. Jewel said she watched the whole video, she couldn't take her eyes off of "Meatloaf's" brother. (that's how she described what he looked like)

H9

[Polkitup2]

Here comes Peter cotton tail, hoppin down the bunny trail .... Good stuff

[DAGLJAM6]

On now-Robin Trower-"Twice removed from yesterday" fresh ,original ,unopened lp ('til now)
Next, may have to put on Roy Buchanan-"Livestock".:)

[george daniel]

J. Joplin, with BB&THC---SACD
'Cheap Thrills" :)

[audiobliss]

Brad Paisley - Part II

Little did I know it's actually a HDCD! :D

[iworkfortweeter]

Dimmu Borgir- Death Cult Armageddon

[Tour2ma]

I have a 3 disc retrospective of Taj Mahals's career, from 66 to 90 something.

Former co-worker loaned me a then new release of his back in 2002. Surprisingly good and much, much different than the toothless man in Woodstock. Very bluesy...

Took a 2nd run at Dream Theater's Scenes from a Memory. Tried it last year sometime and it left me cold. Got the same intial impression this go-round, namely Pink Floyd wannabees, but then it grabbed me... a little anyway.... at least enough to warrant a third listen sometime in the not too distant future. The SQ is way up there, that's for sure.

Took me a split session (due to other activiites), but I finally got through Lizzie West's Holy Road. Russ turned me onto this at the last micro-meet at his house, i.e., I stopped by... It's a keeper. She covers a range of styles... one track will sound like a folk festival, sound like some sweet little waife, then she'll hit you with a little driving rhythm tune and even get a little nasty, then country, then near "new age" and on and on... There's a couple cuts that you can't quite pigeon-hole. Quirky little voice with a hint of vibrato at times. She seems to remind of some different female vocalist every track without really sounding like someone else. You gotta know the SQ is great on this one, else it wouldn't be around Russ' long. RECOMMENDED

Near disaster of the night was my new Townes van Zandt, high, low and in between/ The Late Great Townes Van Zandt. I just wasn't prepared for how bad his voice was... and I have the LP of his '69, S/T release. Plus it's definitely in the "Country" category, but the boy could ink a tune. So I got over both the style and the voice. This is not a compilation, but a one disk combination of his two 1972 releases that solidly put him on the map. If you go here, prepare to wince now and then, but also prepare to be awed by the craftsmanship of this very full, 22-track disk.

Last up was the remastered, Carlos Santana/ John McLaughlin collaboration, Love Devotion Surrender. Depending on who you talk to this '73 release, arguably at the height of both their guitar prowess, is either brillaint or a train wreck. To my ear the marriage of these two widely divergent styles works, so I cast my lot with the crowd with the former view. Nice remastering job, and alternate takes of two tracks round out the disk nicely.

[candyliquor35m]

I pulled this out of the cd rack and listened to it today. Still sounds good. If you like ballads, check out 3. I miss you and 7. Ask me no questions. I should have done this on april fools day to see if anyone believed me but it's true.

[starchaser]

Vivaldi... Concerto for 4 Violins in E minor.

[Tour2ma]

I prefer the g sharp variation... :p

cl,
Not even closing time could make that lot look better.

Me? I'm stuck on Lizzie West right now. Been spinning her about every other CD today/ yesterday. And in between I demo'd her for a neighbor and bent shackdaddy's ear for about 15 minutes about her. See post 1628 for details.

I owe Russman bigtime for this one.

[speakergeek]

Italian Baroque Favorites.

[Tour2ma]

Pryed Lizzie outta my player and started running through some loaners a bud, and former West Texas DJ (the radio station kind), laid on me at my local watering hole last night.

Ben B. Beckendorf - Blues Cafe
Like this dude's playing and he has a nice voice/ vocal style... Kind of sounds like Dr. John, but an octave or so higher. But my God he overdid the echo on his voice on all save three tracks. HIGHLY iritating. Especially since the couple a three tracks where he backed it off, he sounds great. He should fire himself as Producer.

Nice SQ considering it's strickly a homebrew recording... No allmusic link here... they don't know who he is apparently. But he's got a web-site.

Ian Moore - Ian Moore
Better... Starts off very strong with a couple of rockin' blues tracks, but then he slows down on tracks 3, 4 and 5 and his slow blues don't quite make it. Track 6 picks up the intensity, if not the pace, and works. Track 7 is his "hit", "How Does It Feel", and it deserved to be a hit... nice, driving, rockin' blues track.

Balance of the CD is more of his less than fully effective slow Blues. Really not sure what's missing in his slow stuff inless it's that his fine guitar work, that grabbed my attention on all the upbeat tracks, just isn't there, or is less pronounced anyway. Engaging vocals are there throughout.

SQ is pretty good on this '93 release of all original material... not great, but pretty good.

Robben Ford - Keep on Runnin
Easily the pick o' the litter so far. High, clear, easy voice. Great, great, great guitar work. Clean, clear and sounds both complex and effort less at the same time.

Only a fistful of original tunes, which are damn good, The rest is an interesting selection of covers including:
- Nick Lowe's "Peace, Love and Understanding" made a hit by Elvis Costello.
- "For the Love of Money" (think The Apprentice") that Edgar Winter sits in on...
- Clapton/ Harrison's "Badge" (kinda ballsey of the boy to tackle EC).
- Jackie Edwards' "Keep on Runnning" (w/ Edgar)

Did I mention that this guy can play the guitar?

[Tour2ma]

Listened to a couple more of the loaners.

Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot
It's about as strange as its name would suggest. Not really Blues, not quite rock... kinda hard to categorize.

I never quite got into it, but will give it another shot as the disk is double sided with a redbook CD side and a DVD, enhanced stereo side. The DVD side also has some studio footage.

Storyville - Piece of Your Soul
Absolutely great stuff here. This one is the new number one in the Clubhouse of these loaners (with two to go). I've spun it two times in a row.

Checked out the liner notes and lo and behold it's SRV's Double Trouble boys, Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, back one more time with a couple of new frontmen ala the ill-fated ARC Angels. But this group has held together for three albums so far.

Strong foundation with Shannon and Layton, great vocals, two strong guitars, yup two of them again, but this time one lead and one rhythm. Shows they're capable of learning...

I'll add more thoughts later... after listen #3... Meanwhile, put this on your buy list...

[audiobliss]

Alan Jackson - Drive
Ricky Skaggs - Solid Ground

[Schris22]

Cecilia Bartoli - Just got it in and loved it on my computer rig. can't wait to listen to it on my budget r50 system =)

Chris

[Tour2ma]

Spun Storyville's Piece of Your Soul a couple more times today... Per my above write-up, it's still #1 in this batch. Now I just have to find it. BMG no gots...

Stephen Stills - Stills Alone
I've loved Stills sound since my first encounter with Bufflao Springfield's "For What It's Worth", through CS&N and CSN&Y, his solo career and Manassas so I was eager to hear this '91 release where it's just him and acoustic guitar.

Stephen never had a great voice. It was listenable and effective/ affective, but never great. The bad news this release brings is what voice he did have is gone. At times, way too many times, his vocals here are just plain unbearable. So painfully so that I often found myself simulltaneously cringing in anticipation while, at the same time, rooting for him to hit a tough note I knew was coming. The good news is he can still play... maybe better than ever.

SQ is good... maybe too good. Nice mix of songs including a couple surprising cover choices including "Everybody's Talkin'" (the B.J.Thomas hit) and The Beatles' "In My Life"

For serious SS fans only and even at that one listen may be all you'll want. That one was enough for me.

[Tour2ma]

Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack: Rush

Whoa... 'nother good-un here.

Track 1 is semi, "WTF" strange with a string section doing some counter melodic **** behind a very crisp lead guitar for about a 90 seconds. Then with track 2 the CD settles into a pure, instrumental, Blues groove with few, if any, frills. I'm talking speakeasy/ roadhouse stuff here for a couple tracks followed by a couple smoldering numbers. Fine, and I mean FINE, guitar work throughout this 4-track set.

Track 6 gets a tad strange again thanks to the Orchestra waking up, but works this go round. Likewise track 7, no blues here, mostly dark, forboding rythms... something's happening in the movie, and it ain't good. And then it's time for more Blues.

The first vocal breaks out in track 8. I know that voice... I think. Vocal in track 9, albeit from a different guy, is also familiar. The 10th and final track just happens to be EC's "Tears in Heaven". When "Tears..." came on, it sent me to the liner notes. It turns out EC wrote the entire score and is the one cranking out that fine guitar work. He was also familiar voice #1. And "the guy" with familar voice #2 turns out to be Buddy Guy. Buddy and EC trades licks here. Damn fine...

SQ is great to borderline stunning.

I have not heard EC play like this in a long, long time. This is another one for the "buy list", folks...

[Tour2ma]

Anyone who's been around music for a couple of three decades has heard of, if not heard, this "legendary" release by Dusty. This Rhino re-issue (God Bless Rhino records) has more bonus material, 14 tracks in all, than the original release had tracks, 11.

Some of the bonus material is from the Memphis sessions, others are from her Brand New Me follow up, and the remainder are from an unreleased 3rd LP.

The arrangements on about half the tracks are dated to be sure, while the good half sound very fresh. The constant here though, in all the tracks is Dusty, front and center. Well, more like front and off-center in a few that have that "mono-turned-to-stereo" feel ala many early Beatles' tracks that have been reworked for stereo reissues.

Clarity and range and a feel for the music are Dusty's hallmarks. Her feel is manifested in her phrasing, which makes the couple familiar covers seem like her own rather than rented material.

Recommended for those into historical recordings....

Only one question remains: was Dusty the model for the "older", pop diva in Tom Hanks' movie, That Thing You Do?

[wodom1]

It's been far too long since I visited the blues triangle at Lincoln and Halstead in Chicago. I hope James is still kickin' out the blues at one of the great clubs in the area.

I just noticed this comment. I live a couple of blocks east of the Lincoln/Halsted/Fullerton intersection. I'll have to look out for this guy and report back. B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted has live blues band playing every day of the week, as does Kinston Mines up the street, so if he's still playing the area, it's likely it's at one of these locations.

[wodom1]

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- B.R.M.C.

[Kenneth Swauger]

Traffic, "Welcome to the Canteen"

[cubdog]

Nick Drake, An Introduction to.

cubdog

[shack]

Stephen Stills - Stills Alone
I've loved Stills sound since my first encounter with Bufflao Springfield's "For What It's Worth", through CS&N and CSN&Y, his solo career and Manassas so I was eager to hear this '91 release where it's just him and acoustic guitar.

Stephen never had a great voice. It was listenable and effective/ affective, but never great. The bad news this release brings is what voice he did have is gone. At times, way too many times, his vocals here are just plain unbearable. So painfully so that I often found myself simulltaneously cringing in anticipation while, at the same time, rooting for him to hit a tough note I knew was coming. The good news is he can still play... maybe better than ever.

SQ is good... maybe too good. Nice mix of songs including a couple surprising cover choices including "Everybody's Talkin'" (the B.J.Thomas hit) and The Beatles' "In My Life"

For serious SS fans only and even at that one listen may be all you'll want. That one was enough for me.

A very difficult Album/CD to get your hands on. Hard to find...and pricey if you can.

[cubdog]

I bought Alone when it first came out. I'm surprised by how many people are looking for a copy. I agree it is not his best effort but interesting none the less. I rarely listen to it. The 1st Manassas is still my favorite.

cubdog

[Tour2ma]

My man Ham... He's slated to play at out local festival this Saturday, so I'm revving up...



Good stuff here, folks...

[heiney9]

Jewel-Goodbye Alice In Wonderland

Yes, I have a preview copy I dl'd from the net. I couldn't wait until Tues 5/02 for it to come out in stores. I'll be the first in line to purchase it legit, so I don't want to hear about downloaded music.

The idea was to take songs she has written over the past 10 years or so and actually record them officially. She has done over 300 different songs in concert over her career and most have never been recorded officially. I recognize many of these and they have been reworked and given the full band treatment rather than acoustic.

So far I am throughly enjoying every single song. Very mainstream popular. Not like her last where it was dance orientated. Her voice is beautiful as usual and the production/mixing is excellent. She still has the folksy edge, but it's more mainstream. She's walking the line between folksy and popular song arrangements. So far it works very well and her signature voice is lush and powerful as usual.

Go out and get it....I think you'll like it alot if you are into female performers.

[DAGLJAM6]

Last night pulled out Stokowski/The Philadelphia Orchestra-Compilation of greatest showpieces 1927-40 a mono RCA Red Seal LP, tonight went with The Flaming Lips-"Oh my Gawd the Flaming Lips" on vinyl.
The Stokowski was great in the context of the age of most of the recordings (sourced from ancient masters by the sound) The Flaming Lips' early stuff, IMO, is simply great comparable to the Meat Puppets for those familiar with that band.

[heiney9]

Rush-Caress of Steel

After that it's time to go out and enjoy the weekend :)

H9

[DAGLJAM6]

An absolutely beautiful sounding LP Pictures at an Exhibition-Eugene Ormandy as much "pomp" as you could ask for and a huge layered sound.
The CRS's are sounding great with this album and handling the washes of strings and blatting brass with ease.