AUGUST 2004 PLAY LIST
1)
THE BUDDAHEADS "Mumbo Jumbo" Wilshire Park Records
Buddaheads.com
Coming out of nowhere and crashing in at number one comes the
magnificent Buddaheads. For a trio this band create a lovely melange of guitar
led Rock blues, funk with even a dash of Rap.
But song writing guitarist/vocalist Alan Mirikitani a.k.a BB Chung King is
closer to Hendrix and in contemporary parlance The Imperial Crowns than any
other influence.
In fact "Mumbo Jumbo" will appeal to all lovers of guitar led rock Blues but as on the one cover on the album, Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" the band show they have real soul, as BB delivers some killer phrasing and full toned guitar.
For the most part this album positively oozes classic funky rocking blues, all cleverly held together by a very contemporary production. BB has it all in terms of singing, songs and supreme guitar lines, and he is bolstered by a rtythm section of real presence. Johnny Griparic is an awesome bass player, recalling the days of Free's Andy Fraser, while drummer Lee Spath underpins everything superbly.
There
are 14 tracks nearly all of which surpass expectations. From the low down
funk blues feel of "All
Night Long" and the mighty Classic Rock hook of "Hurricane"
to the sweeping rock ballad "Hold On" and the soulful "Mood
For Love", complete with JB style horns and a mesmerising mid number
Rap, this band slips into a mighty groove. On top of that ol' BB's got the
blues too, on a smoking version of "Amen".
Guitar led blues doesn't get much better than this.
If nothing else the Buddaheads set the standard for where Rock blues ought to be. Think of Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Storyville, Double Trouble, etc, but then realise that unlike those examples, BB sings as good as he writes and plays with fire, passion and a great tone, and friends, this is one killer album!!!!
Here are
some audio clips from Mumbo Jumbo: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Tupelo Honey |  |
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| All Night Long | |
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| Amen | |
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2) BOBBY RUSH
"Folk Funk" Ruf Records
BobbyRush.net
Folk
Funk is the term Bobby uses for his essential brand of cross over soulful
blues. A bluesman with real pedigree, Bobby it seems has kept ahead of the
game by always keeping an eye one the bigger picture. Thus he's revered as
a blues man but could just as easily be admired for his soulful funky approach,
his flamboyant lide shows, and his sheer durability in the club circuit.
Born Emmey Ellis Junior in Louisiana, Bobby made the usual musical shift to Chicago before currently settling in Mississippi. Voted best Live performer on countless occasions by Living Blues magazine, Bobby serves up a mixture of blues boogie, gospel, shuffles and funky soul in a well produced album that finds him in fine form.
Special guest, guitarist Alvin Youngblood Hart plays some nice rhythm on the full blooded shuffle "Ninety Nine", and while Bobby adds a few telling harp flurries.
Bobby's early 70'a hit "Chicken Heads - refried" follows, complete with a rap intro and a deep funky groove, and you can even overlook the derivative origins of the Rush penned "Ride In My Automobile", and Rush arranged "Saints Gotta Move" as he makes both pieces all his own.
"Everybody Knows" is a geographic and part biographical
trawl through his blues roots, all restrained guitar and subtle harp, while
"Voodoo Man" works round a thumping rhythm track, topped by nice
echo guitar, and close to the mike vocals.
By the time of the reprise of the opening "Feeling Good" groove,
you realise you are possibly in the presence of an Ike Turner style blues
maverick, who you just know you will keep coming back to for more.
3)
JOE LOUIS WALKER "New Direction" Provogue
bay-area-bands.com/bab00049.htm
mascot-provogue.com
It's difficult to imagine a more apt album title than Joe Louis Walker's "New Direction", for as this album demonstrates from its abrasive opener, Joe has toughened up, and is pursuing a heavier funky direction, complete with gritty vocals and plenty of guitar.
That's not to say his post Robert Cray soulful style has been completely abandoned, but a few years ago JLW was a long way from the rocky urban funk sound of "Do You Love Me". But once you get over the shock, there is plenty to admire. He hasn't of course completely abandoned his smooth blues style as the cool "Messed My Mind Up" shows; Joe phrases with raw gut emotion and adds a cool solo with nice use of his volume control. "You Don't Love Me" is a more considered piece of funk, with biting lyrics, while "Soldier For Jesus", its obvious gospel sentiments apart, is perhaps too undemanding to convince.
Joe has been the number one blues contender for a long time now, and you get the feeling that good as tracks such as "MrG's Boogie" are - a thumping guitar boogie shuffle with an excitable Ellis Blacknell Junior on keys - its one a few songs that make this album a near miss, rather than a five star "New Direction". That said, Joe is a classy blues pioneer, and maybe this change of label as well as musical direction might kick start a new era for him.
Here are
some audio clips from New Direction: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| New Direction | |
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| Do You Love Me | |
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| Messed My Mind Up | |
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4) JOE BONAMASSA
"Had To Cry Today" Provogue
JBonamassa.com
Joe's
a young up state New York guitarist with a penchant for British Blues Rock,
from The Yardbirds, Cream and Alvin Lee to the more unlikely Jethro Tull.
Having progressed from being a 10 year old wonder kid to playing in the all
star Bloodline band with fellow sons of assorted rock stars, Joe decided to
work on his singing to complement his mastery of the guitar. The result is
the new "Had To Cry" album, aimed at the Euro market.
Joe is a fine guitarist who is not afraid to pursue an array of styles on his album, and refreshingly is keen to offer explanatory notes to go with them. "Had To Cry" is a mix of Brit invasion style rock blues, where Blind Faith, meets Mountain, and extends down home blues into heavier Rock Blues riffs.
Joe's talent is that he masters both ends of the genres and somehow makes a connection between the two. As accomplished on the acoustic guitar (listen to the last brace of tracks including "The River") as he is on slide and abrasive lead guitar, Joe Bonamassa impresses throughout, and I for one look forward to some UK tour dates.
Here are
some audio clips from Had To Cry Today : |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Had To Cry Today | |
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| The River | |
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| Reconsider Baby | |
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5)
BLANCHE "If We Can't Trust The Doctors" Loose Music
BlancheMusic.com
Left field alt. country that finds its antecedents 35 years or so before, in the compilation below...
How to approach an album like this? Turn down the lights, imagine a road movie yet to be made, and file under a gothic slice of fractured Americana
More simply Blanche are perhaps better understood as the latest alt.country Americana Garage rockers from Detroit, with a David Lynch take on life, previously similarly explored by the likes of Giant Sand and the Handsome Family, and before that Camper Van Beethoven
The title track in fact comes very close to Dead Can Dance, and in a sense mines a musical territory that is far from new, but ultimately it’s just the clever juxtaposition of styles that impresses.
The big guitar intro and banjo of “So Long Cruel World”” are as imposing as Dan John Miller’s vocals which somehow manage to combine real presence with a paranoid edge. The elements are beautifully wrapped up and resolved in a sweeping chorus. The same insistent vocals work equally well on the caustic “Garbage Picker”, and there’s a fine duet with Tracee Miller on “Another Lost Summer”, a number that burst from its rustic beginnings to a climactic sweep and before going back to its country roots.
Blanche are a band full of contradictions, musical twists and turns and dense but hugely interesting lyrics as on “Jack On Fire”. This is one hell of an album, that gives you more with repeated listening. Click here to view the video of "Do You Trust Me"
Here is
a complete track from If We Can't Trust The Doctors: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Summer | |
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6) "Bakersfield Rebels"
Big Beat
AceRecords.co.uk
Not
being a train spotter myself, stumbling on a compilation such as this, makes
you wonder just where this disparate bunch of what we now would call alt.country
rockers fitted in the psychedelic sixties.
And the answer resides in the producer Gary S Paxton, a Hank Wangford ahead of his time. On the evidence of this 25 tracks of oddities, undiscovered classics, and the occasional thankfully forgotten cut, Paxon was the original left field producer, who operated on another planet outside of the Nashville straitjacket.
Some songs are familiar , such as The Gosdin Brothers "There Must Be Someone I Can Turn To", covered by the Byrds on The Ballad of Easy Rider" album, and "Ballad Of A Truck Driving Man", beautifully sung by Lorene Mercer. Then there's Rusty Dean's "Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint", which is an undiscovered gem. Throw in the producer's own impressive "Bummer", actually recorded this year, and you have an eclectic, but compelling batch of country rock in its widest configuration. Open your ears, and while you are at it, have a cup of tea, read the extensive liner notes and feel that retro country breeze.
7)
JON AMOR "Brave As You Are" 4Track CD EP Manhatton
JonAmor.com
Having thrown away the loops and effects for this 4 track EP, Amor is suddenly Jon Amor - the same band but with a slightly new approach..
All four tracks deal with the doomy end of relationships, but the upside is that the band has worked hard on their songs. "You Should Be Alone" is the most accessible effort, while the title track rewards repeated listening, especially with its Beatlesque descending chords structure. Overall this is a fine effort, with only an occasional thin vocal line failing to make the mark.
On the impressive "Sweep The Room", there's a clever sense of tension, (broken only by a weird chord change in the fourth verse), but this is neatly resolved by a climactic, guitar driven ending.
Like Ian Parker before him, Jon Amor seems intent on finding his own contemporary style, by going back to the essence of song writing. This EP release is a big step towards fulfilling that goal
NB Preferred the beach album cover myself boys.
Here
are some audio clips from the Brave As You Are EP: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Brave As You Are | |
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| Sweep The Room | |
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8) SO LONG ANGEL
"Falling" Altar
SoLongAngel.com
A
second month on the chart for this classy slice of jazzy blues by one of the
most engaging bands on the live circuit.
With their new album “Falling”, So Long Angel have brought the full range of their musical experience to bear on an album that sparkles with superb songs, great playing and first class production values.
A smouldering mix of subtle blues, and r&b tinged with jazz might not grab the casual listener as cutting edge material. But from the powerful undulating funk and meaningful mixed metaphors of the opening “Who Were You Calling”, and the reggae back beat of the magnificent “Rhythm & Blues”, So Long Angel set a standard that few of their recorded contemporary peers can match
“Falling” is an album that features a delicate but thoroughly assertive vocal performance by bassist Fran McGillivray, while band members take it in turn to impress with cool solos and sophisticated arrangements. Saxman Mike Paice for example leads from the front on the late night sophistication of “Ecstasy”, a number beefed up with layered synth accompaniment from Roland Kemp.
The crisp tick-tock percussive pattern of drummer Roger Nunn underpins another impressive Michael Burke/Fran McGillivray composition, the funky “Hard Working Woman” .
Rarely can an independent blues record have been as well thought out and produced as this. And given the peerless playing and inspirational groove, the band impress throughout whether on their jazzier output such as “Closer To Midnight” or the closing Tony Joe White influenced swamp blues of “Go”, which finishes in a lovely flurry of Michael Burke’s guitar dynamics.
This album is one of the delights of the year. Let nothing stand in your way to purchasing it!
Here is
a medley of audio clips from Falling: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| Cell Phone Blues; Ecstasy; Hard Working Woman; Closer To Midnight | |
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9)
THE KINKS "The Singles Collection" 1964-71 Sanctuary
Kinks.it.rit.edu
This album contains just about everything you would want from Ray Davies, one of the great pop writers of our time. It stops short of being the ultimate collection as the album does not include some post 71 stuff, which means no sign of the essential "Celluloid Heroes", the more mundane "Supersonic Rocket Ship" , and the 80's hit "Come Dancing", but more curiously there's also no sign of "Shangri-la" (1969) or "Dandy", but maybe my memory fails me and perhaps the latter was never a single?
For the rest you can hardly go wrong with all the faves from "You Really Got Me" and "All Day & All of The Night" through to the almost forgotten "Apeman"
Spare a thought for Dave though, as his magnificent Death of a Clown" sits chronologically in between the following trio of classics, "Sunny Afternoon", Dead End Street", and Waterloo Sunset, and was superseded by "See My Friends" and "Autumn Alamanac"!
10) DAVE DAVIES
"Bug" Angel Air
DaveDavies.com
From
the opening brusque guitar line of the opening "Who's Fooling Who",
Dave Davies quickly reminds you of his rock & roll credentials as one
of the original sources of the heavy metal guitar lick.
Curious then that the opener is full of biting lyrics, a good hook and a vocal
line not far removed from the late Ian Dury, but none the worse for that.
There's a punky undertow to much of what Dave does, but he does come up with surprises like the post Shadows guitar opening on "The Lie", the vocal of which sounds so much like brother Ray. The hook line of "Let Me Be" is pure Kinks, but being his own album Dave allows himself a few more guitar breaks.
But there's more to Dave than just catchy licks and forceful guitar breaks, as on the poignant lyrics of the musically curious "Displaced Person", and the idealism of "Rock You, Rock Me".
Ultimately you have to ask yourself would you be listening to this had Dave not been a Kink. And the answer is probably not, save for the fact that he wrote "Death Of A Clown" included here as a bonus track, and the sadly underrated "Lincoln County". Still, the punky metal title track "Bug" finds him in fiery form, and still going for it after all these years, with a tad more enthusiasm than his more famous songsmith brother.
Here are
some audio clips from Bug: |
Broadband (CD quality) |
Dial-Up (AM radio) |
| The Lie! | |
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| Let Me Be | |
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| Death Of A Clown (Live) | |
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