|
|||
GURLEY & CO
CARLENE CARTER/Stronger: She’s been away for so long that internet geeks took it upon themselves to try to find her. Carter has been away for far too long but she’s back like the rocking bat out of hell you expected to follow up “Musical Shapes” (from which she gives a snarling, sexy remake of “I’m So Cool”). A meatier, juicier, more savory comeback than “I Fell in Love” was, this isn’t Carter coming back, this is our fair lady roaring back, in touch with the press on spirit that guided her mom and lead her granny to invent country music. Seemingly inspired by the lodestar of mom and step pop smiling down and hoping the best for her, this is the kind of hard charging music you want to release into today’s deconstructed music business if you really want to make an impact. This is what you want playing when the open road lies a head and the top is down. Betcha this is the comeback story of the year.
(Yep Roc)
NORTHERN BLUES
SAMUEL JAMES/Songs Famed for Sorrow & Joy: Here’s a lad on the sunny side of 30 that wisely left his mug off his album cover because he’s got a fun retro nuevo blues thing going on. With a stomping foot that rivals John Hurt or Howlin’ Wolf and a raw, howling vocal over his super slide guitar, this is a new version of “real” blues. He’s not overly revering the past and not disregarding tradition but if anything ever earned the Bonnie Raitt seal of approval, this is the stuff that’s the real deal. Mississippi Fred as well as Mississippi John are smiling.
ROCK PAPER SCISSORS
TOUMAST/Ishumar: You’re girl friend is into belly dance. You don’t care about world politics but she let’s you hang around the practice and watch her and her pals shake it without you getting any grief for it later as long as you tell her she doesn’t look fat. That means you probably don’t care about the local intrigue that’s the personal back story on this set. You do care about it being enough of an east/west fusion that it’s belly dance flavored music that rocks and has a middle eastern version of frat boy groove. Because it’s not as polished as intentionally slicker stuff, the rootsy feel is sure to get those hipsways and neck isolations popping. Play this for her in the car and she’ll be walking like an Egyptian in no time. Trust me, it’ll pave the way for you slipping Dolphina’s strip belly dance dvd past her and her friends at the next practice. Remind me to get my IT guy to put a Paypal tip jar on the home page. I just tipped you to a great find around Valentine’s Day. You’re welcome.
(Real World)
TERRI HINTE PUBLIC RELATIONS
MARTY SHELLER ENSEMBLE/Why Deny: At an age when he’s old enough to retire without Social Security clipping him for not waiting until he’s 66 and 2 months, Sheller finally makes his debut. Long a side kick of Latin music greats, one of Sheller’s MVP moments was putting together the proper chart for Mongo Santamaria’s version of “Watermelon Man” right off the bat in his first session with Santamaria. Since he’s one of the few of that generation to still be standing, there’s no reason for him to be in the shadows any longer and any fan of classic Latin jazz will be smitten out of the box. A killer date by one of the true MVPs of the field whose chops are so well honed they don’t need to be defined or restrained by any genres or tags.
(PVR)
Volume 31/Number 99
February 7, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Tip Jar |