03/07/08
AMERICAN BEAT
HALL & OATES/Whole Oats: Who ever said the record biz knew what it was doing? Daryl Hall was fresh from proving he was the funkiest white boy in Philly when Philly soul had yet quite to brand itself for the 70s. Glam was still up in the air. Long haired hippies were on the way out. Sure, it was his first record, but to have him look like a stand in for Stevie Nicks and let him get away right before Hall & Oates began a run as the biggest duo of all time? Whatever. This is the set where it all began, white boy Philly soul served nascent but right. The duo was off to a good start and old fans will be thrilled to see this finally on cd now that the group is getting a second wind in this century.
DAVE EDMUNDS/Subtle as a Flying Mallet: While an extended associate of Led Zep, Edmunds showed himself to be the English rootsy Todd Rundgren as he played the whole thing himself prior to hitting it with Rockpile and as a super producer. With no restrictions, this is wild and young Edmunds letting it all hang out in a wonderful, youthful tour de force that stands up as a great cult collectible today. Enjoy the time when behavior like this was once encouraged.
MARTY BALIN/Balin: Why is it that Balin seems to be acknowledged as the spark plug of the Jefferson Airplane only by fuzzy headed insiders? Responsible for much of their oomph in their first two incarnations, this set finds him stepping out for his early 80s solo debut. Overcoming the baggage such a debut would have at a time when things were in such transition, he still pulled two hit singles out of the air and began to make a brand for himself on his own. A rocker to the core, he might have spiffed up for the times but the core was intact.
PORTER WAGONER & DOLLY PARTON/Always, Always-Two of a Kind: Now that Dolly is going back to her roots as opposed to making roots albums, this is a fine look back at when Dolly wasn’t quite Dolly yet but was hitting it under Wagoners aegis and getting ready to fly on her own. Recording right in the heart of the their prime as a duo, these sets came as they were cleaning up awards and recognition as well as sales. Within the commercial dictates of the times, both Parton and Wagoner were simply talents that were going to chafe at bits and were destined to do it their ways. Even if it was made in pre-Waylon Nashville don’t expect this to fill your ears with cornpone. A welcome return to bytes.
KARI ON PRODUCTIONS
STEVE DOOKS/Cocktails Heartaches & Cigars: With just enough Steve Tyrell vibe thrown in to hook you, Dooks pulls a fast one and writes most of his own material imbuing it with enough of a Dave Frishberg vibe that you might be tempted to think he’s another youngster trying to fish through the classic songbag for some traction. A witty writer and a smart piano man, this is right in the pocket of a neo-classic kind of date that‘s endearing because it doesn’t travel well worn ground. A special and tasty find for cocktail music fans that really want something new that has chops and bite.
(Limelight Communications)
JAZZ PROMO SERVICES
THERESIA BOTHE & PETER CROTON/I’ll Sing a Song for You: If this were the 70’s, this would be first class church basement music. Two talented pros travel the singer/songwriter route, with a little genre splicing for flavor, and deliver a nice set of originals that goes down well and never comes across as over reaching. Tackling life’s big questions in song, this is the kind of under the radar, neo-folk that gives you the easy kind of music you can kick back with but isn’t fluff.
(Zah Zah)
Volume 31/Number 128
March 7, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record