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DUSTY GROOVE (www.dustygroove.com)
GENE SHAW/Break Through: A top Mingus sidemen that had such a row with Mingus he had to flee to Chicago and change his name, Shaw took advantage of the Chess Brothers seemingly open door policy to anyone that knew how to rule a groove. They didn’t invest a lot of money in jazz but they did record a lot of it. Some of the ripest fruit of those rolling tapes can be found on this hard bop session. Shaw and his crackling rhythm section laid down such as smoking groove you have to wonder why this set hasn’t attained legendary status or wound up in the clutches of Blue Note or Verve. Any bebopping daddy worth his pork pie hat will want to be sure to groove to this trumpet players debut as a leader. Hot stuff throughout.
SHADES OF BROWN/S.O.B.: One of those sweet but strange little missing link records that bridges the gap between the Dells and Earth Wind and Fire particularly since most of the cats working behind the glass on the date were involved with both groups. A smoking soul obscurity from the Chess vaults that was recorded as both Chess, soul music and the country were going through some heavy transitions, this set is clearly one of those steamy gems that once you get a hold of, you spread the word but you never let go of your copy. With this set escaping from the vaults, Northern Soul fans clearly have a funky new groove to celebrate.
HIP-O SELECT
RARE EARTH/Fill Your Head-The Studio Albums 1969-74: Hey, kids this is what jam bands sounded like almost 40 years ago. A bunch of white rockers from Detroit who would do things like play 20 minute versions of Temptations songs, it seems kind of natural that they would wind up on Motown when Berry Gordy decided he needed a white rock band on the roster. The rest of course, was rocking history in the pre-disco era. Partially a pure product of its times, this three CD set captures the five studio albums along with the various non-LP singles. Motown’s first brush with in dealing with a self-contained act, it seems like it worked out pretty well for everyone involved. If you’re into today’s jam bands this set could be something more organic than a mere history lesson.
MANHATTAN/BACK PORCH
CARRIE RODRIGUEZ/She Ain’t Me: Even if it was fun while it lasted, you knew Rodriguez was far too talented and headstrong to remain Trilby to Chip Taylor’s Svengali for too long. Writing, collaborating and singing with some of the cream of the Americana crop, Rodriguez really spreads her wings on this outing and shows she learned a thing or two at Berklee as well as under Taylor’s wing. Very much the set you had hoped her solo debut would have been last year, Rodriguez simply soars on a solid session of adult pop that’s more irresistible than not. This is one of those dates that makes it easy to say “if you dug her before…”. By all means, check it out, it’s a winner.
RAVEN
HOYT AXTON/Southbound-Fearless: Ignored far two long, Axton’s two biggest and probably best albums have finally escaped on a twofer cd. Recorded in the mid-70s, they certainly were not country rock and they were too far ahead of the curve to be triple A or Americana. Angst and was even too far gone from his roots as an old-time folk singer to be identified that way, it’s simply like he was making Axton music and what a fine job of it he did. Certainly a pair of wonderful, low key adult albums, Axton showed a great knack for when to lay back or when to turn it up. The kind of records that really stand up to time, these are the kind of albums you want to close by when solid listening is really called for. Certainly a welcome collection
284
Volume 31/Number 269
July 26, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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