See more New Sound reviews at thegazz.com
"Bob and Veronica Ride Again"
Morton Valence
www.mortonvalence.co.uk
Bastard
-----
It's a baker's dozen tracks of big, beautiful indie space pop from this U.K. quintet led by Rob Hacker and Anne Gilpin. With Gilpin's airy vocals front-and-center, the band easily moves between the wall-of-noise sound of "Sequin Smile" and the garden pop of "Ordinary Pleasures." Along the way there's some synth-pop ("Funny Peculiar") and the dark n' moody "John Young."
While Hacker sings lead on a few tracks, it's Gilpin's evocative voice that creates the mood. Case in point is "Nobody Understands," a sparse, waltz-time piece that ebbs, flows and builds into a depressing tour de force. Also standing out are the charming, quirky duet "Bob, Veronica and Some Crickets" and the closer, a dreamy lullaby titled "Go to Sleep."
"What I Know"
Tom Rush
tomrush.com
Appleseed
-----
For his first studio effort in 35 years, folkie Tom Rush has enlisted a cast of guests that underscores his reputation in folk circles. In addition to top-notch credentials (among other things, he covered songs by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne before they had hits on their own), Rush has a confident, easy-on-the-ears delivery developed over a career that began in the '60s in the fabled Boston/Cambridge folk scene.
While the New Hampshire native doesn't squander the gravitas, perhaps the most striking thing about this release is that he doesn't need the help. He holds his own - and then some - with a classic, understated delivery on tracks like "River Song" and the paean to love "What I know."
Even when the guests appear, Rush has no trouble keeping the spotlight. Emmylou Harris adds to Texas singer/songwriter/guitarist Steven Bruton's wistful "Too Many Memories" and Nanci Griffith is the perfect compliment on the traditional "Casey Jones." But truth be told, Rush could have pulled them off just fine by himself. The disc closes with an almost solo take on Mentor Williams' timeless 1973 hit (by Dobie Gray) "Drift Away."
"'Til Spring"
Clarence Bucaro
www.clarencebucaro.com
20-20
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Cleveland native Clarence Bucaro has got a hot disc on his hands with "'Til Spring." On it, he boasts a maturity and soulfulness - in both writing and performing - that his past efforts (2002's "Sweet Corn" and 2004's "Sense of Light") only hinted at.
The disc features buoyant arrangements (thanks in large part to Glenn Patscha's organ), uplifting vocals and stellar performances all around (guitarists Kirk Fletcher, Neal Casal and Anders Osborne all do more than earn their keep).
Bucaro taps a range of emotions, from the simmering love song "Renew My Faith in You" and the dark "On the Map," to the deep, gorgeous textures of "When Man Plays God." Throughout, Bucaro's poise, clear-voiced delivery and innate confidence are reminiscent of Nils Lofgrin or up 'n' comer Amos Lee.
"The Soul of Hip-Hop, Vol. 1"
Various Artists
Concord/Stax
-----
Every style of music has its roots in something that came before, and hip-hop is no different. These 14 tunes - originally issued on Memphis' legendary Stax label in the '60s and '70s - offer up some of the starting points for music that would follow decades later. In fact, via sampling, all of these songs have become part of another generation's music.
Most of these cuts do not count among the nearly 250 titles Stax charted during its heyday. While the artists may be familiar - Issac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Emotions, The Sweet Inspirations, Little Milton and William Bell - the tunes are mostly under-the-radar standards. Standouts include Booker T.'s simmering "Melting Pot," the Bar-Kays' funky "Humpin'," the Dramatics' hypnotic "Get Up and Get Down," Rufus Thomas' groove-heavy "Do the Funky Penguin" and Hayes' simple (except for the title) "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic."
"Haymaker!"
The Gourds
www.thegourds.com
See more New Sound reviews at thegazz.com
"Bob and Veronica Ride Again"
Morton Valence
www.mortonvalence.co.uk
Bastard
-----
It's a baker's dozen tracks of big, beautiful indie space pop from this U.K. quintet led by Rob Hacker and Anne Gilpin. With Gilpin's airy vocals front-and-center, the band easily moves between the wall-of-noise sound of "Sequin Smile" and the garden pop of "Ordinary Pleasures." Along the way there's some synth-pop ("Funny Peculiar") and the dark n' moody "John Young."
While Hacker sings lead on a few tracks, it's Gilpin's evocative voice that creates the mood. Case in point is "Nobody Understands," a sparse, waltz-time piece that ebbs, flows and builds into a depressing tour de force. Also standing out are the charming, quirky duet "Bob, Veronica and Some Crickets" and the closer, a dreamy lullaby titled "Go to Sleep."
"What I Know"
Tom Rush
tomrush.com
Appleseed
-----
For his first studio effort in 35 years, folkie Tom Rush has enlisted a cast of guests that underscores his reputation in folk circles. In addition to top-notch credentials (among other things, he covered songs by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne before they had hits on their own), Rush has a confident, easy-on-the-ears delivery developed over a career that began in the '60s in the fabled Boston/Cambridge folk scene.
While the New Hampshire native doesn't squander the gravitas, perhaps the most striking thing about this release is that he doesn't need the help. He holds his own - and then some - with a classic, understated delivery on tracks like "River Song" and the paean to love "What I know."
Even when the guests appear, Rush has no trouble keeping the spotlight. Emmylou Harris adds to Texas singer/songwriter/guitarist Steven Bruton's wistful "Too Many Memories" and Nanci Griffith is the perfect compliment on the traditional "Casey Jones." But truth be told, Rush could have pulled them off just fine by himself. The disc closes with an almost solo take on Mentor Williams' timeless 1973 hit (by Dobie Gray) "Drift Away."
"'Til Spring"
Clarence Bucaro
www.clarencebucaro.com
20-20
-----
Cleveland native Clarence Bucaro has got a hot disc on his hands with "'Til Spring." On it, he boasts a maturity and soulfulness - in both writing and performing - that his past efforts (2002's "Sweet Corn" and 2004's "Sense of Light") only hinted at.
The disc features buoyant arrangements (thanks in large part to Glenn Patscha's organ), uplifting vocals and stellar performances all around (guitarists Kirk Fletcher, Neal Casal and Anders Osborne all do more than earn their keep).
Bucaro taps a range of emotions, from the simmering love song "Renew My Faith in You" and the dark "On the Map," to the deep, gorgeous textures of "When Man Plays God." Throughout, Bucaro's poise, clear-voiced delivery and innate confidence are reminiscent of Nils Lofgrin or up 'n' comer Amos Lee.
"The Soul of Hip-Hop, Vol. 1"
Various Artists
Concord/Stax
-----
Every style of music has its roots in something that came before, and hip-hop is no different. These 14 tunes - originally issued on Memphis' legendary Stax label in the '60s and '70s - offer up some of the starting points for music that would follow decades later. In fact, via sampling, all of these songs have become part of another generation's music.
Most of these cuts do not count among the nearly 250 titles Stax charted during its heyday. While the artists may be familiar - Issac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Emotions, The Sweet Inspirations, Little Milton and William Bell - the tunes are mostly under-the-radar standards. Standouts include Booker T.'s simmering "Melting Pot," the Bar-Kays' funky "Humpin'," the Dramatics' hypnotic "Get Up and Get Down," Rufus Thomas' groove-heavy "Do the Funky Penguin" and Hayes' simple (except for the title) "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic."
"Haymaker!"
The Gourds
www.thegourds.com
Yep Roc
-----
For a group whose records have arguably been filled with more fun than substance, the latest from Austin's The Gourds could change this collective view. The rave-up mix of acoustic and electric flavors is still there - as it is been from the band's inception in 1992 - but it feels more rooted than in the past.
From the opening "Country Love," a loose lipped, easy-going tribute to easy-going country living, to the Tex-Mex belly-rubber "Valentine," the group sounds more than a little like New Orleans' Subdudes (thanks largely to Claude Bernard's accordion). But where the Subdudes lean toward R&B, The Gourds find their home midway between the swamp ("Shreveport"), roadhouse ("Country Gal") and dance hall ("Bridgett").
"Blanket Show" is classic slop-bucket, hick n' roll, while "Tex-Mex Mile" amounts to little more than a re-write of Earl Green's classic trucker hit "Six Days on the Road" (but that's something they'll have to live with). Overall, the disc comes across with all the attitude the band puts out live. And that's no easy feat.
"Free Your Mind"
Too Slim and the Taildraggers
www.tooslim.org
Underworld
-----
A gritty, roots rock disc from the Seattle-based Taildraggers? Perhaps.
Despite the band's numerous accolades ("Best Band," "Best Album," "Best Regional Act" and similar kudos for frontman Tim Langford, aka "Too Slim"), this record really isn't very good. I'm sure it passes the test in a roadhouse (after multiple pitchers) but here at the gazz, our standards are higher.
However, just as I was ready to dismiss the band's hard work, I heard a bit of brilliance emanate from the lips of Mr. Slim. Midway through "Last Train" (and after the abysmal line "I wake up in the morning and I drink a cup of joe/I read the morning paper and it makes me wanna blow"), Slim intones: "The Chinese they don't like the Dahli Lama, those people in France really like that guy Obama."
Now, no matter how banal, bland, predictable and trite ("Devil in a Doublewide," "Been Through Hell," lines like "this sufferin' is my testament ... the devil says I owe him rent," a front guy who calls himself "Too Slim," etc.) the rest of the disc, anyone who chooses to rhyme "Dali Lama" with "Obama" is OK in my book.
"Upside Down"
Aynsley Lister
www.aynsleylister.co.uk
Ruf
-----
Over the course of nearly seven years and four releases, British singer/guitarist Aynsley Lister has matured slowly and steadily into one of the best blues rockers around. While his sound, which is often edgier than most of his ilk, leans toward rock, he's got a deep canon of blues and rock licks that makes it all work.
"Find My Way Home" opens with a hard, fast groove that means business. It doesn't take but a moment to realize that Lister knows his way around a couple of genres. If "Getaway" could pass for a Bryan Adams arena rocker (not always a bad thing), "Always Tomorrow" is blue-eyed soul ballad with some spot-on R&B licks.
"Upside Down" is the first disc to feature nothing but originals, and Lister seems determined to cover all the bases. "Beautiful" and the modal "Rain" go further afield, with nothing but a finger-picked acoustic guitar and vocal. "With Me Tonight" is a rocker that mixes equal parts ZZ Top and SRV; "In The Morning" offers up barnstorming pop-boogie; and "Disorderly Me" is an old-fashioned Texas shuffle.
Lister may be too rock and pop to satisfy the gotta-be-the-blues crowd, but in this case, that's a good thing.
"Back to the Black Bayou"
Louisiana Red
www.louisiana-red.com
Ruf/Bluestown
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The latest from blues vet Louisiana Red (who was actually born in Alabama) may very well be the best traditional blues release of the year. No, make that the last five years.
Living in Germany since 1981, Red (born Iverson Minter) recorded the disc at Juke Joint Studios in Norway with harpist Kim Wilson and guitarist Little Victor in attendance. In addition to great, gritty playing and singing all around, the record nails the sound and feel of blues discs from the '60s where the instruments came together in one beautiful, big sound.
"I'm Louisiana Red" sets the stage with a slinky, Muddy Waters "You Don't Love Me" groove, and it only gets better from there. One after another - the dueling harps of "Alabama Train," the "Honey Bee"-styled slow blues of "Sweet Leg Girl," the hard shuffle of "Crime in Motion" and the muddy swamp feel of "The Black Bayou" - the grooves are deep enough to get lost in.
While every tune explores another time-tested groove, this is as serious as blues gets in the new millennium. I won't name any names, but if you've been listening to blues played by folks in sunglasses and berets, Louisiana Red is the antidote.
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