If You Think It’s Hot Here …. (CD) By The Mike Henderson Band

Tags

Blues, Hound Dog Taylor, Mike Henderson, Robert Johnson

If You Think It’s Hot Here ….

Mike Henderson Band

EllerSoul Records 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Back in the 1990’s, Mike Henderson and his backing band The Bluebloods released two solid albums of hard edged electric blues. He then veered away from that style, plus worked as a session musician. Now, nearly two decades later he has returned to the blues with the release of If You Think It’s Hot Here.

The album draws on a number of classic blues musicians for material including Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Hound Dog Taylor, and Robert Johnson.

Johnson’s “If I Has Possession (Over Judgment Day)” builds and builds after a simple beginning. Muddy Waters “Mean Red Spider” is given a gritty workout. Taylor’s “Send You Back To Georgia” and “It’s Alright” are modernized electric blues.

Other performances of note include the title track, which is a soulful ballad and the slow blues of “Weepin’ And Moanin’ complete with slide guitar. The album ending instrumental “Rock House Blues” has one of his all to few harp performances.

It’s good to have Mike Henderson back on track playing music at which he is so adept. If You Think It’s Hot Here is an excellent album of modernized traditional blues.

Rating: ***1/2

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Koncert V Praze (In Prague Live) Vinyl LP) By Johnny Cash

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Country Music, I Walk The Line, In Prague Live, Johnny Cash, Ring Of Fire

Koncert V Praze (In Prague Live) (Vinyl Release)

Johnny Cash

Legacy 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Praise be for National Record Day. It is the time of year when companies raid the vault and issue music the old way, on vinyl. That brings us to the man in black.

Johnny Cash travelled behind the iron curtain in 1978 to Prague, Czechoslovakia for a concert of good old fashioned country music. That performance has now been issued on 180 gram vinyl. There is no CD or DVD, just a record album. The nice touch is the red vinyl because the concert was behind the Soviet Iron Curtain.

1978 found Cash at the crossroads of his career.  His famous television show was in the rear view mirror and he had issued dozens of albums. He was about to graduate to revered country icon when he arrived in Prague. In tow was his backing band, The Tennessee Three, which consisted of five musicians; bassist Marshall Grant, drummer W. S. Holland, guitarist Bob Wooten, guitarist Jerry Hensley, and pianist Earl Ball.

For an artist who had hundreds of songs to draw from, Cash keeps it very basic for this concert, as it is mostly a performance of older and traditional material. Songs such as “Ring Of Fire,” “I Walk The Line,” “Wreck Of The Old ’97,” “Orange Blossom Special,” and “Wabash Cannonball” had been in his repertoire for years. It may have been his fans in Czechoslovakia had little access to his current material but other than “Sunday Morning Coming Down” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” it is a concert that could have been performed a decade before. That fact gives the album charm as given the many recordings that have been issued since his death, this one is a unique look at his formative years and has a distinct retro feel.

His deep baritone voice is in fine form and the band is tight. His interaction with a very different audience is intimate and energetic. The sound is pristine and if you own a modern stereo system and turn table, it is an excellent listening experience.

Koncert V Praze (In Prague Live) is a fine addition to the Cash legacy. It is a solid glimpse into what his music was all about.

 

Rating: ****

Young American Double Action Revolver (CD) by Young America Double Action Revolver

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Blues, Young American Double Action Revolver

Young American Double Action Revolver

Young American Double Action Revolver

CD Baby 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Young American Double Action Revolver proves that the blues are alive and well. Picking up and expanding on the legacy of Howlin’ Wolf. R L Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough, they fuse basic blues rhythms with some rock sounds.

Vocalist John Libbett, guitarist Harm Onica, drummer Brian Mickey, and bassist Mark Mickey have a simple and basic approach. The music is recorded live, which gives it an authentic feel, similar to what is found in smoky blues bars across our country.

“M. Lucky Day” is very representative of their style as it a gritty two-note blues piece about risk and survival. “Barstool Blues” and “Don’t Be Down” are modernized versions of the Delta blues. “What A Night” is a slide guitarist’s delight.

The self-titled debut album by Young American Double Action Revolver is a creative return to the blues of the past. It may not change the course of American Blues but it makes the ride a little more enjoyable.

Rating: ***

Big Man (CD) By Cannonball Adderley And Cast

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Big Man, Cannonball Adderley, Joe Williams, John Henry, Randy Crawford

Big Man: The Legend Of John Henry (Cast Album) (CD Reissue)

Cannonball Adderley and Cast

Real Gone Music 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Cannonball Adderley’s life was short as he died at the age of 46 during 1975. His life was also prolific as he released close to 50 albums during the last 20 years of his life but his last release during his lifetime was the most unique.

Adderley is remembered as a jazz saxophone icon. He was a bop or hard bop jazz musician for most of his career but as time passed he fused elements of soul, jazz, and blues into his sound with varying degrees of success.

His last project was a musical based on the folk legend John Henry. His vision was brought to fruition when he recruited songwriters Diane Lambert and Peter Farrow to provide the lyrics and his brother Nat to help out with the music. Legendary singer Joe Williams and a young Randy Crawford were the lead vocalists and Robert Guillaume provided most of the dialogue. The album was a commercial failure and has never been released on CD until now. Adderley performed the music from the musical with his quintet a few times before his death.

Big Man: The Legend Of John Henry is an album rooted in its time. The Civil Rights movement was in full flower and the story hooked into that time period. The dialogue mixed in with the music make it an album that needs to be listened to in its entirety. Adderley rarely created music with words, which means he traveled outside his comfort zone.

While traces of Adderley’s jazz orientation can be heard in the music, it is basically an album of folk and pop music. Joe Williams was one of the great voices of his generation and is able to adapt to the tenor of the music. Crawford would go on to a long career as a solo artist but here, at 21, she is in her recording debut and is a little tentative.

Adderley created a musical that embraced the era, if not his usual musical style. Today, it is more of a historical piece that explores a rarely seen side of jazz great Cannonball Adderley.

 

Rating: C

Last Man Standing (5-Disc Box Set) By The Ides Of March

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Commom Bond, Ides Of March, Jim Peterik, Vehicle

Last Band Standing (5 Disc Box Set)

The Ides Of March

Baker & Taylor2015

Review by David Bowling

 

The Ides Of March were a band that could have, a band that should have, but in the final analysis a band that only almost did.

The Ides Of March was formed in the mid-1960’s by teenagers Jim Peterik, Bob Bergland, Larry Millas, and Mike Borsh. They had immediate success with a moderate national hit in 1966 with “You Wouldn’t Listen.” By the end of the decade they had added a brass section and produced their biggest hit “Vehicle,” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 during 1970. There have been some stops and starts for the band but a half century later they are still standing.

In celebration of their 50^th anniversary, they have released a definitive 5-disc box set covering all parts of their career. Their first four studio albums, Vehicle (1970), Common Bond (1971), World Woven (1972), and Midnight Oil (1973) are presented in all their remastered glory. There are tracks from their early days and their comeback in the 1990’s. The fifth disc is a DVD of a live performance of 15 songs recorded May 31, 2014, at Chicago’s House of Blues. Just about everything and anything that you may have wanted to hear from the band is here.

Their sound was more soulful than Blood, Sweat & Tears and had a harder edge than Chicago, which may have been the rub for long term commercial success. Their first two studio albums were probably superior to those of the BS&T and Chicago but were just out of the mainstream. That fact, combined with a similar musical approach, made it difficult for them to compete for essentially the same fan base.

Vehicle and Common Bond are a trip back to the early 1970’s in a good way. The albums have a flow and their use of the brass instruments as equal partners to the guitars and keyboards was unique and creative at the time. The vocals have a gritty and soulful quality.

There are several new tracks that bring their recording career full circle. “Who Am I” features the brass section and would have been at home on their early albums. “Too Far To Turn Around” is a group effort, while the title track features guest Steve Cropper.

Their concert footage brings the band into the present a half-century after their birth. Old television appearances, new interviews, and rare photos are some of the included extras.

The Ides Of March are one of those bands you cannot help but like and appreciate once you have heard them. Last Band Standing: The Definitive 50 Year Anniversary Collection is a wonderful ride through their career.  A necessary release for any fan of the band or of good music.

 

Rating: ****

Fun In Space (CD Reissue) By Roger Taylor

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Fun In Space, Queen, Roger Taylor

Fun In Space (CD Reissue)

Roger Taylor

Omnivore 2015

Review by David Bowling

Queen spent a lot of time on the road during 1980 but in between stops drummer Roger Taylor spent a fair amount of time at the Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, recording tracks for what would ultimately become his first solo album Fun In Space.

The music completely originated from the fertile mind of Taylor as he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments except for some keyboards here and there,  provided all the vocals, arranged the music, and produced the album.

Taylor’s career and this album in particular are very different from that of Queen. The music is more experimental as he lets his mind wander to produce material that would not have fit into the Queen sound. The use of synthesizers and the odd melodies travel a different road from the songs he wrote for the band.

“Future Management” is about as close to the mainstream as he comes. It is a sonic piece of rock that draws on influences from Pink Floyd. “Let’s Get Crazy” and “Airheads” veer in a hard rock direction complete with experimental like percussion and synthesizers. Songs such as “Laugh Or Cry,” “Interlude In Constantinople,” “My Country I & II,” and the title track have off kilter melodies that are more haunting than catchy.

There are three bonus tracks included. While Fun In Space was his first album, back in 1977 he released a non-album single “I Wanna Testify/Turn On The TV.” While they do not fit the musical concept of the album, their inclusion fills in the missing pieces of his early material. The last song is an altered version of “My Country I & II,” now titled just “My Country,” which was issued as a single in the U.K.

Roger Taylor’s solo work is always interesting and full of surprises, especially when compared to the Queen body of work. Fun In Space was the first step in his eclectic solo journey that continues down to the present day.

Rating: ***

Blue Healer (CD) By Jimbo Mathus

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Blue Healer, Jimbo Mathus

Blue Healer

Jimbo Mathus

Fat Possum Records 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Now on his own for well over a decade, Jimbo Mathus learned his craft in such bands as the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Johnny Vomit & The Dry Heaves, and the South Memphis String Band. He has now returned with his latest release titled Blue Healer.

His last release, 2014’s Dark Night Of The Soul, traveled in a very southern rock direction. His new release moves in a number of musical directions, fusing several styles and sounds into a homogenous whole.

The album revolves around what can be loosely called the character of the Blue Healer. While only the Blue Healer knows, there are a number of excellent stand alone tracks.

“Shoot Out The Lights” and “Bootheel Witch” are the type of rockers that he is so good at producing. “Thank You” is a stripped down and gritty ballad. “Love And Affection” has a distinct and soaring gospel feel.

Jimbo Mathus always produces music from his soul. The lyrics plum the depths of his psyche and heart, and he is able to set them to catchy music. All in all he comes across as authentic, which is a quality that is all to missing in a lot of music that is being produced today.

Rating” ***

Faithful (CD) By Dusty Springfield

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Atlantic, Dusty Springfield, Faithful

Faithful

Dusty Springfield

Real Gone Music 2015

Review by David Bowling

Dusty Springfield was one of those artists who could sing the phone book and make it listenable. She released over a dozen solo albums during the course of her career, which led to her induction in both the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the U.K. Music Hall Of Fame.

The height of her creativity probably occurred during her time with the Atlantic Label during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Dusty In Memphis (1969) and A Brand New Day (1970) are the epitome of blue-eyed soul and rank among the best releases of their era.

A third album was planned for the label but due to the failure of two singles and tensions with the Atlantic hierarchy, it was never released.  Now Real Gone Music has raided the Atlantic vaults and assembled the music that was supposed to have been issued 44 years ago under the title Faithful.

The use of producer Jeff Barry and label staff writers take the album in more of a pop direction than her previous two releases for the label. Two Bobby Bloom compositions lead the way. “Haunted” is a passionate love song after the fact and “Nothing Is Forever” is a classic ballad.

The one soul-oriented song that would have been right at home on her other releases is “I’ll Be Faithful,” which is a piano based southern R&B piece. “Love Shine Down” was a rare excursion into the  world of gospel. Even rarer is “Natchez Trace,” which is an all-out rocker with a gritty vocal.

Two hits of the day receive very different treatments. “You’ve Got A Friend,” one of 14 Carole King compositions recorded by Springfield, is given a simple and traditional treatment. On the other hand, Bread’s “Make It With You” is reinvented as a walk on the sensual side.

Four decades after its recording, Faithful takes its rightful place in the Dusty Springfield pantheon of albums. One of the tragedies of her life was her death at the age of 59, just two weeks before her induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Faithful is a belated testament to one of the better singers of her generation.

Rating: ****

Guitar Heroes (CD) By James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett, & David Wilcox

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Albert Lee, Amos Garrett, David Wilcox, Guitar Heroes, James Burton

Guitar Heroes

James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett, David Wilcox

Stony Plain 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

There are guitar summits and then there are guitar summits. The names James Burton, Albert Lee, Amos Garrett, and David Wilcox may not be well known to the generation of music fans under 30, but for people in the know, they present the cream of guitar players of the past half-century.

James Burton has appeared on hundreds of recording in addition to being the regular touring guitarist for Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley. Albert Lee has released 20 solo albums, taken part in well over  2000 recording sessions, in addition to touring with Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, and The Crickets among others. Amos Garrett can be heard with Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield, Doug Sahm, Bonnie Raitt, and his own jazz trio. David Wilcox was a member of Great Specked Bird, 1970-1973, played with Ian & Sylvia and Maria Muldaur, and has consistently been one of Canada’s most influential and respected guitarists.

The Masters of the telecaster came together at the Vancouver Island Music Fest, July 12, 2013. They were backed by Albert Lee’s touring Band consisting of lead vocalist/keyboardist Jon Greathouse, bassist Will MacGregor, and drummer Jason Harrison Smith. It has taken nearly two years for the concert to be released but Guitar Summitt is worth the wait.

The songs run the gamut from blues to rockabilly to good old fashioned rock and roll as the four guitarists trade licks. James Burton leads off with “That’s All Right (Mama)” and then recreates his original guitar performance of Dale Hawkins “Suzie Q.” David Wilcox provides a run of crystal clear notes on “Coming Home Baby.” Albert Lee is the ring master but steps out front on his own “Country Boy.” Amos Garrett may produce the most technically adept performance as he coaxes exquisite sounds from his guitar on “Sleepwalk.”

Songs such as “Flip, Flop And Fly,” The swamp laden “Polk Salad Annie,” and “You’re The One” are group efforts with the guitarists trading solos and coming back together.

The four guitarists play off of each other as the improvisations grow out of years of experience. While their style may be different from many modern day guitarists, their  sound is eternal.

Albums such as this need to be appreciated for what they are, as the protagonists may not pass this way again.

 

Rating: ***1/2

Recorded Live At The Bitter End August 1971 (CD) By Dion

Tags

Abraham martin John, Bitter End, Dion, Dion DiMucci, Folk Music, The Wander

Recorded Live At The Bitter End August 1971

Dion

Omnivore 2015

Review by David Bowling

 

Dion DiMucci will probably always be remembered for his series of hits, with and without the Belmonts, during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Songs such as “The Wanderer,” “A Teenager In Love,” “Lovers Who Wander,” “Ruby Baby,” “Donna The Prima Donna,” and the number one “Runaround Sue” were some of the best and catchiest tunes of the pre-Beatles era. As with many artists, the hits came to a halt with the advent of the British Invasion.

The second part of his career began when his late 1968 release, “Abraham, Martin And John” became a huge hit single. During the course of the next seven years, he would release five albums for the Warner Brothers label that were simplistic and folk oriented.

His third album for the label, Sanctuary, contained three live tracks from a 1971 performance at the Bitter End Club in New York City. The rest of that live set sat in the vaults until now as the complete concert has finally been released.

This is not the Dion of the early phase of his career. He accompanies himself with just his guitar. The song selection is from the folk songbook of the day. The music ranges from straight folk to a real bluesy feel. His covers run the gamut from Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” to the Beatles “Blackbird,” to Lightning Hopkins “Drinkin’ That Wine” to Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters Of Mercy.” He even reaches back into his past for acoustic versions of “Ruby Baby” and “The Wanderer.”

It all adds up to a gentle, if somewhat dated approach. The emphasis is on the lyrics. In some ways his voice is a little to smooth for a folk artist but it was a wonderful instrument back in the early 1970’s.

Recorded Live At The Bitter End August 1971 is a nice trip back in time to a far different era. It presents an artist making a career change toward music that mattered at the time.

 

Rating: ***1/2