What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

The Optimist -- SACD

Gerard Presencer

2001 Linn Records Import Made In Germany

18 May 2000
The Guardian

A few years ago, Keith Jarrett remarked in the Guardian that the trouble with so much contemporary music was that too many people were trying to write their own. Jarrett's views can be unforgiving, but - like his arch-enemy Wynton Marsalis - he is a phenomenal improviser, one who mostly devotes that gift to the reinterpretation of other people's music. Jarrett and Marsalis would not have such big reputations if they had to stand or fall by their writing rather than their playing. Gerard Presencer, the young British trumpeter - though the flugelhorn is his favourite option - is also a virtuoso improviser, as he was expected to confirm when he appeared at the Jazz Cafe with his fusion group Platypus; playing music from their new album, "The Optimist". Presencer's spontaneity, freshness of phrasing and rhythmic astuteness have recently moved to a level even higher than the standards he has applied since his mid-teens. On Tim Garland's tour with his British/American ensemble last year, the trumpeter sounded as if he could have played all night without repeating himself. Much the same happened in his solos at the Jazz Cafe.

He likes the upper registers of the flugelhorn, but the more mellow instrument rounds the sonorities of the high notes. He mingles fragmentary, insinuating Miles Davis-like phrases with deft flourishes and squeezes embellishments into spaces they ought not to fit, without diminishing either their shapely designs or the momentum of the solo.

1. Blah De Blah
2. Dr Jekyll
3. Nothing changes
4. The Optimist
5. And If I Told You
6. Patchy Sunshine
7. Countdown

 

[Dennie]

Chapter Two -- CD

Roberta Flack

Holy shit! I was gonna get this one, but it's $32 used on amazon! Now if only I had one of those "record" player things I've seen old pictures of...

Isn't it amazing how high the price can go when they go Out of Print?!!!

Yeah, I too think you need one of those "Record" player things. Used records are often cheaper than used Cee Dee's! But not always. :doh:

Keep us posted,


Dennie :eusa-whistle:

 

[Dennie]

Blue Smith -- SACD

Tommy Smith with John Scofield, James Genus, Clarence Penn

1999 Linn Records

Amazon.com

How do you follow up a lovely and intimate album of Ellington and Strayhorn ballads? If you're Scottish tenor saxist Tommy Smith, you unleash this gritty, brash, and groove-heavy monster. Backed by a stellar rhythm section featuring guitarist John Scofield, bassist James Genus, and drummer Clarence Penn, Smith sinks deep in the pocket at times and searches inquisitively and aggressively at others. Even at his most explorative, he never seems rash or unfocused; on the contrary, he always seems to know exactly what he's doing with each cascading flurry. The fierce, Coltrane-like calisthenics he performs on "Touch Your Toes" soon give way to the sumptuously slow-grinding "Blacken' Blue," in which he savors each note as if he were sucking on a rib tip. On the surface, this often raucous record has little in common with an album of Ellington ballads. But there are telling similarities, most notably the confidence and certainty with which Smith plays and the supreme importance that he places on his full-bodied tone. One can only hope that his decision to live across the pond doesn't keep him from receiving the recognition he's earned. --Marc Greilsamer

1. Niño
2. Hubba Hubba
3. Rain Dance
4. Dr Sco
5. Touch Your Toes
6. Amazing Grace
7. Balcken' Blue
8. The Blues Blew Blue
9. Eany Meany Miny Mo
10. Miracle
11. Dr. Smith

 

[topper]

Editorial Review ~
For The Heroines, Tony Joe White invited some of his favorite female friends to the party. Unlike Hollywood movie stars, White likes his costars within spittin' distance of his own age. Shelby Lynne's lines in "Can't Go Back Home" fit like a glove; her voice is reminiscent of White's own, like someone simultaneously whispering sweet nothings and the secrets of the universe into your ear. Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and Jessi Colter also join the swamp fox on a record that provides plenty of what one tune aptly calls "Back Porch Therapy." The Heroines manages to tweak your libido and save your soul, magically, at once. ~ Michael Ross

:handgestures-thumbup:

 

[Dennie]

My America -- SACD

Monty Alexander

2002 Telarc Jazz

Now available in discrete multi-channel surround SACD as well as the CD recording!

When Jamaican born Monty Alexander was a young boy, he idolized the American heroes of the silver screen. Among his favorites were the singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers—pop culture icons of the post-WWII era who embodied the most universal and appealing aspects of the American Dream: freedom, individualism, strength of character, and a frontier spirit.

"They sang melodic songs that evoked a feeling of freedom and liberty,” Alexander recalls. “You’d watch these movies and you just wanted to be riding along with the good guys...As the years went by, I was capturing all these songs and playing them on the piano.”

Years later, Alexander embraced the dream first-hand when he came to America with his family in the early 1960s at age 17. By then, the aspiring young pianist had adopted a new set of American icons as his heroes—an eclectic cross section of musical giants that included Count Basie, Nat Cole (“a staple in our house”), Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, James Brown and many others.

In tribute to the cowboys, crooners and other legends who have inspired him since his childhood, Alexander has recorded My America. The album is a twelve-track homage to the musical and cultural ideals that have drawn hundreds of millions of immigrants to the United States since the 1800s. While the songs are American in origin, Alexander brings a distinctly Jamaican groove to most of the tracks.

Many of the titles are familiar touchstones of 20th century popular music: Al Green’s “Love and Happiness,” the Louis Armstrong/Bobby Darin classic “Mack the Knife,” and instrumental versions of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and James Brown’s “Sex Machine.”

“It became like a party,” says Alexander, recalling the extended “Sex Machine (Soul/Yard Meeting)” jam session. “We just started recording, and the next thing you know, it was eight or nine minutes long. We just kept the tape rolling.”

Joining Alexander throughout My America are a few Telarc labelmates. Freddy Cole lends a hand in a syncopated rendition of Nat Cole’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” while John Pizzarelli steps in for an easygoing duet on the nostalgic “Summer Wind.” Jazz vocalist Kevin Mahogany helps conjure up the spiritual element with a churning version of “Hallelujah, I Love Her So.”

It all comes together in a rich melting pot that celebrates a nation’s finest musical traditions. Experience Monty Alexander’s America through the eyes and ears of an artist whose craft is a direct reflection of the dream. “It’s a privilege for me to do this recording and play music by some of my favorite people,” he says. “Because it’s the music that brings people like me here.”

1. Don't Fence Me In
2. Straighten up and Fly Right
3. Love and Happiness
4. Rockin' in Riddim
5. Mack the Knife
6. Summer Wind
7. Honky Tonk
8. Hallelujah I Love Her So
9. Sex Machine (Soul/Yard Meeting)
10. Sexual Healing
11. River Rolls On
12. Battle Hymn of the Republic (Glory Hallelujah)

 

[Dennie]

Del Sol -- CD

Dave Samuels

1993 GRP Records

Fun in Del Sol, August 13, 2010
By AA Madonsela "Jazzanaire" (South Africa)
This review is from: Del Sol (Audio CD)

Only Dave Samuels knows how to tap great melodies out of those Vibraphone/Marimba sticks. The music moves from slow to fast-paced; frisky to haunting; obtrusive to subtle; creating a truly tropical holiday feel as hinted by the title "Del Sol". The opening track "Conquistador" is great start but I specifically like "Sand Castles" and Samuels' duet with Andy Narell on "Dance Class" a real gem on this album. The tile track is in a class of its own. This is an ecletic album for all seasons and will easily complement most any desired mood for the listener.

Arthur A. Madonsela >> South Africa

Track listing

1. Conquistador
2. Jamboree
3. Sand Castles
4. Sea Breeze
5. Dance Class
6. Del Sol
7. One Step Ahead
8. El Peregrino/The Pilgrim :: The Pilgrim
9. Long Way Home, The
10. Coastal Comfort

 

[Dennie]

Funkdamentals - Mind Blowing Funk Hits -- CD

Various Artists

1999 The Right Stuff/Capitol Records
Good Collection of Mainstream Funk, October 6, 2005
By Pablo Parks "Pablo" (Bayonet Point, Florida) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Funkdamentals (Audio CD)

Almost every major name and contributor of funk is represented here with classic tracks spanning the early 70s to the mid 80s. Mainly all commercial funk. Favorites are the timeless "Movin" by Brass Construction", the jazz-funk "Dazz" from Brick, early Kool and the Gang "Hollywood Swinging", and possibly the best Funk song ever "Do It Till your Satisfied" by BT Express. Also many tracks more 70s pop-r&b-disco than funk like Cheryl Lynn, EW&F, The Whispers, and O'Bryan. Some rare stuff as well like Mass Production and Sun and some 80s funk represented as well from Cameo and George Clinton.

1. Atomic Dog - Clinton, George
2. Got to Be Real - Foster, D.
3. Boogie Wonderland - Lind, Jon
4. Give It to Me Baby - James, R.
5. And the Beat Goes On - Shelby, William
6. Fantastic Voyage - Alexander, F.
7. Word Up! - Blackmon, Larry
8. Fire - Bonner, L.
9. I'm Your Boogie Man - Casey, H.
10. Hollywood Swinging - Bell, Robert
11. Lovelite - Burnette, OBryan
12. Dazz - Hargis, R.
13. Sun Is Here - Byrd, B.
14. Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) - Nicholls, B.
15. Do You Wanna Get Funky with Me - Brown, P.
16. Movin' - Arthur
17. Live It Up, Pt. 1 - Isley, Ernie
18. Welcome to Our World (Of Merry Music) - Williams, T.

 

[Dennie]

Strike Like Lightening -- CD

Lonnie Mack

1985 Alligator Records

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

Anyone who thought Lonnie Mack was only a rock-guitar history book name-thanks to his seminal country-and-blues instrumental version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis"-got slapped upside the head by his 1958 Gibson Flying V guitar when this Stevie Ray Vaughan co-produced album appeared in 1985. On both fast and slow songs his fluid leads fulgurate like bolts from the blue, with additional illumination provided by his heavy, worn-and-torn singing voice. A gang of Mack's old Cincinnati cronies contribute glowingly as if at a roadhouse torching, while Vaughan supplies still more sizzle to the shuffle with "If You Have to Know" and four more. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

 

[Dennie]

Love Tattoo -- CD

Imelda May

2009 Verve Forecast

Fantastic, September 2, 2009
By J. Rodgers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Love Tattoo (Audio CD)

A great American roots music offering. Her voice accompanied by jaw dropping guitar solos and a fierce thumping bass made me get up and buy it after hearing it while in a local book store. From the cover you would be forgiven to think that this was just another Rockabilly album, but that is not the case. Whats included here is a mixture of Rock, Blues,R'n'B, Jazz, R'n'R, Rockabilly etc with many tracks being more a fusion of these styles then of just one particular musical genre. It is this that makes it fresh and original and not just another retro 50's album.

1. "Johnny Got a Boom Boom" 2:59
2. "Feel Me" 2:57
3. "Knock 123" 5:27
4. "Wild About My Lovin'" 3:15
5. "Big Bad Handsome Man" 2:43
6. "Love Tattoo" 2:55
7. "Meet You At The Moon" 2:47
8. "Smokers' Song" 2:37
9. "Smotherin' Me" 2:42
10. "Falling In Love With You Again" 4:07
11. "It's Your Voodoo Working" 3:12
12. "Watcha Gonna Do" 3:42

 

[Dennie]

Unconditional -- CD

Ana Popovic

2011 Eclecto Groove Records

Great Blues from a sultry singer and amazing guitarist!,, August 17, 2011
By Polar Bear - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Unconditional (Audio CD)

It's been over two years since guitarist/singer Ana Popovic released her last album, but her latest, "Unconditional," has made it well worth the wait. Recorded in New Orleans, it successfully fuses classic and contemporary blues into music with high energy and lots of passion. Her guitar playing is amazing and her vocals are as smooth as honey. Soulful and virtuoso are words that come to mind when listening to her play. The album also features the amazing slide guitar of Sonny Landreth and the talents of Jon Cleary and David Torkanowski on hammond B3 and piano, Calvin Turner on bass and Doug Belote on drums. The title track, "Unconditional," has some unbelievable guitar work but also incorporates a beautiful piano which adds depth to the song. Jason Ricci makes a guest appearance and plays the harp, adding a unique and beautiful texture to the sound. I love the backbeat drumming on "Slideshow" that has a huge, pounding bass line and delivers with nothing short of a sonic boom. "One Room Country Shack" showcases Popovic's talent as a musician. She simply SHREDS the guitar on this song and it will leave you breathless. "Summer Rain" is another beautiful song that really shows the depth of Popovic's talents as a vocalist. She is sultry and powerful at the same time and the guitar solo somehow sounds like falling rain. If you like your blues straight ahead with touches of soulful jazz and beautifully raw vocals, you can't go wrong here. Highly recommended!

TRACK LISTINGS

1 Fearless Blues 3:16
2 Count Me In 4:54
3 Unconditional 3:52
4 Reset Rewind 3:38
5 Slideshow 5:22
6 Business As Usual 3:22
7 Your Love Ain't Real 4:15
8 Work Song 4:01
9 Summer Rain 4:36
10 Voodoo Woman 4:11
11 One Room Country Shack 6:33
12 Soulful Dress 2:53

Bonus Picture...

 

[heeman]

1."Wheels of Fortune" (Simmons, Baxter, John Hartman) – 4:54 (#87 Hot 100)
2."Takin' It to the Streets" (McDonald) – 3:56 (#13 Hot 100)
3."8th Avenue Shuffle" (Simmons) – 4:39
4."Losin' End" (McDonald) – 3:39
5."Rio" (Simmons, Baxter) – 3:49
6."For Someone Special" (Porter) – 5:04
7."It Keeps You Runnin'" (McDonald) – 4:20 (#37 Hot 100)
8."Turn It Loose" (Johnston) – 3:53
9."Carry Me Away" (Simmons, Baxter, McDonald) – 4:09

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Creedence Gold -- CD

Creedence Clearwater Revival

1991 Fantasy Records

Creedence Gold is a collection of Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit singles. Unfortunately, the album is a little too small to meet anybody's needs. A mere eight tracks are featured on Creedence Gold. Admittedly, these are eight tracks of amazing quality, but those looking for a more thorough collection will be pleased with the much more in-depth Chronicle, Vol. 1. Creedence Gold shows off the musical talent involved in the band. The 11-plus-minute "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a fine showcase for Creedence's lead guitar styling, while "Born on the Bayou" is a fine sampler of how the band worked as a unit. By no means is Creedence Gold a bad album. Indeed, the eight tracks featured are eight of the best moments in their respective genres.

Side 1

"Proud Mary"
"Down on the Corner"
"Bad Moon Rising"
"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" (Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong)

Side 2

"The Midnight Special" (Traditional)
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain"
"Born on the Bayou"
"Susie Q" (Eleanor Broadwater, Dale Hawkins, Stanley Lewis)

 

[Dennie]

Best of the Vanguard Years -- CD

John Hammond

2000 Vanguard Records

Amazon.com

John Hammond's particular genius is simply this: he can take a classic blues tune and play it how it's meant to be played, whether it's Delta or Chicago, uptempo or slow. Best of the Vanguard Years provides an excellent introduction to Hammond's work, showcasing as it does much of what made him a national artist in the first place. His early work for Vanguard is some of his best, making this collection a near-perfect set of classic blues. A key moment for recognizing Hammond's talent for stylistic variety comes in the juxtaposition of tracks seven and eight, "Hellhound Blues" and "I'm Ready." Putting these Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters classics next to each other highlights the issue nicely: Hammond really is that good. He goes gut-deep on every track, too; this is probably one of the best takes of "Big Boss Man" on record, and his version of "I Want You to Love Me" is sexy enough to make your stereo sweat. Required listening all around. --Genevieve Williams
Tracks

32-20 Blues
Statesborough Blues
Seventh Son
Drop Down Mama
Going Back to Florida
Ask Me Nice
Hellhound Blues
I'm Ready
I'm a Man
Keys to the Highway
No Money Down
I Live the Life I Love
Big Boss Man
So Many Roads, So Many Trains
Who Do You Love
I Want You to Love Me
You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover
O Yea!
Who's Been Talkin'
Pretty Thing
Last Night
I Wish You Would
Guitar King


Sidemen

John Hammond, vocal/ guitars
Michael Bloomfield, piano
Charlie Musselwhite, harmonica
Robbie Robertson, guitar
Bobby Donaldson, drums
Jimmy Lewis, bass
Mark Wenner, harmonica
Jimmy Thackery, guitar
Levon Helm, drums
Garth Hudson, organ (Hammond)
Pete Ragusa, drums
Jan Zukowski, bass

 

[Dennie]

Discovering The Blues - Live -- CD

Robben Ford

1997 Avenue Records

WOW......just.......wow!, July 6, 2000

By Brian E. Defferding (Oshkosh, WI United States)
This review is from: Discovering the Blues (Audio CD)
I decided one day to buy this on a whim even though I never heard his stuff before. Boy am I glad I took that risk.

With A+ guitar playing like this, you'd think somebody would paint "Robben is God" on a building somewhere. I'd rank this CD right along with all of those blues-guitar masters like T-Bone Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy. This album isn't just Robben showing off what he can do on the guitar; he also shows what he can do on the saxophone in the awesomely-done cover of "You don't know what Love is". Great hardcore blues; listen to it over and over.

1. Sweet Sixteen - Robben Ford, Josea, Joe
2. You Drive a Hard Bargain - Robben Ford, Ford, Robben
3. It's My Own Fault - Robben Ford, Hooker, John Lee
4. You Don't Know What Love Is - Robben Ford, DePaul, Gene
5. My Time After Awhile - Robben Ford, Badger, Ron
6. Raining in My Heart - Robben Ford, Bryant, Boudleaux
7. Blue and Lonesome - Robben Ford, Little Walter

 

[Dennie]

Left of Cool -- CD

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones

1998 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com

What's left for Bela Fleck? Bluegrass, rock, jazz, classical, rock, folk--he's explored them all. After an epic, Grammy-winning live album, Fleck returns to the studio for a surprisingly subtle, intricate suite of instrumentals--and a number of vocal tracks--combining his usual daring on banjo with mandolin, synths, and theremin. The record is a dreamy soundtrack of reggae, pop, world beat, and techno, merging into an ambient-vibe-spin-club-funk-jazz (such a cumbersome label for his agile music). The most satisfying moments come with the most lovely melodies--as on the lilting "Big Country"--when Fleck's traditional soul rises with a clear voice through the virtuosity and studio wizardry.--Roy Francis Kasten
Jazz Times

On 15 tracks [Bela Fleck] supplements [the bluegrass banjo] with mandolin, synthesizer, sitar, various guitars and the multi-stringed theramin. The result is a wonderfully wild musical outing.
Note: the liner notes swap tracks 6 and 7. The list below reflects the tracks as they are ordered on the album itself.

"Throwdown At The Hoedown" (Béla Fleck) – 5:09
"Communication" (music: Fleck/Future Man; lyrics: Fleck) – 4:16
"Big Country" (Fleck) – 5:31
"Sojourn Of Arjuna" (music: Victor Wooten/Future Man; lyrics: Future Man, adapted from Bhagavad Gita) – 5:27
"Let Me Be The One" (music: Wooten/Fleck/Future Man; lyrics: Fleck) – 4:38
"Trane To Conamarra" (Fleck/Jeff Coffin) – 6:48
"Almost 12" (Wooten/Fleck/Future Man) – 3:15
"Step Quiet" (Fleck/Sarah Mason) – 4:02
"Oddity" (Fleck) – 5:32
"Sleeping Dogs Lie" (Fleck) – 4:02
"Trouble and Strife" (Fleck) – 5:15
"Slow Walker" (Fleck) – 5:23
"shanti" (Fleck/Coffin) – 5:12
"The Big Blink" (Fleck) – 7:57
"Prelude To Silence" (Future Man) – 3:55

 

[Dennie]

Pieces Of You -- CD

Jewel

1995 Atlantic Records

Brilliant, moving, and wondrous debut, December 16, 2005
By killerpooh (Earth) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pieces of You (Audio CD)

Years now since I first heard the opening track, but still I remember the thrill I felt at its soaring, apostolic tone and its stunningly relevant lyrics about keeping oneself rooted amid the shallow bustle of life. That Jewel was so young when she wrote and performed that masterpiece speaks even today of the power of her talent and creativity.

And that the rest of the cd almost is as good still amazes me. "Pieces of You" and "Near You Always" are wonderful songs that will sneak right into your heart. But there are others, like "Foolish Games", with its heartbreaking, terribly accurate depiction of grief, love, and loss, "I'm Sensitive", with its anthem to hope and the heart, and "You Were Meant For Me", which is as breathtaking, powerful, and raw a musical expression of loss and love as any I ever have heard, that simply climb from the marvelous and into the sublime.

Pieces of You may be the most original, deep, and powerful expression of American music since, perhaps, Blue, by Joni Mitchell.

I rarely praise anything this much, but this is simply a great cd in every sense of the word. If, somehow, you've reached this point, almost inconceivably to me, without knowing of its power and richness, I'm delighted for you, because the music on what should become your newest discovery is such that, once you've heard it, you never will forget.

1. "Who Will Save Your Soul" Jewel Kilcher 4:00
2. "Pieces of You" Kilcher 4:15
3. "Little Sister" Kilcher 2:29
4. "Foolish Games" Kilcher 5:39
5. "Near You Always" Kilcher 3:08
6. "Painters" Kilcher 6:43
7. "Morning Song" Kilcher 3:35
8. "Adrian" Jewel Kilcher, Steve Poltz 7:02
9. "I'm Sensitive" Kilcher 2:54
10. "You Were Meant for Me" Kilcher, Poltz 4:13
10. "You Were Meant for Me (Radio Edit)" for Re-release Kilcher, Poltz 3:49
11. "Don't" Kilcher 3:34
12. "Daddy" Kilcher 3:49
13. "Angel Standing By" Kilcher 2:38
14. "Amen" Kilcher 4:32

 

[heeman]

1.Problems" (Joe Walsh, Bill Arbuckle) – 3:55
2."I Broke My Leg" (Walsh) – 3:12
3."Bubbles" (Walsh) – 3:33
4."Slow Dancing" (Loz Netto) – 4:22
5."15 Years" (Walsh) – 3:52
6."The Confessor" (Walsh) – 7:06
7."Rosewood Bitters" (Michael Stanley) – 3:29
8."Good Man Down" (Walsh, Waddy Wachtel) – 4:14
9."Dear John" (Walsh) – 2:40

 

[Dennie]

1.Problems" (Joe Walsh, Bill Arbuckle) – 3:55
2."I Broke My Leg" (Walsh) – 3:12
3."Bubbles" (Walsh) – 3:33
4."Slow Dancing" (Loz Netto) – 4:22
5."15 Years" (Walsh) – 3:52
6."The Confessor" (Walsh) – 7:06
7."Rosewood Bitters" (Michael Stanley) – 3:29
8."Good Man Down" (Walsh, Waddy Wachtel) – 4:14
9."Dear John" (Walsh) – 2:40

Nice!!! :music-rockout:



Dennie

 

[heeman]

1.Problems" (Joe Walsh, Bill Arbuckle) – 3:55
2."I Broke My Leg" (Walsh) – 3:12
3."Bubbles" (Walsh) – 3:33
4."Slow Dancing" (Loz Netto) – 4:22
5."15 Years" (Walsh) – 3:52
6."The Confessor" (Walsh) – 7:06
7."Rosewood Bitters" (Michael Stanley) – 3:29
8."Good Man Down" (Walsh, Waddy Wachtel) – 4:14
9."Dear John" (Walsh) – 2:40

Nice!!! :music-rockout:



Dennie

Dennie, I love Joe Walsh!!! I saw at the Cape Cod Melody Tent in MA, many years ago and then again at a club called The Strand in Providence, RI (it was an old movie theater that was converted to a Rock/Music Club).

I picked it up in the Barnes & Noble; $4.99 Bin........what a steal!!

Rock On! :music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Picnic -- CD

Robert Earl Keen

1997 Arista Austin Records

Picnic, April 23, 2001
By Matthew Parks (DURHAM, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: Picnic (Audio CD)

PICNIC was Robert Earl Keen's 1st new studio record after leaving his longtime label Sugar Hill, for the greener ($$$) pastures of a major label. Though some of the homey, folky intimacy of Keen's early records is lost, it is made up for with newfound confidence and fullness of sound that manifests itself as a multi-layered, multi-dimensional, somewhat more alt. rock-ish sound.

Although primarily noted as a songwriter, an often-overlooked aspect of Keen's talent is his gift for interpreting other writer's material. Terry Allen's "Amarillo Highway," for example, on BIGGER PIECE OF THE SKY, and his definitive rendition of the Steve Earle-penned "Tom Ames' Prayer" from GRINGO HONEYMOON. On PICNIC, Keen again shows his gift for making other folks' songs his own on James McMurtry's classic of Texas topography "Levelland," and a somber take on Dave Alvin's brilliant-but-neglected gem "Fourth of July."

Far be it from Keen to rely on other guys' material to get him through an album, though. Keen is at his story-telling best on "Undone," "Oh, Rosie," and "Shades and Gray," and Margo Timmins (the talented vocalist from the Cowboy Junkies) lends some additional vocal color to the equally impressive "Over the Waterfall" and "Then Came Lo Mein."

"Undone" – 3:47
"Over the Waterfall" – 4:30
"Levelland" (James McMurtry) – 5:11
"I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight" – 4:08
"Oh Rosie" – 5:23
"Runnin' with the Night" – 4:15
"The Coming Home of the Son and Brother" (J. D. Hutchison) – 3:53
"Shades of Gray" – 5:07
"Fourth of July" (Dave Alvin)– 3:59
"Then Came Lo Mein" – 3:57