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Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music...
The Foundation -- CD
Zac Brown Band
2008 Atlantic Records
Zac Brown Band - the Real Deal, November 19, 2008
By Matt Davis (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Foundation (Audio CD)
I first heard ZBB when they opened for Los Lonely Boys in October '08, just before "Chicken Fried" became a bona-fide hit. I had never in my life heard of them, yet I walked away from that show a die-hard fan. These guys are all amazing musicians, fluidly traversing across genres song in and song out, be it country, rock, reggae, or bluegrass. They have a sound all their own that is firmly grounded in southern roots. Their songs are all heartfelt and catchy, and unlike so many of the polished and overproduced pop acts that dominate the country charts that are computerized shadows of themselves, these guys are legit - truly at home on the stage. Like another reviewer stated, there's not a song on this CD that I ever skip.
In spite of not fitting the mold that mainstream country would just love to cram them into (think Rascal Flatts,) I have a feeling these guys are going to be around, on their own terms, for a long, long time. I'm already pining for the next album. That's why I think they are the "Real Deal."
1. "Toes" Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette, John Driskell Hopkins, Shawn Mullins 4:21
2. "Whatever It Is" Brown, Durette 3:29
3. "Where the Boat Leaves From" Brown, Durette 3:44
4. "Violin Intro to Free" Jimmy De Martini 1:01
5. "Free" Brown 3:48
6. "Chicken Fried" Brown, Durette 3:58
7. "Mary" Brown, J. Cline 2:50
8. "Different Kind of Fine" Brown, Durette, Stokes Nielson 3:18
9. "Highway 20 Ride" Brown, Durette 3:51
10. "It's Not OK" Hopkins 4:10
11. "Jolene" Ray LaMontagne 4:21
12. "Sic 'Em on a Chicken" Brown, Hopkins 3:51
Total length:
42:42
The Foundation -- CD
Zac Brown Band
2008 Atlantic Records
Zac Brown Band - the Real Deal, November 19, 2008
By Matt Davis (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Foundation (Audio CD)
I first heard ZBB when they opened for Los Lonely Boys in October '08, just before "Chicken Fried" became a bona-fide hit. I had never in my life heard of them, yet I walked away from that show a die-hard fan. These guys are all amazing musicians, fluidly traversing across genres song in and song out, be it country, rock, reggae, or bluegrass. They have a sound all their own that is firmly grounded in southern roots. Their songs are all heartfelt and catchy, and unlike so many of the polished and overproduced pop acts that dominate the country charts that are computerized shadows of themselves, these guys are legit - truly at home on the stage. Like another reviewer stated, there's not a song on this CD that I ever skip.
In spite of not fitting the mold that mainstream country would just love to cram them into (think Rascal Flatts,) I have a feeling these guys are going to be around, on their own terms, for a long, long time. I'm already pining for the next album. That's why I think they are the "Real Deal."
1. "Toes" Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette, John Driskell Hopkins, Shawn Mullins 4:21
2. "Whatever It Is" Brown, Durette 3:29
3. "Where the Boat Leaves From" Brown, Durette 3:44
4. "Violin Intro to Free" Jimmy De Martini 1:01
5. "Free" Brown 3:48
6. "Chicken Fried" Brown, Durette 3:58
7. "Mary" Brown, J. Cline 2:50
8. "Different Kind of Fine" Brown, Durette, Stokes Nielson 3:18
9. "Highway 20 Ride" Brown, Durette 3:51
10. "It's Not OK" Hopkins 4:10
11. "Jolene" Ray LaMontagne 4:21
12. "Sic 'Em on a Chicken" Brown, Hopkins 3:51
Total length:
42:42
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Happy Saturday everyone... :banana-dance:
Lush Life - The Music of Billy Strayhorn -- CD
Joe Henderson
1992 Verve Records
Billy Strayhorn was one of the greatest composers in jazz history. It's no wonder Duke Ellington, his longtime collaborator, considered Strayhorn to be his alter ego. The beauty of Strayhorn's music lies in the fact that his tunes need no embellishment, yet at the same time, they are great vehicles for improvisation. For the performer, his music requires sensitivity, but it also invites daring interpretations.Both reverent and playful, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson strikes a perfect balance on 1992's LUSH LIFE: THE MUSIC OF BILLY STRAYHORN. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis contributes tremendously to this album with blistering solos on "Johnny Come Lately" and "U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)." However, other musicians are featured throughout, as well--the three duo tracks, "Isfahan," "Lotus Blossom," and "Take the 'A' Train," illustrate the greatness of bassist Christian McBride, pianist Stephen Scott, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, respectively. Henderson himself displays tremendous improvisational prowess on all the tracks, particularly shining on his solo rendition of "Lush Life."
Track Listing
1. Isfahan
2. Johnny Come Lately
3. Blood Count
4. Rain Check
5. Lotus Blossom
6. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
7. Take the "A" Train
8. Drawing Room Blues
9. U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)
10. Lush Life
Personnel: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Joe Henderson; Christian McBride (bass instrument); Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Stephen Scott (piano); Gregory Hutchinson (drums).Audio Mixer: Rudy Van Gelder.Liner Note Authors: Stanley Crouch; Dean Pratt.Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (09/03/1991-09/08/1991).Photographers: Susan Ragan; William Claxton.Arranger: Don Sickler.
Lush Life - The Music of Billy Strayhorn -- CD
Joe Henderson
1992 Verve Records
Billy Strayhorn was one of the greatest composers in jazz history. It's no wonder Duke Ellington, his longtime collaborator, considered Strayhorn to be his alter ego. The beauty of Strayhorn's music lies in the fact that his tunes need no embellishment, yet at the same time, they are great vehicles for improvisation. For the performer, his music requires sensitivity, but it also invites daring interpretations.Both reverent and playful, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson strikes a perfect balance on 1992's LUSH LIFE: THE MUSIC OF BILLY STRAYHORN. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis contributes tremendously to this album with blistering solos on "Johnny Come Lately" and "U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)." However, other musicians are featured throughout, as well--the three duo tracks, "Isfahan," "Lotus Blossom," and "Take the 'A' Train," illustrate the greatness of bassist Christian McBride, pianist Stephen Scott, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, respectively. Henderson himself displays tremendous improvisational prowess on all the tracks, particularly shining on his solo rendition of "Lush Life."
Track Listing
1. Isfahan
2. Johnny Come Lately
3. Blood Count
4. Rain Check
5. Lotus Blossom
6. A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing
7. Take the "A" Train
8. Drawing Room Blues
9. U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)
10. Lush Life
Personnel: Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Joe Henderson; Christian McBride (bass instrument); Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Stephen Scott (piano); Gregory Hutchinson (drums).Audio Mixer: Rudy Van Gelder.Liner Note Authors: Stanley Crouch; Dean Pratt.Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (09/03/1991-09/08/1991).Photographers: Susan Ragan; William Claxton.Arranger: Don Sickler.
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Jazz At Lincoln Center - They Came To Swing -- CD
LCJOrchestra, Wynton Marsalis Big Band and more...
1994 Columbia Records
great ellington stuff!, May 11, 2001
By jn (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jazz At Lincoln Center: They Came To Swing (Audio CD)
The LCJO did a great job reproducing these Ellington masterpieces. The playing by Wynton is always good, but Jon Faddis, as well as Nicholas Payton, Lew Soloff, Roger Ingram, and Joshua Redman all make appearances on the cd. There are a few songs on the disc that I place ahead of others, like ATrain, Boy Meets Horn, and Things to Come. Some of the songs don't seem to go as far as they should, or could go. It is a great overall cd with good live recording. A very swinging band that recreates well while putting their own stamp on the work.
Track Listing
1. Take the "A" Train
2. Black and Tan Fantasy
3. Express Crossing
4. Light Blue
5. Jelly, Jelly
6. Things to Come
7. Boy Meets Horn
8. Lost in Loveliness
9. Back to Basics
10. Tattooed Bride
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Passion Flower - Zoot Sims Plays Duke Ellington -- Remastered CD
Zoot Sims
1997 Pablo/OJC Records
Benny Carter provided the arrangements for the 16-piece band that accompanies the great tenor Zoot Sims on this set of Duke Ellington songs. The album is highlighted by "In a Mellow Tone," "I Got It Bad," "Passion Flower" and "Bojangles," but all nine selections are enjoyable and Sims is in top form. In fact it can easily be argued that Zoot Sims never made an indifferent or unswinging album, so it is not much of a surprise that this date is quite successful and should greatly appeal to straightahead jazz fans. ~ Scott Yanow
Track Listing
1. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2. In a Mellow Tone
3. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
4. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
5. Black Butterfly
6. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
7. Your Love Has Faded
8. Bojangles
9. Passion Flower
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Happy Sunday everyone... :banana-rock:
In 'n Out -- Remastered CD
Joe Henderson
1964/2004 Blue Note Records
Joe Henderons Burns, March 28, 2005
By Leeman "Ariel" (PA Washington) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In N Out (Audio CD)
In'n out is extremely top quality jazz that deserves the highest of ratings. Right here you have the greatest rhythmn section in the world of McCoy Tyner, Richard Davis, and Elvin Jones. The horns are of course Joe who is just smokin' and Kenny dorham who was one of the uncredited but most influential trumpeters and in some ways created the basis of hardbop trumpet playing. Dorham was constantly being overlooked, in the forties and fifties he was in the shadow of Dizzy and Miles and in the sixties Lee Morgan, Freddie hubbard and Woody Shaw came along. Blakey once defined Dorham as the uncrowned king of the trumpet, but enough about Kenny. The title track opens with a complicated theme and Elvin really gets into the groove, his intense drive will never be matched by any drummer. McCoy has incredible fingers I don't think there is a better pianist in the world. Kenny's solo kind of cools things off a bit but Joe takes another and the burner is on high again! "Punjab", by henderson, reseambles the kind of compositions that people like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter were writing. Kenny contributes two obscure but unique sounding compositions "Short Story" and "Browns Town." "In 'n out" is Joe's finest album. It's brother album is tyners "The Real McCoy" with henderson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones.
All compositions by Joe Henderson except as indicated.
"In 'N Out" - 10:23
"Punjab" - 9:07
"Serenity" - 6:16
"Short Story" (Dorham) - 7:10
"Brown's Town" (Dorham) - 6:23
"In 'N Out" [Alternate Take] - 9:15 Bonus track on CD reissue
In 'n Out -- Remastered CD
Joe Henderson
1964/2004 Blue Note Records
Joe Henderons Burns, March 28, 2005
By Leeman "Ariel" (PA Washington) - See all my reviews
This review is from: In N Out (Audio CD)
In'n out is extremely top quality jazz that deserves the highest of ratings. Right here you have the greatest rhythmn section in the world of McCoy Tyner, Richard Davis, and Elvin Jones. The horns are of course Joe who is just smokin' and Kenny dorham who was one of the uncredited but most influential trumpeters and in some ways created the basis of hardbop trumpet playing. Dorham was constantly being overlooked, in the forties and fifties he was in the shadow of Dizzy and Miles and in the sixties Lee Morgan, Freddie hubbard and Woody Shaw came along. Blakey once defined Dorham as the uncrowned king of the trumpet, but enough about Kenny. The title track opens with a complicated theme and Elvin really gets into the groove, his intense drive will never be matched by any drummer. McCoy has incredible fingers I don't think there is a better pianist in the world. Kenny's solo kind of cools things off a bit but Joe takes another and the burner is on high again! "Punjab", by henderson, reseambles the kind of compositions that people like Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter were writing. Kenny contributes two obscure but unique sounding compositions "Short Story" and "Browns Town." "In 'n out" is Joe's finest album. It's brother album is tyners "The Real McCoy" with henderson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones.
All compositions by Joe Henderson except as indicated.
"In 'N Out" - 10:23
"Punjab" - 9:07
"Serenity" - 6:16
"Short Story" (Dorham) - 7:10
"Brown's Town" (Dorham) - 6:23
"In 'N Out" [Alternate Take] - 9:15 Bonus track on CD reissue
Dennie
Well-Known Member
The Real McCoy -- CD (+LP)
McCoy Tyner
1967/2008 Blue Note Records
Amazon.com
This 1967 quartet was McCoy Tyner's first for Blue Note as a leader, although he had frequently recorded as a sideman for the label--with Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, and Grant Green, among others. One of the last recordings produced by Blue Note founder Alfred Lion, and Tyner's first as a leader since leaving the legendary John Coltrane Quartet two years before, the session has a special quality. There's something of the Blue Note sound to the group's concentrated intensity, perhaps Lion's contribution as well as engineer Rudy Van Gelder's, while Tyner, a more conservative musician than Coltrane, was integrating the modal and expressionist forms of the Coltrane quartet into more tightly defined compositional patterns. In tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, Tyner found a true peer, another musician with a strong identity whose style represented a similar amalgam of conventional and innovative elements. Together with drummer Elvin Jones, and bassist Ron Carter, they both reassert the hard-bop mainstream with "Four by Five" and the deep blues of "Blues on the Corner" and extend it with the heightened solemnity of "Search for Peace" and the brilliant rhythmic interplay of "Passion Dance." --Stuart Broomer
"Passion Dance" – 8:44
"Contemplation" – 9:10
"Four by Five" – 6:33
"Search for Peace" – 6:27
"Blues on the Corner" – 5:58
All compositions by McCoy Tyner
Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, April 21, 1967
McCoy Tyner: piano
Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Ron Carter: bass
Elvin Jones: drums
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Blues Caravan -- Remastered CD
Buddy Rich and his Sextet
1962/2005 Verve Records
Buddy Rich Drums In A Winner On This Session!, March 18, 2008
By J. Rich - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blues Caravan (Dig) (Audio CD)
"Blues Caravan" recorded in 1961 is, in my opinion, one of Buddy's best records to date. What makes this record so fresh besides the incredible musicians and the compositions is the instrumental line-up, which can only be described as inventive. I don't think Buddy has recorded anything this unique before or since. It's amazing that even though this recording is a sextet, it sounds like an octet!
Most of the compositions are uptempo, but there is a very beautiful rendition of Benny Golson's "I Remember Clifford" that closes the album. As I mentioned before, all the musicians are incredible and they are: Buddy Rich (leader and drums), Sam Most (flute), Rolf Ericson (trumpet), Mike Mainieri (vibes), Wyatt Ruther (bass), and Johnny Morris (piano). You couldn't have asked for a better band than this. What surprises me is this is the only album with this line-up. I wished they made another one!
If you're a Buddy Rich fan or just a fan of good jazz, then I highly recommend this record.
LP side A
"Blowin' the Blues Away" (Horace Silver) – 8:40
"B.R. Blues" (Buddy Rich) – 3:14
"Late Date" (Maynard) – 5:12
LP side B
"Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) – 9:44
"Young Blood" (Mike Mainieri) – 5:59
"I Remember Clifford" (Benny Golson) – 3:35
----
Wyatt Ruther - double bass
Buddy Rich - drums
Sam Most - flute
Johnny Morris - piano
Rolf Ericson - trumpet
Mike Mainieri - vibraphone
Production
Creed Taylor - audio production
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music.....
Duke Elegant -- CD
Dr. John Performing the Music of Duke Ellington
2000 Blue Note Records
Amazon.com
Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack playing songs from the canon of Duke Ellington is as natural as the break of day. But the gris-gris king interprets Ellington in a way unlike anyone else. "Mood Indigo," arranged for Dr. John's six-man New Orleans group, takes on a fresh, heartfelt immediacy with the good doctor's vocals and piano locked into a relaxed groove. He sings another slice of essential Ellingtonia, "Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me," with a lighthearted nonchalance that epitomizes the worthiest New Orleans performers. Dr. John packages snippets of his keyboard playing as panaceas for the soul on a funked-up interpretation of "Caravan," even spinning off on a "Wade in the Water" tangent before wrapping up the song. But with so many, many Ellington nuggets to dust off for reinterpretation, one wonders why Dr. John elected to go with popular numbers that get covered again and again. To his credit, he does serve up the lesser-known "The Flaming Sword," where his piano is luminous in the Calypso fashion of Professor Longhair, and he offers delightful, fonkified updates of the Ellington obscurities "On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks" and "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'." --Frank-John Hadley
Track listing
1. On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks
2. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
3. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
4. Perdido Street Blues
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
6. Solitude
7. Satin Doll
8. Mood Indigo
9. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
10. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
11. Caravan
12. Flaming Sword, The
Duke Elegant -- CD
Dr. John Performing the Music of Duke Ellington
2000 Blue Note Records
Amazon.com
Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack playing songs from the canon of Duke Ellington is as natural as the break of day. But the gris-gris king interprets Ellington in a way unlike anyone else. "Mood Indigo," arranged for Dr. John's six-man New Orleans group, takes on a fresh, heartfelt immediacy with the good doctor's vocals and piano locked into a relaxed groove. He sings another slice of essential Ellingtonia, "Do Nothing 'til You Hear from Me," with a lighthearted nonchalance that epitomizes the worthiest New Orleans performers. Dr. John packages snippets of his keyboard playing as panaceas for the soul on a funked-up interpretation of "Caravan," even spinning off on a "Wade in the Water" tangent before wrapping up the song. But with so many, many Ellington nuggets to dust off for reinterpretation, one wonders why Dr. John elected to go with popular numbers that get covered again and again. To his credit, he does serve up the lesser-known "The Flaming Sword," where his piano is luminous in the Calypso fashion of Professor Longhair, and he offers delightful, fonkified updates of the Ellington obscurities "On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks" and "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'." --Frank-John Hadley
Track listing
1. On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks
2. I'm Gonna Go Fishin'
3. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
4. Perdido Street Blues
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
6. Solitude
7. Satin Doll
8. Mood Indigo
9. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
10. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
11. Caravan
12. Flaming Sword, The
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Greatest Hits Vol. 2 -- CD
Ronnie Milsap
1985 RCA Records
Juxtaposed to the first Greatest Hits package, this one nicely displays the evolution of a motivated risk-taker. Milsap redefines the outer limits of the commercial country format with his soul- and/or rock-inflected singles "(There's) No Gettin' over Me," "Lost in the Fifties Tonight," and (most dramatically) "Stranger in My House." AllMusic Review by Tom Roland
Track Listing
1. She Keeps the Home Fires Burning - (previously unreleased)
2. (There's) No Gettin' Over Me
3. I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World
4. It's Already Taken - (previously unreleased)
5. Stranger in My House
6. Lost in the Fifties Tonight (In the Still of the Night) - (previously unreleased)
7. Any Day Now
8. Am I Losing You
9. Inside
10. Don't You Know How Much I Love You
Dennie
Well-Known Member
City To City -- CD
Gerry Rafferty
1973/1990 Capitol Records
Amazon.com
It took Quentin Tarantino's using "Stuck in the Middle with You," the 1973 hit of Gerry Rafferty's former band Stealers Wheel, in Reservoir Dogs to make Rafferty hip again. But City to City, his 1978 solo breakthrough, has long been worth rediscovering--and not just because it contains "Baker Street," one of the biggest and best singles of the 1970s. Rafferty brilliantly modernizes his Scottish folk-rock background on such pop treasures as the churning title track, the minor follow-up hit "Right Down the Line," the bouncing ditty "Mattie's Rag," the enchantingly churchy "Whatever's Written in Your Heart," and others. It's as rewardingly refreshing a change of pace now as it was when it emerged in the midst of the disco era. --Peter Blackstock
"The Ark" – 5:36
"Baker Street" – 6:01
"Right Down the Line" – 4:20
"City to City" – 4:51
"Stealin' Time" – 5:39
"Mattie's Rag" – 3:28
"Whatever's Written in Your Heart" – 6:30
"Home and Dry" – 4:52
"Island" – 5:04
"Waiting for the Day" – 5:26
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Fleetwood Mac -- CD
Fleetwood Mac
1975/1990 Reprise Records
Amazon.com
Given their monumental legacy, it's hard to imagine that the so-called "classic edition" of Fleetwood Mac essentially came together casually over chips and margaritas at an L.A. eatery; the then-obscure duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (whose own mid-'70s debut album had initially gone almost straight to the cut-out bins) became the crucial axis of the legendary band without so much as a formal audition. As the eponymous title suggests, the 1975 Mac realignment seems like a fresh start, though tracks like Christine McVie's smooth-jazz inflected "Warm Ways" hearken back to the Bob Welch/Bare Trees/Heroes Are Hard to Find era. But it's Buckingham's compelling, updated take on '60s California folk-pop, informed by the mystique of Nicks's proto-New Age song-sorceress presumptions, that breathed new life into the veteran, chameleonic band on now-familiar songs like "Monday Morning" and "Rhiannon." His chemistry with McVie is no less powerful, yielding such Mac staples as their collaboration "World Turning" and suffusing her "Over My Head" with nervous, insistent guitar rhythms.
"Monday Morning" (Lindsey Buckingham) – 2:48
"Warm Ways" (Christine McVie) – 3:54
"Blue Letter" (Rick Curtis, Mike Curtis) – 2:41
"Rhiannon" (Stevie Nicks) – 4:11
"Over My Head" (C. McVie) – 3:38
"Crystal" (Nicks) – 5:14
"Say You Love Me" (C. McVie) – 4:11
"Landslide" (Nicks) – 3:19
"World Turning" (Buckingham, C. McVie) – 4:25
"Sugar Daddy" (C. McVie) – 4:10
"I'm So Afraid" (Buckingham) – 4:22
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Highwayman -- CD
Waylon Jennings - Willie Nelson - Johnny Cash - Kris Kristofferson
1985/1990 Columbia Records
Amazon.com
The myth of the American West--lawless lands, resolute heroes--takes on a grave, elegiac quality on this first, and best, collaboration from Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson. There's little bravado here, just a sense of ticking time, of frontiers lost, cowboys singing their last songs. In the end, Highwayman works because it fuses mythic, serious material with the artists' own legendary personas and well-aged voices. Lesser lights would be lucky to muddle through Jimmy Webb's epic title track; these four cagey desperados make every fantastic image believable. If Chips Moman surrounds them with less than subtle layers of guitars, keyboards, and drums, he does update vintage progressive country in a suitably cosmic but rugged fashion. Romantic legends and production values notwithstanding, it's the tough, wise singing here that's the real draw. --Roy Kasten
"Highwayman" (Jimmy Webb) – 3:00
"The Last Cowboy Song" (Ed Bruce) – 3:08
"Jim, I Wore a Tie Today" (Cindy Walker) – 3:20
"Big River" (Johnny Cash) – 2:45
"Committed to Parkview" (Cash) – 3:18
"Desperados Waiting for a Train" (Guy Clark) – 4:34
"Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" (Woody Guthrie) – 3:45
"Welfare Line" (Paul Kennerley) – 2:34
"Against the Wind" (Bob Seger) – 3:46
"The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over" (Steve Goodman, John Prine) – 3:33
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Soul Journey -- CD
Gillian Welch
2003 Acony Records
Amazon.com
Blessed with a soulful and expressive voice and an innate grasp of the melodies and themes of traditional country music, Gillian Welch has made three beautiful, often brilliant, albums. Yet, one can make the case that she's still searching for her own true artistic voice. Soul Journey brings her ever closer to that elusive goal. After 2001's austere, solemn, at times inscrutable Time (The Revelator), this follow-up finds Welch showing more warmth, ease, and openness as both singer and songwriter. As the title portends, the concept of travel (physical and emotional) is a prevailing thread throughout these 10 tracks; she sings of rolling stones "on the road to sin," travelers on "black highways," girls "running around with the ragtop down" and "at the station rolling slow." These characters, perhaps autobiographical, are simultaneously searching for and running away from their pasts, while soft drums, fiddles, organs, and Dobros add a welcome bit of lightness. With the trusty David Rawlings again at Welch's side, the songwriting and production till the earth between their old-time heroes and more modern troubadours like Townes Van Zandt and Neil Young (both the bucolic strummer and, on the closing "Wrecking Ball," the ragged electric wanderer). For Welch and for us, Soul Journey is yet another fascinating rest stop on the never-ending road to self-discovery. --Marc Greilsamer
"Look at Miss Ohio" (Gillian Welch, David Rawlings) – 4:16
"Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor" (traditional with additional lyrics by Welch) – 2:45
"Wayside/Back in Time" (Welch, Rawlings) – 3:28
"I Had a Real Good Mother and Father" (traditional with additional lyrics by Welch) – 3:14
"One Monkey" (Welch, Rawlings) – 5:36
"No One Knows My Name" (Welch, Rawlings, traditional melody) – 3:16
"Lowlands" (Welch, Rawlings) – 3:19
"One Little Song" (Welch) – 3:12
"I Made a Lovers Prayer" (Welch, Rawlings) – 5:03
"Wrecking Ball" (Welch, Rawlings) – 4:56
Dennie
Well-Known Member
Today's work truck music....
American Tune -- CD
Eva Cassidy
2003 Blix Street Records
Amazon.com
Eva Cassidy fans surely feel something akin to relief when another cache of tapes is opened for release. The singer's 1996 death at the age of 33, after all, rendered her output finite in the saddest and most frustrating way. American Tune's modus operandi is similar to previous Cassidy CDs in its mix of standard repertoire (here, everything from "Yesterday" to "God Bless the Child" and Ray Charles's "Hallelujah I Love [Him] So" rubs shoulders) and fine, less obvious choices (Joe Simon's early-'70s soul hit "Drowning in the Sea of Love"). The sometimes pedestrian backing does little to spoil the pleasure of Cassidy's pure tone and the surprises she's able to wring from the material--on the Charles tune, she even suggests a distaff Lyle Lovett. She'd no doubt be pleased to know that tracks uncovered at this point now sound like, well, notes from a missed, much-loved friend. --Rickey Wright
"Drowning in the Sea of Love" [live] (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff) – 4:19
"True Colors" [live] (Thomas Kelly, Billy Steinberg) – 4:50
"The Water Is Wide" [live] (Traditional) – 4:20
"Hallelujah I Love Him So" (Ray Charles) – 2:33
"God Bless the Child" [live] (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday) – 5:17
"Dark Eyed Molly" [live] (Archie Fisher) – 3:28
"American Tune" [live] (Paul Simon) – 4:06
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" [live] (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) – 2:23
"Yesterday" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 3:09
"You Take My Breath Away" [live] (Claire Hamill) – 5:39
American Tune -- CD
Eva Cassidy
2003 Blix Street Records
Amazon.com
Eva Cassidy fans surely feel something akin to relief when another cache of tapes is opened for release. The singer's 1996 death at the age of 33, after all, rendered her output finite in the saddest and most frustrating way. American Tune's modus operandi is similar to previous Cassidy CDs in its mix of standard repertoire (here, everything from "Yesterday" to "God Bless the Child" and Ray Charles's "Hallelujah I Love [Him] So" rubs shoulders) and fine, less obvious choices (Joe Simon's early-'70s soul hit "Drowning in the Sea of Love"). The sometimes pedestrian backing does little to spoil the pleasure of Cassidy's pure tone and the surprises she's able to wring from the material--on the Charles tune, she even suggests a distaff Lyle Lovett. She'd no doubt be pleased to know that tracks uncovered at this point now sound like, well, notes from a missed, much-loved friend. --Rickey Wright
"Drowning in the Sea of Love" [live] (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff) – 4:19
"True Colors" [live] (Thomas Kelly, Billy Steinberg) – 4:50
"The Water Is Wide" [live] (Traditional) – 4:20
"Hallelujah I Love Him So" (Ray Charles) – 2:33
"God Bless the Child" [live] (Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday) – 5:17
"Dark Eyed Molly" [live] (Archie Fisher) – 3:28
"American Tune" [live] (Paul Simon) – 4:06
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" [live] (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) – 2:23
"Yesterday" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 3:09
"You Take My Breath Away" [live] (Claire Hamill) – 5:39
Dennie
Well-Known Member
At Madison Square Garden -- CD
Johnny Cash
1969/2002 Columbia Legacy
Amazon.com
Johnny Cash has long been both country legend and American icon. But once upon a time, in the late '60s, Cash was something more mercurial--pop culture superstar. This 26-song, previously unreleased concert recorded in December 1969 at a Madison Square Garden packed with 21,000 enthusiastic fans from across the cultural and political spectrum documents what's arguably the peak of Cash's career. One story-song slides naturally into the next in a set that not only documents the high points of his already rich and colorful career, but paints a compelling autobiography of the singer and his hardscrabble roots. Whether taking a bold antiwar stance as a "dove with claws" (imagine a post-Lee Greenwood country star being as brave) on "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream," taking a tough, unflinching look at prison life in a four-song stretch book-ended by "The Long Black Veil" and "Folsom Prison Blues," or examining the plight of the Native American and his own religious beliefs, Cash gives a performance that underscores the honesty and integrity that made him a conquering American folk hero. The singer's generosity toward his backing musicians and songwriters is also noteworthy, acknowledging Shel Silverstein's presence as the writer of his massive hit "A Boy Named Sue," turning over the show to the Carter Family for a couple slices of Appalachian roots music, and letting the Statler Brothers showcase "Flowers on the Wall" and fellow Sun legend-turned-sideman Carl Perkins rip through an explosive, show-stopping "Blue Suede Shoes." Cash's presence here is more than mere performance; it's a frank reminder that American values remain considerably more complex than nostalgia, apple pie, and flag-waving. --Jerry McCulley
"Big River" (J. Cash) – 2:21
"I Still Miss Someone" (Cash, Roy Cash, Jr.) – 1:37
"Five Feet High and Rising" (Cash) – 2:52
"Pickin' Time" (Cash) – 2:36
"Remember the Alamo" (Jane Bowers) – 2:48
"Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (Ed McCurdy) – 3:04
"Wreck of the Old 97" (Arranged by Cash, Norman George Blake, Robert Johnson) – 2:14
"The Long Black Veil" (Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin) – 3:01
"The Wall" (Harlan Howard) – 1:09
"Send a Picture of Mother" (Cash) – 2:36
"Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash) – 3:35
"Blue Suede Shoes" (C. Perkins) – 3:13 (Carl Perkins)
"Flowers on the Wall" (L. DeWitt) – 2:32 (The Statler Brothers)
"Wildwood Flower" (A.P. Carter) – 3:45 (The Carter Family)
"Worried Man Blues" (A.P. Carter) – 1:40 (The Carter Family)
"A Boy Named Sue" (Shel Silverstein) – 4:25
"Cocaine Blues" (T.J. Arnall) – 1:57
"Jesus was a Carpenter" (C. Wren) – 3:40
"The Ballad of Ira Hayes" (Pete LaFarge) – 3:11
"As Long as the Grass Shall Grow" (LaFarge) – 3:50
"Sing a Traveling Song" (K. Jones) – 3:30
"He Turned the Water into Wine" (Cash) – 3:16
"Were You There (When They Crucifed My Lord)" (Traditional, Arranged by Cash) – 4:16
"Daddy Sang Bass" (Carl Perkins) – 2:15
"Finale Medley" – 4:45:
"Do What You Do, Do Well" (N. Miller) (Tommy Cash & Johnny Cash)
"I Walk the Line" (Cash) (The Carter Family)
"Ring of Fire" (Cash, M. Kilgore) (The Statler Brothers)
"Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash) (Carl Perkins)
"The Rebel - Johnny Yuma" (R. Markowitz, A. Fenady)
"Folsom Prison Blues" (Cash)
"Suppertime" (I. F. Stanphill) – 2:55