Jill Scott and Emmylou Harris - Episode 69

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIZUnXvKwbc]

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Raveonettes

Artist: The Raveonettes
Album: Raven in the Grave
Worth buying: Yes
You will be interested in this album if you are a fan of: Dark 80’s music, and music from the films of David Lynch.

Tell me more: Last year The Raveonettes “In and Out of Control” Made my top 10 list of the year. The album was mostly a dichotomy of fun pop music with very dark lyrics. And there was something both surprising and appealing about it.

This year the band has released “Raven in the Grave”. Gone is the fun pop sound of the last album. The music is dark and the lyrics are dark…..but it’s a different kind of dark. The lyrics to In and Out of Control dealt with a real world kind of darkness. The lyrics to Raven in the Grave have another worldly darkness to them.

The music is dark too but in an 80’s kind of way.

In fact, many of the songs on this album feel like they came from the soundtrack to an unknown David Lynch film during the Twin Peaks era (yeah, I know, Twin Peaks premiered in 1990, but we didn’t all stop wearing bell bottoms and start dancing to disco in 1970).

If you are a fan of dark 80’s music or the music of Angelo Badalamenti, I think you will enjoy this album. I did……but (and this is the weird part) I don’t enjoy this album in my car.

I do a lot of listening in the car. Maybe it’s just the way the album was mixed, but this album became unenjoyable in my car. Listening to it at home though it was fine…..I can’t explain this, and I have never encountered this with an album before….Wierd eh?

TJR  2011

What about the packaging? The album comes in a digipak with a nicely designed lyrics book

Get Raven the Grave Here

 

CD Review - Brian Setzer - Setzer Goes Instru-Mental

Artist: Brian Setzer

Album: Setzer Goes Instru-Mental

You might be interested in this album if you are a fan of: Brian Setzer, Instrumental music, jazz and bluegrass.

Worth Buying? Only two tracks

Tell Me More: When I first heard that Brian Setzer’s next album would be entirely instrumental I was more than just intrigued….In my opinion, Brian Setzer is one of the most under rated musicians working today.

So many people just pigeon hole him as a Rockabilly Guitarist, but he is so much more than this. His last (solo) album “13” had him careening though Zeppelin style riffs as easily as his signature rock, blues, and country licks. It was one of my favorite albums of 2006 and it also featured some of his best songwriting. His last album with the Brian Setzer Orchestra; the conceptual “Songs from the Lonely Ave”(2009) had him writing some of the most complex musical arrangements of his career.

So when I heard that his latest album was going to be all instrumental I was excited to find out what kind of sonic landscapes he was going to paint.  I was excited to hear how far he was going to stretch as a musician and composer

Maybe my expectations where too high; Because Instrumental was a disappointment for me.

This is not a bad or awful album, and there is anything wrong with his playing either. His playing is spot on, solid and professional. But I am just not feeling too much passion in these tracks. Blue Moon of Kentucky starts of well but then just slides into the background for me. There is some dazzling fretwork on Cherokee, but I still find myself feeling like something is missing. all the rest of the tracks seem to follow this trend. notable tracks like Go Go Godzilla, and Far Noir East, momentarily bring the album to life but too many of the tracks feel pedestrian and utilitarian. These are not the kinds of words that I like to use when talking about anyone’s music.

If you are a Setzer completist, you will probably want to get this one. But otherwise, I (sadly) can’t recommend this one. But go out and buy 13 and or Songs From the Lonely Ave if you haven't yet.

What about the packaging: The album comes in a digipak that is graphically nicely designed and there is an 8 panel insert with liner notes (There of course can't be a lyrics sheet for obvious reasons).

TJR

Find Setzer Goes Instru-Mental here

Episode 68 Glen Campbell and Anais Mitchell

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAF07odMGd0&w=560&h=345]

Listen to more and buy Ghost on the Canvas here 

Listen to more samples and buy Hadestown at Amazon here

You can also show more support and buy it directly from her

Rome and Audio Fidelity Reissues - Episode 67

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFVGVvyAOpI]

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New music reviewed: Buddy Holly tribute, Glen Campbell, Counting Crows

Artist: Various Artists

Title: Listen to Me: Buddy Holly

You will be interested if you are a fan of: Buddy Holly, Pat DiNizio's excellent 2009 tribute to Buddy Holly, the "Rave On Buddy Holly" collection released earlier this year

Tell Me More: Whereas Rave On Buddy Holly released earlier this year featured mostly reworked versions of Buddy Holly's material, the equally-ambitious Listen to Me: Buddy Holly features more faithful versions of the pioneering singer-songwriter's material. The Sept. 6, 2011 release of Listen to Me: Buddy Holly comes on the eve of what would have been Holly's 75th birthday. He was only 22 when he died in a plane crash in Iowa on Feb. 3, 1959.

Many of the renderings here are especially tender, with Jackson Browne's "True Love Ways" blending his rich vocals and an orchestrated backdrop recalling the innocence of Holly's times.

Ringo Starr sounds fantastic on the upbeat "Think It Over," a joyous celebration where his long-time love of country music is a perfect fit with Holly's '50s blend of country-western and rockabilly styles.

Chris Isaak's "Crying Waiting Hoping" finds the acclaimed singer putting his distinctive stamp on the classic, with the artful use of acoustic guitar and pedal steel guitar voices dancing around his emotive voice.

"It's So Easy" with Zooey Deschanel is one of the most upbeat tracks, with the She & Him singer's bright and sunny voice showcasing the song's timeless introduction of the joys of falling in love.

The Fray's lush "Take Your Time" is haunting, but sadly in tune with the so-called "The Day the Music Died" event that extinguished Holly's creative fire from the world far too soon.

Click here to get Buddy Holly tribute

Artist: Glen Campbell

Title: Ghost on the Canvas

You will be interested if you are a fan of: Glen Campbell, Brian Wilson

Tell Me More: I often felt as if I was a lone voice in the music reviewer universe when I would champion singer-songwriter-guitarist Glen Campbell. Indeed, I can count on one hand the feedback I received after writing a glowing review of Campbell's inspired show at The Grove of Anaheim in October 2010. I am now, thankfully, a voice seemingly lost in a sea of more high-profile types suddenly acknowledging the unique artistry of Campbell. Since his recent public admission that he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, there is plenty of interest in his new studio album Ghost on the Canvas.

And, to be sure, Ghost on the Canvas is a wonderful and poignant release. Featuring a mix of original songs penned by Campbell and his producer Julian Raymond, the disc also features tracks written by Paul Westerberg (the Replacements), Jakob Dylan and Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices); Ghost on the Canvas is truly a precious follow-up to the Arkansas native's fantastic 2008 Meet Glen Campbell effort.

Listening to affecting songs such as "A Better Place" and "Strong" is to hear a master – although faced with mountains that loom higher by the day – rise to the challenge with a grace that not heard since Johnny Cash issued his final recordings in the face of his own mortality.

Although there are plenty of more days to count before 2011 has passed, I can't help but think Ghost on the Canvas is one of the year's greatest releases.

Get Glen's 'Ghost on the Canvas' here

Artist: Counting Crows

Title: August and Everything After – Live at Town Hall

You will be interested if you are a fan of: Counting Crows, Van Morrison

Tell Me More: The release of Counting Crows' debut August and Everything After was memorable for not only how great the album was and that it sold more than seven million copies in America alone, but how at odds it sounded in contrast with the early '90s grunge movement championed by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and scores of others.

Listening to the recently-released August and Everything After – Live at Town Hall, it is easy to see why singer Adam Duritz and company made such a big splash. Whereas bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Alice In Chains played with plenty of sonic firepower, their approach lacked the dynamic range and various emotional colors that Counting Crows captured in concert on a magical night at Town Hall in New York City on Sept. 18, 2007. Performing their debut in its entirety, Duritz (vocals), Jim Bogios (percussion, vocals), David Bryson (guitars, vocals), Charles Gillingham (keyboards, harmonica, vocals), David Immergluck (guitars, mandolin, pedal steel, vocals) Millard Powers (bass, piano, vocals) and Dan Vickrey (guitars, banjo, vocals) performed powerful versions of now-classics like "Mr. Jones," "Round Here" and "Rain King" that stand the test of time on the excellent 12-track disc issued by Eagle Rock Entertainment on Aug. 29, 2011.

Take flight with the Crows here!

Robert Kinsler