Not a whole lot on the new-release plate this week, but some tasty bits to chew on nonetheless.
Naked Willie is yet another of the many Willie Nelson compilations we've been seeing of late, but this one has a unique twist.
In much the same manner that the "naked" version of the Beatles Let It Be deconstructed Phil Spector's over-production of that album, Naked Willie strips away the more overdone aspects of some of the best songs from Nelson's years in the sixties and early seventies on the RCA label. The result is an album where Nelson's often overlooked work during those years is able to be viewed in a new, far more refreshing light.
Nick Lowe's Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe is a two disc set that purports to be the definitive overview on the legendary pure pop pioneer's career. The bonus edition also features a recent concert performance captured on DVD.
Marianne Faithfull's Easy Come Easy Go finds the one-time pop princess turned gracefully aging chanteuse covering songs by the Smiths, the Decemberists, and Billie Holiday among others, aided by a cast that includes Keith Richards, Sean Lennon, and Marc Ribot.
Mick Fleetwood's Blues Band pay tribute to the blues-rock of early Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac on Blue Again!. Static-X are back at their bludgeoning best on Cult of Static. Now, here's Pico to talk about Mike Marshall...
Much as Miles Davis continuously revitalized his career by bringing unheralded young talent into his band, so has mandolin/acoustic guitar maestro done with his new, Big Trio. His acoustic bass player Paul Kowert is barely old enough to buy liquor and his violinist is scarcely at driving age, but both play this intricate mosaic of bluegrass, classical, folk and jazz like as if they has been around as long as Marhsall himself.
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