It's a very eclectic week. We have everything from country & blues to whack-a-licious jazz to big, stupid rawk!!! Anybody who says this is a slow week should not be invited to your next party... because they're bound to be boring.
Doyle Bramhall - Is It News (Yep Roc)/Blues
There's a buzz out there about this particular record. Bramhall's got a smokin' pedigree and, let's face it, there aren't a whole lot of drummer-led blues records out there.
Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems (Rhino)/Country
I love Emmylou's voice and search out every last scrap of her recorded output. She never lets me down.
Jonas Hellborg - Art Metal (Bardo)/Jazz
My first exposure to Jonas Hellborg was at a Ginger Baker show. Baker had put together an odd group with a percussionist, and two bass players. One bassist held down the groove and the other, Jonas Hellborg, dealt out melodies, textures, and all manner of midi-enabled freakout. It was fabulous. Art Metal promises to be the first Indian Metal Jazz CD in your collection.
Splatter Trio + N - Clear the Club (Rastascan)/Jazz
The Splatter Trio are responsible for a significant loss of wallet mass. I first heard them on a college radio station (as always, thank you WERS) and went on to pick up all of their records as well as a number of side projects featuring Gino Robair, Dave Barrett, and Myles Boisen. What does this group sound like? Well, let's just say that their name is not unrelated to their vibe. Clear The Club features the trio plus some others in what were described as "studio-based jams." Looking for something 'out'? This just might be it. Plus, how can you not buy an album with this cool song title: "Base 5 Curley Motherfucker"?
Article comments
1 - Josh
I need to go back and listen again to the Knopfler disc. I liked it on the first listen but those subtleties and nuances demand a second and twelfth go around.
The Bramhall disc is also on my radar. Interesting...
2 - Tom Johnson
That's the best thing about Knopfler, Josh. He's one of those dudes who's playing is so sublime that it keeps on rewarding listeners because of those hidden little nuances. Can't wait to hear this thing today.
And, damn, I forgot about that Thurston Moore album. I want a report, Mark. Stat.
3 - Michael J. West
I'll admit that anything even remotely related to Sonic Youth is gonna end up in my collection
And that's one of the things that makes you so smart, Mark. :-)
4 - Mark Saleski
i'd say the same thing about Bill Frisell too, even if i read a review where the author wasn't too hot on the disc...even if i mostly trust the reviewer.
;-)
5 - Michael J. West
Ahh, picked up the September JazzTimes did you? [/plug TYPE="shameless"]
It wasn't a bad review! Just lukewarm!
6 - Pico
Doyle, Sr. is putting out another CD already? Fitchburg Street is only 4 years old (after waiting nine years after his prior record to release). The dude is running wind sprints, now. Regardless, Bramhall releases are always worth waiting for.
Hellborg should be a treat, too.
I'll write up something about Frisell's Floratone that's a tad warmer than lukewarm ;&)
7 - Pico
Oh, and thanks for the linkage to the Sco' review! You're gonna love that record.
8 - Catey
The first time I heard Emmylou Harris, singing "Diamond In My Crown"...unforgettable. I had never heard a voice like hers, and haven't since.
9 - Mark Saleski
i'm not exactly sure of the first time i became aware of Emmylou...it might have been at the theatre where i saw "The Last Waltz". there's that studio segment where they do "Evangeline"....wow.
10 - Michael J. West
Hellborg is ALWAYS a treat. Might I recommend The Word, his 1990 session with Tony Williams and the String Quartet?
And a question re your comment on the Donnas, Mark:
There's just something about a group of women plugging in their guitars and makin' a big, dumb noise.
And how true that is. But let's all be honest here: how much of that something has to do with their being really cute, and being rawknrawl party animals when they're off-mike?
I love me some Donnas.
11 - Mark Saleski
yessir, The Word is awesome.
the Donnas are cute. dang, i never noticed.
;-)
12 - El Bicho
The Donnas Spend the Night is a great rock and roll album, reminds me of Cheap Trick and AC/DC.
13 - Mark Saleski
exactly bicho, that's definitely a fun record.