Category Archives: SHOW “G”-Views

Louis Allen Rawls was born in Chicago on December 1, 1935, and was raised on the city’s south side by his grandmother. He sang in the choir at his Baptist church starting at age seven, and became interested in popular music as a teenager by attending shows at the Regal Theatre, with genre-crossing singers like Joe Williams, Arthur Prysock, and Billy Eckstine ranking as his particular favorites. Rawls also tried his hand at harmony-group singing with schoolmate Sam Cooke, together in a gospel outfit called the Teenage Kings of Harmony.
From gospel and early R&B to soul and jazz to blues and straight-up pop, Lou Rawls was a consummate master of African-American vocal music whose versatility helped him adapt to the changing musical times over and over again, while always remaining unmistakably himself. Blessed with a four-octave vocal range, Rawls’ smooth, classy elegance — sort of a cross between Sam Cooke and Nat King Cole — permeated nearly everything he sang, yet the fire of his early gospel days was never too far from the surface. He made his name as a crooner, first by singing jazz standards, then moving on to soul in the mid-’60s, and capped the most commercial phase of his career with a productive stint at Philadelphia International during the latter half of the ’70s. Even after his days as a chart presence were over, Rawls remained a highly visible figure on the American cultural landscape, pursuing an acting and voice-over career in addition to his continued concert appearances, and doing extensive charity work on behalf of the United Negro College Fund.
Lou Rawls Passed on January 6th of 2006. May he rest in Peace..

Biography by Steve Huey

SOULIN’ 1972
From the opening number “Whole Lotta Woman” you know that you are in for a swingin’ time. The ballad “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” and “Breakin’ My Back” were played on top 40 radio. (And with good reason.) “You’re The One” is a wild, soulful number. Lou’s “Don’t Explain” is one of the sassiest versions ever done! There is a little story as Lou sings “Memory Lane” and continues with a monologue followed by “It Was A Very Good Year”. Lou is very loose as he gives this song new definition and life. No one has ever sung “On A Clear Day” like this before or since. Instead of a ballad, Lou sings this song uptempo, but with conviction.

Recommended for those who like a soulfully upbeat male jazz singer.

A friend of mine is collaborating with his favorite musician…on a web designing adventure….which brought me to this cd. With the release of IN A COMA, Matthew Good’s recent best of release….I went to a comfort zone.

This album is one of those rare treats. Solid from top to bottom. Like a perfect cup of morning coffee, the blend of mellow acoustic and ramming electric riffs makes it a sure repeat on the sound system. It travels well on any ride and is a good companion in a snowstorm for sure….

Take a reminder listen to this album if you forgot about it, if you have yet to uncover tis gem….take my advice and check it out.

**** Mr. G

I had such an odd mix of feelings when I found out Morcheeba had a new cd. I was ready for it, I planted myself firmly ready to go…but, that soon ended when I got this cd and realized something was VERY wrong. SKYE is gone!!!! There is a new vocalist who just DOESN’T do it for me.. Skyesound brought the soul to Morcheeba, and her airy, seductive vocals were a HUGE part of what made this band so incredible. Former Noonday Underground member Daisey Martey, a powerfully voiced singer who now sits in the lead position. There is something too different, but maybe change is just difficult for my ears. I like the fact that I can catch a hint of the Velvet Underground throughout this release…..I will give it more chances….

This disc pulls from the four albums Dr. John recorded for the British Parlophone label from 1997 to 2004 (released in the United States on Blue Note and Virgin). In the several decades since his popular emergence as the Night Tripper he’s become one of the respected men of New Orleans music. These 17 songs show him to be drawing from deep Crescent City traditions, as well as R&B, jazz, swing, balladry. The tunes also showcase his work with a range of notable guests (from Paul Weller to Randy Newman to Mavis Staples). These artist prove just how broad their shared influences are. Dr. John truly is a regular guy with a shadow that looms large over New Orleans.

Walter is a long-time favorite in New Orleans, and he has done some great work, but he really outdid himself here. The horn section in “Blue Moon Rising” has that majestic feel of Coltrane’s “Blue Trane”, and his melody line in that song is a downward walk down the stairs of longing like no other melody line I have heard in a blues song – deliberate, pensive, refraining from the acrobatic vocal loop-de-loops of modern R&B / soul. His voice can be both smooth like a crooner and tormented like a screamer. Songs like “Stop and think” and “Glasshouse” left me hitting repeat many times after the first listen, and true to his birthplace, Walter writes lyrics that not only *mean* something (are you listening, pop world?) but also decry the troubles of this world without becoming larmoyant. If you don’t listen to the lyrics, you might think “He Will See Us Through” is from Prince’s Purple Rain rather than a wonderfully soulful, hopeful, and danceable *gospel* addressing someone who has lost a loved one. When the going gets tough in New Orleans, people go dancing, so the same music that makes your foot tap also makes your heart cry and open up. (Maybe we should build better levees instead of partying – get to that next life.)

This is the second installment in the collaboration between Hunter (master of the 8-string guitar ) and Previte (electronic and acoustic drum virtuoso). This time around the rotating third member slot is filled by turntable wizard DJ Logic. Together they’ve turned up the heat, further progressing their sound into a more aggressive mix of funk, jazz, and jam band-style rock.
Guest DJ Logic’s messing around with turntablism allows Previte & Hunter to ride free in continuous sound hints and sparkling solos. Previte is powerfull and heavy-beating on acoustic drum; Hunter turns distorsion on and plays lots of dramatically-bare riffs for high moments of interplay.
Less ‘jazz-like’ than Latitude, maybe difficult to listen to for predictability-bound ears, but fresh and stimulating if you approach music by the what-could-it become.
Take the time to check the whole album out and you won’t be disappointed.

Mr. G reccomends ****

Daby Balde is one of Senegal’s best-kept musical secrets, long celebrated at home and now filtering onto the international scene. His amazing arrangements are based on his Fula traditions from the south of the country and feature the fiddle, accordion and flute accompanied by the more familiar West African sounds of the kora, acoustic guitar and percussion. With handsomely rich and beautiful melodies, captivating vocals and a repertoire that ranges from euphoric to melancholic, Daby Balde is a West African star on the rise.

MR G Rating *****

Must Listen for any world music fan.

Horace X takes it to the other end of the spectrum, pushing the craze factor to 10, painting band members in day-glow paint and putting onoutrageous live show. This album as well as the 2003 release, SACKBUTT, skillfully weave (among other things) dancehall rants, punk rock, Middle Eastern melodies, Irish fiddle, funky bass, live drumming, strange vocal samples and Balkan music into a non-stop dance party. They have a sound that defies description–“global fusion” just doesn’t quite do them justice
Get ready to shake it all over.
GO HORACE GO

Ommium 2005 ***** Mr. G reccomeded listen/shake..

As further proof that the virtuosity of Jerry Douglas knows no categorical bounds, the biggest surprise on his predominantly instrumental The Best Kept Secret is a revival of the disco-era smash “Back in Love Again,” with Alison Krauss supplying as much vocal funk as she can muster. The undisputed master of the shimmering Dobro (and a featured member of Krauss’s band Union Station), Douglas also applies his artistry to the jazzy atmospherics of Weather Report’s “A Remark You Made,” pays homage to Celtic fiddler Aly Bain on the reflective “Sir Aly B,” trades licks with guitarist Bill Frisell on the twangy “Lil’ Ro Ro,” and enlists John Fogerty for guest vocals on “Swing Blues #1.” The album additionally showcases Douglas on lap steel, with guitarist Derek Trucks providing rock propulsion on the opening “She Makes Me Want to Sing.” A breakdown with banjoist Béla Fleck and mandolinist Sam Bush on “Who’s Your Uncle?” finds Douglas on more familiar turf at his bluegrass best. I highly reccomend this album for listeners of all genres.

With over a decade’s worth of projects to his credit, Sky Saw is the latest of many eclectic endeavors for guitarist/composer/electric zither ace Core Redonnett. For close to ten years, he has held the principal zither position in the Boston production of Blue Man Group, giving him the opportunity to master a new and unusual instrument as well as the motivation to custom build one and write a new repertoire for it. A jazz composition degree from Berklee College of Music provided Core a springboard from which to explore a vast number of creative outlets. Experimental large ensemble works, jazz combos, guitar quartets, electronica, a full scale rock opera, and his long standing work with prog rockers Xixxo are among the projects for which he has written, produced, arranged, recorded, and performed. It was in fact through their four years together in Xixxo that Core’s musical relationship with Yuri Zbitnoff was formed. Since leaving that band, Yuri has pursued his interest in improvised jazz and rock through Lithiq’s celebrated jazz/electronica duo, Enuma Elish, as well as a constantly burgeoning set of other outlets that has included, among others, Raqib Hassan’s Interdimensional Science Research Orchestra, the free improv outfit Leap of Faith, and ambient dub metal scientists Teledubgnosis.

Lithiq 2005 release…Worth checking out….over and over……a Mr.G reccomended Album *****

Sadie Mae – the new album of Nick Moss & the Flip Tops – is certainly one of the finest Blues events of this summer. 75 minutes of open-mouthed listening. With more evidence than ever Nick Moss demonstrates how contemporary may sound the tradition-based Chicago Blues. More than that – though, in the liner note, he affirms not to be “trying to take blues to the next level”, – he does take the real, authentic Blues up to the level of classical music, where the words “old” and “new”, “now” and “then” loose their sense in the face of an everlasting beauty. A not to miss album for all Blues lovers. Even more for those who aren’t – these 75 minutes will make them change their mind. Don’t miss out. Flip the top down and let the wind blow there blues through your hair.

Blue Bella 2005 ****

Well, from top to bottom this is an elastic blues bouncing into a jazzy funky and then reverberating back into a fuzzy distortion that is almost as soothing as a running warm bath. This CD should keep you tuned and and wating from track to track. PLEASE TELL ME is one that just keeps wanting to play, it send positive vibes right in your earhole and travels down to your soul. This band has to be a fun time live as their album makes me want to keep checking the tour dates to see if I will get lucky this time around.

Artemis 2005 *****

With Sleepless, Peter Wolf strips away any pretense to fashion and warmly embraces the R&B, soul, and country blues that inspired his legend in the first place. Not that Wolf has strayed very far from those roots, either when fronting the J. Geils Band or in his rewarding solo career, but Sleepless presents the singer’s ethos at its most naked and warmly Dylanesque. Whether revisiting Otis Rush’s “Homework,” seasoning William Bell’s Stax track “Never Like This Before” with a dash of Muscle Shoals, palling around with the Glimmer Twins (Jagger on “Nothing but the Wheel”; Richards, along with Geils’s Magic Dick, on Sonny Boy Williamson’s feisty “Too Close Together”), or matching Steve Earle pick by pick on “Some Things You Don’t Want to Know,” it’s an album filled with a spirit of warm, fond remembrance. But more than mere love letters to his roots and heroes past, Wolf’s performances on collaborations with Will Jennings and other writers have a timeless, bittersweet edge that undercut his previous instinct for blues caricature to great effect. Some times it is hard to let go. This is a compelling testament why–and one of Wolf’s most memorable solo creations.
Artemis 2002

****

From the opening notes- sliding bass, subtle sax and spare (yet funky) drums, this CD grabs your hand, slips into your head, and takes hold of your soul. The opening title track- the first time I heard it- it’s one of my favorite songs by any group. When I heard Sandman had collapsed on stage, but not until he had handed in material for a full studio album, I was curious what his final musical accomplishment had been. From the moment I heard the titlesong “The Night”, it just struck me: this was some of the best Morphine had produced. Integrating the jazz-like sound of their first album with the catchy choruslines of Cure for Pain and topped with the experimental flavor of YES Morphine had proven to advance. “Top floor, Bottom buzzer” reminded me again of the some of the cure for pain songs. “Souvenir” struck me as a very jazzy song (especially the drumming), more like the songs on “Good”, but then with the improvement I have already been talking about. Then again, The Night also contains unique material like “Rope on Fire”. Never in my life I have heard a saxophone play this catchy eastern tune. Marvellous! In “Take me with You”, minimalism has been reduced with even backing vocals; but, I have to say, the combination of Sandman’s intriguing monotonic sound combined with more instruments (even orchestrated) and backing vocals is very nice to the ear.

To me, “the Night” is a Morphine classic with overall quality rising to the level of “Cure for Pain”, but with a sound which has evolved and grown. Sandman left us where he was best, in the sound of the Night. And to me, he saved the best for last.

ciao

******

Banco de Gaia has created a fantastic body of work, successfully blending world-beat sounds and styles with cutting edge technology. When you listen, you hear. There’s something in his music that can satisfy any taste. Whether you’re into rock, dance, prog, electronica, world, ambient, you’ll find something to dig here. You’ll groove to complex, intricate melodies over superbly crafted beats, crossing a variety of genres, to create sublime music, which most importantly, has emotion and soul. Disc 1 is more uptempo, Disc 2 more of the reflective, ambient dubby work…yet both put me in a place I want to be. This music is truly good for your ears as well as your soul.

*****

Widely known from his days in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Electric Flag and on Al Kooper’s Super Sessions, Bloomfield is often spoken of in the same breath as Clapton and Green. On this Album, Bloomfield pays tribute to some of his inspirations including; B.B. King,T-Bone Walker and Howlin’ Wolf. The second portion of this interesting album features Bloofield w/Woody Harris diving fingers first into the acoustic roots of the gospel blues. Fingerstyle pickin’ crossed w/a whining electric slide sounds like a ride I would take a turn on. Several informative narratives seperating masterful guitarship.

Kicking Mule/Fantasy 2004 *****

The album makes you feel like you have stepped right into Nowheresville, not knowing how you got there. A little weary and confused, by the end you don’t want to leave. Some tunes like Woman Driving…will lull you into a space comforting like a pillow.
Hard nosed rockrs like Dog Faced Boy and That’s not really Funny will put you in the mood to drive fast and smirk a cocky smirk at the folks that stare. You little punks think you own this town

EELS are odd no doubt but it is a friendly sort of queer.

Dreamworks 2002*****

If you’ve been looking for some new sound from the late 60’s- early 70’s acid rock, psychodelic scene…look no further. This cd brings you back…a la THE WHO. British and Beatlesque at moments, they feature horns, Hammonds and the works.

A Virgin Records release.. *****