Dwight Yoakam Brighter Days 2024

In 1993, Dwight Yoakam made one of the best records ever, This Time. And not just country records, but best records ever, period. Every song, every note, every lyric, just about pure perfection. I followed his work for a while after that one, and I liked Gone 1995, and A Long Way Hone 1997. I even liked his covers record, Under The Covers 1997.

The ones before 1993 were all solid, and many critics and fans rave about the first three, and well, I liked those too. In this century he has made plenty of competent records, all with some great songs, but none quite reaching the perfection of his work in the mid-nineties. But they come mighty close, and he's made more solid records than most artists in any genre. His Bakersfield-inspired country/rock and his authentic vocal twang have stood the test of time, and his songwriting is impressive and mostly consistent.

Now, after an eight year hiatus comes Brighter Days, and if I may say so, it lives up to the name. The record storms out of the gate with Wide Open Heart. The lead single I'll Pay The Price is a Bakersfield beauty filled with melancholic hope. Other highlights include the sad California Sky, stomping Can't Be Wrong, hokey I Spell Love, the optimistic title track, a cover of the Byrd's Time Between (he has a knack for finding great songs to cover), a rocking version of Keep On The Sunny Side, and the "save the last dance for me" sentiment of Every Night, which rocks the record to a close. There aren't really any weak songs. With fourteen tracks, you'd almost expect some filler, but instead the songs just display all the various aspects of his talent. 

He never really went away, but he's back. 

Eva Cassidy I Can Only Be Me 2023, Walkin' After Midnight 2024

I wrote about Eva Cassidy before, covering her Live At Blues Alley and the 2015 expansion of that record, Nightbird. In the Blues Alley review, I also discussed the many posthumous records released after her untimely death, all of which contain moments of beauty, and none of which would have seen the light of day had she lived (except for Eva By Heart, which was almost complete before her demise). While she has her fans in America, she is rabidly adored in the UK and parts of Northern Europe, where she has had far more sales success than in the US. Oddly, her posthumous records have sold better than her finest hour, the original Live At Blues Alley.

I Can Only Be Me is previously recorded vocals (isolated with AI technology) with The London Symphony Orchestra providing the orchestral backgrounds. It is pretty, and the orchestrations are lush and complement her singing quite well. But all of the vocals heard here are previously released, and her voice is the show. While orchestrated versions may well appeal to some of her fans, there's really nothing new here. 

Walkin' After Midnight is actually material that has not been previously released. It was recorded thirty years ago at the Maryland Inn’s King of France Tavern in Annapolis. Without her usual full band, only bassist Chris Biondo and guitarist Kieth Grimes, along with guest violinist Bruno Nasta accompany Ms. Cassidy and her acoustic guitar. Most of the songs were also performed just two months later for the Live At Blues Alley session, but these casual arrangements are unique to her body of work. Her cover of ZZ Hill’s Down Home Blues is a song not previously released by Cassidy, as is her version of Desperado, which is a live recorded vocal isolated from a different performance with a new piano and organ backing provided by former bandmate Lenny Williams. The stripped down band lets Cassidy's vocals shine, and the addition of violin makes for a different twist on some of the songs. Cassidy is in particularly fine voice and the recording is very good. Cassidy herself didn't want to release Blues Alley because she had a cold the night it was recorded (you can't tell), but she's certainly healthy here. Compared to most of her tossed-together posthumous records, at least this one is from one show (almost), and it is a worthy addition to her catalog.

While I have not always been happy about the way her legacy has been milked by her family, I absolutely recognize her as an amazing talent, an astounding voice coupled with heartfelt interpretations, and an impeccable taste in songs to cover from a broad spectrum of genres. Live At Blues Alley remains an essential addition to any collection, and either or both of these will find an audience among her fans.

Overlooked Gems

Katie Love's Ready Or Not from 2015 is a pure pop/soul gem. According to her Facebook page, it was pressed on vinyl. It's really fine, along the lines of a Canadian Duffy, with less bombast. Every song is a winner. There were some country singles that predate this record by Katie Love Hess that I think are the same person. 

Another lesser-known but solid record is Boomtown (1986) from David + David, who were David Baerwald and David Rickets. The record is full of well-crafted classic rock ala Springsteen, examining hard times, isolation and urban decay. The record reached 39 on the Billboard charts. Both Davids later contributed to Cheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club (1993), with Baerwald one of the primary guitarists.

Splinter were a power pop duo who's debut, The Place I Love (1974) was the first release from George Harrison's dark Horse Records. Harrison produced, played guitar, and brought in an all-star supporting cast to make a lovely Badfinger-like beauty.  They went on to record at least four more records, and two of them are available for streaming in addition to this knockout.

April Smith and the Great Picture Show released Songs For A Sinking Ship in 2010. Highlights include Colors, Terrible Things, and Can't Say No, but the whole record is big fun. Several songs were used on TV shows. Colors was used in a memorable commercial for Valspar paint. Smith has a big brassy voice, the band is talented, and they put on a great show, which I was fortunate enough to see. Sort of old-timey, vaudevillian window dressing on some quality pop songs.

Christian Cuff's Chalkboard (2010) is just one of the best folk/rock singer-songwriter records you haven't heard. His first record was a simple guitar and voice affair, but they went all out for the follow-up (both are available streaming). Keyboards, bass, guitar, drums, harmonica, woodwinds, trumpet, baritone horn, and string quartet are all used generously to broaden the palette and make this record special. The arrangements are top notch. Not to be missed. 

Any one of these will make you happy to find a lost gem. Five very different records, you're almost bound to love at least one of them.

Louis Cole nothing 2024

In my Best of 2024 post, I described this record as "Jazz fusion/pop/funk/electronic/orchestral music" and believe it or not, that is accurate.

Cole made this record over a period of three years, mostly recording live with the Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley during three or more live performances in 2022 and 2023. The orchestra was also recorded in a studio session in 2021, and there are several vocal and instrumental overdubs, but it's mostly live. In addition to the orchestra, there's Cole's remarkable drumming, synth and vocals and a small rock band of bass, guitar, keyboards, and saxophone, plus six vocalists in chorus (including Cole's longtime musical partner Genevieve Artardi).  The record took six months for Cole to mix, combining different takes and merging multiple orchestra recordings in to a whole. There's a lot going on.

The record opens with Ludovici Cole Est Frigus, a lovely modern classical overture. Things Will Fall Apart follows, and it is a funky rock tune with Cole's falsetto vocals and hot drums, and orchestral backing. I should note here that all but two of the songs feature the orchestra either prominently or in the  background, and those two are short Cole solo pieces. So if I don't mention the orchestra, they are always there. Life is next, and it's a fast pop song with vocals and crazy hot playing. It Always Passes is a slow, charming orchestral piece.

Cruisin' For P, a highlight, is a big band jazz that swings, featuring just the brass and woodwinds of the orchestra. It has a swell piano solo and Cole's outstanding drumming, always fast and busy. The rock of A Pill In The Sea shows off the band, the vocal chorus in a quieter middle section, and then returns to rockingly with a wild synth break. nothing, the title track, is an airy, ethereal orchestral piece that is lovely. Who Cares 1 is all Cole on multiple instruments, a pulsating alt-rock gem. Who Cares 2 is sort of the same song, but with Cole's drums and voice, the vocal chorus, and a big dramatic orchestra section. It sounds like an odd mix, but it works. I could say that about the entire record.

And that's just the half of it. Wizard Funk opens side three, and it's another brass and woodwinds only funky big band jazz that has a lilting, almost calliope-like sound in parts. Weird Moments is aptly titled, with fast drums, choral voices, and horn blasts, all amidst experimental orchestral funk. Soft vocal and orchestra fill High Five, while a sweet melody and and fine synth break highlight These Dreams Are Killing Me. On Shallow Laughter: Bitches, lilting strings and vocal are followed by funky drums and a wild dual sax and synth break.

Let It Happen is an ethereal, chant-like, drums, vocal and orchestra piece. The 11 minute Doesn't Matter is modern orchestral melodic melancholy that builds slowly with simple, fetching melodies.  Finally, the gentle solo piano of You Belong puts a tender coda on the whole affair. Then you can sit and ponder what you just heard.

It works as a singular piece of modern stylistic potpourri for those who still have the attention span to listen to music for an hour straight. If the description above has put you off this music, I have performed a disservice. Cole's writing for orchestra is melodic and easy to digest. This isn't atonal, challenging orchestral music, even if it is modern. His funk/pop/rock is fast and fun. It really is a unique, enjoyable musical experience, and that is pretty darn rare these days. It deserves to be heard, and if you have any kind of open mind, you'll be glad you gave it a try.

Todd Snider Trouble 1994

Todd Snider is a brilliant and successful songwriter and performer who can pen humorous songs as well as heartbreak and serious social commentary. His snarky satire is almost always spot on. He's been cranking out solid, critically acclaimed records for 30 years. Sometimes there's a band, sometimes it's just him and a guitar.

From his 1994 debut Songs for the Daily Planet, here's Todd with one of my favorite cheatin' songs, with the prefect line "A woman like you walks into a place like this, You can almost hear the promises break".

You're gonna get me into trouble

I knew it right off the bat

You're gonna get me into trouble

If you keep lookin' like that

Well, I may be alone, but there's someone at home

I just know I'm makin' a mistake

A woman like you walks in a place like this

You can almost hear the promises break

You're gonna make me need an alibi

You're gonna make me have to watch my back

You're gonna make me have to tell a bunch of lies

You're gonna make me have to cover my tracks

Well, I told her I wouldn't, I thought I couldn't

Now I'm so ashamed

When I look at you, that's all that I can do

To think about what's-her-name

You're gonna get me into trouble

I knew it right off the bat

You're gonna get me in trouble

If you keep lookin' like that

Don't look like that, baby...no, no, no, no

You're gonna mix my emotions

And you're gonna tangle my net

You're gonna make me do somethin'

That I'm afraid I won't regret

I may be alone, but there's someone at home

I just know I'm makin' a mistake

A woman like you walks in a place like this

You can almost hear the promises break

You're gonna get me in trouble

You're gonna get me into trouble

You know you're gonna get me, you know you're gonna get me,

You know you're gonna get me in trouble, now don't ya?

Lonnie Mack The Wham of That Memphis Man! 1963

Like there could actually be someone who invented blues/rock guitar soloing. Well, if anyone should get credit for such an honor, it's Lonnie Mack. His debut album from 1963 shows off his impressive skills both on guitar and as a fine soul singer. 

Instrumentals Wham!, Memphis, Bounce, Down and Out, Down in the Dumps, and Susie-Q all feature killer, absolutely super hot guitar. And not just a phrase here or there, but extended solos. Hot licks on Baby What's Wrong and Why, coupled with Mack's blue-eyed soul vocals make for some genuinely rocking soul/blues. Where There's A Will, Satisfied, and I'll Keep You Happy all feature his impressive vocals as well as fine saxophone solos. There isn't a weak track.

Guitar really wasn't played this way before Mack did it. Ok, there were the Ventures, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, and other rock instrumentalists, and plenty of guitar solos by guys like Ike Turner and James Burton, but the blending of blues and rock in more than four-bar, extended solos was unique to Mack. Not only his guitar, but his soulful singing put him in a category with very few white singers.

That's why Jimmy Guterman in his 1992 book The Best Rock 'N' Roll Records of All Time put this record at number 16. Admittedly Guterman's is an unusual and somewhat controversial list, but this record clearly deserves more praise than it typically receives, and it's a pure joy to hear.

The list of accolades on the Lonnie Mack Wikipedia entry is impressive. I like this quote from Duane Allman, "Now, [in 1963], there was a popular song on the radio called 'Memphis'—an instrumental by Lonnie Mack. It was the best guitar-playing I'd ever heard. All the guitar-players were [saying] 'How could anyone ever play that good? That's the new bar. That's how good you have to be now."

Nick Lowe Indoor Safari 2024

Nick Lowe made four excellent "crooning" records between 1998 and 2011. They were fine outings each one, and established a distinguished late career revival. Lowe toured these records mostly solo and those shows were killer, and of course he did a few of his earlier hits as well. In 2013 he made the unusually good holiday record Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family. When he toured the record he began his association with Los Straightjackets, and a live album from the tour was released in 2015. There was also a hot live record (download only) Live at the Haw River Ballroom in 2020, again with Los Straightjackets. It is super good. Check it out.

Los Straightjackets have returned Lowe to some of the rockabilly of his early outfit Rockpile, and they can play just about any style. Eddie Angel is a wonderful guitar player and Chris Sprague stands out behind the drum kit. They have brought back the rocking to Lowe's performances. It's not the basher of old, but there's energy that those 1998-2011 records lacked. 

Between 2018-2020, most of the songs on Indoor Safari were released as singles and EPs. There's only two songs here that haven't been previously released in some form, but most have been newly rerecorded for this record. And what a swell record it is. Lowe is still in laid back mode, but with Los Straightjackets things are going to rock, and that they do. Lowe has written a bunch of great songs, as usual, with good melodies and hooky chorusses, and his singing is his not-so-secret weapon. There's only one slow ballad, the lovely Different Kind of Blue, and the rest swings and pops and rocks.

Standouts include Raincoat In The River, an old Ricky Nelson song, and Bert Bacharach and Hal David's Blue On Blue, first recorded by Bobby Vinton in 1963. Lowe's humorous Went To A Party, sad Love Starvation, the bad girl can't be resisted Jet Pack Boomerang, and rockabilly Toyko Bay are highlights. An unusually happy Lay It On Me, the lyrical twist of Don't Be Nice To Me, and especially the play that sad song one more time of Trombone show Lowe working his talented pen, and Los Straightjackets keeping the backbeat coming. There isn't a clunker in the set. Every Eddie Hazel lead guitar break is perfect. 

Lowe has never made any bad records, and since the career standout The Impossible Bird in 1994, he's been on a thirty-year hot streak. 

I did a career overview here.