The Slip began their career firmly entrenched in the jam band scene, but as time passed, members changed, and tastes within the group shifted, they evolved into a guitar-heavy indie rock band. Founded in the early '90s at the Tabor Academy, a New England boarding school, The Sliporiginated as a classic rock cover band featuring the Barr brothers: Brad Barr on guitar and vocals and Andrew Barron drums and percussion, as well as guitarist Jon Myers. After Brad's graduation in 1995, Andrew met up with bassistMarc Friedman in one of the school's jazz ensembles. WhenBrad returned from Colorado a year later, he began to play out with Myers, Friedman, and Andrew. Myers left the band, and the remaining trio enrolled at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, MA, but eventually dropped out to concentrate on playing professionally. By 1996, they self-released their debut album, From the Gecko, which was inspired by Miles Davis' seminal Bitches Brew. In the spring of 1999, Allman Brothers Banddrummer Butch Trucks saw the band in concert and signed them to his new Flying Frog Records imprint, which released Does in 2000. After signing to Rykodisc the following year, The Slip issuedAngels Come on Time -- which was recorded in Phish's barn -- in summer 2002.
The Slip's musical direction changed radically over the next few years, drawing on influences ranging from Can and U2 toBuilt to Spill and the Postal Service. A companion live set issued in 2003 on their own 216 Records, containing the albums Aliveacoustic and Alivelectric, reflected these changes. As they spent more time in their home studio, The Slip continued to move further away from their initial approach toward a more indie rock-inspired sound. In March 2005, the group began work on its fourth studio album with co-producer Mark Ellard; its first single, "Even Rats," was featured in the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero. The band performed throughout the spring of 2005 under the moniker Surprise Me Mr. Davis, featuring Nathan Moore on vocals and guitar; they also continued to perform -- sometimes in two-band shows along withApollo Sunshine -- using their original name of The Slip. Live at Lupo's, recorded live at a summer 2004 Rhode Island show, appeared in January 2005 before The Slip returned with a new full-length that showcased their new sound. Eisenhower was released in the fall of 2006 through Bar/None Records. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
The second Full Force album, 1986's Get Busy 1 Time! was recorded in three weeks. Some of the material does sound rushed, incomplete -- the songwriting almost always takes a back seat to the production -- but that's actually part of the set's charm. The un-fussy rawness suits the group, who are at their mischievous "the pavement to Jam and Lewis' penthouse" best here, though it goes without saying that nothing is quite as hot as their work on Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home." The whole set is entertaining -- charmingly mid-'80s, at worst -- and a minor treasure for beat freaks who can't get enough hard kick drums and burbling 808s. The Sony-affiliated Funky Town Grooves label reissued the album in 2010, adding six bonus tracks from the single releases. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Given that most independent rock bands inspired by the blues go out of their way to play as hard, heavy, and dramatically as possible, as if the goal was to drag Savoy Brown into the 21st century,Lonesome Shack are refreshingly subtle -- the band's touch is light and dynamic, with a clear appreciation of the virtue of open spaces and low-key grooves rather than Blueshammer-style overstatement. More Primitive is the work of a band that clearly worships at the altar of Junior Kimbrough, complete with languid but insistent guitar patterns and minimal rhythms that become hypnotic as they repeat themselves over the course of four or five minutes. Ben Todd's guitar work is about mood, not fretboard pyrotechnics, and the purposeful drift of the ten tracks on More Primitivecomes from Todd's picking, while bassist Luke Bergman and drummer Kristian Garrard thankfully also embrace a "less is more" aesthetic, laying out rhythms that are simple, measured, and unrelenting. Of course, the trouble is that hypnotic can be a good or a bad thing, and More Primitive is a bit of both. This trio puts enough weight behind "Head Holes" and "Big Ditch" that they wind into something that's both simple and truly absorbing, but on many of the other cuts, the momentum of the songs begins to wear down after a few minutes, and as a whole More Primitive sounds sleepy when it needs to sound minimal but determined. More Primitive is an album that would sound great at 3 A.M., but that's as much because it could help someone get to sleep as mesh with the mood of the middle of the night, and Lonesome Shack could play with just a bit more force and still honor the feel they're aiming for on these sessions. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Like the much loathed but brutally determined cockroach, the boogie never truly dies -- you may think it's been beaten into submission or forced into exile, but inevitably, somewhere, folks are getting good and greasy with their guitars and drums, and goosing those blues changes into something that can make you shake. The third full-length album from Lockport, New York's Handsome Jack, 2014's Do What Comes Naturally, confirms the band is part of a long and noble line of musicians determined to work a blues groove until it's properly funky, and their style and sound hark back to the late '60s and early '70s, when bands like this were a common sight at America's mid-sized rock venues. The blues is a wheel that had been invented long before anyone thought to reshape it into rock & roll, so it hardly seems fitting to complain that Handsome Jack is a bit short on originality -- they're mining a tradition, and Do What Comes Naturally digs solid ore from a deep vein. Jamison Passuite's vocals have the right amount of growl, Phil Allport's guitar and keyboard work is incisive without needless flash, and drummer Chad Salmeri and bassist Joe Verdonselli manage to keep the bottom end colorful and flowing without calling undue attention to themselves. The songs are rooted in the basic blues figures, but the band makes them effective with a loosely tight attack that's just dirty enough without pushing their raunch too hard. It's not difficult to find bands who do what Handsome Jack are up to here, but by remembering to emphasize the groove and easing back on the blues dude schtick, they've made Do What Comes Naturally into a celebration of laid-back but serious partying, and it'll make a fine soundtrack for your next celebration of the boogie. AMG.
listen here new link
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, and his Decoding Society of the 1980s, learned from the example of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time and were a logical extension of the group. They featured colorful and noisy ensembles; were not afraid of the influence of rock; and their rhythms were funky, loud, and unpredictable. Jackson played professionally in Texas with James Clay when he was 15. He moved to New York in 1966, where he worked with Byard Lancaster, Charles Mingus, Betty Carter, Stanley Turrentine, Jackie McLean, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Dorham, and most significantlyAlbert Ayler (1966-1967), among others. He took time off of the scene and then joined Ornette Coleman's Prime Time (1975-1979). Jackson also worked with Cecil Taylor (1978-1979) and James "Blood" Ulmer (1979-1980). The Decoding Society (formed in 1979), through the years, featured many talented and advanced improvisers, with the best-known ones being Vernon Reid, Zane Massey, Billy Bang, and Byard Lancaster. Jackson also played with the explosive group Last Exit(starting in 1986), and in the early '90s with Power Tools. Ronald Shannon Jackson's music is not for easy-to-offend ears. The drummer died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas on October 19, 2013 after battling leukemia; he was 73 years old. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
A superstar in his native Senegal, spiritual pop singer Baaba Maal was not even born to be a performer -- in West African culture, tradition dictates that the ancient griot caste must produce the singers and storytellers, and Maal was born in the city of Podor in 1953 into the fisherman's caste. Despite his parents' insistence that he become a lawyer, he grew up surrounded by music, absorbing both the traditional sounds of the region as well as American R&B and soul, later discovering jazz and blues. As a teen Maal moved to Dakar, joining the 70-piece orchestra Asly Fouta and teaming with his guitarist friend Mansour Seck to form the group Lasli Fouta; during the early '80s, the duo also spent several years in Paris, where they recorded the 1984 album Djam Leelii. Upon returning to Senegal, Maal formed the group Daande Lenol -- literally, "The Voice of the Race" -- and began honing a highly distinctive sound fusing traditional African music with elements of pop and reggae; in 1988 he issued the LP Wango, the first in a series of highly successful albums which also included 1991's Baayo, 1992's Lam Toro, and 1994's Firin' in Fouta. In 1998, Maalreleased Nomad Soul; the first recording on Chris Blackwell's new Palm Pictures label, it featured cameos by Brian Eno, Howie B., and others. Jombaajo appeared in 2000, followed by Missing You in 2001 and Television in 2009, all on Palm.
This is the album that introduced Baaba Maal's singular mix of traditional African rhythms and Western arrangements to the world. His third recording, Lam Toro bounds ahead of his previous two albums (which explored his folk roots), transforming Senegalese music with funky grooves and electrified melodies. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
The Black-Eyed Snakes draw their inspiration from the rawest of the raw electric Mississippi blues, as well as from a couple of less-apparent sources (Moby and the Fall?). Aside from the short and sweet closing ditty, "Cheerios on the Floor," It's the Black-Eyed Snakes wallows in abrasively distorted revivalist blues of the creepy and dark variety. Who would've expected Alan Sparhawk to sing, much less pen, a murderous tale about the consequences of adultery called "8-Inch Knife"? Chock-full of blues standards, modern covers, and plenty of original cautionary tales (it's been described as having Saturday night and Sunday morning rolled into one hotly visceral experience), the record could've failed to exceed the status of a silly one-off novelty. What saves it from that dire fate and heightens the expectations of a follow-up is the band's chemistry, attitude, and their ability to have fun with their audience. To wit, It's the Black-Eyed Snakes is enhanced with a Quicktime video of the band playing live at one of the seediest bars in Duluth. So if you've ever wanted to actually see Sparhawk banging his head to a thunderous washtub beat while howling over some of the dirtiest blues riffs this side of the Fat Possum roster, you're in luck. But be ready to have a good time; the Black Eyed Snakes are as sweaty and rowdy as a summer night on Beale Street, and about as crazy as a naked romp in a chicken coop. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
The Irish singer's solo debut opens with a perfectly conceived and executed cover of Maria McKee's "A Good Heart" that deservedly shot to number one on the United Kingdom charts. You'd think the distinctive quavering voice was created to sing that one song. The former Undertones frontman has a shot at songwriting with producer David A. Stewart, but wisely borrows numbers by Chrissie Hynde,Benmont Tench, and the Womack brothers. Veteran Eurythmics producer and guitarist Stewart and arranger Michael Kamen provide a fitting R&B backdrop for the headliner, who would not reach these heights again. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
If you want to know if a band really has the goods, one of the best tests is to simply have them set up in front of an audience and see if they can make the crowd move. After making a pair of solid studio albums, the Black Diamond Heavies demonstrate that they're just as good (actually, even better) laying out their high-test and hot-wired blues-rock in front of a roomful of fans on this set recorded during a gig in Covington, KY. Alive as Fuck easily lives up to its name, and if musically this doesn't add much at all to the formula this band staked out with their studio work, the sweat-soaked intensity of these performances seriously ups the ante in terms of energy and passion, and with this sort of music that makes a big difference. With just John Wesley Myers on keyboards and vocals, and Van Campbell on drums, the Black Diamond Heavies don't have much room to trick up their sound, andAlive as Fuck shows they don't need to -- the fuzzed-out blare of Myers' electric piano manages to cover the melodies with force and swagger, Campbell's splashy drumming fills up plenty of space while keeping the beat, and the rough, howling textures of Myers' vocals are tougher and more effective in a no-frills live setting. Johnny Walker and Reuben Glaser get this music down on tape with no fuss but plenty of presence, and if you ever wanted an inducement to check out the Black Diamond Heavies in person, Alive as Fuck makes it clear that a furiously rowdy good time is guaranteed with the price of admission, and until the band shows up in your town, this album will tide you over. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Recorded at the Mint in Los Angeles in November 1998, Shouting in Key showcases Taj Mahal in a live and electric set with the Phantom Blues Band. Starting off the proceedings with a lazy version of Bill Dogget's classic instrumental "Honky Tonk," the band proceeds to glide through the jazzy Latin-tinged instrumental "Sentidos Dulce," the "Give Me Some Lovin" takeoff "Aint That a Lot of Love," and the B-3 ballad "Woulda Coulda Shoulda." The eclectic pace for the remainder of the set incorporates folk, soul, and reggae, proving Taj Mahal and his band can achieve the combination effortlessly and sound like they had a good time doing it. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Symphony or Damn was an impressive comeback for Terence Trent d'Arby, pulling together the melodic songcraft of his debut and the conceptual ambitions of Neither Fish nor Flesh. TTD's Vibratorfollows the same pattern of Symphony or Damn. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
Released a week before his 61st birthday, Brian Auger's return to recording under the aegis of the Oblivion Express marks both a look back at his heyday and a continuance of his style of music. That style is a species of soul-jazz familiar from the 1960s and leading into the funky jazz-rock fusion of the early '70s. Indeed, four of the album's ten selections are remakes of songs drawn from Auger's back catalog: "Isola Natale" from his debut album Open (1967); "Indian Rope Man" from Streetnoise (1968); "Voices of Other Times" from Closer to It! (1973); and "Never Gonna Come Down" from Happiness Heartaches (1977). Whether originals or covers, the new recordings testify to Auger's jazz influences, often overtly -- the Latin-styled piano/organ excursion "Victor's Delight" is dedicated to Victor Feldman, while Marcus Miller's "Splatch" is borrowed from Miles Davis' Tutu album. The all-new edition of the Oblivon Express heard on the album is a family affair, with Auger's son Karma playing drums and producing and daughter Savannah singing on eight tracks, augmented by guitarist Chris Clermontand bass player Dan Lutz. Nearly 40 years into Auger's career, they make for what is virtually a repertory band devoted to a musical style that old fans will recall fondly, so that they can play this album alongside the CD reissues of the keyboard player's vintage recordings. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
The Hugh Hopper Band has been the ex-Soft Machine bassist's most fusion-oriented outfit of the 1990s. Carousel was the band's second release for the Cuneiform label (the first was Meccano Pelorus in 1991, but they also recorded for Ponk and Voiceprint) and their first and only studio venture. The album opens with a very straightforward number, "Shuffle Demons," maybe Hopper's most mainstream composition ever. The reggae feel of "Sinister Toilet" pursues in the same positive direction. Guitarist Patrice Meyer contributes one of the most interesting pieces, "Carousel": out of chaos rises a cyclic riff sped up and constantly transposed into a higher register, giving the impression of a carousel turning faster and faster. Things get freer and darker on two collective improvisations, but the overall feeling of the album is best epitomized by "Lock, Stock and Barrel": it starts on an almost fanfare-like theme that eventually leaves to make room for a swinging tune with Caribbean overtones and an inspired solo by guest trombonist Robert Jarvis. Carousel is a "feel-good" fusion album. Nothing is very complicated, the licks stay catchy, but the result lacks the intensity found in Hopper-eraSoft Machine or the bassist's later project Hughscore. It might be Hopper's most accessible release. AMG.
listen here
Buy @ Amazon:
USA
-
FR
-
UK
