LEON RUSSELL-ON A DISTANT SHORE

I have a fascination with the final albums of great artists-for example, Warren Zevon’s The Wind, Johnny Cash’s Ain’t No Grave, Bowie’s Blackstar and Leonard Cohen’s You Want it Darker. Something about the strength of the songwriting (if not the performance) when the artist knows time is short is compelling to me.

On the growing list of farewell albums by dying rockers, Leon Russell's contribution – recorded months before his November 2016 passing – may be the most unflinching yet.

Russell seemed to know he was on borrowed time when writing the album that would prove to be his last ("Sounds like a funeral for some person here/And I might be the one").

Paradoxically, though, the soul-rock icon hasn't sounded so alive in years as he poignantly circles his musical bases one last time.

Thankfully, Russell’s career had recently been resurrected by his 2010 collaboration with Elton John, which gave him exposure in his final years.

Most fans should find this disc to be a necessary addition to their collection.

TODD RUNDGREN-SEER

Did you know Todd Rundgren envisioned our current media landscape -- in 1978? 

In a backstage interview from the late '70s, the legendary guitarist and producer held court on the tectonic shifts of industry that computers would eventually bring.

"Computer technology and storage is moving at such a revolutionary pace," Rundgren said, "The people behind computers know that computers are a happening thing, and are going to be applicable in all areas. Computers are coming on so heavy that nobody's going to bother with this intermediate technology," he continued, referencing cable television.

"The economic structure will shift itself. You'll no longer go out and buy permanently recorded things, because, eventually, they do one of two things -- they wear out, or you wear out. You get tired of them and don't want them anymore."

While Rundgren may have gotten it backwards -- "I don't think people who make records have as much to worry about as people who run television networks" -- he was still spot-on about the future of the music industry (and Netflix), 37 years ago.

ANOTHER LOOK: RANDY JACKSON'S CHINA RAIN

Fans of the hard rock band Zebra may have missed this release from frontman Randy Jackson, featuring songs co-written with Mark Slaughter and Jack Ponti.

The sound is a lot more 80's "hair metal" than the Zebra debut, but it is a solid effort, and sadly, since this came out right around the time that Seattle turned the music biz on it's ear, it went unnoticed.

Now out of print and hard to find, I thought the disc warranted another listen.

I have a copy of this rare title for sale HERE

RIP TOM PETTY

One of my personal favorite musicians, Tom Petty, the rocker best known as the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, is dead at 66.

The legendary musician suffered a full cardiac arrest and was found unconscious and not breathing in his Malibu home Sunday night. He was taken to UCLA Santa Monica Hospital and put on life support.

Petty rose to fame in the 1970s with his band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The group put out several hits, including "American Girl," "Free Fallin'," "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," "Breakdown," "Listen to Her Heart" and more. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Though Petty and his band debuted their first self-titled record in 1976, they continued to perform over the past four decades. Petty played his last show last Monday, performing three sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl to conclude their 40th anniversary tour. The band wrote on their website that the tour included 53 shows in 24 states.

ANOTHER LOOK: NEAL MORSE "MOMENTUM"

With the release of "Momentum," Neal Morse seemed to find the right mix of progressive music and his spiritual message-mainstream enough for rock fans without selling his ministry short.

"You've got some new momentum, you better keep on going" is the tag line of the title track, and with this album and its follow-up (The Grand Experiment), Morse created a pair of releases that deserve to be heard.

If you are looking for the deluxe edition with the DVD, I have a copy for sale on eBay HERE

RIP CHARLES BRADLEY

Late-blooming soul singer Charles Bradley died Saturday in Brooklyn. He was 68.

Bradley was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which spread to his liver, according to NPR.

Bradley released his debut album "No Time For Dreaming" at 62, with the 1960s soul revival label, Daptone Records.

"Charles was truly grateful for all the love he's received from his fans and we hope his message of love is remembered and carried on," a statement from the record label read.

Bradley performed between odd jobs throughout most of his life. 

He moved back to New  York’s Brooklyn borough in his 40s and was singing as a James Brown impersonator known as Black Velvet when he was discovered by the record label.

"It took 62 years for somebody to find me," Bradley told NPR when his first album was released. "But I thank God. Some people never get found."

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

Anthony Mendelson had an idea.

He got a team and raised some money and went on Kickstarter, where he asked for 300k and got nearly a million.

And that's when the hard part started. Not only did they have to design and manufacture the product, they had to make a deal with Spotify!

The streaming giant said yes, and the rest is history.

Enter The Mighty.

So why buy The Mighty when you can use your phone, you ask?

Maybe you don't want to carry your phone around for every activity, like if you want to jog or ski or hike or bicycle. Phones now cost upwards of $500, are heavy and easily broken.

The Mighty is tiny and water resistant, and the next iteration will be waterproof.

The Mighty is roughly the same size, shape, weight and price as an iPod shuffle.

The Mighty lets you store your Spotify music off-line so you can listen even when there is no cell or wi-fi signal, and from what I have read, set-up is seamless.

You download the app, go through the prompts, and The Mighty works, right out of the box.

You go through the prompts, and then you can synch playlists. You can't shuffle the songs in those playlists, not yet, but you push a button and a voice comes on to tell you you've switched to the next playlist, its name is spoken.

The rest is intuitive. Forward and backward buttons, up and down volume buttons, and a pause/play button at the center.

You can use Bluetooth or wired headphones, and you charge the unit through the headphone jack with a USB cord.

For a first generation product, The Mighty sounds pretty impressive.

To be sure, there have been a few minor glitches. 

You cannot shuffle quite yet, although it's coming, as is voice control, in version 2.

Spotify saw the future of how people would consume music.

Mighty saw the future of how people would take Spotify on the go.

And I sit looking at a room full of CD’s and wonder how this all happened so fast!

ANOTHER LOOK: BAD LUCK STREAK IN DANCING SCHOOL

Back in the day there were rumours that Warren Zevon was working on a concerto for strings, and snippets from it appeared on his third Elektra/Asylum album, "Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School."

First gaining success as a songwriter with superstars like Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon struck gold, or rather platinum with Excitable Boy. This was his follow-up, and it gave him a space on the charts again thanks to his remake of The Yardbirds hit "A Certain Girl."

For me, the string interludes do not add to my enjoyment of the album, but there are some killer songs here, including a rewrite (co-write) of a tune Springsteen started but never recorded, "Jeannie Needs a Shooter." I have always wondered what Springsteen's version of this song would've sounded like.

It amazes me that this record is out of print, as it is an essential part of the soundtrack of my life. 

While his first record, while not as commercially successful, is certainly his high water mark, I thought this effort was every bit as good as the second.

I have an extra copy for sale on Amazon if anyone is interested.

CHARLIE FAYE AND THE FAYETTES (I AM ASKING FOR READER SUPPORT)

Last summer, I did a post  about a new record that got its inspiration from the 1960's girl group sound. 

Quite a few of you reacted favorably to the sample tracks, and I am going to give you a chance to put your money where your keyboard is and become a backer of the on their follow-up.

Charlie Faye and the Fayettes hail from Austin, but the album had more in common with the Ronettes than Stevie Ray Vaughan. The album charted on Billboard's Americana chart, and the band did some touring, and now they are getting ready to head back into the studio, but they need your help.

I am hoping those of you who reacted favorably last year would consider pledging the new record. 

Heck, if money's tight, a measly $10 gets you the download. $10 bucks-that's like buying a girl a drink at a bar.

A $16 pledge gets you a CD and a download. $16 bucks-that's a home delivery pizza. Can you play a pizza in the CD player in your car? No! What does that tell you?

$21 gets you a signed CD and a download. You can pretend you're buying all three girls a drink for $21 and they'll even mail you a CD! When's the last time someone in a bar did that for you?

If you commented you knew someone who liked the girl group sound, maybe you'd consider doing the pledge as a gift to that someone.


Here's the link to the pledge campaign-this one is for real-the band needs the support.

I started this blog years ago to help up and coming bands get exposure. 

Over the years I have gotten a lot of comments that people might check the band I featured out-this time I'm asking you to really do it.

For selfish reasons-I want the new record to come out. I pledged for a signed CD.

This band needs the exposure, and every little bit will help.

Whaddya say?

Here's that link again!

VINYL RECORDS WILL NOT STAY DEAD

Almost three decades after the format was declared dead, Sony will resume the manufacture of vinyl records in Japan.

Sony Music is preparing to make its own vinyl records again in Japan, in another sign that albums are back from the brink of being obsolete. The company says it's installing record-cutting equipment and enlisting the help of older engineers who know how to reproduce the best sound.

Vinyl sales have seen a resurgence since around 2008. And while records are still a small part of the market, the fact that in 2016, "a format nearly a century old generated 3.6 percent of total global revenues is remarkable," as NPR's Andrew Flanagan has reported.

Years of double-digit growth in record sales have left vinyl press plants in the U.S., Japan and elsewhere struggling to meet demand. Sony's plan reportedly includes the possibility that it will press records on contract.

As the creator of the Walkman and a co-developer of the CD format, Sony helped to end the era of vinyl albums. 

Fans of vinyl cite the rich sound it provides and say album art and liner notes give them a more tangible sense of connection to the music they love.

At the end of 2016, sales of vinyl records outpaced digital music sales for the first time in the U.K.

A niche market for sure, but the reports of the death of the vinyl LP have been greatly exaggerated.

Read the full article here

STREAMING IS THE FUTURE

Although I have always felt that streaming made more sense with video, there seems to be little question that streaming will replace media ownership.

Netflix has risen to dominate video in two decades (the service was started in 1997 with the DVD by mail service and streaming was introduced in 2007).

Will Spotify do the same with music? Although much is made about their current earnings picture (a loss), I wonder what Netflix financials looked like in a similar point in their history.

The change is happening.

Millennials do not seem to want the clutter that we boomers are famous for.

Or maybe they just figure that after I kick the bucket, all of the millennial generation can divvy up my CD collection.

RIP RAMBLIN' MAN (GREGG ALLMAN)

Gregg Allman, the singer, musician and songwriter who played an essential role in the invention of Southern rock, died Saturday afternoon, May 27, at the age of 69.

Allman struggled with chronic liver issues over the past several years.

Although Allman claimed the term was redundant, the singer-keyboardist helped create the first great "Southern-rock" group as co-founder of the legendary Allman Brothers Band alongside his older brother, famed guitarist Duane Allman. 

The Allmans fused country blues with San Francisco-style extended improvisation, with their sound creating a template for countless subsequent jam bands. 

LIVE AND LET DIE (RIP ROGER MOORE)

Roger Moore, the dapper British actor who brought tongue-in-cheek humor to the James Bond persona in seven films, eclipsing his television career, which had included starring roles in at least five series, died on Tuesday in Switzerland. He was 89.

Mr. Moore had the longest run in the Bond role, beginning in 1973 with “Live and Let Die” and winding up in 1985 with “A View to a Kill.”

When he became 007, the author Ian Fleming’s sexy secret agent with a license to kill, Mr. Moore was already well known to American audiences, having replaced the departing James Garner in the fourth season of “Maverick.”

From 1962 to 1969, Mr. Moore was Simon Templar, the title character of “The Saint,” a wildly popular British series about an adventurous, smooth-talking thief. It did so well in syndication in America that NBC adopted it for its prime-time schedule from 1967 to 1969.

After surrendering the Bond role to Timothy Dalton, Mr. Moore appeared in a half-dozen largely unexceptional movies, made a few television appearances and did voice work in animated films. 

Mostly, however, he turned his attention elsewhere, becoming a Unicef good-will ambassador in 1991. 

He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1999 and was knighted in 2003.

RIP CHRIS CORNELL

Chris Cornell, the dynamic singer whose band Soundgarden was one of the architects of grunge music, died on Wednesday night in Detroit after the band had earlier performed there. He was 52.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said the death was a suicide by hanging. It said a full autopsy had not yet been completed.

Soundgarden played at the Fox Theater in Detroit on Wednesday night, and it had been scheduled to perform in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday at the Rock on the Range festival.

Mr. Cornell helped form Soundgarden in Seattle, and Sub Pop, then a fledgling record label, released the group’s first single, “Hunted Down,” in 1987, as well as two subsequent EPs. The group’s debut album, “Ultramega OK,” came a year later.

The album “Badmotorfinger,” released in 1991, benefited from a swell of attention that was beginning to surround the Seattle scene, where Soundgarden, along with Nirvana and Pearl Jam, were playing a high-octane, high-angst brand of rock ’n’ roll.

Soundgarden’s musical journeys tended toward the knotty and dark, plunging into off-kilter meters and punctuated by Mr. Cornell’s voice, which could quickly shift from a soulful howl to a gritty growl.

Three of Soundgarden’s studio albums have been certified platinum, including “Superunknown,” from 1994, which featured “Black Hole Sun,” “Fell on Black Days,” “Spoonman” and “My Wave.”

Mr. Cornell acknowledged in interviews that he had struggled with drug use throughout his life. In a 1994 Rolling Stone article, he described himself as a “daily drug user at 13” who had quit by the time he turned 14.

After Soundgarden disbanded in 1997, a breakup that would last for more than a decade, Mr. Cornell returned to heavy drug use, telling The Guardian in 2009 that he was a “pioneer” in the abuse of the opiate OxyContin and that he had gone to rehab.

RIP ALLAN HOLDSWORTH

Somehow I missed this last week...

Allan Holdsworth, a self-taught guitarist whose protean, virtuosic style was a source of amazement even to his more famous peers, died of a heart attack on Saturday at his home in Vista, Calif. He was 70.

Mr. Holdsworth forged a relentlessly exploratory approach to harmony, which he brought to bear on both the guitar and the SynthAxe, a guitarlike synthesizer that allowed him added control over his tone and flow. He had his own vocabulary of unorthodox chords, often involving far reaches across the fretboard. As a soloist, he executed lightning-fast melodies with remarkable fluidity.

Mr. Holdsworth played in a number of seminal ensembles throughout the 1970s, including the Tony Williams Lifetime, Soft Machine and U.K., but he never seemed to arrive at any band’s moment of peak popularity, or to stick around long enough to accrue a major following.

Sadly, Mr. Holdsworth’s financial situation was not good at the time of his death, but a crowdfunding campaign to cover pioneering guitarist Allan Holdsworth‘s funeral expenses has been closed after just three days, with thousands of fans chipping in to raise nearly six times the target amount.

A family friend sought to help defray the looming financial burden of laying him to rest by launching a GoFundMe campaign asking for $20,000. That goal was met within hours; by the time it hit the three-day mark, more than $114,000 had come in.

Understandably overwhelmed, Holdsworth’s children Louise, Emily, and Sam have passed along a message to fans, writing that in the midst of the “never-ending nightmare” of their father’s passing, they’ve been overcome with “emotions and gratitude” in response to the campaign. “Without all of the love and support we have received we would be completely lost,” reads the note. “We are doing our best to fulfill the wishes of our beloved father.”

Adding that they plan to put together a public memorial for Holdsworth after laying him to rest in a private ceremony, the message thanks donors for “the huge stress that has been lifted from our shoulders” and notes their reasons for ending the campaign early, concluding, “We have decided, as a family, to close the GoFundMe campaign. It has more than exceeded its purpose. We cannot express our gratitude to you all enough, it has been overwhelming.”

Holdsworth fans who still want to make a contribution in his honor are urged to donate to their local pitbull rescue organization. 

As the Holdsworth children joked, “We often teased him that Daisy, our pit mix, was actually his favorite child.”

IT'S 4:20 SOMEWHERE

R.I.P. JAY GEILS

John Warren Geils Jr., better known as J. Geils, the guitarist of the the J. Geils Band, was found dead in his home in Groton, Massachusetts Tuesday. He was 71. 

According to Groton Police, "a preliminary investigation indicates that Geils died of natural causes."

"At approximately 4 p.m., Groton Police responded to a home on Graniteville Road for a well-being check," Groton Police said in a statement. "Upon arrival to the house, police located a man who was unresponsive. He was declared dead at the scene ... The Groton Police Department is investigating the death, as is standard procedure in all unattended deaths, however foul play is not suspected at this time."

The J. Geils Band released a slew of albums during the Seventies and early Eighties. With vocalist Peter Wolf at the helm, the band became best known for singles like "Centerfold," "Love Stinks," "Come Back" and "Freeze-Frame," which have since become rock radio mainstays.

On Facebook, Wolf shared a short message about his former bandmate, writing, "Thinking of all the times we kicked it high and rocked down the house! R.I.P. Jay Geils."

Formed in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1967, the J. Geils Band became fast local favorites and released their self-titled debut in 1970. They broke through on the Billboard 200 in 1973 with their record Bloodshot, and over the course of the next decade honed a sound that blended blues rock, R&B, soul and pop. 

During the Seventies, the J. Geils Band would release eight studio albums and two live records while touring relentlessly – but they wouldn't hit their commercial peak until the beginning of the next decade.

In 1980, the J. Geils Band released Love Stinks, their first platinum-selling record, while the following year they notched a Number One with their 12th album Freeze-Frame. 

That album featured the group's only chart-topping hit, "Centerfold," while its title track also reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

However, the band began to fall apart in the aftermath of its success. Wolf did not appear on the J. Geils Band's final album, 1984's You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd. 

The J. Geils Band officially split in 1985. Outside of the J. Geils Band, Geils remained busy as a musician. In the mid-Nineties, he released two albums with his band Bluestime and during the 2000s, he returned to his jazz roots with three solo records. 

Rest in peace, Jay!

R.I.P. PAUL O'NEILL

Paul O'Neill, the producer/composer/lyricist who founded the progressive metal band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, has died at 61.

University of South Florida police spokeswoman Renna Reddick told The Associated Press that O'Neill was found dead in his room by hotel staff at a Tampa Embassy Suites late Wednesday afternoon.

Reddick said there were no obvious signs of foul play, and a medical examiner is working to determine an official cause.

The band said in a statement on Facebook that O'Neill died from a "chronic illness." The band described itself as devastated by his death.

"The entire Trans-Siberian Orchestra family, past and present, is heartbroken to share the devastating news that Paul O’Neill has passed away from chronic illness. He was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul. This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all. We ask that you respect Paul’s family’s privacy now."

SOLOW

Dan Baird is best known for his hits "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" in 1986 with the Georgia Satellites and "I Love You Period" in 1992 as a solo artist. 

He is often credited as a pioneer in cowpunk and alt-country music, which combines elements of rock music, country music, outlaw country, and punk rock.

In between some excellent music from his Dan Baird and Homemade Sin project, Baird gives us SoLow, playing every instrument himself (except drums played by Brad Pemberton), which explains the title (sound it out).

The most common themes on the record are aging and death.

"All aboard the cemetery train... let's drive it right into the ground”

"They say these are the golden years, but I have my doubts... my heroes are passing... pretty soon I'm going to do the same."

Dan has made a career playing boogie blues guitar riffs and this record is no exception, although often the guitar riffs are stronger and the melodies more memorable than previous outings. 

Hooks are in abundance, and in a perfect world, all would be huge hits on radio. 

It is not a perfect world, and Baird has remained a virtual unknown in the US since the early 1990’s.

You can be in on the secret-here's a song on SoundCloud.

And here's a video from You Tube:

KNIGHT OF THE RUND(GREN) TABLE

Todd Rundgren has unveiled official details about his upcoming studio album, White Knight, and as the acclaimed singer/songwriter told ABC Radio a few months ago, the record is packed with guest collaborations.

Among the many well-known artists lending their talents to the project are Daryl Hall, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen, Joe Walsh, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and rock-guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.

White Knight features 15 new original songs that were penned by Rundgren, or that he co-wrote with some of the album's guests. 

The record finds Todd exploring a variety of genres, including funk, synth-rock, pop ballads and power-pop tunes.

"It's easy to get used to playing to your own audience, even if you are absorbing and experimenting with new ideas," notes Rundgren. 

"I wanted to collaborate not just for the musical possibilities, but also to play for new audiences and expose my fans to the range of artists I enjoy working with."

Hall is featured on a song called "Chance for Us," 

Fagen appears on the track "Tin Foil Hat," 

Walsh appears on the tune "Sleep" and Reznor contributes to the song "Deaf Ears," as does his frequent collaborator Atticus Ross.

The album wraps up with "This Is Not a Drill," which features Satriani, as well as two longtime members of Rundgren's backing band: drummer Prairie Prince and bassist Kasim Sulton.

Other guests on White Knight include Swedish dance artist Robyn, veteran soul singer Bettye LaVette and Todd's son, Rebop Rundgren.

Pitchfork.com has premiered one of the album's tracks, "That Could Have Been Me," which features Robyn. 

On the preview track, it appears that Rundgren is veering from electronica back to his signature sound, although he has surrendered the vocal duties here.

White Knight will be released on May 12, and will be available on CD, digitally and on vinyl, although the latter version will only feature 12 tracks.

Here's the track list for the CD and digital editions:

"Come"

"Got Your Back" -- featuring KK Watson with Dam Funk

"Chance for Us" -- featuring Daryl Hall with Bobby Strickland

"Fiction"

"Beginning (of the End)" -- featuring John Boutte

"Tin Foil Hat" -- featuring Donald Fagen

"Look at Me" -- featuring Michael Holman

"Let's Do This" -- featuring Moe Berg

"Sleep" -- featuring Joe Walsh

"That Could Have Been Me" -- featuring Robyn

"Deaf Ears" -- featuring Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

"Naked & Afraid" -- featuring Bettye LaVette

"Buy My T"

"Wouldn't You Like to Know" -- featuring Rebop Rundgren

"This Is Not a Drill" -- featuring Joe Satriani, Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton

FIRE OF FREEDOM

Neither Flogging Molly nor Dropkick Murphy’s are new bands, but many of their fans don’t realize that these two bands borrow heavily from The Tossers and The Mahones.

I’m here to let you know that Black 47 was doing the whole punk-Celtic rock thing before any of them. 

This Irish-American band’s name invokes the Great Famine that killed one million Irish people and forced a million more to emigrate between 1845 and 1852. 

Founder Larry Kirwan imparts a powerful storytelling quality to their songs that recalls Irish literary traditions.

Don’t get me wrong-Black 47 owes their sound to The Pogues who started in the early 80’s. 

They also owe more to that band, as they were discovered and signed by Pogues manager Frank Murray.

The band went into the studio in 1993 with Ric Ocasek producing, and recorded Fire Of Freedom, an album that still holds up today.

From the first notes the album pulsates with Celtic flavor and energy. The portraits that emerge from this powerful and evocative album are of wounded people who are part Irish and part American, and yet are not wholly at home in either country.

Many songs on the album tell stories of an Irish-American protagonist having a great deal to drink and then behaving in a socially unproductive manner.

Musically, the songs benefit from the hip-hop quality of Kirwan’s vocal delivery, and from the melodic saxophone and trombone riffs that predominate throughout.

The album’s common theme (people of two countries who feel like strangers in both) almost creates a concept album about the modern Irish and Irish-American experience. 

While the band created a lot of fine records prior to their break up in 2014 (25 years to the day after their first gig),  Fire of Freedom  is still the band's best work.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

CROWD SCAMMING

I'm sorry, but Pledge Music and other crowd funding sites used to be about bands that needed money to fund the recording of their music a way to connect with their fans to accomplish it.

Long time readers may remember my post some years back speaking to Marillion's early use of the model, their first crowd funded event having been organized by their fans.

Marillion are a prime example of the need for the crowd funding model-they may have called it quits two decades ago had it not been for a fan base that is willing to prepay for music almost a year in advance.

Many bands do not have record labels supporting them, and do not have the funds to pay for their studio time (let alone pay their rent while writing and recording).

But when your band is a household name selling out stadiums at $300 bucks a head....for example THESE GUYS:

Well sadly, it means that Pledge Music is no longer about the music it's about the

Do we really need to give these greedy pricks an interest-free loan?

HUMAN

Human, is the debut album from global phenomenon Rag 'N' Bone Man, whose real name is Rory Graham, a singer songwriter from East Sussex, England. 

The album's title track is an emerging worldwide hit that has achieved # 1 chart status and gold certification in several countries. 

Rag 'N' Bone Man's sound begins with the blues, having discovered that genre as a child. The rhythmic troubles that rang out from his parents' record player planted a stubborn seed in his head.

It wasn't long before Graham was venturing through classic realms of soul, jazz and folk, attending local club jam sessions, and finally one night, after one pint too many, he got the courage to jump on stage and sing. And then he knew making music was what he wanted to do.

His sound is a perfect mix of old and new.

STITCH OF THE WORLD

Tift Merritt is probably best unknown for penning “Bramble Rose,” covered by Don Henley.

Stitch Of The World, Merritt's sixth studio album was written on a friend's farm in Marfa, Texas, at Merritt's California cabin, and in New York City in the wake of several major changes in her life. 

The result was an album of songs that are thoughtful and sensitive and personal.

Merritt work-shopped the songs on Stitch Of The World with longtime friend Sam Beam of Iron & Wine and recorded the record in LA.

With modern production and gorgeous melodies, the songs are stylistically grounded in Americana, roots and country with a lyricism that resonates carried by an emphatic but nuanced voice. 

Folksy with hints of Emmylou Harris and Ryan Adams thrown in, and the collaborations with Sam Beam are a welcome touch.

A limited edition initial pressing contains two acoustic bonus tracks.

PRICK OF THE LITTER

Delbert McClinton has always defied classification, toeing the lines between rock, blues and country over a career that has spanned five decades, and charting on the Hot 100, mainstream rock, country and blues charts.

His 19^th studio album, Prick Of The Litter (Hot Shot Records/Thirty Tigers), finds the multi-Grammy Award winning artist at the top of his game.

The new offering captures the balance of soulful energy and restraint that the legendary performer has been delivering in his live performances for decades all over the world. McClinton incorporates a variety of styles, and as always, just enough to keep him comfortably outside the traditional marketing categories.

MOONLIGHTING STRANGERS WHO JUST MET ON THE WAY (RIP AL JARREAU)

Just days after announcing that he was retiring from touring after being hospitalized for exhaustion, legendary jazz singer Al Jarreau has passed away.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Jarreau’s unique singing style helped to make him one of jazz’s greatest vocalists.

Dubbed “the voice of versatility” by the Chicago Tribune, Jarreau released 16 studio albums, a host of live albums, and several compilations. The consummate performer, Jarreau constantly toured the world, dazzling audiences with his magical voice.

Jarreau passed away at a Los Angeles hospital early Sunday morning. The singer leaves behind his wife, Susan, and his son, Ryan. He was 76.

Most people will remember Jarreau for the theme to the television show Moonlighting-my blog post title borrows from those lyrics..

Jarreau's L Is For Lover CD has been a favorite of mine for decades (one of my earliest CD purchases in 1987).

Rest In Peace, Mr. Jarreau!

MOCKINGBIRD SOUL

Singer/songwriter Brigitte DeMeyer and acclaimed instrumentalist Will Kimbrough have been friends and musical collaborators for several years, working together on and off on various projects and with other notables. DeMeyer got her start in Mojo Nixon’s band prior to venturing on her solo career, and Kimbrough’s resume includes Will & The Bushmen, The Bis-quits and solo efforts as well as production (Todd Snider, Josh Rouse).  His songs have been covered by the likes of Todd Snider, Jimmy Buffett and Little Feat.

Through all of their experience, they have developed the necessary synergy it takes to combine their talents and create Mockingbird Soul, an album that represents a singular vision and their first effort in tandem.

In hearing the way they blend their voices, it’s a little  remarkable that they haven’t embarked on a joint venture before now. The album blends elements of blues, soul and Americana, with nods to the sounds of the Louisiana bayou and the grittier southern surroundings that originally birthed the blues.