STACK #122 Dec 2015

MUSIC REVIEWS

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Billy Pinnell is one of Australia’s most passionate and well informed broadcasters.

ROOTS MUSIC IT’S COUNTRY

The Duke Robillard Band Calling All Blues

This album of blues related, mostly original songs showcases the talents of veteran guitarist/singer Robillard and his tight, versatile quartet (bass, drums, keyboards) embellished on some tracks by horns. Standouts

include a Ron Sexsmith song Emphasis on Memphis, with its infectious Stax arrangement; the slinky Blues Beyond the Call of Duty, featuring a Sunny Crownover lead vocal; the jazzy Confusion Blues, sung by keyboardist Bruce Bears ala Mose Allison; Svengali, on which Robillard layers several stringed instruments; and Nasty Guitar, sung as a duet by Sunny and her boss. Superb band, excellent songs. Only Blues/Alligator Sid Griffin The Trick is To Breathe Best known for his stints with The Long Ryders and The Coal Porters,

Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics In her 73rd year Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, winner of 18 Grammy Awards, the first female singer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has released her first new album in 11 years, covers of songs specifically associated with a diversity of contemporary and classic female artists. What Franklin hasn’t done is stay too close to the iconic originals. On some of the songs she borrows from jazz, often scatting and riffing around the melody while never straying far from her gospel and soul roots. She cleverly de-discos Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, which contains an interpolation of the Destiny’s Child hit Survivor . Adele’s Rolling in the Deep includes a few lines from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s Ain’t No Mountain High Enough ; Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman incorporates a musical section reprising Otis Redding’s Respect – a song forever associated with Aretha. Other selections include Etta James’ At Last , Barbra Streisand’s People , Alicia Keys’ No One , Gladys Knight and the Pips’ Midnight Train to Georgia, and The Supremes’ You Keep Me Hangin’ On . Sony Music

Griffin’s first solo release in a decade – recorded with a bunch of Nashville’s finest musicians – is a showcase for his witty, ironic, insightful lyrics. Ode To Bobbie Gentry refers to the writer of the 1967 classic Ode To Billie

Joe . Punk Rock Club is a recitation, while Front Porch Fandango is a spontaneous bluegrass instrumental. There’s an imaginary phone call Elvis made to his mum after appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show, and a cover of The Youngblood’s hit Get Together. A must for alt-country fans. Planet/MGM

Neil Young Storytone Being his unpredictable self, Neil Young’s latest album of new songs is in two totally opposite formats – on CD one he’s solo, live and acoustic, on CD two the same songs were recorded live with a 92-piece orchestra and choir. The album includes familiar Young themes: love ( I’m Glad I Found You ), recently

Jackson Browne Standing in the Breach In a career spanning over 40 years, in which he’s made some of the most enduring albums of all time, the archetypal sensitive singer/songwriter’s new release is reminiscent of his past albums; in its dealings with politics and love, issues that still resonate with him in the 21st century. The title

divorced he seems to have happily moved on; cars (the bluesy I Want To Drive My Car ); and his latest environmental protest, Who’s Gonna Stand Up? (‘End fossil fuel, let’s save the water and build a life for our sons and daughters’). Warner Music

song is a plea to meet the world’s challenges; The Birds of St. Marks is a Byrds-inspired song he wrote in his teens; and Leaving Winslow, with its country feel, refers to that town from Take It Easy, The Eagles hit he co-wrote. Warner Music

Check out greats like Patti LaBelle, Solomon Burke and Al Green on JB Hi-Fi’s Aretha Franklin radio channel.

Denise Hylands just gets country music like no one else around

Shane Nicholson Pitch, Roll and Yaw Shane Nicholson has proven himself to be one of Australia’s standout singer songwriters, releasing a handful of solo albums and a couple of brilliant duet albums with Kasey Chambers over the past 10 years. He is also a talented producer, whose work with up-and-coming country artists

has garnered him a new position of staff producer for Lost Highway Records Australia. This is his first live album, and a magnificent way to focus on his outstanding writing, stripped back to just him and guitar featuring fan favourite songs from many of his releases. An inspirational performer with a new album due in 2015. Lost Highway/ABC /Universal

Billy Joe Shaver Long in the Tooth Trying to find a ‘country music outlaw’? Look no further. It’s hard to find anyone fitting the description as perfectly as Billy Joe Shaver. I’m not saying he’s a badass – it’s just that he calls it as it is, and he’s real. Right up there with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, Shaver was one of those artists who was building the alternative country genre of the ’70s, but never got the recognition his singing buddies did. And quite often, they were singing his songs. At 75, he claims to be ‘long in the tooth’ – but he’s still writing songs today’s young wannabes couldn’t dream about. Convinced by good friend Todd Snider that it was time to make a new record, this is the first album of original material from Shaver in seven years. Even before this was released, his friend Nelson had recorded two of these songs on his latest album, Band of Brothers . An album of typically honest Shaver songs: they’re about drinking, love and his dismay of the current country music scene. With an awesome line-up of friends joining him including Leon Russell, Mickey Raphael, Tony Joe White – and good mate Nelson – Shaver says, “This is the best album I’ve ever done”…and, so say I. Planet/MGM

The Stray Birds Best Medicine The Stray Birds are a Pennsylvania trio, comprising three classically trained multi-instrumentalists, who bring a fresh take to influences of folk, bluegrass and mountain music traditions. All raised on a healthy dose of The Carter Family and Bill Monroe, to The Beatles and The Band, they’ve

been individually making music since they were kids. On their second full-length album they offer 10 originals, and visit two old traditional songs with their outstanding instrumentation and three-part harmonies. With strong comparisons to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, it’s no wonder there’s quite a buzz about this trio. Planet/MGM

We Two Thieves At Midnight We Ride We Two Thieves is Danielle Caruanna (aka Mama Kin) and Tin Pan Orange’s Emily Lubitz, who step away from their regular projects to bring us something different. Meeting at a music festival, they bonded over songs and harmonies, and the friendship blossomed into a magical country/

Eaten By Dogs Eaten By Dogs Before the year slips away you have to know about one of the best Australian country releases of 2014. From Melbourne alt-country band Eaten By Dogs comes their debut release. An album overflowing with dark humour, melancholy and cold hard truths. Chris Lichti’s honest baritone

drawl and powerful, heart-shattering songs can be compared to the misery of Johnny Cash and the storytelling of Bruce Springsteen. Down and out characters trying to make sense of it all with sparse, haunting lap steel to sing along sermons, this is a standout debut. Eaten By Dogs: “music of hope for the hopeless”. Black Hat Rackets/MGM

folk project. Songs were born in a true downhome style around the kitchen table with children, dogs, and chickens in the yard. A relaxed, organic and comforting style highlights the resulting recordings. Outstanding musicianship, with multi-instrumentalist Dave Mann, beautiful songs and gorgeous singing provide perfect back porch sounds. MGM

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