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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,
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
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
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
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
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/
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
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
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
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
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
Billy Pinnell
is one of Australia’s most passionate and well informed broadcasters.
Denise Hylands just gets country music like no one else around
Check out greats like Patti LaBelle, Solomon Burke and Al Green on JB Hi-Fi’s Aretha Franklin radio channel.
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
ROOTS MUSIC
IT’S COUNTRY
23
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