Mainstream Isn't So Bad...Is It?

Sunday Soul - Street of Tears

2012-01-22T09:51:00.000-05:00

Rest in peace Etta.

Etta James - Street of Tears : Street of Tears 7"

Etta James - Stop the Wedding : Street of Tears 7" B-side

Get the B-side on Who's Blue? Rare Chess Recordings of the 60s and 70s and the B-side on the more recent and amazing Heart & Soul: A Retrospective.

Sunday Soul - What A Party

2012-01-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

from the Numero release Light: On the Southside

the girl was dressed with no shoes on

the big tenor man really blew his horn

what a party, Lordy, Lordy

big fat piano man, he sho' could wail away

what a party, Lordy, Lordy

big fat piano man, he sho' could play

somebody called a cop about half past four

he knew he just couldn't get through that door

what a party, Lordy, Lordy

big fat piano man, he sho' could wail away

what a party, Lordy, Lordy

big fat piano man, he sho' could play

Fats Domino - What A Party : What A Party 7"

Fats Domino - Rockin' Bicycle : What A Party 7"

Find them both in the box set They Call Me the Fat Man: The Legendary Imperial Recordings.

Vinyl

2012-01-13T23:04:00.000-05:00

So this week was a big one for vinyl in my house. And not because this guy from LMFAO's video showed up in his studded vinyl underwear:

No, instead the new needle (aka stylus for those record snobs out there) that I ordered for my turntable showed up. I've been turntableless for far too long due to a well past worn out needle that just needed to be replaced. Here it is pimpin' out my record player:

And speaking of turntables, I got a new one tonight!!!! Wicked exciting to say the least. Here she is:

She is the latest in 1920's technology! Yes, she's one of those new-fangled Columbia Graphophones! I can't wait to spin some "race" music on it perhaps!

Anyway, here's a little more current 45 (from the late 50's, almost futuristic in comparison...ha!) that I picked up up in Quebec while celebrating New Years:

Jackie Wilson - We Have Love : We Have Love 7"

Jackie Wilson - Singing A Song : We Have Love 7" B-side

Find them both on Lonely Teardrops.

Doin' It Again

2012-01-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

So the one or two of you still reading might have noticed that after nearly four months absence, MISB has resurfaced, at least temporarily, for a gasp of air. It is by far the longest I've gone without sharing a song or two since it began almost six years ago (yikes, that's something like the equivalent of the Triassic period in blog years I think). Asking a magic 8 ball about its survival would reveal an answer such as "reply hazy, try again," which is to say I'm not so certain of it myself. In the meantime though, it's got a new look and a new short-term lease on life.

I settled upon a few New Year's resolutions for 2012, and when sharing them with others I prefaced them with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

I suppose I still have a few songs left in me to share. Happy New Years.

Sunday Soul - You Came Into My Life

2012-01-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

Definitely Unexpected

your smile, your touch

you mean so much to me

you are reality

let me tell you baby

you came into my life

you are

everything dear to me

with you i feel so free

you came into my life

fill me with so much joy

once i was lonely and blue

now there's just me and you my dear

Roy Ayers - You Came Into My Life : You Came Into My Life 7"

Roy Ayers - Freaky Deaky : You Came Into My Life 7" B-side

Find them both on Let's Do It.

Sunday Soul - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine

2011-09-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

goodbye my lover

You'll never find another love like mine

Someone who needs you like I do

You'll never see what you've found in me

You'll keep searching and searching your whole life through

Whoa, I don't wish you no bad luck, baby

But there's no ifs and buts or maybes

You're gonna, You're gonna miss (miss my lovin')

You're gonna miss my lovin' (you're gonna miss my lovin')

I know you're gonna my lovin' (you're gonna miss my lovin')

You're gonna miss, you're gonna miss my lo-o-ove

Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine : You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine 7"

Lou Rawls - Let's Fall In Love All Over Again : You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine 7" B-side

Find them both on All Things In Time.

Come By Storm

2011-08-28T13:09:00.000-04:00

All that was

A picture was

A poem was a poem

Words were trees of brown of gold

You were a place I had come to know

If the dark falls early

Would you come in the night

Would you come with the morning

Come by fire or come by storm

Laura Gibson - Come By Storm : Beasts of Seasons

...and I Will Shelter You

2011-08-27T19:54:00.000-04:00

Shelter

I left you heartbroken

but not until those very words were spoken

Has anybody ever made such a fool out of you?

It's hard to believe it

But even as my eyes do see it

The very things that make you live are killing you, too

So listen, when all of this around us will fall over

I tell you what we're gonna do

You will shelter me my love

And I will shelter you

Ray LaMontagne - Shelter (live) : Live From Bonaroo 2005

Shelter From the Storm

2011-08-27T19:23:00.000-04:00

Shelter

Now there's a wall between us
something has been lost

I took too much for granted
got my signals crossed

Just to think it all began on some long-forgotten morn

"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Waiting for tomorrow's hurricane.

Rodney Crowell - Shelter From The Storm (feat. Emmylou Harris) : The Outsider

Going to California

2011-08-07T21:17:00.000-04:00

The video says it all. Going to California tomorrow and be back next week. Catch y'all then.

Josh Ritter - California : Hello Starling

I Want You (and to see Common, too)

2011-08-06T13:33:00.000-04:00

If all goes well, hopefully I'll be seeing Common at the Rock the Bells Festival next month when it hits Boston along with Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, DOOM, Nas, and others (see the full line-up on the festival's official website).

Common - Like They Used to Say (Street Version) : One-Nine-Nine-Nine 12"

obstinate, adj.

2011-08-02T22:26:00.000-04:00

stubborn

obstinate, adj.

Sometimes it becomes a contest: Which is more stubborn, the love or the two arguing people caught within it?

-from The Lovers Dictionary, by David Levithan

Emy Reynolds - Stubborn : Ode to the Stubborn

Africa, Rise!

2011-07-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Seun Kuti: Live From Festival Chorus des Hauts de Seine from KF Records on Vimeo.

With From Africa with Fury: Rise, Seun Kuti creates an album that makes a direct connection and almost extension of his father Fela Kuti's work. While his previous albums did a notable job carrying on the Afrobeat torch, with this one he has really hit the nail on the head. In so many ways, Rise looks, sounds, and feels like his father's soul has a direct hand in its creation.

Pick up the album. Just look at the cover of the album. Look. And you'll see graphics that immediately draw you back to Fela's albums, and for good reason. For his latest release, Seun called upon Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu, the same artists who created many of Fela's most well known covers.

Open up the album. Listen to the music. Backing Seun is Egypt 80, Fela's old band. And while all the members may not have directly played with Fela, the core of the band is a direct channel to the center of Afrobeat.

Listen more deeply. You'll find the heart of Afrobeat: protest. Songs of rebellions. Songs questioning the status quo. Songs seeking to address wrongs. The fuel that drove Fela and now his children.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Rise : From Africa With Fury: Rise

Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt 80 - Na Oil long (12 inch) : Think Africa / Na Oil - Single

Visit his website, his label Knitting Factory Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

Story time

2011-07-28T03:12:00.000-04:00

I wish I had someone to read to me.

Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends Theme : Bookends

Sunday Soul - Sad Song

2011-07-24T16:46:00.000-04:00

Sad

I keep singin' them sad sad songs y'all,

Sad songs is all I know.

I keep singin' them sad sad songs y'all,

Sad songs is all I know.

It has a sweet melody

tonight,

anybody can sing it, any ol' time

It got to your heart, put you in a groove

and when you sing this song

it will make your whole body move

Otis Redding - Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) : Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) 7"

Otis Redding - Good to Me : Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) 7" B-side

Find them both on The Otis Redding Story.

ubiquitous, adj.

2011-07-22T11:59:00.000-04:00

Love is Everywhere - Love Tree

ubiquitous, adj.

When it's going well, the fact of it is everywhere. It's there in the song that shuffles into your ears. It's there in the book you're reading. It's there on the shelves of the store as you reach for a towel and forget about the towel. It's there as you open the door. As you stare off on the subway, it's what you're looking at. You wear it on the inside of your hat. It lines your pockets. It's the temperature.

The hitch, of course, is that when it's going badly, it's in all the same places.

-from The Lovers Dictionary, by David Levithan

Willie Nelson with Emmylou Harris & Daniel Lanois - Everywhere I Go : KBCO Studio C - Volume 10

candid, adj.

2011-07-21T14:13:00.000-04:00

Just doing nothing

candid, adj.

"Most times, when I'm having sex, I'd rather be reading."

This was, I admit, a strange thing to say on a second date. I guess I was just giving you warning.

"Most times when I'm reading," you said, "I'd rather be having sex."

-from The Lovers Dictionary, by David Levithan

(I'd rather have both.)

Fleetwood Mac - Book of Love : Mirage

Last Summer, last night

2011-07-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I wrote about the new Eleanor Friedberger album Last Summer that, contrary to the title, just came out this summer. Last night I was able to check out Eleanor play solo at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA for 45 or so minutes. The performance was in sharp contrast to the last time I saw her and her brother play as The Fiery Furnaces in 2006. With just her on the stage (if you want to call it a stage - the picture above was taken from the table I was sitting at about seven feet away from her, with no step up to the "stage," which was really just a carpeted section of the lounge) the selections were obviously stripped down. Also unlike the previous time, on this occasion, by herself, Eleanor was awkwardly enchanting in her own way, which perhaps explains my previous impression of her. She's been a musician for a while now, but it was clear that she felt out of her own trying to singularly interact with the crowd, which is incredibly revealing and intimate, when you think about it. My appreciation for her increased.

While only playing for 45 minutes or so, Eleanor managed to work through a rather wide range of tunes, both her own (from this new album - I Won't Fall Apart on You Tonight (which she opened with), My Mistakes, Early Earthquake, Scenes from Bensonhurst, Heaven and some even newer songs not on the album) as well as Furnaces' songs (from as far back as Gallowsbird's Bark - Tropical-Iceland, Bitter Tea - Police Sweater Blood Vow, and their latest, I'm Going Away - Staring At The Steeple and Lost at Sea). She stumbled a few times while playing her new songs, but considering she's just hit the road in support of an album that came out days ago, that's to be understood. The time flew by all too quickly, with mention of a return visit soon with her brother and band. She also has some remaining solo dates coming up which you can find below. I'll be looking forward to seeing her again, with memories of the first time assuaged.

The Fiery Furnaces - Police Sweater Blood Vow : Session Planet Claire 05-04-06 (studio version appears on Bitter Tea)

Visit her website and her label Merge Records.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Upcoming tour dates

Sat, Jul 16, New York, NY @ South Street Seaport - The Village Voice / 4knots Festival
Tue, Jul 19, Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Wed, Jul 20, Chicago IL @ The Hideout
Sat, Jul 23, Portland, OR @ Neumo's Crystal Ball - Capitol Hill Block Party
Sun, Jul 24,Seattle, WA @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue, Jul 26, San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah Saloon
Wed, Jul 27, Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite

Tears of A Clown

2011-07-15T11:18:00.000-04:00

The Facade

Now if there's a smile on my face

It's only there trying to fool the public

But when it comes down to fooling you

Now honey that's quite a different subject

But don't let my glad expression

Give you the wrong impression

Really I'm sad, oh I'm sadder than sad

You're gone and I'm hurtin' so bad

Like a clown I pretend to be glad

Now there's some sad things known to man

But ain't too much sadder than

The tears of a clown, when there's no one around

Uh hum, oh yeah baby

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - The Tears of A Clown : The Tears of A Clown 7"

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Who's Gonna Take the Blame : The Tears of A Clown 7" B-side

Find them both on Icons: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

blemish, n.

2011-07-15T01:24:00.000-04:00

freckle

blemish, n.

The slight acne scars. The penny-sized, penny-shaped birthmark above your knee. The dot below your shoulder that must have been from when you had chicken pox in third grade. The scratch on your neck - did I do that?

This brief transcript of moments, written on the body, is so deeply satisfying to read.

-from The Lovers Dictionary, by David Levithan

Pictures and Sound - Everything Leaves A Mark : Pictures and Sound

ardent, adj.

2011-07-12T21:14:00.000-04:00

ardent, adj.

It was after sex, when there was still heat and mostly breathing, when there was still touch and mostly thought...it was as if the whole world could be reduced to the sound of a single string being played, and the only thing this sound could make me think of was you. Sometimes desire is air; sometimes desire is liquid. And every now and then, when everything else is air and liquid, desire solidifies, and the body is the magnet that draws its weight.

-from The Lovers Dictionary, by David Levithan

P.J. Harvey - Is This Desire? : Is This Desire?

Last Summer, this summer

2011-07-12T20:31:00.000-04:00

I've been a longtime fan of The Fiery Furnaces, through their their more listeningly challenging output and the three songs that aren't. Just kidding. You'll find their music way back in the first year of this blog, as well as a concert review that was a mixed bag. All that being said, my curiosity was piqued when I found out that Eleanor Friedberger, one half of the brother/sister duo that comprises the core of The Fiery Furnaces, was putting out a solo album. Sure, the two did sort of do their own things (together) on the digital only Take Me Round Again, but I was interested in hearing what Eleanor would do on her own album.

Well, it came out today, but I've had a chance to give it some listening over the last week or so. I'll say that I've been auditorily enjoying it for its relative straightforwardness...that is compared to some of her Furnaces' work that makes one work to experience it. It still wears that Friedberger touch proudly with its vast array or instrumentation that produces an equally wide range of sounds, but its discordant moments flow by a little more smoothly, I guess much like the last Furnaces' album.

In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing Eleanor play on Thursday with less trepidation than I would have predicted after seeing them the first time around. She's got something of a mini-tour planned over the course of this month, dates can be found below. Check out the opening number, My Mistakes, from her new album, Last Summer, below.

Eleanor Friedberger - My Mistakes : Last Summer

The Fiery Furnaces - Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) : This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles' Rubber Soul

Visit her website and her label Merge Records.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Upcoming tour dates

Thu, Jul 14, Cambridge, MA @ Lizard Lounge
Sat, Jul 16, New York, NY @ South Street Seaport - The Village Voice / 4knots Festival
Tue, Jul 19, Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
Wed, Jul 20, Chicago IL @ The Hideout
Sat, Jul 23, Portland, OR @ Neumo's Crystal Ball - Capitol Hill Block Party
Sun, Jul 24,Seattle, WA @ Doug Fir Lounge
Tue, Jul 26, San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah Saloon
Wed, Jul 27, Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite

Sunday Soul - All the King's Horses

2011-07-10T10:05:00.000-04:00

Falling Away From You

We sat on the wall of happiness

We sat on the wall of love

We sat on the wall of security

So high above

With his arms all around me

It was like a fairy tale

Two people so in love

Tell me how could it fail

The wall started shaking

I heard love cried out

Happiness is giving away

Security is coming down

He fell, I fell

And all there is left to tell

Is all the king's horses

All the king's men

Couldn't put our two hearts

Together again

Aretha Franklin - All the King's Horses : All the King's Horses 7"

Aretha Franklin - April Fools : All the King's Horses 7" B-side

(Good article on Aretha in the New York Times published last week. At one point she says "“Falling out of love is like losing weight. It’s a lot easier putting it on than taking it off.”)

Sleepless

2011-07-04T02:14:00.000-04:00

sleepless

Down the narrow streeets

I can feel the breeze

Going small and tired, like me

Drink some more of this

Feel the morning bliss

Songs of airplanes in my head

Sleepless,

I shouldn't be here

Sleepless,

Twenty-four hours

Sleepless,

I have to keep walking

Sleepless,

Twenty-four hours of searching

Searching for my life

Kate Havnevik - Sleepless : Melankton

Sunday Soul - Fill This World With Love

2011-07-03T19:24:00.000-04:00

Heart shaped world

everybody's got a reason for being here

sometimes it's hard to find

you maybe doing all of the right things

but doing them at the wrong time

and if your reason ain't good enough for you now

try this feeling of mine

i know a way we can all be free

come on everybody sing along with me

got to fill this world with love

we got to fill this world with love

Ann Peebles - Fill This World With Love : Fill This World With Love 7"

Ann Peebles - It Was Jealousy : Fill This World With Love 7" B-side

Find them both on The Hi Singles A's & B's.

Le Tour!

2011-07-02T21:07:00.000-04:00

For those of you who care, THE bike race of the year started today. I haven't watched it yet (I'm waiting for the 9:30 showing), but I"m itching for the Tour de France to get rolling in my household.

And for those of you who might not have ever seen or heard of it, The Triplets Of Belleville (pictured above) is an excellent animated movie that is tangentially connected to the great race. Don't let the French scare you away, there is actually very little dialogue, but yet so much is conveyed. Well worth a rental and a bag of popcorn.

Ben Charest - Tour De France : The Triplets Of Belleville Soundtrack

Wish We'd Gotten Drunk

2011-06-30T10:43:00.000-04:00

love drunk

I wish we'd gotten drunk,

And fallen down confused..

I wish we'd gotten drunk,

So the kiss had an excuse..

The wine was left unopened,

And the whiskey untouched too..

And now I'm wide awake and wonderin'

What am I to do?

I wish we'd gotten hammered,

And passed out in the dark..

And I wish I slurred my words

When I said you had my heart..

But we were walkin' straight

And I annunciated well..

And now there's no way for me to pardon myself

ambeR Rubarth - Wish We'd Gotten Drunk : Good Mystery

Visit her website and become her friend on MySpace.

The Groupon Way

2011-06-28T12:14:00.000-04:00

So I'll admit that I have purchased a few Groupon coupon deals here and there. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I dig a good deal on stuff that I don't really need. Usually it's an offer for 50% off whatever the original price was. This week though, there is something brand new happening at Groupon (so far as I can tell). The site has an exclusive deal on a live, digital album from David Gray, recorded this year in Dublin, for $6.

I'm a pretty big Gray fan, and have been for, I dunno, 18ish years since I saw him open for Radiohead in a solo acoustic performance. I'll admit though, I'm somewhat shocked at this novel approach at marketing this album. While obviously it's not the first time an artists has offered something up digitally, Groupon doesn't exactly strike me as a musical hotbed. It's an innovative way of reaching out to fans though, for sure, as there are (hundreds of?) thousands of people who get daily notices in their inbox (including yours truly) who I'm sure aren't scanning blogs wondering what the latest releases are.

As with all things Groupon, the deal doesn't last forever though, and as I type this, there is roughly 3 days, 11 hours, and 59 minutes left to give in and hit the "Buy!" button. You can go to the RCRDLBL website and download one track form the performance. The tour was in support of his last studio release, Foundling, and features many tracks from it.

Head over to the Groupon website

and buy Lost and Found - Live in Dublin 2011.

David Gray - This Year's Love (live) : Live at the Beacon Theatre, NYC, NY 2-23-11 (Studio version appears on White Ladder)

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Sad Mood

2011-06-26T17:34:00.000-04:00

1: Loneliness and Sadness

"Every songwriter in their smallest song seems to possess some monumental grief clarified and dignified by melody, Bill thinks. His own sadnesses, on the other hand, slosh about in his life in a low-key way, formless and self-consuming."

-from Beautiful Grade in the collection of short stories Birds of America,

by Lorrie Moore

Sam Cooke - Sad Mood : Sad Mood 7"

Sam Cooke - Love Me : Sad Mood 7" B-side

Find them both on The Man Who Invented Soul.

Red Hot!

2011-06-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

"Red Hot is a not for profit production company that has produced 20 albums and dedicated more than 10 million dollars to worthy organizations, causes and pro-social projects around the world. Our mission is to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Red Hot is more of a creative production company than a traditional charitable organization. We keep our overhead to a minimum and focus on making innovative projects that target hard to reach audiences by using popular culture and artful propaganda. Revenues from these projects are given to traditional charities, often in collaboration with the artists who have contributed their music or art."

-from the Red Hot website

When music meets charity, the results can be amazing, as evinced by the staggering amount and range of albums that the Red Hot Organization has put together in it's struggle to combat AIDS. From the Alt rock collection No Alternative in 1993 (a compilation that I can remember playing over and over and over) to the Red Hot + Riot album paying tribute to Fela Anikulapo Kuti (who died as a result of AIDS) to Red Hot & Blue, an album of Cole Porter songs, and many more, the series has defied all musical boundaries.

Next week, the latest in the series arrives: Red Hot + Rio 2. This one is a follow-up to, you guessed it, Red Hot + Rio, an album of Bossa Nova and Brazilian inspired tracks from 1996. Much like the first compilation, this one amasses two discs worth of music from a diverse range of artists, Brazilian and otherwise, including such talent as Alice Smith, Aloe Blacc, Bebel Gilberto, Beck, Beirut, Ceu, John Legend, Madlib, Money Mark, Of Montreal, Os Mutantes, Phenomenal Handclap Band, Seu Jorge, Tom Ze, etc., etc., etc. (some of who appeared on the first volume), and pays tribute to the late 60's Brazilian Tropicalia movement. Put all those artists together and you get 30 original collaborations, some with a very Brazilian flavor, others indirectly inspired.

As with all Red Hot releases, proceeds will benefit AIDS charities. The first volume raised over $1 million dollars, and hopefully this one will do just as well. If you find that you like the flavor of Latin music, but are challenged by the language barrier, this is a great album to go with.

Beirut - O Leaozinho : Red Hot + Rio 2

Bob Mould - Can't Fight It : No Alternative

Sinead O'Connor - You Do Something To Me : Red Hot & Blue

D'Angelo, Femi Kuti & Macy Gray Feat. Roy Hargrove, Nile Rodgers, The Soultronics & Positive Force - Water No Get Enemy : Red Hot + Riot

Visit the Red Hot website and become their friend on Facebook.

Love affairs

2011-06-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

an affair

"We have raccoons sometimes in our chimney," explains Simone. "And once we tried to smoke them out. We lit a fire, knowing they were there, but we hoped that the smoke would cause them to scurry out the top and never come back. Instead, they caught on fire and came crashing down into our living room, all charred and in flames and running madly around until they dropped dead." Simone swallows some wine. "Love affairs are like that," she says. "They are all like that."

-from Dance in America in the collection of short stories Birds of America, by Lorrie Moore

Camera Obscura - Tears For Affairs : Live on KEXP 7-23-2006 (studio version appears on Let's Get Out Of This Country)

Sunday Soul - I Thank You

2011-06-19T20:38:00.000-04:00

Thank You

oh baby, my home was depressed

from the strain and strife

and i'm in gratitude for the

love she gave so tenderly

and like the love

she spread from day to day

i'd like to tell you

in my own sweet way

you really got a hold on me

i thank you baby (thank you)

you really got a hold on me

i thank you baby

Donny Hathaway and June Conquest - I Thank You : I Thank You 7"

Donny Hathaway and June Conquest - Just Another Reason : I Thank You 7" B-side

Get the A-side on The Curtom Story.

Bright's Passage

2011-06-17T07:28:00.000-04:00

"They entered the War like men stepping out from beneath an awning into a torrential thunderstorm. The first man that Bright saw die fell back down into the very trench from which he'd just climbed. His uniform was still fresh and the tops of his boots had been shined. Only the soles looked muddy."

-from Bright's Passage

Muddy soles. And muddy souls.

I've long been a fan of Josh Ritter's art. He's always struck me as a musical story teller, a troubadour of sorts. A man able to sing tales that are both grounded in an earthy reality while encompassing a larger, more universal perspective. And with the release of the book Bright's Passage, Ritter expands his art into prose.

The book's protagonist is Henry Bright, a young World War I veteran newly returned to his home in West Virginia. Although he returns with his body intact, the same cannot be said for his mind and possibly his soul. The novel travels back and forth, between his time in the war and his present, as he struggles to make sense of the world around him and his place in it. To help along the way is an angel, a rather unorthodox one.

While Josh has an amazing ability to tell stories with his songs, obviously expanding those stories into book length is an entirely different story. In terms of setting, he does a wonderful job immersing us in the first World War and the time following it. He's clearly done his research, and his descriptions bring to life senseless scenes of carnage and destruction on one hand, and life in West Virginia in the 19teens on the other. While there are some threads and details that beg for elaboration and elucidation, the ending is satisfyingly rich.

The book comes out on the 28th, but you can download and read the first chapter from Josh's website. And of course, there is his latest album So Runs the World Away that you can listen to while reading.

Order your copy of Bright's Passage

Josh Ritter - Change of Time (live) : Live at the 9:30 Club 5-8-10 (studio version appears on So Runs the World Away)

Visit his website, his label Pytheas Recordings, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Wild Rockers!

2011-06-13T22:09:00.000-04:00

I've got an assortment of compilations culled by Scottish DJ Keb Darge, and as far as I'm concerned they're all top shelf stuff. I've written about a couple of them last year (Keb Darge & Little Edith's Legendary Rockin' R'n'B and Lost & Found: Real R'n'B & Soul), and when I first scoped Keb Darge & Little Edith's Legendary Wild Rockers, I didn't even think twice about expecting the same deep, high quality cuts that I've come to love from Darge.

While known as a purveyor of northern soul, Darge's knowledge don't rest there; he also takes a keen interest in rare rockabilly (he's previously released Keb Darge And Cut Chemist Present - Lost And Found: Rockabillly), and this latest release gathers together 20 rare rockabilly, surf and exotica tunes that would be good enough to tickle Martin Denny's fancy and are just as sharp as his soul finds. Indeed, one of my favorite rockabilly tracks of all time, The Jiants' song Tornado, is here, along with nineteen others that I probably would not have laid ears on if it weren't for Darge.

You'll hear a lot of parallels to early R&R as well as country (think Elvis and Johnny Cash rocking out in Sun Studios) in this collection there will be sure to get your pelvis moving. Like I said above, it's a solid collection of deep cuts that you probably would never be privy to unless you dug for 45's in some deep dark crates. It comes out next month, check out a preview below with Buzz Saw and one from another of Darge's comps.

The Gee Cee's - Buzz Saw : Keb Darge & Little Edith's Legendary Wild Rockers

Lou Millet - Shorty The Barber : Keb Darge And Cut Chemist Present - Lost And Found: Rockabillly & Jump Blues

Become his friend on MySpace, and visit the BBE Records site.

Sunday Soul - Parrty!

2011-06-12T18:36:00.000-04:00

This one goes out for my man Mike who celebrated his 35th/40th birthday last night! Thanks for inviting me to the The Soul Train Drinking Game Party!

Maceo and the Macks - Parrty - Part I : Parrty 7"

Maceo and the Macks - Parrty - Part II : Parrty 7" B-side

Get the A-side on James Brown's Funky People.

Sunday Soul - Change

2011-06-05T21:30:00.000-04:00

Change

change

things just rearrange

change

makes you want to hustle

change

nothing stays the same

Donald Byrd - Change (Makes You Want to Hustle) Part 1 : Change (Makes You Want to Hustle) 7"

Donald Byrd - Change (Makes You Want to Hustle) Part 2 : Change (Makes You Want to Hustle) 7" B-side

Find it on Places and Spaces.

Pretending

2011-06-02T17:50:00.000-04:00

Broken Heart

You see i never thought enough of myself

To realize that losing me could mean

Something like the tears in your eyes

And i want to tell you i'm sorry

And it's too late to start

But i'm going to stop pretending

That i didn't break your heart

The Eels - I'm Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart : Meet The Eels: Essential Eels Vol. 1 1996-2006

Visit their website and become their friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Illusion

2011-06-02T16:23:00.001-04:00

A Walk In The Clouds

"For love to last, you had to have illusions or have no illusions at all. But you had to stick to one or the other. It was the switching back and forth that endangered things."

-from Like Life in the collection of short stories Like Life, by Lorrie Moore

The Bens - Just Pretend : The Bens

Memories

2011-05-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

The memories we made

Waking skies, at sunrise

Every sunset too

Seems to be

bringing me

Memories of you

Here and there

every where

Scenes that we once knew

And they all

just recall

Memories of you

How I wish I could forget those

happy yesteryears

That have left a rosary of tears

Your face beams

in my dreams

'Spite of all I do

Everything

seems to bring

Memories of you

Frank Sinatra - Memories Of You (1956 Version) : Classic Sinatra II

the kisser

2011-05-23T21:16:00.000-04:00

A kiss

"When they slept together, she almost cried. He was a kisser, and he kissed and kissed. It seemed the kindest thing that had ever happened to her. He kissed and whispered and brought her a large glass of water when she asked for one."

-from The Jewish Hunter in the collection of short stories Like Life, by Lorrie Moore

Bill Withers - Kissing My Love : Still Bill

Hungry

2011-05-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'm hungry for your touch

"That was the thing with hunger: It opened up something dangerous in you, something endless, like a universe, or a cliff."

-from Starving Again in the collection of short stories Like Life, by Lorrie Moore

Ben Lee - Hungry : Ripe

The end of the world?

2011-05-23T06:50:00.000-04:00

Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it'll do.

Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the revered and the right - right.

You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it.

It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) (live) : The Green World Tour (studio version appears on Document)

Sunday Soul - Don't Say Goodnight

2011-05-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

Let's play

Some people say

That life is for the livin’

So let’s live it, baby

Yeah...

Most of the people say

That love is for the givin’

So let me love you, girl

Yeah...

Hey, hey, hey, hey...

(Don’t say goodnight) Don’t say goodnight, oh, when you know

It’s time for love

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, baby

(Don’t say goodnight) Don’t say goodnight when you know

I gotta have your love

The Isley Brothers - Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) (Parts 1 & 2) : Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) 7"

The Isley Brothers - Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) (Parts 1 & 2) (Instrumental) : Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) 7" B-side

Get the A-side on The Essential Isley Brothers 3.0.

Work To Do

2011-05-21T09:07:00.000-04:00

To Do list

Well I'm taking care of business, woman can't you see

I gotta make it for you, and I gotta make it for me

Cuz sometimes it seems that I'm neglecting you

I would love to spend more time

But I got so many things to do

Ooh, I got work to do, so much work to do

I got work to do, I got a job baby

I got work to do

First off, this is a great song. Secondly, It's a great cover of a great song. Thirdly, it comes absolutely free on a covers EP that Mayer Hawthorne just released. Fourthly, I can't wait for this man's next album. Seriously. In the meantime, download his EP.

Mayer Hawthorne - Work To Do (Isley Brothers cover) : Impressions - The Covers EP

The Isley Brothers - Work To Do : Brother, Brother, Brother

Visit Mayer Hawthorne's label Stones Throw Records and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Little Girl Blue

2011-05-15T22:45:00.000-04:00

Get out of my mind

Sit there, count the raindrops

Falling on you

It's time you knew

All you can ever count on

Are the raindrops

That fall on little girl blue

Won't you just sit there

Count the little raindrops

Falling on you

'Cause it's time you knew

All you can ever count on

Are the raindrops

That fall on little girl blue

No use old girl

You might as well surrender

'Cause your hopes are getting slender and slender

Why won't somebody send a tender blue boy

To cheer up little girl blue

Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue : Little Girl Blue 7"

Nina Simone - He Needs Me : Little Girl Blue 7" B-side

Find them both on Little Girl Blue.

Wake Up Already!

2011-05-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

Wake up everybody

No more sleepin' in bed

No more backward thinkin'

Time for thinkin' ahead

Jon Stewart is the shiz. Talk about some backward thinking? Seriously...attacking Common?

John Legend & The Roots featuring Common and Melanie Fiona - Wake Up Everybody : Wake Up Everybody

Visit Common's website, his label Geffen Records, and become his friend on Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Tears

2011-05-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

cry cry cry

As the sun sets and the night goes around

I can feel my emotions comin’ down

But now I pull the covers off my bed

Saying to myself, “Tonight I’ll forget”

Tears, tears

Falling like the rain

Tears, tears

Another heart knows my pain

Tears, tears

All the tears your heart wouldn’t hide

Tears, tears

Now the tears become a good cry

Force M.D.'s - Tears : Tears 7"

Force M.D.'s - Forgive Me Girl : Tears 7" B-side

Get them both on Let Me Love You: The Greatest Hits.

Kickin' It Galactic Style

2011-05-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

Almost fifteen years after first forming, Galactic has slowly been edging closer toward their hip hop influences, especially on their 2010 release Ya-Ka-May, but with their latest release, the live album The Other Side of Midnight: Live in New Orleans, the band takes a step back to their funk roots. The show was recordedOctober 29th, 2010 at Tipitina's, a club in New Orleans, and the group pulls out all the stops to showcase their instrumental mastery for a hometown crowd. In fact, when describing them to a friend, I framed them as a New Orleans Soulive, a strong collective of musicians that can truly jam it out for real.

Guests stepping up in front of the band to take control of the mic include Cyril Neville (from another New Orleans original, the famed Meters -whose song Gossip they cover during the show - and of course the Neville Brothers) and Big Freedia, but there are still plenty of instrumentals to show what the band does best. In fact, they have a few instrumental guests to bolster their sound as well, including Trombone Shorty (who plays in Orleans Avenue) and the Soul Rebels Brass Band. Considering that many live albums are recorded over the course of several shows, and that this album all comes from a single show, the musicianship on display is impressive. Even the instrumentals have enough funk in them to hook, and the album scoots through amazingly quickly.

Galactic - Gossip featuring Cyril Neville (Meters cover) : The Other Side of Midnight: Live in New Orleans

and an older one they did in tribute for another New Orleans giant, Fats Domino:

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux with Galactic - So Long : Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino

Visit their website, their label ANTI-, and become their friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Booty March

2011-05-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Booty

can i get an amen for the booty?

AMEN!

now i want you to put your hands together

give me a clap

now i want you to take one step for every clap

and shake your booty one time for every step

now we're gonna do the booty bop

you ready?

well BOOTY!

i got money on my mind

but i don't get tired of watching that booty

i got money on my mind

still i don't get tired of watching that booty

makes my eyes feel good

don't get tired of watching that booty

makes my eyes feel good

don't get tired of watching that booty

walking through the park

i don't get tired of watching that booty

from morning till dark

i don't get tired of watching that booty

Rasputin's Stash - Booty March (stereo) : Booty March 7"

Rasputin's Stash - Booty March (mono) : Booty March 7" B-side

Find it on The Devil Made Me Do It.

Sunday Soul - I Know You Got Soul

2011-05-01T20:36:00.000-04:00

Bootyful

i know you got soul

if you didn't you wouldn't shake that thing

hit me with the beat

hey, 'cause it make you sing

i know you got soul

if you didn't you wouldn't be in here

i know you got the feeling

the way you move over there

don't let the green grass fool you

i know you don't like the faker

tighten up your game

and shake your moneymaker

say yeah

yeah!

Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul : I Know You Got Soul 7"

Bobby Byrd - It's I Who Love You (Not Him Anymore) : I Know You Got Soul 7" B-side

Find the A-side on James Brown's Funky People, Pt. 2.

and because I'm feeling generous today:

Eric B. & Rakim - I Know You Got Soul : Paid In Full

the right number

2011-04-29T20:46:00.000-04:00

the mistress

"After four movies, three concerts, and two-and-a-half museums, you sleep with him. It seems the right number of cultural events."

-from How to Be an Other Woman in the collection of short stories Self-Help, by Lorrie Moore

The Soul Children - I'll Be the Other Woman : Friction

Sunday Soul - It Was Jesus Talking To Me

2011-04-24T10:18:00.002-04:00

jesus isn't in love with you

one day, one day

i was walking along

i heard a voice

but i saw no one

though the voice i heard

i tell you it sounded so sweet

then i knew it was jesus

and he was talking to me

Bill Moss and the Celestials - It Was Jesus Talking To Me : It Was Jesus Talking To Me 7"

Bill Moss and the Celestials - Jesus Knows What We Can Bear : It Was Jesus Talking To Me 7" B-side

One Lenka, Two Lenka...

2011-04-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

My heart is playing tricks on me

And it's building bricks on me

I can't break through

And I can't face you

My world is turning slowly now

But it's burning up somehow

I need some time

To know what's right

'Cause it's only in the quiet that I feel some relief

I'm trying hard not to resist the joy

Don't listen to me I'm being paranoid

I might try hard but it's too hard to avoid

My heart skips a beat

Three years later, and Australian artist Lenka is back with her aptly titled second album, Two. Her first self titled album was one that I enjoyed for it's sunny, light-hearted playfulness, and you can still see traces of that in the opening few tracks of her newest album. For example, My Heart Skips A Beat, the second song of eleven. But as you progress deeper into the album, you'll find that Lenka has matured in many ways, starting with her voice, which sounds a little more developed three years later. Her music in general, in fact, has matured since she emerged three years ago, with the complexity of the instrumentation as well as their variety. While many of the songs have an electronic slant much like the bird and the bee, other songs feel more natural in their composition. While the over all feel of the album might show development, Lenka's voice still gently ensnares with it's inherent preciousness, albeit one that is beginning to show some wisdom gained through time.

Lenka - My Heart Skips A Beat : Two

and a lovely cover:

Lenka - Gravity Rides Everything (Modest Mouse cover) : Gravity Rides Everything 7"

Visit her website, her label Epic Records, and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

The Bang Years

2011-04-18T17:00:00.002-04:00

"The times were tough and it looked like they'd be getting a whole lot tougher unless something happened soon. I was an old man of twenty-three and after six years of writing songs with the crazy notion that I could make a living at it, not a thing was breaking my way."

-Neil Diamond in the liner notes for The Bang Years

I've never shied away from 'fessing up for my love of the Diamond. No, I'm not taking David Lee Roth (although I do prefer him as a front man vs. Van Hagar, but I digress), I mean Neil Diamond. I first admitted it here about three years ago when writing about one of his new releases under the guidance of the brilliance known as Rick Rubin, his album Home Before Dark. Since then I've mentioned him a few times, always with due reverence and respect of course. When I caught wind of The Bang Years, I was nearly ecstatic.

In the liner notes for the album, written by Diamond himself, he recounts the struggles that most fans are probably unaware of in his early years. Considering the fact that he was just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, it might come as a surprise that his initial forays into the music field were met with little to no success. Early in his career, he worked as a songwriter for the dynamic duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and their company, where he didn't pen a single memorable hit of any size. It wasn't until after getting fired and his friends Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry bringing him over to Atlantic Records that the musical genius he would become finally started to emerge with the outpouring of Diamond staples including Solitary Man, Cherry, Cherry, Thank the Lord for the Night Time, Red, Red, Wine, and others.

All of these classics would appear on the Atlantic subsidiary Bang Records between 1966 and 1968, a period when Diamond would create some of his signature songs. These recordings have been brought together onto one disc with the release of The Bang Years. Presented in their original mono recordings, these songs include some Diamond originals and other covers of contemporary songs of the time including Paul Simon's Red Rubber Ball, Ritchie Valens La Bamba, Tommy James and the Shondells' Hanky Panky and others. Also here you'll find the song most commonly associated with The Monkees, although originally written by Diamond, I'm A Believer.

For Diamond fans, this collection brings together and presents a musician at his birth, exploding with ideas, rich with musical inspiration. Coupled with self-penned liner notes, it gives an insightful view into the beginning of a career that still continues on.

Neil Diamond - I'm A Believer : The Bang Years

Visit his website, the compilation's label Columbia Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)

2011-04-17T08:40:00.000-04:00

Touch Me

But when he touches me

But when she touches me

When he touches me

But when she touches me

With your hands or with your lips

Even with your fingertips

Oh, when she touches me

The way she touches me

Nothing else matters

Come on, touch me, baby

Oh, nothing else matters

In the midnight hour, baby

Nothing else matters

When you're close to me

Nothing else matters

Peaches & Herb - When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) : When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) 7"

Peaches & Herb - Thank You : When He Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) 7" B-side

Find the A-side on The Best of Peaches & Herb: Love Is Strange

Special Day

2011-04-16T13:59:00.001-04:00

Today is the 4th annual Record Store Day celebration.

Irma Thomas - Old Records : Soul of the Night

It is also the 5th anniversary of this blog.

The Arcade Fire - Five Years (David Bowie cover) : Live at Fashion Rocks 9-9-05

One is more exciting than the other.

Joy and Pain

2011-04-12T06:32:00.001-04:00

Pain to Pleasure

Remember when you first found love how you felt so good

Kind that last forever more so you thought it would

Suddenly the things you see got you hurt so bad, so bad

How come the things that make us happy make us sad

Well it seems to me that

Joy and pain

are like sunshine and rain

Joy and pain

are like sunshine and rain

Love can be bitter love can be sweet

Sometimes devotion and sometimes deceit

The ones that you care for give you so much pain

Oh but it's alright they're both one in the same

Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly - Joy And Pain (Live In New Orleans) : Greatest Hits

I Can't Stop Loving You

2011-04-09T11:25:00.000-04:00

(I can't stop loving you)

I've made up my mind

To live in memory of the lonesome times

(I can't stop wanting you)

It's useless to say

So I'll just live my life in dreams of yesterday

(Dreams of yesterday)

Those happy hours that we once knew

Tho' long ago, they still make me blue

They say that time heals a broken heart

But time has stood still since we've been apart

Yesterday I posted up a track from Sam & Ruby's album The Here and the Now, which prompted a reader to ask about another song they thought they had done that went something like "i cant stop missing you/ i've made up my mind." While not exactly right, the duo did do a song that went "i can't stop loving you/ i've made up my mind." The name of the song is quite appropriately I Can't Stop Loving You, and it's an old country song first written and performed by Don Gibson in 1957. In 1962, Ray Charles covered it on his groundbreaking album Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. Since then, it's been covered by everyone under the sun. Here is a selective sampling of some of them; which is your favorite?

Sam & Ruby - I Can't Stop Loving You : Sony/ATV Nashville Classic Covers: Volume One

Don Gibson - I Can't Stop Loving You : RCA Country Legends: Don Gibson

Ray Charles - I Can't Stop Loving You : Complete Country & Western Recordings: 1959-1986 [Disc 1]

Ike and Tina Turner - I Can't Stop Loving You : Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show

Frank Sinatra - I Can't Stop Loving You : It Might As Well Be Swing

Elvis Presley - I Can't Stop Loving You : Live in Las Vegas

Martina McBride - I Can't Stop Loving You : Timeless

Need Me Less

2011-04-08T20:47:00.000-04:00

release.

you will find one day

that when you least expect

you will be that someone who will give as much as get

and when that wisdom comes

and you look back on us

you will know that this is love

i will have to take away my best

being fine alone will be the hardest test

you'll never grow if i don't go

you gotta try

and learn to need me less

i gotta try to learn to need you less

Sam & Ruby - Need Me Less : The Here and the Now

Visit their label Rykodisc and become their friend on MySpace.

Sunday Soul - All Your Goodies Are Gone

2011-04-03T20:59:00.000-04:00

Here are two of Michigan's finest soul musicians (legendary Funk Brothers guitarist Dennis Coffey and relative newcomer Mayer Hawthorne) collaborating on a cover of a classic Parliament track, All Your Goodies Are Gone. The studio version of this interpretation can be found on Coffey's upcoming self-titled release hitting shelves later this month from Strut Records. Perhaps best known for his breakbeat classic Scorpio, Coffey was instrumental not just in creating funky instrumentals, but also for incorporating the wah wah guitar sound into soul music in the 60's. On his upcoming albums, Coffey does a handful of interpretations (including Wilson Picket's Don't Knock My Love, 100 Proof Aged In Soul's Somebody’s Been Sleeping (In My Bed), and the above video), as well as some new originals. All together, just more proof that Coffey's guitar is pretty darn funky.

Parliament - All Your Goodies Are Gone : Up For the Down Stroke

Visit Dennis Coffey's website, his label Strut Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Two Lovely Pillows

2011-03-27T17:36:00.000-04:00

pillows

breakfast time i stare

across the table at an empty chair

life's so lonely living without you

the whole day i just think about you

but when i walk through my bedroom door

that's when my tears begin to fall

because two lovely pillows

on a king sized bed

make one lonely night

when only one lays their head

loneliness is staring me in my face

Laura Lee - Rip Off : Rip Off 7"

Laura Lee - Two Lovely Pillows : Rip Off 7" B-side

Get them both on the multi-album compilation Women's Love Rights / I Can't Make It Alone / Two Sides of Laura Lee.

Gave Up

2011-03-18T16:53:00.000-04:00

perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most

forgot how it feels well almost

no one to blame always the same

open my eyes wake up in flames

it took you to make me realize

it took you to make me see the light

smashed up my sanity

smashed up my integrity

smashed up what i believed in

smashed up what's left of me

smashed up my everything

smashed up all that was true

gonna smash myself to pieces

i don't know what else to do

covered in hope and vaseline

still cannot fix this broken machine

watching the hole it used to be mine

just watching it burn in my steady systematic decline

of the trust i will betray

give it to me i throw it away

after everything i've done i hate myself for what i've become

i tried

i gave up

throw it away

Nine Inch Nails - Gave Up : Broken

Sunday Soul - I'm Sorry I Met You

2011-03-13T17:19:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I met you

im sorry i met you

for you taught me to cry

the words i once cherished

are words of good-bye

i'm sorry i met you

for you hurt me so

the hands i held tightly

just let me go

Barbara Lynn - I'm Sorry I Met You : Sorry I Met You 7"

Barbara Lynn - You're Gonna Need Me : Sorry I Met You 7" B-side

Find them both on The Jamie Singles Collection.

The Beat Generation

2011-03-11T14:33:00.000-05:00

"The original Beats made their own rules, celebrating life at the margins of American society. The movement that begun in the 1940's with Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs soon swelled to include other avant-garde poets and writers, as well as filmmakers and visual artists on both the East and West Coasts. There are many parallels between the Beat Poets of the past and the musical Beats of the now.

Although once rejected by mainstream society as outlaws, rebels, and being morally dangerous, today the Beats are recognised as icons of America's counterculture and as one of the most influential cultural movements of the 20th century. This statement originally made about the writers of the 50's is also a true expression of Hip-Hop music and its relationship with society.

The Beat Generation is a dynamic series of albums. It has started a frenzy of dialogue amongst the worlds 'beat' community. There are going to be some very exciting musical years- 'oh uh get ready...' "

You could have a long and very heated discussion about the present state of hip hop. Its global influence is impossible to refute, but with its widespread acceptance, many would say it sold its soul along the way. Even if you feel so though, there are still some artists out there who are laying it down for real, keeping the flame alive. Many of those could be found showcasing their style on BBE's Beat Generation series, whose manifesto (taken from BBE's site) can be read above. BBE brought in some of the most highly regarded hip hop heads, men like Jay Dee, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Madlib, and others, and gave them the opportunity to record carte blanche, no strings attached. What resulted was a series of albums that shone forth as beacons of hip hop hope.

Now, 10 years after the series kicked off, BBE has put together a 10th anniversary compilation currated by DJ Spinna and Mr Thing that pulls together thirty six damn fine cuts that represent the breadth and depth the series established in its first decade. While that might seem like a bit of overkill, the truth is that you need that many to do justice to the various styles and aesthetics of the artists. In addition, there are additional continuous mixes, each roughly an hour give or take, tacked on to the end put together by DJ Spinna and Mr Thing on the CD version, and an added one by Chris Read on the digital release. This is not your top 40 hip hop; this is finely crafted art put together by masters of their craft. Don't expect to find all those hits you hear in the club or your local big box radio station. Pre-order a copy of the album HERE.

In addition to the compilation, BBE is also putting out some individual artists' 10th anniversary EPs with remixes and alternate versions of select songs from the original albums. Below you'll find an alternate version of a Roy Ayers interpretation by Marley Marl from his EP as well as a track from DJ Jazzy Jeff's album The Magnificent that also appears on the 10th Anniversary comp.

Marley Marl - Hummin' Featuring Roy Ayers And Edwin Birdsong (Roy Vibe And Scat Version) : The Beat Generation 10th Anniversary Presents: Marley Marl - Hummin'

DJ Jazzy Jeff - We Live In Philly (feat Jill Scott) : originally appears on The Magnificient / Beat Generation, also on The Beat Generation 10th Anniversary

Visit the BBE site.

Pain Killers

2011-03-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

but i know that no painkillers make it go away
i tried them once before and it didn't work for me
work and there's no painkillers make it go away
if i tried to overdose it wouldn't bring no change
suns out on 95
and i'm not dead tonight

took exit 81
i felt like throwing up
i finally did the math on what i'd done
and my heart breaks for you but i got broken too
and i still want to be someone
and i know you want to fight but one day you'll be thankful
that i let you go

Here's another emotionally charged debut from another singer/songwriter, Lauren Pritchard. Her album, Wasted In Jackson, came out late last year, but I just came across it last month. Unlike the vulnerability of Laura Jansen (who I wrote about earlier this week), Pritchard sings with a gravely fire that strikes me as a mix between Fiona Apple and Grace Potter, somewhere along the lines of Joss Stone, with perhaps a smidge less soul tinge. Considering this is her debut, it shows a lot of spunk and assuredness.

Lauren Pritchard - Pain Killers : Wasted In Jackson

Visit her website, her label Universal Republic Records, and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Upcoming Tour Dates

3/17 Little Rock, AR @ Juanita's
3/18 Dallas, TX @ Poor David's Pub
3/19 Cypress, TX @ Cypress Saloon
3/23 Santa Fe, NM @ Corazon
3/24 Denver, CO@ The Soiled Dove
3/25 Logan, UT @Logan Arthouse and Cinema
3/26 Boise, ID @ The Reef
3/27 Seattle, WA @ The Tractor
3/31 San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil Lounge
4/1 Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café
4/2 San Diego, CA @ LeStat's
4/3 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
4/7 Lawrence, KS @ The Bottle Neck
4/8 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music
4/9 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
4/10 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
4/11 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
4/12 Chicago, IL @ Space
4/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Birdy's
4/15 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
4/16 Akron, OH @ Musica
4/17 Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel

pieces of us everywhere...

2011-03-07T17:13:00.001-05:00

I think you´d like my new hair
I cut it when you weren´t there
That pieces of us everywhere
Were falling down

My bed is now a girl´s bed
Pink flowers under my head
And pillows on your side instead
Of you

´Cause that´s what single girls do
Don´t think about you

I´m reading books on meditation
Praying for my heart´s salvation
I´ve got the motivation
To be a free girl now

I´ve gone drinking with the guy down the hall
Put up a new color on my bare walls
I´m so damn busy
After all

´Cause that´s what single girls do
Don´t think about you

I keep trying
I keep trying
To make my way back to the light where I belong
But God keeps lying
God keeps lying
Saying this is for the best and nothing here is wrong

But I"m still thinking about you

I think you´d like my new hair
I cut it like I didn´t care
That pieces of me everywhere
Were falling down

One more glass of wine
Before I turn off the lights
This time I´ll be fine
I´ll be fine
I´ll be fine

Sometimes you hear a song so divine that upon hearing it for the first time, you hit rewind and play it over several times (or more). Such was the case for me with Single Girls. It's the kind of song that's poignantly dangerous. One that's emotionally barbed to hook into your heart. The video adds another layer that's just as powerful.

It comes from the first full length album by Dutch singer/songwriter Laura Jensen, Bells, an album that combines her first two EPs as well as adding a cover of the Kings of Leon song Use Somebody (a great cover by the way, possibly my second favorite song from the album). Jansen shines brightest on songs like Single Girls, where her vulnerability comes out, but the album as a whole is an excellent showcase of a voice emotionally expressive.

stream Laura Jansen - Single Girls : Bells

Visit her website, he label Decca Records, and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Jazz Brunch Jam - Also Sprach Zarathustra

2011-03-06T17:44:00.001-05:00

Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) : Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) 7"

Deodato - Spirit of Summer : Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) 7" B-side

Find the both on Prelude.

Sunday Soul - You Just Can't Win

2011-03-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

same mistake

Oh, when am I gonna realize

Can't bet my heart every time it cries

The things you never expect

That cause so much regret

I could have been much further today

If I had learned from my mistake

Like a stubborn child

I wouldn't use my head

Remember what the old folks said

Oh, you just can't win

By making that same mistake

Oh, Lord, you just can't win

By making that same mistake

Gene & Jerry - You Just Can't Win (By Making the Same Mistake) : You Just Can't Win (By Making the Same Mistake) 7"

Gene & Jerry - Sho Is Grooving : You Just Can't Win (By Making the Same Mistake) 7" B-side

Find them both on One & One.

Something Forever(er)

2011-03-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

Back in January, while writing about a compilation entitled Mushroom Jazz Volume 7 put together by Mark Farina, I shared a cut named Macheeto by Slakah the Beatchild. Well today I'm back to share a little more Slakah with you, this time from an album all of his own creation titled Something Forever. It was actually released late last year as a digital only option, but BBE is re-releasing it in physical form in a special edition with four additional tracks next week (get it HERE from BBE and HERE from Amazon.com). If you're down with hip hop infused jazz infused R&B, then you'll want to give Something Forever a spin. Thing Dilla's beats mixed with someone like Raphael Saadiq's neo-soul stylings, sprinkle in some rhymes a la Q-Tip, and you'll come pretty close to what Slakah lays down in the eleven tracks playing here.

The top of the album's playlist is filled with a few almost acid-jazzish tracks, including the opener, When the Night Stood Still, a groover featuring what sounds like bird calls. Track 2, the album's title track, moves along at much the same tempo but sprinkles some light vocals on top of the groove. Living For the Rush picks things up a bit, and has that Dilla feel to it. Track four, Things I Do (For Her), transitions more into the neo-soul touch, but it doesn't stay there long, with B-Boy Beef V2 remixes a cut from his last album (check out the video for the original above) that glances back at hip hop's history. Things slow down again with the next few tracks and bounce back into a mostly down tempo neo-soul feel until the new tracks added on to the original album cycling back to the Dilla influence with some rhymes laid on top with the body moving D.A.N.C.E., and closing with the simmering War Within that does a good job of mixing many of the album's elements.

The inclusion of the last four additional tracks certainly strengthens what was a fairly short album, almost EP. If you don't have the first, then I'd certainly recommend grabbing the whole. If you had gotten your ears on the original edition, adding the four tracks to it definitely won't hurt. Here's a cut for you to listen to:

Slakah The Beatchild - Things I Do (For Her) by MISB

And here's one from his last album:

Slakah The Beatchild - The Answer (Feat. Melanie Durrant) : Soul Movement, Vol 1

Visit his label BBE, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Dancing Away the Night

2011-03-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

We slow danced in the kitchen
to the sound of all the crickets
and the crackle of the old TV
with Sinatra singing songs about
Chicago and all of me...

So opens Goodnight California, the debut LP from Atlanta singer songwriter Nate Currin. Sometimes it's nice to listen to an album that's refreshingly new and original, and sometimes it's just as nice to find something comfortably familiar. In the case of Currin, it's the latter, as his sound very much reminds me of another artist that I came across a fair while ago (almost four years ago looking back at it now) that I thoroughly enjoy and have followed ever since: Cary Brothers. Both share an accessible pop sound that avoids too much polish and too many cliches, instead coming off as warm and sincere. While overall sporting an easy rocking acoustic+ feel to it, Currin isn't afraid to slow down and get personal, as is the case with Yellow Springs, dip into piano ballad land, such as Coming Home, or dabble with electronic touches, like in Lucid Dream. I'll share the album opener with you, Dance Away the Night, below.

Nate Currin - Dance Away the Night : Goodnight California

Visit his website, his label Archaic Cannon Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

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Upcoming Tour Dates

3/5 - Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse
3/19 - Austin, Texas @ The Dizzy Rooster
4/2 - New York City, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
4/4 - New York, NY @ The Real Radio Show
4/16 - Durham, NC @ Broad Street Cafe
4/29 - Tampa, Fl. @ Play
5/6 - Gainesville, Ga. @ Wild Wing Cafe
5/8 - Nashville, Tenn. @ The Bluebird Cafe

Win you some Elvis!

2011-03-02T17:36:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I just got back from a little vacation to Memphis, a town steeped in musical history, and was able to take in some truly historic sites: the Stax Museum of Soul Music, the Rock and Soul Museum, the Sun Records studio, the Gibson guitar factory, and last, but not least, Graceland. I'm not going to lie to you, I was initially hesitant to visit Graceland, fearing it would be the creme de cheese of tourist attractions, with a kitsch factor off the scale. Don't get me wrong, I can dig Elvis' music, his snear, and his pelvic thrusts, but I was afraid of running into too many folks who believed he was still alive and popping up for sitings every so often for the National Enquirer. I ended up saving Graceland for my last day in Memphis, and ultimately I'm very glad that I went.

Graceland itself (the house that Elvis lived in that is) is amazingly humble by today's superstars' cribs' standards. You can actually see the front door from a main road, and the property is bordered by normal, everyday houses that you can clearly see. There's no 10' fence around it, no wall of bushes too dense to see through. And while there are some eccentricities (the Jungle Room, the racquetball court building, the separate building for his staff to take in fan mail and deal with business), I can actually imagine someone legitimately living there and there not being rooms and parts of the property that no one ever gets to.

Across the street from Graceland are the museums that house all of the Elvis memorabilia and paraphernalia, including exhibits detailing his wardrobe and sense of style, the news coverage he received, a small portion of his car collection, his two private jets, and his '68 comeback special. Oh, and literally about 8 or 9 different souvenir shops. Here are a few pics I snapped:

ANYWAY, all that leads up to today's contest for a brand new Elvis release that's coming out March 8th from the Legacy label. It's a double disc release collecting two of Elvis' albums (Elvis Is Back! and Something For Everybody) and his hit singles from that period (including Stuck On You, Are You Lonesome Tonight, Little Sister, and others). These two albums came out right after Elvis returned from his stint in the Army over in Germany, hence the title of the first album. Both of them were a tour de force for Elvis, presenting him and his music in a new light, with more sophistication, more depth of material, with the first recorded over the course of only two nights, and the second in only one! Along with the tunes is a set of liner notes that, much like most Legacy reissues, adds another dimension to the albums for listeners.

I've got an extra copy of this release to share with one lucky reader. All you need to do to be in the running is to leave a comment (or email me) with your name, email address, and favorite Elvis tune. I'll pick a winner next Wednesdayish and notify them via email.

Elvis Presley - I Slipped, I Stumbled, I Fell : Elvis is Back! (Legacy Edition)

Visit the official Elvis website, and the Legacy Recordings website.

Luv Clowns (or be scared of them)

2011-03-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I know it's been eons since I've shown my face around here. All apologies! I just got back yesterday from a pilgrimage to the home of some of my favorite music: Memphis, Tennessee! Besides hitting up all the top notch tourist spots like Sun Records, the Stax Museum, and Graceland (look for Elvis related music AND contest later this week), I had strong intentions of searching out some great vinyl hunting spots. I was lucky enough to stumble across two: Shangri-La Records and Goner Records (look for the fruits of those hunting trips in upcoming Sunday Soul posts). Which leads me to a little something that I had actually had before the trip, something put out by the above-mentioned Goner Records.

For all you music listeners out there who have kids and are looking for something different to throw on the radio for those long trips where you're listening to the same CD over and over and over and over and over.... check out the Luv Clowns. I know what you're thinking: the name is semi-creepy / semi-campy, and to be honest, that just about sums up their music, but in a good way! Usually it takes my daughter a few listens to warm up to new music that she's not familiar with, but she immediately liked this album on first try, and asks for it in the car all the time now. One of her favorite tracks, one which she oftentimes asks me to skip to, is K-I-D-S, which you can hear below without asking me to play it!

Luv Clowns - K-I-D-S : Love Clowns!

Visit their label Goner Records, and become their friend on Facebook.

Fixin' To Die

2011-02-09T14:42:00.001-05:00

G. Love is back! Or I should say that he will be soon when his newest album, Fixin' To Die, comes out in a few weeks. That's the title track above to watch and below to download, a song originally written by bluesman Booker T. Washington White (also known as Bukka White) a ways back. I've loved G.'s music for a while, so I was eager to check out this new one. While he's always had a little southern twang to his blues/funk melange, the new one seems to have a little more roots to it than usual. That shouldn't be a surprise though considering Love recruited Scott and Sett Avett (The Avett Brothers) to produce and perform on the album. There are some originals here, some remade traditionals, and a daring cover of Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

Check out Love's take on the song below along with the original, a live version from Bob Dylan (who recorded it on his debut self titled album), and Led Zeppelin working it into a Whole Lotta Love medley from their BBC recordings.

G. Love - Fixin' To Die : Fixin' To Die

Bukka White - Fixin' To Die Blues : Vintage Songs Of Sex, Drugs & Cigarettes

Bob Dylan - Fixin' To Die : Live 11-4-61 NYC (Studio version on Bob Dylan)

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love Medley (Including Boogie Chillun, Fixin' To Die, That's Alright Mama, and A Mess Of Blues) : BBC Sessions

Visit his website, his label Brushfire Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

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Upcoming Tour Dates

March 1 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
March 2 - Greenville, SC - The Handlebar
March 3 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
March 4 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
March 5 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
March 9 - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
March 10 - Jacksonville, FL - The Freebird
March 11 - Orlando, FL - Beacham Theatre
March 12 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
March 13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
March 16 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
March 17-18 - SXSW
March 19 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
March 20 - Corpus Christi, TX - House Of Rock
March 23 - Little Rock, AK - Revolution Music Hall
March 24 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
March 25 - Austin, TX - Antone’s
March 26 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues

Certainly better than OK

2011-02-07T16:38:00.000-05:00

The cover alone should draw you into the Home EP. Who couldn't resist this cute little needle-point masterpiece? Thankfully, once you're in you'll find 5 songs from Jenny O. that are just as precious. It opens up with Well OK Honey, the song featured in the video above which you can download below and that has a Sheryl Crow vibe to it, you know that kind of softly rocking number. Things slow down a bit after that, settling into more of a folksy acoustic feel with All My Wishes, picks up a rollicking roll on Won't Let You Leave (which is transformed by Spirit Animal in the remix below), turns to the piano on I Do I Do, and dreams of returning Home for the closing number.

Jenny O. - Well OK Honey : Home EP

Jenny O. - Won't Let You Leave (Spirit Animal Remix) : original appears on Home EP

Become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Expressway to Your Heart

2011-02-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

love on my mind

I've been tryin' to get to you for a long time

Because constantly you been on my mind

I was thinkin' 'bout a shortcut I could take

But it seems like I made a mistake

Well I was wrong, mmm, took too long

I got caught in the rush hour

A fellow started to shower

You with love and affection

Now you won't look in my direction

On the expressway to your heart

The Soul Survivors - Expressway to Your Heart : Expressway to Your Heart 7"

The Soul Survivors - Hey Gyp : Expressway to Your Heart 7" B-side

Find them both on Expressway to Your Heart.

Stubbs Revisited

2011-02-05T08:41:00.001-05:00

Matisyahu hit the scene roughly six years ago with Shake of the Dust...Arise, but he made his big splash with his live performance from Texas titled Live at Stubbs. At the time, I'm sure that many thought that a Hasidic rapper was a one trick pony, and would come and go faster than you can say one-hit-wonder. Well, six years and six albums later he's still in the game, and just this week released Live at Stubbs Vol. II, both in audio as well as video format.

Far from growing stale, Matisyahu has proven to be an artist with staying power, one whose craft has developed and grown. This second volume from Stubbs, much like the first, is an excellent vehicle to deliver that to listeners. It features tracks from throughout his career. Listen and watch one of the tracks from it here:

In addition to the Standard CD version, there is a DVD version with documentary footage, and a Deluxe Edition (which includes both the CD and DVD as well as a 40 page photo booklet), all of which are available from Matisyahu's official website. You can download one of the tracks from the album below.

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

That Good!

2011-02-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Although not a widely known name, Seattle hip hop artist Onry Ozzborn has put in his time, including as a member of Grayskul, more recently Dark Time Sunshine, and on his own. His latest, and supposedly last, solo album Hold On for Dear Life just came out about a week ago. Ozzborn's flavor of hip hop is one that's a little dark while at the same time being fairly melodic. It's got something of an odd tinge to it that feels slightly off center, refreshingly so.

Onry Ozzborn - That Good (f. Sapient) : Hold On for Dear Life

Grayskul & Maker - Let's Go Head and Go Do That : Graymaker

Visit his label Fake Four Inc. and become his friend on Facebook.

She Said....so listen up

2011-02-02T09:40:00.000-05:00

I first caught wind of Ursula Rucker almost exactly two years ago when my friend Jessica wrote a wonderful guest piece for my week of guest posts back in February of 2009.If you're not familiar with her, be prepared for an in-your-face wake up call; her music is direct, powerful, confrontational, and unapologetic. It pulls no punches, rounds no edges. Part musician, part poet, almost like a female version of Gil Scott-Heron for the 21st century. You will not find Rucker eschewing what she believes in with her art. Her observations are cutting and keen, and peer into many facets of our world: political, moral, and personal.

Take for instance So What..?:

the simple truth of the matter is
the truth is simply epic
racism, sexism, intolerance, injustice are pandemic
the absence of a system of checks and balances in this country is systemic
so let's fix it

i'm just checking on on you
to see how you be doing
cuz people be saying it's the end
when really it's the beginning

or later on in the song...

why don't you take this life that you've been given
be grateful thinking, put it in rhythm and
it's ok if you a bit offbeat but still
timing is everything so
open your heart, stop hating
find some space in
your mind for some new information
swear off complacence
make the commitment to nurture the next generation
end your affair with lame-stream radio stations
replace your miseducation with
truth, peace, and this process takes time
so be patient and friend
it's time for some
revision
adjustment
reconstruction
difference
revolution
you know...
changing

If that level of frankness appeals to you, I strongly recommend checking out the rest of Rucker's album

Ursula Rucker - So What..? : She Said

Ursula Rucker - Ever Heard Of It : Ruckus Soundsysdom

and an older collaboration she did:

Josh Wink - Sixth Sense (feat. Ursula Rucker) : Herehear

Gil Scott-Heron : The Revolution Will Not Be Televised : Black Power: Music Of A Revolution

Become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Harlem

2011-02-01T16:33:00.001-05:00

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Happy birthday to Langston Hughes, one of the giants of the Harlem Renaissance.

Langston Hughes - Dream Montage: Tell Me Good Morning/Harlem/Same In Blues/Comment On Curb : Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like The River (Disc 1)

Going Down...

2011-02-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

So here I am stuck at home on a snow day once again while New England gets walloped with even more snow that we have nowhere to put! While a snow day might seem like a godsend, there's no such thing as a free ride, and I'll be cursing it come June when I have to make it up.

To drive back the indoor wintertime blues, I'm listening to the latest solo recording from Amanda Palmer, who's also half of the Dresden Dolls, and more recently half of Evelyn Evelyn. The album, Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under, was completely written and recorded in Australia and New Zealand (hence the album's title), with some tracks coming from the studio, and others from live shows.

If you haven't heard Amanda Palmer (or her many projects) before, she's entertaining as hell. She reminds me a lot of Nellie McKay: her music has got a light, playful romp about it, much of it on piano, with a cutting whit and sharp zig-zags that will leave you wondering what could possibly come out of her mouth next. Put it this way: not many artists can sing a song named Vegemite (the Black Death) and pull it off!

Honestly, the album's full of some gems, and in some ways it reminds me of the Ben Folds Five album Naked Baby Photos in its levity. (Incidentally, Palmer has worked with Folds a bit) If you haven't seen it yet, another great track from the album has been featured in a rather scandalously revealing video!

Musically the album works, and humor-wise it strikes just the right chord. Check out a selection of Palmer tracks below, and then get the album, which you can purchase for the ridiculous price of .69 cents digitally from her website!

Amanda Palmer - The Ship Song (Nick Cave cover) : Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under

Amanda Palmer - Creep (Radiohead cover, hungover At Soundcheck In Berlin) : Amanda Palmer Plays...

Evelyn Evelyn - My Space : Evelyn Evelyn

The Dresden Dolls - Pretty In Pink (Psychedelic Furs cover) : High School Reunion - a tribute to those great 80's films!

Visit her website and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Help Kickstart some Art

2011-01-27T08:20:00.002-05:00

Nelson George is an amazing artist with his hands in many fields. He's written books (including Hip Hop America and Thriller: The Musical Life of Michael Jackson), been a music columnist (one of the first to break hip hop in print in Billboard and the Amsterdam News), hosted TV programs (VH1's Soul Cities), produces TV shows (BET's American Gangter series), and films (he helped Spike Lee's debut She's Gotta Have It off the ground and has made several of his own).

Now, George is working on a new documentary focusing on the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill areas of Brooklyn, a neighborhood that spawned a flurry of amazing artists spanning many fields (including the before mentioned Spike Lee). He's posted the project on Kickstarter.com and is looking for some financial help to make it happen. You can donate as little as $1 and as much as $???. Depending on how much you donate, you also get some pretty tantalizing goodies to thank you for your support.The fund raising deadline is in 9 days though, and he's still got $1,000 he needs to raise. Don't waste any time; head over there now and support the arts!

Speaking of Spike Lee, his third feature film Do the Right Thing helped break Public Enemy to America with its inclusion of Fight the Power, where it appeared for the first time. "1989...a number, another summer..."

Public Enemy - Fight the Power : Fear of a Black Planet

Visit Nelson George's website and support his project on Kickstarter.com.

One More Love

2011-01-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

I'm not usually a big fan of top 40 dance club type music, but David Guetta has become a big exception once I checked out his latest, One More Love. It's short and sweet (8 tracks), and contains no filler, just some amazing music that will make your grandmother want to get out on the floor and dance. Watch the hilarious megamix in the above video to get a taste (that is if you're not laughing too hard at Keenan Cahill). And right now, you can get get the digital version for just $3.99 at Amazon.com, although I'm not sure how long that deal will last.

Visit his website, his label Astralwerks, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Win some Bob Marley HERE!

2011-01-25T16:16:00.001-05:00

Remember that new Bob Marley live album that I mentioned last week? Well, guess what! I've got a copy of the 2 CD deluxe release to give away to one MISB lucky reader! That's right, just leave a comment (or email me) with your name and email address and you'll be in the running for a copy of Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh PA September 23, 1980 [2 CD Deluxe Edition].

In case you didn't see my post last week and don't want to click on that link I included up above, next Tuesday will see the release of a 2 disc live album that features the last recorded show of Bob Marley and the Wailers. To help celebrate, I'll chose one lucky reader to win a copy on the day of its release (sorry, but I can't get it to you that day!) one week from today and notify them via email.

In the meantime, check out this track from an older live album, one released way back in 1975 from a show that same year.

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Trenchtown Rock : Live!

Visit the Bob Marley website, and become his friend (from the other side) on Facebook and MySpace.

Jazz Brunch Jam - Tributes

2011-01-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

Today I've got a STELLAR performance to share with you from last year that I stumbled upon quite by accident. It's headed up by a jazz musician I first discovered and wrote about a few years ago (damn, time flies), Robert Glasper. At that time, he was just getting ready to put out his inventive concept album Double-Booked, which I enthusiastically gave two thumbs up. What makes this live performance even better is that it's a tribute to another jazz musician, Roy Ayers, who's one of my favorites! Accompanying Glasper is legendary producer/DJ/rapper Pete Rock and up and coming neo-soul singer Bilal. The three of them, along with Glasper's backing band, pull out all the stops for an incredible show that you can watch above (or go here to jump to certain songs), or download in its entirety here.

Robert Glasper Experiment w/ Pete Rock & Stefon Harris - Red Black and Green > Pete Rock Freestyle : Live 9/11/10 Paris, France @ Cabaret Sauvage - Roy Ayers Tribute

the original:

Roy Ayers - Red Black & Green : Red Black & Green

another great cover and tribute to the late J Dilla from the show:

Robert Glasper Experiment w/ Pete Rock & Stefon Harris - Stakes Is High (De La Soul cover) : Live 9/11/10 Paris, France @ Cabaret Sauvage - Roy Ayers Tribute

Visit Robert Glasper's website, his label Blue Note Records, and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - Now Run and Tell That

2011-01-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

actually, i AM the boss of you

You said you were the greatest man alive, oh yes you did

But I made up my mind to cut you down to size, oh yeah.

I'll put somethin' on your mind,

You'll never forget, no, baby.

I've got you walking in a daze,

You ain't recovered yet, oh no.

Hey hey, Mr. Big Stuff,

Hey Romeo,

You can tell the world,

That I told you so,

That I was gonna show you where it's at.

Now run and tell that.

Denise LaSalle - Now Run and Tell That : Now Run and Tell That 7"

Denise LaSalle - The Deeper I Go (The Better It Gets) : Now Run and Tell That 7" B-side

Get them both on Trapped By a Thing Called Love.

Making Deals with the Devil

2011-01-21T10:41:00.001-05:00

"Robert Johnson to me is the most important blues musician who ever lived. He was true, absolutely, to his own vision, and as deep as I have gotten into the music over the last 30 years, I have never found anything more deeply soulful than Robert Johnson. His music remains the most powerful cry that I think you can find in the human voice, really."

-Eric Clapton

Mention the name Robert Johnson to nearly anyone knowledgeable about that blues and they're bound to have lots to tell you about him. Johnson learned from his contemporaries, men such as Son House, Lonnie Johnson, Elmore James, and others, but quickly surpassed their skills. Although one of the most celebrated bluesman in history, Johnson died at the tender young age of 27, and every single one of his recordings (including alternate takes) can be collected in just two CDs (and found in the box set Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings).

Regardless of the duration of his career, or the depth of his recorded releases, Johnson's legacy is one that affected the development of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and indeed American music period. Countless musicians mention his name as an idol of theirs, or reference his songs as instrumental in the development of their own sound. Musicians such as Eric Clapton above, the electric bluesmen of the 60's, and numerous rock bands such as Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and Cream.

Numerous legends suggest that Johnson made a pact with the devil for his musical mastery, but had he lived past 27 (when he was reportedly poisoned for flirting with a jookhouse owner's wife while playing at his establishment!), Johnson would have turned 100 this year. With that in mind, Big Head Todd and the Monsters have decided to release a tribute album full of covers of some of Johnson's most powerful songs titled 100 Years of Robert Johnson. They've dubbed themselves the Big Head Blues Club, and invited several esteemed guests along for the ride: Charlie Musselwhite, Hubert Sumlin, Ruthie Foster, and B.B. King.

The resulting music, while using Johnson's material, has a substantially different feel to it, which is good because, hey, it's Robert Johnson - you just can't compete with him at his own game. It's more akin to the electric blues of the 60's than the roots of the 20's and 30's (check out B.B. King singing on Crossroads Blues). While it might not match Johnson's emotional intensity, it conveys his spirit and does jump with more vibrancy due in parts to the electronic sound as well as simply the recording technology that delivers it to us.

In addition, the band will be touring over the next few months in support of the album, check below for dates if you like what you hear.

Big Head Blues Club - Ramblin' On My Mind : 100 Years of Robert Johnson

and the original:

Robert Johnson - Ramblin' On My Mind (Alternate Take) : Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings

Visit the official Robert Johnson website and his Facebook page.

Visit Big Head Todd and the Monster's website and become their friend on MySpace and Facebook.

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Upcoming Tour Dates

Jan. 28 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
Jan. 29 Costa Mesa, CA Orange County Performing Arts Center
Jan. 30 San Diego, CA (2 shows) Anthology
Jan. 31 Santa Barbara, CA Campbell Hall / UCSB
Feb. 04 Austin, TX Paramount Theatre
Feb. 05 Dallas, TX Lakewood Theatre
Feb. 10 Ann Arbor, MI Hill Auditorium / U of M
Feb. 11 Chicago, IL Orchestra Hall
Feb. 12 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
Feb. 13 Meridian, MS Riley Center / MSU
Feb. 16 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Hall / UNC Chapel Hill
Feb. 17 North Bethesda, MD The Music Center at Strathmore
Feb. 18 Boston, MA Berklee School of Music
Feb. 24 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
Feb. 25 Princeton, NJ McCarter Theatre
Feb. 26 Blue Bell, PA Montgomery County Community College
Feb. 27 New Bedford, MA Zeiterion Theater
March 4 Milwaukee, WI Potowatomi Casino
March 5 Omaha, NE Holland Performing Arts Center
March 6 Minneapolis, MN Orchestra Hall
March 8 Urbana, IL Krannert Center – Tyrone Festival Theatre

Win some Bob Marley!

2011-01-20T21:08:00.000-05:00

This contest isn't hosted by MISB, but I wanted to pass it along anyway as it's pretty amazing. Up for grabs is the above pictured goodness: Bob Marley & The Wailers - Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980. It comes out February 1st in a few different formats, but all of them include the last recorded concert of Marley's life It's available in a 2 CD format (pre-order it here), and the super deluxe 2 CD and 3 LP version pictured above (pre-order that one here).

OR, if you want to win, you can enter on Twitter or Facebook. Good luck!

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Get Up, Stand Up : Live!

Visit the Bob Marley website, and become his friend (from the other side) on Facebook and MySpace.

Tennis Anyone?

2011-01-18T11:25:00.000-05:00

Tennis - Pigeon from Scott Laidlaw on Vimeo.

Looking for some charming twee pop to mix in with your favorite Camera Obscura songs while you're waiting for them to put out a new album? Look no farther than Tennis. Yeah, like the game, except it's a guy/gal duo hailing from this side of the Atlantic. They play some lovely catchy, seemingly simplistic, melodic songs that flow along swimmingly!

Tennis - Pigeon : Cape Dory

Visit their label Fat Possum Records and become their friend on MySpace and Facebook.

We've got to have a holiday

2011-01-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

he talked about love

about unification

talked about love

and dedication

he wanted to see peace

across the nation

call for an end to world starvation

feel the heart's inspiration

he used the world as his foundation

we need a proclamation

some sign of our affection

we've got to have a holiday

Martin Luther King

Amazingly, it wasn't until 2000 that all 50 states officially recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. day as a holiday. We've still got a ways to go.

Roy Ayers - Holiday : Virgin Ubiquity II

Become Roy Ayers' friend on MySpace.
Visit The King Center.

Sunday Soul - Funky Street

2011-01-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

More Dancing

Down on Funky Street, diggin the funky beat

Down on Funky Street that's where the grooviest people meet

Sweet soul music is in the air

People are comin' from everywhere

Comin' from the east, comin' from the west

Dancin with the one they love the best

Arthur Conley - Funky Street : Funky Street 7"

Arthur Conley - Put Our Love Together : Funky Street 7" B-side

Find them both on Soul Directions.

Oye Como Va!

2011-01-15T21:14:00.000-05:00

Here's one of my personal favorites, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, covering a classic Latin song this last New Years.

the original:

Tito Puente - Oye Como Va : El Rey - A Man and his Music

Visit their website, their label Hollywood Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

Say (and sing) Yes

2011-01-12T10:11:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I wrote about Nigerian legend, Fela Kuti. Today, I'll share a contemporary Nigerian-American artist named Iyeoka. Besides sharing a nationality though, her music is quite different than Kuti's afrobeat. About the closest comparison I can conjure up would be Ursula Rucker (who coincidentally released her latest album She Said just yesterday), although even that would be an uneven stretch. Iyeoka's album Say Yes is an interesting mixture of electronic soul/dance music, spoken word, and jazz, one that constantly shifts its approach from beginning to end.

Besides being a musician, Iyeoka also is a poet, which is where the spoken word elements of her album come into play (the powerful I Travel Home does an intense working of comparing her two worlds) and the previous comparison to Rucker. Visiting her website will reveal a whole body of poetic works, including the following poem:

soon

Possibly I will
soon never
need to go too long without you, my love.
Perhaps we will move on this understanding
that this
IS OUR NEXT.

We will
reminisce when age finds us seasoned,
in legend with love.
Loving the water,
we will baptise
and sing of the days
Of our youth when we
were beautiful…
and…back where I began
to fall full in love
with you-Heart wide open

Home soon became
anywhere we came
together. And maybe tomorrow,
you will wake demanding
me to your side
as your wife
as your friend
as a woman who
will carry your
child.

Maybe we will stumble
over the lines
before we find ourselves
again.
Possibly…
We will soon know
what all of this
means…
Soon.

This burgeoning optimism is also apparent in much of the material on her album, with The Yellow Brick Road Song, the opening track, being a perfect example. And although the realities of the world don't escape her (such as when she sings "Break down, break down down / The walls of happily ever after" in the similarly titled track), the album's title reminds us of Iyeoka's message, just as the closing lines of the last track My Current Anthem reiterate, "Remember the road is on time with your arrival / And your next moment to shine flies on the horizon."

Iyeoka - The Yellow Brick Road Song : Say Yes

Visit her website, her label Underground Sun, and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Fela Finale

2011-01-11T16:44:00.000-05:00

Three tidbits of Fela Kuti news, in increasing order of excitement:

1.) I've posted a few times on Knitting Factory's reissue of the Fela Kuti catalog, and as all good things must come to an end, so does the roll-out of remastered afrobeat. Next week comes the final batch of Fela Kuti albums: ten albums from the end of Kuti's outstanding career including Coffin For Head Of State (1979) / Unknown Soldier (1980), Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (1986), Original Suffer Head (1981) / I.T.T. (1980), Live In Amsterdam (1984), Army Arrangement (1984), Beasts Of No Nation (1989) / O.D.O.O. (1990), and his final release, Underground System (1992). This music comes from Kuti's life when we was touring around the world, bringing his music and his country's problems to audiences everywhere.

2.) In addition to this final set of CDs, Knitting Factory is also putting out a vinyl box set curated by none other than ?uestlove of The Roots on February 1st. Supposedly, it's the first in a series, and will include six albums handpicked by ?uestlove including Everything Scatter, Expensive Shit, Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense, Beasts Of No Nation, Fear Not For Man, and Sorrow Tears And Blood. All artwork (both label and cover) will be an accurate replica of the originals.

3.) I've been yapping about catching the musical Fela! on Broadway for a while now, but have yet to put my money (and car) where my mouth is. Well, thanks to London's National's Olivier Theatre, I'm not going to have to drive into the Big Apple to see it, and neither do YOU! On January 13th (yes, this Thursday), the production will be filmed live and broadcast to 86 movie screen in the United States (as well as to nineteen other countries). And lucky for me, one of those 86 screens is practically right in my backyard and I'll be attending! To say I'm eager for Thursday night to roll around would be the understatement of 2011. I've been listening to the Original Broadway Cast Recording (which features Antibalas as the backing band) for quite some time now, and even though the British broadcast will have a different backing band, I'm positive that they'll be (almost) just as good. To see if it will be playing at a venue near you, visit the National Theatre Live website (for both American and international showings).

Without further adieu, here's a song from this latest batch as played by the Broadway cast:

Fela! - I.T.T. (International Thief Thief) : Original Broadway Cast Recording: FELA!

Visit the albums' label Knitting Factory Records and the show's official website.

Sunday Soul - Kung Fu Fighting

2011-01-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

They were funky China men from funky Chinatown

They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down

It's an ancient Chinese art and everybody knew their part

From a feint into a slip, and kicking from the hip

Everybody was kung-fu fighting

Those cats were fast as lightning

In fact it was a little bit frightening

But they fought with expert timing

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting : Kung Fu Fighting 7"

Carl Douglas - Gamblin' Man : Kung Fu Fighting 7" B-side

Get the A-side all of these places.

Tree of Mystery

2011-01-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

When I first started spinning Tree of Mystery, I thought it sounded vaguely familiar, like something that I should be able to place. After about the third spin, another band popped into my head: Ancient Astronauts, a band that I got turned onto about a year and a half ago. I went searching through my music, played their album We Are to Answer, and sure enough, it was a sonic step-brother. And then the truth hit me, Kabanjak, the musician behind Tree of Mystery, is one half of the duo that make up Ancient Astronauts!

While not having completely split from his fellow musician Dogu, Kabanjak's release Tree of Mystery (whose cover I really dig, check it below) is his first flying solo. It carries a lot of the characteristics of his work as an Ancient Astronaut, with melodies that alternately feel as if they're soaring in the sky and then swirling in a Middle Eastern desert. Every so often, scattered through his musical meditations, come rhymes laid down by guest vocalists. At some points it feels like you're meditating in the heavens, and others you're immersed right here in Earth, with no clear horizon distinguishing the two.

Kabanjak - Rhythm : Tree of Mystery

and a few older ones:

Kabanjak - Blues Encore : Forward Ever, Backward Never

Ancient Astronauts - Lost in Marrakesh (feat. Entropik) : We Are to Answer

Visit his label ESL Music and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

A Listening Salve

2011-01-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

Silje Nes | A Take Away Show | Symmetry Of Empty Space from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.
Silje Nes' music just oozes beauty. The Norwegian's voice is as delicate as a butterfly, as gently flowing as a brook. Opticks, her latest album, features the track she plays live above, and which you can download below. If you need an album to brush out the ruffles of life, a salve to sooth your soul, look no further than this one. What comes to mind to compare it to it This Mortal Coil, without the dramatic ups and downs, rather a gentle undulation.

Silje Nes - Symmetry of Empty Space : Opticks

Visit her label FatCat Records and become her friend on MySpace and Facebook.

This Is the New Year

2011-01-05T21:48:00.000-05:00

Get it on the This Is (Almost) the New Year EP.

Become Ian Axel's friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Jazz Brunch Jam - Mushroom Jazz

2011-01-02T09:04:00.001-05:00

For today's Jazz Brunch Jam, we're taking it new school, with the latest in Mark Farina's Mushroom Jazz Series, #7. Farina first introduced the series back in 1996, and his goal has remained constant since then: to collect and share some of the best and brightest in what would probably most neatly be called acid jazz. To simply let that term define all nineteen tracks would do it a disservice, though. Be prepared for a spectrum of cuts that loosely start with a jazz base and then add on some hip hop infused beats, moments of trippy loops, and dance floor inducing bumping. It's cool and it's hot, it swings and it chills. The grooves go deep, but not for too long.

Slakah the Beatchild - Macheeto : Mushroom Jazz 7

and one from the last volume:

Colossus feat. G-off & The Whooligan - The What? : Mushroom Jazz 6

Visit his website and become his friend on MySpace and Facebook.

Sunday Soul - New Year's Resolution

2011-01-02T08:36:00.003-05:00

My letter to 2011

Many times we had our ups and downs

And times you needed me I couldn't be found

I'm sorry

And I'm sorry too

I'll never, never do it again, no, no, no

So baby before we fall out

Let's fall on in, yeah, yeah

Oh, and we're gonna try harder

Not to hurt each other again, oh

Love me baby, huh

Week after week

And baby let's make promises

That we can keep

And call it our New Year's resolution, yeah, oh

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas - Lovey Dovey : Lovey Dovey 7"

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas - New Year's Resolution : Lovey Dovey 7" B-side

Find them both on King & Queen.

Dark Anika

2010-12-31T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm going to wrap up my trilogy of female singers this week with far removed from the first two. While it also is her debut (just like the previous two days), the self titled release by Anika has a COMPLETELY different tone to it that is instantly recognizable as something you don't spin every day. Where as my previous two posts shared deceptively poppy sounding music, Anika takes the dark road, sporting a hazy, almost washed out sound that feels like it's been sent through several muffled layers that have stripped any light or happiness out of it, leaving behind Anika's almost spoken word chants to lure you in. It comes as no surprise that it was produced by Portishead’s Geoff Barrow. I have no doubt that it's either a love it or hate it sound, but try it for yourself to see which camp you fit into.

Anika - Yang Yang : Anika

Visit her label Stones Throw Records and become her friend on MySpace.