Released 10/15/2012
Whoops...here we go again! Neil Young with Crazy Horse. "Americana" was a successful (in my opinion) warmup to this double album. It's all here friends: the chunky, chewy jams unfettered by time constraints ("Driftin' Back" 27:58, "Ramada Inn" 16:38, "Walk LIke A Giant"16:35) and the somewhat tighter loping tunes typical of Young and the Horse ("Born In Ontario", "Twisted Road"). There's even two versions of the title tune, one as mixed in the late sixties with all the acid whooshing effects and the other more straight ahead.
Whether you like this or not is based on your tolerance for the longer jams (which are suprisingly more melodic and trance-like than in the past). I love this stuff. And it all fits in very nicely with Neil's autobiography "Waging Heavy Peace" of which there are varied opinions (I both loved and was frustrated with it).
Lengthy or not, the songs themselves seem to be in step with the Young canon. Take a listen to the early Young-Horse albums...there's quite a connection.
Released 09/07/2012
Yeah, I know his voice is shot and his playing can be sloppy but that isn't the point here. It comes down to what appears on the tracks and here he continues his quest started with "Time Out Of Mind" in 1997. He's exploring, dissecting and reassembling American music like no one else. Be it blues, jazz, rockabilly, folk or country, Bob Dylan is all over it. The music is as authentic sounding as he can make it (check out "Duquense Whistle"). Many times he uses already existing material as the basis of a track ("Early Roman Kings") but adds that Dylan twist be it musical or lyrical. "Tempest" continues his quest mostly successfully with some top drawer material ("Soon After Midnight", "Pay In Blood", "Narrow Way").
Late period Dylan has become quite the journey. We should be thankful that we are along for the ride. Hold on, it may be bumpy at times, but the rewards are many. It's no understatement to say that Dylan is one of the musical touchstones of our era.
Released 07/24/2012
Yeah, I know all the talk about this band being a Springsteen clone (and a Jersey band to boot). Sure the Boss has played with them in the past and some of their previous albums sound like Bruce wannabes but really, this is a band that has worn it's influences on it's sleeve (and they are not all Springsteen based) and there is an evolution going on here.
"Handwritten" is a merging of all these things into something that is distinctly Gaslight Anthem. This is a solid rock album with tastes of Jersey rock, punk and what-have-you. The songwriting is first rate and the playing is solid. Anticipation of what these guys will do in the future is promising.
All that said, if you're a Springsteen fan you'll love this album.
Released 07/24/12
As the former substance abusing Kid Rock guitarist and drummer for garage rockers Detroit Cobras and Sub Pop darlings King Tuff, I had a preconcieved idea of what kind of solo album Kenny Tudrick would put together. Expecting a raucous balls-to-the-wall kind of sound (not a bad thing mind you) what Kenny put out was a very pleasant surprise indeed.
Leaning more towards the folk rock, 70s Laurel Canyon sound this is one tasty creation. The production is sparse but impeccable. Bursts of electic guitars, drums, keyboards and backing vocals come and go as needed. The instruments are mostly Kenny with keyboard help and the occasional guest guitarist (Patti Smith's son is one).
Kenny's vocals are another surprise. Plaintive, weary and drawling at times it is definitely a pleasant sound. He's been places and done things and it shows.
The songs? There's a double albums worth and not a bad one in the bunch. Experiences evoked by his vocal style match perfectly with the lyrics. He's been around and understands how a song works. Each song has a quality that drags you into it. Once familiar with the tunes you anticipate each track as it begins.
I can't praise this album enough.
(For a really good article on Kenny go to Google and enter "Kenny Tudrick Metro Times")
Released 06/04/2012
Her first album of new material in eight years , "Banga" is well worth the wait. For Patti Smith fans it's all here...the spoken word delivery flowing into melodic phrases ("Amerigo", "Seneca", "This Is The Girl"), great rhythms (Jay Dee Daugherty, Tony Shanahan), sudden guitar blasts and lyric inventions (Lenny Kaye, Tom Verlaine). There's pop and folk and rock and epic presentations (the 10 minute "Constantines Dream" stands out). It all ends with a wistful version of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" made all the poignant with her signature delivery and a children's chorus. As expected the lyrics are as good as it gets. Here is the work of a true artist for your consideration.
