MWE3.COM
MUSIC NEWS & NOTES
JANUARY
2012 RECORD LABEL SPOTLIGHT
POP
& ROCK
BEE EATERS - Although Northern California based band, The Bee
Eaters are clearly part of the new generation of 21st Century
bands paving a kind of acoustic Americana sound, there’s plenty
of vintage vibes in their music. Case in point is the 2011 Bee Eaters
album Oddfellows Road. The CD packaging and the
album sound is first rate and the music ain’t bad either. A kind
of rural sounding, mostly instrumental with occasional vocal CD, Oddfellows
Road is mysterious and rare. Another vintage reference point for
older fans might be to compare The Bee Eaters to late ‘70s Eno
proteges Penguin Cafe Orchestra, led by the late great Simon Jeffes.
Also inspired by the aftermath of the Windham Hill late ‘70s
New Age sound, the Bee Eaters feature the twin fiddle sound of siblings
Tristan Clarridge and Tashina Clarridge. The group also
is also complimented by the hammered dulcimer of Simon Chrisman
along with guest appearances by several players including mandolin
ace Mike Marshall. The influence of their fiddle guru Darol
Anger comes across here in a cover of his track “Gyroscope.”
Check out the New Grass instrumental cover of Michael Jackson’s
“Thriller” as well. The CD sound is superbly recorded and
overall, especially with that amazing CD packaging, Oddfellows
Road is well worth the time for fans of bluegrass, Celtic, jazz
and vintage era acoustic music. www.BeeEaters.com
BELLA UNION - A very spacey kind of modern folk electronica, Lanterns
On The Lake offers up a sonic treat with the 2011 CD release of
Gracious Tide Take Me Home. Ethereal is an understatement
as Lanterns On The Lake sounds kind of like Penguin Cafe Orchestra
meets Kate Bush produced by Eno. There’s some truly inspired
rock meets avant gard spirit in play on this impressive debut CD.
The sound is great and the vivid production of Paul Gregory mixes
things up nicely with Lanterns On The Lake featuring the Kate
Bush inspired lyrics of Hazel Wilde. www.LanternsOnTheLake.com
BLOODSHOT
RECORDS - Hailed by modern music heroes like Jack White of the
White Strips as being on of the best kept secrets of the rock ‘n’
roll underground, Dexter Romweber hits back hard with his 2011
CD, Is That You In The Blue? Combining primal rock &
roll, rockabilly, psycho-billy, country music and R&B, Romweber
is like a one man wrecking crew on his 14 track Bloodshot CD release.
Even though it’s called Dex Romweber Duo, a number of players
assist Dex including someone named Sara on all manners of drums
and percussion. At times Dex sounds like Elvis Prosily on acid and
at other times he sounds like Wanda Jackson’s offspring. Not
for the faint of heart for sure, Is That You In The Blue? is
a pretty wild ride. Dex himself excels on a number of instruments
here including guitars, keyboards, bass and all the lead vocals. Take
a spin with Dex into the blue, you won’t remember what decade
you’re living in. www.Bloodshotrecords.com
CONCORD
JAZZ - On his latest CD for Concord Jazz, guitar legend George
Benson re-explores the sound and style that has made him a household
word among guitar fans for the past 5 decades. Benson continues to
redefine guitar jazz on the twelve track Guitar Man.
There’s a solid mix of both instrumental and vocal tracks
that finds Benson getting excellent support from notable players including
Joe Sample (piano), David Garfield (keyboards, musical
director), Ben Williams (bass) and Harvey Mason (drums).
Produced by John Burk, the 2011 CD release of Guitar Man
features the guitar legend putting a fresh spin on a number of
song classics including his faithful vocal cover of the Stevie Wonder
classic “My Cheri Amour” a complete instrumental reworking
of The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and even
a jazzy cover of the surf-rock classic “Tequila”. There’s
no song that Benson can’t put a fresh spin on. Fans of Benson’s
career as both a jazz vocal artist and a guitar pioneer will find
much to appreciate on Guitar Man. www.ConcordMusicGroup.com
DOMINO
RECORDS - The 2011 CD from guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones,
entitled If...Music By Bill Ryder-Jones is a most eclectic
affair involving string sections (by the Liverpool Philharmonic),
and electric rock guitar flavored passages by Jones that often melds
into dreamlike musical sequences. The CD booklet is very cool with
some fantastic printing effects. Ryder-Jones was the guitarist in
the U.K. rock group The Coral and If really gives him a chance
to explore his more far-out musical soundtrack inclinations. A kind
of Pink Floyd circa Atom Heart Mother type vibe (mixed with
a solid Morricone influence) is in evidence and likewise, Ryder-Jones
even includes a couple Floyd-ian type vocal tracks that serves to
balance out the mostly instrumental neoclassical, Baroque etchings
that dominate this melancholic yet exquisitely sonic affair. www.DominoRecordCo.com
DOWN KIDDIE! RECORDS - 25 years after their huge big MTV breakthrough,
“Walk Like An Egyptian”, The Bangles have really
matured as a pop band and they show it on the 2011 CD release of Sweetheart
Of The Sun. Produced by long time power pop virtuoso,
Matthew Sweet, the 12 track CD features all three of the remaining
original Bangles—Debbi Peterson (drums), sister Vicki
Peterson (guitars) and Susanna Hoffs (guitars) backed up
by key studio musicians including the multi-instrumentalist Greg
Leisz, Derrick Anderson (bass) and Greg “Harpo”
Hilfman (keyboards). Those great 3 part girl group Bangle-ized
harmonies remain in tact, while the catchy, introspective song writing
remains the central focus and defining characteristic of this institution
among power-pop legends. Following the languid, hypnotic “Through
Your Eyes”, The Bangles fade the album in a blaze of glory with
a set closing rave-up cover of Todd Rundgren’s Nazz classic “Open
Your Eyes”. www.TheBangles.com
EAGLE
RECORDS - American prog-rock icons STYX recast their 40
year legacy in a different light by rerecording thirteen Styx classics,
(along with a few surprises) featuring a classic sound reinvented
with fresh vision on the 2011 double CD set Regeneration, Volume
1 & 2. Just this past summer 2011 Styx toured America
with YES, some say rocking even harder and louder than YES. With over
30 million records sold in North America alone, this particular lineup
of the band Styx, still featuring guitarists Tommy Shaw and
James “JY” Young together with Chuck Panozzo (bass),
Lawrence Gowan (keyboards), Ricky Phillips (bass) and
Todd Sucherman (drums), have been together longer than any
other lineup in the band’s 40-year existence, with some of the
finest of that history recut again in the studio on this memorable
CD set. Also in abundance throughout the double CD set is that great
four part vocal harmony that is the Styx musical trademark. Eagle
Rock Entertainment has previously released Styx: One
With Everything—a DVD and blu-Ray filmed with The Contemporary
Youth Orchestra Of Cleveland and in December 2011 Eagle released The
Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight – Live, on DVD/CD, DVD,
and blu-ray. www.styxworld.com
EVERSO RECORDS - Released through her own Everso label, Revelation
Road marks the return of Alabama born singer-songwriter Shelby
Lynne. Shelby blew many a mind at the 2001 John Lennon tribute
concert at Radio City and she’s kept her hand in the game over
the years including the 2010 CD release of Tears, Lies And Alibis.
The new CD credits Shelby with producing, writing and performing
the album, which is intimate at times but packs a punch. One reviewer
compared the new Revelation Road track “Woebegone”
to some of Lennon’s work on the first Plastic Ono Band album
and that’s pretty accurate. Revelation Road is solid country-pop
filled with plenty of lyrical insights and fine playing all around
but the centerpiece is surely Shelby’s magnetic musical personality,
vocals and lyrical insights. Revelation Road is country pop-rock
for the 21st century. www.ShelbyLynne.com
FAR SHORE RECORDS - A New Age kind of vocal album currently
getting around the music world, Extradimensional Ethnography
introduced the music Akara. The CD offers a wild combination
of music, featuring Akara founder Joshua 
Penman,
a classically trained composer turned electronic music producer, with
the sultry female vocals of Femke Weidema, who left her country/pop/Latin
music roots to turn into a psychedelic New Age chanteuse. Featuring
their mix of computer keyboards and ethereal Enya-like vocals, the
pair get further assistance from a number of string players who bring
in a touch of Philip Glass / Eno-inspired minimalism. With their wild
sound and vision, Akara is helping spearhead a new kind of 21st century
sound / scene for New Age electronica. www.AkaraProject.com
GLOBAL RECORDING ARTISTS - Back in 1967, Bill Mumy (known
then as Billy Mumy) was an international celebrity thanks to
his starring on the great “Lost In Space” TV show, which
was kind of ABC TV’s comic answer to “Star Trek” which
was on NBC TV. Growing up in the ‘60s too, Billy was obviously
smitten by the pop music bug and he continues on in that direction
with his latest album from 2010 called Glorious In Defeat.
The 13 cut CD features Billy performing all the instruments and
handling all the vocals and song writing too. Alluding to the title,
the music here is quite bluesy with a cutting pop edge. This ain’t
power pop or rock ‘n’ roll by any stretch, but Bill keeps
it interesting with a bluesy, kind of early ‘70s Stones kind
of vibe. If you like albums like Exile On Main Street and some
of Keith Richards’ solo material, you’ll probably enjoy
Glorious In Defeat. Who knew that kid from “Lost In Space”
would end up as a raging blues man who plays some killer electric
guitar? Fittingly, Glorious In Defeat winds up with Mumy offering
up his own version of Robert Johnson’s blues standard “Love
In Vain Blues”? Either way, welcome back Billy. www.BillMumy.com
LITTLE
MUSIC TREE - The fist thing you notice upon listening to the 2011
LeeSun CD, the 17 track PRiME, is
how effortlessly she puts her sound together. You could swear that
some of these tracks were made back in L.A. in the late ‘60s.
Although of Korean lineage, LeeSun sings perfectly in English and,
in fact her vocal delivery and music sounds like a blend between the
spacy folk-pop vocals of Joni Mitchell with a kind of earthy Susanna
Hoffs type of breathiness. You can’t discount Yoko Ono’s
influence here, although Leesun is even more completely whimsical
and thoroughly unique in her scope. Sounding more like L.A. in the
late ‘60s (than say Leeds in 2011!) PRiME introduces a
touch of lighthearted, retro style pop fun to the too often weary
world of 21st century pop music. Based in the U.K., LeeSun recorded
her music with some great players backing her yet, writing her own
words and music, she places her unique vocals up front. You would
think that if listeners could open their ears a little wider, artists
as unique and special as Leesun could break through. LeeSun gets solid
support from a number of players including Taz Modi (keyboards,
guitars), Dan Klenner (drums, guitar) and Dan Norton
(bass). Also occasionally supplanting the keyboard based sound
are various musicians adding musical coloration on flute, double bass,
oboe, flugelhorn, cello, tenor sax and violin. LeeSun’s music
is really the reason to hear PRiME but CD collectors will enjoy
the colorful artwork, excellent packaging and extensive booklet and
lyrics that accompanies the silver disc edition. www.LeeSunMusic.com
NEW MILLENNIUM - Sometimes you can tell from looking at a CD
cover that an album is going to be a gas and I got that same kind
of vibe from the cover art of the 2011 CD from Matt Smith’s
World. Best described as a mix of funky blues and jazz,
Matt Smith's 
World
features some rock solid guitar work from the Austin, Texas based
Smith, who gets some fine support from a solid band of players including
Ernie Durawa on drums, Joe Morales (sax) and Aaron
Lack (steel drums). Guitar watchers are being bowled over by the
diverse amounts of music in play on Matt Smith's World with
some esteemed critics noting various influences that seep into the
all original fare, including the fiery global jazz-rock of Santana,
the swampy R&B grooves of Sly Stone, the deep folk-ish voice of
Fred Neil and the urbane jazz/blues of Boz Scaggs. In addition to
the blusier numbers, there are some interesting torch song type rock
tracks as well as an excellent CD closing guitar-based Gypsy Jazz
style instrumental track entitled "Hot Club Of Brooklyn".
Blues and roots rock fans who enjoy say, Robbie Robertson or even
Bruce Springsteen’s music will enjoy Smith’s outstanding
electric guitar and vocals as well as his intriguing and quite unique
approach to songwriting. Oh yeah, plus you also get that very cool
cover art and packaging when you pick up the CD. www.MattSmithsWorld.com
PAINTED ROCK RECORDS - Based down in Nashville, Amy Hart kicks
up quite a fuss with her ten track, 2011 CD called Congratulations.
One part Sheryl Crow, one part Bangles style pop, Congratulations
is described as Alt-country, yet Hart keeps the sound upbeat and
rockin’ when she has to. Country rock with a happy melodic twist,
the CD features Hart’s appealing approach to Nashville style
pop. Track after track here, Amy gets solid support from her band—highlighted
by some tasty electric guitar work from Bob Britt with drums
handled by Wayne Killius. www.AmyHart.com
SANDY KEY MUSIC - There’s a whole lotta great blues guitar
and singing on the 2011 CD from guitarist Jim Allchin. On the
13 track Overclocked, Allchin gets solid support
from a number of key players and a solid band. Allchin sounds somewhat
like blues rock legend Steve Miller and both his vocals and guitar
make note of that. Although he grew up in the deep south, Allchin
feels quite at home with all forms of the blues—from the impressionistic
instrumental guitar sounds of major players like Eric Johnson, to
the classic blues players like Albert King. While most of the album
is very modern blues rock vocal based, there are a few excellent bluesy
rock guitar instrumentals in the spirit of Eric Johnson. Jim Allchin's
Overclocked album should have wide crossover appeal among guitar
lovers of all persuasions. www.JimAllchin.com
TATTY RECORDS - Back in the mid ‘60s, as the guitarist
in The Animals, Hilton Valentine helped turn the pop world
on its ear in the wake of The Beatles and the British Invasion of
1964. Joining as the Animals’ guitarist in 1963, Valentine stayed
with the band through all their major hits, moving to California at
the end 1966. Following a number of Animals reunions, Valentine recorded
several solo projects, the latest being the 2011 CD release of Skiffledog
On Coburg St. Featuring Valentine backed up by several
musicians, the 15 track album is like a flashback to the skiffle music
craze of pre-Beatles England, while offering up a rootsy U.K. rock
and roll equivalent of Buddy Holly and Elvis with Valentine performing
all guitars and vocals. There’s even a Valentine cover of the
Cliff and The Shadows hit “Move It”, done here Skiffle style.
Valentine's mostly acoustic performances here display his fretboard
knack and the sound is quite rootsy especially evident on a skiffle
/ rockabilly cover of Eddie Cochran’s “20 Flight Rock”.
Fans of Valentine’s illustrious career as a Rock ‘n’
Roll hall of famer may also want to give a listen to Hilton Valentine’s
Christmas tribute album entitled (what else but) Merry Skifflemas!
A joint project between Valentine and surf-rock / rockabilly
guitar hero Big Boy Pete (aka Peter Miller), the 14
track CD offers a rockin’ and sometimes quite humorous Skiffle
style Christmas album with the duo backed up by various players. Their
late ‘50s style cover of “Silent Night” is especially
brilliant with Valentine sounding like Buddy Holly backed up by Big
Boy’s Duane Eddy inspired guitar comps. www.HiltonValentine.com
/ www.BigBoyPete.com
TROUBADOUR RECORDS - Coming across like a modern day Stevie
Ray Vaughan or Billy F. Gibbons, self-styled Texas guitar slinger
Roy Treviño cuts loose on his 2011 ten track self titled
CD Roy Treviño. Enlisting the talents
of a crack band including Chris Maresh, who plays bass with
Eric Johnson, Treviño rocks out on an album that blends rock
and blues and also Santana style Latino rock and Reggae. Commenting,
Treviño adds, 'I absolutely love and respect Bob Marley. I
thought that concept of a Hendrix-y type of guitar in a funked-up
Bob Marley tune would be cool.’ Growing up in South Texas, Treviño
sounds influenced by blues forerunners Robert Johnson and Son House
while his electric blues rock approach is more similar in spirit to
Texas legends like Gibbons, Winter and the Vaughan Brothers—not
forgetting the kings of British rock guitar like Beck, Clapton, Page
and Green. Noting his apparent fretboard finesse, it’s interesting
that Treviño studied with top guitarist Ronnie Earl and you
can detect Earl’s eclectic approach to fretboard perfection on
Treviño’s CD. But the bottom line here is Treviño’s
convincing vocals and sizzling electric guitar work. www.Roy-Trevino.com
WEBB SISTERS RECORDS - One of the stars of the Beatles led
British Invasion of America in 1964, Peter Asher was half of
Peter & Gordon and the brains behind the stardom of James Taylor
and Linda Ronstadt. In 2011, Asher’s production touch gave us
the album Savages by English folk-rockers The Webb
Sisters featuring Hattie Webb and Charley Webb.
The sisters get solid assistance from a number of L.A. studio legends
including Asher himself on acoustic guitars and there’s even
a cameo from Leonard Cohen. The sisters are each multi-instrumentalists
and their songs and soaring vocal harmonies are memorable and fit
nicely into the Baroque-country and folk-rock genres. www.TheWebbSisters.com
WHITE NOISE MUSIC - It seems like every generation gets a crack
at reinventing the blues and at age 25, guitar ace Eli Cook makes
a stand for his own legacy as a blues-rock innovator with the 2011
CD release of Ace, Jack & King. Cook’s
5th solo album, the 14 track Ace, Jack & King CD is no
hippie love fest ala early ‘70s Allman Brother type blues-rock.
Instead, Ace, Jack & King is a pretty stark, sonic trip
into blues lore. Even younger cats like Joe Bonamassa sound more mainstream
and pop oriented than Cook. Although he grew up listening to Metallica,
Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine, Cook soon gravitated towards
the music of blues legends like Son House, Skip James, Elmore James
and Muddy Waters. Handling all the electric / acoustic guitars and
vocals, Cook gets solid support from his band featuring Brian Thomas
(bass) and Wade Warfield (drums). If you like your blues
straight up and in your face, without sugar coating, posturing or
window dressing, Ace, Jack & King is your album and Eli
Cook is your man. www.EliCook.com
ZOLTAN
RECORDS - Over in England, Paris-born singer-songwriter Florence
Joelle is causing quite a stir with her new CD entitled Florence
Joell’s Kiss Of Fire. Florence is a little bluesier
than say Imelda May, yet there’s still a cool kind of ‘50s
/ ‘60s retro vibe in play on her CD and overall it’s filled
with a sensational ‘60s rockabilly / lounge jazz vibe. Singing
in English with just a slight French accent, Florence gets a solid
backing from her band including lead guitarist Huck Whitney,
Chris Campion (bass, keyboards) and Arthur Lager (drums,
percussion). For a comparison, imagine a young Mary Ford singing rockabilly,
lounge jazz and even flamenco style Gypsy Jazz. Chances are if you
enjoyed the latest works of Imelda May, you’ll dig the retro-pop
groove of Florence Joell’s Kiss Of Fire. www.FlorenceJoellesKissOfFire.com
INSTRUMENTAL
BALLET TREE / FINGERDANCE MUSIC - Although he grew up
listening to the greats of jazz guitar—including Wes Montgomery,
Johnny Smith, Kenny Burrell and Ted Green—when Fred Fried
heard 7 string guitar icon George Van Eps, he really got inspired.
That amazing sense of jazz guitar inspiration can be heard all over
Fred’s 2011 CD entitled EnCore. A favorite
among jazz guitar enthusiasts for years, Fred puts it all together
on his 2011 CD, an album that finds the guitarist in the studio, cutting
an album of all original instrumentals with Michael Lavoie (bass)
and Miki Matuski (drums). While Fred gained acclaim for his
acoustic 7 string guitar work, on EnCore he actually plays
an 8 string guitar and in his liner notes, he credits Scottish classical
guitarist Paul Galbraith for inspiring the switch from 7 string to
8 string guitar. The results make EnCore a fascinating study
in acoustic, swing jazz. On his EnCore CD, Fred Fried keeps
an eye on the jazz greats of the past while forging a new instrumental
jazz guitar sound for the future. www.FredFried.com
BLACK MAMBA RECORDS - Based up in Ontario Canada, guitarist
Adrian Raso makes a convincing musical statement with his 2011
CD Niña del Sol. Although The Adrian Raso
Band can swing out Gypsy Jazz style with the best of them, by the
time the CD rolls around to track 9 here, entitled “Sisters”,
Raso breaks out a little more and the album takes off in full flight
instrumental rock. Most great guitarists, from Hellecasters founder
John Jorgenson to Aussie guitar wunderkind Ben Rogers, can do everything
from Gyspy Jazz and nuevo flamenco to fusion. Fittingly, with his
all around approach, Raso makes a similar statement, although Raso’s
retro Gyspy acoustic thing and forays into what sounds like Mariachi
music or Greek bouzouki sounds is still very cool. Backed up by some
fine percussionists, including the legendary Sheila E., Adrian
Raso’s Niña del Sol is a guitar lover’s paradise.
www.AdrianRaso.net
CLEOPATRA RECORDS - Long associated as the guitarist with the
space rock band Hawkwind, guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton released
an album of classical guitar style tracks called Classical Guitar
Tales in 2011. About as far away from rock based music as
you can get, the 18 track, 30 minute Classical Guitar Tales
nevertheless indicates Huw’s fondness for the classical music
of masters like Sor, Bach, Giuliani, Purcell, Brahams and more, including
Italian film composer Nino Rota—covered here by Huw on a solo
guitar track of the theme from “Romeo & Juliet”. No
real surprises here, just a truly masterfully recorded and produced
album of classical style music that most guitar fans and a number
of musicians, from all around the world, know like the back of their
hand. www.HuwLloyd-Langton.co.uk
DIALTONE RECORDS - Released after his passing in May 2011,
I’m Alright by guitarist Cornell Dupree is
a solid long player of funky jazzy fusion instrumentals. Cornell rose
to fame in the 1960s performing with Aretha Franklin, King Curtis
and he even played alongside Jimi Hendrix with King at one point before
eventually forming the smooth funk jazz of Stuff in the ‘70s.
Having played on over 2500 sessions during his career, Cornell is
in his element on I’m Alright, which was released on CD
late in 2011 by the Austin based Dialtone Records. Although
it’s been a while since his last solo album Bop ‘n’
Blues in 1994, the wait is worth it. Even at the end of his career,
with the help of some seasoned session players and producer Eddie
Stout, Cornell was able to document a new, albeit final, album
highlighting what made his brand of funky, bluesy guitar instrumentals
so special. Eight weeks after the final album session, Cornell left
the building so to speak though as told in the fitting liner notes
by Roger Stout, Cornell and his blues were doing all right.
www.DialtoneRecords.com
FOSSIL RECORDS - One of progressive instrumental rock’s
unsung guitar geniuses, Charles Brown has continually released
great albums for the past decade, a number of which are reviewed on
mwe3.com. Even with a half dozen albums to his credit, Brown released
his finest album, entitled Storm Rising at the end of
2011. The surrealistic cover art and design by Jilaen Sherwood
gives a good indication of the music within. With his driving orchestrally
composed hard rock and fusion sound, Brown gives his guitar collection
a good workout and he firms up his sound with the backing of Matt
Bassano (keyboards), Steve Espinosa (bass, keyboards) and
Dave X (drums). www.CDbaby.com
HORIZONTAL JAZZ - In 2011 keyboard virtuoso and arranging genius
Vince Mendoza released Nights Of Earth on his
own Horizontal Jazz label. The results are predictably great. One
of the great musical minds in the jazz fusion world, Mendoza sounds
like a modern day Don Sebesky or Jobim on some of the more expansive
instrumental passages. Mendoza goes from World Beat to bop jazz to
New Age sometimes within the scope of one song. Handling all the grand
piano and electronic keyboards, Mendoza gets solid support from a
number of players including jazz legends John Abercrombie (guitar)
and Peter Erskine (drums) with strings from members of the
Metrople Orkest. More an orchestral neoclassical soundtrack
of chamber jazz, Nights On Earth is modern atmospheric instrumental
music at its finest. www.HorizontalJazz.com
LIFE LINE PRODUCTIONS - During the early 1970s a generation
of musicians from Holland began reinventing an astounding type of
rock as played by a rising force of Dutch classical rock fusion bands
including Focus, Kayak, and Supersister. 40 years later a new Dutch
band called Life Line Project, featuring a multi-instrumentalist
called Erik de Beer, keeps the old world Dutch prog-rock sound
alive with a 2011 double CD set called The Journey.
Wild thing here is that instead of a full band, most of the instruments
are played by Erik, who can play in the progressive style of Jan Akkerman
and the classic keyboard style of KayaK legend Ton Scherpenzeel. Assisted
by various musicians, Erik's classical prog sound is given a further
push by the rock solid drum sound of Ludo de Murianos here
while vocals from a pair of female singers bring to mind Maggie Riley’s
work with Mike Oldfield in the early ‘80s. Disc one is called
Journey To The Heart Of Your Mind and it’s quite
prog-rock in scope while disc 2 entitled The Narrow Path is
more instrumental classical rock based, with Erik’s keyboards
echoing both Scherpenzeel and Focus icon Thijs van Leer. Anyway, it’s
great to hear today’s artists keeping the style of the Dutch
masters alive and well. www.LifeLineProjectBand.com
RE-SO RECORDS - With ongoing devotion to both The Shadows and
The Ventures, it’s worth noting how revered the guitar instrumental
music scene is still in Scandinavia and Finland. From Sweden, The
Re-Sounds carry on the tradition of Hank Marvin and The Shadows
with the 2011 CD release of Back On Stage! Despite the
title, the 25 track CD is actually a studio album featuring The Re-Sounds,
with guitarist (and sometimes singer) Ulf Forsström, backed
up by a super tight 5 piece band, including some very echo-y Marvin-esque
guitar work by Gösta “Hank” Jonsson. There’s
a whole lotta well known cover versions here, mostly all done instrumentally
(with ample reverb) in the spirit of the 1960s, from the pens of giant
U.K. / Euro masters like Shadows accomplice Jerry Lordan and Sweden’s
own Hank Marvin type guitar hero Lenny Clerwall. With Back On Stage!
The Re-Sounds redefine the spirit of the ‘60s with a refreshing
sonic approach to 21st century guitar-based rock instrumentals. www.re-sounds.se
SONIC TURTLE - Canadian New Age music guru Adham Shaikh
is truly a man of many talents. As a world fusion artist, a film
composer and a producer / engineer, Shaikh has a number of CD releases,
including a very special collection of music written for film and
multimedia projects entitled Resonance: Selected Ambient Works.
Incorporating a number of New Age related healing music concepts
as his overall theme, Shaikh stated that, ‘The people I had originally
shared this music with all reported an energetic connection to these
sounds that resulted in relaxed calm states, a reduction in stress,
general well being, as well as increased deep sleep and dreaming.’
Although Shaikh is clearly influenced by Indian and Chinese musical
modalities, clearly fans of New Age musical kingpins like Jonathan
Goldman, Terry Riley and Steven Halpern will want to hear Shaikh and
the uniquely appealing instrumental music magic in play on his Resonance
CD. www.sonicturtle.com
SUMMIT RECORDS - One of the choice guitar based instrumental
albums of 2011, Round-Trip Ticket is the second album
from New West Guitar Group. Like LAGQ and CGT, New West Guitar
Group creates scenic and highly melody acoustic guitar music as played
by the all guitar group members Perry Smith, John Storie
and Jeff Stein. Where the California Guitar Trio is more
avant gard and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet are much more classical,
you can consider New West Guitar Group more Americana and overtly
melodic and near fusion in its scope. Blending acoustic guitars with
some spatial electric stylings, the CD is superbly recorded and mastered
and is decked out with nifty multi-panel digi-pak artwork. Recorded
without percussion or drumming tracks, the original tracks on Round-Trip
Ticket are quite relaxing yet, from start the finish, the CD maintains
high levels of cutting edge originality. From new grass to Metheny-esque
guitar seasonings, NWGG has it covered. www.NewWestGuitar.com
RLSG - Recording over in France, Renaud Louis-Servais Group
released a masterful album of jazz-rock fusion entitled iLuna
in 2011. Featuring the extraordinary guitar chops of Renaud,
the nine track CD features Renaud and his band performing a daredevil
cross-section of jazz, rock and fusion instrumentals. Pretty much
21st century fusion music at its best, the CD swerves and veers all
over the musical map and comes across as state of the art instrumental
rock in the spirit of 1970’s legends such as Return To Forever
and Weather Report. Renaud’s music is quite intriguing and overall,
iLuna makes for some amazing listening for jazz rock fans and
guitar fans in general. www.rlsg.fr
SUBLIMINAL
SOUNDS - Ground breaking guitar hero Kenny Håkansson
is a hero to many in Sweden and you can also add for progressive rock
guitar fans world wide. Prog-rock fans remember Kenny’s acclaimed
instrumental rock recordings with the late, great Bo Hansson and
there’s also those of us who remember Kenny’s work with
the legendary Swedish folk-prog group Kebnekajse. With Håkansson
on guitar and backed up by some amazing players, Kebnekajse returns
with the CD release of Idioten—their anticipated
return to form following the self-titled Kebnekajse from 2009.
Released in 2011 on Subliminal Sounds, Idioten (The Fool) revisits
the cosmic hippy, World Beat groove of early ‘70s Kebnekajse
without missing a beat. The early Kebnekajse Lp’s were recorded
by legendary Swedish audio genius Anders Lind and released on the
pioneering Silence Records. Even though Anders’ ingenious touch
in the studio is missing on Idioten, there’s still plenty
to marvel at. All instrumental music—incorporating Swedish fiddle-folk,
prog-fusion and rock—with Idioten, Kebnekajse make timeless
music for the ages, while keeping their legacy alive and well in the
21st century. Fans of Håkansson’s work with Bo Hansson
will be happy to hear a reworked tribute cover of here of “Tax
Free”—a track Bo Hansson worked on with Jimi Hendrix all
those years ago. www.kebnekajse.se
THRESHING FLOOR RECORDS - A studio veteran who’s worked
with artists including Rick Wakeman, Roine Stolt and Adrian Belew,
multi-instrumentalist Randy George returns in 2011 with Action
Reaction. Released on his own Threshing Floor Records,
the album is like a case study in how to record state of the art instrumental
fusion Americana. Several masters of the genre appear here including
guitarists Phil Keaggy, Neal Morse and Dave Beegle,
as well as fretless bass master Michael Manring. Hearing Randy
and Phil trade acoustic guitar licks and leads on the track “Gentle
Rain” is a highlight as are the more jazz-rock tracks that feature
solid, well recorded drumming from Paul Kikenny and others.
Performing bass, guitar, keyboards and percussion, Randy has recorded
an album classic for fans of the more urbane side of jazz-rock. www.RandyGeorgeMusic.net
ULTIMAE - In France, the Ultimae label stays of top of the
electronica, chill out, down tempo trip-hop groove sound with Ambrosia
- Selected By Fishimself. Like the other Ultimae
CD releases, Ambrosia is beautifully packaged with spectacular
artwork with hi-tech mastering by Vincent Villuis at Ultimae
Studio, France. Inspired by various electronic musicians from Greece,
Fishimself—the deejay and the man behind IT Records shop
and Freeze Magazine—has done a great job in assembling what’s
described here as a “dense musical journey built upon warm, down-tempo
grooves with a touch of electronica, breakbeat, wrapped in hypnotic
atmospheres, pulsating basslines and melancholic pads.’ As far
as a state of the art CD sampler of stately instrumental synth keyboard
based exotica, Ambrosia can’t be beat. Ultimae really
deserves some kind of award for their beautifully packaged sonic CD
joyrides. www.ultimae.com
WARNER CLASSICS - On Time—as usual, Steve Howe
is brimming with eclectic guitar ideas, incorporating all the groundbreaking
attributes he’s brought to YES (and in fact the entire progressive
rock world) over the past 40 years. Of course, Time is a Warners
Classic CD, so yes, there is a definite urbane, classical guitar-esque
edge here but it’s done so with the same cutting edge taste and
sonic vision Howe has built the indestructible YES empire upon. Steve’s
cohort on Time is keyboardist / soundtrack composer Paul
K. Joyce. Throughout the 12 track CD, the synthesized keyboards
of Paul Joyce adds Wakeman-esque depth and color to Howe’s flights
of guitar fancy. Also on hand, here with co-compositional credits,
is long time Howe collaborator Paul Sutin as well as welcome
contributions on a track from Howe’s musically gifted son Virgil
Howe (keyboards) who plays on and composed track the “Kindred
Spirits”, which is dedicated to Howe’s daughters and Virgil’s
sisters Georgia and Stephanie. Added real strings and things on several
tracks are supplied by The Classical Ensemble, conducted
by Joyce. There’s plenty here for YES fans to enjoy—with
some tracks here harkening back to the eclectic neoclassical vibe
of Howe’s first solo album from 1975. Howe’s wide palate
of fretboard sounds is sonically supported by the wide array of guitars,
both acoustic, classical and electric, in his arsenal. There’s
also a track here, a Bach cover, dedicated to the late Andrew Pryce-Jackman.
Sometimes the air is mournful and then Howe shifts into neoclassical
prog-rock mode, going full flight. With Time, Howe reinvigorates
the progressive music world once again and Paul K. Joyce makes a perfect
musical accomplice on what some are already saying is Howe’s
best solo album in 36 years. www.SteveHowe-time.com
WORLD VILLAGE - In 2009, guitarist / singer-songwriter Matt
Malley released an acclaimed solo album entitled The Goddess
Within. Combining Matt’s love of spiritual Indian music with
his background as a founding member of the rock group Counting Crows,
The Goddess Within was a critically acclaimed success. In addition
to his solo album, in recent years Malley has also worked with former
YES keyboardist Patrick Moraz and power pop maestro Emitt Rhodes.
Even with a vast background in the music world, Malley steps further
into the light with Sleepless Nights—his 2010 CD
with Indian sitar / guitar master Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. A master
of the Mohan Veena, V.M. Bhatt is described as “the king of Indian
slide guitar” and Malley helps further the CD adding in bass
and keyboards while the pair receive further assistance from tabla
player Subhen Chatterjee. The mostly instrumental album is
a really spiritual experience, evoking sonic images of Ravi Shankar’s
work, while also bringing the time honored Indian music sound into
the 21st century. Although it was recorded in 2008, it took some time
to catch up to this modern day World Music classic, but it was worth
the wait. Sleepless Nights is recommended to World Music fans
as well as fans of the time-honored tradition of Indian music. www.WorldVillageMusic.com
REISSUES & RETROSPECTIVES
ACE RECORDS - Back the the 1960’s you didn’t
have to look too hard to find the name Bert Berns. Armed with
an arsenal of catchy, foot-tapping R&B pop songs, Bert and his
productions were topping the charts everywhere. Even The Beatles praised
Berns by covering his song “Twist And Shout” (first made
famous by The Isley Brothers) on their very first album on Parlophone
in 1962. Back in the 1960’s R&B, pop and even surf-rock instrumentals
combined to create a fascinating composite of American musical greatness
and Berns was right at the center of the artistic storm. Like so many
children of immigrant parents in NYC, Bert Russell Berns was born
to become an overachiever, a fact that no doubt led to his premature
death at age 38 on December 30, 1967. Besides The Beatles, other artists
who fell under the spell of Bert’s unique blend of R&B and
pop included The Isley Brothers, Van Morrison, Otis Redding, The McCoys,
The Rolling Stones, Solomon Burke, Gene Pitney, The Drifters and so
many more. Some of Bert’s greatest songs—and the artists
who made them hits—can be heard on a pair of CD compilations
on England’s ACE Records. The Bert Berns Story: Twist And
Shout Volume 1 1960-1964 (2008) and The
Bert Berns Story: Mr. Success Volume 2 1964-1967 (2010)
are each filled with the musical mark of greatness that Bert’s
music brought to both the pop and R&B musical worlds. With their
impeccable track record as one of England’s most illustrious
CD reissue labels, ACE has done a spectacular job chronicling Bert’s
songs. With 52 tracks in total—including al time classics songs
like “Hang On Sloopy”, “Piece Of My Heart”, “Twist
And Shout”, “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Here Comes The
Night” and so many more—each of these CDs serve as a veritable
musical encyclopedia of Berns and his music. True, there’s no
Beatles, Janis Joplin or David Bowie tracks on these ACE compilations,
but the original versions (the ones that inspired the Beatles, Janis
and Bowie) are here and readily serve as a reminder of the influence
Berns had on these artists, the artists who preceded them and the
artists and musicians of the 21st century lucky enough to find out
about Bert Berns’ pop/R&B treasure of American musical greatness.
Collectors take note; there is another double CD set (now a rarity)
released by Berns’ son Brett Berns entitled Sloopy II Music
Presents The Songs Of Bert Russell Berns. There’s
some overlap with the the ACE compilations but it’s on the Sloopy
II double CD set that you will find the most comprehensive collection
of Bert’s music. No Beatles still, but you will find Bowie, Janis,
The Exciters, Otis, Ron Wood, Led Zeppelin, the Blues Brothers and
so many more singing the praises of the timeless wonders of the music
of Bert Berns. Bert may have left the planet way too soon, but his
music is timeless and will last through the millennium. www.BertBerns.com
ANGEL
AIR RECORDS -
Continuing onwards into 2012, Angel Air keeps plundering the vaults
for CD rarity after CD rarity. Although they’ve done and continue
to release rarities from the world of prog, hard rock, heavy metal
and jazz fusion, it’s cool to see Angel Air stretching out with
some lite pop fare with the release of two compilations featuring
the gifted pens of singer-songwriters Chris Arnold, David
Martin and Geoff Morrow. Although the trio wrote a number
of hits for U.K. pop stars such as Billy Fury, Cliff Richard and Cilla
Black to name a few, some of the songs that more popular artists covered
are featured on the double CD set from Angel Air by AMMO (Arnold,
Martin and Morrow) entitled Can’t Smile Without You -
1966-1977. Collectors of U.K. pop will note that this trio
of singer-songwriters also wrote all the singles for Rescue Co. No.
1 (also featured with a CD on Angel Air) as well as other hits for
big name acts like Barry Manilow, Elvis Presley, The Carpenters, Dusty
Springfield and more. Angel Air’s double CD release of Can’t
Smile Without You features 40 Ammo tracks, including original
versions of songs that became world wide hits as well as unreleased
demo tracks. Although they achieved success as songwriters for other
artists, Arnold, Martin and Morrow really came into their own with
the band called Butterscotch, who are feted on their own 2011
Angel Air CD entitled Don’t You Know It’s Butterscotch.
Echoing 1960s and ‘70s artists like Gilbert O’Sullivan
and Cliff Richard, Angel Air’s Butterscotch compilation
spotlights 20 tracks of sentimental and lush pop sounds, swirling
strings and first rate musical inventions. Track three on the Butterscotch
CD, “Theme For A Theme” is a classic instrumental yet it
fits in perfectly with their vocal based retro-pop fare. Both the
AMMO and Butterscotch CDs on Angel Air features informative liner
notes by Karl Carpenter, filling in the missing pieces behind
this overlooked pop outfit. Also reissued on Angel Air in 2011 are
a pair of CD compilations by the group known as Hard Stuff—a
1970’s band formed by John Du Cann and Paul Hammond
(from Atomic Rooster) and John Gustafson (from Quatermass).
Signed to Deep Purple’s Purple Records in 1971, two of the group’s
albums—Bolex Dementia (1973 + 2 bonus track)
and Bulletproof (1972 + 2 bonus cuts) receive
the Angel Air reissue treatment. Although he passed away in 2011,
John Du Cann is further remembered on the late 2011 CD release
of John Du Cann - The Many Sides Of 1967 - 1980.
The 16 cut compilation features various tracks Du Cann appeared
on during the 1960s and ‘70s in bands such as The Attack,
Andromeda, Atomic Rooster and Hard Stuff. In a twist of fate,
before he passed away, Du Cann gave instructions regarding the liner
notes to Jeff Perkins, who puts Du Cann’s career into
perspective in the colorful and insightful CD booklet. Also reissued
in 2011 from Angel Air is Signs Of Change, first
released in 1979 by the U.K. pop group After The Fire, which
featured guitarist Peter Banks (same name but not the YES guitarist)
and a 16 track compilation from singer-songwriter Phillip Goodhand-Tait,
best known for writing songs for other artists such as Roger Daltrey
and Gene Pitney. Entitled Radio Songs, Angel
Air’s reissue CD features 16 tracks Goodhand-Tait recorded, accompanied
by just a beautiful Steinway piano, for Radio Bremen in 1977. www.AngelAir.co.uk
CHRYSALIS
/ EMI - Forty years after it hit the streets in the USA
through Reprise Records, Aqualung still remains the
most popular and ground breaking Jethro Tull album. A great
album gets greater with the 40th anniversary remix of Aqualung.
Going back to the original 16 track and 8 track tapes, modern
day sonic savior Steve Wilson has done a brilliant job on the
remix, keeping the sonic signposts in check while bringing a new clarity
and precision to the overall sound of the album. Commenting on this
CD, Wilson adds, ‘It’s been a privilege and instruction
to be able to delve into all the Aqualung sessions to create
this 40th anniversary edition for 21st century ears. For me it feels
a little like the musical equivalent of cleaning the Sistine Chapel!’
With Wilson sonically purifying the Mona Lisa of prog, the second
CD in this 40th anniversary two CD set is where it really gets interesting
for Tull collectors. Right after Aqualung, Tull released their
now legendary Life’s A Long Song EP and CD 2 here includes
the entire EP along with rarities plus early versions and unreleased
versions of classics from the Aqualung sessions. Mastering
at Abbey Road has to make this the definitive Aqualung album
to date. The booklet is equally revealing with new interviews featuring
Ian Anderson plus extensive photos and liner notes combining
for a veritable round trip back to the magical year of 1971 when Tull
were the reigning kings of rock. www.J-Tull.com
EXPERIENCE HENDRIX / SONY LEGACY - Among the first ever
Jimi Hendrix CD reissues was the 1989 Rykodisc release of Live
At Winterland. Now, over 20 years later, Sony Legacy has assembled
Winterland—the ultimate live Hendrix box set look
back at Jimi’s fabled Winterland concerts on October 10, 11 and
12, 1968. With Electric Ladyland right around the corner, Jimi,
Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell were setting the musical
world on fire and with each of the three nights in October 1968 recorded
in totality, this box set is like primer on just what made Jimi Hendrix
so great live. Tellingly, for each of the October 10 and 11, 1968
shows at Winterland in San Francisco, Jimi started off both sets with
“Tax Free”, an instrumental rock track originally written
and recorded by the late, great Swedish progressive rock innovator
Bo Hansson (only the October 12 show started with “Fire”).
I remember in early ‘81, Bo’s producer Anders Lind, playing
me tapes of an instrumental jam session between Bo and Jimi back!
(Anders are you listening?) Anyway, Jimi’s instrumental versions
of “Tax Free” here are stellar and are quite telling in
their vast depth and scope. They also give a fantastic indication
of just how cool an instrumental rock collaboration with Jimi and
Bo would have been and you can easily hear just how influenced Jimi
was by Bo Hansson's mysterious muse—Bo was truly the most mercurial
and spacy of all the Nordic masters. Combined, the rest of the four
discs here offers an amazing snapshot of how powerful Jimi, Noel and
Mitch were in concert. Likewise it also offers insight just how meteoric
Jimi’s ascent was during those fleeting, magical late ‘60s
days. This box set of 4 CDs, detailing the entire three nights of
Jimi Hendrix Experience at Winterland, comes inside a superbly packaged
box set with built-in booklet that really does justice to the Hendrix
legacy. Topping off this essential Hendrix set is the fantastic CD
sound quality captured by the great Eddie Kramer, plus masterful
mastering by Sterling Sound’s engineer George Marino that
fully restores the original sonic beauty captured during these groundbreaking
Hendrix concerts. www.JimiHendrix.com
MEMPHIS
RECORDING SERVICE - Over in the U.K. MRS keeps the flame burning
bright for Elvis Presley with a number of specialist CD releases
including a single CD reissue of G.I. Blues - The Alternate
Album Version. Cut in October 1960, after Elvis returned
from his Army duty in Germany, the album might not have been as exciting
as early Elvis mania from the mid ‘50s, yet it contained a number
of great songs. On hand with Elvis were long time Elvis players including
Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana (drums) along with other
key players like Tiny Timbrell (guitar) and Pete Drake (pedal
steel guitar). Released by Memphis Recording Service in 2011, the
26 cut digi-pak CD features the complete alternative version, along
with alternate out-takes and movie versions. A legit release, the
sound quality is also quite good, although the packaging is okay but
(unlike the other incredible Elvis box sets on MRS) is lacking liner
notes. Another very cool release from Elvis Prosily on Memphis Recording
Service is The Complete Louisiana Hayride Archives 1954-1956—a
29 track 75 minute CD packaged in an oversized book like package featuring
a 100 page booklet detailing Elvis during his very early appearances
on the Louisiana Hayride radio shows. The sound quality for
live radio back in 1954 was kind of rough but the packaging looks
great and, chronicling every detail of Elvis during that period, it
offers insights into the King’s early career. www.MemphisRecordingService.com
TIME-LIFE - An awesome find for Beatles fans is the
2011 Time-Life release of First Recordings: The Beatles With
Tony Sheridan. There’s been a fairly exhaustive
50 years of history on these early recordings that The Beatles cut
in
Germany in 1961 and 1962 backing up singer Tony Sheridan. Although
they tend to get more obscured with time—and considering the
many times these songs have been made available over the years—their
incredible impact remains intact. Amazingly, prior to The Beatles
conquering the world a year later at the dawn of 1963, a whole bunch
of music filling up the U.S. radio still sounded pretty similar to
the Elvis / Buddy / Chuck / Shadows inspired rock and roll, and however
appealing, based on the music they recorded in Germany way back when,
Tony Sheridan and The Beatles were no exception at that time. It’s
almost laughable how much German producer Bert Kaemphert underestimated
them and had absolutely no faith in the potential of the early Beatles.
It always seemed that Kaemphert centered the whole project around
his vision of Tony Sheridan being a new Elvis, and I guess old Bert
prodding John Lennon to sing “Ain’t She Sweet”
and having John and George Harrison write and record a Shadows
tribute song called (predictably) “Cry For A Shadow” was
Bert’s idea of an artistic success. Perhaps it was...little did
he know. Some of those who lived through Beatlemania might recall
that these 1961/62 recordings started turning up Stateside on bootleg
vinyl late in 1964 (65? 71?)—depicting that era before Ringo
Starr joined, when Los Beatles recorded with drummer Pete Best.
This 2011 double CD set featuring one mono CD and one stereo CD, presents
this vital slice of early rock and roll history in its best sound
quality yet. First Recordings features amazing packaging, using
quite effectively that haunting picture of the pre-Fabs that first
appeared on the Pete Best - Best Of The Beatles Lp bootleg.
Ach du Beatles! www.TimeLife.com
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