I’ve got some catching up to do. A heavy travel schedule has kept me from my monthly playlist duties. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had the pleasure to visit some impressive places. Even better, I’ve had plenty of great new music to keep me company along the way.
Well, it’s time to make up for the missing playlists and share the musical love with a special, multi-part Fall edition.
ALBUMS OF THE SEASON:
1372 Overton Park, by Lucero
Several years ago Lucero was the subject of a documentary, Dreaming in America, which chronicled the band’s unbridled ambition to become successful recording artists. Although these tales often end in disappointment, this time the story is marching towards success. Three years on, Lucero has just released the album of their career and is touring the country with the aptly named “Ramblin’ Roadshow and Memphis Review.” 1372 Overton Park is a spark-plug of a release that serves up a healthy dose of southern soul while still staying true to the group’s bar-band roots.
“The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” is unbridled fun, a feel-good melody punctuated by jubilant horns. “Sixes and Sevens” keeps the party moving as the electric guitars take the forefront. “Drinkin’ women, chasin’ whisky like there’s nothing left to lose, now if she’d only kiss me I’d be a little less confused,” declares singer-songwriter Ben Nichols as pianist Rick Steff lets loose with a roadhouse honky-tonk riff.
When the band does slow things down, as they do on the ballad “Hey Darlin’ Do You Gamble,” one can appreciate the sincerity of Nichol’s songwriting. “If I shed this skin of iron and this breath of kerosene,” he asks a reluctant lover, “Darling, would you take a chance on me?”
“So what if all my heroes are the losing kind?” asks Nichols on the stellar “What Are You Willing to Lose.” “We ended up with nothin’, but we put up a fight, and most of it was choices we never asked to choose, the rest of it was luck and now we’ve run out of that too.” Me thinks otherwise, Mr. Nichols. You and the boys have paid your dues and earned every bit of success you see. 1372 Overton Park is the knock-out album that we’ve all been waiting to hear.
See Eli’s track-by-track review here.
The Williamsburg Affair, by Greg Trooper
Greg Trooper is a songwriter’s songwriter. But don’t take my word for it; just ask fans ranging from Steve Earle to Joe Ely. The origins of this album date back to 1995 when Trooper and his band visited Eric “Roscoe” Ambel’s studio in Brooklyn. Alas, the recordings sat unfinished until Trooper dusted them off for release. They are well worth the wait.
While his more recent outings have tended more towards acoustic and country-influenced affairs, this is a gloriously ragged – and electric – collection of songs. “Paradise (Anywhere At All)” bristles with a feisty slide guitar as Trooper declares “If I can’t live in Paradise, I can’t live anywhere at all.” The moody ballad “Quite Like You” has a similar edge. The track features a smoldering pair of guitars that slowly build towards an intense closing duel. Trooper and Ambel even scuff up Neil Young’s “Wrecking Ball,” and I mean that as a compliment.
Never to be considered a one-trick pony, Trooper shows off his countrified blue-eyed soul on “Stronger All the Time.” The peppy “Catherine Don’t Slip” channels Dion in his later years and, with a bit more edge more, could easily be transformed into a sloppy garage rocker.
Among the many gems to be found in Williamsburg, one song stands out among the rest. “These Sunday Nights” is classic Trooper, as evocative as it is perceptive. Trooper’s lyrics perfectly capture the melancholy of Sunday nights: “Station is dark and its empty, train stops here once every century, Got to lose these Sunday night blues.”
Although several of these tracks made their way onto subsequent Trooper albums, albeit in different arrangements, it doesn’t diminish their power here. To the contrary, it serves as a reminder of Trooper’s songwriting talent.
Purchase The Williamsburg Affair here.
THE PLAYLIST:
I’ll Take It All In Stride, The Everyday Visuals (from the self-released The Everyday Visuals)
Four talented multi-instrumentalists from New Hampshire channel Brian Wilson. Simply sublime.
Unfold, Julie Peel (from the American Laundromat release Near the Sun)
Self-taught musician Peel dreams up pop songs that are simultaneously tart and sweet. This is but one of several enthralling tracks from her debut release.
Yours for the Taking, the Disciplines (from the Second Motion release Smoking Kills)
The Disciplines are really two bands in one. Saw them several weeks back and they tore up the club, channeling Iggy Pop in his glory days. On record they still rock, but with a few more glossy edges. Singer Ken Stringfellow will be familiar to many as long-time co-leader of the Posies as well as part-time gigs with REM and Big Star. His bandmates are all from Norway and were in a band of their own. The combination is quite potent, as it is on this track that opens with the memorable line: “Under different circumstances we’d probably be friends.”
Born Again, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons (from the Black Seal/Sony BMG release Death Won’t Send a Letter)
The first thing you’ll notice about Chisel is his rich voice, reminiscent of Marc Cohn and countless old soul men. That’s only the beginning, however, as he churns out songs that owe as much to Woody Guthrie as they do to the Staples Singers.
Follow That Sound, Sharon Little (from the CBS Records release Perfect Time for a Breakdown)
The chugging beat may draw you in, but it is Little’s powerhouse voice that forces you to stay. This bluesy rock song will hit you squarely between eyes. Little is one to watch.
Poetry of the Deed, Frank Turner (from the Epitath release Poetry of the Deed)
“Life is too short to live without poetry. If you’ve got soul, darling now come on and show it me.”
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
Satisfaction, Otis Redding (from the Shout Factory! release The Best: See and Hear, Otis Redding)
The late, great Otis Redding had one of the most authentic and expressive voices in R&B. That, coupled with his explosive live performances, made him a legend. Shout Factory! celebrates his legacy with this combination cd/dvd release. While the cd is a hits collection best suited as an introduction to those without any Otis in their collection, it’s the dvd of live performances that is the real star here. Watching Otis bring down the house with the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” or his own “Respect” is a treat for all.
Read Part 2 of the Fall Playlist here.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.