I’ve seen it on his first two albums and after the first tune on “There’s No Leaving Now,” I thought maybe I’d heard the last of the Tallest Man and his guitar. “To Just Grow Away” is a subtle song with percussion and even some keys. But I only had to wait until the […]
Mayer’s Picks: The Best of 2012, So Far (The Albums)
You’ve got to love a year where this list is made up of so many young and emerging artists. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites from 2012. BARCHORDS, BAHAMAS Canadian singer-songwriter Afie Jurvanen unleashes a pop album that is simply sublime. The production has a textured feel anchored by the nuanced […]
Monday Morning Video: Whiskeytown
Ah Ryan, such a great songwriter and always so, um, soft-spoken. Here’s a gem from 1997.
The Nighthawks – Damn Good Time!
In their appropriately titled Damn Good Time!, veteran DC-based blues rockers the Nighthawks prove that after decades on the road, they can still serve up a toe-tapping set to satisfy their blues-roots following and make a few new friends in the process. Damn Good Time! follows up their Blues Music Award-winning Last Train to Bluesville (Acoustic Album […]
MilkDrive – Waves
Daydreaming. Â I had trouble getting this review of the latest release from MilkDrive, Waves, together because every time I would start writing I put the album on to play and next thing I knew I was staring out the window, mind completely lost in other thoughts. Â They paint such immersive pictures it’s as if you’re […]
Monday Morning Video: Dave Alvin, Flaco Jimenez & Los Lobos
Last week I posted a video featuring Alejandro Escovedo joining Los Lobos at an LA performance earlier this year. Apparently Alejandro wasn’t the only guest that evening for what must have been an incredible evening of music. Here’s Dave Alvin and Flaco Jimenez joining Los Lobos for Alvin’s classic — and seasonal — song “Fourth […]
Mayer’s Playlist for June 2012
THE PLAYLIST That Wasn’t Me, Brandi Carlile (from the Columbia Records release Bear Creek) Any Carlile discussion begins and ends with her voice, an instrument of power and beauty. While her latest is more relaxed than her earlier efforts, it retains the inspirational tone that is a hallmark of her songwriting. Many of the songs […]
Monday Morning Video: Alejandro Escovedo with Los Lobos
Wow, this is a find. Here are two clips showing Alejandro Escovedo performing with Los Lobos earlier this year. The first shows the musicians rehearsing Escovedo’s “Rosalie” in a Los Angeles studio; the second shows them performing it the next night at LA’s Greek Theater.
Albert Castiglia – Living the Dream
Albert Castiglia plays a hot guitar in a traditional blues format, taking cues from generations of Chicago electric bluesmen. Echoes of Freddie and Albert King, Otis Rush and Magic Sam can be heard in Castiglia’s playing, although Castiglia takes a decidedly more aggressive tack than those greats. Castiglia’s connection to those great Chicago artists that […]
Ruby Jane – Celebrity (Empire of Emptiness)
One of the great things about creative people is they don’t appreciate boundaries the same way we ordinary sods do. Â I think you see this a lot with musicians, especially the younger ones. Â There’s nothing wrong with combining Tim O’Brien inspired licks with a Radiohead song, for instance. Â The latest example of this I’ve heard […]