THIS WEEK’S ELITE: Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Colorblind (Warner Brothers) rock, soul Conceived in love and full of energy, Robert Randolph & The Family Band bring down the house with the help of a few friends (Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Leela James). Great album, great band. Start with opening track “Ain’t Nothing Wrong […]
Ray Charles & More, Album Previews
THIS WEEK’S ELITE: Ray Charles & Count Basie Orchestra, Ray Sings, Basie Swings, (Concord) soul I can’t believe Ray Charles is still making albums from the grave, how remarkable! To me, he’s up there with Elvis in terms of musical genious. Interesting album facts: This GROUND BREAKING CD marks the FIRST-TIME an entire album has […]
R.E.M. & More, Album Previews
THIS WEEK’S ELITE: R.E.M., And I Feel Fine: The Best Of R.E.M. Disc 1 | Disc 2 (Capitol/IRS) This album could easily be a soundtrack for my teen years. These songs were an escape from reality during that awkward time. John Mayer, Continuum (Sony, Aware) Another impressive effort. Soulful “Waiting on the World to Change” […]
All’s Fair In G. Love & War
Man oh man, if there is one live show to see this month it’s G. Love. He played two nights in a row down here in lovely St. Petersburg, and I was lucky enough to catch the second night. I must admit, I was coming from work and missed the first song, but hearing “Can’t […]
Robert Randolph & The Family Band Set to Release New CD
Preview Colorblind, the new album from Robert Randolph & The Family Band Full press release: ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND Colorblind Robert Randolph – guitars, vocals Danyel Morgan – bass, vocals Marcus Randolph – drums Jason Crosby – Hammond organ, piano “We wanted to take our time and find ourselves,†says Robert Randolph. “Find […]
Mid-year in Review, Pt. 3: Best of the Rest
Still catching up. Here’s four more releases that captured my attention in 2006. Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: The River in Reverse If you have the time, click here for a marvelous read. It’s a list of Elvis Costello’s top 500 recommended albums — an extremely diverse list, which illustrates his willingness to embrace virtually […]
Twangville Recommends: Eli “Paperboy†Reed
Boston’s “Paperboy” Reed is possessed with the spirit of rhythm and blues. His 2005 release made the Twangville Best of 2005 list and now he’s back with some great new tracks being previewed on his web site. “Am I Wasting My Time†swings with a soul so real you’ll swear it’s a discovery from the […]
G. Love’s Lemonade Is Still Tres Saucy
Okay, so this one is begging for bad puns, but that’s as close as I can come to saying anything negative about this album. Garrett Dutton’s (G. Love) new record is the perfect refreshment in a summer that was (both musically and physically) starting to drag a bit for me. Maybe it’s just because there was […]
The Genius of Allen Toussaint
Live shows don’t get much better than the pairing of Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, currently wrapping up a tour in support of their collaborative release The River in Reverse. While Costello has become known for his eclectic musical collaborations over the past decade, he’s reached a new peak with Toussaint. Whether creating musical arrangements […]
Mayer’s Playlist for May and June
A heavy travel schedule for my day job has kept me from my Twangville musings, not to mention keeping me out of the clubs and record stores. Nonetheless, here’s the long overdue playlist from May and June. Hammer + Nail, Paul Thorn (from the live cd/dvd So Far, So Good: The Best of the Paul […]