(My humble vote for “Best yet in ’07”) You’ve heard of the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?” I prefer the “Six Degrees of Richard Thompson.” As a nascent Folk-Rock fan, I took a gamble on a little album called Shoot Out the Lights, and the floodgates opened. From producer Joe Boyd, I followed a breadcrumb […]
The Basement – Illicit Hugs and Playground Thugs
The Basement generated a lot of hype among the UK press before they released their first album. Early singles hinted at something special and they generated quite a following among fans. For some reason the buzz has been a little slower to build in the US, but they have released their first US CD on […]
Kim Richey: Chinese Boxes
It has been almost five years since Kim Richey released a new album. Clocking in at 33 minutes, Chinese Boxes is worth the wait. The short length of the album is appropriate for the conceptual simplicity of the lyrics. The imagery Richey uses in her lyrics allow her to provide the listener a conceptual framework […]
Pearl Jam – Live at the Gorge
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing Pearl Jam live, you’ll understand when I say that Eddie Vedder has golden lungs. Whether you’ve seen them in a large stadium or small club, their sound is all encompassing and Eddie Vedder’s voice is a large part of it. This Seven CD Box Set was recorded […]
The Wells “The Outcasts Will Make a Strong Nation”
When Tom, the Mayor of this rocking metropolis we call Twangville, gave me The Wells Outcasts Will Make a Strong Nation cd, he told me I would like it because it reminded him of X and John Doe and he knows what a big fan I am. He was absolutely right. The harder songs especially […]
Josh Rouse/Country Mouse, City House
Due July 31st on Bedroom Classics, Country Mouse, City House is Josh Rouse’s seventh proper full-length album. According to his press release it was recorded over a six day session in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain with overdubs done later in Nashville. Speaking of Nashville, that’s the title of the first Rouse album I accquired, […]
Traveling Wilburys
Spontaneity is often the key to success. Plan a big party and it will usually disappoint. The best parties start with a few guys buying a keg and calling their friends at the last minute. The same is true for the Traveling Wilburys, formed by accident by George Harrison who needed to cut a B-side […]
Mayer’s Playlist for May 2007
THE ALBUM OF THE MONTH: The Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration The Stax sound is one of American music’s greatest legacies. one of the greatest legacy’s in American music. With Booker T & the MGs — a house-band so good that they could score a #1 song on their own (with the instrumental “Green Onions”) as […]
Frightened Rabbit
It’s always great to discover a new band, and even better when the band really grows on you over time. I’ve encountered too many new artists where I dig a few songs, buy the whole album, get disappointed and then move the songs into my low rotation playlists. Then there’s the type of album that […]
Paul McCartney – Memory Almost Full
Forty years ago in 1967, on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album, Paul McCartney asked this question, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?†Paul McCartney is now 64. Actually, he turned 65 yesterday (6-18-2007). So I would like to answer this for him. Yes, we need anyone […]