Music CD Reviews
by Michael Holack
CDs supplied by Whangarei Libraries
Updated 29 December 2008

• Tell Tale Signs - Bob Dylan • City That Care Forgot - Dr John • The Living and the Dead - Jolie Holland • Dig Out the Soul - Oasis • Live In Gdansk – David Gilmour • Meet Glen Campbell - Glen Campbell • Trouble in Mind - Hayes Carll • Skin Deep - Buddy Guy • A Peice of What You Need - Teddy Thompson		• Live At The Hideout - Mavis Staples • Sex and Gasoline - Rodney Crowell • Little Honey - Lucinda Williams • Nobody's Fault But Mine – Edwin McCain • The British Soul Revival Continues - Beth Rowley • Simone on Simone - Lis Simone • Backwoods Barbie - Dolly Parton • Pacific Ocean Blue - Dennis Wilson • From the Reach - Sonny Landreth
Bob's Bootleg Bonanza Tell Tale Signs – Bob Dylan		Marvellous Mavis Lays On The Soul Live At The Hideout – Mavis Staples
Tell Tale Signs is number eight in Dylan's Bootleg Series and contains 27 rare and unreleased tracks covering 1989-2006. What is amazing is the quality of the songs that were deemed not appropriate, for one reason or another, to grace Dylan's official releases. Any songwriter worth their salt would probably sell their soul to have enough material to fill one or two releasable albums let alone eight bootlegs! Dylan's songs are all things to all men. Some you instantly fall in love with, some you try to forget. The beauty of this CD is its scope and there is enough to satisfy any committed or doubting Dylanologist. From the cover of Robert Johnson's 32-20 Blues via the Bluegrass of The Lonesome River with legend Ralph Stanley, the raw, live Cocaine Blues, the Civil War opus 'Cross The Green Mountain to the angst and soul-baring out-takes from Oh Mercy and Out Of Time, this is a fine collection by any standards.	Top	Soul legend Mavis Staples has seen it all. She sang at JFK’s inauguration, marched alongside Martin Luther King during the civil rights campaign and, with her father and sisters, fronted one of the best R&B groups of the golden age of Soul. Staples has seen the best and the worst of American culture from its persecutions to its glittering promises. So, when she steps onto the stage of Chicago’s Hideout, she fills the role of not only a performer but also that of a soulful historian. This is a concert that has the ambience of a Saturday night, backwoods gig. Backed by a simple trio of guitar, bass and drums, the music is raw and gritty sounding like Creedence Clearwater with a guest vocalist. Staples’ voice, at 69, has matured to a Southern-fried, husky instrument. Perfect for her tales of anger, spiritual journeys and political questioning. She is a powerhouse turning the venue into a downhome Gospel meeting thus transporting her audience to a special place.
The Doctor Delivers A Protest Dose City That Care Forgot – Dr John		A Country Exploration Of Femininity Sex & Gasoline – Rodney Crowell
Hurricane Katrina's influence still reverberates both politically and musically. The neglect of New Orleans, where the Afro-American population was virtually left to sink or swim, helped to raise the black consciousness. An awareness that probably had more than a little to do with advancing Obama's presidential election aspirations. The musicians of that shunned city have also expressed their frustration via the unblinkered directness of the Blues, Funk and Jazz. Genres that are the very soul of New Orleans and which preach the truth without fear of the consequences. Dr John is a institution with his roots firmly set in the soil of Louisiana and he's an angry man. City that Care Forget is the Doctor's no-holds-barred attack on the hypocrisy of the ruling elite. The songs tell the story. Time For A Change, Land Grab and Save Our Wetlands not only address the injustices of the past but an uncertain future. Armed with an burning band Dr John delivers both barrels.	Top	Country star Rodney Crowell is not an artist who sits on the sidelines. His worldview is not confined to Country's traditional confines. The meat and bones of most contemporary country music is served up as a safe, conservative and easily digestible dish. Crowell, on the other hand, isn't afraid to burn the house down along with the kitchen. It's not often you hear a male Country artist proclaiming: “If I could have just one wish. Maybe for an hour. I'd want to be a woman.”! This is one man's attempt, quoting one review, to: “empathize with women in a culture that, whether it admits it or not, hates them.” Hate is, perhaps, too strong a word but there's little doubt there is a serious gender conflict being ignored. Crowell has decided to take no prisoners in this celebration of femininity. Song after song tackle the subject of male society's view of women. From lust, sexual obsession, exploitation to guilt, all avenues are explored by this talented artist.
A Slice Of Texan Jazz And Blues The Living And The Dead – Jolie Holland		Lucinda's Taste Of Sweet Country Little Honey – Lucinda Williams
Texan Jolie Holland can be best described as a neo-traditionalist. In that she takes handfuls of traditional American country, blues and jazz and transforms the material into a hybrid that is her own inventive interpretation. Possessed with a voice that can only be described as unique, Holland delivers her tales of life's trials and tribulations and, in the process, catches the ear of the likes of fan Tom Waits, who obviously recognises a fellow traveller when he hears one. The Living And The Dead would not have been out of place on Jack Kerouac's turntable, just as it would be comfortably placed on any jukebox on main street. From the country of Sweet Loving Man to the beat poet tribute of Mexico City, the listener finds a treasure trove of Roots and bitter-sweet Americana music. Jolie Holland is a well-kept secret in today's fragmented music scene but albums like The Living will soon rectify that.	Top	Country's reigning Queen returns with another intriguing slice of Americana. Intriguing in the fact that you never know which side of life Lucinda Williams is going to explore via her heart-on-one's-sleeve approach to her music. Williams never takes a step backwards when dealing with the regrets, sorrows or uptimes that inhabit her world. On Little Honey it appears love has raised its dubious head. “I've found the love I've been looking for. Standing right behind an electric guitar. It's a real love,” exclaims Williams on the opening track, immediately setting the album's mood. Listen to Honey Bee and you will get the whole explicit picture. But Williams doesn't neglect the subjects that characterise her worldview – men gone bad, opportunities lost or promises broken. One track proclaims that “if wishes were horses, I'd have a ranch.” A perfect example that angst is always just around the corner. Little Honey is a worthy addition to this artist's impressive body of work that just keeps getting better.
Britpop's Bad Boys Return Dig Out The Soul – Oasis		A Dose Of Blue-Eyed Soul Nobody's Fault But Mine – Edwin McCain
The Gallagher brothers has never denied The Beatles' influence in the overall sound of Oasis even to the extent of having Ringo's son Zac as their drummer. In fact they're proud to wear the obvious as a badge of honour. After all they're only following a time-honoured music tradition. Reinventing the past can be found in the Kinks' traditional British music hall leanings or the borrowed hymn melodies that populate Dylan's early protest songs. Dig Out Your Soul finds Noel and Liam continuing to mine the rich vein uncovered on Don't Believe The Truth. Though tracks like Waiting For The Rapture, a Plastic Ono Band homage, or To Be Where's There Life, which would not have been out of place on Revolver, bow to their mentors, the remaining tracks find Oasis firing. Doing what they do best. Producing high quality British Rock. Oasis have built their own identity based on the best of Rock and Roll's past. They are innovators not imitators.	Top	There appears to be a welcome grassroots-level return to Roots basics. Artists like James Hunter and Amy Winehouse have all embraced the past, reinventing the classic days of R&B and Soul. Some, like Hunter, have even rejected the sophistication of digital recording, preferring yesterday's analogue sound to achieve that raw, urban edge that characterised the golden days. Others like Edwin McCain have gone for the stripped-down, live-in-the-studio approach. Overdubs and drum machines don't do the job. McCain, though largely unknown outside of the Southern US states, has forged a decade-long career built on downhome, Roots music. Coming on like a cross between early Joe Cocker and a white Sam Cooke, McCain has the chops and this tribute album is testament. Covering Al Green, Otis Redding and other greats, backed by a hot band featuring Booker T guitarist Steve Cropper, he produces music that barnstorms from the speakers, agitates your dancing shoes and which reanimates an abused genre.
The Floyd's Spirit Live In Poland Live In Gdansk – David Gilmour		The British Soul Revival Continues Little Dreamer – Beth Rowley
Poland's Gdansk witnessed the trade union movement's bitter struggle to establish a non-Communist union in a Communist country. The Solidarity union's eventual success was a stepping stone toward the breakdown of Communism in Eastern Europe. No better setting for Pink Floyd's guitarist David Gilmour to stage a concert. If any 60s band ever epitomized the breaking down of barriers, musical and culturally, it was Pink Floyd. Tracks like A Great Day For Freedom cry out as a fitting soundtrack for that 1980s confrontation. Gilmour leads a band of stellar musicians onto the stage. Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera and the late Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright included. The result is a 2-CD bonanza accompanied by a Concert DVD. Highlights abound: the first live performance of Echoes in its entirety; a full presentation of Gilmour's On An Island album and, most of all, that guitar. The solo in Comfortably Numb confirms that not only are you listening to a master but also to Pink Floyd's soul personified.	Top	There’s no doubt that the queen of British female Soul singers, Dusty Springfield, would be smiling at her rich legacy. Recent years have seen a resurgence in the genre. Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Joss Stone have all picked up the torch and contributed to a movement based on a traditional reading as opposed to today’s nebulous definition of Soul and R&B. Beth Rowley is a new name to add to the growing list. Rowley, of all the emerging talents, is the closest in spirit to Springfield. She, like Dusty, is comfortable in crossing over the line and combining gospel, 60s girl R&B, jazz, blues and a little country and, in doing so, still maintains Soul, as we once knew it, as the core element. There is a sophistication to this debut considering Rowley’s youth as she displays an emotive voice that fits the material like a glove. Beth Rowley has hit the ground running and is a welcome addition to a growing body of British Soul chanteuses.
The Rhinestone Cowboy’s Return Meet Glen Campbell – Glen Campbell		Nina Simone’s Daughter Carries The Flame Simone On Simone – Lisa Simone
We all remember Glen Campbell. Back then he was the ace session muso turned international star. The radio rang with the likes of Wichita Linesman and By The Time I Get To Phoenix. Campbell had the world stage at his feet. Then, slowly but surely, he slipped from the public eye. Now, he’s decided to make a comeback. More conservative, safe pop you say. Wrong! You’re Glen looking for new material. Ricky Scaggs, Burt Bacharach? No! Foo Fighters, Green Day, U2 err…. The Velvet Underground? Well ok! Glen Campbell clearly isn’t afraid to ruffle the feathers of his fans from back then. But is it worth it? Yes it is! Campbell has not entirely dismissed the past. Instead he has transposed the orchestral scores, twangy guitars, choirs and sharp pop arrangements to the here and now. Layering them across a contemporary rhythm section and the outcome is an album that is one of the more entertaining released this year. Glen Campbell, it seems, has cleverly bridged past and present.	Top	Nina Simone, the high priestess of soul, was a trailblazer in many respects. A fierce civil rights activist and social commentator, she combined a background in the classics with jazz, blues, folk and any available genre to create an unique style that defied boundaries. Towards the end of her career Simone was often accompanied on stage by her daughter Lisa who, judging by this release, learnt more than a little about the conveyance of emotion and how to lock into a groove and not let go. Lisa Simone’s tribute to Nina revisits many of her mother’s classics. She breathes new life into Love Me Or Leave Me, Work Song and Go To Hell, among others, pushed along by a big band that is allowed to improvise without fear. Lisa contributes a autobiographical element through songs like How Long Must I Wander and Child In Me, clearly reflections of her early years. Lisa Simone leaves no doubt she is ready to build on her rich heritage.
A Slice Of Texan Country Trouble in Mind – Hayes Carll		A Country Gem From Dollywood Backwoods Barbie – Dolly Parton
American Country is in dire need of authenticity. The genre has been besieged by plastic, commercially manufactured product in recent years and recently departed Country legends like Townes Van Zandt or Waylon Jennings have left a huge space that is in danger of becoming a chasm. Enter young artists like Texan Hayes Carll who have the talent to reverse an unfortunate trend. Carrying echoes of Steve Earle crossed with the Country savvy of Lucinda Williams, Carll’s third album steers well clear of contemporary American right wing sentiment and settles in the bar-rooms and back roads armed with tales of broken-hearted romance and angst where true Country first gained its common man themes. When Carll sings “you be the sinner honey I’ll be the sin” on the opening track or laments that “she left me for Jesus” on the closing track, it’s a welcome relief to hear an artist that is prepared to stretch the envelope. Hayes Carll is a refreshing new voice and Country music is the winner.	Top	Dolly Parton is the Country queen of longevity. The reason being, of course, that Parton is one of the premier Country singer/songwriters and pure talent is timeless. Unfortunately for Parton, her physical attributes have not only overshadowed her artistic ability but placed her perilously close to that dreaded Dumb Blonde stereotype. But you can’t judge Dolly’s book by Dolly’s cover. A listen to Backwoods Barbie will change any doubting Country fan’s mind. Parton is a entertainer and her albums reflect that approach. Barbie is no exception. You get a autobiographical appraisal of her public persona in the title track, bedroom angst in Made Of Stone, contemporary gospel via Jesus And Gravity, Appalachian Mountain country in the atmospheric Only Dreams and, to stir the pot, Dolly turns The Fine Young Cannibals’ You Drive Me Crazy into a Bluegrass stomp! A good Country musician has the ability to share common ground with the listener. Dolly Parton has that authentic voice which can express life’s merry-go-round and this release is further proof.
The Blues Guitartist’s Guitarist Returns Skin Deep – Buddy Guy		Long-Lost Beach Boys Classic Released Pacific Ocean Blue – Dennis Wilson
In 1957 a young black guitarist made the obligatory journey from America’s South to Chicago and promptly turned that city’s thriving Blues scene upside down. Armed with the arrogance of youth, Buddy Guy hit the tough urban stages playing a high voltage style using high volume, stinging licks and even his teeth, to gain the agonised sound he became renown for. A young Hendrix took careful notes as did the burgeoning British Blues movement. To this day Eric Clapton still proclaims Guy as his favourite player. Now 72, Guy is still out front carrying the flag for Chicago Blues as his fellow musicians fall by the way. If there is a theme to his latest release, it is the inevitable changing of the guard. Tracks like Who’s Gonna Fill These Shoes underline the importance of maintaining the Blues tradition. Guest artists such as Clapton and Derek Trucks provide evidence that there’s still life in the genre. Buddy Guy has swapped youth’s exurberance for maturity but the fire remains.	Top	If you are an fan of the Beach Boys you would be painfully aware of a serious gap in your collection. For thirty years the space set aside for drummer Dennis Wilson’s solo release, Pacific Ocean Blue, would have been conspicuously empty. Frustrating, as the album was universally praised by the critics - acknowledged as the best Beach Boys record that the Beach Boys never made. Then it was pulled from release for decades. But now it’s back. Even if you’re not a Beach Boys fan, this is a mighty slice of Californian rock as Wilson surprises one and all with the depth and maturity of his songwriting. He easily stands side-by-side with his erratic genius brother Brian. Never overshadowed. Every track a standout. Before his untimely death the troubled Wilson stated: “They say I live a fast life. Maybe I just like a fast life. I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world. It won’t last forever…. But the memories will.”. This memory certainly will.
Son Of A Folk Legend Steps Forward A Piece Of What You Need – Teddy Thompson		Swamp Rock From A Louisiana Slide King From The Reach – Sonny Landreth
It’s difficult for an artist to succeed if they are trapped in the shadows of a famous parent. That artist has great expectations placed on them to at least match or possibly surpass their genetic heritage. Some, like Nancy Sinatra, didn’t have a chance, while Jeff Buckley was another story altogether. Teddy Thompson’s father is acclaimed folk songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson who is almost an English national cultural treasure. Big shoes to fill. But Teddy Thompson is his own man and his latest CD consolidates that fact. Thompson’s first two albums were streets away in feel from Richard Thompson’s folk-rock offerings but what he did inherit were the bitter-sweet lyrics and strong melodic sense that marks his father’s work. He develops a deep maturity on his third release. As Richard explores angst in the folk genre so Teddy explores them in a genre encompassing pop, country and soul. This is a CD that reinforces Teddy Thompson’s growing reputation and heralds a major new talent.	Top	There appears to be a myriad of undiscovered Roots musicians down every backroad, on stage in thousand of bars and hidden behind the bright lights across the length and breadth of America. Sonny Landreth is one of those musicians. Respected by his peers but out of sight of the general populace. When Eric Clapton states that Landreth is: “probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced,” it’s clearly time to take notice. The quality of guest musicians on Landreth’s new album speaks volumes for the respect earned from his peers. Mark Knopfler, Dr John, Robben Ford and Clapton himself join the slide maestro in this impressive set of New Orleans swamp, Blues, Jazz and Rock. There’s always a danger that such an impressive lineup could overshadow the host with sheer virtuosity but Landreth more than holds his own. This is a guitar player’s album. Hot licks abound. This is one undiscovered Roots musician that won’t stay that way.