Been a while since I’ve posted; things are pretty busy around the old household.  Tonight’s post is full of sickness, lack of sleep, cough medicine and yadda yadda yadda so this one could be interesting.  Hold on to your butts…

“Just Like A Bird Without A Feather” R.L. Burnside, Not The Same Old Blues

This is it folks…  naked blues; one man, one vocal, one guitar, and one percussive stomp.  The real thing from deep in the rural Mississippi Delta, not far removed from Lightnin’ Hopkins or the non-electrified old school Muddy Waters, comes a woeful tale of love but in the end a relationship gone wrong where the cheating one meets an untimely death.  R.L. Burnside was one of those artists that received little attention until being “discovered” in the early 90s, recording on Fat Possum Records with similar blues artists and receiving some just dues before his death in 2005.

“Little Brown Bird” Elvin Bishop, Live! Raisin’ Hell

In the ’70s Elvin Bishop may have been a bit more of a rabble rousin’, hell raisin’, good time artist known mostly for the most excellent “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” but you need to look at the man’s entire career before you think about thumbing your nose at those works (not me, no!).  Elvin has ALWAYS been a helluva showman and a great artist; a bit rock, a bit of soul, and a whole lot of blues.  Dig into Bishop’s awesomely cool take on the Muddy Waters cut “Little Brown Bird”, which features some stellar horn work from the band and some stinging guitar from Elvin himself.

“It’s Different For Girls” Joe Jackson, I’m The Man

If I’m held to an era of Joe Jackson to listen to it would definitely be the pre-83 years, where Joe was categorized at the time as a bit of a rock/new wave artist before stretching out into various territories with subsequent albums.  “It’s Different For Girls” offers up a wistful splice of pop which he would take full advantage of on 1982’s Night And Day, “Girls” serves up a gem and features a pretty melody with some sweet backing vocals and heartfelt singing from Jackson.  Also features some great, semi-chimey guitar work and the subtle punch on bass from the great Graham Maby.

“Epipelagic” The Ocean, Pelagial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As8CbyJRPmU

A bit of Floydian dreamscape here, just a minute plus of this intro tune that sets the tone for this German progressive metal band’s epic concept album about the various depths of ocean levels.  While that sounds like one might task to take on and “Epipelagic” sounds mesmerizingly beautiful, the rest that lies beneath the surface of the album may not be for everyone with no interest in the occasional aggressive tones found on the other cuts.  But for a brief sweet soundscape featuring various piano, strings, and keyboard textures this song might serve as a sweet tonic for some.

“Lisa, Listen To Me” Blood Sweat & Tears, Greatest Hits

What a voice!  David Clayton-Thomas’ burly baritone was one of the calling cards to the success of Blood Sweat & Tears’ success with “Lisa, Listen To Me” being a minor hit on the band’s fourth album.  Of course with BST you’re going to get a good dollop of excellent horn work which really builds with some timely blasts during the chorus and also features a groovy sax solo before the final verse.  Toss in some subtle drum work from Bobby Columby and solid guitar work from Steve Katz and you’ve got one fine littley ditty from this long serving band.

“Living In The Song” Blackberry Smoke, Wood, Wire, and Roses

From their album Holding All The Roses comes an unplugged version of “Living In The Song” and in the hands of one Blackberry Smoke, a version that’s dern near as good as the original.  Singer/songwriter/guitarist Charlie Starr is on point as usual and is a worthy successor to the southern rock heritage that came before him (although that’s not all this band is about, trust me).  Peel back the rock from the original arrangement and you’re left with one fantastic campfire singalong; Charlie all heartfelt during the verses and giving it all during the chorus.  Just a fun, fun tune.

“Private Life” Oingo Boingo, Boingo Alive

From the warped and wonderfully demented mind of the great Danny Elfman (yeah, that movie theme song dude!) comes a rerecorded version of early hit “Private Life”, still as energetic as the original found on 1982’s Nothing To Fear.  Featuring a kinetic, somewhat paranoid vocal from Elfman, the song is a fun blast with plenty of twists and turns to keep your attention.  Guitarist Steve Bartek is a solid riffster, adding perfect accompaniment to the manic intensity and capably backed up by some tasty horn blasts o’er top one helluva infectious ska beat.

“Mama Mama Talk To Your Daughter” Magic Sam, West Side Soul

From the Chicago blues great Magic Sam comes a rippin’ good take on the oft covered “Talk To Your Daughter”, one that leans a bit more rock and roll instead of the Magic one’s classic blues stylings and maybe, just maybe a bit on par with the rock energy of one Little Richard but with maybe a bit more boogie in the pants and less hysteria in the vocal.  Really a swingingly fine version that was probably a hit in the juke joints when Sam stopped by back in the day.  The man had a great blues shout and some sweet guitar playing and left us too early, dying of a heart attack at the young ago of 32.

“Black Water” Thunder, Wonder Days

I’ve said this many times about other bands on this blog (and one of the reasons why I actually write), but it’s a shame that this band doesn’t have near as much notoriety as it should have other than in their United Kingdom.  Singer Danny Bowles has a whisky smooth voice, a bit of a tamer Paul Rodgers/David Coverdale if you had to throw out comparisons but sounding enough like his own man to impress.  With guitarist Luke Morley the band has released plenty of solid rock material over the past 25+ years and “Black Water” is a good start for you to dive into this band.  Download today!

“One More Time” The Winery Dogs, The Winery Dogs

Take three stellar players, mix together, turn up the volume, write some heavy riffin’ material, and out come The Winery Dogs.  “One More Time” wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 80s radio, maybe a bit more riff heavy than some of those programmers would like but there is plenty of sunny hookiness for all to love.  Singer guitarist Richie Kotzen is the real star here, not only for some nasty guitar playing (his fingerpicked, slippery style is all his own) but man, WHAT a voice!  The boy makes it sound effortless, all sorts of drippy R&B and soul topped with plenty of bluesy rock.  Oh, Portnoy and Sheehan?  Thumbs up too.

Wow, hard choice this week for favorite songs.  I’d have to throw “Private Life” to the top followed by “One More Time” and “Talk To Your Daughter”.