Prince has still got it. Sporting his signature high-heeled boots, he rocked The Forum as part of his 21-date residency in Los Angeles.
Low’s ninth album C’Mon, released in April on Sub Pop Records, in no way diminishes their catalogue or reduces them from the fantastic slowcore indie band they’ve known to be, but at the same time it never quite reaches its full potential.
Thurston Moore took a lot less time between solo albums (4 years instead of 12) and brought in a high profile producer to help things along this time around. Instead of mining his art/noise rock tendencies Demolished Thoughts plays totally acoustic without a crashing crescendo or drum fill anywhere to be found.
How does one upstage the legendary Gregg Allman? Have his son’s band open for him and totally kick ass. With enough energy and bravado to spark a full-on fire, Devon Allman and his trio Honeytribe was the band to beat on a special night at the New Orleans House Of Blues.
The Felice Brothers were always at their best when they balanced on that thin edge between discord and harmony, raw talent and musical limitation, guitar, accordion, and violin clashing in minor keys over a loose, driving snare, Ian and James’s deadpan vocal phrasing telling stories of souls lost, gunfights, and jilted lovers. Appreciation came from the tension created.
Blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa was known to many music fans over the years, but a 2009 sold-out show at London’s Royal Albert Hall – featuring Eric Clapton – definitely put him into another sphere of acclaim. And so it is with Dust Bowl that Bonamassa sounds like a great axe man with a set of pipes that are vintage Paul Rodgers
Warren Haynes picked the friendliest confines he could think of to kick start his Man in Motion Tour, New York Cities Beacon Theater. He may have played this venue more then any other artist over recent years and was clearly in a good mood as he showed off his new six piece band complete with Saxophone and backup singer.
There’s a bias among many that for something to be artistic, it has to be dark and moody. Poetry is only high art, they reason, if it dwells on the negative aspects of the human experience. For that reason, those who focus on positive vibes are often under appreciated. It is exactly in that positivity, however, that Brett Dennen thrives.
Singer-songwriter Kip Boardman is the type of singer-songwriter which sticks to the idea that less is much more, especially regarding bombastic flourishes compensating for any quality shortcomings. Here Boardman adheres to a bare-bones approach in the vein of Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams and a roots-y Jason Mraz on the sincere opener “All Fall Down,” the groovy “All That Bad” and the laidback toe-tapper “Mysterious Stranger.”
The Dirtbombs have always loved their covers and with 2001’s excellent soul and R&B rethinking, Ultraglide In Black the group showed their prowess in this realm. 2011 is apparently now the time to tackle songs from the Detroit Techno scene of the 1980’s. While there was a direct line drawn between The Dirtbombs retro garage shake and the soul of their cities 60’s and 70’s this techno connection is a bit more tedious causing the efforts here to vary in quality.
