Reviews

Justin Townes Earle: Cat

Earle’s material toes the line between earnest and confessional singer-songwriter in the vein of his father and a traditionalist in the mold of Hank Williams.  On Monday night, both sides were on display with songs like “One More Night in Brooklyn”, “Christchurch Woman”, and “Midnight at the Movies” reflecting the former, while “They Killed John Henry”, “Move Over Mama”, and “South Georgia Sugar Babe” echoed the latter.  This duality plays well on his albums as the listener is constantly surprised by the wide ranging sounds of his catalog, captivated by both the lyrical insights and the toe-tapping country arrangements. 

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Jimi Hendrix: West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology

The four CDs and one DVD in West Coast Seattle Boy seek to dispel the shadows cast over the late guitarist’s legacy by the spate of questionable releases that flooded the marketplace in the wake of his untimely death in 1970. Containing more than a few extended and/or complete recordings that previously appeared in truncated form, this box set also compiles, in rough chronological order, a plethora of song sketches and unfinished master takes that presents what is perhaps the most accurate portrait to date of Jimi Hendrix’ working methods in the recording studio.

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The Televangelist and the Architect: Expecting Nothing Out of Everything

The Televangelist and the Architect is a MIT PhD student named Jerry Chen (with various friends helping out) who seems to get a kick out of hiding his face in the band’s promo photos. Then again, when you produce something that is simultaneously pompous and dull (a nifty trick) anonymity could be a blessing. 

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Bob Dylan: The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (The Bootleg Series Vol. 9)

Of all the extraordinary aspects of Bob Dylan’s flair for composing early in his career, the prolific nature of his writing may be the most awe-inspiring. As demonstrated by The Witmark Demos, Dylan’s output reached and remained at a prodigious level not just in terms of quantity, but in the scope of the writing.

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Johnny Winter: Hard Rock Live, Biloxi, MS 12/3/10

Legendary Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter took the stage recently to a loud revelry of respect, then quietly and calmly drove home some amazing licks that only proved how he has become an idol to just about every musician who has ever plucked some strings on an old guitar since 1969 when he released his first album.

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Through the Sparks: Worm Moon Waning

Diving into their brand new release, Worm Moon Waning, it is apparent the band is a creative and inspired trio lead by songwriter and vocalist Jody Nelson.  With so much folk and Americana indie rock being released these days it is challenging for a band to stand out from the heaps of mustached hipsters but Through the Sparks manages to strike a solid balance inside their melancholic lyrics and wistful, creative arrangements.

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Andy Hunter: Colllide

Andy Hunter’s fourth album, Collide, bears little resemblance to his last album, Colour, and its more traditional song structures. A return to the epic and ethereal rhythms and beats that were found on his first two records—particularly on his debut Exodus—Collide is a thirty-five-plus minute dance party that is tailor-made for the club scene, and it is one hell of a show.

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Sam Bush: The Pour House, Charleston, SC 11/18/10

Sam Bush is best-known for his prodigious skills on the mandolin and the fiddle, but it would be a mistake to label him simply a bluegrass musician. Throughout his years with the New Grass Revival, the Nash Ramblers and Strength in Numbers, he’s explored a wide swath of traditional American music, and his cross-genre blending has continued with the many iterations of his solo band over the years.

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Jimi Hendrix – The Guitar Hero

Some documentaries are for casual fans, others are for more serious fans and others are almost for musicians themselves. This one falls into the latter two categories. There is a bit of narrative that takes him from childhood to the London of 1967 and a bit more that surrounds his death, but the focus is more on his music, his legacy and the many wild guesses as to what he would have done had he lived.

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Bret Amaker and The Rodeo: Please Stand By

From one bar story to another, Please Stand By rolls by quick, one Crazy Heart anthem after another, except these guys aren’t has-beens playing bowling alleys.  Amaker’s voice is more spoken word than country howl, which depreciates any old timey gracefulness for a rougher edge. Although Brent Amaker and the Rodeo don’t score any points for originality, these guys are no posers. Grab the bourbon and enjoy.

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