INDIGO PARK Bruce Hornsby (Thirty Tigers) ****
I like Bruce Hornsby for the same reason I like Robert Plant- he doesn’t make records to top the charts, he goes wherever his musical curiosity leads him. Indigo Park is a sophisticated musical exploration of many of the themes you might expect from a 70 year old musician. It’s not particularly the piano driven pop he was known for and the jazz motifs might make this a hard listen for some, but he’s not interested in playing it safe; you gotta respect that.
Since The Way It Is in 1986 Hornsby has colored outside the lines to tie pop, jazz, country and blues into one beguiling package. Indigo Park is his first record in 4 years, and it eschews the light rock we think we know him for in favor of more challenging fare. The production is slick as his previous records have been and he takes some delightful musical detours. Ecstatic, a reunion with Bonnie Raitt has hip-hop touches, and the title cut recalls a time when, as a teenager, he tried to impress the crowd at the local swimming pool by driving up to the poolside in a borrowed ’41 Chevy. They weren’t impressed. “It’s sort of a philosophical thing” he says in a post on his You Tube page. “As you get older you think back on these memories and realize, you shouldn’t beat yourself up for that. You’re just some young idiot, and these things happen.”
As one would expect from an artist of his vintage, Bruce is taking a look back but without any particular judgement or analysis, even though there is a sort of wistful quality to Indigo Park. He’s an intuitive songwriter and working in recent years with people like Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend), Bon Iver & James Mercer (The Shins) has sharpened that. Outside of songs like The Way It Is or Across The River we don’t get a lot of Horsnby on the radio, and Indigo Park is a solid reminder of what we’ve been missing. He’s still looking forward, and resting on his laurels just isn’t in Bruce’s nature… time to roll up our sleeves and dig in to the rest of his catalog.
HOT TRACKS: Indigo Park, Entropy Here, Ecstatic (with Bonnie Raitt)
MORRI’S ROCK BOUTIQUE Refestramus (Melodic Revolution Records) ****
If 70’s-style prog rock is your jam, Styx meets Kansas, Refestramus is speaking your language. Morri’s Rock Boutique is the Chicago band’s third album and is a concept record about surviving the absurd- emotionally, spiritually and politically. Great musicianship and strong songwriting make great bedfellows… and I thought Chicago was all about the blues.
Some solid praise for Morri’s Rock Boutique was included with the press info, and Echoes & Dust comes closest to hitting the mark when they praised this album’s “cinematic landscape with its surrealistic wonders, ghost-town amusement parks, and the haunting ghost that spooks the location.” This is a concept album overall with each song telling its own section of the story; Storms equates human life to a thunderstorm- powerful, beautiful and temporary and Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight feels like a haunting David Lynch noir tale. The centerpiece is the 8:32 epic Deathless which draws on Slavic folklore’s Kashchey The Deathless who feeds on conflict and feels at home in the smoke of war.
Refrestramus is described as ‘a progressive rock project blending literate songwriting, political reflection and classic prog influences’. The band is Derek Ferguson (drums, songwriting), Jan Christiana (vocals, keys, guitar, bass), Dyanne Potter Voetgin (keys, vocals) and Mitch Lawrence (sax, clarinet). Boutique is, in turns, thunderous and quirky. Who ever heard of clarinet on a prog rock record but hey, it works. I like this description of the album, it fits like a glove; “Morri’s Rock Boutique charts a path through collapse and illusion toward clarity—where the joke turns serious: right and wrong still exist, and you still answer to them.”
The songs on Morri’s Rock Boutique can be taken individually but I recommend taking it in in one sitting to give you the feel of an epic journey. The production is adequate but not major league… the instruments are well balanced but the sound could be cleaner, sharper and more ‘in your face’ but hey, that’s probably just me or my shitty stereo. Overall MRB is an ambitious beast that gives you lots to think about and absorb. You’ll want to turn this up.
https://refestramus.bandcamp.com/album/morri-s-rock-boutique
HOT TRACKS: Deathless, Storms, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
ERNESTINE BLUES Bob Corritore & Friends (VizzTone/ SWAMF) *****
Another stunning entry here from this master of Chicago blues harp. Ernestine Blues, unlike his ongoing “from the vault” series, features new recordings cut between 2023 and 2025 with the cream of today’s blues scene. At 16 cuts this is an embarrassment of riches, a deep dive into some of the richest blues you’ll ever hear- straight from the gut.
Ernestine Blues was expertly recorded with an eastside Chicago vibe that just feels oh so right. These are great storytelling songs with great singers and excellent swingin’, intuitive musicians that bring exactly what each song needs. It’s only natural to be curious about Bob’s collaborators when considering this disc and he does not disappoint; Bob Stroger, Johnny Rawls, Sugarray Rayford, Bob Margolin and Kid Ramos are just some of the guys helping turn a good idea into one hell of an album.
On Ernestine Blues as with so many of his other releases, Corritore has the juju to pull exciting and unexpected performances from his guests. This disc is a treasure trove of early R&B, Mississippi country blues and soul/blues grooves, pretty much a guided tour through many aspects of the blues with all of its traditions and extensions, a time traveling expedition powered by beer, chicken grease and an unashamed lust for a good time. It’s a testament to Bob C’s vision and talent that a record like this involving so many special guests has the feel of a single band going into the studio together and just letting ‘er rip.
Bob Corritore eats, sleeps and breathes the blues, and Erinestine Blues is the work of a man put on this earth doing exactly what he was meant to do, and that so many people are willing to take the ride with him is hardly a surprise. If you like the blues you’re going to love this.
HOT TRACKS: Going Fishing (with Jimi Primetime Smith), How’d You Learn To Shake It Like That (with Tony Coleman), Blind Man Cry (with Sugarray Rayford)
TOO GLAM TO GIVE A DAMN Lexie Blue (independent) ****
No matter what kind of popular music you dig, chances are good that if you visit the engine room you’ll find a blues power plant. Such is the case \with Too Glam To Give A Damn, the latest from two-time Michigan music Award winner Lexie Blue. The disc is a blast of blues-soul power with swagger and a funktastic attitude, juicy and fearless.
As a singer Lexie reminds me of Montreal’s Sass Jordan and that’s a VERY good thing. The grooves of TGTGAD are wide and deep enough to skateboard on. Lexie explains the album title as being “an attitude. It’s about owning your story, walking away from what no longer serves you, and stepping into your power with style, grit and unapologetic confidence.” The album is further described as “each song reveal(ing) a different shade of resilience, heartbreak, humor and hard won confidence.” I guess you could call Too Glam a blues powered pep talk, a musical way of saying something my dad used to tell me when I was a teenager; “stick your hand up your ass and pull yourself together.” He was a sailor with a colorful way of looking at things.
To describe the vibe of Too Glam To Give A Damn in just a couple of words, I’d say ‘slow burning’. I’m enjoying the relaxed interplay between the musicians with Ms. Blue’s rich, passionate vocals tying everything together like it was meant to be. She has a commanding voice, and when she sings you have no choice but to listen. The band includes Pete Bullard on guitar, Kevin Schoepke on bass, Gary Martin on drums, Jack Rivers on keys, Mike Puelson on trumpet and Joe Rodrick on trombone, equal to the task of supporting Lexie’s amazing voice.
Solid production, great storytelling songs and some fine playing make Too Glam To Give A Damn pretty easy to recommend.
HOT TRACKS: title track, Darker Shade Of Blues, Break up Kiss
