ALL WASHED UP Cheap Trick (BMG) ****
50 years in and Rockford Illinois’ favorite sons are still making gritty, tuneful power pop/ rock & roll. All Washed Up is their 21st album (including a Christmas record) and I was taken immediately with the hummable melodies, driving rhythm section, and Rick Neilsen’s chewier than usual guitar sounds. Add to that Robin Zander’s vocals and folks, we have a winner.
You wouldn’t expect any band 50 years into their career to be making music that lives up to their early stuff, but here we are. The title All Washed Up, a cheeky reference to 1980’s masterpiece All Shook Up, is clearly ironic as this is the best, rockin’-est album they’ve done in a very long time. Produced by the band and Julian Raymond, the band shows surprisingly little wear and tear. This is certainly the most forceful they’ve sounded in a long time and next to Foreigner’s Lou Gramm, Zander is pound for pound the best rock singer working today.
All Washed Up accomplishes a very neat trick (pardon the pun) in being able to recall the glory of their earlier work without sounding like they’re treading water. Neilsen’s guitar sound in particular seems to have received an upgrade, sounding tough without being obnoxious. That and Robin Zander’s signature vocal harmonies and well as his lead vocals are instantly recognizable and the band still possesses the pop smarts that have made them an institution. When I first put this on I dug it far more than I expected to, prompting an instant replay whereupon I enjoyed it even more.
All Washed Up came out November 15th but I initially thought “do they really have anything left to give?” It turns out that they do- BIG time.
HOT TRACKS: Twelve Gates, Bad Blood, title track
DON’T LOOK BACK Pierre LaCocque’s Mississippi Heat (Delmark) *****
This is one lively blues adventure looking for a place to land. With Pierre’s skillful and zesty harp work and the passionate blues shout of Sheryl Youngblood listening to this disc is like going to the coolest blues church ever… hallelujah!
Don’t Look Back is one of those albums that sat in my slush pile for far too long, and thanks to Kevin for reminding me it still needed my attention. LaCocque is a Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame harp player and his co-producer Michael Freeman is the former Chair of the Board Of Directors on the Blues Foundation, so these are two cats that really know their stuff. Some fine playing from all involved here, too many to list, but the real calling card is Sheryl Youngblood’s vocals; powerful, passionate, not unlike Etta James meets Koko Taylor. When she sings you’re drawn into the story as you hang on every word. If it’s possible for there to be a female honey dripper, Sheryl would be it. Her voice is pure, forceful and captivating, and the same goes for the other singers involved here too.
As the press info I received with this indicates, Don’t Look Back will appeal to post-war Chicago blues lovers, and even after just one spin I would not argue with that. The album is engaging, absorbing and energetic, the sound of the blues in the hands of experts. It’s the sound of a killer house party in 14 tracks. This is high octane blues fun… even though it sat on my desk for months, I’m glad I got around to giving it a spin. If somebody asks you “what’s with all the fuss about blues anyway?” put this on and enjoy the look on their faces when you see them get it. Don’t Look Back is good… no, I gotta go with great.
HOT TRACKS: You Ain’t The Only One, Moonshine Man, Shiverin’ Blues
ANTHOLOGY VOL.2 Julian Taylor (independent) ****
Here is another generous helping of potent, genre bending music from this Canadian singer/ songwriter. Anthology Vol.2 is another wide ranging compilation of reflective, expressive songs that trade in fine storytelling and emotional honesty. This is very good company.
Anthology 2 is 21 songs recorded over the span of 25 years, from early career material with his old band Staggered Crossing to more recent collaborations. You’ll notice recurring themes of love, resilience and perseverance running through these gently delivered songs. Most of these tracks were recorded live off the floor which reveals Taylor’s belief in authenticity over polish. “It’s really important to venture in all sorts of new directions” he says, “but you should always go back to see where you came from- so that you can forge a path to where you’re going.”
The emotional honesty of songs like Ain’t Life Strange is striking, and so is Hunger, the focus track. That’s a traditional folk song with a Celtic feel written by Graeme Williamson of the 80’s Toronto band Pukka Orchestra. “With everything going on in the world right now, hunger remains such a devastating and unnecessary reality” Julian says. “There are people with enough money to eradicate it in 24 hours, but they choose not to. A portion of (this) song’s sales (will be donated) to the Band Aid Charitable Trust.”
Altruistic intentions aside, Anthology Vol.2 is gentle, soothing and relaxing, like a pedicure for the heart and soul. I won’t be breaking any highway speed limits with this one, but gazing out the window on a dark, foggy night while it plays sounds like a mighty fine way to spend the evening.
HOT TRACKS: Hunger, Wide Awake, Ain’t Life Strange, Tulsa Time (the JJ Cale song)
ONE MORNING SOON Robert Top Thomas (independent) ****+
The problem with taking a few weeks off over the Christmas holidays is a lot of great music ends up just sitting in a pile on my desk. One Morning Soon, Thomas’s third solo album, came out on Halloween. This urgent, heartfelt set of acoustic country blues is a real charmer.
One Morning Soon is 13 songs with covers of material by the masters that came before him alongside 3 originals. Thomas and his band are in peak form throughout these relaxed yet energetic numbers. As a singer you wouldn’t call him a crooner, there’s a certain rough-hewn charm to his voice that lends itself very well to these songs, making him a natural storyteller. Produced by Billy Dean, OMS is sparse without being overly precious… Robert’s guitar playing is quite simple, as it should be on this kind of stuff.
I suppose my first love when it comes to blues is the electric sound that seems so popular, but there’s a quiet darkness that permeates this disc on the slower numbers here that really speaks to me. Sure the up-tempo tracks like Hey Mattie and a toe-tapping version of Bye Bye Blackird¸ a jaunty jazz standard from the twenties and a pile of fun, but it’s numbers like I Heard The Angels Singing that are really affecting. Musically, lyrically and emotionally this is about direct as it gets; no histrionic guitar solos get in the way (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and all the musicians involved seem pretty chill.
This Florida bluesman is praised on this rootsy blues jewel as “an artist who has shown himself to be a master of old school traditions, his finger picking and slide guitar work is impeccable” by Bill Wilson in Reflections In Blue and I’ll second that observation. This is the really good stuff.
https://roberttopthomas.hearnow.com/
HOT TRACKS: Long, Long Gone, Bye Byue Blackbird, I Heard The Angels Singing
