MEMPHIS CALLING Emma Wilson (independent) *****
An incredible voice and an incredible 2nd album here. Emma Wilson’s Memphis Calling is drenched with soul and spirit, enough to move mountains. Her debut won her “Emerging Blues Artist Of The Year” at the UK Blues Awards last year, and the new record shows every indication of climbing higher. It fascinates me how British artists capture and re-interpret the blues so spectacularly well- this is soul music that soars.
Every once in a long while a singer comes along that makes you stop and say “whoa!”, and Emma Wilson is one of ‘em. Aside from that incredible voice and her fine songwriting, outside circumstances have conspired to lift Memphis Calling even higher. Johnny Philips’s family, owners of Sam Philips Recording Studios, had recently acquired the original Stax recording console, which led Emma to Memphis. “This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up” she says. “Producer Scott Bomar brought in legendary Memphian musicians- the recording session was so soulful- drenched in rhythm & blues. Singing with an incredible band, in Sam Philips Studio, was a magical experience!” Just some of these legendary players included Don Bryant on guest vocals, Charlie Hodges on Hammond B3 and Steve Potts on drums.
With the studio used and the musicians that took part, it’s hardly a surprise that Memphis Calling recalls some of the great R&B of the 60’s and 70’s, an instantly recognizable vibe you can feel. Even as a white British chick Emma Wilson has the sass and power of classic Aretha, and the horn charts can make even a guy like me want to get up and move- not an easy thing to do! Her voice is rich and powerful, and whether she’s singing one of her own songs (there are 3) or Willie Dixon’s Hoochie Coochie Man (re-cast, of course, as Hoochie Coochie Mama) she frigging OWNS it. The album ends on an elegant note with a velvet version of Since I Fell For You, replacing Al Jarreau’s version of that song as my favorite.
Emma Wilson has a once-in-a-generation voice, and Memphis Calling is unforgettable.
HOT TRACKS: Since I Fell For You, A Small Word, What Kind Of Love (with Don Bryant)
THE CHOSEN FEW 20 Watt Tombstone (independent) *****
Holy crap, this hit me like a sledge hammer in slow motion. The Chosen Few, the latest from 20 Watt Tombstone, is what they call ‘death blues’… a combination of heavy distortion, stoner rock and the blues, a gritty metal combination that sounds unlike anything else.
20 Watt Tombstone (is that a cool name or what) is a duo from Wausau, Wisconsin that, according to their website, “fuses the sounds of ZZ Top with Kyuss by way of Robert Johnson and Black Flag.” Formed in 2011, 20WT is Tom Jordan on guitar and vocals and Mitch Ostrowski on drums and vocals. I’d equate their sound with a river of molten lava; hot, not in any particular hurry, but severely punishing to anything that gets in its way. The down-tuning of Tom’s guitar makes using a bass unnecessary, and there’s plenty of blues grease in his licks and solos… the slide on Midnight Train To Memphis sounds particularly mean.
20 Watt Tombstone made their bones on the road, playing hundreds of shows over the last few years, and that’s reflected in The Chosen Few. Tom and Mitch record everything live in the studio, and with just two guys playing there’s no messing around and nowhere to hide. They were tied to Left Lane Cruiser, but a split has propelled them to the next level. 20WT’s cover of ZZ Top’s Just Got Paid puts meat on the bones of the original, maybe a bit of gristle too, and the result is punishing. It fits in nicely with other 6 songs on the album… but with no tracks going past 4 minutes and change, it’s tempting to call this an EP instead. Listening to this IS pretty intense, so maybe it’s a good thing the disc isn’t any longer.
The Chosen Few is a thick, dense, heavy masterpiece… if Nickelback sounded this cool, people wouldn’t hate them like they do. TCF is one of 2023’s metal essentials.
HOT TRACKS: Prophet Man, Just Got Paid, Magnolia
ANTHOLOGY VOL.1 Julian Taylor (Speak Music) ****
As the album title implies, this is a collection of songs from across Julian’s 23 year career. Anthology Vol.1 is 15 vintage tracks plus 3 new songs exclusive to this collection. If you’re a folkie into artists like Tracy Chapman Gordon Lightfoot or even Mark Knopfler, there’s a lot of stuff here you’re going to really enjoy.
One of the things fans will tell you about Julian is they like what he says. “With my words I always attempt to make sure that what people are hearing, they can also see” he explains. “The main things I focus on as a songwriter are visual lyrics, life lessons and love. I try to write mostly about the human condition because I think that’s my job. I’m having a personal conversation with the listener… sometimes just being honest is the most important thing.” Couple that with the gently rolling acoustic melodies and we’re talking a soul massage.
The songs on Anthology Vol. 1 come from Julian’s various musical guises over the years; with Staggered Crossing and The Julian Taylor Band as well as his more recent solo stuff. A Toronto music scene staple Taylor is a musical chameleon, no doubt playing off his combined Mohawk and Caribbean heritage. He’s been putting out records since 2001 and his songs have been placed on Canadian TV shows like Haven, Private Eyes, Kim’s Convenience, Degrassi: The Next Generation and Elementary, so there’s a chance you’ve come across his music without realizing it. He’s also shared stages across North America with the likes of Serena Ryder, Blue Rodeo, William Prince, Rodney Crowell and Keb’ Mo’… dude gets around.
From mellow folk vibes to upbeat pop/rock, Anthology Vol.1 has something for everyone- unless you’re into stuff like 20 Watt Tombstone, that is. This is a collection of upbeat songs, from all-out rockers like Zero To Eleven to the samba-like Just A Little Bit and a tender hearted ballad like Carry Me Home that lift your heart to a really nice place. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on Anthology Vol.1, you’ll be glad you did.
HOT TRACKS: Just A Little Bit, Long Time Ago, Georgia Moon, Bobbi Champagne
BLUES SKY Randy Lee Riviere (New Wilderness Records) *****
Randy Lee Riviere’s 3rd solo album and 2nd in just 2 years is a thing of rugged beauty. Following records that were more in an Americana/ country vein, Blues Sky is bare-fisted blues full of attitude. “(This) is more blues than anything I’ve ever done” Randy says, and it’s awesome.
Working again with Grammy-winning engineer/ producer/ mixer Kevin McKendree, Blues Sky is one of those records that feel like it hit the bullseye. “There’s a lot here, but with a blues foundation” RLR notes. “I wrote these songs initially and Kevin came in with a bridge here, an arrangement tweak there…and musical flavors that really made the tunes special. The core music and lyrics are me along with my acoustic guitar, but Kevin is the guy who made these tunes come alive.” The pair first met in ’08 at McKendree’s Rock house Studio in Nashville when Randy Lee was working on his Wilderness album. There’s a casual simplicity and muscle to this stuff that really resonates, like Crazy Horse but not sloppy.
Aside from digging Blues Sky musically, there’s a surprising depth to the songs that really makes them stick. “This album is really a collection of different approaches to ideas, concerns, this country, my life… things I’m sure most everyone is grappling with in one way or another” Riviere observes. “America has this sickness going on right now. I try to look at issues affecting the human condition, and look at different sides of things.” RLR is no Pavarotti or Robert Plant as a singer, yet I can’t imagine a more perfect voice to convey these songs.
McKendree must be commended for the sound of the album, filling out Riviere’s songs instrumentally without going overboard and a mix that feels just right. Blues Sky has a lot of different flavors at play, including the gospel ballad Cold. Cold River that just kind of feels like coming home, thanks in part to TheMcCrary Sisters on backup vocals. It’s so different from the sort of rap/rock of American Redoubt at the beginning of the record.
Blues Sky is, front to back, one of the best albums I’ve heard all year.
HOT TRACKS: American Redoubt, Needles, Cold Cold River
40 YEARS & A NIGHT WITH CONTEMPORARY YOUTH ORCHESTRA Night Ranger (Frontiers) *****
This is a startlingly excellent new live album. Night Ranger celebrates 40 years of existence with 40 Years, which includes unique renditions of many of their hits played by the group along with Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra. A symphony working alongside a rock band doesn’t always work but in this case it does- and how!
Recorded just a year ago, November 9th 2022, 40 Years is a spirited record with Night Ranger and the CYO playing at the top of their respective games; it’ll give you goosebumps. “It was a dream come true to have Night Ranger music accompanied by an entire symphonic band” says singer/ bassist Jack Blades, “although now we’re spoiled, and we want to carry the orchestra with us everywhere we go!!” I have said before and I know others have too, that rock & roll and classical music aren’t that far apart, and this album underscores that thought.
The CYO is 80-plus musicians age 12 to 18, representing more than 40 schools in Ohio and 40 Years also represents Night Ranger’s first time performing live with an orchestra, but with results like this I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do this again. To be candid I haven’t dug everything the band has done- their hit ballad Sister Christian (included here) put me off Night Ranger for many years- but as they rock out there aren’t many groups that can touch them in terms of power and melody when they’re in full flight.
Predictably my favorite songs on 40 Years are the rockers, some of which were hits, but overall the performances by both band and orchestra are outstanding to the point I feel the urge to dig back into their catalog to see what I’ve been missing. I first noticed Night Ranger because guitarist Brad Gillis was one of the first to step in for Ozzy Osbourne after Randy Rhodes was killed (you can hear Brad on Ozzy’s Speak Of The Devil album) but Sister Christian aside I stuck around in the early years because of the songs. Now, on 40 Years, they’re even better.
HOT TRACKS: Sing Me Away, Don’t Tell Me You Love Me, You Can Still Rock In America
BABYLON Lynch Mob (Frontiers) ****
This is Lynch Mob’s 8th studio album since forming in 1989. Babylon is the kind of acrobatic guitar-driven hard rock that’s been mostly missing since Van Halen ground to a halt; hard, melodic, driving… you know, the good stuff.
I was never a Dokken fan but I’ve always like George Lynch’s guitar playing… with Lynch Mob, his solo career as well as his many side projects including Sweet & Lynch with Stryper’s Michael Sweet and KXM which features singer/ bassist Dug Pinnick from King’s X. “Putting Lynch Mob together was just an extension of what I’d always strived for in a band” George says. Of the many lineups over the years he notes that he went for “the best possible musicians, chemistry and brotherhood. My bands have not only been my best friends, but also my family.”
Babylon is a hard-charging album with the big fat riffs and a relentless, powerful locomotion that makes Lynch Mob such a great band. George is an exceptional guitarist but not necessarily a speed demon, with his solos being more on the bluesy side- not unlike Ritchie Blackmore but without the attitude. Here in 2023 the band also includes singer Gabriel Colon, drummer Jimmy D’anda and bassist Jason Gulino, making the current Lynch Mob a perfect storm. “When we come up together and work hard and struggle together, we create a bond that lasts a lifetime” Lynch says about his namesake band. “I think that’s the thing I love the most about my musical journey… creating music in the studio, stepping on stage, and sharing that bond with my friends through music. Thank you to everyone who has been in my band. I really feel it’s ours.”
Listening to Babylon feels similar to jumping into a muscle car (that would be a 68 Firebird rag top for me) on a hot sunny day with chums, pointing it at the highway and yelling “let’s GO!!” The songs aren’t complicated melodically but there’s an undeniable power in their simplicity… something you’ll want to tap into again and again.
HOT TRACKS: How You Fall, The Synner, Erase
