Proposing an instant record collection
OK, so I've been at this for about three months now. I've made my argument for moving on from Classic Rock and looking at something new. I've got about 90 artist profiles on the site and the range in style from the funky R&B of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, to the Bluegrass-infused, Jam band sound of The String Cheese Incident, from the straight-ahead Blues guitar gymnastics of Joe Bonamassa to the grungy Garage band style of the Detroit Cobras. There's something out there for every taste.
Now, assuming you're buying the argument, you might be a little overwhelmed about where to start. You haven't bought anything new since the Clinton Administration (the first one), but you've got your credit card in hand and Amazon.com on your browser. Here are some good places to start. It's sort of an instant record collection. Ten albums to get you going on your new foray into modern music for the concerning adult listener. Some of these albums aren't exactly brand new, but they're probably new to you, and they're definitely after the "Classic Rock" era.
I didn't choose any greatest hits albums or anthology packages. I figured that might be cheating. However, live albums were fair game. I've tried to get a mix of genres. You may end up liking some of these more than others, but that will give you an idea about where to go from here. I'll get the album covers with links to the Amazon page for each album. And I'll mix in three or four videos from the albums. So, in no particular order, here are 10 recommendations.
1) JOHN HIATT, WALK ON (1995) — I knew there needed to be a John Hiatt album on the list and Bring The Family seemed like too obvious a choice. Besides, it's close to 30 years old now and that kind of defeats the purpose. Walk On is an excellent example from the middle portion of Hiatt's career. Later albums are predominately acoustic — not that there's anything wrong with that. (I buy them all regardless). This one's heading that way with a fair amount of mandolin, but it still rocks in places. "Cry Love" and "Wrote It Down and Burned It" are personal favorites, but there isn't a bad track on the album. John Hiatt albums fall into two categories — Good and Very Good — this one's excellent.
2) OZOMATLI, LIVE AT THE FILLMORE (2005) — Latin rhythms and singing in Spanish and rapping in English from the streets of Los Angeles make their way up the coast to San Francisco. Ozomatli is the ultimate party band with a conscious. Their songs tell stories of passion and purpose with a beat that will leave you dancing while you think, even if you don't speak Spanish. It's difficult to describe Ozomatli. Luckily the CD comes with a DVD of the performance and here's a trailer from YouTube.
3) NICK MOSS & THE FLIP TOPS, PLAY IT ’TIL TOMORROW (2007) — In an era when there are dozens of great guitar players out there playing the Blues, Nick Moss might not be as well known as some, but there's none better. And Play It ’Til Tomorrow is Moss at his best. Backed by the rock-solid Flip Tops and especially piano player Willie Oshawny, Moss churns through a two-CD set of straight-ahead Blues. It's rockin', intense and danceable. Jumping right in with "Late Night Saint" and featuring a pair of instrumentals "Grease Fire" and "The Rump Bump," the first CD is a party. The second, with "You Got The Devil Inside" and "Married Woman Blues," brings you back down to hard reality. It's a great ride up and back down.
4) JIMMY THACKERY & TAB BENOIT, WHISKEY STORE LIVE (2006) — The Blues guitar duo of Thackery and Benoit did one studio album entitled Whiskey Store and then released a live album with a few of the same songs and some others. They're both good, but the live version contains a 10-minute version of Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine" that makes my wife melt. It will probably have the same effect on you and/or yours. That alone is worth the price of the album. Plus, at at one point, Benoit asks the audience, "If we give ya the boogie, can ya handle it?" He and Thackery then procede to rip through a version of Benoit's "Bayou Boogie." Pay for the melting, stay for the boogie.
5) DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS, THE DIRTY SOUTH (2004) — When I was compiling this list I figured that I had room for either a Truckers album or Jason Isbell's Southeastern. I finally settled on a Drive-By Truckers albums from the period when Isbell was with the band. This way I get both. The Truckers album everybody usually raves about is Southern Rock Opera. It's very good, but it's pre-Isbell. I like this one just as much, and we get four Isbell songs including "Danko/Manuel" and "Goddamn Lonely Love." Plus you get the Mike Cooley's haunting "Where The Devil Don't Stay" and the twang of "Carl Perkins Cadillac."
6) RUTHIE FOSTER, THE PHENOMENAL RUTHIE FOSTER (2007) — Jumping from the Drive-By Truckers to Ruthie Foster might give you the musical bends, but that's part of the fun. Even when she's not singing Gospel, Ruthie sounds like she's singing Gospel. There's something about her voice that sounds other-worldly. It takes a pretty special singer to go with this album title. But, like they say, it ain't braggin' if you can do it. From the first track, "Cuz I'm Here," you know you're in for something special. And then "Heal Yourself" kicks in and you're hooked. She could have just ended the album right there. But there's so much more. It goes on for nine more phenomenal songs.
7) ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, STREET SONGS OF LOVE (2010) — Alejandro Escovedo is is the brother of legendary precussionist Pete Escovedo who played with the original Santana. That makes him an uncle to Shiela E. It also means this is a pretty talented family. Alejandro started as a punk rocker in San Francisco, playing with groups like The Nuns. These days he lives in Austin, Texas, and makes great music. You can still feel some of that punk sensibilies in his music, but this is a mature and thoughtful songwriter. Street Songs of Love contains 13 great songs, but "This Bed is Getting Crowded," "Tender Heart" and the title track are special.
8) JJ GREY & MOFRO, OL' GLORY (2015) — One of the great joys of the last three months has been getting to discover artists. I'd heard of Mofro, but didn't really know much about the band. This a genre-bending band of Floridians that plays a fun blend of Blues, R&B, Soul and Funk. The newest album, Ol' Glory, is a kick from beginning to end. It starts off with the song below, "Everything Is A Song," and includes the seemingly contradictory tracks "Turn Loose" and "Hold On Tight." It ends with a tribute to the bands second home of New Orleans with "The Hurricane."
9) MARK KNOPFLER AND EMMYLOU HARRIS, ALL THE ROADRUNNING (2006) — It's not really Country, but it's not really Rock ’n Roll either. I guess you could call it Americana, but one of them is a Brit. It's really is just good music. Perfect for a background music for dinner or loud, dominating the room. Harris' voice is so beautiful you almost wish Knopfler's guitar solo would end so you can hear her sing again, almost. Every couple needs to sit down on their anniversary and listen to "This Is Us." This album is the definition of music for adults. Anybody who calls it boring because it's pretty, melodic and subtle needs to grow up.
10) WARREN HAYNES BAND, LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER (2012) — It should be obvious by now that I have a big ol' man crush on Warren Haynes. There's nothing he can't play and no one he won't play with. This is my favorite incarnation of Haynes. The Warren Haynes Band features Warren with a group of hand-picked players, and it's as good an R&B band as can be put together. With Nigel Hall on keys, Ron Halloway on sax and Alecia Chakour singing backup, it's completely different than Gov't Mule. Both are awesome, but this is my recommendation — if you only buy one album (It's a another CD/DVD) off this list, this should be the one. But you really should buy them all.
So, there it is. I could do another 20, but this is a nice, round number. Besides, there's probably a sequel in the works for another time.
