Beth Hart - Might As Well Smile b/w Better Than Home

"I woke up this morning with a smile on my face!"
Might As Well Smile

"I am not afraid of lonely. . ." Better Than Home

Kyle Eastwood - Blowin' the Blues Away b/w Peace of Silver

Straight ahead jazz
Blowin' the Blues Away

Peace of Silver

Curtis Nowosad - 159 & St. Nick

Dance floor jazz. . .
159 & St. Nick

Video of 159 & St. Nick not available - here's the band performing Dialectics :

Lulu - Every Single Day b/w Wayfarin' Stranger

Northern soul dance floor
Every Single Day

Wayfarin' Stranger

Alabama Shakes - Future People b/w This Feeling + Sound & Color

soulville
Future People

This Feeling

Sound & Color

Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - It's All Going to Pot

Title says it all =:-)
It's All Going to Pot

Blick Bassy - One Love & Kiki b/w Wap Do Wap & Mama

"Abandoned in the street
though we belong to the same species
One Love
Rummaging through the trash
returning mud
looking for love
One Love
I have seen it passing by
I'm looking for it
It was somewhere near
One Love
Even limping I'm still searching
Tattooed on my arm
It's for you love"
One Love

Kiki

Wap Do Wap

Mama

The Stray Birds - Best Medicine b/w Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor

"Music is the best medicine I sell!"
Best Medicine

"Make me down a pallet soft and low, so I can sleep when I have nowhere to go!"
Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor

Joy Williams - Woman (Oh Mama)

Wow!
Woman (Oh Mama)

Cassandra Wilson - Coming Forth By Day

I've heard about a dozen Billie Holiday remembrance albums so far this year. Understandable, as she would be 100 years old this year. This one blows them all away. While most simply make me want to toss the tribute out and run back to the original recordings, Cassandra has created a powerful dream sequence which is a moving statement of Billie Holiday's effect on our lives. Sixty minutes of bliss. Thank you Cassandra.

Coming Forth By Day

Nellie McKay - Hungry Freaks, Daddy (April begins with a joyful noise!)

Nellie McKay - Hungry Freaks, Daddy
Brian Wilson - On the Island
Rumer - Come To Me High
Eliane Elias - No Tabuleiro da Baiana
Buena Vista Social Club - Black Chicken 37
Fairport Convention - Bring Me Back My Feathers
Robben Ford - Justified
Fayssoux - My Brain
Brian Wilson - Sail Away
Fairport Convention - The Gallivant
Phil Manzanera - No Church in the Wild
Ringo Starr - Postcards From Paradise
Fayssoux - Running Out of Lies
Rumer - Be Nice To Me
Buena Vista Social Club - Guajira En F
Eliane Elias - Este Seu Olhar/Promessas
Brian Wilson - Half Moon Bay
Charles McPherson - The Journey
Buena Vista Social Club - Quiereme Mucho
Fairport Convention - Jonah's Oak
Robben Ford - Stone Cold Heaven
Vin Garbutt - The Kipple Bat

Boz Scaggs - Rich Woman b/w I'm So Proud & High Blood Pressure

Rich Woman

I'm So Proud

High Blood Pressure

Shout-outs to the overly long, but still tasty Hell To Pay & Last Tango On 16th Street.

The Bright Light Social Hour - Sea Of The Edge b/w Slipstream

"gaze back home from the ledge"
Sea Of The Edge

Slipstream

Laura Marling - False Hope

"Is it still okay that I don't know how to be alone?
Would it be okay if I just came home tonight?" False Hope

Van Morrison - Real Real Gone

The entire CD is a treat, a greatest hits duetting with others. Keep an eye out for a deluxe version featuring the duets released only in England in 2007. Not sure it'll happen, but it should.
Re-working The Catalogue

March Keeps Timin' On

Sonny Knight & The Lakers - Juicy Lucy
Allison Moorer - Like It Used To Be
Villagers - Hot Scary Summer
Marcus Miller - Hylife
Mark Knopfler - Laughs and Jokes and Drinks and Smokes
The Kropotkins - Fred Goes Out at Night
Catia Werneck - Incrivel
Sonny Knight & The Lakers - Cave Man
Vetiver - Loose Ends
Mark Knopfler - Skydiver
Allison Moorer - Blood
Marcus Miller - Son Of Macbeth
Villagers - Courage
Mark Knopfler - Broken Bones
Catia Werneck - Cabeleira
Pat Travers - You Can't Get Their from Hare
Vetiver - Shadows Lane
Mark Knopfler - Beryl
Allison Moorer - Down To Believing
Marcus Miller - I Can't Breathe
Mark Knopfler - Basil
Sonny Knight & The Lakers - Get up and Dance
Catia Werneck - Vincentiando
Mark Knopfler - Time Will End All Sorrow

Time Keeps On A "March"

Wow. Busy is as busy does.

Still want to share, and I know you can survive without links. New eartastable treats:

Flaco Jiménez & Max Baca - Margarita, Margarita
Amy Speace - Trouble Looks Good On You
Soko - Temporary Mood Swings
James McMurtry - She Loves Me
Kid Rock - Good time lookin' for me
Freedom Fry - Shaky Ground (Hey Na Na Na)
The Overtones - Sweet Soul Music
Mahalia Barnes - Ooh Yea!
Flaco Jiménez & Max Baca - Mi primer amor (My First Love)
MisterWives - Box Around the Sun
Noel Gallagher - Leave My Guitar Alone
Otis Taylor - Heart Is a Muscle Used to Play the Blues
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar - One More Day
Scorpions - The Scratch
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield - Between the Bars
James McMurtry - Forgotten Coast
Flaco Jiménez & Max Baca - Los amores de José (José's Loves)
Soko - Keaton's Song
Steve Turre - Nangadef
The Mighty Sceptres - Jerk Chicken
The Overtones - Giving me Soul
Motopony - About a Song
Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield - Twilight
Otis Taylor - They Wore Blue
The Mispers - Weekend
Kid Rock - Jesus and Bocephus
Henry Sugar - White With One
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar - Tell The Heavens
Great Lake Swimmers - Zero in the City
Flaco Jiménez & Max Baca - La viejita (The Little Old Lady)
Mahalia Barnes - Anti-Love Song
Willie Nile - Lullaby Loon

Jorma Kaukonen - Where There’s Two There’s Trouble b/w Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

"It's like the devil at your door. . ."
Where There’s Two There’s Trouble

"Taking my friends out for a real fine time!"
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out

Jorma Kaukonen - Ain’t In No Hurry b/w Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me

"I'm waiting in line. But I Ain’t In No Hurry."

"Years of your life so full of suspense. . ."
Suffer Little Children to Come Unto Me

Wild Soundtrack: First Aid Kit b/w Lucinda Williams

Perfect match. Both of these fine songs stand well outside the movie.

"If I have a bag of rocks to carry as I go
I just want to hold my head up high
I don't care what I have to step over
I'm prepared to look you in the eye"
First Aid Kit - Walk Unafraid (R.E.M. Cover)

"Conversation with you was like a drug. It wasn't your face so much as it was your words."
Lucinda Williams - Something About What Happens When We Talk

Colin Hay - Did You Just Take the Long Way Home b/w Next Year People

A friendly voice from the past that stays strong and familiar. Who can it be now?

"Stars above, they don't align me. They only shine a dim light on you."
Did You Just Take the Long Way Home

"You can't live without hope that things soon will be better."
Next Year People

Jorma Kaukonen - The Other Side of the Mountain b/w In My Dreams

"Every mountain has two sides - which side are you on?"
The Other Side of the Mountain

"We'll go running through the mountains just in time to set the morning free."
In My Dreams

Kristin Andreassen - Lookout b/w The Boat Song

"I got a flashlight and a flask, but I need a friend the most"
Lookout

"No man is an island, but most of us choose one
There are islands for bakers and bankers and thieves."
The Boat Song

Treacherous Orchestra - The Long Count

Mind expanding instrumental experience.
The Long Count

No video of The Long Count yet. Enjoy this TV appearance for now, and buy the new single!

Mavericks - All Night Long b/w What You Do to Me

"A moment in history - that's what you mean to me. . ."
All Night Long

"It's the stars in the sky know the answer to why - I can't concentrate!" What You Do to Me

Catching up - What a Long Strange Month It's Been

lots of great music coming out. . .listening listening...

Soko - Who Wears The Pants
Andrew Combs - Rainy Day Song
Rival Boys - Fortune
Toco - Minas
Avishai Cohen Trio - Abie
Modest Mouse - Lampshades On Fire
The Vespers - Signs
Blackberry Smoke - Let Me Help You (Find the Door)
Kishi Bashi - Brandenberg Stomp
Robin Trower - What You Never Want to Do
Imagine Dragons - Summer
Caitlin Canty - I Never
Rosanne Cash - A Feather's Not A Bird
Edda Magnason - Game Of Gain
Andrew Combs - Nothing to Lose
The Stereo Twins - J2J
Colleen Green - Some People
The Appleseed Collective - The Periwinkle Blues
Eaves - As Old As The Grave
Freedom Fry - Shaky Ground (Hey Na Na Na)
Milk & Bone - Pressure
Pops Staples - Love On My Side
Stonefox - This City
Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - Cornbread
Gretchen Peters - When All You Got Is a Hammer
Sidney York - Lily's Kitchen
The April Maze - I've Seen the Rain
Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer - Compass
Peace - Under the Moon
Steve Earle - Baby Baby Baby (Baby)
Robert Earl Keen - Footprints in the Snow
Rod Picott - Where No One Knows My Name
JD McPherson - Bossy
Samba Touré - Touri Idje´ Bibi
Rhiannon Giddens - Up Above My Head
Paul Shapiro - Search Your Soul
Toco - Breque Bom
Robert Earl Keen - 99 Years for One Dark Day
The Vespers - Cynical Soul
Rosanne Cash - Modern Blue
Andrew Combs - Month of Bad Habits
The Stereo Twins - All That I Know
Criminal Hygiene - Turpentine
The April Maze - Homeland
Peace - Imaginary
Steve Earle - Acquainted with the Wind
Avishai Cohen Trio - Lost Tribe
Robert Earl Keen - This World Is Not My Home
Imagine Dragons - The Unknown
The Stereo Twins - Parable
Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - Crash And Burn
Robert Earl Keen - Wayfaring Stranger
JD McPherson - Shy Boy
Gretchen Peters - When You Comin' Home
Andrew Combs - All These Dreams
The Appleseed Collective - Novelty Item
Blackberry Smoke - Too High
Rosanne Cash - 50,000 Watts
The April Maze - Don't Let the Bastards Bring You Down
Robert Earl Keen - Dark As a Dungeon
Steve Earle - King of the Blues
Peace - The Music Was to Blame
Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - Lone Star Lap Dance
Avishai Cohen Trio - Amethyst
Andrew Combs - Slow Road to Jesus
The Stereo Twins - Hymn

Vince Bell - Look Who's Coming 'Round

Vince calls this an "experiment". I think it's genius. His words:

"A new experiment: some informal recording at home. New songs, and songs that have never been recorded, coming up this year."

Skip all the middle men and present yourself directly to the world. The result:

Sweet & Lynch - Love Stays b/w Me Without You

"When we can build a bridge that lets the wounded cross
we will be found within the darkness where we are lost."
Love Stays

"Every man and every woman needs to fill a void of emptiness. . ."
Me Without You

Bettye Lavette - Unbelievable b/w Complicated & Wait

"It’s undeniable what they’d have you to think
It’s indescribable, it can drive you to drink
They said it was the land of milk and honey
Now they say it’s the land of money
Who ever thought they could ever make that stick"
Unbelievable

"I know just how to please my man
I can be softer than a baby lamb
I can be sophisticated
I can just don't give a damn
I'm kinda complicated

Now I'm kinda special in my own way
I do the same things everyday
And I'm so totally dedicated
To having my own way
I'm just complicated"
Complicated

Amazing performance. The lyrics never meant this much from Paul & John's lips.
"It's been a long time, now I'm coming back home."
Wait

Bob Dylan - The Night We Call It A Day

A natural progression from Modern Times, I guess. Woulda expected more Buddy Holly than Frank Sinatra from Dylan myself, but he is not a man to be predictable. His crooning will not make new fans rush to his side, but completists will buy the full set. I'm betting this cut will show up on soundtracks for years to come.
The Night We Call It A Day

Abdullah Ibrahim - The Song Is My Story

This is an album you want to have handy to pull out on rainy Sunday afternoons to help make staying cooped up a wonderful feeling. Abdullah makes brilliant movies on his instrument and finds emotions to share without struggling to pull you in through artificial means. His fingers provide total honesty.
The Song Is My Story

No video available yet of this solo album. This live concert will give you a flavor of the strength Abdullah's piano has when working with others.

Steve Earle - You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had b/w Acquainted With The Wind

"Hey baby, let your hair hang down. . ."
You're The Best Lover That I Ever Had

"I'm a traveling man wherever I roam. . ." Acquainted With The Wind

Joe Topping - I'm Not Gonna Worry b/w This Love and Lack of Money

"Gonna drop these chains before I drown!"
I'm Not Gonna Worry

"I had a little drink, and then I had some more.
It's false courage, but it works just the same."
This Love and Lack of Money

Coyote Armada - Albert Pujols b/w Aliaday

"Leave no time for your rhythm or your rhyme..."
Albert Pujols

"Took the bus to the west side of Texas . . . I'm gonna wish that I wished I was dead." Aliaday

Spiritual Front - Buried Friend

"I remember the song you sang for me, I could never understand the words..."
Buried Friend

Ryley Walker - Primrose Green b/w Love Can Be Cruel

Call it folk, call it jazz, call it music with a heart. . .
Primrose Green

Love Can Be Cruel

Danny Green Trio - Choro Pra Corrente

Finally out on record!
Choro Pra Corrente

Highland Brothers Band - A Peasant's Creed b/w Hey You

"This is a broken prayer
this is a blind man’s paper
Not written once
just uttered words
but the study is complete"
A Peasant's Creed

"Death is always near.
There’s no need to fear.
Time will guide you there."
Hey You

No videos of Peasant's Creed found, but this will tickle our ears to the Highland Brothers "sound":

Swan Dive - Sweet Summer Fling b/w Flipside of Loving You

It's chilly outside, - thought I'd warm up this blog with a Sweet Summer Fling

Of course, ten minutes after a fling begins we quickly learn the Flipside of Loving You

Ralph Stanley & Josh Turner - We Shall Rise

"On the resurrection morning when the trump of God shall sound. . ."
xxx

No video of Ralph & Josh available yet. This version is nowhere close to being as energetic; but the young kid singing bass makes this fun:

Govt Mule featuring John Scofield - Sco-Mule (2015)

I don't share thoughts on many albums on this blog because, frankly, most albums these days bore me to death. This one is an exception, and I can say without equivication, this belongs in your collection. To be sure you know that, Amazon is offering at the rediculously low price of $10.
Govt Mule featuring John Scofield - Sco-Mule

Indiana - Ink

"You see through my imperfection..."
xxx

No video of Ink, but the voice can be heard here =:-)

Asaf Avidan - Bang Bang

"I love you like a scapal loves flesh!"
Bang Bang

Norman Blake - Blake's Rag

Still crazy good after all these years!
Blake's Rag

Mark Rogers & Mary Byrne - Walk With Me

""You are near. I am well."
Walk With Me

Belle and Sebastian - Born to Act b/w Two Birds, Piggy in the Middle, & A Politician’s Silence

Many in the "biz" talk about how folks have stopped buying music. This wonderful set of songs was apparently recorded the same time as the fantastic CD "Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance". Rather than add it to the first edition of the CD, I'm guessing they're holding it for the "deluxe" version to be released a few weeks later. This action by record companies makes folks upset, confused, and generally disgusted with the way the biz wants to eat their money. True fans, of course, will buy everything - but even then begrudgingly. Oh well, the merchandisers keep doing it, so I'm guessing they must be making money off the angry fans despite the resentment. Here's the good news - the CD is a fine collection on it's own, and well worth your support because you'll be playing the CD all year. These extra songs that aren't on the new CD are great fun to both listen to and dance to. Is it worth paying all over again and then some? No advice from here. I'm very happy I have them. I'd hope that Belle & Sebastian release an EP for fans who are not collectors but like to dance. We'll see. Keep your ears open! No videos for the new fun.

"I want to find some respite from ignorance and lies!"

Born to Act, TwoBirds, Piggy in the Middle, & A Politician’s Silence

Go ahead and scream. I know this has nothing to do with Belle & Sebatian; but my gut tells me they saw this when it first came out and it's in their psyche somewhere. Enjoy! Or not. I just can't help myself.

Bob Cheevers - My Guitar The Man And My Heart

"My guitar wants to be a tree again, be part of the earth in tune with the wind."
My Guitar The Man And My Heart

Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

This live acoustic collection is joyful & fun. I think I will enjoy it as a collection many times. Nothing on the set is planned to stand alone; but everything on the collection fits perfect. There is a full video available, which may be even better for fans of Austin City Limits.
Another Day, Another Time

Fabiano do Nascimento - Tocatta Em Ritmo De Samba b/w Se Ela Preguntar

Tasty. Keep your ears to the ground - this one arrives with no clue as to where/when you can purchase a copy; but it's worth searching out.

Tocatta Em Ritmo De Samba

Se Ela Preguntar

No videos from new CD yet, so enjoy a solo gig under the stars:

Ryan Bingham - Adventures of You and Me

"The wolves of Wall Street swallowed the Empire State."
Adventures of You and Me

No video of this song yet. Enjoy this oldie tonight =:-)

"When I die, Lord
Oh, won't You put my soul up on a train
Won't You send it southbound
Give it a cool blues man name"

Joshua Radin - Angels b/w Worlds Apart

"It's been a long time that I've been on my own, and I can't take no more."
Angels

"Hold me close like I'm the sun to your moon..."
Worlds Apart

Guster - Never Coming Down

"Saddle up next to me. We can go kicking seashells in the sky. My, my we're Never Coming Down"

Andrew Combs - Strange Bird

Some birds fly south. Some birds stay at home.
Some birds flock together. Some birds fly alone.

Strange Bird

No video for this song yet, so here's an oldie for your ear pleasure:

Ben Vaughn - Miss Me When I'm Gone

"I'm the best friend I ever had.
I know to you that might seem sad.
But over here it ain't no joke,
I'm gonna miss me when I croak."

Miss Me When I'm Gone

Madonna - Rebel Heart b/w Wash All Over Me & Revolution

"Thought I belonged to a different tribe
Walking alone, never satisfied, satisfied
Tried to fit in, but it wasn't me."
Rebel Heart

"Torn between the impulses stay or run away from all this madness."
Wash All Over Me

"I'm a poet, you're a thief
Welcome to my side of the street
Drink my wine, free the beast
We're all fighters in the revolution."
Revolution

Belle and Sebastian - The Party Line b/w Perfect Couples

Unashamed 80's disco! "Jump to the beat of The Party Line!"

Head banging time! "I know some friends of mine, think about them all the time. Why can't my life be like that?"
Perfect Couples

Madonna - Borrowed Time b/w Devil Pray & Messiah

"We're only here to love like there's no tomorrow
so let's live each moment like our time is only borrowed"
Borrowed Time

"Take my sins and wash them away, teach me how to pray.
I've been stranded here in the dark, take these walls away.
I've been swimming in the ocean til I'm almost drowned.
Give me something I can believe in teach me how to pray."
Devil Pray

"I am the moon with no light of my own.
You are the sun guarding your throne."
Messiah

Belle and Sebastian - Allie b/w Ever Had a Little Faith

"When it's fun in your mother's house you want to cry yourself to sleep."
Allie

"Do you spend your days second guessing faith?"
Ever Had a Little Faith?

Madonna - Addicted b/w Living 4 Love & Heartbreak City

"It was easy to predict you were gonna be the one who broke my heart."
Addicted

"Now that it's over I'm gonna carry on"
Living 4 Love

"I’m in the middle of a world not pretty"
Heartbreak City

Belle and Sebastian - Nobody's Empire b/w The Everlasting Muse

"Someone sang a song and I sang along because I knew the words from my childhood."
Nobody's Empire

"If I could only right my wrongs and take her to my favorite place I'd steal her melody."
The Everlasting Muse

50 years ago today

50 years ago today I bought my first record for 35 cents. The Witch b/w Psycho. It was already a golden oldie by the time I got my copy. My dad swore it was going to ruin his equipment, so he gave in and bought us kids a portable record player so we could play music in our rooms.

Panda Bear - Boys Latin

My high school Latin is really rusty & truth be told I was always lousy at it. Fun to hear these guys work at declensions with a beat. Make learning fun =:-)
Boys Latin

The KutiMangoes - Fire b/w Song for Fela & Desert Moon

Fire - my feet are on fire - dance feet, dance.
Fire

Song for Fela

Desert Moon

Swamp Dogg - Prejudice Is Alive and Well b/w If That Ain't the Blues Nothing Is

"Prejudice is alive and well. All over the world they know it exists. In the US it has a special twist."
Prejudice Is Alive and Well

"The house of congress can't approve nothing!"
If That Ain't the Blues Nothing Is

Alex Highton - You Don't Own This Life b/w It Falls Together

"Faith was all that you had. Now it seems that for all intents and purposes it's gone."
You Don't Own This Life b/w It Falls Together

Live in the bedroom:

Live with audience:

Funkadelic - Maggot Brain

Found my box. Sure, it's 35 years old. Still unmatched. Just as fresh, life affirming and breath-taking as my memory served. This is true yesterdejavu!
Maggot Brain

Live 1971 (Eddie Hazel):

Live 1996 (Santana):

Live 2009 (Warren Haynes):

Live 2011 (Lili Haydn):

Full concert (1976):

Funkadelic - Yesterdejavu

I miss the guitar that makes my maggot brain go through a rebirth every time I hear it. This noodling guitar track with the sweet bass will do until I can weed through my boxes for the true full frontal yesterdejavu. Dancin' slowly toward the box for eight minutes.
Yesterdejavu

Whale Fall - The Dawn Thief

The dawn of the new year has been stolen and given life by Whale Fall. Beautiful.
The Dawn Thief