Category: A Rock and a Roll

Careening towards the end of the year, there is a bevy of great music to bathe our ears in.

The Nude Party is bubbling up with their unique take on the Laurel Canyon sound.

Newcomers Velvet Rush are setting the stage to be factors in 2025.

And, Los Lonely Boys are now touring promoting their aptly named record Resurrection.

But, don’t go to sleep just yet. Here are five new records to savor this week.

Warren Haynes – Million Voices Whisper

It has been ten years since his last solo trip around the sun with the highly recommended excellent Ashes and Dust released in 2014 after all he is an adopted son in the Allman Brothers family and has his active band in Gov’t Mule, so he has been sort of busy.

And Now, with guest drop-ins from Derek Trucks, Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson, Haynes has crafted one of the best records in his career.

With songs already written that had less of a Southern Rock vibe to them that did not fit the Govt’ Mule essence, Haynes culled them from the herd for his solo project.

“Real,Real Love with Duane Allman worthy slide work courtesy of Derek Trucks plays like a Bonnie Raitt ballad, the politically motivated Day Of Reckoning” is completed with a chorus that includes Haynes, Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson, and “Hall Of Future Saints” is a blues marvel that name checks Ray Charles, James Brown and Elmore James among others.

Welcome Home Warren Haynes.

The Virginmarys – The House Beyond The Fires

Part Punk, lots of Rock with a bit of blues sprinkled in, guitar player Ally along with drummer and husband Danny Dolan make some beautiful noise together with their band The Virginmarys.

From the full-tilt boogie of “You’re A Killer” to the frenetic swagger of “Lies, Lies, Lies.” on to the staccato rhythms of “Trippin New York City” there is barely a chance to take a breath on this post-punk call to arms.

Willie Nelson – Last Leaf On The Tree

With 153 records under his bandanna, there is not a lot to say that hasn’t been said when a new Willie Nelson record comes out. This one is pure Willie at his most frail coming from the perspective of a man and guitar that are at the back end of a life well Lived.

Much like Johnny Cash did in his Sunset series of songs with American V: A Hundred Highways, here with the title track “Last Leaf On The Tree,” the mournful “The Ghost,” and the poignant reading of Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” all cover the reflections of a man and a guitar that are peace with their mortality.

Jeremie Albino – Our Time In The Sun

Coming from the stable of thoroughbreds at Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound, Our Time In The Sun, Jeremie Albino’s fourth album seems to straddle that line between glistening present-day and vintage throw-back with the dexterity of a tight rope walker.

Auerbach, with his effective usage of vintage instruments, live-in-studio recording, and uncluttered production perfectly complements the everyman vibe that Albino generates.

“Rolling Down The 405” with 70’s one hit wonder dusting just might be the driving song of the year.

Paul Kelly – Fever Longing Still

It seems absurd that this will be the first proper post we have delivered concerning Paul Kelly, universally considered to be Australia’s finest singer-songwriter. Yet, here it is.

With this, his 29th studio record, and first solo release since 2018’s Nature, Kelly mixes it up with minds-eye narratives on “Hounds Tooth Dress” and National Geographic-worthy widescreen landscapes as he does on “Northern Rivers” as well as on the closer “Going To The River With Dad,” a song that would have fit in quite nicely in the canon of Harry Nilsson.

Regarded now along with Paul Weller, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello as one of the senior singer songwriters of the day it is no wonder that Paul Kelly is nationally considered to be the Bruce Slringsteen of Australia.