A Rock and a Roll – Page 54 – Rock Is The New Roll

New Music Friday (July 19, 2019)

Midland – Put The Hurt In Me

Gearing up for the release of a new record, these boys do 80’s Country with the best of them. I’m really trying not to like this band, but they are definitely growing on me.

Rodney Crowell and Lyle Lovett – What You Gonna Do Now

We already putting a placeholder for Rodney Crowell and his new album Texas in the top ten of albums of the year, but in the meantime here is another song to be enjoyed.

Jesse Malin – Meet Me At The End Of The World

Jesse Malin, a favorite of Rock Is The New Roll, absolutely never disappoints. Here, he is a bit more upbeat and his Lou Reed vocal delivery seems to go places we have not heard in a while.

Corb Lund and Hayes Carll – On The Cover of the Rolling Stone

A single released in advance of his new record, here he teams up with Hayes Carll to deliver a pretty darn good ‘make it their own’ version of a terrific song. Maybe they’ll get their picture on the cover.

Leon Bridges – That Was Yesterday

The latest from the San Cooke Meets Marvin Gaye Soul Singer.

DeWolff – Share the Ride

One of our favorite Rock and Roll bands du jour, DeWolff brings a template of 70’s rock with a modern flair. Listen closely for a touch of Creedence as well.

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released This Week (July 19,2019)

Another pretty good release week. This time we get a sort of Beach Boys album with Mike Love’s 12 sides of Summer, a record by Darren Hyman celebrating the moon landing and astronauts in general called 12 Astronauts, and if your into this sort of thing, Creed frontman Scott Stapp has a record out to the sound of one hand clapping. Here are five morsels that have grabbed our ear-tention this week.

I See Hawks in LA and The Good Intentions – Hawks With Good Intentions

Riding the Laurel Canyon wave that is very hot right right now, I See Hawks in LA, a band that has recently as two years ago was called the greatest Country Band in the world, is mining 70’s Country Rock gold with this collaboration with The Good Intentions.

Tuxedo – Tuxedo III

The third installment of Mayer Hawthorne’s side-piece band. Here, he channels his inner KC and the Sunshine band with another set of more than solid 70’s inspired Funk and Disco gems. This one might be the most fun record of the year so far.

Collective Soul – Blood

On this, their 11th record Collective Soul mines some deep familiar territory and that is not a bad thing. Sure, it will have you swirling your memory banks back to their debut record Hints, Allegations & Things Unsaid leaving you remembering what a great record it really was. Playing it forward, opener “Now’s the Time” is a great re-introduction and “Right as Rain” stands up with their best work.

Glen Campbell – The Legacy (1961-2017)

Finally, the collection that is deserving of the icon that is Glen Campbell has finally arrived. Taking you down a rabbit hole past “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” and many more hits. But, it is on the deep tracks where the Mojo of Glen really shines. “Bonaparte’s Retreat is a jaunty pleasure, his honey-voiced take on “Everybody’s Talkin'” is sublime, and the last song he ever recorded, “Adios” is a perfect ending to a perfect set of songs.

Ada Lea – What We Say In Private

Distinctly Low-Fi, there is an ambient relaxing vibe to most of the songs in this set. Sure, there are a couple of snappy ear worms like the opener “Mercury,” but for the most part the hushed vocals translates to a hushed vibe. This album is both bold and delicate if that is even possible, and in this case with this exquisite singer-songwriter it is not only possible, it is locked and loaded. Listen to this one with head phones for the full effect.

Best Albums of 2019: The Quireboys – Amazing Disgrace

The formula of The Small Faces filtered through a prism of The Rolling Stones and ZZ Top hasn’t changed much in 35 years for The Quireboys, but that’s not really the point. These guys can still write a killer hook and their new songs can stand ear to ear with tunes they may have written decades ago. Are you listening Rolling Stones? And, we’re not letting you off the hook Billy Joel. Their scorching opener “Original Black Eyed Son” swings the barroom doors open in the best of ‘let’s get ready to rumble’ ways. With the drum beat introduction and the horns kicking in, once the organ joins the party early on in the song you can almost see lead singer Spike Gray swashbuckling into the room with a bottle of Jack Daniels under one arm and a busty blond under the other.

Two songs in with “Singer Serenader” you are left wondering if these guys are really in their sixties or just might be a bunch of millennials with a garage band who grew up listening to their grand parents Classic Rock record collection.

And yes, Spike Gray, with a voice that sounds like he gargles with sandpaper, cigarettes and whiskey can take things lower and even slower and deliver a ballad with the best of them like he does on “This is It.” It is here where there is a spit take moment towards the end of the song when the ghost of Papa John Creach seemingly joins the party with a fiddle outro. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And it’s delicious.

There literally is not a bad song on this record. The entire proceedings are so cool that the guys can almost be forgiven for going all Bryan Adams on our ears with “Dancing In Paris.” Well, almost. They tried to hide it by sneaking it in as the second to the last song on the album. The spot that is typically reserved for songs that are added at the last minute for filler purposes. We are on to your little reindeer games Quireboys. Shine on you crazy diamonds!

New Music Friday: What We’re Listening To: Friday, June 12, 2019

Penelope Isles – Chlorine

From their debut album, shimmery guitars, spacious keyboards and an expansive melody makes this one a fine summer listen.

The Press Club – Thinking About You

With one album under their belts this band is next-level ready if this single that will remind you of The Killers is any indication.

Bedouine – Sunshine Sometimes

There is more than a little Carole King in Azniv Korkejian, a singer from Saudi Arabia who records as Bedouine. Her album Birdsongs Of A Killjoy is simply stunning. This song marries 60’s folk with 70’s Laurel Canyon splendor.

Purple Mountains – All My Happiness is Gone

After an eleven year absence David Berman of The Silver Jews is back with new band. This one is his first song in advance of their upcoming album.

The 40 Acre Mule – I’ll Be Round

A killer bass line, Santana worthy congas and an infectious blue-eyed soul groove. Say no more and listen.

Lucy Spraggan – Last Night (Beer Fear)

Today Was A Good Day, her latest record, is definitely worth a listen, but this ear worm of a song from a few years back will bore it’s way into your brain with no hope of escaping.

Mark Mulcahy – Taking Baby Steps

Any friend of Thom Yorke and Michael Stipe is a friend of ours. This song is a splendor of a listen. Bowie meets R.E.M..

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released Today (July 12, 2019)

Sure, we are just biding our time for the new Rodney Crowell and Delbert McLinton records to come out, but after a week off there are still some gems to cull from the herd.

The Steel Wheels – Over The Trees

This Virginia based Americana band has just enough bluegrass to keep things cool. The song writing is first rate, the harmonies are really spot on and their life on the road song “Road Never Ends” is a highlight almost making you feel like you are in the back of a van at 3:00 in the morning heading to your next venue.

The Dollyrots – Daydream Explosion

Little Steven’s favorite all girl band is back at it with another more than solid set of girl group Surf Noir. There are not about saving the world. Living La Vida Loca is just fine with them.

Kyle Craft – Showboat Honey

This dude is a bit genre defying, this dude is. A bit Kinks, slightly Brit Pop, some Power Pop Badfinger, but it’s all pretty cool. This one is a nifty follow up to the equally excellent Full Circle Nightmare from all the way back in 2018.

Khruangbin – Hasta El Cielo

This Houston, Tx based group is the chilliest band on the scene today. Their blend of Mediterranean Psychedelic Surf-Noir will put you in a haze you may never want to shake off.

Imperial Teen – Now We are Timeless

There is a definite 80’s Brit-Pop feel to this band. Based primarily out of San Francisco led by Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum these former punk bad boys deliver a surprisingly coherent set of ear inspiring mini marvels.

New Music Friday (June 28, 2019)

It has been a been a bit too long since we have gone down the Rock and Roll rabbit hole in search of songs and bands that act like any year after 1989 never existed. Sure Greta Van Fleet, Rival Sons and The Struts are fine Rock and Roll bands in the grand old school tradition, but there are a lot more bands than that that deserve some of your ear time. Here are a few we are listening to right now.

Turbonegro – Special Education

These cats from Oslo, Norway went on hiatus for a bit in the late 80’s but thankfully for their legions of fans the band reappeared in 2007 and have been hanging and banging ever since. With a sound that floats somewhere between The New York Dolls and Judas Priest their songs feature more hooks than an episode of The Greatest Catch.

Massive Wagons – Tokyo

With recent tours opening for The Wildhearts it is still head scratching that on the strength of their latest record Full Nelson this band has not yet become the next big thing to save Rock and Roll.

The Bad Somethings – Let It Roll

Any song that kicks things off with a cowbell pretty much has us at hello. Alive era Kiss is the template for this band with just an ever so slight scent of Bachman Turner Overdrive wafting in the year. Good stuff.

Giuda – Overdrive

If the Bay City Rollers were cool they would sound like these Italian retro-rockers. One of the view bands that are bringing back the Glam with hints of Slade, Sweet and small slice of The Knack thrown in for good measure.

Ex Hex – Tough Enough

A girl super group of sorts featuring Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, and Laura Harris this band ramps it up with wild riffs, cool vocal harmonies, and heaps of power chords.

Bishop Gunn – Anything You Want

Word on the streets is that Bishop Gunn is right now in the studio working on the follow-up to their highly excellent 2018 release Natchez, and it can’t come too soon. The Black Crowes by way of Blackberry smoke make this one a smooth down home listen in the Lynyrd Skynyrd mold.

Helen Rose – John Coltrane on the Jukebox

Part Blues, Part Country Soul Helen Rose is a bit of a Genre Bender. This one is from her 2018 release Trouble Holding Back.

John Diva & the Rockets of Love – Dance Dirty

There is something entirely refreshing about a band that totally embraces their influences with no shame in their game whatsoever. In this case it is all Def Leppard most of the time and that is never a bad thing.

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released Today (June 28, 2019)

The Black Keys – Let’s Rock

After spending time apart going back to 2014 Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney are reunited and it feels so good. Blues, Garage, and old Soul are still at the core of their sound, but this time around there is a joie-de-vie amplification that seems to have the band reenergized.

Chris Stamey and The ModRec Orchestra

This release is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it is Chris Stamey of the db’s, and that’s worth the price of admission alone. Second, and most importantly, the guest list of artists that appear on the album is stellar. Branford Marsalis, Bill Frisell, Nels Cline, Marshall Crenshaw, and Caitlin Carey of Whiskeytown and many others. Inspired by Cole Porter, Henry Mancini, George and Ira Gershwin, and the rest of the great songsmiths from days gone by, Stamey puts a new shine a classic sound.

The Alarm – Sigma

Decades in The Alarm doesn’t seem to have missed a beat. The template doesn’t seem to have changed much on this, their sequel to 2018’s Equals, and as always, front-man and co-founder Mike Peters is in fine form.

Foy Vance – From Muscle Shoals

The sequel to this one, To Memphis, will be one part of a book end of releases, the first recorded at Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the second recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis will be released early next year.

Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers – No Good Deed

Winners of many 2018 independent Blues awards including artist of the year, No Good Deed might be the roadhouse record of the year.

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released Today (June 21, 2019)

Another scorcher of a week. From the purple beyond Prince dropped a sweet set of songs he wrote and gave to other artists, who knew he wrote “Manic Monday”, and Nick Lowe released a woefully puny 4 song E.P.. Every one of the songs that feature his newest backing band Los Straitjackets is great, but c’mon man, give us more. Hear are five more records that we really like.

Black Pumas – Black Pumas

Hard to classify this group of Austin musicians. Rock, Soul, R&B with a hint of Tex Mex? Yep, Yes, and sure. The best we can come up with is that if Marvin Gaye fronted The Black Keys, and were based out of Tijuana, they would sound like these guys. Check them out for yourself.

The Hollywood Vampires – Rise

This one won’t be on heavy rotation on anyone’s turntable, not even mine, but what the heck, you’ve got Alice Cooper Joe Perry and Johnny Depp. And that’s pretty darn cool.

Willie Nelson – Ride Me Back Home

So far, Willie Nelson, releasing albums at a startling rate, hasn’t given us a chance to miss him. The title track is great, and “My Favorite Picture of You” is a stunner. His version of “Just the Way You Are”, however, is better left unheard.

Jim Lauderdale – From Another World

If Jim Lauderdale could sing, Kris Kristofferson is Pavarotti by comparison, he would be much more famous. The guy writes a hell of a song in the Guy Clark Tom T. Hall mold.

The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger

And speaking of Jack White, The Raconteurs are back. This is notable mostly in that we get a Halleys Comet type appearance from the Power Pop genius Brendan Benson who inexplicably only shows up in Jack Whites side-piece band. The Ying to White’s Dirty Blues Yang. If you haven’t heard Benson’s 1996 album One Mississippi search it out.

Five Cool Ones: Five Cool Albums Released This Week (June 14, 2019)

No need to adjust your sets. Just because you woke up to a new release from Bruce Springsteen, an album from Madonna, a retrospective set from Cheryl “Got To Be Real” Lynn, and a live recording from Stan Getz, doesn’t mean you have entered into some sort of Frank Zappa zodiac 80’s mind-warp. No, It just another week in what is shaping up to be a great year in music.

Bruce Springsteen – Western Stars

Addressing the elephant in the room first, the new Bruce Springsteen record is out today. And it is good, very good, maybe his best in a decade. The Laurel Canyon vibe is all over this one and some say that the album is sort of an homage to the old Glen Campbell Jimmy Webb pairings from the days of yore. After a couple of listens I can see it. Oh yeah, and did I say this album was good, actually I meant great.

‘Keb ‘Mo – Oklahoma

Kevin Morris, ‘Keb ‘Mo, goes down smooth like a glass of fine scotch or a cigarette after sex. Any record of his should be savored, and Oklahoma, his latest offering, is just that sort of listen.

Jamestown Revival – San Isabel

Every 18 months or so Jamestown Revival will release an album and remind me that I really love this band. Their latest, San Isabel, takes them back to their roots and their Simon and Garfunkel by way of CSN vibe. Their loving tribute to California Dreamin’ is worth the price of admission alone.

Los Coast – Samsura

This Austin based combo is a bit genre defying, and in ‘this case that is a very good thing. Part Soul, part Surf-Rock, a lot Psychedelic, and all Cool. If Jellyfish merged with The Dap Kings the resulting hybrid might sound like these guys.

Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real – Turn Off The News (Build a Garden)

As the son of Willie Nelson and the bandleader for Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born, Lukas Nelson is as hot as a firecracker right now. Lukas and his boys have even found the time to release a new record in between concerts as the backing band for Neil Young. With a Traveling Wilburys vibe in places and a widescreen pop dusting in others along with a scent of herbal hippie sensation wafting across the entire proceedings, the experience of listening to this album will be mind altering.

The Top 10 Albums of 2019 (so far)

There has been a truck load of great records out this year and before the new Bruce Springsteen comes out this Friday, everything else is just a placeholder, here are our top ten favorites.

10. J.S. Ondara – Tales of America

This Minnesota by way of Kenya Americana Folk singer is this years Leon Bridges. An inspiring new find , Ondara fully absorbs himself in any song he sings.

09. Austin Meade – Waves

This denizen of the Texas hill country lays down a template of 70’s outlaw inspired country influenced songwriting with more of than a touch of Rock as well as Roll.

08. Yola – Walk Through The Fire

You won’t need to to much past the first song on this record, “Faraway Look”, for this one to grab you. With pipes that would make Dusty Springfield blush along with the production fairy dust from Dan Auerbach and his Easy Eye team, this is one could have been released in 1968.

07. Guida E.V.A

An extremely rambunctious listen, E.V.A., the latest from Italian Glam Rock titans Guida combines Glam, 70’s Rock, and a tinge of disco that will mood-set your day at first listen.

06. Jack Ingram – Ridin’ High … Again

Ingram’s tribute in spirit to Jerry Jeff Walker and the rest of the hill country troubadours. Another record that could have been made in 70’s era Nashville. His take on “Desperados Waiting on a Train” is worth the price of admission alone.

05. Nightbeats – Myth of a Man

There is a real and pronounced outlaw-groove Tarantino-Noir vibe that permeates every pore of this album.

04. Kenny Wayne Sheppard – The Traveller

Kenny Wayne Sheppard with each release seems to be more and more comfortable with his place in the pantheon of guitar slingers. His latest, a Classic Rock concoction of Blues, Boogie, and Rock is a powerhouse. Singer Noah Hunt is in fine grizzled form still sounding like Warren Zevon’s less drug addled brother, and Stevie Ray’s old stick man Chris Layton pushes the band down the rails like a runaway train. Including eight originals and two covers, the best of the lot being a scorched earth version of Neil’s Mr. Soul, this one might be the bands best record to date.

03. Jenny Lewis – On the Line

Firmly entrenched in Laurel Canyon California Lounge-Rock of the 70’s. Any record that features Benmont Tench, Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, Beck, and Don Was has to be the coolest. And this one is.

02. Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center

This one came out of nowhere, also way back in January. A collaboration between Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, both site favorites, this one is a tight Folk- Rock record that brings out the best in both artists.

01. The Delines – The Imperial

Brooding and vulnerable Country Soul from the side-piece band for Richmond Fontaine head honcho. Every song is a Raymond Carver short story.