When he rears way back, only to loose affably swaggering, eminently country-combed rockabilly straight down the reliable Cannonball track, Jonny establishes that his jitter-bop dues are all paid up and ever on the late night fun prowl. Recommended “RV Hookup,” “You […]
Here, lovingly interpreted to its purest and most satisfying degree, is a corporeal, lived-aloud human blues so filled with jumped-up animation and natural joyfulness as to raise up the hearts and agitate the feet of all for miles and miles. […]
It is at once exhilarating and reassuring to find that, despite its inexorable grinding, time’s march has proved feckless in the presence of greatness. This is power of formidable rank, potently effective. It declares itself frankly with clear, clean directness. […]
Song “Check This Action” dive-bombed into lucky, early-Eighties ears with both confidence to kill and enough pick-’em-up-and-put’em-down, glad-all-over thrill alacrity as to leave many-an envious colleague covered head-to-toe in also-ran dust. “Moon Twist,” the 1981 EP that first brought that […]
“Amid the ongoing fallout from the violence that saw a civil rights activist killed, music subscription service Spotify began removing so-called white power music, flagged by the SPLC as racist ‘hate bands.’ “A Spotify spokesperson said: ‘Illegal content or material […]
This unvarnished humanity-interpreted-as-blues/soul-orating rises up with bold self-awareness. And strapping satisfaction. It knows its origin, digs itself, and compels headbobbing, slap-grinning listeners to reciprocal earthy communion. And that would already be enough. But here, it’s just the solidly reverential bedrock. […]
Don’s encyclopedic, twang-splayed negotiations jar agreeably. The orthodoxy is ever in the bones: Riotously living honky tonk and blues joint spirits jump up and proclaim in fire-tongues. In one moment, “Train Kept A-Rollin’” gestures. Another recalls Jeff Beck’s “Goin’ Down.” […]
That Jimmie Vaughan and Doug James fell in for certain cuts tips big doings. Vernal blues cat Dylan raises up shouted promise in twanging Texas testimonies. Feature the bluntness of Gatemouth Brown and Frankie Lee Sims, given Nick Curran rave-up reinvention. […]
Relax, as mellow notes transport you up into cloudland. Deftly caressed instrumentals in an oh-so cool country-jazz vibe. Introspective. Articulate. Dreaming. Feeling. A guitar tone clear and sincere. At turns contemplative, idyllic, and whimsically ambitious. Recommended “Five More Stops,” “String Theory,” […]
I’ve excerpted this essay from my 2017 book Flesh Made Music. […]
