From Mozambique To Minnesota Volume 2 featuring Rich Prewett (2014)

Rich Prewett From Mozambique To Minnesota Volume 2

Rich Prewett From Mozambique To Minnesota Volume 2 This is a quite ambitious and interesting project I had stumbled into a few years back and yes, I saw the opportunity in it and gave the link to my American guitarist friend Rich Prewett. If I recall it correctly, the first song he made was “Egoista”, then he did “Sonhar” and it was followed soon by another one. Rich did an awesome job mixing those African vocals with good old tasty blues flavors. I told him that it would be great if he put together a whole album out of it and that’s what he did!
And this is really good. Feel good, sound good. Rich Prewett is a quite experience and versatile musician and producer, he made miracles with those vocal stems. The music he created and performed around those vocal tracks it’s a vivid mixture of blues, rock, reggae and Latin vibes and sounds, but maintaining throughout a “world”, an universal flavor of it. This is extremely universal, but still, very particularly Rich.
I love it throughout!! Read more From Mozambique To Minnesota Volume 2 featuring Rich Prewett (2014)

Eels – Wonderful, Glorious (2013)

Eels - Wonderful, Glorious (2013) Honestly, I’m glad that the melancholy and platitudes fueled concept trilogy of “Hombre Lobo” (2009), “End Times” (2010) and “Tomorrow Morning” (2010) it’s closed and hopefully Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E. Other, moved over. Those country-blues flavored, mostly boring and tasteless, self-pity ballads, frankly, were a great disappointment. Sentiments? Well, I have sympathy for those stories of desire, loss, and redemption, but can not shed a tear. Got my own s*it to bear. And nobody shed a tear for me, not even giving a s*it.
I also can understand that there will be no more “Novocaine for the Soul” like, charming, energy full, indie rock anthems, but a little bit of life in some of the songs, here and there, still would be nice to hear.
And “Wonderful, Glorious” it’s at least a return to the sound and style of “Souljacker” (2001) and “Shootenanny!” (2003). We’ve got a couple of sensitive slow takes, a strange mixture of Cat Stevens with Tom Waits, but wearing the undeniable touch and taste of E. Other. On the other hand, we’ve got a few noisier, grungy, indie rock tracks as well. Some of them (“Open My Present” for instance) also reminding me of Tom Waits, eventually mixed with Tom Petty.
Good sign anyway is that the leading single it’s the heavily pounding “Peach Blossom” and not some of the depression bringer ballad. Read more Eels – Wonderful, Glorious (2013)

Plymouth Fury – Vaudeville (2012)

Plymouth Fury - Vaudeville (2012) With roots back to The Stooges and the grooves and melodies of The Dandy Warhols, merging the fury of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion with the straight simplicity of the Danish Surf rockers The Good The Bad, juggling between the rawness of The Velvet Underground and the new blues spirit of The Black Keys, the French Plymouth Fury serve us a hot and noisy, garage flavored rock with resonances to Spaghetti westerns with Tarantino vibe.
The trio, Worzo – guitar and vocals, Will – bass and vocals, and Stephane Kurdijaka – drums, has been formed in 2007 in Paris, and so far they shared the stage with bands such as Division Of Laura Lee, The Elektrocution, The Bombettes, Favez, It’s Not Not, Magic People, TV Buddah and King of Conspiracy. They have one thing on their minds: to burn all those places down! And honestly, this 70’s taste-like, unpolished, straight and noisy rock it’s just perfect for a hell of an evening down in the club! Read more Plymouth Fury – Vaudeville (2012)

Eric Burdon and The Greenhornes – Self-titled EP (2012)

Eric Burdon and The Greenhornes – Eric Burdon and The Greenhornes (2012) When I said a few days back that I’m tired and bored of music because music became only the additional sub-product of an exclusively profit oriented industry and the true values (the music) were replaced by fad, predictable, patterned and instantly forgettable (background) noises. In this world, in this frightening circumstances, Mr. Burdon and his youngster new allies, The Greenhornes, delivered balm for my (ears and) soul.
In a world where nothing seems genuine anymore, 71 years old Eric Burdon, the man who led The Animals in the 60s and the War in the 70s, proves – once again – that music it’s music when it’s still played with soul.
While Burdon was ranked 57th in Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time; the Garage Rock band The Greenhornes from Cincinnati, Ohio, are less famous. Formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler, they released four albums, one EP and one compilation. In 2005 Lawrence and Keeler formed The Raconteurs with Jack White and Brendan Benson which eventually bring them some more exposure.
Released on November 23rd as part of Record Store Day’s “Black Friday”, this 4 track self-titled EP it’s a raw, pounding, powerful modern Blues release flavored with noises and garage feel. If this is not genuine, don’t know what it is. Read more Eric Burdon and The Greenhornes – Self-titled EP (2012)

Junkyard Birds – Freewheeling Free Will (2012)

The kickstarter “High Heels And Leather Boots” reminds me of Iggy’s “The Passenger”, it’s an enjoyable ride, although it’s a genuine, “bad to the bone”, wicked and dirty, garage Rock anthem. And Iggy’s name, the reflection of his wild spirit returns here and there along the album. But more present it’s the ghost of Lemmy, with roots back to Hawkwind and wings spread out to Motörhead.
Junkyard Birds find their own noisy path of raw, loud and distorted Rock perfumed with Blues resonances and turning into Psychedelic and Stoner shades. Fans of MC5 or Stooges, as well as fans of Blue Oyster Cult, Hawkwind or Fu Manchu and Monster Magnet will definitively gonna enjoy the ride along Junkyard Birds. But sometimes they reminded me of Cathedral too. Read more Junkyard Birds – Freewheeling Free Will (2012)

Jack White – Blunderbuss (2012)

Jack White – Blunderbuss (2012) Sex is probably the most powerful driving force in nature, in arts, implicitly in music. Some people believe that the power behind The White Stripes was the (sexual) tension between Jack and Meg White. When this flame faded out, Jack White moved over, eventually Jack find Alison Mosshart and we’ve got The Dead Weather.
The roots of “Blunderbuss” Jack’s first official solo album goes back several years when White was recording songs for several artists such as Tom Jones, Insane Clown Posse, etc. White was in contact with Wu-Tang Clan member RZA and they were going to do a recording session, but RZA couldn’t attend the session, so White recorded several tracks, which would ended-up into “Blunderbuss”. We’ve got 13 tracks, Jack delivering from raw blues to garage Indie Rock all the tricks and approaches he tried out in the last 15 years. Still, Jack managed to be timeless and fresh, shiny. This music is both simple and flawless! Read more Jack White – Blunderbuss (2012)

Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012) Ladies and gentlemen, put your seatbelts on, we’re in a time capsule and we’re gonna landing back right to the 80s just as you close your eyes and push play! Our guides for this precious ride are the Van Halen family, Eddie on guitar, Alex on drums and the young refreshment, Eddie’s son, Wolfgang on bass and not at least, the restless lead singer, Mr. David Lee Roth. Although the twelfth studio album by the band it’s the band’s first album of completely new material since 1998’s disastrous “Van Halen III” featuring ex-Extreme singer Gary Cherone, as well as the first since 1984’s to feature David Lee Roth on lead vocals, the long awaited new Van Halen album, “A Different Kind Of Truth” just right fits in between “Women and Children First” and “Fair Warning”.
I am the first to admit, I was 101 % skeptical about this reunion and album. Don’t misunderstand me, I love Lee Roth, some of his bluesy solo releases are absolutely killer cuts, but definitively the best moments of this band were with Sammy Hagar. And well, Hagar teamed up with guitar-God Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and classic Halen bass player Michael Anthony to form Chickenfoot, one hell of a successful hard rock supergroup. So, “the other half” already proved vitality, the expectations were pretty high about this and the comparison – unfortunately for both sides – is almost unavoidable.
And “A Different Kind Of Truth” rocks like s*it, eventually this is one of the best Van Halen albums ever released. Read more Van Halen – A Different Kind Of Truth (2012)

Hooka Hey – Little Things, EP (2011)

A little piece of the 70’s careless, still heavy, harmony full, but simultaneously powerful as well rock. Several names came up instantly with every chord they take, but names are less important: the kids of today probably never hear of most of them anyway. But they may get know Hooka Hey, a French band, formed in 2008 on the basis of two other bands: Sentenza and Holsters.
In May 2008 Hooka Hey released their first album finding balance and merging into one the power of Led Zeppelin’s guitar and the rawness of Neil Young’s folk. It was followed by an acoustic EP, “The Country Side” which highlights the country face most of the group and it was only distributed to fans.
“Little Things”, the bands third EP was released this year in September and we’ve got a little bit of everything. Read more Hooka Hey – Little Things, EP (2011)

Tom Waits – Bone Machine (1992)

“Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?”
Actually the future seems even darker now than back in ’92 while “Bone Machine” and it’s hypnotic textures, noisy percussion and experimental glows are still sounds fresh and its rich lyrics are still very actual.
“What does it matter, a dream of love / Or a dream of lies / We’re all gonna be the same place / When we die”…
What Tom Waits, Keith Richards, Les Claypool and David Hidalgo have in common? The bone machine. Several songs from the album were covered by several artists: “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” was covered by The Ramones for their last album, “Adios Amigos”, but also by Petra Haden and Bill Frisell on their album collaboration “Petra Haden & Bill Frisell” (2003), by Hayes Carll on “Trouble In Mind” (2008), and by Scarlett Johansson on her debut album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head” (2008). “Goin’ Out West” has been covered by Queens of the Stone Age, Gomez, Widespread Panic, Gov’t Mule, the Blacks and Australian blues guitarist Ash Grunwald. This song also is featured in the 1999 film “Fight Club”, while “Earth Died Screaming” is featured in the 1995 film “Twelve Monkeys”, and “Jesus Gonna Be Here” is featured in the 2005 film “Domino”, in which Waits appears. Read more Tom Waits – Bone Machine (1992)

Faster Pussycat – Wake Me When It’s Over (1989)

This isn’t definitively their dirtiest album, actually after their sleazy debut album, on this the boys from Los Angeles turned to more bluesy sounds kind of leaving behind their glam and hair metal roots, but still, this is 60 minutes of quality and dirty rock and roll as only at the end of the 80s were possible. “Bathroom Wall” back then was one of my favorite songs, kind of Sex Pistols/New York Dolls meet Steppenwolf (“Born to be Wild”).
“House of Pain” is a bluesy song, off the band’s original punk rock/glam outfit and style. The guys still rocks on with “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way”, “Slip of the Tongue”, “Ain’t No Way Around It”, etc, while songs as “Cryin’ Shame” combined hair metal and blues rock tastefully. One of my favorites from this album is the bluesy, cabaret taste like “Arizona Indian Doll”.
“House of Pain” reached #28 in the Billboard Hot 100 and the video, which was directed by future film director Michael Bay, was in rotation on MTV. The album itself peaked at #48 in the Billboard 200. Read more Faster Pussycat – Wake Me When It’s Over (1989)