Odds and Ends 008
Rock After 55: Wise Maybe, Weary Definitely
Lee Scratch Perry: Rise Again (MOD Technologies)
Surrounded by such coequals as Tunde Adebimpe, Sly Dunbar, and Hamid Drake, he‑-uh-oh‑-behaves himself ("Orthodox," "House of God") ***
Wanda Jackson: The Party Ain't Over (Nonesuch/Third Man)
Jack White hits the geriatric Christian hottie with songs and horns that remind us what a weirdo she must be ("Thunder on the Mountain," "Shakin' All Over") **
John Hiatt: Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (New West)
Decades past his last outright keeper and 60 this year, he continues to roll out listenable collections like he'll never stop ("Don't Wanna Leave You Now," "Damn This Town," "Detroit Town") **
Bonnie Raitt: Slipstream (Redwing)
Bartholin's glands don't fail me now ("Used to Rule the World," "Million Miles") **
Dr. John: Locked Down (Nonesuch)
"For my next trick I will shuck my jive and generalize indignantly over a declarative rock beat" ("Big Shot," "Locked Down") **
Rick Berlin: Paper Airplane (Hi-N-Dry)
"And Sean looked grim and said, `Suicide'" ("Sean Penn on Charlie Rose," "If I Wasn't Such a Bum") **
Steve Earle: I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (New West)
There'll never be too many songs about death or George W. Bush ("Little Emperor," "Waitin' on the Sky") *
Marshall Chapman: Big Lonesome (Tall Girl)
Breakup album about a musician who up and died on her ("Big Lonesome," "I Love Everybody") *
Nora Did I use disnterested to mean uninterested? Or to indicate neutrality, when it becomes a good useful little word,
vibrant, senior community
I'm pretty sure the brochure would say "active adult community"
Reading-along suggestion: Andrew Blechman's heartbreaking Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias. Among other things, it is a necessary indictment of greatest-generation folks who took the money (e.g. the G.I. Bill) and ran.
So Hip Hooray for the Bartholin's glands reference. Combining that with part of the title of a Little Feat album makes for a damn perfect Bonnie Raitt review. Well done.
Just played the Loudon for the first time, and yes it's more "busy" than usual (cameos, overproduction, spoken words, an "interlude") - but several great songs jumped right out - and whether or not the Dame Edna holds up - it sure made me chuckle - and a few others made me sniffle. Though perhaps it's allergies? Even on the artists we know and love - you can't grasp an album until you've played it at least three times.
It was expecting an Odds and Ends column since I have so many new releases not yet reviewed, thing is I don't own any of these. The Bonnie was the only one I was tempted to buy, something to do with the Dylan covers. And speaking of Dylan covers, his "Thunder on the Mountain", racy lyrics and all, figured to be the highlight of the new Wanda. Truth is the horns kinda ruin it for me. Would have been more interesting if she was lusting after Alicia Keys than Jerry Lee.
I'll pick these up on iTunes and make a nifty playlist. My only physical purchase for today will be the new Loud-O. I see that on Saturday that the Billy Bragg and Wilco comes out. I see there is the option of downloading the new disc without buying the first two, not sure about buying a physical copy of the same.
Is there a writers/critics wing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I know for a fact that the Baseball Hall of Fame has one. If so I have a candidate. His name is Robert Christgau. Any thoughts?
Just one:
about the blogger
Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.
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