THE LISTENER I AM THE PLAYER I GET

Looking back on some of my posts I realize that I've been a bit remiss in some of my topic selections (I know, me thinking about things is a shock to us all) I've gone on and on about movies and books but really haven't talked much about music. And I've been known to listen to music .. obsessively at times. So let's try to make up for that in one fell swoop. Here's some stuff I've been listening to lately




Jack White Blunderbuss:

A blunderbuss is a weapon, a muzzle loading firearm with a huge barrel that sailors used to employ to clear decks. They would load it with all kinds of shrapnel, anything that would spread out over a short distance and cut up whatever was in its path. It's a very apt name for Jack White's first official solo recording

I can't say that I was a big fan of the White Stripes, the band Jack had with his sister but in the last few years he's been very busy as a producer and writer for other people and I've appreciated the results. It was why I was inspired to buy this CD and I have not been disapointed at all.

This is a rock album, in that it features real instruments, including White on guitar but it covers a few kinds of formats. I hate when people ask "what kind of music does he do" Musical categories are pretty much the creation of radio station programmers and record company PR men. They serve no real purpose. Let's say this music is raw, funny, sometimes emotional and a little odd

Inside the rock pervue there are a few styles covered here: Punk, funk, even a taste of dubstep, all informed by White's blues/rocks roots

White is a surprising vocalist. His voice is rough and untutored but he can emulate vintage punk artists from the 80's and sometimes sound so much like a later stage Robert Plant that it gives you goosebumps.

His guitar playing is terrific, be it choppy electric or lyrical ballsy slide. The guy can play and the guy can write. He has a point of view all his own; he's odd and that works in a musical sort of way



Bonnie Raitt Slipstream:

Bonnie's first CD in several years. It's a Bonnie Raitt recording. If you like Bonnie you'll like this, if you don't like Bonnie please get up now and run fast as you can into the nearest brick wall. When your vision clears, give your head a shake.

Bonnie is another artist who defies categorization. There is blues in her music, in her sultry assured voice and her sinuous slide guitar, there is also "country" in her self effacing and inner gazing lyrics, there is pop in the slick production of the music and what was once called blue eyed soul in her delivery of the material.

Bonnie's voice has held up quite well over the years, there is a touch of huskiness to it now that serves her quite well especially on the hurtin songs of which there are several. The guitar playing is not only as limber and effective as usual it may actually be getting better. A scary but welcome thought.

Speaking of the blues ...

Gregg Allman Low Country Blues:

Did you hear the one about the southern band fronted by a couple of brothers who grew up on Delta blues and were once so dedicated to the effects of the peyote button that they each had an image of the plant tattooed on their legs ... Yes that would be the Allman Brothers.

Duane was the guitar player in the band and died too long ago and way too young. Gregg was the organist and vocalist and his road has been a somewhat bumpy one including a liver transplant and the over glammed and publicity driven marriage to the entity called Cher. Let's not dwell on that.

Low Country Blues is Allman's first solo recording in about 14 years. As the saying goes it ain't the years it's the mileage but in relation to the blues, mileage is good. And this is indeed a blues album. It's produced by T Bone Burnett and for me, that's pretty much a sign on a CD that declares Don't Question What This Is, Just Buy It, It's Going To Be Awesome. And it is.

Allman and Burnett are a pair of tremendously knowledgeable blues fans and they dip into the well here with songs like Rolling Stone and Little By Little. But Allman is far more than a student of the blues, he's a genuine blues man. He not only knows this music, he loves it, he feels it, and it's expressed in his beautifully worn voice.

Speaking of worn voices ...

Leonard Cohen Old Ideas:

This really is becoming an "old artists making new music" post but what the fuck, these are some exceptional old artists. Cohen is an artist who I put on the same status as Tom Waits: Totally unique, driven by impulses that have nothing to do with commerce, lyrically advanced, musically playful and as haunting as any music I've ever heard.

The voice of Leonard Cohen. What can you say about it. It's an instrument. It's not fluid, it's not delicate, it's not melodious. But it has always been expressive, it has always been so entrenched in his lyrical point of view that even though many others have sang his music and done so beautifully (can we say Rufus Wainwright singing Hallelujah) they always seem somehow right when Leonard sings them.

On this new recording the instrument is shaded as never before. It's often a whisper, sometimes a growl, it's moving and shivery and along with his complete command of music and lyric it pulls you in, deep into Leonard's rich and sensuous and mysterious world.

Of course there is passion in these songs and a world weary point of view that has been Cohen's trademark since the very beginning; yeh, he's seen it all and he's seen more than you could ever imagine. But there is also his humour, much of it self deprecating.

From the song Going Home: I love to speak with Leonard, He's a sportsman and a shepherd, He's a lazy bastard, Living in a suit

Besides the lyrics I've always loved the arrangments of Leonard's songs. Amen is a soon to be classic: A sad trumpet, a wistful violin, a reflective brush across a symbol, Cohen's sad and insightful voice ... these are the things that make me happy.

Speaking of dudes named Cohen ...

Adam Cohen Like A Man:

This is Leonard's son but you don't need the surname to tell you that, the voice gives it away. It is not the master's whisper, it is robust and nuanced but there is no doubt it is the voice of a Cohen. There is also the Cohen turn of phrase and full command of irony. It's a very mellow CD, sparsely produced which generally works for it. It does miss Leonard's command of instrumentation and his knowledge of musical style in general but it is not a Leonard rip off. Similarities exist, but Adam is his own musician and one worth watching.

Suzie Vinnk Me & Mabel:

I've written before about this CD. I've been a fan of Suzie a long time, I've been lucky enough to see her play live many times and have maybe three of her other recordings. Live, I know Suzie as a blues musician but her CDs cover a broad range of musical styles.

On Me & Mabel, Suzie for the first time in her recording career goes deep into her blues suitcase. Not only does she address blues standards like Walking By Myself and You'll Be Mine, she does so in a largely acoustic fashion; many of the song are just Suzie and Mabel, Mabel being her acoustic guitar. I've always known Suzie to be an accomplished instrumentalist but the guitar playing here is a revelation. As always, her voice is beautiful, poignant, ballsy, wistful and tough.

OK that's my music post. Please acknowledge. Now you may retire.