MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: RAY DAVIES - OUR COUNTRY AMERICANA ACT II

It's hard to get too excited about another Davies solo album, particularly a Part 2, when he's out fanning the flames for a Kinks reunion yet again. This isn't the first time it's supposedly been happening, but there did seem to be a little more substance behind it, confirmations of phone calls and interest from all three surviving members, if they can stomach being in a room together. Or, it all could have been Davies drumming up headlines to bring attention to his latest solo album. He's always been a bit of an actor.

And a wannabe playwright too. He's been writing concept albums since the late '60's, often with large autobiographical content, or at least based on his family experiences. He's awfully nostalgic too, and was so back then too, writing about his sisters and his childhood and his London home. Then came his fascination with America, and his Muswell Hillbillies concept (having his Muswell Hill neighbourhood taken over by U.S. hillbilly culture). That behemoth of a country has loomed ever larger in his life, as his band effectively moved there in the '70's and became arena rock stars, and then from the '90's on, Davies lived there, got shot there, and got completely obsessed.

That's culminated in Americana Act I and now II, where he describes to us his journey, looking for the source of the music and culture that inspired him as a kid, hitting the long road through middle America as a rock star, and finding himself at the end of the search. On paper, it seems like it might be a winner, especially since once again he's engaged The Jayhawks as his backing band. Trouble is, the story keeps getting in the way of the songs. From the spoken word segments to the conceptualized lyrics, somewhere all the fun got squeezed out. There's no memorable hooks or choruses. The most interesting is a song about a run-in with a groupie in Minneapolis who has the best of him, although he blatantly makes the song sound like a classic Pretenders cut. This is where I remind you that Davies and Chrissie Hynde had a relationship, and Indianapolis, her hometown, sounds a lot like Minneapolis. It's a rare energetic track for the record, but it also seems like a cheap shot too.

The story ends with Davies leaving New Orleans after being shot, wiser and a winner really, because he found his music source, paid his dues and survived. He returns to the Muswell Hillbillies theme with the closer Muswell Kills, describing how he'd avenge himself if he ran into that shooter again. Like most of the Davies concept albums, including Preservation Acts 1 and 2, Schoolboys In Disgrace and Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround Part One (there was no part two, thankfully), this is a story that is just not that entertaining to follow, and doesn't have much to offer as individual songs, either. If getting The Kinks back together will mean he returns to some basic rock writing to let brother Dave bash away on guitar and Mick Avory do the same on drums, now that will get me excited.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: VARIOUS ARTISTS - THIS IS SOUL

On the surface, this looks like a basic, though strong, '60's soul collection, featuring familiar names Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. And it is a solid set, with many well-known hits and a few surprises to attract fans. But there's also a cool back story.

Originally this was an album released in North America and England in 1968, but the U.K. version was drastically different, featuring an almost completely different track listing. It featured songs that were bigger hits there. It also proved quite influential, rising to #16 on their album charts. A favourite compilation, it's now been reissued for the first time, and greatly expanded, from the original 12 tracks, to 29 total, almost 80 minutes long.

The original mix was pretty cool, kicking off with Pickett's Mustang Sally, sliding into Carla Thomas's B.A.B.Y.. and then gearing into party mode with Arthur Conley's Sweet Soul Music. After Percy Sledge's immortal When A Man Loves A Woman, the cuts get lesser known, with Sam and Dave's I Got Everything I Need and Ben E. King's title track probably not recognizable by the average listener, but still top-drawer. The rest of the original 12 are bigger hits, including Redding's singalong Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) and Eddie Floyd's Knock On Wood.

In case it wasn't obvious, these are all songs from the Atlantic Records label who had the cream of the crop of soul in those days, from its own roster and its distribution deal with Stax. The 17 bonus cuts here are taken from that same Atlantic stable of those years, with some repeats from Sam & Dave and Otis and Pickett, but also some period classics and a few very welcome one hit wonders as well. For those of you who thought Some Kind Of Wonderful  was a Grand Funk original, the first version, by Soul Brothers Six, should make for a pleasant surprise. The Mad Lads rarely make compilations, but their Get Out Of My Life is a fine example of group vocals of the day. Barbara Lynn needs to be better known for sure. Even some of the name artists get some exposure for their deeper cuts, including Eddie Floyd's excellent Big Bird (an airplane, not the Sesame Street character). Yes, you get Dock Of The Bay and Hold On I'm Coming for the umpteenth time, but the overall mix presents one of the best soul collections out there, with enough surprises to ensure that almost every buyer will get lots of tracks they don't already own.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE ANDREW COLLINS TRIO - TONGUE and GROOVE

This is some mighty mandolinin', from Canada's eight-string king. Happy both singing and playing, Collins gives us the best of both worlds over these two sets, one all vocals and the other instrumentals. Like all good bluegrass players, he has a sense of humour in his choices, as well as a sense of adventure. On the instrumental side, that sees him rework Pink Floyd's Goodbye Blue Sky, while on the vocals disc (the Tongue one, of course), he has a go at everyone from Nick Drake to Roger Miller to The Hollies. A relaxed singer with that rustic quality to his vocals, he turns both Just A Gigolo and King Midas In Reverse into numbers that sound like folk wisdom.

When it comes to the pure playing on Groove, the whole trio shines, and shows off some multi-instrumental skills as well. Collins moves from mandolin to mandocello to violin. Mike Mezzatesta handles guitar, mandolin, and violin, and James McEleney covers bass and bowed acoustic double-bass, depending on the needs. This lets them jam in imaginative combos such as dueling mandolins on David Grisman's classic Dawg Grass, twin fiddles on Collins' own Kentakaya Waltz, and several jazz/bluegrass numbers featuring fast tempos or old-time fun. There's tremendous interplay among the trio as they come up with twists and turns, always in glorious harmony. As much as I love the story-telling on Tongue, my jaw dropped over Groove.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE GALPINES - SORRY MOM

Baby-hating, foul-mouthed liquor pigs, mired in debt and often in jail, even their mothers have denounced The Galpines. Well, not their real mothers I'm sure, and New Brunswick festival-goers and party animals have taken these four Moncton women to their hearts. The comedy country outfit sends up our redneck ways, from online shopping addiction (Visa Bill Blues) to living via Instagram (Hashtag Blessed). And sometimes, it's just for the shock value ("My dog is better than your baby.")

Fans will know many of the songs on the group's second release and first long-player, as they've been playing them to great reaction for months, and pretty much every song they write is instantly memorable. Go To Sleep has served as a lovely opening number, with those old-timey harmonies, like something that could have been on the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Except that movie didn't feature some drug-and-booze addled festival goers trying to have a three-way but the baby wakes up and ruins everything.

If you shock easily, you don't want to go here, but if you have a sense of humour about four-letter words and questionable morals, and like comedy with your harmonies, The Galpines are absolutely entertaining. Plus, they don't like litterbugs, so there's a good lesson in here. One at least. 

The group is launching the album this Saturday, July 21, at the Parkindale Hall in Elgin, N.B., and are promising surprise musical guests, so I'm sure it's going to be a party. Then the band is continuing a busy summer of tour dates, including (gasp!) their first shows in Ontario and Quebec, including one at the Dakota in Toronto Aug. 31. That oughta show them stuck-up Upper Canadians.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JENNIFER IRVING - LET 'EM IN

Formerly of the Nova Scotia group Drift a few years back, Jennifer Irving did drift away for a bit, into a photography career, kids, a move to Saint John and other adulting. Music was just on the back burner though, and now she returns with a debut solo EP, four cuts from three different sessions. It's an interesting variety from the singer-songwriter, thoughtful lyrics across the board but some dramatic style shifts.

The first two cuts, Weight and Well Enough, were made with Halifax producer Daniel Ledwell, and feature his well-known layers and textures. Irving adds to that a level of mystery, and intriguingly, a Spaghetti Western flavour. The third cut, Lines, was done with Charles Austin, another Halifax mainstay. While still featuring a rich sound, that track highlights the acoustic guitar sound of Irving's music, along with a bit of atmosphere. The final cut, Someday, is less spacious, Irving's vocals echoed and less prominent, brushed percussion joining the acoustic guitar along with a few bells and a haunted vibe. Toronto producer Snappy Homefry is the collaborator on this bit of electronic folk.

Irving proves a bit of a chameleon on the EP, adapting her voice to each atmosphere. On the mystery movie cuts at the start, she's moody and distant, while the acoustic tracks feel more warm and transparent. In each song though, her singing is compelling, and I like that she has these different sides.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: AL BASILE - ME & THE ORIGINATOR

My biggest complaint about modern blues artists is that a lot of the run-of-the-mill ones put such little effort into their lyrics. You know the ones, singing about being done wrong by their baby, or waiting for the weekend to let loose. Then comes the guitar solo. Ones who work hard on their lyrics stand out, and Al Basile is certainly one of the best. No surprise, since his other career is as a well-respected poet. While those two aspects always meet in his music, his new album is something special, a true combination of poetry and the blues.

The album is made up of spoken word pieces before each song. Some are part of a narrative, while others are true poems. The story is about a fictional musician, who has a stroke of blues luck. In drastic need of inspiration to help him write songs, but not being good at words, he deserves an old trunk filled with writings, author unknown. The journals are easily adapted into lyrics, and they help his band become stars. We here about how that all goes down, how the musician notices the lyrics mirror his own life, and how, in true blues fashion, fame and fortune doesn't mean happiness. His band mates and friends turn out to be not so trustworthy, his marriage fails, but life's ups and downs bring his strength.

The songs relate to the narrative, and were made to follow the arc of the story. They were recorded with the musicians knowing the spoken section each was following. Produced by the redoubtable Duke Robillard, the mood is right for each one, and it's one of the most engrossing listens I've enjoyed. Basile, already a strong performer, is an equally captivating narrator. His plan almost backfires, as the stories are so engrossing I found myself waiting for the songs to end to hear the next bit of reading. That was just the first listen though, and the music proves strong as well, giving me renewed appreciation for his lyrical abilities. I can't think of a similar blues/story album before, and it's certainly a fascinating listening experience, half-audio book, half-cruising music.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CHARLES LLOYD & THE MARVELS + LUCINDA WILLIAMS - VANISHED GARDENS

Here's a pleasant-plus surprise. Veteran jazz sax and flute player Lloyd fronts a group of consummate players, including guitar maestro Bill Frisell and pedal steel and dobro giant Greg Leisz. They also play with Lucinda Williams, and Lloyd and Williams met and developed a mutual admiration. First she asked him to guest at a show, then he asked her, and then this collaboration was born. Lloyd and the Marves do five jazz instrumentals, and Williams takes the lead vocals on the other five songs. Four of them are her compositions, three older ones, one brand-new, and the last a cover of the Hendrix classic Angel.

Jazz fans will find lots to enjoy, as the genre-bending Lloyd has quite a team in the Marvels. The rhythm section is made up of Lloyd's longtime team of Reuben Rogers on bass and drummer Eric Harland. Frisell and Leisz help Lloyd veer off in every direction, from blues to country to free-form squonking. It's adventurous, mostly melodic, and fun, hearing players who can work in so many styles.

For Lucinda fans, it's a revelation. Here she stretches past her usual roots style, and adds a whole new level to her vocal style, with extra notes and nuances. On her own robust albums, there isn't a whole lot of room for such vocal subtlety, but here there's more pacing and less volume, allowing her to shine. She clearly enjoys the changes made to her material by this group. She's also chosen songs that are from her more poetic side, and that brings extra strength to the verses. Match that with the exceptional performances from Lloyd and the group, and it will lead the listener to a whole new appreciation of Williams.