MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: RYAN ADAMS - ASHES & FIRE

Adams has been roasted for years for putting out too much music, recording enough tracks each year to release boxed sets, let alone a couple of albums.  Since his Heartbreaker CD came out to great acclaim in 2000, he's put out an average of a disc a year, plus if you dig a little bit there are other sets and songs on various spots.  According to the man himself, he can write four or five songs a day.  According to critics and even fans, he needs to stop and work harder on a few of them, and let others fizzle out.

Whether you think he's a singular talent who should be allowed to follow his muse, or a spoiled brat who would rather shoot himself in the foot than take advice is another good debate.  There's currently a big on-line fight happening over an incident between Adams, Neil Finn and Janis Ian on a TV show in England, and once again, he isn't looking too mature.  All this has nothing to do with the songs and albums, but it does point to the confusion fans have felt.  The most common phrase heard from listeners is, "it's no Heartbreaker".

I've actually never heard a Ryan Adams album I didn't like, and usually I like them a lot.  Often they aren't particularly memorable, and I rarely grab them from the collection.  There are no key songs I'd point to that exist on any albums past Heartbreaker, but no junk either.  I like the sounds of his ballads, I like the craftsmanship, I like it when he gets rockin' with the Cardinals.  I guess that all he's missing are over-the-top excellent ones.

On this new one, it's a non-Cardinals album, which signals singer-songwriter fare.  Sure enough, here come the sad ballads, and if Adams really does knock off four a day, he sure can come up with lots of good lines.  The title cut is immediately swathed in sorrow from the start, as we find out about a guy who "As he stared past the fire/The hunger to leave, well it gnawed/His poor heart alive."  You can't argue with the quality there.  Norah Jones turns up on piano and/or vocals on a few cuts, and these are mellow highlights, heart-tugging like all the others.

Like ALL the others.  For whatever reason, Adams insists on compiling songs that are too similar.  I mean, why can't the Cardinals play on other tracks?  Why do they have to be a band you belong to, rather that a band you lead?  Why can't you try to chill out?  Yes, you're an artist, but at some point each artist has to acknowledge the existence and influence of the audience on their work, whether its considering their wants, or acting a little more respectful on a TV show.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: DUKE ROBILLARD BAND - LOW DOWN AND TORE UP

Now, you could describe in great detail all the sources for these classic blues numbers Robillard has chosen to cover, from the pens of the famous (Hooker), the brilliant (Bartholomew) and the obscure (Sugar Boy Crawford),  You could go through the process he employs to recreate the sound and the vibe of these raw, rich original singles from that purple patch of electric blues in the 40's, 50's and 60's, the live-from-the-floor, straight to 2-inch tape.  You could discuss these musicians in the band who know how to do vintage.  Or you could get all guitar-crazed, and go through the makes and models and years and tube amps that Duke finds to get just that tone from the original.  These would be important discussions for those folks who revere and understand, like Robillard himself.

But here's the deal; you don't need to concern yourself with it.  What is important is that this is better played and performed, better written and chosen, and simply more inspired and enjoyable than 95 per cent (or more) of anything else coming out today.  It's a bunch of veterans, playing guitar-bass-drums-keys-sax, with ultimate feel and love for sizzling blues sounds.  And, bonus!  They know how to make them!  I don't care HOW they make them, I know I can't, and neither can all those other bands that say they can.  Most of them are trying to play those licks, and pulling it off half the time.  Robillard, for instance, does them at ease, but then ads even a little more magic, something elongated, or slightly rearranged, just to show there's still more fun and experience to add to the blues, that it is, under his and other hands, still living.

Do Unto Others may be the best number here, the Dave Bartholomew number known from the Pee Wee Crayton version in 1954.  Robillard's solos rip, and each one ends with a subtle slide up the string to a little *ping* ending, just as cool and tasteful as can be.  But wait now, Sax Gordon's wail on the next track, Jimmy McCracklin's It's Alright, is remarkably dirty and fluid at the same time, and Duke's teasing us with tales of his baby, a song I know I've never heard before.  Meanwhile, downtown tonight in your hometown, the usual suspects are once again, covering the same Robert Johnson tracks Eric Clapton turned into cliches in 1967.

I don't want to be too mean here to any other blues players.  Rather, I'd like prefer to challenge your listening habits, mostly because I think Duke Robillard and his band are so very, very excellent.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: FOLLY & THE HUNTER - RESIDENTS

Coming together like Arcade Fire mingling with Fleet Foxes, this new Montreal group  takes the epic sound of the former and adds the acoustic, harmony-drenched anthems of the latter.  Woodshedding for six months resulted in this debut album, expanding the boundaries of today's folk music.  It's funny, new bands used to get together for months in garages, getting to know each other with their electrics and amps.  Now, it's more likely they are in (metaphorical) barns and old churches, trying out cellos and different keyboard sounds and how their voices blend with echo and effects.  Helping out all over the album are members of the red-hot Barr Brothers.

The words are a lot better, that's for sure.  F & the H present a sweeping series of songs which tackle a lot of regret, leaving, and sad observation:  "We were stuck in traffic for most of our lives".  There's no bitterness here, more acknowledgement, and we get to feel more mellow than down, largely thanks to the beauty of the melodies and instruments.  The wonderfully-recorded songs feature glowing voices, ringing pianos, and shimmering strings.  It's like the mixing board had buttons they could push that said "gentle", "bright" and "beautiful".

The group is in the East right now to promote Residents, and let people check them out.  You'll find them appearing with Paper Beat Scissors at:

Nov. 10 Baba's Lounge, Charlottetown
Nov. 11 Cafe Aberdeen, Moncton
Nov. 12 Wilser's Room, Fredericton

MARINE DREAMS DEBUT DISC, SHOW TONIGHT IN FREDERICTON

The whole Attack In Black scene has developed into a treasure trove of solo and side projects.  You have Daniel Romano doing his excellent, old-time folk ballads on his own or with Fred Squire and Julie Doiron.  Romano and his brother Ian has started up the You've Changed label, for side projects and friends such as Shotgun Jimmie.  Baby Eagle is part of that, too, a/k/a Steve Lambke of Constantines.  Guitarist Spencer Burton calls his solo guise Grey Kingdom, and bass player Ian Kehoe has now become Marine Dreams.

It's Kehoe with the new disc, and like the others in the family tree, it's different than the sum of the parts of Attack In Black, a heavier rock act.  While it's not as hushed as Daniel's folk music, it's not going to be put in the punk racks.  Since Kehoe was the lyric writer for the group, it's been no problem for him to develop solo material, and he hasn't had to move that far away to find his own voice.  In fact, it's the same old set of friends helping out here, including all three AIB former band mates, Lambke and Paul Henderson, ex-Shotgun and Jaybird, and part of the ongoing Sackville, NB connection the group members have established.  In fact Kehoe and Lambke now call the town on the marsh home.

Ranging from the heavy riffs and downs of Sudden Dark Truths to the jangly strums of Visions, Kehoe's made a cool guitar album.  While there are moments of pleasing pop, it never gets too conventional, with one or more parts, including the vocals, often put through the indie low-fi filter.  Even mid-song, instruments and elements can switch from murky to clear.  I'm sure it's nowhere near this simple these day in the studio, but it's like you can set a switch, and click it on and off at will, low-fi to high-fi.  The sonic palette is pretty full here to, not a lot of space available, most of the space in your head between the earbuds filled up with guitars and drums.

Kehoe's touring Marine Dreams right now, along with buddy Baby Eagle.  They play:

Wednesday, Nov. 9  Cedar Tree Cafe, Fredericton
Friday, Nov. 11 Gus' Pub, Halifax
Saturday, Nov. 12 Struts Gallery, Sackville, NB

MUSIC REVIEW: JOHNNY CASH - LIVE AROUND THE WORLD: BOOTLEG VOL. III

This is the latest in the stash of Cash found after his passing, and curated by his son John Carter. This time, the them is live concerts, and the selections go from 1956 to 1979, snippets and greater chunks which give us a feel for the show he put on. Since he was an old-time performer, who grew up in a time when musicians catered to the audience, Cash always had a somewhat-scripted and well-rehearsed gig to present, even if it was a one-time only special evening. And although he was practised, it felt spontaneous and he had genuine affection and connection to the audience.
For most star performers, the big concerts of their lives happened in front of tens of thousands of people, or at legendary venues. Cash though found his moments in odd places, with select crowds, most famously in prisons. Here we get historic shows that may not be the best-recorded ones (hence the bootleg in the title) but are of signifigance for the event or the songs. His Folsom Prison and San Quentin recordings are already completely documented, but here we get another example from of all places, Sweden, in 1972. It turns out Sunday Morning Coming Down was something they understood all too well there, too. John Carter's ears are sharp, for sure. He grabs an excellent version of City Of New Orleans from a one-off set in front of a bunch of music industry suits at the CBS convention in 1973, showing Cash could wow even them whenever he wanted.

The oldest set here is a not-bad fidelity recording from a radio show called the Big "D" Jamboree in '56, the original Tennessee Two of Luther Perkins on guitar and Marshall Grant on bass showing us where the Sun Records sound came from. The still-new group does their single, I Walk The Line and Get Rhythm, and we hear a classic at its birth, songs that never needed to change. Next up is a 1962 rural show at an outdoors country stage in Maryland, and it's fascinating to hear the difference between country and rock and soul shows of the era; Cash is still doing a folksy, downhome routine, the audience members walking up to the stage to request favourites, the band and he trying comedy and impressions inbetween the numbers. The quality here is weak, but I don't know if I've ever heard a show quite like this, so the value far outweighs the listening issues.

By 1969, Cash was a kind of evangelist, but for humanity more than religion or country music. He straddled musical genres, politics and generation gaps. His admirers were kids and their parents, southerners and northerners, conservatives and liberals. When he appeared in Viet Nam for the troops, he could haul out a piece of patriotism such as Remember The Alamo, but follow it with Cocaine Blues, getting the soldiers revved up. Then, he and his fine-tuned roadshow (Carter Family, Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins) gave them big hits (Ring Of Fire, Jackson) and a stunning gospel finale of Daddy Sang Bass.

The centerpiece here is what might, at first, seem lame. In 1970, Cash was invited to perform at The White House, a tribute paid to such greats at the time as Duke Ellington. Not many could survive being tarred with the Richard Nixon approval. The Guess Who, for instance, lost much of their hip credibility in the U.S. by accepting an invitation. But the small-town boy from poverty recognized the importance, and even brought his dad along. Of course, he also grabbed the opportunity to do a little preaching, with pointed messages to the President and that part of the public. Addressing the growing rift between The White House and youth culture, Cash offered What Is Truth, asking for open minds from older Americans.
Johnny Cash did thousands of shows, and most were largely the same. This kind of cherry-picking is exactly the way to go, and hopefully there are more bootlegs to come.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: PINK FLOYD - WISH YOU WERE HERE, A FOOT IN THE DOOR - BEST OF

Syd Barrett might have been crazy, but at least he was concise. You can't say that about the rest of Pink Floyd. I imagine if somehow he could have kept his hands out of the candy jar, he wouldn't have been serving up 20-minute album sides, as his pals did, passing interminably-long guitar solos and plodding synth lines as grand creations. But that's what passed for high art in 1975, and apparently still does in some quarters. Wish You Were Here still gets great props and poll numbers in the great album magazines. But sensible pruning would have revealed that disc to be about a sides' worth of decent tunes, no more. Syd, still alive in '75, no doubt wished he wasn't there for his infamous appearance at a mixing session for Shine On You Crazy Diamond, the song ostensibly about him. The group members notoriously didn't recognize him, head-shaven and a couple of stone in excess of a decent lorry-load. Supposedly they felt awful about what Syd had become, but to my ears they could have equally been embarrassed about what they had become without him.

I was never a huge Pink Floyd fan, but this recent reissue program called Why Pink Floyd? has had me asking the same question, and not coming up with a good answer.  I've now sat through the entirety of their album catalogue, and it's only confirmed they had four good albums, and a whole lot of mind-numbingly boring albums that went on for hours before a song with a tune would rear its head and jostle me out of my stupor.  That's the career in a nutshell, and it accurately describes the Wish You Were Here disc, too.  Roger Waters, desperately searching for a concept, since by 1975 they were a concept band, and he was the main writer, had some material written, but wanted it all to link.  This is the album that's supposed to be about Syd and the sense of absence that brought, but that's only part of it, and made for good copy and myth-making for fans.  You'll find it in the ridiculously long parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond that open and close the disc, as well as the much more enjoyable Wish You Were Here.  The other lyrical concept is about the evil record industry, which it is, of course, but somehow these complaints, coming from a band that was allowed to record and release Atom Heart Mother, seem awfully whiny.  Of course a bunch of suits are hovering around counting the money you made from Money.  You should have been thanking them for continuing to take a chance on you for six years before that.

Anyway, that's just another rant, a little bit directed at the content, but I actually do think Have A Cigar is one of the best depictions of music moguls ("By the way, which one's Pink"?) you can find, and a good song to boot.  It's just that somebody really should have taken a razor blade to Shine On.  Out Nov. 8th are two special versions of the disc, a two-CD Experience edition, and the 5-disc Behemoth Monstrosity Gargantua, which includes no more new music, but rather endless DVD, 5.1, and other mixes, and for the live of me I can't figure out why they take three more pieces of media, but they do.  How many ways do you want to hear this thing?  Stick with the 2-disc, as it actually has quality on it from start to finish, and is historically important.  You get the three songs the band had written in 1974 and were playing live in concert:  Shine On, Raving And Drooling, and You've Got To Be Crazy (I guess it was the crazy concept they were working on).  The latter two were chucked out after Waters came up with the other concept for the album, and they ended up being renamed and used on the Animals disc.  There's also a famous wine glass-rubbing experiment that was used for a loop on the eventual album, and two cool album out-takes.  First, a version of Have A Cigar as sung by Waters instead of guest vocalist Roy Harper, which I prefer to the released cut.  Waters had felt he couldn't hit the notes with his range, but it sounds like a more natural version to me than Harper's well-known take.  And, there's the often-reported take of Wish You Were Here, with jazz great Stephane Grappelli doing a violin solo.  It had been rumoured that tape was gone, but here it is finally.  It's obvious there was no point to having the solo, and it was wisely scrapped, but it's exactly the kind of thing you want on these bonus discs.

Also newly released is yet another in a long string of compilations by the band, this one called A Foot In The Door - The Best Of Pink Floyd.  Now, being as that's about as far as I want to get inside the Pink Floyd playhouse, this is the one I'd hoped would have the truly best and brightest.  However, it sticks with the usual suspects, concentrates on Dark Side, Wish, and The Wall, and misses both interesting cuts off, say, Meddle, and non-LP singles such as Arnold Layne.  Being as the reissue campaign has few rare cuts, and there are plenty scattered in the Floyd discography, it would have been nice to see some of them show up somewhere (like the Dave Gilmour-only re-recording of Money, for instance).  The two-disc best of, Echoes, from a decade back remains a better collection, and actually requires less pruning.  Man, I find this group way too frustrating to enjoy.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MAYER HAWTHORNE - HOW DO YOU DO

Blue-eyed soul lives!  I got a great new album by Darryl Hall lately, and then there's this guy, who's turning into the poster boy for 70's sweetness.  This is Hawthorne's second disc, and is killing me just like his 2009 debut did.  The guy lives for the great stuff, the Motown and Philly and Chicago 70's numbers, before disco and funk moved in.  You'll hear Curtis Mayfield, Spinners, Isaac Hayes, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, even a little bedroom Barry White.  It's not all slavish devotion to the era though; he can also drop some hop in there, and not too many white boys from Ann Arbor, Michigan get to duet with Snoop Dogg, but there's the man himself doin' in Doggy style on Can't Stop.

The Michigan thing obviously means a lot to him.  A Long Time is a message of hope to Detroit, and the dire situation the city finds itself in these days.  Hawthorne sings about how Henry Ford and Berry Gordy brought success and pride to the city before, and that somehow it will get that back.  Hawthorne writes everything here, plays lots of the instruments, and produces as well.  The guy's a giant.  Another cool cameo, and a bit more telling than the Snoop duet, comes from guitar giant Dennis Coffey.  The one-time Motown Funk Brother played on smash hits for the Temptations and many others, and had his own million-seller with Scorpio.  He loans his signature feel to a couple of numbers.

I like how Hawthorne bounces around the soul spectrum, not settling on one style, but offering it up like a buffet.  About half the tracks feature him in falsetto, and I really can't decide vocal style I like better, so I'm glad to have both.  As a die-hard Motown and Philadelphia International fan, this stuff was made for me, but if you ever like a Spinners or Miracles or Amy Winehouse song for that matter, check this out.