MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SKYDIGGERS - ALL OF OUR DREAMING

A big year is planned for the Toronto faves, as they celebrate 25 years together.  This is the first of four quarterly packages in 2013 a 3-disc affair that has three concerts from the start, middle and current days of the band, each separated by 12 years.  The first two are on CD, while the third is a DVD shot last year at the Glenn Gould Theatre.

It's just mainstays Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson that are doing the partying for this, the band changing personnel so often that it's long been just them and hired players when needed.  But the dynamic duo have proven you don't have to be a big band to have a good partnership, and they've kept the spirit alive and well, as can be shown by these snapshots at various career points.

Disc one is from the dawn of the band, a half-hour at the Spadina Hotel, where they'd hold court back in '88.  Peter Cash was still in the band then, adding an another voice and writer, and favourite Monday Morning was already in the set list.  A hard-gigging act, they built their reputation on strong, smart entertainment.  This covers-heavy disc includes audience-pleasing numbers such as Peggy Lee's Fever that quickly becomes the theme song to Spiderman.  Another hip, jazzy tune reveals itself to be Led Zep's Whole Lotta Love.  Maize was the funniest front man on the scene.

The next set comes from the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto at the turn of the millenium, supplemented by 3 tracks from an Edmonton gig.  Maize and Finlayson were the only holdovers from the original group.  The obvious humourous numbers were no longer included, as by now there were plenty of fans that loved the band for their own numbers.  The covers they were doing were just plain cool now, like George and Tammy's Slow Burning Fire, and Jesse Winchester's Biloxi.  They had their own claims to fame by then, including A Penny More and I Will Give You Everything.

The DVD, shot in black and white, comes from October 2012, the live group now a full eight players, including violinist Anne Lindsay and duet singer Jessy Bell Smith.  Some old songs, some new, this time it's all original stuff, not a career retrospective, more of a statement of intent, that they plan to soldier on.  I'm glad they chose the DVD route for this, as it gives the viewer the full picture of Maize on stage.  He's still fun and full of life, someone who warms up the room with his personality, as well as being able to rock the joint.  Funny and brainy, and the songs are catchy.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have planned for the Silver Anniversary releases.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE ANDREW LOOG ORCHESTRA and FRIENDS - PLAY THE ROLLING STONES SONGBOOK VOLUME 2

Well this is fun!  The ever-entertaining, one-time manager and producer of the early Rolling Stones comes out with a sequel to his 1966 instrumental album.  The guy's a card, but a loveable one, and as his satellite radio show, and series of three music biz books show, has some great insights.  But, covering the Stones for an album? What's the point?

Well, first off, this isn't some instrumental, elevator album.  There are several vocal tracks, and it's really a compilation of interesting artists that Oldham has found or drafted, doing unique interpretations.  And what a pleasure it is.  These are far from straight readings, and offer up some cool folks who take care to both pay homage, and to advance the well-known songs into new territory.

You'll know some of them, such as Elliot Easton who was once in The Cars, or Gary Lucas, considered one of the fines guitar guys, credits including Capt. Beefheart and Jeff Buckley.  Vashti Bunyan is a revered English folk singer, and The High Dials are Montreal indie-pop favourites.  Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals takes a track, and good old Al Kooper (he produced Freebird, doncha know) adds french horn.  Oh, and Johnny Marr drops by to add some guitar to As Tears Go By.  But this is far from an all-star tribute disc, as a variety of lesser-knowns handle many of the tracks, performing and co-producing with Oldham.

So, you get hits such as Paint It, Black and Under My Thumb (twice, completely different, one an instrumental) and more obscure, She Smiled Sweetly and Children Of The Moon.  Cheekily, he also includes Bitter Sweet Symphony, another poke at the poor Verve, who sampled a cut off his first volume of Stones Songbook for that hit, got caught, and had to give up the rights to their biggest hit now credited to Jagger/Richards/Ashcroft.  Oldham's still stirring the pot, adding to controversy just like he did for the Stones back in the riot days.

In case you're regarding this as a cynical grab by an old player, still latching on to 40-year old fame, consider this:  Oldham says he's done it because the music of the Stones didn't get covered as standards by jazz groups and orchestras like The Beatles' songs did, mostly due to the nasty image of the group.  He says he remains proud of the band and especially the great songs, and they deserve to be recognized as standards.  As usual, he has a good point.  And a good album.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: OLIVER JONES feat. JOSEE AIDANS - JUST FOR MY LADY

Jones retired a few years back, supposedly to go play golf.  That didn't take, thankfully.  And since his un-retirement, he's been re-energized, playing with a fire that not only belies his age (79), but puts any discussion of age out the door.  There's simply no questioning his verve or dexterity, nor his continued artistic achievement.  This latest work finds him exploding into new territory, as his trio is joined by a savvy, swinging violinist, Josée Aidans.  Thus inspired, Jones has delivered six originals and six interpretations, with a mind to showcasing and incorporating Adams into the club.

So away we go with foursome, of various ages, gender, and mother tongue, speaking in synch on these melody-rich, shimmering pieces, typical of Jones.  His music is just so bright and alive, absolutely ear-pleasing.  While it may be still rooted in the 40's swing, there's jazz challenge here;  he and the trio (Eric Lagacé on bass, drummer Jim Doxas) can cut anyone.  Lagacé's solo in You Look Good To Me, well over a minute long at a nearly psychotic pace, should be knighted.  Doxas is as lyric as the rest, the young gun with a ton of ideas that surprise you.  Aidans is all over the songs, not just a guest, but diving fully into each track, sometimes weaving luxurious lines, other times ripping jazz licks, playful lilting solos that mirror the cascade of notes that come from Jones.  He's always there of course, ready to burst into flurry. Although it never feels like Oliver's show, the other three know they have to keep up with the Jones.

There's a lovely suite of three songs for Saskatchewan, of all places, but why not?  Inspired by nature, The Saskatchewan Suite honours Prince Albert's sunrise, Regina's sky and Saskatoon's spirit, traveling from ballad to swinging blues to be-bop.  It recalls the thematic compositions of Ellington and of course, Oscar Peterson, and sits as a centerpiece highlight in the collection.  Such grace.  A national treasure?  Oh yeah.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS - 50th ANNIVERSARY THE SINGLES COLLECTION

The next installment of this terrific new birthday series from Motown.  These are 3 CD sets, including every A and B-side recorded for the label.  There's a big bonus with this one as well, since the 45 sides only filled up two discs.  Disc 3 is a treasure-trove of all completely unreleased tracks covering the group's entire history.  More on that in a moment.

Although known for a good handful of huge hits, The Vandellas remain criminally underrated, and really were undervalued even back in the day.  Although for a short time they were the label's top female group, they were overtaken by The Supremes, and stayed in that group, and Ms. Ross's mighty shadow for the duration.  But not only were some of Motown's greatest songs and productions done for group, most of their B-sides and failed 45's were gems too.  That makes this set especially tasty.

It didn't take the group long to get up to speed.  After a failed debut in 1962, they broke into the Top 40 with their next one, Come And Get These Memories.  Berry Gordy has always claimed that was the song where the Motown sound finally came together, thanks to a great production from writers Holland-Dozier-Holland.  The Funk Brothers slip into an easy groove, the Vandellas do great harmonies, and Martha Reeves slides high and low, a distinctive and classy voice. 

In those days, if you had a decent hit on the label, they'd keep the team together to see how long the magic would run.  Good thing, because next time the H-D-H team delivered the exciting Heatwave, as infectious a track as has ever been made.  It's hard to decide what makes this song, the driving tempo, the combination of piano and drums, the clever lyric or the urgent vocal.  The excellent b-sides start here as well, with the country, blues and jazz touches featured in A Love Like Yours.

Quicksand was next, repeating the formula and beat of Heatwave, a typical tactic of the day, then the smart Live Wire followed.  Oddly, In My Lonely Room didn't hit, and that meant a change in writer-producer teams was in order, per Motown's tactic of shaking things up after a failure.  So in came Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter.  They brought with them a tune they'd been trying to cut with Marvin Gaye, who had written some of the lyrics.  There are many excellent Motown hits from this era, and you can start a great argument among fans trying to pick the very best, but certainly Dancing In the Street would have as good a claim as any.  It has the best opening flourish, and the best opening lines:  "Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand-new beat?"  It is song that you want to hear over and over again, even though we've all heard it hundreds of times.  And then it ends too soon, you want it to keep going.  And how about that big beat that accents the whole track?  The excellent liner notes hear tell us that it was Hunter whipping snow tire chains against a piece of wood, a chore so demanding his hands were bleeding.

Now Stevenson had the hot hand, but H-D-H weren't exactly hurting.  They were starting to score with The Supremes, and unfortunately for The Vandellas, many of the best girl-group songs went that way.  While the trio of writers did send Nowhere To Run to The Vandellas, and the group was still getting great material from others, the spotlight had shifted and their records were getting shoved aside for the latest Supremes hit.  A great example of that is the fate of the H-D-H track Jimmy Mack, recorded in mid-1964, but ignored by the brass.  Finally, Reeves had enough of the lack of attention, and appealed to Gordy.  Stunned to hear the cut over two years later, he ordered it out, and in went Top 10 in 1967.

But H-D-H left the label, and Motown was changing.  Despite great material and performances, superior cuts such as I Can't Dance To The Music You're Playin' and Honey Love couldn't break into the Top 40, and slowly but surely, the group fizzled out by 1972.  Of course, we're just talking chart numbers (and sales) here.  For listeners, there are even greater benefits here, because the songs are uniformly strong, and certainly unfamiliar to most.  Therefore disc two is just as fun for the discoveries.

Now here's what really blows me away about this set.  Motown has already released an entire two-disc set of vault recordings of Vandellas material, plus assorted odd cuts on a variety of CD reissues over the years, and somehow they've managed to find another complete 75-minute CD of even more unheard tracks.  And it's all great!  There are cuts here that could have been hits, and certainly nothing that couldn't have been put out on albums.  There are songs by the A-list writers and producers, plus fascinating covers.  How about The Doors' Light My Fire, in a completely different arrangement?  My favourite is a 1965 cut called S.O.S. (Girl In Distress), the title alone worthy of attention.  A little perspective is in order.  We're talking about a company of about 200 people, pumping out recordings at a phenomenal rate, with accomplished playing and unique ideas.  They would do these sessions in mere hours, and then shelve half of them, the slightest imperfection that might keep them off the top of the charts enough to doom them to obscurity.  With the stable of artists at the label, we're talking thousands of cuts over the golden years of Motown.  Yet we all marvel over the slim output of any number of superstar groups, like they're God's gifts to songwriting.  This country just gave the Juno Album of the Year to Carly Rae Jepsen.  I think I can, and might, just listen to Motown for the rest of my life.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CAM PENNER - TO BUILD A FIRE

A sixth collection from the B.C. troubadour.  Penner's dramatic sounds come partially from a different time.  The title cut feels like a prison holler, a desperate blues from a condemned man.  This Could Be You Anthem is a Harvest outtake, but lonelier, no James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt easing the pain.  No Consequence, with its distorted vocals and trashcan percussion, is nasty gospel tale:  "You wanna ride with no consequence/may the good Lord take you in self-defense."  Memphis is folk-rap, a banjo tune with hip-hop rhythm.

Created by Penner with just cohort Jon Wood and a spot of guest brass, the two have a deft touch for taking basic folk instruments and shifting the whole thing slightly out of focus.  Ukeleles, banjo, guitars, stomps and claps are done like they've played for a couple of centuries, but then the trickery comes in, textures that take us out of the present and into a less conscious place.  Yes, it's just some sort of plug-in effects, but the point is how well they do it.

Funny thing is, it's never eerie, or negative.  These are serious songs, visceral, about big feelings and fears, but altogether human, and tentatively hopeful.  I'll go back to the gospel music comparison, there's certainly some fear, but there's more faith.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: THE TREASURES - BRING THE NIGHT HOME

Out of Toronto comes The Treasures, alt-country with an edge, sharpened by long runs in the city's club scene.  The hard work has paid off, as they've come up with a set of strong originals, a group sound that's all their own, and an energy that comes across on this debut album.

What's grand about the band is how they slide back and forth across the country line, with three singers and no shortage of ideas.  Lead track In The Meantime gets the Gram Parsons influence out of the way quick, with a number that could have been on the Burrito Brothers' Gilded Palace Of Sin, complete with the Memphis Horns.  There's a couple of loose, Stones-like numbers, a la Dead Flowers.  Crossed The Wrong Woman is even tougher, loud guitar and three-part harmonies, searing slide guitar and a nasty delivery.

Producer by the absolutely right guy, Colin Linden, the songs were captured largely live in the studio, again a great choice, because you don't want this stuff polished.  You can hear the band members playing off each other, finding the right twang, getting the right sound as a unit.  Perfect for fans of The Jayhawks, early Wilco, Blue Rodeo.  Perfect for me, then.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: CHRIS ANTONIK - BETTER FOR YOU

Ontario blues man Antonik returns with his second release, following the success of his 2010 self-titled debut.  While that one put his name out there, this time Antonik's taking an interesting, somewhat humble approach.  The whole theme of the album, lyrically and musically, is putting others first.  The lyrics reflect it, and it extends to the music as well, as he drafts in several well-known pals to handle everything from solos to lead vocals.

Cruising through a variety of styles, from soulful, smooth and catchy to jam band funk to straight electric blues, Antonik drafts a cast of characters to fit the parts.   Josh Williams of the Fat Cats takes the lead vocal and keyboards on the horn-driven Turn To Shine.  Mike Mattison, the singer with both The Derek Trucks Band and Tedeschi-Trucks brings his whiskey soul sound to the Southern-styled Broken Man.  The great Shakura S'Aida handles the mic for Come From A Good Place, while Suzie Vinnick chimes in with harmonies.  This one's a peach, with the smooth vocals offset by some nasty electric leads from Antonik.  Other guest include MonkeyJunk's Steve Marriner on harmonica, Richard Underhill arranging the horns, and Julian Fauth on keys.

When he does sing, on six of the eleven cuts, Antonik shows he has no problems in the vocal department.  Despite letting so many folks take star turns on the tracks, he really proves himself in all the important ways.  The songs are all originals, and all over the blues map, a lively and confident set.  And his guitar shines throughout, again with a variety of sounds and styles, dirty and loud to aching and subtle.  Antonik's not just getting by with a little help from his friends, he's using their talents to make a good thing even better.