New Release - Bluesamericana by Keb' Mo'
Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) is a pretty well-known muscian so I won't go into his background. If you don't know who he is then briefly he plays post-modern Blues that draw from elements of other genres such as Country, Folk, Jazz, Pop, and Rock. If I had to pick a similar artist, I'd have to say Taj Mahal is pretty close--not similar in sound but in willingness to experiment outside the boundaries. If you like classic Delta 12-bar Blues then you wouldn't be interested Keb Mo's music. However if you occasionally like to step outside the lines then give Keb Mo a try. And if you want classic Blues, check out his his first self-titled album, which is still one of my all-time favorites.
Bluesamericana sounds like a Keb Mo album from the first track to the last (except for perhaps the rollicking Old Me Better). If you're a Keb Mo fan then you'll want to get this new album as it's full of his signature acoustic guitar, ballads, deep lyrics, and mixed playing styles such as slide and pickin'. He makes one trip back to classic Blues in a nice rendition of That's Alright. There are a couple of excellent ballads concerning marriage, which was reportedly an issue for him while he was writing this album. For Better or Worse explores working to repair a marriage while So Long Goodbye naturally suggests the opposite. A real surprise was Old Me Better, mixing horns, woodwinds, and even kazoos and throwing back to New Orleans Jazz. Another stand-out is More For Your Money with very poignant lyrics for these times.
My favorite is More For Your Money. Other songs you should check out are The Worst Is Yet To Come, Somebody Hurt You, Do It Right, Move, For better Or Worse, That's Alright, and Old Me Better.
Previous Release - Live in Boston Volume I by Fleetwood Mac
Not many people remember that Fleetwood Mac started off as an English Blues band during the late 60's when just about every popular English band was playing Blues in one form or another. This was a time when Rock was just emerging from the Blues foundation to stand on its own. Every once in a while I like to go back to listen to the guitar work of Peter Green, who still stands as one of the greatest English Blues guitarists ever. B. B. King, who was one of Green's biggest influences, once said, "He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." The rest of the band is excellent with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie as the rhythm section, Jeremy Spencer on slide guitar, and Danny Kirwin who was almost as skilled as Peter, but Peter stands out with tremendous sound (reference the Peter Green mod), emotion, and vibrato. MIles Davis supposedly said, "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play!" Peter Green absolutely embodied that quote with his solo work.
Released in 1985 and then remastered in 1998, the Live in Boston series includes 3 volumes. The music was recorded at the absolute peak of the band, just before Green left and the band started to disintegrate. Volume I is more of a showcase for Green's original songs such as Black Magic Woman (yes--Green wrote it and Santana made it famous), Green Manalishi, and Rattlesnake Shake. If you want straight Blues, especially Elmore James covers, then the other two volumes are a better choice. Volume I captures a moment in time for the band that would soon end, highlighting thunderous jams and perfect solos. It also features Green songs which some would say became the prototype for Alternative Rock. This is a must-have album for any Peter Green fan.
My favorite is Jumping At Shadows. Other fantastic tracks are Black Magic Woman, Only You, I Can't Hold Out, Green Manalishi, Oh Well, and Rattlesnake Shake.
Keb' Mo' (Kevin Moore) is a pretty well-known muscian so I won't go into his background. If you don't know who he is then briefly he plays post-modern Blues that draw from elements of other genres such as Country, Folk, Jazz, Pop, and Rock. If I had to pick a similar artist, I'd have to say Taj Mahal is pretty close--not similar in sound but in willingness to experiment outside the boundaries. If you like classic Delta 12-bar Blues then you wouldn't be interested Keb Mo's music. However if you occasionally like to step outside the lines then give Keb Mo a try. And if you want classic Blues, check out his his first self-titled album, which is still one of my all-time favorites.
Bluesamericana sounds like a Keb Mo album from the first track to the last (except for perhaps the rollicking Old Me Better). If you're a Keb Mo fan then you'll want to get this new album as it's full of his signature acoustic guitar, ballads, deep lyrics, and mixed playing styles such as slide and pickin'. He makes one trip back to classic Blues in a nice rendition of That's Alright. There are a couple of excellent ballads concerning marriage, which was reportedly an issue for him while he was writing this album. For Better or Worse explores working to repair a marriage while So Long Goodbye naturally suggests the opposite. A real surprise was Old Me Better, mixing horns, woodwinds, and even kazoos and throwing back to New Orleans Jazz. Another stand-out is More For Your Money with very poignant lyrics for these times.
My favorite is More For Your Money. Other songs you should check out are The Worst Is Yet To Come, Somebody Hurt You, Do It Right, Move, For better Or Worse, That's Alright, and Old Me Better.
Previous Release - Live in Boston Volume I by Fleetwood Mac
Not many people remember that Fleetwood Mac started off as an English Blues band during the late 60's when just about every popular English band was playing Blues in one form or another. This was a time when Rock was just emerging from the Blues foundation to stand on its own. Every once in a while I like to go back to listen to the guitar work of Peter Green, who still stands as one of the greatest English Blues guitarists ever. B. B. King, who was one of Green's biggest influences, once said, "He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats." The rest of the band is excellent with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie as the rhythm section, Jeremy Spencer on slide guitar, and Danny Kirwin who was almost as skilled as Peter, but Peter stands out with tremendous sound (reference the Peter Green mod), emotion, and vibrato. MIles Davis supposedly said, "It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play!" Peter Green absolutely embodied that quote with his solo work.
Released in 1985 and then remastered in 1998, the Live in Boston series includes 3 volumes. The music was recorded at the absolute peak of the band, just before Green left and the band started to disintegrate. Volume I is more of a showcase for Green's original songs such as Black Magic Woman (yes--Green wrote it and Santana made it famous), Green Manalishi, and Rattlesnake Shake. If you want straight Blues, especially Elmore James covers, then the other two volumes are a better choice. Volume I captures a moment in time for the band that would soon end, highlighting thunderous jams and perfect solos. It also features Green songs which some would say became the prototype for Alternative Rock. This is a must-have album for any Peter Green fan.
My favorite is Jumping At Shadows. Other fantastic tracks are Black Magic Woman, Only You, I Can't Hold Out, Green Manalishi, Oh Well, and Rattlesnake Shake.