So this has been a great week for new music. Shout out to my aunt for the Amazon Gift Card, held over from Christmas. I finally received my CDs as they shipped while I was in New Orleans. I also heard some new stuff in the radio station, and even picked up some nice purchases from Trash American Style's Malcolm Tent, who brought his music stand to Bard this past Thursday. Here are some mini reviews of a few of these albums. Some new, some old, all good.
Them Crooked Vultures- Them Crooked Vultures
Another year, another Dave Grohl side project. Seriously, though, this is an intriguing item. Josh Homme, lead singer and guitarist of Queens of the Stone Age, team up with Grohol (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).
Supergroups tend to get a bad rep because the hype machine behinds these projects tends to go a bit out of control. (That and they tend to be side projects so they don't have much staying power. They're not supposed to.) I actually think most supergroups work out pretty well. Good musicians, after all, are generally good musicians wherever you put them. I also think rock fans are way too eager to blow their wad on saying "OMG JACK WHITE IS GONNA BE IN A MOVIE WITH FLEA! THAT'S AWESOME!!!!!!111!!1!11!1!!!1 Great musicians play together all the time. In jazz it's just part of the trade, which is how nobody flips their shit when Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Bill Evans all play on an album. Not that people don't notice when they make great music, but everybody knows that's how you do things in jazz. Ditto with blues and hip/hop.
That said supergroups tend to work when you have one clear alpha dog working with other equally famous but magnificent collaborators, which is what you have here. Homme is clearly the guy leading the way on this project. Grohl and John Paul Jones, in turn, supplement his vision in lots of exciting ways. And they know how to do that. Dave Grohl played drums, of course for Nirvana and once for Queens of the Stone Age. (Oh and he also played with this mediocre band of Green Day-wannabes called Foo Fighters. Sorry Dave, but drums are just plain what you do best.) And John Paul Jones, aside from playing bass for Led Zep, has had no problem playing producer in just about every genre on the planet and effectively. Few producers are so versatile, and also so effective at getting a natural sound out of their musicians. (Can you name any bass players for '70s metal bands that later played mandolin on an all-girl's bluegrass group? Uncle Earl. Check them out.)
So these guys are pretty effective foils for Homme, and that makes the band work so well. Grohl provides powerful and funky backbeats on songs like No One Loves Me and Neither Do You, while JPJ is a dependable hand at bass while also providing some magnificent flourishes on keyboards, including reviving the Led Zep-era clavinet on Scumbag Blues, injecting, and some soft piano on Spinning in Daffodils, providing wonderful textures to the mix.
Some have claimed that this is just a sub-par Queens of the Stone Age record. I would disagree, as I think Queens has always been rooted in their own unique blend of punk and raw grunge rock. As far as I can see, this band branches out into more diverse musical territory, borrowing heavily from metal and funk. The production is a pretty large Wall of Sound that is at times (particularly on New Fang and Spinning in Daffodils,), downright trance like. It is a big sound. Lyrics, though? Pure Queens, filled with paranoid and neurotic imagery. Gotta love it. Grohl and JPJ seem to push Homme to new heights as a guitar player, with some wonderful that evoke Mars Volta, Sabbath, and even (on "New Fang) My Bloody Valentine. (The huge wall of guitars sound, with that one three note riff drifting in and out definitely has a bit of a shoegazer vibe to it, except done by a hard rock band with a little blues riffing for added effect.
Overall, a wonderfully strange yet catchy collection from three magnificent musicians. As mentioned, supergroups don't last long, and sequels rarely match the original album, so we'll see what they have in them, assuming they stick together.
Sara Watkins- Sara Watkins
Hey speaking of John Paul Jones! JPJ produces and gets the occasional bass credit on Sara Watkins' debut solo album, the first major word we get from her since Nickel Creek went on hiatus. No big gossip on their breakup. They are taking a break so that they don't hate each other. How wonderfully sensible. (And boring. Seriously… what's a blogger to do with no rumors of fist fights or personal attacks in the press? This is why music isn't in the public consciousness anymore. Actors are so much more fun to write about these days.) That said, brother Sean joins in on guitar for a few tracks on this album and Chris Thile contributes to a lovely arrangement of Give Me Jesus.
Musically there are no great surprises on this one. Watkins gets to take center stage with her voice, and fiddle on a collection of catchy bluegrass, country, and singer-songwriter folk and she does it well. She has a remarkable voice that can express a world-weariness that beautiful songs such as Lord Won't You Help Me and Pony. Such songs that emphasize her skills as a singer and songwriter work well, but she really shines when she gets to break out the fiddle. The best songs on the album feature plenty of fiddle and old fashioned country and bluegrass arrangements. She plays off her instrument so well, and that extra voice in the band serves to boost her own performance as a singer. She sings with a certain wildness on the foot stomping work song, Long Hot Summer Day, that is missing from more somber affairs such as Where Will You Be. Then Any Old Time is a joyous tribute to the old arrangements of great Patsy Cline songs, complete with a jazzy touch to the pedal steel. (If you've heard The Ditty Bops, you'll know what I'm talking about.
All in all, this is what you would expect from a former fiddle player of Nickel Creek. But it takes all the best of Nickel Creek's music, including Watkins' stirring and forceful vocals, never being overly cloying or cute. If there's anyone in the band with the clear potential to strike out on a long and successful solo career, and claim the mantle as "The Next Allison Krauss" (Okay New Years Resolution: Last time I call someone "The Next" anything), it is Sara Watkins.
Otis Spann- Otis Spann is the Blues
Kudos to Malcolm Tent's Trash American Style for this find. $6
in the used bin. Awesome.
Otis Spann gained his fame as part of Muddy Waters' legendary Chess band and though he was particularly comfortable as a sideman, he had a natural and understated flair as a frontman in his own write. While Waters was a fiery shouter of a blues singer, Spann had a smoother, more soulful touch, particularly on songs like this 5 minute opener The Hard Way, a classy song perfect for the quiet, smoky jazz club of your imagination. He's the one you relax to before Muddy gets on the stage a few hours later.
And lest we forget, he was the best blues player of his generation. He kept perfect time and made the instrument sing with passion and feeling, while also being lightning quick. When he felt like it he could race ahead of your average dreary blues player. He could also hold down wonderful blues rhythms, making for great foot stomping fun.
It is no wonder then that he became Waters' favorite piano player and a key fixture in his band for 16 years (1952-1968) recording on many of his greatest tracks. Sadly we lost him too soon. He passed away in 1970 from liver cancer at the all too early age of 40.
It took years for Spann to officially start his own band and solo career, but he periodically went solo for recording sessions with other musicians, including this album Otis Spann is the Blues with Robert Lockwood, Jr. as his guitarist, famous as the sorta-stepson and occasional traveling companion of Robert Johnson. Lockwood sings occasionally on this album, but his guitar playing is what makes him stand out as a great sideman. Though he recognizes Spann as the clear star (hence the album name), he plays skillfully. He never catches fire, but like great guitarists like T-Bone Walker, he blurs the line between jazz and guitar wonderfully, keeping the sessions relaxed and enjoyable and leaving for Spann to really keep things fiery.
Spann is known to blues aficionados, but he was never given the time on this earth to really dominate the blues scene like perhaps he should have (that and blues is very much guitar and harmonica territory, as opposed to piano). So his solo material is hard to find. But it is perfect music to sit and chill to, never dull but always relaxed. Totally check it out. And if anyone has his final solo album The Biggest Thing Since Colossus, featuring Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac, get that to me ASAP.
That is all for now. More later. Before I leave, though, a salute to the Who Dat? Nation and the New Orleans Saints for defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. I will say that, next to the Giants/Patriots game, this was the most exciting Super Bowl I've seen yet and was happy to be a part of it, ridiculous face paint and all. Also big thanks to the fine folks who bought cookies, cupcakes, and beads to sponsor the Bard/New Orleans Project and our continuing work in the city. Awesome job everybody.
