Tag: 2022
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Steve Earle & The Dukes, Jerry Jeff, 2022 on New West Records
Earle’s made a number of “tribute” records: Guy (for Guy Clark), J.T. (for his son Justin Towns Earle), Townes (for Townes Van Zandt), and this one, for Jerry Jeff Walker, known to most of us as the writer of “Mr. Bojangles.” Bojangles is here, of course, but so are a number of lesser known Walker…
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Jeff Tweedy, Chelsea Walls (Soundtrack), 2002 on Rykodisc / 2022 on Omnivore
Wonderful soundtrack featuring Jeff Tweedy collaborating with Glenn Kotche, around the time of supergroup Loose Fur just before Kotche become Wilco’s drummer. There’s also two great covers: Jimmy Scott doing a somewhat unhinged but wonderful version of John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” and Robert Sean Leonard doing Wilco’s “Promising” (a bonus track that was in the…
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Various Artists, Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver, 2022 on New West Records
Fantastic collection of covers of the original outlaw country troubador. Standouts for me are Miranda Lambert and Margo Price but really all the tracks are wonderful. Produced by Charlie Sexton and Freddy Fletcher. My copy is the limited edition on “Old Chunk of Coal” grey vinyl via Vinyl Me Please.
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Gang Starr, No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1989 on Wild Pitch Records
Houton’s DJ Premier and Boston’s Guru as a Brooklyn based hip hop duo, sometimes credited as the originators of jazz rap / jazz hip hop. “Words I Manifest” does sample “Night in Tunisia” and the album featured the song “Jazz Music.” My copy is the Vinyl Me Please reissue from 2022, with listening notes by…
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Sylvan Esso, No Rules Sandy, 2022 on Loma Vista / Psychic Hotline
My copy is the VMP limited, numbered edition on orange vinyl, pressed at Memphis Record Pressing. There’s a partially opaque slipcover through which you can see the tracklist with “No Rules Sandy” on the slipcover fitting into the ( ) on the printed cover. Amelia Meath and Nicholas Sanborn perform as Sylvan Esso, out of…
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Bonny Light Horseman, Rolling Golden Holy, 2022 on 37d03d
The sophomore album from Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman, joined here by Mike Lewis, and JT Bates. (Does this make BLH technically a supergroup, given all those three do outside this trio?) My copy via Secretly Society – this was the December 2022 release
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Echo and the Bunnymen, B-Sides and Live (2001-2005), 2022 on Demon Records
Released digitally in 2007 by Cooking Vinyl, but reissued on vinyl by Demon Records for Record Store Day 2022, on clear vinyl. A number of songs from Live at Reading Festival 2005, a remix of “Rescue,” and some acoustic versions. Great pressing and package. My copy via the discount rack at Newbury Comics in the…
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Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder , Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, 2022 on Nonesuch
How could you possibly go wrong with Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder together? Joachim Cooder joins on drums and bass. Produced by Ry Cooder; recorded, mixed and mastered by Martin Pradler. Gets its name (and inspiration) from Smithsonian Folkways FA2028: “Get On Board: Negro Folksongs By The Folkmasters” – which you can still get as…
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Waylon Jennings,Honky Tonk Heroes, 1973 on RCA Victor
I grew up with Waylon & Willie commonly playing around our household and in the last decade have come back to appreciate and collect their albums after a long time away from them. On Honky Tonk Heroes most of the songs are Billy Joe Shaver songs and the record was Jennings’ first after renegotiating his…
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Sharon Van Etten, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, 2022 on Jagjaguwar
Van Etten’s sixth full length and fourth on Jagjaguwar, this was one of my favorite albums of 2022. Van Etten produced along with Daniel Knowles, with musicians Devin Hoff (bass), Jorge Baibi (drums), and Charley Damski (keys) joining on most tracks (along with a few others). My copy via Newbury Comics in the Natick Mall
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John Coltrane, Sun Ship, 1971 on Impulse!
Recorded in August of 1965 at RCA Victor studios in NYC, and released (posthumously) in 1971. Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums), and McCoy Tyner (piano) with Coltrane. All song s written by Coltrane. Produced (“Prepared for release”) by Alice Coltrane and Ed Michel. Engineered by Bob Simpson (not Rudy Gelder like the other quartet…
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Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Sam Lay, and Buddy Miles – Fathers and Sons, 1969 on Chess
Vinyl Me Please just credits the LP to Muddy Waters, but the back cover really credits everyone in the all star band. It was Waters’s biggest seller. One LP is studio recordings from Chicago (Ter Mar Studios), the other LP is a live recording from the Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree. This Vinyl Me Please reissue…
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Cat Power, Covers, 2022 on Domino
Chan Marshall’s third album of covers. Like the previous two, it includes a re-recording of one of her own – the song “Hate” covered here as “Unhate.” Favorites for me include The Replacements’ “Here Comes a Regular,” Nico’s “These Days.” and Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” My copy is the…
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Willie Nelson, Red Headed Stranger, 1975 on Columbia.
This was the follow up to Shotgun Willie, and was a commercial and critical breakthrough as Nelson moved away from RCA (with two albums on Atlantic in between) and into the Outlaw Country phase. At Columbia he got the creative control he’d been after. It’s an early concept album with a continuous story running through…
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Sorcha Richardson, Hot Fuss, 2022 on Turntable Kitchen
Another full album cover from the folks at Turntable Kitchen. This one has Irish singer/songwriter Sorcha Richardson taking on The Killers’ 2004 Hot Fuss. It’s an unexpected approach but it really works – Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I’ve Done, Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll – all sound great in a new treatment. Alex…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella at the Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook, 2022 on Verve
Recorded in August 1958, but not released until 2022, this concert followed the release of the Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook LP. The concert was conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, who had played the same role in the LP. There’s an animated video for Puttin’ on the Ritz, one of the songs…
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Magnolia Record Club Presents Spotify Singles Vol. 2, 2022
Second volume in the series – see Magnolia Record Club Presents Spotify Singles for the first volume. Manufactured and distributed by Dualtone, but labelled only as Magnolia Record Club. This one includes: It’s a great collection – mostly from the Spotify studios. Likely digitally recorded though they don’t say, but sounds great.
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Dawes, Misadventures of Doomscroller, 2022 on Rounder
I’m a huge fan of Dawes going back to Nothing is Wrong in 2011 and look forward to everything they put out. (They’re also playing the Cabot Theater in December). There’s more long-form instrumental work here – two tracks clocking in at 9 minutes plus. Those longer, proggier songs may be to distract you from…