With the holiday season suddenly here, the parade of wonderful and special year-end releases is already in full swing. This column features a number of wonderful titles ranging from the latest original film from Bright Blue Gorilla and stellar studio albums from Joe Bonamassa and Gorillaz to exciting covers collections from Don McLean and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings as well as several must-have reissues featuring rock 'n' roll founding father Little Richard.
Title: 36 Husbands (Bright Blue Gorilla)
You might like if you enjoy: Bright Blue Gorilla, the Monkees TV show,
Tell me more: "36 Husbands" is a delightfully zany film loaded with the kind of fun thrills and charm that recall classics ranging from Richard Lester's "Help!" and Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride" to Mel Brooks' "Robin Hood: Men In Tights." A musical adventure comedy written and directed by Michael Glover and produced by Robyn Rosenkrantz – who together comprise the acclaimed musical duo and film making team from Southern California – the story centers around three dynamic women who work to thwart World War III. Of course a cast of crazy characters are featured along the way including a slew of adoring husbands and dastardly villains. Why are all the spies and bad guys (and gals) tuning into the "Bright Blue Gorilla" TV show? No spoilers here - you'll need to watch "36 Husbands" to find out why. A note, "36 Husbands" is a fun-filled romp suitable for all ages. Shot at truly exotic locations in Australia, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Paris and Los Angeles, the film is bolstered by Bright Blue Gorilla's amazing music making magic.
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| The official poster for "36 Husbands." |
A note, "36 Husbands" is a fun-filled romp suitable for all ages. "36 Husbands" and all of Bright Blue Gorilla's other movies have been featured on Netflix and are currently available worldwide on iTunes, Amazon, Time Warner and other platforms. A full-length soundtrack featuring all the film's inviting instrumental music and genre-aplenty original songs (including the cool "Love Potion Number 36," melodic "Radiation Song," enthralling "Hold Me" and Americana folk rocker "Labor of Love"). Information: BrightBlueGorilla.com.
Title: Royal Tea (J&R Adventures)
You might like if you enjoy: Walter Trout, Eric Clapton, Joe Bonamassa
Tell me more: Joe Bonamassa's latest album Royal Tea is his strongest album to date, a compelling tour de force that showcases the New York native's amazing guitar work and commanding vocals served up with a full plate of killer original songs. Recorded at legendary Abbey Road Studios in January 2020 and produced by Kevin Shirley, Royal Tea thrills as a potent mixture of British blues and Bonamassa's own fusion of various strains of blues across 10 incredible cuts that serve as an immediate reminder why nothing beats the magic of a cohesive album. Bonamassa's guitar work continues to astound; what's more the infectious riffs and jaw-dropping solos always come in the service of absorbing song craft. "Royal Tea" is obvious nod to British blues rock but tagged with Bonamassa's spellbinding fretwork and backing gospel vocals. "A Conversation With Alice" mines '70s greats ranging from Bad Company and The Who to Steely Dan while still sounding fully like a Bonamassa track. The moody "Beyond The Silence" – featuring the talents of keyboardist Reese Wynans – is as beautiful as it is haunting. The heavy "Lookout Man!" shatters any stereotypes about blues being relegated to the past with Bonamassa and his musical mates equaling the might of any of their hard rock and punk contemporaries. Crank this one up. Information: JBonamassa.com.
Title: Song Machine: Season One–Strange Timez (Warner Bros./Parlophone)
You might like if you enjoy: Damon Albarn, Gorillaz, Beck
Tell me more: What do Beck, Elton John, Peter Hook, St. Vincent and The Cure's Robert Smith have in common? They join among the large cast of musical notables who guest on tracks – also known as "episodes" – across the ambitious Gorillaz album Song Machine: Season One – Strange Timez. The 7th album from the planet's most celebrated virtual band (featuring non-virtual singer/musician-producer Damon Albarn, artist Jamie Hewlett and producer-percussionist Remi Kabaka Jr.), the two-disc deluxe edition of the album features an additional five tracks beyond the standard release's dozen episodes and is worth exploring. Things blastoff with Robert Smith beaming in from a far-off corner of the sonic universe for the the synth-pop sortie "Strange Timez." Beck follows on the funk-flavored "The Valley of the Pagans." Peter Hook's signature bass playing adds New Order-styled dance floor urgency to the propulsive "Aries," a cut that simultaneously swirls around and immerses the listener in reflective bliss. Equally infectious is the driving "Désolé," featuring Albarn's melancholy vocals and Ivory Coast native Fatoumata Diawara's amazing soprano in a perfect creative union. Elton John (featured on "The Pink Phantom") hasn't sounded this relevant since his full-length collaboration with Leon Russell in 2010 (The Union). The deluxe edition of Strange Timez comes to a rousing finale with "How Far?"; that poignant episode features the late afrobeat ace Tony Allen (who also drummed in Albarn's The Good, The Bad & The Queen; Allen sadly passed away in April 2020).
Titles: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) (Daptone Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Dusty Springfield, Gladys Knight, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Tell me more: When Sharon Jones passed away on Nov. 8, 2016 after a long battle fighting pancreatic cancer, it didn't put an end to the 60-year-old soul singer's musical legacy. Just listen to the newly-released Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings collection Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In), a batch of 13 covers – including five never-before-heard recordings – that honor the originals and cast a greater appreciation on Jones' ability to conquer any soul or funk cut in sight. Things kick off with a wonderfully faithful take on the Stevie Wonder hit "Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours," but she even reaches greater heights via potent reworkings of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" and the Kenny Rogers’ First Edition hit "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" – this specific recording the very first done at the Daptone House of Soul studio in 2002) – as well as an inspired take on the Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith song "Rescue Me." Jones' versions of Gladys Knight's "Giving Up" and Bob Marley's "It Hurts To Be Alone" are especially poignant showcases for Jones' vocal powers. As is noted in the press notes published in connection with this release, many of the recordings were tracked on their own, but others were commissioned for possible use in commercials, films and TV shows. The aforementioned "Rescue Me" as well as Jones' interpretation of the Musique disco fave "In the Bush" were outtakes for 2014's "The Wolf of Wall Street" soundtrack. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) also includes tracks that were recorded for tributes to Dusty Springfield, The Marvelettes, Shuggie Otis and Prince (her take on "Take Me With U" is wonderfully funky). Information: DaptoneRecords.com.
Title: Still Playin' Favorites (Time Life)
You might like if you enjoy: Don McLean, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell
Tell me more: Don McLean delivers a heartfelt tribute to many of his influences on Still Playin' Favorites, a worthy 14-track follow-up to his classic 1973 collection "Playin' Favorites." Whether delving into traditional country (Johnny Cash's "Doggone Lonesome," a spry take on Percy Mayfield's "Hide Nor Hair"), Americana roots rock (Hoyt Axton's "Greenback Dollar," the Amos E. Byrd-Billy Jones getup "Got the Bull By the Horns"), blues (a reworking of the 1959 hit "I Ain't Never," amped up reading of Jenny Lou Carson's "The Keys to the Kingdom"), rockabilly (a rootsy take on the Elvis Presley favorite "Little Sister," a buoyant version of Clyde Moody's "Six White Horses") or folk (the tender "She Used To Love Me A Lot"), McLean hits the mark with affecting versions bolstered by his distinctive baritone vocals. Information: TimeLife.com.
Title: The Second Coming; Lifetime Friend (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Little Richard, Prince, Sly Stone
Tell me more: Omnivore Recordings is a treasure, continuing to issue expanded and remastered lost classics from under-the-radar and well-known heroes. Look no further than the Los Angeles label's expanded reissues of Little Richard's 1970s and '80s albums; 1972's The Second Coming and 1986's Lifetime Friend arrived on Oct. 23 and were well worth the wait. The Second Coming commences with a celebration of Little Richard's rip-it-up '50s rock sound but bolstered by '70s production techniques; "Mockingbird Sally" features the artist pounding on the piano and searing vocals to match. He conjures up that pioneering approach later on "Rockin' Rockin' Boogie" and "Thomasine." Elsewhere, he explores funk (the freewheeling "Second Line" and "Nuki Suki"), '70s rock ("It Ain't What You Do, It's the Way How You Do It"), New Orleans R&B ("The Saints") and other styles via his signature sound. It doesn't hurt that producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell used a number of studio musicians from the '50s as well as many top session players of the early '70s including to cut the album at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. This reissue features the original album release, two single edits from the period, and several tracks from the 1971 film "S" (starring Warren Beatty and Goldie Hawn) that were composed by Quincy Jones.
Packaging for both new Little Richard titles feature historical photographs, ephemera and a new essay from Bill Dahl. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Robert Kinsler
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