The first half of 2021 continues to reveal a myriad of must-hear releases for music aficionados.
Title: Boogie Shoes: Live on Beale Street (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: The Box Tops, Big Star, Alex Chilton
Tell me more: As Alex Chilton's well-deserved legacy continues to grow, the incessant hunger for "lost" and previously-unreleased music featuring the late Box Tops and Big Star frontman appears to be relentless. The latest audio treasure for fans of Chilton — the singer-guitarist died in March 2010 at the age of 59 — is Omnivore Recordings' Boogie Shoes: Live on Beale Street featuring the artist backed by Hi Rhythm Section (the house band behind a slew of soul classics from Al Green, Ann Peebles, Ike & Tina Turner, Otis Clay and others). Recorded Oct. 7, 1999 at the New Daisy Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, the performance was part of "FredStock," a tribute and benefit honoring Fred Ford (co-founder of the Beale Street Music Festival). There is a loose and rousing feel to the live set, and the audio quality on the recording is excellent; Chilton and company's delivery on the parade of bona fide soul, blues and early rock favorites is more than up to the task. The 10-track performance includes the collective's playful reading of "Boogie Shoes" (Chilton first covered the song on the 1979 studio album "Like Flies on Sherbert"), the red-hot "Lucille," spirited bluesy nugget "Big Boss Man," reggae-flavored remake of the Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go," and lively tear through the Fats Domino classic "Hello Josephine." The audio CD version reviewed here has a street date of May 7, 2021 and includes revealing liner notes from producer David Less (a friend of Chilton and author of Memphis Mayhem: A Story of the Music That Shook Up the World); additionally the package also features a colorful cover by artist Lamar Sorrento. The album will also be available via Digital and LP. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Title: Sweet Soul Song (Mob Town Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Buckinghams, Paul Stanley's Soul Station, James Hunter Six, Tower of Power
Tell me more: Singer-songwriter-guitarist James Holvay's rousing return Sweet Soul Song revisits the classic sounds of Chicago soul with a warmth and energetic spirit across its five enthralling tracks. The uptempo "Working On It," magical title track, beautiful "Still The Fool," funk-tinged "Love Has Found A Way" and infectious "Talking About" are all bolstered by Holvay's distinctive vocals, guitar work and nuanced approach of the musicianship. Holvay was a noted musician and songwriter in Chicago leading the MOB from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s (he penned the Buckinghams' big 1966 hit "Kind of a Drag") and then went into a career in sales. With the widespread renewed interest in '60s and '70s soul music, "Sweet Soul Song" certifies that Holvay's exceptional talents as singer, songwriter and guitarist deserve to put him back in the spotlight. Information: https://jamesholvay.bandcamp.com/releases.
Title: There Is No Light Without The Dark (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Badfinger, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Tears for Fears
Tell me more: There is a decidedly ambitious feel to the Stan Laurels' There Is No Light Without The Dark. The good news for discerning listeners everywhere is that Austin, Texas-based John Lathrop — the singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist behind the Stan Laurels' super cool moniker — has written and crafted an outstanding disc filled with songs that blend tuneful pop, artful rock and prog rock flourish where it counts. This is also an album that demands to be listened to as a start-to-finish experience, with the astute mix of songs, instrumental interludes and emotional moodscapes effectively taking the listener on a journey into Lathrop's immersive world. That's not to say specific tracks don't work alone; just listen to the tuneful "Florida Man," awe-inspiring "Of Love, Wine and Song," absolutely gorgeous "Mateo's Song," blissful "On Paper" and bewitching rocker "This Is Your Life." Available now via audio CD and digital, don't let There Is No Light Without The Dark escape your notice. Information: bigstirrecords.com.
Title: Solitaire (PoMo Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Gram Parsons, Merle Haggard, John Mellencamp
Tell me more: The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted professional musicians in particularly-dire ways, separating them not only from live audiences but from their fellow players who are so essential in the creation of magic on stage and in the studio. Acclaimed Los Angeles-based Americana singer-songwriter Ted Russell Kamp has turned inward on the aptly-titled Solitaire, an expansive collection filled with 14 songs recorded mostly alone at home over the past nine months. Set for release on May 7, "Solitaire" captures the feel of a time that is equal parts uncertainty and loneliness. The quiet and reflective "Birds That Sing At Dawn" is among the gems on the winning disc, quiet and lovely; Kamp explores similar emotional terrain on the hopeful Springsteenesque "As Far As The Eye Can See" and alluring "Exception To The Rule." Kamp is also able to offer up an uplifting individualist spirit on the "The Hardest Road To Find," tender "Western Wind" and countrified "The Spark." Other highlights on the album include the country blues original "Be Your Man," timely "Be Your Man" and high-flying bonus track "Lightning Strikes Twice." While Kamp does the majority of heavy lifting on the album, he was able to collaborate with several artists and friends remotely to embellish the songs with nice touches adding backing vocals, drums, slide and electric guitar. Information: TedRussellKamp.com.
Robert Kinsler
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