Stunning live collections and outstanding studio albums are featured in my new column.
Title: A Bigger Bang: Live On Copacabana Beach (Mercury Studios)
You might like if you enjoy: The Rolling Stones
Tell me more: It's not a surprise that The Rolling Stones' new multi-format release A Bigger Bang: Live On Copacabana Beach is so amazing. Recorded at the famed Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Feb. 8, 2006, there were between 1.5 million and 2 million fans in attendance at the show – one of the largest free rock concerts ever staged. The DVD+2CD version reviewed here is pure delight. Remixed, re-edited and remastered, the title includes four tracks not included on the original 2007 DVD release; indeed the freewheeling "Tumbling Dice," bluesy rocker "Oh No, Not You Again," rootsy acoustic nugget "This Place is Empty" and the inspired "Sympathy For The Devil" (the latter bolstered by Keith Richards' terrific lead guitar work) add depth to the two-hour concert. Singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Richards and Ronnie Wood, drummer Charlie Watts and the nine members of their touring band displayed an energetic zeal the equal of the fervor displayed by the massive crowd seen cheering, waving Brazilian and British flags and dancing throughout the event. Highlights abound on this historic set including the rollicking "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)," tender Americana-flavored "Wild Horses," festive "Honky Tonk Women," extended romp through "Brown Sugar" and poignant "You Can't Always Get What You Want". The Stones closed out the night with a fiery version of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" that finds the audience jumping up and down and often singing along with Jagger to add power to the classic. A Bigger Bang: Live On Copacabana Beach is also available on SD BD+2CD, 2DVD_2CD Deluxe, 3LP (pressed on blue, yellow and green vinyl), 3LP pressed on clear vinyl (exclusive to Sound Of Vinyl) and digital. Information: RollingStones.com and MercuryStudios.co.
Title: Ruthless (EMI Nashville)
You might like if you enjoy: Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton, Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam
Tell me more: Acclaimed country artist Gary Allan is back with Ruthless, his first new studio album since 2013. Few country artists can sing about heartache and romantic desolation with the affecting touch of Allan, and the California native proves that across his eagerly-awaited 13-track return. The winning '80s-mining "Temptation," stirring mid tempo title track, reflective acoustic gem "Trouble Knows Trouble" and infectious "Waste Of A Whiskey Drink" mine that territory in spades. Allan uses his signature baritone on other moving tracks across the disc including the sweeping country rocker "Till It Felt Like You," lovely ballad "Pretty Damn Close" and atmospheric closer "The Hard Way." Information: GaryAllan.com.
Title: Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro Live in Japan (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Rachael Yamagata, Kate Bush, Rickie Lee Jones
Tell me more: Gifted with a beautiful soprano and stellar skills as a pianist, the late Laura Nyro possessed otherworldly songwriting and compositional abilities to match. On Trees of the Ages: Laura Nyro Live in Japan (available on July 16), the influential genre-defying artist was chronicled in concert three years before her tragic death of ovarian cancer at the age of 49. Seated at her piano and backed only by a three-woman harmony trio, Nyro delivers a riveting and intimate performance. Performing some of her best-known songs (inventive versions of "And When I Die" and "Wedding Bell Blues" receive enthusiastic cheers from the audience when they are performed) as well equally poignant originals spanning from the triumphant "A Woman of the World" to the bewitching "Lite a Flame (The Animal Rights Song)" and majestic medley of "Trees of the Ages / Emmie." She also shares some sublime covers that fit in perfectly with her own inspired original material; "Dedicated to the One I Love," "Ooh Baby Baby," "Walk on By" and "Let It Be Me" are among the well-known songs she magically reworks during the concert set. In addition to Trees of the Ages, Omnivore Recordings is celebrating the artist – a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame – again via the previously-unissued Go Find the Moon: The Audition Tape later this summer (coming Sept. 10). Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Title: Oh The Joys We Live For (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Van Dyke Parks, Matthew Sweet, XTC
Tell me more: The followup to 2019's Manbird, Anton Barbeau's new album Oh The Joys We Live For is a tuneful and intoxicating listen. The dozen-track collection showcases Barbeau's signature vocals, experimental knack and far-flung songcraft. Oh The Joys We Live For was created during the pandemic with the artist using the seclusion to create a reflective album that captures the spirit of this unique time. Assisted by his musical collaborator and now-wife Julia Boorinakis Harper, the ambition of the project never diminishes the accessibility of the songs (just listen to the artful power pop-aimed "I Been Thinking Bout You"). The introspective title cut, driving "Cowbell Camembert," orchestral-tinged "Filmik," dream-drenched "Crystals," art rocker "Salt Lick" and enthralling single "One Of Her Superpowers" are among the memorable tracks on the fantastic album. Information: BigStirRecords.com.
Robert Kinsler
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