New titles featuring The Rolling Stones, Steve Stoeckel and Ron Sexsmith are well worth discovering.
Title: GRRR Live! (Mercury Studios)
You might like if you enjoy: The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, classic rock
Tell me more: The Rolling Stones celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2012 and 2013 by embarking on the aptly-titled "50 & Counting Tour," a 30-show trek that took the legendary British troupe across North America and Europe. On Dec. 15, 2012, The Rolling Stones took the stage at New Jersey's Prudential Center for the final of four shows staged in the New York City area. That event was filmed and professionally recorded for a good reason; a number of notable guests joined the band further elevating the efforts of singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, drummer Charlie Watts and their strong touring troupe. Now that memorable concert has been re-edited and the audio remixed. GRRR Live! is truly a stunning event that focuses on The Rolling Stones as a live band and the stylish architects of many of the most beloved classic rock cuts of all time. The 23-track set includes a spirited "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)," "Gimme Shelter" (featuring Lady Gaga sharing lead vocals with Mick Jagger), a delightfully countrified "Dead Flowers," a rollicking take on Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" with the Black Keys," and marathon run through "Midnight Rambler" with former Rolling Stones lead guitarist Mick Taylor. The event's final stretch included Bruce Springsteen adding firepower to a powerful "Tumbling Dice," a hard rocking "Brown Sugar," and remarkably nuanced performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want." The DVD + 2CD edition reviewed in this column has several bonus performances filmed at the Dec. 13, 2012 show that add weight to the package, including a rollicking take on "Respectable" with guitar great John Mayer and a fiery reading of Chuck Berry's 1958 original "Around and Around." Released on Feb. 10, GRRR Live! is available in a number of different formats: 3LP black, 3LP colored white, 3LP red, 2CD, DVD + 2CD, Blu-ray + 2CD (the Blu-ray and digital versions will include Dolby Atmos). Information: RollingStones.com.
Title: The Power Of And (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Spongetones, Paul McCartney, Crowded House, Irene Peña, Jamie Hoover
Tell me more: Steve Stoeckel — a founding member of acclaimed Power Pop Hall of Fame greats The Spongetones — is set to release his marvelous solo debut The Power Of And on Feb. 24. The wonderful 15-track disc features a parade of enticing tracks including the propulsive opener "Laura Lynn," gorgeous Baroque ballad "Birds," rousing '60s-flavored "Mod Girl," wistful "Strange Cameo," luxurious duet "Why" with songstress Irene Peña, and tender folk rocker "Hummingbird." The self-produced album also features the particularly ambitious "The Emerald Sea," a standout which effortlessly fuses Celtic folk with modern rock stylings with artful perfection (just listen to the tandem dance featuring pennywhistles and searing electric guitar work). The album's final offering is a bewitching modern rocker titled "Whistling Past Graveyards," an original that was the last collaboration between Stoeckel and Spongetones drummer Chris Garges before the latter's untimely passing in February 2022. Big Stir Records' first full-length release of 2023, The Power Of And will be available on audio CD and via all digital platforms on Friday, Feb. 24. Information: bigstirrecords.com.
You might like if you enjoy: The Spongetones, Paul McCartney, Crowded House, Irene Peña, Jamie Hoover
Tell me more: Steve Stoeckel — a founding member of acclaimed Power Pop Hall of Fame greats The Spongetones — is set to release his marvelous solo debut The Power Of And on Feb. 24. The wonderful 15-track disc features a parade of enticing tracks including the propulsive opener "Laura Lynn," gorgeous Baroque ballad "Birds," rousing '60s-flavored "Mod Girl," wistful "Strange Cameo," luxurious duet "Why" with songstress Irene Peña, and tender folk rocker "Hummingbird." The self-produced album also features the particularly ambitious "The Emerald Sea," a standout which effortlessly fuses Celtic folk with modern rock stylings with artful perfection (just listen to the tandem dance featuring pennywhistles and searing electric guitar work). The album's final offering is a bewitching modern rocker titled "Whistling Past Graveyards," an original that was the last collaboration between Stoeckel and Spongetones drummer Chris Garges before the latter's untimely passing in February 2022. Big Stir Records' first full-length release of 2023, The Power Of And will be available on audio CD and via all digital platforms on Friday, Feb. 24. Information: bigstirrecords.com.
Title: The Vivian Line (Cooking Vinyl)
You might like if you enjoy: Elvis Costello, Burt Bacharach
Tell me more: Acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith is back with The Vivian Line, his first album since 2020's Hermitage. There is a genuine warmth across the acclaimed artist's 17th album, but the songs — both lyrically and musically — impress with burgeoning force with each subsequent listen. The yearning opener "A Place Called Love," nostalgic Baroque pop gem "What I Had In Mind," literate "Flower Boxes," sumptuous "Outdated and Antiquated" and joyful "One Bird Calling" are early standouts on the album; the Kinks-flavored "Country Mile," jazzy "This, That, And the Other Thing," poignant "When Our Love Was New" and "Ever Wonder" are late disc highlights. Information: RonSexsmith.com.
Robert Kinsler
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