New Music: John Lee Hooker, Michael Gurley, Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Evan Wardell, Bob Gentry

A parade of news releases including a multi-format celebration of the late blues hero John Lee Hooker as well as new studio albums from Michael Gurley, Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, Evan Wardell and Bob Gentry are available now.

Artist: John Lee Hooker and the Coast To Coast Blues Band

Title: John Lee Hooker Live at Montreux 1983 & 1990 (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

You might like if you enjoy: John Lee Hooker, Otis Taylor 

Tell me more: The late John Lee Hooker was one of blues music's most beloved and important voices. A new stellar collection celebrates the work of the Mississippi native with two significant appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. John Lee Hooker Live at Montreux 1983 & 1990 has just been issued as a 2-LP set, digital video & digital audio release. Hooker (who died in June 2001) was notable for his innovative style of breaking away from the 12-bar format and developing a hypnotic style of driving boogie blues where he used his hammering style on his fretboard and deep baritone vocals to sing powerfully of romance — be it lust, bliss or loss. The 1983 set features plenty of enticing moments, including the simmering opener  "Serves Me Right To Suffer," propulsive "Boom Boom" and the set-ending cut "Boogie Chillen," the latter an extended jam where a number of musicians (including guitar great Luther Allison, harmonica master Sugar Blue and a killer three-man horn section) join Hooker and his own amazing band on stage. 

The 1990 concert is just as impressive; for this outing an additional guitar player, sax player and female vocalist Vala Cupp provided even greater depth to the Coast To Coast Blues Band's sonic arsenal. Tracks performed included classics from his appearance six years earlier as well as the heartfelt soulful blues ballad "Mabel" and playful "I'm In The Mood" along with a couple of winning selections from his seminal 1989 Grammy® winning album return "The Healer" ("Baby Lee" and the inspired title track). Blues fans will want to get this release for its historical significance, as well as the excellent audio and video quality of the title. Indeed, the two-concert showcase is the perfect addition — or introduction — to the artistry of the four-time Grammy® Award winner and Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Information: JohnLeeHooker.com and eagle-rock.com.

Artist: Michael Gurley

Title: Ultrasound (Smoke Street Records)

You might like if you enjoy: dada, Jason Falkner, Blur's "The Magic Whip," the Beatles' "Abbey Road" and "Magical Mystery Tour"

Tell me more: As a member of the groundbreaking American rock trio dada, Michael Gurley's gifts as a top-tier vocalist, songwriter and guitar virtuoso have been impressing audiences since the early '90s. Along the way, the talented SoCal artist has also showcased his wide-ranging music abilities in a number of other projects including modern rock outfit Butterfly Jones, the jazz standards ensemble Mike Gurley and the Nightcaps — and until recently — lead guitarist for country music great Kiefer Sutherland. Now Gurley has released a full-length solo album Ultrasound, one of my favorite albums of 2020. As listenable as it is inventive, Ultrasound is filled with songs bolstered by soaring melody, dynamic choruses, nuanced lead vocals and Gurley's incredible lead guitar work. The atmospheric "I Don't Know Much" is an ambitious and spectacular opening, mixing folk and art rock styles along its alluring run. The stylish title track is a super cool rocker albeit with an exhilarating power pop-styled chorus that explodes amidst a sea of lush harmonies. The driving "Yes Yes Yes" boasts a dazzling British blues rock vibe complete with a searing guitar solo backed by the strong rhythm section of bassist Sean Hurley and drummer Victor Indrizzo. Turning on a dime, the gentle Baroque folk offering "Good Morning Girl" is enhanced by Gurley's subtle work on guitar as well as piano, organ, Mellotron and Wurzlitzer. "I Had A Dream Last Night That I Had A Dream" is flat out amazing; similarly the chamber pop gem "Madison Ellington" finds Gurley singing to the accompaniment of keyboards and a string section. Other standouts on this brilliant LP include the psychedelia-tinged "I Love Your Guitar," hypnotic rocker "Everything All The Time," '60s-mining "Tibetan Proverb" and beautiful guitar-anchored ballad "Under The Moon." Make sure to listen to this album with headphones everybody! Information: michaelgurleymusic.com.

Artist: Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche

Title: I Can Still Hear You (StorySound Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Suzzy Roche, Lucy Wainwright Roche, the Indigo Girls, Martha Wainwright, folk music

Tell me more: Suzzy Roche and her daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche have recorded an album of immense depth and beauty created amidst a year of challenges and uncertainty. I Can Still Hear You is filled with songs that help the listener decipher the myriad of emotions that came crashing in throughout 2020 along with an even more universal look at loss and the human will to persevere even in the darkest of times. Indeed, Suzzy Roche lost both her sister Maggie and mother in 2017, and that loss was reflected in a number of songs that she penned and planned to record with her daughter in spring 2020. The sessions with producer Jordan Brooke Hamlin had just started when the growing COVID-19 pandemic mandated the women return to their homes in New York for the lockdown. The duo were able to ultimately complete I Can Still Hear You, which is bound by the two artists' beautiful voices and wonderful songs that tackle pain, love, evil, mortality and joy with candor and courageousness. The mix of originals, poignant covers and even a traditional Irish song ("Factory Girl") are magnificent; Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls lend their vocal and instrumental talents on several of the album tracks. Information: storysoundrecords.com.

Artist: Evan Wardell

Title: In Like A Lion // Out Like A Light (Moo Moo Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Color Theory, John Carrillo, The Lucy Show 

Tell me more: Written, recorded and produced by San Francisco-based artist Evan Wardell, his solo debut In Like A Lion // Out Like A Light is a chronicle of a single artist's view on the world and the rich musical translation of that vision as captured over the past seven years. Indeed, Wardell even created the album cover artwork! From the decidedly indie rocker "Gettin Across" and '80s-flavored New Wave ballad "Love Song" to the eager electronica-meets-pop romp "Get By" and zealous title cut, Wardell's album is an electrifying listen. Other highlights across the impressive 11-track disc include the indie rockers "Healthy Wise Free" and "Giving Up," evocative "With Teeth" and eerie "Like A Ghost." Information: moomoorecordsmusic.com/evanwardell. 

Artist: Bob Gentry

Title: Back On The Horse (Blue Élan Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Andrew McMahon, America, Toad the Wet Sprocket

Tell me more: After a 10-year hiatus from the music industry, Palm Springs-based singer-songwriter Bob Gentry is back with the aptly-titled Back On The Horse. A number of fateful decisions led to the artist's exit from his path as a recording artist, but his new EP makes a clear and compelling case his original music has a welcome place in the here and now. The breezy "20 Years To Life," lovely "My Mistake" (featuring guest Roan Yellowthorn), probing piano-anchored jewel "Now That You're Gone" and affecting tale of loss "Living With Your Ghost" are among the solid originals on the new set. Information: BobGentry.com.

Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Walter Trout

Here is the latest roundup of several new items from a couple of great artists...

EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE O.M.D. LIVE - ARCHITECTURE & MORALITY & MORE ON BLU-RAY MAY 7, 2013

On May 7 2013, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s first ever Blu-ray Live - Architecture & Morality & More.

Featuring the classic OMD line-up of Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes and Martin Cooper, this show was exclusively recorded on the band’s hugely successful UK and European tour in 2007. For the early part of this tour, including this concert recorded at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, the concert was split into two halves. The first part of the evening was a complete performance of the Architecture & Morality album, while the second half was a greatest hits set covering the rest of the band’s career. The concert is spectacularly presented with films specially created to complement the songs running on huge screens around the stage.

Architecture & Morality, originally released in 1981, is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s career. This album, a staple of British New Wave and synthpop, spawned three Top 5 UK singles and the album itself peaked at No.3, as well as skyrocketing the band into worldwide recognition.

In addition to this two-tier concert, the Blu-ray includes bonus alternate edits of “Joan of Arc (Maid Of Orleans),” and “The New Stone Age,” as well as interviews with the band members and director Hari Haralambous.

Live – Architecture & Morality & More clearly underscores why the band are beloved by so many music fans. Additionally, there will be a new OMD studio album English Electric released on April 8 and the band will be on tour in April 2013!

Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world. Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.

 

MASCOT LABEL GROUP'S PROVOGUE TO RELEASE

WALTER TROUT'S LUTHER'S BLUES ON JUNE 11, 2013

Title is Trout's First Covers Album in Illustrious Career In Tribune To Luther Allison

Walter Trout has released 22 solo albums over a career that has spanned the globe, and delivered notoriety as one of the great purveyors of the Blues. At the age of 62, in tribute to friend and legend, the late, great Luther Allison, he has recorded a album of covers for the very first time. Trout reveals, "I’ve thought about doing this album for years. Luther was one of the all-time greats, and it was just an unbelievably potent thing to watch him perform. Just the energy and commitment that guy had, he was one of a kind. We played together once, and just as we walked offstage, somebody pointed a camera and we hugged and smiled. And that photo is on the cover of the CD. When he died [in 1997], the idea of this album was planted in my brain." Luther's Blues will be released on June 11th via Mascot Label Group's Provogue.

Trout's back-story is a page-turner you won’t want to put down. Five decades in the making; it is equal parts thriller, romance, suspense and horror. There are musical fireworks, critical acclaim and fists-aloft triumph, offset by wilderness years and brushes with the jaws of narcotic oblivion. From 1973 when he left his New Jersey home headed to Los Angeles, he followed a road that afforded him an opportunity to just play, sharing the stage as a sideman with Jesse Ed Davis, Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulson, Joe Tex, and of course the great John Mayall following a 3 year tenure in Canned Heat. Trout recalls, "As far as being a blues-guitar sideman, the Bluesbreakers gig is the pinnacle. That’s Mount Everest. You could play with B.B. King or Buddy Guy, but you’re just gonna play chords all night. This guy features you. You get to play solos. He yells your name after every song, brings you to the front of the stage, and lets you sing. He creates a place for you in the world." And that destiny continued on down a road that has been nothing but prolific.

On March 6, 1989, the guitarist who had brought thrilling flammability to the Breakers’ sound and produced stone-cold classics including "One Life To Live," was newly sober and on his 38th birthday sensed the hand of destiny. He walked away from the Bluesbreakers, embarking on a solo career that has yielded a catalogue that establishes a deep legacy in the world of Blues. A quarter century later, what seemed like career suicide has been vindicated by 22 solo albums, a still-growing army of fans, and accolades including a nod as “the world’s greatest rock guitarist” in legendary DJ Bob Harris’ autobiography The Whispering Years, and a #6 placing on BBC Radio One’s countdown of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time. Meanwhile, Trout’s most recent original album, Blues For The Modern Daze, was heralded by titles like Classic Rock Blues as perhaps his finest to date. In the U.S., USA Today selected the track "Lonely" as their Pick of the Week publishing, "Trout is the man who followed Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor as chief guitarist for John Mayall's blues outfit, and who had a long career as a leader of his own band. He brings all of his life experiences to bear on Modern Daze. " Trout offers, “I feel like with Modern Daze I found the style I’ve been searching for over 20 albums. It’s working, it comes out good, and I can play it well.”

Of all the peaks in Trout’s trajectory, his abiding memory of the late Chicago bluesman is perhaps the most literal. It’s 1986, and high above Lake Geneva, at the palatial Alpine chalet of late Montreux Jazz Festival Svengali Claude Nobs, lunch is being served. “So we’re up at the top of the Alps,” Trout recalls, “in this big room with John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Robert Cray, Otis Rush, and as we’re eating, Dr. John is serenading us on acoustic piano. I sat there with Luther Allison, and we had a great talk."

This collection was bottled at Hollywood’s Entourage Studios alongside producer Eric Corne: the same combination that birthed 2012’s acclaimed solo release, Blues For The Modern Daze. The atmosphere, remembers Trout, was one of spit, grit and seat-of-the-pants energy: “Spontaneity is so important with this sort of music. Everybody was saying, ‘Well, aren’t you gonna get together and rehearse?’, but you don’t want to over-analyse or get too sterile. This album was all pretty much first or second takes. It’s gotta have warts on it. It’s gotta have a bit of grease in it.”

As Walter Trout powers into his 25th year as a solo star, there’s no whiff of the ennui or creative autopilot that hobbles the later output of most veterans. On the contrary, there’s a sense of growing momentum, perhaps even of a little surprise. “It’s hard to believe I’m still alive, to be honest,” he smiles. “I should have been dead by 30, with the life I was leading. But I still have a career, and at 62, I’m still climbing the ladder, which keeps it exciting, instead of trying to rekindle past glories. I feel like I play with more fire than when I was 25. I’m still reaching, y' know…?”

Inbox Update: Walter Trout announces release of Luther Allison tribute

This just landed in my inbox late tonight...don't forget to check out Walter's official site for more details.

WALTER TROUT TRIBUTE CD TO LUTHER ALLISON Walter with Luther's son, Bernard Allison. Walter is holding Luther's old guitar WALTER TO RELEASE A NEW LUTHER ALLISON TRIBUTE!! Walter and his band have been in the studio since the beginning of the year recording this special project. Playing and recording Luther's songs with much love and respect for Luther's memory has been a life-changing experience for Walter and the band. To honor Luther for the beautiful soul that he was, and try to do his music with the energy and commitment it deserves, has been an overwhelming experience. This CD will be available later this year. As promised, those of you on the mailing list are the first to know about this project. Leave  your ego, Play the music, Love the people  Luther Allison "Luther was one of the all time great bluesmen, and a dear friend. Doing a CD of his music is something I've thought about for a long time since his tragic passing in 1997. This has been a labor of love for me, and an emotional journey through the man's music and legacy." Walter Trout