New music: Buck Owens And His Buckaroos, Splitsville, Maria Muldaur

In this column I review titles featuring Buck Owens And His Buckaroos, Splitsville and Maria Muldaur.

Artist: Buck Owens And His Buckaroos
Title: Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974 (Omnivore Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam

Tell me more: Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974  is an outstanding collection featuring live concert performances featuring Buck Owens And His Buckaroos. The parade of 75 top-tier performances presented across the three discs included on the collection will thrill fans of Owens; 25 of the selections are previously unissued in the U.S. while 20 have been previously unissued anywhere, and all 75 cuts are presented on audio CD for the first time ever. "Act Naturally," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "The Streets Of Laredo," "I Don't Care (Just As Long As You Love Me)," "Big Game Hunter," a countrified take on Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" "Ruby (Are You Mad)," "Big In Vegas" and "Dust On Mother's Bible" are among the beloved cuts featured across the essential collection. The packaging contains a 56-page book featuring historical photographs and an extensive essay from Grammy-nominated writer/producer Scott B. Bomar. Information: omnivorerecordings.com.

Artist: Splitsville
Title: Mobtown (Big Stir Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Cheap Trick, Big Stir, Weezer, Jellyfish

Tell me more: Back with their first album since 2003's Incorporated, power pop heroes Splitsville reaffirm their place as one of the genre's modern greats on the new 10-track studio album Mobtown. Identical twins/vocalists/multi-instrumentalists Brandt and Matt Huseman, bassist/keyboardist Paul Krysiak and guitarist Tony Waddy have crafted a bona fide masterwork that thrills across its fast-moving track listing. The parade of stellar cuts includes the blistering melodic opener "Cold Open," dreamy "A Glorious Lie" (whose lyrics focus on a tale of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel and a 1926 visit from the Queen of Romania), stirring "Southern Hospitality," prog rock-mining "Gray," instantly-memorable "I Hate Going To Hutzler's," luxurious "Fallsway," and pointed "Beth Steel" (the latter is an affecting track chronicling a former employee of Maryland's now-shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant). Information: bigstirrecords.com.

Artist: Maria Muldaur
Title: One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Victoria Spivey, Maria Muldaur

Tell me more: Maria Muldaur's One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey is a full-length celebration that simultaneously celebrates classic blues queen Victoria Spivey (who passed away in 1976 at the age of 69) while also showcasing the talents of six-time Grammy nominee Muldaur. In the 1960s Spivey was an early mentor of Muldaur and this wonderful collection soars thanks to inspired takes on Spivey's sassy and spunky blues material. Highlights include the jazzy Spivey-penned "Dreaming Of You," playful piano-anchored romp "No, Papa, No!," New Orleans-flavored "Funny Feathers" and the tender ballad "Don't Love No Married Man." Another standout on the excellent album is a duet with Elvin Bishop, a playful take on "What Makes You Act Like That?" One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey casts a welcome spotlight on the late Spivey across a dozen stellar selections. Information: nolabluerecords.com.

Robert Kinsler

New Music: Ella Fitzgerald, Howdy Glenn, Belle and Sebastian

Not even a month into 2023 and there are already great audio releases worth celebrating and adding to any music lover's library!

Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Title: Live At Montreux 1969 (Mercury Studios)

You might like if you enjoy: Ella Fitzgerald, vocal jazz music

Tell me more: A truly historic and essential recording, Ella Fitzgerald: Live At Montreux 1969 is being released by Mercury Studios and will be available on audio CD and LP on Jan. 20, 2023. Originally released on DVD in 2005, this marks the first time this concert recording is being made available on audio formats. Live At Montreux 1969 captures the "First Lady of Song" in the first of her five legendary performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Fitzgerald's breathtaking singing and complete command of a diverse set of 14 songs thrills with every note. There are classic jazz favorites already familiar to audiences of the time ("Give Me The Simple Life," "I Won't Dance," "That Old Black Magic"), as well as her artful versions of classic rock material (including a soulful take on Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" and joyful reading of The Beatles' "Hey Jude"). Her signature scat delivery is featured on the dazzling "Useless Landscape," a number further defined by the virtuoso playing of pianist Tommy Flanagan (along with bassist Frank De La Rosa and drummer Ed Thigpen). Her bewitching version of Dionne Warwick's "This Girl's In Love With You" and an explosive performance of "A Man And A Woman" are other highlights on the enthralling collection. The concert encore includes the impressive rapid-fire "Scat Medley" and beautiful "A House Is Not A Home." Information: mercurystudios.co.

Artist: Howdy Glenn
Title: I Can Almost See Houston (Omnivore Recordings)

You might like if you enjoy: Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, George Jones

Tell me more: Before I slipped I Can Almost See Houston in my CD player I had never heard of country music singer Howdy Glenn. Indeed the new release (available Jan. 20 via Omnivore Recordings) is the first-ever collection of songs from Glenn available on audio CD and it's a wonderful introduction to the talented California artist. Featuring all known recordings from Glenn, an impressive array of 23 selections recorded between 1975 and 1980 span the 78-minute disc. As detailed in Scott B. Bomar's instructional liner notes, Glenn was among a handful of Black country music artists who made a mark on the national charts or the public consciousness in the 20th century. A full-time firefighter in Southern California, Glenn won the 1974 "Trucker's Jamboree" at the Hollywood Palladium and scored a recording career; his wonderful cover of Willie Nelson's "Touch Me" spent six weeks on the charts, and he was nominated for the Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist award. But even the most talented of artists sometime never find the acclaim or national recognition they are owed. I Can Almost See Houston showcases Glenn's top-tier vocals that draws comparisons with some of the 1970s greatest country music singers ranging from Charley Pride and George Jones to Merle Haggard. Standouts include the yearning title track, honky tonk-mining "You'll Remember Me," beautiful "Where Did The Years Go," a soaring "That Lucky Old Sun" (an especially emotional performance), and tender "When You Were Blue and I Was Green." Along with the previously-noted liner notes, the 20-page booklet that comes with the audio CD includes a wealth of historic photos and ephemera. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.

Artist: Belle and Sebastian
Title: Late Developers (Matador Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Belle and Sebastian, The Zombies

Tell me more: Without fanfare indie Scottish troupe Belle and Sebastian released their 12th studio album on Jan. 13; Late Developers was issued a mere eight months after the release of 2022's A Bit of Previous but features the expansive craft of a masterwork years in the making. Fans of Belle and Sebastian will be thrilled with the winning 11-track set that spans 42 minutes. The album's highlights are plentiful; the 1960s-spirted opener "Juliet Naked" features band frontman Stuart Murdoch lamenting the folly of romance. Other early album standouts include the propulsive melody-fueled gem "Give A Little Time" featuring Sarah Martin on lead vocals, the wistful "When We Were Very Young," the Baroque ballad "Will I Tell You a Secret," and garage rocker "So In The Moment." The album's magic path continues courtesy of sonic nuggets like the shimmering "The Evening Star," driving "When You're Not With Me" and sumptuous "When The Cynics Stare Back From The Wall." Information: belleandsebastian.com.

Robert Kinsler

Buck Owens' final Capitol Records album, never released, will be available via Omnivore on August 17, 2018

Wow, it is always amazing when the world gets to suddenly hear previously-unreleased music from a legend. Read on for news as it relates to the late Buck Owens' final LP recorded for Capitol Records in 1975...



Buck Owens' last album recorded for Capitol Records, 'Country Singer's Prayer,' to finally be released

Recorded in 1975, 'Country Singer's Prayer' includes Owens' final two singles recorded for the label

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Omnivore Recordings, in conjunction with the Buck Owens Estate, will release Country Singer’s Prayer, Buck Owens’ final Capitol album from 1975, which has remained unissued until now. Street date for CD and Digital is August 17, 2018.

By late 1975, Buck’s unequaled success at Capitol Records was finally winding down. His singles were no longer topping the charts, and after the untimely death of bandmate Don Rich the year before, Buck was starting to lose the fire that drove him through an unprecedented run of groundbreaking hits in the ’60s and early ’70s. His contract with Capitol was due to expire at the end of the year, and he and the Buckaroos readied one final album for the label in November 1975. 

While several of Buck’s later Capitol recordings had not been topping the charts as before, his last single for them, “Country Singer’s Prayer,” failed to even make a showing. 

Likely due to the indifference shown to that last single, the decision was made to shelve this final album, and assign the selection number to what was ultimately Buck’s last Capitol release, Best of Buck Owens, Vol. 6, which did include the last two singles originally intended for Country Singer’s Prayer: “Battle of New Orleans” and the title track. 

While Buck would revisit some of these songs with producer Norro Wilson in Nashville after signing to Warner Bros. Records, the original recordings produced at Buck’s Bakersfield studio with the Buckaroos remained in the vault. 

Country Singer’s Prayer will finally receive its release some 43 years late, taken from the original LP master tapes, in what was the intended sequence. Also included are the B-sides to Buck’s final two singles from the unissued album. 

 View the Buck Owens LP trailer: https://youtu.be/qP5VzY-LneE

With new liner notes by Scott B. Bomar featuring interviews with longtime Buckaroos piano playerJim Shaw and Robert John Jones (a.k.a. Rocky Topp), who co-wrote “Country Singer’s Prayer,” this is a fascinating chance to experience Buck’s last intended Capitol album. 

Track Listing:

1. John Law

2. Love Don’t Make The Bars

3. He Ain’t Been Out Bowling With The Boys

4. Drifting Away


5. The Battle Of New Orleans

6. Country Singer’s Prayer


7. California Okie


8. A Different Kind Of Sad


9. It’s Been A Long, Long Time

10. How’s Everything

Bonus Tracks:

11. Run Him To The Round House Nellie (You Might Corner Him There)

12. Meanwhile Back At The Ranch ]

Produced at Buck Owens Studios in Bakersfield, California