Album reviews: Women in the spotlight on new releases, reissues

Dolly Parton's #1 album "Pure & Simple" is one of a number of strong artistic returns featuring the voices of female artists whose voices and unique artistry are featured across must-hear titles available now.


Artist: Dolly Parton
Title: Pure & Simple (Sony Music Entertainment)
You might like if you enjoy: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris
Tell me more: At 70, Dolly Parton has long been an icon as well known for her theme park, movie roles, Dollywood Foundation-related philanthropy and distinctive brand as for her music. But the Tennessee native's new album Pure & Simple rightly puts the focus back on Parton, who wrote every song on the disc. On the lead-off title track, Parton display's her sweet soprano is fully intact and able to deliver romantic lines with tenderness and artful dexterity. "Outside Your Door" finds the singer exploring the more visceral thrill of love, her voice again up to the challenge. Pure & Simple is likely Parton's strongest album in years, with the singer setting her romance-minded tales amidst smart arrangements varying from sparse acoustic settings to piano and fiddle-anchored soundscapes. The Cracker Barrel deluxe version includes two bonus tracks (versions of Parton's hits "Jolene" and "9 To 5" recorded live at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival); the unique collection also includes a 48-page ZinePak magazine filled with photos and interviews with the artist. Information: DollyParton.com.


Artist: Michelle Mangione
Title: Ponies (Michelle Mangione)
You might like if you enjoy: Grace Slick, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Grace Potter
Tell me more: Michelle Mangione's new album Ponies is a wonderful achievement, and not just because it's an independent release. The Southern California-based singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has a knack for blending a number of musical styles in the service of insightful songs that are crafted via dynamic and melodic songcraft  "Jolie" blends folk rock and power-pop via a bouncy 12-string guitar-driven song that is in tune with summertime. Her original "Ride" is a beautiful and sonically-fitting Americana-styled tribute to the late Levon Helm; "The Edge of Madness" (a song Mangione co-penned with legendary Jefferson Airplane singer-songwriter Grace Slick) captures the sounds of New Orleans with a tapestry of drums, fiddle, horns and a chorus of voices that includes Slick, Martha Davis of the Motels and Teri Nunn of Berlin. Other standouts on the 15-track disc include the rocking "Queen of Hysteria" and countrified "The Criminal In You." Information: MichelleMangione.com.




Artist: Mary Chapin Carpenter
Title: The Things That We Are Made Of (Lambent Light Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Shawn Colvin, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris
Tell me more: Middle age is explored with depth, warmth and honesty across Mary Chapin Carpenter's stunning The Things That We Are Made Of. Once known as a country music hit maker, Carpenter has increasingly joined the ranks of Emmylou Harris and Rosanne Cash as an artist who uses her voice in the service of songs that resonate deeply via explorations of the deepest reaches of the human experience. Carpenter has written all 11 songs on The Things That We Are Made Of, and each conveys a wealth of emotional riches. Beautiful and telling titles abound here; "The Middle Ages," "What Does It Mean to Travel," "Map of My Heart" and "Deep Deep Down Heart" are among the many treasures on this astounding collection. Information: MaryChapinCarpenter.com.




Artists: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt
Title: The Complete Trio Collection (Rhino)
You might like if you enjoy: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt
Tell me more: When it comes to super groups, few have attained the majestic heights that were reached when country music singers Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt joined forces to record Trio (1987) and an equally-compelling follow-up disc Trio II (1999). The three-disc "The Complete Trio Collection" set includes Trio I, Trio II and a bonus disc of 20 rare and previously-unreleased tracks. The bonus material is especially exciting, ranging from an alternate take of the tender "Wildflowers" recorded in 1986, the bewitching country ballad "Waltz Across Texas Tonight" (tracked in 1994) and an unreleased 1994 recording of the spiritual "Softly and Tenderly." Everywhere the beautiful and distinctive voices of Parton, Harris and Ronstadt shine, whether taking solo turns or joining in the most lovely of harmonies. Information: rhino.com.




Artists: Judy Henske & Jerry Yester
Title: Farewell Aldebaran (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa
Tell me more: Farewell Aldebaran is among the most eclectic and genre-defying albums recorded in the anything-goes 1960s. The fact that Judy Henske & Jerry Yester's Farewell Aldebaran mixed folk, rock, psychedelia, baroque and jazz pop, theatrical-styled songs and more didn't likely help the 1969 release, which seemed destined to languish in obscurity. But a new reissue of Farewell Aldebaran remastered from the original master tracks  is a must-have for discerning music fans. Like the Zombies' now-classic Odessey and Oracle, Farewell Aldebaran is an exciting and intoxicating listen. The art damage rocker "Snowblind," sweeping "Three Ravens" and country-bending "Raider" are just a few of the joyful discoveries here. In addition to the original 10-song album, the new Omnivore Recordings reissue includes five previously unissued bonus tracks. The physical CD version includes a full-color 20-page booklet packed with liner notes, lyrics and photos. A new LP pressing on starburst vinyl with gatefold jacket and eight-page booklet is also available. Information: omnivorerecordings.com.

Robert Kinsler

Sights and Sounds: 'T.A.M.I. SHOW/THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW COLLECTOR'S EDITION' coming to Blu-ray on December 2

Talk about some legendary performances! I'm sure this Blu-ray release would make a great holiday gift for some discerning music listener on your list! 

SHOUT! FACTORY UNEARTHS ANOTHER GILDED PIECE

OF AMERICAN MUSIC HISTORY WITH THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW

TWO LEGENDARY CONCERT FILMS,

T.A.M.I. SHOW AND THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW,

MAKE THEIR BLU-RAY DEBUT VIA SHOUT! FACTORY IN

THE T.A.M.I. SHOW/THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW COLLECTOR'S EDITION

DECEMBER 2, 2016

Los Angeles, CA – Fans of classic rock and soul rejoiced when the legendary concert film T.A.M.I. Show made its DVD debut on Shout! Factory in 2009. Now that beloved film makes its Blu-ray debut, along with its long-lost—and much requested—follow-up, The Big TNT Show, on December 2, 2016, as part of the 2-disc Blu-ray set T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition, from Shout! Factory. (The Big TNT Show will also be released as a standalone DVD on the same day.) The set will contain all the bonus features from the T.A.M.I. Show DVD, plus new interviews with The Big T.N.T. Show performers Petula Clark, Henry Diltz and John Sebastian, and a 36-page booklet featuring detailed essays by Don Waller, rare photos, and memorabilia.

The Big T.N.T. Show was filmed in Los Angeles in November of 1965 and stars some of the biggest acts of the day, including many future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, performing their best material. The Byrds, in their original line-up of Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Michael Clarke, and Roger McGuinn, perform two # 1 hits, “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season).” Ray Charles gives a rousing performance of “What’d I Say” and “Let the Good Times Roll.” A sultry performance by The Ronettes on “Be My Baby” is met with impassioned screams from the audience; The Lovin’ Spoonful perform their Top 10 hits “Do You Believe in Magic?” and “You Didn’t Have to Be So  Nice”; and Bo Diddley fires up the crowd with “Bo Diddley” and “Hey, Bo Diddley.” To close the show, The Ike & Tina Turner Revue give an electrifying performance, including “I Think It’s Going to Work Out Fine” and “A Fool in Love.”

Also on the stage that evening was Petula Clark, performing her No. 1 hit “Downtown”; Roger Miller, playing his biggest hit, “King of the Road”; Donovan, opening his set with Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Universal Soldier”; and the reigning queen of folk, Joan Baez, reflecting the continuing popularity of the genre as the Vietnam War escalated.

Performing to the side of the stage in between acts, but not seen in the film, was the Modern Folk Quartet. Made up of future luminaries - songwriter/producer Chip Douglas, Lovin’ Spoonful member Jerry Yester, famous rock photographer Henry Diltz, and songwriter/musician Cyrus Faryar, with session player “Fast” Eddie Hoh on drums, the band closed the evening with the show’s Harry Nilsson-composed theme song “This Could Be The Night.”

Originally billed as a companion piece to the T.A.M.I. Show after that show’s success, The Big T.N.T. Show holds up as an essential time capsule from its day. Phil Spector was on board to help produce, to serve as the on-screen music director, and to play piano for Baez’s rendition of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.” David McCallum, a rising star appearing in the new TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., was tapped to emcee. Filmed at what was then the Moulin Rouge nightclub on Sunset, footage also includes shots of the Los Angeles haunts Chateau Marmont, Ben Frank’s coffee shop, and fleeting hot spot The Trip nightclub.

One of the most acclaimed rock events ever captured on film, the 1964 concert known as T.A.M.I. Show also featured performances by several future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. In a lineup like no other, the Rolling Stones, James Brown, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Supremes, Chuck Berry, Lesley Gore and others took the stage one after another on October 29 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

Aside from the five rock groups, all the performers were backed by a band that we've come to know as the Wrecking Crew, famed for playing on Phil Spector-produced hits, Beach Boys albums and much more, with future stars Glen Campbell and Leon Russell, among others. Fanita James, Jean King, and future solo star Darlene Love, billed as The Blossoms, provided backing vocals.

Mastered from a new High-Definition transfer, The T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition brings both of these history-making films to life in a definitive set that no fan or scholar of rock and soul music will want to be without.

Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Factory Productions, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

The Big T.N.T. Show Performances:                                                The T.A.M.I. Show Performances

David McCallum, emcee, conducting the orchestra                      Jan And Dean

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (instrumental)                                     (Here They Come) From All Over The World

Ray Charles                                                                                           Chuck Berry

What’d I Say                                                                                          Johnny B. Goode

                                                                                                Maybellene

Petula Clark

Downtown                                                                                             Gerry And The Pacemakers

                                                                                                                Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying

The Lovin’ Spoonful                                                                             It’s Gonna Be Alright

Do You Believe In Magic

You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice                                                          Chuck Berry

                                                                                                                Nadine

Bo Diddley                                                                                            

Hey Bo Diddley                                                                                     Gerry And The Pacemakers

Bo Diddley                                                                                             Like It

Joan Baez                                                                                               Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

500 Miles                                                                                              That’s What Love Is Made Of

There But For Fortune                                                                        You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me

                                                                                                                Mickey’s Monkey

Ray Charles

Georgia On My Mind                                                                           Marvin Gaye

Let The Good Times Roll                                                                     Stubborn Kind Of Fellow

                                                                                                                Pride And Joy

Joan Baez with Phil Spector                                                               Can I Get A Witness

You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling                                                        Hitch Hike

The Ronettes                                                                                        Lesley Gore

Be My Baby                                                                                           Maybe I Know

Shout                                                                                                      You Don’t Own Me

                                                                                                                You Didn’t Look Around

Roger Miller                                                                                          Hey Now

Dang Me                                                                                                It’s My Party

Engine Engine #9                                                                                 Judy’s Turn To Cry

King of the Road

England Swings    

                                                                                                                Jan & Dean

The Byrds                                                                                              The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena)

Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)                    Sidewalk Surfin

The Bells Of Rhymney

Mr. Tambourine Man                                                                          The Beach Boys

                                                                                                                Surfin’ USA

Petula Clark                                                                                          I Get Around

You’re The One                                                                                    Surfer Girl

My Love                                                                                                 Dance, Dance, Dance

                                                                                                               

Donovan                                                                                                Billy J. Kramer And The Dakotas

Universal Soldier                                                                                  Little Children

Summer Day Reflection Songs                                                           Bad To Me

Bert’s Blues                                                                                           I’ll Keep You Satisfied

Sweet Joy                                                                                              From A Window

                                                                                               

The Ike & Tina Turner Revue                                                             The Supremes

Shake                                                                                                     When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes               

A Fool In Love                                                                                       Run, Run, Run

It’s Gonna Work Out Fine                                                                   Baby Love

Please, Please, Please                                                                         Where Did Our Love Go

Goodbye So Long                                                                                

The Barbarians

David McCallum, conducting the orchestra                                    Hey Little Bird

1-2-3                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                James Brown and The Flames

                                                                                                                Out Of Sight

                                                                                                                Prisoner Of Love

                                                                                                                Please, Please, Please

                                                                                                                Night Train

                                                                                                                The Rolling Stones

                                                                                                                Around And Around

                                                                                                                Off The Hook

                                                                                                                Time Is On My Side

                                                                                                                It’s All Over Now

                                                                                                                I’m Alright

T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show Collector's Edition Bonus Features

• Interview with T.A.M.I. Show director Steve Binder
• New interviews with The Big T.N.T. Show performers Petula Clark, Henry Diltz and John Sebastian                                                         
• Commentary by T.A.M.I. Show director Steve Binder
• Original T.A.M.I Show/The Big TNT Show radio spots
• 36-page booklet featuring detailed essays by Don Waller and rare photos and memorabilia