Boom Boom, It's Bacon Fat

Boom Boom Out Go the Lights



Bacon Fat (1969) from Grease One For Me

Lighter, Less Howl-y

Smokey Hogg's version of Good Mornin' Little Schoolgirl, in which his record company wrests credit away from the legendary Big Bill Broonzy.



Over at Be Bop Wino Done Gone, first introduced to us by Baikinange on September 22nd 2009

Junior Wells - " ( I've got a ) Stomach ache "

Junior Wells (December 9, 1934 – January 15, 1998), born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., was a blues vocalist and harmonica player and recording artist based in Chicago, who was also famous for playing with Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. source: WIki

Now That You Don't Mention It

It was interesting to discover that Pink Anderson on film existed.

Reverend Gary Davis - Feel Like Goin' Home

Uploaded by mrdantefontana666

Lisa Bell - Dancing on the Moon

Lisa Bell delivers the goods on her third album, mixing blues, jazz, pop, and roots into a bright, sparkling mix. Her voice can be both polished and loose, and shimmering washes of percussion, chimes, and layered instrumentation provide a worthy backdrop to her lyrics.

“Change Is Free,” the story of an unemployed woman facing daunting economic prospects, is the disc’s standout track, with a funky vibe, heavy beat, and touches of organ. Rather than embracing despair, she opts for change. “I can wait for the shining knight to save the day / I can pray that an angel comes my way... but change is up to me.” An accordion gives “After All” a mellow, European feel. It’s a song of struggle and redemption, accepting responsibility for past mistakes but moving on. Bell’s vocal perfectly suits the languorous tone of the hip-swaying bossa nova beat on “Misty Roses,” another highlight.

Bell gets loose with “Stand Up,” a quirky, danceable tune with prominent drums, organ, and electric guitar creating blasts of sound, and there is a comic element to “How Long,” in which a woman deals with insomnia and delayed flights while waiting to be reunited with her lover. Bell’s voice is full of yearning on “The Last Time,” in which an old love is renounced, with piano adding depth to this ballad.

The varied material on the disc provides plenty of opportunities for Bell to show off her versatile voice, which conveys longing, acceptance, hopefulness, anticipation, and joy in turn. With superb guitar and percussion throughout, it’s clear she is interested in each song not just as a showcase for herself but as a means of communication between artist and listener. Mostly, you get the sense that Bell loves what she’s doing and wants to share the beauty and excitement of these songs with you. Dancing On The Moon is an enjoyable outing of both smooth and improvisational songs, with an upbeat feel, and the blend of styles makes it perfect for the musically adventurous.

Review by Karen Duda

Carrie Rodriguez - Live in Louisville

Luz Music

“Well you have it, you love it, now it’s your turn to shove it…I don’t want to play house anymore,” sings Carrie Rodriguez on her newly released live compilation album, Live in Louisville. Her soulful voice, accompanied by rousing fiddles, makes her point with grace and force. The tunes on the album come from Rodriguez’ various other projects, but the most colorful are those she takes the credit for writing.

“I Don’t Want to Play House Anymore,” “Seven Angles on a Bicycle,” (from the album of the same name), and “Never Gonna Be Your Bride” are among the more upbeat sounds on the album, but that doesn’t mean the rest are purely maudlin. The slower tracks on the album are as much soulful as they are haunting.

The eclectic sounds of her band would put her solidly in an Americana, that amalgam of roots music that revisions country, folk, and blues, but the unique twists and turns of her voice bridge the renewed attention to the genre with more traditional bluegrass and even the more sentimental songwriting of Jewel, Indigo Girls, and Julie Roberts (of country fame).

There is an element of the unexpected in each song, whether it’s a musical bridge or a turn of phrase, and the dusky sound of Rodriguez’s voice seems to make her the perfect candidate for a closing credits track on HBO’s True Blood—a new Grey’s Anatomy of sorts for launching the hottest new music.

Rodriguez can please the country in you while reminding you through her pertinent lyrics that you’re alive, you share in disasters and joys like the rest of us. And just as you’re ready to dismiss one track as too country or too slow, the next places you squarely in New Orleans among an impromptu fiddle fest or back into a dark, dank bar with a lonely mic.

Live in Louisville's variety—in voice and vision—is well worth a listen.

Review by Dr. Julie E. Ferris

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

EMI

It's nothing new for an artist to try different genres of music, but not many can pull off multiple styles in an original way — let alone a way that actually sounds good. Count Patty Griffin among those rare musicians.

I've been a fan of Griffin's since I picked up her 1998 release Flaming Red, a compelling mix of punk, pop, and what was then referred to as 'alternative' music. Griffin's newest release, Downtown Church, is wildly different musically, but no less great a listen.

While some critics—and Griffin herself—have deemed Downtown Church a gospel album, it's much more than that. To my ears, it's an eclectic mingling of soul, blues, gospel, and a couple of songs those of us who have spent some time in the southern part of the United States refer to as spirituals. Griffin's voice is equally enchanting on each of the fourteen songs on the album, whether belting out gospel numbers like “Move Up” and “Wade In The Water,” or crooning the hymn that ends the CD, “All Creatures of our God and King.” Griffin's voice fairly caresses you on the album's lone Spanish language track, “Virgen de Guadalupe.” Though Griffin fluctuates between the somber and the lively, the album's flow and pure woman-positive energy is uninterrupted.

Recorded in the historic Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville—hence the album title—Downtown Church features backup performances from country and gospel heroines like Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Regina and Ann McCrary. Even if this isn't the kind of music you'd normally tune in to, Downtown Church is definitely worth the listen.

Review by M.L. Madison