JOHN
SCOFIELD – COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
An amazing
slice of sound from guitarist John Scofield – a record we might not have
expected years ago, but one that comes across beautifully overall – thanks to
Scofield's ever-increasing diversity as a musician! The title hints at the
contents – as the tracks here showcase John's longtime love of country music –
something that's barely hinted at on his other recordings, and which here gets
completely re-shaped with the Scofield sound – that boldly chromatic style of
guitar that's a million miles from Nashville or Bakersfield, but which turns
out some beautiful reworkings of older classics. The group here features Larry
Goldings on organ and piano, Steve Swallow on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums –
and titles include "Mama Tried", "Wildwood Flower",
"Wayfaring Stranger", "Bartenders Blues", "Mr
Fool", "Jolene", "You're Still The One", and
"Faded Flower". ~ Dusty Groove
TOM TOM CLUB
– TOM TOM CLUB (LIMITED TRANSLUCENT GREEN VINLYL EDITION) LP
The Talking
Heads spawned a number of worthy side projects and spinoffs—David Byrne &
Brian Eno’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Jerry Harrison’s The Red and the
Black—but none were as funky, danceable, and flat-out fun as Chris Frantz and
Tina Weymouth’s Tom Tom Club. Conceived as something of a larkish break from
the grandly realized intellectual and artistic pretensions of the Heads’ Remain
in Light record, the duo’s self-titled 1981 debut was recorded in Barbados with
Weymouth’s sisters and Adrian Belew and Steven Stanley from the Remain in Light
band, and not only spawned a couple of hit singles in “Genius of Love” and
“Wordy Rappinghood” but also became, in its own way, enormously influential.
This was the sound of downtown New York talking, listening, and rapping to the
burgeoning hip hop movement, a hybrid heard in a whole host of acts in the ‘80s
and ‘90s, from Madonna to Mariah Carey to the Beastie Boys and beyond. Weymouth
and Frantz went on to record several more albums under the Tom Tom Club
moniker, but this remains the classic; Real Gone Music is proud to offer Tom
Tom Club in a translucent green vinyl edition limited to 800 copies. Fun,
natural fun! Trackslisting: As Above, So Below; Wordy Rappinghood; Genius of
Love; Lorelei; On, On, On, On...; Tom Tom Theme; Booming and Zooming;and L'
Éléphant.
LADY WRAY –
QUEEN ALONE
A stunning
full length debut from Lady Wray – a voice you might know from her previous
collaboration in the duo Lady – but one that's even more amazing out front here
on her own! The album's got a rock-solid, totally classic vibe – thanks to Leon
"El" Michels – who produced, and provided most of the music with his
group – a completely funky ensemble, but one that's also right up to the sense
of majesty that Wray brings to her vocals – a soaring, righteous spirit that's
way beyond the easy cliches or retro modes of so many other funky singers.
Instead, the lady has a way of doing things that's all her own – a knowledge of
all the places that R&B-influenced vocals have gone in recent decades, but
packed into a simple, straightforward sound that's a perfect fit with Michels'
music. Better than we could have hoped – with titles that include
"Smiling", "Do It Again", "They Won't Hang Around",
"Bad Girl", "Let It Go", "Cut Me Loose", and
"Make Me Over". ~ Dusty Groove
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