Best cd's of 2013

Okay, here is my belated list of my favorite music of 2013... All my opinions are mine and mine alone. If I left something off that you like a lot, let me know about it below in the comments; or write your own blog ;-)   This year's descriptions will be shorter than in some years past; due to the fact that we're already into February, March, April of 2014 and this is just now being written/published. As usual, I did include links to all the cd's listed here. 

Also, I won't list my bro Scott Sawyer's new cd, Dreamers, because I have a producer credit on it (conflict of interest?); but if I wasn't involved in the production, it would definitely be on the list. It's mostly original jazz tunes, 3 covers (Irving Berlin, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake), a great band and some wonderful guest appearances by Kate McGarry, Bruce Piephoff, and Tony Williamson. Jason Richmond recorded/engineered it, and it was mastered by the great Gavin Lurssen. CD Baby link is here: http://bit.ly/1nBgavp – It's also on iTunes and Spotify... 

Also, I normally don't mention re-issues... But I highly recommend the 4 cd version of the Allman Brothers band's Brothers and Sisters album, http://amzn.to/Q0E6vx – The same album as always, plus the 1973 Winterland show (very nicely remastered compared to past bootleg versions), and also a disc of outtakes and alternate tracks. A must have if you're an ABB fanatic like me. Same statement applies to the Skydog 7 cd box set, http://amzn.to/1km4smO, released in 2013, produced by Galadrielle Allman (Duane's daughter – She has also written a book I highly recommend – http://bit.ly/1hdPvmB).

Now, back to what I was saying... Here it is, in alphabetic order:

Best cd's of 2013

* John Abercrombie Quartet – 39 Steps 

http://amzn.to/1d3m05G

Guitarist John Abercrombie has been making music on record since 1970 and is a heavyweight in the jazz world. I discovered him as a teenager, via his brilliant Gateway Trio cd's, which paved the way for me to transition from metal head to jazz head. This cd is on ECM Records and he is joined by Marc Copland on piano, Drew Gress on double bass, and the great Joey Baron on drums. If you're not familiar with John Abercrombie, this is as good as place as any to start; although you also can't go wrong with any of his Gateway Trio cd's either (there are 4).

* Scott Amendola and Charlie Hunter – Pucker 

http://amzn.to/1ixLk67

Drummer Scott Amendola has been on my radar for over a decade now; whether by way of touring/recording with Bill Frisell, Nels Cline, Will Bernard, Wil Blades, or Charlie Hunter... Charlie, not by coincidence, has been one of my favorite performers, both on the stage and on disc for over that same aforementioned decade now. His duo lineup has come to be my favorite of his band configurations (aside from the great but sadly brief Pound for Pound lineup, which also featured Scott), and this duo recording is no exception. Whether it's Charlie or Scottie's name in front, the result is the same pure groove. These 2 have been playing together for a long time and it shows.

* BIG Something (self titled) 

http://amzn.to/1cq50k2

Produced by John Custer; who has produced some notable albums by NC bands Corrosion of Conformity, Cry of Love, and Dag (including Dag's masterpiece, Righteous). If I had to pick a category for them musically, I'd say jamband; but there strong elements of funk, 70's prog-rock and fusion, especially the keyboards; and some of the horns make me think early Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is their 2nd release produced by John, and this band already has a very dedicated fanbase. I expect a bright future for the BIG Something!

* Black Sabbath - 13

http://amzn.to/1dhWBUZ 

First off: The fact that the rift between Bill Ward and the remaining 3 has progressed to it's current state sucks major ass. All Bill Ward mention/images have been removed/photoshopped from the official website, aside from the band history tab, and from a fan perspective that is just plain pitiful. Okay, on to the review: This cd was delayed over a year due to Tony Iommi's cancer diagnosis/treatment. Drummer Bill Ward is out, replaced by Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine. Most of this album sounds like material from their first 4 albums. They have stayed very true to their heavily blues influenced prog-rock roots. Their first album was released 44 (!) years ago, 1970. Ozzy, Tony, and Geezer are all in their 60's; and considering that, this cd sounds amazingly fresh. Ozzy's voice sounds good, and unlike Ozzy's recent solo cd's, this is NOT heavily compressed sludge designed for iPod listeners; the cd actually sounds very nice blasting out of my JBL's.

* Eric Burdon – 'Til Your River Runs Dry

http://amzn.to/19E209s

I was never a huge Eric Burdon or Animals Fan; although biggest of props go to Animals bass player Chas Chandler for “discovering” Jimi Hendrix. Yes, this is the same Eric Burdon who recorded House of the Rising Sun 50 (!) years ago. I bought this cd because I knew Eric McFadden and Wally Ingram were all over it. It turns out Jon Cleary also plays some guitar on it. I consider this mostly a blues album, at times with a strong Nola vibe; and a surprisingly very strong effort. After buying it I researched it online, and more than one reviewer deemed it the best Eric Burdon album ever released.

* Steve Earle and the Dukes (& Duchesses) – The Low Highway

http://amzn.to/1asifRt

Steve's 1995 release Train a Comin'  is on my top 10 all time favorite album list. Not all of Steve's releases since then have blown me away. This however, I do rank among his best and in the top tier of the vast Steve Earle catalog.

* The Big E: A Salute to Steel Guitarist Buddy Emmons

http://amzn.to/LBQ4tP

Buddy Emmons fans belong to a special club. If you're a fan, you'll love this cd and appreciate it for what it is. I'm not gonna name all the famous musicians who play on it, because there are too many to list here. But rest assured, Nashville is well represented. The entire cd is great. My favorite tunes are Country Boy, with Vince Gill on Tele and vocals and Paul Franklin on steel guitar; and Night Life, featuring Raul Malo on vocals and Randle Currie on steel guitar :-) If you're not familiar with Buddy Emmons, I would recommend checking him out ASAP; starting with his Steel Guitar Jazz cd, and/or Danny Gatton's Redneck Jazz Explosion.

* Michael Lee Firkins – Yep

http://amzn.to/190PIY7

Every year I seem to latch onto at least one cd from the Magna Carta or Shrapnel record label, which for better or worse are labels I'd guesstimate 95% of cd sales are from old white guys who came of age in the late 70's, 80's, and early 90's ;-) before grunge arrived and temporarily silenced guitar “shredding.” So, Michael Lee Firkins is a virtuoso guitarist (standard and slide) based in Marin County, Northern California. He is yet another fantastic artist worthy of wider exposure. This is a Magna Carta release; and like his previous releases of recent years, this one has an star band backing him: Chuck Leavell on keyboards, Matt Abts on drums, and Andy Hess on bass. Unlike his previous efforts, this cd is NOT all instrumental, there are some songs with vocals. All tunes are originals, no covers. Fans of blues rock guitar, Jeff Beck, Gov't Mule, ZZ Top, etc, will enjoy this disc very much.

* Gov't Mule – Shout!

http://amzn.to/1kdFlFg

Warren Haynes stepped up his game with this latest release, which is on the Blue Note label. I rank it among my 2 favorite Mule recordings, which are Dose and Mighty High. What sets this apart from his other releases is that it is 2 cd's with the same songs – One cd with guest singers on each song, and another cd with Warren singing everything. Although the guest vocals are top shelf and sound great (Dr. John, Ben Harper, Toots Hibbert, Elvis Costello, etc), after repeated listens I have found that overall I prefer the disc with Warren handling all the vocals.

* Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite – Get Up

http://amzn.to/1asdYxj

Album of the year. Number 1 in my book. A blues album, pure and simple. It won a blues Grammy this year. Honest soulful music and lyrics. Ben and Charlie knocked this one out of the park and I can't wait to hear their their next collaborative effort.

* Christian McBride & Inside Straight – People Music

http://amzn.to/1g528vW 

The liner notes state Christian formed this acoustic jazz combo in response to Village Vanguard club owner Lorraine Gordon’s instructions that if McBride wanted to perform there again, he had to do so without his electric “rock ‘n’ roll band.” The lineup is Christian on upright bass, augmented by vibraphonist Warren Wolf, pianist Peter Martin, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson, and drummer Carl Allen, with drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. jumping on board for a few tracks as well. It is what is is. It's safe to say If you dig straight ahead jazz you'll probably like this, a lot.

* JJ Grey & Mofro – The River

http://amzn.to/1mWimPp

Mofro has been on a roll these last few years. This is another Alligator Records release. More of the same swampy Southern rock funk soul music they're been playing for the last decade or so. JJ's lyrics and descriptive imagery evoke, for me, vivid memories of times spent in Nashville and Northern FL. This is the first Mofro studio release featuring Todd Smallie on bass, formerly of the Derek Trucks Band.

* North Mississippi Allstars – World Boogie Is Coming

http://amzn.to/1kdG1KJ

The NMA are on a roll, I also loved their previous release back in 2011. I guess it's now safe to say Chris Chew is officially no longer an Allstar, bummer. I make this statement based on the fact that since their last release they were touring as a duo, and Chris shows up on this latest cd with a guest artist credit. This is their bluesiest effort yet, but still unmistakeably the NMA. There are 3 NMA originals, and the rest are mostly classic Mississippi blues and/or traditional covers. Robert Plant blows harmonica on a couple songs.

* Anders Osborne – Peace

http://amzn.to/1hksEpZ

Anders is still riding that wave; his 3rd cd with Alligator Records, his 3rd consecutive cd of very high caliber music. I'm not going to describe what it sounds like, again; but if you've been reading my blog these last few years, then you may recall I am a big Anders Osborne fan. If you missed my references the previous times, I'll just say it's psychedelic rock music with Nola origins.

* Joel Paterson – Handful of Strings

http://bit.ly/19DZhg7

Joel is a monster guitarist, relatively unknown, based in Chicago. He plays jazz regularly at the Green Mill, and is equally at home playing blues - He is also a full time member of the Cash Box Kings (Blind Pig Records artist). Joel recorded this all instrumental cd in the heavily overdubbed style of mostly early Les Paul recordings, but also some blues and rockabilly flavored tunes too. He plays all the instruments; which are guitar, lap steel, pedal steel, bass, and snare drum.

* Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog – Your Turn

http://amzn.to/KnuLLo

This is the 2nd Ceramic Dog cd. I dug the first one too. This one is more rock less experimental than the previous, shorter more structured tunes; but still plenty of avant garde, free jazz, punk, and other genres hybridized together. The cd is half instrumental / half songs with lyrics. My favorite tunes are Masters of the Internet, Take 5 (this berserk version must have Dave Brubeck spinning in his grave), and We are the Professionals; which could pass for the Beastie Boys in their prime.

* John Scofield – Uberjam Deux

http://amzn.to/Jxz5ry

The first Uberjam cd was back in 2002. Musically, the tunes are just a little less experimental than the last one. Still very funky. The band is Sco on guitars, Avi Bortnick on guitars/samplers, Andy Hess on bass, John Medeski on keys, and Adam Deitch and Louis Cato on drums. I was a big fan of the first Ubderjam cd and this follow up exceeded my high expectations.

* Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers

http://amzn.to/190SlZS

This cd blew me away upon first listen. Today's top Sacred Steel genre pedal steel and lap steel guitar masters step outside the House of God Church, and play some blistering versions of classic rock and blues tunes (including Allman Brothers, Clapton, George Harrison, Elmore James, among others) plus a few unexpected gems thrown in too (a Fatboy Slim song for example). If you're a blues fan or steel guitar fan, this is a must-hear cd.

* Steven Wilson – The Raven that Refused to Sing: And Other Stories

http://amzn.to/1dYe5mB

The busiest man in the prog-rock universe found the time in 2013 to record/release his 3rd solo effort and his best album yet. The cd was co-produced by Alan Parsons (who contributes 1 burning guitar solo), and also features Govan Guthrie on lead guitar. 6 songs, 3 of which are plus 10 minutes long; this cd is chock full of indulgent displays of musician virtuosity/wankery that prog-rock geeks such as myself love ;-)

* The Wood Brothers – The Muse

http://amzn.to/19DZzUj

Chris Wood (of MMW - On upright bass, harmonica, and vocals) and brother Oliver Wells (on guitar and vocals) are the stars of this show. Produced by the great Buddy Miller. There are also various other musicians on certain tracks (including Buddy on baritone guitar on one song). I would consider this roots rock music, strongly rooted in the blues. Their cover of I Got Loaded (by Los Lobos) is as good, if not better, than the original version. Oliver's voice sometimes brings to mind Levon Helm. I highly recommend this excellent cd!

Honorable Mention

* The Black Dahlia Murder – Everblack

http://amzn.to/1bCR0TX

An acquired taste. I've been a fan of this melodic death metal band from Michigan since I saw them open for King Diamond roughly 9 years ago. The brutality continues.

* Fareed Haque – Out of Nowhere

http://amzn.to/1etTiYB

I've been a Fareed fan since my friend Laurie turned me onto his Blue Note cover version of the classic CSNY album, Deja Vu, back in the late 90's. Since then he has stayed very busy and is best known as guitarist of Garaj Mahal, a jamband whose 11 year run ended in 2011. He is a virtuoso on the instrument, and is as versatile live as any guitarist I have ever seen. He has idolized Pat Martino since he was 9 years old, and this should definitely be considered a return to his roots. 

Best cd's of 2012...

Greetings, and my apologies for the extreme delay in finishing this list of my favorite cd's of 2012.  It's been a very busy few months, and there was so much great music released in 2012, and it took me longer than normal to compile this list. You may disagree with this unhip middle-aged white guy's choices, and that is okay :-)

Note: Those who know me personally may notice an omission of the Zep Celebration Day set. Well, I did LOVE it, they sounded great; but if I am going to crank up some live Led Zeppelin, it's most likely going to be from 1969, or possibly 1977, not the '07 reunion. Another omission is the Gary Clark cd - I have only heard it a few times, but it didn't blow me away. Lastly, the Black Country Communion cd didn't kill me either; as much as I dug their last 2 cd's, this one just doesn't do it for me.

Also, because it's already Spring of 2013, let me preface this list with my favorite music of 2013 so far :-)
* Robert Randolph Presents: The Slide Brothers
* Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite - Get Up!
* Jimi Hendrix - People, Hell and Angels
* Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing

Okay, thanks for your patience - Here it is, in alphabetical order:

Best CD's of 2012

* Will Bernard Trio – Outdoor Living
http://amzn.to/UqvInN
Jazz/funk guitarist Will Bernard’s latest disc is a trio recording with his buds Wil Blades on keyboards, and Simon Lott on drums; funky not quite jazz, with Nola leanings… They’ve logged quite a few road miles together and it’s evident on this recording. The band does get ample stretch-out time; it’s not just a guitar work out. This is Will’s first “post Tom Waits” release, and I look forward to his next creative endeavor.

* Mike Daly – Rock of Ages
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mikedaly
Mike Daly is a new discovery for me… He has been Hank Williams Jr’s pedal steel guitarist for the last 18 years; but don’t hold that against him ;-)  I am joking; although in the Hank Williams dynasty, a generation was skipped in the greatness department, in my personal opinion (then again, Junior’s shoes are easier to fill than Senior’s). According to some internet assisted research, I found he has worked with many, including Travis Tritt, and also Whiskeytown, and also Ryan Adams. In other words: Mike is another one of many unsung heroes from Nashville. This cd is unlike any pedal steel guitar album/cd you have ever heard. It’s all instrumental covers of 60’s and 70’s classic rock hits by the likes of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Bros, Traffic, Clapton, the Beatles, Jeff Beck, etc. There is no traditional electric guitar on this cd…  There IS some 6 string acoustic guitar, both finger-picking and slide, some acoustic Weissenborn guitar, and acoustic mandolin; but all electric guitar sounds on this recording were played with a tonebar… It is very well produced; multi-tracked guitars with many different tones and textures. His great band is comprised of more Nashville pro’s whom I mostly haven’t heard of (except Jimmy Hall, from Wet Willie); yet this is very far from the traditional country music that steel guitar and Nashville is normally associated with. On a side note, I spent my high school years there and realize Nashville has always had a rock scene; and there is a lot of music to enjoy there, besides the country genre exclusively.

* Floratone – Floratone II
http://amzn.to/14OAr6B
Floratone is Bill Frisell (guitars), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Lee Townsend (production), and Tucker Martine (production). This (and the first Floratone cd) started out as duo recordings of Bill and Matt, were then pieced together/produced  by Townsend and Martine, then treated to more overdubs from Bill and Matt and additional instrumentation from others; including sidemen in Frisell projects for decades (Ron Miles, Evyind Kang). It’s mostly the same lineup as previous cd, subtracting guest Viktor Krauss but adding guests Mike Elizondo and Jon Brion. This cd has a little more of a band feel than the previous cd. It sounds even better with headphones or turned up loud on good equipment. Lots of different genres of music covered here; if I had to categorize it, I would go with avant-garde… My favorite moments, of which there are several, are when they veer off into Syd Barrett territory.

* Sam Frasier (self-titled)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/samfrazier1
Sam is based in Greensboro, NC and has been a fixture of the arts scene there for probably 3 decades now… The cd is song based, all original music, with Sam on acoustic/electric guitars and lead vocals; and the other musicians are based in the Piedmont area and well known and heard locally. Musically, it’s hard to pigeonhole, I would say maybe roots rock with some acoustic leanings; lyrically, it’s mostly songs about love and relationships. As far as influences go, I hear traces of acoustic Hot Tuna, Neil Young, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, and the less commercial side of the Eagles. The cd is only about 40 minutes long, and it left me wanting more.

* Jimmy Herring – Subject To Change Without Notice
http://amzn.to/TavlKW
This was produced by John Keane, and backing Jimmy are musicians mainly from the Atlanta area, all well known in jamband and Zambi circles; plus a couple guests: Bela Fleck on banjo (the Bela track, Curfew, is one of the highlights of the cd), and also Bill Evans on saxophone… Beautiful stuff here, great guitar tones and playing (both shredding, and hitting the note), and he plays some nice slide guitar too. I hear a strong Dixie Dregs influence overall; also Jeff Beck’s 70’s instrumental albums, and a bit of 70’s fusion ala Weather Report. This is my favorite Jimmy Herring recording, post Aquarium Rescue Unit, of the many things he has done. I can’t wait to hear his next solo release.

* David Hidalgo/Mato Nanji/Luther Dickinson – 3 Skulls & the Truth
http://amzn.to/Uh1UYZ
A bluesy Texas boogie guitar cd starring David Hidalgo from Los Lobos, Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars, and Mato Nanji from Indigenous; and produced by Mike Varney, from Shrapnel records. This is a nasty raucous affair, best heard at high volume; reminiscent of Stevie Ray and early ZZ Top. Some of the Shrapnel catalog has been on the generic side despite big names, and I was surprised at how very solid this cd is… Actually, ZZ Top has a new cd out in 2012 too, and this one is better; I do realize music isn’t competition, but this is a “best of” blog.

* Charlie Hunter – Not Getting Behind Is The New Getting Ahead
http://amzn.to/TgfV7t
Charlie keeps stepping it up a notch and changing his game a little bit every couple years. He’s been on a tear these last few years from a live perspective, especially if you’re into blues. This might be his bluesiest cd yet… This is Charlie on 7-String guitar and Scotty Amendola on drums. Like his previous 1988 duo recording, it is hard to believe this is just 2 people. If I hadn’t seen him do it live on stage, countless times, I would probably be a doubter. The stuff he is doing nowadays, the harmonics and panning Frisellian volume swells, while simultaneously playing bass, it’s simply amazing; and it sounds pretty good too :-)

* The Meldavians – Farewell to Arigemon
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/themeldavians
Bias Alert: My bro Scott Sawyer plays all electric guitars on this cd. The Meldavians is keyboardist Dave Fox’s brainchild. Dave comes from the jazz/avant-garde world, and this band is a vehicle for his compositions, and lyrics to be sung by Melissa Reaves, who also plays acoustic guitar and loops (and contributed 3 songs), and is a MFing rockstar with as much stage presence/charisma as I have ever seen, period (Melissa has toured as Robert Plant’s opening act, and has often been compared to Janis Joplin). Dave is based in Greensboro, Scott is based in Raleigh, Melissa is based in Boone half the year; and on bass, drums, and percussion is a mix of different musicians on different tracks from mainly NC’s jazz world, and this band could be considered a NC supergroup. The music is good old American rock & roll, steeped in blues with some Nola leanings and a bit of prog avant-garde weirdness (GOOD weirdness). The strongest influence I hear is Little Feat (Dave’s keyboards), but I do hear some Zep, and dare I say it; some Janis Joplin. It was produced by Dave and John Plymale, and it briefly had 3 Grammy nominations on on this year’s official Grammy nomination ballot (55th annual), although not enough votes were cast to make it the final ballot… Did I mention that the Meldavians are Aliens from the planet Teronus? I’m serious; you can read about in Dave’s companion book that was released when the cd came out :-)

* My Three Sons (self-titled)
http://bit.ly/UlGMkc
Pete Petty on guitar and the great Kenny Soule/Bobby Patterson rhythm section (Dag, the original Go There). Funky instrumental power trio from NC, with a retro sound reminiscent of late 70’s/80’s fusion bands.

* Anders Osborne – Black Eye Galaxy
http://amzn.to/SaYjwE
Another masterpiece (I don’t use that term lightly) from the enigmatic freak Swede-Nola-Convert. This is his 2nd album on the Alligator label, less blues more rock and psychedelia than his outstanding 2010 effort; but equally scintillating and chock-full of great songs and plenty of burning guitar work. Anders is one of the most exhilarating rock guitarists to creep onto my radar in the last few years, and I highly recommend this superb cd.

* Public Enemy – Evil Empire of Everything
http://amzn.to/14tDG35
This is PE’s 12th cd in their 25 year history. It seems like another lifetime when I first heard It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Thank you David Harvard!), and realized great music actually was possible with DJ’s and samplers and drum machines. I am very particular about Hip Hop - Outside of Cannibal OX, Eminem, Immortal Technique, and Wu Tang; I basically haven’t gotten into any hip hop artists that became relevant after the late 90’s, and even then, the old-school artists I really got into were few and far between. I wouldn’t know a Kanye West or 50 Cent or Lil’ Wayne song if it smacked me in the face. This is PE’s 2nd release of 2012. Generally, the earlier released Most of my Heroes Still Don’t Appear on No Stamp got more press and better reviews than this one; but I disagree, this one is heavier and angrier (it is post Trayvon Martin). There is plenty of their trademark PE funk; Chuck D still sounds pissed off and his rhymes are expressive, he has not lost his edge. Flava Flav has a couple songs, and they’re actually good, way better than his shitty reality TV show. Professor Griff is there too, only Terminator-X is absent as far as the original PE goes… There are also quite a few guests; Ziggy Marley, Henry Rollins & Tom Morello, and a whole slew of next generation rappers. Sergeant Hawkes from the 1991 track Get the Hell Outta Dodge even makes an appearance! There is also quite a bit of live instrumentation, including the great Clyde Stubblefield on drums. This is by far the best cd PE has put out in quite a few years.

* Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Big Moon Ritual
http://amzn.to/TeQm9A
Aside from the Jimmy Page/Black Crowes Tour, this is my favorite cd of any of the Black Crowes side projects thus far… Chris is lead singer and also plays a lot of guitar, but no brother Rich on this band. Instead, guitarist Neal Casal, best known from his days with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, joins him. It’s laid back jammy rock and roll. I hear an obvious Black Crowes sound, but I also hear a lot of 70’s classic rock – The Stones, Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, and 70’s era Jerry Garcia Band. The cd is all original music, my favorite tune is Rosalee. There was also a companion cd released a few months later, The Magic Door, which I haven’t yet heard.

* Freddie Roulette – Jammin’ with Friends
http://bit.ly/Tc6dDO
Another cd from lap steel guru extraordinaire Freddie Roulette, with a backing band comprised of veterans from San Francisco’s rock and blues scenes; including Harvey Mandel, David LaFlamme, Barry Melton, Pete Sears, and Kathi McDonald (Kathi’s last recording). It was produced by drummer Michael Borbridge, not promoted very well, and consequentially it barely made a ripple when it was released… But, I am a fanatic, thus I heard about it and snagged a copy right away ;-)  Nothing groundbreaking here, just some blues by a uniquely inimitable master of his craft.

* Royal Southern Brotherhood (self-titled)
http://amzn.to/14xGBZA
Devon Allman (son of Gregg) on guitar and vocals, Cyril Neville on percussion and vocals (no intro necessary), Mike Zito on guitar and vocals (a KILLER slide player from St. Louis I was unfamiliar with prior to this band), Yonrico Scott on drums (Derek Trucks Band), and New Orleans/Atlanta heavyweight Charlie Wooton on bass; and produced by Jim Gaines, who has produced hundreds of albums including Stevie Ray’s Grammy winning In Step. It sounds about like what you would expect; a blend of the Allman Brothers Band (I do hear Gregg, in Devon) and the Neville Brothers, swampy rock and roll with a lot of guitar solos. There are plenty of great musical moments all over it. This cd exceeded my expectations and was a very nice surprise. They cover a Grateful Dead song, Fire on the Mountain; and my favorite tracks are Sweet Jelly Doughnut, and the ABB-like instrumental tune, Brotherhood.

* Rush – Clockwork Angels
http://amzn.to/TeztwP
I have been a Rush fan since I was 14 when Permanent Wave was released (in 1980). I consider that their peak album; and by the time Signals was released a few years later I began to lose interest in the direction they had taken as a band. Since then they have released a string of albums that for me, were mostly bland and mediocre; with the exception being Hold Your Fire – I thought that was a pretty decent album. So, I am really digging this new one. I will even go so far as to proclaim it the best Rush album since Moving Pictures. If you prefer the earlier Rush that was heavier and featured more guitars/less keyboards, then you will not be disappointed with this latest greatest effort.

* Storm Corrosion (self-titled)
http://amzn.to/RTZEqo
This is a collaboration between Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree’s guitarist/frontman, and Mikael Akerfeldt, guitarist/frontman for Opeth; a Swedish progressive death metal band. It sounds closer to the mellower side of Opeth than it does Porcupine Tree, but not too much like either band. Some of it reminds me of early Pink Floyd from an experimental psychedelic standpoint, and I also hear maybe a bit of Radiohead and early Genesis. There is quite a lot of acoustic guitar, a string section, and the great Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree plays drums. This is dark beautiful music, with overall excellent production; as expected, like anything Steven Wilson’s name is on. I got the version that contains a 2nd disc, blu-ray (audio) 5.1 surround mix with some bonus tracks.

* Joe Walsh – Analog Man
http://amzn.to/TfIRQB
It’s a new Joe Walsh album, enough said; co-produced by Joe and Jeff Lynne, and his first solo effort in 20 years. I have always considered Joe Walsh one of the great underrated rock guitarists of all time. He is sober these days, for better or worse, but his music is still nice and quirky, the lyrics are humorous and good social commentary – He isn’t as unplugged as he’d leave you to believe from the title track’s lyrics; he does still has a clue. Also, he has a star-studded cast of musicians/singers all over the cd; including David Crosby, Graham Nash, Greg Leisz, Little Richard, Dale Peters, Joe Vitale, and Ringo Starr. Welcome back indeed!

* Keith Waters – Carolina Tracks
http://ncjazzscholarship.org/tracks_cd.html
Bias alert #2: My bro Scott Sawyer plays guitar on this cd. Keith is a pianist based in CO, but originally from NC; he is a professor and also a writer, and is best known for his written critical analysis of the studio recordings of the Miles Davis Quintet 1965 – 1968… Anyway, this music fits firmly in the jazz genre. All musicians on the cd are jazz heavyweights from NC, and the 3 songs that are not original are covers by NC jazz artists/legends Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Loonis McGlohon; and… Proceeds from the recording will be used to support a scholarship for a NC high school student to major in music at a NC college/university. Excellent performances abound, and it was engineered by Jason Richmond in Durham, NC. Yes, this cd is definitely a North Carolina affair. My 2 favorite tracks are Denied, and Vigil (for D.V.).

* Jack White – Blunderbuss
http://amzn.to/Ufo6V3
I didn’t get Jack White the first few times I heard him. The earlier White Stripes albums didn’t knock me out; but by the time the 1st Raconteurs album was released in ’06, I had seen the light. This is his first release since his high profile amicable divorce last summer.  Like his previous “break up” record, the White Stripes’ Get behind Me Satan, this album lyrically is mainly about love lost; but it’s not all despair, there is still an air of happiness. It is more polished than the WS, but not over-produced; with plenty of guitar and other instrumentation as well, and the Nashville influence is subtle but obvious. This is my favorite Jack White recording so far, of the many cd’s he has played on/produced.

* Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
http://amzn.to/171oHzz
Ahh, good old Neil. You either don’t get it and wonder how people can stand his high pitched vocals and sloppy leads; or you think he is brilliant, his voice and guitar work instantly indentifiable trademarks, and like fine wine he keeps getting better with each passing year… I used to be the former, now I’m the latter. I am a little biased though, because the 2 Neil/Crazyhorse concerts I did see were epic and dare I say it, revelatory… Anyway, this is standard for what you’d expect from a Neil Young & Crazy Horse record: Very long jams laden with copious amounts of overdriven guitar and feedback :-)  2 cd’s with a total of 9 songs, 3 of them over 15 minutes in length, with the longest tune being almost 28 minutes! This is Neil’s best effort since 1994’s Sleeps with Angels.

Honorable Mention:

* Bad Brains – Into the Future
http://amzn.to/V0ilha
This is another album that caught me off guard; a pretty solid effort considering they have been doing it for 30 years and are not young men; and punk has always been a young man’s game. It is the original lineup, and musically speaking, they are as tight as ever. Granted it’s not I Against I, and some of it is a little formulaic, especially the reggae tunes; but these dudes are all approaching retirement age, and this disc puts a lot of their peers to shame

* Flea – ‘Helen Burns’
http://amzn.to/14k6dul
This is an odd quirky 30 minute EP, named after a character from (the novel) Jane Eyre. Musically, it is very much unlike the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea describes it as a “mostly instrumental, weird and arty record, the music is mostly just me creating soundscapes that are very emotional for me, but certainly not for everyone! Just me tripping out at home. I am putting it out to raise money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music; a community based non-profit music school that I am an integral part of.” What I hear sounds like a mix of early 70’s progressive rock (the keyboards), a movie soundtrack, and electronica. Aside from Flea, Patti Smith sings on 1 track, the Silverlake Choir sings on 1 track; and drummers Stella Mozgawa, Chad Smith, and Jack Irons all make appearances. Flea plays bass, keyboards, trumpets, synthesizers, and percussion and drum machines.

* Medeski Martin & Wood – Free Magic
http://bit.ly/11tw3sU
Normally I wouldn’t include a live MMW cd here in my best-of-blog, because they are taper-friendly and consequentially the internet is saturated with MMW live audience recordings… However, this disc is all tracks from a 2007 acoustic tour, and it can be harder to capture a good audience recording of MMW acoustic (versus electric); and also, the cd ends with a nice version of the Charles Mingus classic, Nostalgia in Times Square, never before recorded by MMW... There is a reason why John Scofield recently proclaimed MMW his favorite live band.

* Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania
http://amzn.to/Vc1QOh
I’m surprised I like this album as much as I do. I was heavily into this band in the beginning, but started losing interest after their 3rd and 4th albums - The 1st couple, Gish and Siamese Dream, I consider them both masterpieces. I’ve never been a huge Billy Corgan fan - I always dug his singing, but I was more into James Iha’s guitar playing; and Corgan’s bursting ego is what pushed me away from the band. Now, 12 years have passed since the band broke up and they parted ways, and both Iha and Corgan have both released new cd’s (Iha’s is titled Look to the Sky)… Corgan has retained the Smashing Pumpkins name (all new band members), and I have to say Oceania is by far the better of the two. If you’re a big fan of the earlier Smashing Pumpkins cd’s, then you should check this one out if you haven’t already.

* Tremonti – All I Was
http://amzn.to/Zp8axY
I’ve never been a Creed fan, I’ve never heard any Alter Bridge, and he’s a founding member of both hugely successful bands… I’ve always been a bit of a metal-head though, and what drew me into checking out this cd was Mark Tremonti’s appearance on Eddie Trunk's Metal Show; where he proclaimed his love for metal, thrash, and King Diamond. I was already aware of his Paul Reed Smith signature model guitar; next I googled him and saw the many different awards/polls he’s won in various guitar magazines, and I read some reviews of this cd and snagged a copy. I Like it. While it’s not a thrash album, it is metal, with plenty of stunt guitar work, and my favorite parts are the songs with the noticeable early Metallica and Pantera influences. He is definitely a badass, no doubt hugely inspirational to the next generation of aspiring shredders. He also handles the lead vocals and sounds okay, no cookie monster leads vocals, thank you. I am not familiar with drummer and bassist, they are a tight rhythm section. Overall: This is a fine debut album that (I’m sure) Tremonti’s fanatics had been clamoring for.

* Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
http://amzn.to/10pAsLV
In my opinion, and despite the fact Michael Anthony’s background vocals are missed; this is the best VH album since Fair Warning, which I consider their “peak” recording. No, I am not a huge fan of Diver Down or Van Hagar. This cd sounds just like the VH of old and is surprisingly fresh.  My only complaint is their terrible heavily compressed mix/mastering job; it seems this cd was engineered for MP3/iPods with shitty earbud speakers. The Grateful Dead had their “Wall of Sound” while Van Halen has their “Wall of Sludge.”

July 1999 - 12/31/2009, best musical multi-night runs...

I have managed to see some epic musical performances. Sometimes it was just one night, other times it was 2 or 3 consecutive nights; and on rare occasion, a bit longer... Anyway, below is my list of the most memorable multi-night musical runs I have experienced these last 11 years, in chronological order. I chose summer 1999 as the starting point because there were some stand-outs then and the preceding couple years hadn't been as huge... While the majority of live music performances I have attended in my lifetime has been great, these multi-night runs stood out. Why, might some of you be asking, is there no mention of Widespread Panic's 1999 European Tour? Because I only caught 1 night (Paradiso/Amsterdam). As for the Beacon Runs, if I am going to list every one I've been to, whats the point of making a list here? That is why I was selective in which runs I chose (Allman or other bands). If my next 11 years on this planet are even half as interesting, from a music fan perspective, then consider me a damn lucky mofo :-)

* 6/12/99, 6/13/1999 - The Allman Brothers Band @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, CO)
I came from another continent to be there that weekend; from Reading, Berkshire (UK)... The fact I crossed an ocean from Allman deprived Europe gave this weekend an extra double or triple dose of sweetness. There was a large tribe of Disreputables, we were all staying at the Marriott in Golden, and we took it over. It was a crazy couple of nights. This particular weekend, these 2 shows were the first with Derek Trucks as a full time permanent member of the band (replacing Jack Pearson). It was this weekend that really launched my "traveling obsession/fanaticism" of my favorite bands.

* 12/30/1999, 12/31/1999 - Phish @ Big Cypress Seminole Indian reservation (The Everglades in South Florida)
Another major effort to be there... This time I traveled from Brussels, Belgium. Millennium weekend. I was there with my best friend since junior high school (early 80's), Mike, and although he had initially turned me on to Phish 8 years before, these were the first shows we caught together... 2 nights of solid music, on NYE they played from approximately 11:30 PM until sunrise the next morning.

* 3/23/2001, 3/24/2001, 3/25/2001 - The Allman Brothers Band @ The Beacon Theatre (NYC)
Another major effort to be there... This time I traveled from Santa Catarina, Brazil, which I had been calling home for the previous 5 months. The day before my flight, I was hiking in some woods and got bitten by mosquito's... By the time my plane landed in NY approximately 20 hours later, both my ankles were swollen to the point I could have used some crutches. Anyway, I had excellent seats with very close friends for 3 consecutive nights (3/23, 3/24, and 3/25); and these were the final 3 nights of the extended Beacon Run... It was after this run they announced that Warren Haynes had rejoined the band on a permanent basis (He was "guest guitarist" for the run, replacing "interim guitarist" Jimmy Herring who had initially stepped in when Dickey Betts left the band)... Regarding the vibe that weekend: The energy in the air, being generated both on stage and from the audience, and back and forth, was incredible... This was my first Beacon experience too. All the familiar faces I saw in the theatre and/or neighborhood, and the huge tribe staying at the Beacon Hotel made it even more special... By the end of the weekend, I lost my voice. To this day this might be the best 3 nights, overall, of live music I have experienced, period. Not that the rest of this list wasn't as good, they were; but this weekend was the perfect overall vibe that will never be recaptured.

* 12/30/2003, 12/31/2003 - Gov't Mule @ The Beacon Theatre (NYC)
This was a last moment deal... I found out a couple weeks before the shows that a friend was holding some extra's if I wanted them, and worked this weekend into my NYE plans. I stayed at the Beacon Hotel, more quality time with Disreputables; and since this was a present to myself because I had just annulled my marriage, after enduring a very unrewarding few months of marital non-bliss, I followed this weekend with a short week in Amsterdam ;-) If I remember correctly, on 12/31, Warren teased 20th Century Schizoid Man AND Hocus Pocus (I am such a prog geek).

* 10/22/2004, 10/21/2004, 10/24/2004 - MagnoliaFest @ Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (Live Oak, Fl)
A sh*tload of bands over a 3 day period... The one though, that influenced me to pull the trigger on a ticket and be there was a Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit reunion show. Aside from this zambirrific band, other highlights were Peter Rowan's Crucial Reggae (with the Burning Spears Horns), The Codetalkers, Oteil & the Peacemakers, Derek Trucks Band, Railroad Earth, Blueground Undergrass, and Donna the Buffalo. Great music, a beautiful venue, and easy low stress not-too-crowded primitive camping.

* 4/15/2005, 4/16/2005 - Wannee Festival @ Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (Live Oak, Fl)
This was the first annual Allman Brothers Band extended family musical orgy. Lineup was the Allman Bros, Derek Trucks Band, Gov't Mule, Oteil & the Peacemakers, Robert Randolph, Galactic; plus a few more. Another big showing of Disreputables from the tribe made this extra special; plus it wasn't too crowded, and we knew some people who had a cabin with warm water and AC if we needed a brief reprise from the weather and elements. The fact I got so drunk one mid day, almost passed out during Derek Truck's late afternoon daylight set, then recovered enough to the point I could communicate and be comprehended later that night; is the kind of tale of which legend is born :-) I also wound up backstage one night, and although it wasn't the first time back there, it was the first and only time I was introduced to Gregg Allman and got to personally thank him, for so much great music and memories over the years. We also had a crazy Matt Abts moment in a trailer I can't go into detail about here... The music wasn't bad either...

* 10/14/2005, 10/15/2005, 10/16/2005 - Steelin' & Slidin' (The Netherlands)
The Derek Trucks Band's 1st ever 3 European shows, with Sonny Landreth, Buddy Cage, Dan Tyack, and Dutch musicians Johan Jansen and René van Barneveld... The 14th was in Groningen, the 15th in Eindhoven, and the 16th @ Paradiso in Amsterdam. All 3 nights were small venues but very nice rooms, with very enthusiastic fans. I made some great friends on that tour, hung out with DTB a bit, met Derek's grandfather; and I had the honor of buying Sonny Landreth a pint of Guinness late one night ;-) The music was awesome, seeing Sonny and Derek on stage together was pretty incendiary, and unknown (to me, at that time) Dan Tyack was killing it on pedal steel. The overall energy, although smaller scale due to smaller crowds, was comparable to the ABB's 2001 Beacon run mentioned above. Sadly, I haven't been back to Europe since this run of shows... I hope to remedy this situation sometime in 2010.

* 1/20/2006, 1/21/2006 - Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit @ Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO)
A couple more Col. Bruce Bruce reunion shows with Jimmy, Oteil, and Sipe; always something to get extremely excited about. I was in the beautiful town of Boulder, I was seeing ARU twice, and I was with a couple very close friends who were ARU virgins. What more needs to be said?

* 4/19/2006, 4/20/2006 - David Gilmour (Los Angeles)
I caught the show 4/19 @ Kodak Theater, and 4/20 @ the Gibson Theatre. I enjoyed the 4/20 show just a tad more because our seats were better. But, being a long time Pink Floyd FREAK and David Gilmour FREAK, I thought both of these shows were off the hook. Band included Phil Manzarek of Roxy Music on 2nd guitar, and Floyd alumni Richard Wright on keys; and for these 2 LA shows we also got David Crosby and Graham Nash doing back up vocals... Not too shabby.

* 3/19/2009, 3/20/2009, 3/21/2009 - The Allman Brothers Band @ The Beacon Theatre (NYC)
Another ABB Beacon run... This one was extra special for a few reasons. I was able to book my bro Scott's band "Go There" at Sullivan Hall, in the Village, on 3/18. This was the first "Go There" show w/Oteil Burbridge on bass, since Scott had released his "Go There" cd the year before which did feature Oteil along with his bro Kofi. I was pretty damn proud of myself for helping to make that happen. Secondly, Eric Clapton sat in 2 nights for a full set, those were my first ever live EC experiences... To see him playing Layla with Derek Trucks playing the Duane parts, it was MAGIC. Thirdly, I was able to gift brother Scott with a 2nd row seat for the 3/19 show... It was his 1st ever live Derek Trucks sighting, his first time seeing the Allman Bros since the 70's, and I don't know if he had ever seen Clapton before that night. So, aside from the awesome music I heard 4 nights in a row, it was pretty rewarding to turn my bro onto this wonderful scene I am a part of.

* 4/15/2009, 5/8/2009, 5/9/2009 - Derek Trucks Band (NorCal)
I have seen the Derek Trucks Band a sh*tload of times since my 1st show in January of 2000... As good as every one has been, the next one is always just a little bit better. I pretty much try to catch whatever shows are reasonably nearby as often as they come through; and these 3 were the last ones I saw - Thus they are included on this list. 4/15 was at Regency Center in San Fran. Carlos Santana sat in. At one point he and Derek were soloing and trading licks, and while Derek was going off Carlos just kind of quit playing and was laughing at Derek, watching him play and point at him; it was obvious he was as mesmerized as the rest of us. Fast forward a couple weeks later - 5/8, the Crest Theatre in Sacramento. A nice old room I had never been in before. 5/9 was the Fountain Blues Fest on San Jose State Campus. Sacramento was fun (like every DTB show), good crowd, the band feeding off the crowd, an out version of My Favorite Things... You know the drill... San Jose was more a blues set, which DTB doesn't give you too often (it was a blues fest). There were a lot of Derek Trucks newbies at this festival, and it's always a lot of fun seeing their reactions and expressions when seeing the Derek Trucks band for the first time. This band is on a prolonged hiatus now; and while I am sad I won't get to see this particular group of artists on stage together for a year or longer, I am very excited about all the other possibilities this hiatus opens up for them

* 10/30/2009, 10/31/2009, 11/1/2009 - Phish @ Festival 8 (Indio, CA)
This was another spontaneous last minute deal for me... I had seen them the previous August here in the Bay Area; and a couple weeks before this festival I saw some cheap tickets for sale on craigslist. I asked for and was given a couple days of paid time off at work; so I snagged the ticket, booked a cheapo hotel room, and drove down to the Palm Springs desert. The music was exceptional, the festival was a trip, Halloween was particularly wacky. The album they covered was Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street" and they had Sharon Jones of the Dap Kings doing backup vocals. We were also treated to Phish'es 1st ever acoustic set. It was a great time, a very well organized festival, and I hope they do it again in 2010.

* 11/12/2009, 11/13/2009, 11/14/2009 - Widespread Panic @ Fox Theatre (Oakland, CA)
I've been catching WSP shows since '92, but was never really motivated to do multi-night runs until the Jimmy Herring era... I would have loved to have done more runs earlier on with them, but it wasn't in my budget, or my work schedule didn't allow it... I was a bit of a Mikey snob, and even though I am a HUGE Jimmy Herring advocate (I am obsessed with his 1st band, ARU), it took me quite a while to really enjoy a Panic show without comparing them to their former and different 6 headed monster jam... They are still KILLER, but a less balanced band in my opinion, with sideman extraordinaire Jimmy Herring playing lead guitar. I did an LA Orpheum run in '06 I think it was, the Oakland Paramount run in '07, and this Fox Oak run back in November last year... After 3 plus years of Jimmy being in the band, this last run makes my list. I had a blast at these 3 shows! Still, long live the memory and music of Mikey Houser.

* 12/29/2009, 12/30/2009, 12/31/2009 - Phish @ American Airlines Arena (Miami, FL)
10 years later, back in South Florida seeing Phish play some NYE shows, with my old friend and partner in crime, Mike. We caught 3 nights of a 4 night run. More excellent music, and despite the fact Miami is a very weird city (There was a fight at Shakedown Street one night post show AND I saw a cop beating up a hippie for hitting a nitrous balloon - I know its illegal and bad for you, maybe I have been in Cali too long and thus I'm jaded), that weirdness added to the weekend overall, and this run still makes my list; because musically Phish is so on top of their game at this moment.

My belated picks...Best cd's of 2009

Better late than never... Here is my list... But first, some disclaimers and notes... I stuck to cd's that are more or less commercially available in stores - I didn't include any Allman Beacon cd's, although all 6 of the ones I bought are killer, as are the other shows which I procured SBD's of... Same thing applies to the other live ABB cd's I got (Vegas and Fox) which also sound mighty fine. I also didn't include any downloads from muletracks.com or livephish.com - I also didn't include dTb's "Already Live" because it's an EP and not a full length show,and there are many complete excellent sounding dTb recordings on the LMA. Anyway, these are my choices, with a few comments thrown in here and there, (following a **). The list is in alphabetical order.

...Like Perry Farrell says: "Everybody has their own opinion..."

====================

Best of 2009

01- John Abercrombie Quartet - Wait Till You see Her
02- Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue ** Alice in Chains is back!
03- Pedro Arevalo - Pedro Aravelo & Friends Too ** Great cover of Jimi's "My Friend" - This cd reminds me of Hot Tuna, although I like it better than Jorma's 2009 album "River of Time"
04- Roy Buchanan - Live: Amazing Grace
05- Five Peace Band (Chick Corea & John McLaughlin) - Live ** This and the phish are my 2 favorites of the year.
06- Bill Frisell - Disfarmer
07- Gov't Mule - By a Thread
08- Ben Harper and Relentless7 - White Lies For Dark Times ** Ben Harper is so underrated as a guitar player.
09- Living Colour - The Chair in the Doorway
10- Eric McFadden - Train to Salvation ** Awesome album, not the trio; more songwriter oriented, very dark.... Comes w/a live DVD. This album is a French import, and I had to order it from Switzerland, even though we practically live in the same zip code; because I was too impatient to wait.
11- Medeski Martin & Wood - Radiolarians (II & III, or the entire box set)
12- Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel - Willie and the Wheel
13- Phish - Joy ** This and the Five Peace band are my 2 favorites of the year.
14- Porcupine Tree - The Incident ** Still IMO the best post 80's prog band.
15- Rodrigo y Gabriela - 11:11 ** This is a burning album. If you're into the McLaughlin/DeLucia/Dimeola albums, then you'll dig this too.
16- John Scofield - Piety Street
17- Mike Stern - Big Neighborhood ** Guitar geek music. Guests on this cd include Steve Vai, Medeski Martin & Wood, Randy Brecker, Dave Weckl, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Eric Johnson (where has this cat been since he released "Tones" 24 years ago??)
18- Derek Trucks Band - Already Free ** Woohoo, 2009 Grammy winner :-)
19- Umphrey's McGee - Mantis ** It took a long while for UM to grow on me, but they finally did... I had them written off as phish wannabe's, but on this album IMO they now have their own musical voice. If you dig classic prog bands you'll probably dig this album.
20- Steven Wilson - Insurgentes ** Steven Wilson is Porcupine Tree's mastermind; or dictator, depending on how you read into it. This album is more out, textured, and lush; not as heavy as what PT is doing nowadays. This is closer maybe to Pink Floyd or Radiohead.