Bentley’s Bandstand: June 2024
By Bill Bentley
Lisa “Little Baby” Andersen, SOUL and Kid Andersen, SPIRITS. Here’s a cool “two albums in one” idea that works perfectly. Kid Andersen is a blues guru who can play just about anything. His guitar blazes the way on all these songs, but with the style the man mixes up and attacks shows he knows exactly what he’s doing. There is no need to call in any big names to bolster these blues. Andersen’s guitar leads the way just fine, and featuring all kinds of righteous players on the tracks of both discs, the party gets started in fine style. With Andersen writing or co-writing all the songs himself excerpt for deep-soul covers of a Blind Willie Johnson classic and, yes, the Beatles’ “Day Tripper,” it’s obvious this is someone who takes his job seriously. All the help from the Greaseland USA crew makes his nine tracks fly by, getting down-right funky from note one. Which leads to the other disc with Lisa “Little Baby” Andersen marching straight into a funked-up display of true wonder. This woman can sing like nobody’s business. There are original songs mixed in perfectly with covers by Stevie Wonder, Bobby Vega, one zinger by the late Donnie Woodruff, and several by William Leuschner and Lisa Leuschner, not to mention the unequaled all-time groover “Rock Bottom,” originally recorded by Elvin Bishop and Jo Baker. That’s deep diving. In the end this two-CD set is a kind of trip into the spirit zone of modern rhythm & blues, done with the strongest of feelings and all kinds of knocked-out participants. Satisfaction definitely guaranteed.
Cody Dickinson, HOMEMADE. While kingpin Cody Dickinson doesn’t need an official introduction, let it be said he’s been on some of the great musical getdowns of the past 40 years, back to his and his brother’s musical shenanigans at Casa Dickinson in Hernando, Mississippi. Father Jim Dickinson really needs no introduction, but he made sure his two sons got to see and hear the absolute right stuff from the start. Through bands like DMT, North Mississippi All-Stars, The Word and many others, Cody Dickson could switch from drums to string instruments and everything else on the bandstand. This solo album is something that is beyond it all. The music zeroes into that part of the soul that cannot be described or even found. It just lives inside the spirit of Mississippi musicians like it was put there at birth. The true beauty of HOMEMADE is how Dickinson has rolled so many of his influences together, no matter where they come from, into a mind-popping album that cannot be put into a single description. Instead, songs like “Homemade Blues,” “Walk Right In,” “Goodnight Albuquerque, Tuesday Night” and all the others are a fest of pure souped-up feelings that aren’t easily found in these too-modern times. Cody Dickinson has thrown all his life-time of experiences and influences into a big cooking pot and come up with a brand new concoction. This is a sonic tour de force of feelings and funk, and something that is arriving right on time. Get down now.
A. Lee Edwards, INTERPRETING HEART SOUNDS, VOL. 1. Here’s a man who sings like the traveling musicians of legends past. His songs have the timeless characteristics of those who use their suitcase as a home and gather the stories in their songs from what they see and hear wherever they end up. It’s a time-tested American tradition, and with the rise of wireless communication the past few decades that aimless ability has taken a turn towards disappearing. Not for A. Lee Edwards. He strolls into his songs with an attitude of freedom, and doesn’t seem too worried about the before and the after. The first song on this irresistible new album, “Ride On,” is a manifesto of where the man might be going. And that’s followed by a new anthem for the free-form life: “Move Up to the Mountains.” Songs don’t get more explicit than that. Other tracks like “John on the Run,” “Coats on Ropes” and “Shallow Ground” follow those freedoms, and paint the picture of what many are conteplating now. Best of all is Edwards’ voice. It is a winsome instrument of warmth and truth, like those that might be met on the street when they walk past with a backpack and guitar case a half century ago. Being produced at Echo Mountain Recording in Ashville, Noth Carolina fits right in as well. And, of course, it was mixed in Scotland. Why not? For those seeking music that just doesn’t capture timelessness but also inspires it, A. Lee Edwards has arrived to save the day. Without a watch.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, STRUCK DOWN. There is only one Fabulous Thunderbirds. Celebrating their 50th anniversary with STRUCK DOWN, the band’s sound feels like it was born in the earth and will always thrive there. And while the world of blues bands has grown into the hundreds in the past half-century there really is only one T-Birds. Maybe that’s because Wilson and his cohorts in the beginning of their recording career–Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Buck and Keith Ferguson–walked a lonely road in popular music then. Wilson has continued his years of bluesing, rising to the top levels of singers and harp players in that world. These ten new recordings are as rich in soul and strength as anything the band has ever done, and with a handful of special guests it feels like the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ party will continue right into infinity. That’s because when the blues really grabs the spirit it has a way of not letting go. And that’s exactly what happened to Kim Wilson. To make one of the best albums of his life so far into the game, and writing all the songs but one with Steve Strongman, is a shining moment for the man. When people like ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Strongman, Terrance Simien and the original Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s Elvin Bishop sign up for special guest slots on the album help shine as righteous a reward as it gets. And with Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo’, Taj Mahal and Mick Fleetwood jumping into Memphis Minnie’s “Nothing In Rambling” feels like a soul hug for the man who has kept the band jumping all this time. When it’s time to listen to blues today, this is the band to find. The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the real deal since note one, and always will be. Kim Wilson burns.
Steve Forbert, DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. Song for song, album for album and year for year there really haven’t been many singer-songwriters in Steve Forbert’s realm the past near-50 years. There is something so personally appealing from listening to Forbert delve deep into his Southern roots and explain what true emotions not only sound like but feel like. The man has a way of expressing himself so listeners know exactly what is going on in Forbert’s heart. Which, when everything is boiled down to its most personal elements, is what music is really all about. Do the songs come across in a way that expresses the essence of what humans do when they share the bottom line of being alive? That’s the Big Question. The great news is that Steve Forbert has completely come through again on DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. His permanently-young vocals sound just like they did in his earliest songs, and his approach to sharing life just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Whether he’s reeling through an opus about falling in love or taking the flipside and opening up about what it feels like to have your soul seared with the pain of lost love isn’t that far a walk. Songs like “Pour a Little Glitter on It, Baby,” “Tomorrow Song” and “Guilt Tripper” wrap up the whole human enchilada dilemma. This is a man who has been there and never ran away. Steve Forbert is still standing up to everything being thrown at him and, easy or hard, he doesn’t flinch an inch. Southern wonders shine.
Sarah Jarosz, POLAROID LOVERS. Another fine Texan, straight outta Austin and then Wimberley. This is the Sarah Jarosz album to spread her greatness hopefully everywhere. There is such a depth of songs and vocals that it is irresistible. Gorgeous ballads, rocking country blasters, bluegrass beauties, and the kind of songs that only this woman can deliver. Produced by Daniel Tashian and surrounded by some of the best modern players alive, POLAROID LOVERS is the kind of music that doesn’t really sound like anything else. Jarosz’s voice can go to the highest realm of beauty and then turn around and go into the darkness of romantic pain like very few vocalists can. The sensitivity in her songs stand out with such true originality that sometimes they are overwhelming. The roll-out of the styles over the course of the album feels like one of those great releases of the 1960s that never quit pulling the audience in. And that’s the way Jarosz has always delivered her music. She aims for uniqueness and almost always hits the bullseye. This is someone whose career will not be stopped. Each of her albums has at least a few songs that feel like she is on the march to the top, and it’s never a question that this is a Texan who will get there. Join in today.
Madeleine Peyroux, LET’S WALK. It was only a matter of time before the incredibly-talented artist Madeleine Peyroux had another breakthrough. And LET’S WALK is it. Born in Georgia and raised in New York and California, it was inevitable that the young woman found singing and excursions to different continents. Her parents were proud beatniks and artists, and once they tore the sheet and went their separate ways the couple’s daughter was free to explore life in all its depth. And while it’s been six years since Madeleine Peyroux released a new album, her life continued through some serious tribulations while it always expanded no matter what she was doing. LET’S WALK is a glorious return for the singer-songwriter. She co-wrote all the songs with Jon Herrington, and it feels like their emotional quality is so strong and complete that Peyroux had been waiting for just the right time to share them with the world. Peyroux, Herrington and Andy Ezrin play all the instruments on the album, keeping the feelings and sounds so tight-knit and soulful it’s all a sonic wonder. There really hasn’t been a collection of songs quite like these ten in a long time, and they strike so close to home it’s impossible not to be completely touched by “Find True Love,” “Nothing Personal” and the eye-opener “How I Wish.” which explores the racial atrocities so prevalent in America today. LET’S WALK is the kind of work that will not be forgotten, and should break down the walls for all who get to hear Madeleine Peyroux in 2024 and beyond. This is music that has no boundaries, and will likely introduce a major musical figure in our ever-changing world. Time to listen.
Grace Pettis, DOWN TO THE LETTER. It takes a special talent to walk the line between rock’s power and folk’s quietness without losing something from one side or the other of the musical equation. Grace Pettis, though, has no problem with living on both sides of the fence. Some of her songs hit hard and others land softly. That’s because, at the end of the day, she’s a master of all kinds of music. DOWN TO THE LETTER allows Pettis to really zero in on various dynamics and song styles and show just how adept she is at it all. After living through the end of her recent marriage, there were all kinds of feelings left on the floor. No one ends such a total experience of sharing a life without being shredded to some extent of the relationship. But Pettis ended the pairing with the kind of strength that doesn’t always materialize when the teardrops start to fall. Her voice has the kind of sensitivity that can hang in space or also deliver the hard news. A Southern woman all the way, Pettis is no stranger to finding strength. In the middle of the album is the song “Wild,” which is a total time-stopper. It’s the level of writing that takes everything back to its essence, and delivers the level of feelings that can swing from devastating to invigorating. It is songwriting at its very best, and promises a future for Grace Pettis that will be a wonder to watch. But it also shows how the woman is in a very small realm of all-time modern songwriters that are showing endless promise right now. With full-tilt producer Mary Bragg lending a never-ending sense of inspiration to the recordings, DOWN TO THE LETTER moves to the head of the class as one of the best albums of 2024. And with an album-ender song like “When Nobody’s Watching,” written by Grace Pettis and Gary Nicholson, there can be no doubt that this woman has found her perfect spot to prove right now she is in a very special class of America’s finest artists. Do not miss.
Billy Price, PERSON OF INTEREST. The lucky 13 songs on Billy Price’s latest collection are funkier than the bottom of an empty bucket of Church’s Fried Chicken. The man just knows where to put the mojo into the music, and with such a simpatico producer as Tony Braunagel they get there every time. The studio is jammed with some of the top-line rhythm & blues funkateers alive, and with the freedom they’re enticed into giving this affair of a sonic soulster celebration, it should be played at political rallies and prison reunions alike. Price’s vocals are, well, priceless. He is a blue-eyed soul brother of the highest order, and never takes the easy way out. He’ll walk into a rhythm & blues jungle without a weapon except his heart and voice, and come out the other side as the absolute king of the boogie woogie bandstand. The man earned his pork pie hat decades ago, and is no Billy-come-lately. He is in it to win it, and comes out a champion all the way on PERSON OF INTEREST. The songs he and his brothers-in-scribe have come up with sit just right with the classics of the ages, and a few might just become classics of their own. The next time it’s time to listen to someone who is truly guilty of greatness, track down this person of extreme musical interest. He’ll knock the lights out, but glide in the stride and, yes, bring it all back home. Guilty as charged.
Various Artists, SILVER BULLET BLUEGRASS. It’s always a great day in the neighborhood when a musical idea gets stretched out so a new hybrid can happen. Which is why a tribute album performed by bluegrassish musicians of Bob Seger songs rings the bell just right. And that’s because Seger has always written songs that can appeal to everyone. He’s an American icon who writes and sings from the center of his heart and doesn’t look back. It’s always been that way since Bob Seger first appeared in the 1960s straight out of Detroit. When his recordings went mega in the Seventies it just meant Seger got to kick his lifestyle and the size of his Silver Bullet Band up a few notches, but it never felt like it changed the working class-fever of Bob Seger himself. Which makes the wonderous vocals on songs like “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” “Against the Wind,” “Turn the Page,” Hollywood Nights,” “Main Street” and “Feel Like a Number” perfect for the bluegrass bunch to step in behind them. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean these tracks are filled with flying fiddles and bouncing banjos completely. Instead, they are more bluegrass-inflected, with righteous vocals that capture the touching twang inside the deep down American spirit of Bob Seger’s most moving songs. Signing up for action here are Carson Peters, Gary Nichols, Bo Bice, Shonna Tucker and a righteous gang of others. By the closing song “Night Moves,” it’s clear Bob Seger’s songs are American anthems for those who love music. Period. Bluegrass and beyond.
Song of the Month
Steve Cropper & the Midnight Hour featuring Brian May
“Too Much Stress”
The everlasting guitar king of Memphis soul, Mr. Steve Cropper, has continued making music since the early 1960s, and never is less than stellar. He is one of those who has the touch imprinted inside him, and knows how to share it whenever he picks up his Fender guitar. “Too Much Stress” is right there in the pocket with all Cropper has done, and having Queen’s Brian May onboard gives the track that extra kick right into the stratosphere. Producer extraordinaire Jon Tiven knows the roads he’s traveling with these musicians, and steers them into the realm of funkdom just enough to always let things sizzle. There aren’t many songs that can get to this holy spot these days, but fear not: Steve Cropper is in the room and wouldn’t have it any other way. Turn it up.
Book of the Month
John Cowan with Jimmy Schwartz
HOLD TO A DREAM, A NEWGRASS ODYSSEY
For someone who has walked the backroads as well as lived in the spotlights of the music world, John Cowan is also one natural-born biographer. HOLD ON TO A DREAM is a dream of a book for those who love the last 50 years or so of live and recorded music in all kinds of genres, and want to get the backstage story of how it all happened. Cowan was there since being a teenaged prodigy, but he also had his eyes wide open to all the history being played allaround him. And, lucky readers, he started recording interviews with some of his musical heroes with a keen eye and open heart, capturing the lives of many of those who just happen to be some of the greatest musicians and singers of our times. How’s this for a roll-call: Leon Russell, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Rodney Crowell, Bonnie Bramlett, Gordon Stoker, Sam Moore, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Jim Messina, Robert Lamm, Justin Hayward and John Carter Cash. This musical mix isn’t always written about in the same book, which makes HOLD TO A DREAM a unique look at many of the most enduring sounds made in all those years. Of course, John Cowan himself is a top-of-the-line player himelf, logging unbelieveable years in New Grass Revival and the Doobie Brothers. Which makes this book a wonderful surprise all around, since Cowan stockpiled these interviews on his own only to give readers this incredible surprise of a collection in 2024. And because he’s a fellow musician, many of these talks approach the lives and history of incredible individuals in a whole new manner. Not to mention a totally touching and insightful foreward by another fine artist: Wendy Waldman. A win-win.
