Bentley’s Bandstand: December 2024
By Bill Bentley
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers, CLOSER TO THE BONE. Blues today comes in all shapes and sizes, attitudes and colors. It’s hard to keep track of the last 60 years of the blues journey. What was once a sound that lived mostly in the ghettos and didn’t escape that often, in the mid-1960s the doors and windows opened and blues was off to the races. And while that was a wonderful thing to witness on some levels, for others it felt like something started to be missing. But musicians like Tommy Castro never lost the thread, and have stayed true to the deepest emotions that blues songs can convey. And on CLOSER TO THE BONE, without doubt he has aimed his stun-gun electric guitar at the deepest realms of the soul and made sure anyone within listening range feels the music at its very deepest. This is blues that can be used by all. Whether these songs are written by giants like Ray Charles, Brownie McGhee, Johnny Watson and Eddie Taylor or newer comers like Castro, Chris Cain and others, each and every one of them are delivered with a down home depth that can be instantly recognized as the keys to the kingdom. That feeling is there at full blast and does what the best blues always does: delivers the goods. Tommy Castro’s guitar is a force of its own beauty: the man can play the music like it’s meant to be played just right to the bone with no unnecessary frills, but instead with full fire power. It’s the kind of sound that was born in the alley and still resides there, no matter what the physical surroundings may look like. The result is the same. Tommy Castro, producer/musician Christoffer “Kid” Andersen and his musical cut-ups aren’t kidding around. They’re going for broke and aren’t looking back. Blues or lose.
Beau Jennings & the Tigers, AMERICAN STORIES MAJOR CHORDS. Where do the greats really come from? In rock & roll, it can be anywhere. That’s the true fact that is proven over and over again, whether it’s Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Roky Erickson or anyone else. Maybe because of the fact that rock is so personal. There are not hundreds of years of history to contend with. It’s essentially a 75-year excursion on the rock & roll tilt-a-whirl, and here we are. Beau Jennings has done his work in the trenches mostly in Oklahoma, and now on AMERICAN STORIES MAJOR CHORDS he has crossed into that evolving pantheon of singer-songwriters who can stand among any of the greats that have come before. And while his audience so far has been slightly limited, this new album should be the one to change that. Here’s a rocker who can stand tall now on any stage with anyone. It’s interesting how this kind of greatness can occur at any time with any artist, and there it is: another hero grows into the realm and delivers. Jennings’ new music feels like it’s been sprinkled with magic dust. There are all kinds of dynamics and destinies which come together to merge into those times that call for national attention. It can be felt in the snare drum, piano keys, guitar strings and microphones: a person steps into new shoes to inhabit and a chance to open their soul for an audience and announce that they’ve arrived and are ready for a change. The molecules around them start to dance and those that listen to them are touched. It’s a bit of a trick of nature because there is really no explaining how it happens. It just happens. Whether it’s on “Knockin'” or “Sooner Superette” or any of the other nine songs on this astounding album, the message is the same. Here is music that can change lives by giving soulful solace and pure hope to those who need it now more than ever. The turbulence ahead can be met head-on with these songs of Beau Jennings. Do not delay.
Michael Kiwanuka, SMALL CHANGES. Note for note and song for song, Michael Kiwanuka is one of the most fascinating musicians of the past few decades. He grew up in the Muswell Hill area of London, the son of Ugandan parents. As a young player he immediately was drawn to a worldwide set of influences, and used them to merge into what has become his own very own style. He moves from influences to influences and is always able to create something that sounds brand new. SMALL CHANGES is his most enthralling release yet. It feels like Kiwanuka’s playing and singing has found its very own niche, one that pays respect to a varying list of sounds, but in the end comes out as something of his own. His backing of jazz styles and classical arrangements never fails to capture a broad breadth, but also stays within the range of popular music. It often feels like the man is within one song of a massive breakthrough, and he’ll become a worldwide name, someone likely known by his last name. Album title SMALL CHANGES might refer to the feel of these eleven songs as an advancement towards that kind of popular identity. It recalls that era in the 1980s when world music raised its hand as a popular concept and went on to spread just how broad modern songs can spread. Michael Kiwanuka is on that cusp now, and if this new album doesn’t take him there, the next very well could. There are no walls for songs like “Rebel Soul” and “Follow Your Dreams.” The ear is a human instrument for discovery, and this musician is perfect to become a person to pitch in and show the way. A change coming.
Massy Ferguson, YOU CAN’T TELL ME I’M NOT WHAT I USED TO ME. First things first: Massy Ferguson is the name of this band, taken from the name of a farm equipment company, and whose members are Ethan Anderson: vocals, bass; Adam Mondo: guitars, vocals; Fred Skater: piano, keyboards; Dave Goedde: drums, percussion. Mr. Ferguson’s identity will have to remain a mystery. But beyond that, do not miss the point that this is one of the great rock & roll records this year. The quartet, along with a half-dozen add-on players here and there, do not take any mess. They are razor-sharp musicians who have clearly entered the outer zone in finding their ideas for songs, and have a way of pushing directly into whatever crosses their minds. There is something slightly esoteric about the band’s songs that add a heft of intrigue to whatever they’re singing about, and the lyrics are just cogent enough to bring it all home. In a semi-stretch, the Seattle-situated men have honed an irresistible style in their near-twenty years of togetherness. Over seven albums Massy Ferguson have earned every single accolade an outfit this fine has rightly been given, and on YOU CAN’T TELL ME I’M NOT WHAT I USED TO BE has managed to march right into greatness on these 11 songs. Producer Damien Jurado is the perfect person to make sure the band’s new album throws their undeniable strength right in the face of every listener, and does not shrink from any challenges. What a charge.
Thee Sacred Souls, GOT A STORY TO TELL. The Daptone Recording Co. name is gold in modern soul music, and their new release by Thee Sacred Souls takes it all the way to the Holy Land. This is modern vocal music of the highest degree, firmly rooted in the gospel sound without being based in church. Rather, it is voices that take their emotional hotspots and find a way to make them open to all who truly worship what the human voice can do. Lead vocalist Josh Lane is near-other worldly with what he can do on songs like “On My Mind,” “Stuck in the Mud,” “In the Mirror,” and, well, every other selection. This is a sound that might instill an instant memory of records from another era, but at the same time Thee Sacred Souls are also right on top of modern times. There hasn’t been an outfit which includes the rhythm section of Alex Garcia and Sal Samano behind Lane, that has such an instantaneous power to invoke this wonder in recent times. The background vocalists are of the highest class, and a major part of what makes GOT A STORY TO TELL so undeniably appealing. Daptone Records has been an always-dependent source for rhythm & blues over the years, and with this collection has really outdone themselves. While lead singer Josh Lane soars, every part of the arrangements and the line-up of all-original songs take it to the promised land. This is such an enticing home run of songs, vocals, band and production that it’s almost too good to be true. Do not miss.
Shaboozey, WHERE I’VE BEEN ISN’T WHERE I’M GOING. Say what? What kind of moniker is Shaboozey? Maybe a nickname from the chitlin’ circuit in the 1950s? Think again. This musician is as deep as yesterday’s new-dug grave, and has a soul which goes on forever. Shaboozey’s got Nigerian blood and Virginia roots mixed together. Not only that, he’s made it under the fence and slipped onto the country music charts in America’s heartland. Maybe that’s because the artist is singing the truth, and whether the pundits like it or not, he has connected with a massive audience and released a song that is the longest-running Number One song on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart ince airplay was invented. Seriously. And to top it all, Shaboozey’s new album doesn’t even have his name anywhere on the cover, front or back. It’s only at the bottom of the spine. Take that curious Walmart shoppers. What is without doubt, though, is that this is a serious man, with a sound that feels like it could have been recorded on death row. He is singing for keeps, and songs like “Horses & Hellcats,” “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” “Drink Don’t Need No Mix” and “East of the Massanutten” have the feel of a warning. It’s just not telling from what. It feels like a small miracle that this artist has ended up living on top of the country music charts, but then again, it’s a new age in American music and surprises are popping out all over. What’s next? Taylor Swift on the classical charts? Shaboozey or lose.
McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, FORCES OF NATURE: LIVE AT SLUG’S. The various waves of superb jazz musicians goes back beyond a century, and what is truly amazing is just how powerful the old and the new players have always been. Pianist McCoy Tyner came to national recognition in the 1960s, and soon hit the toppermost with John Coltrane’s unequaled outfit in the 1960s. Tyner was there ever since until his passing in 2020. The pianist had a way with the keyboard that is often a mix of smooth and agitated, and goes from one groove to another at will. He is truly one of the all-time greats of the past 70 years, supplying the kind of jazz superiority that is rarely equaled. Saxophonist Joe Henderson is also an all-timer. While he never became quite the legend of other players from his era, he always ranked into the highest level of players and recorded some of the most popular jazz tracks of the past half-century. Musicians like this pair made jazz the undeniable music it is. This live double-disc set also features bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette, each a hero of the music as well. And the club Slug’s was no slouch either. It played host to many of the most highly-achieving jazz musicians of the modern era, starting with Charlie Mingus and moving onward. FORCES OF NATURE is exactly that. The way Tyner and Henderson intertwine and urge each other to the highest elevation of their abilities is breathtaking. Song after song pushes and pulls like, well, forces of nature. Truth in advertising.
Uncle Walt’s Band, THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK: THE COMPLETE 1975 ARMADILLO RECORDS RECORDINGS. In the 1970s Austin, Texas was a perfect spot to experience an explosion of humanity. The University of Texas had a population of 50,000 students, all looking for action when the last class let out for the day. There were another 50,000 former students who, once they graduated or dropped out of college were ready to go. And then there were those who heard the clarion call of freedom that if you were going to live in the Lone Star state then the Capital City was the only spot where there was enough freedom to boogie and hopefully not end up in the state penitentiary. In other words: Austin was open for groovers. When Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood and David Ball threw in together and formed Uncle Walt’s Band, they joined the brigade and helped make Austin the self-appointed Live Music Capital of the World. And not only could these three young men sing superbly, but they were no stranger to songwriting either. Pretty soon Uncle Walt’s Band had a cult following that was growing, and would soon start a quiet march on recording studios. The Valhalla of nightclubs in Austin was Armadillo World Headquarters, so it made sort-of sense they start an adjacent record label. Naturally, things got complicated and some releases came out and some didn’t. But Uncle Walt’s Band was good enough that people actually wanted to buy their recordings, so business began for the band. Unfortunately, life got complicated and many tracks got put on the shelf and gathered marijuana vapors. These songs are worthy contenders for some of the best recordings never more-or-less heard, and now, finally, they are available for listening. Sadly, both Hood and Hyatt have left the planet, but Ball successfully carries on as a singer-songwriter, and does proud by his two former bandmates. Eighteen of the recordings on this collection are previously unreleased, and as fine an example of the true-blue Texas sound of the 1970s as can be found. They totally capture the audio vibrations of what Doug Sahm nicknamed Austin: Groover’s Paradise, and prove a few things last from one of the great eras of the Bluebonnet Plague. Hook ’em horns.
Various Artists, PARCHMAN PRISON PRAYER: ANOTHER MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY MORNING. In 2023 prisoners in Mississippi’s Parchman Farm recorded various gospel songs they sang while incarcerated. This new release is the unforgettable follow-up to the first release, and once again the humanity and heart recorded by inmates is a force of nature, much as the debut release was. There is something so moving and human on tracks like “Open the Floodgates of Heaven,” “Take Me to the King” and “God is Keeping Me” that it feels like new parts of the world are opening up. Whether the recordings are musical or spoken-word, they all add up to a sharing of the souls of those who have lost their physical freedom but strive to stay free somehow. Self-expression is one of the surefire remedies for coping with being imprisoned, and these inmates approach those possibilities with all the strength they have. These recordings were done at the prison’s Sunday gospel service, and there is no doubt that every participant still feels the pull of a life outside being locked in, and uses their ability to hope and dream to keep pushing forward to that day. For some, it will never come. And others it is still something to live for. These expressions of song and spoken word point to the basic humanity of all those alive: to be free. Producer Ian Brennan is able to reach into the depths of humanity and find a way to offer self-expression to flame the idea of freedom, no matter the possibility, for every participant on PARCHMAN PRISON PRAYER. Say amen somebody.
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, WOODLAND. It’s been awhile coming, but this mesmerizing album by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings was worth every second of the wait. There is nothing less than monumental by the ten songs on WOODLAND. It’s like the pair knew they had to deliver some of the best recordings of their long and prestigious career, and have achieved nothing less than that. The way Welch and Rawlings can wrap simplicity with depth is done by very few others with this incredible beauty of sound. Welch’s voice is something rarely equaled and on this set is in top form. It’s nothing short of hypnotic. Really. And the players in the recording band are of the utmost style and sound, and create such a sonic timelessness that it feels like time has stopped and a new form of listening has been invented. No kidding. All songs were written by Welch and Rawlngs, and it’s obvious they were ultra-sensitive in picking only their very finest for the set. Once or twice in a group’s career it seems as if before sessions started everyone involved knew this was the moment when they were going for the fences. There would be no shortcuts, no matter what, and they were recording an album that they would point to forever as one of their finest. This is that album. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings have long been the gold standard in modern music, and this knocks even that accomplishment a few notches higher. This is music that has a shortcut to the heart, and a place to live in the soul. Go there now.
Song of the Month
Sam Llanas, “I’m Not a Robot.” As is well-documented, Sam Llanas was one of the pivotal people in BoDeans, and has gone on to record a large amount of fantastic music since those days. And at the very top of these recordings add the new “I’m Not a Robot.” Along with Guy Hoffman and Sean Williamson, Llanas has set off a depth-charge of a rock & roll song, one that swings and swerves all over the grooves, taking no prisoners and asking for no quarter. “I’m Not a Robot” is a flat-out rocker, one that could be proudly played during any era of the style that leans on the savage side of the beat with unending verve. Llanas’ gripping voice is on fire, letting listeners in on what is no secret: there are no robot parts used in the assembly of this human. He is a true-to-the-roots Wisconsan who has been on the rollercoaster of rock & roll for almost his whole life. Turn it up.
Reissue of the Month
Brenton Wood, 18 BEST. No one who ever heard Brenton Wood’s monstro-hit in the 1960s “Oogum Boogum” has ever really been able to decide what the phrase actually means, but has ever forgotten it. That was a time in music when languages were being reinvented and if a song had the right beat and delivery anything went. Wood was a fearless singer who didn’t let grammar bother him, and had a way of swinging the beat in the right direction and was no stranger to the Hit Parade. His “Gimme Little Sign” also made it into hitsville, and while his popular reign didn’t last as long as he had likely hoped, Brenton Wood is still someone fans continue to smile about when these songs are played, and the 18 tracks collected here are an instant upper for those with a heart for groovacious songs and swinging sensations. Who can ever forget the sophisticated undercurrent in “Whoop It On Me” or “Can You Dig It.” Brenton Wood was undoubtedly a soul man who knew where to go when the doors got closed. Oogum Boogum rules.
Book of the Month
Brian T. Atkinson, LOVE AT THE FIVE AND DIME: THE SONGWRITING LEGACY OF NANCI GRIFFITH. When this young Texan decided to be a singer-songwriter, there was nothing that was going to stop her. As a teenager, in 1974 she got a weekly night at the new wild and wooly Austin bar the Hole in the Wall, and proudly took the stage to prove she had the talent it took to make her mark. It was a tough crowd, celebrating the new Texas law that allowed mixed drinks to be sold in public, and the fact President Nixon was getting the bounce in Washington, D.C. set loose the liberal audience. Not everyone in the Hole wanted to hear Nanci Griffith, and one night the drinkers at the bar, whose backs faced Griffith onstage, had enough hearing her. One of them turned around and loudly shouted at Griffith singing, “Hey, could you hold down up there? We’re trying to have a conversation over here at the bar.” The teenaged Griffith loudly told them what they could do with their conversation and totally drowned them out with her next song. There was no doubt this woman was going all the way. Brian T. Atkinson’s new book is a magnificent telling of Giffith’s life story, one cut short by an early death. It’s a total excursion into her life as mostly told by her friends and contemporary musicians and songwriters. The book is so detailed and passionately follows her journey that it feels like someone in her family had a loving hand in creating it. The interviews also go a long way explaining much of the history of Austin music in the 1970s and beyond, and fills in the blanks on a variety of Griffith’s contemporaries in ways that have never been done. This is storytelling at its best, about someone whose story has never been told. Listen and learn.
Bentley’s Bandstand: December 2024
Enjoy Bill’s previous reviews here: Bentley’s Bandstand: November 2024