add 1050 Pete Seeger

In 1966, when the topical song movement had gained national attention through the newly written material of Bob Dylan and such compatriots as Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger set out to demonstrate that "protest" songs were not a new thing by putting together an album largely made up of traditional material that had its roots in long-since-forgotten political issues, everything from the nursery rhyme "Little Jack Horner" to the Civil War march "John Brown's Body." Further, Seeger suggested that everything is political, whether it's the apparently comic children's song "Beans in My Ears" or that piece of Irish advice "Never Wed an Old Man." ("In the long run, the most truly dangerous songs of all may prove to be love songs and lullabies," he wrote in the liner notes.) And then there were songs that all would agree are political (though humorous), such as "The Pill" and Ochs' "Draft Dodger Rag." The resulting collection is one of Seeger's funniest, and at the same time most pointed albums. It took Columbia Records 32 years to reissue it on CD, with three bonus tracks from the sessions.

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ADD 1049 FESTIVAL

The debut album by sisters Lindsay Powell and Alexis Powell is kind of like the contemporary alt-folk equivalent of the worst albums of the British folk revival of the '60s, especially the wing spearheaded by the Incredible String Band.Come, Arrow, Come! is terminally precious in its mix of modern folk and psychedelic tropes with a thin veneer of whatthe Festival seem to think music sounded like in the days of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The sisters favor the same sort of affected delivery as Shirley Collins, but without her technical mastery, and the slapdash arrangements sound like the work of musicians with only the vaguest sense of what the records which inspired the Festival actually sounded like. (The credits include appearances by two former members of the Nashville pop-punk act Be Your Own Pet, which seems to confirm that hypothesis.) Toward the end of this brief album, the gospel-inflected "Valentine" shifts its inspiration from Albion to the Alan Lomax field recordings while sounding just as awkward and insincere. But then the album closes with the brief but entrancing "Come Outside!," on which the Festival drops all the pretense and delivers a mysteriously lovely reverie for crashing piano chords, a cheap electronic beat box and the sisters' entwined voices, which for the first time sound like the voices of women singing for the sheer physical and emotional pleasure of it. A follow-up album using that song as its musical and conceptual starting point would be most welcome.

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Add 1048 beady belle

In these me me myspace, facebook, iphone, iLike, i don´t like, omg, lol, like...let´s just say the 00´s desperate search for soul, identity, and melody in a most dischordant world - where can a listener, a lover of fine music go? Answer: Jazzland records. An oasis of talent, the boundary-breaking Norwegian label. A place where music comes first and uncompromising artists are there to guide you though it all. Back to music!

2008 heralds the return of Beady Belle. And wow what a return! Beate S. Lech, ice-queen Jazzland soul smoocher in fine fine form.

A smooth collection of songs, performed, played and produced beautifully by the Beady Belle collective - with special guests Jamie Cullum and India Arie contributing with their unique talents.

A much more warm and organic affair than previous albums nu-jazz flirtations with arctic electronics, this the real McCoy. Beady Belle offering you voice, song, groove, atmo, and most importantly soul in every measure, with a spoonful of blue just to leave you forgetting quite where we you are.

You only have to check the song titles to get clues as to where Beady Belle will take you this time...somewhere on a "Tranquil flight" with "A Touch of Paradise".

The warmer instrumentation is a strong sign too, with ghost elements of blue-grass, multi-layered vocal arrangements, slow grinding grooves, double bass and hand claps. Here the band are stripped to their most soulful to date. Phew, it´s getting warm in here!

Beady Belle, fronted by the eye-catching Beate S. Lech, with Marius Reksjø (bass) and Erik Holm (drums) have released three critically acclaimed albums to date on Jazzland. "Home" (2001), "Cewbeagappic" (2003), and "Closer" (2005) All released worldwide, and together with a vast amount of live performance, nu-jazz gigs and festivals around the globe - the band are slowly building up a strong following.

And yes, confidence is high that this new album, with the carrier single "Intermission" (the sultry duet with Cullum) will indeed provide the break they truly deserve!

Radio airwaves certainly need this, CD players, laptops´s and iPod´s even more so... as once again Beady Belle proudly present an exquisite album in the poppier outer limits of Jazzlandia! Music for music lovers searching for that something special.

From Beady Belle all the way to the listener - expect magic things when you press play! all in the best possible Jazzland taste.

http://www.jazzlandrec.com/

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Add 1047 Brian Bromberg

One glance at the personnel, which includes such popular "smooth" players as tenors Kirk Whalum and Boney James, trumpeter Rick Braun, and pianists George Duke and Jeff Lorber, could easily lead one to believe that this CD is filled with vacuous and mildly soulful background music. Actually, the playing on Downright Upright is a surprise, for most of the selections are reasonably creative renditions of soul-jazz. Four songs ("Cantaloupe Island," "Mercy Mercy Mercy," "Cold Duck Time" and "Chameleon") are standards given rightfully soulful treatments, and most ofBromberg's originals are worthwhile although a couple veer close to smooth. Most listeners knew that Kirk Whalumcould play worthwhile jazz if placed in that context but the fine solos of Boney James and particularly Jeff Lorber will surprise many.

Less of a surprise is the virtuosic bass solos of Brian Bromberg, a master at tapping. None of the music onDownright Upright would be considered innovative and the style itself is more than 30 years old, but to hear these pop/jazz musicians challenging each other a bit is fun. One wishes that they did it more often. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

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add 1046 chip Taylor

iner notes:

The first time I saw Chip Taylor live, I didn’t know much about him. He’d just got back to music after his gambling years. Of course I knew of his huge hits “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning”, but what impressed me the most that first time was that he played with one of my all time favorite guitarists John Platania. The guy who played on Van Morrison’s “It’s Too Late To Stop Now”. Wow! 

Later I’ve learned that rock and country aficionados held the Chip Taylor solo albums from the 70’s in very high regard, but at the time I didn’t have a clue. Despite this lack of education on my part, I’ve had the privilege not only to work with Chip, but we have also become close friends. At a hotel room in Austin I was probably the first “outsider” to hear his masterpiece “Black and Blue America”. I was there when Chip met Carrie Rodriguez for the first time. We’ve spent hours in tour buses. Over the years we’ve had many good talks (and quite a few good single malts along the way).

Thanks to one of Chip’s hardcore fans, I now have copies of all his solo albums from the old days. And they are good. No doubt about it. But for me, the really important songs are the ones written and recorded since Chip got back into music in the late 90’s, the period covered by this compilation. These are the songs that really struck a chord inside me. Songs of joy and sorrow, of deep emotions and everyday life. Pure poetry with a great sense of humor.

It’s been an honor to select the tracks for “James Wesley Days”, the first compilation of Chip Taylor’s post-gambling days. It was also very difficult. When you listen I’m sure you will miss one or two favorites. So do I. It was necessary to kill a few darlings in the process. The hits are here of course, and perhaps a few songs you didn’t expect. Some obscure album tracks and three previously unreleased gems. Enjoy!

- Håkan Olsson, Rootsy.nu

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add 1045 Carrie Rodríguez

Singer/songwriter/fiddler Carrie Rodriguez's sophomore solo album is substantially different from its predecessor in a few key ways. First, ex-employer Chip Taylor, who was a considerable presence on her first disc, having written or co-written the majority of the songs, is now gone in all but spirit. Carrie Rodriguez picks up the slack by co-writing all but one tune, calling in ringers like ex-Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris and producer Malcolm Burn, both of whom also contribute instrumentally. Additionally, for better or worse, Rodriguez only plays fiddle on three tunes, sticking with tenor guitar and mandolin on seven others. While there's nothing wrong with that, it's like having a great quarterback only hand off the ball instead of passing it. Interestingly, one of those tunes, "Absence," is an album highlight. Co-written with artistic soulmate Mary Gauthier, it taps into a dark, spooky backwoods vibe that's both natural and haunting. The focus is on Rodriguez's voice, a pleasant, often affecting trill that has lost some of its Suzanne Vega-like comparisons since the last effort, but remains evocative and perfect for this predominantly atmospheric follow-up. Producer Burn, who knows atmospherics due to his work on Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball and with Chris Whitley, brings his mojo, and the combination works well. Rodriguez goes for a hit with the title cut, a pleasant if commercially driven ditty that wouldn't sound out of place on contemporary country radio, which is likely the driving force behind it. But Rodriguez is better when she lurks between the cracks of country and folk, as she does on the majority of this set. The stripped-down "Let Me In" features standup bass, muted drums, spooky, sparse guitar chords, and Rodriguez singing sultry lines such as "Tell me what gets you off/I don't mind if it's hard or soft." Touring companion Lucinda Williams adds vocals to "Mask of Moses," bringing her sense of drama and intensity to an already riveting tune with religious overtones that builds to a dynamic climax. Like most subtle albums, these songs don't jump out, preferring to float around your brain. Repeated spins result in the drifting melodies, introspective lyrics, and Burn's slow-burn production getting under your skin and taking hold. While not as immediately accessible as her debut, She Ain't Me reveals its charms slowly yet effectively, and is the better for it.

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Volvimos!! Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodríguez

If you're a fan of roots rock and Texas country music, then this disc will kind of take your breath away before you even hear a note. The pairing of singer/songwriter Chip Taylor and fiddler/singer Carrie Rodriguez has been an inspired one ever since they started making albums together in 2002. On this live album (recorded in Germany at the triennial celebration of the Ruhr region) they are joined by a band that includes pedal steel player Greg Leisz as well as -- get this -- famed jazz/country/experimental guitarist Bill Frisell. The music is by turns soulful and rollicking, with dips into the old book of country standards (Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again," Johnny Cash's "Big River") and the slightly less old book of rock & roll standards (Chuck Berry's "Maybellene," Taylor's own "Wild Thing"). Most of the remainder are relatively contemporary songs written by Taylor, and several things jump out at you about them: Taylor's own strong voice, Rodriguez's gorgeously reedy harmony vocals, and the almost otherworldly beauty of the live arrangements. A good portion of the credit for that beauty goes to Frisell, who is at his best in a setting like this -- spinning out his heartbreakingly lovely guitar lines in ringing, shimmering layers. But even if he were absent, songs like the Taylor/Rodriguez duet "Once Again One Day You Will Be Mine" and the quasi-religious "Oh Set a Light" would stand beautifully on their own. Not to mention Rodriguez's sturdily rocking arrangement of the traditional fiddle tune "Elzic's Farewell" and the two numbers that close out the set -- a quiet version of "Angel of the Morning" (yes, that's aTaylor song as well) and a startlingly sexy version of "Wild Thing." Brilliant.

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